Chapter 30 Advance to the Finals?

Tang Zheng ran the football towards the top of the Japanese team's penalty area while running at high speed. The Japanese fans in the stands and in front of the TV were extremely panicked. Goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima became the only hope in their hearts.

Everyone is lucky, especially Japanese fans.

However, Kawashima Eiji failed to play the role that Japanese fans hoped to see. When faced with Tang Zheng's fake shot, he made an early save, which was tantamount to surrendering.

As the best goal-scoring midfielder in active international football, Tang Zheng's single-handed shooting percentage is even higher than that of many top forwards. Moreover, Kawashima Eiji has already made a save in advance. The following shooting methods he can complete are many kinds of.

But Tang Zheng chose the shooting method that tested his footwork the most. He raised his right foot again and rubbed the toe of his right foot towards the bottom of the football.

Not very powerful and not very high.

However, Kawashima Eiji, who made the save in advance, was powerless. All he could do was not to take his eyes off the football flying towards the goal.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch -"

A second later, the football crashed into the unguarded goal and hit the snow-white net. Suddenly, the sky above Newcastle Stadium rang out with deafening roars created subconsciously by Chinese fans.

The sound was so loud that even the farms a few kilometers away from the stadium could hear the sound coming from Newcastle Stadium.

The Chinese fans sitting in front of the TV had almost the same reaction. They stood with clenched fists, and then raised their arms and shouted when the goal was scored.

"The ball is in! The ball is in! Tang Zheng's seventh goal of this Asian Cup was born. His goal not only helped the Chinese team lead the Japanese team, but also became the second most goals scored in a single Asian Cup in the history of the Asian Cup. player, second only to the legendary Iranian star Ali Daei! Regardless of whether we can defeat Japan in the end, Tang Zheng still has one game left! Judging from his state in this game, there may be goals! A single Asian Cup history The player who scored the most goals in the tournament? Why not?"

Central 5 commentator He Wei shouted at the top of his lungs.

Commentator Xu Yang focused on the slow-motion replay and praised Tang Zheng: "Tang Zheng's goal perfectly reflects his comprehensive ability. He participated in the whole process from defense to scoring, and they are the two most critical ones." In the link, it first appeared in the key position where Kagawa Shinji passed the ball to Endo Yasuhito. He also looked quite calm when facing Kawashima Eiji in a one-on-one situation. I think the Chinese Super League players sitting in front of the TV should learn how to deal with one-on-one balls... …”

At the same time, although Tang Zheng, who scored the goal, is used to big scenes and has taken the glory of the club lightly, the championship at the national team level is still '0' so far.

If the Chinese team defeats the Japanese team in this game with its own goals, then the Chinese team entering the final will have the possibility of stabilizing the Asian Cup championship.

Therefore, Tang Zheng, who helped the Chinese team score the ice-breaking goal, seemed very excited. He habitually ran to the corner flag area on the right side of the offense with a smile on his face, and waved to his excited teammates to celebrate the goal together.

As the goal was scored, none of the Chinese players on the field could hold back the excitement in their hearts. They opened their arms and ran all the way to Tang Zheng, celebrating the hard-won goal wildly.

Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, and his assistants embraced each other passionately in front of the visiting team's coaching bench, releasing the huge pressure caused by the goal.

Not far away, the head coach of the Japanese team, Aguirre, frowned and had a sad look on his face. He really didn't expect that the team's gate would be breached by the Chinese team less than ten minutes into the second half of the game, and the Chinese team's goal was not an accident. A qualitative change that occurs after quantity accumulates to a certain amount.

On the other hand, the Japanese team's offense is mixed, with big thunder and small raindrops. Most of the ball possession time is concentrated in the midfield and midfield. There are very few offenses that can threaten the Chinese team's defense. In other words, a series of targeted attacks were formulated before the game. Tactics can only be reinvented.

After thinking clearly, Aguirre pulled his assistant for a short and quick conversation. Now that the team is lagging behind, changes are urgent.

Rather than leaving adjustments until the second half of the game, it is better to make adjustments as early as possible to give the substitutes some time to adapt to the rhythm on the court.

Before the game restarted, Shibazaki Yue replaced Endo Yasuhito.

The intention of the Japanese team's substitution adjustment is quite obvious, which is to strengthen the attack in the middle.

After all, Yasuhito Endo is already thirty-five years old, and his running ability and physical fitness have declined significantly. It is difficult to maintain 100% concentration in a top competition like the Asian Cup semifinals.

In other words, Aguirre hopes that Shibazaki Yue can bring hope to the team.

As someone born in the 1990s, Aguirre believes that Yue Shibazaki is no worse than those born in the 1990s in the Chinese team, or even better.

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The Chinese team's celebration did not last long. They slowly walked back to their own half in the fanatical atmosphere created by the Chinese fans.

The Japanese team took advantage of this gap to make the first substitution adjustment of the game. As the captain of the Chinese team in this game, Tang Zheng, who scored a goal, consciously encouraged the excitement of his teammates while walking back. , and also reminded his teammates to concentrate on the game and never slack off just because the score is ahead.

In the Asian Cup semi-finals, any negligence may lead to lifelong regrets.

The Japanese team, which made substitution adjustments, has made great changes in its tactics, and the number of forward passes has increased significantly.

However, the direct consequence of playing more is that the pass error rate is getting higher and higher, because the Chinese team attaches great importance to the defense of the core area.

With the score leading, the Japanese team's time of possession has increased significantly, and the pressure on Tang Zheng has become extremely heavy.

Coupled with the fact that midfielder partner Li Kui is carrying a yellow card, Tang Zheng, as the captain, must shoulder more defensive responsibilities.

The Japanese team had more time on the ball, but head coach Aguirre seemed not satisfied. He continued to make adjustments to the lineup, and Muto Yoshiki replaced Iniki Takashi.

However, the effect of Yoshiki Muto's appearance was not obvious. On the contrary, he was not accustomed to the situation, and he did not have a tacit understanding with the passing, cutting and running of his teammates on the field.

Just after the Japanese team's substitution adjustments were completed, the on-site director's close-up shot showed Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team.

The intention of this broadcast is obvious. The Japanese team has made two substitution adjustments. Should the Chinese team, which is leading the score, make corresponding adjustments?

But Lippi's expression was calm and motionless, as if he were a master strategizing a decisive victory thousands of miles away.

Of course, Lippi was not as calm as he appeared on the surface. He was thinking about how to maximize the benefits of substitutions and adjustments.

Also make substitution adjustments. If one adjustment can have the effect of reversing the situation, why make two?

Just like Aguirre's two substitution adjustments did not have a significant effect, it would be better not to make any adjustments.

It was not until the 62nd minute of the game that the Chinese team made the first adjustment of the game. Li Kui, who was carrying a yellow card, was replaced by Cai Huikang.

Central 5 commentator He Wei looked at the broadcast of the substitution handover ceremony and nodded lightly: "Li Kui performed admirably in the first hour of his first appearance. Except for the yellow card he received for standing up for his teammates, he spent most of the time. Very good, it relieves captain Tang Zheng's defensive pressure very well. In time, he will definitely grow into a strong barrier for the Chinese team's midfield..."

"That's right!" Commentator Xu Yang praised: "If we carefully examine Li Kui's performance in the past hour, we will find that his characteristics are very similar to Makelele's. He has a strong sense of position and can quickly attack. And super chasing ability, and Li Kui also has the height and explosive power that Makelele does not have. If Li Kui can continue his current amazing performance, I think... his growth limit will be inestimable."

At this moment, the scouts sitting in the stands of Newcastle Stadium closed their notebooks with Li Kui's technical characteristics and development prospects, and re-invested in the Asian Cup semi-final between China and Japan.

In other words, they put their attention on the players they should have paid attention to.

To determine the upper limit of a player's growth, the most important thing to focus on is the performance of the tournament system.

Stars all have the same characteristics, and they tend to perform better in more important games.

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Cai Huikang's substitution of Li Kui had nothing to do with tactical adjustments, but Li Kui, who was carrying a yellow card, was likely to become nervous as the game time shortened. This was done in order to avoid non-combat attrition. Substitute.

However, Cai Huikang does not have the physical flexibility that Li Kui has, and his frontal defensive ability is also lacking. However, Cai Huikang has rich game experience that Li Kui does not have.

Cai Huikang will conscientiously complete the defensive tasks assigned by Lippi and will not do anything beyond his capabilities.

The game time passed by second by second, and the Japanese players on the field played more and more urgently.

Some players feel that the error rate of passing threatening balls is high anyway, so it is better to just kick them. If they are lucky, they may be kicked out of the world.

But many times, world waves are hard to come by, especially in key matches.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

The game time is shortening, and the fanatical atmosphere permeating Newcastle Stadium has not diminished at all. On the contrary, it has become more fanatical as the time decreases.

The fans sitting in front of the TV seemed to be affected by the fanatical atmosphere from the scene and became nervous, especially the Chinese fans.

The Chinese team did not lead by many points, only one goal, and the 1:0 lead is recognized as the most unsafe score in world football.

Now that the Japanese team is taking the initiative in the game, no one can say whether the Japanese team will score the ball in the next attack.

While looking forward to it, Japanese fans are also worried about the Chinese team's counterattack, because the Chinese team's goal to break the deadlock was a quick counterattack during the transition from defense to offense.

Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda had a very strong desire to get the ball during this period. As long as there were no Chinese players around to defend them, they would choose long shots.

Of course, it sounds like a long shot, but not like a wild shot, which is equivalent to a rescue for the Chinese team.

Noticing that the players were getting impatient, Japanese coach Aguirre quickly took advantage of a dead ball opportunity to come to the sidelines and yell, signaling the players to calm down and not blindly choose long shots.

The signal he wants to send is that there is still time, don't be so hasty.

At this time, the time came to the 70th minute, and the scoreboard still showed 0:1.

The Japanese team is in front and the Chinese team is behind.

The Japanese team, which regained its patience, never created a threatening enough offense. Aguirre had no choice but to make the third substitution adjustment of the game. Hinata Toyoda replaced the mediocre Shinji Okazaki.

"At the 72nd minute of the game, the Japanese team has used up three substitutions." Central 5 commentator He Wei said: "Lippi's guidance only made adjustments for Li Kui, who was carrying a yellow card. Is this going to happen?" Will it affect the next game?"

Regarding He Wei's concerns, commentator Xu Yang laughed and said: "We seem to be playing very passively, but in fact it is very safe. Goalkeeper Yan Junling has not made a key save yet. It can be said that the Japanese team's offense is not enough to threaten the Chinese team." At the goal, we have a lot of room to expand the lead. I think Lippi is waiting for the right opportunity to make key adjustments to kill the game..."

Five minutes later, the Chinese team made its second substitution adjustment of the game.

Sun Jingbo, who had been hiding for a long time, replaced Takesanshi and kept the pressure on the Japanese team's defense on the right.

When Aguirre saw that the player who replaced Wu Sanshi was Sun Jingbo, his emotionless facial expression became a little worried.

Compared with Wu Sanshi, Sun Jingbo's personal scoring ability is stronger.

The speed and skills are quite outstanding. The team is now eager to equalize the score. The holes in the defense will definitely be infinitely magnified. Coupled with the new European Golden Boy Award winner Lu Liang, he and Sun Jingbo who come off the bench can bring huge benefits to the players on the field. pressure.

The most troublesome thing about the game is looking forward and backward, and not having unified thinking in the front and backcourt.

The players in front want to attack, and the players behind want to defend. The result is a disconnect in the midfield.

The Japanese team's ability to dominate Asian football in the past decade is directly related to its emphasis on midfield control. If there is a disconnect between the front and backcourt, the game will basically lose suspense.

Sun Jingbo had not yet posed a direct threat to the Japanese team's defense when he first came on the field, but as he adapted to the rhythm of the game, the Japanese defensive players felt a lot of pressure in the process of switching from offense to defense. Yuto Nagatomo, who has rich experience in the game, even tried to prevent Sun Jingbo completed the inside cut and received a yellow card.

Fortunately, the foul location was in the wrong direction, otherwise Tang Zheng, who has superb footwork, could have used a direct free kick to threaten Kawashima Eiji to guard the goal.

Despite this, the Japanese fans in the stands were still shocked into a cold sweat.

In the blink of an eye, the game reached eighty minutes, and the score was still in the lead of the Chinese team.

Time is running out, and the impatience of the Japanese players is once again reflected. Aguirre, who is standing in the command area of ​​the home team coach, is running around anxiously.

During this period of time, the Chinese team did not attack many times, but they all ended up with shots. On the other hand, the Japanese team's offensive organization failed to form effective shots, and they all ended up hastily, which was equivalent to a rescue for the Chinese team.

The Japanese team's impatience is not only reflected on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end. Facing the Chinese team's conduct in the midfield and backfield, they are often impatient and choose to foul.

As everyone knows, the time consumption after a foul is more serious and the rhythm is easier to interrupt.

Central 5 commentator He Wei nodded lightly and said confidently: "Our defense and offense are both very good. If we continue at this pace, we will definitely advance to the finals!"