Chapter 131: 2nd in the Group, Against Croatia

In the 49th minute of the game, Tang Zheng received Lu Liang's cross pass without making any adjustments. He directly used his left foot to pass a long pass to Zhang Linpeng, who was running at high speed from the right. The latter glanced at the penalty area while running. His teammates position themselves and then deliver a cross of excellent quality.

Erfan, who started the game, had a first-class sense of smell in front of the goal. His ghostly movement flashed in front of the central defender Santamaria and completed a diving header.

The football was so powerful that Peruvian goalkeeper Galese had no reaction until the football hit the snow-white net...

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

Suddenly, the sky above the Fisht Olympic Stadium rang out with deafening shouts from Chinese fans.

If the whole game ends according to the current score, the Chinese team can beat the French team and rank first in the group with a goal difference!

Ye Erfan, who scored the goal, seemed particularly excited in the fanatical atmosphere because... this was his first goal in the first World Cup of his career!

Thinking of countless fans sitting in front of the TV, he couldn't suppress his excitement. He opened his arms and ran all the way. Even the strong Zhang Linpeng couldn't hold him back until Ye Erfan ran to the camera and started to play the sliding kneeling pose. celebrate.

"Fish leap to the top!"

Central 5 commentator He Wei was full of passion and shouted hysterically: "The goal is in! The goal is in! The 19-year-old Ye Erfan scored a goal through sports play in his first World Cup game! Sure enough, it was A natural killer in front of goal! In May last year, he scored an inverted golden hook that shocked everyone in the Panda Cup. A year later, he proved himself again on the World Cup stage! As long as he continues to grow, the future will be bright!!"

In front of the home team's coach's bench, Lippi raised his arms and shouted excitedly. Although the 19-year-old Ye Erfan has unlimited strength and potential, the Cantonese media was very dissatisfied with him for giving up Gao Lin. Now Ye Erfan scored in the game. This goal was undoubtedly a slap in the face to those questioning media.

Comfortable!

However, Lippi was not happy for long. In the focus battle at the Luzhniki Stadium, Giroud helped the French team expand the score through a corner kick.

Of course, Lippi only restrained his smile and was not unhappy at all.

When the points and goal difference are the same, the first thing to look at is the number of goals scored. The Chinese team has scored a total of six goals so far, and the French team has only five goals. In other words, the entire game will be ranked based on the current score. The first place in the group is still the Chinese team...

Three minutes later, Griezmann scored a penalty kick created by Mbappe at the Luzhniki Stadium, 3:0.

When Lippi learned the latest score between France and Denmark from his assistant Madaloni, he shook his head helplessly.

However, not finishing first in the group is not necessarily a bad thing for the Chinese team. As the saying goes, the first shot is the first. The Chinese team, which qualified second in the group, may continue the good momentum of the last World Cup and advance. Quarterfinals.

As time passed by second by second, Peru, which had lost two consecutive games in the group, decided to continue to strengthen its attack. As the 11th ranked team in FIFA, they could not accept three consecutive losses in the group!

Immediately, the Peruvian team requested a substitution.

Pedro Aquino and Hurtado replaced Yudun and Tapia respectively to strengthen midfield control.

Since Denmark, the only competitor, is already three goals behind France, it means that the Chinese team will advance to the top 16 regardless of the result of this game, so Lippi decided to let those players who have not yet appeared show their faces.

In the 58th minute, He Chao replaced Li Kui and Zhang Xizhe replaced Wu Sanshi.

The formation is still 4231, but what has changed is the position of the midfielder and frontcourt players. He Chao replaced Li Kui and partnered with Tang Zheng, Zhang Xizhe became the attacking midfielder, Lu Liang returned to the left wing, and the positions of Sun Jingbo and Ye Erfan remained unchanged.

"Lippi's intention to make substitutions is very obvious.

I just hope that those players who have not yet had a chance to play can feel the atmosphere of the World Cup. "

Central 5 commentator He Wei was full of enthusiasm: "So far in the group stage, except for Wang Xiaolei and Zeng Cheng, who have not played, there are only two central defenders, Shi Ke and Liu Yiming. However, considering the criticality of the central defender position, I want to It was a bit difficult to get a chance to play..."

However, before the words were spoken, the Peruvian team found a passing space in the right rib of He Chao, who came on the bench, through a quick pass. After Carrillo broke through, the pass accurately found Guerrero. The latter stopped and passed and completed a kick at the line of the penalty area. Low shot with the right foot.

The football rolled between the legs of Feng Xiaoting, who was on the ground blocking the ball. By the time goalkeeper Yan Junling saw it, it was already too late to make a save...

The scoreboard changed from 1:0 to 1:1.

After showing the Peruvian players celebrating their goal, the live broadcast directed a close-up shot at the Chinese team coach Lippi. Surprisingly, Lippi showed no emotion on his face and was obviously well prepared for losing the ball.

In other words, Lippi has already thought of the worst ending.

※※※

The Peruvian team equalized the score and gained momentum, launching wave after wave of attacks towards the Chinese team's defensive half.

Due to defensive pressure, Tang Zheng had no time to consider offense at all, because He Chao, who came on the bench, was completely unable to play the role that Li Kui could.

Fortunately, in another Group C match at the Luzhniki Stadium, the French team still led Denmark by three goals. This means that even if the Chinese team loses to Peru, it can still stand out from Group C and advance to the top 16.

The game situation was completely controlled by Peru. Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, frowned. He was wondering whether he should make the last substitution adjustment in advance?

But after thinking about it, I felt it was still unnecessary.

In terms of the lineup, only two positions, Li Kui and the wing, have been adjusted. The overall tactics have not changed. The unfavorable situation has nothing to do with the overall strength. If you want to reverse the decline, you still have to rely on the efforts of the players on the field.

As the top star of the Chinese team and the brains on the court, Tang Zheng naturally knows why the situation of the game suddenly turned to Peru. However, there is no shortcut to reversing the situation. It is necessary to complete the defensive tasks in a step-by-step manner, and then threaten Peru through offense.

Peru, which had lost both games before, naturally hopes to end this World Cup with a victory, so it will definitely strengthen its offense in the remaining game time.

This is an opportunity for the Chinese team!

He Chao had only been on the bench for a few minutes and had not fully adapted to the rhythm of the game. In addition, this was the first World Cup game of his career, so nervousness was inevitable. What Tang Zheng had to do now was to help He Chao adapt to the rhythm of the game.

It can be seen from the team training that although He Chao is not as good as Li Kui in terms of personal strength, his ability is still quite outstanding and he has leadership talent. Therefore, the U23 captain is He Chao instead of Lu Liang, Sun Jingbo or Li Kui.

Peru invested so many people in the attack that the Chinese team had to retreat completely.

After five minutes of adaptation, He Chao gradually adapted to the rhythm of the court with the help of Tang Zheng.

As a result, Peruvian head coach Ricardo Gareca noticed that the team's offensive quality was not as good as before.

As the Peruvian team's offensive quality declined, the Chinese team also had an opportunity to counterattack.

The speed and skills of Lu Liang and Sun Jingbo are enough to complete individual combat tasks. If it were not for the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Galese, the Chinese team might once again exceed the score and take the lead.

The Chinese team's quick counterattack was evident in the first two group matches. Peruvian head coach Ricardo Gareca knew best. He did not want his team to lose three consecutive games, but faced China, which was expected to qualify. A draw between the teams seems to be a good result.

After all, the overall strength of the Chinese team is not directly proportional to the FIFA ranking. With players like Tang Zheng, Lu Liang, Sun Jingbo, Zhang Linpeng and Yan Junling who are quite famous in the five major European leagues, a draw is acceptable.

After clearing his mind, Ricardo Gareca signaled the players on the court to slow down the offensive pace, stabilize the defense first, and then find the Chinese team's defensive loopholes through patient passing.

Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, had a very good observation of the game situation. He was keenly aware that the Peruvian team wanted to maintain a tie and win, so he quickly made the third substitution adjustment. Zhang Yuzhao, who can play a fulcrum role in the frontcourt, replaced Ye Erfan, the hero of the next goal.

"Pa bang bang~"

During the substitution process, the Chinese fans in the stands did not hesitate to applaud Ye Erfan.

Zhang Yuzhen's characteristics are different from Ye Erfan. He is the kind of player who needs the support of the system. In addition to his obvious fulcrum ability, he is also very good at holding the ball behind his back.

During the counterattack, Tang Zheng no longer needs to pass long passes directly to Lu Liang or Sun Jingbo. He can hand the ball to Zhang Xizhe, and then connect with Zhang Yuzhen through Zhang Xizhe to enrich the frontcourt offense.

Football matches have always been fast-changing. In the first few minutes, the Peruvian team controlled the rhythm of the game. After a few minutes, the situation changed and the Chinese team controlled the rhythm of the game.

At another stadium, Eriksen's direct free kick helped the Danish team regain a victory. However, the score of that game had little impact on the Chinese team. According to the current score, the Chinese team could still finish the game with the second place in the group. advance to the top 16 of this World Cup.

Unless, Denmark equalizes the score and the Chinese team loses to Peru.

Eighty minutes into the game, Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, came to the sidelines and told the players to properly control the football and keep the football under their feet while consuming the game time. After all, continued defense may lead to the defense being exposed. question.

The Peruvian team seemed content with a draw. The score of 1:1 did not change until the end of the game. The Chinese team and the Peruvian team each scored one point.

The score at the Luzhniki Stadium was finally fixed at 1:3, with Denmark in front and France in the back.

After the three rounds of Group C, the French team ranked first in the group with two wins and one draw with seven points, the Chinese team ranked second in the group with one win and two draws and five points, and Denmark ranked third in the group with one win and two losses. Peru finished last in the group with one draw, two losses and one point.

The Chinese team, which finished second in the group, will go to the second half. If nothing else happens, their opponent in the 1/8 finals is most likely to be Croatia, currently ranked first in Group D.

When Tang Zheng took a towel and went to the bathroom to take a shower, the Huawei Mate-RS Porsche Edition endorsed by him rang. He lowered his head to unlock the phone screen. It was a text message from Modric, to the effect of: Tang, I am making a promise. Wait for me at the Vgorod Arena!

The corners of Tang Zheng's lips raised slightly and he replied: It doesn't matter whether I come or not, I will definitely be the one to advance to the quarterfinals.

Modric, who received Tang Zheng's text message, also raised the corners of his mouth slightly, raising an arc, but he did not reply because he knew that the reply was meaningless. In the end, he could only wait until the game at the Nizhny Novgorod Arena. It will be announced after the 1/8 finals.

Croatia, which qualified in advance of the group stage and has a five-goal difference, basically means finishing first in the group in advance. Head coach Bilic admitted to the media early before the game that he would make major changes to the starting lineup in the final game against Iceland. Partial rotation, but the absolute main captains Modric and Perisic still started.

Tang Zheng, who paid attention to Croatia's starting lineup, did not choose to watch the live broadcast of the game between Croatia and Iceland after returning to the hotel. He chose to watch Nigeria and Argentina.

As long as Croatia does not give up, the second place in Group D will be between Nigeria and Argentina.

In the 14th minute of the game at the New Zenit Arena in St. Petersburg, Messi received an overhead ball from Banega and used his not-so-good right foot to help Argentina open the scoring.

Tang Zheng, who was sitting in front of the TV, let out a sigh of relief. Argentina took an early lead, which was absolutely significant for them to win the game and advance to the top 16.

At the same time, the game between Croatia and Iceland is still 0:0, which means that the game will end according to the current score. Argentina will qualify as the second place in Group D and advance to the top 16!

Until the end of the first half, the scoreboard did not change, ending with Argentina 1:0.

The game changed sides again in the second half. Mascherano was sentenced to death in a corner kick defense. His throwing action was caught by the video referee. Moses' penalty kick deceived Armani and helped Nigeria equalize the score.

A draw will do nothing for Argentina, they need to win!

Two minutes later, good news came from the Rostov-on-Don Arena. Baddeley's goal helped Croatia lead Iceland 1:0.

Croatia takes the lead, which is good news for both Nigeria and Argentina.

It is equivalent to saying that Nigeria only needs to maintain the current score until the end of the game to qualify, while Argentina must score another goal in the remaining game time to exceed the score if they want to advance.

The equalizer boosted Nigeria's momentum, and they chose to defend to keep their defense safe.

For Nigeria, a draw can guarantee qualifying, but Argentina must win the game, so the offensive is overwhelming, and Messi also has a direct free kick that bounces off the goal post and bounces into the field.

The stalemate scene made Tang Zheng nervous until the 86th minute of the game. Rojo received Mercado's low pass from the right and kicked the ball into the lower right corner of the goal. Argentina once again exceeded the score. , the entire New Zenit Arena fell into the carnival of Argentine fans.

This goal was also the last goal of the game. In the end, Argentina beat Nigeria 2:1. As Croatia defeated Iceland 2:1, Argentina with four points was able to qualify as second in Group D.

In other words, the Chinese team's opponent in the 1/8 finals is Croatia, and France encounters Argentina, which they least want to encounter.