thefictionvixens Chapter 40 A Glimpse of Genius
Chapter 40 A Glimpse of Genius
2002 6 Month 26 Day.
19:30 Beijing time, Saitama World Cup Stadium.
China vs. Brazil.
This World Cup semi-final, played during prime time, will undoubtedly break China's historical viewership record once again!
"Today, the Chinese team still used the 5-4-1 formation that they used against Brazil in the group stage."
"Brazil has made some changes. Since Ronaldinho was suspended due to a yellow card in the last match, Scolari fielded a 3-5-2 formation today, with Denilson and Ronaldo appearing together up front."
"However, the pattern of Brazil focusing on offense and China focusing on defense is unlikely to change much..."
With a whistle from the referee, the semi-final match kicked off!
Today's starting lineup for the Chinese team was also decided by Ye Xian after careful consideration.
We considered various formations and tactics, but ultimately chose the safest option: 5-4-1.
There's no way around it; the Brazilian team's individual abilities are just too strong. The only solution is to block out space and intensify the tackling.
If you try to pull any tricks, like launching an early attack, you'll probably suffer a terrible defeat!
So today, on the front line, the Chinese team only kept Yang Chen to play counter-attacks, while the rest of the players were packed into the midfield and defense.
Even Yang Chen often drops back, forming a 5-5-0 formation that the Brazilians are familiar with.
On the Brazilian side, although Ronaldinho is not there, Denilson's dribbling ability is still outstanding.
When he partnered with Ronaldo in the forward line, their attacking power didn't actually decrease much.
在阵型上，斯科拉里也选择了攻击性更强的3-5-2，或者说是3-4-1-2，甚至可以说是3-2-3-2。
Because apart from the three center-backs and two defensive midfielders, the two wing-backs Carlos and Cafu, the attacking midfielder Rivaldo, and the two forwards, their main focus is on attacking!
And this battle of offense and defense began in the very first minute of the game.
The Chinese team fought incredibly hard!
The tackling was fierce from the very beginning, with the dull thuds of bodies colliding and the players' shouts constantly intertwined.
It can be said that every battle for possession was accompanied by fierce tackles from both sides.
However, an accident soon occurred.
In the 17th minute, Rivaldo received the ball in midfield, dribbled past two Chinese players with a series of changes of direction, and delivered a precise through ball to the advancing Ronaldo.
The "alien" accelerated instantly, bursting into the penalty area like an arrow released from a bow, his shoes leaving a trail of afterimages as they swished across the grass!
Just as he was about to shoot, defender Zhang Enhua dove out without hesitation, crashing heavily onto the grass.
Although the ball was violently cleared out of bounds, Zhang Enhua did not get up for a long time.
He's injured!
Ye Xian frowned, but he had no choice but to replace him with Yang Pu.
This injury disrupted the Chinese team's pre-match plans, but they had no choice but to tough it out!
In the 28th minute, Rivaldo attempted another through ball to penetrate the defense, and Zhao Junzhe, in desperation, reached out and grabbed his jersey.
The referee blew his whistle, and Zhao Junzhe received a yellow card.
Zhao Junzhe punched the lawn in frustration.
He knew that as a key defensive midfielder, receiving a yellow card would inevitably hamper his ability to press the ball effectively in the future.
Brazil's offensive became increasingly fierce.
In the 33rd minute, Rivaldo's long-range shot was brilliantly saved by Jiang Jin.
In the 38th minute, Cafu's cross from the wing was headed out of bounds by Li Weifeng.
China's defense became increasingly difficult, but everyone persevered through sheer grit.
The referee then blew the whistle to end the first half.
The score remains 0-0!
During halftime, neither side made any adjustments.
The forced substitution due to injury left Ye Xian with few options.
For Scolari, with Brazil's attacking momentum currently strong, he is even less likely to willingly relinquish this advantage.
The second half began, and the competition remained fierce.
Brazil intensified their attack, with Rivaldo frequently making forward runs and Ronaldo becoming even more active. Every time he received the ball, he was surrounded by multiple Chinese players, yet he still managed to break free of them with his amazing explosiveness.
In the 62nd minute, Carlos won a free kick 30 meters from the goal. He took a run-up, swung his leg, and the ball flew like a cannonball into the top corner of the goal!
Jiang Jin leaped into the air, stretching his body to its limit, his fingertips barely touching the ball as he forcefully lifted it over the crossbar.
This earned rounds of applause from the Chinese fans in the stands.
In the 75th minute, the Chinese team launched a rare counter-attack.
Qu Bo received the ball on the wing, used his speed to break through Cafu's defense, and delivered a precise cross to Yang Chen in the penalty area.
Yang Chen leaped high and headed the ball towards the goal, but it grazed the post and flew out!
He landed but clutched his thigh.
After playing so many games in a row, his physical strength has been exhausted.
When physical strength declines, players are more prone to injury.
Ye Xian didn't hesitate and directly replaced Yang Chen with Yu Genwei.
Moreover, Yu Genwei did not play as a striker, and the Chinese team truly changed their formation to 5-5-0!
At this point, Ye Xian realized that with this exhausted Chinese team, it would be difficult to score against Brazil in regulation time.
What he needs to do now is to try his best to drag the game into extra time and eventually into a penalty shootout!
However, the Chinese team's physical exhaustion had already caused slight loosening of their defensive formation.
In the 83rd minute, Ronaldo made another forward run. Li Weifeng tried his best to catch up, but Ronaldo still managed to leave him half a body length behind. In desperation, Li Weifeng could only reach out and pull Ronaldo away. The referee blew his whistle and showed him another yellow card!
Ye Xian made another substitution, with Gao Yao replacing the exhausted Ma Mingyu in an attempt to strengthen the midfield defense.
But Brazil's bench depth is clearly greater.
Scolari brought on Juninho, Edilson and Kaká in succession, launching a final assault on the Chinese team!
Clearly, the Brazilians do not want to play extra time or a penalty shootout.
As Brazil continued their attack, China's defensive actions gradually slowed down, but they still relied on their tenacious will to block Brazil's shots time and time again.
At the end of 90 minutes of regular time, the referee blew the whistle!
The score was 0-0, which forced the game into overtime!
The Chinese team members stood exhausted on the grass, some leaning on their knees and panting heavily, others bending over and supporting themselves with their legs...
Sweat soaked through their red jerseys, clinging tightly to their bodies, yet their eyes still held a hint of stubbornness.
When the whistle blew for overtime, the problem of physical exhaustion completely erupted.
The Chinese players' running speed noticeably slowed down, their defensive positioning became looser, their passes lacked power, and their interception actions were a beat slower.
In the 11th minute of extra time, Ye Xian's worst fears came true.
Brazil intercepted the ball in midfield and delivered it precisely to Ronaldo's feet.
Gao Yao tried his best to intercept, but Ronaldo's amazing explosive power caused him to stagger back a few steps and almost fall.
Li Tie immediately stepped in to defend, reaching out to pull on his jersey, but the "alien" deftly turned and shook him off.
The last two Chinese defenders tried their best to close the goal, but they couldn't keep up with his pace at all.
Ronaldo made a remarkable run, breaking through the gap between Li Weifeng and Yang Pu and charging into the Chinese team's penalty area!
One-on-one!
Seeing this, goalkeeper Jiang Jin had no choice but to abandon his goal and rush out to try to block the shooting angle.
Ronaldo then unleashed his signature pendulum dribble!
After swaying left and right a few times, he knocked Jiang Jin to the ground, leaving him facing an empty goal.
Without hesitation, Ronaldo took a shot, the ball rolling along the grass into the net, the net shaking violently and making a dull sound.
The referee blows the whistle.
The goal stands! Brazil wins with a golden goal!
Brazil defeated China 1-0 to advance to the final!
At that moment, the Chinese players could no longer hold on and collapsed to their knees on the grass one after another. Exhaustion and regret intertwined, and tears mixed with sweat soaked their entire bodies...
But in the stands, all the Chinese fans, with tears in their eyes, gave their national football team a warm round of applause!
They all knew that the Chinese team had not lost today.
The players fought until the very last moment.
The fans also gave their applause to Ye Xian and the national team coaching staff.
By this point in the game, the tactics had already proven successful.
No one can stop the alien eruption.
A brilliant flash of inspiration can decide the final outcome of a match!