Chapter 142: From Offense to Defense to Defense
『Chapter error, click here to report』
As the final quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia entered the end of the first half, the Fisht Olympic Stadium became more and more frenetic, as the confrontations between Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo became more and more frequent, causing the fans to erupt in waves of cheers.
Tang Zheng suppressed Cristiano Ronaldo on the defensive end, so Cristiano Ronaldo will cause trouble for Tang Zheng when the Chinese team is attacking, especially in the set-piece attack of the Chinese team's regular scoring method, which brings even more trouble.
As the confrontations between Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo became more frequent, the commentators in the on-site commentary seats became more and more excited, and they were overjoyed.
Fans sitting in front of the TV want to see more than just the game, but more to see former Real Madrid team-mates Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo play each other.
As one of the top three players in world football today, it is always so easy to attract attention.
However, as the game came to the end of the first half, the offensive and defensive tempo of both sides began to consciously slow down, and they paid more attention to their respective defenses to avoid conceding goals.
The most likely time period for goals in a soccer match is divided into the beginning of the first half, the end of the second half, the beginning of the second half, and the end of the game.
There have been countless cases in the past, so no one wants their team to be another case.
Due to the long net time of the first half, there was only one minute of stoppage time.
Just after a minute of stoppage time, the referee on duty, Sandro Ricci, blew the whistle to declare the end of the first half.
"The first half of the game is over!The Chinese team and the Portuguese team are 0:0!" At the same time, Yang 5 commentator He Wei said excitedly: "Most of the attention of both sides in the whole first half of the game is on defense, so the offense has no achievements, but this World Cup has come to the 1/4 finals, and there is no room for loss for the Chinese team and the Portuguese team, because losing means elimination, and no one knows if they can participate in the World Cup four years later......"
Chinese fans sitting in front of the TV are somewhat embarrassed, from the beginning of the World Cup in Brazil four years ago to the current World Cup in Russia, Chinese football is no longer the laughing stock of the world, and it can even be said that it is the pride of the whole of Asia.
Qualified for the quarterfinals of two consecutive World Cups, and both of them relied on the overall strength of the team to qualify.
Brazil lost to the Netherlands on penalties in the World Cup and missed the semi-finals, and Russia is on a close footing with Portugal in the World Cup, and there is great hope to go one step further and equal the best results of Asian teams in the World Cup set by South Korea and Japan in the World Cup.
Of course, the results of the South Korean team in that World Cup were not recognized by the world, but the Chinese team still wanted to create the best results in Asia when they were in the best condition!
Advance to the semi-finals?
No!
If possible!
Then the final!
After beating Portugal, they faced England, a team that could not be said to be favourites to win the title.
Defeatable!
But...... The premise is to defeat Portugal!
The close-up of the live director was given to the key players one after another when the two sides walked to the players' tunnel, and pushed to the close-up of the face.
Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo, as captains and biggest players of both sides, naturally received special attention from the live director.
Handsome and dashing, they are unfazed on the surface and seem to be unaffected by the game, but in fact, they ......
Who knows?
As the saying goes, there is no first in literature, and there is no second in martial arts.
Tang Zheng wants to secure himself as world No. 1, while Cristiano Ronaldo wants to return to world No. 1.
Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo also contributed to the fans in front of the stadium and the fans in front of the TV in the first half, but it was a little pity that the score did not change, and the two sides went into the dressing room with a score of 0:0.
※※※
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly and both sides returned to the pitch one after another, and it is worth mentioning that neither side made any changes to their starting line-ups, and it was clear that the managers of both sides were very happy with the performance of their players in the first half.
"Beep~"
"Whoa—"
With the whistle of the referee on duty, Sandro Ricci, the second half of the last quarter-final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia officially began, and the fans in the stands took advantage of the situation to create a huge cheer.
The start of the second half was much more tempo than the first half, and the Chinese team, which had the advantage of kick-off, consciously strengthened its attack.
In less than a minute, the Chinese team completed a high-quality long-range shot by Lu Liang, forcing Patricio to contribute a key save.
Half a minute later, Portugal returned the color, Bernardo Silva received a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo and hit the inside of the attacking right to test Yan Junling's reflexes in front of goal.
No one expected that less than two minutes into the second half, both sides would each contribute a very wonderful shot.
You must know that the two sides contributed only five shots on goal in the entire first half, hitting one side of the goal.
That is to say, in less than two minutes of the second half, the two sides hit the goal more than the entire first half, although the data does not represent the entire first half, but at least it can show that both sides are unwilling to enter extra time, and prefer to end the battle within 90 minutes of regular time!
In addition, there has been a noticeable change in the managers of both sides, from sitting more in the dugout in the first half to now standing in their respective coaches' command areas.
Three of the four teams that have qualified for the semi-finals have already been reached, and they all want to hold their final semi-final spots.
With the wake-up call from Lu Liang and Bernardo Silva, China and Portugal have begun to focus on defense again.
But the two sides of the game are more focused on the attack, because the defense can only remain undefeated, and the attack can win the championship!
Cristiano Ronaldo is the core of the Portuguese team's counterattack and is the focus of the Chinese team, so Cristiano Ronaldo is smart and takes the initiative to create opportunities for his teammates under the guise of it.
There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo's attraction is quite obvious.
Guedes' shot in the 49th minute even Yan Junling surrendered, but the post saved the life of the Chinese team.
"Oh~ It's so thrilling! The Chinese team escaped!"
Chinese fans sitting in front of the TV could hear He Wei's heart-wrenching exclamations.
But there is a saying that is right, if you can avoid the first day of junior high school, you can't avoid the fifteenth!
Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the ball on the left flank to attract the attention of Zhang Linpeng and Tang Zheng and quickly passed the ball, and Moutinho's long pass was diverted to right-back Ricardo Pereira, who stopped the ball and adjusted it slightly, and then crossed with his feet.
Jiang Zhipeng stretched out his foot and touched the football, and the football flew to the middle of the penalty area.
Guedes, who had wasted many chances in the previous games, was very ghostly, flashing to Feng Xiaoting before completing the lion's head.
Goalkeeper Yan Junling saw the incoming ball and then judged that it was too late, and before he could fully vacate the ball, he crashed into the near corner of the goal.
“Goooooooooooooal——”
British Sky commentator Andy Grey sharply lengthened his voice and then said hysterically: "Gonzalo Guedes helped Portugal break the deadlock!
Martin Taylor leaned towards the Chinese team because of Tang Zheng, but he knew that he should be objective now, and said with a smile: "The balance is broken, I hope the next games will become more and more exciting......!"
Just as the broadcast screen was given to Tang Zheng, who looked helpless, Martin Taylor's voice changed: "Portugal has taken the lead, although Cristiano Ronaldo did not directly participate in the attack, but his involvement is very obvious, it can be said that without his dedication, Portugal will not have the lead, so what will Tang do next?
"Ronaldo is the absolute leader of Portugal, it can be said that Portugal without Ronaldo will drop at least two notches, but ......" Yang 5 commentator He Wei was quite helpless, and then saw Tang Zheng on the broadcast screen, and his voice changed twice: "But we have Tang Zheng! The first person in today's football world! I believe that he will definitely lead the Chinese team to victory!"
The Portuguese fans at the Fisht Olympic Stadium were excited like children, dancing and venting their existence.
If this match ends according to the current score, Portugal will return to the last four of the World Cup after 52 years!
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was pinned on by Portuguese fans, consciously looked at Tang Zheng after celebrating with his teammates, but was disappointed.
"Don't you still admit defeat?"
The corners of Cristiano Ronaldo's mouth curled slightly, and he encouraged himself in his heart: "Then ...... Kill the game!"
For most of the past half of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo has been holding back his strength.
With the Chinese team falling behind in the score, they will definitely increase their offense and ignore the defense, which ...... It was the opportunity he was waiting for!
※※※
The Portuguese fans at the Fisht Olympic Stadium cheered one after another, but the Chinese fans were not as sad as they imagined, and they still spared no effort to shout and cheer.
These adorable Chinese fans know that falling behind is only temporary.
Isn't there such a saying in world football?
Is the football match just a temporary lead for the opponent, and as a result, Tang Zheng wins the game?
Chinese fans believe that it will definitely be the Chinese team led by Tang Zheng who will have the last laugh!
"Beep~"
With the whistle of referee Sandro Ricci, the game restarted, and the Chinese team took the lead in a wave of offensives, Tang Zheng was in an obvious position, closer to Hao Junmin, and participated in the offensive organization in the front court.
There is no doubt that such a change will cause some problems to be exposed in the process of the Chinese team switching from offense to defense.
However, Tang Zheng has a strong ability to read the game, and he does not forget about the problems that may arise while distracting the offensive organization.
As the captain of the field, he is very qualified, adjusting the position of his teammates through gestures from time to time.
The Chinese team strengthened its attack, and it was naturally difficult to take care of the defense, and Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the role of finisher in the process of the team's transition from defense to attack.
The finish pass of Portugal's attack was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo!
However, the head coach of the Chinese team, Lippi, adjusted quickly, and the defense behind the score did not need to pay too much attention to Cristiano Ronaldo, and only needed to strengthen the first counterattack after conceding the goal.
The Portuguese players are not particularly good at their feet, so they are uncomfortable in the face of the Chinese team's sudden high pressing.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has not yet mixed into the water, is very helpless, he thinks that he can help the team expand the score when the Chinese team strengthens the attack, in fact, he thinks too much.
Portugal coach Santos, who was standing on the sidelines, frowned, and he was thinking...... Is it time to make substitution adjustments?
The switch from defense to attack should have been an opportunity for Portugal to expand the score, but now it seems that it is not like that, but it may become an opportunity for the Chinese team to break from attack to defense to defense.
In the 60th minute, Portugal took the lead in making substitutions.
Guedes down, Quares immediately.
The substitution was clear, putting Cristiano Ronaldo up front and then relying on Bernardo Silva and Quaresma's breakthrough ability to create chances for Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's just that...... Portugal have not solved the huge problem of switching from defense to attack in midfield.
Hao Junmin's pass to Lu Liang was cut off by Guerrero, who handed it directly to William Carvalho, but William Carvalho saw a yellow figure suddenly flash out before William Carvalho could catch the ball.
The big Arabic numeral '10' on the back tells him who is coming forward.
"Tang Zheng!"
Yang 5 commentator He Wei's voice suddenly rose an octave.
I saw that Tang Zheng suddenly picked up his right foot at the first time when he broke the ball, Moutinho subconsciously fell to the ground to block the shot, and the central defender Fonte immediately realized the danger and stepped forward to defend Tang Zheng.
At this moment, Tang Zheng's right foot shook the outside of his instep, and the football rolled from the middle to the turf to attack the right rib, and Zhang Linpeng, who had not had time to return to the defense, plugged in at high speed.
"Oops!"
Fonte and left-back Guerreiro felt bad at the same time.
However...... Late.
Zhang Linpeng, who was running at high speed, led the ball from the right rib of the attack directly to the air behind Fonte to accelerate, Pepe turned quickly, but the far water could not save the fire, and Zhang Linpeng, who entered the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper Patricio directly.
"Zhang Linpeng!!"
He Wei stood up with his hands on the commentary seat, and shouted hysterically: "-Single knife!!"
Zhang Linpeng, who was facing the attack, was extremely focused at this time, and directly picked up his right foot sixteen meters from the door.
Patricio still doesn't know what the other party is going to do according to Zhang Linpeng's movements?
Burst!
Such a close-range burst?
What if it's kicked in the face?
But Patricio didn't have time to think, Zhang Linpeng's football appeared in front of him, and it was too late for him to react, and the ball crashed into the net on the left side of the goal with a devastating momentum.
"Whoa—"
Suddenly, the entire Fisht Olympic Stadium became boiling, and the passionate Chinese fans created a huge chant like a deafening one.
"The ball is in! The ball is in!" Yang 5 commentator He Wei was passionate, and his mouth was like a river: "Tang Zheng's fake fax after the pass found Zhang Linpeng who was inserted at high speed, Zhang Linpeng was very calm in the face of Patricio, scored with a burst shot, and the Chinese team equalized!"
:。 :
"Bookmark for easy reading"