Costa Rica captain Ruiz scored a goal to break the deadlock, and countless Costa Rican fans are thinking that the historic World Cup quarter-finals are just around the corner.

But...... In the 66th minute of the game, the situation changed dramatically.

Tang Zheng received Sun Jingbo's heel knock after receiving the horizontal dribble and led the ball forward, and the two long legs swung forward quickly, and instantly came to the front of the big penalty area.

Since the two central midfielders were not in defensive positions, Duart, who was slightly forward in the three-center defender system, had to take the initiative to approach Tang Zheng and stand at the top of the arc of the penalty area.

Before the game and at halftime, head coach Pinto emphasized that Tang Zheng could not be given a calm control of the ball in the dangerous area at the top of the arc of the penalty area, and if the situation was uncertain, he could choose to foul.

During the high-speed dribbling, Tang Zheng noticed that the central defender who left his post without permission was the stocky Duarte, and his eyes lit up.

Costa Rica's defense has been watertight and impregnable, and with goalkeeper Keylor Navas's amazing play, the game has not conceded a goal until now.

If you want to find a hole in Costa Rica's solid defensive system, you have to look elsewhere.

Duarte is not particularly tall, but he is very strong, stocky, strong in front defense, and more importantly, he has a yellow card on his back!

The flaw of being stocky and having a strong frontal defense is also obvious, which is that it is slow to move.

So, Tang Zheng consciously took the initiative to bring the ball in the direction of Duart, and then took a step forward with his right foot, and the instep of the instep pushed the ball horizontally to the left, and his left foot quickly followed.

Deep-fried croquettes!

Duarte, out of instinct, stretched his foot when Tang Zheng took the ball forward with the outside of his right foot, and he tried to break the ball, but Tang Zheng took the connection between the two very quickly, took a step forward with his right foot, and slammed the ball to the left to complete the croquette.

It wasn't until Tang Zheng completed his passing moves that Duarte realized that he should close his feet in time.

But time was running out, and Duarte's outstretched right foot tripped over Tang Zheng's right leg that was dragging behind him while retracting it.

The referee on duty, Eriksen, blew the whistle decisively, and then ran over with a serious expression.

Costa Rican coach Pinto, who was standing on the sidelines, realised that the situation was not good, as did the experienced captain Ruiz, who quickly blocked the referee Eriksen and folded his palms together.

However, referee Eriksen was very resolute, bypassing Ruiz and standing in front of Duatte, first pointing to the place where the foul had just been committed and then two other places, before pulling out a yellow card from his left chest pocket and then showing a red card from his trouser pocket.

In other words, Duarte's yellow card was not just for this defensive foul, but for the accumulation after three fouls.

Suddenly, there were loud cheers and huge boos in the sky above the Pernambuco State Arena, and the two voices were like two intertwined energies hovering in the air, making the frenzy of the whole stadium reach an unprecedented level.

Costa Rica coach Pinto was helpless, referee Eriksen did not have any problems with the decision, if it wasn't for Duarte's previous yellow card, this foul would not have escaped a yellow card, plus there were two cumulative fouls before the medal.

Therefore, Pinto did not bother to negotiate with the fourth official, and he knew that instead of doing some useless work, he should focus on the next game adjustments.

Duarte's role in the three-centre-back system is pivotal, and now that he has been sent off with two yellows and one red, it is natural to find a suitable player to take his place.

With the score leading and one less player, holding on to the game is the only option to win the game and advance to the quarterfinals.

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Yang 5 commentator He Wei's voice was obviously a little more excited, he said: "Duarte has two yellows and one red, this is very good news when the Chinese team is one goal behind! Costa Rica, which has one less player, will definitely ignore it on the defensive end, and Tang Zheng, who has been in the position and got the premise, will definitely find more defensive holes in Costa Rica, and it will ...... when the time comes."

Commentator Gong Lei then said with a smile: "When the time comes, the equalizer is just around the corner! or even overtake! The historic World Cup quarterfinals are not a dream!"

The Chinese fans sitting in front of the TV listened with excitement, and they were insulting the foul Costa Rican central defender Duarte a few seconds ago, and after a few seconds, they chose to clench their fists and cheer the team silently.

Costa Rica defensively solid, but with one man less, if nothing else, it will certainly expose some problems.

Of course, there are also many pessimistic fans who are looking for a sense of existence, but they have not forgotten that the game against Greece in the group stage against Greece ended in a draw with one more player.

However, this is only a small part, as the Chinese team has already proven themselves to emerge from Group C.

Against Costa Rica, who are not very strong, why can't they win the game?

Keylor Navas did not forget his duty, he was in command of the team's wall position, and Duarte's foul was red carded and gave China a direct free kick about 24 meters from goal.

This location is not far away, but it is not close either.

Costa Rica coach Pinto explained to Cuverlo while looking at Tang Zheng, who was about to take a set-piece at the front of his big penalty area.

The Costa Rican fans in the stands frowned, held their breath, and looked intently at goalkeeper Navas and penalty taker Tang Zheng.

Nava is the patron saint of Costa Rica, while Tang Zheng is a god killer.

Whoever wins or loses will determine the score of the scoreboard.

Chinese fans are also paying attention to Tang Zheng, because Tang Zheng's performance will determine whether the score will change.

It's a pity that Tang Zheng couldn't control his footwork at such a close distance, and the ball went over the wall, but at the same time, it was also high above the crossbar and flew out of the bottom line.

Despite this, it still shocked the Costa Rican fans in the stands in a cold sweat.

Immediately, the referee on duty, Eriksen, blew the whistle and signaled for personnel adjustments on the sidelines.

Costa Rica made their first change of the game, with midfielder Cuvello, wearing number 22, replacing seventeen Tejeda.

The head coach of the Chinese team, Lippi, stood on the sidelines and raised his eyebrows, he didn't know what Pinto's substitution adjustment was, replacing a full-back with a central midfielder, such a change of formation is unheard of, but it is rare.

It didn't take long for Lippi to understand Pinto's substitution intentions.

The original 54-1 formation was changed to a 441 formation when central defender Duart was sent off, in which two midfield wide players were recycled, and the wing defense was handed over to the full-backs.

In other words, Costa Rica basically abandoned the wing defense and stuck to the middle.

There is nothing wrong with the idea, after all, the most threatening offensive direction of the Chinese team now is the middle.

Solidifying the middle is the best way to hold on to the current scoreline.

British Sky commentator Andy Gray tapped his head: "Costa Rica coach Pinto's choice is very correct, they are ahead of the score, play one less, and give up the side is a wise choice, because the Chinese team has to rely on the middle to score goals in the end, and defending the middle is equivalent to waiting ......for the rabbit to wait for work."

Commentator Martin Taylor rolled his eyes at his partner Andy Gray and said to himself: "Costa Rica's defense in the middle may seem right, but I think they're more like digging their own graves." ”

"Why?",

Andy Gray asked curiously.

The close-up of the live director of "Because ......" happened to Tang Zheng, and Martin Taylor said confidently: "Tang is unstoppable." ”

The British Sky fans sitting in front of the TV were speechless, especially those who did not have a good impression of Tang Zheng, and they all had Martin Taylor in their hearts.

Getting back to business, Costa Rica, who had been replaced by Cuvello, did improve their defence in the middle, but they did not give up on counter-attacking, as captain Ruiz remained at the heart of midfield and striker Campbell roamed around the arc of the centre circle.

Although Costa Rica played with one less man, their tacit and solid eight-man defensive system did not leave too many holes for the Chinese team.

Tang Zheng, who received the football, tried to organize an attack in the middle, but both the ribs and the middle were full of Costa Rican players, and only two wings had huge gaps.

But......

Jiang Zhipeng on the left is slightly lacking in crossing, and Zhang Linpeng on the right is very strong in crossing, but Gao Lin, who is at the front, cannot grab the landing point under the joint defense of Umana and Gonzalez.

Sun Jingbo ran ghostly, and also entered the penalty area to try to fight for the top, but his body was too thin, he fell down as soon as he hit it, and he couldn't grab the football landing point at all, and was even blown by the referee on duty Eriksen A fake fall in the penalty area, so that the Chinese fans at the scene created a deafening huge boo, which should be given to the referee Eriksen.

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In the blink of an eye, seventy minutes into the game, the frenetic atmosphere at the Pernambuco Arena remained, and became more and more frenetic as the game time passed.

The Chinese fans were nervous, as were the Costa Rican fans, who had to vent their tension with a roar in order to ease the tension.

In the 72nd minute, the Chinese team made the second substitution adjustment of the game.

Wu Xi, who has not yet had a chance to play in this World Cup, replaced Hao Junmin, and Lippi's substitution adjustment is very clear, that is, let Wu Xi, who has a balanced offense and defense, partner Zheng Zhi, and completely liberate Tang Zheng.

Moreover, Wu Xihou has a strong ability to insert and can bring new blood to the Chinese team's offense.

At the same time, Wu Xi's appearance also changed the formation of the Chinese team, the original 4231 formation became the current 433 formation, Lu Liang was on the left, Sun Jingbo was on the right, and Gao Lin was still in the middle, as a single arrow.

Tang Zheng played the front waist, and Wu Xi and Zheng Zhi were a little behind.

The division of labor between Wu Xi and Zheng Zhi is also relatively clear, Zheng Zhi is responsible for defense, Wu Xi is responsible for the connection between the midfield and the midfield, specifically it should be responsible for handing over the football to Tang Zheng and sharing Tang Zheng's organizational pressure.

If there is a chance, he can be inserted back to participate in the attack, and then Zheng Zhi will take on the defensive responsibility as a back.

However, the game time passed by second by minute, and the Chinese team's offense still did not improve.

Tang Zheng was in good shape in this game, the wind was very smooth, he tried two long-range shots, and the shot also hit the goal frame, but Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas's performance was too experienced, and he made a high save to protect the goal.

Among them, Tang Zheng's header arch in the small penalty area was subconsciously saved by Navas, otherwise the Chinese team would have equalized!

Spain's national sports television station Francisco exaggeratedly said: "Cairol Navas can be renamed San Navas!

Yang 5 commentator He Wei spoke in a low tone, regretfully: "Navas, the goalkeeper who plays for Levante, can be described as a god in one battle! He blocked at least five must-score goals for the Chinese team in this game!"

Later, "If Costa Rica finally defeats the Chinese team and advances to the quarterfinals, Navas will make a great contribution", he will naturally not say it, otherwise he will be considered by domestic fans to be demoralizing and destroying his prestige.

The commentator of Costa Rica's national television station had no such concerns, and he said passionately: "There is no doubt that there is only one player in this game so far! Kylor Navas! His performance today is phenomenal! If we can make history and reach the quarterfinals! Kylor Navas is a great contributor!"

Time is passing at a faster pace with the naked eye, but the Chinese team's offense has been slow to equalize, and the players, including Tang Zheng, have a trace of anxiety.

Long-range shooting is one of the means to break the dense defense, and Tang Zheng's long-range shooting skills are profound, so he tries continuously.

The long-range shot that threatened Keylor Navas's goal was a time difference, but now it was an impatient attempt with stark results, either blocked by a Costa Rican defender or deflected wide of the goal.

At this time, the head coach of the Chinese team, Lippi, became more and more impatient, because Tang Zheng was the source of the Chinese team's equalizer, and if Tang Zheng was very impatient, then not to mention the other players.

Fortunately, Tang Zheng has a lot of experience in the game and has a strong self-reflection ability, and he will strengthen himself to become calmer in the following competition time.

In addition to long-range shots, the means of breaking down the dense defense are also set-pieces.

Now Costa Rica's tactics are to shrink their defense, keep a good distance from each other, and don't choose to foul unless they have to.

There is little hope for a free-kick, so ...... All that remains is a corner, or a scramble for a free-kick in front.

Tang Zheng is more than 1.9 meters tall, which can be called the tallest in the field, and he has an extraordinary ability to grab the landing point, plus the advantage of bounce power, he has a great chance!

Because Tang Zheng had a successful case of header in the front of the small penalty area before, if it weren't for Navas's quick reaction, the Chinese team would have equalized!

Eighty minutes into the clock, Costa Rica's ability to move has decreased, but the Chinese team is not much better, Costa Rica is one round ahead of the group stage stage, and the last round against England is to make most of the position rotation, while the Chinese team is a hard fight against Costa Rica.

If it weren't for the Chinese team's ball control at their feet, the physical fitness of the Chinese players would have been even more difficult.

Head coach Lippi stood in front of the home team's dugout with his arms folded around his chest, his brows furrowed, although he still had a card in his hand, he didn't know who to change, there were still ten minutes left in the game, there was not much he could do, he could only wait.