Chapter 045: Switching to a central defender
The game passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was 90 minutes of normal time, and the fourth official also came to the sidelines to hold up the electronic card of three minutes of injury time.
Throughout the second half, there was one substitution on each side of the game, so it was a fairly reasonable stoppage time of three minutes of injury time, and the commentator of the on-site commentary called it no problem, but the commentator of the Dutch national sports television Van Vincent had a lot of criticism: "Where is three minutes of injury time enough? at least five minutes!"
In fact, according to the current defensive attention of the Chinese team, it will be difficult to score even if the Dutch team is given another ten minutes.
The reason is very simple, several players on the offensive end of the Dutch team have almost lost confidence, especially Sneijder, who is facing Tang Zheng's frontal defense, his offensive organization in the second half will subconsciously bypass Tang Zheng, so that the overall attack of the Dutch team is biased towards the sword.
There may have been a lot of times when the sword went off the rails to the wrong side, but with Robben out of danger, Sneijder was no longer able to take on the role, and the threat created on the offensive end was really limited.
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal shook his head as he watched the scoreless game, clearly dissatisfied with his team's performance.
In addition, the Dutch national team is now in a stage of inactivity, Sneijder, Robben, Van Persie and other golden generation players are all in their thirties, and there is really no experience to say, but there are too few capable young players, and it is difficult for Mesozoic players to take on big responsibilities.
This is also the fundamental reason why Van Gaal only made one substitution in injury time in the game, not that there were no substitutions, but that there was no one to replace.
Rather than using players who can't get into the eyes, it's better to continue to believe in the players on the pitch now.
Maybe...... What is the chance?
The head coach of the Chinese team not far away, Lippi, was very satisfied with the Chinese players on the field, although he did not grasp the limited opportunities for quick counterattacks, but it was not easy to maintain the score of 0:0 until injury time.
The mood of the Chinese fans at the Xinshuiyuan Stadium was high, and the Chinese players from the start of the game to the present have exceeded their expectations.
I thought about it before the draw with the Netherlands in regular time, but it was another thing to really get to injury time 0:0, and the excitement instantly turned into a deafening loud shout: "Whoa-"
Although Dutch fans are slightly dissatisfied with the current score, the national team is pressing the Chinese team to play most of the normal games, and the performance of the Chinese team is indeed very good, the defensive quality is excellent, but it is also a strong opponent, and they are constantly cheering and cheering.
In stoppage time, the Dutch team still led the attack, and the Chinese team defended passively.
When the time came to injury time, even the powerful Dutch team did not dare to strengthen the attack, for fear that one would be accidentally beaten into a quick counterattack by the Chinese team.
In the 1/4 finals of the World Cup, no opponent should be underestimated.
In addition, in the past 90 minutes, the ability shown by the Chinese team has earned the respect of the Dutch star.
Therefore, the offensive offensive of the Dutch team in stoppage time was much weaker than in the first 90 minutes, and the Chinese team also won breathing time, and until the end of the three-minute injury time, the score of 0:0 did not change in any way.
In other words, the last 1/4 final between the Chinese team and the Dutch team will go into extra time!
………………
"Beep~"
With three long whistles from the referee on duty, Marco Rodriguez, the fourth quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil went into extra time.
The biggest difference between extra-time and regular play is that there is no half-time break, the captains of both sides go directly to the referee Rodriguez to guess the edge, and the other players get a short time to replenish the water, and then change sides to fight again to start the second half.
Of course, in the precious time of rehydration, the managers of both sides will seize the time to supplement the tactics of the players and prepare for the first half of extra time.
In the end, Tang Zheng lost the right to pick the edge and won the right to tee, and then, he made reasonable use of the hydration time and walked in front of the head coach Lippi.
He knew that when the game came to extra time, Lippi would definitely have more tasks to do.
Sure enough!
When the game came to overtime, the physical fitness of most of his teammates had decreased significantly, and the arrival rate was definitely not comparable with regular time, so Tang Zheng, who was still full of physical energy, had a greater defensive responsibility.
Regarding Lippi's reasonable tactical arrangement, Tang Zheng solemnly nodded his head.
The Dutch team can be said to be the strongest opponent encountered by the national team at present, because the Italian team and the Chilean team that played in the warm-up matches before the World Cup are both warm-up games, and the technical and tactical content will not be very high, and the World Cup 1/4 finals are different, losing is out, you have to be careful!
"Beep~"
Less than five minutes before the end of the match, with a whistle from Marco Rodriguez, the first half of extra time for the fourth quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil officially began.
The Chinese team, which had the advantage of the kick-off, did not rush to attack, but quickly handed it to Tang Zheng, who handled the first offensive of the first half of extra time.
According to the brief explanation of head coach Lippi, at the beginning, he could have the courage to participate in the attack and give the Dutch team a 'dismount'.
Even if they don't end up scoring a goal, it will be a deterrent to the Dutch defenders, so much so that they don't dare to attack too recklessly in extra time.
Because the game came to extra time, the physical exertion of the players must be very severe, basically to the personal critical point, if there is a goal, it is very difficult to equalize.
Therefore, the Chinese team, which has the advantage of kick-off, was not pressed by the high position of the Dutch team, and the offensive group composed of Tang Zheng, Hao Junmin, Lu Liang and Zhang Linpeng quickly escorted the football to the 30-meter area of the Dutch team's defense.
"Whoa—"
For the first wave of the Chinese team's overtime attack, the Chinese fans at Xinshuiyuan Stadium seemed to be looking forward to it, and broke out into a huge chant to cheer for the Chinese team's attack.
When it came to the attacking 30-meter area, Tang Zheng did not continue to move forward, he lingered around the 30-meter area, and attacked in tandem as a midfield playmaker.
However, without Tang Zheng in the danger zone, the Chinese team's attack gave people the feeling that it was difficult to create an absolute threat.
Hao Junmin's ability is very good, but he lacks fire in the timing of the ball, and his small skills are not good enough, and it is easy to mix garlic under his feet in the face of the bag of Dutch players.
With no way out, Hao Junmin was ready to solve the attack with a long-range shot.
"Jun Min, five o'clock behind you!"
However, at this moment, Tang Zheng's voice suddenly came behind him, and Artemisia Junmin did not hesitate to slam the ball back with his heel without hesitation while picking up his right foot.
Hao Junmin's sense of coordination is very good, but his physical fitness has decreased significantly, and the heel knock in the direction of five o'clock has reached four o'clock, so Tang Zheng, who is running at high speed, has to stretch his right foot to reach the ball.
Football is enough, but Tang Zheng lost the opportunity to shoot directly from a distance at the first time, and at the same time lost his suddenness.
Tang Zheng's excellent skills at his feet are also reflected in the stopping of the ball, although Artemisia Junmin's heel knock angle is cheaper, but Tang Zheng's stopping distance is just right, his left foot takes a step forward, and then picks up his right foot, and grabs Wijnaldum to complete a long shot before Wijnaldum goes forward to block!
"Tang Zheng—"
Yang 5 commentator He Wei shouted fiercely with a hoarse voice.
Wijnaldum's entire body moved forward, trying to block Tang Zheng's powerful long-range shot with his flesh and blood.
I have to say that Wijnaldum's defensive attention was quite concentrated, and Tang Zheng was put under pressure at the first time, but Tang Zheng went from stopping the ball to shooting in one go, and the football had already flown to the goal before Wijnaldum blocked it......
However, Wijnaldum is not without credit, and his timely blocking has brought some pressure to Tang Zheng.
Goalkeeper Cillessen focused and was ready to save the moment Tang Zheng picked up his right foot.
When he saw the ball flying towards the top right corner of the goal, his feet moved quickly.
"Gasper Cillessen ——!!"
Van Vincent, a commentator on Dutch national sports television, exclaimed.
As soon as the words fell, his eyes widened as he watched the broadcast screen, his pupils shrank sharply, and he was very surprised.
Cillessen's body flew to the end, and the fingertips of his outstretched left arm still didn't touch the football......
And his eyes were full of panic.
The Chinese fans in the stands were obviously very excited and jumped up from their seats, but they had no idea that the national team would create such a threat in the first attack of extra time.
Half a second later, a crisp voice came from the New Water Source Stadium: "Bang~"
The ball slammed into the right side of the goal at the junction of the post and the crossbar, and bounced back into the field, where the Dutch centre-back was in control of the ball, and he reacted quickly, and in a panic, he took the first step to push the ball off the line.
"Oh, oh, oh-"
Immediately, a burst of exclamations from Dutch fans rang out over the Xinshuiyuan Stadium.
At the same time, the Chinese fans in the stands also made a sigh.
The on-site director quickly gave Tang Zheng a close-up, and Tang Zheng in the broadcast screen looked very remorseful, he dragged his hair with both hands, pursed his mouth, and then looked up to the sky and sighed.
That's just a little bit short!
Md!!
If you can score in the first attack of extra time, then it is not impossible to beat the Dutch team in an upset!
Thinking of this, Tang Zheng couldn't help but take a sip of saliva, and then spit on the grass fiercely, in order to vent the slightest long shot.
Van Vincent, the commentator of the Dutch national sports television, exhaled a long breath and said: "God was with us in that moment!
He Wei, the commentator of Yang 5, paused, and was stunned for a long time before saying: "Tang Zheng's direct shot that actively stepped forward and participated was rejected by the goal and the post! We missed the closest opportunity to score in this game so far! It's a pity!!"
Immediately afterwards, the close-up of the live director gave the head coach of the Chinese team Lippi, and his reaction was even more violent than Tang Zheng, as if someone had been struck by a right hook on the side, and the whole person was thrown to the right rear.
The reaction of assistant coach Madaloni and Li Tiegen Lippi, who were given at the same time in the broadcast footage, was almost the same, as if someone had been kicked head-on and wanted to take two steps back.
The Chinese players in front of the bench were originally thinking of jumping up to celebrate the goal, but a crisp sound of the goalpost knocked them back to the bench and sat down.
……
Originally, Van Gaal was going to wait for the game to go on for a while to see the situation before making adjustments, but Tang Zheng's long-range shot gave him a shocking blow and had to make adjustments in advance, so he turned his head and explained to his assistant Blind Sr., who immediately ran to the warm-up area seriously.
The live broadcast camera followed, and before Huntelaar, who was seriously warming up, quickly ran back to the bench, changed his jersey and prepared to make his debut.
Wu Xi's corner kick did not pose a threat to Cillessen, Tang Zheng failed to reach the football, and the football was pushed out of the penalty area by Indi.
The crisis is over for the time being.
Goalkeeper Cillessen kicked the ball in goal, but the Dutch attack failed to threaten Yan Junling's goal, and the referee signaled the sidelines to request a substitution as Lens' long-range shot went wide of the post.
Centre-back Indy was substituted and Huntelaar came off the bench.
The Netherlands removed a central defender and added an opportunist striker in an overwhelming advantage, and the formation then changed to a 442 formation with a diamond-shaped position in the midfield.
It is not difficult to see that Van Gaal was so unhappy with the team's attack that he made a substitution in the fourth minute of extra time.
Huntelaar's play did bring great pressure to the Chinese team's backline, but Tang Zheng and Hao Junmin's collective retreat resolved the Dutch team's continuous attack, and Tang Zheng, who almost retreated to the central defender position, completed a series of header clearances to ensure that the goal was not lost.
Tang Zheng's retreat to the central defender position was very efficient, and the head coach Lippi's eyes lit up.
The Dutch team strengthened the number of forwards, Tang Zheng has the body, strength, strong sense of position, and excellent ability to grab points, and can be used as a central defender in extra time.
As for the defensive midfielder, he could be replaced by an experienced player on the bench to take the game to penalties.
In the tenth minute of extra time, the Chinese team made the second substitution adjustment of the game, and Liu Jian replaced Wu Sanshi, who had almost physical consumption.
Liu Jian came off the bench and also brought the latest tactical changes to the Chinese team, Tang Zheng retreated to play at central defender, and Liu Jian played as a defensive midfielder.
For this substitution adjustment, British Sky commentator Andy Gray was a little incomprehensible: "Tang Ke is a guarantee for the Chinese team's rapid counterattack, will it be a little inappropriate to put him in the central defender position? Liu's defensive ability is actually capable of being a central defender." ”
He Wei, the commentator of the central 5, also said that he had doubts: "Liu Jian is a panacea in the midfield, and he is fully qualified to be a central defender, Tang Zheng has performed really well in the central defender position in the past few minutes, but he is the key to the offensive and defensive conversion of the Chinese team, and the position is too far back, it is difficult to organize an effective attack......
In fact, Lippi is no longer thinking about attacking now, preferring the game to go to penalties.
Rather than pinning your hopes on a quick counter-attack, it is better to wait for a penalty shoot-out.
That way, more practical!
Tang Zheng also played quite well in the central defender position, and he faced the Dutch team several times in a row to threaten attacks.
At the end of the first half of extra time, the score was still 0:0.