Less than a minute into the game, China got off to a dream start, Croatia equalized in two minutes, and all neutral fans thought that China and Croatia would play a big game, but the result was the opposite, and there was no third goal until the end of the first half, which was frustrating.

However, when I think of the match between the Chinese team and the Croatian team, it is the 1/8 finals, and no one is willing to take the initiative to break the balance when the game returns to balance, because if you don't want to break the balance, you will definitely break the balance as you wish.

There may even be a situation where you want to break the balance but do not break it, and the other party takes advantage of the opportunity to break the balance.

There are countless classic cases of this kind of typical Japanese people not being reversed by Japan, and the quadrennial World Cup feast does not want to be such a case.

Be careful, you can't go wrong.

"Beep~"

Due to the fact that the Chinese team and the Croatian team had a lot of net time in the first half, when the game time came to 45 minutes, the referee on duty Pitana decisively blew the whistle to end the first half of the game.

"The first half is over! At the end of the first half, the on-site director gave Tang Zheng a close-up shot that was pushed to the face, and Yang 5 commentator He Wei changed his voice: "If you want to say who performed the most amazing in the first half, there is no doubt that it is Tang Zheng, in addition to his opening goal at the beginning of the game, defense also played a vital role in the subsequent game, and he is one of the highest contributors to the Chinese team to keep the draw......"

The facial expressions of the other Chinese players who appeared on the broadcast screen were quite relaxed and happy, and it is not difficult to see that they were actually very satisfied with their performance in the first half.

However, Li Kui frowned, he thought that the Chinese team's loss of the ball had a lot to do with him, if he hadn't chosen the wrong position, how could Zhang Linpeng's clearance ball be kicked in his face?

If the football is not kicked in the face, the conceded goal ceases to exist, then ...... The first half of the game is likely to end with the Chinese team leading 1:0.

As assistant coach Madaloni closed the door to the visitors' dressing room, the noise from the pitch came to an abrupt halt, and the players simply cleaned up their sweat stains and changed into new jerseys, before their eyes were on head coach Lippi.

At the same time, Shao Shengyi, the commentator of the Beijing studio of CCTV 5 TV, was reviewing the first half of the just-ended first half with the commentator Gong Lei, analyzing the wonderful process of the Chinese team and Croatia in the first half.

Whether it is offensive or defensive, the name mentioned most by Shao Shengyi and Gong Lei is Tang Zheng, the number one star of the Chinese team.

As the first person recognized in today's football, Tang Zheng has done an excellent job at both offensive and defensive ends.

The Chinese team's ability to play on par with Croatia in the first half is inseparable from Tang Zheng's excellent performance, and even believes that the key factor for the Chinese team to pass the Croatian hurdle is Tang Zheng.

The analysis of commentators from other TV stations is different from Shao Shengyi, but it is only a subtle difference, after all, Tang Zheng's performance in the first half is recognized, and the objective facts will not be changed because of the subjective consciousness of some emotional commentators.

The fifteen-minute break passed quickly, and the players from both sides returned to the Nizhny Novgorod Arena, and the relatively empty stands slowly filled as the players settled in their respective halves.

Croatia, which had the advantage of kick-off, did not organize the attack at the first time, but organized the attack through a complex midfield transition.

Obviously, Croatia wants to tear apart the Chinese defense in this way, and then use the very accurate long balls of Modric and Rakitic to quickly send the football to the weak side of the Chinese team's defense, and Perisic or Rebic singled out the Chinese defenders on the wing.

Breaking the dense defense is a worldwide problem.

Croatia tried long-range shots and set-pieces in the first half, but the results were very different from what they thought, so they tried to divert more at the start of the second half.

It's a pity that the effect is still not obvious, Perisic and Rebic's one-on-one ability is excellent, but the two fullbacks of the Chinese team, Lu Liang and Wu Sanshi, are very good at assisting in defense, coupled with Tang Zheng and Li Kui's timely defense and interference, making Croatia's offense futile again and again.

On the contrary, it was the Chinese team who put on a defensive posture in the second half and got two good chances, one Hao Junmin's long-range shot went wide of the post, and the other was Wu Sanshi's low shot from the right side of the penalty area that was blocked by goalkeeper Subaxiac.

With 56 minutes to play, Croatia made the first substitution, with Kovacic replacing Brozovic and the formation changed to four-three-three.

Luka Modric, Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic partnered in central midfield, while Perisic and Rebic split the wings, with Mandzukic at the front of the attack, posing a direct threat to China's back line.

It's just, and it's just a threat.

※※※

Croatia's attacking threat is getting bigger and bigger, and the Chinese team is in danger in front of the goal, giving people the feeling that they may lose the ball at any time.

The live director took advantage of a dead ball opportunity to give the Chinese team coach Lippi a close-up shot pushed to the face, and the meaning of this picture is very obvious, that is, he hopes to solve the current dilemma through substitutions when the Chinese team is very passive.

Lippi naturally sees the problems encountered by the Chinese team, but he doesn't want to make substitutions and adjustments too early.

Although the Chinese team looks like the defense is in a hurry, it is actually not that dangerous.

Tang Zheng and Li Kui's selection and filling positions are very in place, and they often appear in key positions between the electric lights and flints that appear in the loopholes in the defensive line, plugging the gaps.

Opportunities that arise in football are often fleeting, and if they are not taken, they may have to wait for a long time.

Mateo Kovacic's substitution only strengthened Croatia's midfield control and did not actually address the problems exposed by the attack.

Luka Modric performed quite well in the three games of the group stage, but he was greatly suppressed with Tang Zheng in the midfield, and he did not show the peak form of winning four Champions League titles with Real Madrid.

It's not that Modric is not in good shape or afraid of Tang Zheng, but Tang Zheng's performance is really good.

If Modric is a world-class performance, then Tang Zheng's performance is cosmic.

Offense goes, defense returns.

Who else can do that in the World Cup?

Croatia in the second half in addition to increasing the proportion of possession, the actual threat is not very big, the game once again fell into a stalemate, Yang 5 commentator He Wei saw Tang Zheng once again through the advance of the pre-judgment of Modric to Mandzukic through the ball, the tone is high: "Tang Zheng's performance is world-class! We often say that there is no hurdle in the world that cannot be passed, only Kante who cannot pass, but here I want to say that Kante is possible to get by, but Tang Zheng is completely unpassable!"

Commentator Xu Yang tapped his chin and said with a smile: "That's right! From the beginning of the first half to the present, Tang Zheng's frontal defense and active grabbing, including the header battle, have not made a single mistake if I am not mistaken, and maintain a 100% success rate...... Who's performance can compare to Tang Zheng?"

He Wei and Xu Yang spared no effort in praising Tang Zheng, but fortunately, most of the people sitting in front of the TV and watching the live broadcast of the game through Yang 5 were Chinese, and even some Croatians who studied and worked in China had to admit that Tang Zheng's performance was indeed the same, and they could not find any flaws.

When encountering such a Tang Zheng, can you still expect the national team to do better?

Besides, this is a Chinese TV station, and it is understandable for the Chinese commentator to praise Tang Zheng for his outstanding performance, could it be that the Chinese commentator in turn praises Croatia?

If this is the case, not to mention what the Chinese fans think, it sounds more like sarcasm to them.

In the blink of an eye, another ten minutes passed in the second half, and it was sixty-five minutes.

As Zhang Linpeng blocked Perisic's cross with his right foot, the referee on duty, Pitana, blew the whistle.

Of course, it was not Zhang Linpeng or Perisic who fouled, but the Chinese team made the first substitution adjustment of the game.

Hao Junmin, who had a yellow card and had reduced fitness, was substituted and came off the bench by 19-year-old Ye Erfan.

There has been no change in the formation of the Chinese team, only a slight change in the position of the midfield.

Ye Erfan replaced Sun Jingbo as the center, Sun Jingbo returned to the familiar right side, Wu Sanshi played the left midfield, and Lu Liang played the front midfield.

Lippi's adjustment may seem like a simple alignment adjustment, but it is actually a signal to strengthen the attack.

Lu Liang's skills at his feet are not at all comparable to Hao Junmin, and he is completely worthy of facing Rakitic, Modric or Kovacic.

Knowing that a breakthrough in the middle is more dangerous than a wide one, Croatia coach Dalic knows this very well.

Luka Modric, Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic are all strong and weak in attack, and once they are broken through by Lu Liang, who is fast and skilled at his feet, it will be absolutely fatal.

Although Ye Erfan is only 19 years old, his awareness of grabbing points in front of goal was vividly reflected in the last game, coupled with Sun Jingbo, who has a very good grasp ability, it is likely to open a gap......

With the game approaching 70 minutes, anything can lead to a catastrophe.

So after a short period of consideration, Dalic decided to slow down the attacking tempo, the two full-backs were not allowed to assist at the same time, and the defenders in the central midfield had to keep three or four people in place at all times to keep the Chinese team under pressure on the rapid counter-attack.

※※※

"Whoa—"

With the wave of shouts that erupted on the scene, the mood of Yang 5 commentator He Wei has always remained in a very high state: "The game came to seventy-five minutes, the score on the field was still 1:1, and the powerful Croatia slowed down the offensive rhythm, I don't think this is a reflection of the decline in physical fitness, but the effect of the substitution adjustment made by Lippi's guidance! In addition to Ye Erfan's absolute speed is slightly slower, Lu Liang, Sun Jingbo and Wu Sanshi's speed are all very fast......"

At this moment, Li Kui cut off the ball at the feet of Modric with the assistance of Lu Liang, and then quickly handed it to Tang Zheng, who made a long pass without making any adjustments to find Sun Jingbo who was inserted at high speed on the right side.

Strinic knew that his speed was not as fast as Sun Jingbo, so he did not fight with Sun Jingbo for speed, but tripped Sun Jingbo behind him.

Strinic, who had been warned by referee Pitana, naturally received a yellow card, which was also a deserved punishment for a tactical foul, but what gave Croatian coach Dalic a headache was that the foul Strinic strained his right thigh in the foul and could not continue the game.

As a last resort, Croatia made the second substitution of the game, with Pivariic coming off the bench.

Three minutes later, the Chinese team also made a second substitution adjustment, Wu Xi, who had both offense and defense, replaced Wu Sanshi, who was cramping, and the formation changed accordingly, from a 4231 formation to a 433, further strengthening the protection of the middle.

At the same time, because of the assistance of Lu Liang and Sun Jingbo, the side road is also very well protected.

Countless neutral fans sitting in front of the TV had no idea that the game, which had already scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game, would be a little frustrating, but it was a very good result for the fans on both sides of the game.

The clock ticks by, and once a goal happens, it will be an unacceptable result for the opposing fans.

A goal after 80 minutes is a stunner!

Coupled with the decline in the physical fitness of the players on both sides, the difficulty factor of getting it back is quite high.

However, neither side really wanted to play overtime, and there was a heart to kill each other in the stalemate.

Especially in the Chinese team, Wu Xi's substitute appearance seemed to be to replace Wu Sanshi, who had cramps and couldn't stick to the game, but it was actually to partially liberate Tang Zheng.

The most work Wu Xi did after his debut was not to sort out the attack, but to assist Li Kui to complete the defensive work, and at the same time let Tang Zheng's position move a few meters forward and get closer to the advance line.

Luka Modric, Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic worked hard to help their side with their attacking deficiencies in the closing stages of the game, but Tang Zheng's Chinese midfield was too solid to leave them with even a single hole.

Even if he is lucky enough to find out, Tang Zheng will quickly make up for it.

Fortunately, Tang Zheng's energy is limited, and the number of times he directly participates in the attack while taking into account defense is very small, otherwise the team's goal is likely to be the first to be broken by the Chinese team.

As time dwindled, both sides focused more on defence.

It would be nice to end the game in regulation time, but it's based on the goal scored by your side.

With less and less regular time, anyone will have a conservative mentality, and instead of stepping up the offense and increasing the defensive pressure, it is better to drag the game into extra time.

Both Lippi and Dalic were a little apprehensive, so they chose to be conservative.

After all, as the saying goes, offense wins fans, and only defense wins championships.

In the blink of an eye, the fourth official came to the sideline with a four-minute stoppage time electronic card and held it high.

He told fans around the world that there were four minutes left in the game.

"Whoa—"

The fans in the stands were so passionate that the deafening shouts of the stadium were so loud that even drivers driving a few kilometres from the stadium could hear the shouts from the Nizhny Novgorod Arena.

When the time came to stoppage time, the managers of both sides sought stability and chose to strengthen the defense.

But the players on the pitch always have a heart to kill the opponent, so they wait for their opportunity when exchanging the ball.

Yang 5 commentator He Wei was passionate: "There are many goals in injury time in this World Cup, will there be a stunner in this game?"