Despite the lack of several main players, the outside world is very optimistic about the Chinese team with Zhang Jun, believing that even if they cannot successfully defend the title, it should not be a problem to break into the semi-finals. The qualifying performances speak for themselves, as Brazil in 2002 lost the most games in World Cup qualifying history after changing four managers and recruiting more than 60 players? They won the World Cup.

The same is true for the Chinese team, many people find this example to support it, and think that the performance of the Chinese team will definitely be able to regain its glory. The expectation of the Chinese people is to be at least the top four, and then break into the finals, and if you don't win the championship, you have to be the runner-up - the Chinese people are always easy to be blindly confident, but after being hit by blind confidence, they will go to the other extreme, blind inferiority.

The important thing that makes them so confident is that Zhang Jun showed better form in the pre-World Cup training camp and warm-up matches than when he was in Fiorentina, which makes people who believe in ghosts and gods think that Zhang Jun is the god who saved Chinese football, and there must be no problem with him. The bull ghosts, snakes, and gods who stand in the way of the Chinese team's defense will let him kick away!

The World Cup opened in this situation, not a small good or a big one. Brazil were the hosts in a clean and beautiful 4-0 sweep from Jamaica in the Caribbean and North America. The match was a delight for all the fans, with many words of praise from attacking football, artistic football, etc., to Brazil, and the critics also believed that the match in Brazil would certainly be a game of offensive football and would be a visual feast for the fans.

The rest of the game confirmed the experts' speculation that no team in Brazil, a football hotland, with fanatical and discerning fans, could still play utilitarian football in such an atmosphere, and even the most utilitarian Italian team rarely played a high score of 4:1 in the first game. After the first seven groups were over, people and the media began to look forward to the appearance of the defending champions.

The pre-match rendering was enough, now it's up to them to perform.

No one expected that Zhang Jun would suffer a heavy blow at the beginning of his third World Cup journey.

The opponent of the Chinese team in the first game was South Africa from Africa, and the opposing coach was very jealous of Zhang Jun's ability, and arranged two or three players to chase him in the game. He remembered that there was only one way to deal with this kind of player that several people couldn't look at, but it was also the best way - foul!

Push him to the ground again and again, pull and trip, I see how you still threaten my goal!

So Zhang Jun started the familiar set of defense again: he kept falling to the ground and getting up again. Keep getting put down, keep getting up......

The Chinese team's attack was disrupted by South Africa's arrogant and unreasonable tactics, and there was no way to move forward. The scene became ugly, and some Brazilian fans booed, they didn't like the Chinese team very much, and they were dissatisfied when they saw that the game was so dull and ugly.

Even the Chinese commentators felt that their team was playing really badly compared to the passionate game that preceded them.

Only Crewe can make people scream once in a while, and he is the most popular player in the Chinese team in Brazil, because his skills are very appreciated by Brazilians.

Seeing that South Africa and his own team were not at the same level, Advocaat waved his hand to let the whole team press forward, trying to score early and open the deadlock, otherwise this draw would only be detrimental to himself. It's South Africa, I'm the defending champion, and we're heroes when we draw, but if we draw, we'll be scolded.

Under this kind of thinking, the Chinese team is getting closer and higher, leaving a large number of vacancies behind. And Sima Hongxin, who was guarding in front of the goal, did not make a sound to remind his teammates, and no one cared. If Anke was there, he was afraid that he would have rushed to the outside of the penalty area and shouted at the defenders in front of him to retreat.

In this way, the South African team seized an opportunity for the Chinese team to press all the way and passed the football to the front, and the extremely fast forward Kainane in their team started the pursuit from the middle line, and threw off the Chinese team's back line in a few steps, only Xiang Tao was still at high speed from the left side to the right diagonally to chase back. But after all, he is also thirty-two years old, and in the face of the opponent's twenty-five-year-old striker, how can they chase the speed of dozens of meters apart?

Sima Hongxin's goal-line skills may be better than Anke's, but his attack is very poor, so he usually doesn't attack. This time it was the same, in the face of the opponent's single knife, he still stayed in the door and did not attack, and the result was that the opponent easily hit the angle and succeeded! South Africa leads the defending champions!

The crowd cheered, while the stands of the Chinese fans fell silent.

The camera swept around the stands and aimed at a person who was dressed conspicuously and was also very familiar - dressed as a Monkey King, who is it if it is not Niu Jianhua? Since 2002, after 12 years of four World Cups, he is now old, and this time he has to come to Brazil with his family, otherwise he will go on the road alone and his family is really not at ease. Now the monkey soldier is dressed as his little grandson next to him. The little grandson is happier than anyone else to be able to come to Brazil to watch the game, so he is full of promises about "escorting" his grandfather. Now the grandfather and grandson are standing in the stands, silent. The "Monkey King" had proudly erected pheasant feathers on the top of his head, and now he hung down weakly.

This goal put the Chinese team in a very difficult situation all of a sudden. Now if the Chinese team wants to score, it must score at least two.

Zhang Jun did not hesitate to run in the front court but did not have much effect, he will always get caught in the crowd of the opposing team, Crewe also faces one or two people to defend, and the South African head coach does not hesitate to sacrifice troops elsewhere in order to contain the Chinese team's proudest attack. After the Chinese team lacked a very impactful Yang Pan on the right side, they could no longer pose any threat to the enemy on the wing, and South Africa could rest assured that the side defense force was put in the middle to contain Zhang Jun and Crewe.

When the game reached the 37th minute, Zhang Jun was shoveled out of the sideline by the opponent with the ball once on the side. It was an ordinary foul, because the foul was too far away from the goal and the danger zone, so the referee just ran over to give a verbal warning to the fouling South African player, but did not show a yellow card, which caused dissatisfaction among Chinese fans. Because visually, it's a bad foul......

In the boos, Zhang Jun, who fell on the sidelines, did not stand up again! The Chinese team doctor hurriedly ran over to check on him.

Advocaat is also nervous about this, Zhang Jun is the only person he can trust, if Zhang Jun falls...... He hardly knew what to do with the next two games!

He no longer cares about directing the game on the field, although he can't leave the coaching area, but his eyes are always on Zhang Jun and the team doctor. I don't know how long it took, but he thought it was a long time, but it was actually less than a minute. The team doctor over there looked up and saw that the manager was also looking at this side, and he understood what the manager was thinking, but ...... He shook his head at Advocaat.

It's over.

Zhang Jun was lying on the sidelines in pain, his eyes widened and he wanted to stand up, but he couldn't do it with his own strength.

Advocaat's mind went blank until a member of the Chinese coaching staff reminded him that it was time to make a change. Only then did he hurriedly let Li stand on the field and replace Zhang Jun, who was injured and couldn't hold on.

When the commentator saw this scene, even he couldn't control his emotions and scolded the foul South African player in the commentary. But what about scolding? Zhang Jun's injured leg has long been a foul that can lead to serious consequences, and they all know this. It's just that they don't want tragedy to happen in the World Cup.

Zhang Jun, who was lying on a stretcher and was carried out of the stadium, looked at the blue sky in a daze, he didn't know if his World Cup was over.

※※※

In this game, the Chinese team lost 0:1 to South Africa, which was an upset. What attracted attention after the game was not that the Chinese team lost, but that Zhang Jun was injured again.

Advocaat angrily blamed the South African manager and players in his post-match press conference, arguing that FIFA should severely punish such fouls that deliberately targeted a team's core players, and that the referee did not give him a red card. He also blames all the blame for the other side's rogue tactics for the defeat.

Compared with losing three points, the Chinese feel that worse news is yet to come. The results of the hospital diagnosis came out, and it is conservatively estimated that Zhang Jun will have to wait until two games later, that is, the quarterfinals...... If Zhang Jun's last World Cup does not want to end here, then his teammates will have to fight hard to get the Chinese team out of the group.

This situation is very unfavorable for the Chinese team. Their next opponent is the United States, who are second only to themselves in this group, and they have the former talented teenager Adu as the captain.

The Chinese team is more than lucky.

Captain Zhang Jun's injury and absence from the remaining two group games also had a big impact on the team - a bad one. Zhang Jun is the spiritual core of the team, and there is no need to repeat it again and again, and the morale of the Chinese team has been greatly affected.

In the second game, the Chinese team and the United States team were evenly matched for 90 minutes, but neither team could break through the opponent's door. On the contrary, there was a "bloody clashes" in the final stage of the game.

The U.S. team won the first game against Austria, so it is acceptable to take a point in this game, but the Chinese team is absolutely not acceptable. The U.S. team's non-stop rubbing time at the last moment made the players and coaches of the Chinese team very angry, not only that, but their small actions on the field were not small.

Even calm people like Crewe are annoyed by their shameless petty actions and deliberate procrastination of the game. If you have to lie on the ground for three or four minutes, you have to swing the ball several times, and which one of the substitutions is not slow and live like a walk?

When Crewe was carrying the ball, there was always an American player who kept pulling and pulling beside him, always making him unable to hold the ball comfortably, and he moved a little fiercely, and the other party screamed and fell to the ground, pretending to be very painful and rolling on the ground, making the Chinese look at the itchy teeth.

Every time Crewe saw this, the referee blew him for a foul, and he could only purse his lips tightly and say nothing, nothing good, turn around and run back.

But in stoppage time, the opponent came again, and this time he smashed his elbow on the opponent's face as he ran forward. The man screamed and fell to the ground. But this time it was real, because from the hands that covered his face, he could clearly see that there was bright red blood oozing from underneath!

"Beep!" Before the referee's whistle fell, the players of the American team rushed up, and the players of the Chinese team closest to Crewe also ran up to protect him, and the two sides were at a stalemate for a while.

The players of the U.S. team rolled on the ground in pain, and Crewe's elbow was comparable to "Malone's elbow", which really broke the opponent's nose bone. But the perpetrator stood indifferently outside the crowd, looking at everything in front of him as if nothing had happened.

Don't you like to pretend? I'll give you a good time, let you pretend to the end!

Crewe was naturally sent off with a red card, and he was also sent off by FIFA for five more games after the game! In this way, he will miss the last group game of the Chinese team, and the more unlucky one is still to come, because Xiang Tao and the opposing player had some pushing and shoving during the conflict, and as a result, the two people who pushed were shown a yellow card each. Since Xiang Tao received a yellow card in the first game, he will be suspended for accumulating yellow cards and miss the last group game with Crewe!

In this way, in the last game with Austria, the Chinese team lost three absolute main players! Now I'm afraid the Austrian manager is snickering.

And Advocaat has the heart to commit suicide...... How did things come to this?!

※※※

In the third group game, Zhang Jun played with an injury when the injury was not yet healed. But even so, if the Chinese team can really win against Austria, it will depend on the result of the match between the United States and South Africa, and the fate of their failure to qualify is no longer in their own hands, but depends on the faces of others.

It's sad that the defending champions have fallen into such a field!

When people look at Zhang Jun, who is still running on the field with thick bandages wrapped around his knees, I am afraid that it is more just regret and sigh. He is no longer young, and he is no longer the invincible striker who can save the team and change the outcome of the game on his own. Everything has changed, him and the world.

Zhang Jun, who did not have the support of Krewe, could not get a chance at all on the field, and he had no way to grasp the only few opportunities.

The captain of the Brazilian team, Kaka, who has completed all the group stage and qualified ahead of schedule, is sitting in the stands of the Muron Mobi Stadium in Sao Paulo at this moment, looking at Zhang Jun who fell up and fell again on the field without saying a word. He bit his lip tightly and folded his hands in front of his chest, perhaps he was praying to God for his opponent......

Unexpectedly, the joke he inadvertently said before the World Cup turned out to be true - the Chinese team may not even be able to qualify from the group!

How so?

Without Crewe, the Chinese team's offensive organization is weak, and without Xiang Tao's defense, it is scattered, and Sima Hongxin is unable to organize this backline at all. Austria broke the deadlock with a sneak attack. They led the Chinese team 1:0!

The last thing you want to see happens, Kaka closed her eyes in pain.

Who can save the Chinese team?

Is it Jang Jun? He's saved the team countless times, but this one ...... When he finally burst into the box, he staggered and fell to the ground, and the referee didn't even blow the whistle - he was still four meters away from his nearest Austrian player! His injured leg left him unbalanced when unguarded.

Ten minutes later, Austria scored again – this time from the penalty spot. Sima Hongxin finally attacked once, but tripped the opponent's striker, and the referee sentenced him to death!

Shortly after the penalty was kicked in, Advocaat made a decision that broke the hearts of all Zhang Jun fans: he replaced the exhausted Zhang Jun with Li Jie and announced that he would not play the game...... The Chinese team's road to the World Cup in Brazil has come to an end.

Everyone was desperate, even Kaka. Now all Zhang Jun needs to do is wait for the dead ball, and then wave goodbye to the whole stadium and the fans around the world to say goodbye to the World Cup.

Xiang Tao squatted on the ground in pain, he held his head in his hands, perhaps regretting his impulsive push in the last game. Crewe, on the other hand, stood next to him, saying nothing, still looking at the court with a grim expression. Sometimes he gives the illusion that maybe this calm talent is the head coach of the Chinese national team.

Zhang Jun noticed Li Jie, who was standing with the fourth official on the sidelines, and he knew that he must be replaced. But he is not willing to say goodbye to the World Cup like this, he is not willing to give up the game!

He is not reconciled!!

Li Yongle passed the football to the forward, but it was Zhang Jun who retreated to the middle circle to receive the ball!

Anyway, this is the last World Cup, and he doesn't have to worry about losing anything anyway, so even if this leg is crippled from now on, there is nothing to regret. Even if he really can't save the fate of the Chinese team being eliminated, he has to leave something, in this World Cup, in front of Kaka - he knows that Kaka must be watching him from a corner of this stadium, he is so looking forward to playing with himself, but I'm sorry...... Kaka, there's no way to fulfill your wishes.

Zhang Jun received the ball and turned in one go, starting from the middle circle and then shaking off the first Austrian player who tried to come up to block. Then in the face of the closing defense of two players, he rushed between them with the ball!

Shake three defenders in one go.

The fourth defender turned from the side and tried to knock him over. After so many years, everyone knows that there is only one way to deal with Zhang Jun: foul! hurt him, so that he can no longer play, and Zhang Jun, who can't play, is nothing......

Zhang Jun was knocked and stumbled, but he protected the football and did not fall, but the person who hit him threw himself on the ground and did not get up.

He dribbled towards the Austrian goal with a surprising persistence, his speed was no longer 'chasing the wind', and at the age of 31 he couldn't get up, but the experience and skill still made it impossible for unruly defenders to break the ball off his feet easily.

Four people!

The fifth is a central defender, Zhang Jun made a quick stop, the other party thought he was going to shoot, but Zhang Jun dodged the football away from him, who had no center of gravity, and then stepped the football into the penalty area!

The cheers of the Chinese fans rang out, and they began to cheer for Zhang Jun. Even Kaka, who was almost crying in pain, got up from his seat.

Shot! in! Zhang Jun!! Let me see, you're not old, Zhang Jun, you're not old!

The sound of heavy and violent wheezing lingered in Zhang Jun's ears and did not want to disperse, Zhang Jun knew that it was his own breathing, his physical fitness, his body, his legs could no longer support himself, and he could not take him to pursue his dream of the World Cup......

Shaking vision appeared within the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper. He lifted his foot......

"Shoot!!" Kaka shouted loudly.

“goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal！！”

“shooot！ andagoooal！！！！ zhangjunsgoal！ supergoal！！！ ”

"The ball is in! The ball is in! The ball is in!! The Chinese commentator choked up and shouted, "Let's pull a goal back!" But there were only five minutes left until the end of the game...... We don't have time, Zhang Jun is also going to be off, this is his last goal to stay in the Chinese national team, this is the last classic he left for the World Cup! Goodbye, Jun Zhang...... Goodbye, World Cup ......"

After shooting at goal, Zhang Jun couldn't keep his balance anymore, and he was knocked out of the bottom line by the defenders who caught up. The Austrian goalkeeper was stunned in place, he was half-kneeling, stretched out his hands, as if raising his hands in surrender, and looked at Zhang Jun who fell out in disbelief.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze, the football gently rolled into the goal, and the Austrian player stopped the pursuit with his head in his hands, who would have thought that Zhang Jun, who was considered to be no threat, broke out at the last moment?

The next moment, everything came back, time, sound, everything. Jang Jun rolled and didn't stop until he was blocked by a billboard. Wu Shangshan rushed over to pick him up and yelled at him frantically. But what is he yelling at? Zhang Jun didn't understand, he stood up again, gently pushed Wu Shangshan away, and then slowly walked off the field......

His time has come.

A goal that was enough to be included in the top 10 best goals of the World Cup, but Zhang Jun did not celebrate, he walked away slowly, and did not even raise his hand to applaud the audience in thanks. But the fans in the stadium spontaneously stood up and applauded him.

Kaka watched as the bowed figure walked towards the sidelines, clenching his fists tightly and feeling his body tremble slightly. Why? He kept asking himself in his heart, we said we would have to compete again! Why? Why did you go first?! Don't go, Jun Zhang! Don't leave! Stay and we'll play again! Let me win you, let me win you...... Once......

China's hundreds of millions of TV viewers did not hear a single commentary from the live commentator in front of them, only low sobs came from the microphone. In front of the TV, more people cried, they were not eliminated for the group stage of the World Cup, for Chinese fans, they were happy enough. They were heartbroken for the departure of a person, and that person said goodbye to the World Cup like this, without even looking up, he used to love this stage so much, left and came back, but now he is so decisive.

It was the only national team goal he scored without kissing the flag on his chest after scoring a goal.

Zhang Jun walked off the court by himself halfway through, Li Jie didn't need to wait for Zhang Jun to hug him before going up, but he still ran over and hugged Zhang Jun tightly before returning to the court.

Then Xiang Tao came over, he hugged Zhang Jun and apologized to Zhang Jun with a crying voice: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry...... Zhang Jun, it's all my fault, if I can be there, if I can help you......"

Zhang Jun patted Xiang Tao lightly, and then pushed him away as well. He continued to walk forward, this time standing in front of him was Crewe. The two looked at each other, and Crewe lowered his head and said nothing.

Zhang Jun reached out and stroked Crewe's hair, as if comforting a child who had broken a fishing tank by mistake, and then they staggered by.

He didn't go back to the bench, but went straight into the players' tunnel and went back to the dressing room. From the moment he scored to the moment he went down, this emotionless cathartic gesture and calmly frightening situation was maintained until he walked into the dressing room, where a hidden camera was set up to bring the audience a real Zhang Jun: he sat in a chair, his head bowed and his hands over his face, his shoulders gently shrugged......

The pain in his heart was greater than anyone else's. When Kaka saw this scene, he remembered what Yang Pan had said to him.

Therefore, he is also stronger than anyone else. Now he finished the second half of the sentence.

In that game, the Chinese team drew 2:2 with Austria, but it didn't matter the big picture, they lost this World Cup, while Zhang Jun lost his last World Cup......

※※※

The wind blows in the early morning of summer, and it is still a little cold on the body, but the sanitation workers have already got up early to start the day's work in the morning light.

A newspaper was swept towards the garbage heap by a broom, but unexpectedly, the cold wind blew and swept it into the sky again.

The defending champions miss the group stage! 》

"Zhang Jun announced his permanent retirement from the national team! 》

"The national football team has a bad record, the Football Association uses people inappropriately, Chen Wei takes the blame and resigns!" 》

Underneath these three big black titles, there is also an inconspicuous subtitle: "Mature Kaka Achieves Dreams, Horror Brazil Six-Star King"

A hand with plastic gloves reached over, grabbed the flying newspaper, glanced at the headline on it, and threw it into a garbage truck.

(To be continued)