Chapter 59: The Contest
Zhang Jun stood in the tunnel with PSV Eindhoven players next to him. He felt that he and PSV Eindhoven were really close together, meeting three times in one season. In the first draw, he scored his first goal in the professional league. The second time was the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup. The third is a league game after two rounds, when they host visiting PSV Eindhoven.
Half a year ago, he and Yang Pan caught each other off guard with a surprise posture. Half a year later, they are already a solid member of the team's main lineup, and there have been noticeable changes in the opposing lineup. Only Lee Young-pyo is still available on the court between the two Koreans, and Park Ji-sung has been relegated to the bench because he has too many good players competing for his position and has problems with his personal form. This has to make Zhang Jun sigh that the world is impermanent.
In addition, PSV Eindhoven also have a young player who has been in the limelight since the winter break, 18-year-old Dutch left midfielder Robben. Technically excellent, agile and accurate in passing, he has been hailed as one of the best midfielders in the Netherlands, Van der Vaart, Van der Vaart, plus a Ruben, the Dutch midfield star seems to have come to a blowout, and three world-class midfield stars have emerged at once.
After Zhang Jun recovered from his injury, he only practiced with the team for three days, and Adrianse's arrangement of him on the field can be described as a double-edged sword, which is quite risky. But what made him take such a risk?
For two weeks now, Adrianse has been thinking about one thing since the team unexpectedly knocked out Breda to reach the last four. Now the situation, is it to give up the cup, play the league in the last two months with peace of mind, and strive to achieve good results, so as to make relegation worry-free? Or will they try to fight every cup game at the cost of relegation, bring the team the only possible trophy of the season and qualify for next season's UEFA Cup?
This is not an option to lose the car and protect the commander. However, seeing Zhang Jun appear in the starting list, you should know Adrianse's choice, right?
As he used to tell Rice, life is a gamble, and who can guarantee that they will always be invincible? But if there is no high risk, there will be no high return.
This is the third time Zhang Jun has visited the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, and the first time he has a short trial here, only to be spotted by the current head coach and embark on his own professional football career. The second time he played here, he scored his first goal and started his road to fame. This is the third time, can Philips Stadium continue to be a blessed place for Zhang Jun?
For this match, the media generally expected PSV Eindhoven to win against Volendham. Because of the vicious Warrendam in addition to falling two places in the standings, the team is also constantly injured, Adrianse can only send more than half of the main force in this game, and several other main players are unable to play, and Hevel can only play with injuries, and the back line has almost changed. The veterans Butary and Refron, as well as captain Holvigin, were unable to play, and Louis Link, the next captain, naturally wore the captain's armband. When he put on the captain's armband, Zhang Jun saw that his hands were trembling with excitement, and he wore an armband three times before putting it on.
Of course, this game is not without highlights, in fact, Yang Pan and Ruben in the midfield, because the position is just opposite will be very interesting, both are young midfield wing attackers. But it is recognized that the most attractive is the contest between Zhang Jun and Kaiselman, the duel between the killers, one is the fourth scorer in the league, and the other is the first scorer in the league. The duel between these two will be as eye-catching as the gladiatorial fight in the Colosseum in ancient Rome.
Kessermann remains the top scorer in the Dutch Premier League as always, but he can already feel the threat from those chasing behind him. Especially Zhang Jun. In his first professional season, Jang Jun showed astonishing form and goalscoring efficiency. When he scored PSV Eindhoven's first goal, no one could have imagined that his presence would change almost the entire Dutch Premier League landscape.
Kaiseman also paid special attention to the Chinese striker who is as tall as him, scoring a goal each in the last meeting, but he wasted a lot of chances, while Zhang Jun seized an opportunity to make him who he is now. In terms of the ability to seize opportunities, it seems that he is inferior to him...... I don't know what kind of spark they will stir up in this game. Zhang Jun was mentioned in a pre-match interview, and he showed a sympathetic attitude: "No, of course I hope PSV Eindhoven wins. However, he (Zhang Jun) is a very good striker, and as long as he is on the field, he will cause a lot of problems for the opponent's backline. He's just recovering from his injury now, and that's probably the only thing we can take advantage of. Goal? Hehe, I'm sure I'll score, but he's hard to say...... However, I hope he never scores! Kesserman laughed, and it could be seen that he was full of confidence, but he also had some concerns about Zhang Jun's ability to score goals.
PSV Eindhoven fans breathe a sigh of relief. Zhang Jun's volley in the penalty area was saved by goalkeeper Watres bravely on the bottom line, and his quick reaction and excellent positioning options allowed him to save Zhang Jun's powerful volley unbelievably. He is the best goalkeeper in the Dutch league.
However, Warrendam seemed to use such a shot to announce to his master that he was not here to "learn". Now that we've reached the semi-finals, there's no reason to give up easily, with visitors Volendamm awarded a corner just five minutes into the game.
"Zhang Jun is in good shape today!" The commentator in charge of broadcasting the cup match said, "I don't see it at all as if it was just healed from a leg injury." ”
"Hopefully he can cause trouble for PSV Eindhoven." The commentator continued, "If you beat PSV Eindhoven, it will be a big upset!" ”
The corner kick was taken and the ball was pushed off the touchline by PSV Eindhoven centre-back Hovland, and the throw-in was thrown again, and the inserted Bayes hit it too squarely, and it was easily caught by Watres.
Ruben broke through Koning, who came on as a substitute for the injured Holvigin, on the left flank, but was cut off by Yang Pan, who followed him, and Yang Pan won the first meeting between the two. After getting the ball, Yang Pan gently moved the ball forward, and Vogel thought that he was about to break through with speed again, so he hurriedly moved back two steps. But Yang Pan made a diagonal pass to the left, Hewell inserted it at high speed, unloaded the ball beautifully, and Warrendam counterattacked!
Zhang Jun naturally ran towards the opponent's penalty area, ready to receive the shot. Hovland had the lesson of the first encounter, and he pasted it like a shadow, and he no longer dared to underestimate this Chinese.
Ojjar began to press on Hevel. But Hevel passed the ball before he could press it. Kozel, who was inserted, received the ball, and after a slight adjustment, he passed the ball to the right side, Li Rongpyo did not dare to slack off, and desperately chased back, because Yang Pan had already inserted it at high speed from his side. He was fast enough to scare the entire PSV Eindhoven backline.
Yang Pan still grabbed the ball before Li Rongpyo, he rushed the ball into the penalty area, and the football rolled into the penalty area quickly against the turf.
Zhang Jun exerted his strength and rushed forward diagonally. Hovland was distracted by Yang Pan's breakthrough, and by the time he reacted, Zhang Jun had already surpassed him by half a position. In desperation, he could only reach out to pull Zhang Jun's clothes, but he was also smart, and he quickly pulled it and immediately let it go.
But for Zhang Jun, who was about to hit the door, this pull made him deviate from the goal. He fell to the ground and shot with a tackle! He stabbed the ball in front of the goalkeeper, but the ball hit the post and bounced back into the arms of the frightened goalkeeper.
In 20 minutes, Zhang Jun twice made PSV Eindhoven fans raise their hearts to their throats, but this was also the best chance for Volendam in the entire first half. For the rest of the day, PSV Eindhoven showed their true qualities as a strong team, bombarding the visitors' goal.
It was time for Kesserman to go on a rampage, as he had three shots on goal in five minutes, and Warrendam would have been behind had it not been for Louis Rink's two saves.
Fans at Philips Stadium began chanting Kaiserman's name in unison, hoping that their top scorer would bring victory to the team. Kesserman lived up to expectations, scoring a one-goal lead near the end of the first half.
Ruben faced Yang Pan, and he chose to go heads-up. In terms of speed, he is naturally not an opponent, but in terms of foot skills, he is still confident that he will not lose to Yang Pan. After a wonderful feint, he followed a change of direction to accelerate, Yang Pan reflexively went to chase, but his feet slipped and fell to the ground, watching Ruben easily wade past Cornyn, who was four years older than him, and then crossed!
This time, Louis Rink could not stop Kaisermann again, and the opponent fired a powerful shot from five meters out, and the ball flew from Westtrop's side into the goal!
1:0 lead! PSV Eindhoven are ahead of Warrendam at home! Kaiserman's goal! Philips Stadium is boiling!
“goooooooooooal!! Kaiserman!! ”
"He did what he promised before the game, he would score! I wonder if I can help the team win? ”
Kesserman took off his shirt and waved it in his hands. It was an easy goal for him and he didn't need to run to celebrate.
When Keiseman scored, Zhang Jun was ten meters behind him, and he clearly saw Keiseman inserting from behind Louis Link, and then raised his left foot to shoot, his calf swung vigorously, and the ball was so fast that Westrop would not react at all. He is worthy of being the first scorer in the Dutch Super League.
Zhang Jun clenched his fists, he was always used to finding a goal for himself to surpass, otherwise he didn't know if he could play it game after game, and he also found a target in this game - the twenty-three-year-old Yugoslav international, Kesserman, the best scorer in the Dutch Super League, was his target.
At half-time, Adrianse felt the pressure and he made a slight adjustment, reducing a defender and adding a midfielder, changing the formation to 451. The aim was to bolster the midfield defence, while the midfielders could also free up Kozel to play with his accuracy on the counter-attack.
Hiddink didn't make any personnel changes at the start of the second half and was pleased with the performance of his players in the first half. After all, it is no longer appropriate to describe Warrendam as a dark horse alone.
But unexpectedly, Yang Pan received a long pass from Kozel in the counterattack and ran wildly with the ball. Li Rongbi accidentally sprained his right foot in a speed competition with him, and was completely left behind by Yang Pan.
Kozel's long passes, Yang Pan, Hevel, and Zhang Jun's counterattacks with speed have become the most commonly used offensive means for Warrendam. Zhang Jun and Hevel immediately ran to attract the attention of PSV Eindhoven's defenders, creating the time and space for Yang Pan to shoot.
This trick is very effective, and it often makes defenders hesitate and fall into passivity in the ever-changing transition between attack and defense. Yang Pan ran wildly and shot from a distance of 20 meters from the goal, while the nearest defender was still five meters away.
Yang Pan let out a low roar, and the football flew out from under his feet like a cannonball, bringing up a cloud of grass clippings.
Goalkeeper Watres lunged out almost as soon as Yang got up and shot, hitting the ball with both fists in an attempt to knock the ball out. But the ball rubbed the tip of his fist and hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the goal!
Just five minutes into the second half, Warrendam equalized! This is really beyond everyone's expectations! Yang Pan once again proved his terrifying right foot strength.
"Yang-Pan! Beautiful goal! Warrendam equalises! ”
"The computer is counting the speed of the shot...... The results are out! Oh, God! Unbelievable! Unbelievable! One hundred and twenty-three kilometers per hour! World Wave! The two commentators were yelling in the live broadcast room like crazy.
Yang Pan, who scored the goal, stood in place and yelled at the Eindhoven stands: What is the home field! Letting you lose at home is what I want to see!
The goal was a double goal, and then the injured Lee Young-pyo was substituted, and Guus Hiddink had to be replaced by left-back Boma, who was still suffering from a cold. Originally, Boma had a cold before the game, and Hiddink only put him on the bench for the sake of the league title, but he didn't expect it to come in handy. This is also a helpless move, the competition for the league title is becoming more and more fierce, and the slightest mistake can lead to a complete loss. Hiddink really didn't want to do it, but he didn't want to give up the cup.
Boma's speed was effective in containing Yang Pan's attack, but under Yang Pan's threat, he was unable to step forward to attack, and the match between the two sides then ended in a stalemate.
Zhang Jun kicked the ball out of bounds with a big kick, and now he is almost a midfielder, and in ten minutes, there was not a single shot on goal. Is this still a center? The team is passive, and he himself is passive. My injury was just right, and my condition was not yet 100 percent, and it almost seemed to disappear in the game. Defending is not his forte, it is only because of the situation on the field that he is forced to retreat to the edge of the penalty area to defend. But it is clear that he struggled with Van Bommel and Kaisermann's bombardment.
Seeing that Ruben didn't have much advantage on the left, he started to move closer to the middle. It is clear that he also sees Zhang Jun, who is weaker defensively, as a good breakthrough point.
Ruben dribbled the ball from the flank to the middle, got rid of Yang Pan's interference, and then crossed diagonally into the box. Zhang Jun was on the passing route, Ruben was not of high quality, and Zhang Jun only needed to kick out to solve the crisis.
Zhang Jun picked up his right foot and vigorously pulled out the ...... Kick it out! The soccer ball rolled under his feet!
Kozel and Louis Rink were stunned, obviously not expecting Zhang Jun to make such a mistake, and the two watched as the ball passed to Kesserman in the penalty area.
Kesserman was also stunned for a moment, but he immediately adjusted his ankle, knocked the incoming ball in, started at the same time, took a big step, and volleyed hard with his left foot!
Vesterop, who rushed to attack, couldn't seal the angle in time, and the ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net!
"The ball hits the ...... The ball is in! goooooooooooooooooooal! Kaisserman's second goal! PSV Eindhoven leads again! Zhang Jun made an unforgivable mistake! There are only ten minutes left in the game, and as things stand, PSV Eindhoven are sure to advance! ”
After the goal, Kesserman turned his head to look at Zhang Jun outside the box, who was looking at the football inside the goal with a blank expression. A fatal mistake...... Kesserman turned his head and slammed his fist into the dugout, followed by a swarm of teammates.
With 10 minutes remaining, the score was 2-1 and PSV Eindhoven relied on two goals from Kaiselmann to take the lead at home over visiting Volendham. An unexpected mistake by Zhang Jun almost buried the entire team, and in the remaining ten minutes, can they equalize or even overtake? How will Zhang Jun behave? Is he at the bottom of the clash with Kaiselman?
No one will know, not even Zhang Jun himself. He's just recovered from a leg injury and he shouldn't have been able to play this game, but Adrianse needed to win and he wanted to play, so in the end he was on the pitch. At that time, the team doctor checked his body and asked him if he really wanted to play, he thought about it and then nodded affirmatively. He didn't know if he had made the right choice because of his mistakes, and if he hadn't played, he wouldn't have conceded a goal...... But can you escape if you are already standing on the field? As long as the manager doesn't change him for a minute, he has to hold on for a minute.
In football, no one knows the result until the last minute!
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