Chapter 11: Crisis
Raphinha was very fast, and after brushing Zheng Tao, he immediately entered the penalty area.
The left side was penetrated again, and the back line of the Chinese youth team did not appear in the chaos that had just started the game, and under the command of Feng Xiaoting, the core of the defense, all the players were doing the remedial work in an orderly manner. Zhao Ming faced Raphinha and went up, and Zhao Xuri immediately retreated, blocking the gap left by Zhao Ming. The methodical movement of the players and the filling of positions once again allowed the youth team to form two compact defensive lines in front of the goal.
"Hold on, don't give him room to shoot!"
While staring at Sobis beside him, Feng Xiaoting shouted loudly at Zhao Ming, and at the same time pointed to Bobo at the front of the penalty area with one hand to remind his teammates to pay attention to watching people.
Being able to make these adjustments in a short period of time according to the changes on the field, Feng Xiaoting's performance is excellent. The players' quick adjustment on the pitch also proves that the tactical literacy of this youth team is good. Four consecutive wins, although it seems to be a fluke, but this fluke only interprets the strength of the team from another angle.
However, the Brazilians still proved the fact with practical actions, that is, their strength is several categories higher than the youth team.
Facing Zhao Ming, Raphinha's movements were not too fancy.
After cutting in laterally, it suddenly changed to move towards the baseline, attracting Zhao Ming's defense, and Raphinha made another emergency stop. Although Zhao Ming quickly stabilized his body, in this space, Raphinha had already completed the shot. It was a simple shot, but it showed Raphinha's quality. Opportunities abound on the football pitch, but not every player can take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. The keen ability to capture can better reflect the strength of the player.
With a hint of spin, the ball flew straight to the far end of the goal.
Yang Cheng in front of the goal didn't even make a save, just stood there and turned his head to watch the football fly to the far end of the goal.
Being able to complete such an excellent shot in a small space, Raphinha used his own strength to conquer the fans of the whole stadium.
With her arms held high and her head held high, Raphinha was ready to be cheered on by the crowd and admired by the Brazilian fans.
Clang!
The ball smashed on the post and bounced off the edge of the box. The crisp sound directly shattered Raphinha's illusions.
"Danger!"
"Block!"
With Feng Xiaoting's shout, the football roared towards the goal again.
Boom!
Feng Xiaoting, who didn't have time to turn his head, heard a dull sound in his ears.
"Press out, press out!"
Then he heard Yang Cheng's shouts, and he knew that they had defused one of the Brazilians' attacks.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Feng Xiaoting gave Yang Cheng a thumbs up, and then pressed forward with both hands, hoping that his teammates could use the attack to create some pressure on the Brazilian.
Youth, representing vitality; Youth, a symbol of blood; Youth always makes people so fearless!
As soon as the ferocious offensive of the Brazilian youth team subsided, the youth team immediately sounded the horn of counterattack.
After Yang Cheng threw the ball to Zheng Tao on the side, the counterattack of the Chinese youth team kicked off.
Like Brazil, the youth team's attack was carried out from the wings. After Zheng Tao received the ball, he quickly played the ball and did not let the ball stay at his feet too much. Obviously, after the opening kick-off, the Brazilian penetrated the defence twice from him, which was a big blow to him.
The 20-year-old Zheng Tao, with his excellent defensive awareness and physical fitness, gained a firm foothold in the Chinese Super League last season. At the same time, he can play two full-backs, he is an all-rounder on the backline, his presence has enriched the change space on the back line of the national youth team, coupled with a serious and positive attitude, squeezed out Liu Yu and Yuan Weiwei, and became the team's main left-back.
As the team's main left-back, Zheng Tao certainly knows that his role on the pitch is not just about defense. But being beaten through the defense by the opponent from his side twice in a row made Zheng Tao hesitate.
When Zheng Tao hesitated whether to insert an assist, the attack of the youth team was still proceeding in an orderly manner. After Zhou Haibin won the ball in the middle of the road, he took two strokes and directly handed the ball to Chen Tao on the side.
As the attacking direction of the youth team shifted, the defensive focus of the Brazilian youth team immediately shifted to the right side.
Chen Tao is not a stranger to Brazilians, but he is not particularly familiar with it. The video of the match between the youth team and the German youth team, led by Rennie Weber, analysed one side from start to finish. What impressed them the most was not Chen Tao's free kick goal, but in more than 80 minutes of the game, after Chen Tao broke through on the left side, he faced the opponent's defender and made a cross with a flower arrangement.
Passing the ball with a flower arrangement, such a technical move, is not very difficult for the Brazilians, and they can easily do it in the game. But being able to calmly make such technical moves under such a grim situation is enough to show Chen Tao's inner self-confidence. Confident and capable players can often surprise people on the pitch. But for Brazil's youth team, it could be a disaster.
So as soon as Chen Tao received the ball, it was like a magnet, and he immediately attracted nearby Brazilian players, Raphinha in front, Arouca in the back, and Renato in the middle.
As the most skilled player in the Chinese youth team, Chen Tao is extremely confident, and his face is indifferent in the face of the Brazilians. After quickly glancing at his teammate's position, Chen Tao made a choice.
Compared with Chen Tao's calmness, the people on the bench of the Chinese youth team are not so calm.
Because Chen Tao, who was on the side at this time, the way forward was blocked by Raphinha, the road back was blocked by Arouca, and Renato was cruising nearby in the lateral direction, blocking the passing route. To make matters worse, only teammates are available in the middle.
Although he knew Chen Tao's skills and abilities, Crouchen still walked to the sidelines and shouted as soon as Chen Tao was surrounded.
"Zheng Tao, plug it in, plug it in!"
The interpreter dutifully stood on Crowchen's side, waving his arms and shouting loudly.
Zheng Tao, who had hesitated before, gritted his teeth after hearing the shout, and immediately plugged in.
And at this moment, Chen Tao moved. Although Chen Tao is deeply surrounded by the three, it does not mean that there is no chance. There is a huge gap behind Raphinha, and Cui Peng of Zhou Haibin in the middle lane is constantly running, seeking cooperation.
Chen Tao made the safest choice, dribbling the ball horizontally towards the middle and seeking cooperation with his teammates.
Renato posted the ball as soon as Chen Tao dribbled horizontally, and at the same time let Raphinha return to his position to prevent the full-backs from playing the side. But just as Renato was sticking up, Chen Tao changed direction and rushed directly towards Raphinha with the ball. Raphinha, who was about to retreat, was stunned, and when he was about to step forward to defend, Chen Tao picked up his toes, and the ball flew over Raphinha's head. At the same time, a red figure flashed behind Raphinha.
"Beautiful, Chen Tao, beautiful!"
Zheng Tao's timely insertion enriched the offensive routine of the Chinese youth team.
In the face of Chen Tao's pass, Zheng Tao padded his chest, and then lightly accelerated to catch up.
At the same time, Brazilian central defender Leonardo also rushed directly towards the ball, and Raphinha inserted it directly into the ribs to make up for the gap left by Leonardo. The whole process of switching and shifting seems so natural, and it is clear that the Brazilian youth team is very familiar with this routine.
Leonardo's appearance made Zheng Tao a little flustered. The gap that could have been a flat and direct cross disappeared, and the football was not at his feet.
It's a 1 in 2 chance.
But for Leonardo and Zheng Tao, the meaning of grabbing football is completely different.
Leonardo gets the football, and he will definitely defuse an attack of the youth team, but Zheng Tao getting the football may not be able to help the youth team complete the goal. In addition, Zheng Tao was broken through by Raphinha twice before, and his self-confidence was affected somewhat, so Leonardo rushed to football, while Zheng Tao hesitated. Although Zheng Tao finally made the choice to continue attacking, he had already lost the opportunity, Leonardo grabbed the ball before him, and quickly passed it to Renato.
Renato made a diagonal pass and went straight to Arouca.
Gap.
Zheng Tao inserted the assist, and the huge gap left behind him became the Pingchuan of Arouca's wanton gallop.
Arouca's speed was very fast, and by the time Zhao Ming completed the fill-in, Arouca had already rushed to him with the ball, and Zhao Ming, who was in a hurry, was thrown away by Arouca after two consecutive changes of direction.
Zhao Ming was easily broken through, which surprised Yang Cheng in front of the goal. However, soon, Yang Cheng adjusted his mentality, and in the face of Arouca, who was inserted into the penalty area with the ball diagonally, Yang Cheng directly chose to attack.
Arouca, who burst into the penalty area with the ball, looked at the goalkeeper who attacked, and without the slightest hesitation, he directly chose to shoot angrily. The ball flew towards the goal like a cannonball out of the chamber.
Yang Cheng, who had just attacked, chose to save in a hurry. But there was nothing he could do but watch the ball fly past his hands.
Rumble!
At the moment when the ball hit the net, the Willem II Stadium roared loudly, and the passionate sambas sang and danced in the stands.
"The goal was scored, Arouca, in the twenty-seventh minute of the game, for the Brazilian youth team to expand the score, 0-2, the youth team is two goals behind, ushered in the worst start of this World Youth Championship! Three times in a row by the opponent penetrated their left side, the defense of the youth team has indeed encountered the most severe test, I hope the boys can hold on, after all, there is still more than an hour left in the time, the chance to equalize is still there, I hope they don't give up! ”
Looking at the players in the stadium who were a little stunned, Huang Jianxiang said comfortingly.
This is the first time he has seen players look like this at this World Youth Championships. In terms of strength, the Brazilian youth team is indeed an insurmountable barrier in front of the youth team. But on second thought, isn't it enough to celebrate that the youth team was able to break into the quarterfinals?