In today's game, both sides lined up in a 4-3-3 formation.

On the side of the Dragon Country team, the lineup is exactly the same as that of the South Korean team.

The goalkeeper is Zeng Cheng, the backline is Jiang Zhipeng, Feng Xiaoting, Mei Fang and Zhang Linpeng, the midfield is Wu Xi, Zheng Zhi and Huang Bowen, and the front trident is a combination of Wu Lei, Zhang Yuning and Lin Liangming.

Obviously, at Tehran's home stadium of the Devils, Lippi and Pan Yi still want to continue the defensive counter-attacking style of play against South Korea.

With the overall strength of the current Dragon Nation team, it is too demanding to play smooth passing football in a short period of time, and at least in the backfield stage, there may be trouble......

Not to mention that under the high pressure of today's away game, it is even more difficult to play a good passing system.

So Lippi and Pan Yi are still very pragmatic, just do a good job of anti-counter kicking!

And Iran's 4-3-3 looks like this:

Goalkeepers: Berranvand;

Defence: Gavri, Praliganji, Montazeri, Mohammadi;

Midfielders: Ezatolahi, Shaojie, Ibrahimi;

Forwards: Jahanbakhsh, Taremi, Guchanejad.

Rookie goalscorer Azmoun didn't even get a chance to start, which shows how well stocked Iran are up front.

And at the beginning of the game, they also immediately took advantage of the home field and launched a fierce attack on the position of the Dragon Nation team.

After kick-off, through a long pass from captain Shaojie's backfield, he found Guchanejad on the side, and then passed directly into the penalty area to find center forward Taremi.

However, Feng Xiaoting was prepared, preempted Taremi, and headed the ball out of the danger zone.

Soon, the Dragon Country team also found an opportunity to counterattack, Zhang Linpeng launched a long pass in the backfield, and Lin Liangming stopped the ball and turned it to Zhang Yuning in the penalty area.

However, the defenders of the Iranian team returned to defense in a timely manner, and Zhang Yuning's movements were a little slow and he was destroyed.

Then Huang Bowen sent a corner, but the Dragon team failed to create a threat, but Iran seized an opportunity to play a scramble, fortunately Zeng Cheng's range was still good, rushing to the edge of the penalty area to intercept the ball.

And after these opening offensives, Iran's tempo began to slow down.

It's not that they don't want to attack, but the Dragons' targeted midfield setup is starting to work, and Iran's advance has been affected.

First of all, in Iran's three-midfield system, captain Shaojie is slightly forward, and he also dominates the distribution of the ball and creates chances in the front court when attacking, and is responsible for delivering shells to his teammates.

On the side of Long Guo, Zheng Zhilai, who is also the captain, dragged back to protect the defense line and follow Shaojie, so that he could not pass the ball forward comfortably.

Ezatorahi and Ibrahimi are positioned slightly further back, closer to the position of the two midfielders.

Among them, Ibrahimi is more responsible for organizing and scheduling and controlling the rhythm, so the Dragon Kingdom has arranged Wu Xi to be responsible for marking and interfering, as long as he gets the ball, Wu Xi will get close to him as soon as possible, and will not give him the space to easily take the ball and play the ball.

As for Ezzatorahi, the young tall midfielder is not slow at all and has a lot of work on his feet, which makes him a dangerous player for Iran as he can push forward with the ball and get involved in the attack quickly.

And he asked Huang Bowen to come and live, while preventing the Iranian teenager from stepping forward, he could also help Zheng Zhi to assist in the defense in the middle.

In addition, Iran's two wingers, Jahanbakhsh and Guchanejad, are responsible for opening up the width, and when attacking with the ball, the full-backs can easily create a numerical advantage and create chances.

In response to this characteristic, the Lippi coaching staff has also adjusted the tasks of the defensive line, so that Jiang Zhipeng and Zhang Linpeng on the two wings are relatively adducted, which is mainly to block the Iranian team's inward cutting line.

This is due to the fact that the quality of Iran's crosses from both sides is not high, but the winger's inward shot is very threatening.

Therefore, Pan Yi suggested that Lippi come to a "middle and side", that is, to block Iran's strong attack in the middle, let go of the side, and let them cross.

In the middle, the two central defenders of the Dragon Kingdom watched their center Taremi stubbornly, preventing him from having a comfortable chance to shoot.

Taremi at this point in time is not the future Porto striker, and he is not so outstanding in terms of ability, even if Feng Xiaoting is a single defense, he is actually not so difficult.

Although these attacking players in Iran's frontcourt are all strong impact players, once the opposing team maintains a careful array and does not leave space for them, their offensive effect will be greatly reduced.

And because of their prominent position in Asia, whether it is Qatar, Syria or any other team that encounters them, they will take the initiative to shrink the defense and make them play very hard.

That's why Iran have been unbeaten in six games, but have only scored five goals in total.

Including the last time the Dragon Kingdom was able to play 0:0 with Iran at home, and it was also done in this way.

Now, the Dragon Nation team is also concocting the same method, and sure enough, it quickly put Iran in the same bitter situation again.

——

"Today, the midfield defense of our Dragon team is very well organized, and a world-class coach is a world-class coach!"

Today's CCTV commentators are He Wei and Xu Yang, who are in the domestic studio to explain the game.

He Wei came up and was amazed by the strong defense of the Dragon Kingdom, and of course by the way, he also praised Lippi and Pan Yi for the training of the Dragon Kingdom team.

"You see, they've improved a lot in terms of support and pressing, and they've improved very well in their movements. The three strikers actively participated in the defense and formed the first line of defense, while the central defender Feng Xiaoting also took on the team's ball-playing tasks, and the attack and defense were more like a combination of a whole. This made the Iranian team a little uncomfortable. ”

Xu Yang nodded: "What you said is right, but we still have to be more patient, strive to control the ball at our feet, and then make more use of the width of the field......"

He Wei: "...... Today, Lippi and Pan should still want to stand on defense first, and don't want to fight for possession. ”

"And they defended like they did against South Korea, they were very strategic. In the past, our defense was more based on numbers, but now it seems that even with four defenders and three midfielders, we can still organize a tight tactic, and the key is the pace of player arrival and overall movement. ”

"The three lines are not disjointed, Iran has to face two defences when they get the ball at any time, so it's hard to create chances. And our players have a very consistent rhythm, they can be fast when they should be fast, slow and slow down, and the execution is strong, and the holes in the defense are not easy to be caught by the opponent. ”

"In particular, it is worth mentioning our veteran captain Zheng Zhi, who is always able to be where he is needed at critical moments, protect the defence, cut off the opponent's passing line, or attack."

"He's really big of a role! It's a pity that he is not young now, but now there is no one in China who can take over his class. ”

Xu Yang nodded again: "What you said is very reasonable, at this time, someone needs to stand up." ”

He Wei: "......? ”

Just when He Wei didn't know how to answer, there was a sudden exclamation from the stands of the stadium.

I only saw a long pass from the backfield of the Dragon Kingdom, which crossed half of the court and flew to the frontcourt.

It was Zheng Zhi's long pass fast attack!

He Wei also hurriedly accessed the explanation of the situation on the field:

"Zhang Yuning of the Dragon Country team was in the front court, competing with the opponent's central defender Montazeri for the first landing point, and Zhang Yuning won the header!"

"The ball still fell at the feet of the Dragon Country team, Wu Xi took the ball and looked at this attack."

Wu Xi passed directly to the penalty area, there is a chance! Wu Lei hit the door directly! ”

"Oops, goalkeeper Berranvand blocked the ball!"

"It's a shame that the Dragons missed a great chance to score in the first half."

"A straight kick from Wu Xi, this kick was very exciting, and it happened to fall on the line of Wu Lei's oblique insertion into the penalty area, and at this time, the central defender of the Iranian team happened to be pulled out by Zhang Yuning, Lin Liangming was also standing on the right side, there was some space in the penalty area, and Wu Lei inserted it just to form a scoring opportunity."

"It's really a shame that the Dragons have the best scoring opportunity so far."

"Wu Lei looks very depressed, he should really be depressed about this attack, what a good opportunity."

"If this goal can be scored, then the situation will be completely changed, and the defensive pressure of the Dragons will be reduced a lot."

"However, it can also be seen from this attack that the current Dragon Country team has not only improved its defensive level considerably, but also counterattacked more sharply."

"It doesn't matter if the ball doesn't go in, as long as our lads calm down and take their time, there will still be a chance!"

Xu Yang nodded again: "That's right, now that the game has been white-hot, this is the time to test the will of both sides." ”

He Wei: "............"

——

After the Dragons' attack, Iran's head coach Queiroz looked very dissatisfied on the sidelines, shouting at the players on the field.

Just now we almost got scored, and if we miss it, Iran will be in a passive situation.

After all, everyone knows that as long as the Dragons score a goal, their defensive counterattack will be more resolute and thorough, and it will be more difficult for Iran to score at that time, and there will even be a risk that the score will be widened.

But Queiroz is also well aware of the current plight of the Iranian team.

This is similar to the problem faced by the South Korean team in the last round, that is, the dragon team is determined to defend and counterattack, as long as they do not concede the goal, they will be more and more confident.

The strength of the Iranian team is superior, and if it can't be attacked for a long time, the team will inevitably play in a hurry, which is not a good phenomenon.

The South Korean team was in a hurry and was counterattacked to score, and also received a red card, and finally was made 0:3, the Iranian team can't be like them.

And Queiroz can also see that the counterattacks of the Dragon team are basically aimed at Iran's soft underbelly.

Iran advocates fullbacks to attack forward, which leads to the relatively weak defense of the two ribs, just now after Zhang Yuning grabbed the header, Wu Xi obliquely passed the penalty area, Wu Lei is from the ribs diagonally into the penalty area to get the opportunity to get the foot.

This must remind the players on the field to pay attention, at least the two midfielders should make up for the position of the ribs, and do not give the dragon country so much space.

But before Queiroz could shout, the dragon kingdom launched another attack in the backfield.

This time it was still a diagonal pass transfer from the right side of the backfield after Zheng Zhi took the ball.

Zhang Yuning grabbed the header again, and after pushing the ball down, Wu Lei grabbed the second landing point.

As soon as he stopped, he saw Zhang Yuning pointing in front of him after landing on the ground, Wu Lei passed with his right foot without thinking, and the ball passed to Zhang Yuning's right side.

After Zhang Yuning stopped the ball, he turned around with his right foot and shot directly.

The shot was powerful and the angle was very tricky, directly towards the top right corner of the goal, and the ball was also well pressed.

But at the critical moment, the goalkeeper of the Iranian team, Beiranvand, was like a divine help, flying one-handed to lift the ball off the crossbar, and once again resolved a scoring crisis.

There was an uproar among all the Iranian fans in the stadium.

The two counterattacks of the Dragon Kingdom team are quite threatening!

If it weren't for the outstanding performance of his goalkeeper, he would have been broken!

Queiroz was taken aback and quickly shouted at his players, pay attention to the support of the ribs, but also pay attention to the scramble of the first point and the protection of the second point!

Two counterattacks in a row, basically the same routine, and they are both used so skillfully!

Queiroz finished his words and couldn't help but glance at the away team's dugout.

I saw that Lippi and Pan Yi were sitting upright in their seats chatting, and they didn't seem to be in a hurry.

Queiroz was helpless and admired in his heart.

It's helpless because his team has not been able to find an effective way to break the Dragon Country team, and what he admires is that these two guys really deserve to be world-famous coaches.

Although Iran also failed to penetrate the Dragons' defense in the first leg, the Dragons were closer to retreating at that time, and there was no chance to threaten the Iranian goal.

Today, the Dragons not only have a rigorous steel defense, but the speed and efficiency of counterattacks have increased many times, and this is obviously the credit of the coaching staff.

"It's a pity that the goal didn't go in." On the commentary seat, He Wei sighed.

"yes." Xu Yang said without going off-topic, "Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand looked very good today, saving two of our very dangerous shots in succession. ”

"We can only continue to create chances." He Wei shook his head, "But the Iranian team should be alert now, and obviously strengthened its control over Zhang Yuning, so as not to let him get to the first header so comfortably." ”

Xu Yang responded: "Yes, this is the point that the Iranian team is difficult to deal with, they are very adaptable to the environment. ”

He Wei: "Oh? Does Xu Yang know a lot about Iranian football? ”

Xu Yang said with a smile: "I still know a little about Iranian football, because I have been to Iran and played with this local friend who likes football. ”

"Well, they played really well and their football was very pure. If our fans have the opportunity to go to Iran, to Tehran, you will find that wherever there is this street light, there will be children playing football. ”

"On this road, in this parking lot, it's all kids playing football. So I don't think it's surprising that Iranian football can reach the World Cup every time. ”

"Including their skills in football, they have all been trained on this kind of road since childhood, so ah...... Well, what I just said, yes, they're very adaptable. ”

He Wei: "...... Okay, sure enough, I understand it very well. Right now...... Let's look at the field again, we're attacking again! ”

At this time, it was Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand who kicked the goal kick out, and Mei Fang grabbed before Taremi and pushed the ball back to the midfield, Huang Bowen immediately passed the ball to the right side, Zhang Linpeng advanced along the right side with the ball and began to plan the attack.

At this time, Zheng Zhi's position was closer to the two central defenders, while Jiang Zhipeng and Zhang Linpeng's two fullbacks were more forward.

"This one looks a bit like the 4-3-3 variant that Pan Yi liked to use during his time in Milan, which is to drag the back down to the back line, and then the two wingbacks go forward, forming a 3-4-3 position. Does this mean that the Dragons are really going to attack? ”

"Judging from the two shots just now, the defensive counterattack of the Dragon Country team is becoming more and more threatening, and it is understandable to invest more troops in the attack at this time, but you still have to pay attention to the defense behind you."

"After all, Iran's counter-attack is also quite sharp, and each of these three strikers is very threatening. While we step up our attack, we still have to keep an eye on them. ”

And now the change of formation in the Dragon Kingdom, as He Wei said, is Pan Yi's early killer move, 4-3-3 to 3-4-3!

This strategy is also very clear, that is, to push the original two wings forward, increase the width when attacking, but when defending, the defensive strength in the middle remains the same, the purpose is to continue to block the Iranian team's strong attack in the middle.

And if the opponent presses more, the two fullbacks can still be recycled, forming a back five formation, but the defense is more solid.

Of course, such a change of formation is relatively demanding for Jiang Zhipeng and Zhang Linpeng, the two fullbacks.

They obviously can't reach the level of defenders like Robertson or Carvajal, so Pan Yi has lowered his requirements for them, and he doesn't need to go too far forward when he inserts forward, as long as he can stand in the middle line to the penalty area.

Although this is not as helpful as the main 3-4-3, it can at least allow the counterattack of the side to find the center forward in the front court in addition to the big foot to find the center in the front, but also to find the wingbacks on both wings, one more line, but also to increase the offensive routine.

Moreover, the two full-backs did not step forward, which also had a positive impact on the defense of the wings, and also allowed Iran's two wing attacks to be curbed to a certain extent.

Gradually, this adjustment paid off.

The Iranian team, which had just adapted to the Longguo team's long-passing, long-center-forward tactics in the backfield, suddenly found that the Longguo's offensive routine had changed again.

When the game reached the 40th minute, Lin Liangming passed back to Huang Bowen on the right side, who quickly crossed to Wu Xi.

Wu Xi quickly passed the ball to the left side and found Jiang Zhipeng.

After Jiang Zhipeng chased the ball along the left side, he quickly dribbled forward, and just after the halfway line, he no longer continued to dribble, but sent the ball into the Iranian team penalty area with a 45-degree close pass.

At this time, Zhang Yuning ran from the middle to the left to receive the ball and took the ball at his feet.

Iran's central defender Praliganj was prepared for a long time, and immediately went over to lean on Zhang Yuning, wanting to snatch the ball.

But Zhang Yuning used his strong body to block his opponent, and then stabbed the ball to the edge of the penalty area first.

Lin Liangming, who had already run over from the right side to answer, had not yet gotten the ball, and Wu Lei, who had been lying in ambush on the periphery of the penalty area, also saw the opportunity and inserted the penalty area diagonally from the left side.

Lin Liangming understood and blocked Iranian midfielder Ezatolahi with his body, not letting the ball stop at his feet at all, and pushed behind him.

The ball slid along a straight diagonal line from behind Praliganji to the line where Wu Lei sprinted.

At this time, Iran's goalkeeper Beiranvand and another central defender, Montazeri, both realized the danger, one decisively abandoned the goal, and the other quickly stuck to Wu Lei.

But Lin Liangming's kick was very comfortable, and after Wu Lei caught up, it was a stab shot!

The ball passed under the open arms of the Iranian goalkeeper and went straight into the Iranian goal!

"The ball is in!!!!" He Wei shouted loudly.

"In the 40th minute, the Dragons took the lead in knocking on the goal of the Iranian team!"

"The goal from striker Wu Lei is a very wonderful team combination! Beautiful, really beautiful! ”

The Azadi Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of Iranian fans were seated, suddenly fell silent, and they could only watch as Wu Lei excitedly rushed to the corner flagpole to celebrate his goal.

And all the Dragon Nation players also rushed towards him.

This goal is so crucial! ——

“fodas！”

Queiroz on the sidelines even shouted out the Portuguese national curse.

Of course he was depressed.

Not only because of this goal, but also because this is not the first time that the Dragons have seized the loophole of the Iranian team.

It is clear that the team that occupies absolute possession is Iran, and it is also clear that Iran has more attacking time, but why is the counterattack of the Dragons more threatening?

Several counterattacks, the Dragon team directly passed long passes to the front court to find the center, and then planned the attack through the center, making full use of the gap between the Iranian midfielder's double back and the back line, as well as the gap between the two ribs of the defense line to make a fuss.

Queiroz then asked his midfield to pay more attention to closing these gaps and reducing the holes, but it was clear that the Dragons made changes immediately.

The sudden change of form to 3-4-3, allowing the full-backs to pass directly into the penalty area, really did not surprise Queiroz.

And it was this kind of unexpectedness that let the Dragon Country team directly sneak attack and score first!

It also makes it difficult for Queiroz to accept.

Everyone knows that whether it is the overall strength, the individual ability of the players, the physical confrontation ability, or the technical and tactical level of the team, Iran is above the Dragon Team.

Add to that the favourable factor of playing at home, and Iran will definitely have to take three points – as for the pre-match talk that a draw would be enough, it is nothing more than a smokescreen.

According to Queiroz's original plan, the Dragon Kingdom traveled a long distance and traveled 6,000 kilometers, and it was definitely not in the best state to come up.

So Iran just had to take the opportunity to launch a fierce attack in the first half, try to score first, and then make tactical changes depending on the situation.

But he underestimated the Dragons' defense.

He has carefully studied the match between the Dragons and South Korea, and he is confident that Iran will be able to break through and score goals at the same level as the Dragons defending against South Korea.

What I didn't expect was that in the first half of this game, the defense of the Dragon Country team was even better than when they played the South Korean team.

Obviously, after this team broke the Korean phobia, not only the morale of the team has soared, but the self-confidence of the players has also improved, and the tactics of Pan Yi have been meticulously executed, which made the defense of the Dragon Country team in the first half of this game solid.

Moreover, not only is the defense solid, but the counterattack of the Dragon Country team is also sharper and sharper every time, and this time it scored directly!

Losing this goal was an absolutely painful blow to Iran and disrupted Queiroz's original plan.

Now Queiroz has a lot of headaches and is in a mess in his heart.

He glanced at Lippi and Pan Yi, who were celebrating next door, and could only sigh:

"It's amazing! factos！ ”