Chapter 289: Wang Feng's revenge
The eagerly awaited World Cup quarter-final lineup has been determined. In addition to the Chinese team, the other seven teams are Germany, Argentina, Italy, England, Portugal, Brazil, and France, all traditional football powerhouses.
The opponent of the Chinese team is the Italian team, whose starting lineup consists of a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Buffon as the goalkeeper.
On the defensive line are Maldini, Barzagli, Cannavaro, and Grosso.
In the midfield, there are Perrotta, Pirlo, and Gattuso, while in the forward line, there are Camoranesi and Totti.
The lone striker is Toni, who has performed outstandingly in the league this season.
Most of the players in this starting lineup are either Wang Feng's teammates or opponents. Regardless of the players' playing styles or the team's tactical systems, he is very familiar with them.
Italy's formidable strength is evident to all. However, with Serie A deeply embroiled in the "Calciopoli" scandal, the mentality of many players has indeed been affected, leading to a narrow 1-0 victory over Australia in the Round of 16.
Nevertheless, most people believe that Italy will not give the Chinese team any chance. Many domestic fans have also left messages online, feeling that the Chinese team has already exceeded expectations in this World Cup and can return home with their heads held high after one more fight.
On the first day of July, at the AOL Arena in Hamburg, the match between China and Italy officially kicked off.
The course of the match exceeded everyone's expectations. Italy did have an absolute advantage at the beginning. In the 6th minute, Toni received the ball on the right side of the field, cooperated with Totti, and then cut inside with the ball, unleashing a powerful left-footed shot from 20 meters out in front of the goal.
The ball passed through the crotch of defender Li Weifeng and goalkeeper Li Leilei made a diving save to his left, touching the ball with his fingertips, but still couldn't prevent it from entering the near corner of the goal. Italy led 1-0!
However, their lead lasted only five minutes. Wang Feng received a long pass from Shao Jiayi on the right side of the field, dribbled into the penalty area, and faced the siege of defenders Cannavaro and Grosso. Suddenly, he extended his left foot, pretending to cut inside horizontally.
This move deceived Cannavaro, who instinctively wanted to stretch out his leg to block, but Wang Feng suddenly pulled the ball back with his left foot, and with his right foot, he poked the ball past Grosso.
Then Wang Feng charged directly at Grosso, the towering Italian defender, who was pushed back half a step by Wang Feng's charge. It was this gap that allowed him to successfully cut inside.
The fans in the stands felt that in an instant, Wang Feng broke through the encirclement of two experienced world-class defenders, and faced goalkeeper Buffon, he caught up with the ball and chipped it over the opponent's head, into the Italian goal!
1-1! China equalized!
If the world's football fans were already in a dream-like state after conceding that goal, they were even more bewildered in the 24th minute.
This time, Wang Feng retreated to the midfield to receive the ball, then broke through the joint defense of Pirlo and Gattuso, and arrived near the penalty area.
At this moment, several defending players rushed to limit his continued attack, but Wang Feng immediately passed the ball to the sideline, where Shao Jiayi crossed near the baseline.
Dong Fangzhuo jumped into the penalty area to compete for the header, but the tall and sturdy Maldini cleared the ball out of the penalty area first. Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a red figure flashed to where the ball was going.
It was Wang Feng! He was originally also vying for the ball in the penalty area, but was blocked by several defending players.
However, he preemptively anticipated the trajectory of the cross and clearance, so he broke free from the defense to chase the ball.
He was seen facing away from the goal, jumping high on the edge of the penalty area, and viciously struck the ball with the back of his right foot. The ball soared into the air and quickly descended, brushing against the crossbar and flying into the net, while Buffon remained motionless like a statue.
"The goal is in! China has scored again! My god, this is simply unbelievable! Wang Feng's extraordinary long-range backheel in front of the penalty area has contributed another amazing goal to this World Cup!"
"Is it that Italy's state is problematic today, or is Wang Feng in exceptionally good form? But this is too unreal, China is actually pressing Italy!"
The situation of being behind by one goal finally made the Blue Legion fierce. They started a frenzy against the Chinese team. In the 32nd minute, Italy played a quick triangular passing in the middle, Totti passed directly to Toni from the right, who shot directly from the center but missed the goalpost. In the 33rd minute, Totti's right-footed shot from 30 meters in front of the goal was saved by Li Leilei.
In the 41st minute, Camoranesi's left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area was deflected off Zhang Yaokun's leg and rolled towards the near corner. Li Leilei moved in the wrong direction, but the ball hit the post and was cleared by Sun Jihai.
Just when everyone thought that Italy was about to equalize, in the 44th minute, Wang Feng intercepted Camoranesi's ball in the backcourt and dribbled through the midfield.
He initially intended to forcefully break through Pirlo with a powerful pass, but seeing the unfavorable situation, the Italian midfielder resorted to a tactical foul. The Chinese team won a free kick opportunity in the opponent's half.
This free kick was quite far from the goal, so Shao Jiayi took it, while Wang Feng and other teammates stood near the edge of the penalty area, preparing to strike.
When the ball was floated into the penalty area, Wang Feng leaped high above Maldini, heading the ball before Buffon could touch it, piercing through the defense of the Blue Legion once again.
3-1! The halftime whistle hadn't blown yet, and China unexpectedly led by two goals!
Watching the soaring Chinese superstar, Maldini could only helplessly shake his head. Wang Feng's form was simply invincible. Why was he so spirited against Italy?
After scoring, Wang Feng ran and roared, feeling that he could do anything. This feeling was so relieving!
In fact, the "Calciopoli" incident had caused him great damage mentally, especially losing the chance to win three consecutive European Golden Balls and the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
This match would be his revenge against the Italian Football Federation!
With China leading at halftime, the whole world was shocked. As the game resumed, Italy, continuously attacking, finally made a breakthrough in the 69th minute.
Maldini threw in a sideline ball from the left, Grosso lofted a pass, Camoranesi broke through the double defense of two players and fell to the ground as he sent a horizontal pass with his left foot, Toni tapped in with his left foot from 5 meters in front of the goal, making it 2-3!
Pulling one goal back gave the Blue Legion hope. China's defense seemed shaky but always managed to hold on until the last moment. In the 75th minute, Toni's shot from inside the penalty area had already passed the goalkeeper, but was still blocked off the goal line by the frantically chasing Wang Feng.
His complete lack of deceleration also backfired, as his forehead heavily hit the goalpost, blood streaming down, his entire face covered in red, making all the fans feel extremely anxious.
His head was dizzy from the intense impact, but in order to continue staying on the field, Wang Feng allowed the team doctor to perform the simplest hemostasis treatment.
God did not disappoint his persistence. In the 83rd minute, with Italy's defense all pushed up, leaving the backline empty, Wang Feng intercepted Toni's ball in the backcourt and charged forward, running more than seventy meters, dodging Buffon and once again sending the ball into the net of the Blue Legion.
4-2! China completely secured the victory, and Wang Feng completed a fantastic hat-trick on the World Cup stage!
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