Chapter 415: This is the first person in the world!
On August 23, 2008, at 11:40 a.m., the National Stadium in the capital was buzzing with excitement. Although the weather was hot, it couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the fans, who had been cheering for the Chinese Olympic team since they entered the stadium.
Under the lead of the Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai, both the Chinese and Argentine teams slowly walked onto the field. Looking up, the stands of the "Bird's Nest," towering over 60 meters high, were densely packed with people, surpassing the scenes of the Bernabéu and Camp Nou in their prime.
Such a spectacular sight naturally stunned the players from both sides. Even Wang Feng showed a hint of surprise on his face, but he quickly regained his composure, becoming calm as a still lake once again.
Seeing Wang Feng so calm and confident, his teammates gradually suppressed their anxiety and fear. After all, this was their home turf, and it should be the opponents who felt intimidated.
Although most of the young Argentine players were indeed intimidated, the experienced captain Riquelme quickly reassured everyone. Messi, on the other hand, kept his eyes fixed on Wang Feng. In this showdown with Wang Feng, he was determined to win!
"Good afternoon, dear audience. This is the sports channel. The upcoming match is the men's football final of the Olympics, with China facing Argentina."
"This is a highly anticipated showdown. Wherever you are watching the live broadcast of the game, you can raise your hands to cheer for our Chinese Olympic athletes!"
"Yes, this is the first time in history that the Chinese Olympic team has reached the Olympic final, also marking the first time in Asian football history. Before this, the best performance by an Asian team on the Olympic stage was achieved by Japan in 1968, when they won the bronze medal."
"In other words, we have surpassed the best result and set a new record. Regardless of the final outcome, the efforts and achievements of these players on the field will be forever remembered."
"So I hope that in the final match, the Chinese Olympic players can exert their full strength, compete with the opponents without regrets, and give it their all!"
At this point, the players from both sides had lined up, and then the Chinese national anthem began to play. The entire stadium of 91,000 people sang in unison, their voices soaring to the sky, even the two commentators in the broadcasting room were deeply moved, their eyes turning red.
As the song ended, it was Argentina's turn to play their national anthem. Perhaps influenced by the momentum just now, many Argentine players also sang loudly to boost their morale.
"We can see that in this match, the Chinese team has deployed a conventional 4-4-2 formation, with goalkeeper Qiu Shengjing.
The defenders are Li Weifeng, Yuan Weiwei, Feng Xiaoting, and Tan Wangsong.
The midfielders are Zheng Zhi, Dong Fangzhuo, Hao Junzhe, and Chen Tao.
The forwards are Wang Feng and Gao Lin."
"Compared to the previous starting lineup, there is one change, which is Dong Fangzhuo replacing Zou Haibing to play. He is the second strongest player in China after Wang Feng."
"In the Bundesliga season that ended in the summer, Dong Fangzhuo helped Bayern Munich win the league title, but unfortunately, he was injured at the last moment, so he has been absent from the previous matches of the Olympic team. Today, he can finally make a comeback!"
"Yes, with his help, the Chinese team will pose a greater threat in attack. We just don't know how well he has recovered. Since the head coach dares to let him start, I believe there should be no problem."
"On the Argentine side, they have deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Romero as the goalkeeper.
The defenders are Zabaleta, Burdisso, Milito, and Zanetti.
The two defensive midfielders are Mascherano and Gago, and the attackers are Aguero, Messi, and Di Maria.
The forward at the front is Higuain."
"There are many teammates and opponents of Wang Feng in this team, such as Zanetti, Gago, Aguero, Messi, and Higuain, which indicates the luxurious lineup of Argentina. Moreover, these people are very familiar with the Chinese superstar and will definitely do everything to stop him."
"Regardless of whether it's Wang Feng or other players from the Chinese team, this match is a tough challenge."
In the first half, Argentina kicked off, and when the time reached exactly 12 o'clock, the referee Kassai blew the whistle to start the battle, officially kicking off this game that touched the hearts of hundreds of millions of people.
The Pampas Eagles launched a fierce attack as soon as they came up, which was also one of the tactics set by their head coach. By aggressively attacking and pressuring the opponent, they made them tired of defending and hesitant to attack, thus reducing the threat of Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo's offense.
The Chinese team could only choose to retreat to their own half for defense. Their defensive ability was not outstanding, as they had conceded 6 goals in the previous 5 matches.
In the 2nd minute, Argentina passed the ball to the edge of the penalty area, Messi took the ball and suddenly shot, but the ball missed the goal.
"Argentina made the first shot of the game. Messi seemed a bit impatient this time. If he cooperated with Aguero and Higuain nearby, the threat might be greater."
"But every shot they take indeed makes people nervous. Our players need to guard their respective areas well and try to avoid letting the opponent shoot easily."
The Chinese team kicked off, but the pass between Hao Junzhe and Chen Tao was quickly intercepted by Argentina. Through tight pressing control in the midfield, Argentina could be said to have the majority of possession, and the Chinese team could not form effective cooperation.
In the 6th minute, Aguero dribbled the ball to the sideline, feinted to go down but suddenly cut inside, then passed horizontally to Higuain inside the penalty area.
Higuain stopped the ball facing the direction of the attack, and Yuan Weiwei immediately rushed up to defend. He saw Higuain lift his right foot to shoot, and the Chinese defender immediately leaned sideways to block.
But instead of shooting, the Argentine forward didn't shoot with his right foot but gently pushed the ball to the left side. "Dangerous! There's a gap! Beautiful! The ball was intercepted by Wang Feng, who retreated to the penalty area. It was really a critical moment!"
Higuain was a little frustrated as he kicked the turf, then ran outside the penalty area. Just now, if he had shot with his left foot, it would have been certain, but he didn't expect Wang Feng to suddenly rush out from the side and intercept the ball.
"We can see that the Chinese superstar is defending very deep, it seems that he also knows that Argentina's attacking firepower is strong, so he intends to run more."
"The Chinese team started to counterattack. Zheng Zhi dribbled forward, passed to Hao Junzhe, oh, this pass is a bit too big, Dong Fangzhuo and Di Maria are chasing, Dong Fangzhuo! Beautiful! He used his speed to snatch the ball and continued to attack the frontcourt!"
Dong Fangzhuo dribbled into the Argentine half, facing the block from Mascherano, he flicked the ball to change direction with his left foot, then ran laterally for two steps and passed the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
At this moment, Wang Feng had already moved forward into the penalty area, but Dong Fangzhuo's pass was a bit low, and he had his back to the goal with two defenders pressing tightly, making it difficult to turn around. So he stretched out his left hand to block Burdisso and then chested the ball, lifting his right foot to pass to the wing.
At this time, Chen Tao had no defenders near him, so he could calmly control the ball, adjust, and then send a high cross to the penalty area. When the ball came to Wang Feng's head, he seized the opportunity, leaped high, pushed away Burdisso, and while lying back, he lifted his right foot and struck the ball.
"Bicycle kick! Goal! Wang Feng!! He opens the scoring for the Chinese team with a spectacular bicycle kick! He's truly the world's number one!"
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