Chapter 471: Defensive
After scoring, Wang Feng quickly ran towards the area where his family and friends were seated, waving to them, which caused nearby Chinese fans to cheer and scream.
Liu Yao, holding her baby's chubby hand, was very excited. "Look, Daddy is waving to us! Isn't he shining brightly?"
Little Siyao tried to move forward to see but could only see a small figure below. "Is that Daddy? He's quickly surrounded by other people."
She pouted, not understanding why the adults nearby were so excited. However, she couldn't help but smile when she felt her mother's good mood, as a mother's emotions greatly influence a baby's feelings.
On the German side, Lahm walked to the disappointed Müller and patted him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Thomas. It's not your fault, but now you know how to stop Wang Feng, right? Try to mark him as early as possible in midfield!"
Müller nodded with a bitter smile. "I overestimated myself a bit. Wang's speed and physicality are beyond my expectations. I won't make the same mistake again."
The game resumed, and conceding a goal seemed to have poured cold water on the entire German team. They calmed down, and it seemed like the Chinese team was retreating deeply, allowing Germany to easily control the midfield and launch attacks.
However, this might be a strategy to lure the opponent deep into their half and counterattack opportunistically. As long as a slight opening appears, the Chinese superstar can seize the chance.
So, the German team proactively slowed down their attacking rhythm, using their technical and physical superiority to control possession patiently in midfield, constantly making passes and waiting for the opponent to make a move. Being one goal down didn't faze them much.
The game reached a stalemate, but the initiative remained with the Germans. In the 21st minute, Zheng Zhi tried to intercept but failed, and Schweinsteiger immediately passed the ball behind him.
Podolski sprinted along the sideline, having won the Best Young Player award in the previous World Cup, and his skills had improved over the past four years. Last year, he left the powerhouse Bayern to rejoin his old club Cologne, aiming to maintain his form by getting regular playing time and participate in this year's World Cup in South Africa.
In an instant, the German midfielder reached the edge of the Chinese team's penalty area. Feng Xiaoting rushed forward to block, but Podolski stretched his right foot to push the ball forward, accelerating while bumping into the defending player, intending to force his way to the byline.
This move was very effective. Feng Xiaoting was already slower than his opponent in terms of speed, and under the physical confrontation, his balance became unstable, allowing Podolski to easily shake him off and cross near the goal line.
"Dangerous! Look at Germany's attack this time. Good! Wang Feng arrived in time and cleared the ball out of bounds with his foot. His defense was timely!"
The Chinese superstar got up from the ground, directing nearby teammates to come and assist. It's difficult to defend one-on-one, and this kind of wing breakthrough posed a significant threat to the German team, which had aerial dominance.
At the same time, he also noticed that there weren't many players participating in this attack, as there were always two defenders in the German backline.
When the corner kick was taken, Klose's header hit Li Weifeng and bounced to Zhao Xuri's feet. He immediately found Wang Feng, who tried to use his speed to break through the German defense again but was quickly intercepted.
Helplessly, Wang Feng had to pass back to reorganize, but under the strong pressure from the German midfield, the Chinese team quickly lost possession again.
"It looks a bit tricky. The German team doesn't seem like a team trailing. They are very patient in their play, with minimal investment in attack and tight defense to block Wang Feng's counterattacks."
"Yes, we have very few options in midfield. We're being suppressed by the opponent on both ends. Oh, Germany's attack again. Is Podolski planning to force his way to the byline again?"
"No! He stops abruptly, turns around, and passes the ball to the middle! Klose, shoots, and it's a goal! In the 29th minute, Germany equalizes!"
"This time Podolski changed his approach. Facing Feng Xiaoting and Deng Zhuoxiang's defense, he suddenly feinted a move, catching them off guard. Feng Xiaoting even slipped and fell to the ground."
"He had no pressure and passed the ball into the middle. The ball went past Sun Jihai, who was blocking the near post, and Klose's right-footed shot found the net after hitting the inside of the post."
"This is what we call a German striker with skills both in the air and on the ground. Li Weifeng didn't make a marking mistake, but he couldn't prevent him from shooting."
"Coach Arhan should think about how to change tactics next, but we don't need to despair. As long as Wang Feng is on the field, anything can happen!"
In the following game, the German team created numerous threats to the Chinese goal, with two occasions being particularly dangerous. The first was when Schweinsteiger suddenly sent a through ball from midfield.
Müller succeeded in his run and was about to shoot, but luckily Wang Feng intervened in time to block the ball out of bounds. This attack from the German team scared everyone, as they were very flexible in their play, capable of attacking from both wings and the center.
The second occasion was again a threat from Klose, with Müller crossing from the wing after dribbling down. The German striker's header hit the defending player and then hit the post before bouncing out of bounds.
At the start of the second half in the 49th minute, Germany's efforts paid off. Khedira and ?zil completed a wall-pass combination on the wing, with the former breaking into the penalty area and suddenly shooting towards the far corner.
The ball rolled swiftly and sharply on the brand new turf, catching Chinese goalkeeper Qiu Shengjing off guard. He dove but was a fraction too slow, and the ball crept into the net off the inside of the post, making it 1-2, Germany had turned the game around!
"Sigh!" At this moment, there were countless heavy sighs both at the stadium and in front of the television. Some fans said, "I knew it would be bad. Germany kept swarming around the goal, it was only a matter of time before they scored."
"What about China's attack? Give the ball to Wang Feng and Dongfang Zhu, let them charge like they did in the first half."
Others said, "But they need the ball to do that. Germany almost completely blocked the counterattack route. Every time Wang Feng gets the ball, there are several defensive players around him."
"Dongfang Zhu is also tightly marked. He's almost invisible throughout the game, especially with several club teammates in the German team. They know each other very well."
"What should we do? We can't win."
"I think a small loss is acceptable, after all, the opponent is Germany. In the next two group stage matches, we should focus on not conceding and aim for victory."
"You see, Coach Arhan seems to have the same idea. He's ready to make substitutions, with Sun Xiang replacing Shao Jia, indicating that he intends to stick with the iron bucket formation."
In addition to this substitution, Arhan also replaced Hao Junzhe with Li Chunyu, whose fitness had significantly declined. However, this didn't mean they were giving up on the game. The newly substituted midfielder conveyed the coach's message to all his teammates.
"Defend resolutely, wait for the chance to counterattack, and believe in Wang Feng!"
The German team also made substitutions, with Kroos replacing the out-of-form ?zil. This move was not only to give the former a chance to adapt to the game but also to strengthen the attack further. They were not planning to give up just yet.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦