Chapter 287: Spear and shield
On June 27th, the World Cup round of 16 match between China and Switzerland was held at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. Switzerland was the only team in this World Cup group stage that did not concede a goal.
Due to central defender Sendoros dislocating his shoulder, Switzerland had to replace him with young player Zhu Lu as a starter, which inevitably affected the team's overall defensive strength and presented an opportunity for the Chinese team.
Although the lineup was incomplete, Switzerland's overall level remained very high. Lyon defender Patrick Müller, Stuttgart defender Magnin, Leverkusen midfielder Barnetta, Cologne midfielder Cabanas, AC Milan midfielder Vogel, Hamburg midfielder Rafael Wicky, and Rennes forward Frei were all main players in the five major leagues.
In addition, other players were also mainstays of Swiss Super League clubs. In terms of European league rankings, the Swiss Super League was generally on par with the Belgian Pro League.
Switzerland focused on defense, and their offensive strength was not outstanding. In this match, the Swiss head coach deployed a rare 4-4-1-1 formation, turning the defense into a solid shield.
On the Chinese side, they continued with a 4-4-2 formation, and coach Alihan opted to start the promising youngster Dong Fangzhuo instead of Li Yi, who performed well in the previous match.
The match started with the Chinese team unusually gaining possession, allowing players to calmly pass the ball in their own midfield. However, once the ball crossed the halfway line, they faced Switzerland's dense defense, leading to frequent mistakes and ball interceptions.
Switzerland's counterattacks after winning the ball were not very effective either because the Chinese team quickly retreated to defense. Their lone striker couldn't break through the enemy lines alone and could only attempt long shots.
In the 11th minute, a shot from Jakin outside the penalty area hit Li Weifeng, and 5 minutes later, Frei's shot from 28 meters in front of the goal was collected by goalkeeper Li Leilei. In the 24th minute, Wicky advanced to the left side of the penalty area and took a long shot from the 25-yard position, which was blocked out by Sun Jihai in the penalty area.
Coach Alihan, with a serious expression on the sidelines, watched the situation on the field. It seemed that the Chinese team had a high ball possession rate, but they couldn't advance into the Swiss half of the field within the first thirty meters.
On the other hand, Switzerland threatened the Chinese goal with frequent long shots. With each attempt, the players' feelings improved, and the accuracy of their shots increased.
Considering China's strength, maintaining the defense in the penalty area was already at its limit, unable to control the first thirty meters of the opponent's half like Switzerland. Therefore, conceding a goal was highly likely.
Alihan's concerns soon became a reality. In the 41st minute, Wicky received the ball and took a shot from 25 meters outside the goal, and with previous attempts, his shot had become very perfect.
The ball quickly flew into the penalty area, passed through the defensive gap between Zhang Yaokun and Ji Mingyi, and headed straight for the bottom right corner of the goal. Li Leilei, who had made multiple saves, was inevitably a bit tired and thus reacted slowly, failing to save the ball.
0-1! Switzerland took the lead!
Entering halftime with a goal behind, many players felt a sense of pessimism. Was their World Cup journey going to end here?
Coach Alihan decided to take a gamble. He looked at the substitute lineup and said, "Gao Lin, Chen Tao, you two go on in the second half, and we'll go all out on the attack."
Then he turned to Wang Feng and said, "Wang, if Switzerland's defense is like a solid shield, then we must become an unstoppable spear, and you are the sharpest part of the spear."
At the start of the second half, the Chinese team abandoned the strategy of defensive counterattacks and instead pressed high to force mistakes, especially the newly entered young players who were full of energy, putting pressure on the Swiss defense.
Although Wang Feng was closely marked, he still contributed several threatening passes to Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo, and Chen Tao, but unfortunately, they couldn't capitalize on the chances.
Of course, pressing up meant vulnerability to counterattacks, and in the 51st minute, Switzerland almost extended their lead. Forward Frei dribbled into the penalty area but was stopped by Sun Jihai for a moment, and Wang Feng, who came to help, intercepted the ball.
Wang Feng's continuous sprint from the frontcourt to the backcourt consumed a huge amount of energy, and he suddenly felt fatigue now, but when was the time to give up? Wang Feng gritted his teeth and continued to be active on both ends of the field, immediately accelerating back when needed for defense.
Under his continuous running, the Chinese team had no major problems at both ends of the field for a while, going back and forth with Switzerland, and his presence inspired his teammates, especially Dong Fangzhuo.
In the 69th minute, the Chinese team won the ball in the backcourt and launched a counterattack. Ji Mingyi quickly passed the ball to Zheng Zhi, who then slotted it to Shao Jia Yi. Shao Jia Yi dribbled through the midfield and saw Wang Feng sprinting towards the opponent's frontcourt.
So he decisively sent a long pass over the top, with Swiss defender Cabanas originally closely following Wang Feng, but the Chinese suddenly accelerated, instantly leaving the Swiss center-back behind.
Arriving at the left edge of the penalty area, he controlled the ball with his foot, with Swiss defenders Zhu Lu and Degen converging on him. Wang Feng made a feint to the baseline, causing the less experienced Zhu Lu to shift his weight to block, leaving a gap.
Seizing this opportunity, the Chinese superstar immediately shot the ball to Dong Fangzhuo inside the penalty area. At this time, Swiss defender Magnin was defending him.
In previous situations, Dong Fangzhuo would either lose the ball under pressure or hastily shoot and miss the chance, but after high-level confrontations and the excitement of scoring in the World Cup, he became more mature.
The results of constant practice on the training ground were reflected at this moment. Dong Fangzhuo lifted his right foot to shoot, and Magnin immediately stretched his leg to block, but after Dong Fangzhuo's foot landed, he gently flicked the ball to the left and then shot angrily.
"Goal! The Chinese team scored! They equalized the score!"
"In the 69th minute, a powerful shot from Dong Fangzhuo inside the penalty area! This is his second goal of the World Cup!"
"This 21-year-old youngster is the most outstanding forward player in the Chinese team besides Wang Feng. I believe the audience in front of the TV right now feels very lucky. We have more than just Wang Feng!"
"Let's review this goal again. The Chinese team won the ball and launched a counterattack, and the passing and handling were all very brilliant, with no one dropping the ball."
"Shao Jia Yi's lob pass, Wang Feng successfully chased after the ball with his speed, he used his rich experience to play around Swiss defender Zhu Lu and successfully passed the ball to Dong Fangzhuo inside the penalty area."
"Dong Fangzhuo's flick deceived Magnin who fell to the ground, then he immediately shot, the Swiss goalkeeper Zuberbühler missed, and the ball went into the net!"
After scoring this goal, Dong Fangzhuo didn't stay still but excitedly ran while roaring, coming to the sidelines to interact with the fans, the whole stadium echoing his name.
Wang Feng rushed to him and celebrated together, Dong Fangzhuo hugged him tightly and then said, "Brother Wang, I've made up my mind, I must become a key player in Europe. If Manchester United won't give me the chance, I'll go somewhere else!"
Wang Feng nodded, "You will definitely succeed. Confidence and the tempering of the field will make you stronger!"
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