Chapter 355: Team clearance
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was jointly hosted by four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Chinese team was grouped with Iran, Uzbekistan, and the host Malaysia.
Except for Malaysia, which had relatively weak strength, Uzbekistan and Iran were both strong opponents. Fortunately, with Wang Feng's return, all the overseas players had already gathered, giving head coach Ali Han more confidence.
Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo were the two highest-valued players in this group. According to authoritative transfer market websites, Wang Feng's current value had reached 150 million euros, and Real Madrid certainly considered him a non-transferable asset.
Dong Fangzhuo's excellent performance at Alkmaar had increased his value to 15 million euros, with a further upward trend. His age was a major plus.
How to make good use of these players was also a big question. They would first face three intensive group matches. After consultation with the coaching staff, it was decided that Dong Fangzhuo would lead a half-reserve lineup against Malaysia, while going all out in the remaining two matches.
Of course, Wang Feng would still sit on the bench. If the situation didn't look good, he could enter the game at any time to avoid any unexpected events in the opening match.
After several days of adaptation training in China, the team flew to Kuala Lumpur on July 5th, where they would finalize their preparations.
At 8 p.m. on July 10th, at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, the opening match of the Asian Cup between China and Malaysia officially kicked off.
Ali Han deployed a 4-4-2 formation, with goalkeeper Li Leilei, defenders Du Wei, Zhang Yaokun, Ji Mingyi, and Zhang Shuai.
In midfield were Zheng Bing, Wang Dong, Zhao Junzhe, and Zhao Xuri.
The forwards were Dong Fangzhuo and Han Peng.
Apart from Wang Feng, Sun Jihai, who played for Manchester City in the English Premier League, Zheng Zhi from Charlton, Shao Jiayi from Bundesliga's Cottbus, and Sun Xiang from Eintracht Braunschweig were all placed on the bench.
Keeping these overseas mainstays on the bench showed the Dutch coach's confidence in his team. As expected, China firmly dominated the game from the start.
In terms of technique and physical fitness, the players on the field were far superior to Malaysia. They launched attack after attack against the host, and in the 10th minute, Han Peng opened the scoring.
The game then turned into a showcase for Dong Fangzhuo. He repeatedly broke into the penalty area using his physicality and technical skills, scoring goals one after another to complete a hat-trick.
At this moment, the young Chinese players finally understood Wang Feng's feelings from three years ago during the Asian Cup. After experiencing baptism in the top European leagues, facing opponents like this was simply a mismatch.
At halftime, China led 4-0. To save some face for the hosts and to protect the players, Ali Han substituted Dong Fangzhuo in the second half.
Malaysia finally scored in the 71st minute, but towards the end of the match, Wang Dong pierced through the opponent's defense again with a free kick.
5-1! China thrashed the host and got off to a flying start in the Asian Cup!
The big victory in the first match satisfied domestic fans, especially Dong Fangzhuo leaving a deep impression. Many people only now realized that he had grown to this level.
The Malaysian coach sighed at the post-match press conference, "Dong Fangzhuo is too strong. Our defense was like nothing in front of him."
"In my opinion, China has become a world-class team. Don't forget, they reached the World Cup semifinals last year. Facing such opponents is simply despairing."
This interview, after being transmitted back to China, once again sparked heated discussions. Many fans felt very proud, and the media believed that China had a great chance of defending their title in this Asian Cup.
On July 15th, in the second round of the Asian Cup group stage, China faced their tough opponent, Iran.
Coach Ali Han fielded the strongest starting lineup for this match, with all overseas players playing, and the combination of Dong Fangzhuo and Wang Feng appeared for the first time in the game.
The Iranian team despaired when they realized they had to focus on more than just Wang Feng. Just two minutes into the game, Wang Feng threatened on the right, attracting two defenders, and then made a short pass behind the defense.
A figure quickly rushed out—it was Dong Fangzhuo, waiting for his chance. He had learned to read the game situation, and when Wang Feng attracted the defense, he would be nearby, waiting for an opportunity.
After receiving the ball, the Chinese youngster smoothly entered the penalty area, facing the last defender in front of him. He used a fake shot to deceive the defender, then shot past him, scoring 1-0!
No one expected that even against a strong team like Iran, China could play so easily!
And when it was the 15th minute, Sun Jihai intercepted Iran's attack in the backcourt, immediately passing to Shao Jiayi in midfield, who seized the opportunity to send a through ball to the penalty area.
Wang Feng, relying on his speed, shook off the defenders and rushed to where the ball would land. Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he lifted his foot and shot, once again piercing Iran's goal, 2-0!
Conceding two goals so early left Iran in disarray, while China's morale soared. They firmly controlled the game's rhythm, focusing on defense while organizing attacking opportunities.
In the 37th minute, China got another great opportunity. Wang Feng held the ball on the right, suddenly accelerated to pass the defenders, crossed to the bottom, and Dong Fangzhuo fiercely pushed away the Iranian defender who wanted to head the ball, forcing him to foul the Chinese striker.
The referee decisively awarded a penalty to China, which Dong Fangzhuo personally took and scored, making it 3-0!
In the second half, as Iran made successive substitutions to launch a fierce attack, combined with the large lead, the players' mentality inevitably relaxed, allowing the opponents to score in the 51st and 67th minutes.
Ali Han quickly came to the sidelines, loudly urging the players to focus and continue controlling the game, not giving Iran any chance to exploit.
This was when Wang Feng played his role. In the 78th minute, Li Weifeng intercepted Iran's attack and immediately sent a long pass to Wang Feng in midfield, who, despite the defense's interference, still controlled the ball steadily.
The Chinese superstar then accelerated past the defenders, dribbled past a center-back, and rounded another defender to enter the penalty area. When the goalkeeper rushed out, he cleverly sidestepped him and scored into the empty net.
4-2! Wang Feng, like Dong Fangzhuo, scored twice!
Many overseas Chinese fans in attendance considered Wang Feng an idol and source of pride. They never expected to witness such a spectacular solo goal from the Chinese superstar, making their presence at the stadium feel like being at a home game in China. The Iranian players' rising morale was once again dealt a heavy blow.
Ultimately, they failed to make another breakthrough, and China secured a crucial victory. With two wins out of two, they secured advancement from the group stage in advance. Because Iran had defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 in the first group stage match, China could almost be said to have locked in first place in the group.
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