Chapter 444: World Cup tickets
After the Champions League match, the entire Real Madrid team rushed to Bilbao to participate in the 27th round of La Liga, challenging Athletic Bilbao away.
Just 4 minutes into the game, there was a major setback in the Galaxy Battleship's defense line. Ramos fell to the ground injured in a tussle with the opposing forward, Be?at. It was initially judged as a muscle strain, forcing coach Schuster to substitute Mezelder in.
The injuries to the Spanish defenders cast a shadow over everyone. They were unsure who would be the next to fall during consecutive high-intensity multi-line battles.
The home team capitalized on this psychological advantage, forcing an error from the Galaxy Battleship, with Be?at seizing the opportunity to score the opening goal.
However, the tide turned swiftly. Just 6 minutes later, Wang Feng dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and passed it to the wing to Robben. As he moved into the penalty area, Robben returned the ball to the nearby Van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart then sent a through ball into the penalty area. The Chinese superstar received it, skillfully evaded the defense, and immediately took a shot. The ball swiftly pierced through the defense, finding the far corner of the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.
In the 41st minute, Van der Vaart distributed the ball upfront, Robben quickly made a run and crossed into the penalty area. Wang Feng volleyed near the edge of the small box, hitting the left post and bouncing into the net, putting Real Madrid ahead.
However, just before halftime, Athletic Bilbao earned a corner kick. After the ball entered the penalty area, Ashley Cole was the first to reach it but failed to clear it in time. Loren, who followed up from behind, poked it in, leveling the score again.
As the second half commenced, both sides were relentless in attack and defense, but as energy levels dropped, efficiency decreased. This was where the role of superstars became especially evident.
In the 82nd minute, Guti sent a long ball over the top. Wang Feng controlled it near the edge of the penalty area, chested it down, and unleashed a shot. The ball struck the turf heavily, bouncing unpredictably, leaving the goalkeeper scrambling and ultimately unable to stop it from finding the net.
Another hat-trick! Real Madrid's official website could now update the count to 56. With the extraordinary performance of the Chinese superstar, the away team secured a 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
A week later, in the 28th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Almería at the Bernabéu. Almería currently ranked 12th in the league, with no immediate relegation concerns but limited room for improvement.
In the first half, Sneijder delivered a lob towards the left flank. Wang Feng controlled it, made his way to the byline, and crossed. Iguain, positioned 8 meters from the goal, headed it in, giving Real Madrid a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Diarra assisted Robben for another goal, making it 2-0, which remained the final score.
The journey from Madrid to Uzbekistan was certainly not an easy one. Although Wang Feng chose to fly back to the national team on a private jet, he still needed to make a brief stopover in Istanbul to refuel. The entire journey took nearly 17 hours.
With two weeks until the national team matches, the Chinese team faced two crucial World Cup qualifiers, the 5th round against Uzbekistan and the 6th round against Bahrain.
These matches directly determined whether they could successfully advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Therefore, coach Alihan dared not be negligent, recalling all overseas players and having domestic players head to Tashkent for training two weeks in advance.
As everyone gradually arrived at the national team's hotel, each person bore heavy dark circles under their eyes. Therefore, the coaching staff specially allowed them a day to rest and adjust to the jet lag before participating in training.
Once they had fully integrated, Alihan began the final tactical drills, confirming the lineup. While the team mainly consisted of overseas players, their actual form still had to be assessed.
However, Wang Feng and Dongfang Zhuo were undoubtedly the mainstays, surpassing other players both in terms of fitness and technique.
"How do you feel about Bayern? I see your game data hasn't increased much, but your tactical position is stable, already considered a starter," Wang Feng asked Dongfang Zhuo while stretching his legs.
He confidently lifted his muscular thigh and said, "I feel great. The atmosphere and environment in the Bundesliga are fantastic. Data isn't a priority right now. Klinsmann is still leading the charge, but he's much older than me. The head coach prefers me to take over. When the time comes, I won't lack opportunities to score."
"That's good to hear. I was worried you couldn't bear the loneliness of the Bundesliga. Honestly, their overall atmosphere is too low-key, and the salary gap between Bayern and other powerhouses is quite significant."
"Yeah, the 50+1 policy restricts the development of nouveau riche clubs. But football is pure, and my off-field endorsement contracts surpass Schweinsteiger's. He once joked that he wished he were born in China, missing out on many earning opportunities."
"Haha, if he were in China, he might not even have the chance to play football. Since that's the case, you should stay at Bayern. Changing environments rashly might not be beneficial."
"Yeah, I don't plan on making any changes in the next few years. The club definitely won't easily sell me either."
On March 28th, the Chinese team faced Uzbekistan.
Led by Wang Feng and Dongfang Zhuo, the forward line made the home team extremely wary. Therefore, they adopted a strategy of full retreat from the start, forming a defensive shell and allowing the Chinese team to control the game, waiting for opportunities to counterattack.
Coach Alihan had anticipated this situation. He instructed the players to remain steady and not to rush, especially not to leave the defense exposed. The Dutchman firmly believed that no matter how sturdy a turtle's shell was, the two forwards would definitely break through.
Time passed slowly. After 45 minutes, after 60 minutes, the Chinese team kept creating opportunities in the opponent's half. It wasn't until the 79th minute when Wang Feng, on the right, received a diagonal pass from Zheng Zhi, dribbled towards the goal line, and crossed from the right side of the penalty area.
The home team's defender, Hafas, headed the ball away from the penalty spot but couldn't clear it properly. The ball flew towards the penalty spot, where Dongfang Zhuo swiftly rushed into the penalty area. With a leap, he outmuscled the defenders and headed the ball into Uzbekistan's net.
1-0! The Chinese fans who had traveled from afar erupted into deafening cheers in the stands, matching the momentum of the home team's supporters.
With this precious goal, the Chinese team ultimately won the game against their opponents.
On April 1st, the national team moved on to Bahrain. This match presented even more advantages for them. In the first half, Wang Feng scored the opening goal with a long shot, followed by Dongfang Zhuo's spectacular goal.
The second half ended in a friendly atmosphere, with the home team already out of contention for qualification and the away team not wanting to be overly aggressive. Therefore, the final score remained 2-0.
After this match, the Chinese team topped the group with 4 wins and 2 draws, accumulating 14 points. Japan, in second place, also had 4 wins and 2 draws but with fewer goal differences.
More importantly, third-placed Australia collapsed. They had lost to China once, been defeated twice by Japan, and even drawn against Uzbekistan. Their current record stood at 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, totaling 7 points. Even if they were to win their remaining two group matches, they could only reach 13 points.
China and Japan secured their spots in the top two of the group, successfully qualifying for the World Cup! Australia could only compete with Uzbekistan for a playoff spot.
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