Chapter 479: Strong
The matchups for the Round of 16 are finalized: Uruguay vs South Korea, USA vs Germany, China vs England, Argentina vs Mexico, Netherlands vs Slovakia, Brazil vs Chile, Paraguay vs Japan, Spain vs Portugal.
Looking at the distribution of seats among the continents, Asia has secured 3 seats, with China, Japan, and South Korea representing the East Asian trio. Europe has secured 6 seats, a significant decrease compared to previous World Cups, with the elimination of France and Italy being the main culprits.
South America has secured 5 seats, a significant increase in quantity. Apart from traditional powerhouses Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, the performances of other teams have also been outstanding.
North America has secured 2 seats, with the United States and Mexico. It's extremely embarrassing that despite the World Cup being held in Africa, not a single African team has made it to the knockout stage.
For a moment, local fans were furious, some even suggested terminating the tournament prematurely and letting the organizers find another venue, but of course, this was just a joke among the people.
Before the start of the knockout stage, each team has a few days to rest and prepare. The Chinese team's coaching staff specially gave the players half a day off to reunite with their families before entering closed-door training.
Seeing Wang Feng's sister, someone couldn't help but complain, "The South African World Cup organizers are really outrageous. They arranged three different locations for the group stage matches, with hundreds of kilometers of distance."
"Even we, the audience, feel a bit overwhelmed, let alone the players!"
Wang Feng couldn't help but smile, "Hosting the World Cup is meant to boost the local economy by utilizing various venues. How else can they make a profit without using multiple locations?"
Upon further thought, everyone found it reasonable. If China were to host the World Cup, it would certainly be spread across many cities, making the distances even greater.
During the upcoming free time, everyone had no plans to go out and play. Instead, they chose to stay in their hotel suites and spend time chatting. Xiao Siyao kept clinging to Wang Feng and refused to get up, muttering incomprehensible words.
This stage is a crucial period for the explosion of a child's language ability, but often their words don't make sense. Wang Feng patiently taught her, enjoying the rare warm father-daughter time.
On June 26th at 4 PM local time, the first round of the knockout stage was held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where Uruguay eventually defeated South Korea 2-1, marking their first entry into the quarter-finals since 1970.
The biggest hero of Uruguay's victory was the 23-year-old forward Suarez, who scored twice in the match, almost single-handedly eliminating their opponents.
In the just-concluded Eredivisie season, Suarez helped Ajax win the league runner-up and crowned the Golden Boot and Dutch Footballer of the Year with 35 goals.
Thanks to his splendid performance in the World Cup, many clubs are believed to be interested in this young talent.
Although the South Korean team showed tenacious fighting spirit, they can be said to have lost with dignity. Lee Chung-yong scored the equalizing goal, and they held on until the 80th minute before being broken.
On the same evening at 8:30 PM, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg hosted the 1/8 final between Germany and the USA.
When Donovan opened the scoring for the USA, the German team was pushed to the brink. In a critical moment, Podolski scored the equalizing goal, sending the game into extra time.
Thomas Müller became the hero of extra time. In the 117th minute, he received a through ball from Schweinsteiger, shot inside the penalty area, and the ball deflected off the thigh of the American goalkeeper and into the net.
At that moment, the entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted into thunderous cheers. Countless German fans were ecstatic, as the game's situation was incredibly tumultuous for them.
With Müller's decisive goal, Germany eventually defeated the USA 2-1, securing a valuable spot in the quarter-finals.
"The Chinese team is here again! Look at this attack, Wang Feng dribbles the ball down the left side, beautiful! Suddenly a quick stop and a turn to shake off Ashley Cole, calmly moving towards the inside."
"Pass to the center to Shao Jia Yi, then run into the penalty area himself, Shao Jia Yi doesn't hesitate to lob the defense line, and it's in! It's in!"
"Johnson blocked it, Wang Feng crosses from the bottom, at the far post! At the far post! Dongfang Zhuo shoots! It's in! It's in!"
"The match has reached the 26th minute, and Dongfang Zhuo has scored the second goal for China. Now we lead England 2-0!"
"Perhaps some of the viewers who have just tuned into the live broadcast can't believe their eyes. You didn't see it wrong. The team leading by two goals is us! Less than thirty minutes into the first half!"
"At this moment, even we ourselves are a bit dazed. Is this dream-like start really brought about by the Chinese team? And is our opponent really the renowned England?"
"From the beginning of the match until now, except for possession being slightly in favor of the Three Lions, all other statistics are in favor of China!"
"Up to now, the Chinese team has had 6 shots, 4 of which hit the target, resulting in two goals, while England has only had 3 shots, 1 of which hit the target. Their possession has all turned into ineffective delays!"
On June 27th at 4 PM, the 1/8 final between China and England was held at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Before the match, no one would have thought that the situation would be so one-sided, especially towards the Chinese team. After all, England's starting lineup shines brightly, with players like Terry, Upson, Ashley Cole, and Johnson forming their defense line, all playing for top clubs in the Premier League.
Barry, Lampard, Gerrard, and Milner are also among the world's few midfield stalwarts, not to mention the striking duo of Rooney and Defoe in their prime, unmatched in both skill and impact.
On the other hand, looking at the Chinese team, they have the same starting lineup as the first group stage match. Although most of them are overseas players, apart from Wang Feng and Dongfang Zhuo, most players are relatively unknown, playing for smaller clubs.
Even with the presence of superstar Wang Feng, public opinion generally believed that the Chinese team would face a tough battle, and the chance of advancing seemed very slim. But now, the situation in the match has slapped them in the face with a one-sided dominance.
The slow start was the main reason for England's collapse. Even before the match started, Wang Feng discussed tactics with head coach Ar?kan: "Sir, I think we can play more aggressively in the first thirty minutes."
"England has a history of slow starts in major tournaments, mainly because they take time to get into their rhythm. We can take advantage of their slow start to launch a wave of aggressive attacks and take the lead. It will be easier to play in the following matches."
Ar?kan hesitated a bit; this kind of aggressive tactic might backfire. If the opponent takes advantage of their vulnerabilities and counters, it would be disastrous. However, Wang Feng assured him that the number of players involved in the attack doesn't need to be many, and the others can focus on stabilizing the defense. Based on his trust in the Chinese superstar, the Dutchman reluctantly agreed to this tactic.
As a result, the Chinese team completely dominated the game, even scoring the first goal in the 10th minute. Hao Junzhe dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and then made a diagonal pass into the penalty area.
Wang Feng, at the near post, outmuscled the defending player, and the ball flew over the head of Upson. The Chinese superstar turned around, and in a small space, volleyed the ball into the net as it descended, like a missile piercing through a crowded group of people, straight into James's goal.
This goal completely changed the dynamics of the game, and the Chinese team grew more confident, eventually scoring a second goal.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l