Chapter 493: Beyond
The highly anticipated World Cup final is about to come! On the evening of July 11, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. local time, or 2:30 a.m. on July 12, the 19th World Cup final kicked off at Soccer City Stadium.
Before the match, Chinese head coach Alihan looked solemnly at a stack of player injury reports, which were the results given by the team doctors after detailed examinations not long ago.
The situation was not optimistic. After successive battles with Argentina and Spain, almost all the players were carrying injuries, especially in the crucial midfield and defense positions. Rotation was necessary, but it couldn't compromise the overall strength.
Fortunately, Wang Feng remained in top form. As long as he could play, it would reassure everyone. After a long discussion, the Dutch finally settled on the final starting lineup, sticking with the 4-4-2 formation, with goalkeeper Qiu Shengjiong.
The four defenders were Wang Qiang, Sun Jihai, Zheng Zhi, and Feng Xiaoting.
In midfield were Deng Zhuoxiang, Li Chunyu, Zhao Xuri, and Chen Tao.
The forwards were Dong Fangzhuo and Wang Feng.
Sun Xiang, Li Weifeng, Shao Jiayi, Hao Junzhe, and others were unable to start due to injuries of varying degrees, which was regrettable.
On the Dutch side, the lineup was more complete. Van der Vaart and De Jong returned from suspension, so they fielded their best eleven, a situation unseen in a World Cup final since squad numbers were introduced in 1954.
They lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, just like Spain, China's semifinal opponent, with goalkeeper Stekelenburg.
The four defenders were Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, and Van Bronckhorst.
The two defensive midfielders were Van Bommel and De Jong, the three attacking midfielders were Robben, Sneijder, and Kuyt.
The lone forward was Van Persie.
Before the start of the match, former French legendary star Zinedine Zidane brought the World Cup trophy onto the field and handed it over to FIFA President Blatter. The trophy would be placed on a high platform in front of the player tunnel to inspire all participating players to strive for victory.
The main referee for this match was Howard Webb from England, with Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey as assistant referees, whom Wang Feng had met not long ago, as they officiated the 2010 UEFA Champions League final together.
Led by Webb, the two teams walked onto the field with the World Cup trophy. South African President Zuma shook hands with the players one by one, and then came the exciting playing of the national anthems.
About 40,000 Chinese fans flooded into the Soccer City Stadium, forming a vast red ocean. Their resounding cheers soared into the sky, a scene unmatched by the Dutch, who had fewer than 20 million people.
The Chinese team wore dark blue jerseys, while the Dutch wore orange. Referee Webb called Wang Feng and Dutch captain Van Bronckhorst for the coin toss, and the Orange Legion kicked off the first half.
"With the referee's whistle, the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa officially begins! Today, it is still me, Zhang Jun, and my old partner, Huang Lu, bringing you the commentary of this exciting match."
"Yes, dear viewers in front of the TV, can you hear the thunderous cheers? That's our compatriots coming from afar to cheer for the Chinese team!"
"No matter where we are, at this moment, our common wish is to see the national team win the final victory. Let us witness this historic moment together!"
After the kickoff, both sides played cautiously. The Dutch controlled possession, but due to the tight defense of the Chinese team, they couldn't find good opportunities and didn't dare to venture deep, so they kept passing in midfield.
In the 11th minute, Kuyt passed in the middle, Sneijder broke through Zhao Xuri on the flank, threatening with a shot or a pass, but Sun Jihai cleared the ball in time.
This was the first threatening attack of both teams in this match. Later, Sneijder took a corner, and Van Persie headed the ball over the crossbar from the back post.
Perhaps because it was the final match, the defensive intensity of both teams' players increased. In the 16th minute, Kuyt tackled Wang Feng, who wanted to counterattack quickly, earning the first yellow card of the match.
Three minutes later, Wang Qiang received a yellow card for a flying tackle on Robben. The most controversial scene occurred in the 28th minute when De Jong high kicked Dong Fangzhuo in the chest while contesting for a loose ball, causing him to fall in pain.
"This is a reckless move and should be punished with a straight red card! Is the referee blind?" Zhang Jun said indignantly, "We can see clearly that De Jong kicked Dong Fangzhuo directly. This kind of force could cause a fractured rib cage! Webb only gave a yellow card."
Huang Lu added, "After all, it's the final, and it's still early in the game. Maybe the referee doesn't want to face controversy after the match. But we will definitely file a complaint to impose stricter penalties on De Jong for this action!"
"So far, the Dutch team has received 9 yellow cards in World Cup finals, surpassing Argentina and Germany's record of 8. This really affects their sportsmanship, no wonder they can't win the championship."
After simple treatment, Dong Fangzhuo still felt uncomfortable. Although he wanted to persist, Alihan had to consider a substitution. Finally, he decided to send 19-year-old newcomer Wu Lei onto the field!
When Wu Lei heard this decision, he was overwhelmed. He had never imagined making his World Cup debut, let alone in such an important final!
But the coach's decision was final. In the 30th minute, Wu Lei replaced Dong Fangzhuo, who would then be sent to the hospital for further examination.
Wang Feng was very angry! Were these Dutchmen playing football or playing rough? Since they wanted to foul so badly, he wouldn't let them touch him.
In the 37th minute, he retreated to the back to receive the ball, and Van Bommel came over to defend. The Chinese superstar suddenly accelerated forward, then swerved around from outside the sideline, leaving Van Bommel no chance to catch him.
Seeing his defense being breached, Heitinga immediately came sliding in, but Wang Feng flicked the ball forward while jumping to avoid the Dutch defender's studs, then continued his advance into the field.
During his lightning-fast attack, no one could stop him. In a flash, he reached the edge of the penalty area. With Mathijsen chasing closely, Wang Feng cut inside and pushed the ball to the near corner of the goal, threading it between Stekelenburg's legs into the net.
"Beautiful!! Goal!! The Chinese team opens the scoring to break the deadlock with Wang Feng!!"
"This is a lightning-fast counterattack. Since you like fouling so much, catch me if you can!"
"This is Wang Feng's 14th goal in this World Cup, officially surpassing Fontaine, becoming the record holder for the most goals in a single World Cup, breaking the record that was considered impossible to surpass!"
"And now, we are one step closer to the World Cup!"
"Let's watch the slow-motion replay again. No fancy footwork, just two feints to bypass the defense, a turn with the ball, and a smooth finish into the penalty area. A great goal, a great Wang Feng!"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢