Chapter 494: Inherited
After taking the lead in scoring, the entire Chinese team was in high spirits. Although they were in a weak position on the field, their solid lead could not be ignored.
The Dutch team seemed a bit flustered. They launched a fierce attack in the following minutes. In the 40th minute, Robben crossed from the right to the penalty area. Van Bommel shot from the near post, but Mathijsen at the far post failed to make contact, and the ball rolled out of bounds.
In the 43rd minute, Sneijder's long-range shot from outside the penalty area missed the left post. One minute later, Van Persie intercepted the ball from Li Chunyu and passed it to Robben on the right. Robben immediately took a shot, but Chinese goalkeeper Qiu Shengjiong blocked it and Sun Jihai cleared the rebound.
Such aggressive attacks naturally left openings. In injury time of the first half, Feng Xiaoting intercepted Kuyt and quickly passed the ball to Wang Feng, the Chinese superstar, who then initiated a counterattack.
Racing forward with lightning speed, he was surrounded by four defensive players near the opposing penalty area. However, there was a gap near the far side where Wu Lei was positioned. It must be said that this young player was exceptionally fast, with excellent instincts in the forward line.
Seizing the opportunity, Wang Feng made a diagonal pass, piercing through the defense. Wu Lei immediately broke the offside trap and received the ball in a one-on-one situation!
"Look at this, the Dutch defense has been breached, Wu Lei is one-on-one! He shoots! Oh, he's a bit slow, and Heitinga catches up from behind, disrupting his shot, which goes wide of the post."
"If that were Dong Fangzhuo, it would have been a goal for sure! But it's okay, he's still young after all."
Wang Feng also gave a thumbs up to Wu Lei for his timely run. However, as Heitinga passed by the Chinese youngster, he deliberately bumped into him and said in broken English, "You little kid, trying to shoot in front of me? You're a hundred years too early."
Wu Lei's face flushed with anger. Although he knew that Heitinga was deliberately trying to disturb his concentration, such insults were too much to bear!
Shortly after, the referee blew the halftime whistle. The score remained 1-0, with the Chinese team in the lead. The players joyfully entered the locker room, except for Wu Lei, who was feeling down.
"What's wrong?" Concerned, Wang Feng approached him and asked. Seeing Wu Lei's hesitant expression, Wang Feng patted his shoulder and said, "If there's anything, just tell me. I'm your captain."
So Wu Lei told Wang Feng about Heitinga's insult. After hearing this, Wang Feng patted Wu Lei's shoulder and said, "Do you know? When I first started, people called me a 'yellow monkey.'"
Wu Lei widened his eyes, finding it hard to imagine that the player before him, who had reached the pinnacle of his career, loved and respected by people worldwide, had also experienced such insults.
"Guess what I did back then? Yes, I fought back fiercely!" Wang Feng said, "Isn't this a good opportunity now? Stepping on them to reach the top of the world, what could be more satisfying than this kind of retaliation?"
Wu Lei nodded heavily. The unease in his heart was gradually suppressed, leaving only endless determination!
As they returned to the field, the Dutch team intensified their attacks, but their level of play was clearly not as refined as Spain's. While pressing the Chinese team, they also left significant openings.
In the 61st minute, Zhao Xuri intercepted Kuyt's pass and quickly passed to the nearby Wu Lei, who dribbled past the midfield. At this moment, Heitinga once again came rushing in.
Wu Lei calmly controlled the ball and accelerated, using rhythm changes and feints to easily evade the defense. The Dutch defenders were careless, not taking this kid seriously at all.
Heitinga became furious and charged at him from behind. Regardless of whether it was in physical confrontation or speed, Wu Lei couldn't match up. However, just before Heitinga reached him, the Chinese youngster had already passed the ball to Wang Feng.
The powerful collision made him fall to the ground, but the referee signaled to continue play as the attacking opportunity was advantageous. So Wu Lei gritted his teeth and got up to continue his run forward.
Wang Feng received the ball and skillfully dribbled past De Jong and Mathijsen, entering the penalty area. These two defenders both had yellow cards and dared not make significant moves, so they could only tug at his shirt. Unfortunately for them, it was ineffective against the Chinese superstar.
Inside the penalty area, Van Bronckhorst and Van der Wiel had already retreated into position. They, along with the goalkeeper, tightly blocked Wang Feng's shooting angle and forced him towards the goal line.
Seeing that the ball was about to go out of bounds, the Chinese superstar suddenly pushed Van der Wiel, causing him to stagger. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Feng sent a low cross between the Dutch defenders' legs.
Wu Lei, who had arrived promptly, attempted another shot. Although the shot was powerful, it was too central. Stekelenburg dived to save it but couldn't hold onto the ball, and as he scrambled to retrieve it, he saw the Chinese superstar react faster than him!
As the Dutch goalkeeper's palm was about to touch the ball, Wang Feng stretched out his leg and lightly tapped the ball with the tip of his toe. Stekelenburg could only watch as the ball slipped past him and into the net behind him!
"Goal! Goal! The Chinese team scored their second goal, again by Wang Feng! He completes a brace and further extends his record for goals in a single World Cup season to 15!"
"Incredible achievement, unexpected turn of events. Before the match, no one expected the Chinese team to lead by two goals! Especially after Dong Fangzhuo was injured and had to leave the field in the first half, many domestic fans felt a chill in their hearts. At least I broke out in a cold sweat!"
"But there are no wrong names, only wrong nicknames. Wang Feng truly deserves the title of the king of finals. In ten years of the football world's storms, he has never lost in a final!"
"Now, let's wait quietly for time to pass. There are still 30 minutes left, and we will witness the birth of a new king in the world of football, witnessing the night of victory for all Chinese people!"
After scoring, Wang Feng continued to run towards the Chinese fans in the stands, directing them to wave the triumphal red flags. Soon, other teammates joined him. Seeing Wu Lei with a smile on his face, Wang Feng pretended to be angry and rubbed his head, saying, "What's wrong with you? You couldn't even score in such a good opportunity!"
Wu Lei stuck out his tongue. He had never imagined scoring in the World Cup, let alone in such an important final. Seeing the disappointed look on his face, the Chinese superstar didn't say much. He still had much to experience.
The Dutch team was going crazy! They were two goals behind after just a few counterattacks. Throughout the match, they had far surpassed their opponents in ball possession and attacking threat statistics. Why was it so hard to score?
At this moment, head coach Van Marwijk made consecutive substitutions, bringing on Van der Vaart and Elia to strengthen the attack, but it only made their tactics more chaotic.
As time passed, in the 80th minute, the Chinese team launched another quick counterattack. Chen Tao dribbled into the opponent's half and passed to Wang Feng, who then surged into the penalty area. Van der Wiel couldn't resist sliding in, but instead of getting the ball, he brought down the Chinese superstar.
"Penalty! Penalty, referee Webb points to the penalty spot!"
"This is the first penalty awarded to the Chinese team in this World Cup, and it's the crucial penalty to seal the victory!"
"From the replay, there's no doubt. Wang Feng had already pushed the ball forward, and Van der Wiel's sliding tackle landed heavily on his shin, it looks really painful!"
"But the Chinese superstar is not injured, he just rubbed his shin lightly. He should be able to continue and take the penalty kick."
"Huh? He's pointing to Wu Lei. Is he going to let Wu Lei take the penalty?"
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