Chapter 545: The greatest reckoning
As November's national team match day arrived, despite any reluctance, the day inevitably came.
In the fourth round of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers, China lost 2-3 to Iraq. After this match, Iraq and Jordan both had 3 wins, 1 draw, and 10 points, occupying the top two spots. Meanwhile, China had only 1 win, 3 losses, and 3 points, leading to their elimination.
The defending champions didn't even make it past the second round of qualifiers!
This shameful result attracted worldwide attention. Everyone was discussing it, filled with doubt, indignation, and ridicule. Many considered it the biggest scandal in world football, bar none.
The BBC commented that China's elimination from the qualifiers seemed inevitable because they had given up their championship lineup and opted for many "unexplainable" newcomers.
"It's just a pity for Wang Feng, wasting four years of his peak age."
Under turmoil and immense pressure, everything was handled strictly and swiftly. Tens of thousands of them were dealt with, and the numbers kept rising, with the hierarchy continually improving.
The entire sports world was reshuffled. The new leaders only mentioned two principles: first, national team members would only be selected from European league starters or main rotation players. Players like Huang Hu and Feng Miao could be called up unconditionally, without any additional contracts or restrictions.
If you want to come in and get a gold plating, go play overseas, work hard to become a starter. What? You say there aren't that many people?
Wang Feng had already paved the way. His plan had helped at least thirty to forty young players, scattered across various lower leagues. Even the worst among them, at the level of the Faroe Islands league, were better than the current bunch.
Second, the league would implement self-regulation, canceling all unnecessary interventions. Market behavior would be determined by the market itself, without any constraints from either the central or local authorities.
Although corruption would still exist, at least it couldn't be displayed openly. It might not yield much even after much effort, leading everyone to adopt a mindset of earning money legitimately and expanding the cake.
The domestic scale could support at least a dozen Chinese Super Leagues. From now on, going abroad to play and then traveling to Europe would become the consensus for all players, giving rise to many professional scouts and agents.
On the evening of November 20th, at the Bernabeu Stadium, when the referee blew the final whistle, home fans rose to their feet applauding, sending the players their sincerest respects.
Real Madrid had barely overcome Valencia, extending their winning streak in the league to 9 matches this season, and continued to lead the standings with 11 wins, 1 loss, and 33 points.
The game was extremely perilous. In the 17th minute of the first half, Di Maria dribbled down the flank and passed back into the box, where Wang Feng, following up, passed it across the goal for Iguaín to slot in the opening goal for the Galacticos.
But Valencia was no pushover. While stabilizing their defense, they also looked for attacking opportunities, and finally, just before the end of the first half and in the 64th minute of the second half, Soldado scored twice to overturn the scoreline.
In the 86th minute, Real Madrid won a corner. Granero took it, and Wang Feng, at the back post, outjumped Diehlbert to head the ball into the net, making it 2-2!
Just when everyone thought the match would end in a draw, in the second minute of stoppage time, Di Maria broke through on the flank and crossed. Near the penalty spot, the Chinese superstar stretched out his left foot to control the ball.
At this moment, Valencia defender Miguel and goalkeeper Alves rushed to surround him. Wang Feng quickly lifted his right leg, feinted a shot, causing both defenders to fall to the ground, and then suddenly relaxed his leg, using the outside of his foot to flick the ball to the right.
Caught off guard, the two defenders lost their defensive initiative, while the Chinese superstar unleashed another shot, effortlessly sending the ball into the Valencia goal.
"Beautiful! It's in! 3-2!"
"Real Madrid scores a last-minute winner against Valencia! It's a shot by Wang Feng!"
"So amazing, let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. When the Chinese superstar lifted his foot for the first time, his body was clearly stretched to the limit, you can clearly feel that all his muscles were exerting force."
"I think any defender would have judged that he was preparing to shoot, so Miguel and Alves rushed to block the shooting lane."
"But at the moment his leg dropped, the thunderous force disappeared without a trace, as if a gale had turned into a drizzle. With just a light flick, he could create space effortlessly, and then another shot followed naturally."
"The whole set of movements may seem ordinary, but the control over the body is extremely demanding. The timing of exerting and relaxing force is crucial, and in this regard, Wang Feng is truly a master."
"I'm glad to help the team continue to win. Is it Wang Feng's moment? Maybe, but it's also based on the foundation of all the players' hard work throughout the game," said the Chinese superstar in the mixed interview area when facing the reporters.
"Valencia performed very well in this match, maintaining a stable defense while also displaying excellent attacking play, which put us in a disadvantaged position for a while."
"What's reassuring is that my teammates are full of passion and fighting spirit. Their desire for victory is no less than mine, just like the last-minute goal. If it weren't for Di Maria's cross on the flank, I wouldn't have been able to score the winner, right?"
A reporter from the "National Newspaper" asked, "Mr. Wang Feng, you have scored 26 goals in the first 12 rounds of La Liga so far, setting a new historical record. At this rate, it's highly likely that you will surpass your own record of 62 league goals. How do you feel about this?"
"Records are meant to be broken. I won't deliberately pursue numbers, I just want to help the team win."
"Many people evaluate you as single-handedly leading Real Madrid to victory, while Messi is seen as a system player who can't turn the tide. What do you think?" asked a reporter from ABC.
"There's absolutely no single-handed effort. All players are part of the system, not only on the field working with the players but also the collective efforts of the coaching staff and management. Real Madrid's current achievements and glory are the result of the club's collective contribution."
The ABC reporter persisted, "How do you view a player like Messi, especially considering that he and Barcelona have been losing to Real Madrid for many years?"
"Messi is an outstanding player, which is a universally recognized fact worldwide. I believe he will become even greater in the future."
"As for winning or losing, that's common on the football field. I think it's unreasonable to judge players based solely on match results, so I can't comment on that."
Wang Feng answered without giving anything away because he knew that any comments from him at this time could potentially stir up a storm.
In the brief interview, he was also asked about his views on the current turmoil in Chinese football. The Chinese superstar expressed that everything was moving in the right direction, and he believed there would be more improvement in the future.
As for whether he would return to the national team, he said, "Of course, I am willing to play for the country. Even if we can't participate in the 2014 World Cup, we can still participate in the Copa America."
Currently, the national team has been completely reorganized, with the head coach planning to appoint "Silver Fox" Lippi. The team members are either Wang Feng's acquaintances or juniors, making the lineup very reasonable.
When he participated in the Copa America twice as the Asian Cup champion, Wang Feng chose not to go. In order to rebuild the team spirit, this time he was determined to lead everyone on the journey, no matter what.
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