Chapter 817: Mbappe's Speed
On July 15th, the month-long grand event of world football is about to come to an end, and the new champion of the World Cup will be crowned in Moscow.
The Luzhniki Stadium, which can accommodate eighty-five thousand people, is now full to the brim. The stands are filled with waves of red and blue, representing the two teams in the final showdown.
The players are lined up in the tunnel, waiting to enter the field. Everyone is holding their breath, focused and unable to exchange words. Regardless of who it is, everyone feels immense pressure at this moment, and Wang Feng is no exception.
For him, there are many familiar faces in the French team lineup. Deschamps has arranged a 4-2-3-1 formation, with goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris.
The four defenders are Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, and Hernandez.
The two defensive midfielders are Pogba and Kante, with three forwards consisting of Mbappe, Griezmann, and Matuidi.
The center forward is Giroud.
The referee in charge is Pitana from Argentina. Holding the final match ball, he walks forward from the back, saying, "It's time to take the field, gentlemen. May God bless you."
Led by him, the players from both teams slowly walk out of the tunnel and enter the wide field, greeted by thunderous applause and cheers. Many of the Chinese players, participating in such a grand match for the first time, feel a bit weak in their knees.
But when they look at their calm captain, that restless feeling gradually subsides. Wang Feng has this kind of magic, which can give his teammates courage and strength.
After the national anthems of China and France are played, the players shake hands in a friendly manner, and the captains step forward to decide who will kick-off and choose sides.
In the first half, it's the Chinese team who kick-off, with Wang Feng and Huang Hu standing in the center circle, the latter placing his foot on the ball.
The television broadcast zooms in on the face of the Chinese superstar. Without a doubt, he will be the protagonist of this match. Then it shifts to Mbappe's face not far away. The pre-match hype about the duel between the old and new stars is also highly anticipated.
As both teams take their positions, referee Pitana glances at his wristwatch, then blows the whistle to start the match.
Huang Hu immediately passes the ball to Wang Feng, who then turns and passes it back to the backfield.
At this moment, Mbappe dashes past the center line like lightning, directly pressing towards the ball, with other French forwards also following suit.
Frowning, the Chinese superstar realizes that the opponents have launched such a fierce attack right from the start. He is worried that the defense line might not hold up, so he immediately signals his teammates to retreat with him and directs Huang Hu to drop slightly forward and wait for an opportunity.
Like a sharp sword, the young French player rushes towards Zheng Zhi, startling him. He knows the terrifying speed of his opponent, so he doesn't turn to pass the ball back, fearing that Mbappe might already be there to intercept by the time he turns or passes.
Zheng Zhi directly shifts the ball sideways to evade Mbappe, and fortunately, it's this experienced veteran. If it were someone else like He Yun, there might have been a problem.
Failing with the first attempt, the French team doesn't give up. They send in more players to press high, while the Chinese team as a whole retreats to defend in their own half, using numerical advantage to keep control of the ball.
Their principle is simple: observe diligently, pass quickly to the safest place, and never take unnecessary risks.
All players keep moving, ensuring that they can be anywhere in the backfield to receive the ball. So although it looks like the French team is pressing aggressively, they don't pose much of a threat in reality.
However, once the Chinese team tries to move forward and the overall formation disperses, their passing technique seems somewhat inadequate. Yang Ronghua tries to pass forward to Huang Hu in the midfield area, only to be intercepted by Kante.
The Chinese team doesn't lose heart, quickly regroups to defend and occupies the space within thirty meters, waiting for a chance to counterattack defensively.
This poses a problem for the French team, as they are actually better at playing on the counterattack. Whether it's Mbappe's speed attribute or Giroud's pivot role, they can fully exert their power only in the process of rapid counterattacks.
Now, forcing them to penetrate through the positional play is somewhat challenging, especially when Mbappe charges into the dense crowd twice in a row, causing a goal to be conceded. This leaves him scratching his head in frustration.
The situation reaches a stalemate. "Throughout the journey, the Chinese team's defense has been commendable, while the French team possesses considerable attacking strength. However, they now need to develop more tactics."
"In the final, besides competing in strength, patience, stability, and even luck must also be taken into account. Any small event could lead to a completely different outcome."
The commentator explains the key points of the match to the audience. Time flies, and five minutes have passed without either side taking their first shot.
From the statistics, the French team has a higher ball possession rate, but it's difficult for them to break through to the shooting area. The French television commentator believes that this indicates the team's superior control, and winning the match is only a matter of time.
However, according to the domestic commentators, the Chinese team's defensive interception is outstanding, and now they are just waiting for the opponents to show impatience, creating opportunities for a massive counterattack.
"Wang's eyes will surely catch such an opportunity," Zhang Jun confidently adds.
This kind of stalemate actually consumes a lot of energy for both teams. The attacking side attempts to move more, while the defending side needs to stay tense at all times to prevent loopholes.
The time comes to the 7th minute, and the French team decides to pass back to the backfield to reorganize, enticing the Chinese defensive line to push forward.
Mbappe even rushes towards the center circle. He can't sprint in the frontcourt, as there are always two defensive players nearby, and he would be surrounded if he advances a little.
Varane notices the movement of the French winger, so he sends a straight pass to his feet.
Although this is not a regular tactic, Mbappe manages to shake off the defensive entanglement. Perhaps at this moment, his acceleration can bring something different.
Sure enough, Mbappe doesn't choose to control the ball but slightly flicks it forward. Then he quickly turns and vigorously pushes the ball forward again, dodging Yang Ronghua who is closely following.
In an instant, he goes from facing backward to facing forward, and also opens up space for a sprint. Yang Ronghua faces a very difficult situation, as the ball has already passed him, and Mbappe is quite far away from him. At this moment, it's impossible to foul him.
The newly turned French winger immediately accelerates, overtaking the defense and catching up with the ball.
"Kylian!" in the French commentator's shout, Mbappe bursts forward, finally able to sprint freely!
Due to the French team's retreat, the overall formation of the Chinese team is not as dense as before, and Yang Ronghua has been shaken off. So at this moment, Mbappe has space to sprint.
The atmosphere in the stands, originally somewhat silent, suddenly becomes lively. French fans in blue jerseys wave their flags and cheer, while Chinese fans in red jerseys shout defensive words.
Amidst the noisy atmosphere, Mbappe dribbles the ball along the sidelines, charging towards the Chinese team's penalty area.
At this moment, three defending players quickly rush towards the Frenchman, but Mbappe does not slow down. Instead, he continues to exert force and dribble towards the space between them. He rushes out before they can surround him.
"Oh! My God! A breakthrough filled with violence and aesthetics! No technique, just speed!"
Just as he penetrates into the heart of the defense, before the goalkeeper Wang Xianghe can shift to the near post, Mbappe suddenly shoots from a small angle.
The ball travels along the ground at great speed, heading straight for the far corner. Wang Xianghe instinctively tries to save it, but the ball is already a step faster than him and flies into the net.
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