Fox in the Penalty Area

"Playing the quarter-finals with the Chinese team is really the best result!"

As soon as Sugiyama Tatsuya entered the restaurant, he heard his teammates talking loudly.

The topic is naturally the opponents in the next eighth finals.

After all the matches of the Chinese team's group ended last night, the opponents of the Japanese team in the quarter-finals were also announced.

Japan, which ranks first in Group D, will face China, which ranks second in Group C.

"For us, which opponent is the same?"

"That's what I said, but I still prefer to meet the Chinese team."

"Yes, I would also prefer to play for the Chinese team."

Sugiyama Tatsuya did not participate in it, but turned around to pick up the meal.

He is not surprised that everyone is so keen to talk about the Chinese team.

Because this is indeed a hot topic within the Japanese team.

In the World Cup last summer, the Japanese team had the best record among all Asian participating teams, because they were the only Asian team that reached the knockout rounds.

Although it only stopped at the top sixteen.

But that was enough to make Japan the face of Asian football.

However, in the field of public opinion, the limelight of the Chinese team is stronger than that of the Japanese team.

Everyone is talking about the undefeated Chinese team that participated in the World Cup for the first time, their 3:3 match against Brazil, and Hu Lai's achievement of winning the World Cup Golden Boot...

This kind of overwhelming publicity is not only spread in China. In Japan, South Korea, Asia, and around the world, everyone is discussing the amazing debut of the Chinese team in the World Cup.

During the World Cup, the AFC even published four key reports on the theme of the Chinese team. The Japanese team has only three articles.

If you are a person who has never watched the World Cup and only understands the World Cup through news reports, it is easy to think that the Chinese team is the "face" of Asian football in this World Cup.

So this matter has caused some controversy on the Japanese Internet, and many Japanese fans have expressed dissatisfaction with it.

They are dissatisfied with the "eccentricity" of the AFC, and the slackness of the Japanese media in publicity, and of course they are even more dissatisfied with the Chinese team.

It is believed that the Chinese team is "unsuitable for morality", and a team that has not even qualified for the group is not qualified to represent Asian football at all.

Don't talk about "the only undefeated", the only undefeated is still not able to make it to the knockout round, so what's the use of being undefeated?

Japanese netizens are discussing so enthusiastically, how could the Japanese internationals not know about this matter? How could they have no opinion on this matter?

The views of most players are basically the same as those of Japanese fans.

They all think that Chinese football is "in vain."

So being able to meet the Chinese team in the Asian Cup this time is of course "the best arrangement of fate" for those Japanese players who are holding their breath.

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The players of the Chinese team did not go to the training ground for ball training in the morning, but went to the hotel gym for physical recovery training under the leadership of the physical coach.

Just finished the game against the Philippines, physical recovery training is very important.

If this link is not done well, the fatigue accumulated by the players in the last game cannot be done well. If it accumulates in the body, it may explode in the next training or game, causing injuries.

Therefore, the recovery training on the second day after the game is very important for any team.

Even Xia Xiaoyu, who was replaced due to injury during the game, did simple recovery training in the gym.

It also proved to some extent that his injury was indeed not serious and would not affect the next game.

This is very important for the Chinese team.

The game against the Japanese team is very difficult to play, especially the Japanese team's midfield is very strong, which is their traditional strength. And if Xia Xiaoyu of the Chinese team can't play, then it will be difficult for the Chinese team to compete with the Japanese team in the midfield.

It was normal for Xia Xiaoyu to appear in the gym, but the appearance of another person here surprised everyone.

"Captain Yao, why are you here?" Wang Guangwei asked with wide eyes when he saw Yao Huasheng.

"I'm here for training." Yao Huasheng said it as a matter of course. He walked past Wang Guangwei, got on a treadmill, and started jogging.

Wang Guangwei who was standing next to him was very strange: "Shouldn't you be resting..."

Unlike Xia Xiaoyu, who was slightly injured, captain Yao Huasheng's injury was serious at first glance-literally "heavy at first sight", after all, a piece of his shoulder had already protruded.

Everyone privately speculated that Team Yao might not be able to catch up with the Japanese team.

Unexpectedly, now he appeared in the gym with his usual expression, and was doing recovery training with everyone.

No wonder everyone is so weird.

Vice-captain Hao De came up and frowned and asked, "Dayao, your injury..."

"No big problem." Yao Huasheng glanced at the bump on his shoulder with a calm expression on his face. "The bandages are all off."

Hao De saw the fixed tape criss-crossing on the opponent's shoulders and arms, and he didn't believe Yao Huasheng's words.

Noticing Hao De's eyes, Yao Huasheng explained: "It's still a little swollen now, and it will be fine when the swelling subsides, and it won't affect normal activities."

As he said that, he moved his shoulders lightly, and at the same time looked normal, to prove to everyone that this injury really didn't affect him.

After finishing, he said to everyone: "Okay, what are you doing around? Why don't you go to training?"

After blasting everyone away, Yao Huasheng continued jogging. He pursed his lips tightly, breathing only through his nose so as not to expose his clenched teeth.

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At the press conference held by the Chinese team that afternoon, head coach Dong Jianhai revealed to Chinese and foreign reporters the injury of Yao Huasheng that they were most concerned about:

"After inspection, there is no major problem. The shoulder is indeed misaligned...but it does not affect his participation in the next round of 16."

This remark caused the reporters present to look at each other in blank dismay, and then talked about it.

Everyone saw the bulge on the shoulder... It's all like that, so there's no big problem?

Can you still participate in the game against the Japanese team?

Dong Jianhai ignored the reaction of the reporters and continued: "...the game against the Japanese team will be very difficult. But the Chinese team will definitely go all out in this game. We will show the Chinese team's due Level."

A reporter sneered.

This is what Dong Jianhai said before every game. As a result, the Chinese team should lose 0:2 to Iraq, or be scored by Palestine and the Philippines?

Although Dong Jianhai said that Yao Huasheng would not be absent, he was injured after all, and it was impossible for him to have a piece on his shoulder without affecting his activities at all.

This must not be the best Chinese team.

What level can it show?

※※※

"Yao Huasheng is fine and can still participate in the game against us?"

"Ah, what a pity! I still hoped that he wouldn't be able to get in..."

"Yes, yes, as far as the defense level of the Chinese team is concerned, if Yao Huasheng can't make it up, he will basically be useless."

Just finished training, the players of the Japanese team were changing clothes in the locker room while continuing to talk about their number one hot topic.

Sugiyama Tatsuya still just listened silently, and didn't talk to participate in it.

Because he actually does not agree with everyone's views on the Chinese team, but almost all of the people talking are the big brothers of the national team, his seniors, how dare he speak out to refute?

So he could only listen quietly.

At this time, he couldn't help but think of Morikawa Junpei who was not in the team.

If that idiot was here, he would definitely stand up and protest, right?

Sometimes Sugiyama Tatsuya even doubted whether Morikawa Junpei is still Japanese now—he can speak fluent Chinese, and the relationship with those Chinese players is obviously closer than that of compatriots like himself.

Sugiyama Tatsuya also thought about it, if it wasn’t for Junpei Morikawa who had already played for the Japanese national team, he wouldn’t be surprised if he heard that he was going to change his nationality to play for the Chinese team...

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The people who were discussing turned their heads to look at the team captain Kengo Yamagami who was sitting in his seat, and he was staring at them.

"Why do we care about whether Yao Huasheng will play or not? Could it be that if he is here, we can't win? When did Japanese football become so timid? If you want to win, you have to count on the opponent's main player being injured and absent. ?”

After everyone looked over, he issued a series of rhetorical questions.

No one in the locker room dared to answer the question.

Kengo Yamagami just stared at his teammates one by one. Under his gaze, the teammates lowered their heads one after another, not daring to look at the captain.

"Everyone, don't forget what our goal is. On our way to defend the title, do we have to rely on our opponents to make mistakes in order to succeed?"

Kengo Yamagami simply stood up, with his hands on his hips, and stared at his teammates in the room with his eyes puffed up.

"The reason why Japanese football is strong is because we are very strong. As long as we can display our abilities normally, we don't need to worry about what happens to the Chinese team!"

"So! From now on, I don't want to hear those stupid voices in the locker room anymore! Go all out to play the game well and focus on the game itself!"

After talking about these things, Kengo Yamasaka sat down again, and the locker room was quiet for a while, and then the voices of everyone talking again sounded.

It's just that no one is discussing whether Yao Huasheng will miss the game this time.