Midfielder Ruler

The Luzhniki Stadium was completely reduced to a sea of ​​joy for the English. The Chinese players who had finished the game obviously did not have the face or thought to stay on the stadium anymore. They went straight to the players' tunnel and returned to the locker room.

Sitting in the VIP seat, Zhao Lina was heartbroken, not because the Chinese team missed the finals, but because her husband Tang Zheng was trying his best to hide his true feelings.

Seven goals in six games has shown Tang Zheng's contribution to the Chinese team, but football is still a team sport after all, and no matter how outstanding Tang Zheng's performance is, there is no way to make up for the overall shortcomings.

This feeling of powerlessness is the saddest thing.

As the captain, Tang Zheng cannot express his emotions like other players. He must shoulder the responsibility of captain and comfort his teammates.

Therefore, Tang Zheng must hide his true emotions, and as his wife Zhao Lina knows it best.

After returning to the locker room, Tang Zheng nodded to his teammates and patted his shoulders, then went to the bathroom alone, turned on the nozzle, slumped on the ground, closed his eyes, and let the water droplets slide down his face from the top of his head.

More than twenty minutes ago, the World Cup final was only half a step away.

Not willing to give in!

Although I had thought about the possibility of losing to England before the game, I was so close to qualifying, and the huge gap in my heart was hard to let go.

In the past career, this situation has always ended in victory, but...the World Cup is not as good as the club.

Starting from River Plate in the initial stage of his career, then to Dortmund and Real Madrid, his teammates have strong strength, and there is a correlation between being able to defeat more powerful opponents. The World Cup is different, it is a reflection of the overall football level of a country.

It is a pity that Chinese football is still on the rise and has not yet reached world class.

Only then did Tang Zheng realize that one person's efforts could not make up for the shortcomings of the entire team.

He will turn 29 in four months. He will turn 33 in four years. His competitive status at that time will be a big question mark. In other words, the World Cup in Russia is Tang Zheng's most glorious moment in the World Cup. .

However, Tang Zheng did not stay in the sad mood for too long, he calmed down.

For the Chinese team, although they lost the opportunity to go further, the World Cup journey is not over, because there is still a third- and fourth-place final against Belgium at the St. Petersburg Arena.

It doesn't matter if you don't advance to the finals, there is still third place up for grabs, and you can also create an insurmountable record for Asian teams.

Perhaps Belgium's overall strength is much stronger than that of the Chinese team, but the mood of the Belgian players who lost their chance in the finals must have changed. After all, the third and fourth place finals have always been a bit tasteless.

It is tasteless for Belgium, but it is very meaningful for the Chinese team.

Sixteen years ago, in the World Cup between Korea and Japan, the Korean team relied on despicable means to finish fourth, creating the best result for an Asian team in the World Cup.

Sixteen years later, the Chinese team reached the semi-finals with its outstanding overall strength, and unfortunately missed the finals. If it finished third again, it would definitely be a proud day for Chinese fans.

Even if the World Cup in Qatar four years later does not reach a higher level, it can still become a topic of conversation for Chinese fans after dinner.

In the summer of 2018, the Chinese team won the third place in the World Cup in Russia.

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"The five-star red flag is fluttering in the wind"

"How loud the song of victory is"

"Singing our dear motherland"

“From now on we will be prosperous and powerful”

"Singing our dear motherland"

…

When the Chinese team walked from the tunnel to the team bus, tens of thousands of Chinese fans sang in unison and cheered for the losing Chinese team.

The Chinese players, who were already in a bad mood, were instantly moved when they heard the shouts of unity. Young Ye Erfan, Zhang Linpeng and Hao Junmin, who caused the Chinese team to be eliminated, all shed tears of excitement.

Captain Tang Zheng had already calmed down. He took the lead and raised his arms high to thank the fans for their support by clapping.

Other Chinese players have followed suit and thank the fans for their support.

"Team China, I love you!"

"Team China, I love you!"

"Team China, I love you!!"

At the end of the song, the fans cheered from the bottom of their hearts.

Although they missed the World Cup finals, the Chinese players present were determined to defeat Belgium in the third and fourth place finals and get third place!

Create the best result of an Asian team in the World Cup!

At the same time, there is still a lot of criticism on the Chinese Internet, but it is much less than the support, because the overall strength of the Chinese team is not as good as England, but the penalty kick loss to England is somewhat disappointing. After all, Only half a step away from the final.

Many fans are self-aware and have already thought about losing. As long as they correct their mentality, they will be easily satisfied.

The strength of the Chinese team was not as good as the semi-finals of the World Cup, but advancing to the semi-finals has exceeded everyone's expectations.

At 7 o'clock in the morning Beijing time the next day, CCTV focused on the news that the Chinese team lost to England in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia.

In line with public opinion, the Chinese team's ability to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup is the farthest the Chinese team can go. Failure to advance to the World Cup finals is not due to bad luck, but because the strength has not been reached.

Even if they advance to the World Cup finals, it is not in line with the true strength of current Chinese football.

It is worth mentioning that it was reported at the same time that the country's top leaders have begun to pay attention to the cultivation of youth football and are studying a ten-year youth training plan to prepare for the second take-off of Chinese football.

At noon the next day local time in Russia, the entire Chinese team took a flight to St. Petersburg to prepare for the penultimate game of this World Cup.

Many media are optimistic about Belgium, which has stronger overall strength, but the Chinese media are full of confidence in the national team. In addition to Tang Zheng's hot form as always, head coach Lippi and starting goalkeeper Yan Junling will return from bans in the third and fourth place finals.

In fact, as the 2018 World Cup comes to an end, the media around the world is focusing more on the battle between England and France.

Of course, there are also many media paying attention to the third and fourth place finals between the Chinese team and Belgium.

Judging from the original semi-finals, both Belgium and the Chinese team are likely to advance to the Russian World Cup finals, but fate often makes some little jokes.

It is equivalent to saying that the third and fourth place finals between the Chinese team and Belgium are the pseudo-finals of the Russian World Cup. The game must be full of spectacle.

Moreover, since the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the goals scored in the third and fourth place finals have not been less than three goals. This means that the match between the Chinese team and Belgium will not fail to score for a long time, and there may even be multiple goals. , so the third and fourth place finals between the Chinese team and Belgium are destined to not be boring.

As time passed, Chinese fans and Belgian fans ended the team's failure to qualify for the finals and began to prepare for the third and fourth place finals.

The Chinese team's best result in the World Cup was sixth place in the World Cup in Brazil, while Belgium was fourth in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Although China has created the team's best results in the World Cup, everyone has pursuits and dreams, and the South Korean team created the best results of an Asian team in the World Cup in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Headed by Tang Zheng Chinese players are naturally unwilling to share this honor with the Korean team, so they are working hard to defeat Belgium in the next three or four finals.

So what if the overall strength is stronger?

It’s not like the Chinese team has never defeated stronger teams!

Thirty-two years ago, Belgium created the best result in the World Cup in team history. In the third and fourth place finals, facing the Chinese team whose overall strength was significantly weaker than itself, they naturally wanted to win the game and create the best result.

Therefore, the preparations of the two teams before the game were full of fighting spirit, which also gave some confidence to those neutral fans who paid attention to the third and fourth place finals.

Compared with the potentially dull finals, the third and fourth place finals are obviously more enjoyable to watch.

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Logically speaking, the focus of media attention around the world during this period was the third and fourth place finals between China and Belgium and the World Cup final between France and England. However, before the third and fourth place finals between China and Belgium, something happened. Intrusion into the situation.

Juventus' official website suddenly announced the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo for 100 million euros, payable in two years.

In addition, according to relevant FIFA regulations, Juventus Club will also pay an additional 12 million euros in surcharges.

No one expected that at this time, Cristiano Ronaldo would steal the headlines and become the focus of everyone's attention.

However, this is the focus of the fans. Tang Zheng and his teammates who are preparing for the game are completely focused on the third and fourth place finals, so the news of Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus only received a little attention.

The day before the game, the Belgian and Chinese teams conducted pre-match training at staggered times. It is worth mentioning that the regular press conference before the game was very low-key and both sides kept a high profile on the other side.

The atmosphere between both sides was good before the game, and the same was true in the square outside the St. Petersburg Arena on the day of the game. Chinese fans and Belgian fans took photos enthusiastically.

The St. Petersburg Arena, which can accommodate 68,000 fans, was already overcrowded an hour before the start of the game. The enthusiastic fans added to the fanatical atmosphere of the game and broke out with waves of huge shouts: "Ooooooooooo-"

In the fanatical atmosphere, the Chinese players and the Belgian players were in particularly good condition.

British Sky commentator Andy Gray couldn't help but said: "The third and fourth place finals without the pressure of advancement are really different. The relaxed atmosphere allows players to perform at their best. If nothing else, this game is very special." It could be a goal shootout..."

The screen showed Tang Zheng, the captain of the Chinese team, and the commentator Martin Taylor laughed: "It seems that Tang's top scorer in the World Cup is confirmed. If he can score another goal in this game, it will basically mean winning the Russian World Cup gold medal." Boot Award.”

Andy Gray did not refute, because Tang Zheng, who had already scored seven goals, was one goal ahead of Harry Kane. The England and France teams participating in the finals would definitely give priority to defense in order to win the championship, and then look for opportunities to score.

There is no pressure in the third and fourth place finals, so the number of goals has not been less than four goals since 1978.

Even if the overall strength of the Chinese team is not as good as Belgium, Tang Zheng still has a chance to score a goal.

Even if Tang Zheng is unable to score, it will be difficult for Harry Kane to score in the World Cup final.

In other words, Tang Zheng is almost certain to win the Russian World Cup Golden Boot Award.

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"CCTV! CCTV! The game we are broadcasting for you now is the penultimate game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The third and fourth place decisive battle between the Chinese team and Belgium, wearing red jerseys and red balls. The Belgian players in shorts are attacking from the right side of the broadcast screen to the left. The Chinese team, wearing yellow jerseys and yellow shorts, are attacking from the left side of the broadcast screen to the right..."

CCTV commentator He Wei habitually gives the opening remarks of CCTV.

But before He Wei finished speaking, he had to change his voice and exclaimed: "Be careful!!"

After receiving the ball, Hazard received a pass from De Bruyne, cut inside to break through Li Kui's defense, and then completed a powerful long-range shot before Tang Zheng fell to the ground to block it.

"--pretty!!"

Accompanied by the frightened exclamations of the Central 5 commentator He Wei, Yan Junling, who flew sideways and lifted the ball over the crossbar with one palm, vented his dissatisfaction to his teammates after landing, pointing his index fingers to his temples: "Please pay attention. , don’t give Hazard a chance to kick easily!!”

With Hazard's threat at the beginning of the game, the Chinese team paid great attention to Hazard's defense in the subsequent defense.

Coupled with Tang Zheng's special attention to De Bruyne, Belgium's offense did not pose a threat to the Chinese team's defense.

Lippi's targeted deployment before the game was perfect at the beginning of the game. While suppressing Belgium's offense, he also made achievements in his own offense.

The trident composed of Lu Liang, Sun Jingbo and Ye Erfan posed a great threat to the Belgian defense. If Courtois had not contributed a key save, the Chinese team would have probably opened the scoring in less than ten minutes of the game.

Facing the more threatening attack of the Chinese team, Belgian head coach Martinez chose to defend first and then attack, leaving Hazard at the front as a counterattack point.

It must be said that Martinez's change was very timely. After the positional attack suppressed the Chinese team's attack, the counterattack was also effective, forcing Zhang Linpeng to receive a yellow card in the 14th minute of the opening.

Just when the Belgians thought they would break the deadlock first in a quick counterattack, the Chinese team scored first.

Tang Zheng, who had been organizing attacks in the midfield and backfield, suddenly took the ball forward and used his superb foot skills to break through Witsel and De Bruyne. Everyone thought he was going to continue to break through, but he ended up sending a very accurate and penetrating shot. Strong through ball.

Kompany and Alderweireld subconsciously stretched their legs and did not touch the football. It was too late for Courtois to leave the goal and attack. Yerfan, who was running, shot a low kick. The football passed from the fallen Courtois. Wa's left armpit rolled into the far corner against the turf...

"The ball is in! The ball is in!!" CCTV 5 commentator He Wei shouted: "Captain Tang Zheng's exquisite through ball assisted the 19-year-old Ye Erfan to score and open the scoring! Continue! Come on! My Chinese team!"