World Cup of Great Powers

April 5, 19:00, Enugu Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.

National Youth Team vs Portugal U20.

The National Youth Team, wearing white jerseys, focused on defense from the beginning of the game, while Portugal, wearing red and purple jerseys, launched an aggressive attack on the National Youth Team's defense from the first minute.

What surprised the fans was that last year's Asian Youth Championship main forward Shen Han was placed on the bench by Zeng Zheng.

The man on the front line turned out to be a little-known national security player.

Shao Jiayi made the Portuguese dare not be careless.

Among the information they collected, Shao Jiayi's name did not exist at all.

Looking at Shao Jiayi, some people said it was Zeng Zheng who had a sudden idea and a clever move; others said it was Zeng Zheng's mistake in employing people and improper arrangements.

Of course, the happiest people are the scouts who came to the scene to "dig for gold".

They were waiting for the Chinese Youth Team to take out the cards at the bottom of the box one by one and show them in front of them.

Shao Jiayi's performance is undoubtedly a good signal, which means that Zeng Zheng does not intend to hide it and will go all out from the first game.

Zeng Zheng and the Portuguese head coach both stood on the sidelines from the first minute, observing the game with solemn eyes.

The Chinese Youth Team believes that Portugal is a formidable enemy, so why don’t Portugal think the same way?

In the Toulon Cup last year, Zeng Zheng already showed his skills in front of young players all over the world.

Although this team is not the Toulon Cup team last year.

But a person’s name is like a tree’s shadow.

After the Mali team stole the show, no one wanted to lose the first game of the group stage.

When the game reached the seventh minute, the China Youth Team used a counterattack to launch a threatening attack.

After Li Yan and Xu Yunlong formed a cooperation on the right, Zheng Zhi quickly came up from the wing. After receiving the ball, he went to the baseline and passed a very high-quality cross.

In the penalty area, Li Yi quickly grabbed the first spot and hit the ball with a diving dive.

But unfortunately, the ball hit the post and bounced back into the penalty area, where it was cleared by the Portuguese defender.

As the ball flew out of the penalty area, Portugal began to press heavily, waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

On the side of the court, Zeng Zheng applauded their performance in this attack and loudly ordered the players to calm down and not be anxious.

"Everyone look back!"

"You don't need to retreat too far, just keep a good distance!"

"Zhao Junzhe, you retreated too deep! You have to lead the whole team to push the defense line outward."

"Midfield, don't let them pass through the midfield so easily!"

"Li Yi, Shao Jiayi, you two are more pressing in the frontcourt!"

"Keep a good distance between the three lines, control the rhythm, and pay attention to assisting defense and protecting both sides."

"Cheer up, run, run! If you're not in place, hurry up!

"

Following Zeng Zheng's shouts, the players on the field also received instructions one by one. While forming a defense, they also just managed to neutralize Portugal's attack.

When he stopped talking, Zeng Zheng glanced at the Portuguese coach Stik on the other side.

The other party was obviously a little anxious.

The first threatening attack at the beginning was made by the opponent, and it hit the post, almost losing a point.

This in itself is a red flag.

In addition, Zeng Zheng was very familiar with Portuguese, and Zeng Zheng heard everything Sticker yelled clearly.

"Xiao Zeng, do you think we can win this game?" Zhu Guanghu asked worriedly.

"I don't know, football is round, and no one can tell until the last moment." Zeng Zheng smiled calmly, "But the mentality of the head coach on the opposite side is a bit bad. At least they are more nervous than us in this aspect."

Speaking of which, Portugal has attached great importance to youth training in recent years.

The two-time World Youth Championship champions in 1989 and 1991 made countless people think that Portugal's golden generation was about to arrive.

But sometimes, handling the player's mentality is more important than skills and tactics.

The Portuguese coaches are a bit impatient, let alone the players.

Even if you are third in the group, you still have a chance to qualify.

But first, we have to compete for third place in the group!

Since the start of this World Youth Championship, African teams have performed very well.

Not to mention the Nigeria and Ghana teams, Cameroon defeated Xiaotian 2-1, and Zambia also defeated Honduras 4-3.

In addition, the Mali team even won against Uruguay. Who dares to look down on African teams?

From the current point of view, if the four teams in Group D want to qualify, they must start grabbing points from the first game.

Facing Zeng Zheng, Stick had no reason to look down on his opponent.

This is also the reason why I was anxious when I saw that I couldn't gain an advantage after the game started.

"They want to eat us from the beginning." Zeng Zheng pointed to a few players on the field who frequently accepted Stick's instructions and wrote lightly, "But tigers also take a nap."

"As long as we counterattack when those players have used up their new strength and haven't yet developed their old strength, we will gain something sooner or later."

As Zeng Zheng said, the counterattack time he arranged for the National Youth League was very particular.

When to attack, when to actually stab the opponent, it has been planned in advance.

In the 21st minute, taking advantage of Paulo Costa's pass error in the frontcourt, the Chinese Youth Team immediately pressed forward, forming a 4-on-3 situation in the frontcourt.

If Shao Jia's last kick wasn't intercepted by the opponent's defender, the ball might have gone in right now.

In the 24th minute, Li Yi formed a single shot in the frontcourt. Unfortunately, as soon as he burst out of speed, he was pulled down from behind by the opponent's defender.

In the 27th minute, Xu Yunlong was violated by the opponent in the frontcourt. Li Yan's free kick from about 30 meters in the penalty area flew past the crossbar and flew out of the baseline!

Before the game, Zeng Zheng threatened to fight "fast" with his opponent.

Judging from the opening 30 minutes, the speed of the China Youth Team is indeed impressive.

Not only are the players running fast, but their counterattack rhythm is also fast.

Usually, before the opponent can react, a situation of more attacking players and less attacking players in the frontcourt is formed.

Because the China Youth Team counterattacked sharply, the camera kept switching on the faces of Xu Yunlong, Li Yi, Li Yan, Zhao Junzhe, Shao Jiayi, Zheng Zhi and other players.

Simao, Sabrosa, Lille and others who were more optimistic about the European scouts seemed to have become invisible, being submerged in the sea of ​​people.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! One minute before the end of the first half, Zhao Junzhe once again won a well-positioned free kick for the National Youth Team.

The free kick he took personally was spotted by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, the two teams could only end the first half with a score of 0-0.

Although most of the scene is on the side of the National Youth Team, fans inevitably have their own opinions.

"These young guys played well, but I always feel that their finishing touches were a bit lacking!"

"Yeah, why don't you use Shen Han from Navigation Star? I've never seen this guy from Guoan before! It's him who has wasted several opportunities."

"Maybe Coach Zeng wants to promote new people!"

"You can't promote newcomers here! What kind of occasion is this? The World Cup for the youth team! Coach Zeng didn't expect him to be so unreliable! Training for the World Youth Championship!"

The fans were talking a lot, but Zeng Zheng didn't think anything of it.

During the intermission, Zeng Zheng took a towel and handed it to Shao Jiayi.

"How do you feel? Are you able to get used to it?"

Shao Jiayi lowered his head after taking the towel, blushing.

He was also dissatisfied with his performance in the first half today.

He and Zeng Zheng are not close friends, and the World Youth Championship made an exception to promote him to the team. Shao Jiayi said that he did not dare to move, but that was a lie.

He was so moved that he always wanted to repay Zeng Zheng with his achievements.

But 45 minutes passed, and apart from two initial shots that were blocked by his opponents, he made no further achievements in the frontcourt.

"Boss Zeng, I, I will definitely continue to work hard in the second half."

"It's no use just saying hard work! You have to have skills." Zeng Zheng said, pulling out a tactical board, sitting in front of Shao Jiayi and explaining it to him.

Seeing Zeng Zheng giving this newcomer a "little start", Xiang Xiang couldn't help but curl his lips.

"Boss Zeng is so partial! He didn't even call me over for guidance alone!"

On the other side, the Portuguese assistant coaches are also reporting the situation to the head coach.

"We made too many mistakes here."

"If the Chinese youth players were not skilled enough in seizing opportunities and passing the ball, we might have conceded the ball by now."

The Portuguese head coach's expression was extremely ugly.

Of course he knew that the situation was not good for him, and he even regretted that he should not have tried to control the rhythm of the court when facing the Chinese Youth Team.

He knows that the China Youth Team is good at proactive defense.

However, this tactic of counterattack has always been regarded as low-end in Europe, because it always gives people the impression that the team is not strong enough.

But the Chinese Youth Team's proactive defense against counterattacks gave Stick a brand new experience.

Although most of the ball is at the feet of his own players, most of the time is spent on ineffective passes.

Not only are they unable to produce a decent offense, but they also have to prevent the Chinese Youth Team from quickly counterattacking at all times.

Once the Chinese youth team starts a fast break, it will form a situation in the frontcourt where more players play less.

Several speedy attackers in the Chinese youth team gave Stik's team no sense of experience on the court.

"Damn it!" Stick cursed angrily.

Facing Zeng Zheng, he felt like he had no idea what to do.

Where did this kid come from?

How many years have you been studying in Brazil since you were the first third world country to reach such a level?

I have heard that Brazil is rich in players, but I have never heard that Brazil is also rich in famous coaches!

"The Chinese team members have a great mentality. They were the champions of the Asian Youth Championship, entered the World Cup last year, and won the Asian Games championship."

"With the support of such an honor and the guidance of a world-class coach, these players have an inexplicable sense of confidence when they get on the court!" the Portuguese assistant coach concluded, "so even in the defensive formation, they are fully committed to executing it."

"Most of our players have become famous at a young age and have attracted the attention of many wealthy clubs at a young age."

"So sometimes they value feathers more."

"At this point, we are very different from the Chinese team."

The Portuguese assistant coach said the key.

Generally speaking, you are not afraid of wearing shoes if you are barefoot.

For the Chinese Youth Team, the World Youth Championship is a peak they have never reached.

Portugal has already won the championship twice.

Therefore, even a "backward style of play" such as defensive counterattack is still enjoyable under the feet of the Chinese youth team members.

...

15 minutes passed quickly, and in the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again.

The Chinese Youth Team is still defensive and counterattacking, but as the Portuguese players begin to focus on defense, the Chinese Youth Team also begins to find ways to counterattack.

"Oh? The ball has been passed to the left. Now it is No. 21 of the Chinese Youth Team who has the ball."

Seeing the Chinese Youth Team attacking again, the commentator on the scene was also a little excited.

He is eager to see goals, especially for a third-world country like China to score against Portugal, the favorite to win the championship.

Facing the opponent's defender, Shao Jiayi moved the ball forward without hesitation, seeking a breakthrough.

The Portuguese defender will naturally not be careless. He immediately turns around to chase the ball and gets stuck in position at the same time.

However, the next second, Ximang's shoulder seemed to have been hit by a train, and he staggered back two or three meters.

"How dare he?"

The members of the Chinese youth team have always been focused on speed and rarely engage in physical confrontation with the Portuguese.

Now Shao Jiayi took the initiative to bump into him, which made Ximang feel a little confused.

After the "sneak attack" was successful, Shao Jia successfully knocked away the opponent and rushed to the baseline with the ball.

He made a smooth pass and kicked the ball into the Portuguese penalty area.

Because it was spinning in the opposite direction, the Portuguese goalkeeper could only stand firmly on the goal line, hoping that his teammates would clear the ball.

Although Li Yi and others are fast, they don't have much advantage in high-altitude balls.

Seeing Shao Jiayi's pass being cleared by the opponent's defender, the Chinese fans who came to watch the game couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"No matter what, this guy's footwork is pretty good and he can pass the ball quite decisively."

"It seems that Coach Zeng gave him new instructions during halftime!"

"I'm just saying, Coach Zeng can't have misjudged the person. Give this kid some time and he should be able to work."

Shao Jiayi's cross made the fans' eyes brighten.

The most important thing is that the pass he just made was kicked with his left foot.

Having such good left-footed skills at this age is something to be proud of!

Sure enough, Shao Jiayi's pass was just the beginning.

In all the subsequent attacks of the National Youth Team, the ball was handed over to the left, and Shao Jiayi launched the attack.

Although Portugal's right back could keep up with Shao Jiayi's speed, he became timid after defending several times in a row.

the reason is simple.

Don't look at how brave Shao Jiayi is when he makes a breakthrough and takes the initiative to hit the opponent;

But once hit by an opponent, it may fall directly to the ground, or it may roll several times.

After creating three consecutive frontcourt set-pieces in similar positions, the Portuguese restrained himself a lot.

Because they discovered that letting Shao Jiayi prepare and then kick a free kick into the penalty area was far greater than the threat caused by his cross.

Every time he sees Shao Jiayi's arc with his left foot hovering over his own penalty area, the Portuguese goalkeeper is frightened every time.

Shao Jiayi always kicked the ball in the opposite direction of the goal, but he did not dare to attack rashly.

After going back and forth, seeing that the Chinese Youth Team was about to open a channel on the left, Stick could only replace a defender with strong physical strength to double-team Shao Jiayi on the left.

Gradually, watching the opponent's defensive focus begin to pile up on the left, Zeng Zheng on the sideline showed a smile.

Just when the Portuguese thought that the Chinese Youth Team's offense was still launched from the left, Shao Jia, who pretended to break through, kicked back and passed the ball back to Zhao Jun in the center.

After the latter stopped the ball, there was no defender within three meters of him.

Seeing Zhao Junzhe take a step forward and then shoot, the Portuguese central defender rushed out of the penalty area and knocked him to the ground desperately.

The referee's whistle sounded, and while showing the Portuguese defender a yellow card, he also awarded the Chinese Youth Team a well-positioned free kick.

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"In the middle, one more player should stand in the middle!" Sticker yelled from the sidelines.

"Don't let the top players of the Chinese team run and push them out!"

"Protect the goalkeeper's position and don't let them interfere with the goalkeeper!"

“To clear the siege, you must clear the ball as soon as possible!

"

Whoosh!

During Stik's command, the ball suddenly slid into an arc in the air and hit the dead center of the Portuguese goal.

The goalkeeper on the goal line was stunned and didn't react at all.

"this..."

Stick wiped his eyes, and the ball really flew into his own net.

Looking at Shao Jiayi on the court with his arms raised high and running towards Zeng Zheng to celebrate, Stick opened his mouth in surprise.

"He...how did he cum on his own?"

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