World Cup of Great Powers

"Losing? Why did you lose on purpose?" Ma Yuanan looked surprised.

Losing on purpose in the World Cup is completely treasonous in his opinion!

Losing will not only affect his "performance", but also the bonus of the entire team.

Faced with Ma Yuanan's hesitation, Zeng Zheng pointed to the remaining schedule of Group C and slowly explained.

"This World Cup is divided into divisions. If we want to enter the finals, we must stand out from the bottom half."

"The biggest opponent in the second half of the competition is the Norwegian team in Group C."

Looking at the target pointed by Zeng Zheng, Ma Yuanan nodded, but was still a little confused. "Then what?"

"That is to say, no matter whether we qualify first in the group or second in the group, if we want to advance to the finals, we will inevitably have to play against Norway."

Zeng Zheng continued his analysis, "The same is true for Norway."

"We are the biggest enemies of the Norwegian team!"

"According to the current situation of our group, even if we lose to Australia in the last game, we may still qualify first in the group."

"The Swedish team can only guarantee the right to qualify if it defeats Ghana."

"In other words, this third group match has completely become a 'burden' for us!"

"A burden?" Ma Yuanan looked puzzled.

He has never thought about a World Cup game from this perspective.

"That's right, it's just a burden!" Zeng Zheng said firmly.

"This third game will not only consume the physical fitness of our main players, but may also cause red and yellow cards or injuries."

"Even if you win the game, the profit will be almost zero."

"So in this last game, I suggest that we send as many substitutes as possible."

After Zeng Zheng's explanation, Ma Yuanan nodded.

He is not that pedantic and can still understand Zeng Zheng's intentions.

"Xiao Zeng, I understand what you mean. Isn't it just to let the main players conserve their strength and avoid injuries?"

"no problem!"

"It's rare for girls to come to the World Cup, so there's nothing wrong with letting everyone experience the atmosphere of the World Cup!"

However, faced with Ma Yuanan's understanding, Zeng Zheng still shook his head.

"Coach Ma, preserving strength is just my first intention."

“In this game, I think it’s better to lose to the opponent on purpose!”

Ma Yuanan scratched the back of his head after hearing this, "Xiao Zeng, I don't understand this."

"I sent a large number of substitutes to play, but Australia can't even kick our substitutes. I can't arrange for the players to kick in my own goal, right?"

In the first Women's World Cup, Oceania sent New Zealand to participate, but ranked second from last;

In the second Women's World Cup, Australia represented Oceania, but ended up finishing last.

Generally speaking, the ability of Oceania's women's football team is directly proportional to their investment.

But after three days of separation, we should look at each other with admiration.

Since next year's Olympic Games will be held in Sydney, Australia has also increased its investment in women's football in the past two years.

But even so, in the eyes of Ma Yuanan and others, they still cannot reach the edge of the Chinese team.

This is understandable.

Although we don’t attach much importance to women’s football in our country, if you compare it horizontally with other surrounding countries, you will find that we still invest a lot in women’s football.

Therefore, according to Ma Yuanan's idea, even if we send substitutes to play, winning Australia will not be a problem.

By then, the Chinese team will qualify with three wins. How majestic will it be?!

What's more, Ma Yuanan also knows the current results of Group C. If we qualify first in the group, we can avoid the strong Norway in the quarter-finals.

As a result, the top four spots in this World Youth Championship are certain, so why not?

"Coach Ma, did you ask me to come here just to help the team advance to the semi-finals?"

Zeng Zheng raised his head, stared into Ma Yuanan's eyes and asked.

Ma Yuanan hesitated a little when Zeng Zheng glared at her.

Of course he believes in the strength of his players, and he also knows that the development level of women's football around the world is not equal.

But people of his time like to do the safest thing.

Calling Zeng Zheng here is a "double insurance".

In his words: No matter how bad it is, at least he is in the top four, right?!

Such thoughts and attitudes just reveal that he does not have a very in-depth strategic plan for this World Cup. He just plays wherever he plays!

"Coach Ma, what I want is to meet Norway in the quarter-finals early!"

Ma Yuanan was shocked when he heard Zeng Zheng's purpose.

This is completely contrary to what he thought.

"Here, let's face off against Norway ahead of time. What if we lose?"

In other words, what if we don’t make it to the top four?

"Then if we lose, we lose. It can only be said that our skills are inferior to others!"

Zeng Zheng waved his hand, "With the current level of our team, we are completely capable of winning the championship!"

"If you can't even beat a small Norway, then why win the championship? What's the difference between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals? Anyway, we have already qualified for next year's Olympic Games."

Zeng Zheng's rhetorical question made Ma Yuanan frown.

He couldn't accept this kind of deliberate encounter with tough situations, resulting in the result that he couldn't even advance to the semi-finals.

Seeing Ma Yuanan's hesitation, Zeng Zheng emphasized again.

"Coach Ma, I am here just to win the championship."

"Everything I have planned is to pave the way and prepare for winning the championship!"

Ma Yuanan's eyes rolled again and again, and after a long while, he finally said: "Xiao Zeng, tell me specifically, what is your plan? Why did you deliberately meet Norway first to lose?

"

"It's very simple." Zeng Zheng spread his hands, "As I said again, since we can't avoid the confrontation with Norway, then we should take advantage of the full strength to face it with our main force!"

"Coach Ma, in the last group match, Group C will play first."

"Norway currently has two wins and zero losses. At least they will not lose in the last game in order to ensure the top spot in the group and avoid us as much as possible."

"If we suddenly lose at this time and finish second in the group, it will definitely disrupt the opponent's plans. It will also show the enemy's weakness and make the opponent take it lightly."

"At that time, we will be calculated mentally but not intentionally. After the main players take a break, we will use all our strength to attack with all our strength. This will be much better than dragging our exhausted body to fight with the opponent in the semi-finals! The chance of winning is also very high."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "In this way, whether we encounter Russia or Japan in the semi-finals, the pressure will be much less than when we encounter the Norwegian team."

"At that time, we can retain our strength and take a rest, and then make more adequate preparations for the final against the United States, defeat the opponent in one fell swoop, and win the World Cup championship!"

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World Cup Champion?

Ma Yuan'an muttered.

The title and glory of the championship made his body feel hot.

In recent years, the women's football team has won many cup championships in Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, but they have not won any world championships.

The most recent one was the runner-up in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

If the women's football team really takes home a championship trophy, wouldn't their own honor and contribution be huge?

But then I thought about it, does our team really have the strength to win the championship?

Stopped in the quarterfinals in 1991 and fourth in 1995.

The results in two consecutive World Cups were not very good.

Although this session is strong, according to Ma Yuanan's idea, it would be great to make it to the top four and get third place. It would at least be better than the previous session. I will have something to explain when I go back.

But if he doesn't even make it to the semi-finals, what awaits Ma Yuan'an will not only be dismissed from get out of class, but also the fans' curses.

For all the reasons mentioned above, Ma Yuanan really doesn’t want to take this risk.

"Xiao Zeng, what you said is all based on our plan to reach the finals and our opponent is the host country, the United States."

"There are a lot of variables here. What if your plan goes wrong?"

"And even if they do get to play the final against the US, didn't they play several games to get promoted?"

"There's no need to take such a big risk for such a simple reason as preserving strength, right?"

Faced with Ma Yuanan's doubts, Zeng Zheng snorted.

"Risk? What risk?"

"I just said it would be better to lose to Australia in the last group match."

"Don't forget, even if we lose now, we are very likely to win the first place in the group."

"Besides, the United States is the host, and they are ready to work. Their physical reserves are definitely better than ours."

"For these reasons, isn't it enough for our main players to retain their strength in an inconsequential group match?"

Seeing Zeng Zheng's determined expression, Ma Yuanan was still a little uneasy.

After walking around the room for a few times, he finally said hesitantly: "Xiao Zeng, I'd better discuss this matter with the group leader."

...

June 26, New York, New Jersey, Giants Stadium.

At the press conference before the game, Ma Yuanan was quite critical.

"It literally took us a day to get here from Portland."

"The team members are exhausted and in no condition."

"And Australia is waiting for work in leisure, which simply violates the principle of fair play!"

In the past few days, some major newspapers and Chinese newspapers in the United States have reported on this matter several times.

Of course, the schedule has long been determined and cannot be changed, and it is not just the Chinese women's football team that will be affected by this.

In this matter, the Chinese team only used this to clarify its own point of view.

However, to those who are careful, they can hear the hidden meaning behind the words.

In this way, amidst unanimously optimistic voices at home and abroad, the last game of Group D group stage officially started.

It’s the same as Zeng Zheng judged.

Xiaotian couldn't beat Norway at all. In the last game, they lost 0-4 to their opponents and were eliminated at the bottom.

In the game that just ended on the field where the Chinese team was standing, Russia beat Canada 4-1 and finished second in Group C.

In other words, the decision of who they want to meet in the quarter-finals lies entirely in the hands of the Chinese team.

It was tiring to travel and travel, and we were not accustomed to the local environment.

In this game, Ma Yuanan complained endlessly, seeming to be trying to cover up why he sent a large number of substitutes.

Not long after the kickoff, Australia scored successfully.

Seeing the score become 0-1, the fans in the stands cheered even louder.

Listening to the cheers from the crowd, the players on the field looked at each other.

The main players on the sidelines also clenched their fists, as if they were enduring something.

After a while, Gao Hong made a mistake and gave the opponent another goal.

Less than 30 minutes into the first half, the Chinese team was already trailing 0-2.

"Ah ah ah, what did the Chinese team do? Why are they so careless?"

"Come on, girls, don't forget the fighting spirit of the women's football team!"

"What is Ma Yuanan doing? Why is he playing so poorly in this game? Is it really caused by the long journey?"

Listening to the noise of the fans in the stands, Ma Yuanan was also a little restless.

Is this really a good idea?

The fans "don't understand" just after falling behind by two goals. Then when the game is lost, everyone won't be able to scold them!

During halftime, Ma Yuanan stopped Wang Junsheng outside the locker room.

"Captain, look at the great response from the fans here!"

"If we continue to play like this, won't it chill the hearts of the fans?"

"Watch this second half..."

Wang Junsheng rolled his eyes at Ma Yuanan.

"Old Ma, you are the coach, it is your business to arrange the team's performance!"

"Ask me what to do?"

Faced with Wang Junsheng's sudden "passing the buck", Ma Yuanan was stunned on the spot.

He nnd!

If it hadn't been for your nod, would I have been able to arrange this game like this?

Why are you retracting your head now?

Just when Ma Yuan'an was stunned, Wang Junsheng spoke again.

"Old Ma, don't forget."

"The last group match of the Asian Youth Championship."

"The Chinese Youth Team also lost."

Of course Ma Yuanan is very aware of Zeng Zheng's record.

At that time, everyone in the industry knew that Zeng Zheng deliberately lost games to disgust his opponents.

In that game, the Chinese youth team not only lost, but also lost "just right", and the result was still first in the group.

But now it’s the Women’s World Cup!

Can the two be compared?

And I'm the head coach now.

If we lose the game then, everyone will definitely blame me!

Wang Junsheng left after saying these words, leaving a worried Ma Yuanan to open the door and walk into the locker room.

As soon as Ma Yuanan entered the door, the female football girls in the room immediately stood up and surrounded him.

"Coach Ma, why didn't you let us attack in the first half?"

"Yes, coach, even if we are substitutes, we are confident that we can win against our opponent!"

"Coach, we can't keep playing like this. If we keep playing like this, we will really lose!"

Facing the invitation from the women's football girls to volunteer as soldiers, Ma Yuanan sighed and told the truth.

"Team members."

"I know what you are wondering."

"To tell you the truth, we are rushing to lose this game!"

"What???"

As soon as Ma Yuanan said these words, the room immediately exploded.

"Coach Ma, why is this?"

"We can obviously win!"

"Why do you have to lose?"

"Didn't we let the main players rest? Our substitutes can also win!"

At this moment, captain Fan Yunjie said loudly.

"Quiet, everyone, please be quiet."

"Since Coach Ma has arranged it this way, he must have a plan."

"We are all team members, we just need to follow the coach's instructions."

After speaking, Fan Yunjie directed everyone to disperse.

Sitting on the bench honestly, it seemed that he was waiting for Ma Yuanan to give a reasonable explanation.

Faced with this situation, Ma Yuanan finally retreated.

After taking a deep breath, Ma Yuanan said slowly: "Actually, this plan was devised by Coach Zeng and I after careful consideration. The purpose is to better win the championship..."

"Oh oh oh! So that's it!"

Before Ma Yuanan could finish speaking, a sound of realization suddenly came from the locker room.

"It turns out it was Coach Xiao Zeng's arrangement! Coach Ma, you told me earlier!"

"Yes, yes, I thought Australia was giving us some benefit behind the scenes!"

"Since it was arranged by Coach Zeng, it's okay, and I feel relieved."

Seeing the instantly relieved expressions of the team members, Ma Yuanan was extremely depressed.

Good guy!

what's the situation?

Ganmao, as soon as you heard that it was Zeng Zheng's arrangement, you immediately accepted it?

I'm the head coach, okay?

Just as Ma Yuanan was complaining in his mind, Fan Yunjie asked again: "Coach Ma, did Coach Xiao Zeng just let us lose on purpose?"

Ma Yuanan was feeling unhappy at the moment. Hearing this, he replied casually: "Losing means losing. What else do you want to ask?"

"I just want to ask, is losing these two goals enough?"

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