World Cup of Great Powers

Although the first shot of the National Football Team in the New Year failed to win, it was played very loudly.

Before the game, the media thought it was just a 3-0, 4-0, or one-sided boring game, but it was abruptly turned into a goal battle by two offensive teams.

Especially when they were 1-4 behind, everyone thought the game had entered garbage time.

And the national football team also took advantage of the opportunity of the opponent's mentality to relax, and attacked frantically, so that they almost tied the score.

After reports by the local media, many scouts have already focused their attention on this Chinese team.

General Fan, Zhang Xiaorui and Sun Jihai also received offers from many clubs.

The winter window transfer period has not yet passed, and many European teams want to "take a share" of the Chinese team.

Three days later, Zeng Zheng led the team to play a friendly match against Li Jinyu's new club Torino.

In this game, Li Jinyu returned to his old club Turin to play.

Facing the teammates of the national team, Li Tie, Zheng Zhi and others did not have the slightest intention to release water.

In particular, General Fan and Zhang Yanhua, who knew Li Jinyu's style of play, teamed up to lock Li Jinyu's sneak attack route.

After a 90-minute fierce battle between the two sides, the Chinese team finally relied on the goals of Sun Jihai, Yang Chen and Xie Hui to defeat Turin 3-2 and win the first victory of the new year.

After defeating Turin, his teammates rushed to Genoa without stopping.

In this historic port, the Chinese team was welcomed by many local sailors.

In the early 90s, Sampdoria was in the limelight. The whole team visited China many times and had friendly business competition interactions with Guoan and other teams.

Even at that time, the myth of "Invincible Gongti" spread.

Looking back now, Zeng Zheng also somewhat understands the thoughts of the Sampdoria team back then.

It is not indecent to come and go.

The Chinese team, which was supposed to also play the role of Sampdoria players back then, did not show mercy in this game.

Less than 20 minutes into the game, they had already taken a 2-0 lead.

It's not that the Chinese team didn't keep their hands, but that Sampdoria is no longer the high-spirited team of the past.

The old sailors sewed and mended on this dilapidated ship, barely getting by.

Facing a group of Chinese teams that are almost composed of players from all over Europe, they have no power to fight back.

What's more, they have to prepare for the weekend league.

The fighting power is even worse.

In desperation, Zeng Zheng once again chose to replace most of the starters with substitutes.

Even if it is a substitute, it is still the main player of the club.

In the end, under the intentional release of the Chinese team, they defeated their opponents 3-1 and won two consecutive victories in the trip to Italy.

Faced with the team's performance, fans expressed their opinions on the Internet.

Netizen Azzurri: Yang Chen deserves to be the best striker in the Asian Cup, scoring goals in all three games.Every time the ball hits his feet, he can handle it very well. With this state, the World Cup is not a dream at all!

The netizen's silent will: Sun Ji's seaside road is very good, his performance is too stable, and he has a certain degree of relaxation.As long as he is not injured, we will have no problem on the right!
Netizen Anhao: Lazio, Torino, and Sampdoria all have league games to play, and these three games don't show the true level at all.The next game against the Iranian team will see the real trick. I don't know how the coach Zeng will arrange this game.

Netizen me and Meihua have two gray hairs: I have always trusted Lao Zeng to lead the team. I watched the video replay of the Lazio game.I feel that if it weren't for the back defense, the game would have been won.But after all, it's a centennial celebration, so losing to the opponent is justified.But when did Lao Zeng learn the ways of the world?This is different from what he used to be!
Netizen siusiusiu: I watched all three games, and our overseas students in Europe are very excited.With players like Zhang Xiaorui, Sun Jihai, Yang Chen, and Li Jinyu, I believe it won't be long before students studying in any European country can see Chinese players in the local league.

After leaving Italy, Zeng Zheng left all the overseas players behind and flew to Tehran with a few players who played in A.

At the same time, the team members who received the call-up notice in China were all ready to go and boarded the flight to Iran.

Zhuxie also announced the list of players participating in the Iran Ancient Civilization Cup on TV and newspapers.

Goalkeepers: Ou Chuliang (Jianglong), Fu Bing (Chongqing Lifan), Gao Jianbin (Sichuan Quanxing);

Defenders: Shu Chang (Luneng Taishan), Wu Chengying, Du Wei (Modu Shenhua), Li Weifeng (Jianglong Team), Yang Pu, Xu Yunlong (Beijing Guoan), Wei Xin (Chongqing Lifan)

Midfielders: Zhao Junzhe, Xu Liang (Liaoning), Li Xiaopeng (Luneng Taishan), Qi Hong, Shen Si (Madden Shenhua), Yu Genwei (Tianjin Teda), Sun Xiang (Madden Shenhua)

Forwards: Qu Shengqing (Modu Shenhua), Zhang Yuxie (Liaozu), Su Maozhen (Luneng Taishan), Wang Tao (Beijing Guoan)

After seeing the list of the second batch of national teams, many netizens were also moved with emotion.

These players are also among the best in the league.

Among them, he performed well in the Olympic Games and Asian Youth Championships.

Say nothing else.

With this group of people, they also believe that Zeng Zheng can bring the Chinese team to the World Cup.

But look now.

They were just "substitutes" for that batch of trips to Italy.

Before I knew it, the national team also had a first and second team!

As soon as he arrived in Tehran, he heard that the famous Croatian coach Blazevic was in final negotiations with the Iranian Football Association. He will officially take over the Iranian national team after the Civilization Cup.

Of course Zeng Zheng heard the news early in the morning, and as soon as Ladd arrived in Tehran, he called Blazevic to congratulate him.

The two even got together for a meal the afternoon after arriving in Tehran.

Blazevic has silver hair, small eyes and glasses, but is personable and quick-witted.

Ladd was an old acquaintance with him.

As soon as the two sides were seated, Blazevic asked Ladd about the details of the three games in Italy.

Ladd glanced at Zeng Zheng who was smiling, and then gave a detailed report to his old friend about every game.

"In 3 games, we scored 11 goals. The attack power of the Chinese team is really strong!"

In China for many years, Ladd also learned the Chinese style of modesty.

"Hey, what's that? It's just that the other team is preparing for the league, and we didn't play well."

"That's not bad! I heard that you kicked Samp so powerlessly!"

"This Sampdoria team is no longer what it used to be. Look at them, they may have to be relegated this season."

After Ladd finished feeling, the topic changed.

"Old Bu, why don't you do it in Croatia?"

"Oh, you know. My good friend President Duqimen passed away, and other people started to gossip and stop supporting me like they used to. I couldn't bear this anger, so I quit, haha! "

"Then why don't you come to China? I heard that the Shandong team had contact with you."

Faced with Ladd's question, Blazevic pointed at Ladd, and then at Zeng Zheng.

"If I go to Shandong, I will be the coach of a club at most. In the end, I will have to work under this young man. I am not reconciled."

"By then, I will not be as big as your 'officer'!"

"I will do my best!"

"And the Iranian team is a team with speed and strength. Of course I would prefer to coach the national team."

"Hey! It's just that good friends are about to become rivals. I hope that both Iran and China can qualify for this year's World Cup."

Ladd nodded after listening.

For the two of them, this is indeed a better choice.

"By the way, I heard that Iranian players don't like to return to China to play football. Is this true?"

"Hmph! I don't care about big or small names! As long as they don't obey the discipline, I won't want him either!"

"Look at the Chinese team, now they can make up a whole team for studying abroad!"

"Didn't they still play these three Italian friendly matches obediently?"

"In contrast, I prefer such players."

After finishing speaking, Blazevic lowered his voice, glanced at Zeng Zheng and secretly asked:

"What is the situation of the Chinese team now? I heard that you like to play the 442 rectangular position very much?"

Hearing such a hidden topic, Ladd subconsciously smiled awkwardly, and looked at Zeng Zheng beside him.

Blazevic apparently did not understand what Ladd meant.

Thinking that the other party didn't hear clearly, I quickly asked again.

This time, before Ladd could answer, Zeng Zheng, who had been silent on the sidelines, spoke with a smile.

"We like to play 442, but we are not limited to rectangular positions. We are very good at spiritual positions and parallel positions. As for how to arrange it, it depends on the opponent's situation and the real-time performance on the court."

Blazevic was dumbfounded after hearing this.

Ladd quickly explained: "Our coach Zeng graduated from the School of Foreign Languages ​​and has experienced many languages."

After hearing this, Blazevic suddenly realized and smiled awkwardly.

I won't talk about it in detail.

On January 1, after the speech of FIFA bamboo chair Blatter, the Four Nations Tournament of the Ancient Civilization Cup officially started.

The semi-final opponent of the Chinese team is the Desert Fox Egypt team.

Because of the Olympic Games and the Asian Cup, the ranking of the Chinese team moved forward again by 3 places.

According to official statistics at the end of 2000, the Chinese team had 716 points, ranking first in Asia and 16 in the world, second only to Cameroon.

The Egyptian team, which just won the Africa Cup of Nations, has 708 points and ranks 18th.

There is only Sweden between the two.

Judging from the statistics of this world ranking, the two should be on par.

Moreover, the two teams have almost no experience in fighting each other before, and no one knows the other.

In this game, Zeng Zheng still formed a 442 formation.

The goalkeepers are Fu Bin, defender Wu Chengying, Li Weifeng, Shu Chang and Yang Pu.

Midfielders Zhao Junzhe, Li Xiaopeng, Qi Hong and Shensi.

The forwards are Zhang Yuxuan and Qu Shengqing, two old Liaozu partners.

The Egyptian team is led by the veteran Hassan, who set a world record for the number of appearances.

In the opening 2 minutes, the Chinese team made a breakthrough from the left, and the Egyptian goalkeeper dropped the ball. Unfortunately, Zhang Yunao's supplementary shot directly hit the goalkeeper's arms.

The Egyptian team was not to be outdone. In the 5th minute, Hassan volleyed from outside the penalty area after receiving a long pass from his teammate. The ball bounced over the center post above Fu Bin's head.

No. In the 13th minute, Shu Chang made a mistake with Fu Bin when protecting the ball, and was almost attacked by No. 11 Mohamed of the Egyptian team.

Facing a strong enemy, Zeng Zheng first commanded the team to stabilize the midfield.

Zhao Junzhe and Li Xiaopeng's leading midfield defense line is also relatively stable, while Qi Hong and Shen Si also frequently use direct passes to tear apart the opponent's defense line.

After several confrontations, the situation on the field became even.On the national football side, according to Zeng Zheng's tactical plan, they began to concentrate on attacking the opponent's left flank.

No. In the 15th minute, Zhang Yuxi used his skillful technique to pass the two defenders of the Egyptian team on the left, and sent a threatening low ball.

It's a pity that the old partner Qu Shengqing didn't know whether it was because of lack of tacit understanding after the transfer or the hemorrhoid surgery at the end of last year.

The two corner kicks Shen Si then took were good, but they were successfully cleared by the Egyptian team.

No. In the 20th minute, Qi Hong accurately plugged a through pass in the middle. Qu Shengqing accidentally overshot the ball in a one-on-one pass. The goalkeeper of the Egyptian team attacked in time and confiscated the ball.

No. In the 301st minute, the Chinese team's defense made another fatal mistake when it was offside. Caught the ball with both legs!
No. 303 minutes, Shensi took a corner kick from the left, Li Weifeng and Zhang Yuning both jumped up in the middle to respond, but unfortunately neither of them could reach the ball.

The rest of the first half ended in a 0-0 draw with neither team scoring anything.

After the opening of the second half, the Chinese team played more proactively.

Under Zeng Zheng's command, he began to compete with the opponent in the midfield.

In the first half, the two full-backs who were huddled in the backcourt also began to frequently press for assists.

No. In the 406th minute, Su Maozhen, who replaced Qu Shengqing, got the ball in the penalty area and then turned around and volleyed vigorously. The ball went straight to the lower left corner of the Egyptian team's goal, but was miraculously saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.

In 5 minutes, Qi Hong made a wrong pass in the midfield, and the Egyptian team quickly launched a long pass to counterattack, forming a good opportunity for four-on-three in the frontcourt.

After Hassan got the ball, he passed it directly to the Chinese team, and the midfielder Barakat went to the meeting alone. Fortunately, Fu Bin showed bravery and attacked in time near the penalty area and successfully blocked it!

Faced with the sudden change of the Chinese team, the Egyptian team seemed a little at a loss.

The defenders on both sides took turns plugging in, making the Egyptian team hard to defend.

And Li Weifeng and Shu Chang's defense partner also regarded Hassan as submissive.

In desperation, the Egyptian team also replaced two players to strengthen the defense of the midfield, and the field has since fallen into a deadlock.

No.703 minutes, Zeng Zheng used Genwei to replace Qi Hong, who was a little weak.

No.705 minutes, the Chinese team got a free kick in the frontcourt. The Egyptian team's defenders were not far away.

No.80 minutes, after Yang Pu got the ball in the backcourt, he made a precise long pass to the gap on the right. The golden-headed Lao Mao stepped in in time and made a cross. Next, a very difficult upside-down golden hook, but unfortunately the ball was shot high.

One minute before the end, the Egyptian team replaced No. 1 goalkeeper Sayyed.

And Zeng Zheng did not replace Ou Chuliang, but gave Fu Bin full trust.

Both sides returned without success within 10 minutes.

According to the regulations of the competition system, the two sides directly entered the penalty shootout.

"Coach Zeng, what about the penalty kick?"

late guest asked quietly.

"I don't really want to win."

Zeng Zheng rubbed his chin, and said a conclusion that surprised Chi Shangbin and others, but felt reasonable.

"If you don't win, you don't win." Lao Chi even voted for it.

Jin Zhiyang and Shen Xiangfu looked at each other and nodded.

As the goalkeeper coach, Xu Tao said, "Coach Zeng, shall I talk to Fu Bin?"

"Don't use Fu Bin, let the other players practice their footwork."

After finishing speaking, Zeng Zheng called the top five team members who had been arranged earlier to his side.

"Listen up, you guys, the upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right must be kicked according to these four dead ends, do you understand?"

The five players looked at each other and nodded silently.

In fact, they probably understand the thinking of the coaching staff.

After Zeng Zheng finished his explanation, Chi Shangbin patted the shoulders of several people.

"Do as Coach Zeng says."

"It's rare to have such a good opportunity to practice footwork."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just play well!"

Several other coaches also stepped forward to "instruct" the players, and then the players walked onto the court.

After the penalty kick started, Shen Si took the lead in representing the Chinese team.

Facing the Egyptian goalkeeper Sayyed, he kicked the upper right corner directly. As a result, the ball hit the crossbar and flew out of the baseline.

He failed to score the first penalty, but Fu Bin showed bravery and saved the opponent's first penalty with a single punch.

In the second round of the Chinese team, Su Maozhen took the penalty, which may have been affected by Shensi's footwork, and the golden-headed Laomao's free throw also hit the goal frame.

Although Zhang Yuxuan and Zhao Jun did not disgrace their mission and hit the ball into the dead corner, the next three players of the Egyptian team all missed shots.

In the crucial fifth round of penalty kicks, Li Weifeng aimed at the lower left corner of the goal, but was bravely saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.

In this way, the Chinese team lost to Egypt 2-3 in the penalty shootout, missing the championship final and the $10 bonus.

At the post-match press conference, facing reporters' questions, Zeng Zheng spread his hands.

"I don't want to lose either, but who made the Iranian team fail to win a penalty kick?!"

"Think about it."

"Instead of playing against the three Italian teams, don't you think it is more valuable to meet the Iranian team in the third place match?"