Football: A late bloomer, starting with Leicester City

Chapter 172 Against Ireland, confidently passed the ball (please vote for me)
"CCTV, what you are watching now is the second round of the European Cup in France, Group E. This is a game held at the Grand Stade in Bordeaux!"

CCTV commentator Liu Jiayuan came to the game today to provide first-line commentary to the fans in front of the TV. The more eye-catching teacher He Wei did not appear for the time being.

"The Belgian team is still wearing red and black home jerseys today, while the Irish team is wearing white."

"This is a jersey combination that is not much different from the last game, but I think the Belgian players don't want to make the same mistakes as the last game. This is their key game!"

"In terms of the starting lineup, the Irish team adopted a [-] formation, and their desire to control the midfield is still relatively strong."

"The goalkeeper is Randolph, the two full-backs are Ward and Kerman, and the central defender partner is Clark and captain John O'Shea."

"In midfield, from left to right, Brady, McCarthy, Glenn Whelan, Hendrick."

"Hoolahan and Sean Long stood in a line, at the front."

"This is a team that cannot be underestimated, but it is comparable to the Belgian team, but its star power is much lower."

"The Belgian team today..."

Following Liu Jiayuan's introduction, Chinese fans watching the game also entered the live broadcast room and expressed their opinions.

There are still many people who stay up late to watch football, especially such an important game, which can completely arouse their desire to watch the game.

"The Belgian team is really star-studded. If they can't win against Ireland, Wilmots will be in trouble."

"Wilmots has been called a dog. If the team with this kind of performance cannot qualify, then he may simply disappear from the coaching industry."

"This kind of coach is more suitable for youth training, not suitable for leading a big team."

"Okay, come on Chen Yufeng!!"

"If we can win the Golden Boot Award in the European Cup, it will definitely be the pride of Asian players, the pinnacle of the yellow race!"

"Come on! It's a life and death battle. If you lose this one, there's a high probability that you won't be able to see Yufeng in the knockout round!"

"Yes, I must win, and I hope to go further!"

"..."

On the Grand Stadium in Bordeaux, the match between the two teams was already in full swing, and the scene was very heated.

Belgium took the initiative soon after the opening, relying on stronger personal ability to get the ball and conduct the ball quickly.

The overall rhythm is still relatively fast, with crosses constantly coming from the side and sent to the center, finding Lukaku or Chen Yufeng.

However, because the quality of the pass is not high, there is no good opportunity yet.

After the Irish team came up, they also put on a defensive posture. They seemed to want to use Italy's winning experience to gain a foothold in this aspect and slowly overcome the mentality of the Belgian players.

Of course they are right to do this. If they take the risk to engage in an offensive battle with Belgium, they may be able to get some opportunities in a short period of time and even score.

But the defense will definitely be beaten by the Belgian players and directly defeated.

"Watch people!"

"Fill up! Behind me!"

"Clean, it must be clean! Don't control the ball in the backcourt!"

Ireland captain John O'Shea was constantly dictating the defence, loudly enough for the entire field to hear.

With his efforts, the Irish team initially stabilized the offensive in the first ten minutes of the game and did not get a good chance from the Belgian team.

In the 13th minute of the game, Belgium took a left corner kick.

"Oh!"

De Bruyne whipped out a curve ball and sent it towards the center.

After Chen Yufeng developed the function of heading the ball, he no longer took corner kicks often.

De Bruyne's crosses are definitely not bad either. He is definitely more of a threat in the penalty area and has an extra point of attack.

"Bang!!"

This ball was caught by Chen Yufeng. He first stood near the penalty area line and pretended to be fighting for the second penalty.

As a result, after the ball was released, he bypassed the Irish team's defense and rushed directly into the small penalty area.

All the Irish players were not expecting this scene. No one was marking Chen Yufeng, allowing him to hit a very high-quality header.

"Bang!" A soft sound rang out immediately. Irish goalkeeper Randolph made a wonderful save at the critical moment and pushed the ball over the baseline with one hand.

Another corner kick.

"Oh……"

The Belgian fans at the scene suddenly made a sound of regret, and everyone expressed regret that the goal was not scored.

They then clapped their hands and encouraged Chen Yufeng.

This can be regarded as Belgium's first threatening shot in this game.

"Oh!"

Immediately afterwards, the corner kick was switched to the other side and was directly cleared by the Irish players. The second penalty kick was also controlled by them.

"Oh!"

McCarthy, who was in the midfielder position, kicked the ball forward and passed it directly to the head of Sean Long.

Alderweireld's challenge for the ball failed again, and Sean Long passed it to Hoolahan.

Hoolahan quickly charged towards the Belgian backcourt with the ball and launched the counterattack.

He was very fast and did not hesitate after reaching the edge of the penalty area. He shot with his right foot and went straight to the far corner of the goal.

Unfortunately, due to the long sprint distance, his muscles were a little weak at the moment of shooting, and there was no quality and he went directly out of the baseline.

"Pass the ball, Hoolahan."

Sean Long next to him pointed at the space in front of him and shook his head with some regret.

He had just run out of position, but Hoolahan above might not have noticed.

The lamentations of Irish fans sounded again, and Belgium escaped. This quick counterattack not only sounded the alarm for the Belgian team, but also made them impatient again.

This is their situation. If they cannot rely on the organizational control of the frontcourt to complete the goal, the backcourt will catch fire one after another, giving the opponent opportunities.

This is what annoys everyone and makes them eager.

For the next two, three, and 10 minutes, Belgium still tried to attack anxiously, as if they were determined to break through the Irish goal, penetrate it, and pin the opponent directly to the ground.

The pitch seems to be a more neutral place, though.

If any aspect of desire is paranoid, it will be counterproductive.

"Beep--!"

Until the end of the first half, the Belgian team still failed to find a good chance to score. On the contrary, Ireland was hit by two or three threatening attacks.

At halftime, the players returned to the locker room feeling a little defeated.

The feeling of powerlessness of constantly circling the opponent but not being able to attack them appeared again.

Chen Yufeng was sitting in his seat at this time, summarizing the first half of the game.

In the entire first half, he received probably a dozen passes. Most of the time, he was unable to find good opportunities and had to pass them back immediately.

Too many teammates will choose to rush long shots in the middle, or make some useless transfers, as if they are transferring for the sake of transfer, and they are too eager to tear up the defense line.

On the opposite side, there are eight people piled up in the backcourt, and there is a Hoolahan in front who is constantly harassing.

How could it be possible to get in so easily?

"If there are still no good opportunities in the second half, we can sometimes put their line wider."

Chen Yufeng gave his own suggestion, "Pull it out and then attack back. Creating this kind of opportunity for a second attack can be regarded as a quick small counterattack."

This cannot be regarded as a strict tactical instruction, only a small trick.

The Belgian players didn't say much, but judging from their eyes, they still agreed with this style of play.

When Wilmots next to him summarized the first half, he also pointed out what Chen Yufeng said to the players, so that they could try something sometimes.

Now the situation is broken. As long as a hole is opened, they can get in.

A tie score is undoubtedly more conducive to teams that defend and counterattack, because they often only need to seize one opportunity to kill the game.

Even if they can't kill, they can still implement more extreme defensive tactics.

"We need a big score, a big score that can boost morale!"

At the end of his summary, Wilmots still maintained his passion, "Come on kids! We can do it! We will definitely reverse the situation through this game, come on!"

Soon, as the intermission time passed, players from both sides came to the court again.

More pressure fell on the shoulders of the Belgian players. Everyone could see clearly that the fans supporting them in the stands were already very disappointed.

After coming all the way here, of course they wanted to spend more time in France and watch more team games.

It must be a pity to be eliminated so early.

Under heavy pressure, the Belgian players still adjusted their condition as much as possible and were ready for the game.

"Beep!"

As the whistle blew, the two sides switched fields and started the second half of offense and defense.

"Belgium still can't seem to find a way to break down the defense. Their offensive efficiency is too low. Nainggolan, who has strong long-range shooting ability, is sitting on the bench again."

CCTV commentator Liu Jiayuan's voice kept ringing, providing the audience with first-line commentary, "If this is still the case, it is better to be more decisive, stop playing fancy, and just give the ball to Chen Yufeng and make a 45-degree cross!"

"They always want to play beautiful offensive football, but judging from the current state, if they want both spectacle and victory, then maybe nothing will come of it!"

"Oh, we saw that Belgium made adjustments in the second half. They retracted their formation a little bit, and the Irish players were almost forced to press forward!"

"Meunier! He performed well today! He intercepted Hoolahan's ball. This is a good opportunity for Belgium to counterattack!"

"Meunier passed the kick to Chen Yufeng, can Chen Yufeng start to speed?!"

As his voice became louder and louder, the Belgian fans on the pitch began to cheer.

From the wide position, Chen Yufeng had already dribbled the ball towards Ireland's full-back, Ward, at high speed.

"Oh!"

Facing this defender with whom he was unfamiliar, Chen Yufeng chose to believe in himself. After shaking his body slightly, he took a step forward to play the ball!
It’s a blast!

In fact, Ward's speed should not be much slower than Chen Yufeng's, but because he didn't follow the turn, he was still left behind by Chen Yufeng.

Soon, Ireland captain John O'Shea rushed over and sent a sliding shovel towards Chen Yufeng's feet.

Chen Yufeng spotted this opportunity and did not let the opponent succeed. With the support of Ronaldo's variation breakthrough, his insight was always excellent when he broke through with the ball.

Stuck at the last minute, he blasted past Ireland captain John O'Shea with a simple croquette.

"Ohhhhhhh..."

Cheers rang out at the scene, and countless Belgian fans sat up from their seats and looked at Chen Yufeng on the court.

After he broke through John O'Shea, Ireland's backfield was empty, with only two defenders and a holding midfielder left.

"Oh!"

Chen Yufeng kicked the full-moon scimitar and accurately hit the back point.

There, De Bruyne had already moved forward and stopped the ball with his right foot.

Faced with such an opportunity, De Bruyne, the core midfielder, certainly would not waste it. He blasted the ball directly to the far corner of the goal with a right-footed shot.

"Shhh!!"

As the net shook violently, De Bruyne blushed and spread his hands, rushing towards Chen Yufeng on the wing.

(End of this chapter)