Stepping Up, a Last-Gasp Equalizer Against Germany!

Chapter 2: Stepping Up, A Last-Minute Equalizer Against Germany!

"Who is this Number 23?"

"Never heard of him!"

"Klopp, that old man, actually subbed out Chen Tao for some unknown guy. Has he lost his mind?"

"Are the Germans paying him off to fix the match?"

"I bet that's it. The opponent is the German team; as a German himself, he must be hoping his own country's team wins!"

"Damn, those despicable Germans, so shameless!"

Because Klopp's substitution was so baffling, all sorts of conspiracy theories were flying around.

Even the CCTV commentator admitted he didn't understand:

"To be honest, I don't quite understand Coach Klopp's substitution either, but there must be a reason for it."

Chen Tao was playing so well, so why sub him off?

However, constrained by his position as an official commentator, he couldn't openly criticize Klopp at this moment.

But he had already anticipated how fierce the external criticism of Klopp's substitution would be after the match.

Unless the person replacing Chen Tao could produce better results after coming on, leading the Chinese team to equalize or even turn the score around.

But was that even possible?

"There isn't much time left for the Chinese team!"

Huang Jianxiang sighed as he uttered that classic line.

Although the fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions were extremely disappointed with the Chinese team's performance, they still resisted the urge to turn off or even smash their TVs. They watched while cursing, silently hoping for a miracle to happen deep down.

After all, they were their own boys; no matter how harshly they scolded them, they still hoped they would improve.

Facing the fans' skepticism, the expression on Lin Feng's face didn't change. He simply high-fived Chen Tao and sprinted quickly toward the pitch.

Once the substitution was complete, the match resumed. After the Chinese team kicked off, they immediately launched an attack against the German team.

Countless fans inside and outside the stadium widened their eyes, staring intently at the young player wearing the number 23 jersey on the field.

Their thoughts were simple: I want to see exactly what this guy who replaced Chen Tao is capable of.

Compared to Chen Tao, who excelled at dribbling and breaking through, Lin Feng had a different style of play.

A wider range of movement, more aggressive pressing in the frontcourt, and greater impact!

His footwork was well-rounded; he knew how to pass, receive, organize, and link up, though none of it was as impressive as Chen Tao's.

But his speed was simply too fast. After he came on, the Chinese team's rapid counterattacks made the Germans nervous and jumpy.

Fast speed, strong impact, wide range of movement, and he even participated in the overall defense.

Isn't this the style of a modern attacking midfielder?

The scouts present at the stadium lit up, quickly recognizing Lin Feng's style of play.

In an era where the classic attacking midfielder is gradually declining, major top-tier clubs are increasingly favoring the modern attacking midfielder.

Compared to the classic attacking midfielder, the modern attacking midfielder is faster, more explosive, and more aggressive. The most typical example is Kaka, who plays for AC Milan.

Although he is not a forward, he carries the banner of Milan's offense.

And Lin Feng's style of play was undoubtedly that of a modern attacking midfielder.

He could run, defend, break through, dribble, pass, and shoot—he was an all-around player!

Ordinary fans might not have the professional eye of a scout, but they weren't blind.

After watching for just a few minutes, they noticed these advantages of Lin Feng. It seemed like the Chinese team's offense had improved after he came on?

The German defense seemed to be struggling to hold on?

For a moment, the clamor of people shouting about a fix and attacking Klopp subsided significantly.

The 90 minutes of regular time had ended, and the referee's stoppage time was quite conservative—only 3 minutes!

There really wasn't much time left for the Chinese team!

"Score one!"

"Shoot already!"

The fans at the stadium and in front of their TVs began to grow anxious.

Watching the time tick away second by second, everyone felt as if a rope had been tightened around their necks, slowly constricting and giving them a sense of suffocation.

But the German team's defense in the penalty area was stubborn. The Chinese team's several frontal attacks were either cleared by defenders or saved by the goalkeeper.

Although the Chinese team had completely taken the advantage and was surrounding the German goal, they had the momentum but no goals, failing to break through time and again.

Realizing that they only needed to grit their teeth and hold on for the last few minutes to advance, the entire German team retreated to defend, practically parking a bus in front of their own goal!

Two minutes into stoppage time, the score on the field remained 3:2, with the Chinese team still trailing by one goal.

The players on the pitch were burning with anxiety; even the Goalkeeper had abandoned his post to join the attack in the opposing half, desperate to seize that final chance to equalize.

However, the overly crowded frontcourt actually reduced the available space, hindering the team's attacking coordination.

Seeing this, Lin Feng took the initiative to dribble toward the right wing, attempting to stretch the opponent's formation outward.

As expected, the German team's defensive line began to shift toward the right in response to his movement.

In doing so, a gap opened up on the left.

Gao Lin, who played with a sharp footballing brain, was the first to spot this opening.

He had originally intended to move toward the edge of the penalty area before signaling to his teammates for the ball.

Yet, before he could even raise his hand, he had barely stepped out of the penalty area when he saw the ball flying toward him.

The timing of the pass was impeccable, leaving Gao Lin deeply shocked: who on earth had anticipated his movement?

The answer was naturally Lin Feng, who had seen Gao Lin's actions and passed the ball the very first moment he could!

But Gao Lin seemed caught off guard, nearly fumbling his touch and missing the chance to shoot directly.

Seeing the Defender rushing toward him, Gao Lin abandoned his own shot, glanced at the positions of his teammates in the penalty area, and crossed the ball in.

It's up to you, King Dong!

Compared to the caught-off-guard Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo had been tracking the trajectory of the ball the entire time.

Seeing Gao Lin prepare to pass, Dong Fangzhuo, strong as a little tiger, shoved aside the Defender grappling with him and charged toward Gao Lin's direction. After receiving the ball, he unleashed a half-turn strike, sending it into the goal.

The score became 3:3!

The Chinese team had tenaciously equalized in stoppage time!

BOOM!

The stadium erupted in thunderous applause!

Fans waving the National Flag roared at the top of their lungs, venting the overwhelming excitement in their hearts.

"The ball is in, in, in, in, in!!!"

"3:3! The Chinese team has equalized in the final minute of stoppage time!"

"The match isn't over yet, our Youth World Cup journey isn't over yet!"

In the Commentary Booth, Huang Jianxiang jumped up in excitement the moment Dong Fangzhuo scored, not even noticing that his voice had cracked.

He absolutely loved this newly substituted Number 23!