This Victory Changed Chinese Football!

Messi stood with his hands on his hips, head bowed as he stared at the turf beneath his feet.

Deep inside, he felt a wave of helplessness for the very first time.

Moments ago, he had sprinted nearly 70 meters, chasing all the way from the opponent's penalty area back to his own.

Yet, in the end, he still hadn't caught up.

He could only watch helplessly as the opponent scored the goal that turned the match around.

To make matters worse, this long-distance pursuit had drained almost every ounce of his remaining stamina.

At this moment, simply standing on the pitch felt like an immense struggle.

For the first time, Messi realized the profound importance of physical fitness; he secretly vowed that once he returned, he would train his stamina properly, ensuring that today's tragedy would never repeat itself.

The goal Lin Feng scored in the 82nd minute had all but shattered the morale of the Argentina team.

Especially when Messi, exhausted, was substituted off by the Argentina Head Coach.

The match was effectively over.

In the end, after a grueling battle, the Youth National Team completed a comeback against the formidable Argentina team, securing the first ticket to the finals.

This was the first time in the history of the Youth National Team, and indeed all of Chinese football, that they had reached the final of such a world-class tournament.

Lin Feng and his teammates had inadvertently made history.

They had no idea what a profound impact this victory would have on Chinese football.

Right now, they were on the pitch, celebrating this hard-won victory with wild abandon.

As for the losing side, the players of Argentina shed tears of regret.

Messi did not weep like his teammates; he looked up at the frozen scoreboard, then walked over to Lin Feng, who was celebrating with his team, took off his jersey, and waited quietly for the other to finish his celebration.

"You are strong. I look forward to meeting you on the European stage soon. When that time comes, I won't hold back!"

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow at these words. Was this a challenge?

Facing a challenge initiated by Messi, Lin Feng certainly wouldn't back down.

He had grown up never knowing the meaning of fear.

"Same here. After all, the taste of victory is only sweeter when you defeat a strong opponent like you!"

Messi stared at him for a few seconds, chose not to trade barbs, and walked away with the jersey Lin Feng had handed him.

He didn't like empty talk; he preferred to prove his strength through action.

Watching Messi's retreating figure, Lin Feng sighed.

What a pity; he had already promised his fanatical father that he would keep the jersey from this match for him.

But it didn't matter. He would just go change into another kit later, run onto the pitch while it was still open to roll around in the grass, and add his own autograph—that should be enough to fool him, right?

The plan was sound, but the first step hit a snag.

Lin Feng had clearly underestimated the level of fervor this match had generated back home.

As he stepped off the pitch, preparing to return to the Locker Room, a massive crowd of reporters wielding cameras and microphones swarmed him from all directions, surrounding him so tightly he couldn't move.

"Uh, this isn't the interview zone..."

Before Lin Feng could finish his sentence, a microphone was already shoved in his face.

He was lucky he had the sense to shut his mouth immediately, otherwise, he suspected they might have shoved the microphone right down his throat.

"Could you share your thoughts on this match?"

"How would you rate your opponents today?"

"The next match is the final; do you have the confidence to lead the Youth National Team to the championship?"

"Many fans back home love you, and quite a few have started calling you 'China's Kaka'. Do you have anything to say about that?"

The reporters clamored, firing off a barrage of questions all at once.

"Quiet, please, quiet down. Can we take them one at a time?"

Lin Feng knew that if he didn't answer their questions today, he probably wouldn't be able to leave.

"Our opponents today were very strong, truly worthy of being a world-class team. The gap between us is still significant; our win is primarily due to the coach's correct tactics and the hard work and determination of the players."

This was his response to the first two questions. Lin Feng didn't let the victory make him arrogant or belittle his opponents to elevate himself; he remained calm and objective.

This caused many of the reporters present to nod slightly, marveling at Lin Feng's maturity and composure.

But the reporters were even more curious about how he would answer the third question.

"Since we've already made it to the final, our goal is naturally to win the championship!

I don't think the people of the whole country would let us off the hook if we brought home a runner-up trophy!"

The reporters couldn't help but laugh, thinking to themselves that this was, indeed, the truth.

Having finally eliminated all the formidable opponents, and with the opponent in the final being relatively less daunting, the fans all hoped that the China Youth Team could create a miracle and lift the Championship Trophy of the Youth World Cup.

If they were to actually lose in the final, they would certainly be torn to shreds by criticism.

The Chinese football team at last year's Asian Cup, as well as Liu Xiang at the upcoming Beijing Olympics, were both cautionary tales.

After the reporters quieted down, Lin Feng continued:

"Football is a team sport, and success is inseparable from the hard work and dedication of every single person on the team.

As it happens, we currently possess the most outstanding coaching staff and the best players, so I believe that with the joint efforts of the coaching staff and my teammates, we will definitely be able to lift the Championship Trophy!"

"Good!"

"Well said!"

"That's the spirit!"

The reporters applauded Lin Feng one after another; this kid was no simple character!

Not only did he skillfully avoid the trap set by the questioner, but he also shared the credit with the entire team, showing not a hint of arrogance.

With this, everyone in the China Youth Team would likely owe him a debt of gratitude.

In fact, the reporters missed one point: the reason Lin Feng said this was to send a message to the outside world, especially to certain leaders in the Football Association.

The current setup of the China Youth Team was the best it could be, and blindly changing personnel—especially replacing the Head Coach, a position of extreme importance—would have a massive impact on the future of the China Youth Team.

The China Youth Team was successful now because they had the right people leading them.

But if the personnel were changed, then the Olympic National Team might not be able to continue this success at the Beijing Olympics three years later.

In this way, when certain people considered making a move against Klopp, they would likely have more concerns.

Moreover, the vast number of fans across the country would probably not agree to it either!

The reporters worked very quickly; the content of Lin Feng's response was published on the front pages of major news media outlets just a few hours later.

<China Youth Team Reaches Youth World Cup Final for the First Time in History!>

<Coming from Behind to Defeat Argentina, the China Youth Team's Core Vows to Win the Championship!>

<Technical Knockout! China's 'Kaka' Defeats Argentina's 'Maradona'!>

Lin Feng: Our Team Is the Strongest!

This match had already received widespread social attention before it even began, and because of the ups and downs and the tense, thrilling nature of the game, it left a deep impression on many people.

The most crucial point of all was that the China Youth Team had won!

If they had lost, the coverage and public discussion surrounding this match would certainly have dropped by an order of magnitude.

But the team had won against the odds, miraculously defeating a powerful enemy, which greatly boosted morale and ignited people's desire to discuss and share the event.

The next day, almost the entire nation—regardless of age or gender, and whether they watched football or not—was talking about nothing but the Youth World Cup.

Since the Chinese football team's historic entry into the World Cup in 2001, a new wave of football fever had been set off across the country.

Those who had originally felt disappointed in Chinese football rekindled their hope because of this victory.

Parents who had previously been hesitant about sending their children to play football cast aside their concerns.

Sponsors who had previously been uninterested in football saw a business opportunity.

Even the leaders of the General Administration of Sport increased their level of attention toward football significantly because of this match.

Some funds that were not originally intended for football began to be diverted toward the sport.

Overnight, Chinese football seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

This victory inadvertently changed the development trajectory of Chinese football.

The future of Chinese football was no longer a gray, hazy mist!