This Victory Changed Chinese Football!

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

For the first time, waves of helplessness rose from deep within him.

Just moments ago, he had sprinted after Lin Feng for nearly seventy meters, chasing him from the opponent's penalty area all the way back to his own.

Yet in the end, he still failed to catch up.

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

To make matters worse, that long chase had drained nearly all the strength he had left.

At this point, even standing on the pitch felt incredibly difficult.

For the first time, Messi truly understood the importance of stamina. He secretly swore that once he returned, he would train his endurance properly and never let today's tragedy happen again.

Lin Feng's goal in the eighty-second minute had almost completely shattered the Argentina team's morale.

Especially when Messi, exhausted from lack of stamina, was substituted off by Argentina's Head Coach.

The match had effectively been declared over.

In the end, after a grueling battle, the China Youth Team came from behind to defeat the powerful Argentina team and claimed the first ticket to the final.

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

Without even realizing it, Lin Feng and his teammates had made history.

They had no idea how profound an impact this victory would have on Chinese football.

At that moment, they were celebrating this hard-won victory wildly on the pitch.

Meanwhile, the Argentina players, as the losing side, shed tears of regret.

Unlike his crying teammates, Messi raised his head and glanced at the frozen scoreboard. Then he walked over to Lin Feng, who was celebrating with his teammates, took off his jersey, and silently waited for him to finish celebrating.

"You're strong. I look forward to meeting you in Europe someday. When that time comes, I won't go easy on you!"

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow at that. Was Messi challenging him?

Faced with Messi's challenge, Lin Feng naturally would not back down.

In all his life, he had never learned how to write the word fear.

"Same here. After all, only by defeating a strong opponent like you can victory taste even sweeter!"

Messi stared at him for a few seconds. Rather than argue with Lin Feng, he took the jersey Lin Feng handed him and turned away.

He did not like wasting words. He preferred proving his strength through action.

Watching Messi's departing back, Lin Feng sighed.

What a pity. He had already promised his football fan father that he would save this match jersey for him.

But it was fine. He could change into another jersey later, roll around on the grass a few times before the stadium closed, then add his autograph. That should be enough to fool him, right?

The plan was good, but trouble arose at the very first step.

Lin Feng had clearly underestimated how much attention this match had drawn back home.

As he came off the pitch and prepared to return to the locker room.

A huge crowd of reporters carrying cameras and microphones surged in from all directions and packed around him so tightly that not even water could pass through.

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

Before Lin Feng could finish speaking, microphones had already been thrust in front of him.

Fortunately, he sensed danger and immediately shut his mouth. Otherwise, he suspected they would have shoved the microphones straight into it.

"Tell us how you feel about this match?"

"How would you evaluate your opponents in this match?"

"The final is next. Are you confident that you can lead the China Youth Team to the championship?"

"Many fans in China really like you, and quite a few call you 'China's Kaka.' Is there anything you would like to say about that?"

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

"Quiet, please. Let's take them one at a time, all right?"

Lin Feng knew that if he did not answer their questions today, he probably would not be able to leave.

"Our opponents were very strong. They truly deserved their reputation as one of the world's top teams, and there is still a huge gap between us. Our victory was mainly thanks to the coach's correct tactics and the players' hard work."

That was Lin Feng's answer to the first two questions. He did not become arrogant after beating his opponents, nor did he belittle them to elevate himself. He remained very calm and objective.

Quite a few reporters present nodded slightly, full of admiration for Lin Feng's maturity and steadiness.

But they were even more curious about how Lin Feng would answer the third question.

"Since we've already fought our way into the final, our goal is naturally to win the championship!

I think if we brought home a runners-up trophy, the whole country probably wouldn't stand for it!"

The reporters all wanted to laugh, thinking that was indeed the truth.

After finally eliminating all the powerful opponents, with a relatively less formidable opponent awaiting them in the final, every fan hoped the China Youth Team could create a miracle and lift the Youth World Cup's Championship Trophy.

If they really lost in the final, they would definitely be criticized to death.

The National Football Team at last year's Asian Cup, as well as Liu Xiang at the future Olympic Games, were both cautionary examples.

After waiting for the reporters to quiet down, Lin Feng continued:

"Football is a team sport. Success cannot be achieved without the hard work and contributions of every person in the team.

As it happens, we now have the best coaching staff and the best players. So I believe that with the combined efforts of the coaching staff and my teammates, we will definitely lift the Championship Trophy!"

"Good!"

"Well said!"

"That's the spirit!"

The reporters applauded Lin Feng one after another. This kid was no ordinary person!

Not only had he cleverly avoided the trap laid by the interviewer, but he had also shared the credit with the entire team without showing the slightest hint of claiming credit for himself.

Now, everyone in the China Youth Team would probably owe him one.

What the reporters had missed was that Lin Feng had said this to tell the outside world—especially certain leaders in the Football Association—

that the China Youth Team's current setup was the best possible one. Blindly replacing people, especially someone in the critically important position of Head Coach, would have a tremendous impact on the team's future.

The China Youth Team could succeed now because the right people were leading them.

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

That being the case, certain people would likely have more concerns before making a move against Klopp.

And when the time came, the vast number of domestic fans probably would not agree either!

The reporters moved quickly. Within a few hours, Lin Feng's answers had been published as front-page headlines across major news outlets.

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

<Comeback Victory over Argentina! China Youth Team Core Declares They Will 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 public attention before it began, and its dramatic, tense, and thrilling course left a deep impression on many people.

Most importantly, the China Youth Team had won!

Had they lost, media coverage and public discussion of the match would certainly have dropped by an entire level.

But the National Football Team had defeated a stronger opponent despite being weaker, miraculously overcoming a formidable foe. It greatly lifted people's spirits and stirred up their desire to discuss and share it.

The next day, almost everyone in the country—regardless of age or gender, whether they watched football or not—was talking about the Youth World Cup.

After the National Football Team's historic qualification for the World Cup in 2001, a football fever swept through China once again.

Those who had once been disappointed in the National Football Team found hope rekindled by this victory.

Parents who had once hesitated to send their children to play football let go of their concerns.

Sponsors who had previously shown no interest in football saw business opportunities.

Even the leaders of the General Administration of Sport attached far greater importance to football because of this match.

Funds that had not originally been intended for football began shifting toward the sport.

Overnight, Chinese football seemed to be getting better.

Without realizing it, this victory changed the course of Chinese football's development.

The future of Chinese football was no longer a gray expanse shrouded in gloom!