Soccer: From the 2005 U-20 World Cup
Chapter 28

20, The Championship Is Already Beckoning to the China Youth Team!

1,570 words5 min read2 views
4mo ago

The truly outstanding aspect of Feng Xiaoting is not his defense, but his offense!

He possesses exceptional passing ability and even boasts quite impressive dribbling skills.

In a match against the German team, Feng Xiaoting once dribbled the ball from midfield, bypassing four German players in succession, leaving the German Head Coach of that time completely stunned.

After dispossessing Mikel, Feng Xiaoting did not pass to a teammate but instead charged forward with the ball himself.

Seeing their Captain take the lead in the charge, the other players of the Youth National Team were naturally unwilling to fall behind.

In an instant, the Youth National Team completed the transition from defense to attack.

A Center Back dribbling the ball into an attack—this sounds somewhat fantastical.

After all, as the final insurance on the team's defense line, they are supposed to play with more stability and focus on their primary duties.

However, Klopp not only refrained from stopping this choice by Feng Xiaoting but actually praised it highly and even cheered him on loudly.

In his view, Feng Xiaoting's choice was not reckless or impulsive, but the optimal solution under the current circumstances.

As Feng Xiaoting pushed forward with the ball, the formation of the Nigeria team became completely disjointed.

Their forwards were still in the penalty area of the Youth National Team, unable to apply pressure on Feng Xiaoting immediately.

Meanwhile, Mikel, who should have acted as the second line of interception, had just been left behind by Feng Xiaoting due to the previous turnover.

As for the defensive midfielders of the Nigeria team, they were completely unable to spare any effort, as they had to keep their attention on the four midfielders of the Youth National Team.

Under these circumstances, there was simply no one who could stop Feng Xiaoting.

He could dribble forward with no one in his way!

Just like that, Feng Xiaoting dribbled the ball past the halfway line.

The defensive midfielder for Nigeria finally couldn't take it anymore; he abandoned his defensive assignment and rushed toward Feng Xiaoting.

The opponent was just a defender, after all; as long as he blocked him and denied him the chance to pass forward, he wouldn't be able to amount to much.

Could he really dribble past him?

However, the very next second, Feng Xiaoting's move left him stunned.

Seeing the opponent charging so aggressively, Feng Xiaoting nudged the ball to the side, changed direction, and accelerated, slipping right past the opponent who was charging at full speed.

The Nigeria defensive midfielder was bypassed just like that, cleanly and decisively!

The Nigeria fans in the stadium were in an uproar; they never expected that their own defensive midfielder would be dribbled past by a Center Back.

Is this reasonable?

The Youth Team fans signaled that this was just a basic operation, noting that compared to the big brother Fan Zhiyi, Feng Xiaoting was still being relatively restrained.

After all, some people play as a Center Back on paper, but in reality, they are the team's Top Scorer.

This attack by the Youth National Team was already a numerical advantage, and now that the opposing defensive midfielder had lost his defensive position due to a rash rush forward, the Youth National Team's numerical superiority in the frontcourt became even greater.

While sprinting with the ball, Feng Xiaoting calmly observed the positioning of his teammates and the defensive setup of the opponents.

To his front-left, the left midfielder of the Youth National Team, Lu Lin, was already in position, ready to dribble to the byline and cross at any moment.

To the right of Lu Lin, Lin Feng was also sprinting toward the left side of the penalty area, simultaneously reaching out to call for the ball.

The opponent's attention was inevitably drawn to the two Chinese players on the left, forcing their overall defensive formation to tilt toward that side.

Seeing this, Feng Xiaoting passed the ball decisively, but unexpectedly, he did not pass to Lin Feng, but instead to Chen Tao in the center.

Chen Tao had already slowed down; after receiving the pass from Feng Xiaoting, he deliberately paused, and just as the opposing defender stepped up to intercept, he passed the ball to Lin Feng on the left.

Lin Feng did not choose to shoot himself, but instead passed the ball to Gao Lin, who was stuck on the edge of the penalty area.

Gao Lin also did not shoot; he played a one-two combination with Lin Feng and passed the ball out again.

By the time the ball was passed into the penalty area, Lin Feng had already used his speed advantage to shake off the Nigeria defender.

The moment he received the ball, he was already in a one-on-one situation!

The Goalkeeper of the Nigeria team had done his best to block the Shooting Angle of Lin Feng, attempting to save the team single-handedly.

But Lin Feng did not give the opponent any chance; he calmly pushed the ball into the far corner, and under the desperate gaze of the opposing Goalkeeper and defender, he steadily put the ball into the net.

The score became 2:0, and at this point, only 30 minutes of the first half had passed!

In half an hour, the National Football Team already held a massive lead.

The scales of victory had tilted completely toward the Youth National Team!

"Beautiful!"

"Youth National Team Awesome!"

"It's 2:0, are we really going to win the championship?"

"Someone pinch me, I'm afraid this is a dream!"

The moment Lin Feng scored, the fans back home had gone completely wild.

If 1:0 only established a lead and the fans didn't dare to be happy too early, then 2:0 was completely different.

This goal, once scored, could almost be said to have secured the victory.

It paved the way for their championship run!

As long as the Youth National Team players didn't pop champagne and celebrate prematurely in the Locker Room during halftime, this match was essentially in the bag!

What made the fans even more excited was that the goal just now was truly spectacular.

From capitalizing on the opponent's attacking error for a counterattack, to the rapid formation expansion and advancement, and the brilliant coordination between the Youth National Team players at the Edge of the Penalty Area.

This goal fully showcased the level of the Youth National Team.

If you covered the team name, anyone who didn't know better would think the team on the pitch was Arsenal!

And Arsenal head coach Wenger, after seeing this goal on television, wore a smile on his face.

The little guy plays really well!

But unfortunately, he has no connection to Arsenal for the time being.

Meanwhile, inside the Barcelona club, Barcelona President Laporta and head coach Rijkaard were also watching this match.

"Is this the person who led his team to defeat Messi?"

Laporta pointed at Lin Feng, who was celebrating the goal on the television screen, and asked his Assistant beside him.

"Yes, Mr. President. In the match against the Argentina team, he scored two very spectacular goals, helping the Chinese team come from behind to beat the Argentina team."

Laporta nodded upon hearing this:

"He is indeed a very capable Player, but it is a pity that he cannot be used by us."

Barcelona already had Ronaldinho and Messi in their ranks, so they were not lacking an Attacking Midfielder.

If they really bought him, he would likely be destined to be a Water boy.

Furthermore, given the relationship between him and Messi, if Lin Feng really came, Messi would surely be uncomfortable.

This was clearly not worth the loss; after all, Messi was the treasure of Barcelona and their hope for the future!

However, not being able to sign Lin Feng did not mean they couldn't scout other players from the Youth National Team.

"Frank, what do you think of their Number 5?"

Laporta pointed at Feng Xiaoting and asked Rijkaard.

"Very strong, very talented!"

Rijkaard answered without hesitation.

Feng Xiaoting's performance just now had left a deep impression on both of them.

In the Football World, good defenders are always scarcer than good forwards.

Because for forwards, you compare their strengths, while for defenders, you compare their weaknesses.

No matter what other abilities a forward has, as long as they have one Shining point that can help the team score, that is enough.

But it doesn't work for defenders; if a defender has even one obvious shortcoming, they are not suitable to play as a Center Back!

Because any shortcoming will become a breakthrough for the opponent, posing a fatal threat to the team.

Therefore, a player in this position cannot have any shortcomings!

In the match just now, not only did Feng Xiaoting not reveal any shortcomings, but he even demonstrated his own exceptional qualities.

His footwork, his Passing ability, as well as his Football IQ and Big picture view, were all things that Barcelona valued highly.

It is easy to find a Center Back who plays with their body, but it is not easy to find a defender who plays with their brain.

Considering that he was only 19 years old this year, there was still a lot of room for growth in the future.

Laporta and Rijkaard were almost immediately tempted!

"Send a bid to the club he belongs to; bring him to Camp Nou this summer!"

End of Chapter
Novel
How was this translation?