Championship Impact

After the match, the entire stadium descended into madness.

The 15,000 Chinese fans who had come to the venue were overjoyed, singing and dancing to celebrate this Historic Moment.

Fifty years of hard work and cultivation had finally yielded a harvest!

The Nigerian fans next door were just as frantic.

They pulled out coins, mobile phones, and mineral water bottles, hurling them wildly onto the pitch.

Some even began tearing out their seats, seemingly feeling that throwing coins wasn't enough and wanting to toss these heavy objects onto the field to smash those vermin referees.

This was not the first time Nigeria had reached the final of the Youth World Cup; as early as the 1989 Saudi Youth World Cup, Nigeria had already made it to the final.

But they were soundly defeated 0:2 by Portugal in that final, failing to realize their dream of winning the title.

This time, facing the underdog Chinese team from Asia, the entire nation of Nigeria was jubilant, with everyone believing this was their best chance to reach the summit.

However, the cruel reality dealt them a devastating blow; the Chinese team they had looked down upon had beaten them senseless on the stage of the final!

The 1:4 scoreline was the second-most lopsided in the history of Youth World Cup finals, second only to Spain's 4:0 victory over the Japan team six years prior.

African teams had reached the final four times, and four times they had returned in defeat.

They remained as far away as ever from their first Youth World Cup Trophy.

During the post-match awards ceremony, Lin Feng, thanks to his six goals in this tournament and his outstanding performance in the final, took home both the Best Player and Top Scorer awards.

Originally, these two honors belonged to Messi, but unfortunately, Messi's team had been defeated by the Chinese Youth Team in the semifinals, missing out on the final, so these awards naturally slipped through his fingers.

However, it wasn't a total loss for Messi; his team had crushed Morocco 2:0 in the Third Place Play-off, with Messi scoring a goal to help his team secure third place in the Youth World Cup.

He himself, by virtue of that goal, edged out Mikel to win the Youth World Cup Silver Boot, with Mikel settling for third place and the Bronze Boot.

When the awards were presented to the three, Messi and Mikel stood on either side of Lin Feng, clutching their Silver Boot and Bronze Boot, looking reluctant.

The two managed to force a smile for the cameras, but it looked worse than crying.

If they had a choice, they truly wouldn't have wanted to come up to receive these awards.

Because the person in the middle was not only tall but also damn handsome; compared to him, Messi and Mikel—one short and one dark—were completely crushed in terms of personal image.

What was most infuriating was that this tall, handsome guy was also the winner, which made it even harder to swallow!

The photographers didn't care about that; they told the three to stand closer, pressed the shutter with a click, and captured the Group Photo of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Top Scorers of the Youth World Cup.

After the photos were taken and the awards received, the other two fled in a hurry.

Lin Feng, meanwhile, returned to the newly erected podium to lift the Silver Trophy symbolizing the championship alongside his teammates!

The stadium lights flashed, and countless reporters pressed their shutters to record this Historic Moment.

This was the first time an Asian team, and specifically the Chinese team, had lifted the Youth World Cup Trophy!

The news of the Chinese Youth Team winning the championship was like dropping a bombshell in the Football World, bringing with it a massive shockwave and influence.

Major European media outlets reported on it immediately.

France's AFP: The Chinese Youth Team has become the biggest Dark Horse of this Youth World Cup, defeating powerhouses like Germany, Brazil, Argentina, and Nigeria along the way to have the last laugh!

Lin Feng is undoubtedly the Biggest Winner; he scored a goal and created a penalty kick in the final, helping the Chinese team win the title while personally capturing the Top Scorer and Best Player awards, making him the most dazzling player of this Youth World Cup.

Perhaps it is time to include him in this year's Golden Boy Award Nomination List; his performance is no worse than the Top Favorite, Messi, and perhaps even more outstanding!

Britain's Daily Mail: The Chinese had the last laugh; although Nigeria's performance looked better on the pitch, it was the Chinese team that achieved victory.

Germany's Bild: Lin Feng has become the hero of the Chinese team; this youngster playing for Greuther Fürth delivered a performance that could be called perfect in this Youth World Cup.

Germany's Kicker: Six goals in four matches; the rising star of the German 2. Bundesliga has shone on the Youth World Cup stage. Bayern Munich may make a move to sign this rising star!

America's AP: The venue attracted a total of 25,000 fans, including FIFA President Blatter. As it turned out, both teams focused more on defense, and frequent fouls and ugly officiating ruined the match...

The American report had a sour tone; they had participated alongside the Chinese team, only to fall in the Round of 16, while the Chinese team took home the championship.

The shockwave generated by the Chinese Youth Team's victory, beyond shaking Europe, was sweeping across the world at a rapid pace.

The first to bear the brunt was the losing side of the final, the Nigerian Youth Team.

In the post-match interview, the Nigerian Head Coach, Siasia, stated that the Responsibility for Failure rested solely on him, and he would submit his Resignation Letter to the Nigerian Football Association to step down as head coach.

This result was actually within the expectations of the reporters, as Nigeria had lost too miserably in the final, failing the expectations of the entire nation.

In such a situation, someone had to stand up and take the Responsibility for Failure.

In truth, the Nigerian players had worked very hard on the pitch, but unfortunately, luck was not on their side.

This team had a very good foundation and plenty of Room for Growth in the future.

The Team Core, Mikel, was indignant about losing to the Chinese team:

"Our strength is no worse than our opponent's, but luck was not on our side!"

The implication was that the Chinese Youth Team had won the match based on luck, a statement that felt a bit like being a Poor Loser.

To prove his point, he issued a challenge to the Chinese team in front of the reporters, vowing to settle the score at the Olympic Games three years later.

With their strength, making it into the Main Tournament of the Olympic Games would be as easy as pie.

If they were lucky, perhaps in the future, they would truly meet the Chinese team on the stage of the Olympics.

Compared to the Nigerian Head Coach who had resigned in regret, the Head Coach of the China Youth Team, Klopp, was all smiles:

"First of all, I want to thank the players for their hard work. I am very satisfied with their performance today.

Our opponent is a powerful team that played very hard on the pitch and created quite a few good opportunities to score, but the ultimate winner is us, because our players were better than theirs!"

These words were clearly a retort to the absurd claim Mikel had just made about the China Youth Team winning by luck.

The Old Man rarely praised his players so explicitly, but he was particularly protective of his own and would not allow anyone to disparage his disciples.

In such a joyous occasion, someone suddenly asked a real buzzkill of a question:

"Mr. Klopp, your contract with the Football Association is set to expire next month. Will you be renewing your contract with them?"

After hearing the reporter's question, Klopp fell silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth to speak:

"I would be very happy to continue coaching this group of players, but the initiative does not lie with me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene erupted in an uproar.

The reporters were all sharp individuals; how could they fail to grasp the subtext of Klopp's words—the Football Association had not yet renewed his contract, nor had they even extended an invitation to do so.

This left all the reporters feeling shocked and bewildered: with Klopp's team producing such outstanding results, what on earth was the Football Association doing? Were they planning to discard the millstone once the grain was ground?

To treat a hero like this, were they not afraid of being condemned and reviled by fans across the country?

Or was there some hidden story behind all of this?

Thinking of this, the reporters were like sharks that had caught the scent of blood; they were incredibly excited, itching to break this news immediately.

Their professional instincts told them that once this news was reported, it would inevitably cause a massive stir throughout the country.

Sure enough, after this news was reported, the Football Association was placed over a fire to roast.

Angry fans cursed the Football Association from top to bottom, affectionately greeting their ancestors back eighteen generations.

But the Football Association, having had plenty of experience with being scolded, chose to continue playing dead as they always did.

However, the tactic of playing dead did not work every time.

Just as they were playing dead, the youngsters of the China Youth Team collectively spoke out to urge him to stay, hoping that Klopp would remain with the team to continue coaching.

This backstabbing from the China Youth Team youngsters was like pulling the firewood from under the cauldron, making it impossible for the Football Association to keep playing dead.

In the end, the Football Association had no choice but to extend a renewal offer to Klopp, and the two parties signed a three-year extension, lasting until after the 2008 Olympics!