In the 30th minute, Dong Fangzhuo's shot was blocked out for a corner by Terry. Lin Feng took the corner from the left, and Ferdinand got to the first ball, heading it clear.
But the danger had not passed. The ball that fell outside the box was still under the Chinese team's control.
After receiving the ball, Zheng Zhi saw that the opposing defenders were still some distance away, so he struck directly from outside the penalty area with a thunderous long-range shot.
But the box was too crowded. His long shot hit someone's leg and bounced back out.
The rebound traveled even farther than before, and the ball's landing spot was close to players from both sides.
Gerrard, who had been charging out, suddenly accelerated at the sight and sprinted toward the ball.
For the England team, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Most of the Chinese team's players were in the opposition half, leaving their back line extremely exposed.
As long as they could win possession and launch a counterattack, the chances of scoring would be very high.
But before Gerrard could touch the ball, a red figure arrived later but got there first, snatching the ball away ahead of him!
Gerrard could see the opportunity—how could Lin Feng fail to notice the danger?
When the National Football Team's attack had descended into a scramble, he had already been on high alert for the opposition's counterattack.
Even without Gerrard's unexpected move, he would have brought the ball under control and steadied the situation.
Because this kind of chaotic battle greatly favored the English, who possessed superior physicality, technique, and devastating attacking force. It was no good for the Chinese team.
The Chinese team's only advantage over the England team lay in having an organizing midfielder who could methodically build