Silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a shooting star

"CCTV, CCTV!"

"Dear viewers, you are currently watching the live broadcast of the 2005 Netherlands Youth World Cup quarter-final between the Chinese team and the Brazil team!"

"This match will be commentated for you by Huang Jianxiang!"

"First, let us take a look at the starting lineups for both teams..."

Taking advantage of the time before the match began, Huang Jianxiang quickly introduced the starting lineups for both sides to the audience.

"Compared to the starting lineup from the last match, the Youth National Team has made some adjustments in specific positions."

"Lin Feng, who delivered a stunning performance in the previous game, has unsurprisingly appeared in the starting lineup."

"In the midfield and defense, Zhao Xuri has replaced Hao Junmin in the starting eleven. This tough midfielder from Dalian Shide possesses excellent defensive awareness and outstanding Physical Confrontation ability; he can increase the toughness of the Youth National Team's midfield."

"In addition to that, Zhao Xuri also has a decent long-range shot, which might bring some variety to the Youth National Team's offense."

After the match began, the Brazil team was the first to launch an attack against the Youth National Team.

Compared to the players of the Youth National Team, the Brazilian players clearly possessed superior footwork.

Just 2 minutes into the match, the Brazil team created a shot on goal.

Leonardo connected with a teammate's cross and attempted a header, but it went over the crossbar.

But before the Youth National Team could even breathe a sigh of relief, the opponent's offense came rolling back again.

Several Brazilian frontcourt players engaged in a series of quick passing and cutting combinations in a small area at the top of the penalty arc. After throwing the Youth National Team's defense into disarray, they played a through ball into the box, and the opposing forward swept the ball toward the goal.

Fortunately, Yang Cheng was highly focused and dove in time to make the save, pushing the ball away.

The match had only just begun, and the Youth National Team had already fallen into a massive disadvantage!

Compared to their previous opponent, the German team, the Brazil team's style was completely different.

This was a team with more prominent individual player abilities and more refined footwork.

Their style of play was passionate and unrestrained, and their creativity was boundless.

Facing them, the Youth National Team's weakness in individual defensive capability was exposed completely.

Especially on both wings, the opponent's success rate in one-on-one situations was extremely high, leaving the Youth National Team's flanks in total disarray.

In the 8th minute, the Brazil team crossed from the wing, and Tardelli's attempt to pounce on the ball in front of the goal was blocked by Yang Cheng.

In the 13th minute, the Brazil team's Bobo cut inside from the wing and played a through ball to the left side of the penalty area, but Sobis's sliding shot went slightly wide.

In the 19th minute, Rafael's long-range shot struck the crossbar, drawing gasps from the crowd.

During this period, the Youth National Team's Goalkeeper, Yang Cheng, became the busiest person on the pitch.

If not for his outstanding performance in keeping the Youth National Team's goal clean, they would likely be trailing by now.

But if the match continued in this trend, it was only a matter of time before the Youth National Team conceded.

The Chinese fans watching the game felt their palms sweating with tension, and their hearts were pounding wildly!

As expected of the Brazil team, the pressure they exert is truly immense!

Many people recalled the fear from 3 years ago when the National Football Team was dominated by the Brazil team in the World Cup group stage.

The different situations of the two teams on the field were also reflected in their respective coaches.

On the sidelines, the head coach of the Brazil team sat leisurely in the Coaching Area, chatting and laughing with his assistant coach, looking very relaxed.

In contrast, over at the Youth National Team, Klopp could not sit still at all.

He stood on the sidelines, staring at his players on the field with a serious expression, his brows furrowed tightly.

This cannot go on; it is far too passive.

A change must be made!

Thinking of this, Klopp waved his hand and issued the order to change the formation.

Upon receiving the order, the Youth National Team players began to actively retreat, abandoning the battle for the midfield and frontcourt, and switched to a Counter-Attack strategy.

Klopp did not actually like the Counter-Attack style of play, because he felt it was too utilitarian and would stifle the creativity of young players.

Relatively speaking, he still preferred the pressing tactics of German football.

But this match was extremely important for the team and for himself; if they lost, the consequences would be unimaginable.

If he were fired, all the heart and effort he had poured into this Youth National Team would go down the drain!

Based on his understanding of the Football Association, once he left, this Youth National Team would definitely be ruined by those parasites in the association.

These young people deserved a brighter future, and Old man Klopp did not want to see their talent wasted like this.

Moreover, he had another very important reason for choosing the Counter-Attack tactic: Lin Feng's speed!

In the past, the Youth National Team lacked players as fast as Lin Feng, so even if they wanted to play a quick counter-attack, they couldn't pick up the pace.

But with the addition of Lin Feng, everything had changed!

Seeing the Youth National Team retreat to play a Counter-Attack, the Brazilians felt even more disdain.

In their view, a Counter-Attack was a tactic used only by the weak; the strong would never stoop to such methods.

The opponent doing this was clearly a sign that they had lost their nerve and were afraid!

Moreover, this tactic was useless against them; as strong players, the Brazilians believed they had more than enough methods to blast open their opponent's goal.

Carrying this arrogant mindset, the Brazil Team launched an even more ferocious assault on the China Youth Team's goal.

Because the China Youth Team voluntarily retreated, the Brazil Team's possession time increased, and the number of shots they took grew as well.

But to the surprise of the Brazilians, the threat posed by their attacks actually began to decline.

The Brazilians possessed strong one-on-one skills, but after the China Youth Team actively tightened their formation, it became difficult for them to find opportunities for individual duels, almost always resulting in them being outnumbered.

Under these circumstances, the previously fragile China Youth Team defense began to become impenetrable.

The Brazilians used every ounce of their strength, but at most, they could only push the offensive into the thirty-meter zone before they could advance no further.

Having no other choice, the Brazilians had to try long-range shots from the perimeter.

However, every time they attempted a long shot, there were China Youth Team players nearby to interfere in time, causing the quality of their shots to be very poor.

Although the Brazil Team still held the absolute advantage on the field, the situation was completely different from when the match first started.

Seeing the changes on the pitch, a gratified smile appeared on the face of Klopp.

Although the individual strength of the Brazilian players was high, it was not strong enough to take on two or even three opponents at once.

In open spaces, they naturally held the advantage in one-on-one situations.

But once their operating space was compressed and the defensive players used their numerical advantage to double team them.

They could no longer create threats, and might even be caught by the China Youth Team for counterattacks due to flaws like holding onto the ball too long or indecisive passing.

In the 27th minute, China Youth Team midfielder Cui Peng teamed up with left back Zheng Tao to successfully intercept the ball on the wing.

Cui Peng immediately passed the ball out to Chen Tao, who had dropped back to receive it.

Before Chen Tao dropped back to receive the ball, he had already observed the positioning of his teammates in the frontcourt.

At this moment, both Lin Feng and Gao Lin were accelerating toward the opponent's penalty area; after a quick glance, Chen Tao sent a long pass, lofting the ball toward the frontcourt.

This ball was not intended for the forward Gao Lin, but for Lin Feng on the wing.

Chen Tao's idea was good, and the pass was quite accurate.

But he underestimated Lin Feng's speed; the ball did not have enough lead, forcing Lin Feng to brake and slow down to receive it.

By the time he received Chen Tao's pass, the opponent's defensive players had already taken their positions.

Seeing no great opportunity, Lin Feng had no choice but to force a dribble to the byline and send in a cross, letting his teammates in the penalty area try their luck.

Gao Lin jumped quite hard, but in front of the opponent's two tall center backs, he had no way to reach the landing spot.

"Sigh, what a pity!"

"Chen Tao's pass was too short!"

"If the pass had more power, Lin Feng might have been able to get a one-on-one!"

The fans sighed repeatedly, all feeling that the China Youth Team had missed a golden opportunity.

Chen Tao himself felt a bit embarrassed; he knew Lin Feng was fast, but he hadn't expected him to be this fast.

Could it be that this guy had held back in the last match and hadn't given his all?

It wasn't just Chen Tao who was startled; Klopp and the Chinese coaching staff were also taken aback.

"Since when did this kid's speed become so fast?"

"That sprint just now was really fast, just like lightning!"

"Lin Feng, Lin Feng, what a 'wind-chasing' boy!"

Although this attack by the China Youth Team did not result in a goal, it gave the Brazil Team a real scare.

That number 23 on the opponent's side was simply too dangerous!

But...

Why was there an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this number 23?

Watching him play was like seeing a certain senior they were familiar with...

"My bad, I'll definitely give you a good pass next time!"

When Lin Feng retreated to his own half, Chen Tao specifically called out to him.

Since he had already witnessed Lin Feng's speed, he could confidently pass the ball forward next time.

Hearing Chen Tao's shout, Lin Feng couldn't help but smile:

This guy is actually quite thoughtful!

No wonder Chen Tao became the captain of Shenyang Ginde at such a young age; not only was his skill good, but he was also very considerate, able to fully perceive and care for the feelings of others, and he was very responsible—he was born to be a leader.

Startled by the China Youth Team's counterattack, the Brazil Team behaved themselves for the next few minutes.

But seeing that the China Youth Team did not launch another such threatening attack, they soon reverted to their old ways, forgetting the threat of the China Youth Team's counterattacks.

The first half was nearly over, and yet, facing a Weak Team like the Chinese team, they had still failed to score a goal, which made the Brazilians lose a bit of face.

Consequently, they launched an even more frantic assault on the China Youth Team's goal.

But sometimes, the more anxious one becomes, the harder it is to score.

The Brazilians had been laying siege for quite a while, and not only were they unable to break through, but because so many players had committed to the attack, their backfield had become even more exposed.

A hollow defense comes with a price.

In the 37th minute, the China Youth Team intercepted the ball in the backfield once again.

The heart-stopping scene from ten minutes ago played out once more!

The difference was that this time, Chen Tao provided plenty of lead distance when he made the pass.

Silver saddle shining on a white horse, dashing like a shooting star!

Lin Feng took long, swift strides to shake off all his pursuers, carrying the ball as he charged into the penalty area.

It was a One-on-One!