N-A-A Chapter 20: We've qualified!
Chapter 20: We've qualified!
"We... qualified!!!!" Huang Jianxiang roared, his voice almost breaking from sobbing as he spoke into the microphone.
「中国队1-0击败土耳其！由于巴西队以5：0击败哥斯大黎加，那幺中国队就以小组第二的身份，晋级2002年世界盃十六强！！！」
"I can't believe it! I really can't believe it!" He pounded the commentary table, his voice hoarse. "From the disappointment of a 0-2 loss to Costa Rica, to the surprise of a 0-0 draw against Brazil, and now to today's 1-0 victory over Türkiye! We've created a miracle!"
"Chinese football has made history! This is not a dream! Not an accident! It was achieved by our players through hard work! It was brought about by Milutinovic and Coach Ye Xian! We have finally qualified! We have finally made it to the World Cup knockout stage!"
"So many years of waiting! So many years of perseverance! From failing time and time again to finally standing on the threshold of the World Cup Round of 16, we did it!"
"This is a historic moment for Chinese football! This is an honor for every Chinese player, every Chinese coach, and everyone who loves Chinese football! We are no longer spectators at the World Cup; we are participants, we are victors!..."
Zhang Lu, who was standing next to him, remained silent.
He simply wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
He is a true figure in Chinese football, and of course he understands better the hardships that Chinese football has endured along the way.
It's just that he has a more introverted personality, unlike Huang Jianxiang who is more outgoing.
At this moment, the crowd on the court was even more frenzied than Huang Jianxiang.
After a frantic run with no clear destination, Yang Chen collapsed onto the lawn, covering his face with his hands, tears streaming down his face, his roar filled with the release of pent-up emotions.
Li Tie and Zhao Junzhe rushed over like madmen and pounced on Yang Chen.
The group huddled together, rolling and roaring on the grass, pounding their fists on the turf, repeatedly shouting, "We've made it! We've made it!"
Qu Bo and Shao Jiayi ran wildly across the lawn, holding the five-star red flag high...
The fatigue from fighting until the very end of the game has long since vanished!
The substitutes had already rushed onto the field.
Even Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai, who were unable to play due to injuries, seemed to have forgotten the pain in their legs and ran faster than usual!
All the pain and all the effort transformed into the ultimate ecstasy at this moment, and the red jerseys converged into a boiling ocean.
On the coach's bench, Ye Xian couldn't hold back any longer!
This usually calm, collected, and strategic young man suddenly jumped up like a child, raising his hands above his head, roaring and shouting, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face.
Milutinovic rushed over, hugged him tightly, patted his back forcefully, and shouted, "Ye! We won! We've qualified!"
Jin Zhiyang was so excited that he kept wiping away tears, while Chi Shangbin remained frozen in his seat, seemingly still trying to figure out whether it was a dream or reality.
Soon, the players came rushing towards them!
The team members surrounded Ye Xian and Milu, lifted them high, and tossed them into the air, again and again!
Meanwhile, the Chinese fans' celebration in the stands had completely spiraled out of control!
The five-star red flag was waved wildly in the stands, and shouts of "The Chinese national football team is awesome!" "Ye Xian is awesome!" "We've qualified!" resounded through the sky.
An elderly football fan with white hair tightly hugged the Chinese national flag in his arms, his body trembling with sobs, repeatedly muttering, "I can't believe I've seen this day come..."
Yes, after being completely defeated by Costa Rica in the first match, even the most optimistic Chinese fans couldn't imagine that the Chinese team could actually make it into the round of 16!
One Chinese fan even proposed to his girlfriend, saying, "The Chinese team has qualified, so you should marry me too..."
This sparked even greater joy in the stands.
Finally, all the Chinese fans spontaneously sang the same song:
"The five-star red flag flutters in the wind..."
Of course, pessimism is not universal; some people may just find it noisy.
The crescent and star flags were no longer waved, and the Turkish fans' stands were deathly silent.
On the field, Güneš was deathly pale, slumped on the coach's bench, his eyes vacant, unable to believe the result before him;
The teaching assistants also lowered their heads and shook their heads, their faces full of resentment and disappointment.
On paper, the Turkish team is undoubtedly far superior to the Chinese team, and they were very confident of defeating China, or even winning by a large margin, before the match.
But in the end, they lost.
Where did we go wrong?
It's undoubtedly a tactic.
All their preparations seemed to be within Ye Xian's calculations, and then they walked step by step into the trap that the Chinese had carefully prepared for them...
We underestimated that young man on the other side who actually had the upper hand!
But it's no use saying anything now.
Having finished bottom of their group and been eliminated, they can only prepare to face the wrath of the Turks...
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The post-match press conference.
When Milu led Ye Xian into the press conference hall, they were greeted with enthusiastic applause.
Then, a group of reporters bombarded the table with a barrage of questions.
"Mr. Milutinovic, Güneš says he was completely defeated by your tactics. Could you reveal the specific design process of today's tactics?"
Why did the Chinese team adopt a 4-3-3 attacking formation? Can you explain why their strategy is completely different from the one they used against Brazil?
"Yang Chen's goal, the entire attacking line felt very clear, was it rehearsed before the match?"
"China's draw against Brazil and victory over Turkey are achievements that many strong teams cannot even accomplish. Now that they have advanced from the group stage, does Mr. Milutinovic have any further expectations for the team's performance?"
"..."
Milutinovic smiled and answered a few questions, then raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion:
"Sorry everyone, could we finish early today? The great guys in the locker room are waiting for us to go back and sing and dance together."
The reporters burst into laughter.
However, everyone expressed their understanding.
Indeed, at this joyous time, it's a bit inconsiderate to keep asking people all sorts of questions.
At this moment, Milutinovic pointed at Ye Xian again:
"Although I've praised him before, I'll say it again today."
"Ye is definitely the number one contributor to today's victory over Türkiye."
"From the analysis of the Turkish formation and players to the targeted tactics, it was basically all his work."
"He also personally led the team in training and made timely tactical adjustments based on the changing situation on the field during the game—as you have already seen."
"I have never seen a coach at such a young age possess such extensive tactical knowledge, it's even arguably ahead of his time!"
If I could only describe him in one word, it would be—
"genius!"
The reporters in the audience applauded again.
Actually, Milutinovic doesn't need to praise it much; everyone can see it for themselves.
After all, Ye Xian was the one who was mainly directing from the sidelines today!
This is the same as the last match against Brazil.
"Coach Ye, would you like to say a few words? The Chinese team has qualified, how are you feeling right now?" a reporter asked Ye Xian.
Ye Xian was a little embarrassed by Milu's praise, so he could only lean closer to the microphone and say:
"I'm absolutely thrilled. Everyone played fantastic today..."
But as soon as he finished speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out near the podium!
First, Fan Zhiyi emerged.
Then there's Li Weifeng.
Li Tie, Yang Chen...
They were all holding champagne, and they opened them and sprayed them all over Milutinovic and Ye Xian!
The two coaches were caught off guard and instantly became soaked to the bone.
But of course they weren't annoyed at all.
Ye Xian also stood up and snatched the champagne from Fan Zhiyi's hand, spraying it back at him!
Then everyone just stood on the platform and jumped around.
This press conference completely turned into another celebration for the Chinese team...