World First Church started from the 02 World Cup

Chapter 7 The Fate of the Chinese National Football Team

The second day of the Chinese national football team's match has finally arrived.

The crowd outside the Gwangju World Cup Stadium was still bustling, but unlike the optimism of the first match, a sense of oppression permeated the air.

CCTV reporters' cameras moved among the throngs of Chinese fans, and every face was filled with undisguised pessimism.

A fan wearing a Chinese national team scarf spoke in a hoarse voice to the camera: "It would be good if we could lose by a smaller margin. Brazil is a favorite to win the World Cup. If we can hold our own for the first half without conceding a goal, that's a win."

Another fan frowned, his tone full of helplessness and worry: "With Hlidon dismissed, the attacking line is without its backbone. Can the Chinese team really withstand Brazil's relentless attack?"

Some even bluntly stated, "Seriously, I've never heard of a team using a translator as a tactical element! If the translator understands football, why doesn't he just become a coach?"

Of course, he said that because at that time, a translator named Mourinho wasn't famous enough...

The situation was quite different for Brazilian fans.

They wore yellow and green jerseys, held up huge posters of Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and made the famous 5-0 gesture:

"China? At least five goals! A comfortable victory, no doubt about it!"

"Ronaldo alone can tear your defense apart; get ready to be swept aside!"

Brazil defeated Türkiye, their strongest opponent in the group stage, 2-1 in the first round, with both of their Ballon d'Or winners, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, scoring a goal each.

Brazilian fans believe that both Costa Rica and China are easy prey!

The Chinese team, in particular, is no match for the Costa Rican team, who can completely dominate the game.

The reason I say five to zero is simply because a hand only has five fingers!

But Chinese fans who witnessed this scene had no way to refute it.

This truly reflects the current gap in strength between the Chinese and Brazilian teams.

Therefore, most people believe that the outcome of this match is a foregone conclusion.

The only suspense is how many goals Brazil will score!

……

The competition is about to begin.

Inside the players' tunnel, players from both sides lined up and waited to enter the field.

The Brazilian stars appeared calm.

Ronaldo's gaze swept casually over the Chinese national team players, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

Cafu put his arm around Carlos's shoulder, and the two chatted and laughed in hushed tones.

The other players were similar; there wasn't even a basic pre-match greeting between the two sides.

Aside from the language barrier, the main reason was that the two sides were simply not on the same level, and the Brazilians really didn't take the Chinese team seriously.

On the other side, the Chinese national football team players all looked solemn.

Their eyes were fixed on the stadium at the end of the tunnel, a hint of determination hidden in their eyes.

After several days of meticulous training and preparation, they were eager to see if their carefully prepared shield could withstand the Brazilians' fierce onslaught!

"The match is about to begin. We can see that the players from both sides have entered the field under the guidance of the referee team and lined up to greet the fans."

Countless Chinese fans watching on television heard the voice of commentator Huang Jianxiang.

Although the number of spectators at the stadium was limited to just over 30,000 due to the size of the stadium, the number of spectators at the match was limited to just over 30,000.

But more than 1 million Chinese fans watched the live broadcast on CCTV alone!

If other unofficial channels such as public places and the internet are included, the number could exceed 2 million.

In fact, this was the highest-rated match in history.

According to CCTV's subsequent statistics, the match achieved a viewership rating of 14.4%, setting a new domestic record.

On the one hand, the competition between strong teams like China and Brazil in the World Cup is inherently attractive;

On the other hand, the timing of the match was very suitable.

19:30 PM Beijing time is the prime time for watching the game!

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that this match drew massive crowds.

"Okay, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides." Zhang Lu's voice rang out.

Today's match is being commentated by the golden duo of Huang Jianxiang and Zhang Lu.

Generally speaking, Huang Jianxiang is responsible for the live commentary of the game, while Zhang Lu focuses more on the analysis of formations and tactics.

"The Brazilian team still fielded Scolari's most frequently used 4-4-2 formation."

"Goalkeeper number 1 Marcos".

"The defenders from left to right are Roberto Carlos (No. 6), Lucio (No. 3), Roque Junior (No. 4), and Cafu (No. 2)."

"The midfield duo consists of Gilberto Silva (No. 8) and Anderson Polgar (No. 14), with Ronaldinho (No. 11) and Juninho (No. 19) on either side."

"The strikers at the very front are two former FIFA World Player of the Years, Ronaldo (number 9) and Rivaldo (number 10)."

"Compared to the first match against Türkiye, Brazil made only one change to their starting lineup, replacing Edmilson (number 5) with number 14 Polga. Everything else remained the same."

"This shows that the Brazilian team still wants to defeat the Chinese team directly and strive to qualify for the next round a round early!"

The starting lineup for the Chinese team was then displayed on the television screen.

Goalkeeper: Jiang Jin.

Defenders: Wu Chengying, Li Weifeng, Du Wei, Zhang Enhua, Xu Yunlong.

Midfielders: Ma Mingyu, Li Tie, Zhao Junzhe, Qi Hong.

Forward: Yang Chen.

This is the starting formation and lineup that Ye Xian proposed to Milutinovic, and no changes have been made.

Huang Jianxiang: "Comparatively speaking, there have been quite a few changes in the starting lineup of our Chinese team."

Zhang Lu chuckled and said:

「是的，首先是阵型由4-4-2变成了5-4-1，这就要增加一名中卫，减少一名前锋。」

"Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi were injured in the last game, and their positions were filled by Qi Hong and Zhang Enhua."

"In the defensive midfield position, Zhao Junzhe, who has stronger defensive and running abilities, has replaced Li Xiaopeng."

"This is equivalent to making four changes to the starting lineup."

Huang Jianxiang: "I heard that this more defensive lineup was suggested by the team's translator, Ye Xian. Coach Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Lu: "At first, I was a little surprised too, but since Milu accepted his suggestion, he must have considered it thoroughly. Maybe this Ye Xian really has something going for him. Actually, there's no point in saying more; let's see what he's really made of!"

Huang Jianxiang: "Does Coach Zhang think we can withstand Brazil's attack with this lineup today?"

Zhang Lu shook his head:

"In my opinion... it's still very difficult. Brazil's attacking power is just too strong."

"Our focus is only on Ronaldo and Rivaldo, two world-class strikers, but in fact, Brazil's attacking options are far more than that."

"The young Ronaldinho on the left wing plays for Paris Saint-Germain in France. He has excellent technique, as you could see from his first game."

"Junho on the right is also a famous player, and his performances at Middlesbrough and Atletico Madrid were impressive."

"Not to mention the world's most lethal full-back pairing; the attacking prowess of Carlos and Cafu is truly terrifying to any team..."

Huang Jianxiang: "Haha, according to Coach Zhang, the Chinese team has absolutely no chance?"

Zhang Lu: "The ball is round, so it's not a 100% certainty of defeat. If the Chinese team can withstand Brazil's early attacks and drag the game into a stalemate, then they might have a chance."

Huang Jianxiang: "Brazilian players have relatively weak tactical discipline. They can go crazy when they're on a winning streak, but they might underperform if they're not.

Zhang Lu: "Yes, maybe Ye Xian is trying to take advantage of this."

Huang Jianxiang: "Okay, let's pray the game goes into our rhythm! Look at the field, the national anthem is about to start..."

On the field.

The prelude to "The March of the Volunteers" suddenly began.

All the national football players looked up abruptly, their eyes instantly changing from solemn to incredibly determined.

As all the Chinese fans joined in singing, their resounding voices instantly echoed throughout the Jeju World Cup Stadium!

Milutinovic stood on the side of the coaching bench, trying to straighten his back.

Although he couldn't sing the Chinese national anthem, he still put his arm around the shoulders of all the coaching staff members, his expectant eyes fixed on the national flag on the field.

Standing next to Milu, with his arm around Milu's shoulder, was Ye Xian!

As he sang the national anthem loudly, he could not suppress his excitement and trepidation.

The tactics have all been arranged, but whether they can truly stop the Brazilians remains to be seen in actual combat.

Whether the fate of the Chinese national football team can be rewritten, and at the same time, Ye Xian's fate in this life, depends on today!