amaotonovel Chapter 279 The First Attack of the Three Lions Legion
Chapter 279 The First Attack of the Three Lions Legion
Chapter 279 The First Attack of the Three Lions
The British national anthem "God Save the Queen" was played first.
As the national anthem played, the live camera passed in front of the players, starting from the first goalkeeper "Hart" and ending with the last "Lu Xiaopang". After filming the 11 players on the England field, the camera swung to the England bench and "Hodgson" was also singing softly along with the melody.
After the national anthem was played, there was a burst of applause at the scene, and the 11 players in England also applauded to motivate themselves. This was a game that the Three Lions could not afford to lose.
The Chinese national anthem will then be played.
"Arise, you who would not be slaves...",
As the passionate melody sounded, more than 1 Chinese fans stood up and sang the national anthem in unison. The cameras on the side of the stadium, like the cameras, passed in front of the 11 Chinese starters one by one, starting from the first Qi Bing to the last Ding Mu.
"Forward, forward, forward and forward", as the national anthem was played, the Chinese players sang the last word "forward" and roared as an encouragement to themselves.
After the national anthem was played, players from both sides clapped their hands, and then it was time to pick sides. Under the leadership of the referee, Gerrard and Zheng Zhi took sides in the midfield.
Rizzoli showed the coin to Gerrard first, then to Zheng Zhi, and then threw it up. Finally, he pointed to the half of the Chinese team. The Chinese team kicked off first in the first half.
*****
Zheng Zhi ran back to his own half and formed a circle with the players for the final encouragement. Everyone folded their hands together, but it was obvious that some players’ hands were trembling slightly. Zheng Zhi suggested that everyone squeeze their hands tighter so that they would not tremble. Yes, as long as you feel the solid support of your teammates around you, then you will not be nervous.
After the players dispersed, they stood in their positions, and the game was about to start. Li Qiao and Ding Mu kicked off in the midfield.
With the whistle of the referee Rizzoli, the final round of the Group E group stage officially started.
After Ding Mu flicked the ball to Li Qiao, he quickly backed away. It stands to reason that Li Qiao should just pass the ball back to the midfielder at this time.
But Li Qiao didn't do this in this game. He took a few steps forward after taking the ball. England didn't care at first, but after Li Qiao quickly advanced 10 meters, the position occupied by England's midfielder "Wilshere" was already there.
Wilshere is an excellent midfielder that has emerged from Arsenal in recent years. Some people even say that if both Wilshere and "Ramsey" are healthy, they can support Arsenal's resurgence.
Faced with Li Qiao's sudden charge, the young and seasoned "Wilshere" didn't panic at all. He even directed his big brother "Lampard". He pointed with his right hand, meaning to ask Lampard to help him defend.
Li Qiao saw that neither his own breakthrough nor his passing was very good. At this time, he passed back to the midfielder, and then continued to run towards England's half.
Li Qiao's "change" at the beginning of the game embodies Stan's guiding ideology for this game.
Against Belgium, Stan asked for "chaos", and the more chaotic the scene, the better. Against Nigeria, Stan asked for "to irritate the opponent", but for this game, Stan asked for "no request", because in the last game of the group stage, we had to let go of the burden and release the normal nature of the players, so even if we lost in the end, there would be no regrets.
And England's guiding ideology is similar to that of Belgium in the first game, "swear to get 3 points", otherwise it will be a failure.
So when Zheng Zhi got the ball, Rooney behind him and Welbeck on the left rushed towards him together. Facing the two men's pinch, Zheng Zhi didn't panic.
Zheng Zhi's knee was hit by Welbeck, and the ball was not protected. At the same time, Rizzoli also blew the whistle, signaling Welbeck to foul.
Welbeck looked innocently at the referee, "Such a ball is called a foul"?
Rizzoli also laughed. He pointed to England's half and motioned Welbeck to stop talking.
Zheng Zhi resumed the game with a kick-off, and he passed the ball to another midfielder "Zhang Linpeng". Similarly, "Sterling" over there was also aggressive.
Under Stan, Zhang Linpeng is still a rookie. He is not as calm as Zheng Zhi. In a hurry, he passes back to Wei Xiao on the back line.
When Wei Xiao saw these Premier League acquaintances, he felt very cordial, but now was not the time to reminisce about the past. He pretended to make a big kick, and Rooney came up to block it. After Lu Xiaopang took off, Wei Xiao passed the ball directly to Chen Fei.
Chen Fei is a full-back who likes to attack. After he got the ball, he passed 50 meters long to Li Qiao, but Lampard cleared the ball in time.
At 5 minutes into the first half, neither side created any threatening opportunities. Both teams were very cautious, especially the Chinese team.
After England gets the ball, the pace is very fast, basically passing the ball with one kick, just like the way Arsenal play in the Premier League. The football basically rolls against the lawn and never hits the ball high.
It can be said that the current England team has completely bid farewell to the traditional British style of play. Except for Scotland, which still maintains the traditional British football style of playing high and high, other teams in the British Isles have already begun to play with their feet, including the rapidly rising Wales.
In the first 10 minutes of the game, England's ball possession rate has gradually improved, mainly due to their high passing accuracy in the midfield. Gerrard, Lampard, Wilshere, Sterling are all people who can pass the ball with one kick.
Zheng Zhi and Zhang Linpeng basically defended against Wilshere closely. Stan watched his game video and found that his creativity at Arsenal was no worse than that of Ozil. What's more, his speed was much faster than Ozil.
Hodgson also studied the match between the Chinese team and Belgium in detail. He found that the Chinese team's defense was very disciplined, and the general offense was difficult to penetrate, unless it was a very covert and creative pass.
Gerrard couldn't find a good passing route after advancing in the midfield. He had no choice but to take a long shot. Gerrard's long-range shot was very good. Facing the long-range shot from 35 meters away, Wang Dalei did not dare to neglect, but the ball hit Zhou Dun halfway and bounced to Wilshere's feet.
As soon as Wilshere got the ball, Zhang Linpeng posted it immediately, but this time Wilshere hit his heel and passed the ball directly to Sterling on the left.
Sterling was facing Chen Fei, who had scored the ball before. Chen Fei's speed was top in Asia, but facing Sterling, Chen Fei couldn't catch up.
After passing Chen Fei, the Chinese team's defense on the right was empty. Now Rooney and Welbeck are outflanking the penalty area, and Gerrard is waiting for the second point around the arc of the penalty area.
Sterling looked up and saw that his teammate was in a good position. He made a low pass with his left foot. Wei Xiao touched it and found Rooney "missing".
He walked around from behind Wei Xiao to the front of Wei Xiao to grab this point.If it was Rooney's explosive power 10 years ago, this goal would have been scored, but Rooney's state is not as good as before. He was a step slower and missed the ball, but Welbeck from the second point grabbed the ball. With a push of his arch, the ball flew towards the goal of the Chinese team.
At the most dangerous moment, goalkeeper Wang Dalei quickly moved to the back post, and the ball hit him in the face and flew out of the baseline.
This move of "Face Punch" was too crucial, too brave, and too wonderful. After the ball passed the baseline, the whole team ran over and touched Wang Dalei's face, "This face is really blessed."
*****
While everyone was celebrating Wang Dalei's "Shen Pounce", Stan was furious on the sidelines. He felt that the Chinese team missed England's two outflanking points.
Stan's request is a bit difficult, mainly because since the Chinese team has Wei Xiao and Zhou Dun, the defense has not been "exploded" like this. Stan's anger can be imagined.
Stan kept pointing to his eyes, reminding his defense to pay attention to man-marking. Not every shot can be made by magic. If a team relies on the goalkeeper's magic to not concede the ball, then he has actually failed.
*****
The goal was missed, but the English players relaxed their mentality. They thought that the Chinese team could draw with Belgium in the first half. Such a team must still be very strong, but after playing for 10 minutes, they found that it was not that difficult at all.
Five minutes after this attack, England passed the ball 5 times in a row from the 15th minute to the 17th minute. Except for the goalkeeper and the defender "Jagilka" who did not touch the ball, everyone else participated in the attack. The Chinese team just couldn't grab the ball. In the end, the ball ended because of Lampard's long-range shot, which was saved by Wang Dalei.
*****
"What a goalkeeper, he should have come to the Premier League," Taylor explained.
Shen Fangjian could hear Taylor's commentary clearly. The tone was relaxed and teasing. Presumably "Martin Taylor" is in a good mood now. England is playing against the Chinese team.
"This corner kick should be more varied. Our central defenders should bravely go up and participate in the attack. It seems a bit wasteful for two central defenders to always stay in their own half."
The game was being broadcast live, so Shen Fangjian couldn't "chat" with Taylor, of course, he could only focus on his commentary.
"England won a corner kick. Although there was no threat in the previous few times, the boys of the Chinese team still have to take it seriously. We know that England's set kicks are still very threatening. Although Beckham has retired, Gerrard's pass is also very accurate."
*****
Gerrard stood in front of the ball and prepared to throw a penalty. England's two central defenders still did not come up this time, but the right back "Johnson" was about to move. He stood near the midfield and was likely to participate in the attack.
Gerrard looked in the penalty area, raised his hand, and prepared to kick the corner kick.
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(End of this chapter)