Midfielder Ruler

"Beep~beep~beep~~"

With the three long whistles of the referee Cakir, the 90 minutes of regular time in the last semi-final of the 2018 Russia World Cup came to an end. The 30-minute overtime between the Chinese team and the England team is about to begin. The fans at the Nikki Stadium were enthusiastic and released a deafening roar.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

The on-site director first tried to give a long shot to the enthusiastic fans in the stands, and then showed the core players of both sides of the game, especially the captains of both sides.

However, the expressions of the two captains were slightly different. China's captain Tang Zheng still had the same calm and relaxed expression, while England's captain Harry Kane had a heavy look.

After all, England, which had better overall strength before the game, was favored by the media. So far in this World Cup, Harry Kane has scored a total of six goals. Like Tang Zheng, he is the favorite winner of the Golden Boot Award in this World Cup, but he is only 90. Minutes passed, and there was no achievement. Not even a shot that hit the goal appeared, which put him under some pressure.

Although the English Football Association said before the World Cup that the team would complete its task as long as it qualified for the group stage, when the game reaches the semi-finals, everyone will have further ideas, whether it is players or Football Association officials.

In addition, the developed English media continued to brag when England advanced to the semi-finals, believing that England's defeat of the Chinese team to advance to the World Cup finals was certain. However, they failed to score at the end of the 90 minutes of the regular game. As the captain, Harry Kane The psychological pressure is so great.

Other England players were no better, with heavy faces.

Of course, most of the Chinese players except Tang Zheng also had serious faces. After all, the game went into overtime, which meant that no one could make mistakes.

Once you make a mistake, you will regret it forever.

One step further is the final, a game where we can compete with France for the championship.

The losing side can only compete with Belgium, which lost in the semifinals, for third place. It is basically a meaningless game.

Who would want to eliminate a possible champion?

Logically speaking, there is no rest time before the start of overtime, but the referee Cakir on duty gave the players on both sides about two minutes of breathing time as appropriate, which was used for the head coach's tactical arrangement and the players' rehydration.

Central 5 commentator He Wei said worriedly: "The game entered overtime, which was a big burden for the Chinese team. They played Portugal for 120 minutes in the quarter-finals and finally won with a penalty shootout. After advancing to the semi-finals, there is less than four days of rest for the more important semi-finals, so physical fitness is an issue. England easily defeated Sweden with two goals in the quarter-finals, so they have an advantage in physical fitness."

"But fans sitting in front of the TV don't worry." Commentator Xu Yang explained patiently: "Overtime is also a huge pressure for England. Our players have the ability to pose a threat to England's goal, so as long as Our players are focused enough to hold on to a draw, and with some luck, we may even win the game and create the best result for a new Asian team in the World Cup."

British Sky commentator Andy Gray frowned and said in a deep voice: "England, which has the upper hand, was dragged into overtime by the Chinese team. This is not good news, because the Chinese team had overtime in the quarter-finals. The experience of drawing a draw and winning a penalty shootout was a huge momentum boost for the Chinese team."

"Old man, don't be too pessimistic. There is still game time, and with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy at the front, I think the Chinese team, whose physical fitness has declined, may not be able to withstand the impact of the two top strikers in the Premier League."

As soon as the commentator Martin Taylor finished speaking, Andy Gray burst into laughter, but Martin Taylor suddenly changed his words: "Hey~ But this is based on Don's poor performance. Of course... England still has a chance of winning. Very high, higher than England."

Martin Taylor knew that a lot of words were enough, so he didn’t say much,

As the broadcast screen switched, the topic changed: "Don and Harry Kane are ready to guess the ball. We don't know what the result of the thirty-minute overtime will be, but that is not something we can guess now. We can only guess through the game process. Only then can we find out..."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch -"

With huge cheers ringing out from the Luzhniki Stadium, Tang Zheng and Harry Kane walked to the center line to make final preparations for the first and second half of overtime.

In the end, Harry Kane won the right to take the kick, and the Chinese team represented by Tang Zheng automatically won the right to kick off.

※※※

"Beep~"

The first half of overtime between the Chinese team and England was officially started with a whistle from referee Cakir.

The Chinese team, which had a kick-off advantage, did not rush to organize a forward attack. Instead, it controlled the rhythm of the game through passing and controlling in the midfield and backcourt, and consumed as much game time as possible.

After all, the overall strength of the Chinese team is not as good as England's, especially when Vardy came on as a substitute, the pressure he brought to the Chinese team's defense increased exponentially, so much so that captain Tang Zheng had to return to the penalty area to assist the team's defense. .

However, the problem caused by the decline in physical fitness is very serious. Even if Tang Zheng deliberately did it, Deng Hanwen, whose physical and mental abilities were affected to varying degrees, looked very panicked when faced with Rashford's pressing, and finally chose to make a big kick to save the ball.

Control of football changes hands.

England switched from defense to offense. The offense slowly advanced under the organization of Henderson and Dale, but encountered difficulties when advancing to the 35-meter offensive area.

In order to avoid losing the ball, the offensive direction had to be divided from the center to the two wings, with Rashford, Trippier and Ashley Young creating opportunities.

Li Xuepeng and Deng Hanwen were under great pressure, but fortunately the middle of the penalty area was well protected. With the three central defenders Gao Zhunyi, Zhang Linpeng and Liu Yiming all in place, Tang Zheng and Li Kui took turns to help defend, but Zeng Cheng was not guarded. The goal poses a direct threat.

However, the Chinese team, whose defense was guaranteed, was a little tired on the offensive end. The small-scale cooperation of Lu Liang, Sun Jingbo and Ye Erfan was not enough to threaten Pickford's goal.

In the blink of an eye, three minutes into the first half of overtime, the Chinese team had very few chances to control the ball. Two minutes later, the on-site director gave a close-up shot of Lippi in the stands and Madaloni standing in front of the Chinese team coach. .

The meaning is obvious. Should the fourth adjustment be made when the Chinese team's offense cannot pose a threat?

Immediately, the broadcast footage showed Hao Junmin, Liu Ruofan and Zhang Xizhe one after another.

Because with Tang Zheng fully focusing on defense, only Hao Junmin, Liu Ruofan and Zhang Xizhe can help the Chinese team.

However, the Chinese team, whose overall strength is inferior to England, must first solidly defend, and then attack.

Tournament-based competitions like the World Cup are different from league games. Attack can only be considered when the defense is invincible.

The Chinese team, which itself lacks defensive capabilities, has no reason to consider attacking, otherwise the Chinese team would not replace Liu Yiming at the end of the second half.

There were more than twenty minutes left in overtime, and it was impossible to make adjustments.

If the red card encountered in the quarter-finals occurs again, there will be no place to cry.

England head coach Southgate was also worried about this change, so he did not make substitution adjustments even when the team's offense was strong but did not score, so as to cope with the changes by staying the same.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch -"

The game entered a stalemate, but it did not affect the excitement of the fans at the scene. They continued to create waves of huge cheers.

In the fanatical atmosphere, the Chinese players on the field performed better and better.

In the 99th minute, Tang Zheng made a precise long pass to Lu Liang, who was running in at high speed from the left. If Ye Erfan hadn't passed the ball too hard, the Chinese team would have likely taken the lead despite continuous passive defense.

"What a pity! The young player Ye Erfan seemed too nervous during the rare counterattack, otherwise he might have overtaken the score!"

Central 5 commentator He Wei said passionately.

"In the final analysis, it is still a lack of competition experience. Ye Erfan is only 20 years old this year and his future is unlimited. However, these are the tuition fees that must be paid when he is young. I hope he can seize the opportunity in the next competition time and help The Chinese team defeated England in an upset!"

Commentator Xu Yang said.

The Chinese team's quick counterattack was a wake-up call for England. Therefore, after England coach Southgate complained about the team on the sidelines, he immediately pressed down on the players with both hands, which meant that the team should be stable. Come and play, we can't make such mistakes that shouldn't happen again.

England slowed down its offensive pace, and the Chinese team's defensive pressure dropped significantly. Captain Tang Zheng noticed that there were less than two minutes left before the end of the first half of overtime, so he reasonably controlled the pace of the game and consumed the game time reasonably.

Due to the long net time in the first half of overtime, the referee Cakir on duty blew the whistle to end the first half of overtime just after the 15th minute of overtime.

Compared with the start of overtime, there is no rest time before the start of the second half of overtime. The two sides directly enter the second half of overtime.

"Beep~"

The referee Cakir blew the whistle, which meant that the second half of overtime officially began.

If there is no way to determine the winner in the second half of overtime, the game will enter a brutal penalty shootout.

But compared to sudden death, both England and China hope that the game can enter a penalty shootout.

After all, as long as you seize the opportunity in the penalty shootout, you have a chance to win the game and advance to the finals.

If you are suddenly defeated by the opponent, it means you will be eliminated.

Anyone with a discerning eye can tell which one is better and which one is worse.

"At the beginning of the overtime in the second half, the physical fitness of the players on both sides of the game was obviously declining, so this time is a test of the concentration of the players on both sides of the game. The offense can easily lose the ball, but the defense cannot. I hope our boys can grit their teeth and persevere. At this time, the test is more about fighting spirit. In this regard... I am not worried. The game four days ago at Fisht Olympic Stadium was the best illustration..."

In the 107th minute of the game amid Hevey's talk, England took the lead in making its fourth substitution adjustment.

Loftus-Cheek replaces Henderson.

Through this substitution adjustment, it is not difficult to see that Southgate hopes to determine the winner in overtime, but his idea is based on the team's defense not conceding the ball first.

However, the Chinese team did not invest many people in the attack, and the pressure on the single defensive midfielder Dell was not particularly great. The purpose of replacing Chik was to add changes to the attack in the middle.

Lippi frowned in the stands, wondering whether he should continue to strengthen his defense and try to drag the game into a penalty shootout.

But then I thought about it, strengthening defense may not be able to maintain the score. As time becomes less and less and players' defensive time increases, the pressure they feel is also rising in a straight line, and a collapse is very likely to occur.

If you want to change the current situation, you should strengthen your offense!

Just when Lu Liang suffered from cramps, Lippi gave his assistant Madaloni the latest instructions through technical means.

In the 113th minute, the Chinese team took advantage of the frontcourt sideline ball to make the final substitution adjustment.

Hao Junmin replaced Lu Liang, who was almost exhausted.

Regarding the substitution adjustment of the Chinese team, Central 5 commentator He Wei was a little puzzled: "Substituting defensive players at this time should be the wisest choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Wei thought that continuous defense may not be a good thing, so he changed his words: "Trying to replace Hao Junmin, who has very good organizational skills, may significantly promote the Chinese team's offense. After all, Tang Zheng is too focused on it. Defense, it is difficult for him to directly participate in the offense at this point in the game..."

Li Xuepeng threw a sideline ball, and the ball was controlled by Ye Erfan, Sun Jingbo and Hao Junmin.

Perhaps due to the dwindling game time, England players are also worried about defensive problems, including Harry Kane and Vardy, who have returned to their own half to participate in defense.

As a result, Tang Zheng was able to go forward and participate in the team's offense.

Tang Zheng, who was about 40 meters away from the goal in the middle of the attack, received a cross pass from Deng Hanwen. Harry Kane and Rashford pounced on him respectively. Tang Zheng pretended to pass the ball to Hao Junmin and suddenly made a right move. He slams the ball forward with his foot and accelerates.

Harry Kane and Rashford did not expect that Tang Zheng would speed up. Since they were not defensive players, they reacted half a beat too late to commit a foul.

Fortunately, Chi Ke concentrated his attention and pounced on Tang Zheng, and both of them let out a sigh of relief.

But at this moment, Tang Zheng suddenly swung his left foot while running, and suddenly took a shot when he was still about 37 meters away from the goal, and he used his left foot that he didn't often use.

It was too late for Chick to block it, or even to dodge. The football passed by it, like a shell, flying towards the goal guarded by Pickford.

"Tang Zheng——"

Central 5 commentator He Wei also said the same: "Shoot!!"

Maguire, Stones, and Dier all subconsciously turned their heads and stared at the football in mid-air. Tan Men was suddenly shocked because the football flying towards Pickford's goal did not rotate in mid-air, and... the angle, The ball speed is excellent.

Hear the thunder in the silence!

The declining fanaticism reached an extreme level at this moment, with the roars from the Chinese fans and the exclamations from the England fans like boiling water.