Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 647: Our team is too weak.
In the final moments of the first half, Shan Yongzhuo scored again, putting the team ahead once more.

This is definitely a surprise for the Chinese team.

According to their world rankings, Uruguay is ranked sixth in the world, while China is ranked fifty-second.

It was a match where the teams were completely mismatched.

The reason China was able to defeat Colombia in the group stage was partly because Colombia did not play at full strength, and partly because the Chinese team used an extreme defensive formation like 8-1-1.

However, in this match, the Chinese team did not employ such extreme defense, and Uruguay's style of play, compared to Colombia's, emphasizes physical confrontation, which is the style that the Chinese team fears most.

Considering the difference in strength between the two sides, this score is already quite acceptable.

Apart from Shan Yongzhuo, the other Chinese players all had a rather painful experience during the game. There was still a gap in strength between them and their opponents, and Uruguay's tough playing style forced them to engage in intense physical confrontations with their opponents.

When facing Uruguayan players one-on-one, only Shan Yongzhuo and Hao Junmin from the Chinese team were able to put up a fight against them.

Even against the aging Fran, it would be difficult for him to gain an advantage in a one-on-one situation.

Therefore, the Chinese team is now leading 3-2, and the players must acknowledge the gap in strength between the two sides. The goal is basically all thanks to Shan Yongzhuo. If there is anyone else, it is Hao Junmin who provided significant support to Shan Yongzhuo.

Many players thought with lingering fear, "Thank goodness we had Shan Yongzhuo, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to play at all."

This group of players has actually grown up gradually in recent years. Most of them have won the Asian Cup with Shan Yongzhuo and played in the World Cup qualifiers.

However, when they actually arrived at the World Cup, they still felt the gap between themselves and the world's top teams.

The fact that they've reached this level, not only securing first place in their group but also leading 3-2 against Uruguay in the knockout stage, has led many to practically idolize Shan Yongzhuo.

"Shan is still amazing, he can still be this strong against these teams."

"If he were on another team, even Uruguay, he probably could easily win the World Cup."

"No wonder he never cooperates with us. He must be used to one-touch passing. He's not used to our stop-and-go style of play."

"Only Xiao Hao can cooperate with Brother Shan."

"It's not that Dan Ge wasn't good enough to win the World Cup, it's that our team was too weak."

"..."

Head coach Gao Hongbo didn't have so many thoughts; he was just impressed by Shan Yongzhuo's skill and started to plan the tactics for the second half.

In the first half, they had already achieved the desired result. Thanks to Shan Yongzhuo's performance, they took the lead over their opponents, even if it was just by one goal, it was enough.

In the second half, Gao Hongbo prepared to use the 8-1-1 formation again.

Only Hao Junmin remained in the attacking third, ready to support Shan Yongzhuo in counter-attacks at any time, while the rest of the team huddled together to defend.

In particular, we must develop a targeted defensive strategy against Cavani.

Cavani played a crucial role in Uruguay's two goals in the first half; he is currently Uruguay's strongest attacking threat and must be contained.

If they can hold on and Shan Yongzhuo scores another goal on the counter-attack, making it into the quarterfinals will be within reach.

During halftime, the media and fans continued to discuss the game, with the main topics focusing on "China leading at halftime" and "Shan Yongzhuo's hat-trick".

Chinese media and fans seemed to see a glimmer of hope for victory. Even if they were only leading by one goal, they all focused their attention on the Chinese team. Commentators, guests, and legends took advantage of halftime to analyze the Chinese team's chances of winning.

Shan Yongzhuo was the focus of the discussion, and they couldn't stop praising him.

"It was Shan Yongzhuo's outstanding performance that led the Chinese team to its current position."

"The halftime lead was thanks to Shan Yongzhuo."

"Hopefully, the others can perform better in the second half, especially Hao Junmin. Hopefully, he can provide more support for Shan Yongzhuo." "..."

The fans are also discussing it.

Fans have nothing to say about Shan Yongzhuo and the Chinese team's performance, and they feel incredibly proud.

As the only Asian team remaining, they still have a chance to reach the quarterfinals.

This is absolutely thrilling.

During halftime, the Maracanã Stadium fans shouted loud cheers, but most of them were directed at Shan Yongzhuo, because Shan Yongzhuo single-handedly carried the Chinese team and led Uruguay at halftime.

This kind of performance only needs to be admired, not praised to affirm it.

soon.

Halftime was over.

The Chinese and Uruguayan teams returned to the field, and the match resumed after the referee blew his whistle.

Uruguay launched a fierce attack.

Uruguay dominated the first half, with possession approaching 65% and far more shots and dangerous chances than China.

Uruguay is now playing more aggressively, and their tactics are more targeted. They no longer control the ball much on the flanks and in the middle, but instead pass the ball more into the penalty area, and their two full-backs are making frequent forward runs.

Uruguay's formation also changed from 5-3-2 to 3-5-2.

This is Tabárez's adjustment; he hopes Uruguay can improve their attacking efficiency and create more scoring opportunities.

Dan Yongzhuo's efficiency is very high, even a bit ridiculously high, but Tavares still believes that the overall efficiency is definitely stronger than that of an individual.

The Uruguayan players were also eager to perform well and hopefully score a goal.

Goal.

Tie it off.

overtake.

China's defense is actually not strong. As long as they take a few more goals, what good will Shan Yongzhuo's performance do?
Uruguay entered the game with this mindset, and they began to show an overwhelming advantage, directly suppressing the Chinese team and frequently creating attacking opportunities.

The pressure faced by the Chinese team is unimaginable.

At this point, the Chinese team once again huddled together in formation, with no distinction between the midfield and the defense. They used a dense, swarming tactic, constantly covering and moving to defuse the crisis time and time again.

Every player is highly motivated.

Inspired by defeating Uruguay and advancing to the quarterfinals, everyone displayed unprecedented strength. Even veterans like Li Weifeng and Zheng Zhi gave it their all, tirelessly performing to help defend the precarious goal.

twenty minutes.

The Chinese team defended for a full twenty minutes.

In those twenty minutes, Uruguay made twenty-six passes into the penalty area and took thirteen shots, three of which nearly resulted in a goal. Fortunately, all the dangers were averted, and Uruguay did not score.

For the Chinese team...

Shan Yongzhuo also began to try dropping back to receive the ball.

He also had two shots, but because they were too far from the goal, even with his powerful kick, he couldn't guarantee a goal.

(End of this chapter)