Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 648 An old steed in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles
The Chinese team's hard work and dedication won unanimous praise from Chinese fans, who cheered them on even louder.

Of course, the media in Uruguay and other countries don't see it that way.

"Another example of extremely pragmatic football!"

"Ugly football at the Maracanã Stadium!"

Uruguayan media and fans are helpless, but there's nothing they can do but resort to verbal mockery.

No team in this World Cup has ever parked its bus as strategically as the Chinese team.

But ironically, it was very effective.

In the group stage, the Chinese team defeated the seemingly invincible Colombia with this extreme defensive strategy of using a bus and counter-attacking tactics.

Uruguay doesn't seem to have a good solution to this bus tactic either.

Although the Chinese players have limited individual skills and pose little threat in attack, their united will and desperate efforts in this defensive style have yielded good results.

After all, a defensive strategy that prioritizes not conceding goals over attacking can still be effective as long as no major mistakes are made.

Twenty minutes passed.

Despite their relentless attacks, Uruguay was unable to break through China's defense, which significantly impacted them. They were forced to slow down their offensive and adjust the pace of the game.

The Chinese team was able to catch their breath and launched a counterattack. Yu Hai on the wing was very active this time. He dribbled the ball all the way to the byline, but his attempt to cross the ball was thwarted by the opposing player.

Corner kick.

A slight smile appeared on Shan Yongzhuo's lips, and a determined expression appeared on his face.

The current score is 3-2, only one goal ahead. Uruguay could equalize at any time, and if they do, the rest of the game will be much tougher.

Although the Chinese team is adept at parking the bus, their players' physical condition is much worse than Uruguay's. If Uruguay equalizes or even drags the game into extra time, it will be very disadvantageous for the Chinese team.

If we can take a two-goal lead at this point.

With 25 minutes left in the game, it's relatively safe.

Therefore, this corner kick opportunity is very important.

Shan Yongzhuo stood at the corner flag, his gaze sweeping towards the Uruguayan goal, his expression more solemn than ever before.

He rarely shows such a serious expression, which also indicates that he is under a lot of pressure.

Shan Yongzhuo took a deep breath.

Everyone in the room was watching him, and cameras were pointing at him from all angles.

Uruguay was also prepared.

Goalkeeper Muslera was very wary of Shan Yongzhuo taking a direct shot. Although past data showed that Shan Yongzhuo usually only had one direct shot from a corner kick per game, no one could say for sure.

The other Uruguayan players did the same, even Cavani returned to the penalty area to participate in defense.

Corner flagpole.

Shan Yongzhuo's eyes swept over the Uruguayan goal.

The referee signaled for a penalty kick.

He took a deep breath, scanned the goal again, took several steps back, and ran forward with standard small steps. When he was less than half a meter away from the ball, he suddenly stopped.

Swing your foot high.

The instep of the foot collided with the side of the soccer ball, making a thud.

The football immediately rushed towards the penalty area.

In front of the door.

Rotate inwards.

Throughout the entire process, Shan Yongzhuo held his breath. He stood still, staring intently at the football. When he saw the football spinning and heading straight for the goal, he suppressed the excitement in his heart.

But then, something unexpected happened. Nearby, Godin appeared.

He jumped up and blocked the ball.

Then, Godin slammed his head against the pillar and fell to the ground.

The ball was blocked.

"Hula..."

A chorus of regrets rippled through the crowd.

"Danger!"

Muslera shouted.

But it was too late. The ball was blocked, and as soon as it landed, inside the penalty area, a player wearing a red number 10 jersey took a follow-up shot and kicked the ball into Uruguay's goal.

The ball went in!
Zheng Zhi!

After scoring, Zheng Zhi let out a roar that filled the air. Shan Yongzhuo was also very excited and rushed over, leaping up and onto Zheng Zhi's back.

"Goal! Goal! Goal!"

Commentator He Wei shouted at the top of his lungs, "Although Shan Yongzhuo's corner kick was blocked by Godin, Zheng Zhi appeared in time and scored on the rebound, putting the ball into Uruguay's goal."

"4 to 2!"

"Veteran Zheng Zhi has scored a very important goal, and China is now two goals ahead of Uruguay again!"

"The match has reached the 68th minute. At this point and with this score, we can be certain that the Chinese team has a very good chance of defeating Uruguay and advancing to the quarterfinals!"

"The biggest contributor to this goal was Zheng Zhi, whose rebound shot gave China a two-goal lead. But we still can't forget Shan Yongzhuo and Yu Hai. It was Yu Hai's run down the wing that brought this corner kick, and it was Shan Yongzhuo's invincible corner kick shot that created this rebound opportunity!"

"Godin's selfless block was already very good, but veteran Zheng Zhi stepped up at the crucial moment!"

Commentator He Wei sighed, and the media and fans shared the same sentiment. Everyone felt disappointed after seeing Godin block the ball in such a way.

But no one expected that Zheng Zhi, who was lying in wait, would suddenly burst out with such speed, shooting directly at the goal before anyone could react.

For a while, the Chinese team could only retreat to defense, and everyone was on tenterhooks, because the Chinese goal was in great danger for the first twenty minutes or so.

Everyone has seen the gap in strength between the Chinese team and Uruguay.

But now, seeing the hope of the Chinese team advancing to the quarterfinals, the Chinese fans in the stands are almost hoarse from shouting, but they are still cheering at the top of their lungs. They hope to see the Chinese team defeat Uruguay and advance to the quarterfinals.

That would be a glorious moment worth recording, a moment to be excited about, and a moment to celebrate.

On the field.

The Chinese team players were also celebrating wildly.

Zheng Zhi shouted excitedly repeatedly; he was simply too excited.

As a player who participated in the 2002 World Cup, he barely got any playing time in that tournament.

He later participated in the 2008 Olympics, but only left behind the infamous reputation of Zheng Zhihua, who suffered a broken leg.

However, he was once a rare all-around midfielder in China, and he also had experience playing in Europe, where he performed well.

Unfortunately, during his peak years, the Chinese national football team was experiencing its darkest period.

Now that he is getting old, he can only play as a defensive midfielder, contributing his strength to the team in defense.

But as captain, he also wanted to step up and help the team score a goal.

And now, he did it, albeit only with a rebound shot.

However, this was a very important goal, which could very well decide the outcome of the match, leaving the veteran extremely excited.

(End of this chapter)