Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

3 month 29 day.

Xi'an Shaanxi Provincial Stadium.

"Zhuangdianer Stage, Zhuangdianer Stage, good evening, viewers!"

"The Chinese national football team is about to face Qatar in a do-or-die match."

Qatar, currently leading the group with 7 wins and 0 losses, has 21 points. China, with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, has 14 points and is just one step away from qualifying as the best second-placed team!

"Qatar's seven-game winning streak speaks volumes about the players' ability; they scored 29 goals and conceded only 2 in 7 games, while the Chinese national team scored 30 goals and conceded only 1 in 7 games!"

"Although Qatar's overall strength is very high, don't forget, we have Jiang Yan!"

"The director focused the camera on Jiang Yan, who was warming up."

"In the last match, Jiang Yan led his team to four goals and one assist, delivering a perfect debut! At this critical moment, can he step up again and save the team?"

Professor Zhan Jun's tone was full of anticipation.

On the other side, Teacher He Wei was also flipping through the Qatari contestant list, his brows furrowed.

……

Pre-match press conference.

Gao Hongbo remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic about the match.

"Jiang Yan will not start this game. This is to protect the player. We will try our best to hold on to a draw before he comes on."

"Of course, we might be able to win even without Jiang Yan's participation."

obviously.

The previous match against the Maldives boosted Gao Hongbo's confidence to the point that he believed he could easily defeat Qatar with his current lineup.

the other side.

Qatar's coach, Daniel Carreño, looked serious.

This Uruguayan coach is outspoken in front of the media.

"Jiang Yan will be Qatar's most formidable opponent."

"I'm glad the Chinese coach didn't put him in the starting lineup, which might give us some opportunities."

"We also have some players playing in Europe, but none of them are phenomenal players like Jiang Yan."

"My players are full of confidence for this match, and we will take the lead before Jiang Yan comes on!"

Qatar isn't afraid of the Chinese team; they're only afraid of Jiang Yan. Without Jiang Yan, the Chinese team is just a lion without fangs.

……

Inside the live stream room.

The opposing coach's message is clear: without Jiang Yan, Gao Hongbo is nothing!

[How dare Gao Hongbo put Jiang Yan on the bench! I think he's really gotten arrogant!]

If they lose this match, Gao Hongbo will absolutely bear full responsibility!

[Haha, the opposing coach respects Jiang Yan so much, but what about Gao Hongbo? He's still talking about protective usage; he'll behave himself once they actually lose!]

……

Inside the changing room.

Gao Hongbo was fiddling with something in front of the tactics board. He turned around, and five photos were pasted on the tactics board.

"There are five people you need to pay attention to in this match!"

"First up is their number 10—Rodrigo Tabata!"

"A 35-year-old veteran who was naturalized from Brazil, he previously played for Santos in the Brazilian Serie A and Besiktas in the Turkish Super League. He has very refined technique, strong footwork and organizational skills, and is Qatar's on-field brain."

"Next up is their number 20, substitute striker Karim Boudiaf. He scored the winning goal in the second half of the last match against Qatar. Be careful of his speed!"

"Akram Afif, number 18, currently plays for Sporting Gijón in La Liga. He has excellent dribbling and speed."

"The remaining players are defender Pedro Miguel (number 15) and defensive midfielder Luis Martin (number 8). Both of them are naturalized players with strong abilities, so we must be careful when playing against them."

After listening to Gao Hongbo's analysis, Wang Dalei, standing in front of the locker, angrily threw his gloves on the ground.

"Damn it, this isn't the Qatari team! They might as well just call it the Naturalizers Team!"

"Exactly! If everyone plays like this, we might as well just put 11 black players on the field from now on!"

The soldiers in the locker room were in high spirits. Gao Hongbo was about to speak when Jiang Yan spoke first.

"Naturalized players...?"

Upon hearing Jiang Yan speak, the entire national football team in the locker room fell silent instantly.

It's important to understand that in a team like the Chinese national football team, where personal relationships are extremely important and seniority is highly valued, someone who can make a group of senior players willingly shut up must either have very strong connections or be absolutely invincible in terms of ability.

Clearly, Jiang Yan is the latter.

"That's interesting, naturalized players."

Jiang Yan put down his phone. While Gao Hongbo was explaining tactics, he was still studying Juninho's S-shaped curveball.

"For some weak teams in the middle and lower ranks, naturalization is a last resort. Perhaps in the future, this practice of hiring mercenaries will become more common, but at least today, let them see the power of local players."

Although Jiang Yan's words were neither a loud, impassioned outburst nor a grand expression of patriotism, they nonetheless ignited a powerful sense of patriotism in everyone present.

Will naturalization become a trend?

Then I'm going to beat these naturalized players to a pulp!

……

The referee team led both teams' players onto the field.

Loud singing suddenly resounded from the Shaanxi Provincial Stadium in Xi'an:

"Jiang~~~Jiang Yan~~You are our hero~~"

This is a song for Jiang Yan created spontaneously by fans. It not only supports Jiang Yan, but also puts pressure on Gao Hongbo so that Jiang Yan can play sooner.

Jiang Yan, sitting on the bench, felt a mix of emotions.

After just one game, Chinese fans hailed him as a savior.

China desperately needs a leader.

"Here are the starting lineups for both teams."

"Jiang Yan was not in the starting lineup today, so the national team fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation."

Goalkeeper: Zeng Cheng.

"Defense line: Ren Hang, Zhang Linfan, Feng Xiaoting, Zhao Mingjian."

"Double defensive midfielders: Hao Junmin and Huang Bowen."

Midfielders: Li Xuepeng, Zhang Xizhe, Jiang Ning.

Forward: Wu Lei

"The national team's overall lineup has undergone some changes compared to the last match. Is Gao Hongbo trying out a new combination? Or is he hiding a trump card? It's something to look forward to!"

"Our national team is truly brimming with talent!"

After finishing his commentary on the Chinese national football team, Zhan Jun opened a document.

"this……"

"Next, we will introduce Qatar's starting lineup for this match."

"The main formation is an offensive 4-1-2-3!"

Goalkeeper: Armin.

"Defense line: Musa, Ab, Miguel, Muftah."

Defensive midfielder: Luis Martin.

"Double attacking midfielders: Tabata, Ismail."

Forwards: Boudiaf, Abdullah, Afif.

"Qadada has fielded all its naturalized players and those playing abroad, and they've even deployed a 4-1-2-3 formation with maximum attacking potential! It seems the Chinese team is in serious trouble this time!"

[Gao Hongbo didn't field Jiang Yan in the starting lineup, while Qatar fielded a team of players with overseas experience! This is bad news for the Chinese national team!]

[Could we bring Jiang Yan on within the first 3 minutes?]

[Heh, Gao Hongbo has completely lost his mind this time. He'll get what's coming to him!]

……

This was a do-or-die match for the Chinese national football team, and fans across China were glued to their television sets.

They knew very well that the Chinese team without Jiang Yan was not on the same level as this Qatari team, not to mention that the opponent was clearly going to launch a full-scale attack, so they couldn't help but feel a cold sweat for the Chinese team.

The Chinese team suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat against Qatar in the last round. If they lose again this time, their situation will become precarious.

……

The pre-match preparations have ended.

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

Qatar has possession of the ball.

"We can now see that Qatar doesn't seem to be in a hurry to attack, but instead has chosen to control the ball in their own half..."

"Accelerating! The Qatari goalkeeper launches a long ball, which lands precisely at Tabata's feet!"

As a Brazilian, Tabata possesses a ball control and refined footwork that Chinese players often lack.

Facing a double defense from the Chinese team, Tabata used a takoyaki move to get past both of them and continue advancing.

Not only him, but Qatar's attacking players were also running tirelessly.

"Qada's five-man attack!"

"The five forwards work together seamlessly. If the front three are the tip of the attacking trident, then the midfield duo are its blades!"

In the live broadcast room, many Chinese fans expressed their concerns after seeing Qatar's sharp attack.

[It's over. With Jiang Yan gone, the national team's midfield is like paper; they can't stop these sports cars at all!]

[Qada usually only uses this tactic in the second half, but they used it right at the start! They took advantage of Jiang Yan's absence, leaving the midfield without a shield!]

[Holy crap! The midfield has been breached! They're already close to the defensive line!]

What's going on? Is the gap between us really that big?

……

"Qada's attacking line maintained a high level of concentration, moving efficiently and passing the ball whenever possible!"

"The five-man team is playing very smoothly and they're about to get close to the goal!"

"Abdullah!"

"Break the door!"

boom!

"Zhang Linpeng blocked the ball with his face!"

"This will likely cause him considerable harm."

The ball is still in Qatar's possession.

Qatar's front five did not lower the quality of their attack in the slightest, and the defensive level of the Chinese players is among the best in Asia, so they naturally would not allow Qatar to score so easily.

But Qatar's seven consecutive victories were not solely due to luck.

Sidelines.

Gao Hongbo clearly did not expect Qatar's attack to be of such high quality; obviously, he miscalculated!

However, the opposing team did not give the Chinese national team any chance to make substitutions, firmly controlling the ball.

"You might be afraid, but you need to be bold!"

On the other side, Daniel Carreno's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

His students successfully steered the game into their preferred rhythm.

That means attack, attack, and attack again!

"Don't let your guard down! Intensify the attack!" Carreno shouted from the sidelines.

……

Qatar did not slow down their attack in the frontcourt.

"Tabata is like an eel, weaving through the restricted area, and no one from China can stop him!"

The Chinese team held their ground in front of their own penalty area for a full 20 minutes.

But they still couldn't maintain the balance.

"Tabata provides an assist! Abdullah, with his experience, takes a direct shot!"

0-1!!!

"Goal...!"