Zhang Guan knows very well whether the national team has the strength to compete in the World Cup.
There are only 32 teams that can participate in the World Cup. If they really advance based on their strength ranking, no team in Asia can enter the World Cup. Fortunately, the World Cup selection system will take care of all continents, so only countries in Asia and Africa can enter the World Cup finals.
For Asian countries, even if they enter the World Cup, they often go home after playing three games in the group stage. Very few can enter the knockout stage. This is still the top team in Asia. The strength of the Chinese team can only be regarded as mid-range in Asia. To be honest, it is not at all qualified to play in the World Cup.
Although today's Chinese team is lucky enough to reach the World Cup, it is impossible to go further in the World Cup. Judging from the grouping situation, the Chinese team may have a chance to defeat Nigeria, but it is basically impossible to defeat an established European championship team like Poland, let alone the world's top Brazilian team.
With the strength of the Brazilian team, it is normal for the Brazilian team to beat the Chinese team 4-0 or 5-0 casually. If the Brazilian team gets serious and beats the Chinese team 10-0, no one will be surprised. No matter how powerful Zhang Guan is as a striker, if he can score a hat-trick against the Brazilian team, he is considered to be at his ultimate level. Calculated in this way, with a score of 10 to 3, China is still a disastrous defeat.
Moreover, on the stage of the World Cup, there are many teams at the same level as Brazil. Even if the other teams are not as sharp as Brazil, their strength is far superior to the Chinese team. The two or three goals that Zhang Guan desperately scored, others You can get it back in minutes.
Zhang Guan appears at the forward position and can easily crush the defenses of Asian teams. But when facing a world-class team, Zhang Guan's scoring speed alone is far less than the speed at which the Chinese team's defense loses the ball.
In football, every position is important, but the one position that most determines the outcome of the game is undoubtedly the goalkeeper.
Although it is easiest to score goals if you play as a forward, the prerequisite is that your opponent needs to pass the ball to you. Even if it is Messi, it will be useless if no one passes the ball to him. In the Asian competition, Zhang Guan can still receive passes from his teammates, but on the World Cup stage, Zhang Guan cannot guarantee this. Maybe the Chinese team will not even have many opportunities to win the ball.
But the goalkeeper is different. Firstly, the goalkeeper does not need the support of his teammates, and secondly, he does not need to be integrated into the tactical cooperation. A superb goalkeeper is enough to affect the trend of the entire game. In the final analysis, winning or losing a football match depends on scoring more goals. Even if it is overwhelming, but in the end the advantage cannot be converted into goals, it is just a useless effort, and the goalkeeper is the one who can seize all the advantages and turn them into useless efforts. people.
Not conceding a goal in the World Cup is the goal Zhang Guan has set for himself. This goal is not a fantasy. The world's top goalkeepers such as Kahn, Buffon, and Casillas have all performed in the World Cup without conceding a goal in many consecutive games.
The news that Zhang Guan changed to goalkeeper was still kept secret. It was not until the national football team announced the roster before going to the World Cup that people discovered that Zhang Guan's name actually appeared in the goalkeeper position.
"Really or not? Zhang Guan has switched to goalkeeper!" The news once again caused a sensation in the country.
In fact, many goalkeepers are born as forwards. Forward players are often tall, strong, explosive, fast, and quick to react, which are the same requirements as goalkeepers, and forwards are the best at scoring goals. If you switch to goalkeeper, you will know yourself and the enemy.
However, Zhang Guan, as the sharpest knife in the national team's offense, has to switch to goalkeeper, which makes many people unable to understand. Originally, everyone was still talking about how many goals Zhang Guan could score in the World Cup, but as soon as this news came out, All misfired.
"Zhang Guan actually became a goalkeeper. I originally thought that our Chinese team could break the World Cup goal drought, but it looks like there is no chance again!"
…
On June 17, 2018, Group E ushered in the first round of competition. At the Rostov-on-Don Stadium, the Chinese team faced the world's top and most powerful Brazilian team in the first game!
The internal atmosphere in Brazil seemed very relaxed. They didn't even make any tactical preparations to face the Chinese team. The head coach of the Brazilian team did not make any tactical arrangements. He felt that facing an Asian team, there was no need to arrange any tactics and just let the players play freely.
In the player tunnel, Neymar looked at the Chinese team players standing in a row next to him. Except for Zhang Guan, he didn't recognize any of them. Instead, it was Paulinho who was chatting with several Chinese team players.
"Zhang Guan is the goalkeeper. There was news before that he was a forward, how did he become a goalkeeper?" Neymar pouted indifferently. Neymar felt that no matter who the opponent's goalkeeper is, he has the ability to score the ball. .
"I'll try to score three or four goals in the first half, and I'll probably be taken off in the second half. I'll call it a day and go to a nearby nightclub to see if there are any beautiful Russian girls!" Neymar thought silently in his mind.
Russia is closer to China, so many Chinese spectators came to the scene. They had already gathered together, waving national flags, turning half of the auditorium into a sea of red.
As for the audience from Brazil, there were not many. After all, the distance from Brazil to Russia is still very long. But after all, the Brazilian team is full of stars. Many local Russian spectators know the stars of the Brazilian team. They have become fans of the Brazilian team and cheer for the Brazilian team. However, it is not their own country’s team after all. The momentum of the Russian audience is obviously not as good as that of the Brazilian team. Chinese audience.
Among the 11 players in the starting lineup of the Chinese team, there was not a serious forward, but a midfielder. His position was also relatively deep. As for the other players, they were huddled in their own half. After the Chinese team kicked off, they kept passing the ball in their own half without any intention of attacking.
"The Chinese team has no intention of attacking at all. They have to defend to the end! It's ridiculous. Do you think that just attacking without defending can drag us down? Let you know right away, we have a thousand ways to score goals!" Neymar With a cold snort, he led the team to press forward across the board.
The Brazilian team has indeed seen too many scenes like this. More than 90% of the countries in the world hope to even the game when they meet the Brazilian team. Only a few countries dare to challenge Brazilian football. Even those South American countries that are so enthusiastic will turn into a coward when encountering Brazil instead of going crazy to attack.
In this group stage, no one intends to score all three points against the Brazilian team. Being able to keep a tie and gain 1 point has become the best result against the Brazilian team. Brazil's opponents put up a steel barrel formation to defend. On the contrary, it has become the most normal choice.
For the Brazilian team, breaking the opponent's defensive defense is as routine as usual.
I saw that the players of the Brazilian team were very skilled and started to press heavily, putting pressure on the Chinese team's passing ball. There was indeed a gap in the strength of the players on both sides. It didn't take long for the Chinese team's pass to be intercepted by the Brazilian team.
As soon as the Brazilian team got the ball, it was a big pass. Neymar went straight in, obviously not paying attention to the Chinese team's defensive players. However, the Chinese team's defensive system exceeded Neymar's expectations. The two defenders rushed forward at the same time, forcing Neymar to make a passing error.
Coach Lippi is a coach who pursues the overall operation of the team. He is also a coach who pays more attention to defense. He can be called a defensive master-level coach. The teams under his guidance tend to be relatively tough defensively. Although sometimes the defense is ugly, the effect is really good.
The Brazilian team basically did not arrange any tactical details today. On the court, they basically relied on the tacit understanding and performance of the Brazilian players. In terms of personal strength, there is no problem for Brazilian players to face Chinese players in one versus two, even on the court. Without arranging detailed tactics, relying entirely on the individual abilities of the stars, the Chinese team, which was still suppressed, could not hold its head high.
Everyone in the Chinese team retreated to their own half to defend. Relying on the advantage of many people and some fouls, they were able to contain the Brazilian team's offense in a short period of time.
This is also related to the fact that the Brazilian team plays more casually. For the Brazilian team, it is not a big deal to show personal performance after getting the ball, indulge a little bit, and lose a few opportunities. Anyway, scoring a goal is only a matter of time. For example, Neymar is having a lot of fun now, using all kinds of foot skills to make the Chinese players dance around.
However, the Brazilian team did not score a goal. The Chinese team tried its best to compress the defensive space and did not allow the Brazilian team to have a chance to shoot. The two or three shots that the Brazilian team tried either missed or had no power and were given up by Zhang Guan. It rotted down.
After 20 minutes of the game, the bodies of the Brazilian team players gradually warmed up and they gradually entered the state. The overall offense played more smoothly and their personal skills became more and more perfect. In the 23rd minute, Fernandinho knocked across the goal, and Augusto volleyed over the crossbar from 24 meters in front of the goal, which was a complete prelude to the Brazilian team's attack.
"Neymar, pass back from the right! Paulinho shoots! Zhang Guan throws it out!" The commentator of CCTV let out a sigh of relief. The goal just now was indeed very dangerous. Paulinho hit the goal directly at the edge of the penalty area. Fei's semi-volley shot was very fast and sudden.
However, the Brazilian team's attack did not end. Augusto controlled the ball, raised his left foot near the baseline and hit the side net with a supplementary shot. This ended the Brazilian team's attack. If you look at it from a distance, If so, this goal even seemed like a real goal.
Three minutes later, Brazil's attack came again. Neymar passed a low pass from the left, and Coutinho dribbled the ball inward and volleyed 17 meters away from the goal and went straight to the upper right corner.
"Danger!"
While the commentator shouted in fear, Zhang Guan had already moved. He jumped up and grabbed the basketball with both hands.
In the 30th minute, Paulinho took a long shot, but Zhang Guan saved him.
In the 32nd minute, Neymar's free kick hit the wall.
In the 38th minute, Neymar received a pass from Coutinho, cut into the penalty area from the right, changed the line, and cleverly deceived the Chinese players. He pushed the ball from a small angle 8 meters in front of the goal. The ball went along the goal post. He flew into the goal, but was stopped by Zhang Guan just right.
Before the end, Marquinhos hit a long through ball. Neymar broke into the left side of the penalty area 9 meters away from the goal, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked the ball to the lower right corner of the goal. Zhang Guanfei made the save. Once again, danger was saved.
"You can stop this!" Neymar seemed a little annoyed. He directly attacked the goal many times, and they were all very good opportunities, but he was blocked by Zhang Guan many times. Zhang Guan's reaction speed and physical explosiveness far exceeded Neymar's. Unexpectedly, Neymar felt that the ball just now needed speed and angle. Even the top goalkeepers in the four major European leagues would not be able to stop it. However, Zhang Guan was able to catch the ball steadily. live.
"The speed of catching the ball is too fast, and the explosive power of the legs is very strong. He is worthy of being a world champion with a background in sprinting." Neymar thought to himself.
The last attack of the Brazilian team in the first half was resolved by the Chinese team with a yellow card. The Brazilian team could only return to the lounge unwillingly with a score of 0-0.
From a statistical point of view, the Brazilian team is absolutely occupied, with a ball possession rate of 70%, and a total of 20 shots, with an average of one shot in just over two minutes. The Chinese team didn't even get past halftime, let alone take a few shots. At the same time, in the first half alone, the Chinese team received two yellow cards.
However, the score of 0-0 means that the two yellow cards are worth it. You must know that the opponent is the Brazilian team. It is very rare for the Chinese team to be able to persist without losing points in the half.
Of course, the main reason is Zhang Guan's presence. The Brazilian team's several excellent attacks were all resolved by Zhang Guan's successful saves. If a goalkeeper had been replaced, they would have been at least 0-3 behind.
…
At the beginning of the second half, the Brazilian team immediately launched a fierce attack. Paulinho broke through two Chinese team defenders and pushed hard on the right side of the goal. Zhang Guan saved the ball from the sideline. Then the Brazilian team The corner kick was passed directly to the goal, and Zhang Guan grabbed the ball.
At this time, the Brazilian team has discovered that it is a very wrong decision to pass the corner kick directly in front of the Chinese team's goal, because Zhang Guan will win the ball every time.
When the corner kick arrives in front of the goal, other players can at most rely on headers to fight for the top. However, as the goalkeeper, Zhang Guan can use his hands. Zhang Guan has also received 20+ rebounds in a single game in the NBA, and his round bounce is better than anyone else. He must be strong and can use his hands. Even if the players of the Brazilian team wear dozens of centimeters of broom hair, they still can't win Zhang Guan.
Next, the Brazilian team made several threatening attacks, but in the end they were all resolved by Zhang Guan.
"What's going on? It's been 70 minutes and we haven't scored the Chinese team's goal yet!" The head coach of the Brazilian team stood up angrily and started to make substitutions!
The Brazilian players on the field suddenly looked a little ugly. They could tell that this substitution was a tactical adjustment forced by the head coach. They were obviously dissatisfied with the delay in breaking the Chinese team's goal.
As the core of the Brazilian team, Neymar feels the pressure. He knows that he cannot continue to play so casually, otherwise he may really be tied. The Brazilian team needs to show some real skills.
"Damn it, I didn't expect this Chinese team to be so difficult to deal with! No, I should say Zhang Guan is so difficult to deal with!" Neymar looked gloomy, but he was quite calm in his heart.
2 minutes later, Neymar inserted the ball from the left and passed the ball directly to the opposite point when he was close to the baseline. The Chinese team players thought that the ball would go out, so they were half a beat slow, but Augusto suddenly rushed over. A shovel pass from the back line, the ball fell just in front of the goal, and the advantage of Paulinho's signature appeared where the ball landed.
"Beautiful coordination! It's so smooth!"
"This is the real Brazilian team, the cooperation is wonderful!"
Even Chinese fans have to admit that Brazil's coordination was very beautiful this time, and it is definitely the world's top coordination.
Facing Zhang Guan, Augusto did not continue to dribble forward, but chose to hit the goal directly. The direction he chose was the dead center in the upper left corner of the goal.
"It's over!" Many fans of the Chinese team closed their eyes. They did not dare to watch this scene.
"Go in!" Augusto shouted, and he used all his strength to score this goal.
"Poof!" A clear voice sounded, and Zhang Guan was seen flying into the air, and he slapped the football. The football changed its angle, concentrated on the goal post, and then bounced outside the baseline.
"What! I was jumped!" Augusto looked at Zhang Guan in disbelief.
"Another Zhang Guan! Another corner kick!" The face of the Brazilian team coach suddenly darkened.
This time, the Brazilian team did not directly pass the corner kick, but chose to conduct it in a small area near the bottom corner to seek opportunities to score. The Chinese team compressed the defensive space very tightly and did not give Brazil the slightest chance.
In the 80th minute of the game, the Chinese team received its first red card and one person was sent off. Without one player to defend, the situation instantly became very unfavorable for the Chinese team, which can be said to be in danger.
However, the Chinese team also knows that the game has reached the final moment, and now they only need to hold on for ten minutes, so everyone is working hard. Even if their technical level is not enough, they will use their bodies to block the progress of the Brazilian players.
The Brazilian team really started to get anxious. The game had already played for 80 minutes, and the Chinese team had not even passed halftime. It was always being beaten by the Brazilian team, but it was difficult for Brazil to break the Chinese team's fans. This is the stage of the World Cup. If they are tied by the Chinese team, the Brazilian team will really be embarrassed.
The Brazilian team began to go crazy, and the stormy offensive made the Chinese team breathless.
In the 87th minute, the Chinese team received its second red card. The two sides became 9 players against 11 players.
The referee showed the injury time sign, and the injury time was 3 minutes.
"Hold on for the last three minutes!" The Chinese team players gritted their teeth and ran on the court.
At this moment, Neymar made a fake move and turned around, getting rid of the Chinese team players and rushing into the penalty area. The Chinese player raised his foot to steal the ball and touched Neymar slightly, although it did not affect Neymar's body. Balance, but the monkey-like Neymar fell to the ground.
"Penalty kick! Oh my god! 90 minutes, the last moment of the game, penalty kick! Brazil is going to beat the Chinese team!"
At this moment, the Chinese team players all covered their faces in annoyance, and some even began to cry uncontrollably. Unexpectedly, they persisted for a whole game, but they would lose the game at the last moment.
The Brazilian team breathed a sigh of relief. The penalty kick at this time undoubtedly saved the Brazilian team's life.
Neymar placed the ball, glanced at the opposite goal, and started to take off after a few steps.
"Neymar, fake!"
Neymar's first kick was just a fake move, but Zhang Guan on the opposite side had already seen through Neymar's intention, his body trembled slightly, and then stabilized instantly.
The next moment, Neymar really took off, and the football hit the lower left of the goal.
At the same time, Zhang Guan also flew to the lower left of the goal.
"No! He guessed it!" Neymar was shocked when he saw the direction of Zhang Guan's movement.
Zhang Guan, on the other hand, grabbed the ball in his hands.
"I got it, Zhang Guan saved the penalty kick!" The Chinese audience in the auditorium roared like thunder, and many players on the Chinese team's bench cried with joy.
The players on the field wanted to step forward to hug Zhang Guan, but Zhang Guan waved to them: "Hang on, the game is not over yet!"
The game is not over yet, there are still two minutes left.
In the 93rd minute, the Brazilian team couldn't wait to serve. With the time left, they could stop the last attack.
At this time, the Brazilian team was still pressing forward. Even goalkeeper Alisson gave up his own goal and ran to the Chinese team's half to participate in the team's attack. After all, it was the last attack of the game. Being alone is also an advantage.
Run, pass. The Brazilian team tried to do everything they could.
"Neymar, chance! Shoot!"
Neymar caught the last shot with all his strength, but he immediately discovered that the angle of his shot was too right.
"The angle is too right. Zhang Guan blocked all the tricky angles before. This shot will definitely be difficult for Zhang Guan's Wuzhishan!"
The situation was just as Neymar expected. The angle of the ball was indeed too right, and Zhang Guan directly hugged him. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Guan didn't hesitate at all, as if in a hurry, he kicked the ball into the Brazilian team's backcourt.
"The game is about to end. The Chinese team actually tied with Brazil!" Everyone knew that Brazil's last attack was blocked by Zhang Guan, which meant the end of the game.
The referee puffed up his cheeks and was about to blow the whistle to end the game. Before blowing the whistle, he subconsciously looked down at his watch.
"There are still 5 seconds before the end of stoppage time. But what can 5 seconds do? The Brazilian team controlled the ball for more than 5 seconds. The overall situation is over! I really thought it would be a draw." The referee raised his head. , get ready to blow the whistle.
However, the next second, he discovered that the football flying in the air was really flying high and fast, and the flight angle was also in the middle of the stadium.
"Wait a minute, this ball..." The referee did not blow the whistle, but his eyes widened in surprise.
For the Brazilian team, goalkeeper Alisson was the first to react.
"Oops!" Alisson yelled and ran towards his goal as fast as he could. And, however, how can a person's speed compare to the speed of the ball
"The goal is empty!"
"Look, the football is flying towards the goal!"
The audience was filled with continuous screams of exclamation, and the TV broadcast camera was also accurately focused on the football in the air.
It landed on the ground, right at the edge of the penalty area.
The ball bounced up, then dropped, bounced slightly, dropped immediately, and then began to roll forward, directly in front of the goal.
If there is a goalkeeper at this time, he only needs to take a few steps to pick up the football.
But now, the ball is in front of an empty goal! Brazil's goalkeeper is not in front of the goal. He just participated in the Brazilian team's last attack!
Behind, the players of the Brazilian team were chasing madly, but the football was still rolling forward unhurriedly.
Neymar ran wildly. He felt that he had never been so fast before, but he could not catch up with the football.
The next second, the football rolled into the goal.
The ball went in!
Allison knelt on the ground. Due to inertia, his body slid forward a lot. He kept his head in pain and covered his face with his hands. He couldn't believe this scene.
The other players of the Brazilian team even showed expressions as if the sky was falling. 11 people beat 9 people. The opponent was the Chinese team, but the Brazilian team did not win. Not only did they not win, they even conceded a goal and lost the game.
"Going in? Really going in?" Coach Lippi kept repeating this question, and he couldn't believe this scene.
"A goal? Is this a goal? Is it really a goal? Are we ahead? Are we going to win?" The CCTV commentator's thinking suddenly short-circuited. He still felt like he was dreaming at this time. He pinched himself involuntarily.
The next second, the broadcaster played the subtitles, 1-0, the Chinese team led.
At this moment, the commentator just woke up from a dream.
"Goal! Goal! We scored! Zhang Guan! He scored! This is not a big-footed kick, it is a shot! He is a shot! The first goal, the first goal of the Chinese team in the World Cup Score a goal.”
…
"Oh my god, what did I see? The goalkeeper's goal! The goalkeeper was in his own penalty area, kicked the ball into the opponent's penalty area, and then scored! How could this happen!"
After being amazed, the Russian audience at the scene couldn't help but applaud and cheer for Zhang Guan. It is not that the goalkeeper directly kicked off the ball and scored a goal, which has never happened in football, but the audience at the scene has never I thought I would witness this miraculous scene with my own eyes.
Finally, the referee blew the whistle for the full game.
"The final kill, the Brazilian team actually suffered a decisive defeat, and it was also defeated by the Chinese team. It was a goalkeeper who gave this final victory! Zhang Guan, even though he was standing in the position of the goalkeeper, he still gave We brought a miracle!"
(End of chapter)