After Lu Wenbin assisted Wu Lei to score a point, the one-goal gap made Nigeria a little nervous.
There is not much time left until the end of the game.
If the game was equalized, Nigeria might not even be able to score another goal.
African teams are inherently lacking in discipline.
The Nigerian players began to use their strong physique to attack the Chinese defense, hoping to force another goal and expand the score.
The intensity of the collisions was much higher than in the first half, and many of them were direct fouls.
In the 72nd minute, Zhao Xuri collided with the opponent's midfielder Mbahce. Mbahce was fine, but Zhao Xuri lay on the ground for a long time without getting up. Finally, he was helped down by the team doctor.
All Mba paid for was an ordinary frontcourt foul, and he didn't even get a warning from the referee.
Wang Yongpo came on and replaced Zhao Xuri.
In the 79th minute, central defender Wang Qiang collided with his opponent's forehead during a corner kick and was unable to continue the game, so he was replaced by Zhao Peng.
The opponent just took a short break before standing up and continuing the game.
However, in the 83rd minute, when Lu Wenbin and the opponent's forward Odumaiti collided in a header, Odumaiti did not get up for a long time and was finally forced to be substituted.
The place where the fierce collision occurred was mainly in the Chinese team's half, which was a collision between the Nigerian midfielder and the Chinese midfielder and backfielder.
They knew the power of Lu Wenbin's free kicks and did not dare to foul Wu Lei, Zheng Zhi and others in their own half.
But how can African players have such strong control
As the clashes between the two sides became more and more frequent and even turned into a brawl, the Nigerian players in the backcourt couldn't help but get angry and had forgotten that they were the ones leading.
In the 85th minute, after Zheng Zhi made an unexpected crotch-penetration to dribble past the opponent's central defender Ogboabonna, Ogboabonna felt insulted.
Ogboabona turned around and chased Zheng Zhi without caring about their current location. Instead, he tackled him from behind in anger.
He failed to tackle the ball, but instead knocked Zheng Zhi down, causing him to roll on the ground for several rounds.
A serious foul by tackling from behind.
Players from both sides rushed to the scene and almost got into a conflict.
The referee rushed over immediately, showed a red card to Oboabona, sent him off directly, and then gave the Chinese team a free kick about 26 meters away from the goal with an excellent angle.
Amid the curses from Chinese fans, Nigeria replaced a forward with a substitute central defender and played with 10 players.
Zheng Zhi was not seriously injured. He lay on the ground and rubbed his body for a while before standing up.
It seems that those few tumblings on the ground just now were a bit of a performance.
However, getting a free kick and giving the opponent a direct red card was beneficial to the Chinese team.
Lu Wenbin nodded slightly to Zheng Zhi to show his appreciation.
Then, amid the cheers of Chinese fans and the boos of Nigerian fans, Lu Wenbin used his special free kick skill with an 80% hit rate on the goal frame and sent the ball into the blind corner of Nigeria's goal.
Goalkeeper Enyema was unable to reach the ball and could only watch it go into the net.
"Wow..."
The entire Mineirão Stadium was instantly filled with jubilation, and almost half of the Chinese fans and other neutral fans who liked Lu Wenbin applauded and cheered.
The Chinese commentator in the commentary booth jumped up excitedly and shouted at the top of his voice:
"The ball goes in, the ball goes in!"
"Direct free kick, Lu Wenbin scored the free kick directly into the Nigerian goal, and the Chinese team equalized the score!"
"When the Chinese team was trailing 0-2, Lu Wenbin first retreated to play as a defensive midfielder to stabilize the Chinese team's defense. Then he helped the Chinese team equalize the score with an assist and a goal. Now the score is 2-2. The Chinese team may get its first draw and first point in an international competition."
"Although it's not the victory that everyone wanted to see, it's better than the 2002 World Cup. Especially since we managed to draw after falling behind 0-2, it's even more valuable."
If there had not been the 2002 World Cup, the media and fans might have been disappointed, puzzled, or even angry that the Chinese team, with Lu Wenbin, could not defeat Nigeria.
But Chinese fans who experienced the 2002 World Cup are already satisfied with this.
And just as the commentator said, this was a draw after being behind 0-2, which made people even more ecstatic. Even if there was no victory, it was enough to surprise everyone.
On the field, Lu Wenbin, who scored a direct free kick, was also very excited and ran wildly on the field to celebrate.
Wherever he goes, he will surely cause screams from the fans in the stands.
Finally, he was pulled by his teammates and hugged to celebrate.
This was the first time that Lu Wenbin scored a goal on behalf of the Chinese national team in a world championship. It was of great significance and the sense of accomplishment was much greater than beating weak teams in Asia or the Olympics.
That sense of honor made Lu Wenbin, who had won the Golden Globe Award three times in a row and witnessed countless big scenes, feel excited.
For the Chinese team, being able to tie the score after falling behind 0-2 was as exciting as winning the lottery.
But for Nigeria, it was a huge humiliation to be equalized by an Asian team when they were leading 2-0.
In the following time, Nigeria pressed forward and bombarded the Chinese team's goal.
But Lu Wenbin is really too perverted.
His all-round defensive ability often caused Nigeria to come to an abrupt halt during key passes, breakthroughs and shots, as they were interfered with or disrupted by Lu Wenbin, resulting in the country's inability to score any goals.
After 3 minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle to end the game, and the Mineirão Stadium became a sea of Chinese carnival.
In their first international tournament, the Chinese team equalized the score after falling behind 0-2 in the first round of the group stage of the 2013 Confederations Cup, scored the first goal and got the first point for the Chinese men's football team in an international tournament.
If the opponent equalizes the lead, anyone would be depressed, angry and curse.
The key point is that the Chinese team fell behind first, then caught up and equalized. The change in tactics and the desperate efforts to catch up made people very happy.
In particular, the changes that Lu Wenbin brought to the Chinese team's defense line by playing as a defensive midfielder were eye-opening.
This is only half the game.
Perhaps, if Lu Wenbin continues to play as a defensive midfielder in the remaining two games, will the Chinese team be able to create a miracle
All of this is a shot in the arm for today's Chinese men's football team.
After the game, not only the Chinese media, but also the global media gave positive comments on Lu Wenbin's first international competition leading the Chinese team.
Especially the performance of Lu Wenbin when he retreated to play as a defensive midfielder made the world even more amazed at Lu Wenbin's abnormality.
Some people are thinking: forward, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, will Lu Wenbin play as a central defender or even a goalkeeper in the future
Can Lu Wenbin be so abnormal as to be proficient in everything from goalkeeper to striker