The linesman did not see clearly whether Lu Wenbin's shot went in, so he was a little hesitant and did not answer the referee.
Fortunately, at this moment, the big screen on the scene began to play Lu Wenbin's shot.
Then, at the moment the ball hits the crossbar and bounces to the ground, it switches to goal-line technology, eliminating all interfering factors such as the goalkeeper and the net, leaving only the ball and the goal line.
Everyone at the scene and in front of the TV clearly saw that the ball hit the ground and completely crossed the goal line.
Although it only exceeded it by a little bit, it exceeded it after all.
There was no more controversy, and the referee pointed to the center circle and blew the whistle to indicate that the goal was valid.
"Wow..."
After being on tenterhooks for a while, the Chinese fans were finally able to celebrate without worries, while the Italian fans looked very depressed.
When the game resumed, the Chinese team played more resolutely in defense and counterattack, while Italy pressed forward more in attack.
However, neither side scored any more goals until the end of the first half.
The Chinese team had few counterattack opportunities, and all of Italy's attacks were ineffective due to the desperate defense of the entire Chinese team.
After a 15-minute break, the two sides changed sides and continued the game.
Perhaps it was because of what head coach Prandelli said during the half-time break, the Italian team ran and fought more positively after the start of the second half.
In the 52nd minute, Gilardino, despite being kicked in the face by Feng Xiaoting, made a diving header and headed the ball towards the goal from Diamanti's diagonal cross.
Unfortunately, the angle was a little too right and Zeng Cheng easily hugged her.
In the 58th minute, Italy made adjustments. Planetti replaced Montolivo with Pirlo to strengthen the midfield's ability to organize offense.
At the same time, Balotelli replaced winger El Shaarawy to strengthen the forward attack.
Prandelli does not want his Italian team to lose to the weak Asian team China.
Balotelli is a neurotic shooter. In the 2012 European Cup, he scored not only the joke of missing a one-on-one opportunity while taking a walk to think about life, but also the key classic goal comparable to Trezeguet's flying fairy goal.
Maybe because he didn't start today and spent too long thinking about life on the bench, Balotelli did not show the expected form for a while after coming on the court.
In the 69th minute, Pirlo made a wonderful pass and broke through the Chinese team's defense.
Balotelli successfully made an offside move and received a wonderful pass from Pirlo in the penalty area.
As a result, he shot the ball without stopping, but he missed the target. He also used too much force and fell to the ground with his arms and legs spread out. The ball went wide of the post and rolled out of the bottom line.
"Hahaha… "
The Chinese fans in the stadium burst into laughter, while the Italian fans covered their faces, unable to bear to watch.
Prandelli slapped his forehead and expressed his speechlessness.
Although Balotelli is a bit nervous and not a big threat, Pirlo's appearance does pose a much greater threat to the Chinese team's defense.
Lu Wenbin guarded the middle and basically clamped down on De Rossi's breakthroughs and through passes. But when Pirlo came up and played on the wing, Lu Wenbin couldn't often go to the wing to defend.
This gave Pirlo space to play, whether it was a breakthrough pass from the wing or a diagonal cross.
However, with the Chinese team's united defense, Pirlo's good shot was not converted into a goal by the Italian forwards.
Time passed by minute by minute, and as the 90-minute game time was about to end, Chinese fans had already stood up and prepared to celebrate.
As a result, in the 89th minute, Italy won a free kick, which was taken by Pirlo.
Pirlo's free kick went directly over the wall and the goalkeeper, but hit the post and bounced back into the penalty area.
Just when everyone was relieved and feeling fortunate, Balotelli appeared where the ball landed and volleyed the ball without stopping, sending it back into the goal like a cannonball.
According to post-match statistics, the ball traveled at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour and Zeng Cheng had almost no reaction.
Italy equalized the score and the score was 1-1.
The entire Chinese team was struck by lightning, while the Italian players and fans celebrated excitedly.
An equalizing goal near the end of a game is always exciting.
Then, within a few minutes, the 90-minute regular season ended and the two sides entered overtime with a score of 1-1.
The overtime was even more difficult for the Chinese team.
In the 97th minute, Wang Yongpo suffered a thigh cramp and was replaced by Qin Sheng.
In the 103rd minute, Zeng Cheng saved Gilardino's one-on-one shot. Although he saved the ball, Gilardino was in a hurry to retract his legs and kicked Zeng Cheng in the face, causing him to fall unconscious immediately.
Although he woke up after the team doctor treated him, he was unable to continue the game. Gao Hongbo had to replace Zeng Cheng with Wu Sihuo.
Gilardino received a yellow card and the game continued.
Neither side scored in the first half of extra time.
In the 108th minute of the second half, De Rossi passed the ball to the side, Pirlo made a cross at a 45-degree angle, and Gilardino headed the ball. The ball passed Wu Sihuo's fingers, but hit the crossbar and bounced out of the bottom line.
Italy missed the chance to win the game.
But they are in no hurry.
Even if the score was 1-1 and went into a penalty shootout, Italy, with Buffon, was sure to win.
On the contrary, if the Chinese team cannot resolve the battle within 120 minutes, they will basically be doomed.
Lu Wenbin was naturally very anxious, but he did not dare to move forward easily.
Because Italy's overall strength is indeed too strong.
As long as he moves forward, De Rossi and Pirlo will be enough to break through the Chinese team's defense, and Lu Wenbin can only wait patiently for the opportunity.
As time passed, the hearts of Chinese fans sank more and more.
Finally, in the 117th minute, Lu Wenbin's long pass assisted Wu Lei's shot, which hit the goal frame and posed a threat, forcing Buffon to save the ball out of the bottom line, resulting in a corner kick.
Lu Wenbin got another chance to take a corner kick.
In the previous game, Lu Wenbin had taken three corner kicks, two of which went into the goal frame, but one was caught by Buffon and the other was saved by him.
It is still a bit difficult to score directly from a corner kick, especially when facing a goalkeeper like Buffon, or when he knows that you are going to shoot directly.
While running to the corner kick spot, Lu Wenbin suddenly thought that Buffon and other Italian players thought he would shoot directly, so they would definitely focus on defending the goal line and would not be very strict in defending other players of the Chinese team.
If I don't shoot this time, will I have a better chance of assisting by passing the ball
The corner kick tactic of Lu Wenbin taking a corner kick and other teammates competing for the header has actually been practiced, but it has not been used in normal games. But it doesn’t mean that everyone doesn’t know how to use it.
Lu Wenbin felt that if he did not shoot but assisted his teammates when everyone thought he would take a direct corner kick as usual, he would still have a chance to catch Buffon off guard and score a goal.
Otherwise, the angle of a direct shot would be too small, and Buffon knew that Lu Wenbin was going to shoot, making it even more difficult to score.