Chapter 965 It’s not too late to come back today
The French commentator in the commentary box stood up excitedly after seeing Hulay's goal. He shouted loudly: "Hulay has scored! Hulay has scored again! This is his third goal in the game. A goal! Oh my god! This is his first World Cup! He has already scored five goals! Can you believe this before the World Cup started? A player from China can lead the World Cup scorer list! ”
The Spanish commentator laughed and said: "What else can I say? In the face of such a wonderful performance, what else can I say? Hahaha... This is football, friends! This is football! Here, you can see A new World Cup team puts the world champion in a hurry! You can also see a new football hero being born! ”
British TV commentator Matthew Cox pointed to the court and said loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen! Please allow me to introduce you again... This is the top scorer and the most successful player in the English Premier League last season. The best player, a striker from Premier League champions Leeds City! ”
The Qatari commentator kept repeating Hulay's name at the top of his lungs and did not stop until his voice became hoarse.
In the entire commentary box, all commentators fell into varying degrees of madness.
This is the charm of football. In the face of a great enough performance, people can put aside national, racial and political differences and sing praises for him.
So is Hu Lai's performance great enough?
Of course, great without a doubt!
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After the Chinese team players finished celebrating, they returned to their own half. They could still hear the deafening shouts from the stands.
They couldn't hear some of the sounds clearly and didn't know what they were shouting.
But some were clearly heard and familiar.
At first, they thought those fans were shouting regular cheering slogans such as "Come on Team China" and "Long Live Team China".
But if you listen carefully, you will find that there is no word "team" in the slogans shouted by these people.
It’s not “Long live the Chinese team”.
But "Long Live China".
It’s not that “the Chinese team is awesome”.
But "China is awesome".
The difference of one word has a huge psychological impact on the Chinese team players.
They suddenly remembered what Team Leader Hong told them in the internal meeting before going to the World Cup:
"What you go out to represent is the image of the country. If you play well, the overseas Chinese students and overseas Chinese in North America will be proud of their faces. If you don't play well and are embarrassed, then the Chinese overseas Chinese and overseas students will also be unable to hold their heads up. Come. Always remember, the five-star red flag is embroidered on the heart of this jersey!”
At that time, there were some players who murmured privately that they felt that what Leader Hong said was not at a good level - didn't this put pressure on us?
In the past, various leaders would hold meetings non-stop, which made us all nervous. When I came on stage, I couldn’t move my legs when I thought of the great justice and honor...
The media has criticized this practice countless times.
Nowadays, the Football Association indeed seldom uses this method to increase the psychological burden on everyone, but in turn reduces the burden on the team. Say something like "Football is football, just focus on the game and don't think about other things."
This is the first time for the Chinese team to participate in the World Cup. Why does Team Leader Hong put a heavier burden on our shoulders?
It wasn't until this moment, listening to the deafening shouts of "Long Live China" and looking at the Chinese fans waving national flags in the stands, that the international players who had been muttering realized how correct Hong's words were.
Regardless of whether anyone says those words, their team represents China in the American arena.
Otherwise, why are they called "China Team"?
Therefore, their performance will naturally be linked to the country's image.
This is an objective fact whether Team Leader Hong says it or not.
In the past, they would regard it as pressure because most of the time they used their performance to humiliate Chinese fans. Of course, being scolded was stressful.
But now, they have used their performance to make all Chinese fans look happy... They suddenly no longer feel that it is a huge pressure, but it has become a surging motivation, pushing their legs to run back to themselves. halftime.
"The game is not over yet!" Captain Yao Huasheng loudly reminded his teammates in the crowd, "Brazil will definitely counterattack next, hold on! We must hold on! We must not lose this game!"
"No problem, Team Yao!" Lin Zhiyuan responded loudly, "I promise not to let them score another goal!"
The substitute players ran back with them, and Jiang Wanqing, who had been substituted, also clapped his hands and cheered: "Hold on! Hold on to this point with your life! We bid farewell to the World Cup with an undefeated record!"
"Come on!"
"Come on!!!"
The Chinese team players ran back along the sideline and then separated at the midline.
The players on the field returned to their positions, and the substitute players returned to the bench one after another, but they did not sit back in their seats, but stood on the sidelines to cheer for their teammates.
Mao Junzheng failed to go back. He was grabbed by assistant coach Li Zhifei: "Get ready to play!"
Mao Jun was called to warm up from time to time in the second half, so now that he is allowed to play, he can play immediately and does not need to warm up again.
He quickly took off his substitute vest and came to Shi Wuyin's side: "Guide Shi."
Shi Wuyin nodded and gave instructions: "You go on the field and play center back with Yao Huasheng, and let Wang Guangwei move to the midfielder position to assist the midfield defense... I remind everyone not to be squashed by the Brazilian team's offense. No matter what, you must maintain enough strength. There must be a layer of depth between the back line and the forward line..."
He is about to use his last substitution spot.
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Hu Lai, who returned to the Chinese team's half, stood outside the center circle, waiting for the Brazilian team to kick off.
Then he noticed that someone seemed to be looking at him, so he followed the feeling and looked over.
Sure enough, he saw Kabangka staring at him.
That look was not friendly.
However, Hu Lai also fully understands why Kabangka has such a look in his eyes - no matter whose team is equalized in the last few minutes of the game, I am afraid he will not be friendly to him...
But being unfriendly is unfriendly, and Hu Lai is not afraid of it.
If you are in a bad mood, what does it have to do with me, Hu Lai?
But I am in a very good mood!
So he grinned at Kabangka.
Kabangka smiled so much that he could only retract his gaze and look down at his toes.
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Ramon Cantero, who saw this scene in front of the TV, suddenly laughed: "Ha!"
Merry next to him asked him strangely: "Why are you laughing, Ramon?"
Cantero said proudly: "My hope for revenge next season has greatly increased!"
Melly couldn't understand: "Why do you say that?"
Cantero pointed at the TV screen: "Because Kabangka also experienced the feelings we had in the Olympics! So when he returns to the league next season, he will definitely hold back his energy and seek revenge against Hu Lai!"
Seeing his roommate so happy, Melly hesitated: "But..."
"But what?" Cantero asked.
"Uh, but Ramon... we were eliminated last time, but the Brazilian team will not be eliminated this time..."
Cantero couldn't laugh anymore and even felt a little depressed.
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After the game restarted, the Chinese team players on the field soon received instructions from assistant coach Li Zhifei - kick the football out to create dead ball opportunities so that the Chinese team could make substitutions.
Mao Junzheng was already standing on the sidelines, waiting to play.
So when the Chinese team seized the ball, Xia Xiaoyu, who took the ball, kicked the football out of the frontcourt with a big kick.
The reason why they did not choose to kick out from the nearest sideline is of course because after the substitutions are completed, the Brazilian team will not directly threaten the Chinese team's goal after the game resumes.
He Feng praised Xia Xiaoyu's move: "Very smart! Xia Xiaoyu has grown very fast in this World Cup!"
Seeing the football go out of bounds, the referee blew the whistle and made a gesture to signal a substitution on the sidelines.
The fourth official raised the substitution sign. No. 4 Mao Jun came up and No. 10 Zhang Qinghuan came down.
"Replacing a central defender, Shi Wuyin's guidance is to try to maintain the tie... Also, the current score is completely acceptable to the Chinese team..."
Yan Kang smiled beside him and said: "It's not just acceptable, it's perfect! Ha!"
After experiencing such a game, although some people must be fantasizing about scoring another goal to defeat Brazil, the vast majority of people are already satisfied.
From the score to the process, they were satisfied with everything.
After Zhang Qinghuan turned around and saw that he was being replaced, he first raised his hands and applauded the fans in the stands, then turned and walked down.
This is the second time he has been substituted in this World Cup, but it has a completely different meaning than the first time he was substituted.
That time he was replaced because of his mediocre performance on the court, and he was more like a deserter, running away in a hurry.
But in the next two games, he performed very well - against Russia, he assisted Luo Kai and scored the only goal of the Chinese team, helping the Chinese team draw with Russia 1:1.
In today's game, it was his shot that finally gave Hu Lai the chance to make a header.
Although according to technical statistics, he neither assisted nor scored in this game, his performance in the game cannot be summarized simply by technical statistics.
"Zhang Qinghuan was substituted. His handling of the Chinese team's frontcourt in this game was the key to the Chinese team's three-goal draw with Brazil... In a contest with Dudu Carlos, Europe's top midfielder, He is not at a disadvantage either. Think about when he first debuted. , Chinese fans and the media have high hopes for him...Think about all the ridiculous things he did later...Who would have thought at that time that this person could actually appear in the World Cup?" He Feng made two comments. , I couldn’t control my emotions.
As a CCTV commentator, living in the capital, he naturally watched Zhang Qinghuan play football and knew all about Zhang Qinghuan's past. It was precisely because of this that he was particularly sad.
"Anyway... He Feng, Zhang Qinghuan took a detour, but in the end he returned to the path we all expected him to take. And he went very well! I saw his performance in this World Cup , I think even though he is twenty-six years old, he can still play football in Europe! He relies on his brain to play football, not his body. What does it matter if he is a little older?"
"Yes, you are right, Yan Kang. Since he is a prodigal son... he should be brave enough to wander and explore! I hope his performance in the World Cup can be seen by more eyes from Europe. This is the most important moment for us in China. A good midfielder, he deserves to go to Europe”
He Feng sighed again: "Someone once said that if Zhang Qinghuan hadn't made the detours he made in those years, maybe we could have reached the World Cup four years ago. But that was a hypothesis after all. Maybe even if he didn't make the detours, we would still be in the World Cup. We won’t be able to get in in 2022... The important thing is that now we really In the World Cup, many detours have made Zhang Qinghuan what he is today, and he has become more stable after all his glory. Life is like this...every journey you have taken, every mistake you have made when you were young. Mistakes eventually made you what you are today...
"You and I are all mortal, and no one can avoid making mistakes, but how to face one's own mistakes is the key to whether a person can truly grow. Some people are trapped in their own mistakes and cannot extricate themselves, but some people are able to recover from their mistakes. Learn lessons, muster up courage, get up and move forward. I think true maturity should not be about pursuing perfection, but about pursuing perfection. Face your shortcomings. This is the essence of life... Romain Rolland once said: There is only one true heroism in this world, and that is to recognize the truth of life and still love it. Our 'prodigal son' is a real hero! He is a strong man who can dominate himself!"
In front of the TV, listening to He Feng's words, the little nurse sat cross-legged on the bed, tears already streaming down her face.
Through her tearful eyes, she seemed to see the heartbreaking figure sitting on the hospital bed in the warm afternoon sun.
She wiped away her tears and saw the face with a smile as bright as the sun on the TV screen.
The tears couldn't stop flowing down.
I cried over the carefully prepared makeup.
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The exhausted Zhang Qinghuan walked slowly to the sidelines. He passed Hu Lai, and Hu Lai said to him: "Brother Huan, do you want me to help you down?"
"Get lost!" Zhang Qing scolded with a smile.
"Delay time, Brother Huan!" Hu Lai explained hurriedly.
"Nonsense, I know. I can walk slower without your help!" Zhang Qinghuan waved to him and continued walking slowly to the sidelines.
When passing by Luo Kai, he took the initiative to extend his hand, and Luo Kai also extended his hand to give him a high-five.
Then Zhang Qinghuan walked off the stage with a satisfied smile on his face.
There were Brazilian players yelling at him on the road, telling him to go faster, but he completely ignored them, neither arguing with them nor obeying them to speed up.
He just shook his head and walked like an old man walking in the alleys of the capital.
Look up at the sky again.
Dad, did you not embarrass your old man?
As if he heard his father's praise, his smile became even brighter, and he even hummed a song happily: "...When I have experienced the vicissitudes of life, and when I have read all the joys and sorrows, my heart will be tired and I will betray you. Your face is covered with dust and your body is covered with mud. , what a white-haired lost man..."
It’s not too late to come back today
The sky is filled with colorful clouds
The bright moon makes a candlestick
Also coming back, also coming back
Using suffering as a boat
Use tears as sail
The heart is like an arrow leaving the string
Don’t say that the sky is limitless and the sea is limitless
Even if the return journey takes ten thousand years
It’s not too late to come back today
Reconnecting with old friends
Being a naive boy
(Note 1)
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Note 1: The song is from Pu Shu's "On Jupiter" (end of this chapter)