Chapter 2086 Breaking the Ice
"Chen Xingyi kicked the ball from the wing...Zhou Zijing!"
Under the shouts of the commentator He Feng, Zhou Zijing jumped high to compete for the top.
But he failed. Because Iceland's centre-back Biaqui Gudbergsson pushed the football out before him.
Standing 1.98 meters tall and weighing 94 kilograms, Biaki Gudbergson is tall and powerful, and has excellent frontal air defense capabilities.
Even for Zhou Zijing, it was not easy to get a header over him.
Not to mention there are many "masters" like Gudbergsson in the Iceland team.
These strong men crowded into the penalty area, making the penalty area seem much smaller.
Football is essentially a game of creating and utilizing space in a limited area.
The offensive team must try every means to create space, while the defensive team must try their best not to be created by the opponent.
This is why shrinking defense, also known as "turtle tactics", is the ultimate defense strategy - pile everyone in the penalty area and create no space at all. How can the offense attack?
It's just that playing like this will be ugly on the scene, and it will not be popular with public opinion. It is easy to be scolded as "negative game", "unenterprising" and "ugly"...
But in the World Cup, who cares about other people's criticism?
Iceland is here to win games, to qualify for the group stage, not to please the majority of neutral fans.
Twenty-five minutes into the game, the scene was still lackluster and there was nothing exciting for everyone.
Whether it was Hu Lai, Zhou Zijing, Chen Xingyi, Luo Kai, Xia Xiaoyu... they all had little room to perform in front of the Icelandic team's intensive defense.
Hulay, in particular, was tightly defended by Iceland. So far, he only had two chances to shoot, one of which had not hit the goal frame.
Before this game, both Chinese fans and the media were generally optimistic.
As a host, first of all, this grouping is more advantageous. The situation of being assigned to the death group four years ago has not happened again.
Everyone thinks that if there are no surprises, the Chinese team and Portugal will qualify together in the end.
The only suspense may be who comes first in the group and who comes second.
So in fact, the most noteworthy group stage should be the final round, the direct dialogue between the Chinese team and Portugal.
Considering that the first place in Group B is likely to be the Netherlands, if the Chinese team wants to go further in this World Cup, it should try to get first in the group and avoid the Netherlands. In the quarter-finals, whether they face Poland or South Korea, they will be better than the Netherlands.
If you want to win the first place in the group, you should first defeat Iceland.
And if possible, get a few more goal differentials.
Therefore, optimistic Chinese fans plan to watch a hearty victory in the opening game.
As a result, not to mention a huge victory, there were very few decent and quality offenses in the first 25 minutes of the game.
The Chinese fans in the stands were obviously not as active as they were at the start, and the singing of the Icelandic fans could even be heard.
This group of Icelandic fans wore inflatable horn helmets and simply performed a uniform "Viking War Cry" in the stands to cheer for their team.
The game did not develop as the Chinese fans hoped. The commentators He Feng and Yan Kang were afraid that the fans would be unhappy, so they said something to defend the national team:
"Everything is difficult at the beginning, and the opening game is indeed difficult. This is the World Cup! Even the teams in the fourth tier of the group are not weak. After all, they can make it out of the European qualifiers. It can be done if they are weak. Less than..."
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"Did the Chinese team underestimate the enemy?"
Nestor Farias looked away from the screen and asked Mellie Banega next to him.
This opening game has attracted the attention of the whole world, and it is naturally impossible for other teams participating in the World Cup to turn a blind eye.
There are many teams watching the game.
The only difference is that some teams have organized viewings, while others watch spontaneously by the players.
Argentina falls into the latter category.
There was no team organization, so everyone gathered spontaneously in small groups and watched the live broadcast in several rooms at the same time.
Farias was in Melly and Ramon Cantero's room, watching the game with some other teammates.
They were watching the live broadcast of CCTV Sports Channel, and the commentators were none other than China's He Feng and Yan Kang.
They, a group of Argentines, could not understand the specific content of the commentary, and could only vaguely understand the commentator calling the names of the Chinese players.
Melly heard Farias's question and shook his head: "It's probably not underestimating the enemy, just pure tactical restraint. It's difficult for any team to play such a dense defense."
Farias continued to ask: "Didn't the Chinese team prepare in advance for this situation?"
Melly smiled: "How many people can imagine that the Iceland team can shrink to this point when facing the Chinese team? Even if Iceland is the lowest ranked team in Europe, it is still in the top 40. Compared with Saudi Arabia ranks high in our group.”
In fact, Iceland’s FIFA ranking is 39th, which really can’t be considered too low. In addition to Saudi Arabia, there are three teams lower than Iceland in this World Cup, namely Canada ranked 41st, Burkina Faso ranked 66th, and New Zealand ranked 77th.
Even if the Chinese team is the host, even if it has Hu Lai and other players who play the main role in strong European teams, its strength is higher than that of Iceland. Few people think that Iceland can retreat on defense. At most, they think that Iceland will take a more pragmatic approach to avoid falling into the "trap" of attacking the Chinese team.
After all, many Icelandic players also play in the five major European leagues, and their overall level is not bad. They just lack top star players like Hulay.
"Hey, you said, the Chinese team won't lose to Iceland in the opening game, right?"
Everyone turned to look at the person who said this, Matias de la Vega, a midfielder who plays for the Kings of Madrid.
"Look what I'm doing? Is it impossible?" de la Vega asked everyone.
Everyone showed thinking expressions.
Of course it is possible, anything and any result is possible on the football field. But there is always a question of probability.
Is it likely that the host country will lose to Iceland in the opening game?
Ramon Cantero shook his head: "The chance is too small, right? After all, they have Hu, and they have a strong ability to seize opportunities..."
De la Vega has his own judgment: "Even if Hu is powerful, he is only one person. Football games cannot be won by one person. This Chinese team seems to be normal now. But if they can't Who knows if they will be impatient because of this? Once they get anxious and Iceland seizes the opportunity to counterattack and score a goal, the home advantage will turn into home pressure!”
As a player of the Madrid Kings, de la Vega knows the "home pressure" all too well.
Kings fans are very demanding and will boo the home team players without hesitation in the stands if they perform poorly.
Playing in such an environment, players who do not have adequate mental endurance will not be able to last long.
De la Vega's words moved many people, and even Ramon Cantero no longer refuted, but fell into deep thought.
Many Argentine players showed expressions of excitement and anticipation - because of the competitive relationship between Hulay and Melli, as well as the tricks of many Hulay fans, they were very happy to see the Chinese team lose and Hulay be unlucky.
It would be best if the Chinese team could be eliminated after the group stage, so that Hu Lai would not be qualified to compete with our Meili.
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Qin Lin had to admit that before the game, he did not expect that Iceland would huddle up and set up a bus during the game - this is really counter-intuitive.
So he made no targeted arrangements.
As a result, he now needs to make on-the-spot adjustments.
Of course, on-the-spot adjustments are a necessary quality for a head coach, so it’s not a big deal. It is impossible for any head coach to anticipate all situations that may arise in the game before the game starts and then make targeted arrangements - there is no such person.
Many head coaches can only set a general direction and then make adjustments at any time based on specific game details.
The difference is that some head coaches are very good at on-the-spot command, while others are not so good at it.
Qin Lin first discussed with assistant coach Ding Gaoyi: "The players should be allowed to strengthen their pressing in the frontcourt."
Ding Gaoyi said: "Iceland just wants us to press forward and grab it. This way they can fight back against us."
"Yes, we press forward to grab them, and then they will attack and we will have a chance. Otherwise, they will be like a piece of compressed biscuit. How can we fight them?" Qin Lin said, pointing to the dense crowd in the thirty-meter area of Iceland.
"I know, but we will also bear the risk, if we are penetrated by the opponent once..."
"You have to take risks." Qin Lin made up his mind. After saying this, he got up from the coaching bench and walked to the sidelines.
Then he whistled hard.
Fortunately, the atmosphere in the stadium at this time was not as hot as when it just started, so his whistle could still be noticed...
When everyone was looking at them, Qin Lin yelled and gestured: "Press up and grab! Press down and grab!"
On the Iceland coaching bench, the assistant coach looked away from the next door and said to head coach Jon Hermansson: "The Chinese team really can't hold it back. You are right, Jon. Home court is huge for them. An advantage, but it can also turn into a disadvantage. Now the Chinese fans are just silent. If they can't open up the situation, they may boo their players."
Facing the praise from the assistant coach, Jon Hermansson's expression did not change at all, and he still had a solemn expression with a frown.
If he hadn't said "hmm", it might have been thought that he disagreed with the assistant coach's statement...
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After seeing that the positions of the two central defenders of the Chinese team, Wang Guangwei and Qin Qi, were advanced, the commentators all confirmed one thing:
"The Chinese team has stepped up its pressure on Iceland in the midfield and frontcourt!"
"They need to invest more troops in the offense, and at the same time, they need to further put pressure on Iceland and steal directly in the frontcourt when the ball is transferred..."
"This is an adjustment made by the Chinese team coach Qin in response to the current situation on the court. But it is difficult to say whether this adjustment is correct. Because Iceland just wants the Chinese team to press up, so that they only need the simplest long pass to win. Penetrating the Chinese team's defense is exactly what Iceland does best..."
"But Qin may not have a better way. Facing Iceland's stubborn defense, the Chinese team lacks the means to break the game, so he may hope to take this opportunity to pull Iceland's formation out so that more openings can appear."
"In the last three World Cups, the host country lost two games in the opening game. The Chinese team definitely wants to avoid making the same mistake again..."
Generally speaking, breaking through dense defense is either a high-altitude bombing from the wing or a long-range shot from the outside. But for these two points, Iceland has made very thorough arrangements.
When it comes to high balls, they have an advantage.
To prevent long shots, tall players like them block the penalty area, just like building a high wall in front of the Chinese team players, and long shots are difficult to penetrate.
Without pulling Icelandic players out of the defensive third, it is indeed difficult to break this kind of bus formation.
But Xie Lan looked anxiously in the box: "The space behind this is so big that you can run away. If the opponent makes a counterattack..."
Before she finished speaking, Iceland on the court really seized the opportunity and launched a quick counterattack!
It was originally an attack by the Chinese team, but Xia Xiaoyu passed the ball forward to Hu Lai. Because his intention was too obvious, it was seen through by the Icelandic defensive players, and center back Bjarke Gudbergsson tackled and destroyed it.
The Chinese players immediately rushed to grab it.
After some confusion, the ball fell to Iceland captain Aaron Thorgrimsson, who had dropped deep.
The offensive midfielder turned around and kicked a long ball behind the Chinese team's defense.
At the same time, Iceland forward Thor Borgasson also started to move forward.
The forward is 1.8 meters tall, has good foot skills, is fast, and has strong individual combat capabilities. He is an important terminator in the defensive counterattack of the Icelandic national team.
It is also because it fits this tactic very well, so in this game, Iceland changed to 541, and Thor Borgason replaced the original main forward Orli Helgason as the starter.
Seeing this scene, the Chinese fans in the stands screamed, which collided with the cheers of the Icelandic fans.
Lotus Stadium is bustling again.
Amid the exclamations, the Chinese team's center back Qin Qi took long strides and chased the football in a diagonal direction.
When Xia Xiaoyu missed the pass, he was already preparing for Iceland's counterattack, so he determined Borgasson's position in advance and did not have to wait until he saw the football being passed to Borgasson before running.
This will prevent him from being thrown away by Borgason.
When Borgason received the ball, Qin Qi was also in place. He did not rush to steal the ball, but quickly got up and used his body to squeeze the opponent, making it difficult for him to control the ball.
Other Icelandic players, including Thorgrimsson, who had just passed the ball, had already rushed forward to participate in the counterattack.
The Chinese team players quickly retreated.
Players from both sides who were originally concentrated in Iceland's defensive third are now spread out over a wide area in the midfield.
There are spaces everywhere, including Iceland and the Chinese team.
Xie Lan covered his mouth with his hand and looked nervously at the venue.
She is now afraid of being told by her own crow's mouth.
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Qin Qi leaned forward and got stuck in front of Borgason, preventing him from taking the ball directly to the center.
From the corner of his eye, he could see an Icelandic player cutting into the space behind him.
However, he remained unmoved because he knew that his teammates were responsible there and he would not be distracted by this.
Borgason didn't expect Qin Qi to react so quickly, so that when he caught the ball, the Chinese defender was in front of him.
Seeing that a quick counterattack was about to turn into a positional battle, Borgason was a little anxious.
Just in time to see his teammates coming to respond, he planned to use his teammates' movements to interfere with Qin Qi.
So just as his teammate was diagonally crossing Qin Qi, Borgasson tried to pass the ball to him, hoping to deceive Qin Qi.
As a result, the Chinese team defender in front of him was unmoved...
This was beyond Borgason's expectation.
At this time, even if he really wanted to pass the ball, it would be impossible - because his teammate was offside.
He can either wait for his teammates to circle back, or wait for other teammates to move closer to him, or... challenge Qin Qi alone!
But the first two options would delay time and delay the fighter's opportunity, so Borgason chose the latter.
He made a move to cut inside, then suddenly used his left foot to slam the football to the outside, and tried to rush forward with his right foot.
Qin Qi swayed as he cut inside, but his center of gravity was not lost. Therefore, when Borgason smashed the ball, he was not thrown away. Instead, he rushed forward and tackled decisively!
So the football that Borgasson stepped out with his right foot hit Qin Qi's shoveling leg and bounced behind him!
"Nice tackle!"
Borgason saw the football bounce back from him. Others could no longer stop the car. The inertia made him rush forward. He could only turn his head and look back, hoping that the football would fall under the control of his teammates who were following him.
His wish was in vain, because he looked back and saw the football was intercepted by the Chinese team's left back Peng Weijun who was returning to defense!
Peng Weijun did not hesitate after intercepting the football, and immediately swept the football towards the center with his right foot. At the same time, he quickly turned around and rushed forward.
The one who responded in the middle was Hu Lai, who was returning to defense.
He saw Peng Weijun turn around before catching the ball, so he immediately passed the football over.
The two played a one-two and hit the wall to cooperate!
“The Chinese team’s counterattack!”
This time, Chinese fans cheered loudly in the stands.
Qin Lin, who had just returned to the coaching bench, had not even warmed up his butt before he stood up from his seat, leaned forward and looked into the field.
The eyebrows of Jon Hermansson, the head coach of Iceland next door, furrowed even more!
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After Hu Lai passed the ball, he turned around and rushed forward.
But in fact, he is already quite far away from the front line.
Unless the Chinese team specifically waits for him to come up in this counterattack, he probably won't be able to catch up with the first wave of offensive.
Now at the forefront are the two full-backs, Chen Xingyi and Luo Kai - they had just returned to defense, and when they saw Qin Qi steal the ball, they immediately turned around and ran forward again.
So they became the first "vanguard" to launch a counterattack!
After Peng Weijun received Hu Lai's pass, facing Icelandic right midfielder Baldwin Ettorson who stepped forward to intercept him, he did not make any fake moves, he just pushed the football forward!
At the same time, he speeds up with the football!
Just like that, he passed Ettorson with the ball!
"Peng Weijun! Hit him...beautifully! That's it! The Chinese team's counterattack opportunity!"
The Chinese fans in the stands cheered even louder.
Chen Xingyi in front looked back and saw this scene, and suddenly accelerated forward and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
Iceland right back Fanar Svensson rushed towards the football and Peng Weijun.
The football is rolling toward him, and he and the football are moving in opposite directions. Logically speaking, he is more likely to control the ball first.
But Peng Weijun’s speed is really amazing!
He actually touched the ball before Svensson!
He pushed the football forward and passed it into the space in front of Chen Xingyi!
The shouts in the stands became louder and louder, including cheers from Chinese fans and boos and exclamations from Icelandic fans.
However, Iceland's defense line was not penetrated.
Because in front of Chen Xingyi, there is also Icelandic center back Daniel Bodson who is chasing back.
He was originally in front of Chen Xingyi. When Chen Xingyi moved forward, he decisively turned back to defend and stayed in front of Chen Xingyi, preventing him from catching the ball smoothly.
The Chinese fans on the side of the stands close to the Iceland goal were cheering Chen Xingyi loudly, hoping that he could successfully overtake.
The two of them chased the football and ran into the penalty area.
At the same time, Iceland goalkeeper Indli Smarassen decisively abandoned the goal and rushed towards the ball.
He shouted to Bodson: "I'll do it!"
So Boderson planned to use his body to block Chen Xingyi, allowing goalkeeper Smarassen to directly control the football.
In this way, the Chinese team's offense ends here.
However, Chen Xingyi, who was blocked behind, did not give up. He took advantage of Boderson's slowdown and suddenly accelerated!
Get ready to blow past Bodson!
Boderson felt the pressure brought by Chen Xingyi, and saw the ball rolling slower and slower. He was likely to be caught up by Chen Xingyi before goalkeeper Smarassen arrived.
But at this time, he had slowed down and could not activate the stuck position again.
He could only shovel towards the football when Chen Xingyi passed by him!
In the end, Boderson successfully shoveled the football towards goalkeeper Smarassen before Chen Xingyi!
Before Boderson made the tackle, Smarassen had already lowered his center of gravity, lowered his body, and put his hands together in a bucket shape, ready to catch the ball.
As a result, he didn't expect Boderson to shovel the football over!
At this time, his center of gravity had already leaned forward, and he had no time to adjust his movements. He could only reflexively scoop up the rolling football with his hands and put it into his arms...
Chen Xingyi, who was missing, immediately raised his hands when he saw this, turned around and shouted to the referee.
At the same time, the commentator He Feng was also shouting: "Foul! This is a foul! Smarason caught Boderson's return pass with his hand!"
The referee blew his whistle and quickly ran into Iceland's penalty area!
The crisp whistle sounds like the sound made when a huge iceberg breaks apart. (End of chapter)