Chapter 2134 Provocation
"Ask for nothing but victory! Spare nothing for victory!"
Under the gaze of the huge "Wang Guangwei" on TIFO, the players from both sides spread out and stood in their respective positions.
The game is about to begin.
TIFO did not have time to put it away immediately, but continued to hang between the third-level stands and the first-level stands. It was about fifty meters long and about thirty meters high. It was very shocking.
Especially the close-ups of Wang Guangwei in the picture are very real and delicate, with sharp eyes. If you look over, it's like he's really looking at you.
It is also a coincidence that this TIFO hanging in the north stand is exactly opposite the England half of the first half.
England players can clearly see TIFO without looking up deliberately.
Like Pete Williams right now, he's watching.
He knows why Chinese fans made a TIFO of only Wang Guangwei in this game - the TIFOs of Chinese fans in the previous four games were all filled with multiple Chinese team players, showing that they are one unit.
Today's TIFO is Wang Guangwei's one-man show.
Why is this happening? Because this is the support of Chinese fans for their captain.
During the transformation of TIFO, the cheers on the scene did not stop and became louder and louder.
Until the last sentence came out, the volume of cheers was as loud as if the Chinese team had scored a goal.
To be honest, Pete Williams himself was deeply shocked.
There is no doubt that the twenty-nine-year-old Williams is experienced in many battles.
He has experienced such a fanatical stadium atmosphere.
In his opinion, today's Jincheng Bailong Lake Stadium is no less than the most famous "hell stadium" in Europe.
As their boss said, Chinese fans are so fanatical that while bringing a source of strength to the Chinese team, they will also bring pressure.
But now he feels that what the boss said is not completely right - such a crazy home atmosphere will certainly put pressure on the Chinese team, but... the pressure we feel is also greater!
Thinking of this, Williams turned his attention to Darren Hunter in front of him.
The latter was standing in the center circle with a football under his feet. You couldn't see his expression or what he was thinking.
I wonder if he has felt the pressure brought by such a home atmosphere?
Darren Hunter stepped on a football, raised his head slightly, and looked at TIFO in the stands opposite him.
"Wang Guangwei" above seemed to be looking at him.
And he looked at it without giving in.
There was even a sneer on the corner of his mouth.
Of course he knows what Chinese fans are thinking.
It was nothing more than complaining for their captain.
They seem to have a lot of confidence in their captain and have high hopes.
So I wonder how they will feel when they see their captain being broken through and blasted by me during the game?
Hunter's feet were rubbing the football back and forth, ready for the kickoff, just waiting for the whistle.
The atmosphere was very lively, just as the boss said.
But that's better, isn't it?
In such a devilish "hell home court", defeat the home team and let the boiling volcano go out for yourself...
How cool!
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"The game begins!"
With a crisp whistle, Darren Hunter turned around and kicked the football behind him.
The much-anticipated quarter-finals have finally begun!
For England fans, they have been waiting for four years.
After being eliminated by the Chinese team, he dreamed of revenge.
They had this dream for four years.
In this World Cup, because the Chinese team is the host, it cannot be placed in the same group as the seeded team England. It is a pity for everyone.
Then they began to study the format, hoping to meet them in the knockout stages.
Unexpectedly, their dream came true!
The Chinese team and England really met!
Not only the fans hope, but the English players themselves are also looking forward to it.
In order to meet the Chinese team, England played its best performance in this World Cup against Spain.
Because they know very well that as long as they defeat Spain and get first place in the group, they have a high chance of meeting the Chinese team.
As they pursue this goal, any opponent who dares to stand in their way, whether they are a new World Cup team or a World Cup champion, will be ruthlessly crushed by them.
When Pete Williams received the ball from Darren Hunter, his brain calmed down, leaving all the previous emotions behind and focusing on the game that had already started.
Regardless of whether this competition environment is favorable or unfavorable for England, they can only keep their heads down and move forward.
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Although there was a lot of "hype" before the game, after the game started, the England team did not immediately attack the Chinese team's goal at kick-off.
On the contrary, they played very cautiously.
Williams turned around and passed the football back, then ran back to receive it.
Then continue running, using yourself as a "relay station" or "distribution center" to pass the football to all directions and to the feet of your teammates.
Guide the Chinese team to gradually press up and pull their formation apart to create space.
When the Argentine commentator in the stands saw this scene, he said in a tone of "I had expected it": "England seemed very cautious! The Chinese team did not press it immediately... This is right! For such an important game, please Stability is the first priority. The key to winning the game is not that you are stronger or perform better, but that you make fewer mistakes than your opponents..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw that the Chinese team did not shrink back in the backcourt and allowed the England team to back and forth in their own half.
They pressed up quickly and tried to cut off the ball in the midfield.
Shooters like Hu Lai seem to have become "defensive centers", running back and forth tirelessly in the frontcourt.
Even though it made him look like a "monkey" being walked, he didn't stop.
Not only him, but all the Chinese team players were pressing forward.
"At the beginning of the game, in response to England's kick, the Chinese team used a high-position press!"
"The players of the Chinese team are very motivated! But I don’t know if this is a good thing..."
"England plays in the backcourt in the hope that the Chinese team will press forward and grab it, so that the space behind them will leak out..."
Commentators from all over the world expressed their opinions on this scene in the commentary box. Some praised the courage and fighting spirit of the Chinese team players, but more people tactfully criticized the Chinese team's recklessness.
In fact, not only the commentator, but also any fan who knows even a little bit about penalty kicks, the Chinese team's approach is very "unwise".
England obviously wanted to split the Chinese team's formation and leave more open spaces to exploit.
Shouldn't we not let the enemy get what they want at this time?
Why do you have to press it out the other way?
Do you think your start is not in "hell mode" enough?
But listening to the deafening cheers in the stands, it may be understandable - in such a fanatical home atmosphere, how can the Chinese team players remain calm and rational?
The assistant coach of the England team looked up and looked around, especially in the stands behind the coaching bench. The Chinese fans seemed to be drunk. Their faces were flushed and they were waving their arms vigorously. Veins were popping out on their necks and foreheads. They were cheering non-stop. Roar.
He feels that his boss is right. Having such enthusiastic home fans is of course an encouragement to the Chinese team, but more often than not, they are probably the ones who ring the bell - but they are ringing the death knell of the Chinese team.
When Chinese fans do not allow the Chinese team to make any mistakes, do not accept the Chinese team losing, and force the Chinese team to continue attacking...
How should the Chinese team respond?
From the head coach to the players, do they have the guts to face such a crazy home atmosphere?
In the midst of mass madness, how many people can keep their minds calm?
Look at what they are doing now...
The assistant coach turned his attention back to the court.
After the England team saw the Chinese team pressing forward, they immediately changed their previous practice of back-footing and passed the football forward.
After receiving the ball, midfielder Jimmy Stokes did not continue to pass the ball, but directly passed the football to the front wing.
There's Brad Pate, the right halfback who pulls wide.
Pate stopped the ball on the sideline.
At the same time, the Chinese team's left back Peng Weijun was already in front of him.
Although facing the fast Peng Weijun, Pate is obviously very confident in his speed.
So he didn't do any fancy moves with Peng Weijun, and just knocked the stopped ball forward!
Follow and speed up!
As he accelerated, Peng Weijun also quickly cut over!
Seeing two people competing for speed on the wing, both Chinese and English fans burst into loud cheers to cheer for their respective players.
Pate really planned to use a sudden start to throw away Peng Weijun, but he had just started to realize that Peng Weijun had not been thrown away by him...
So he realized that it might be difficult for him to get rid of the Chinese left-back within a limited distance.
He immediately made a decision, faked a pass, and then used his passing foot to keep the football, using the inertia to get rid of Peng Weijun.
After making up his mind, he raised his right leg while running, with a very large amplitude, which was a very obvious forward swing for the pass.
Seeing him raising his right leg, Peng Weijun reacted immediately - he shoveled it directly!
This is exactly what Pate hopes Peng Weijun will do, so that he can just keep the football...
Eh? !
Pate's eyes moved downwards as he moved his legs, but he didn't find the football!
Where is the ball?
Where is my big ball?
Pate had no time to worry about this problem, because he quickly lost his balance, his vision wandered for a while, and then he fell to the ground...
When he raised his head again, he saw Peng Weijun getting up from the ground, reaching out to pull the legs of his football shorts that were rolled up to his buttocks, and then ran towards the penalty area, leaving only Pate's back.
At this time, Pate's brain resumed functioning. He suddenly lifted his body from the ground and complained to the referee: "He committed a foul!!"
Both the referee and the linesman gave the same penalty - a throw-in, England throw-in.
Pate did not continue to argue with the referee about this issue. In fact, from the fact that he did not see the football first and then lost his balance, we knew that Peng Weijun did not commit a foul.
It's not bad to get a frontcourt throw-in.
He got up from the ground and walked slowly onto the court.
Behind him, England right-back Lewis Bishop was running in from the back for a throw-in.
"Pate won a frontcourt throw-in for the team. This position is very close to the Chinese team's penalty area. This is our offensive opportunity!"
England commentator Matthew Cox praised the players' performance.
On the court, the Chinese players returned to defense one after another, and the English players began to press forward.
Apart from the two centre-backs and one goalkeeper, all other England players pressed past the halfway line.
Pete Williams noticed this as he looked left and right.
So he pointed at Jimmy Stokes and said to him: "Jimmy, you retreat to the center line."
Stokes had no objection to the arrangement of the team's vice-captain. He originally turned forward and retreated to the center line, standing about ten meters in front of his two central defender teammates.
Seeing Stokes standing in the right position, Williams turned his eyes back, ran towards Lewis Bishop who was about to throw the ball, and shouted to him: "Pass the ball, Lewis!"
At the same time, he quickly turned his head to observe the situation around him.
After Bishop threw the football to him, he first made a move to take the initiative to meet the ball, and successfully tricked Luo Kai into following him. After the football flew over, he suddenly stopped and turned around!
When turning around, he first blocked Luo Kai with his body and separated him from the football.
Then let the football pass in front of you!
Williams, who got rid of Luo Kai, did not continue to dribble. After catching up with the football, he passed the ball to center Darren Hunter who connected with him in the middle.
Darren Hunter is 1.88 meters tall and has the physique of a standard center, but he is very different from the traditional British center that everyone thinks of, because he has excellent foot skills.
He is not the kind of center who can only wait in front of the goal and let his teammates pass the ball to him, but an all-around center who can frequently pull out of the penalty area, drop back to receive the ball, and even pull to the wing to pass for his teammates. .
His presence can greatly improve England's ability to control the ball in the midfield.
And ball control is the basis of offense.
When the football was passed to Darren Hunter, huge boos suddenly erupted above the Bailong Lake Stadium.
All from Chinese fans.
Their voices drowned out the singing of the England fans.
This fully demonstrates who is the most hated English player by Chinese fans.
To be honest, Darren Hunter was a little proud when he heard the sudden explosion of boos.
I think that I can stir up the emotions of Chinese fans and be treated like this by my enemy's fans. That is simply the best compliment for myself...
I don’t know whether it was because he was immersed in such emotions, or because the noise caused by the Chinese fans was too loud, but Hunter didn’t even hear the loud reminder from his teammates nearby.
Another starting England striker, William Sutton, was nearby and watched helplessly as a Chinese player suddenly came out from behind and rushed towards Hunter.
But he himself only had time to shout: "Be careful!"
Darren Hunter's body is very relaxed, which helps him stop the football at his feet when stopping the ball, so as to prevent the ball from flying five or six meters.
As a technically sophisticated center, this is his basic skill.
But this time the situation was different. Just as he received the ball, he felt a huge force coming from behind him.
Before his brain could react, his body had lost balance and his vision was shaking.
In his constantly shaking vision, he caught a glimpse of a red figure from the corner of his eye, passing by him...
Then he fell face down on the soft yet tough turf, and his vision briefly went dark.
William Sutton, who witnessed all this, quickly raised his hands and complained to the referee: "Hey! Foul! He fouled! Collision!"
The referee did stop the game and punished the Chinese team player for a collision foul.
Darren Hunter, who was beaten to pieces, struggled to get up from the ground, while turning his head to look for the "culprit" who knocked him down.
The first thing he saw was the back of the Chinese team captain.
Then his eyes moved up and down from the giant TIFO, and he saw Wang Guangwei, who was still talking to the referee from behind.
"This bastard..."
Hunter hissed and covered his waist with his backhand - there was some pain where he was hit.
"Are you okay?" Accompanying this greeting was Sutton's hand.
"I'm fine." Hunter didn't tell Sutton that he had lower back pain, because it would definitely hurt if he was hit. Bumping on the court was a common occurrence and not worth mentioning. He didn't want his teammates to think he was a weak sissy.
Then he saw his team's second captain, Pete Williams, rush to the referee and make a card gesture to him.
"He wants to apply for a yellow card for Wang?" Hunter guessed, "I'm afraid it's difficult. The game has just started, and the referee will still be somewhat biased towards the host..."
"King?" Sutton was a little surprised at first, and then realized that Hunter had misunderstood, so he explained, "No, not Wang. It was Qin who fouled you."
Hunter stared at Qin Qi, who was standing next to Wang Guangwei, with wide eyes. He had no intention of defending himself at all. He was not even paying attention to the referee, but turned to look at him.
As Hunter shifted his gaze, the two of them met.
Noticing Hunter's gaze, Qin Qi raised his head slightly, not hiding the "unfriendly" look in his eyes.
After realizing what the other person's eyes meant, Hunter snorted and then showed a provocative smile. (End of chapter)