Chapter 230: Iran Takes the Lead? Tang Ye

China Central Television, China Central Television! This is your live broadcast of...

You can see that both teams' players are already ready on the pitch!

Alright, the match begins! Let me introduce the starting lineups for this game!

Iran (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Beranvand

Defenders: Ghafoori, Montazeri, Pouraliganji, Mohammad

Midfielders: Ebrahimi, Shojaei, Ezatolahi

Forwards: Jahanbakhsh, Gholizadeh, Taremi

Head coach: Queiroz

The match had just begun when the camera directly cut to Lippi.

The Italian head coach still looked the same, hands in his pockets, face expressionless.

It seemed Lippi had no inner emotion at all—but that wasn't true.

Not today!

Today, Lippi was slightly pleased!

Four days before the match, he and assistant coach Madaloni had guessed Iran would play 4-2-3-1; Lippi even correctly predicted nine of Iran's eleven starters.

You could say Iran looked naked in front of the Chinese team today!

To counter Iran's 4-2-3-1 system, Lippi deployed the classic 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper, defenders, and midfielders remained unchanged.

Only the forwards were slightly adjusted: Gao Lin, Zhang Yuning, and Yu Dabao formed the front line!

When fans saw China's starting lineup an hour ago, their first reaction was confusion.

A front line of Gao Lin, Zhang Yuning, and Yu Dabao?

Are you serious?

Where are the wingers?

Where is Wu Lei!

Now people in the livestream were already criticizing, but most fans still held back, watching and waiting.

After all, a week ago China had thrashed South Korea 3-0.

Although Tang Ye played a crucial role, you can't deny that after half a year of integration, Lippi has gradually figured out the Chinese men's team!

The match reached the 17th minute of the first half!

The broadcast showed possession statistics!

IRA: 62%

CHN: 38%

"For China, possession has never been their strength, and with the addition of a player like Tang Ye, whose technical traits are extreme, possession is even..."

As he spoke, Huang Jianxiang in the studio suddenly snapped his head up.

He realized he'd just said something wrong!

"What I mean is, after Tang Ye joined, China would consciously relinquish control of the ball because Tang Ye possesses exceptional counterattack ability."

"Yes, especially against a team like Iran that excels in attack, defense is a relatively good choice for China."

Defense is a good choice.

But if China wanted to defend, why did Lippi start three center forwards?

Gao Lin and Yu Dabao aren't strong at dropping back to defend!

"Forward, forward!"

"Wide, wide!"

Lippi shouted while gesturing—Zhang Yuning sprinted from the center toward the right flank.

Zhang Yuning moved fast, quickly reaching the position ahead of Yu Dabao.

Seeing his teammate aiming for a right-side attack, Tang Ye immediately moved to fill Zhang Yuning's vacated spot.

Now Tang Ye was the foremost player in China's center!

He looked like a center forward, but functioned as an attacking midfielder!

Snap!

Facing his marker, Yu Dabao played a direct pass forward.

To Zhang Yuning ahead!

The moment Zhang Yuning received the ball, he turned to check Tang Ye's position.

He wanted to pass to Tang Ye.

But unfortunately, Tang Ye was already tightly marked!

Ebrahimi's close marking made Tang Ye struggle.

Push him!

Ebrahimi stepped back two steps, then quickly closed in again.

Tang Ye briefly felt the pressure.

Ebrahimi still had a noticeable gap in physical strength compared to a La Liga defensive midfielder—his core wasn't stable.

That meant if Tang Ye forced a collision, he might not lose to him!

Of course, the priority now was to complete this attack!

Zhang Yuning on the flank was marked by Mohammad and couldn't find a chance to break into the box.

Tang Ye decisively ran over, gesturing leftward as he moved.

Tell Gao Lin to come central!

The advantage of Lippi's three-center-forward tactic was this: Gao Lin, Zhang Yuning, and Yu Dabao could all surge into the box to challenge for headers!

"Come!"

Tang Ye called for the ball; Zhang Yuning immediately passed it.

Tang Ye turned his back, shielding Ebrahimi.

Fake a rhythm!

Pull the ball and turn!

Straight into the center!

Using his feint, Tang Ye briefly broke free from Ebrahimi's marking.

This was a perfect opportunity!

Snap!

【De Bruyne-style through ball】!

A super-short through pass!

Into the box!

Though time was tight, Tang Ye observed with extreme precision.

His pass rolled perfectly between Montazeri's legs!

To Gao Lin, just in front of the penalty spot!

"Wow!!"

The crowd leapt to their feet!

Gao Lin shot immediately!

A driven shot from Gao Lin—so close that goalkeeper Beranvand had zero time to react.

"It's in!"

The CCTV commentator shouted loudly.

"Tang Ye's short through ball found Gao Lin perfectly inside the box!"

"A flawless pass, slicing straight through Iran's defense!"

"1-0, China leads away from home!"

The screen flooded with "666"—Tang Ye and Gao Lin embraced in the box, then sprinted together toward the corner flag.

"Haha!"

"Look at me!"

Tang Ye yelled, sprinting ahead of Gao Lin, then "swish-swish-swish" drew three stripes directly on the pitch.

Yes, it was Gao Lin's goal—but Tang Ye didn't care.

A goal meant celebration.

Once you're celebrating, do whatever move comes to mind!

【You gained 15 Comeback Points】

"Beautiful, Gao Lin!"

Hao Junmin charged from behind and hugged both Tang Ye and Gao Lin at once.

Damn it!

Against group leaders Iran, China had scored first!

"Clap-clap-clap!"

Ribery raised both hands in celebration, then quickly clapped.

"Phew…"

He exhaled deeply.

Gao Lin's goal at least shows that today, China's tactical system held the advantage.

Ribery now hopes this goal will fully ignite the players' spirit.

Defeating Iran seems like a fantasy.

But it's actually possible!

The celebration continued; Tang Ye and his teammates lingered near the corner flag to waste time, while the director replayed the goal.

The director had sharp eyes—he specifically set the replay's start point at the moment Tang Ye ran to support Zhang Yuning.

The footage showed Tang Ye gesturing toward the central penalty area, signaling Gao Lin to make a run.

"Gao Lin's run was directed by someone."

How could Gao Lin, positioned on the left, react so quickly and sprint into the box?

Because Commander GGBond gave his order!

You think that goal was Tang Ye's through pass combined with Gao Lin's run?

No!

It was Tang Ye's through pass combined with Tang Ye's command!

【Amazing!】

【Wait, is it really that extreme?】

【GGBond is like this—he still cares for his teammates while playing, a considerate god!】

【Two brains, right? One brain thinks how to play, the other thinks for his teammates.】

Many fans previously didn't understand why Tang Ye could start immediately upon joining the national team, even against Korea.

Now they should understand.

Tang Ye's contribution to the team isn't just about passing.

His presence elevates the entire team's rhythm and movement!

Possession midfielder?

No!

GGBond is a commander midfielder!

The match resumed; Iranian fans in the stands roared their encouragement.

Iran is absurd—they banned their own female fans, yet only 60,000+ filled a 90,000-seat stadium, including 5,000 away supporters.

"China awesome!"

"Come on, Tang Ye!"

It's the 25th minute of the first half!

Iran, trailing by one goal, immediately launched a counterattack against China!

"Iran's qualification prospects are good, but they clearly won't give up the three points from China!"

"Jahanbakhsh is fast!"

"Hao Junmin didn't stop him!"

"Cross to the center!"

"Shojaei, to Taremi!"

Taremi carried the ball to the byline; Chinese fans in the livestream held their breath.

Mei Fang and Zhang Linpeng sprinted toward Taremi.

Before Mei Fang could intercept, Taremi fired a quick pass back to the penalty spot.

Shojaei surged up from behind!

"Boom!"

Goal!

After China's goal, Iran equalized swiftly!

"Jesus"

Ribery shook his head and sat back down.

Iran's intensity isn't without reason.

Iranian players' ability to recover mentally after falling behind is unmatched by China's!

Ribery was now hesitant.

At 1-1, China was clearly on the back foot.

Should they play defensively?

After careful thought, Ribery signaled Zhang Xizhe and Wu Lei to warm up on the bench.

No tactical changes!

37th minute!

"Mohammadi is making a run down the flank!"

"Out of nowhere! China's defenders seem caught off guard!"

Plop!

Mohammadi cut to the baseline and delivered a cross.

Into the box!

Jahanbakhsh and Ghotbi had already prepared to attack the ball!

Boom!

Jahanbakhsh knocked the ball toward Ghotbi.

Ghotbi fired a direct shot!

Another "boom"—the ball struck Feng Xiaoting and bounced out.

Fans with poor eyesight were celebrating.

But fans with sharp eyes fell silent—they saw the truth.

Ghotbi's shot hit Feng Xiaoting's hand!

"Bing!"

The referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Clearly, it was a penalty!

Iran earned a penalty while the score was tied 1-1!

A penalty that could decide the entire match!

"Damn…"

Tang Ye stood frozen, staring at Jahanbakhsh as he prepared for the penalty.

Don't score!

Please, don't score!

"Boom!"

"Goal!"

Jahanbakhsh ran up and struck the ball in one motion.

Iran took the lead!

"…"

Iranian players sprinted past China's players in celebration.

The eleven Chinese players were utterly silenced.

Less than twenty minutes ago, they'd been elated leading by one goal—now they were trailing by one!

Tang Ye put a new piece of gum in his mouth and scratched his head.

He was thinking of a solution, but it wasn't easy to find.

Ribery remained silent.

At this moment, the language barrier showed: Ribery couldn't roar orders like he did with the Italian national team.

His tactical instructions reached the players only after translation delay.

But football changes in an instant—by the time Ribery finished speaking to the translator, the situation on the field had already changed beyond his previous control.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Tang Ye took the ball from Zhang Yuning.

Iran's holding midfielder charged at Tang Ye!

Tang Ye paused in place!

Leapt straight over the midfielder's foot!

"Beautiful!"

"Great feint—Tang Ye dribbles forward himself!"

"Straight to Yu Dabao!"

"Yu Dabao runs toward the box!"

Is this a one-on-one opportunity?

The Iranian defenders are recovering quickly!

Yu Dabao's position is blocked!

The Iranian defenders' recovery speed is fast; just this alone has helped them intercept many Chinese team attacks.

The first half ends; China's national team still fails to equalize before halftime.

Tang Ye lowers his head, staring blankly at the grass beneath his feet, feeling somewhat down.

Half-time report from Dongqiu Di: China away 1-2 Iran, Feng Xiaoting handball gives away a penalty.

【Damn it】

【Is that even a penalty? I saw him already putting his hands behind his back—can that count?】

【Fuck, these two Iranian defenders run so fast—aren't they literally designed to counter my Tang Ball King?】

【Three strikers are too abstract—why not bring on Wu Lei?】

The half-time report gathered 15,000 comments within minutes.

Fans are like this: when leading, they praise every player on the pitch; when trailing, they start criticizing the head coach's tactics—this is why Eskivara gets anxious when behind.

For the first 20 minutes, China led 1-0, and it seemed they really had a chance to take three points from Iran.

But Iran used the next 25 minutes to tell Chinese fans that the early lead was nothing but a fairy tale.

Iran, who consistently top Group A over South Korea and Uzbekistan, are unquestionably a level above China's national team!

Now we wait to see what happens in the second half.

Will Pellegrini stick with his three-striker tactic?

"Bring on Wu Lei in the second half."

In the locker room, Wen Qianshi translated Pellegrini's words into Chinese and relayed them.

Tang Ye glanced toward Wu Lei, then returned to his unfinished thoughts.

Brother Lei has solid movement ability.

Tang Ye should seek more chances to link up with Wu Lei!

"Their defenders recover quickly, so we can't find attacking opportunities—what should we do? Play set pieces? We don't have a set-piece tactic."

"Then we need to strengthen our front-line attackers and slowly create chances through safe, controlled wing play!"

Pellegrini spoke quickly; Tang Ye frowned in thought, then muttered: "We could try set pieces."

"What did he say?"

Pellegrini looked at Wen Qianshi, who translated Tang Ye's words: "He says he can take set pieces."

"I know you can take set pieces, but we don't have a set-piece tactic."

Tang Ye rubbed his nose: "Let's give it a try—I'm good at set pieces..."

Pellegrini began thinking rapidly.

He often watched Tang Ye's match footage from his time at Huang Qian and knew Tang Ye had excellent set-piece ability.

The problem: Tang Ye had only trained once with the team on set pieces.

He brought set-piece ability to the team, but China currently lacks a mature set-piece tactic.

"You can try it—you can take them in the second half. Let's give it a shot."

OK!

Tang Ye rubbed his hands, mentally comparing the heights of Iran's defenders and his own teammates.

Pellegrini said: "But the key in the second half is that our defenders must push forward—we need to create numerical superiority in attack; that's the best chance to score..."

Pellegrini spoke at length about tactics, but Tang Ye's full attention was on set pieces.

"Iran's defenders are tall—set pieces might be hard to execute."

Zheng Zhi sat down beside Tang Ye: "If you're taking them, I'll screen for you."

"OK, thanks, Brother Zheng!"

Tang Ye slapped Zheng Zhi's shoulder, then joined his teammates in the center of the locker room.

"Momentum matters in the second half—we've lost too much of it already. We must regain it in the second half."

Pellegrini called all players to the center.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"China will win!"

"China will win!"

"China will win!"

Fired up!

Zhang Yuning charged forward; Tang Ye followed right behind him!

"Welcome back, viewers—this is the second half of China's Asian qualifier match against Iran!"

The match started at 7 p. m.; now it's past 8 p. m. —prime time.

According to CCTV's data, cumulative viewership is 69 million (including those who left midway), with 26.7 million viewers watching per minute.

In simple terms: 26.7 million live viewers!

An absolutely staggering number!

Thwack!

Zhang Linpeng's long pass finds Zhang Yuning in the center.

Tang Ye sprinted over: "Give it to me, give it to me!"

Zhang Yuning jumped, headed the ball to Tang Ye, then sprinted forward.

Facing the rolling ball, Tang Ye didn't hesitate—he struck it forward with the inside of his foot!

Back to Zhang Yuning!

Zhang Yuning drives forward!

Tang Ye and the other players quickly follow.

At the edge of the box, Zhang Yuning passes to Wu Lei on the right flank.

OK!

Tang Ye catches this movement and sprints toward Wu Lei's position.

Draw away Ezzatollahi!

When Ezzatollahi follows him, Tang Ye feints, then suddenly turns and sprints back to the center.

Wu Lei reacts quickly, plays a low cross back to the edge of the box.

Perfect opportunity!

One meter from the ball, Tang Ye quickly lifts his head.

Two choices.

Left-foot curl or...

Right-foot outside!

Since his body is sideways, Tang Ye chooses the right-foot outside!

Thwack!

【Modric outside-foot pass】 template!

But Tang Ye uses the template for a shot!

The ball rises from the grass near the edge of the box, glides past the central defender Montazeri.

Curves sharply toward the goal!

"This one's in!"

Though not in the corner, Tang Ye's outside-foot shot grazes the post.

Belanvand, jumping from the center, can't reach it.

"Tang Ye!"

"Outside-foot shot—goal!"

(End of Chapter)