Chapter 403: Group Stage Round Two, First Match Against an African Team!

June 21st, only two days remained until the Group F second-round match between China and Senegal.

The Chinese team players traveled 1,000 km from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don, the location of their second match stadium.

The plane landed at 3 PM; as soon as he disembarked, Tang Ye lifted his T-shirt and fanned his stomach with it.

"Damn, this must be around 30 degrees; can we even play soccer in this?"

When playing against Germany, the stadium temperature was only about 17 or 18 degrees Celsius; that weather was comfortable.

But today's conditions were not so good.

"I heard it on the plane earlier; it seems to be 34 degrees Celsius."

"No exaggeration, I feel like it's nearly 40 degrees."

Tang Ye continued fanning himself with his shirt.

"Uh... maybe it's because we're standing directly under the sun?"

"The problem is, we'll be standing under the sun during the match too, right?"

Tang Ye hung his head.

Based on his experience, playing at this temperature meant he would sweat profusely and become extremely thirsty.

Just like after going several hours without water!

If that were the case, the match against Senegal would be incredibly difficult.

If half the water in his body evaporated during the game, wouldn't GGBond turn into a dried corpse?

This was a terrifying thought!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: Group F Round 2 China vs. Senegal – Can the Dark Horse National Team Create Another Miracle?

In two more days, the national team would face their second opponent of this World Cup.

The African team Senegal; the excellent physical attributes of the Senegalese players were a constant worry for Chinese fans.

In the first round, Senegal had easily defeated Sweden!

As per tradition, CCTV-5 aired a special pre-match program featuring renowned commentator Zhang Lu for a tactical analysis.

According to Zhang Lu, Senegal's greatest strengths were their tough wing breakthroughs and set-piece attacking ability; this was why they defeated Sweden and also their assurance when facing the Chinese team.

"But there is a problem here..."

"If Senegal possessed a sophisticated possession and control system, it would be fine; the Chinese team could make targeted tactical adjustments to restrict the Senegalese players."

"However, Senegal is not that kind of refined team. With their superior speed and strength, the gap in physical ability is the hardest to close in a soccer match."

The logic was clear: even if the Chinese team devised a solid tactic, the speed and strength advantages of Senegal's eleven players on the field would still exist.

Many fans had noticed during the previous friendly against France that the Chinese defenders basically had no answer for Mbappé and Dembélé.

Perhaps the only ones capable of stopping those two French forwards were the Moscow police.

In the world of martial arts, speed alone breaks all defenses!

In Manchester, England, a Sky Sports reporter interviewed Manchester United manager Ten Hag.

Since Ten Hag is Dutch, the reporter wanted to ask him about his feelings regarding the Netherlands national team's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals.

"Of course, I naturally feel regret, but there's nothing to be done; our performance in the European qualifiers seemed too terrible, and outstanding players like Fan Daike were unable to travel to Russia."

Regret showed on Ten Hag's face.

Although he could not currently enter the Netherlands, the Manchester United manager's affection for his country of birth was not fake.

Suddenly thinking of something, Ten Hag added a sentence.

"If the Dutch team had possessed a Tom, then I believe qualifying for the World Cup finals would not have been an issue. Hmm... I even think advancing through the knockout stages wouldn't have been a problem. I won't say a top-tier midfielder can trigger a qualitative transformation in a team, but that is the fact."

Oh!

The reporter was somewhat surprised.

He had originally planned to ask about Tom and the Chinese team later, but he didn't expect Ten Hag to directly link Tom with the Netherlands.

"Back when Tom was still at Utrecht, the Dutch Football Association should have stepped in to push for his naturalization, but now it's too late."

Ten Hag spread his hands.

"Since you mentioned Tom, could you evaluate his performance in the previous match between China and Germany?"

"Expected, yes, it was expected. Everyone thinks the German team is very strong, but that is mistaken; no team can dominate a tournament forever, something I already stated last season in the Premier League."

"Tom's performance was excellent, just as I anticipated, but..."

Ten Hag suddenly changed his tone.

Just as the reporter thought the Manchester United manager was about to point out problems with Tang Ye, Ten Hag suddenly started talking about Lippi.

"I believe that for a 19-year-old player, protection must come first. You cannot sacrifice a player with boundless potential for the sake of the team's victory."

Ten Hag suddenly looked at the camera: "Someone is coaching Tom in the wrong way, but I won't say who."

Check Dongqiu Di Hot Discussion: Ten Hag Suspected of Implicitly Criticizing Lippi – Wrong Coaching Methods and Wrong Playing Time, Where Exactly Did Marcello's Tactics Go Wrong?

Ten Hag implicitly criticized Lippi; right after the news broke, the renowned data website Thescored published a long article.

In this lengthy piece, the website compiled data from all of Tang Ye's league starts in the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 seasons, excluding data from the few matches where he came off the bench.

2015-16 Season (Utrecht): Average playing time 82 minutes. (9th in the Eredivisie)

2017-18 Season (Manchester United): Average playing time 88 minutes. (1st in the Premier League)

Sky Sports Staff Leak: Ten Hag hoped Sky Sports would retract his interview video, but Sky Sports refused, citing contractual obligations.

Ten Hag, brilliant throughout his life, never expected to throw a boomerang at himself at this moment.

The target was Marcello Lippi.

But what actually got smashed was Erik ten Hag!

……

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: England 6:1 bloodbath against Panama, Kane with a hat-trick, Rashford scores as a substitute.

Front-page headline of "German Advance Daily"—The German War Machine restarts; Germany defeats Sweden 3:1 to claim their first victory at the Russia World Cup!

Attached is the standings table for Group F of the Russia World Cup group stage.

1. Germany, 3 points.

2. China, 3 points. (One match fewer played)

3. Senegal, 3 points. (One match fewer played)

4. Sweden, 0 points.

After losing to China, the German players quickly adjusted their form, ultimately suppressing China by a margin of one goal difference, surging from third-to-last directly to the top of the group.

Of course, this ranking was not secure.

Once the match between China and Senegal concluded, Germany's ranking would drop to either second or third.

So here comes the question.

Who will be the first place team in Group F after the second round concludes?

……

Time arrived on match day, outside Rostov Stadium.

The scene was divided into three types of people, but these three types were not distinguished by race.

The first type were normal people, wearing normal shirts and normal pants, which included normal Chinese fans and normal Senegalese fans.

As for the second and third types, they were not normal people.

The second type were Chinese fans wearing GGBond mascot suits or GGBond masks; they were the loyal supporters of the Chinese team.

The third type were local Rostov fans wearing Stalin masks.

They had originally been neutral fans, but after the match between China and Germany ended, all these neutral fans had joined the camp of the Chinese team.

The French team and the Chinese team were good friends, this was because Mbappé, Dembélé, and Tang Ye had a good relationship.

The Russian team and the Chinese team had a good relationship, this was because Tang Ye was the second strong figure after Stalin to prevent Germany from achieving victory in Moscow.

"GGBond's hot blood flows within my heart!"

"Ura, Stalin Ura!"

"In GGBond's fairy tale doing..."

"Stalin Ura! Stalin!"

Russian fans, bare-chested, slapped the Chinese team's bus: "China! Go China!"

The appearance of Stalin had awakened the fighting instinct inherent in the Russians' bodies!

"……"

"Uh..."

On the bus, Tang Ye removed his earphones.

The chaotic noise outside left him somewhat at a loss.

"Just be at ease."

Lippi's voice came from the front: "You are not Stalin."

"……"

"Mr. Marcello, I know this, you don't need to emphasize it specifically..."

The bus soon arrived; Tang Ye and his teammates fist-bumped each other, then slowly disembarked.

Chinese fans and Russian fans pulled out many strange items for Tang Ye to autograph, but due to specific instructions from his agent, Sitting Like, Tang Ye chose to sign only on jerseys and photos.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Thanks, hmm?"

Having just written a surname on the photo, Tang Ye suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately snatched the photo back.

Looking closely, the black-and-white photo showed a group of soldiers from who-knows-where mounting the Reichstag in Berlin, holding their flag high.

"……"

Tang Ye looked up at the Russian before him; the two stared wide-eyed at each other, after which the Russian fan grinned mischievously at Tang Ye.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

Tang Ye put the photo in his pocket: "I'm confiscating this photo."

Feeling that his action wasn't entirely reasonable, Tang Ye took a small stack of 5,000-ruble notes from his backpack: "Buddy, I can't give you this photo; I'll buy it from you."

The Russian fan before him looked somewhat disappointed; Tang Ye sighed, reached out, and pulled out another stack of 5,000-ruble notes.

Feeling it still wasn't enough, Tang Ye even took the money from Zhang Zhang Yuning and Wei Wei Shihao's bags, stuffing the Russian's hands full: "I'm buying this photo from you, buying it. Really, brother, please, sell it to me."

"What's wrong?"

Walking into the stadium, Zhang Zhang Yuning looked at Tang Ye perplexed; the latter took out the photo he had just bought from his pocket.

"Haha!"

"Don't laugh, don't laugh, or I'll die right here on the spot."

Sitting Like had emphasized this matter to him many times, and the head of the national football team had said the same; otherwise, Tang Ye wouldn't have spent money to buy this signed photo back.

The correct photo, the correct signature, but the photo and the signature did not match; that was the problem.

Looking left and right, confirming that no one except his teammates saw, Tang Ye secretly slipped into the restroom and successfully disposed of the signed photo.

"I'll pay you back tonight when we return."

"Small matter, small matter, it doesn't matter. Tang Tang Qiuwang, you must protect yourself well."

Before him stood the imminent Senegal men's football team; beside him lurked Russian fans with ulterior motives. Tang Ye was under immense pressure.

Setting aside the matter of the autographed photo, Tang Ye sat in his spot in the locker room, recalling the characteristics of the Senegalese players in his mind and simulating match scenarios.

Lippi and Madaloni were conducting tactical analysis.

Three hours later.

The players and coaches gathered in a circle; Feng Feng Xiaoting prepared to speak, while Tang Ye made eye contact with his teammates one by one.

"There's nothing more to say."

"Three, two, one!"

"China!"

"Let's go!!!"

……

"FIFA World Cup 2018..."

"This is the 2018 FIFA World Cup..."

The stadium announcers introduced the match in various languages; the screen switched, and suddenly the stands erupted in noise.

In the camera shot, Tang Ye leaned against the tunnel wall, looking up at the ceiling, unknown what thoughts occupied his mind.

To be honest, based on Tang Ye's analysis of both teams' players, they would most likely lose this match.

However, Tang Ye would not speak of this to his teammates.

At least they should try first before saying anything else!

Wu Lei walked over; Tang Ye reached out and fist-bumped him: "Brother Lei, remember this for sure, I'll be right behind you."

"That's something I definitely won't forget."

Wu Lei reached out again and patted Tang Ye on the arm.

……

"China Media Group, China Media Group! This is the live broadcast of the 2018 Russia World Cup group stage..."

"As we can see, players from both sides have already taken their positions."

"We will now introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home team, China!"

"And now the away team, Senegal!"

Senegal (4-1-4-1)

Goalkeeper: Ndiaye

Defenders: Sabaly, Koulibaly, Salif Sané, Wagué

Midfielders: Mané, Badou Ndiaye, Gueye, Alfred Ndiaye, Sarr

Forward: Niang

Head Coach: Cissé

Just as Lippi had predicted, Senegal was playing a relatively rare 4-1-4-1 formation today, a setup that would be quite difficult for the Chinese team to handle.

As for the Chinese team, their formation was basically the same as in the previous match.

It was a 4-2-3-1, though seemingly due to the Bible's influence, Lippi had moved Tang Ye's position significantly forward.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Beep!!!"

"The match has begun!"

……

"China!"

Boom! Boom!

"China!"

Boom! Boom!

The match against Germany had earned the Chinese team quite a few foreign fans; today's match also saw supporters from many other nations cheering for China.

Tickets for this match were slightly easier to grab, so roughly twenty thousand Chinese people were present at the venue.

Adding those twenty thousand neutral fans and ten thousand Chinese fans from other countries, the Senegalese supporters numbered less than three thousand.

This match could almost be considered a home game for the Chinese team.

They held an advantage in momentum, yet the pressure on the fans remained considerable.

The reason was simple: a smaller number of fans did not mean Senegal was a weak team.

On the contrary, after Germany's poor performance, Senegal was very likely to be the strongest team in Group F!

"Go, go, get past him, get past him!"

"Charge faster, charge faster!"

"It's a one-on-one, it's a one-on-one!"

Wu Lei, controlling the ball on the wing, immediately began issuing commands.

The fans' shouts were somewhat nonsensical; Wu Lei did not follow their suggestions but instead maintained his own composure.

Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning made diagonal runs forward together!

It was an opportunity!

Wu Lei pushed a precise through-ball forward, finding Zhang Zhang Yuning accurately; the latter, following Tang Ye's instruction, executed a backheel flick.

Now the one in possession of the ball was Tang Ye!

"Wow!!!"

Whenever Tang Ye received the ball in the attacking third, the spectators would let out a roar, and this time was no exception.

Dribbling forward with the outside of his foot!

Tang Ye controlled the situation in the attacking third, pressing Senegal's defensive line based on his own understanding of the match.

"Go, go, go!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning pushed forward!

A one-two pass was executed, and Tang Ye easily evaded the defense of Senegal's attacking midfielder.

"Get up there!"

The goalkeeper's adrenaline surged; Senegal's defensive midfielder and center-back moved out together, attempting to trap Tang Ye.

A glance from the corner of his eye.

His teammates were not in suitable positions, so he could only do it himself.

Close in first!

Then...

Swish, swish!

Executing a nutmeg, Tang Ye attempted to slip between the two defenders.

The Senegalese players were smart; at that moment, they simply shut the gate, trapping Tang Ye in between.

China lost possession!

"Damn!"

Raising both hands to clutch his head, Tang Ye felt some regret over his previous move.

Too reckless!

There was no time to dwell on other matters; after calling out to his teammates, Tang Ye hurried back to defend.

Senegal's counterattack was swift; Koulibaly launched a long ball to the front, where Ndiaye subsequently controlled it.

"Ndiaye's control wasn't great, but he ran into open space, giving him plenty of room to adjust!"

"Let's take a look..."

"Eh, passing forward to Mané!"

Taking the ball, Mané accelerated directly forward, running side-by-side with Zhang Zhang Linpeng.

Zhang Zhang Linpeng stuck close to mark him!

After marking closely and realizing he couldn't keep up, Zhang Zhang Linpeng prepared to reach out and pull.

Mané was brought down, but before hitting the ground, he passed the ball to Niang, the center-forward making a diagonal run to the left baseline.

The referee signaled advantage!

"Keep up, keep up!"

Zhang Zhang Linpeng abandoned Mané to chase Niang, while Tang Ye was rushing over at full speed.

Somewhat different from impressions, Senegal's playing style was actually quite cautious.

Pass back first!

Then...

Pa!

A 45-degree cross sent directly into the penalty area!

Mané!

Jumping up!

Mané's speed and impact force were both formidable, but his height was indeed lacking; Mei Fang reached the ball a step earlier and cleared it away.

"Phew..."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zhang Zhang Xizhe, who had received the clearance, quickly kicked the ball toward the flank.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: 12th minute, Ndiaye took a long-range shot, but it was too straight and was saved by Zeng Cheng.

The fans were extremely tense, and time thus entered the 18th minute.

China: 30%.

Senegal: 70%.

Compared to Senegal, China's possession rate was indeed somewhat low.

It was even lower than when they played against Germany previously.

Of course, this was unavoidable; in this match, Lippi had devised a rather special tactic for the team, which was to defend cautiously at the very start.

Allow Tang Ye to figure out Senegal's rhythmic characteristics, and only then would China launch large-scale attacks.

"China now needs to find a way to get Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning more touches on the ball."

Feng Feng Xiaoting played a low through-ball directly forward.

But this pass had a flaw; a Senegalese player reached the ball a step before Tang Ye.

Damn!

His heart suddenly hung in the air.

Subconscious instinct told Tang Ye that something might go wrong for the team.

(End of Chapter)