Chapter 410: Who Are You Guarding Against, and Who the Hell Am I Guarding Against?

The 15-minute halftime break wasn't even fully over, and the number of comments on the halftime report had already surpassed 30,000.

Fans gathered in the comment section; besides shouting encouragement, some idle people started arguing directly.

When a team falls behind in score, the head coach often faces scrutiny, and even a champion manager like Lippi is no exception.

【We should have played with five defenders in the first half; why attack so fiercely? A 0-0 draw would have secured qualification.】

【Secure what? What if Germany beats Senegal?】

【Better to attack aggressively; it feels like the neighbors could equalize at any moment.】

"Wow!!!"

Amid the cheers, the Chinese team players slowly emerged from the tunnel.

"Tang Ye, go for it!"

"Crush them, damn it, crush them!"

The second half has begun!

Standing in front of the Chinese team's substitute bench were Wei Wei Shihao and Gao Lin, who were warming up.

With two forwards preparing to come on as substitutes, the mood of the Chinese fans suddenly became excited.

Lippi wants to equalize the score!

"It's still unknown when Wei Wei Shihao and Gao Lin will enter the match..."

"The Swedish team..."

Sweden also made no substitutions; defensive midfielder Forsberg's long pass successfully shifted the ball to the right flank.

It was once again directed to Marcus Berg.

This is a major breakthrough point for Sweden's attack!

Because they wanted to boost their goal difference, the Swedish team played very aggressively.

Slap!

A cross!

They wanted to launch a quick counterattack, but the intention was detected by the Chinese team.

Larsson controlled the ball, adjusted, and passed back to Ekdal.

Ekdal prepared to receive the ball!

Bang!

Tang Ye sprinted up from behind Ekdal and tackled the ball away before Ekdal could reach it.

The tackled ball landed at Zhang Zhang Xizhe's feet.

"Forward!"

Getting up from the ground, Tang Ye urged his teammate to dribble forward quickly.

It's counterattack time now!

"Watch number 10, watch number 10!"

The Swedish head coach shouted loudly; Tang Ye, who had just stood up, was immediately double-teamed by two defenders.

But it didn't matter.

Tang Ye still called for the ball from his teammate.

He used a feint to evade the defender and gained control of the ball.

Plant the supporting foot firmly!

Slap!

A long pass sent the ball straight to the front field!

After completing the pass, Tang Ye was fouled and fell to the ground, but his attention remained fixed on the attack up front.

Zhang Zhang Yuning controlled the ball.

"This is a one-on-one!"

The Swedish players clearly hadn't expected Tang Ye to deliver such a high-quality pass while under pressure; several defenders rushing back were completely bewildered.

Shoot directly!

"This one's in!"

"Zhang Zhang Yuning!"

Haha!

Having just risen from the grass, Tang Ye rushed toward the opponent's goal along with his teammates.

But!

The assistant referee raised his flag!

The main referee pressed his earpiece again and, following the Video Assistant Referee's recommendation, disallowed the Chinese team's goal.

"Eh!"

"What! Zhang Zhang Yuning's goal has been disallowed; the score is still 1-2!"

"The Chinese players are getting a bit anxious; they've surrounded the referee."

The scene was extremely noisy; Yu Yu Hanchao and Zhang Zhang Xizhe were communicating with the referee.

"Wait, was that offside?"

Tang Ye held his head in his hands.

His positioning was simply too far back, compounded by the obstruction of the pressing players.

He could only deduce Zhang Zhang Yuning's position through mental calculation.

As for whether it was offside...

For Tang Ye's brain, this calculation problem seemed slightly beyond the syllabus.

"Don't do it, bro."

Naturally, Tang Ye didn't want to give up on this goal either, so he joined the argument: "It wasn't offside, really, it wasn't offside."

"Beep!"

The referee drove away the players who had rushed up to argue.

"Check the replay."

"Tang Ye passes the ball..."

"Oh my, it really was offside; he was ahead by almost half a body length."

"The referee has upheld his decision; the score on the field remains 1:2!"

Damn it!

Dragging his cleats across the grass beneath his feet, Tang Ye vented his dissatisfaction.

It should have been a tie!

"It's fine, we can do it, we can do it, keep going!"

Madaloni started shouting again, while Lippi stood beside him like an old fool.

If not for Lippi's immense reputation, fans might have thought Madaloni, dressed in casual wear, was the head coach of the Chinese team.

"..."

Ten minutes later, marking the 60th minute of the match, the Chinese team made their substitution.

Wei Wei Shihao replaced Hao Hao Junmin, and the national team shifted from a single attacking midfielder formation to a double attacking midfielder setup.

"Yes, in the previous match against Senegal, the Chinese team benefited greatly from using two attacking midfielders, so today they want to try it again."

After Wei Wei Shihao entered the field, the national team's possession rate dropped slightly, but their offense indeed became more ferocious.

"Don't move, don't move."

Signaling for Wei Wei Shihao to stay in the center, Tang Ye moved directly to the right flank to support Wu Lei.

Tang Ye, Zhang Zhang Yuning, and Wu Lei executed the kind of rapid, short-range passing combination they had practiced in training, culminating in Zhang Zhang Yuning successfully receiving the ball at the right baseline.

China still chose to attack down the right flank!

Sweden's defensive line had begun to contract!

Slap!

Wei Wei Shihao reached out to receive the ball as Zhang Zhang Yuning played a cutback pass.

Controlling and adjusting the ball, Wei Wei Shihao sent a through pass to Tang Ye, who cut inside toward the center.

After receiving the ball, he continued moving laterally.

Looking for an opportunity!

Feinting a pass with his left foot before sharply cutting the ball inward to come to an abrupt halt.

Tang Ye's feint was so convincing that it forced Ekdal to actively increase the distance between himself and Tang Ye, purely to avoid being dribbled past and fallen over.

His teammates were calling for the ball, but Tang Ye remembered what Madaloni had emphasized to him; instead of passing, he chose to maintain possession in the center himself.

"Go, go, go!"

Directing first to the left, then to the right.

The Chinese team's forward players crossed paths, running back and forth!

Slap slap!

A one-two combination was executed!

Tang Ye ran past Ekdal's right side; just as Ekdal prepared to follow, Tang Ye suddenly pivoted on his right foot, using his heel to nutmeg the ball through Ekdal's legs.

!

Realizing the situation was dire, Ekdal quickly turned around to grab Tang Ye.

Tang Ye sidestepped and dodged him directly!

Pointing his left finger toward the left post, Tang Ye forcefully cut the ball with his right foot.

A low-driven through pass!

It found Zhang Zhang Yuning right in front of the post!

"Adjust one step!"

"Shoot directly!"

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"It's Zhang Zhang Yuning again, but this goal shouldn't be offside!"

"No offside; I saw it clearly; this goal was absolutely not offside!"

"The Chinese team has equalized the score!"

【You have obtained 30 Counterattack Points】

【Assist brace achieved; you have obtained an additional 60 Counterattack Points】

"Roar!!!"

Just as Tang Ye prepared to run over and celebrate with Zhang Zhang Yuning, Zhang Zhang Linpeng and Wu Lei from the side embraced him first.

"Awesome!"

"Awesome, Tang Ye!"

In the camera shot, Zhang Zhang Yuning roared at the fans in the stands.

The entire face of the national team's striker was red, as if he were about to cry at any moment.

Oh, no—he's already crying!

"Zhang Zhang Yuning!"

"Zhang Zhang Yuning!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye nutmegs his marker and plays a cold pass to the far post, creating a golden opportunity; Zhang Zhang Yuning taps it in effortlessly, and China equalizes!

【Godlike!】

【Brothers, I've realized it—their number 8 is basically Tang Ye's plaything. He keeps fouling, but what's the point?】

【Damn, it's really tied now.】

【Brothers, be careful betting on the national team from now on. Tang Ye's intensity isn't something odds can calculate. Look at those two hand gestures directing teammates' runs—can any Swedish midfielder do that?】

【Commanding the whole pitch, damn it! And they say his math score was only 30?】

【Don't be like that, upstairs. He's already led the team to the World Cup and even beaten Germany. Stop bringing up Tang Ye's college entrance exam scores.】

After the replay and Zhang Zhang Yuning's celebration shots end, the director cuts to a close-up of Tang Ye; viewers can clearly see the veins bulging near his temples.

Of course, the director's intention wasn't for fans to stare at Tang Ye's blood vessels.

He wanted fans to look at Tang Ye's brain.

A single-core CPU.

Yet this core can simultaneously handle eleven threads of tasks!

The CPU King, GGBond.

So incredibly powerful, damn!

The Chinese players' celebration hasn't ended yet, but the Swedish team isn't rushing them, because something unexpected has happened within their ranks.

"How could you let him get past you?"

Granqvist throws his hands out at Ekdal: "Can't you just mark one man? I told you to keep your distance—wouldn't holding a safe distance have been steadier?"

"Fuck, what was I supposed to do?"

Ekdal throws his hands out too: "What could I possibly do? I never expected him to pull something like that."

"No, just keeping your distance would've been enough. Is marking one man really that hard?"

Granqvist is getting heated; teammates step in to separate the two, but then Ekdal steps forward again.

As captain, Granqvist feels provoked.

"Why can't you stop him? I haven't been beaten one-on-one by their striker."

"Fuck!"

Ekdal keeps advancing; teammates pull him back, but he just mutters to himself: "Who am I marking, and who the hell are you marking? How can those possibly be the same?"

"Enough, enough!"

Goalkeeper Olsen also comes out and quickly separates the two.

"Hiss, it seems something's gone wrong with the Swedish team."

"Yes, because if this scoreline holds, Sweden will finish this World Cup with only one point, confirming their elimination from the knockout stage."

Time ticks away, and the Swedish players and coaching staff grow increasingly anxious.

At this moment, a small box pops up in the bottom-left corner of the CCTV broadcast.

Group F Standings (if the current scores hold until the final whistle)

1. Senegal, 9 points. (Qualification zone)

2. China, 4 points. (Qualification zone)

3. Germany, 3 points.

4. Sweden, 1 point.

Next door, Germany is currently trailing by one goal, while China has drawn level with Sweden.

"Viewers at home, you can see the notice in the bottom-left corner of the screen."

"If both Group F matches end right now with the current scores, China will edge out Germany by one point to advance to the World Cup knockout stage."

The commentator remains cautious; after that burst of excitement, he adds another line.

"Of course, the matches aren't over yet..."

"Indeed, China has one foot in the knockout stage door, but hasn't fully stepped through yet."

In the stands, the Vice Premier, unable to contain his excitement, applauds the Chinese players who equalized the score.

Standing beside him are the President of Senegal and the Chinese Ambassador to Russia; the expressions on all three faces are completely different.

"They seem to be arguing."

Tang Ye points toward the Swedish players opposite and whispers to his teammates.

"For real? Are you sure?"

Wu Lei sounds somewhat excited.

"Yeah, I saw it just now—that number 8 must have shouted 'fuck'."

Based on Tang Ye's observation of Ekdal's and Granqvist's expressions, those two must be having a conflict.

And it's not just those two players.

The actual score diverges too greatly from their pre-match plan; the Swedish players are now experiencing a huge psychological gap.

"What's the situation on Germany's side?"

Tang Ye suddenly asks. Some players consider going to the bench to ask Madaloni about Germany's score, but Feng Feng Xiaoting stops them.

"Focus on the match; forget about Germany!"

"Okay, okay."

Tang Ye thinks Feng Feng Xiaoting's words make perfect sense.

Finishing this match properly is the most important thing.

Otherwise, if Sweden scores a last-minute winner, even if Germany loses, China still won't make it to the knockout stage.

69th minute!

Bang!

Tang Ye fell to the ground, and the second clash of the second half erupted between the players of both sides.

"You stupid bastard."

Wei Wei Shihao cursed at the fouling Ekdahl, while Zhang Zhang Yuning helped Tang Ye up from the ground.

He thought Tang Ye would let it go at that, but Tang Ye directly joined the fight between Wei Wei Shihao and Ekdahl.

"Brother, you just love pushing people, don't you?"

"I really can't take it anymore, damn it."

Tang Ye wanted to curse a few more times, but he was quickly pulled away by Feng Feng Xiaoting.

"Impressive, impressive!"

Mataloni praised the players on the field with some broken Chinese, and the Chinese team made their second substitution at this moment.

Because the score was tied, striker Gao Lin temporarily lost his chance to come on.

Gao Gao Zhunyi replaces Wang Wang Shenchao!

"Gao Gao Zhunyi is a rather special player; he can play as a center-back and is also capable of filling the roles of left or right full-back."

"He comes with a natural utility-man attribute; this is one of the main reasons we say he earned Shang Shang Zhongyong's trust."

A 2-2 scoreline; unless Sweden can score another 4 or 5 goals in the remaining 20 minutes, they have no chance of advancing to the knockout stage.

The difficulty is very high, but the Swedish players are still trying their best.

By this point, Tang Ye was already somewhat tired, yet he could still maintain excellent dribbling ability.

Tang Ye was truly grateful that he had upgraded 【Valdi Red Bull】 to +7 before the World Cup began.

The stamina attribute plays a significant role during club matches.

For the national team, it is even more incredibly important!

This is because sometimes Tang Ye needs to shoulder the offensive tasks of 2 or 3 people alone; at such times, Red Bull needs to step up!

China's free-kick opportunity.

Good position; it's given to Tang Ye to handle...

The run-up!

Seizing the gap, Tang Ye took the free kick.

It went over!

To avoid the wall, Tang Ye's free kick was kicked a bit too high.

"Damn it..."

Clutching his head with both hands, Tang Ye felt his head spinning.

His direct free-kick technique is actually quite good, but the goal-scoring rate for free kicks in general isn't high.

【Calm down, calm down; Germany is still trailing; a draw means we advance.】

【Brothers, World Cup knockout stage, haha.】

【3 matches, 3 goals, 3 assists; is this the power of Tang Tang Qiuwang?】

【Knockout stage! We're taking on Brazil!】

【Why are you guys starting to celebrate... take me with you.】

76th minute!

Sweden's attack came out.

Toivonen broke into the penalty area himself.

The penalty area is extremely, extremely chaotic right now!

"Ah!"

A scream of pain rang out as Toivonen fell to the ground.

!!!

Players from both sides tensed up simultaneously.

"It's a foul, it's a foul!"

The Swedish players complained to the referee.

"Hey, this..."

"Feng Feng Xiaoting shouldn't be making that move at this moment."

"Zeng Cheng hasn't taken his position yet; he was probably afraid the Swedish striker would shoot straight for the far corner."

Slow-motion replay in the broadcast room.

Feng Feng Xiaoting's extended thigh blocked Toivonen's knee, ultimately causing the Swedish striker to fall.

Considering the situation in the penalty area at that time, this was one hundred percent a penalty.

"This..."

"The situation is not good."

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the main referee pointed to the 12-yard spot.

The second penalty of this match was born!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Kroos scores directly from a corner kick, Germany equalizes the score at 1:1.

(End of chapter)