Chapter 415: Three Stripes Means Adidas, Knowing Full Well What's Coming

Dongqiu Di pinned post: Predicted starting lineup for China vs. Brazil, Wu Lei against Neymar, Tang Ye taking on Casemiro and Coutinho.

Slap!

A long pass flew straight to the area near the baseline.

Wu Lei controlled the ball!

The control was acceptable, followed by a cut inside.

Bang!

His right foot whipped out; Wu Lei's shot smashed into the small penalty area, bounced up, and flew into the net.

"Wow!"

Applause rang out from the Chinese national team players on the field.

In the match against Brazil, Marcelo was highly likely to start as the left-back.

Just as Lippi had said a few days prior, Marcelo was a player with a strong offensive tendency.

This was precisely why the Chinese team had intensified their training for right-flank counterattacks.

Through Wu Lei's positioning and Tang Ye's long passes, Lippi believed the Chinese team had a chance to breach Brazil's goal!

Slap!

Tang Ye high-fived Zhang Zhang Xizhe and Wu Lei separately, celebrating their success.

However, the expressions of the two Chinese national team coaches on the sideline, Lippi and Madaloni, did not relax much.

"The ball control still isn't good enough."

Madaloni frowned tightly: "Some of Tom's passes are unpredictable; if Lei lacks good ball-control technique, we might miss many excellent opportunities."

"We should have had Lei specifically train for counterattacks back in January."

Madaloni was right; Wu Lei joined the La Liga team Yellow Submarine during the Dongchuangjia Alliance transfer window; if he had started training on ball control and counterattacks from that time, it would have been useful against Marcelo now.

"But we didn't expect to reach the knockout stage back then either."

Lippi glanced at Madaloni.

Tomorrow they would face Brazil, yet the Chinese national team still harbored numerous flaws.

Naturally, these flaws could not be fixed in a short time, so all they could do now was take things one step at a time.

Lippi looked at the training ground before him; after the heavy rain had just stopped, several puddles remained on the field.

"Haha!"

Bang!

Tang Ye slammed his chest down onto a puddle, using his belly to perform a water slide.

"Damn, Tang Ye, you're a f***ing genius!"

Wei Wei Shihao quickly joined the game, mimicking Tang Ye's movement to perform a penguin slide.

Because of the standing water, slamming the upper body onto the grass did not hurt too much.

With teammates joining in, the nature of the game soon changed; Tang Ye began pursuing higher and farther splashes, thus moving to the edge of the pitch.

Bang!

Water sprayed up; covered entirely in mud, Tang Ye sat on the ground, opened his eyes, and discovered Lippi had been splashed all over with water.

"Wow... Mr. Marcello, I didn't see you standing here."

"No, it's fine..."

Lippi shook his head, while beside him, Madaloni cursed as he took off his jacket.

The good news was that facing the nearly unbeatable powerhouse Brazil, the Chinese players' emotional control remained quite good.

The players climbed up from the grass; Tang Ye chatted with Wei Wei Shihao and Zhang Zhang Yuning, but soon Lippi came over and called him away.

"Oh, Mr. Marcello."

On the edge of the training ground, Lippi looked Tang Ye up and down, covered head to toe in mud: "Do you want to go take a shower and clean up first?"

"That doesn't matter, but Sir, you could go change your suit first; I will wait for you here."

Tang Ye said; having just splashed Lippi all over, he felt rather embarrassed.

Because in Tang Ye's understanding, Lippi and Madaloni, who had been standing on the edge of the training ground just now, had not joined their game, so water should not have been splashed on them.

Lippi smiled and shook his head, seemingly not planning to deal with his clothes.

"I just wanted to talk to you about tomorrow's match, you know..."

Speaking thus, Lippi paused; Tang Ye lifted his head in confusion, as if realizing something: "It's fine, Sir, just go ahead and say it."

"Mm, you know, Brazil is not an opponent we can handle; what I mean is, no matter what happens, if you need to blame your teammates, I won't stop you, but do not say it in front of the reporters; I hope you can achieve this."

Based on his understanding of both teams and his own experience, Lippi could roughly guess what tomorrow's match would look like.

Tang Ye's temper was generally okay, but the match against Germany also proved one thing: this kind-hearted Tom was not entirely incapable of losing his temper.

When the gap in strength between teammates and opponents was truly too large, Tang Ye inevitably felt some disparity in his heart, even if the teammates were all his very good friends.

"Oh, haha, you can rest assured about that."

He had thought it was some tactical matter, but it turned out to be just about post-match interviews.

Lippi had still underestimated Tang Ye too much.

Having studied under Ten Hag for two years, Tang Ye was not particularly strong when facing reporters, but he was not the type to lose control easily either.

Spreading his hands toward Lippi, he said: "Who knows, maybe we can even score one or two goals; I think the strength gap might not be as large as you say."

Previously, Tang Ye had led the Yellow Submarine, whose starting lineup value was less than 200 million euros, against the super powerhouse Barcelona, so he was relatively experienced in such matters.

Of course.

Leading China against Brazil was much more difficult than leading the Yellow Submarine against Barcelona.

Moscow Business News World Cup Column: Tom vs. Neymar, a head-to-head clash between the two players fouled most frequently in this tournament. In the China-Brazil match, who will fall more often?

Both Tang Ye and Neymar are the type of players opponents love to target, so for this upcoming Round of 16 match, Betway has opened a special betting market.

The wager is on which player will be fouled more times.

Tang Ye being fouled more: 1 to 1.40.

Neymar being fouled more: 1 to 4.15.

Although Neymar is notoriously prone to fouls, most fans still favor Tang Ye.

If it's a master like Tom, surely he will be targeted by every opponent on the pitch!

Time quickly arrived at match day; it was still morning in Russia, but noon in China.

Knowing they would likely lose, Chinese sponsors still chose to heavily promote this match, resulting in posters of the national football team appearing in major shopping malls and subway stations across the country.

As Tang Ye's birthplace, Foshan also gained significant attention during the World Cup.

Spain's Catalonia Newspaper used its column to introduce Guangdong Foshan to football fans worldwide.

"As a provincial administrative unit, Guangdong's total GDP is already approaching the combined sum of Spain and Catalonia."

"Tom seems somewhat different from the stars fans remember being born in poverty or even amidst warfare; a comfortable environment protected and aided his growth while also shaping his character. Tom believes the world is wonderful, but unfortunately, the Chinese team is about to face the terrifying Brazilian team."

The newspaper reporter held the view that only a childhood marked by poverty or even war could forge a player with a firm character, and this was precisely what Tang Ye lacked.

"Tom possesses the potential to become a king of football, but constrained by his background, he lacks that resilient kingly character. The good news is that, having enjoyed sufficient welfare since birth, Tom has always maintained sufficient focus on football; commercial contracts and the nightclubs generally pursued by professional players hold little attraction for him."

While Tang Ye was still at the base listening to Madaloni discuss tactics, reporters had already analyzed even the color of his underwear without his knowledge.

"Marcelo and Casemiro! We must find a way to earn Casemiro a yellow card, or even a red card."

"Do not fear your opponents; just keep a calm mindset. Whatever the tactics are, that is how we play. Neymar is not as formidable as you imagine."

Tang Ye nodded gently.

Two nights ago, he and Zhang Zhang Linpeng had watched recordings of Neymar's three group stage matches together.

Tang Ye had a feeling that Junior was not as formidable as he remembered.

At noon local time, the Chinese team players were resting at the base, preparing for the upcoming World Cup knockout match in the afternoon.

Before the match began, the President of Brazil and the Vice Premier of Dongda held a fully live-streamed meeting.

During this meeting, both officials stated they would attend the upcoming Round of 16 match.

This left fans somewhat puzzled; Brazil was not the host nation, so logically, the president should not attend a knockout match of this level, the Round of 16.

Surely it should be at least the semi-finals?

"Yes, haha, I personally quite enjoy watching football."

The Brazilian President said: "Correct, what I watch most are naturally domestic Brazilian matches, followed by the Chinese football league; I frequently watch Chinese national team matches. For instance... Tang Ye was the best-performing player among all in the group stage; I support Mi De Kan Fa."

After the live video spread to YouTube and Twitter, Brazilian fans became somewhat displeased.

The knockout match between China and Brazil was about to start, yet the president claimed to be a supporter of the Chinese team at this moment; wasn't this damn treason?

Impulsive fans had already started cursing online, but rational fans, after some effort, managed to find the reason behind the situation.

Global Times — Brazil hopes to join the "Belt and Road" initiative, and the Brazilian President plans to visit China in July to discuss specific plans.

"..."

Brazilian fans fell silent.

After all that, it turned out to be because they were poor.

Fine, then there is no helping it.

"Tom, soon you will face the Brazilian team in the knockout stage. Before the group stage began, you arranged a friendly match with Brazil, but did you expect to encounter Brazil in the very first knockout match?"

The press conference room was packed; Tang Ye and Lippi endured the blinding flash of cameras.

"Of course not; arranging a friendly with Brazil was simply something both sides felt necessary. Brazil is strong, and playing a friendly against them helps us find the feeling for World Cup matches."

Tang Ye said slowly.

"Do you think you will lose?"

Originally, the locker room was quite noisy, but after the reporter posed the second question, the entire room fell silent.

Reporters on site noticed Lippi's eyebrow twitch slightly.

"I think, haha..."

Because he guessed the reporter would ask this question, when the reporter actually asked it, Tang Ye couldn't help but laugh outright.

"I think, hmm, possibly. Actually, when we learned we were playing Brazil, we didn't feel much pressure because we knew... yes, to be honest, even if we didn't meet Brazil, the other Round of 16 teams were not ones we could handle in our current state."

"Then... can you predict today's score?"

"That won't do; I generally don't predict scores, as many people know."

Pinching his chin, Tang Ye said bit by bit: "However, I have a premonition that we will score today; it might be me, or it might be someone else on the team; we are prepared to score."

The preparation for scoring that Tang Ye mentioned was naturally Lippi's planned counter-attack down the right flank.

He was preparing to coordinate with his brother Lei!

Click-click!

Answering the reporters' questions slowly, soon the reporters bought by Adidas were in position.

"If you score in the match against Brazil, will you perform your signature celebration, the one with... the three stripes?"

The reporter held up three fingers and made a sliding motion in the air.

"Of course, I really like that move. If I really do score, I feel I should perform that action."

"Can you explain what that move means?"

"Oh, the meaning of that move is Adidas."

"..."

At Tang Ye's words, all the reporters in the press room fell silent, followed by the rapid "click-click" of camera shutters.

"A... Adidas?"

"Mm, yes. Because I prefer wearing Adidas; ever since I was young, all my football boots have been Adidas. I really like the three-stripe logo; I think among all sportswear brands, Adidas's three stripes are the best-looking."

Check Dongqiu Di Hot Discussion: What's your take? Tang Ye stated in a pre-match interview that the three-stripe celebration refers to Adidas. (Comments: 43,241)

【How much the hell did they pay him?】

【Hahahaha】

【My Nike refuses to accept this; isn't the swoosh good-looking too!】

【Tang Ye: Sorry, they offered just too much.】

【That's another tens of millions of euros. After earning a wave for his buddies, Tang Tang Qiuwang is starting to cash in himself, right?】

Check Dongqiu Di Pinned Post: China's starting lineup for the Round of 16 match against Brazil announced; Tang Ye faces Neymar head-on. (Comments: 22,317)

The starting list had been released; at this moment, inside the Chinese national team's locker room, the players' expressions were somewhat pained.

Among them, Tang Ye and Wu Lei were the two most distressed.

Lippi's guess had gone awry.

Marcelo was on the bench today!

"Hiss!"

Scratching his hair, Wu Lei now felt somewhat at a loss about what to do.

"Just play normally; follow the tactics and play normally, that's all!"

Maddaloni instructed the players loudly.

"Damn, they wouldn't happen to know what we're planning, would they?"

Tang Ye casually remarked, but Maddaloni quickly stopped him from continuing and offered his own viewpoint.

Marcelo being a substitute was purely coincidental; Brazil absolutely had not guessed what China intended to do.

All the Chinese team needed to do was one thing: play out this match according to their predetermined tactics.

"Win or lose doesn't matter, but sometimes, even knowing we'll lose, we must still go all out and give it a try; that's what football is about."

Madaloni spread his hands, speaking with an expression of pure matter-of-factness.

"'Chinese football is terrible, Chinese football is terrible'—how many times have you heard that phrase? Well, never mind you; I can even say that sentence in Chinese now. Reaching the knockout stage wasn't easy; you've already shattered the fans' prejudices against you. So what comes next? Everyone expects you to be completely dominated by Brazil. So what do we do? Just give it our all, that's it."

"It's a simple matter; don't go soft before the match even starts just because the gap in strength is too large."

"..."

Tang Ye fell silent.

He felt that what Mr. Maddaloni said made quite a lot of sense.

What he understood was: since we're going to lose anyway, we might as well put on the show while we can!

"Three, two, one!"

"Go China!"

"China Central Television, China Central Television. Good evening, dear viewers. This is the live broadcast of the FIFA World Cup knockout stage..."

The three CCTV commentators were ready; the scene instantly shifted to the players' tunnel, where Wu Lei was holding a mascot's hand.

Right behind Wu Lei was Tang Ye; Tang Ye's mascot stood dazed in place, clearly having been neglected.

Meanwhile, Tang Ye was currently conversing with Neymar and Casemiro; the mascots of these two Brazilian players had likewise been neglected.

"To be honest, I never expected to play against you."

Neymar embraced Tang Ye.

He had thought that after leaving La Liga, he would never encounter his former teammate in a match again; unexpectedly, in the following year's Russia World Cup, Brazil and China met in the knockout stage.

"Same here."

Tang Ye patted Neymar's hand as the two exchanged notes about their injuries.

As the two standout stars of this World Cup, both Tang Ye and Neymar were covered in fresh scars that had appeared only recently.

Neymar scanned the Chinese national team players: "I have a feeling I'm going to get kicked today too."

"Haha."

Tang Ye glanced at Casemiro: "When you foul, try not to step on my ankle, okay? Everything else is fine."

Casemiro shrugged: "Can't promise; that depends on the specific situation."

"Haha."

"Get ready, get ready!"

The organizer's voice rang out; the mascots at the front were ready, rushing out while carrying the flags of China and Brazil.

"Good luck."

"Mm, good luck."

After exchanging wishes of good luck, for the next two hours, Neymar and Casemiro would temporarily cease to be his friends.

The World Cup anthem began to play; under the gaze of countless on-site cameras, the Chinese national team players walked onto the pitch—the venue for this World Cup knockout match.

For the Chinese national team players, this scene felt like a dream.

The entire nation was watching their performance!

Regrettably, however, within just a few minutes, they were about to face a match they had almost no chance of winning.

In the camera frame, Tang Ye's lips moved slightly up and down.

The livestream audience could see the pores on Tang Ye's face, but they had no way of discerning the emotions currently churning within his heart.

"Beep!"

"The match has begun!"

"We will now introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with today's home team, the Brazil National Team!"

Brazil (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Alisson

Defenders: Fagner, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Filipe

Midfielders: Paulinho, Casemiro, Coutinho

Forwards: Willian, Jesus, Neymar

Head Coach: Tite

Shortly after the match began, the camera cut to Tang Tang Zhengxiong in the stands.

Today, GG Tang Zhengxiong was not as arrogant as usual.

Hmm, it seemed that even he knew Brazil was truly too difficult for China to handle.

……

(End of Chapter)