Chapter 484: Foul First in the Attack? The Sportsmanship of the Chinese Team

Hot search.

No. 1: China vs South Korea (Flame)

No. 2: Tang Ye and Son Heung-min's first national team clash.

No. 7: Tang Ye's father misspeaks during an interview.

"Huff, huff huff, huff huff huff..."

Running fast, Tang Ye's brain was also working rapidly.

From left to right were Yu Yu Hanchao, Zhang Zhang Xizhe, and then Wu Lei straight ahead.

Wu Xi was there too, but Wu Xi was further back, positioned in a recessed spot.

1. Pass directly across to Zhang Zhang Xizhe, then have Zhang Zhang Xizhe find Wu Lei, followed by Wu Xi surging forward to support...

2. Pass directly to Wu Lei...

3. Dribble the ball myself first.

There were seven routes to choose from in total.

It looked somewhat complicated, but with the help of a sharp mind, Tang Ye didn't need three seconds to figure everything out.

Suddenly slowing down, then moving directly toward the center.

Then signaling Wu Xi to run up behind him!

With a defender in front, Tang Ye decisively passed to Zhang Zhang Xizhe for a one-two, then ran forward to receive the ball.

"Ah!"

Lee Seung-ryong noticed something was wrong and prepared to grab Tang Ye down.

His hand did make contact, but Tang Ye stubbornly kept running a few more steps before sending a long pass to Yu Yu Hanchao on the left wing.

Advantage play, so the referee did not penalize South Korea's foul.

Yu Yu Hanchao...

Stopped the ball in front of himself, and the national team striker began moving toward the penalty area.

Not rushing, he first checked Tang Ye's position.

Tang Ye's position...

Turning his head to look, Tang Ye had three defenders around him.

"..."

There was no choice; Yu Yu Hanchao dribbled to the limit position and then chose to pass back.

Wang Wang Shenchao adjusted one step.

Directly finding Zhang Zhang Yuning in the penalty area!

At the same time, Tang Ye completed his shake-off in the center.

"Give it to me, give it to me!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning jumped up.

Heading the ball toward Tang Ye's position!

Tang Ye shouted, trying to reach the ball, but Zhang Zhang Yuning's header was too wide, accidentally sending it to Hwang In-beom.

Tough luck, Zhang Yuning!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye laughed directly, raising his hand to signal his teammates.

This was due to Zhang Zhang Yuning's lack of heading accuracy, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

"..."

"Sigh, looking at the current situation, it feels about the same as during the Asian Cup qualifiers."

Playing much the same as in the Asian Cup qualifiers, the Chinese team appears to have made no progress at all.

But you must know that Son Heung-min did not play during the Asian Cup qualifiers.

So if you really have to say it, the Chinese team has indeed become stronger.

Lee Seung-ryong passed the ball to Son Heung-min, and Tang Ye immediately pressed from behind.

One hand on Son Heung-min's shoulder, then blocking his position.

Wu Xi, of course, knew what Tang Ye wanted to do, rushed up, and the two of them completed the tackle together.

"Oh!"

Tang Ye stepped on the ball and ran forward; Wu Xi delivered a through pass.

Tang Ye took control of the ball again!

Accelerate, accelerate!

The distance to the goal wasn't too far, roughly thirty meters.

He wanted to keep running forward for a bit longer, but South Korea's defenders were already pressing up.

There was no choice; he had to be decisive.

Right leg swung back!

Bang!

A long-range shot was fired.

The goalkeeper made a save, but missed by a tiny margin; Tang Ye's long-range shot hit the back of the net.

"Goal!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Beautiful!"

"A quite perfect long-range shot."

"Hiss, the distance of this shot might be close to 30 meters..."

Fans in the stands were clapping and screaming; Tang Ye had already slid out.

"Damn, awesome!"

Wu Lei hugged Tang Ye's head.

Tang Ye was naturally very happy now, because this was probably the longest-range shot he had ever taken.

But...

System, why aren't you making any noise?

"Oh!"

The fans suddenly shouted again; Tang Ye quickly turned his head to look at the referee.

His goal had been blown dead!

"Hey!"

Tang Ye immediately flew into a rage, leading the Chinese team's players to charge toward the referee.

"No, why? Why was this goal blown?"

While shouting with his mouth, Tang Ye pressed his body forward; paired with the yellow hair on his head, he gave off the vibe of a school bully from his student days.

"Offense committed a foul first!"

The referee pointed to the spot where Tang Ye and Wu Xi had just tackled the ball from under Son Heung-min's feet.

Both Tang Ye and Wu Xi had used excessive physical contact while contesting for the ball.

"Fuck your..."

He wanted to say "your mother," but Tang Ye held himself back.

"No, Mr., couldn't you have blown it earlier? It's been about 10 seconds, right?"

Tang Ye spread his hands.

Players from both sides also surrounded them; Feng Feng Xiaoting was doing his best to communicate with the referee in English.

"Booooo!!!!"

"Idiot!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye's 28-meter long-range shot was subsequently disallowed due to a foul committed during the tackle.

【This really needs to be checked; does this referee like eating kimchi?】

【Damn, a black whistle!】

【To be fair, it was indeed a foul, but it should have been called earlier; this referee is purely sleepwalking.】

【Tang Ye: The referee doesn't play AFK.】

【Heartbroken, brothers.】

China's appeal had no effect; the score on the big screen changed from 0:1 back to 0:0.

The camera focused on Tang Ye's face.

There was not a single expression on the master's face now; it was clear he was indeed very angry.

"Referee!"

Familiar Chinese rang out from the stands.

"Bastard!"

"Referee!"

"Bastard!"

Some of the national football players on the field instantly felt as if they had returned to the Chinese Super League.

Damn, they were far too familiar with these four characters.

"I give up."

Tang Ye exhaled a long breath and helplessly spread his hands.

"It's okay, keep it up, keep it up."

Zhang Zhang Linpeng grabbed Tang Ye's arm hard.

The match continued!

"Booooo!!!"

It was now the 25th minute of the first half; the score on the field remained 0:0, with South Korea holding the advantage in possession.

Whenever the referee made any move at all, the Chinese fans in the stands would collectively boo.

It was clear they had indeed been pushed to their limits.

"Son Heung-min!"

"Directly curls a shot!"

After cutting in from the left flank, he attempted a curling shot, but failed to put enough power behind it, and Yan Yan Junling punched it away.

A corner kick for South Korea!

Boos still rang out from the stands as the South Korean team made their preparations.

"Be careful, be careful! Make sure not to lose your mark!"

Madaloni was still shouting.

"The corner kick is taken..."

"First point position."

"Eh!"

The broadcast studio suddenly fell silent as Kim Min-jae burst out of the penalty area with arms spread wide.

"This... Kim Min-jae, Kim Min-jae has seized the first point!"

I'm a bit reluctant to say it, but I have to—this is the current state of the CCTV commentators.

South Korea has scored!

"Sibal!"

A South Korean player shouted inside the penalty area, after which they all ran toward Kim Min-jae's direction.

"Korea!"

"Korea!"

"Roar!!!!"

Kim Min-jae let out a roar; at the same moment, Tang Ye spat out the chewing gum in his mouth.

Damn it...

"Hell, hell, hell, hell!"

Madaloni jumped up on the sideline in a fit of rage.

So it's just like Manchester United, completely incapable of defending corner kicks, is it?

Unbelievable!

After the South Korean players finished celebrating, the director specifically cut to a shot of Tang Ye and Lippi.

Then came another shot of Tang Tang Zhengxiong below the main stand.

Mr. Tang Zhengxiong had somehow removed his sunglasses without anyone noticing, his expression looking slightly awkward.

"Uh..."

I didn't expect South Korea to score first.

It was now 10 PM Beijing time, a period when netizens were extremely active, and the Baidu Hot Search list changed within a short span.

No. 1: China vs. South Korea.

No. 12: South Korea leading the Chinese National Team 1:0.

The situation looked rather grim; Lippi and Madaloni urgently called several nearby players over to the sideline.

"The full-backs still need to push up."

Wu Lei relayed the information he had received to his teammates on the field.

The original plan was to crush South Korea, yet unexpectedly, it was South Korea who took the lead.

At this scoreline, the Chinese team would 100% have to play counter-attacks.

The South Korean team was also clever; immediately after scoring, their head coach adjusted the match tactics, preparing to carry this one-goal advantage into the second half.

Time reached the 30-minute mark as Tang Ye accelerated down the flank and firmly controlled the ball.

"Tang Ye..."

"Good heavens, a cross from the left wing, here we go again!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning launched a powerful header.

It barely cleared the crossbar, but ultimately went in.

"Beautiful!"

"Zhang Zhang Yuning!!"

"He scored! This goal, absolutely no issues!"

The previously silent Chinese fans began cheering again, while the Chinese players huddled together near the corner flag.

"Hey, this is exactly what we said earlier—just play high balls over the top and that's it, hehe."

In this equalizing goal, Zhang Zhang Yuning's face was severely flushed, appearing completely red.

"Wow!"

Tang Ye was naturally overjoyed as well, leaping directly onto Zhang Zhang Yuning.

Right hand thrown upward!

"China!"

Bang bang!

"China!"

Bang bang!

The South Korean team seemed to be protesting the Chinese goal, but regardless, their protest could not possibly be upheld.

Tang Ye had already observed everything before making the pass; this goal involved no offside and no foul!

"Exploit the advantage, exploit the advantage!"

Madaloni suddenly ran onto the field, grabbing Tang Ye's arm and instructing in less-than-perfect English, "Attack the half-spaces, you can be a bit more aggressive."

The Chinese assistant coach seemed to have endless words to say, but unfortunately, he was immediately dragged away by the linesman.

"Mr., I remember what you said!"

Tang Ye waved goodbye to Madaloni.

Time reached the 35-minute mark.

One had to admit that the South Korean team was indeed formidable; several of Tang Ye's penetrating through-balls were neutralized by their defenders and goalkeeper.

"Just push up early!"

After emphasizing this point to Wu Lei, Tang Ye began doing his utmost to coordinate plays with him.

Wu Lei passed the ball to the center, and Tang Ye took possession!

First, he used his individual skill to shield the ball, waiting for Wu Lei to reach a suitable position before passing it over.

Wu Lei was preparing to drive down the baseline!

Based on Tang Ye's analysis of the situation, Brother Lei going down the baseline alone might not create enough depth, so he followed up as well.

Wu Lei first attempted a feint to beat his marker on his own.

Waiting for Tang Ye to run past from behind.

OK!

Bang!

Wu Lei knocked the ball back to Tang Ye with his heel, and the latter easily controlled it.

Jin Zhenzhu came over to mark him one-on-one...

The other players on the field were making their runs; now it was time for a one-on-one duel between Tang Ye and Jin Zhenzhu.

A V-shaped drag to adjust his position first.

Tang Ye noticed that the opposing full-back was quite cautious.

In that case, some tricks would be needed to deceive him.

Right foot to left foot, then the left foot pushed the ball toward the baseline.

As expected, Jin Zhenzhu followed.

Tang Ye deliberately left a small gap, ensuring Jin Zhenzhu could effectively defend against him.

Lift the right leg!

Twisting his body, he swung out his right foot.

Jin Zhenzhu raised his leg, attempting to intercept.

Snap!

Tang Ye tapped the ball with his right foot, transferring possession to his left foot.

"Oh!!!"

A classic Cruyff turn; Tang Ye dribbled straight into the penalty area.

With his rhythmic ball control, the pressure on the South Korean defenders was now immense.

Pass back to Zhang Zhang Xizhe!

Seeing Tang Ye's gesture, Zhang Zhang Xizhe received the ball and immediately passed it back.

With his teammate's help triggering the first-touch mechanism, Tang Ye was now ready.

Snap!

He curled a shot with his left foot.

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curling Shot Lv5: Replication (Limit State)】

Proficiency: 0

Tang Ye's curling ball soared over Kim Min-jae's head, rushing toward the goal.

Duang!

It struck the post.

Damn!

Tang Ye was about to clutch his head in his hands, but Yu Yu Hanchao surged up from behind and headed the ball into the net.

Awesome, Brother Chao!

Bang!

He collided chest-to-chest with Wu Xi.

After this goal, the Chinese team completed the score reversal.

"Xibal!"

Several South Korean players seemed to be arguing, but this had nothing to do with Tang Ye.

Tang Ye was going to celebrate with his teammates!

"China!"

Bang bang!

"China!"

Bang bang!

The South Korean team seemed desperate; before the first half even ended, their head coach made the first substitution.

But it was useless.

The Chinese national team switched directly to a defensive posture; in just five minutes, Tang Ye contributed two tackles.

Of course, tackling often comes at a cost.

Yellow card: Tang Ye.

Pressing his hands against the grass to stand up, Tang Ye shook his head.

Another yellow card...

Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Zhang Zhang Yuning and Yu Yu Hanchao score with headers; China reverses the score to lead South Korea 2-1 at halftime.

"OK OK, everyone sit down."

Madaloni clapped his hands, signaling the chatting Chinese players to quiet down.

"Overall, we played well in the first half, except for that first goal conceded. I've said it many times: defending set pieces is something we must pay attention to; if we're not careful, trouble will arise."

Madaloni detailed to the players the situations he had observed during the first half.

It seemed they were mentally prepared to compete with the Chinese team for first place in the group, so the South Korean team had specifically practiced corner kicks.

Simply put, the South Korean team's current corner kick technique is different from what it used to be; if the Chinese team continues to play as they did before, trouble is bound to happen.

Of course, one thing is clear: in this match, the Chinese team played better than the South Koreans.

"In the second half, we will still attempt to attack and see if we can push the score to 3-1 or 4-1."

Madaloni seemed very confident as he shared his grand plan with the players.

"If we achieve a suitable scoreline, then around the 70th minute—well, perhaps the 75th, maybe the 80th; it could be anytime—we will have Tom play as a shadow striker to test it out again."

The shadow striker tactic had performed very well in the match against the Philippines.

But the Philippines and a team like South Korea simply cannot be compared.

Whether we can employ the shadow striker in the knockout stage depends on first testing it against South Korea!

"And then, after that... hmm?"

Madaloni suddenly fell silent because Tang Ye had taken off his cleats right in front of him.

Only then did he notice that the instep of Tang Ye's foot had been stepped on and broken open by a stud, with his sock stained red over a large area.

"This... are you okay?"

The team doctor hurried over as Tang Ye removed his sock.

"Damn, I only just noticed."

"But fortunately, it doesn't hurt."

Wu Lei squinted and took a look.

It was just the skin on the instep being scraped open; indeed, it wasn't a serious injury.

During a match, once adrenaline is secreted, Tang Ye probably wouldn't feel any pain at all.

"Still, be careful."

Lippi came over and chatted with Tang Ye for half a minute.

(End of Chapter)