Chapter 855: China has top-tier players, but we Germany have steel

Live match report: Jülicher heads in a goal; Wang Shenchao fails to clear at the limit; Germany 2:0 China.

A exclamation mark usually appears in the live match report after every goal, but this time it ended with a period.

This is because Dongqi Di has a clear bias toward the Chinese team, and currently the national team is facing a severe problem—they are already two goals behind.

“Roar——!!!!”

German players huddled near the corner flag; Kimmich leapt onto Jülicher’s back from behind, his muscular right arm wrapping around Jülicher’s neck like a rear-naked choke.

“Wow!!!!”

【Ged le wocao】

【Are the Germans really going to qualify? This is insane—I told you not to start Wang Dalei, Yan Junling is definitely better than Wang Dalei!】

Here we go again—once they fall behind, they blame the goalkeeper. Would Yan Junling have even saved it? I’m truly impressed by some people on Dongqi Di—they insult everyone except Tang Ye, acting like they’re so smart.

【Panicked, panicked. Feels like Freick is about to start chasing goal difference.】

If this trend continues, Group C will end with three teams tied at six points.

Germany started late; to secure qualification, they must win today’s match by as large a margin as possible, so inevitably, Germany will intensify their attack next.

China is in trouble—Germany is using China to boost goal difference, so China’s goal difference will inevitably shrink.

Before this match, China’s goal difference was +4; now it’s down to just +2!

“Stay focused!”

Tang Ye didn’t know what to say—he pointed to his own temple at Wang Dalei, then raised both hands upward, urging his teammates: “Hold it together!”

The second half began; Tang Ye’s face was flushed, drenched in sweat all over.

He was genuinely terrified.

With teammates performing poorly, he had to step up himself.

He broke the group stage’s player distance record last match against Wales; today he had to go even harder.

Otherwise, if things kept going like this, they wouldn’t even make it to the knockout stage!

“…”

“Tang Ye, excellent—this defensive positioning was incredibly detailed!”

“Yes, look at the left flank—Tang Ye, find Wei Shihao!”

“…”

“Beep, beeeep—!!!”

“The referee didn’t give them another chance to attack…”

The commentators and fans were still reluctant, but the first half had indeed ended—Germany entered halftime with a 2:0 lead.

From Müller and Musiala’s expressions, the German players’ mental state remained strong.

Argentina and Wales’ first half ended one minute ago, also ending 2:0.

In that case, Germany’s task remains extremely difficult…

“If we want to qualify, we need to score two more goals in the second half!”

Freick shouted at his players: “Argentina is also leading Wales 2:0, so we must widen the gap.”

“More goal difference! More!”

“4:0! At least 4:0! Only then can we qualify!”

Freick took a deep breath and looked at the silent German players: “I know the current score excites you—2:0 against China, oh, we’ve avenged ourselves.”

“But have we truly avenged ourselves?”

“True vengeance is defeating China AND qualifying for the World Cup knockout stage!”

Freick extended one finger: “Neither can be missing!”

On the tactics board, Freick wrote “4:0,” pacing the locker room, occasionally glaring at a seated player.

“In the second half, China will surely push forward—TY will drop to defensive midfield.”

“Yes, China has elite players—300 million euros’ worth—but that doesn’t matter.”

“Our players have iron will! Our willpower can erase the gap in individual ability!”

“Now, let’s walk out of this locker room, score two more goals in the second half, and head to the knockout stage!!!”

“Wow!!!!”

China has the mighty TY, a 23-year-old who has already won four Ballon d’Ors.

But it doesn’t matter!

The German machine doesn’t just rely on player ability—it also relies on willpower.

Their willpower is stronger than China’s, and that’s the breakthrough in the second half.

“Come on.”

Neuer grabbed Musiala’s hand, then his eyes lit up as if suddenly remembering something: “Huh… you weren’t here during the Russia match, right?”

“Yeah.”

“No problem, same thing.”

Neuer shook his head: “You know what happened—that’s enough, Jamal (Musiala), let’s take everything back together.”

“Come on!!!”

…

“China Central Television! Welcome back, viewers…”

“The match has resumed; Germany leads 2:0, but if the match ends this way, Germany will still finish third in Group C and fail to qualify.”

“Yes, they need more goals, but China will surely defend deeply in the second half. Yes, play safe.”

“Defending is correct, but as we’ve seen, without Jiang Guangtai, China’s backline has glaring, visible weaknesses.”

【Come on, come on!】

【Chinese team, awesome!】

【Hold on, hold on!】

Dongqi Di’s homepage continuously scrolled with live comments cheering for China.

But…

It wasn’t until around the 55th minute that many fans realized China’s second-half play wasn’t defending as predicted by fans and commentators.

After Zhang Yuning replaced Ai Kesen, China even increased their offensive frequency.

The camera cut to Escribá, the Spanish coach, his face grim.

Everyone knew China should defend next, but as a professional coach, he saw things ordinary fans couldn’t.

To preserve goal difference, they should defend?

On the surface, that makes sense—but you must consider reality.

China’s defense has serious flaws, and without Jiang Guangtai, those flaws became even worse.

So China’s real need is indeed to strengthen defense—but their method of doing so is unusual.

For China, the primary goal of strengthening defense is to first launch attacks, letting Tang Ye freely distribute from the front.

First, secure possession—then deal with everything else!

The strategy was clear, but China now faced a problem: Germany was determined to prevent China from achieving their desired “fluid, shifting” effect.

To solve this, Escribá made a bold decision.

“Here!”

Wang Shenchao called out.

Tang Ye turned, spotted his teammate’s position, then sprinted toward Wei Shihao.

Wei Shihao’s return pass rolled toward him; Tang Ye didn’t look back—he flicked the ball instantly to Wang Shenchao behind him.

Perfectly placed!

“Press up!”

Freick urged Musiala and Müller to press, but Wang Shenchao was positioned deeper, giving him more time to think.

Pah!

A long pass directly to Zhang Linpeng advancing on the right flank!

He controlled the ball with a touch!

Zhang Linpeng passed to Kimmich!

“Oh!”

It was slightly bad, but Tang Ye immediately gave Zhang Linpeng a thumbs-up.

“No problem, no problem—as long as we can get it out!”

“Good! We can do it!”

On the surface, it failed—but this move proved the feasibility of China’s strategy; now it was simple.

Just five minutes later, China found another chance: again, Tang Ye returned to Wang Shenchao, who then passed rightward.

This time, the receiver was substitute Gao Zhunyi.

He controlled the ball, then fired a quick through-ball straight to Wu Lei near the byline.

“Beautiful!”

Teammates on the left and center were all charging forward!

“Wu Lei, hey, yes—don’t rush; Wu Lei’s job right now is just to control the ball.”

“Don’t give Lautaro a chance to steal it.”

"Give it to Zhang Yuning!"

"Back to Zhu Chenjie!"

"Zhu Chenjie, find Wei Shihao!"

"Oh! Good!"

Continuous mid-range passes flowed with uncanny smoothness, giving viewers from the god’s-eye perspective an eerie sense of unfamiliarity.