Chapter 1 The Start

After a twenty-minute interlude at the beginning, the match quickly returned to normal, although Park Ji-sung's nose stuffed with cotton looked quite comical.

The Korean team tried hard to recover their disadvantage on the field, but under the strong home pressure of the Chinese team, they were somewhat helpless.

Qiu Suhui watched from the sidelines for a while, then stood up from the coach's bench. He was unhappy that the team was attacking the Korean team but had not scored a goal yet.

"More shots! You don't have to pass the ball perfectly before shooting!"

"Got it..." Yang Pan received the ball from Li Yongle, he's currently on the right side of the field. He plays as a right winger at AC Milan, but as a right midfielder in the national team. He can score nearly ten goals in a season for the club, but rarely scores for the national team, because his position is further back, requiring more teamwork and self-sacrifice to create opportunities for forwards like Zhang Jun.

But since Qiu Suhui indicated he wanted more shots, he, as the captain, naturally had to take the lead.

Kim Jin-gyu, the Korean defender directly guarding him, tensed up when he saw Yang Pan start dribbling. For someone like him who can only play domestically in Korea, Yang Pan, who plays as a key player for a powerhouse like AC Milan, is undoubtedly a superstar, and his strength should not be underestimated. He is on the same level as his teammate Park Ji-sung.

He had to defend with 120% of his energy.

Yang Pan dribbled the ball, his upper body started to sway, Kim Jin-gyu lowered his center of gravity, retreating slowly, knowing that the opponent's upper body feints were all fake. To paraphrase a line from Stephen Chow's *Shaolin Soccer*: "It's all an illusion! It won't scare me!"

Seeing that the feint didn't work, Yang Pan had to force a breakthrough. He suddenly knocked the ball to the side and accelerated forward!

Kim Jin-gyu knew that Yang Pan was for real this time, and didn't dare to neglect, quickly turning around and cutting across, hoping to squeeze Yang Pan out of bounds.

But Yang Pan's breakthrough was also a feint. He took a big step, then, ahead of Kim Jin-gyu, used his right heel to flick the ball from behind him to the inside, while simultaneously stopping abruptly and turning around!

Having shaken off Kim Jin-gyu, Yang Pan dribbled inside, and before other Korean defenders could close in, he wound up his right foot and took a powerful shot!

The ball whistled towards the Korean goal, and the Korean goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae dived to the side, barely pushing the ball away from the post.

"Yang Pan's direct shot! Beautiful!"

The commentator shouted it was beautiful, but Yang Pan himself cursed under his breath, believing the ball should have gone in.

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Time reached thirty-three minutes, and the score was still 0:0. The Korean coach, Dick Advocaat, was very satisfied with this. At the Chinese team's home, he believed that not losing was a victory, and all grudges could be settled back on their home turf.

Many people below were devising ways and means for the Chinese team to break the deadlock, including the commentators who were incessantly saying what would happen if it was like this or that...

But in reality, breaking the deadlock is often the simplest thing.

The Korean team's attack failed, and the pass was intercepted by Li Yongle, who then passed to Klose. After Klose dribbled past a Korean defensive midfielder, he immediately distributed the ball to Yang Pan on the right wing.

Yang Pan relied on his speed to shake off Kim Jin-gyu, and then instead of shooting directly, he crossed the ball!

Zhang Jun, who was following up at high speed, jumped high in motion and made a powerful diving header!

The ball went into the net, while the Korean goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae stood there dumbfounded. This combination between Zhang Jun and Yang Pan was a textbook example of a cross from the byline and a central attack. Zhang Jun used the strength of his abdomen for the header, and it was full of power. It was normal that he didn't react, especially since the ball flew into the goal close to the post.

"Goal! Goal!! Beautiful! From interception to goal, it only took thirty seconds, a clean and efficient attack by the Chinese team! The Korean team's goal, which they defended for more than thirty minutes, has finally fallen! This is a classic combination between Zhang Jun and Yang Pan! Their chemistry extends from their student days to their professional careers, but since the two are in different clubs, we haven't seen such a combination in a long time. Simple and effective!"

"Let's take another look at the slow motion... Zhang Jun jumped really high, a full half-body higher than Park Jae-hong! And he even had hang time in the air! No wonder Kim Yong-dae didn't react at all, maybe he himself didn't expect Zhang Jun to jump so high, making this goal so easy!"

Zhang Jun first lowered his head and kissed the national flag on his chest, then pointed at Yang Pan with both hands, while Yang Pan opened his arms and rushed towards him.

"We haven't hugged like this in a long time, Zhang Jun," Yang Pan murmured in Zhang Jun's ear while they hugged.

"Yeah..." Zhang Jun said, "...but why do you sound so *gay*?"

"Damn!" Yang Pan pushed Zhang Jun away, afraid of being misunderstood as *gay*.

Zhang Jun laughed heartily, teasing Yang Pan happily. The two brothers really hadn't been together for a long time. They play for different clubs in the league and rarely see each other, only having this time to reunite in the national team.

Advocaat jumped up from the coach's bench in a panic when he saw the Korean team concede a goal.

He was just thinking that a draw would be good, a draw would be good, but he didn't expect to concede a goal to the Chinese team at the critical moment.

What can he do now? On the one hand, solidify the defense, and on the other hand, seize every opportunity to counterattack, making sure to score. In fact, Advocaat is not an arrogant person. His pre-match remarks were just normal psychological warfare. As a European, he is familiar with the Chinese players who play abroad, and he also knows how strong this Chinese team is. So he only wanted to secure a draw as a guest.

Unfortunately, since winning fourth place in the World Cup, the Korean media's national pride has swelled to the extreme, believing that losing to the Chinese team is a disgrace, so he is under a lot of pressure in this game.

Even if they know they are no match and cannot win, they still have to try hard and cannot lose.

The legendary Argentine coach, known as "The Viceroy," Carlos Bianchi, once said: "In football matches, if you can't win, don't lose."

Advocaat is now faithfully implementing this idea. Therefore, even in the face of being behind, the first thing he thinks about is always "Don't continue to concede goals, don't let the Chinese team widen the score gap."

The problem is... facing the Chinese team's powerful attacking firepower, how long can the Korean team's level of defense hold on?

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Compared with the Chinese team, the current Korean team has far fewer big-name stars, and there are no outstanding players in each position, so they still insist on overall football, emphasizing teamwork, and requiring all players to work like parts of a machine.

The Chinese team is just the opposite. Due to the use of many distinctive but outstanding star players, Qiu Suhui has created a personal + overall football tactic for the Chinese team. On the basis of emphasizing overall cooperation, players are also required to dare to make moves and express themselves.

Therefore, the current Chinese national team's games are very popular, because they play well, especially with a "field performer" like Klose, which is enough to make the audience fascinated.

Now when Klose gets the ball alone, he can always attract two or three Korean players to defend, but he still plays with ease under this kind of siege, without any feeling of panic or embarrassment, so the fans give him the most cheers.

Zhang Jun is a little "jealous" of Klose's special treatment: "Who is the main character, him or me?"

Yang Pan said to him: "Who told you, the forward, that you can't score a goal for a long time? Ten minutes have passed since the first goal, and this first half is about to end. But the score is still 1:0..."

"1:0 is good enough, do you think scoring goals is so easy?"

"Isn't it like that for you?"

Klose used a *Marseille turn* to shake off two Korean players in front and behind, and a huge cheer erupted from the stands. But Klose didn't continue to dribble, he looked ahead, and then suddenly made a long pass to Wu Shangshan.

Wu Shangshan leaned against the opponent's defender, not letting him pass him, while facing away from the Korean goal, it looked like he couldn't turn around. He had to jump up and flick the ball back with his head, hoping for another forward - Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun quickly inserted behind Wu Shangshan when Wu Shangshan jumped up, just waiting for this moment. As a forward, he knew when to appear in key places.

Wu Shangshan's flick happened to flick the ball to his front, and the Korean defenders approached him from the left and right, intending to close him down. But Zhang Jun was faster than them, raising his foot ahead of them, and without waiting for the ball to land, he directly volleyed it!

The ball flew in an arc in the air, just passing over Kim Yong-dae's outstretched hand, then rapidly descending, hitting the underside of the crossbar, and bouncing towards the ground...

The commentator for CCTV5 was about to shout excitedly, but the ball didn't go in, the bounced ball just hit outside the goal line!

"Ah!" Zhang Jun sighed regretfully.

Suddenly, a red lightning bolt rushed to the front of the goal, and before anyone could react, a diving header!

Without any suspense, the ball went in!

"Yang Pan! Yang Pan! Goal! What a wonderful rebound! He was still outside the penalty area when Zhang Jun shot, but now he appeared in front of the goal in an instant! This is his second goal in this quarter-final! Together with Zhang Jun, he is the team's top scorer."

Zhang Jun opened his arms and rushed towards Yang Pan, then pulled him out of the net. Although he scored a goal, the way he was entangled in the net was indeed quite funny.

"See, I said scoring goals is actually very simple, right?" Yang Pan laughed, then hugged Zhang Jun in his arms. He didn't worry about being said to be *gay* with Zhang Jun.

"You firewood collector... this should have been my goal, I was just about to make a follow-up shot..." Zhang Jun was unwilling to let Yang Pan be so proud.

"Tch--" Yang Pan punched Zhang Jun in the chest.

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Qiu Suhui stood up from the coach's bench. Although he didn't jump and jump like Hu Li beside him, he also raised his arms high.

"That's good! The victory is set!"

Advocaat had only one thought in his mind, and he was worried about his job for the first time. The Korean team was scored two goals by the Chinese team before the first half was over. This has never happened in the history of Sino-Korean confrontations.

The Chinese team's morale has been completely boosted. If the game continues, who knows what kind of score and result will appear.

The Chinese fans shouted excitedly: "Chinese team! Rise up! Chinese team! Invincible!!"

Since the Chinese team changed the color of their home uniform from funereal white to red, Chinese fans wore red clothes to support the home team. And it just so happened that Korea's famous fan group, the "Red Devils Cheerleaders," also wore red jerseys, so the entire stand looked red, which was very spectacular.

Before the game, Chinese media ridiculed the Korean "Red Devils Cheerleaders" for coming to cheer for the Chinese team. Now it seems that the effect is indeed like this. The Korean team in white away uniforms cannot feel the support from their fans at all. Looking around, it is all red.

By the end of the first half, the Korean team had not organized an effective counterattack, but they were hit by another quick counterattack from the Chinese team, almost scoring. They seemed to have not recovered from the 0:2 blow. The Korean team, known as the "Asian Germans," has always been famous for their strong spirit and tenacious will. However, being beaten 0:2 so quickly will make even the most tenacious will waver.

Before the game, the idiotic Korean media almost unanimously looked down on the Chinese team, desperately promoting that even the strongest team would have a nemesis, and the Korean team was their nemesis, and so on. Even the Korean players were somewhat convinced by these dogmatic remarks.

Now they finally know that the media are all idiots and should never be believed, especially the media of a country with a national self-esteem so strong that it is somewhat perverted.

The Chinese team is very strong, really strong. Park Ji-sung now deeply understands this, not only because of the many players from big clubs on the team, but because of the combat effectiveness shown by the team as a whole.

The current Chinese team is somewhat like the Japanese team a few years ago. Their strength has been greatly improved, and they no longer take Asian "brothers" seriously. Just as Qiu Suhui himself said, the Chinese team's current goal is the world, and there is no need to fight back and forth with those teams in Asia. Therefore, since he took office, he has insisted on going to Europe or South America to compete with those real powerhouses. Except for some competitions like the East Asian Games and the Four Nations Invitational Tournament, he has never actively played a friendly match with an Asian team. And even for the East Asian Games and the Four Nations Invitational Tournament, he sent the domestic second-tier team to deal with it perfunctorily. Regardless of what the media's reaction was, he always insisted on the principle of "using good steel on the blade."

It's not that Qiu Suhui intentionally looks down on Asian teams, but as a coach who has been in Europe for a long time, he knows many people and it is convenient to contact matches. In addition, he really doesn't think there is any use in warming up with Asian teams. If he wants to find confidence, he might as well go to those teams in Central America and the Caribbean.

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During the halftime break, Advocaat roared at the players in the locker room, almost hysterically: "You guys get nervous! Get nervous! This game is not only related to qualifying for the World Cup, but also to your honor!" Advocaat was also forced to Liangshan, and there was no way out. Now he must attack with all his strength. Anyway, losing two goals is also losing, and losing five goals is still losing, so it's better to let go and fight, maybe there will be a miracle. "None of you want to lose to the Chinese team that you haven't lost to in more than twenty years, right?"

On the other side, Qiu Suhui was praising his subordinates: "You guys did a great job! We now have the initiative. But don't relax. Continue this high-pressure attack in the second half, and let the Korean team give up completely. I estimate they will definitely attack with all their strength in the second half, this is our chance, don't be soft-footed, don't let go of any chance to score. If you can score five goals, you must not allow yourself to only score four! Do you understand?"

"Understood!!" Everyone answered loudly. Qiu Suhui's requirements exactly matched the players' ideas, so everyone was eager to try, hoping that the second half would start soon.

Qiu Suhui nodded, very satisfied with the team's current situation. He felt that as long as they maintain this state, qualifying in advance would not be a problem.

The Chinese team currently has a strong attack and a not-weak defense. Although compared with the powerful attacking firepower and the glittering stars, the defense seems less famous. But the strength should not be underestimated, at least the Korean team's few attacks in the first half have not been able to threaten An Ke's goal.

Don't look at Xiang Tao's love for assists, but he is not ambiguous at all when it comes to defense. Since he and Klose joined hands to give Park Ji-sung a "bloody lesson", no one can take any advantage from him.

Although they focus on offense, the Chinese team's defense is already very reassuring compared to the past. Zhang Jun, Klose and the others can freely play in the frontcourt, bringing countless joy and enjoyment to the fans. This is inseparable from those silent defenders - before saying this, Xiang Tao must be excluded, he will never be willing to be "silent."

For the rest of the time, Qiu Suhui didn't say anything, letting the players arrange it themselves, and he and Hu Li went out for a walk. He is very relaxed now, which is different from when he first took over the national team.

Zhang Jun and the others who are abroad would not understand. When he was first promoted to the head coach of the national team, and then carried out large-scale reforms to the national team, removing many frequent national team members, the pressure he faced. The pressure from the Football Association, the pressure from the General Administration of Sports, the pressure from the media, the pressure from the club bosses, the pressure from the players, and the pressure from the fans. At that time, it almost made his national team reform abort.

Fortunately, Chen Wei always stood by him and supported him. Then the next few friendly matches had good results, which allowed him to get through the crisis of confidence. Now almost everyone unanimously supports him and praises his team. Looking back at the past at this time is really a bit ironic.

"Lao Hu." Qiu Suhui stood at the gate of the player tunnel, pointing to the noisy stadium outside, illuminated by the lights, and said to Hu Li, "Take a good look, this will be a place worth commemorating forever. In 2009, Chengdu, we started here to compete for the World Cup." The "World Cup" in his mouth is not the common name of the "World Cup Football Tournament", but the "World Cup Golden Cup".

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The second half restarted, and the Korean team members who had been scolded by Advocaat went crazy like they had taken stimulants, launching a crazy counterattack against the Chinese team.

For a time, the Chinese team's defensive players became busy. They, who were unknown in the first half, became popular figures frequently visited by close-up shots in just ten minutes.

Park Ji-sung planned to cross from the left, but the tall Liu Peng headed the ball out. The Chinese team's two central defenders are 1.88 meters and 1.87 meters tall, respectively. This height is just right for central defenders. In the past, the Chinese team's central defenders were not tall, but now they have been greatly strengthened in their ability to defend in the air.

It is not easy for the Korean team to rely on crosses from the flanks and headers from the center to open up the Chinese team's goal.

The Korean team also immediately realized this situation, and they immediately increased the number of long shots from the center. The Korean team has always been famous for its long shots in Asia. Because they are strong and have a tough style, long shots, which best represent these two things, are naturally deeply favored by Korean players.

Cha Du-ri, a forward who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, suddenly took a long shot outside the penalty area. This shot caught the Chinese team's defenders a little off guard and they didn't stop it in time. And Cha Du-ri, a shooter from the Bundesliga, is also good at footwork, so he forced An Ke to make the most wonderful save since the start of the second half.

He first took a slight step to the side, and then suddenly dived to the side, his body darting out like a torpedo, pushing the ball out of the baseline with one hand. At 1.91 meters, he is still very flexible.

Cha Du-ri's shot was sudden and flew along the grass, so it was a bit difficult to save. But for a goalkeeper like An Ke, it is not impossible to save it. Cha Du-ri is now the main forward for Frankfurt, while An Ke is the main goalkeeper for Bayern Munich. The two have often played against each other in the Bundesliga, and An Ke and his team have always won. This time is no exception. Cha Du-ri's very wonderful shot was still saved by him, not giving the Koreans any hope.

The goalkeeper is a very special position. He can bring hope to his teammates, but also kill the opponent's hope time and time again.

An Ke stood up and shook his right index finger at Cha Du-ri, who ran in to grab a corner kick, meaning very clearly: If you want to score my goal, you are too tender. You can't do it, you can't do it...

Cha Du-ri gnashed his teeth because of this provocative gesture, but he couldn't go up and express himself, otherwise he would get a card. During the halftime break, they concluded that the Chinese team's defense is very cunning. They not only have all kinds of small actions like South Americans - such as Klose Li. There will also be various methods to anger you and make you perform abnormally - such as Xiang Tao. So Advocaat strictly prohibits his players from having any form of conflict with the Chinese team's players on the field. He is really afraid that the two hooligans will really get his players off the field one or two at a time.

Park Ji-sung kicked the ball out, and the ball spun directly towards the goal, intending to create chaos in front of the goal and give the forwards a chance to score.

"Idiot!" An Ke roared, jumping high and catching the ball directly in the air. "I actually wanted to score directly, you are underestimating me!" An Ke, who was holding the ball, was still talking non-stop, but Yang Pan scolded him from the front: "Idiot! Kick off!"

An Ke, who was scolded as an idiot, was very unhappy, but he didn't dare to violate the captain's will, and quickly threw the ball to the front court.

Yang Pan used his chest to directly pass the ball back to Li Yongle, who followed up, and Li Yongle organized the attack.

Li Yongle took the ball forward and passed the Korean midfielder Kim Jong-geom, who came up to defend him, and then passed it directly to Klose Li.

Whenever the ball lands at Klose's feet, the Chinese fans will get excited. Just like the fans in Florence, they are looking forward to Klose being able to play new tricks again.

But Klose is a professional player after all, not a street performer, so he knows very well when to play and when not to play.

Now the Chinese team is launching a quick counterattack, so it is not the time to play with the ball, and he quickly passed the ball out.

Zhao Pengyu on the left wing caught up with Klose's direct pass with speed, and then crossed the ball. Wu Shangshan jumped up to compete for the header at the front point, but under the close interference of the Korean defender, he only slightly touched the ball and did not head the ball into the goal. The ball had a change of direction after being touched by him, and did not fly according to the set route. This shook both Zhang Jun, who was preparing to compete for the header at the back point, and the Korean defenders.

Seeing that the ball was about to fly away from behind him, Zhang Jun didn't even have a chance to stop abruptly and turn around. Instead, he jumped up and turned around in the air at the same time. Like a whirlwind, Zhang Jun jumped in the air and turned 360 degrees, and at the same time, his left foot circled with his body, just hitting the ball...

The ball was shaved by Zhang Jun's left heel, drawing a strange arc in the air, flying high, passing over the Korean goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae's outstretched right hand, passing over everyone's surprised eyes, and falling into that goal.

Zhang Jun supported himself with his hands to cushion himself, so as not to let himself, who had lost his balance, land directly on his face. Naturally, he couldn't know whether the ball went in or not.

But soon the cheers like a tsunami in the Chengdu Sports Center told him the final result - the ball went in!!

"Goal!! Goal!! Zhang Jun's 'Dragon Soar'!! It has been a long, long time since I saw him score a goal with Dragon Soar! Magical heel! No matter what angle, what method, or what situation, he can send the ball into the opponent's goal - as long as he wants to, he can definitely do it!" At this moment, the commentators seemed to have become Zhang Jun's fanatical followers, and they didn't realize that they had turned Zhang Jun into a "god."

Advocaat slumped in his seat on the coach's bench: "God, what did I see?"

Zhang Jun was also very excited after scoring the goal. He kept madly kissing the national flag pattern on his chest, and then ran to the stands, took off his jersey, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it hard at the stands. Suddenly, the people in that stand rushed forward like crazy, scrambling for the jersey that Zhang Jun threw up.

Chen Wei, who was sitting upright on the podium, also jumped up rarely. He raised his arms high and cheered for Zhang Jun and the goal like an ordinary fan. At the same time, he shouted wildly in his heart: "Chengdu! A blessed place!!"

Isn't it? The Dragon Soar, which hasn't been seen for a long time, has appeared, what else could it be if it's not a blessed place? With such a fanatical home atmosphere and such an excellent team, there will be no problem qualifying for the 2010 World Cup! Chen Wei is now considering that the team may be able to go further. The last time they were in the top 16, and this time, he can dream of the top eight, or even the top four.

What's even more exaggerated is that in order to welcome the World Cup qualifiers, the stadium, which has been completely renovated, has added a lot of high-tech equipment. When the big screen replayed Zhang Jun's goal, the staff even made a dragon's back behind the picture!

This move immediately caused the fans at the scene to scream wildly, and even the TV cameras broadcasting the game focused on that big screen.

I don't know which staff member did it, but this is definitely full of creativity.

The on-site broadcast even shouted emotionally: "Come on! Shout with me: Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun!! Zhang Jun!! Zhang Jun!! Zhang - Jun!!!" All the fans immediately clapped their hands in unison, after two short claps, they immediately shouted Zhang Jun's name, clapping four times and shouting four times. The last time, the "Zhang" character was prolonged until the "Jun" character was shouted out suddenly, as the end.

The reporters at the scene mentioned this action by the fans in their post-match reports. They said: "There is no need to envy the Korean 'Red Devils Cheerleaders', we have the best fans in the world!"

Zhang Jun's "Dragon Soar" was the fuse, igniting the passion of the entire stadium. From officials to ordinary fans, everyone was going crazy for this goal, and no one was left out.

A few hundred meters away from the stadium, on Tianfu Square, the municipal government set up a huge LCD screen on one side of the square for the convenience of the majority of fans to watch the game, and also for the convenience of unified management. Every game day, this place is crowded with people.

At the same time that Zhang Jun scored the ball with "Dragon Soar", the entire square was already boiling. Almost everyone hugged each other, regardless of gender, age, status, or whether they were taken advantage of, or whether they had the idea of taking advantage of the opportunity. At this moment, they had only one identity, and that was - fans of the Chinese team.

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Zhang Jun's goal, which can be called "great", not only made the stadium atmosphere explode, but even the Korean team, which has always been proud of its tenacious will, gradually lost its fighting spirit. Because what they were facing was not a team at all, but a group of monsters. They were despicable and shameless in defense, and they would use any means. And in offense, they could use such wonderful goals to completely strike your confidence. What else could they be if they weren't monsters?

Advocaat also realized that the general trend was over, and the Korean team could not compete with the current Chinese team at all. Everything should be left to their home game to plan.

Zhang Jun was replaced with ten minutes left in the second half. He scored two goals alone, and the second goal was the "Dragon Soar", so he was respected by a standing ovation from all the Chinese fans.

There were no more goals in the match between the Chinese team and the Korean team, and the final score was fixed at 3:0. The Chinese team completely defeated their nemesis, the Korean team, at home.

The Chinese media excitedly announced after the game: From now on, China is no longer afraid of Korea! It should be Korea's turn to fear China!

Although it was a bit premature to say so, it really made the Chinese people raise their eyebrows and exhale.

Zhang Jun once again appeared on the cover and headlines of all media, and even the Western media mentioned his wonderful goal. The Florence media even publicized their top star.

However, Zhang Jun was not lost in this kind of praise. He understood that he just played a good game. If the Chinese team wants to qualify, they have to play all the remaining games well.

He trained hard at the training base every day, trying to maintain his state and improve his free-kick skills and shooting skills. These trainings made everyone ashamed. As the team's top scorer, he still had to practice his shooting skills, so how could other people be embarrassed to be lazy? Maybe Zhang Jun himself didn't realize it, but his behavior did drive the atmosphere of the whole team and improve the training efficiency in an objective way.

Qiu Suhui and Hu Li were very satisfied with this. Yang Pan, as the captain, mostly motivated the whole team verbally, because he had prestige, so everyone listened to him. Zhang Jun, as the team's spiritual leader, mostly influenced everyone with his practical actions and his unyielding spirit, even Yang Pan was no exception.

Yang Pan, who has become a professional player, is an increasingly practical person. If he can use 70% of his strength, he will never use 80%, because there are more games after one game. If he always performs above his level, no one can guarantee that he will not "run out of fuel" in the future. This is a normal idea for professional players, rationally controlling their state and physical strength, and being prepared to cope with all situations. He makes people feel at ease in any situation.

But Zhang Jun is different. Although he is also a professional player, many habits that he developed when he was a child are still not changed - and Zhang Jun didn't want to change them. For example, he must do his best in the game, go all out, and have a clear conscience. He is unwilling to give up easily and unwilling to admit defeat under any circumstances. This is exactly what many professional players lack, so it can affect the people around him. Look at Klose, this person who didn't care about anything at first and was always cold, his heart has become hot under his influence. Although the appearance is still cold, the heart is definitely fiery. He always seems to dislike Xiang Tao, and he is the one who scolds Xiang Tao the most as an idiot, but when Xiang Tao has a conflict with Park Ji-sung, he is the first one to help Xiang Tao avenge his opponent.

Qiu Suhui felt that the Chinese team could not lack either Yang Pan or Zhang Jun. One has the necessary qualities of a professional player and can lead by example, and the other has endless fighting spirit and an unyielding spirit, which can constantly spur his teammates and make them rush forward with him.

This game against the Korean team is the best proof. In their own home, they beat the Korean team without any power to fight back. Yang Pan can stabilize the morale of the army, while Zhang Jun can bring passion to the team.

Qiu Suhui recalled the scene when he first met the two in the Netherlands. A stable and calm winger sent the ball into the penalty area with a precise cross, while the other ignited the fire in everyone's hearts with a powerful header. This is really an arrangement of fate...

Without them, there would be no later Qiu Suhui; without them, there would definitely be no current Chinese team.

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Next, the Chinese team will challenge Australia away from home. This game has attracted much attention due to the climate differences between the northern and southern hemispheres. However, Qiu Suhui thinks this is a good opportunity to adapt to the climate of the southern hemisphere. Since next year's World Cup will be held in South Africa, it will be winter there in June. Traditional teams are mostly in the northern hemisphere, and whether these teams can adapt to the climate of the southern hemisphere is also a matter of great concern.

Qiu Suhui thinks that being in the same group as Australia solves this problem. They can take advantage of the opportunity of the away game to experience the climate of the southern hemisphere and prepare for next year's World Cup.

Since the Chinese team has already won two consecutive victories and is currently the first in the group, Australia is also very cautious. They lost to the Korean team by one goal away from home, and defeated Kuwait in the second round at home. The next game is very important for them. Although the Chinese team is very strong, Australia hopes to take down the Chinese team with their home advantage.

Qiu Suhui still fielded the strongest lineup for this game. He also knows that the league is dense, and the foreign players need to rest, but the best way to let these players rest is to participate in as few games as possible, so it is very important to determine the qualifying quota as soon as possible.

So they must show all their strength at the beginning and strive for a winning streak.

This game, the powerful - this is the evaluation given by the Australian domestic media - the Chinese team lived up to the expectations of hundreds of millions of TV viewers in the country, and with the passion of the last game's complete victory over Korea, they staged a perfect storm in Sydney, Australia.

Although they lost a goal for the first time since the quarter-finals, the team won a difficult away game 2:1. With three consecutive victories, the Chinese team, with nine points, is currently ranked first in Group A. The Korean team, ranked second, has six points, Australia, ranked third, has three points, and Kuwait has lost all three games, and the chance of qualifying for the World Cup is very, very slim.

Almost all media - including foreign media - believe that it is no problem for the Chinese team to qualify smoothly from this group. The strength shown by the Chinese team in the qualifiers has even led some people to list them as the top dark horse in this World Cup.

After hearing this kind of remark, Qiu Suhui said with disdain: "Dark horse? Can the Chinese team still be called a dark horse?"

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With the team's outstanding performance in the World Cup qualifiers, Chinese players have gradually attracted more attention.

Among them, the most attention is paid to the upcoming quarter-final of the European Champions League, Fiorentina vs. Bayern Munich.

This is called the Chinese derby in the Champions League by the Chinese media.

Both sides of the game attach great importance to this game. Those national team members who participated in the World Cup qualifiers must return directly to their respective countries to prepare after the game is over.

An Ke transferred directly from Hong Kong to Munich, while Zhang Jun, Klose, and Xiang Tao were even more awesome.

Just after the game with Australia ended, their luggage was sent to the airport in Sydney, and the private plane of Ren Yudi, the behind-the-scenes boss of Florence, was waiting on the runway at the airport. They changed their clothes in the locker room, then took a car to the airport, and then boarded the plane and left Australia, flying directly to Pisa Airport near Florence.

Other players who play overseas also transferred from Hong Kong and flew away. Qiu Suhui looked at the empty hotel and said to Hu Li with emotion: "Many years ago, I thought this scene could only be seen in European training bases, but I didn't expect everything to become a reality now..."

As if repeating the scene a month ago, Zhang Jun fell asleep again not long after the plane took off. Even Xiang Tao honestly dealt with the jet lag, because they all understood what the Champions League game meant to the team,