Chapter 161 The Scorpion Tail

“Twenty minutes have passed, and neither side has scored. After the initial probing, Italy has solidified its defense, while China's proud attack has failed to break through. The two sides are deadlocked, evenly matched. Facing the three-time world champion Italian team, the Chinese team is performing quite well. So far, they have not been at a disadvantage.”

Not being at a disadvantage in terms of possession was good, but they hadn't gained any advantage either. Against a team like Italy, the longer the time went on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

Yang Pan took the time to say to Zhang Jun, “You need to get excited! Don’t lose your fighting spirit just because Inzaghi isn’t on the field. Your opponent isn’t just one Inzaghi or Shevchenko!”

Zhang Jun rolled his eyes at him. “Damn! I know that without you telling me.”

To be honest, he did feel a bit less motivated seeing Inzaghi wasn’t on the field, and the fever hadn't completely subsided, making his head feel heavy. Even running felt like no effort at all.

But Coach Qiu's reason for putting him on the field wasn't to watch him go head-to-head with Inzaghi, but because he could bring goals to the team, regardless of whether the opponent was Brazil, Ukraine, or now, Italy.

I am a striker, and I need to score goals.

※※※

Cassano brilliantly dribbled past Wang Liang, and as he was about to break into the penalty area, Liu Peng immediately stepped in front of him. But before he could steady himself, he suddenly saw Cassano dart to the side. He was surprised at how Cassano didn't even want the ball anymore when he heard An Ke shout from behind, “A Sheng! Cover! Don’t let him shoot!”

“Ah! Liu Peng has been beaten! A nutmeg, a dribble through! Truly the genius Cassano!”

Li Suisheng was forced to abandon Pirlo to block this kid, while Li Yongle fell back to cover Li Suisheng’s position.

Cassano didn’t tangle with Li Suisheng, and passed the ball to Pirlo. But under Li Yongle’s pressure, he hit it too straight, and An Ke, who was well-prepared, directly confiscated it.

※※※

Kelu faced the Italian-style defense again. This time he learned his lesson, and quickly passed the ball to Zhang Jun’s feet. The Italian-style defense also switched targets.

Zhang Jun wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of defense. In the first half of the season, he experienced catenaccio in Serie A, and in the second half, he felt what “savage defense” was like in Serie B. The Italian national team had combined these two very well.

He received the ball and didn’t stop, dribbling forward. From his experience, once you stop the ball, it’s not easy to move again. The Italian defense isn't a free market; you can't just come and go as you please.

Dribbling the ball, Zhang Jun was still looking for a chance to break through. Nesta was in front of him, and Cannavaro followed closely, looking for an opportunity to steal the ball. Wu Shangshan… from this perspective, he couldn't see him at all, so he could only try to break through on his own.

Two world-class center backs, how should he break through?

Zhang Jun tried changing direction and pace, but he couldn't shake off Cannavaro, so he suddenly stopped, and then before Cannavaro could turn around, he suddenly took a long shot!

Zhang Jun’s shot was rushed, but it wasn't a random shot without a purpose. He was aiming for the lower left corner of the goal. Buffon was worthy of being the most valuable goalkeeper. His concentration was high, and his reactions were quick, and he caught the shot.

“Zhang Jun took a rushed shot, weak and powerless, and easily caught by Buffon!” the Italian commentator said.

But Buffon knew in his heart that Zhang Jun’s shot was rushed, but the accuracy was not bad at all. He could catch it because he was focused. If he underestimated the shot because it was rushed, it would have been hard to say whether it would have gone in or not.

He hadn’t played against Zhang Jun before. Zhang Jun didn’t play when AC Milan and Juventus played, so he didn’t know Zhang Jun very well, but he had heard Inzaghi mention that his “shooting is very accurate.” Judging from just now, Inzaghi was right. Even a rushed shot could be so tricky, what about a fully prepared shot?

Buffon didn't think any further. Some things are embarrassing when you think about them too much.

※※※

The Chinese team successfully intercepted the ball, and immediately organized an attack. But this time, the ball wasn’t passed to Kelu’s feet. Instead, Li Yongle directly made a long pass, looking for the space behind the Italian defense.

The pass was perfectly timed. Zhang Jun received the ball, and Buffon didn’t dare to attack rashly.

“Zhang Jun has gotten rid of all the defenders! He’s facing Buffon alone! A shot!”

Zhang Jun swung his right foot, and the ball drew an arc. Buffon kneeled on the ground, reaching out, but couldn’t reach it. The ball went around him and flew into the goal!

“Goal—!!” Wang Jianxiang shouted excitedly. The Chinese team took the lead against Italy. How could he not be excited?

Zhang Jun was just as excited. He opened his arms and ran towards the corner flag. Before he could get there, Xiang Tao tackled him to the ground. Li Yongle followed and pounced on the two of them. The crowd roared!

But the Italian players weren’t discouraged. Nesta even pointed to the linesman. Many people then realized that although the referee had blown his whistle, he didn’t point towards the center circle, because the linesman’s flag was raised horizontally, pointing towards the other end of the field.

Offside! The goal was invalid!

Zhang Jun got up from the ground innocently. He felt like he wasn’t offside. But seeing the linesman raising the flag so firmly, could it be that he was really feverish and couldn’t even judge accurately?

He had no choice but to lower his head and walk back helplessly.

The big screen was replaying the scene just now. The moment Li Yongle passed the ball, Zhang Jun had just started to move, breaking out from the defensive line. This moment was replayed four times. One feature of the Bundesliga broadcast was that when judging whether a player was offside, they would use a yellow line to mark the position of the team’s last defender. With this as a reference, the audience and commentators could easily see whether it was offside.

But today was slightly different. Even with the yellow line, no matter how you looked at it, the gap between Zhang Jun and the last Italian defender, Cannavaro, was very small. Even with the assistance of television, it was hard to say whether it was offside, let alone with the naked eye. If you had to say that Zhang Jun was offside, then you could only say that Zhang Jun’s long hair crossed the line.

The linesman couldn’t have seen such a small gap. What made him make the offside call was what happened next. Zhang Jun took one step and suddenly appeared behind everyone, with a speed that was shocking. In this way, the gap between him and Cannavaro became very obvious. The linesman also habitually assumed that Zhang Jun was in an offside position before starting to run. Otherwise, how could he have widened the gap between the two so much in just one step?

It was a bit unfair for Zhang Jun to be considered offside by the linesman because of his starting speed. Many strikers with fast starting speeds tend to fall into the offside trap, also for this reason.

No wonder Wang Jianxiang said somewhat sourly, “In this situation, we should use a high-speed camera like the one used for sprint finishes to determine whether Zhang Jun was offside.”

The Chinese players’ moods also went from a peak to a valley with this goal, and their morale was severely affected.

And next, the experienced Italians seized the opportunity when the Chinese team’s emotions were unstable, and responded with a goal of their own.

※※※

Li Yongle was still upset about the linesman’s call just now, when Totti appeared in front of him with the ball.

Seeing that Li Yongle was having a hard time defending alone, Li Yi came to help. But the two of them still couldn't stop Totti, who was getting into his groove. He was forced to lose his balance, but still passed the ball to Pirlo with his heel.

Pirlo directly passed the ball to Camoranesi on the right. Xiang Tao was also obviously affected by the call, and faced with the skilled Argentinian, he actually lunged in for a tackle the first chance he got!

What was the result?

The result was that Camoranesi broke through the Chinese team’s left defense without any effort.

“Damn it!” Yang Pan cursed on the other side. Why did Xiang Tao have to be impulsive at this time?

“Someone go up! Don’t let him into the penalty area!” An Ke commanded the defense while focusing on the near post. He knew what Camoranesi was good at, and now he didn’t even have time to scold Xiang Tao.

Li Suisheng had to abandon Pirlo to cover the defense, while Li Yongle returned to cover Pirlo.

Seeing that the defenders had been pulled out of position, Camoranesi didn’t continue to break through, and chose to cross the ball.

His cross wasn’t into the penalty area, but to the outside of the penalty area, around the top of the arc, where Totti was!

“Crap…” Yang Pan wanted to stop him, but he was too far away. Liu Peng rushed out at the first moment.

But he was still too slow. Totti had already wound up his leg.

A powerful long shot!

“An Ke!” Yang Pan could only pin his hopes on An Ke.

An Ke did pounce towards the ball’s trajectory. The shot wasn’t at a tricky angle. He should be able to catch it.

But man proposes, God disposes. In the crowd, Cassano, who was unmarked, turned around and flicked the ball with his heel, suddenly changing the ball's direction!

At that moment, An Ke almost froze. He watched helplessly as the ball jumped up and flew to a place he couldn’t reach, and then landed with him. When he looked again, the ball was already in the goal…

“gooooooooooooooooAL!!”

No one cared whether the goal was attributed to Totti or Cassano. Anyway, the Chinese team was suddenly down 0:1.

This time, the linesman didn’t raise the flag, and the referee clearly pointed to the center circle – the goal was valid!

The nearly 20,000 Italian fans, who had been suppressed by the Dortmund fans, finally erupted. They sang songs cheering for Italy, celebrating the goal.

An Ke could only vent his frustration by pounding the ground, while Xiang Tao, who was usually happy-go-lucky and carefree, stood aside in silence. This goal started with his mistake.

Because of his mistake, A Sheng went to cover his position, and Li Yongle went to cover A Sheng’s position, which led to Totti being unmarked in the end. Although Liu Peng tried his best to block, he left Cassano aside. The entire defense was in chaos, and losing a goal was only a matter of time.

Qiu Suhui shook his head helplessly. If a defensive team like Italy scored first, the rest of the game would be even harder to play. Italy could completely make their defense even more effective. What would the Chinese team do then?

Still too young, still lacking in big game experience! A call could affect their mood to this extent. Qiu Suhui could only hope that this World Cup would allow them to truly grow.

※※※

After conceding the goal, Yang Pan didn’t seem too frustrated. Just like when he was in the Olympic team, he took on the responsibility of being a captain: “What are you doing? We just conceded one goal? Cheer up! We still have plenty of time!”

He pulled An Ke up from the ground, and personally kicked the ball to Zhang Jun in front, letting him kick off.

Zheng Jun would never do this.

The Chinese team kicked off, and the game started again. Yang Pan was right. It was only thirty-one minutes into the game. They had plenty of time to change the score.

Zhang Jun was more active than in the previous three games, because he remembered what Coach Qiu said: "You'll be immediately substituted if you don't perform well."

Kelu passed the ball to him again, and Cannavaro pressed up again. It was difficult for him to turn around, so he had to pass the ball back again. Cannavaro thought Zhang Jun had given up, but suddenly saw him turn around and run past him. At the same time, Kelu passed the ball to Zhang Jun again!

"Damn it!" He quickly turned around to pull Zhang Jun, but Zhang Jun shook him off, knocking away his outstretched hand.

Kelu didn't pass the ball directly to Zhang Jun's feet, but made a through pass, allowing Zhang Jun to pick up speed.

"Broke through! Cannavaro didn't stop Zhang Jun either! He's facing Nesta…"

Zhang Jun faced the last defender, Nesta. They had played together at AC Milan, and he often sparred with Nesta in training matches. He was familiar with Nesta, and Nesta was familiar with him. Zhang Jun knew that to get past this person, he had to be fast.

Fast enough that he couldn't react, fast enough that he couldn't keep up with your pace.

As soon as Zhang Jun received the ball, he immediately wound up his right leg, preparing to shoot. Nesta, who knew how accurate Zhang Jun's shots were, dared not be careless, and quickly stretched out his foot to block.

But Zhang Jun wasn't shooting. His right leg swung down, but suddenly kicked the ball from behind him to the left, and at the same time, his left foot became the axis, turning one hundred and eighty degrees to the left. After turning around, he gently flicked the ball with his right foot, using his right foot as an axis, and making another one hundred and eighty degree turn, and then taking advantage of the momentum to powerfully shoot with his left foot!

Cruyff turn!

All of this happened in a flash. Nesta hadn't reacted yet when Zhang Jun shot!

But just because Nesta hadn't reacted didn't mean that Buffon behind him hadn't reacted. Just when Zhang Jun thought he had succeeded, a fist flew over and knocked the ball out of the baseline.

"Buffon! Buffon! Beautiful save! Unbelievable, he saved Italy!"

Zhang Jun watched as the ball was blocked by this person again, and knelt on the ground, covering his head with his hands, extremely disappointed. He was very satisfied with the speed and angle of this shot, and it was also shot very suddenly, but he didn't expect that he still couldn't break through this person's fingers.

No wonder Toldo's miraculous performance at the 2000 European Championship couldn't take away his starting position.

But Zhang Jun wasn't Toldo. Goalkeepers and strikers were natural enemies. The stronger the goalkeeper, the more it would stimulate the striker's fighting spirit. For Zhang Jun, being able to penetrate Buffon's fingers was truly the ultimate enjoyment.

Since Inzaghi couldn't play, then he would take Buffon as his opponent.

Zhang Jun suddenly felt full of strength in his body. His head wasn't dizzy anymore, and his legs had strength. The Italians regarded Buffon as the insurmountable Alps. He would shoot through the door guarded by this person, and he would conquer the Alps.

※※※

Having scored a goal, Italy became conservative, perhaps believing that their defense could make the Chinese team helpless. For a time, they retreated to their half of the field, allowing the Chinese team to bombard them wildly.

Wu Shangshan’s shot hit Zambrotta’s leg and bounced out. Yang Pan, risking being tackled away by Gattuso, wound up his leg and took a powerful shot. Buffon didn’t dare to take it head-on, and could only punch it out with both fists. But the ball had a curve, and Buffon made a small misjudgment, not hitting the ball squarely, but only grazing it. The ball's force was so great that it slightly changed its flight path, bouncing and jumping towards the goal.

Just when people thought the ball was about to go in, Cannavaro flew over and cleared the ball off the goal line.

"Damn!" Qiu Suhui cursed in a low voice, regretting that the goal didn't go in.

The ball Cannavaro cleared didn't go out of bounds. Xiang Tao stopped the ball near the sideline, and then directly kicked the ball at a forty-five degree angle into the penalty area.

Nesta jumped up to clear the ball, but found that someone jumped even higher than him!

Zhang Jun rose high from the ground like a rocket, getting in front of Nesta and Zambrotta and heading the ball!

Buffon made another wonderful save, using one hand to push out this shot that was so close.

“Damn it!” Zhang Jun unconsciously cursed loudly, and then he shouted to Li Yongle, “Quick! Go up and take the kick!”

Nesta had never seen Zhang Jun so excited before. When he was at AC Milan, he thought this person was very dull and not very impulsive. Now, he was like… like he had flames on him.

He had lost headers before, but it was the first time that he had jumped with all his might and found that he was still not as tall as someone who was 1.83 meters tall. At that moment, seeing Zhang Jun’s figure in the air, Nesta even thought that Zhang Jun jumped higher than the crossbar…

Even the always steady Buffon felt the pressure. His breathing became rapid, and he realized that if he continued to let the Chinese team attack like this, he might really lose a goal. That Zhang Jun, it was like he had been wound up, how did he suddenly become so motivated?

This attack finally ended with Yang Pan shooting Li Yongle’s corner kick high above the crossbar. The Italians could finally catch their breath.

“Isn’t the first half over yet?” many Italian fans must have been thinking.

※※※

The first half quickly ended. The Chinese team still hadn’t broken through Italy’s defense. The score was still 0:1, and they were behind.

“Damn it! Their defense is too tight!” Xiang Tao cursed in the locker room. He had tried to break through a few times on his own in the first half, but he didn’t succeed even once.

His shout immediately attracted a lot of agreement. But unlike Xiang Tao, who was expressing his displeasure, they were expressing their admiration.

“Look at Nesta’s defense, it’s watertight!”

“That’s right, Cannavaro defended Zhang Jun…”

An Ke coughed. “Hey, which side are you guys on?”

Unlike these people, the attacking players on the field were all silent, seeming very quiet.

Zhang Jun sat aside panting heavily. His nose was still blocked, and running like this consumed a lot of energy, and it was very uncomfortable to breathe. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes as if he were sleeping, which would help reduce his dizziness.

Kelu simply covered his face with a towel and sat aside, ignoring everyone.

Qiu Suhui looked at everyone and found that the attacking players’ emotions weren’t very high, probably not just because Italy’s defense was too tight, causing them to suffer repeated setbacks, but also for another reason.

He felt that it probably wouldn’t work to play with the attitude of “learning humbly” before the game. He had to change these people’s thoughts and stimulate their fighting spirit. The stronger the opponent, the stronger they should be.

He clapped his hands, focusing everyone’s attention on him.

“I first have to apologize to you,” Qiu Suhui’s opening remarks were very interesting. Even Kelu raised his head and looked at him.

“I have to apologize to you. Because it was I who told you before the game not to care about winning or losing, and to play with a learning mentality. This actually suppressed your nature. Now what I want to say is, don’t care about the damn learning, you have to give it your all in the second half, even if there is a 0.001% chance of winning, don’t give up! Since they…” He pointed to the door, “They call us ‘dark horses’, then we’ll be even darker and drag Italy down! So everyone, the second half is the real challenge. You have to know that we play football not to have others say we played well, but to win! This is the World Cup, not an exhibition match. Do you want to move forward?”

Qiu Suhui asked loudly, and everyone answered loudly, “Yes!”

“Very good, very good. Now, all of you, cheer up!” With this shout, many people who hadn't been energetic before straightened their backs. "Go all out in the second half and let the Italians see your strength!"

Xiang Tao jumped up, waving the towel in his hand, and shouted loudly: "That's right! There's no point in not winning in the World Cup! What if the opponent is Italy? If you piss me off, I'll still take care of them!"

Everyone laughed. They were laughing at Xiang Tao's expression, but they were not mocking what he said, because what they thought in their hearts was the same as him.

Hu Li looked at the chaotic locker room and whispered to Qiu Suhui, "Isn't this a bit too arrogant? You should know that the current national team has no chance of defeating Italy."

But Qiu Suhui smiled and said, "How do you know they can't beat Italy?" He deliberately emphasized "they". "Lao Hu, football is round! And..." After a short pause, he added, "Besides, it's better to try our best to win and fail than to lose without trying. Lao Hu, I made a mistake that many of my Chinese predecessors have made: I shouldn't have asked them to play with a learning mentality. This way, they only treat Italy as teachers, with awe in their hearts, but not as opponents and enemies. In a World Cup event like this, if you always play with this mentality, you will never achieve anything, and a learning opportunity once every four years is too extravagant. Since we have the opportunity to stand here, we must be here to strive for victory."

※※※

Su Fei changed the film in the camera and sat aside to rest. She looked at the red stands everywhere, and was happy for An Ke in her heart – he had found a very good club. Just because of him alone, this place could become the Chinese team's home field.

She had never been to Florence, and had never seen the Stadio Artemio Franchi. She didn't know if Zhang Jun had the same appeal there. But she believed that it was the same as Zhang Jun's appeal in Volendam. An Ke really did it. He was a true, standard professional player.

Today, the Westfalenstadion was like Naples in 1990. When Maradona led the Argentinian team to play in Naples during the World Cup, Naples was Argentina’s home field. In Su Fei’s heart, as a woman, a professional player could do this, and be loved by so many people, which was a great success, regardless of whether he won any championships.

Suddenly feeling a coolness on her face, Su Fei raised her head and realized that it had started to drizzle at some point.

The weather forecast said that there would be light to moderate rain today, but it hadn't rained all day, making her think that the weather forecast was inaccurate again. She didn't expect it to rain now.

Putting a waterproof cover on the camera, putting on her raincoat, and looking at her watch, the second half was about to begin.

※※※

Before going on the field, Qiu Suhui asked Zhang Jun again, "Is your head still dizzy?"

Zhang Jun shook his head vigorously. "Not dizzy anymore." Actually, he was still dizzy.

Qiu Suhui nodded. "Okay. If you can't hold on, don't force it. After all, there's still the league."

"Coach Qiu, I thought this World Cup only comes once every four years..."

Qiu Suhui smiled and interrupted Zhang Jun: "Don't think that the World Cup only comes once every four years, and you won't have the chance to participate in the future. I'm telling you, as long as you maintain your form, we will participate in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as well. So don't think too much, for some people, the World Cup is only once, but for you it's different, you are still young, you have at least two more World Cups. The current Chinese team is different from the past. At least there is no problem entering the World Cup finals. Go ahead, don't think too much, go on the field!"

He patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder and sent him away.

※※※

Qiu Suhui went out and realized that it was raining outside, but it was very light and had little impact on the field. After both sides stood on the field, he found that Lippi had changed his formation to 4-2-3-1, with Pirlo moving to the left to play left midfielder, and Cassano playing as a lone striker.

It seemed that Lippi wasn't very satisfied with the first half. He would definitely look for opportunities to widen the score, of course, on the basis of a solid defense.

The game started again, and Italy immediately adopted a steady defense and counterattack strategy, steady, very steady. Their defense was so steady that it was almost impossible to find any flaws. Whether it was one-on-one defense or overall coordination, the Italian defenders performed almost impeccably.

Of course, Qiu Suhui wouldn't think that just a few impassioned words during the halftime break could allow the Chinese team to break through the Italian defense.

Although their defense was strong, it wasn't absolutely perfect. At the 2000 European Championship, Italy used a three-center-back formation and made it all the way to the final. At that time, the world's top three defenders, Nesta, Maldini, and Cannavaro, were all in the lineup, and the defense was undoubtedly strong. But France targeted Cannavaro's side and frantically attacked. After attacking for ninety minutes, Cannavaro couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed, allowing France to equalize the score in the last second. The same was true in extra time. The French once again broke through from Cannavaro's side and crossed the ball, which Trezeguet scored to win the game.

Qiu Suhui was inspired, and during the halftime break, he had Xiang Tao and Kelu take turns attacking Italy's right defense. Especially Xiang Tao, he wanted him to show the momentum he had in Belgium, when he was known as "China's Carlos", completely disregarding the defense behind him. He would arrange for Li Yi to provide cover. Of the four Italian defenders, Nesta, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, and Bonera, relatively speaking, Bonera was the weakest, and it was reasonable to choose him as the breakthrough point.

At the beginning of the second half, as long as the Chinese team got the ball, most of the time they would pass the ball to the left, looking for a breakthrough there. Kelu used his technique, while Xiang Tao used his speed and body, taking turns attacking. They strived for Bonera to have a moment of carelessness. As long as he made a mistake, that would be the Chinese team's chance.

Doing so did have some effect, and they created several shots. However, unfortunately, Zhang Jun and the others were facing one of the best goalkeepers in the world today – Buffon. Xiang Tao and the others were able to break through Bonera’s defense with relentless attacks, but Zhang Jun and Wu Shangshan couldn’t do anything about Buffon.

Whether you were a header or a powerful shot, whether it was a push or a lob, he could always defuse it one by one. With such a performance, even An Ke, who never admits defeat, would have to admit defeat.

“Kelu’s through pass, Zhang Jun! He got the ball, he shot!”

This time, Buffon used his foot to block the ball out of the baseline, once again making Zhang Jun’s attack futile.

Zhang Jun kicked the ground hard as if he wanted to kick the non-existent ball into the goal. He had even added a feint before this shot, hoping to deceive Buffon. Buffon was indeed fooled, and his body had already leaned in the wrong direction, but he didn't expect that he could still block the ball with his toes.

This was simply impossible for a human to do!

The corner kick was taken, but under Italy’s strict defense, it didn’t pose any threat to Buffon’s goal.

Zhang Jun suddenly realized that for a goalkeeper like Buffon, perhaps ordinary shots wouldn't work at all. To score a goal, you must take some special measures – of course, not a dive.

So what special method should he use?

※※※

Yang Pan’s pass was a bit too far back due to Zambrotta’s close interference. Wu Shangshan couldn’t even reach the ball with a bicycle kick, and could only watch helplessly as the ball was cleared by the Italian defenders.

Yang Pan waved to him, expressing his apology. But Zhang Jun's eyes lit up. He had found a way. He didn't know how successful this method would be, but how would he know if it would work if he didn't try?

※※※

Li Yongle got the ball, and he was preparing to shift it to the left. Xiang Tao was already making a forward run, and the Italian defense followed, leaning to the right. After doing this repeatedly, the Italians also knew that the Chinese team wanted to break through their right defense. Naturally, they couldn't let the Chinese team have their way, so as long as they saw Xiang Tao running forward, the Italian defense would immediately shift its focus to its right side, and Camoranesi would also cooperate by falling back to defend. The Chinese team had made this line the main route of attack, so Italy would cut off this route.

Li Yongle understood this, so he didn't pass it right away, but hesitated. If he passed it to Xiang Tao, it was very likely that Italy would intercept it and launch a counterattack, but if he didn't pass the ball, who should he pass it to? Zambrotta was tightly marking Yang Pan, making it difficult for him to use his speed advantage. Kelu was also trapped in the Italian chain defense. Should he dribble the ball himself? Li Yongle glanced at Totti, and immediately gave up on this idea. He played in Serie A and knew the gap between himself and the top Italian defenders. It was impossible for him to break through the Italian chain defense, and if he was intercepted midway, it would be very dangerous behind him.

At this moment, Zhang Jun suddenly appeared in his field of vision, waving to him and shouting, "Pass it to me! Pass the ball to me!"

Li Yongle took a closer look, and Zhang Jun had dropped back to the same line as Kelu, the attacking midfielder. Zhang Jun rarely took the initiative to ask for the ball, but every time he did, he must be confident.

Li Yongle understood Zhang Jun, and believed in Zhang Jun, so he didn't hesitate any longer and directly passed the ball to Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun received the ball and turned around, and Cannavaro immediately came up to mark him. In this game, he, the marking center back, was marking Zhang Jun, and Lippi's request to him was "stick to him like glue", and he had basically done this.

This time, Zhang Jun seemed to ignore Cannavaro in front of him, and from the beginning, he showed the speed of a sprint, dribbling the ball towards the penalty area.

Cannavaro sneered in his heart: The faster you dribble, the sooner you'll run into a dead end. Is this striker stupid? Who accelerates and dribbles the ball when there are a group of defenders in front and not much space?

But soon he discovered that Zhang Jun’s feet crossed, and the ball was gone!

He was sure that he hadn’t been seeing things. The ball was indeed gone!

“Nutmeg! Oh my god! Cannavaro has been nutmegged by Zhang Jun!!” the commentator exclaimed.

Zhang Jun pushed the ball through Cannavaro’s legs, and then accelerated to go around him, dribbling past the man!

After shaking off Cannavaro, Zhang Jun accelerated to chase the ball, and Pirlo, who was falling back to defend, also lunged at the ball. But Zhang Jun was one step faster. He flicked the ball to the left in advance, and then his body almost moved horizontally to the left.

Pirlo knew how good Zhang Jun’s free kicks were, and now they were on the edge of the penalty area. If he fouled, it wouldn’t be worth it if a penalty kick was given. He quickly raised both hands, forcibly stopping the foot that was about to trip Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun’s flick wasn’t small, and Nesta certainly wouldn’t miss the chance to steal the ball. But before his foot, which was going to poke away the ball, could reach it, Zhang Jun’s left foot suddenly appeared in front of the ball, and then he flicked it again, moving the ball from the left side of his body to the right side again!

Nesta actually missed!

At the same time as flicking the ball, Zhang Jun turned to the right again incredibly, two changes of direction completed in an instant, with amazing explosiveness!

The ball had already entered the penalty area, and Buffon was planning to attack, but after seeing these two incredible changes of direction from Zhang Jun, he hesitated. He was afraid that Zhang Jun would poke the ball into the empty goal before him.

Fortunately, Zhang Jun’s two changes of direction had made his own shooting angle very small. As long as he guarded the near post, he should be sure of success.

I admit that you’ve done very well up to now, but this is where it ends, kid…

He saw Zhang Jun adjust the ball, facing the far corner, and immediately rushed out, very close to him, lowering his center of gravity and raising his arms, forming a wall in front of Zhang Jun, completely blocking Zhang Jun’s angle.

※※※

“Idiot! Shoot! There’s no angle left, what’s he hesitating for?” Adriano couldn’t help but curse. He was watching the game with Kaka in a room. Since both of them played in Serie A, they were naturally very interested in this game with Italy involved.

Kaka didn’t say anything, because he vaguely remembered that he was very familiar with Zhang Jun’s series of movements just now. Yes, very familiar…

“Buffon… is going to be in trouble…” he muttered.

“What?” Adriano turned to ask, but saw Kaka suddenly jump up. He raised his arms, and a nearly crazy roar came from the TV.

“goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAL!!!”

※※※

“goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goAL!! goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAL!!!”

The German commentator roared so much that he almost stood on the table to cheer himself up. And the commentators from various countries responsible for the live broadcast of this game were also roaring in different languages and ways.

Zhang Jun staggered, and desperately maintained his balance, moving his hands like rowing a boat. He was a hero now, and falling into the water would greatly affect his image.

Buffon lay on the ground, looking at the ball in the goal behind him with an unbelievable expression. His eyes had never left the ball, but for a moment, the moment Zhang Jun wound up his leg, the ball disappeared from his eyes. When he found the ball again, it was in the air, flying towards the goal behind him.

Just as Zhang Jun had straightened his waist, Yang Pan pounced on him, completely knocking him down. He was even more excited than Zhang Jun, and his momentum carried the two of them out of the baseline, stopping only when they hit the advertising boards.

The big screen on the scene and the TV were taking the time to replay the goal just now, because most people hadn't seen what happened in front of the goal just now.

※※※

After Zhang Jun had his shooting angle blocked by Buffon, he still chose to shoot. He wound up his right leg, preparing to shoot at the far