Chapter 128 Tactical Transformation

While Qiu Suhui was planning for the future, Brazil launched an attack. Relying on their skillful techniques and tacit understanding of positioning, they passed the ball continuously in the midfield no less than five times, without the Chinese team's players even touching the ball.

Emerson passed the ball to Kaka, who cut inside before passing back to the advancing Emerson. Facing Li Yi's defense, Emerson flicked the ball with his heel to Lucio coming up from behind. Lucio then switched the ball directly to Ze Roberto on the left, who finally passed it to Ronaldinho.

Several times, it seemed like the Chinese players could intercept the ball, but they still couldn't touch it, even with all their efforts.

The Brazilian team was completely in form. A Brazilian team that dared to play with flair on the field would be hard to beat.

This further strengthened Qiu Suhui's idea of giving up. He had already told Zhao Pengyu to warm up, only to return at his call.

After receiving the ball, Ronaldinho didn't rush to pass it again. Instead, he started to "samba" in front of Li Yongle, who was defending him. He feigned with his left foot as if to hook the ball, but Li Yongle, fearing a *la croceta*, didn't move. Seeing Li Yongle unmoved, Ronaldinho knew the feint was useless. He had no choice but to pull the ball back and reassess.

Li Yongle also didn't follow up, maintaining a certain distance from Ronaldinho, because he was afraid of being beaten by one of Ronaldinho's unpredictable moves.

Ronaldinho nudged the ball to the side, as if he was going to dribble horizontally. Only then did Li Yongle decide to press him, but he still cautiously stayed on the inside, not getting too close to Ronaldinho. With someone like Ronaldinho, the closer you got, the more likely you were to be beaten.

Ronaldinho ignored Li Yongle's intentions. He dribbled horizontally, looking at Li Yongle's front, but suddenly passed the ball to their side and rear, a through-ball over the top!

The ball flew past Li Yongle and over the heads of the entire Chinese defense. None of them could intercept it, and they could only look up as the ball flew into the space behind them. Kaka was advancing at high speed and received the ball!

How could Ronaldinho accurately send the ball to the right, allowing Kaka to receive it easily, while facing away from the direction of attack and looking towards the left? Even when facing the direction of attack, not everyone could pass the ball where they wanted it to go.

But Ronaldinho did it, which was one of his two great skills: "Back-to-Goal Passing." He would always look in one direction but pass the ball in another, which was very deceptive and made the audience scream and applaud.

Many members of the Chinese team had seen this kind of performance more than once on television. Now, experiencing it firsthand, they didn't even have time to express their shock, because their goal was already in danger.

Since switching to the right wing, Kaka had been responsible for crossing the ball from the touchline. This time, the Chinese players also thought he would create an angle to cross the ball. So, one by one, they defended the Brazilian players who were ready to receive the cross, leaving Kaka to Xiang Tao alone.

Xiang Tao kept his distance from Kaka, preventing him from crossing. Kaka pushed the ball towards the touchline, and Xiang Tao immediately followed. He knew Kaka was going to cross the ball. Sure enough, Kaka swung his right foot, the starting motion for a cross. Xiang Tao quickly sent his right leg forward, hoping to block the ball.

Unexpectedly, Kaka's cross was a feint. His right leg swung down, hooking the ball back. Xiang Tao couldn't stop his momentum and slid past. There was no one to stop Kaka anymore. He lightly tapped the ball and entered the penalty area!

It was terrifying to let any Brazilian player into the penalty area without being blocked, let alone with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Adriano following him in, forming a three-point attack in front of the goal.

Kaka looked up to assess the situation.

"Will he pass the ball?" the commentator couldn't help but shout.

An Ke thought so too. There were three Brazilian players in front of the goal, all of whom were several times better than the Chinese defenders. On the other hand, Kaka had a small angle and a bad position. It would be difficult to shoot directly. If he passed the ball, his teammates would have a better chance of scoring than he did. He had no reason not to pass the ball.

Thinking this, An Ke moved his body back slightly, ready to turn around and pounce on a shot from a receiving player.

Kaka saw this and understood what An Ke was thinking. He knew that An Ke was quick to react, something he had known since high school. An Ke was often proud of this. But today, Kaka was going to make him pay for being quick to react.

An Ke saw Kaka raise his foot. Judging from the movement of his right ankle, it was undoubtedly a cross. An Ke's whole body tensed up, ready to pounce at any time, waiting for the ball to leave Kaka's foot.

Come on, come on, let me end your attack! An Ke muttered to himself.

Kaka saw that An Ke's center of gravity was leaning towards the far post, which meant... he was fooled!

The moment his right foot touched the ball, he suddenly changed the direction of his ankle, changing the push with his inner instep to a powerful shot with his outer instep!

Almost at the same time, An Ke lunged back, but in the opposite direction of the shot. He could only watch as the ball flew past the near post and into the goal.

Goal!

Brazil led China 2-1 again!

Kaka scored his first goal in the World Cup!

The Brazilian fans stood up and cheered, while the Brazilian players rushed towards Kaka. Kaka raised his arms and looked up at the sky, praying to God. This was his signature celebration.

"Brazil! Brazil! Brazil! Brazil!" The only sound that could be heard in the entire Allianz Arena was this chant.

The Chinese fans were silent. In the twenty-seventh minute of the second half, the powerful Brazil had taken the lead again. And before the goal, they had the advantage. It would be difficult to play the rest of the match.

An Ke angrily slammed the soccer ball on the ground. He wasn't angry at his teammates' performance—in fact, this goal wasn't the fault of the Chinese players at all—he was angry at being tricked by Kaka. "Ankle feint... well done, Kaka! I won't let you score again!" He gritted his teeth and muttered.

Seeing this goal, Qiu Suhui also tilted his head back. Oh well, it was a good time for me to make adjustments. This game was no longer of great significance, so it was better to save some strength for the game against Senegal.

"Tell Zhao Pengyu to come back," he turned to Hu Li and said.

※※※

"...Kaka scored a goal, putting Brazil ahead again. Who would have thought that five years ago, he and several players on the Chinese team were high school classmates? The different environments in which they developed have made him now far ahead of his classmates. A bright superstar is rising..." Li Yan typed these words on his laptop, feeling endless emotion.

Zhang Jun was very successful in the Netherlands, and Yang Pan's transfer to AC Milan had earned Chinese soccer a lot of face. Kruse had the ability to enter the English national team, but they paled in comparison to Kaka, their starlight dimmed.

In the current national team, An Ke was probably the closest to Kaka in terms of strength.

From this game, Yang Pan was more like a full-back than an attacking midfielder, which may have been related to his frequent guest appearances in multiple positions at AC Milan. Li Yongle was also like a midfield utility player, still not getting enough games in the Inter Milan first team. Kruse was still too young and hadn't shown his Premier League level, probably because the World Cup atmosphere made him a bit overwhelmed. Zhang Jun... apart from that exciting goal, to be honest, the audience rarely saw him on the field. Lacking strong support from the midfield and defense, he seemed somewhat unremarkable. Not to mention Wu Shanshan.

An Ke was different. Perhaps because of the strength of Brazil's attack, he always had a chance to shine. Several wonderful saves in the game were impressive. Goalkeeper was a position that required experience and accumulation. It was rare for someone like An Ke, who was only twenty-four years old, to be a starter in the national team and win the favor of Bayern Munich, which further proved his strength.

A goalkeeper's strength couldn't be faked. You couldn't become an excellent goalkeeper if your performance was sometimes good and sometimes bad.

An Ke's achievements were inseparable from his own strength.

Weak teams produce great goalkeepers.

Given the strength of the Chinese team, An Ke's value would greatly increase after this World Cup. Bayern must be regretting not snatching him away, and how long could a team like Dortmund, which was running a deficit, keep him?

※※※

Bayern Munich's coach Magath sat in a box watching the game, because there were two Bayern players in the Brazilian team: center-back Lucio and left midfielder Ze Roberto.

On the other hand, he was also here to observe An Ke's performance.

"It's a pity, Kaka is a little bit smarter than An." Magath patted the armrest of the sofa, hoping An Ke could save the goal.

"He's already performed well enough, it's hard to believe he's only twenty-four years old," the assistant coach next to him replied.

"But every time he saves a shot, I regret it a little more. Why didn't the club take a stronger stance to sign him?" Magath shrugged, still complaining about the club.

The assistant coach smiled and shook his head: "Those old men are more interested in German goalkeepers. An's refusal just gave them the best excuse."

"Damn nationality..." Magath muttered, no longer speaking, and concentrating on watching the game.

Now, the Chinese team had an attacking opportunity.

※※※

Li Yongle would never want people to say he was a midfield utility player, and Kruse didn't want to hear comments after the game saying that he was "too young, had never seen the world, had weak legs, and couldn't perform." Yang Pan also felt that playing as a full-back wasn't his job. Although Zhang Jun scored a goal, he wasn't satisfied, and Wu Shanshan didn't want to be "not worth mentioning."

This should be considered the most dangerous attack of the entire game for the Chinese team, apart from the goal.

Li Yongle successfully dispossessed Ronaldinho, which was rare in his one-on-one encounters with Ronaldinho.

After dispossessing the ball, he started to dribble forward. The Brazilian players didn't dare to rush up to tackle him, because there were four Chinese players in front of him, and these four Chinese players were all covered by specific players. Li Yongle's sudden forward advance should be an unexpected situation. Ronaldinho failed to stop him in the first instance, which forced the Brazilian defenders to make a choice. Any Brazilian player who rushed up might create a gap behind him. If his tackle caused Li Yongle to pass the ball to a Chinese player behind him, the threat would be great.

As a result, Ze Roberto accompanied Li Yongle for more than thirty meters, until he passed the center circle.

Li Yongle didn't dribble any further, he passed the ball to Kruse.

Kruse's first touch was a bit heavy, which was considered a mistake. Kaka, who was tracking back, intended to slide tackle the ball away, but Kruse jumped up and performed a *Marseille Turn*, not only beautifully deceiving Kaka but also adjusting his dribbling direction.

Now he had the ball, facing the goal.

Emerson pressed up. He was responsible for Kruse, and he could no longer just escort him. He had to get serious. His movements were a bit rough, and his hands were also busy, pulling and pushing.

Kruse only focused on controlling the ball firmly under his feet. He nudged and hooked the ball with his left foot, tricking Emerson into committing a tackle, but then nudged the ball to the right. Everyone thought he would break through from the right, and Emerson was no exception, so he quickly shifted his weight back. But Kruse once again hooked the ball to the left, making Emerson run for nothing.

At this moment, Kruse, having fooled Emerson, dribbled past his opponent, running very freely.

Zhang Jun and Wu Shanshan were at the forefront, staying parallel to the Brazilian defense, paying attention not to be offside. They were both waiting for Kruse's pass, as were the Brazilian players.

Kruse made a feint as if he was going to pass the ball inside, but passed the ball to Yang Pan on the side. This forced the Brazilian defense to adjust again to defend Yang Pan's shot.

Yang Pan received the ball in front of the penalty area, which was the position Qiu Suhui had assigned him before the game, as the right attacking midfielder.

He swung his right leg, aiming at the goal. Kaka was familiar with this pose. He only hoped Yang Pan would shoot.

"He's going to shoot! Be careful..." Before he could finish speaking, Carlos rushed up at lightning speed, using his body to block Yang Pan's shot.

His right leg swung down, full of power, it was indeed a shot... uh, wait! Not a shot! Not a shot! Yang Pan's right foot suddenly slowed down before touching the ball, and then his toes scooped under the ball like a shovel, a chip pass!

The ball flew over the heads of the Brazilian defenders, towards the enticing space behind them - the penalty area.

Zhang Jun rushed out, running to receive the ball. He knew that Yang Pan had passed the ball to him. Although the Brazilian players raised their hands to signal that he was offside, he ignored them. He knew whether he was offside. He had been parallel to the opposing defenders all along. So he didn't even look at the linesman and stretched out his foot to stop the ball.

Dida charged out! At one meter ninety-seven, his height and long arms gave him a sense of oppression. Zhang Jun only felt a dark shadow pressing down on him. He charged out so fast...

Should I pass it to Wu Shanshan on the side?

That was only a moment's hesitation, less than half a second. Zhang Jun finally chose to shoot, because he had confidence in himself.

His right foot stopped the ball in the air. The ball hadn't landed, and his foot hadn't landed either. He raised it again and chipped the ball!

He wanted to chip the ball over Dida, who was one meter ninety-seven tall and at least two meters three when he raised his hands!

Dida had already jumped into the air and couldn't jump again. Zhang Jun thought he was sure to win this time. But Dida stretched out his left arm, trying to reach the ball as much as possible. He pushed off with his feet, using the force to reach the ball!

He used his fingertips to push the ball back with force. Success or failure hinged on this "push." Which side would God stand on?

The ball bounced up and continued to fly back, fly back... finally flying over the crossbar and out of bounds!

It didn't go in! The ball didn't go in!! My God!!

Zhang Jun knelt on the ground, helplessly watching the ball land on the advertising boards behind the goal. His chip was sudden, wanting to catch Dida off guard, but he didn't expect it to make him use not enough force, failing to completely chip the ball over Dida's long arms.

Regret, regret!

Wu Shanshan on the side was also a little dissatisfied. Just now, when Dida charged out, if Zhang Jun had passed the ball horizontally, it would have been an opportunity to score into an empty goal. But Zhang Jun didn't do that. Of course, he could only be dissatisfied in his heart and didn't dare to show it, after all, although Zhang Jun was young, he was definitely considered his senior. He was also eager to score, and everyone was doing it for the good of the team, so there was no need to fuss over such small things.

Yang Pan ran up to pull Zhang Jun up, comforting him: "It's okay, it's okay, we still have a corner kick." He waved to Li Yongle, signaling him to quickly take the corner kick.

But Zhang Jun didn't think so. What if they had a corner kick? The best opportunity was gone. Zhang Jun clicked his tongue, with a helpless and absent-minded expression.

At this time, the referee signaled to wait for the corner kick, there was a substitution on the sidelines.

The Chinese team requested a substitution, Zhang Jun, number 11, off, Zhao Pengyu, number 21, on.

Zhang Jun was facing away from the sidelines and didn't see the card in the fourth official's hand. He didn't know he was being substituted until Wu Shanshan came over and pulled him. Only then did he react, turning around to look at the sidelines. It was indeed him being substituted. Zhao Pengyu was standing next to the fourth official, looking eager to try.

He looked back at the goal, and then ran off the field unwillingly.

We have to hurry, we are still behind by one goal.

He quickly slapped hands with Zhao Pengyu at the sidelines, and then walked back to the bench. Qiu Suhui pulled him over: "You did a good job, but I know you must still be unsatisfied. But we need to rest now, and I won't give you so much rest time in the remaining games."

Zhang Jun understood Qiu's intention. Although he failed to score again, it was better to save some strength now for the long term.

The Chinese fans gave Zhang Jun a long applause that lasted for a long time before stopping. They didn't care about how Zhang Jun performed overall in this game, nor did they care that Zhang Jun's statistics ranked only fifth in the team. They were only excited about the goal Zhang Jun scored, that one goal was enough to make up for his mediocrity at other times.

This was the forward.

※※※

Although the Chinese team substituted a forward, they didn't just give up. Qiu Suhui withdrew one player, but added a midfielder. Qiu Suhui still wanted to maintain a certain degree of balance on the field.

Substituting Zhang Jun was just a retreat, not a rout.

So the Chinese boys continued to fight against the Brazilian team on the field. If their skills were not as good, they would make up for it with their spirit, running, and tackles.

In the past, some Chinese fans would always disdainfully say after the Chinese team won a thrilling victory: "Their skills are not as good as others, winning is just luck, there's nothing to be happy about."

Little did they know that for teams that were already weak, asking them to win with skills was just standing and talking without back pain. It was not shameful to win with spirit.

But the current situation was that the Chinese team was using their spirit to ensure that they wouldn't lose too badly. Now, few people still expected them to win.

※※※

"Hold on! There are five minutes left!!" An Ke pressed Adriano's long shot firmly under his body. He stood up and waved his fists at his teammates, cheering them on.

※※※

"Mark your man! Prevent them from passing the ball behind!" Yang Pan tackled Kaka's through ball out of bounds. He was originally on the right, but now he had to run to the left to defend. Sometimes, he was more like a captain on the field than Zheng Jun.

※※※

"..." Li Yongle silently tackled Ze Roberto, who was dribbling the ball, from the side. The referee didn't whistle, which made Ze Roberto very annoyed, but who could he blame? Although Li Yongle's tackle was fierce, it was absolutely clean.

Later, Pereira also substituted Ronaldo, but judging from Ronaldo's expression as he left the field, he was somewhat dissatisfied with not being allowed to play the entire game. Pereira didn't care about him. He was a tough coach who had temporarily removed Ronaldo from the national team before the Confederations Cup last year, just because he didn't want to participate in that useless Confederations Cup.

In the remaining time, the Brazilian team intentionally slowed down the pace. It could be seen that they were very satisfied with getting all three points in the opening game. The Chinese team was also unable to threaten the Brazilian goal. Although they were behind in the score, they played a good game. They should be proud of their performance, it was not shameful.

Merk was looking at his watch. The three minutes of stoppage time had passed, and he could blow the whistle to end the game at any time. The Brazilian fans had already started dancing the samba on the stands, and the Chinese fans were not as depressed as outsiders imagined. They also looked very happy. Although they lost the game, they saw a vibrant Chinese team, which was the biggest gain of this game.

At the last moment, the Brazilian team controlled the ball in their own half, no longer passing forward. Everyone was waiting for the game to end. Zhang Jun also stood up from the bench. He had temporarily forgotten the unhappiness of losing the game, thinking about how to exchange jerseys with those superstars. After all, he was just a fan who played soccer better than the average person.

"Referee Merk blows his whistle, the game is over! The Chinese team has ended their first game like this! Apart from the score, considering their opponents, they didn't perform badly. I think this game should be considered a good start for their next two games. They played with confidence. Let's wish them good luck in the World Cup!"

※※※

Zhang Jun wanted to exchange jerseys with Ronaldinho, but Kaka stopped him halfway: "Come on, let's exchange jerseys."

Zhang Jun rolled his eyes. He didn't want Kaka's jersey at all, because he could get it anytime he wanted. But since he was stopped, and in front of so many reporters, he was too embarrassed to joke with Kaka.

He took off his jersey and handed it to Kaka, then took Kaka's jersey and threw it over his shoulder. He was just about to say a few more words to Kaka, but he was already surrounded by reporters.

"Zhang Jun, tell us your feelings! You scored the first goal in the Chinese team's history in the World Cup!" Countless microphones were thrust in front of him, hoping to hear this hero's heroic speech.

Zhang Jun glanced at the enthusiastic media, but was not infected by their enthusiasm. He said coldly: "I'd rather I hadn't scored, but the team had won." This was a disappointing answer for the reporters, but it was Zhang Jun's true thought at the moment.

He was indeed very excited when he scored the goal. But after the game, the desire to win completely took over. Few forwards would selfishly say: "Although the team lost, I'm very happy that I scored a goal."

After speaking, Zhang Jun ignored the reporters and walked back to the locker room alone, leaving a group of somewhat bewildered reporters with an unpredictable back view. Of course, on the sidelines, he didn't forget to greet the fans.

Li Yan saw this scene in the press box and shook his head helplessly. There was countless news to be mined from that one goal alone, but Zhang Jun's actions made half of those news disappear. No wonder the domestic media always criticized him whenever something happened.

How long would his uncooperative attitude with the media continue?

He was a hero in the hearts of fans, but he wasn't popular with the media. Who told him he didn't know how to deliberately please people?

※※※

Although they lost the game, Zhang Jun still received congratulations from his teammates after returning to the hotel. Even the German waiters in the hotel gave him a thumbs up. Only then did he smile. What Qiu Zhi said in the locker room was right, they played well, and they also scored a goal, earning praise from the audience. So what was there to regret? They couldn't beat Brazil anyway. More important than this game were the remaining two games, which were the real determinants of life and death. So they had to adjust their mentality and prepare for the second round of the group stage in ten days, on June 19th. Their opponent was Senegal, who had just lost 0-2 to Ukraine.

Two teams that had lost their first-round games had to win their opponents to ensure that they had hope of qualifying. It was indeed a tough battle.

The next day's training was very easy, because they had just finished a game, so the content was mainly recovery. From the coaching staff to the players, they all looked relaxed, and even the reporters on the sidelines received special treatment for full filming and interviews.

The number of fans who came to the training ground today was more than double that of before. Not only were there Chinese fans, but also some German fans. They were all from Dortmund and came to support An Ke.

The fans were very enthusiastic, and the training ground had to send more security guards to maintain order and ensure the safety of the players and the training was not disturbed.

Qiu Suhui didn't care about these things. After he arranged the training content, he pulled Hu Li to the side to study the tactical arrangements for playing Senegal.

Zhang Jun, who scored a goal, became the hero of the fans. Female fans kept screaming his name, and even if he glanced at them, they would almost faint with happiness.

Li Yan joked with Sophie, who was working next to him: "Are you jealous?"

Sophie didn't take her eyes off the camera and said with a smile: "There's nothing to be jealous about. How long have we known each other? This kind of thing is very normal for him."

Li Yan clicked his tongue: "This tone sounds like an old married couple." He was really a little sour in his heart, because he was in his thirties and didn't even have a wife. He stayed in Europe all day, running around, where did he have time to talk about marriage?

Sophie blushed, but she immediately found a way to fight back: "I think Brother Li is jealous, right?"

This time it really hit Li Yan's sore spot. He coughed twice and turned his gaze back to the training ground.

Zhang Jun had a good backing! He sighed in his heart.

Looking at the happy smiles on the faces of the Chinese team players on the training ground, they would definitely have a better performance in the game against Senegal. Li Yan firmly believed.

Because how long had it been since Chinese soccer had this kind of confident smile?

Li Yan knew this smile was short-lived, but it was better than nothing. Even if it was short-lived, he still had to cheer for this national team in his heart three times.

※※※

Most Chinese fans' impression of the Senegal team was still stuck in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. And in fact, it was true. As a former dark horse, they had not achieved any impressive results since then, and many of the former stars in the team were no longer well-known.

The slightly influential Diouf could only hang around in second-rate Premier League teams. The players whose names were often heard in those years were now unknown.

The Chinese team's information about Senegal was as pathetic as the fans' understanding, and it hadn't been updated for a long time. This caused some difficulty for Qiu Suhui's work.

Diouf would still be the team's main striker, but he had nothing left except his speed. Frequent injuries and little playing time at the club made him long past his prime. Papa Bouba Diop, the greatest hero of Senegal's run to the round of 16 in 2002, was known as the "Vieira of Senegal" when he played as a defensive midfielder at the time.

And Khalilou Fadiga, who played for Inter Milan, had a heart problem. Even if he installed an automatic defibrillator, there was still a great risk of playing soccer.

As for most of the other players, they were no longer the same as they were at the last World Cup.

But Qiu Suhui still didn't dare to underestimate Senegal, because he understood that any team that could enter the World Cup finals was not weak.

"Lao Hu, do you think we should attack or defend and counterattack in the next game?"

"It depends on the situation..." Hu Li was still looking at the scarce intelligence information about Senegal.

"Don't look at the situation. We have to set a tone now, so that the players know what to do and what to do."

Hu Li raised his head, looked at Qiu Suhui, and then said: "Attack."

"You think so?"

"Uh." Hu Li nodded, "I have confidence in our attack power."

"But this will let Senegal play a defensive counterattack, and their strikers are not slow."

"It doesn't matter, our Chinese team doesn't lack fast people. And Diouf is not the Diouf of four years ago."

Qiu Suhui smiled: "Then we'll listen to you, attack! We still have about eight days, enough for them to train."

※※※

"Qiu Zhi wants us to attack with all our strength... Are we going to fight Senegal with all our strength?" Zhang Jun lay on the bed and said to Yang Pan, who was in the same room. At the tactical class that had just ended, Qiu Suhui conveyed the idea of attacking Senegal with all their strength to them.

"Whatever, we must win this game anyway." Yang Pan took out the soccer magazine he bought before the World Cup, "I'm more concerned about the game with him." He pointed to the photo of Ukrainian captain Andriy Shevchenko and said.

Zhang Jun got up to take a look, and then lay down again: "Yeah, Sheva also told me that he was looking forward to our game."

"If we win Senegal, then the game with them will be the key to determining who can qualify." Yang Pan looked at Shevchenko's front face photo and said, "It will be very interesting then."

"It's too early to consider this issue. Let's seriously prepare for the game with Senegal in eight days."

"There are still eight days? This rest time is really long." Yang Pan stretched a big lazy waist.

"You'll think it's short soon."

※※※

Xiang Tao yawned very exaggeratedly: "Why does time pass so quickly? God! It's gone in the blink of an eye..."

Tomorrow was the game with Senegal, and Xiang Tao felt that he was not fully prepared, but some people didn't think so.

"Game! Tomorrow is the game! I can't wait!" An Ke yelled with his teeth and claws, "We must beat Senegal!"

"Okay, An Ke, please get off the chair first." Qiu Suhui pushed the door open and saw that the most arrogant person in the team was standing on the chair and shouting.

Everyone laughed. On the eve of this big game, they showed a rare relaxation.

After An Ke sat down embarrassedly, Qiu Suhui put the information in his hand on the table, and then said to everyone: "Tomorrow is the game with Senegal, this is a very crucial game. Remember what I told you?"

"We have nothing to be afraid of!" Someone shouted loudly.

"Very good." Qiu Suhui nodded with satisfaction. "Tomorrow we will play offensive soccer, the formation and lineup are the same as the first game. But you have to put more energy into the attack. Xiang Tao and Wang Hui, I allow you two to assist freely."

The two nodded. They had been practicing side assists this week, and even fools would know what to do on the field.

"In terms of defensive midfielders, Li Yi, you must concentrate on defense, and Li Yongle must advance more. Whether you are shooting from distance or passing, participate in the attack more. Yang Pan and Kruse, you two attacking midfielders can appropriately pull to the side when necessary, creating space for Li Yongle to advance and attracting the attention of the opponent's defenders."

In fact, this was a deformed diamond midfield, just with the two wingers closer to the center.

"Zhang Jun, you are still at the forefront, and Wu Shanshan is slightly behind."

This arrangement was a bit routine, because Qiu Suhui would give the players an hour of tactical class every night, and this arrangement was repeatedly mentioned in the tactical class.

"The center backs should pay attention to the opponent's through balls, An Ke, you should move around more, you must make the entire penalty area your territory."

"No problem. I'm the boss of my territory." An Ke also said a slogan, which made everyone laugh again.

Qiu Suhui was very satisfied with the team's current mental outlook. Of course, this mental outlook had nothing to do with the many meetings that some FA leaders had claimed in the past. As a coach, he was most annoyed by having meetings all the time, a small meeting every day, and a big meeting every three days. So after he took office, he completely cancelled the "meeting" system that was very popular in the national team. Instead of having time to have meetings and talk nonsense, and making the players feel sleepy listening to nonsense, it was better to let everyone relax and rest. This was better than having meetings to adjust their mentality and mental state. "Then tomorrow is the best time to test the training results of our one-and-a-half weeks. Referencing your last game against Brazil, I hope I can see a beautiful... victory tomorrow." He didn't say "game", but "victory", which confirmed that the Chinese team was determined to win this game.

※※※

In the week that the Chinese team devoted themselves to training, the group stage had completed one round. In addition to the opening game, there were also a few evenly matched games that were also attracting attention.

In Group B, Italy beat the United States 1-0, but was criticized by the media as the most boring game since the start of the World Cup. Both sides had few shots, even fewer threatening shots, and the pace was slow, making people drowsy. The only goal was an own goal scored by the United States. Italy's performance was not consistent with the "world power". On the contrary, the only highlight of the game was the young American player Freddy Adu. Judging from his performance in this game, he would definitely become a superstar in the future.

In Group C, the game between France and Sweden ended in a 2-2 draw. Without Zidane, the French team still hadn't found a key figure. Henry was once considered promising, but judging from his performance in the national team, it was really disappointing. On the contrary, the young Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed a maturity that was inconsistent with his age. The goal of this Swedish team was the World Cup quarter-finals. Nigeria was defeated by Paraguay 1-2. Croatia, which showed signs of recovery, also won 1-0 against Iran. Although excellent players were constantly emerging in Iran, they were all shooting stars. For example, their main striker Ali Daei couldn't play at all in Bayern Munich, so he had to be loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt. But his performance there was also not very good. The fact that he could still be selected for the Iranian national team could only show that Iran lacked strikers.

In Group D, Argentina defeated the European champions Greece, laying the foundation for their qualification. This year's Argentina couldn't allow themselves to be eliminated in the group stage. Japan lost to Serbia and Montenegro a bit "accidentally". Both sides performed evenly on the field, but Serbia and Montenegro used a penalty to overtake the score at the last moment. This defeat was a blow to Japan, which declared its goal was the top eight before the game.

In Group E, the game between the host Germany and the Eastern European powerhouse Czech Republic was the focus. In the end, the tenacious Germans narrowly won with a slight advantage, which was also considered revenge for being defeated by the Czech Republic in the European Championship in Portugal. The game between Cameroon and Saudi Arabia was without suspense. Saudi Arabia, the Asian powerhouse that had long been in decline, was completely defeated by Cameroon 3-0.

In Group G, England beat Mexico, and South Korea and Ecuador shook hands and made peace. But this made South Korean fans and the media very unhappy, because they were the fourth-placed team in the last World Cup, and being forced to a draw by a team like Ecuador was called a "cold" and "big cold" by some South Korean media. In fact, Ecuador played well. If it wasn't for a bit of bad luck, the losing team would definitely have been the South Koreans.

In Group H, the game between the Netherlands and Portugal also attracted everyone's attention. In the end, the more energetic Dutch team beat Portugal 2-1.

After the first round of the group stage, there were no surprises - of course, excluding the "cold" that the