The words of the Brazilian team's coach were not wrong; they couldn't possibly drag the match to a penalty shootout because if it did, there would be no chance of victory.
Even if Tian Luo could break through Wang Fanfan's defense, could the other players of the Brazilian team?
Unless their goalkeeper was confident of saving all five of the opposing team's penalties, it would be impossible for Tian Luo alone to defeat their opponents. Dragging it to extra time would still be a dead end. The only way to win was to defeat the opponent within regular time.
Therefore, the Brazilian team's head coach stated during his pre-match strategic briefing that this match had only one theme: offense. They would tear through the opponent's defense with fierce attacks.
A
Soon, the match began, and just as predicted before the game, the Brazilian team unleashed a ferocious offensive at the start.
However, what differed from the pre-match predictions was that the Am team showed no intention of defending. After the defenders snatched the ball from the Brazilian team, almost the entire Am team surged forward, all rushing into the Brazilian team's half.
Before the attacking Brazilian players could even react to what was happening, their opponents had collectively disappeared. In their haste, these Brazilian players retreated to defend, but unfortunately, this was an attack meticulously planned by the Am team, with almost their entire squad pushing forward. The Brazilian defense line was also too weak.
Thus, a mere three minutes after the opening whistle, the Am team broke through the Brazilian team's goal, leaving the entire stadium of spectators stunned.
After conceding a goal, the Brazilian team realized they had been tricked and counter-attacked with even greater fury. Due to the gap in their hard strength, the half was quickly pushed back to the Am team's side.
However, the Brazilian team soon realized with surprise that the Am team had no intention of prioritizing defense. They still maintained a full attacking formation. After successfully intercepting the ball, the Am team's defenders would send long passes into the opponent's half. With their delicate footwork, they could often change the entire dynamic of the game in an instant.
The Am team's offense was even more ferocious than Brazil's. They ran tirelessly, not sparing their energy, creating numerous shooting opportunities. As a result, in the 32nd minute of the first half, the Am team successfully scored another goal.
Thus, Brazil retaliated five minutes later, but the score remained 2:1 to the opponent, which the Brazilian team found unacceptable.
However, the score remained the same until the end of the first half.
But during halftime, the Brazilian team's coach confidently told his players that he had seen through Messi's intentions.
Messi clearly realized that he couldn't hold on for 120 minutes, so Messi also wanted to secure victory within 90 minutes.
"But the Chinese players' stamina is too weak, far inferior to ours. And after their intense battles in the first half, their stamina in the second half is likely less than a quarter. So, we must continue to launch fierce attacks in the second half. I believe we can score at least 3-4 goals in the second half, while the opponent's offense will become weak and ineffective." The coach's words ignited the players' confidence.
As expected, starting from the second half, the Chinese team's offense was no longer as sharp as in the first half, and their defense had become weaker. However, their defensive players were very persistent, defending with all their might.
In the eighth minute of the second half, as a defender was desperately defending, his arm touched the ball. The referee immediately blew for a penalty, and the Brazilian fans in the stadium erupted in cheers. In their eyes, the moment to equalize had arrived.