When Zhou Yi wound up his left leg outside the penalty area, feigning a shot, the Spanish commentator warned, "Watch out for Zhou Yi's long shots, he's capable of it…"

But then, he watched helplessly as Guo Nu headed Zhou Yi's "shot" into the Spanish goal…

"This goal conceded…" He didn't know what to say. Was it a defensive blunder? Or were the opponents too cunning?

Guo Nu's goal ignited the emotions of all the Chinese fans in the stands of the Arena da Baixada. They leaped to their feet, raising their arms and shouting.

The Arena da Baixada was drowned in the cheers of the Chinese fans.

Guo Nu, who had scored, got up from the ground. First, he confirmed that he had actually scored, seeing the ball lying in the goal.

Then, he excitedly jumped up from the ground, went around the goalpost, ran to the advertising boards, and waved his fists at the Chinese fans in the stands.

The Chinese fans responded with the same gesture and even louder cheers.

Guo Nu was then surrounded by other excited Chinese players.

Zhou Yi and Yan Min, who were the furthest away, also ran over, eager to join in the goal celebration.

"Guo Nu, the center-back who plays for Inter Milan, has broken the deadlock for China! China leads Spain 1-0, and they are now temporarily gaining the upper hand in the competition for qualification with Chile and the Netherlands!" Marcel Reif said excitedly. "According to the current score, China has five points, rising to the top of the group!"

After broadcasting the Chinese team's celebration, the TV broadcast cut to a replay of the goal.

Different angles, different camera positions, allowing everyone to see the goal clearly from all directions.

When Yan Min passed the ball to Zhou Yi, no one expected Zhou Yi to kick the ball like that. His shooting posture was so obvious.

But the subtle adjustment of his ankle at the moment of touching the ball turned a shot into a cross.

The ball passed over the heads of the Spanish defenders and unexpectedly landed behind them.

Before passing the ball, Zhou Yi hadn't even looked in that direction. How could he know there was space there, and that Guo Nu was there to meet the pass?

No one found it incredible. They were used to such performances from Zhou Yi.

Liu Jianhong said happily: "This is Zhou Yi's ability! This is Zhou Yi's role! Only a Chinese team with Zhou Yi can play such an attack! Unexpected passes and accurate passing skills, the young man is already a world-class midfielder! Why did Lippi insist on bringing Zhou Yi to Brazil? Even though he didn't know when he would be able to recover at that time, this goal tells us the reason! Insisting on bringing Zhou Yi was the right decision, and Zhou Yi has not disappointed everyone who believes in him! What a beautiful assist!"

"Zhou Yi's pass is truly wonderful! Ladies and gentlemen, this is Zhou Yi! This is Zhou Yi!" Marcel Reif, who knows Zhou Yi very well, also praised Zhou Yi's performance. "Two consecutive Champions League titles, the assist king of the Bundesliga for four consecutive seasons, and now he has achieved his first assist in the World Cup!"

The Spanish commentator had to be impressed by Zhou Yi's performance: "How can you stop such a ball? Who would have thought it would turn into a cross at the last moment? Too bad, in the last game, we met a hungry Zhou Yi…"

Online, praise from Zhou Yi's fans suddenly appeared.

"This ball is awesome! What a beautiful pass!"

"Zhou Yi! Hahaha! Finally saw Zhou Yi's assist! Worth it!"

"Attention everyone, the protagonist appears!"

"Zhou Yi's pass is too cunning, that's his passing style, often unexpected!"

"Sure enough, we still have to rely on Zhou Yi! With Zhou Yi, our attack is obviously much more organized!"

"Damn, when Guo Nu scored, I actually cried… This ball is so cool!"

※※※

In addition to Zhou Yi, who provided the assist, Guo Nu also received praise from commentators and fans.

Compared to Zhou Yi, Guo Nu's fame is much smaller, and he is not as well-known as Sun Pan, He Ying, or even Yan Min, who has been in the limelight recently.

He is mainly hampered by not participating in European competitions, only being able to play in Serie A, so his fame is certainly not as great as Zhou Yi's.

But he is also a force to be reckoned with.

Otherwise, Inter Milan wouldn't have regretted it again, buying back the other half of his ownership from Siena, allowing him to return to play as a starting center-back.

In any case, Inter Milan is considered a top club. To be able to play as a starter in a top club, you must have something special. Otherwise, the fans of top clubs are very picky.

But Guo Nu has gained a firm foothold at Inter Milan.

The lack of European competition prevents him from being recognized by more people, so he has to prove his strength to the world through the World Cup.

"Guo Nu doesn't have the Champions League to play in at Inter Milan, but I believe that after seeing his performance in this World Cup, Inter Milan will definitely face many offers for Guo Nu next season…" Liu Jianhong joked.

"Guo Nu's diving header was very beautiful and decisive! It seems he knew that Zhou Yi would pass the ball over… As Inter Milan's starting center-back last season, he didn't have such a beautiful goal in the league. He didn't score a single goal last season. As a center-back, the number of goals is certainly not the standard for measuring his performance, and he doesn't need to put all his energy into attacking. Seeing him score a goal for the national team, I'm really happy for him!" The Italian TV commentator knew much more about Guo Nu, after all, he commentates on Serie A matches.

At this World Cup, the Italian media can be said to be very concerned about the Chinese team, after all, the head coach is the famous Italian coach "Silver Fox" Lippi.

In addition, Guo Nu plays in Italy, so Italian media and fans can often see familiar names in the news about the Chinese team.

※※※

The Chinese team finally finished celebrating, and everyone ran back one after another.

Zhou Yi and Guo Nu ran back to their own half side by side. On the way, Zhou Yi turned his head and chatted with Guo Nu: "No bragging, Lao Guo, your forward insertion and header just now were really beautiful."

Hearing Zhou Yi's praise, Guo Nu chuckled.

"By the way, how did you know I would pass the ball there?" Zhou Yi asked.

"One, generally speaking, aren't opportunities at the back… back… back… back post? I didn't expect you… you… would pass… pass there, but since… since I was… was… there, of course I had to… to prepare…" Guo Nu said honestly.

Zhou Yi nodded: "You know what, Lao Guo, I just love chatting with you."

"Huh?" Guo Nu didn't expect Zhou Yi to suddenly say such a sentence, and his mind didn't turn around. "Wh-wh-why?"

"It's good for filling up the word count!" Zhou Yi suddenly sped up and ran away.

Guo Nu was stunned for a moment, before suddenly realizing that Zhou Yi was making fun of him again…

"Damn!" Guo Nu, realizing what had happened, caught up with Zhou Yi and rubbed Zhou Yi's hair wildly with both hands, making Zhou Yi's hairstyle messy like a bird's nest.

※※※

This scene was caught in the lens of the television camera and transmitted through satellite signals, allowing fans all over the world watching the game to see it.

"After the goal, Guo Nu and Zhou Yi don't know what they talked about, and the two started chasing and playing on the field…" Liu Jianhong said with emotion. "It's really rare—in the past, Chinese players always looked overly nervous in such important games, how could there be a scene of players openly playing around on the field? Seeing this scene, my mood suddenly relaxed a lot, because this group of players has a heart that matches the World Cup stage. They have been fully trained in the European leagues and the Champions League, and they are people who have seen big scenes!"

After the Chinese players returned to their own half, the Spanish players had already been waiting in the center circle for a long time.

When the referee Shukralla blew the whistle to start the game, the Spanish players kicked the ball out, and the game continued.

However, at this time, there was not much time left before the end of the first half.

It was almost impossible for Spain to equalize the score before the end of the first half.

Indeed, after the kick-off, Spain quickly launched an attack, seemingly wanting to equalize the score, but their attack was very simple, crude and direct, without any organization. A long pass was made to the wing, and then a cross from the wing, wanting to score with a header.

But this simple and crude way of attacking could not threaten the Chinese team's goal. Guo Nu, who had just scored the leading goal for China with a header, although limited in height, still jumped high with his excellent jumping ability and headed the ball out.

Zhou Yi got the landing point outside the penalty area. After stopping the ball, he didn't immediately pass the ball forward. Despite facing the Spanish players' siege, he still calmly and steadily controlled the ball at his feet, then got rid of the opponent's siege and passed the ball out.

At this time, the first half of the game also came to an end.

When He Ying received Zhou Yi's pass, the referee Shukralla blew the whistle to end the first half of the game.

"The first half of the game is over! With Guo Nu's goal at the last moment, the Chinese team is temporarily leading the Spanish national team with a score of 1:0! This score may surprise friends who have just tuned in, but anyone who has watched the entire first half of the game probably wouldn't think so. China leading the World Cup champion Spain, it's just happening!"