Chapter 1 The Blitz

All the Japanese players on the field, except for their goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, were running and pressing tirelessly.

They could almost hear the words of their coach, Takashi Kantsuka, echoing in their ears: "...The Chinese team will never expect us to suddenly change our usual style, so we can catch them off guard! But this Chinese team is different from the one you remember. They won't collapse easily! They have a very strong midfield and the ability to adjust. After the initial confusion, they will definitely make adjustments. So the time you have won't be much. You must score as soon as possible! Use goals to completely disrupt their rhythm!"

Pressing in the front is ultimately for scoring goals. If they can intercept the ball directly in the front, the threat to the Chinese goal will naturally be greater.

Every player on the Japanese Olympic team held this belief, giving them strength on the field. With clear goals, full of motivation, their performance was naturally excellent.

The Chinese team, caught off guard, was in disarray facing the Japanese team's siege.

For a long time, Chinese players have had a complex attitude towards Japanese players.

On one hand, Japanese players are indeed more capable and skilled than Chinese players. On the other hand, due to the historical grievances between China and Japan, Chinese players rarely have good feelings towards Japanese players. A typical example is Sun Pan, who refers to Japanese players as "Little Japanese," which would cause an uproar if reported by the media. However, many people privately call Japanese players this.

On one hand, their strength is inferior to the opponent, and on the other hand, they look down on the opponent.

This contradictory mentality has long dominated Chinese players. In this Olympics, the Chinese team performed very well, eliminating South Korea in the quarter-finals, eliminating the "Korean Fear." The semi-final victory over Brazil further stimulated the Olympic team's players. With confidence bursting, they naturally couldn't take the Japanese Olympic team seriously.

Although it may sound incredible, the Chinese Olympic team was somewhat complacent in the final when facing their opponent, the Japanese Olympic team...

This complacency, coupled with the Japanese team's all-out effort, immediately turned the situation against the Chinese team.

Even more seriously, they were restricting Zhou Yi.

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From the moment the game started, Zhou Yi noticed that there was someone extra by his side.

Hotaru Yamaguchi, the defensive midfielder for the Japanese Olympic team.

This person was like his shadow, following him wherever he went.

When he moved to the wing, Yamaguchi followed. When he returned to the center, Yamaguchi followed. When he retreated to the edge of the penalty area, Yamaguchi also followed, even if it meant he was on the same line as the Japanese forward, Kensuke Nagai.

Is this a defensive midfielder?

This is a damn libero!

Before this match, Zhou Yi had simulated dozens of games against the Japanese team in the virtual space. The virtual system, based on the Japanese team's usual tactics in the real world, simulated the "virtual Japanese Olympic team's" tactics. In none of those games did Zhou Yi encounter the situation he faced in this match.

He wouldn't be surprised if Yang Muge followed him around in a simulation against Schalke 04, because Schalke 04 had actually done that to him in real games.

But Japan had never used such an extreme man-marking defense tactic.

Of course, Zhou Yi had never played against the Japanese team, whether in the national team or the Olympic team...

So this was a completely new situation for Zhou Yi, a genuine surprise.

With the virtual system, there weren't many things that could surprise Zhou Yi on the real football field.

This arrangement by the Japanese team did cause Zhou Yi some trouble. Wherever he went, Yamaguchi was there, even if he made a long pass forward, and the other Japanese players retreated to participate in the defense, Yamaguchi was still by his side.

He Ping, in the commentary box, found it quite amusing: "It looks like Yamaguchi has fallen in love with Zhou Yi, and they're having a private date on the field!"

Mark Lawrenson also said: "The Japanese team is going to extreme lengths to defend Zhou Yi. I've never seen anything like this before, a defensive midfielder positioned at the very front of the Japanese formation... They are really wary of Zhou Yi. To neutralize Zhou Yi, the Japanese team has sacrificed one player in midfield. But so far... it seems to be working."

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The pressing and surrounding in the front, coupled with the tight restriction on Zhou Yi, made it awkward for the Chinese team to play, while the Japanese team thrived.

Finally, in the eighteenth minute, the Japanese team, through a series of frantic pressing in the front, intercepted the ball from Zhang Jiadong and launched a counterattack on the spot.

When the ball fell to Yuki Otsu, the Chinese team hadn't had time to organize an effective defense.

Yuki Otsu then took a low shot near the penalty spot. The ball was deflected by Sun Pan's diving save, but still bounced into the goal...

"Oh no!" He Ping exclaimed. "The goal is in! The Japanese team took the lead! The Chinese team was flustered by the Japanese team's pressure..."

His tone was undisguised with regret and disappointment.

"Yuki Otsu! Great goal! This is a very important goal for Japan! The deadlock has been broken!" Mark Lawrenson said excitedly. As a neutral commentator, he welcomed anything that made the game more exciting.

The Japanese team took the lead. How will the Chinese team respond? He was waiting to see.

The Japanese commentator cheered excitedly, pumping his fist in the air: "Yuki Otsu! Yuki Otsu! Yuki Otsu!! We're in the lead! Long live Japan!! Long live Japan! Let's sprint towards the gold medal! We will create history!"

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On the Chinese internet, when Yuki Otsu scored, there were countless curses, as nasty as could be. After all, there was a long-standing feud between China and Japan, and conceding a goal to the Japanese team was not just disappointing, but also infuriating.

Zhang Jiadong, who lost the ball, also became the target of attacks.

In fact, although Zhang Jiadong couldn't hear the curses from his own country, he knew that he was responsible for the goal, because the ball was intercepted from his feet.

After losing the ball, he desperately tried to defend, but to no avail. He rushed into the penalty area, covered his face with his hands, and was very frustrated and annoyed.

The goal scorer, Yuki Otsu, ran past him excitedly, toward the camera lens at the corner flag, then slid on his knees, a beautiful celebration.

The other Japanese players also cheered and ran over.

They had completed the task their coach had given them. Everyone was full of confidence in victory! This goal showed that their pressing tactics in the mid-to-front court were correct. Since the method was correct and the direction was correct, they just needed to keep moving forward!

While the Japanese players were celebrating, they were convinced that if they continued to play like this, they could definitely defeat the Chinese team.

Compared to the excited Japanese players, the Chinese players were all a little stunned, almost petrified.

Before the game, after defeating Brazil, they felt that taking down the Japanese team would secure the gold medal. Some people had even imagined how they would perform well on the highest podium of the Olympics. Their outstanding performance in the Olympics made them feel that the Japanese team was not their opponent at all. As a result, they conceded a goal to the Japanese team first...

This gap was indeed quite discouraging.

Sun Pan, whose goal was broken by the "Little Japanese," jumped up from the ground angrily, opened his mouth to curse, but couldn't make a sound. He swallowed the breath hard, clenched his fists.

He couldn't blame Zhang Jiadong for losing the ball, nor could he blame the other teammates on the defensive line who didn't close in on the center in time, that would be infighting.

While Zhang Jiadong was still blaming himself for losing the ball, Zhou Yi came to his side and put his hand on his shoulder: "This isn't your fault."

He said.

Zhang Jiadong lowered his hands covering his face, looked at Zhou Yi, and didn't know what to say.

Zhou Yi didn't say anything more, just patted him on the shoulder.

Then he stood next to Zhang Jiadong, clapping his hands hard, as if he was deliberately applauding. His movements and the sounds he made attracted the attention of many people, including not only Chinese players, but also some Japanese players and fans.

After attracting everyone's attention, Zhou Yi raised his arm: "Everyone, come here!"

He shouted loudly.

"Come here for a meeting!"