Chapter 1 Actually, a Draw Away Against Japan Is a Completely Acceptable Result for China, Even Exceeding Some People's Pre-Match Predictions

But after watching the game, everyone was not satisfied with the result, because China actually had a chance to win the game, if it wasn't for He Ying wasting that one-on-one opportunity.

So after the game, He Ying's performance became the focus of everyone's discussion.

Zhou Yi was asked about He Ying when he was interviewed.

A reporter said, "If He Ying had scored that goal, would we have been able to win against Japan away from home?"

But Zhou Yi shook his head and disagreed with this statement: "Hindsight is meaningless, and there are no 'ifs' in football. It's not wise to nitpick and make various assumptions after the game. Otherwise, if that's the case, Japan could also say that if they had just scored one more of their many shots, they would have won. I think it's already very good to get a draw away from home, I don't think there's anything unacceptable about this result. Besides, if He Ying had scored, maybe my goal wouldn't have existed?"

He and He Ying were good friends, so the reporters could tell that he was actually defending He Ying. Someone asked again: "Do you think He Ying's performance in this game is related to the fact that he hasn't played for Barcelona for three consecutive rounds?"

This question was more sensitive and more difficult to answer than the previous one.

Logically, of course it was related, but Zhou Yi once again lied through his teeth, he shook his head: "No way. If he had played all three of those games and came back and performed poorly, wouldn't you ask him if his poor performance was related to playing too many games for Barcelona and being physically tired? I've already said, don't ask questions about hindsight, you're using the result to infer backwards, and then finding reasons that fit to explain the result, this kind of behavior is meaningless. The outcome of a game is very complicated, it's unfair to simply put the blame on any one person."

Zhou Yi spoke very impolitely, and the reporters looked at each other. Some people thought of the time during the Olympics when Zhou Yi confronted the media head-on. This kid usually seems very approachable, but he also has a stubborn temper...

They knew that if they continued to ask, they would probably be scolded by Zhou Yi again, which would make everyone unhappy, and there was no need for that.

So no one asked any more questions related to He Ying.

Or rather, no one asked any more questions.

Zhou Yi waved to them and left.

※※※

Even Zhou Yi was caught by reporters and asked about He Ying, so of course the reporters were even more hoping to interview He Ying himself.

But they were not able to catch He Ying.

After the final whistle sounded, He Ying returned to the locker room as soon as possible and did not come out again.

Until the Chinese team left the Tokyo National Stadium, no one was able to interview him.

Zhou Yi didn't talk to He Ying about this matter either. He had already said everything he needed to say. Now, if he went to He Ying again, it would make people feel like he was blaming He Ying for not listening to him in the first place.

There was absolutely no need.

Besides, everyone was an adult, they made their own choices, they bear the consequences themselves, and if they couldn't figure it out, nothing anyone else said would be of any use.

※※※

After playing a game against the Japanese team, this national team match was considered over. In the top ten qualifiers, the Chinese team played three games, with a record of two wins and one draw, accumulating seven points, temporarily ranking second. The Japanese team had four games, two wins and two draws, accumulating eight points, ranking first.

In another game played later that day, Australia surprisingly lost 1-2 to Qatar away from home. And so, Australia had played three top ten qualifying games, but had not yet won a game... two draws and one loss, with only two points, ranking fourth. Qatar, thanks to the victory in this game, had three points, ranking third. Oman, with the same two points as Australia, ranked fifth in the group, last place.

This was really surprising to many people. Before the top ten qualifiers started, probably few people could have imagined that Group B would be in such a situation.

A month later, on October 16, the Chinese team will face Australia at home. Australia, which hasn't won any of its three games, urgently needs a victory. Even though China is at home, this game will actually be difficult.

But those are things that will happen a month later, and the players don't need to think too much now, they still have club matches to play.

The foreign players didn't even return to China with the main national team, but instead took different flights directly from Tokyo to their respective club locations.

The game against Japan was played on September 11, and the third round of the Bundesliga started on September 14. Borussia Dortmund's home game against Bayer Leverkusen was on the afternoon of September 15, and Schalke 04's away game against Greuther Fürth was on the evening of September 15.

Zhou Yi and Yang Muge both returned to the hotel after the game, and went straight to Narita Airport with their luggage. They slept on the plane, rested on the plane, otherwise they wouldn't have enough time. They should have returned to Germany on September 12. With only three days left before the game, it would not be easy for them to recover from the jet lag and regain their league form in these three days.

Guo Nu's situation was only slightly better than theirs, because Cesena's game was on the afternoon of September 15, so he had one more day to adjust than Zhou Yi and Yang Muge.

The person who didn't have to worry about lack of energy or time was He Ying. Because even if he returned to Barcelona, he might not be able to play, so even though Barcelona's away game against Getafe was on the evening of September 15, it had nothing to do with He Ying.

After Zhou Yi returned to Dortmund, he was not even included in the squad for the third round of the league, because in such a short period of time, traveling back and forth tens of thousands of kilometers and playing high-intensity games was really too much to ask. Not to mention that the Champions League group stage was right after this round of league games. Compared to the group stage of the group of death, what did the league count for?

However, Dortmund without Zhou Yi still easily defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at home.

Yang Muge started for Schalke 04 in the away game against Greuther Fürth, which Schalke won 2-0, and played the entire game. His physical fitness was much better than Zhou Yi's, so there was no need to worry about his stamina not being enough after playing continuously.

Guo Nu, who returned to Cesena, also played the entire game, helping Cesena draw 0-0 with Udinese at home.

Cesena, who are in Serie B, have no European competition tasks and don't need to use any rotation tactics. This was the first game of the new season in which Cesena did not concede a goal.

He Ying, as expected, did not appear in Barcelona's squad, and Barcelona defeated Getafe 4-1 away from home, with four wins in four games, scoring twelve goals and conceding only three, with a goal difference of nine, leading the La Liga standings. Although Guardiola no longer continued to coach this team, Barcelona seemed to have its own system that allowed the team to continue to operate perfectly, no matter who came to be the head coach, as long as they were within this system, there would be no adaptation period or break-in period.

Back then, when Guardiola had just taken over the Barcelona first team, having never had any first-team coaching experience before, he led Barcelona to the treble in his first season, and at the end of the year, he won an unprecedented sextuple crown, sweeping all the championships that could be won that year.

It was the beginning of the glorious era of the "Dream Team Three."

Judging from Barcelona's current momentum, Villanova might continue the glory of the Dream Team Three.

Of course, it's unknown whether this glory will have anything to do with He Ying at that time...

※※※

In the third round of the Bundesliga, Zhou Yi didn't play a single minute and got plenty of rest.

Next, he will devote himself to the preparations for the Champions League group stage.

Borussia Dortmund's first Champions League group stage opponent is the weakest team in this group, Ajax—the weakest in comparison.

Moreover, Borussia Dortmund is playing at home, so they must defeat Ajax.

How many goals they win by is only related to face, and has no practical significance. Because in the Champions League group stage, if the scores are the same, the head-to-head record between the two teams with the same score is compared first, then the goal difference in the head-to-head matches is compared. If it is still the same, then the team with more away goals in the head-to-head matches is ranked higher. If it is still the same at this step, then the total goal difference and total number of goals in the group stage are compared.

The probability of Borussia Dortmund and Ajax having the same score is really a bit low. At least Borussia Dortmund is very confident in this.

But Ajax's coach, Frank de Boer, had a different opinion. Before coming to Germany, he was interviewed by the local Dutch media and expressed full confidence.

"The meaning of the group of death is that each team in this group is very close in strength, and whoever wins or loses is possible and normal. So why can't we beat Borussia Dortmund away from home? If Borussia Dortmund underestimates us because of this, then we don't mind giving them a hard time. I want to remind Klopp that he'd better have his team playing with twelve points of spirit!"

How did Klopp respond?

"We will not underestimate any opponent, but we will not belittle ourselves either. This is Borussia Dortmund's home, and of course we should naturally win a victory."

There are still three days before the game, and the war of words between the two sides has already begun.

At the same time, in Real Madrid and Manchester City, the atmosphere was equally tense and full of gunpowder.

This has to make the media sigh—it really is a genuine group of death!

They haven't even played a single game yet, and the atmosphere is already a bit intense. If they play two rounds, what will everyone tear each other into... It's simply exciting!