Chapter 271
When the Chinese team players scored, the Japanese TV commentator shouted regretfully, "Ahhh! Goal! The score has been tied by the Chinese team! The scorer is He Ying, who played for Valladolid last season!"

The Japanese players were also hit hard by this goal.

After scoring a goal, they were full of confidence in their tactics, believing that they could take a two-goal lead with a little more effort. Who would have thought that instead of taking a two-goal lead, they would receive the bad news of being tied...

When they conceded the goal just now, they stood on the field in a daze, and it wasn't until later that they got a little better.

But the depression and pain on everyone's face couldn't be concealed.

Shinji Kagawa, sitting in the box, was not surprised to see his compatriots a little distraught by the goal.

In fact, when he saw the Chinese team constantly passing the ball back, even to the goalkeeper, he had a bad feeling.

He was too familiar with this. When he was at Dortmund, everyone played like this, and they played like this naturally because there was a Zhou Yi.

But unfortunately, he was in the box at the time, not on the coaching bench, so he couldn't remind the national Olympic team's coach, Takashi Kantsuka, and the national Olympic team's players. He could only watch them press forward blindly, eventually pressing near the center circle. This was a very dangerous level, but the Japanese national Olympic team's players didn't seem to realize it, their eyes only on the ball, their minds full of how to intercept the Chinese team's ball, and nothing else mattered or could be imagined...

How could there be no problem like this?

He used to be teammates with Zhou Yi, training and playing with Zhou Yi. He always felt that Zhou Yi could motivate everyone, but he wasn't too clear why, and even thought it was Zhou Yi-san's "magic."

But there is no magic power in the real world?

In this game, he was watching from above in the box, and he realized why Zhou Yi had such "magic." Because he was using passes to manipulate the game and everyone involved in it!

Truly amazing!

So the Chinese national Olympic team was able to reach the finals all the way, right?

Shinji Kagawa sighed inwardly.

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"Zhou Yi accurately sent a long pass, and He Ying's forward insertion was also very timely. This goal is really beautiful!!" After the goal, Mark Lawrenson said excitedly. "A brilliant performance! Not only should it be written into textbooks, but it should also be engraved on a stone tablet and erected outside Wembley Stadium!"

His excitement made the British audience in front of the TV a little strange—this goal can of course be regarded as a textbook-like fast break, but is it necessary to be so excited? Also engraved on a stone tablet and erected outside Wembley Stadium? Too exaggerated, right? This is just a fast break goal, the pass and shot are very good, but it's far from "great", right?

These strange viewers didn't understand why Mark Lawrenson was so excited because they didn't know what Mark Lawrenson was thinking.

What Mark Lawrenson was praising was not the final pass and shot, but the seemingly meaningless passes and back-passes before that. Those hid Zhou Yi's talent and ambition—he had already started to lay the groundwork for this goal at that time.

Everyone always says that many goals in football matches are actually illogical, and many are the product of luck. Even if you pass the ball twenty times in a row without losing it, you can't guarantee that the final shot will break the goal.

But this view is not entirely correct for Zhou Yi. Sometimes Zhou Yi seems to be deliberately creating goals.

Because of this, Mark Lawrenson believes that this goal should be erected in the square outside Wembley Stadium for people to admire.

It's a pity that the goal replay part of the live broadcast only started from Zhou Yi's missed ball and turn. The director believed that this was already the biggest highlight of this goal. As for the scalpel-like diagonal long pass, it was just Zhou Yi's normal level of performance, and He Ying's one-on-one was also quite satisfactory.

But this is not to blame the director. Because in Mark Lawrenson's view, it is difficult to show Zhou Yi's football art and philosophy through replay shots—yes, Mark Lawrenson believes that although Zhou Yi is young, he has indeed reached the realm of art and philosophy—because the origin of this goal is not only this back-pass, but also the earlier failed probes. Without those probes, there would be no this goal. Because in those probes, Zhou Yi has been consciously controlling the rhythm and situation of the game, consciously guiding the running positions of both players.

Many players simply don't have time to think in the ever-changing and intense competition. Most of the time, they can only rely on the instinct of their bodies to make movements. But Zhou Yi has been using his brain from beginning to end. He is constantly observing and thinking, and then choosing the best one from countless possibilities.

This is what amazes Mark Lawrenson.

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After the Chinese team players finished celebrating, they ran back to their half. He Ying and Zhou Yi ran side by side, and Zhou Yi turned his head and asked him, "How does it feel to score in the Olympic finals?"

He Ying smiled: "It's pretty cool."

Zhou Yi also smiled, then stretched out a hand and placed it next to He Ying. He Ying slapped it.

This scene of the two people happened to be captured by the camera lens, and He Ping's mouth curled up when he explained: "One assist, one goal, they are the guarantee of the Chinese team's offensive firepower in this Olympic Games. It is said that the two of them met during the recording of a certain reality show and were roommates. And in this Olympic Games, whether they are staying in the Olympic Village or the hotel, they are still roommates. So it makes sense that they have such a good understanding. In the goal just now, Zhou Yi hadn't even started to kick the ball, and He Ying had already rushed forward. When Zhou Yi kicked the ball out, he just happened to rush past the Japanese team's defense line. The passing and running coordination of the two people is very tacit. And it's not just this one goal in this game. In the previous games, they have also staged such tacit cooperation many times. He Ying has scored six goals in this competition, and Zhou Yi has assisted him in four of them. It can be seen the extent of the tacit understanding between these two people. We hope that after this Olympic Games, the outstanding national Olympic team players can be recruited into the national team, so that the tacit understanding between Zhou Yi and He Ying can be reflected in the national team, and maybe it will help the national team reach the Brazil World Cup finals, who knows?"

In fact, before the game, there were media reports that Gao Hongbo would be watching the game live, with the purpose of examining the performance of the national Olympic team's youngsters. The Chinese media also prepared a list of players who could be transferred to the national team for Gao Hongbo in advance. In addition to the Five Little Dragons, there were also several players who should be transferred to the national team, such as the full-back Zhang Linpeng, such as the forward Wu Lei...

For those who love Chinese football, this Olympic Games may not only be about winning a medal, but also about a large number of excellent players maturing, which is probably what they are most happy to see. After all, the World Cup is the supreme stage in the minds of Chinese fans...

Mark Lawrenson said: "I think Barcelona should reconsider He Ying's future, right? The silver boot in the Spanish Second Division last season, helping Valladolid qualify for La Liga. His loan period will expire this season and he will return to Barcelona again, but I don't think he should be allowed to return to La Masia anyway, right?"

This Olympic Games will indeed change the fate of some players, and He Ying may be one of them.

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When the Chinese team players returned to their half, the Japanese team's coach, Takashi Kantsuka, shouted loudly on the sidelines: "Cheer up! Don't worry about conceding a goal!! We are still tied now!"

He was trying hard to get the Japanese team players to cheer up again.

After conceding the goal, he could see that the Japanese national Olympic team players were stunned, which was what he was most worried about.

Once the players start to doubt everything they are doing in their hearts, it may collapse.

As a coach, of course, he can't let his team collapse.

So even though he was also in pain for conceding the goal, he had to stand up and boost morale at this time.

But as a coach, you can't just boost morale and do nothing. If saying a few nice words can help the team win the game, then the best coaches in the world are probably all orators. But football is not a speech, you still have to come up with concrete solutions.

Faced with this situation, Takashi Kantsuka quickly made his decision—continue to target Zhou Yi and keep Hotaru Yamaguchi following him closely. But targeting the entire Chinese team, let the Japanese team temporarily abandon the tactic of pressing high in the frontcourt and instead dare to retreat to the backcourt to defend.

Doing so is naturally to avoid being scored another goal by the Chinese team using the same method.

Before the end of the first half, if you go from leading to falling behind, it will be a devastating blow to the team's morale, much bigger than falling behind directly in the first half.

So being able to maintain a tie until the end of the first half is a victory for the current Japanese team.

After making the decision, he quickly called the team's captain, Maya Yoshida, to the sidelines and gave him instructions.

After listening, Yoshida returned to the field and gathered his teammates to convey the coach's instructions.

"Be sure to defend to the death! Defend against the Chinese team's next attack!!"

He waved his fist and shouted at his teammates, because his teammates were still a little absent-minded, as if they hadn't recovered from the blow of conceding the goal.

Seeing this, the overage player scolded loudly, "Damn it! What are you doing! We've only been tied!!"

The Japanese national Olympic team players, who were startled by Maya Yoshida's scolding, finally realized what the situation was in shock.

Seeing that everyone had finally recovered, Maya Yoshida continued, "If we continue like this, it won't be a tie, but a fall behind! Next, we must defend this score! We must not concede a goal! If we concede a goal here, we will be completely finished!!"

Maya Yoshida is also a qualified captain. Under his encouragement, the team's morale finally recovered.

At the very least, it makes people feel that it is not too difficult to defend to the end of the first half.

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"Yo, the Japanese team also gathered together after conceding the goal. They are also having a meeting?" On the opposite side, the Chinese team players who had returned to their half found that the Japanese team was not waiting to kick off, but were forming a circle on the opposite side, Zhang Jiadong joked.

Hearing him say this, the other team members laughed.

But Zhou Yi turned his head and said to them, "Don't laugh, they were the ones who were leading before!"

His expression was very serious.