It is said that football is round, but in fact, sometimes referees are also round. The sudden red card shown to Zheng Zhi simply made this game that was gradually losing suspense come back to life. People's expressions were all stunned.
Even many Portuguese fans.
Zheng Zhi's two pushes had nothing to do with injury or hitting, but he had already received a yellow card in the first half. Therefore, this time, especially the push of Ronaldo, was deemed a "continuous violation of the rules."
And being shown a yellow card again, two yellows turned into one red... This was Elizondo's explanation after the game in the face of strong public pressure, but in any case, the penalty at this time could no longer be changed.
Zheng Zhi, who had a thin face, walked to the sidelines. Wang Ai, who was in the frontcourt, had his hands on his waist and looked expressionless. He didn't know what he was thinking.
At this moment, the substitution card on the sidelines was raised: No. 13 of the Chinese team is off, No. 7 is on. Wang Ai was stunned when he saw the substitution card, and then shook his head. He understood what the coaching staff meant, and there was still one left.
In the second half hour, the Chinese team had to go all out on defense to ensure a two-goal lead. In this case, he, a forward who is versatile in offense but incompetent in defense, is indeed of little use.
Wang Ai and Lao Sun high-fived as they walked to the sidelines. As soon as they crossed the sideline, they suddenly pulled Lao Sun to look at Ali Haan and pointed to his left arm. The three captains of the Chinese team, Li Weifeng was injured, Zheng Zhi was red carded, and now there is another
If Wang Ai is replaced, who will give the captain's armband?
Ali crossed Sun Jihai and pointed at Chen Yang, who was holding a water bottle to moisten his throat on the sidelines. Chen Yang was also polite. As the captain of the old Liaoning Football Team and the current Tübingen Youth, it is no stranger to him to stabilize the morale of the army and perform the captain's duties.
When Lao Sun came on, he replaced Zheng Zhi in the defensive midfield position. He had played as a defensive midfielder in Manchester City, but he was also injured, so it was hard to say how much he could perform.
Zheng Zhi sat motionless in the crowd with a gloomy face. Wang Ai said "Brother Zhi" and seeing no reaction from him, he didn't say anything more. The game is important now.
After the substitutions of the Chinese team were completed, the Portuguese team got a chance to take a free kick in the frontcourt. The white wall was slowly set up, facing the direction of the goal. Figo stood behind the football, whistled, and started a long-distance run-up.
The moment Figo touched the ball, he suddenly twisted his ankle, and a ground ball quickly flew to the side of the wall. Pauletta met the ball and passed it in front of the goal. Maniche rushed to header. Zong Lei, who had been mobilized repeatedly, responded
Unprepared, 1:2!
Amidst the cheers of the Portuguese people in the stadium, Wang Ai, who was standing on the sidelines, looked up to the sky and sighed!
At this time, there is really no power to use!
There was another problem on the court. Zong Lei, who was dawdling, got up and blocked Mani from cutting into the goal to get the ball. There was a quarrel between the two sides and the crowd gathered quickly. Fortunately, Figo and Chen Yang were calm and separated.
After saving his teammates, the game can be restarted.
The red card Elizondo gave to Zheng Zhi actually had some meaning to balance the game, but the unfair decision aroused the anger of the players on both sides. The Portuguese team thought they had mastered the referee's temper, while the Chinese team was holding their breath.
The situation was so heated that after the ball was restarted, the actions of both sides gradually got out of control, and secret retaliation and counter-retaliation were frequently staged. In the end, Elizondo had to show more yellow cards to force control.
In a conflict in the 32nd minute of the second half, he simply issued two yellow cards in a row, resulting in two yellow cards and one red card. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and China's Zhao Xuri were sent off at the same time.
10 against 9. But the two young and energetic players were still blaming each other on the sidelines.
Zhao Xuri's end caused the Chinese team's two starting defensive midfielders to be killed, and the complete three-dimensional defense system became weak. The two central defenders, Luo Tongliang and Dewey, had to be directly exposed to the opponent's firepower. This
At this time, the shortcomings of hastily replacing Wang Ai slowly emerged. Without the deterrence of Wang Ai, the super forward, the Portuguese team's defenders all crossed the center line!
The players selected by the Chinese team for this game were inherently stronger at defense than offense, so after Wang Ai came off the field, no one could come forward to withstand the Portuguese team's pressure. Seeing that the situation was not good, Lao Sun tried several times to attack with the ball, but failed.
Because he was injured and couldn't run fast, he had to retract.
The situation has become more and more passive, and the Chinese team members have to block and grab attention everywhere. Less and less time is urging the Portuguese team to attack in turns like a talisman. The situation of the Chinese team is already in danger, and everyone on the bench stands.
Ali was shouting frequently and Nan Yong was checking his watch. Finally, with three minutes left in the game, a big change came! The Chinese team's defense made a mistake while Luo Tongliang and Dewey, who lacked tacit understanding, were handling a ball.
At that time, he subconsciously thought that the opponent would come forward, but he looked left and right and missed the middle. Figo made a precise shot from the far corner, grazing the goalpost and rolling over the goal line.
Half the stadium cheered, and half the stadium was silent.
Tang Yaodong sat down next to Zheng Zhi, hugging the most outstanding member of the Liaoning youth team and whispering comfort. Wang Ai twisted his neck and looked sideways at the stadium ceiling. Just over half an hour ago, he was immersed in himself.
The total number of goals scored in the World Cup was the first in history, and the goal score in a single World Cup was third in the history. But half an hour later, the Chinese team was finished. This is the cruelty of competitive sports.
You should let yourself have a good taste of this bitterness, and you should also let the fans, leaders and even professionals who are still naive and incited by the good results of the Chinese team, have a good taste. This is by no means the way to cool down that Wang Ai expected, but it is
Again, the most effective.
Wang Ai's legs were a little weak, and he instinctively wanted to squat down. He just moved and managed to stand up straight. He didn't dare to look back without looking at those sad eyes.
Three minutes ended and overtime came. In the last half hour of the match, Ali Haan made all the substitutions in order to withstand Portugal's attack. So at this time, the Chinese team didn't even have a forward. What kind of game was this?
Overtime!
Sure enough, when the kickoff restarted, the Chinese team retreated from all fronts and defended desperately. However, there is no simple defense that cannot be broken in the world. In the sixth minute of the second half of overtime, Figo took a corner kick, and it was Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo who grabbed it.
The first point is to tilt your head in front of the goal... The Chinese team's World Cup is over.
Wang Ai wiped his face, sighed tiredly, looked at the Portuguese running wildly to celebrate, and shook his head. The game was lost, but the fans were innocent. As a national football player, he must fulfill his duty to thank the fans regardless of the outcome of the game.
Obligation, even in the face of scolding.
On the bench, Zheng Zhi covered his head and face with the jersey he took off, turned around and walked out. Wang Ai shouted "Brother Zhi", but he quickened his pace and disappeared into the player tunnel.