Full-Level Pass, Please Call Me The Boss Of The Three Lions

The first time, the second time.

Chapter 114 Super Mario, World Cup debut [6,000 words chapter]

“A powerful long shot!”

“The ball went in!”

“Italy took the lead! The goal was scored by No. 8 Marchisio!”

“And half of the credit for this goal should be attributed to Pirlo’s miss”

Looking at the Italian players celebrating wildly on the field, the English players sitting on the bench showed disappointment.

Including Ling Feng.

Although he had known that Pirlo would miss this.

However, the feeling of watching the TV broadcast was obviously different from that of witnessing it on the spot.

The reason why superstars are superstars is that they can have a flash of inspiration at a critical moment and make decisions that instantly change the situation on the field!

Looking at Pirlo, who looked calm and as if he had not woken up, Ling Feng could not help but sigh:

He is indeed a midfield artist!

This goal was unexpectedly missed, with a good speed and angle.

But in the final analysis, England missed a player in the corner kick defense!

A large number of troops were stored in the penalty area, leaving only Sturridge to defend outside the penalty area.

How could he, a striker, defend against Pirlo and Marchisio!

When Sturridge was restrained by Pirlo’s forward reception, Marchisio got an excellent long-range shot opportunity with no one within a few meters.

In addition, the penalty area was crowded with players from both sides, which blocked Joe Hart’s sight to a certain extent.

Many times, the birth of a goal is closely related to many details before the goal.

A tactical corner kick, Pirlo’s leak, and a player missed outside the penalty area

All the details were in Italy’s favor, which eventually led to this goal!

Of course, losing the ball first is a disappointing thing for England’s players and fans.

However, the first half is not over yet, and they still have time!

After falling behind, the Three Lions immediately launched a fierce counterattack on the field!

And just two minutes later, after successfully counterattacking in the midfield, Henderson passed the ball to Sterling, who was very active in this game.

Sterling, who came to the middle, turned around and saw Rooney, who was high-speed inserting on the left side after exchanging positions with Welbeck, and sent a beautiful through ball without hesitation!

The latter broke through from the left and then sent a horizontal pass to the middle.

The ball fell to the back point, Sturridge, who was inserted, was in place, and with a cushion of his right foot, the ball suddenly turned into a swift cannonball and flew into the goal.

And Sirigu was like being affected by a cannonball, and the whole person jumped up suddenly, and then fell into the goal.

In just two minutes, the Three Lions equalized the score in a flash!

It is worth mentioning that this goal not only brought the two sides back to the same starting line, but also helped Sturridge become the other number nine who scored in the World Cup in England in 48 years, in addition to Alan Shearer!

And this assist was also the first time Rooney participated in a goal in nine World Cup games!

Watching the ball go into the net, both the English fans in the stadium and the players on the bench stood up and cheered.

“Well done! Daniel!”

“Good shot!”

Just as the supporters of England were cheering, a small episode happened on the sidelines:

An English team doctor accidentally sprained his ankle because he was too excited to celebrate.

His screams confused the English coaching staff and players.

What’s going on?

We scored a goal, shouldn’t we cheer and applaud? Why are there screams?

It was not until they saw him lying on the sidelines, raising his hands to call for help, that other people in England reacted.

“Moore sprained his ankle, it seems to be quite serious”

“We should go to the hospital for an X-ray to see if the ligaments are injured”

Watching the team doctor who injured himself being carried out on a stretcher by the medical staff on the scene, Ling Feng and Vardy looked at each other.

The corners of their mouths could not help but slightly raised upwards, wanting to laugh but embarrassed to laugh.

This wave, a perfect interpretation of what is called “extreme joy leads to sorrow”!

As England equalized the score, the two sides slowed down a bit.

However, in the stoppage time, Italy almost expanded the score again:

The forward “Balotelli” received a through ball from Verratti, took the ball near the bottom line in the penalty area, and after looking at Joe Hart who was attacking, he directly made an imaginative lob shot

.

The ball just passed over Joe Hart’s head and flew straight to the goal.

Fortunately, Jagielka, who was guarding the goal, headed the ball in time to clear the ball. Otherwise, once this ball went in, it would definitely have a chance to become a candidate for the best goal of this World Cup!

This also made Ling Feng, who was on the bench, sigh in his heart:

He is worthy of being a world-class Balotelli below the neck!

If Balotelli could keep his brain from short-circuiting and do things that ordinary people can’t understand on or off the court, with his explosive physical fitness and football talent, he could have become a top star long ago!

However, life is like this.

Not everyone will grow up according to the expectations of others.

Different growth environments, different people and things encountered, will affect a person’s three views.

If Balotelli doesn’t think about life on and off the court, he will not be Balotelli.

With this overhead shot that made the Englishman sweat, the referee finally blew the whistle to end the first half of the game

. . .

The score of 1:1 in the first half was an acceptable result for both sides.

Especially for the England side that lost the ball first, being able to equalize the game quickly after losing the ball was a very morale-boosting thing!

You know, entering the halftime break with a score of 1:1 is completely different from entering the halftime break with a score of 0:1.

The former means that they are evenly matched with Italy and can continue to play according to the original plan;

The latter forces them to make tactical changes in the second half and attack more actively in order to catch up with the one-goal difference.

And if they press forward to attack, the space for the defense will inevitably be larger.

The increase in the chance of scoring is also accompanied by the risk of losing the ball again.

Back in the locker room, Hodgson first praised players such as Sterling who were active in the first half, and the team’s performance in quickly equalizing the score after losing the ball.

Then, he also made clear arrangements for the situation of missing people when defending corner kicks.

Let Rooney not return to the penalty area, but go to the top of the penalty area and help Sturridge defend the opponent’s long-range shot.

Especially stick to Pirlo!

Because Pirlo is in the midfield, Rooney, who is ambushing behind the striker, is closest to him, and he must be pressed to a certain extent, and he cannot be easily organized in the backcourt.

Otherwise, England will still be punished like in the first half!

Hearing this, Rooney nodded while drinking water, indicating that he understood.

The second half changed sides and continued the game.

Facing the successive pressing of forwards such as Rooney and Sturridge, Pirlo was like a dancer dancing on the court, and was not affected much at all.

Without too many movements, a flick and a buckle under the feet, a pass and a run, he pulled out the space for passing.

The light-hearted footwork caused cheers in the stadium.

If it was so easy to defend, Pirlo would not be Pirlo.

As Pirlo, Verratti and Marchisio passed the ball to each other in the midfield, England’s players were attracted to the middle, and there were gaps on both sides!

Just five minutes into the second half, Italy passed the ball to the “Knife” Candreva on the right side of the front court through the forward advance of right back Damian.

The latter pretended to kick the ball to the middle, and when the left back Baines jumped up, he clenched his right foot and cut inside, and then gained precious space for the cross.

Looking up at his teammates in the penalty area, Candreva did not hesitate to change his left foot to cross!

The ball passed through the air and the heads of the two English players in the penalty area, and flew to the back of the goal.

At this moment, there was only one defensive player beside Super Mario, Cahill!

Balotelli took small steps back, then jumped up before Cahill and smashed the ball into the goal guarded by Joe Hart with his head!

Perhaps because it was too close, the Manchester City goalkeeper was unable to prevent the ball from rubbing against the inside of the goal post and flying into the net!

“Goal~~~”

“Two to one!”

“Italy is leading again!”

“The goal was scored by Super~~~”

With the DJ’s deliberately prolonged tail tone, the Italian fans at the scene shouted in unison:

“Mario!!!”

To be honest, Balotelli has never been a high-yield shooter with stable output.

However, he can always have a flash of inspiration in key games.

For example, in the Manchester derby against Manchester United in the 11-12 season, he scored the first goal, helping the team to beat their city rivals 6-1, and also contributed to the famous scene of “Why Always Me?”

;

For example, in the last round of the Premier League in the 11-12 season, he fell to the ground and passed the ball, helping Aguero complete the goal that was later remembered by later generations

The last-gasp strike of the “9320 miracle”;

Another example is the shot that sank the German tank in the semi-final of the 2012 European Cup.

It’s not too much to call him “Mr. Big Scene”!

The cheers of Italian fans once again filled the entire Amazon Arena.

In sharp contrast, the English fans held their heads with their hands and looked disappointed.

Watching Italy score again, Hodgson finally realized the cruel fact that it was impossible to beat Italy with this starting lineup!

Changes must be made!

With Hodgson’s big hand, substitutes such as Ling Feng, Vardy, and Wilshere on the bench came to the sidelines to warm up.

The situation on the field also changed significantly after this goal.

After taking the lead again, Italian head coach Prandelli made a decision-to shrink the formation!

And England launched a fierce offensive!

England did not have no chance to threaten the Italian goal.

Among them, Rooney had three chances to shoot in just ten minutes.

Either the ball went out of the goal or was easily resolved by goalkeeper Sirigu.

The second-highest scorer in the history of the national team who played for the Three Lions in 2003 seemed so close to his first World Cup goal, yet so far away.

The less he scored, the more impatient Rooney became on the field.

He asked his teammates for the ball directly in the midfield, and then he dribbled the ball forward with sparks and lightning. When he reached the penalty area, he was surrounded and blocked by several Italian players and shot a shot in a hurry.

The ball was volleyed by him and flew directly into the stands.

Under the influence of Rooney’s impatient mentality, England’s attack became a one-on-one fight, and there was no teamwork at all.

Gerrard, who should have calmed Rooney down, seemed to have forgotten Hodgson’s arrangement. He no longer stayed in the midfield, but frequently moved forward to the outside of the penalty area, trying to threaten Italy’s goal with long shots.

Although the number of shots is increasing.

However, under the Italians’ chain defense, the Englishmen’s shots were all invalid, and not a single shot hit the goal!

Seeing this, Hodgson discussed with his assistant and called Vardy and Ling Feng over:

“Jamie! Ling! Change clothes and get ready to play!”

Hearing this, Ling Feng and Vardy looked at each other.

In each other’s eyes, they saw the desire for victory!

Quickly returned to the bench, took off their vests, and the two men, wearing pure white Three Lions jerseys, came to the sidelines, ready to welcome their World Cup debut.

“Ling, after you go up, play the front midfielder position and let Wayne go forward. Control the ball first, and then pass more balls behind the back in the ribs”

“Jamie, after you go up, make more breakthroughs on the left and cross the ball in time”

The assistant coach took the tactical formation diagram and gave the two some instructions, then turned around

Ling Feng and Vardy, who were standing on the sidelines, hugged each other.

“Jamie, it’s our turn to play!”

“Remember to pass the ball to me later!”

“No problem! Just run, and if you can’t pass it, it’s my fault!”

. . .

After standing on the sidelines for a while, a dead ball finally appeared on the field.

In the 65th minute, England made the first substitution adjustment:

No. 21 Vardy, replaced by No. 11 Welbeck!

No. 15 Ling Feng, replaced by No. 9 Sturridge!

“England made the first substitution”

“Jamie Vardy, No. 21, replaced Welbeck, No. 11. This is a positional substitution. As the Golden Boot winner of the English Championship this season, Vardy has a very good sense of smell and shooting skills in front of the goal”

“Huh? What is Hodgson thinking? He actually replaced Sturridge, the hero of the outstanding performance in this game, with a midfielder Ling Feng who is only 19 years old?!”

“Although this young player performed amazingly in the previous warm-up matches and contributed four assists in three games. However, this is the stage of the World Cup, and the opponent is not Honduras, but the champion of the previous World Cup, Italy!”

“This is also the World Cup debut of these two players. I hope they can bring us some changes and surprises.”

In addition to the local commentators in England, commentators from many countries were surprised by Hodgson’s substitution.

When the Italian fans at the scene saw England replace Sturridge, who scored a goal, with an unknown young black-haired youth, they couldn’t help but cheer!

A few people know Ling Feng.

But most people don’t know who this handsome young player wearing the number 15 is.

They only know that Hodgson replaced him with an unknown player.

Sturridge is the main striker who won the Premier League Silver Boot this season!

In their opinion, this operation is very confusing.

When the two sides were fierce on the field, they replaced the main striker?

This is undoubtedly a surrender!

However, they would not have thought that in this adversity of falling behind in the score, how strong Ling Feng, who was highly expected by Hodgson, was.

The fans did not know Ling Feng, but it did not mean that the Italian coach Prandelli did not know him.

As the opponent in the same group of this World Cup, from the moment England announced the World Cup roster, the Italian coaching staff and the media have been paying attention to England’s every move.

During the preparation period, the Italian coaching staff conducted a detailed analysis and research on Ling Feng and Vardy, two new England internationals.

And by watching a large number of Ling Feng’s game videos and highlights, Prandelli came to a conclusion:

This young player from the English Championship overlord Leicester City is definitely the most creative player in the entire England team.

No one!

He thought Ling Feng would start.

For this purpose, he also specially prepared a series of tactical arrangements for Ling Feng.

Unexpectedly, when England announced the starting lineup, Ling Feng was not in the starting lineup.

This surprised him, but he couldn’t help but feel relieved.

However, Hodgson still sent Ling Feng to the field.

So, taking advantage of the opponent’s substitution, Prandelli called Marchisio on the left to the sidelines and gave him some instructions:

“Tell Daniele (De Rossi) and Marco (Verratti) to put more pressure on the No. 15 who just came on the field, and don’t let him pass the ball easily!”

Hearing this, Marchisio, the main midfielder of Juventus, was stunned.

Although he didn’t quite understand why the head coach was so afraid of this 19-year-old young player.

However, his professionalism made him not doubt the head coach’s instructions.

He nodded seriously and said in a deep voice:

“Don’t worry, coach!”

The Italian players on the field didn’t take Ling Feng’s appearance seriously.

Although they had watched Ling Feng’s personal game videos and highlights at the tactical meeting, they were also deeply impressed by the passing of this young English talent who has recently exploded in popularity.

However, they didn’t think that Ling Feng’s appearance would change the situation on the field.

You know, even Rooney, the top star of Manchester United, a Premier League giant, and Gerrard, a world-class midfielder, couldn’t break their goal.

What’s more, a 19-year-old kid in the English Championship? !

As for Vardy, they didn’t care even more.

They only regarded this thin striker with a Mohawk hairstyle as a fast point-grabbing striker.

That’s all.

It is worth mentioning that Sturridge seemed a little dissatisfied with being replaced.

When he left the field, he just clapped his hands with Ling Feng and walked straight back to the bench.

Ling Feng didn’t care about this.

He could understand Sturridge’s little emotions very well.

He was replaced when the score was behind.

In a sense, the head coach thought that his performance was not enough to stay on the field.

This was a harm to Sturridge, who thought he was in good shape and had scored goals.

Of course, Sturridge didn’t dare to go back to the bench and put on a bad face. He had to hold back any emotions.

The national team is different from the club.

In the club, he was the striker second only to Suarez. When he was replaced and expressed dissatisfaction, the head coach would comfort him.

But in the national team, if he dared to show a little face to the head coach, he could say goodbye to his national team career directly!

Amid the warm applause for Sturridge, Ling Feng quickly ran into the stadium, came to the front of the midfield, and then shouted to Rooney:

“Wayne, the coach said to let you go up, I’m behind you!”

Hearing this, Rooney just nodded and went to the front of the entire formation.

Then, Ling Feng approached Gerrard and said to him:

“Steven, the coach said that we should control the ball, cooperate more, and play every attack well.”

The latter also nodded without saying anything.

After the boundary ball was kicked out, Italy continued to control the ball.

Marchisio had just passed the ball to De Rossi who came to respond, and Ling Feng, who was not far away, rushed over like a tiger out of a cage.

Ninety-five [burst], Ling Feng rushed to him in the blink of an eye.

De Rossi did not expect Ling Feng’s speed to be so fast, and was shocked. He did not dare to stop the ball and kicked it forward directly!

This aimless long pass went directly to

England’s central defender Cahill.

Cahill passed the ball to Gerrard in front, and the latter heard a familiar shout in his ear:

“Steven!”

Following the sound, he saw Ling Feng reaching for the ball. The Three Lions captain passed the ball directly without hesitation.

After stopping the ball and completing the first touch of the game, Ling Feng immediately turned around.

Then he passed the ball diagonally to Vardy on the left.

After passing the ball, he did not forget to move closer to the left to meet Vardy at any time.

As the game progressed, Prandelli on the sidelines gradually frowned.

And the Italian fans in the stadium were also surprised to find that the England No. 15 kid who had just played was so fast? !

As Ling Feng continued to organize and dispatch in the midfield, the entire England’s offensive rhythm slowed down all of a sudden.

However, the passing between players increased and became more fluent.

Moreover, even if Verratti and De Rossi pressed him the moment he got the ball, Ling Feng did not show any panic or helplessness.

He just made a simple two-on-one or a pull-back to easily get rid of the opponent’s pressing.

Such a sophisticated style of play does not look like a newcomer who is on the World Cup stage for the first time, but more like a veteran with rich experience in major competitions!

Reasonable pass, broad vision, excellent running position

Looking at Ling Feng’s chic figure on the field, the Italian players suddenly realized, isn’t this Pirlo? !

Moreover, compared with Pirlo, whose running ability has seriously declined, Ling Feng’s speed and coverage area are almost all over the midfield!

And the changes brought to England by Ling Feng’s appearance are visible to the naked eye.

In the more than ten minutes he appeared on the field, England’s number of shots did not increase significantly.

However, the ball possession rate increased from 45% to 65%!

Slowly, England suppressed Italy on the field.

Italy could only use long passes from the backcourt to give striker Balotelli the opportunity to challenge England’s back line from time to time.

In the 80th minute, as Balotelli resisted Jagielka and Cahill with his back, his long shot was saved by Joe Hart. Italy, which had been suppressed for more than ten minutes, finally got a corner kick opportunity in the frontcourt.

Set-pieces are a powerful means for Italy to threaten the goal.

Therefore, whether it is Chiellini and Barzagli, the Juventus central defenders, or the 1.9-meter tall central defender Paletta, they all rushed into England’s penalty area.

At this time, seeing that only Damian was left as a full-back in the Italian backcourt, and the huge space behind him, Ling Feng’s eyes suddenly lit up.

This corner kick may be an opportunity!

(End of this chapter)