Super Marshal

Gao Han always stood in front of the coach's bench, watching the game silently.

People from the coaching staff behind him kept coming up to report the latest data and game analysis to him. Combined with his own observations, he could make targeted decisions in the shortest time and ensure that the game could proceed according to his plan.

As he expected, Uzbekistan aggressively attacked in the second half, but at this time the Chinese team chose to defend and counterattack.

With four defenders and three midfielders, the Chinese team's defense did not allow Uzbekistan to take advantage.

After all, after Gao Han coached the national team, the first thing to be reformed was the defense. This allowed the Chinese team to secure the goal when facing attacks from South Korea and Iran. This time when facing Uzbekistan, the tactics were better than those in the first two games. The round was even better, and the players didn’t make too many mistakes.

This put the Chinese team at a disadvantage after the second half, but the situation was very stable and did not give Uzbekistan a good chance. Especially in the 65th minute, Gao Han replaced Hao Junmin with Wu Xi to further strengthen the midfield. With the defense and running, the team's defensive hardness has been improved to a certain extent.

Led by Zheng Zhi and Feng Xiaoting, both the midfield and the defense organized the defense in an orderly manner and maintained a good distance. In addition, the three offensive players in the frontcourt were always at the forefront, interfering with the opponent's defender. Wu Lei frequently retreated to participate in midfield defense, making it difficult for Uzbekistan to create a threat.

However, the Chinese team's counterattack also failed to produce results.

The most threatening incident occurred in the 73rd minute. The Chinese team launched a long pass. Zhang Yuning grabbed the first goal in the penalty area, but there were no teammates around to respond. The opponent made a hasty clearance and pushed the ball out of the penalty area. .

But at this time, Wu Xi, who was inserted in the back row, suddenly appeared outside the penalty area and hit the ball with a long shot.

Wu Xi had just come on the field, and attacking from behind was also his specialty. He took the shot very well, from a very tricky angle, and went straight to the lower left corner. However, the opponent's goalkeeper reacted very quickly and fell down to save the ball. Then he quickly got up and chased after Wu Lei, blocking all shooting angles before Wu Lei missed the missed shot, blocking Wu Lei's shot from the baseline.

Two consecutive very threatening shots failed to score a goal, and everyone in the Chinese team was quite depressed.

However, Uzbekistan seemed to be annoyed, and soon made substitutions to further strengthen the frontcourt attack. This immediately put the Chinese team's defense line under huge pressure again, and the scene became even more passive.

Gao Han, who was standing outside the court, also looked anxious.

At this point in the game, as the head coach of the national team, there really isn't much he can do. He can only rely on the performance of the players on the court. If they can withstand the pressure, they will naturally have a chance, but if they don't wait until When the opportunity arose, the goal was already breached by Uzbekistan, and it was all in vain.

It can be said that both sides have basically exhausted all their trump cards at this point, and it will be up to them to see who can survive better.

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Beep!

With the referee's whistle, Uzbekistan's left back Denisov jumped up from the ground, rushed towards Zhang Linfan who was nearby, and pushed Zhang Linfan hard.

Just now, when he was attacking from behind, it was Zhang Linfan who tackled him and knocked him to the ground with the ball. Although he earned a foul ball, Denisov was still very dissatisfied.

Faced with the sudden change, Zhang Linfan was also a little stunned. He stepped back three steps and then fell to the ground.

At this time, the Chinese team captain Zheng Zhi, vice-captain Feng Xiaoting, and Mei Fang, who was closest to Zhang Linfan, rushed up immediately and stood between Denisov and Zhang Linfan, protecting their teammates and shouting to the referee. protest.

Such an action, such a foul, deserves a red card!

All the fans in the audience booed, but it was obviously not aimed at Denisov, but at the Chinese players.

The Uzbek players also quickly gathered around, and the two sides faced each other. The smell of gunpowder was very strong. Denisov protested to the referee behind his teammates, thinking that Zhang Linfan was diving. His action just now was not big, just A gentle push in symbolic protest was not enough.

Sri Lanka's referee Pereira quickly walked into the crowd, called the captains of both teams over, quickly separated the two sides, walked towards Denisov, and raised a yellow card towards him.

Now the Chinese players are dissatisfied.

It's not a red card?

Even if it's a home field advantage, it's not such a bully, right?

"The referee did not show a red card. This must be taking care of Uzbekistan, which is playing at home."

"But our players must learn to stay calm at this time. The referee has already made a penalty, so we can only respect it. If we are not calm at this time, it is easy for our opponents to take advantage of it."

"On the other hand, we can look at it this way. The opponent's players have obviously become impatient, and the pressure to win at home is too great. The reason why Denisov is so angry is because Zhang Linfan's defense blocked his attack, and now he With another yellow card, this place may become a breakthrough in our counterattack."

"It can be seen that Zheng Zhi and Feng Xiaoting are both veteran players, and they are constantly calming the players' emotions."

"Head coach Gao Han also kept shouting from the sidelines, seemingly trying to keep the players calm."

"For this controversial penalty, we will appeal after the game if necessary, but during the game, we can only respect the referee's law enforcement. Only by guarding Uzbekistan's offense is the most powerful counterattack against this penalty. .”

The live broadcast camera also specifically switched to the sidelines. Gao Han kept shouting and gesturing towards the players. He was also calling on the players to stay calm and rational. At this time, the Uzbek players had begun to become impatient. Next, they would start Make a mistake and this is the opportunity for the Chinese team to counterattack.

At the same time, Gao Han also gestured towards Zheng Zhi and Feng Xiaoting, and the next counterattack should be as far to the right as possible.

He still has one chance to make a substitution, but he doesn't plan to do so. The reason is very simple. This is the last substitution. He can just be prepared. If there is a problem with the player's physical fitness, he must make a substitution to stabilize the defense. .

The current situation is favorable to the Chinese team. It would be too risky to use this substitution early.

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Time passed bit by bit, Uzbekistan was unable to attack for a long time, and the players became more and more anxious.

Denisov's foul was only the first time the foul occurred. As the game progressed, they gradually exposed more problems. Especially after the 80th minute, errors in offensive coordination in the midfield and frontcourt began to increase.

Gao Han was not surprised by this situation. After all, Uzbekistan's players are not much better than Chinese players, but now they are at their home court and were suppressed by the Chinese team in the first half. In addition, the entire group's The points situation, everything forces Uzbekistan to win the Chinese team at home.

But sometimes, the more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make fatal mistakes.

"The most important thing now is to be able to keep calm." Gao Han had already clenched his fists hard and spoke through gritted teeth, which showed his inner anxiety and excitement at this moment.

Why?

Because the results of the other two games in the same group have come out, Iran beat South Korea 1-0 at home, and Qatar beat Syria 1-0 at home. As long as the Chinese team can win this game and achieve four consecutive victories, they will be in this group. In the qualifying situation, it occupies an extremely favorable position.

Judging from the current situation, China, Iran and Uzbekistan will all occupy the top three in the group. Among them, Uzbekistan will rank third regardless of whether it wins or loses this game.

In other words, if the Chinese team wins Uzbekistan, it will be six points ahead of the third place and three points ahead of the second place.

But don't underestimate this point difference advantage. In the next home game against Qatar, Gao Han is confident enough to win. Being able to end the first cycle with such an advantage will be more beneficial to the subsequent second cycle.

The Chinese team itself is weak, and defensive counterattacks are the norm. This makes other opponents have to face a strategic disadvantage when facing the Chinese team. They must take the initiative to score points. This is very consistent with the Chinese team's defensive counterattack strategy. .

Especially in the sixth round against South Korea at home, if Gao Han's prediction is correct, by that time, the South Korean team will definitely try its best to grab points. This will be another opportunity for the Chinese team.

If they can defeat South Korea in both rounds of the top 12, then the Korean-phobia hat will really be taken off.

It can be said that the top 12 matches are one after another. As Queiroz said at the beginning, every point is crucial, so Gao Han attaches so much importance to this game. If he has a chance to win, he will regret it. Failure to come down will lead to losing points, which is undoubtedly quite fatal for a team like the Chinese team that does not have an advantage in its own strength.

A weak team is like this. The chance of making mistakes is much less than that of a strong team. Even if you are not careful, all your previous efforts may be wasted. Therefore, you can only work step by step. This is what Gao Han often said. Every game must be played as a final.

"Xiao Mu."

Gao Han shouted behind him, and assistant coach Xiao Mu came over immediately.

"Let Yu Hanchao go and warm up." When Gao Han said this, he took a look at the time on the scoreboard again. It was already eighty-two minutes. Go and warm up at this time. It will probably be up at about eighty-five minutes.

The replacement of Yu Hanchao also reflected Gao Han's thoughts, and he wanted to launch an attack at the last moment.

Yu Hanchao's speed and wing breakthrough ability have always been valued by Gao Han. He should be regarded as one of the few pure wing offensive players in the Chinese team, so Gao Han recruits him into the team every time, with the purpose of serving as A surprise player when the team attacks.

If Uzbekistan's offensive in the second half had not been so strong, Gao Han would have arranged for him to play earlier, but the first two substitutions were very necessary. Needless to say, Ren Xing replaced Jiang Zhipeng, and Wu Xi had to replace Hao Junmin. In this case, Yu Hanchao's playing time can only be postponed.

Fortunately, there are still about ten minutes left, and the skill card has basically been cooled down and reset. Coupled with Uzbekistan's eagerness to score, I believe it can still have some effect at this time.

If he still can't score a goal, then Gao Han will really have nothing to do.

But just when Yu Hanchao ran out to warm up, the situation on the court suddenly changed.

Uzbekistan launched another wave of offensive, but after the ball entered the 30-meter area of ​​the Chinese team, under the interference of Zheng Zhi and Wu Xi, Uzbekistan made a passing and receiving error, and the ball was intercepted midway by Feng Xiaoting.

What's even more terrible is that Uzbekistan's frontcourt pressure, which was supposed to be pressing step by step, actually made a mistake at this time, leaving Feng Xiaoting in an unmarked state.

The vice-captain of the Chinese national team was obviously a little surprised by this, but he quickly reacted and immediately strode forward with the ball.

It was also at this moment that an idea popped into Gao Han's mind, miscalculation!