Super Marshal

On the afternoon of March 28, Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran.

This is the most critical game so far in Group A of the top 12. The Chinese team, the first in the group, challenged Iran, the second in the group, away from home, and the point gap between the two teams reached five points.

As the current number one team in Asia, the Iranian team has played a total of 25 games at Azadi Stadium since 2010, with 19 wins, three draws and three losses, scoring 69 goals and conceding 9 goals. It is extremely outstanding, and if we only count official matches, only Uzbekistan has taken away three points from here in the Brazilian World Cup qualifiers.

It is precisely because of this that Iran is full of confidence in the China-Iran war at Azadi Stadium. Before the game, it announced that tickets would be waived, attracting more than 100,000 fans to the scene, creating a huge momentum.

Not only that, after the Chinese team arrived in Iran early, the home team also created many problems off the court.

First, they arranged for the Chinese team to train in a venue with poor hardware conditions, and then deliberately made things difficult in the time arrangement of the pre-match press conference, in order to affect the Chinese team's preparations.

As the team's head coach, Gao Han endured the training ground, but refused to participate in the pre-match press conference, and publicly criticized the Iranian Football Association's preparations, thinking it was quite amateurish and very ungraceful.

The bombardment from the cold weather immediately attracted the attention of media around the world, and there was even more public outcry in Iran, which brought unprecedented attention to the game. In addition, the Football Association announced that tickets were free, so on the day of the game, Azadi Stadium was packed with people.

Not only were the stadium stands packed with people, but even the walls were crawling with Iranian fans.

Judging from the grand occasion, it is estimated that there must be more than 100,000 fans present.

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After defeating South Korea 3-0 at home, the Chinese team won all the applause. At the same time, they also played energetically in this game, especially the team's tactical execution, which was praised by Gao Han. Of course.

As for the away challenge to Iran, Gao Han expressed that he hopes to continue the performance and mental outlook he had against South Korea.

But at the same time, Gao Han also repeatedly called on the players not to feel pressure, to let go, to perform to the fullest, and to fight to the end.

Especially in the locker room before the game, Gao Han specially played a video specially edited by the technical team of the first six games of the top 12 games. The focus was on two points. One was the players' hard work and hard work on the court. Tenacity, one is the joy and carnival after the team wins.

"Before we go on the field, I hope everyone will think carefully about how we got here."

Gao Han's words made the locker room silent for five minutes.

Every national football player is immersed in memories and thoughts. They are all thinking about what made the national football team, which was like a rat crossing the street in the past, and everyone yelled for beating, transform into the national hero today, and made them receive more than a billion dollars. National adoration?

Are they superior in strength?

Obviously not!

Although the video has been edited, the scenes brought back their memories and let them know how they bled, sweated, worked hard and fought hard in these past games.

What they have been able to achieve today is their determination to never give up!

"Six consecutive wins have brought us closer and closer to the World Cup, but we haven't gotten that ticket yet."

"In the past decades of Chinese football history, there has never been a lack of black experiences of losing everything at the last moment. I sincerely hope that we will not repeat the mistakes of our predecessors."

"This game is very important. I hope that each of you can go all out and don't give up any hope. Even if we fight until the last minute and second, we must do our best to try to get three points from the away game and ensure that We qualified for next year’s World Cup ahead of schedule.”

"I don't know whether the World Cup is important or light in your hearts. You can only show it to me on the court and show it to everyone!"

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Although it was an away game, Gao Han still insisted on the team's four-three-three formation.

The goalkeeper is Zeng Cheng, the defense is Jiang Zhipeng, Feng Xiaoting, Mei Fang and Zhang Linfan, the three midfielders are Wu Xi, Zheng Zhi and Huang Bowen, and the frontcourt is a combination of Wu Lei, Zhang Yuning and Gao Lin.

It is not difficult to see from the Chinese team's opening tactics that Gao Han did not give up the idea of ​​attacking, nor was he blindly conservative. He still hoped to suppress the Iranian team through offense, but at the same time he arranged three players in the midfield with better defensive capabilities. Excellent player who ensures defensive quality and thickness in the midfield.

This is a game that requires no mobilization at all.

Every player was on the field giving it their all, running and covering coverage from the start.

Iran is playing at home and has been in a strong offensive position from the beginning. The Persian Legion obviously wants to take advantage of the home court to directly attack the Chinese team. It must not only be the best in Asia, but also teach China a lesson. , in order to avenge the original attack in Shenyang.

The home team's offense still relied on the wings and ribs. Although it had an advantage in physical strength confrontation, the Iranian team's small team cooperation also played vigorously, suppressing the Chinese team from the beginning.

The Chinese team is still on the defensive, keeping the three lines very compact.

Especially in the midfield, Wu Xi, Zheng Zhi and Huang Bowen adopted parallel positions to jointly protect the wings and ribs. The three offensive players in the frontcourt also actively participated in pressing and pressing in the frontcourt, and even returned to the midfield to help defend. .

In the previous twenty minutes of the game, the Iranian team attacked the Chinese team's defense again and again, focusing all its artillery fire on Jiang Zhipeng's left wing and launching a fierce attack, forcing the Chinese left wing to shrink its defense. .

Not to mention Wu Xi in the midfield, even Wu Lei in the frontcourt had to frequently retreat to defend.

Gao Han was mentally prepared for this. Jiang Zhipeng attacked the strong and defended the weak. This was a problem he had long been aware of, so he also specifically arranged strategies to defend the opponent's offense and made frequent adjustments during the game.

The Chinese team's defense seemed to be in turmoil, but it always held on to its last breath.

The Iranian team was eager for revenge, but could not attack for a long time. Coupled with the presence of more than 100,000 fans at home, they began to become more violent. Twenty minutes later, they quickly played a more ferocious wave. The offensive, especially the right-side attack led by Gaffrey, Masood Shaojie and Jahanbakhsh, absolutely suppressed the Chinese team's left-side.

There was a lot of noise in the penalty area, there were dangers in front of the goal, and the goal was even more precarious. However, the Chinese team withstood the Iranian team's continuous offensive. The players still carried out Gao Han's tactical arrangements in an orderly manner, and every player went all out. , blocked within the thirty-meter zone, allowing Iran's attacks to fail again and again.

Gradually, the Iranian players began to become anxious.

They began to feel that no matter how they stepped up their offensive and accelerated their tempo, they could not change the Chinese team's defensive formation and rhythm. The Chinese team was like an unbreakable wall. No matter how windy or rainy it was, they always stood in front of the goal. .

They started to panic.

Thirty minutes later, the Chinese team's two counterattacks produced two yellow cards for the opponent. This undoubtedly exposed the mood of the Iranian team players and made everyone aware of the opportunity.

It's a pity that the two frontcourt free kick opportunities were not very good and failed to create a threat.

But the counterattack from the Chinese team made Iran even more impatient.

There were more than 100,000 fans watching at the scene. If they couldn't beat the Chinese team, each person's spit would be enough to drown them.

Amid this restlessness, both the Iranian team and the Chinese team were struggling to support themselves, waiting for the other side to make the first mistake.

Soon, the Chinese team made its first serious mistake in the 36th minute. Zheng Zhi slipped when making a clearance and lost his balance. He failed to make a successful clearance. The opponent seized the opportunity and pushed it behind him. Zimeng shot from close range in front of the goal.

As a result, this inevitable goal was saved from close range by goalkeeper Zeng Cheng.

Like a bloodthirsty shark, Iran quickly surrounded the Chinese team and launched a wave of indiscriminate bombing.

But the Chinese team quickly adjusted, quickly organized a rigorous offensive, and quickly launched a counterattack three minutes later.

After Wu Lei received Zhang Yuning's pass from the left, he dribbled the ball to the left side of the penalty area. He was fouled by the opponent and won a free kick opportunity for the Chinese team in the frontcourt.

Different from the previous times, this time the location is better.

Both sides attached great importance to it. Huang Bowen personally took the penalty. Five Chinese players were in the penalty area and two were ambushing on the outside. The Iranian team also assembled ten players to retreat into the penalty area to defend.

However, when the Iranian team was man-to-man, they focused on Feng Xiaoting, Gao Lin and Mei Fang, but missed Zhang Yuning, who was in front of him. The latter's header hit the far corner, and the Iranian goalkeeper This is also powerless.

One to zero!

Not long after losing the ball, the first half also came to an end.

After changing sides and fighting again in the second half, Gao Han made another substitution and continued to strengthen the defense, while the Iranian team also made substitutions to strengthen the offense. The two sides fought fiercely and fiercely.

With the ball in hand, the Chinese team saw the hope of victory and held on for the last breath, not allowing the Iranian team to take advantage of it. Iran made substitutions one after another, especially in the last twenty minutes. They pressed on and fought almost desperately.

But this time, the Chinese team never gave the Iranian team any chance from beginning to end. Its almost iron-clad defense made Iran's offensive fail again and again.

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Gao Han stood in front of the visiting team's coaching bench and watched the game silently.

Now it has entered stoppage time, and the score is still zero to one.

With a somewhat lucky free kick in the first half, the Chinese team took the lead away from home.

It is said to be a fluke, mainly because it was not within Gao Han's plan, but the free kick tactic has been practiced by the Chinese team for a long time, and it is also a weapon for scoring. Several set-piece opportunities in this game created threats. It's a pity to score even one goal.

But what makes him most gratified is the performance of the players on the court and the overall performance of the team.

Iran's strength is roughly equivalent to the second-rate teams in Europe, and it is definitely a lot better than the Chinese team. But facing such a team, especially in today's game, except for Zheng Zhi's one mistake, the Chinese team had no one in the game. No fatal flaw was revealed.

It is not difficult to find that the international players' tactical execution and concentration in the game have made huge progress compared to before.

Today's Chinese team is a real team.

Only in this way can this team have hope of scoring goals and points in the World Cup.

News just came from South Korea. South Korea tied with Syria one-on-one at home. The absence of the two international players Huang Xican and Li Rong with red cards still had some impact on the South Korean team. Coupled with the coaching change, the South Korean team ultimately did not Being able to get three points at home is quite detrimental to their next top 12 games.

But for China, it is the most beneficial.

As long as this goal is defended, the Chinese team will get the right to qualify in advance, while South Korea may not even be able to keep third place in the group.

If South Korea really fails to get a ticket to the World Cup, the grievances between China and South Korea will probably get deeper and deeper.

However, Gao Han is happy to see this.

On the field, both sides have completed three substitutions and made all adjustments. Whether it is Gao Han or Queiroz, there is no way to change the situation. Everything can only depend on the performance of the players on the field.

After attacking for ninety minutes, they still failed to break through the Chinese team's goal. The Iranian players were already exhausted physically and mentally.

On the other hand, the Chinese players all seemed inexplicably excited.

For them, this is not just a game, but also a ticket to the World Cup.

Chinese football has been waiting for this for more than ten years, and they have been waiting for this for a lifetime.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the original tense emotions and atmosphere disappeared in an instant.

After being substituted, captain Zheng Zhi, who had been standing behind Gao Han, suddenly said: "Boss, we won!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was choked with sobs and fell to the ground, hugging his head and crying.

He missed the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, but unexpectedly ushered in the trough and dark years of Chinese football. He originally thought that there was no hope for him in this life, but unexpectedly, a miracle happened.

Not only Zheng Zhi burst into tears, but many players on the court also cried bitterly. People on the coaching bench and the bench also hugged each other and cried.

They finally arrived!

After waiting for more than ten years and suffering for more than ten years, they finally arrived!

Gao Han was also very excited. He walked quickly towards Zheng Zhi, pulled him up and took him onto the court to celebrate with all the players.

The live broadcast also specially used English to express congratulations to the Chinese team for qualifying for the World Cup ahead of schedule. They believed that this is the most tenacious Chinese team in history and should receive such a reward.

In the stadium, Gao Han continued to comfort his players.

A narrow 1-0 win over Iran in an away game, seven consecutive wins in the group, everything looks great.

But he knew that this was just the beginning.

"World Cup, here we come!"

"We won't leave this time!"