Chapter 55 FA Cup Semi-Finals (Part 2)

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  However, in this situation, the Eastern team showed off their skills with a "surrounding" tactic, which was a signature move of Xu Genbao's guidance. Although most of the Eastern players were not as physically strong as Shandong's tall and muscular players, they had developed a tacit understanding since childhood that allowed them to smoothly execute the surrounding tactic, making up for their individual weaknesses. The power was no less than that of their opponents. Now, with Gao Jun's height reaching 1.7 meters, he has also started to frequently participate in the front-court surround, and in a sense, he is the biggest beneficiary of this tactic. As he is responsible for intercepting tasks on the court, it feels great to brush up his steal data. Moreover, once the interception is successful, they can often form a single-handed attack by accelerating the chase after passing the ball forward...

  In the 32nd minute, Gao Jun successfully intercepted the ball from behind the opponent's waist with the assistance of his teammates. He then made a surprising solo dash down the middle, sprinting towards the goal at high speed. Shandong's central defender, Shu Chang, rushed out to block him, but he was no match for Gao Jun's agility and quick footwork.

  "Gao Jun beautifully dribbled past Shu Chang, killing into the penalty area, and the ball went in! Let's take a look at the replay. Shandong's goalkeeper Deng Xiaofei should have done some special research on Gao Jun before the game, knowing that he likes to shoot low balls, so he came down early. Who knew that Gao Jun would unexpectedly shoot the ball into the upper corner of the goal, cleanly and neatly scoring another point......" Shanghai commentator Tang Meng was feeling a mix of emotions at this time. Logically speaking, as a Shanghainese, he should be happy, but he was also a loyal fan of the Hua Flower team, and had long regarded Dongfang team as a potential threat to Shanghai's new football power. The better Dongfang team performed, the more uncomfortable he felt in his heart, and this discomfort he couldn't even express, let alone how unbearable it was......

  After Gao Jun scored this crucial goal, the total score became 6:5, and they still had the advantage of away goals. The opponent must score two more goals to advance to the final. Although Tu Ba was still loudly shouting for his teammates to continue attacking, Shandong team's offense was always blooming but not bearing fruit. On the contrary, when the first half was about to end, Dongfang team seized the opportunity of a quick counterattack, and Ribery scored again with a single shot, almost killing the game in advance...

  However, Tu Bo did not give up the match. He keenly saw that Dongfang's pressing was extremely exhausting and that the team's overly young lineup must have been physically inferior. As long as they continued to apply pressure and persisted until Dongfang's physical collapse, Shandong still had a chance to turn things around.

  However, in the 11th minute of the second half, Gao Jun, Yu Hai and Ribeiro launched a triple attack, instantly piercing Shandong's entire defense line. Finally, Gao Jun received Yu Hai's cross pass on the midfield and shot to break the net, expanding the score to 6:1 and changing the overall score to 8:5. Even Tu Ba, who never gave up easily, almost completely lost hope.

  But Shandong's main striker, Da Ying, finally got his reward for his tireless running in this match. In the 17th minute of the second half, he took advantage of the chaos in Dongfang's penalty area to score another goal, bringing Shandong back from the brink once again. At this point, Shandong only needed two more goals to turn the game around and eliminate Dongfang with their away goal advantage!

  However, after only 3 minutes of hope, Gao Jun once again used his actions to tell the stubborn Tu Ba that not sending someone to guard him and desperately pressing forward was a fatal mistake. After Ah Lin's single knife was bravely blocked by Deng Xiaofei, Gao Jun once again showed off his expertise in picking up scraps, volleying the ball into the goal, completing his beautiful performance in this game, and incredibly staging a "five sons passing the imperial examination" on the body of Shandong Qilu, a strong team in the Super League. He thoroughly turned the rest of the game into garbage time. Although Shandong team later used the opportunity of Dongfang team's physical decline to score a goal with Zhou Huaikai, it was already irrelevant to the overall situation. Dongfang team unexpectedly slaughtered the Super League strong team Shandong Qilu 7-3, contrary to almost everyone's expectations before the match, and proudly advanced to the final of this FA Cup!

  As the game ended and they left the court, Da Yu, who had performed exceptionally well in this match, called out to Gao Jun to exchange jerseys. With a complex expression, he whispered, "I really envy your talent."

  Gao Jun nodded in understanding, as Da Yu's situation back then was quite similar to his own. Both were lacking in strength and speed, relying solely on their precise shooting techniques to get by. However, Da Yu had good physical endurance, which allowed him to exhaust himself with off-ball runs to create scoring opportunities - something he did better than Gao Jun back then. But compared to Gao Jun's current innate abilities, it was hardly worth mentioning, no wonder he let out such a sigh.

  In addition, it must be said that the route chosen by Gao Jun at that time required an absolutely calm mentality, which was something that the usually passionate and impulsive Da Wei could not do. Therefore, his way of making up for his physical shortcomings was more like "Hu Jiao" in those years, often scoring stunning goals that made fans scream with excitement, thus becoming one of the most beloved players among domestic fans. However, no matter what, he is also a football player who has been striving to surpass himself just like Gao Jun!

  Although he has a lot of respect for Da Wei, the more such an opponent, Gao Jun will take out all his strength to compete, because only in this way can an athlete express his respect for his opponent.

  At the post-match press conference, Gao Lin, who staged a "five sons' success" naturally became the protagonist. A reporter asked him how he felt after the match. Although Gao Lin was always low-key, he also knew that "excessive humility is pride". He frankly said, "It's very cool to kick." The on-site reporters burst into laughter.

  Tu Bao frankly admitted that his own mistakes led to the team's elimination, "Before the game, I knew he was very strong, but I didn't expect him to be so strong. Originally, I thought that with our team's strength, as long as I played well, we wouldn't lose, and even if we lost, at least we could guarantee a spot in the final. But... He shouldn't be playing in the Chinese second division or even the Super League, he should go to one of the top five European leagues. With his ability, as long as the tactics are right, he can definitely play as a starter for a mid-table team, and his future should be with those world-class clubs. Continuing to play in China is just a waste of time..."

  However, Slaven Bili? still insisted that he had found the weakness of the Dongfang team and would avenge this defeat on the Super League stage next year. This made everyone look forward to seeing Slaven Bili? change his tactics from attacking football to counterattacking. And Slaven Bili?'s praise and expectations for Gao Lin sparked heated debate among reporters, who soon asked Gao Lin when he planned to go abroad...