Chapter 21: Smooth Advancement
In the 73rd minute, Colombia's No. 11 Otalvaro shot from outside the penalty area and hit a Chinese player's hand, prompting the referee to award a penalty kick. Gu Yalin took the shot, scoring on his first attempt but having it disallowed due to other players entering the penalty area prematurely. On his second attempt, Gu again aimed for the lower right corner of the goal, but Zeng Cheng guessed correctly and made a spectacular save, pumping his fist in triumph as China's morale was boosted.
At the end of the game, China's left-back Rong Hao made a proactive assist by utilizing the space created by Yu Hairui on the left front. With his excellent dribbling speed, he successfully overtook the opponent and pushed the ball back to the middle road with a reverse triangle pass taught by Gao Lin. Gao Lin, who had anticipated Rong Hao's intention, appeared in time on the ball path and easily pushed the ball into the net. The score was finally fixed at 3:0, and the strong Colombian team was defeated by the weak Chinese team. This result shocked many people, and the young Chinese national youth team began to attract attention from European club scouts...
After winning two games, the Chinese team has already advanced. In order to conserve energy and prepare for the more important knockout stage, while also giving substitute players a chance to train and perform, Gao Jun suggested to head coach Liu Chunming that they make large-scale substitutions in the next game against Mexico. However, another main striker, Jiang Chen, insisted on playing in order to score more goals, and most of the other main players had similar ideas. After all, with China's strength, no one knows how far they can go, so the more games they play, the more opportunities they have to perform, and naturally, the more chances they have to be scouted by European scouts.
In the end, Liu Chunming had to let those main players continue to start, while Gao Jun and Huo Jiamin, Yu Hai chose to sit on the bench to cheer for their teammates. However, Rong Hao, Zhang Chenglin who was eager to make a name for himself, and Zeng Chao who didn't have to worry about physical exhaustion continued to start.
As a result, the Chinese team unexpectedly performed well after replacing many main players. In the 35th minute, China got a corner kick opportunity on the right side. Wang Yongbo, standing on the right side of the small penalty area, received Li Benjian's corner kick and scored with a header, scoring in the far corner of the goal. The Chinese team has taken the lead for the third consecutive game!
In the 51st minute, Mexico won a corner kick on the right side. Ramirez took the corner kick and sent it to the near post, where No. 17 Flores headed the ball into the net before Chinese defender Cai Xi could react, tying the score at 1-1 just after halftime.
In the 61st minute, Li Benjian took a right corner kick and Jiang Chen jumped high in the middle to head the ball into the goal. The ball hit the inside of the post and bounced into the net, allowing China to take the lead again. This was also Jiang Chen's second goal in this World Youth Championship.
In the 71st minute, Mexico's Flores hit China's Hao Qiang with his hand before falling to the ground. Cai Xi, who was behind Flores, kicked him in anger, and as opponent No. 10 Chuyia rushed up, players from both sides surrounded each other and a scuffle broke out. Mexico's substitute goalkeeper, Gonzalez, who had not yet entered the field, rushed onto the field and pushed Cai Xi's head, knocking him to the ground. After calming down the situation, the referee showed red cards to Cai Xi and Gonzalez, leaving China with 10 players against Mexico's 11. Mexico then took advantage of this free kick opportunity, with No. 13 Maricaca heading the ball into the goal to tie the score at 2-2.
In the 78th minute, Mexico got a corner kick opportunity on the right side. Forward No. 9 Mulgrew took advantage of the brief chaos in China's defense line after Cai Huikang was substituted out and scored to take the lead at 3-2.
In the 81st minute, China quickly counter-attacked. Jiang Ning dribbled to the right side of the midfield and then passed the ball to Jiang Chen on the left flank. After receiving the ball, Jiang Chen calmly dodged Mexico's defender and shot near the corner to score a goal, helping China tie the game 3-3 despite being one man down.
In the end, China's team, with one less player, relied on Wang Yongbo's goal and Jiang Chen's two goals to tie 3-3 with Mexico and eliminate them from the competition. Meanwhile, Colombia, who had thought they were out of contention for advancing, managed to advance to the knockout stage along with China by earning 6 points from two wins and one loss.
As the first place in Group A, China successfully avoided Argentina's youth team which has always been very strong. However, Costa Rica, the second place in Group B, was still considered stronger than China by local sports media (in fact, the group that China belonged to, Group A, was considered the weakest overall before the match), but the result of the game left them stunned...
At the beginning of the game, the Chinese youth team still adopted the slightly left-leaning two-winged flying tactics used before. However, Yu Hai, who had previously relied on his speed to get past opponents easily, faced a great challenge. The opponent's black right-back defender was extremely fast and more agile than him. Although Yu Hai's absolute speed was still slightly better, he was at a disadvantage when dribbling the ball. The difference in explosive power between him and the opponent was even greater, making his previously effective continuous changes of direction almost completely ineffective. As a result, several breakthroughs were unsuccessful. Fortunately, Yu Hai's ball control ability was good, and after failing to break through, he mostly managed to pass the ball back, generally avoiding being intercepted by the opponent and countered. However, this approach was clearly not feasible, as China's weak defense line had already been subjected to Costa Rica's fierce attack. If not for goalkeeper Zeng Cheng's outstanding performance, the goal would have likely been breached...
"Let's change our strategy, Hǎo Jùnmǐn. From now on, you'll be the one to break through and pass the ball to the center, with high crosses. Yú Hǎi will make a run into the middle, looking for opportunities to score from close range. You need to sprint forward and compete for headers, they can't win against you. I've noticed that their central defenders aren't as fast as you, and their fullbacks aren't as tall as you, this is your advantage. If there's a chance to shoot, just go for it directly. If not, pass the ball back to the middle of the field, and I'll make a run to score." Gāo Jūn instructed his teammates from Eastern Club during a dead-ball situation. Due to joining the team relatively late and being too young, Gāo Jūn still can't fully control the entire team. At least for now, Jiǎng Chén, who has scored as many goals as him, definitely won't listen to him, so he could only rely on his club teammates.
Next, Gao Jun, who had been tightly marked by the opponent all along, suddenly retreated and pulled out a central defender from Costa Rica. The opponent's penalty area suddenly became extremely empty. At this time, Li Benjian passed the ball to Gao Jun's feet. He almost didn't stop before sending the ball to the right side of the empty space. Hao Jiamin, who accelerated his insertion, steadily received the pass, but his absolute speed was not fast, and the opponent's side defender had already quickly approached him.
