Dark horse

After entering the knockout stage, China's national team shifted their venue to the Capital Workers Stadium, where they were about to face the tournament favorite, Italy.

"Italy is so strong. Can we beat them?" Young player Yuan Weiwei asked timidly on the plane. Wang Feng waved his hand confidently in response, saying, "What's so strong about Italy? We knocked them out two years ago in the World Cup. This time, we'll defeat them again in the Olympics!"

"Italian football has long declined from its past glory. Most of these young Italian players developed domestically are not that great. I even dare to assert that in another decade or so, they might not even qualify for the World Cup. Haha."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As a former star who once dominated Serie A, Wang Feng's words were quite convincing. So, everyone was motivated and prepared to strive for glory once again.

Seeing them eager and ready for action, Wang Feng nodded in satisfaction. This was the main purpose of his words. For a youth team, technical experience was important but secondary; the key driving force for victory lay in high spirits and fighting spirit.

However, he wasn't entirely lying. In his eyes, Italy's national team was indeed a mixed bag of talents, with most players hailing from clubs like Fiorentina, Genoa, Palermo, Udinese, and Parma—hardly top-tier.

On August 16th, the quarter-finals of the Olympic men's football tournament proceeded as scheduled, with tickets still in high demand at the venue. Meanwhile, outside the stadium, many fans lingered, eager to experience the atmosphere.

As the clock struck the 81st minute of the second half, Wang Feng dropped back to midfield to receive the ball. Facing Italian defender Zingarelli, he first pushed the ball to the left with his left foot, took two steps, then suddenly cut to the right with an acceleration.

The Chinese superstar dashed along the sideline, quickly leaving Zingarelli behind. Seeing this, Italian center-back Montolivo and defender Coda hurriedly moved in to intercept.

Wang Feng slammed the brakes, lightly tapped the ball behind with his right heel, then scooped it up with his left foot, swiftly changing direction while evading Montolivo's stretched leg.

At this point, with Zingarelli and Montolivo on either side, and only Coda obstructing in front, Wang Feng once again shifted the ball to his right foot, tapped it sideways with his toe, and accelerated past the three defenders!

Immediately, Wang Feng dribbled swiftly into the penalty area from the wing. Italian defender Criscito attempted to block, but the Chinese superstar feinted with a lateral dribble, then fired a left-footed shot directly into the bottom left corner of the goal.

"The ball's in! In the 81st minute, Wang Feng dribbles past three defenders from midfield, cuts inside the penalty area, gets past one more defender, and fires a shot with his left foot. Though Italian goalkeeper Consigli makes a desperate effort to save, he can't stop the ball from rolling into the net."

After scoring, Wang Feng slid on his knees to the corner flag, extending his arms towards the fans in the stands, urging them to cheer. The fans naturally didn't disappoint the Chinese superstar, as the cheers and applause grew even louder.

Teammates rushed over to celebrate with him, and Li Weifeng, tears welling up, hugged Wang Feng from behind. "You did it! We're actually leading!"

"This is Wang Feng's third goal of the match, completing a hat-trick! China leads Italy 3-1! A perfect game, a perfect Wang Feng!"

"At the beginning of the match, Italy completely dominated China, and in the 22nd minute, forward Rogi opened the scoring. This player previously scored a hat-trick against South Korea in the group stage."

"Just as fans began to despair, Wang Feng stepped up and took control of the game. Just before halftime, he blasted a shot from outside the penalty area, piercing Italy's goal, and setting the stage for a comeback!"

"In the 59th minute of the second half, Chinese superstar Wang Feng dribbles past three defenders into the penalty area, then calmly slots the ball home to take the lead. And now, he completes a one-man show, dribbling past four defenders in a row to score. In his eyes, even the defense of European powerhouses seems feeble!"

"So far, Wang Feng has scored 7 goals, firmly leading the tournament's top scorer list. It's truly evident that whenever he participates, no other player stands a chance of being the top scorer."

After Wang Feng's second goal, the Italian national team was practically on the verge of collapse—they couldn't defend him, yet they also hesitated to foul him recklessly in the frontcourt. It was simply too difficult!

And this third goal was the final nail in the coffin. Wang Feng believed that it would be difficult for these young players to adjust their mentality in the remaining time.

As expected, despite Coach Casciaro's successive substitutions, he couldn't salvage the demoralized team, and the score remained unchanged until the final whistle.

China defeated Italy 3-1, advancing to the Olympic men's semifinals! This news delighted and filled all Chinese people with pride. The media also lavished praise, declaring that with China excelling in various Olympic events, football was no longer a weak spot.

Once again, Wang Feng's name sent shockwaves throughout the world. No one had anticipated that a player could have such a significant impact on a team's performance.

Two years ago, he led the national team to achieve the World Cup semi-finals miracle, and now, he single-handedly led the national team to the Olympic semi-finals, showcasing his underdog nature.

The team leaders were also very pleased. Before the tournament, their goal was to advance from the group stage, and no one dared to think they could reach this far. But since they were here, the next goal was to strive for a medal.

The other three teams in the semifinals were Argentina, Brazil, and Nigeria. Next up for China was the formidable African team Nigeria, while Brazil and Argentina would clash in a South American showdown.

Although Nigeria's reputation on the World Cup stage might not be as prominent, they were a force to be reckoned with in youth competitions, having reached the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup multiple times. Similarly, they had performed impressively in the Olympics, even winning the men's football tournament in 1996. However, compared to the tough South American giants, the African Eagles seemed a bit more manageable.

At the post-match press conference, Coach Ying Tiesheng said, "We will certainly strive towards the goal of reaching the final. Nigeria is strong, so we need all our players to actively engage in the game."

Wang Feng added, "We're not thinking too far ahead at the moment. We'll treat each game as the final showdown and give it our all. Making it to the semifinals has already created history, and every step we take from now on will set new records."

The semifinals were no longer held at the Capital Workers Stadium but at the Magic City Stadium. So, after the interview, the team immediately rushed to the airport and arrived at the hotel late at night. The head coach briefly emphasized discipline and the training schedule for the next day before letting everyone rest in their rooms.

The next morning, despite feeling tired, Wang Feng still maintained his habit of waking up early. He went to the restaurant to have breakfast and then proceeded to the training base for warm-up exercises.

While eating breakfast and browsing the news, he heard a voice filled with surprise, "Brother Feng!" Looking up, he saw someone standing at the door. If it wasn't Dong Fangzhuo, who else could it be ?