After switching sides, it's China's kickoff this time. Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo stand in the center circle, looking towards Chen Tao outside the circle. The three nod at each other, ready to execute the newly formulated attacking plan.
As the main referee's whistle blows, Wang Feng quickly passes the ball to Dong Fangzhuo in front of him, then proceeds to run towards the front court at a steady pace. Dong Fangzhuo, on the other hand, turns smoothly and dribbles sideways without passing back to the defensive line.
Seeing the Argentine forwards pressing forward, they hold absolute superiority in the midfield area. It's believed that they will soon snatch the ball back.
Seeing an obvious space on the right flank, Chen Tao quickly starts running towards that area, while Dong Fangzhuo doesn't disappoint his teammates' trust and successfully passes the ball out of a three-player siege.
As long as there's space, Chen Tao can easily control the ball. After receiving the ball, he adjusts himself and sends a through pass to the front court before the Argentine defenders can react.
The final step is crucial. When Dong Fangzhuo successfully passes the ball, Wang Feng suddenly accelerates towards the left flank, drawing the attention of his markers, Milito and Savi, who follow suit.
After just a couple of steps, he switches direction and runs towards the right. At 35 years old, Savi's age is apparent, having just come on and not fully entered his best form, he quickly falls behind.
Just as the Chinese superstar reaches the right flank, Chen Tao's through pass arrives. With only Milito to contend with on his side, Wang Feng easily bypasses him.
He lightly taps the ball with his right foot to the right, then catches up, stepping on the edge of the penalty area and unleashing a powerful shot. Romero, the Argentine goalkeeper, originally intended to come out and block Wang Feng, but he didn't expect him to shoot directly from outside the box!
The ball soars into the air, reaching its highest point before sharply descending. Despite Romero's desperate backtracking and raised hands, he still couldn't touch the ball, letting it drop into the top left corner of the goal.
"Goal! Less than 1 minute into the second half, Wang Feng equalizes the score for China! The current score on the field is 2-2."
"A clean and swift start to the second half's counterattack. The coordination between Dong Fangzhuo, Chen Tao, and Wang Feng caught Argentina off guard."
"According to the just-recorded data, from kickoff to netting the ball, China only took 23 seconds. It's incredible, the fastest goal of this Olympics!"
"In both the first and second halves, Argentina conceded early goals. During this period, players tend to be relaxed, not yet reaching their peak performance. It seems to be their significant weakness."
"This goal dealt a heavy blow to Argentina, quickly transforming them from a leisurely pace to urgency, and their attacks became more ferocious."
In the 49th minute, seeing the defenders tightly marking, Di Maria suddenly took a long shot from outside the penalty area, sending shivers down the spines of all Chinese players. Fortunately, the ball narrowly missed the post.
While actively retreating to defend, Wang Feng continuously encourages his teammates. With his diligent running and positioning, Argentina's threats are repeatedly thwarted.
Messi attempted to dribble past two players and was about to penetrate the penalty area but was suddenly intercepted by the charging Chinese superstar, disrupting their attack. Aguero attempted to overtake and cross from the baseline, but he couldn't get past Wang Feng's pressure, passing the ball directly to Yuan Weiwei.
This scene frequently occurs in the Chinese team's defensive area. Wherever there's danger, there's Wang Feng. Nearly twenty minutes into the second half, the Chinese superstar hasn't rested for a moment.
He hasn't felt tired for a long time, but now he feels like his lungs are on fire. Just a little more effort, I can do it! Wang Feng silently encourages himself. Supporting him in his mind is no longer the honors he has won but the winter when he was sixteen, the days when there was no future without hard work!
The effect of this desperate attitude is evident. For a full twenty minutes, the Argentine team only managed three shots, all of which missed the goal frame. The domestic fans in the stands feel that the opponents are constantly attacking the Chinese team's frontcourt, only to be blocked time and time again.
I don't know who started singing the national anthem, gradually more and more people joined in, the impassioned melody echoing throughout the National Sports Stadium, continuously inspiring the players on the field.
As the game approaches the 75th minute, Wang Feng once again slides to intercept the ball from Aguero, nearby Tan Wangsong quickly rushes over to secure the ball.
In the past few tens of minutes, these young players have made passing mistakes under the pressure of Argentina's strong defense, which is also one of the important reasons why the Chinese team cannot counterattack effectively, unable to connect the midfield with the frontcourt.
But diligence makes up for clumsiness! Their highly concentrated attention and diligent running prevent them from falling into complete passivity even after conceding a goal. After all, they have a superstar like Wang Feng leading by example.
This time, Tan Wangsong sends a long diagonal pass to the area where Chen Tao is on the other side of the field. Fortunately, the Chinese midfielder successfully grabs the ball and heads it to the middle.
Dong Fangzhuo quickly takes the ball and rushes towards the frontcourt, while Tan Wangsong is surprised to find that Wang Feng, who was lying in front of him, has already rushed dozens of meters away, taking a lead of one body length ahead of Dong Fangzhuo, this is too fast!
Seeing the Chinese superstar running ahead of him, Dong Fangzhuo forcefully pushes the ball to the right, avoiding the Argentine defenders who are retreating to the middle, and advances along the sideline.
When he reaches near the penalty area, he seizes the opportunity to send a lobbed pass. The ball draws a rainbow arc in the air and drops straight into the penalty area. At this moment, with central defender Mascherano behind him, full-back Burdisso beside him, and goalkeeper Romero coming out, there's no time to hesitate, not even letting the ball touch the ground. Wang Feng lifts his right foot and gently taps the ball.
The feeling on the instep is so wonderful, the angle and power are controlled just right according to his senses. The ball once again soars over Romero's outstretched hands, brushing the underside of the crossbar and nestling into the goal, hitting the inside of the net.
As Romero fails to stop, he directly collides with Wang Feng's ankle, causing him to lose balance and fall, with both him and the ball tumbling into the goal.
"Beep~" The main referee blows the whistle while pointing to the center circle, the goal is valid!
"Goal!! Wang Feng!! Wang Feng scores a hat-trick!! China leads Argentina 3-2!"
"A magnificent counterattack, a magnificent goal! Dong Fangzhuo and Wang Feng work together to open the path to victory for the Olympic team!"
"Let's review the entire goal process. China only took three passes to complete this attack: Tan Wangsong's horizontal pass, Chen Tao's header, and finally Dong Fangzhuo's cross."
"Dong Fangzhuo and Wang Feng are the biggest contributors to this goal. The former sprinted more than forty meters to send the ball into the penalty area, while the latter, even more incredible, started with a sliding tackle in the backcourt, quickly got up and ran more than seventy meters to insert into the penalty area, even faster than Dong Fangzhuo."
"And he seized the opportunity to shoot under heavy defense. Another moment later, the ball might have been caught by the goalkeeper or blocked by the defender. It's truly breathtaking."