Chapter 100: Strength gap

The scene where Hu Lai and Qin Lin were chatting and laughing in the player tunnel before the game may give many people a feeling that this is a very easy game, full of "old friends reunion" kind of Relaxed and happy.
After all, the strength of the two teams is very different. Even if the Madrid Pirates do not have the strongest lineup in this game, it is enough for them to defeat the South China Tigers.
And there shouldn't be too many unrealistic ideas on the South China Tiger side.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Club World Cup is their limit and their ultimate goal.
Now that the goal has been achieved, what is the need and motivation to fight against the Madrid Pirates?
This game is probably going to be an "exhibition game" that goes through the motions.
There is no suspense in the final result of the game. The Madrid Pirates will eliminate the host South China Tigers and advance to the final. The South China Tigers have already tied the best record of the Chinese team in the Club World Cup once created by themselves.
Of course, they can still surpass their former self and create better performance records. That is to defeat the AFC champion Al Aian in the third and fourth finals and win the third place in the Club World Cup. The latter has been eliminated by the Copa Libertadores champion Russell in yesterday's semi-final, and the latter is already waiting for the final opponent to be born in the final of the Club World Cup.
Therefore, there is no need for the South China Tigers to go all out in the semi-final against the Pirates. Instead, they should stay in the third and fourth place finals.
Before the game, Hu Lai and Qin Lin were hugging and laughing. How could it look like it was a "war"?
After the start of the game, the South China Tigers, who had the opportunity to kick off, took the lead in attacking the goal of the Madrid Pirates.
But it didn't work out at all - the South China Tigers made a long pass from the backcourt to the starting striker Tan Yunlong, but Antonio Betia took the lead and pushed the ball back in the air.
In this game, Parrotti did not arrange all the main players to start, but let the main players and rotation players mix and match in almost all positions.
This not only ensures the lower limit of the team's basic combat effectiveness, but also gives the rotating players more playing time. On the one hand, it is naturally to appease them, and on the other hand, it is also to keep the players in the state of the game and let the main players rest.
Betia has always been the team's rotating centre-back for the Madrid Pirates, starting last season when they were eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals. Because the team's original central defender Kepa Amantegui was injured, only he could top it.
But his performance in that game was not very good, which eventually led to the Madrid Pirates being eliminated by the city's arch-rivals King Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
It is precisely because of the poor performance in key games that the coaching staff and the club spent huge sums of money to introduce the talented Dutch defender Danny Drew that summer. Make up for the shortcomings of the back line.
The effect of Drew's joining was also immediate. That season, the Madrid Pirates won the first "Triple Crown" of Spanish football historically.
The combination of Drew and Moreno is very successful, and Betia can only continue to be a substitute.
Fortunately, he is his own person cultivated by the Pirates youth training system, and can endure loneliness. Although I can only play as a substitute, I have no complaints, and I am willing to be a screw for the club.
As a reward for his loyalty, Parotti arranged for him to start alongside Riva Moreno in the Pirates of Madrid's first Club World Cup match.
Although it was very difficult to face the King's attacking lineup led by Meli and Cerrados, in front of the Chinese team, Betia was still a high-level central defender.
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"They didn't play the main force, and they didn't play the best 433, but 442... They still look down on us." The assistant coach sighed.
"Isn't that good?" Qin Lin said. "If they go all out, we'll still be kidding... I even hope they look down on us even more. It's better not to even join Hu Lai."
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The first attack was blocked at the opening, which did not affect the morale of the South China Tigers players.
They are facing an incomparably formidable enemy, which they have long known.
So you won't be easily intimidated.
Instead, they immediately organized a ferocious front-court press.
The football that was pushed back by Antonio Betia fell to the feet of Joaquín Bella.
But Bella didn't have time to turn around when the South China Tigers player posted it.
It is their Brazilian midfielder Felipe Elias, who has played in the Turkish league and participated in the Europa League. Although he has never been selected for the national team, he is still a strong player. .
He's very quick and aggressive.
Bella just stopped the ball a little bigger, and Elias suddenly accelerated from behind, stretched his foot and stabbed it away.
Of course, the football that was stabbed did not fall to the feet of the South China Tigers, but to the Pirates and the South China Tigers.
Vukovic and Huang Yao rushed to the football at the same time.
In the end, Huang Yao forced Vukovic to dodge with his desperate momentum and successfully grabbed the ball.
The South China Tigers attack!
However, their attack this time did not finally threaten the goal of the Madrid Pirates.
In this game, the substitute goalkeeper Olmer Cabaro, who started the game in place of Hewell, was not tested at all, and the South China Tigers' attack was stopped.
The South China Tigers were not discouraged and continued to press the ball-handling players of the Madrid Pirates.
The Madrid Pirates are players who play with passing control. Most of the time, they still have to transition in the midfield. Unless the situation does not allow, they will directly pass from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
In response to this, the South China Tigers pressed them at a high position, hoping to scramble the Madrid Pirates after the opening.
But what team are the Madrid Pirates?
As a team that is good at passing control, they will always face high pressing from their opponents, so this is not surprising to them.
And they know what to do with themselves.
Using the South China Tigers players to press high, they mobilized the South China Tigers players through a variety of quick passes and crosses.
Technically, the Madrid Pirates are a notch higher than the South China Tigers - which may be a modest statement.
They are not in a hurry to attack.
It was passed back and forth like this, holding the South China tiger by the nose and running around.
After the opening six minutes, the South China Tigers did not gain the opportunity to attack again by pressing from a high position. Instead, the Madrid Pirates pushed their formation back a little bit.
Joaquin Bella took the ball in the middle circle and, facing the pressing of the two South China Tigers forwards Tan Yunlong and Martin Coetzee, passed the ball forward from the middle of the two to Luka Che, who had recovered to the rib. Lovech.
The players from the South China Tigers immediately rushed to grab it, and Huang Yao and Elias approached Celovic from different directions.
The Croatian international did not stop the ball, he turned and sent the football forward. Not only did the two South China Tigers players flutter in the air, but also attracted them out.
So behind them Danielle Di Kunzo easily received the ball.
Huang Yao and Elias could only turn around and rush back.
But Di Quinzo kept the ball and passed it back again.
After passing the ball, Luka Celovic moved laterally and received the ball from Dikunzo.
When he received the ball, Hu Lai, who was at the front, began to move towards the line where the South China Tigers central defender was.
The South China Tigers were very concerned about him. When they saw him move forward, the two central defenders, Liu Yan and Yao Huasheng, immediately pressed for offside.
Celovic also didn't really get the ball over, as he wasn't very good at making precise overhead crosses with his right foot.
If he wants to ensure passing accuracy, he has to adjust the football to his left foot.
After this adjustment, the South China Tigers players have formed two complete lines of defense in front of him.
Unlike the high-position pressing in the frontcourt, once the Madrid pirates were pressed to the 30-meter area, the South China Tigers immediately changed to a positional battle, put on a good posture, and took a posture of strict defense, instead of worrying.
Celovic saw that the South China Tigers' defensive line was well laid out, and there were not too many loopholes, so he did not force a forty-five-degree cross.
The South China Tigers midfielder Huang Yao, who was mobilized by him to do a return run just now, approached him slowly, preparing to interfere with him to get the ball.
Seeing that, Celovic took a step laterally and passed the football to Vukovic in the middle.
The core of the Serbian midfielder saw the football rolling towards him, and quickly looked back at the situation on the right behind him.
There, Kamara was clinging to the sideline station.
And there is a lot of space.
After learning about this situation, Vukovich knew what to do.
Along with the football, there are also the players of the South China Tigers.
Tan Yunlong saw that Vukovic was about to catch the ball, so he accelerated to chase from the front, ready to stick to the opponent, interfere with him, and prevent him from easily organizing an attack.
But Vukovich's reaction was faster than his action:
After catching the ball, he turned around, adjusted the ball to his right foot, blocked Tan Yunlong with the left side of his body, and then swinged his leg to pass the ball.
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Peng Weijun turned around and ran to the wing with the football to defend.
When Kamara received the ball in front of him, he put his hands behind his back and lowered his weight, ready for Kamara.
He knew Kamara was a player who was very good at breaking through.
But Kamara didn't make a breakthrough. He saw that the South China Tigers' left back didn't come up to block him immediately, and there was a distance of about five or six meters in the middle, so he simply kicked and made a cross!
"I come!"
Yao Huasheng shouted, reminding Liu Yan in front of him that he was heading back to make a clearance, and it was obviously not more convenient than rushing forward to make a clearance by himself.
He plugged in from Liu Yan, and then headed out Kamara's low-quality cross!
The South China Tigers fans in the stands cheered for the captain's header.
But their cheers did not last, because the ball that Yao Huasheng knocked out fell directly in front of Vukovic outside the penalty area.
Vukovic took a step forward, bent his knees slightly, and unloaded the flying football with his chest. Then, without waiting for the defenders of the South China Tigers to pounce, he directly volleyed his feet!
Although Yao Huasheng rushed to Vukovic for the first time after completing the header clearance, he was still half a beat slower.
When he stretched his legs to block, the football whizzed past him and rushed towards the goal behind him!
The main goalkeeper of the South China Tigers, Duke, reacted quickly enough, because when he saw the football flying towards the unmarked Vukovic, he realized that the opponent might shoot from a long distance and was already prepared.
When he saw the football flying over, he quickly fell to the ground and threw himself sideways!
He successfully blocked the football!
Push the ball away from the goal with both palms!
But he just pushes, not hits.
So football doesn't fly far!
Even close at hand!
Falling into the middle of the road!
there…
"Hu Lai! Opportunity! Here it is!"
With the passionate roar of the commentator He Feng, Hu Lai, who was standing outside the small penalty area, raised his foot and pushed the football pushed by the goalkeeper to the empty door!
Duke struggled to get off the ground and make a second save, but he was too late.
Liu Yan, who originally followed Hu Lai, tried to stretch his legs to block it, but it was far behind!
Hu Lai didn't simply push the shot, but put the ball up a little.
More like "endfire".
The football passed over Liu Yan's legs and Duke's arms, and finally flew into the goal!
Just seven minutes into the opening, the Madrid Pirates took the lead!
Hu Lai scored his 99th goal of the year!
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