China swept Uzbekistan with a hearty 6: 0 victory and advanced to the final of the Asian Cup, which made the Chinese football world particularly excited!
After three World Cups, as well as the past two Asian Cups, and the existence of the spiritual leader Qin Xiong, China's current psychological state and competitive strength had made great progress.
In the transition period after the World Cup, China's team quickly stabilized and matured, which was the biggest advantage.
Japan's 120-minute battle with Australia in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup consumed a lot of their physical strength, which would be a certain advantage for China in the final.
On January 28, the semi-finals of the Asian Cup took the lead. Australia swept Uzbekistan with a 5: 0 score and won the third place.
A day later, China and Japan met in the final.
The media would not exaggerate the grudges between China and Japan, because in the past seven years, China's team had dominated Asia under the leadership of Qin Xiong!
Excluding national sentiments, if there was hatred, it should be Japan's team that hated China more.
Doha, Qatar, Khalifa International Stadium!
The Asian Cup final was exciting, and the stadium was full. China's fans formed a spectacular scenery. In the stands, there was a sea of red, and the cheering cheers of China's team shook the world.
Qin Xiong led the team to make a heroic appearance.
"CCTV, CCTV, this is the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. I am the live commentator, He Wei. I will be here to broadcast the final of the Asian Cup in Qatar for everyone!
As the two-time champion of the Asian Cup in a row, the defending champion China team had the opportunity to tie a record that was thought to be impossible to break in the Asian Cup: three consecutive championships!
In the 60s and 70s, the Iranian team had won three consecutive Asian Cups. Regardless of the level of the competition at that time, the Iranian team did dominate Asia at that time.
If China can defeat Japan and win the title today, then we will be the second team in the history of the Asian Cup to win three consecutive championships!
And we will be the hegemon of modern Asia!
The Chinese team's performance in this competition was low. We lost to the Australian team in the group stage and almost had the risk of being eliminated in the group stage. After entering the knockout stage, the Chinese team's performance became stronger. This was also related to Team Qin entering the starting lineup and directly boosting the team's morale on the field.
With a 2: 0 win over Iran and a 6: 0 win over Uzbekistan, the China team's condition couldn't be better!
On the other hand, the Japanese team's performance in this tournament was impressive. They did not lose a single game. In the group stage, they swept the traditional strong Asian team, Saudi Arabia, with a score of 5: 0. After that, they defeated two popular teams, South Korea and Australia, in the knockout stage.
If the Chinese team entered the finals with great momentum, then the Japanese team broke through all kinds of difficulties and came to the final stage with one victory after another with even more valuable results.
Therefore, the outside world had a 50% chance of winning the championship between Japan and China.
However, considering that the Japanese team had played 120 minutes in the semi-finals, the China team would have a certain advantage in terms of physical fitness.
Alright, let's take a look at the starting lineups of both sides.
China's starting lineup: 433.
Goalkeeper: Zeng Cheng.
Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Du Wei, Feng Xiaoting, Sun Xiang.
Midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Liu Yi, Zhao Xusheng.
Forwards: Zhang Pengfei, Han Peng, Qin Xiong.
Japan's starting lineup: 451.
Goalkeeper: Kawashima Nagashi.
Defenders: Uchida Tokuto, Yoshida Maya, Imano Taisuki, Nagatomo Yuto.
Midfielders: Okaki Shinji, Endo Hirohito, Honda Keisuke, Hasebe Makoto, Fujimoto Jungo.
Forward: Maeda Yoichi.
In the past two years, many new stars have emerged in the Japanese team. Their talent pool is enviable. Some players are also playing in the top European leagues and have rich experience. Some of them are also playing in the top clubs. For example, Nagatomo Yuto was selected by Inter Milan.
But China's team doesn't need to be afraid of their opponents. In addition to having a world-class superstar like Captain Qin, many of our players are also working hard in the European arena. We can compete with Japan head-on!
The game is about to start. Let's cheer for China's team and strive to win this final and create an Asian dynasty that belongs to China! "
The kick-off ceremony before the final was completed.
The players of both teams were in their respective halves of the field and were ready to kick off.
Although China's team was playing a 4-3-3 formation today, it was still mainly defensive and counterattacking.
Although Japan's team was in a 4-5-1 formation, they would definitely do more in their offense.
When it came to team cooperation on the offensive side, Japan's individual skills were slightly stronger as a whole.
For example, Okaki Shinji, Honda Keisuke, and Hasebe Makoto's ball control, speed, passing, and so on in the middle and front field were stronger than the average team. In addition to Uchida Tokuto and Nagatomo Yuto, the two talented full backs, the new generation of Japan's team was on the rise in the eyes of the outside world!
If Shinji Kagawa, who entered the Bundesliga and joined Borussia Dortmund and performed well, Japan's team was now like the golden generation described in the "Soccer Kid" manga!
However, after Qin Xiong saw the lineup of the Japanese team, he was very calm.
What kind of opponent had he not seen before?
Japan's team?
It really couldn't scare him. He didn't even have a trace of fear.
The game began. Japan's team, led by Zaccheroni, played a streamlined technical style. The team paid attention to control and overall cooperation.
Japan's team patiently organized and cooperated in the midfield, trying to tear apart China's defense to get a great opportunity.
But Japan's team had a fatal flaw. Their striker was not strong!
Lyoichi Maeda was only working hard in Japan. In the China team's penalty area, he didn't have any outstanding skills. Physical confrontation? Or footwork skills? The acuity of seizing opportunities?
In Europe, at best, he would be a second-rate striker. He wouldn't cause too much trouble for China's team.
On the contrary, Okaki Shinji's cutting inside from the flank was more threatening.
China's team calmly defended. After seizing the opportunity to counterattack, Qin Xiong became the key player in the left flank's whirlwind play.
Compared to the West Asian team, who had a certain advantage in physical confrontation, Japan's team couldn't shake Qin Xiong at all in physical confrontation.
This made Qin Xiong's strategy for this game very simple!
In the sixth minute of the game, he controlled the ball on the left flank in the front field. Keisuke Honda was the attacking midfielder, so he couldn't interfere with Qin Xiong immediately. Endo Takahito and Hasebe Makoto were not particularly tall and strong midfielders. When Endo Takahito came to Qin Xiong's side to attack, Qin Xiong slightly tilted the ball under his feet and took the lead to block his position. Then, when Endo Takahito came to confront, Qin Xiong also secretly exerted force!
Endo Takahito almost fell to the ground. He felt as if he had hit a piece of iron plate!
Not only did he bounce back, but he also felt pain in his bones!
He seemed to see Qin Xiong's eyes filled with the light of a beast when he looked at him!
It was the dark pleasure of destroying the opponent!
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