Chapter 14 The World Cup Qualifiers

When the Chinese Football Association carried out reforms in the new year, Qiu Suhui got married, and Yang Pan found the love of his life, another major event was also gradually approaching.

Last December, the draw ceremony for the Asian qualifying round of eight for the German World Cup was broadcast live by CCTV5, because it concerned whether the Chinese team could appear in Germany in 2006. Everyone still remembers what a wonderful group situation we had in 2001.

Before this draw, the eight teams were divided into four tiers according to their performance in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. The seeded teams were South Korea and Japan, China and Saudi Arabia were second-tier teams, Iran and Bahrain were third-tier, and Uzbekistan and North Korea were fourth-tier.

South Korea was the seeded team in Group A, and Japan was in Group B.

When Villar Pan held up the small piece of paper with "China" on it to show everyone, the expressions on Chen Wei's and Qiu Suhui's faces were not very natural.

The Chinese team faced Japan again in an important competition after the Asian Cup final.

"It's true that enemies are destined to meet!" Chen Wei whispered to Qiu Suhui with a wry smile, and Qiu Suhui nodded in agreement.

As soon as Ali Han saw that it was Japan, he immediately thought of the unpleasant scene six months ago, and the smile on his face immediately disappeared.

They looked at Villar Pan's smile and all thought of "smirking."

In the end, China, Japan, Bahrain, and North Korea were assigned to Group B.

This grouping also caused quite a reaction in China. Being in the same group as the Japanese team was a topic for hype in itself.

In fact, compared with Group A, the situation in Group B was relatively clear. The current German World Cup has 4.5 qualifying slots for Asia. The top two teams in each group will directly advance to Germany, and the best third-place team will compete with Oceania for another slot.

From a calm analysis, the environment for Chinese football is developing in a good direction, but the strength of the national team is still not satisfactory. Bahrain and North Korea are not easy opponents to deal with, and the gap with Japan, needless to say, is not something that can be bridged in a day or two. Therefore, the most ideal situation for the Chinese team to qualify is to finish second in the group behind Japan, fight hard in the four games against Bahrain and North Korea, and avoid losing in the games against Japan.

But on the other hand, the Football Association's reform work has just begun, and it urgently needs a victory to give everyone hope and optimism. Therefore, the game against Japan is absolutely not allowed to be lost.

In view of this pressure, Ali Han recalled all the overseas legion. The game against Japan would not start until March 20th, and these overseas players returned as soon as their respective leagues ended.

Yang Pan, Zhang Jun, An Ke, Wang Hui, Shao Jiayi, Li Yi, and even young players like Li Yongle were recalled. Ali Han wanted to be more conservative in terms of personnel configuration, while Qiu Suhui's idea was to let Li Yongle and An Ke receive training. At the same time, it would also help them in their competition in their respective clubs, after all, they are national team members!

※※※

The match against Japan was Zhang Jun's second time being selected for the national team. The first game was on February 9th, the first day of the Lunar New Year, against North Korea. He originally wanted to give Sophie and his family a Spring Festival gift with his outstanding performance, but as a result, he sat on the bench for a full ninety minutes, watching Yang Pan provide an assist to help the Chinese team win 1:0 at home against North Korea.

Winning narrowly against the weakest team in the group, North Korea, and Zhang Jun, who was highly anticipated, didn't even get a minute of playing time, which caused great dissatisfaction among domestic media and fans.

The game was won, but the process did not reflect the gap in strength between the two teams. If it wasn't for Yang Pan's almost savage forceful breakthrough on the right, the game would likely have been a draw.

In this game, Ali Han's national team once again exposed the problem of forwards not being able to score goals. And facing North Korea's dense defense, the Chinese team had no good way other than relying on Shao Jiayi and Yang Pan's crosses from the left and right wings.

Some media questioned why Ali Han didn't let Zhang Jun play when the forwards couldn't score. Ali Han explained that it was because Zhang Jun's physical condition was not at its best. But this explanation was too far-fetched, because Zhang Jun had scored a goal in the game before returning, helping Volendam win at home, and had also shown good form in training after returning.

Qiu Suhui knew why. Ali Han didn't like Zhang Jun's "lazy" style of play on the field. He couldn't tolerate anyone in the team, except for "Demon Blade" Hao Haidong, not tracking back to defend. And Zhang Jun never tracked back to defend in Volendam. He had been accustomed to playing like this for three years, and it was impossible for him to make changes suddenly.

This is the contradiction.

Letting Zhang Jun enter the national team was due to pressure from the Football Association, but whether or not he was allowed to play was up to the head coach.

For this reason, Qiu Suhui had quarreled with Ali Han once, but this stubborn old Dutchman simply didn't accept his opinion. Qiu Suhui himself is now only an assistant coach and has no power to decide who plays and who doesn't.

Zhang Jun himself was also very helpless. If it weren't for serving the country, he wouldn't want to take a dozen hours of flight and spend half a day dealing with jet lag to sit on the bench as a spectator. He hated being a spectator the most. From high school to the national Olympic team, he had had enough of being a spectator at critical moments.

If it weren't for Qiu Suhui acting as a buffer in the middle, he might have already fallen out with Ali Han. In terms of scoring ability, he was much stronger than that Li Yiming who only wasted opportunities on the field. Why was Li Yiming a main substitute while he was a third-line substitute?

Because there was Milu as a reference, Zhang Jun had never liked Ali Han very much, feeling that this coach had no personal charisma. Now he liked him even less.

But this time, when the national team called him up again, he agreed without saying a word. No matter how Ali Han treated him, being able to wear the national team jersey and serve the country was still a dream he couldn't let go of. As long as it was a summons from the Chinese team, he couldn't refuse.

※※※

The overseas legion did not return to China, but flew directly to Japan, where they joined the national team, and then prepared for the qualifying match held at the Tokyo National Stadium on the 25th.

After Zhang Jun finished training, he was blocked by reporters in the hotel lobby. With his appearance in the national team, the conflict between him and Ali Han was brought up again.

"Zhang Jun, will you be able to play in this game?"

"You have to ask the coach about that."

"Zhang Jun, talk about Ali Han!"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Then talk about the game, how confident are you that the Chinese team will win?"

Zhang Jun stopped in front of the elevator. He was waiting for the elevator, and the reporters took the opportunity to surround him.

"Win? I don't know, Japan is the home team and has a greater advantage. All I know is that this game will be very difficult." Zhang Jun said this with anger in his heart, because he learned again from today's training that he would not be in the starting lineup.

With a "ding!" the elevator door opened, and head coach Ali Han walked out! Zhang Jun immediately lowered his head and got in, while Han walked out as if he hadn't seen him.

When the reporters saw that one of the protagonists had arrived, they immediately pounced on Ali Han.

"Ali Han, will Zhang Jun be able to play in this game?"

"..."

"Mr. Ali Han, talk about Zhang Jun! What do you think of him?"

"..."

"Then talk about the game?"

"..."

……

Zhang Jun stood alone in the elevator, watching the door slowly close, and Ali Han's figure gradually disappeared from his sight. Just as the door was about to close, a hand reached in and stopped it.

Li Yongle watched the elevator door close again and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally made it, phew!"

Zhang Jun looked at his panting appearance: "What's wrong? You have to rush to get on the elevator at the last moment, all sneaky."

"Ah, you don't know, those reporters. I'm just a supporting character, but they have to block me and ask me this and that..." Li Yongle noticed that Zhang Jun's expression was not right, "Still upset about not being able to play?"

Zhang Jun didn't nod, but he didn't shake his head either.

Li Yongle smiled: "I'm much better off, I was originally just here to visit, I never thought I would actually play. As for you...actually I don't know what to say...Ali Han doesn't like you, there's no way around it!" He sighed again. In this situation, there's no point in arguing, you can only endure it yourself.

Zhang Jun laughed instead. Seeing Li Yongle so worried about him, he was a little touched. He didn't want to make others worry about him so easily anymore. "Maybe it's just my attitude that's not right. No one said that I could play just because I came back. Being a starter in the club doesn't mean I'm a guaranteed starter in the national team. I'm content to be a member of the national team. If the coach lets me play, I'll play. If he doesn't let me play, I'll be ready at any time, that's all. As for how others see it, that's their own business." He tapped the elevator floor lightly with his foot. He had experienced too much in the past six months. The national team was just giving him another chance to train. Forget it, he would just use "Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to this person" to mock himself in his heart.

※※※

"Zhang Jun, will you play tomorrow?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm sure I won't be in the starting lineup."

"Is that so? Maybe that coach is biased against you, but don't worry, just find an opportunity to prove yourself. I believe in you!"

"Hehe, all talk and no action! If you believe in me, then show some practical action. Like..."

"Smooch!"

"Like kissing me..."

"I believe in you, Zhang Jun!"

Zhang Jun touched his cheek, feeling that he and Sophie were becoming more and more in sync. Sophie knew what he wanted before he even said it. It was really wonderful to have such an "understanding" girlfriend.

Yang Pan came out after taking a shower and saw Zhang Jun constantly touching his cheek, so he kept laughing strangely beside him.

Zhang Jun glanced at him and didn't say anything. After a while, Yang Pan's phone rang.

"Hello, Yilan, I'm in Japan, everything is fine. Okay, okay, I miss you, I miss you every day..."

"Wahahaha!" Zhang Jun laughed wildly this time without restraint. Although he couldn't understand what Yang Pan was saying, he could definitely guess the lines from Yang Pan's expression, because he also said those words to Sophie. Yang Pan had always been the one laughing at him, but now it was his turn to laugh at Yang Pan.

Yang Pan didn't care and walked to the balcony while talking.

Zhang Jun looked at Yang Pan outside the curtains and sighed again, feeling quite bored.

The game is tomorrow, why can't I get excited?

※※※

Japan also attached great importance to this game. Zico recalled all the Japanese players who were playing overseas that he could recall. Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono, Shunsuke Nakamura, Yoshito Okubo, Atsushi Yanagisawa, and others would all play.

On the Chinese side, Wang Hui was still a bench player, Zhang Jun was with him, and An Ke and Li Yongle were complete spectators. Among the overseas players, only Yang Pan, Shao Jiayi, and Li Yi were in the starting lineup.

The Chinese team's starting lineup was just one more Li Yi compared to the Asian Cup, with no other changes. After the game started, the Chinese team's performance was normal. The "normal" here means the same as the previous clumsy performance.

On the defensive line, the coach didn't call up Li Suisheng and Liu Peng, who were among the best young players in China, but trusted the rash old defensive line. Not to mention the forwards, "Demon Blade" Uncle was already thirty-five years old and still had to bear the heavy responsibility. His partner, Li Dayu, was a shooter who often had wonderful performances in the league, but would be silent as soon as he entered the national team.

Qiu Suhui only watched the first fifteen minutes of the first half and kept sighing in his heart. Ali Han had been in charge of the Chinese team for almost three years, but the tactics had never been unified, and there had never been a fixed style for the players to adapt to. His vision for selecting players was also problematic. With his own level, Qiu Suhui felt that he was a bit wasted to be Ali Han's assistant.

Japan's home advantage was very obvious. Not only would the referee slightly favor the Japanese team, but nearly 60,000 Japanese fans on the scene wore the unified Japanese home team uniform, turning the National Stadium into a turbulent blue ocean. They must still remember the various "encounters" their national team had in China during the Asian Cup, so they wanted to take this opportunity to retaliate fiercely.

Everyone says Korean fans are terrible, but Japanese fans are no worse.

The Chinese team was under a lot of pressure on the road. In fact, many players on the Chinese team were familiar with the Tokyo National Stadium. They had played in the East Asian Four Nations Cup here the year before last. But every time they came, their performance was the same—being suppressed.

It's quite sad to say it.

Many years ago, Japanese football could only be trained in front of China, but they often came with a very low profile to ask Chinese counterparts for exchanges. They were not discouraged even though they won less and lost more. Later, relying on the "century plan," relying on the implementation of professionalization, relying on money to attract many washed-up stars to join the J-League to play football, and relying on Japan's national quintessence of manga, they drove the progress of the entire Japanese football level. Later, after Japan won two consecutive Asian Cup championships, they had become the undisputed hegemon of Asia. Their eyes had already been set on Europe. The little brother who used to be humble was no longer worthy of being with the group of "poor brothers" in Asia.

And Chinese football? It had long been mired in endless internal strife due to fake matches, black whistles, factional struggles, and entanglement of interests, and was far behind Japan and South Korea.

Qiu Suhui felt heartbroken every time he thought of this history. Basically, he witnessed most of this history in multiple capacities such as player, spectator, and coach. Back then, when their batch of national team and the old predecessors played against the Japanese team, they would suddenly break through and shoot, how refreshing. Now? Tsk tsk!

In between thinking wildly, the Chinese team's rash but lacking stability defense made a serious mistake. As a result, the ball was not kicked far, and the number one dangerous factor, Hidetoshi Nakata, got the ball directly. He did not pass the ball as the Chinese players thought he would, but took a long shot from 25 meters away!

The football turned very quickly, with a tricky angle! Goalkeeper Liu Fei tried his best to save it, but unfortunately he was not tall enough and failed to stop the football. The ball went into the far corner!

In the 31st minute of the first half, the Japanese team took the lead at home!

Ali Han threw the water bottle in his hand angrily, but Qiu Suhui remained silent, as if it had nothing to do with him. He had known for a long time that it was only a matter of time before they would concede a goal against Japan with Ali Han's approach. The Japanese team has always been strong in midfield, and can be used as a forward line at critical moments. How can China's four-man midfield deal with it?

Shao Jiayi is not good at defending, and Yang Pan's defensive range is limited to the right wing. In the middle of the defense, Li Yi has not been able to find his form since he was injured, and he is no longer the "Iron Man" he used to be. And the other defensive midfielder, who performed outstandingly in the domestic league, also showed his "rough guy" nature in the face of Nakata and others' footwork.

If it were me, I would have sent a few of the overseas players sitting below. They would definitely be more useful than some of the people on the field now. Qiu Suhui simulated in his heart.

※※※

Yang Pan angrily kicked the rolling football, kicking it hard back into the goal.

It was the third game, and he always felt awkward and uncomfortable playing in this national team. He felt like he couldn't use his strength.

He looked at Zhang Jun and others off the field. Zhang Jun's face was also not very good.

Alas!

Yang Pan sighed in his heart and walked towards the center line with his head down. Now is not the national Olympic team, he can't shout loudly, he can't easily reveal his emotions, and of course he can't jokingly make suggestions to the coach, such as letting Zhang Jun play. Just like he did in the national Olympic team.

Why is the gap between the national team and the national Olympic team so big?

※※※

Wang Hui next to him didn't say a word. He had seen this kind of scene many times, but he just frowned tightly. And An Ke, who has an impatient temper, muttered: "Are there any defenders who clear the ball like that?" Li Yongle hurriedly poked him, fearing that others would hear him.

The one who made the mistake was the captain of the national team.

But An Ke didn't care. Before he became a professional player, when he was still unknown, he couldn't stand this person's style. Rash and clumsy. "With him, it's simply a nightmare for the goalkeeper behind him." That was how he used to evaluate this person, and his evaluation remains the same.

Zhang Jun believed that his face must be bad, very bad. Thirty-one minutes had passed, and he had the feeling of watching the national team game on TV before, that is, he was suffocated and angry. He was angry when he saw the Japanese showing off their footwork in front of him, and his teammates on the field were powerless; he was angry when he saw the Japanese moving like the wind, with light steps that could only be stopped by fouls, while the Chinese team was walking heavily, with weak legs; he was angry when he saw the Chinese team making so many active mistakes like a meteor shower; he was even more furious when he saw the Chinese team conceding a goal because of active mistakes.

If it were before when he was facing the TV, Zhang Jun would have started cursing. That way, at least he could vent his anger. But now, would he dare to curse? Unless he didn't want to enter the national team anymore. Now he felt like he was being insulted by someone with very shameless language, but he couldn't fight back. Something inside his chest was about to explode.

Li Yongle sat next to Zhang Jun and heard a clear crackling sound in the huge calls of the National Stadium. He curiously turned his head to find the source of the sound, only to see Zhang Jun's face full of dark clouds, and the mineral water bottle in his left hand had been squeezed out of shape.

※※※

In the remaining time of the first half, the Chinese team strengthened its offensive, but the forwards failed to seize the opportunity. There were two near misses that made Ali Han sigh repeatedly. At that time, he thought he had grasped hope, but in the end he realized that what he had grasped was just a hair on hope's body.

Qiu Suhui seemed very calm throughout the first half. It wasn't until the whistle sounded to end the first half that he got up and followed Ali Han to the locker room.

Basically, he is now putting himself in a position similar to a "bystander". Anyway, since he had a conflict with Han over Zhang Jun's usage, the Dutchman rarely took the initiative to exchange opinions with him. In addition, Chen Wei and Qiu Suhui had a good private relationship, which made Han have to be wary of something. Now, Qiu Suhui is more of being regarded as a translator. That's right, after Chen Wei took office, Xiao Dong, who used to be a translator, was transferred away. What else is he if not a translator?

Ali Han's on-the-spot substitutions have always been surprisingly impressive in the minds of Chinese fans. Therefore, Qiu Suhui was very interested in what arrangements Ali Han would make for this game. He decided to wait and see, and, in a sense, he even hoped that the Chinese team would lose this game to Japan, because that would increase Chen Wei's excuse to dismiss Ali Han.

※※※

The mid-game break was somewhat chaotic.

Ali Han criticized all three lines, but he couldn't find the real reason.

The "Demon Blade" comrade, the most qualified member of the team, actually didn't quite agree with this old Dutchman. He had been a club coach and believed that he could lead the team better than Ali Han. However, because he was proficient in worldly wisdom, he didn't show anything. He still tried his best to score goals on the field to help Han out of trouble.

Yang Pan was inexplicably said a few words, but he also behaved maturely, accepting all criticisms humbly, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. Some very harsh criticisms were unacceptable to Zhang Jun, let alone An Ke. If it hadn't been for Li Yongle reminding him, An Ke would have "blurted out."

The captain who made the mistake didn't dare to say a word.

Everyone was under a lot of pressure. Ali Han's all-round attack was also a manifestation of his great pressure. After Luo Wenqiang was dismissed, he heard that the newly appointed Chairman Chen Wei did not like his coaching style. So if they lost this game, the Chinese Football Association would let him go even if they had to pay liquidated damages.

"In the second half, we will strengthen our attack. Yang Pan, you also need to shoot more from a distance, understand?" He drew on the tactical board while asking Yang Pan. Until now, he only knew that Yang Pan had speed and long-range shots. When he was in trouble, he would let him save the day.

Yang Pan nodded, thinking that Adrianse was much more capable than him. He hadn't worked on the front line for a long time, and it seemed that he really couldn't keep up with the times.

"...Then we have to do this..." He drew a forward arrow on the board, "...and then this!" He drew three more arrows in front of the goal. "If it doesn't work, you can also do this..." The arrow on the wing became a zigzag line going into the goal. "Try to create confusion in the opponent's defense as much as possible!"

Looking at the tactical board that was drawn in a mess, everyone was confused.

So the precious fifteen minutes of break time passed in a blink of an eye in your mess, my mess, and everyone's mess.

※※※

There was still no change in the second half. In addition to the vague tactical arrangements during the mid-game break, the Chinese team's inferior skills were also unavoidable.

As the rising star who is now in the limelight, Yang Pan received meticulous care from the Japanese side. They pressed him tightly in the narrow terrain of the right wing, preventing him from rushing out.

It seems that the Japanese knew that Yang Pan would increase his long-range shots in the second half, so they had already made targeted preparations. That was also natural. Under Ali Han, Yang Pan only knew how to cross from the baseline and shoot hard from a distance.

The offensive was still of poor quality, and the defense was frequently in danger. Ali Han was so anxious that he kept pacing in front of the coaching bench. It was time to make some changes! He made up his mind.

So, five minutes later, Li Yiming, the No. 11 forward who was affectionately called the "(shooting) plane (rough) leg" by domestic fans for "running faster than the ball," was sent on the field by Ali Han to replace Hao Haidong, the "Demon Blade," whose stamina was gradually running out.

At this time, I believe that many fans who were watching TV saw that familiar figure appear on the field and had already turned off the TV pessimistically.

Zhang Jun was even more disappointed. Replacing Li Yiming meant that he would basically have no chance to play.

The score was still 0:1 behind, but many people felt that there was no hope for this game.

Ali Han's substitution initially made the Japanese commentator nervous for a while, thinking that he would replace No. 21 Zhang Jun, but it wasn't, so he had a false alarm. "The Chinese team has replaced No. 11 Li Yiming. They have given up on the attack!" Don't ask how this Japanese person knew Ali Han's thoughts, because he had broadcast the Asian Cup final.

※※※

Li Yiming really "lived up to expectations" and messed up the Chinese team's attack.

Yang Pan made a forceful breakthrough and crossed, and the ball was passed well. Li Dayu appeared in the front spot at the right time and jumped high.

The Japanese defender thought he would head the ball, so everyone rushed towards him. But Li Dayu saw Li Yiming following up behind him and let the ball go!

The football passed through and flew towards Li Yiming!

All of the Japanese team's attention was attracted by Li Dayu in the front spot. He was now unmarked, and nearly two-thirds of the goal in front of him was unguarded!

A great opportunity for the Chinese team!

But this silly bird, Li Yiming, was indifferent, watching the football fly past him and then being cleared by the Japanese! He didn't realize that Li Dayu would let the ball go to him!

Li Dayu shouted at him angrily: "What are you doing standing there? Defend!" He would lose his temper no matter how good his temper was if he was paired with this kind of forward.

"Li Yiming wasted a great opportunity! He seemed to be in a daze just now!" Liu Hongmin's tone had a feeling of "disappointment that iron cannot become steel."

※※※

After wasting several opportunities in a row, Ali Han made another adjustment. This time, he unexpectedly replaced Zhang Jun, but...but he also unexpectedly let Zhang Jun play as an attacking midfielder, which he had never played before!

Qiu Suhui did not make any comments on this substitution decision, but simply translated it to Zhang Jun verbatim.

Zhang Jun, who was full of joy, thought he had heard it wrong, but Translator Qiu told him that he was right. The head coach wanted you to play as an attacking midfielder, not only taking on the important task of organizing the attack, but also being a shadow killer.

Wang Hui almost laughed when he heard this. It was fine for him to be a versatile player, but it looked like the head coach wanted to train another one. What kind of coach is this!

After Zhang Jun understood, he didn't say much, quickly took off his coat, ran to the fourth official, and prepared to take the field. He didn't have much time left.

※※※

Sophie saw Zhang Jun finally on the field in front of the TV and was happy for Zhang Jun in her heart. But she soon became unhappy. Because she found that Zhang Jun's position was not a forward, but an attacking midfielder!

"What's going on?" She pointed at the TV and asked in surprise, very unlady-like.

In fact, there were many people who were doing the same action and saying the same words at this moment as her. Even Liu Hongmin, the commentator of CCTV5, could only laugh and say: "This...Ali Han's on-the-spot substitutions are indeed unexpected and have his own unique features..."

※※※

But these "unique features" performed miserably on the field. Zhang Jun, who had never played as an attacking midfielder, seemed a little at a loss on the field. Most of the time, he didn't know what he should do and could only mechanically receive the ball and pass the ball.

That wouldn't work, so later, Zhang Jun, out of habit, would always try to get into the penalty area and act as a center forward. As a result, both Li Yiming and Li Dayu were squeezed out of position, which was even worse. Han had to shout loudly many times and ask Zhang Jun to withdraw and leave the penalty area. Time was running out, and he didn't even want a translator. He knew that Zhang Jun could understand him anyway.

But Zhang Jun's characteristics meant that the farther he was from the penalty area, the less effective and threatening he would be.

Zhang Jun was conflicted. He encountered this situation for the first time in an important game. The nervousness of making his debut for the national team had long disappeared, replaced by confusion. He didn't know what to do.

There were less than fifteen minutes left in the game, and the Chinese team was still one goal behind.

※※※

Zhang Jun could only have some chances during set pieces, but due to the Chinese team's chaotic situation, the Japanese didn't even need to foul to easily block all of China's attacks.

Only corner kicks were left.

"The Chinese team has won a corner kick opportunity. This is our third corner kick of the game. Yang Pan will take it..."

Zhang Jun appeared in the front spot like a ghost, jumped high under the surprised gaze of the Japanese defender, and then shook his head!

"Zhang Jun heads the ball!"

Goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi had already surrendered, but the crossbar helped him by blocking this lightning-fast ball.

"It didn't go in!" Liu Hongmin really wanted to curse. God has no eyes!

But just as the Japanese players thought the crisis was over and were about to kick the falling football out, a black shadow rushed in and headed the ball into the goal before Shunsuke Nakamura could clear it!

"Goal! Li Dayu scored! The Chinese team has tied the score!"

Li Dayu, who scored the goal, was very excited. He planned to cover his head with his jersey and run wildly to celebrate, but just as he lifted his jersey halfway, he suddenly remembered the relevant regulations of FIFA. Lifting the jersey would result in a card, and he already had a yellow card on him, so he hurriedly put it down and instead ran wildly with his hands raised.

Yang Pan, who took the corner kick, did not follow up, but turned around and rushed towards Zhang Jun, and then hugged him. "Damn! Why didn't you head it in just now? Otherwise, the game would be much easier for you later!" Yang Pan sighed.

Zhang Jun just smiled foolishly. He hadn't thought so much yet. He just wanted the Chinese team not to lose.

※※※

After China tied the score, the Japanese team strengthened its offensive, but it was too late. Because Zhang Jun had privately changed Ali Han's instructions without realizing it and was at the forefront like a forward, making the Japanese team always have to take into account this wolf wandering in their backcourt when they wanted to launch a large-scale attack.

The score never changed again. In the end, it was just a 1:1 draw, and everyone shook hands and made peace.

Qiu Suhui looked at Ali Han's relieved expression and thought that Chen Wei would have to wait for an opportunity, and he himself would have to wait for an opportunity. For now, he would just be Translator Xiao Qiu.

※※※

This away draw, due to Ali Han's problems with Zhang Jun's usage, was once again criticized by many media. Some people even sharply asked what Ali Han was trying to do by doing this. Ali Han argued that the result was not bad anyway, which showed that letting Zhang Jun play as an attacking midfielder was also successful. After all, it was Zhang Jun's presence that helped Li Dayu score the tying goal.

Qiu Suhui remained silent in this crisis of confidence in Ali Han, and the Football Association also remained silent.

Zhang Jun was a good person and didn't embarrass Ali Han in the media. He only said that he was very happy that the Chinese team did not lose the game against Japan.

But Ali Han could not tolerate Zhang Jun's bold behavior of tampering with his instructions at the last moment. As a result, five days later in the home game against Bahrain, Zhang Jun still sat on the bench for ninety minutes. His situation did not change because he helped Li Dayu score a goal in the previous game. This move aroused more and more people's dissatisfaction. Even a fool could see that Zhang Jun's strength was enough to be a starter. The problem between Ali Han and Zhang Jun could no longer be fooled with simple physical reasons.

Fortunately, the Chinese team broke out at home and swept Bahrain, which had been infinitely glorious in the Asian Cup, 4:1, which slightly diverted some people's attention.

After the game on March 30, the first round of the quarter-finals ended, and the national team was temporarily disbanded. The players had to cope with their own league tasks.

Zhang Jun returned to Volendam with endless helplessness and depression. He wanted to vent all the firepower accumulated in his heart on Volendam's league opponents. At least here, he was still the king, and he was still everything.

Zhang Jun would occasionally think about the problem between him and Ali Han, but only occasionally. Now that the relegation battle had reached a critical point, he couldn't spare his mind. He would leave everything to be said after the league ended.