Lin Hai Ting Tao

Chapter 167 Trading Blows with the Dutch

Chapter 1 The Special Fans

During warm-ups on the field, Zhang Jun was surprised to find some special fans in a corner of the stands. Unlike other Dutch fans who were wearing orange Dutch jerseys to cheer for the home team, these fans wore white casual clothes and waved Chinese flags, cheering for the Chinese team.

They were fans from Volendam!

Zhang Jun was so sure because of the banner they were holding, which read in both Chinese and Dutch: "Welcome back, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan!"

Among the crowd, he could even see Wang Bo, Uncle Dennis's family, and Ses from Ajax... all familiar faces.

The entire Volendam team had come, dressed in casual clothes and sitting together. Zhang Jun could also see many people he knew waving to him, with head coach Adri Koster and youth team coach Ries рядом next to them.

Zhang Jun was deeply moved. He had played in Volendam for three years, but he had never dared to hope for such a day: when the Chinese team and the Dutch team competed, they, as Dutch people, could cheer for him and for the Chinese team.

For an ordinary player like Zhang Jun, this was already a great honor.

"What are you looking at? You're so engrossed," Yang Pan tugged at Zhang Jun's jersey, wanting to do a shooting combination with him.

"Look," Zhang Jun waved towards that section of the stands, and immediately more arms and flags were waved in response. "What do you see?" he asked Yang Pan.

Yang Pan was also stunned: "Is that them? They actually came too!"

"Wave to them, they still remember you."

Yang Pan followed suit and waved to the stands. Like Zhang Jun, he was greeted with a large number of waving arms and the five-starred red flag. Of course, the Chinese flags in their hands were different from those held by Chinese students and overseas Chinese. They had printed Zhang Jun and Yang Pan's portraits on the flags. Perhaps this was disrespectful in the eyes of many Chinese, but in the eyes of foreigners, it represented the extent to which a player was popular, and it was perfectly normal.

"Everyone came," Yang Pan murmured, looking at that section of the stands.

"Yeah," Zhang Jun turned and hooked the ball over, then passed it to Yang Pan. It was warm-up time, they couldn't just stand on the field and chat, could they?

Yang Pan stopped the ball with his chest, then stepped on it: "Zhang Jun, you know what? Sometimes I'm really envious that you stayed in Volendam two seasons longer than I did."

"What's there to be envious about? You have two more years of experience in Serie A than I do, and you're much more adapted in Milan this year. Pass the ball." Zhang Jun waved.

"This has nothing to do with Serie A, I'm really envious of you, and I'm not kidding." Yang Pan pushed the ball to Zhang Jun, but ran forward himself.

"When did this start?" Zhang Jun knew what Yang Pan wanted to do; he wanted to give An Ke a "surprise." That guy had just saved several shots from his teammates in a row, and he was getting a little cocky. So he tacitly pushed the ball ahead of Yang Pan.

Yang Pan ran in a slight arc, and then, without stopping the ball, swung his right foot directly at the rolling soccer ball.

The soccer ball drew a faint arc and then beautifully drilled into the goal.

"It started the night before last, when you sneaked off to Volendam alone," Yang Pan said, turning back to look at Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun also looked at Yang Pan, and he thought he could understand what Yang Pan meant by envy: he had two more years of Serie A experience, but he had two fewer years of happy memories.

An Ke sat stupidly on the ground. He hadn't been prepared, and then he saw a soccer ball suddenly flying in from afar. He instinctively tried to save it, but he was still a half-beat too late. The soccer ball flew over his head and into the goal.

He was very depressed by this goal. He had just been bragging about how great he was, and that the Dutch team shouldn't even think about taking a point from him... and then he was scored on by this unexpected goal. Poor him, he didn't even know who shot it.

※※※

The teammates around them were a little excited, pointing and chattering in front of the Chinese team's goal. The old players were telling the new players that the one who shot just now was Yang Pan, his long shots and speed were very terrifying, you all saw it just now, right?

Adri Koster and Ries рядом sat on the side of the team, watching the two former beloved players in the field.

Four years ago, when they first came to Volendam, they were still children who didn't understand anything. It was he and Ries рядом who had cultivated them into qualified professional players.

And now, one is a first-team player at AC Milan, and the other has won the love of the entire city in Fiorentina, and they have both been selected for the national team.

Qiu, his former assistant, had also become the coach of the Chinese team.

These four years had passed in the blink of an eye, making people sigh with emotion.

Volendam had secured their spot early this season, and he and Ries рядом could leave without any worries. After all, they were both old.

Qiu, Zhang Jun, Yang Pan... the future belonged to these young people.

※※※

Having Hu Li lead the pre-match warm-up was enough; Qiu Suhui stayed in the locker room preparing. He drew the starting lineup on the tactical board, and then studied the starting lists of both sides.

Marco had indeed lined up a 4-3-3 total football formation, and was using a lot of young players. Don't look down on those young people, their abilities may be considerable. He had also changed his formation, not using the 4-4-2 he used against Spain, but a 4-5-1, and it also had mostly new players.

In fact, Qiu Suhui had been hesitating whether the Chinese team should play 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. 4-4-2 was the Chinese team's tradition, but he felt that 4-5-1 was more suitable for the current national team.

It seemed that this issue would have to be resolved during the training camp before the World Cup.

After considering the game itself, Qiu Suhui sat in the locker room and began to drift off. He could still hear the songs of the Dutch fans outside. Dutch fans, who treated even a friendly match so seriously, never lacked passion.

As a Chinese person who had lived in the Netherlands for three or four years, this country had left him with many beautiful memories. The friendship with Van Basten, the mentor-friend relationship with Van Gaal, the teacher-student relationship with Adri Koster...

In 1984, he saw the level of top European football in the Netherlands, which changed his life. The Netherlands was also the starting point of his coaching career. From here, he began a ten-year wandering career, and finally, disheartened, he thought that the Netherlands would be the end, but he never thought that a game he saw on a TV broadcast would change his life again.

Zhang Jun had gone back to Volendam to take a look, but he himself was busy with work and didn't see anyone. Van Gaal, Adri Koster, these two were his teachers, so in principle he should go and see them, even if it was just to sit together and have a drink.

He heard that Adri Koster was going to retire after this season, and he could invite him to China to play after that. He cared a lot about Chinese food, and had been talking about going to China to eat authentic Chinese food for a long time, but it had always just been talk. He, as a student, should take the initiative to consider it for him.

Wait, wait until after the World Cup...

The door was pushed open suddenly, and Qiu Suhui came back to his senses. Wang Hui led the way in, followed by Zhang Jun and Ke Lu, Li Yongle, Xiang Tao and Wang Yu. He looked at the clock on the wall. The warm-up was over, and in another thirty minutes, the game would begin.

When Hu Li and Yang Pan finally came in and closed the door, Qiu Suhui clapped his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"This is our starting lineup for today's game." He pointed to the tactical board next to him. "For the past three days, we've been practicing attacking, set-piece attacks, central attacks, wing attacks, and so on. I think many people will have questions during training: why, before a game against a world-class attacking team like the Netherlands, are we not practicing defense, but only practicing offense? Now you understand, right? In this game, we're going to go toe-to-toe with the Netherlands."

As soon as Qiu Suhui said this, it caused a stir in the locker room.

"Are you kidding me! Toe-to-toe with the Netherlands? Won't our defense be riddled with holes?" He heard someone mutter.

"Toe-to-toe? Great, awesome! I've wanted to attack the Netherlands for a long time!" He also heard someone say.

"Is Coach Qiu planning to give up this game?"

"Don't talk nonsense! With our team's current strength, defense is not our forte. Even if we all shrink back to the thirty-meter area, we may not be able to prevent the opponent from scoring, and we'll lose ugly. This way, the Netherlands' defense is actually not good either, so we at least have a chance to score."

These guys at least know how to use their brains now, a little better than he imagined, there's still progress to be made. Qiu Suhui thought to himself. He clapped his hands again, asking everyone to stop the spontaneous discussion.

"I know that many people are worried about what to do with our defense if we go toe-to-toe with the Netherlands. In fact, we don't need to think too much about defense in this game. The purpose of my arrangement is to see just how strong our attacking ability is, and whether we can suppress the Netherlands' attack."

As soon as these words came out, many people gasped: what a big mouth!

"Everyone knows the results of the World Cup draw. We're in the same group as the defending champion Brazil. Many people think this is our misfortune, but I don't think so. We don't have many chances to have a real, no-holds-barred fight with Brazil in a major world competition. This game against the Netherlands can be considered a rehearsal for the game against Brazil. If we have the strength, we'll go toe-to-toe with Brazil. If we don't have that strength, we'll honestly play defense and counterattack. Everyone understands, right? This is also why I'm lining up in a 4-5-1, and why I'm using this lineup. The Dutch team will play a 4-3-3, their midfield lacks depth. We have five people in midfield, giving us a numerical advantage, but whether this numerical advantage can be translated into an advantage on the field depends on you. We only have one striker on the front line, so the attacking point can't only be concentrated on Zhang Jun. Yang Pan, Ke Lu, Li Yongle, you also have to frequently insert and shoot."

"Van Bronckhorst likes to assist, and he's not very good at defending. Yang Pan, you can take advantage of this point. I think if Van Basten wants to play total football, the full-backs can't not go up to assist. Without Stam, the Dutch team's center-back line is not tall enough, this is another opportunity. As for whether to cross or cut inside and shoot, you decide for yourself. Ke Lu, you have to play to your full potential in this game. There are no problems with the field today, ah. Van Bommel is a tough guy, you have to restrain him, so that he can't take care of the defense against Yang Pan and Li Yongle, and Zhao Pengyu. In addition, assist Zhang Jun. Li Yongle, help Li Yi a little in defense, but your most important task in this game is to attack. Understand? Just like you did in the last ten minutes of the second half of the game against Spain, mobilize the entire Chinese team. With Ke Lu restraining the front for you, the defensive pressure you face will not be too great. I don't think Van Basten knows much about you, this is your chance."

"I let Zhao Pengyu start because of his speed. We need to rely on this speed to create trouble for the Dutch right-wing defense. As for Xiang Tao, the number 7, Castelen, on your side is said to be the fastest player in the entire Eredivisie. Since being selected for the national team last year, except for injuries, the right winger position has always been his. He's excellent at dribbling and fast, so the pressure in this game is no less than the last game, so as for whether you assist, I won't arrange it, you decide according to the situation on the field."

Xiang Tao said oh, but he had already made up his mind. In the last game against Spain, because it was Joaquin on that side, Coach Qiu didn't let him assist, which had stifled him. Now that Coach Qiu didn't make any requests and let him decide according to the situation, then he could assist whenever he felt it was appropriate. He didn't care about the fastest in the entire Eredivisie, he didn't buy that, and he would directly force you to shrink back and defend with his attack!

Thinking this way, Xiang Tao couldn't help but grin. The laughter gave Wang Yu, who was next to him, goosebumps all over.

"Our defense will be under a lot of pressure. Going toe-to-toe doesn't mean we have to completely give up defense. Li Yi, you're still responsible for the center, you're the barrier in front of the defense line, so pay extra attention. Li Yongle will help you. If necessary, foul. We don't use man-to-man marking, but zone defense. The ball must be handled cleanly and neatly on the defense line, and no more than four passes are allowed. An Ke, you have to roar, expand your attack range, and keep the entire penalty area under your control. What you did in Dortmund, do here. If someone has a problem, don't hesitate, shout it out!"

An Ke nodded vigorously. He knew that Qiu Suhui was not satisfied with his performance in the last game, because he was too silent, not like him. Now, saying this in front of everyone was equivalent to giving him carte blanche, allowing him to roar as much as he wanted. If someone made a mistake, he could give them a good scolding. That felt really good.

"Okay, that's all. I've said everything that needs to be said. Everyone just has to remember to go on the field and attack desperately, and use all your strength 100%. As for whether we'll concede a goal, don't think too much about it. In this game, I just want to see the attacking strength of the Chinese team!"

"Yes!"

The response was scattered. Qiu Suhui sighed in his heart, there were still people who had doubts. But he really didn't have time to do any more ideological mobilization for them, it all depended on personal understanding.

He waved his hand: "Go on the field."

※※※

Li Yan, who had returned to the Netherlands, felt very cordial about everything. He was sitting next to his old partner, Wang Hua, who had been called in again to be his translator.

"Zhang Jun and Yang Pan are the golden partners on the field, and we are the golden partners in the press box." That was what he had said to Wang Hua, so that he wouldn't have to pay to find a volunteer.

The fans in the stands had also arrived, and the atmosphere was quite lively. Looking around, it was almost all orange.

Wang Hua put down his binoculars, then pointed to the southwest corner of the opposite stand: "That should be the cheering squad from Volendam. It's obvious that they're not here to cheer for the Dutch team."

Li Yan also saw the banner in both traditional Chinese and Dutch: "I didn't expect them to come too."

"Didn't you come too? What's so surprising about that?"

"This is for work, work. Ha!" Li Yan laughed.

"It must feel good to be back, right? Your mouth hasn't closed since you opened it."

"Uh... that's for sure. Being back in the Netherlands really reminds me of a lot of things." Li Yan pointed to the field. "Take this stadium, for example. I remember Zhang Jun's first game here very clearly. Volendam versus Ajax, he was marked to death by Chivu. As a result, after the game, the winner Chivu took the initiative to find him, the 'loser', to exchange jerseys..." Li Yan said emotionally, it had already been three years since then.

Wasn't it the same for Wang Hua? Take this stadium, for example. He had more memories here than Li Yan. After Zhang Jun's comeback, a "Dragon Soar" in the snow caused the whole stadium to boil. He could still clearly remember how excited he was at the time, it was a passion that could melt the snow!

Being called in by Li Yan to be a volunteer was like reliving the little things from the past. There was no need for that guy to say any sappy "golden partner" nonsense, he wouldn't refuse anyway.

Because he hadn't seen Zhang Jun play in person for a long time...

"Look! They're coming out!" Li Yan whispered.

The two teams of players filed out of the tunnel in two lines, and the atmosphere at the scene immediately reached the first climax.

※※※

The two teams of starting elevens shook hands with each other, shook hands with the referee, the captains exchanged team flags, the coin toss... it was already fifteen minutes later when the two teams stood in their respective formations, waiting for the kickoff.

Li Yan excitedly rubbed his hands in the stands: "The game is finally about to start! Looking at the lineups of both sides, it's indeed a toe-to-toe battle!"

"Your performance doesn't match your identity." Wang Hua rolled his eyes on the side.

"What's wrong?"

"You're a reporter, not a fan."

"Correct yourself, I'm a reporter, but first I'm a fan." Li Yan waved his hand, "I'm not going to argue with you, watch the game, watch the game, the game is about to start!"

※※※

Zhang Jun stood in front of the ball, with Ke Lu standing opposite him. The Chinese team was kicking off first in this game. Zheng Jun had good luck, guessed the coin correctly and got a kickoff. Facing a team like the Netherlands, letting them attack first was very dangerous.

Standing outside the center circle on the opposite side was Van Nistelrooy. Ke Lu was no stranger to him, he had faced him several times in the league and the FA Cup. As a result, they won in the league, widening the gap in points, but they were eliminated by Manchester United in the FA Cup.

You could say it was a draw.

And Zhang Jun and Yang Pan were naturally familiar with this lineup, especially Zhang Jun. The people he competed against in the league were now all selected for the Dutch national team, which made Zhang Jun feel inexplicably close to them.

But they were opponents.

Castelen, the forward, a small black guy. When they played against each other in the first leg last season, he was just a substitute, warming up on the sidelines, staring eagerly at the field, wanting to play. Now he was already a regular in the Dutch team. Coach Qiu was right, this kid was short, had a fast stride, and was very fast. Even if Yang Pan ran the 100 meters against him, Yang Pan could only get a draw.

Seeing Xiang Tao's nonchalant look before the game, Zhang Jun knew he would be in trouble.

Zhang Jun also glanced at the Dutch coach, Van Basten, on the sidelines. He was still dressed in a neat suit, standing on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, as dashing as when he played football. Tsk tsk, that's what a man is, Zhang Jun didn't know if he could still have this kind of temperament when he was forty years old.

Former teacher and student, now opponents, football was really interesting.

With a whistle from the referee, he lightly tapped the soccer ball to Ke Lu, and ran forward himself, brushing past Van Nistelrooy, who was also rushing forward.

※※※

Unlike Van Basten, who was used to standing and directing the game, Qiu Suhui mostly sat on the coach's bench, occasionally exchanging opinions with Hu Li. When he got up and walked to the sidelines, it meant that the Chinese team was about to make a change.

The game had just started, the Chinese team was attacking, and you couldn't see anything yet. He just sat there expressionlessly, occasionally glancing at his old friend on the sidelines.

Ke Lu passed the ball directly back. He had dyed his hair dark red, which didn't look much different from black from a distance. No one talked about his conspicuous artificial blond hair anymore. And Ke Lu also wanted to prove that he didn't rely on his hair to attract people. Due to the field conditions, he didn't have many opportunities to perform in the game against Spain. This game, as Qiu Suhui said, the field was okay, the weather was okay, and he should be okay too.

Li Yongle received Ke Lu's pass, and at the same time, Van Nistelrooy pounced on him aggressively. Li Yongle turned, blocking Van Nistelrooy behind him, and then passed back again.

Li Suisheng got the ball. Currently, no one was pressing him, and he had many options, such as passing sideways, passing long, passing back, or even trying to dribble himself... Suddenly, a black shadow rushed out diagonally, and the target was him!

Li Suisheng didn't have time to see who this person was, and hurriedly poked the ball to the left, barely dodging the foot that was stretched out!

Xiang Tao also didn't expect the Dutch team to be so proactive from the start, and he seemed a little flustered. He didn't receive the ball the first time, and let the soccer ball slip past him. Fortunately, he reacted quickly the second time, and took two quick steps to stop the ball in front of the sideline.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the Dutch right midfielder, Van der Vaart, rushed up again, stretching his foot to steal the ball! Xiang Tao didn't hesitate, and poked the ball directly, giving it to Zhao Pengyu, who came up to meet him.

And at this time, Li Suisheng had time to notice the person who had just rushed up to steal the ball. A short black player wearing the number 7 jersey, wasn't that Romeo Castelen, who had been specially mentioned by Coach Qiu before the game?

His speed was indeed very fast. He didn't even notice how the opponent had rushed from the center circle to in front of him in an instant.

"The Dutch team seems very proactive from the start. Two consecutive steals have made the Chinese team's players a little flustered, but fortunately, the ball is still at our feet."

The Dutch team was playing 4-3-3. In this way, their wings would be relatively empty. This was what Qiu Suhui had emphasized before the game. He had arranged for the Chinese team to have two fast wingers in order to take advantage of this point. The Dutch full-backs all had the problem of being strong in attack and weak in defense. Qiu Suhui believed that Zhao Pengyu and Yang Pan were enough to create trouble for the Dutch wings.

Zhao Pengyu also followed Qiu's instructions before the game, dribbling straight into the Dutch right wing. Van der Vaart was chasing back, but he was slightly inferior in terms of speed. The main thing was that Van Bommel was diagonally cutting in to cover.

Of the three midfielders for the Dutch team, the balance point was all on one person - Marco van Bommel in the middle. As the captain of PSV Eindhoven, he was the team's absolute midfield core, and both attack and defense had to revolve around him. Possessing a good long-range shot, his defense was even better.

Originally, the Dutch team's midfield also had an experienced Cocu, but in training before the game, Cocu strained his back. For safety's sake, Van Basten didn't let Cocu play, but instead sent up the more offensive Sneijder. In this way, the heavy responsibility of defending the midfield almost completely fell on Van Bommel.

Whether he could defend against the Chinese team's midfield attack was something that many Chinese media outlets were concerned about.

Seeing Van Bommel gradually approaching, Zhao Pengyu planned to accelerate his breakthrough, but the Dutch number 6 directly tackled the ball out of bounds, disrupting the Chinese team's plans for a quick attack.

Zhao Pengyu couldn't stop his momentum and was tripped by Van Bommel, diving to the ground in a very embarrassing manner.

It was a Chinese throw-in. Xiang Tao ran up, he was mainly responsible for throwing in the ball on the Chinese team's left wing.

The ball was thrown to Li Yongle. Don't let his tall stature fool you; his other two long legs were very flexible. He hooked the ball thrown by Xiang Tao, and just adjusted the position of himself and the ball.

Then he didn't let the soccer ball stay at his feet for too long, but passed it directly to Ke Lu, who was running into position.

After receiving the ball, Ke Lu tried to break through head-on, but Van Bommel defended steadily and failed. He decided to slow down and look for another opportunity. Just as he stopped the soccer ball and was about to look up to observe the situation on the field, Van der Vaart, who had quickly returned to defend, charged over, preparing to poke the ball when Ke Lu had his back to him!

It looked like the Chinese team was about to lose possession!

Li Yongle wanted to remind Ke Lu, but his shout was not as fast as Van der Vaart's feet. Just as they were about to make contact, Ke Lu, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly pulled the ball stopped on the left back with his left foot, and then switched to his right foot to pull the soccer ball back slightly, then dodged Van Bommel's head-on interception. Immediately afterwards, he tapped the ball that had been pulled back forward with his right foot, jumped up and dodged, and broke through!

This series of actions was smooth and natural, done in one go. Deceiving Van der Vaart and dodging Van Bommel seemed to be only a momentary thing, and in the blink of an eye, he had already reached the Dutch team's thirty-meter area.

The Dutch team was faced with a choice, a choice that was actually the same as Ke Lu's: was he going to pass the ball, or break through directly?

Before the game, Van Basten had given Van Bommel the task of defending Ke Lu, but he didn't say what to do when he was faked out. For a time, the Dutch center-back line hesitated: should they pounce on him or not?

Ke Lu took advantage of their hesitation and tapped the ball lightly, trying to smear it inside. Facing Heitinga, number 3, who was playing center-back in this game, he swiped his left foot over the ball, making Heitinga think that this would be a bicycle kick. When Ke Lu's right foot also feinted over the ball, Heitinga confirmed his thoughts. He bent over and squatted, while stepping back in small steps, paying close attention to the movement of Ke Lu's feet, preparing to lean his body against him when he moved the ball to the left or right, block the position and steal the ball.

This was a very perfect method, but Ke Lu was not doing a bicycle kick.

His right foot, which had feinted past, suddenly tapped the ball to the left front. This was unexpected by Heitinga, who thought that Ke Lu would move it to the outside, but instead tapped it to the inside. But good physical fitness still allowed him to react - he kicked off with his left foot, planning to pounce to the right, and as he said, lean his body against him, separate the man from the ball, and the Chinese team's attack would be over.

But just as he started, he saw the soccer ball hit Ke Lu's outstretched left foot and bounce back to the right, to his left!

At this time, he was unable to push off the ground with his right foot and pounce back.

Ke Lu broke through easily!

The Chinese fans who were present didn't have time to cheer when they heard the referee's whistle.

Ke Lu, who had just broken through Heitinga, was knocked down by Bouma, who had caught up. The central defender from PSV Eindhoven didn't give Ke Lu the space and time to show off his skills, and directly knocked him down with his body, avoiding the danger of him breaking into the penalty area after being tricked.

The Chinese team thus got a free kick twenty-six meters in front of the goal.

Zhang Jun held the soccer ball and personally placed it on the grass. For the Dutch team, they had stopped a danger, but were now facing another threat.

Any Dutch team player playing in the Eredivisie would know about Zhang Jun's direct free kick, which the Dutch media called the "Smile". Just relying on this free kick, he could help Volendam win some key games. The Volendam fans and players sitting in the stands were very impressed.

They began to shout loudly, cheering for Zhang Jun, which attracted the white eyes of many Dutch fans. But they didn't care, and some people even put up such a banner:

The smile is still on your face, Zhang Jun!

The Dutch team lined up a wall of as many as six people, each one carefully, for fear that Zhang Jun would find a flaw. Van Basten had specifically instructed them. Due to the difference in strength, the Chinese team's best scoring method was naturally set pieces, and they just happened to have a set-piece master in their team who had been taught by Baggio, so they had to be careful.

"This is really a memorable scene, we haven't seen Zhang Jun take a free kick in person for a long time." The Dutch on-site commentator said to the guest. He had commented on Zhang Jun's games at Volendam a lot before.

"Look at Van Bommel's nervous expression, PSV Eindhoven suffered in the past, haha!"

Due to the origins of the players and coaches on both sides, the atmosphere of this game was actually quite friendly, which could be seen from the commentator's relaxed tone.

Zhang Jun placed the soccer ball, then took two steps back, stood still, and waited for the referee's whistle.

This was really a great opportunity. Zhang Jun still maintained the good habit of practicing fifty extra free kicks every day, so he was in good shape in terms of free kicks, and he often had records of directly scoring with free kicks in training.

Having arrived in the Netherlands, Zhang Jun felt that everything was easy to do, even this free kick was the same.

The position of the ball was in the center, but the position of the wall and the goalkeeper was one on the left and one on the right. He was not a power-type shooter like Yang Pan, so the upper left corner of the goal where the wall was located naturally became his best choice.

After ordering the Dutch team's wall to retreat 9.15 meters, the referee ran out of the penalty area, and then blew his whistle to signal that Zhang Jun could kick it.

This would be the Chinese team's first shot in this game.

Zhang Jun ran up, very short, and then he kicked the soccer ball with his right foot. Zhang Jun added a bit of force to his waist and abdomen, so the arc was very obvious, heading straight for the unguarded upper left corner of the goal!

Van der Sar felt different after wearing the captain's armband. It seemed that his reactions were faster than usual, and he directly flew out in the air, and his one-meter-ninety-seven height allowed him to stretch horizontally in the goal, basically blocking the gap.

But he was still a little short, he didn't save the ball, but he didn't get scored on either. The soccer ball drew an arc and went wide of the far post!

Zhang Jun drew the arc a little too big in order to avoid Van der Sar.

He could even hear the entire Amsterdam Arena taking a cold breath. He waved his hand unwillingly.

The Chinese team lost possession, and it was now the Dutch team's turn to attack.

※※※

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