Chapter 1 The Beginning

Zhang Jun and Yang Pan walked shoulder to shoulder toward the players' tunnel. They glanced at each other as they headed for the exit, and then walked together in tacit agreement. But neither of them spoke along the way, because this final was more dangerous than they had imagined. A slight misstep could ruin their dream of four… no, eight years.

The thought of such a vague future probably killed any interest in talking.

They were about to leave the tunnel and step onto the field. Zhang Jun coughed softly and said to Yang Pan, "Hey, Yang Pan, take more shots in the second half."

Yang Pan was surprised and didn't understand. "What? I'm not a striker, and I have to defend. How can I take more shots?"

Zhang Jun couldn't bring himself to reveal the fact that he knew he was going to be a father, so he just said casually, "No, I just think you taking more shots would add another offensive point in our front line."

Yang Pan looked at Zhang Jun and nodded. "I'll seriously consider it. You have to work hard in the second half too. Sophie is waiting for your bride price on the sidelines, haha!"

Zhang Jun smiled. "Don't worry about that."

After solving the internal team unity problem during halftime, Qiu Suhui spent the rest of the time instilling in the players how to defeat Brazil. Thinking about defeating Brazil with a numerical disadvantage seemed unbelievable. But… Qiu Suhui's fanatical expression made the players believe that their coach really wanted to defeat the Brazilian team.

Yang Pan lowered his head and tied the laces inside his shorts. He suddenly looked up and was dazzled by the golden light in front of him. He staggered and almost fell in a very embarrassing way. He steadied himself and stopped in front of the World Cup trophy, staring straight at it. He really wanted to reach out and touch it. It must be cold, right?

Just endure, just endure. After forty-five minutes, I firmly believe that I can personally take this trophy from the hands of the FIFA president!

※※※

The two sides had to switch fields in the second half. Sophie was behind the Chinese team's goal in the first half, so now she was behind the Brazilian team's goal. If the Chinese team scored, she would definitely be able to see it very clearly.

Everyone's attention was focused on the red card and infighting in the first half, and Zhang Jun's performance was drowned out. In the second half, she was looking forward to her fiancé's moment to shine.

※※※

Hu Li reminded Qiu Suhui that there were two minutes left before the players had to go out. Qiu Suhui looked at the door, feeling like he hadn't said enough.

"Okay, everyone come over and stand in a circle. Like this…" Qiu Suhui put his right arm around Zhang Jun's shoulder and his left arm around Li Yongle's shoulder, so that the other players could do the same as him. Twenty-some people formed a circle, bowed their heads, head to head, shoulder to shoulder.

"Listen to me, we are a whole, not divided into starters and substitutes. A team of twenty-three players is a whole. You are teammates, and I am responsible for leading you. The field is like a battlefield. I don't care what kind of grudges you have in your hearts. After the whistle blows, we are comrades in arms in the same trench. When facing the enemy, when facing difficulties, the only thing you can trust is yourselves and the teammates around you. That's right, we are one person short, we are also behind by one goal, and even more unlucky is that our opponent is the number one team in the world, Brazil! The remaining forty-five minutes are extremely unfavorable to us. Maybe at this time many domestic fans have already given up hope. But you can't! Precisely because the situation is critical in the second half, we must be more united and fully trust the teammates around you. The forwards trust the midfielders, the midfielders trust the defenders, the defenders trust the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper trusts all of you, and all of you trust me, the coach. In turn, I trust every member of the team. If we are united, we can defeat all invincible opponents and create miracles that no one can imagine! Got it? This is my last request to you—unity!"

Of course, all of this happened five minutes ago.

Now Qiu Suhui was standing in front of the coach's bench, nervously watching the game on the field.

The second half of the game had already started for two minutes.

Looking at the stalemate on the field, Qiu Suhui turned around and paced back to his seat.

He couldn't be sure whether all the things he said during the halftime break had worked. If pre-game arrangements could guarantee victory, then football matches wouldn't be so attractive. There were too many unexpected events…

※※※

In the pure white hospital corridor, a liquid crystal television was mounted on one wall. The World Cup final was currently being broadcast on the television, demonstrating the Italians' love for football. The hospital had a live broadcast of the match, and some off-duty doctors and nurses with nothing to do gathered there, looking up at the game.

About ten meters away from the television, three anxious elderly people were sitting on a long bench.

Their daughter had been taken inside for more than an hour, and the operating room door remained tightly closed. They had no way of knowing what was happening inside, or whether the mother and child were safe.

They were so consumed by anxiety that they had no mood to pay attention to their son's match. For the three elderly people, no matter who won the World Cup in the end, it wouldn't be as important as the safety and health of their daughter and the child in her womb.

"God bless…" The bearded man held a silver crucifix in his hand, put it to his lips, and muttered incessantly. The mother of his son’s wife beside him had prayed to every god she knew.

The shadowless lamp illuminated the operating table with a bright light, making Yi Lan's face look even paler. She was lying on the operating table, her hands tightly gripping the sheets, her fingernails piercing through the fabric and injuring her palms. The sheets beneath her were soaked with sweat. She clenched her teeth and tried to deliver the baby according to the doctor's instructions.

Rubeni, the doctor in charge of the delivery, was also very nervous. Sweat dripped from his forehead immediately after the nurse wiped it away.

"Relax, Yi Lan, don't be nervous, don't be nervous…" he muttered.

Premature birth and difficult labor—who knew that Yi Lan would encounter both? Originally, based on the size of Yi Lan's pelvis, the baby, though somewhat large, should have been able to be delivered naturally. However, Yi Lan, experiencing labor for the first time, was too nervous, causing the baby's head to be delayed in emerging. Normally, it should take about two hours from full cervical dilation to the baby's delivery. If it took too long, the pregnant woman would be exhausted and the labor would stop completely, making the difficult labor even more serious. Carelessness could jeopardize the safety of both mother and child.

"Doctor! The contractions are becoming irregular!"

"Doctor! The pregnant woman's heart rhythm is uneven!"

Beluni was startled by the two cries. He looked at Yi Lan's face. The tightly furrowed brow on her face was gradually relaxing, and her breathing was becoming very irregular—none of these were good signs. If the pregnant woman couldn't continue on her own, no matter how capable the doctor was, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything.

"Yi Lan!" Beluni suddenly leaned down, approaching Yi Lan's ear, who was already somewhat delirious, and encouraged his patient in a louder voice, again and again. "You can't give up at this time! Cheer up! Hold on! It's about to be successful! Think about your parents who are waiting anxiously outside! Think about the pain you have suffered in the past eight months! Think about your husband, Yang Pan, who is far away in South Africa, think about your child! Hold on!"

※※※

The Chinese fans were shouting wildly. Ten minutes into the second half, the Chinese team, with one less player, gradually gained the advantage on the field. Their performance was like a completely different team compared to the first half. Wang Jianxiang kept asking, "What magic did our coach Qiu Suhui use during the halftime break?! We can't even feel that the Chinese team is currently one player short!"

It was actually very simple. The ten players on the Chinese team firmly remembered Qiu Suhui's words: unity!

They also firmly remembered Yang Pan's words: If each of us ten uses one more point of strength, wouldn't that make up for A Sheng's share?

Especially Wang Yu. His performance in the defensive line in the second half surprised commentators from many countries, wondering if he had always been a genuine center-back.

In the recently concluded Brazilian offensive, he successfully blocked Brazil's attack twice in a row with headers, protecting An Ke behind him very well.

Li Yongle looked at the situation on the field and chose to pass the ball long to the frontcourt.

Zhang Jun jumped high, winning the header against Renato. He passed the ball back to Ke Lu, who was coming up.

"Yang Pan!! Come up!" Zhang Jun, who had landed on the ground, waved his arms back.

Yang Pan gritted his teeth, then lowered his head and accelerated forward.

Ke Lu deftly flicked the ball away, dodging Baptista's kick. Then he passed the ball to Zhang Jun, who had already turned and ran forward.

Now it was time for Zhang Jun to perform!

As soon as Zhang Jun got the ball, two Brazilian players surrounded him. Lucio and Renato.

In the past, Zhang Jun would have hated this kind of defense, but now he actually hoped that more and more Brazilian players would surround him. Because in this way, the defensive attention of other teammates would decrease.

He said he was going to give someone a big gift, and he would definitely do it.

Renato was behind, Lucio was in front, and there were also the menacing Luisão and Nenê. This formation… the Brazilian team really thought highly of him!

Zhang Jun feinted with his upper body, then gently pushed the ball out in the direction of Lucio. Lucio saw Zhang Jun push the ball over, thinking that he had made a mistake and pushed it a little too far. This was a great opportunity to intercept the ball!

He leaned back, stretched his long leg, and went to poke the ball.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun's starting speed was too fast. His toes had just touched the ball when Zhang Jun followed up by pushing the ball out again!

Lucio was stunned! Zhang Jun blew past him like the wind…

Renato saw that Zhang Jun had the idea of breaking through the encirclement, so he quickly reached out to pull him, but he was a little late! He watched helplessly as Zhang Jun slipped away from his grasp like an eel!

"Zhang Jun breaks out of the encirclement of Lucio and Renato! He's so fast!"

Zhang Jun, who had broken through, did not continue to break through in a straight line. Facing Luisão, who came to defend, he lowered his right shoulder, making the opponent think that he was going to break through from the right, but suddenly changed direction and took the ball to the left! Just like that, he had entered the Brazilian team's penalty area!

The Brazilian team's attacking power was unmatched in the world, but as for their defense… there was really nothing to praise.

"Zhang Jun's breakthrough is like a dinner knife, easily cutting through Brazilian butter!" The Italian commentator shouted loudly. This analogy was really appropriate. The Brazilian team, wearing yellow jerseys, did look a lot like butter.

Because he wanted to avoid Luisão, Zhang Jun was biased to the left after breaking into the penalty area, and the angle was not good. But he had no intention of stopping to shoot, and continued to dribble the ball towards the baseline. César and a group of Brazilian defenders surrounded him, trying to seal off Zhang Jun, who had become an "isolated soldier."

Zhang Jun suddenly turned his head and saw Yang Pan hesitating outside the penalty area, wondering whether to come in or not.

Hey, Yang Pan, look, this is the gift I'm giving you. You have to accept it!

While running, seeing that the shooting angle was gradually becoming narrow, he raised his left foot as if he was going to shoot.

César did not dare to be careless. He knew that Zhang Jun was a terrifying striker who could shoot the ball into the goal from anywhere. Even if it now looked close to impossible, he could not relax in the slightest. He fell to the ground, raised his hands high, and sealed off all possible shooting angles for Zhang Jun from top to bottom, left to right.

However, when Zhang Jun's left foot quickly swung down, he did not see the ball flying towards him.

Zhang Jun used a very awkward posture to scoop the ball up, flying high over the heads of Lucio and Nenê behind him, and then flying to the empty area on the right side of the penalty area!

Yang Pan watched Zhang Jun blindly dribble the ball forward, attracting almost all the Brazilian defenders. Facing this empty right side of the penalty area, he was a little at a loss.

At this moment, he saw a soccer ball flying out from behind the group of people!

"Yang Pan!" Zhang Jun's voice came from the baseline, with a hint of triumph at having tricked the entire Brazilian defense. "This is a gift for your child! You soon-to-be dad, haha!"

——Hey, Yang Pan, take more shots in the second half.

No wonder he said that when he came on the field just now. This kid! When did he find out?

However, Yang Pan didn't have much time to think about this question. Júlio César, the Brazilian team's goalkeeper, had already been tricked by Zhang Jun's feint and slid to the left side of the goal. Now what was in front of him was equivalent to an empty goal, without even a Brazilian defender!

※※※

"Doctor! Prepare for a cesarean section!" The nurse said to Beluni anxiously.

"No! Wait…" Beluni waved his hand, denying the suggestion. A cesarean section would cause great damage to the pregnant woman and the fetus, so it should be avoided as much as possible. "Let's try harder! Let's try again…"

"Doctor, heartbeat!" The nurse exclaimed, and the sound startled Beluni. He thought Yi Lan's heartbeat was gone, so he quickly pushed away the nurse next to him and turned to look.

"…Doctor, the pregnant woman's heartbeat has returned to normal!" The nurse's voice was full of joy.

Beluni breathed a sigh of relief. These nurses were so alarmist, they could really scare people to death. "Get the forceps, prepare for forceps-assisted delivery!"

He looked at the tightly furrowed brow on that beautiful face, wondering if his shout just now had really worked, allowing her to regain her fighting spirit at the moment when she was about to give up. No, what gave her fighting spirit and hope was just those names that she couldn't easily let go of…

※※※

This was an empty goal!

Zhang Jun's pass was just right!

Now the person facing the flying soccer ball was Yang Pan, the world-renowned heavy artilleryman in the football world!

There was not a single Brazilian player around him who could interfere with him!

So was there any suspense left?

No!

Yang Pan rushed towards the soccer ball, and at the same time, he swung his thick right leg, and then, facing the soccer ball, he used the strength of his whole body, his body fell to the left, took off… volley!

The soccer ball crashed into the Brazilian team's net without any suspense!

"Boom—!!" Countless Chinese people broke out at this moment!

"Yang Pan! The Chinese team tied the score!"

"Goal! The tenacious Chinese team tied the score with one less player! It's incredible! Zhang Jun's brilliant raid completely attracted the Brazilian team's defensive attention, and Yang Pan's thunderous strike swept away their previous depression of being besieged!"

Qiu Suhui on the coach's bench had been closely watching everything that was happening in front of the Brazilian team's goal since Zhang Jun dribbled the ball and broke through. When he saw Yang Pan shoot the ball into the Brazilian goal, he rushed out of the coach's bench with his hands raised, spun around, and hugged Hu Li tightly.

That speech during the halftime break had worked!

"Long live the Chinese team!" Wang Jianxiang behaved like a fan in his commentary box, shouting wildly. On the other side of the television, in the country, countless fans were shouting along with him!

"Long live the Chinese team! Long live the Chinese team! Long live! Ten thousand years! !"

※※※

Yang Pan jumped up from the ground. To be able to score in the World Cup final, that was the lifelong dream of so many players! He had done it. He was the first Chinese player to score in a World Cup final! All of this was because of Zhang Jun's selfless assist… so after scoring, the first thing he thought of was hugging Zhang Jun to celebrate. He didn't expect that Zhang Jun had already run towards him in advance.

"What are you still doing? Aren't you going to say something to your soon-to-be born child?!"

Zhang Jun's words awakened the dreamer.

Yang Pan thought of Bebeto's classic "cradle song." He and Zhang Jun stood side by side on the sidelines, both with their hands folded in front of them, making a gesture of holding a baby, and then gently swaying left and right…

"Look! Yang Pan's celebration… We heard a long time ago that his wife is pregnant. Yang Pan must be using this method to celebrate becoming a father! Congratulations to him, and blessings to his child!"

Yi Lan, are you already in the ward now? I'm sorry that I can't call back to ask because I have a match. Not only does the child have to be born healthy and safe, but you also have to be safe and sound for me when I go back! Do you know how anxious I have been these days, but I still have to show it. It's really tiring…

I've already thought of a name for the child. You said it was a boy, so let's call him "Yang Guan"!

Haha, son, this is your dad's birth gift to you. In front of billions of television viewers around the world, let them all be witnesses to your birth! You are the happiest child in the world!

Zhang Jun suddenly hugged Yang Pan, and then shouted in his ear, "I want to be your child's godfather! Assist me next, I have another gift to give him!"

"Even if you don't tell me, I will assist you!" Yang Pan, who had scored a goal, was smiling so wide that his mouth couldn't close. At this time, no matter what request Zhang Jun made, he would probably agree to it without hesitation.

※※※

The person who was probably the least happy to see Yang Pan score a goal was the Brazilian team's coach, Dunga. He punched the roof of the coach's bench hard. They had a numerical advantage, but they still let the other team tie the score!

Since the second half started, he had lost the composure he had in the first half, because he found that the Chinese team and their coach could not be guessed using common sense.

This was a cunning opponent.

※※※

Ronaldinho was still the core of the team, but they also had another core—Kaká. The successive attacks of these two people brought a lot of trouble to Li Yongle. He often needed to face two world-class attacking midfielders alone. Zhao Pengyu had been asked to frequently fall back to defend, but it still didn't bring any improvement.

Ronaldinho faced Li Yongle's close marking. If he could get past him, he would get past him. If he couldn't, he could pass the soccer ball out, which made Li Yongle very unhappy. Originally, this match should have been where he shined in attack, but that red card changed everything. His performance in this World Cup had been mediocre. He had been working hard for this last match, wanting to perform well. Now it was good. He was firmly tied to the backcourt by Ronaldinho and Kaká.

Ronaldinho got the ball, and he went up to press him. The other party immediately transferred the soccer ball to Kaká on the other side.

Kaká got the ball, and he went up to press him. The other party would pass the soccer ball to Ronaldinho. And he was constantly running back and forth in the middle, exhausted.

Baptista passed the soccer ball straight to Ronaldinho. Li Yongle marked him closely, not letting Ronaldinho turn around. Xiao Luo leaned against him, facing the incoming ball, slightly tilted his body, and then unexpectedly used the tip of his toe to gently lift the soccer ball upward… The soccer ball flew over Li Yongle's shoulder, and Ronaldinho broke through from the other side!

"A juggling-like dribble! So beautiful! He's worthy of being the midfield art master of the current world football!"

Li Yongle naturally didn't want to be dribbled past by Ronaldinho in such an embarrassing way. He turned around and grabbed Ronaldinho's clothes, refusing to let go! Ronaldinho realized that he couldn't move forward at all, and then he realized that he was being pulled by Li Yongle. He watched helplessly as the soccer ball rolled away in front of him. He reluctantly raised his hands and gave up the idea of chasing the ball, instead complaining to the referee that Li Yongle had fouled.

He didn't need to complain. Li Yongle's pull was so obvious, and the jersey was almost torn to shreds. How could the referee not see it? He whistled to signal that the Chinese team had fouled, giving the Brazilian team a free kick in the frontcourt.

Ronaldinho's free kick went wide of the goal, but An Ke still made a save. Facing someone like Ronaldinho, no matter how crazy he was, he didn't dare to be careless.

※※※

The Chinese team, with one less player, slowed down the pace of the game slightly due to physical considerations. There were still thirty-five minutes left in the game, so they had to distribute their energy more reasonably. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to run at the end, and even if they were leading by one goal now, they would only be overtaken.

Dunga also noticed this change. Originally, he wanted to let the Chinese team attack now, and then suddenly speed up the team's offensive rhythm after their physical strength declined, catching the opponent off guard.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Suhui had obviously considered this point, and he let the team also slow down the offensive rhythm, grinding against the Brazilian team in this unhurried manner, since the score was the same anyway.

Since the other coach didn't intend to take advantage of the victory to pursue, then let his own team take advantage of the victory to pursue!

Dunga stood on the sidelines and waved his hand towards the field, making a gesture to strengthen the attack.

Captain Ronaldinho saw it and nodded.

After the next attack, Li Yongle found that the Brazilian team's overall formation had moved forward. Baptista and Renato had already pushed into the thirty-meter area.

This signal was too obvious. The Brazilian team was about to launch a new round of attacks.

"Defend! Strengthen the defense!" Li Yongle shouted loudly, reminding his teammates to pay attention. "Zhao Pengyu, you come back to mark! Mark Kaká for me! Follow him!" After doing all this, Li Yongle stopped paying attention to the situation behind him. He turned and ran towards Ronaldinho.

Most of the Brazilian team's attacks came from here. As long as he defended Ronaldinho, the Brazilian team's attack would not be so threatening.

Baptista, who had the ball, looked at the situation on the field. He did not pass the soccer ball to Ronaldinho, but to Kaká!

Li Yongle looked depressedly at Kaká, who was being defended by Zhao Pengyu in the distance, and could only pray that Zhao Pengyu could hold Kaká back.

Facing Zhao Pengyu, Kaká's pressure was much lighter.

He made a gesture to take a powerful long shot, and Zhao Pengyu immediately fell to the ground to block it with his body. Of course, this was just a feint by Kaká. He deftly hooked the ball and dodged Zhao Pengyu!

"Damn it!" Li Yongle couldn't care less about the dangerous Ronaldinho next to him. He turned around and pounced on Kaká.

Kaká, who had broken through Zhao Pengyu, did not hesitate. He had already caught sight of Li Yongle rushing towards him aggressively. This was someone who even gave Zhang Jun a headache, and he didn't want to make close contact with him for no reason.

After passing Zhao Pengyu, he accelerated forward with the ball. Li Yongle flew out with a tackle when he was still a distance away from Kaká. If he was any later, he would let the other party enter the penalty area. Even if it was a foul, he had to stop this breakthrough. As a player of Inter Milan, he was very clear about how dangerous Kaká's vertical breakthrough was.

If he entered the penalty area alone, it would be enough to disrupt the entire Chinese team's defense.

Kaká gently pushed the soccer ball forward, and then jumped up to avoid Li Yongle's tackle! Countless female fans in the stands suddenly screamed…

He Wen was quite dissatisfied with this, but she could only wave her fist in front of the television to vent her anger.

Xiang Tao came up to try to stop Kaká, but Kaká cleverly passed the soccer ball towards the outside of the penalty area, and crossed paths with Xiang Tao, who was rushing over!

The screams became louder and louder, surpassing the cheering of the fans from both sides.

Kaká, who took the soccer ball to the vicinity of the baseline, looked up at the front of the goal, making a gesture to cross, and Xiang Tao, who refused to admit defeat, turned around and rushed towards him again.

Kaká tricked Xiang Tao into a sliding tackle with a feint, but he protected the soccer ball with his body, and then wiped past Xiang Tao.

This set of breakthroughs was very beautiful, even if Xiang Tao and Li Yongle joined forces, they couldn't defend it. Kaká, who had entered the penalty area again, saw several of his teammates in front of the goal. Without hesitation, he passed the soccer ball he had at his feet!

Robinho attracted two Chinese team defenders—Liu Peng and Wang Yu—in the front, which resulted in no one marking Adriano in the back!

The soccer ball flew high over the heads of the three people—Liu Peng, Wang Yu, and Robinho, and Adriano, who was waiting in the back, unceremoniously met the soccer ball with a powerful header!

An Ke tried his best to make a save, but it was too close, too fast, and too powerful. He could only watch helplessly as the soccer ball flew into the goal he was guarding again…

"It's gooooooooooooooooal!! Adriano scores! This is his sixth goal of this tournament! He is only one goal away from Zhang Jun's seven goals! Brazil takes the lead again!"

"The Chinese team tied the score only five minutes ago, but the Brazilian team scored again. This goal must have been a heavy blow to the Chinese team's morale!"

Seeing Adriano head the ball in with no one marking him, Zhang Jun painfully held his head in his hands. It was all because there was one less person—missing someone to mark!

He had finally assisted Yang Pan in tying the score, thinking that both sides were now on the same starting line… he didn't expect the Brazilian team to score so quickly again. It was like a shadow that could never be caught up with. No matter how hard you tried, they could always lead you by that one step. Was this Brazil?

Zhang Jun clenched his fists.

If he lost here, what about his promise?

He absolutely could not admit defeat!

Zhang Jun ran back to the goal again, then picked up the soccer ball and ran towards the center circle.

※※※

"It's gooooooooooooooooal!"

This was the first time Dunga had been so excited in this match. He jumped up from his seat and hugged his assistants. His tactical decision was correct. Taking advantage of the Chinese team's numerical disadvantage, he ruthlessly attacked the Chinese team. He not only wanted to win the match, but also to knock out the confidence of his opponents!

The Chinese team in the second half made him smell a hint of danger, because he saw confidence in the Chinese team's players. This would not do. He had to nip this dangerous trend in the bud.

Now it was good. With one less person and being continuously led, he believed that many Chinese team players had already begun to waver in their hearts, right?

He glanced slightly smugly at the Chinese team's coach not far away. Qiu Suhui was standing on the sidelines, frowning tightly and saying nothing.

The scene of Zhang Jun holding the ball and running to the center circle for the second time stimulated many Chinese players.

"Quick! Stand up! There's still a lot of time left in the match, enough for us to tie the score and then overtake! Hurry up and kick off!" Yang Pan waved his arms and shouted loudly, then he turned around and ran towards the center circle with Zhang Jun.

Like him, the Chinese players on the field stood up one after another, and then ran towards the center circle behind Zhang Jun.

※※※

Li Yan, who was in the press box, looked at the score on the big screen and said fiercely, "Damn it! I'm not going to prepare any plan for losing!" He had just received a call from the president of the news agency, reminding him to prepare a manuscript in case the Chinese team lost.

Li Yan, of course, refused outright, and his tone was quite firm, without any room for discussion—except for not cursing, he said everything.

"That idiot president, look at the Chinese players on the field now. Which eye did he use to see that we would lose?! Isn't it just being behind by one goal? Didn't we tie the score after being behind just now? It's the same now!"

Cagliani felt a little strange. When the Chinese team was behind for the first time in the first half, this person was so depressed that he looked like the end of the world was coming. Why was he suddenly getting angry now?

Li Yan saw Cagliani's expression, and he said fiercely to him, "Andrea, there is a Chinese idiom: 'Break the cauldrons and sink the boats,' and there is also a Chinese idiom: 'Fight with one's back to the river!' They both mean that when forced into a desperate situation, one needs to abandon other boring thoughts in order to unleash a huge amount of energy to turn defeat into victory. The Chinese team is now fighting with its back to the river, breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats! Besides using all their strength to compete with the Brazilian team for victory, they have no other way. Do you know that? If they don't get fierce now, the Chinese team will be finished!"

"In the past, our media tirelessly said that Chinese football has no fighting spirit, and that Chinese men's football players are not men. But now you see…" He pointed to the field, "Even in the case of being one person short, being behind by one goal, and being led twice, it has not affected their morale. On the contrary, it has stimulated even greater fighting spirit! This is the concrete manifestation of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats! Because they are a group of real men!"

※※※

Dunga looked at these Chinese people in confusion. According to his understanding, Chinese people are a nation that emphasizes "moderation." Faced with this kind of double blow, they should have lost part of their morale. But from what he saw, it didn't seem to be the case at all.

When running towards the center circle, Adriano was still turning his head to give Kaká a thumbs up. He asked Kaká in the morning to help him realize his wish of being the top scorer, and now he had assisted him in scoring a goal. He was really kind! Now he was only one goal away from Zhang Jun. World Cup champion, Golden Boot! He didn't want to give up either.

※※※

When the Chinese team was behind again, a thought once again emerged in the minds of countless people—will the Chinese team lose?

After painstakingly tying the score, they were led again by the Brazilian team in just five minutes. The strength of the Brazilian team was evident. So, facing such a perverted team, could the Chinese team, with one less player, really win? What if the team managed to tie the score again, and then the Brazilian team scored another goal? Would they give up the match?

This goal did not have much impact on the team, but instead caused the Chinese fans to waver.

"The Brazilian team is too strong! We can't win!"

"Yes! Yes! Second place is also very good! We don't ask for the championship. We also know that it's too unrealistic. Let's get the second place!"

"Bullshit! You're all talking nonsense! No matter how strong the Brazilian team is, they will have weaknesses. They are human beings just like us!"

"Which idiots are here spreading rumors? The match is not over yet! The Chinese team has not given up! We still have hope!"

"What do you know? Football is about strength. We and the Brazilian team are not on the same level of strength at all…"

"Nonsense! I fuck! What strength is not on the same level? Do you fucking understand football?! We are not losing to Brazil at all. If it weren't for the fact that there is one less person… anyway, I believe in the Chinese team!"

……

The Chinese fans watching the match in the bar had become a mess.

What about the Chinese fans who were watching the match live at this time?

The Brazilian team's second goal did give them a big blow. They were silent for a long time, watching the celebrating Brazilian fans and unable to make any counterattacks.

Niu Jianhua tightly grabbed the railing of the stand with both hands, his veins bulging. Maybe he wanted to jump down from here?

He suddenly turned around and looked at the brothers behind him who were dressed as little monkeys. They all looked a little listless. These people had followed him across the ocean from Hunan. Some people had given up their jobs for this World Cup, and had broken up with their girlfriends who were about to get married. They didn't hesitate to offend relatives and friends, and saved money to come to South Africa for the final. For what?

Wasn't it just to see their favorite Chinese team a little more? Wasn't it just hoping to help when the Chinese team needed it?

Niu Jianhua ripped off the flower crown he was wearing on his head and threw it hard on the ground. "Brothers!" he roared in a hoarse voice, "I know that it's not easy for everyone to come to South Africa to watch the match! Many people didn't expect that the Chinese team could make it to the final. They didn't have enough money prepared. Some people had no choice but to leave, but some people would rather sleep on the streets, sleep in the square, and follow me, Lao Niu, to watch the match at the final! I also know that many brothers have run out of money in order to buy a ticket to the final at a high price! What are we aiming for? Huh?!" The "little monkey" brothers who heard him ask all raised their heads and stared at Lao Niu with wide eyes, not knowing what their boss was going to do.

"Isn't it just to see our national team stand on the podium? Isn't it just hoping that the Chinese team will keep winning like this? Now the Chinese team is one person short and is led again by the Brazilian team. The team is at its most dangerous moment! Brothers! It's time for us fans to take the field! The team needs our cheers, needs us to cheer them on! The security check at the final is strict, and our drums and megaphones have been confiscated, and even the flagpoles have not been left to us! Do we have no way to do anything? No! We still have voices! These voices!" Niu Jianhua shouted, pointing to his throat.

"Use our voices to unite the many Chinese people on the scene, and use our voices to cheer for the Chinese team! Don't stop! Let the team know that we are still supporting them! The team needs us! Brothers, it's time to win glory for the country!"

Encouraged by Lao Niu, the fans asked loudly with red eyes, "Boss! You say the word, what should we do? Our brothers will do it, no questions asked!"

"Sing! Sing the national anthem! Sing military songs! Everyone can sing them! Also, Xiao Wu, you hold this national flag and run from the head of the stand to the other end, let the national flag flutter, and don'