Chapter 172 Stalemate

While both sides retreated to their locker rooms for adjustments and strategy, the television and internet were buzzing with discussions about the first half.

For Chinese fans, despite the 1-1 score, they were brimming with excitement and elation.

In the previous match, China had defeated the defending champion Spain 2-0. However, analysts later pointed out that Spain was merely a paper tiger, and China's desperate fight to win wasn't particularly surprising.

But now, facing the in-form host team, China managed to equalize after conceding a goal, which was considered remarkable and impressive.

Almost no one could find fault with this performance.

Although Yan Min scored an own goal, upon calm reflection, everyone had to admit that the goal was inevitable. Whether or not Yan Min made that touch, it would have been difficult to change the outcome.

Moreover, Yan Min then relentlessly pressured the opposition in the attacking third, earning China the opportunity to equalize. His performance was impeccable.

In the broadcast studio, the hosts and guests discussed China's first-half performance, expressing hope that the team could maintain their momentum from the end of the half. They emphasized patience, as the pressure was on Brazil.

"Playing at home has its advantages and disadvantages," the guest's view echoed Lippi's. "Brazil cannot afford to lose; they must win. So, if we can hold this score, as the game progresses, the Brazilian players will become increasingly impatient. At that point, China will have more counter-attacking opportunities..."

※※※

The fifteen-minute halftime break passed quickly. As the players reappeared on the field, the second half was about to begin.

"...In the first half, China even had more possession, with 57% compared to Brazil's 43%. Looking at these statistics, it's hard to believe that this is China versus Brazil... But it's true. So, in reality, we are not that weak against Brazil. Don't blindly mythologize the 'Kingdom of Football.' We are actually evenly matched. In the second half, the Chinese lads must remain calm, maintain confidence, and persevere. I believe nothing is impossible!"

He Ping used the first-half statistics to preview the second half.

"...China only had four shots in the first half, while Brazil had as many as ten. China only had two shots on target, three times fewer than Brazil..." Marcel Reif also analyzed the first-half statistics. "It seems that while Brazil lost a bit of possession, their attack was more threatening. But don't forget that two of China's four shots were on target, a 50% accuracy rate. One goal came from those two shots on target, a 50% success rate. This is very efficient. In fact, China's tactics don't require them to have more shots than their opponents, nor could they surpass Brazil in that aspect. Counter-attacking is all about success rate, and China did well in that regard in the first half."

"Neither side made any personnel changes during halftime. Brazil has forty-five minutes left. The lads must give it their all, perform at their best, and bring us victory after forty-five minutes!" The Brazilian commentator passionately encouraged the Brazilian players, even though they couldn't hear him...

※※※

After the second half began, China launched the first attack.

He Ying received the ball on the right flank and attempted to combine with Zhou Yi, but he was knocked to the ground by David Luiz, who came up to pressure him. The referee, Webb, promptly blew his whistle, awarding China a free kick on the right side of the attacking third.

Zhou Yi ran over to prepare for the free kick, and the stands immediately erupted in boos.

The first half had been the same way. Whenever Zhou Yi had the ball, boos would fill the stadium. Except for that one second after his shot, when the Brazilian fans were briefly silenced by surprise, the boos were like Zhou Yi's entrance music, immediately sounding whenever he appeared.

Zhou Yi was oblivious to the jeers. He placed the ball, and players from both sides crowded the edge of the penalty area.

Then, he kicked the ball into the box.

César rushed out, jumping up to punch away Zhou Yi's high, looping ball.

Yang Hao got the ball and passed it back to defender Rong Hao.

Zhou Yi immediately ran to Rong Hao for the ball. Rong Hao passed it to him, and Zhou Yi received the ball, turned, and quickly passed it back into the box again.

This time, the Brazilian players were pushing forward, leaving space behind them.

Gao Lin cleverly cut inside, running back to meet Zhou Yi's pass at the perfect spot!

"An opportunity for China!"

However, César was very focused on defending this ball. He quickly charged out of his goal and jumped high, punching the ball away before Gao Lin could reach it!

China's attack failed.

Brazil immediately transitioned from defense to attack, launching an offensive while China retreated to defend.

When Brazil's counter-attack reached China's thirty-meter zone, Marcelo passed the ball horizontally, seemingly to Neymar, which caught Yang Muge's attention. He immediately closed in.

But just as the ball reached Neymar's feet, he deliberately let it pass!

The ball went right between his legs, catching Yang Muge off guard.

"Neymar! Beautiful dummy!"

Then, Fernandinho, who had surged forward from behind Neymar, received the ball and unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area!

Sun Pan immediately dived to make a save, but he didn't touch the ball because Fernandinho's shot went wide of the goal…

"Good! Although they didn't score, as long as Brazil continues to play like this, they will definitely score!" The Brazilian commentator continuously gave confidence to the Brazilian fans watching on television.

In a sense, he wasn't wrong…

In the fifty-fifth minute, Brazil finally scored a goal.

But before Hulk shot, his raised arm touched the ball, helping him to control it, reducing his adjustment time and laying a good foundation for his subsequent shot.

Therefore, at the moment of his handball, the Chinese players around him all raised their arms, signaling that Hulk had handled the ball.

The referee saw everything clearly. Although the ball eventually flew into the Chinese goal, he blew his whistle and disallowed the goal.

The Brazilian fans in the stands initially erupted in cheers, but soon, when they realized that the referee's gesture didn't indicate a valid goal, the cheers quickly turned into boos – they were dissatisfied with the decision.

Hulk and Scolari were equally unhappy.

Hulk patted his shoulder, indicating that the ball had hit there, not on his arm. Hitting the shoulder wasn't a handball, which was completely different from hitting the arm.

Scolari was also furious on the sidelines, believing that Webb had once again succumbed to the pressure from Zhou Yi's pre-match remarks, making a biased decision in favor of China at a critical moment.

However, slow-motion replays from multiple angles clearly showed everyone that the ball had indeed hit Hulk's arm, not his shoulder.

There was no doubt that Hulk had handled the ball; there was no issue.

"Webb's decision is correct. Hulk did handle the ball first, otherwise, how could he have gotten such an easy shooting opportunity? Stop complaining, or Webb might give you a yellow card…" He Ping joked.

※※※

An hour had passed in the match, with thirty minutes remaining until the end, but the score remained 1-1, unchanged.

Brazil's attack was fierce, but under Zhou Yi's leadership, China's counter-attacks were also impressive.

Because of the fear of China's counter-attacks, Brazil couldn't go all out in their offense. After all, both of Brazil's full-backs, Alves and Marcelo, were better at attacking than defending. If they went up to attack, they might not be able to get back in time, posing a huge risk to the team's defense.

And while players like Yan Min and He Ying were stealing the show in China's counter-attacks, what was the ultimate source?

Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was the core of the Chinese team, and his importance to the team was self-evident.

But it wasn't easy for Brazil to defend against Zhou Yi.

Although Scolari specifically started Fernandinho and benched the underperforming Paulinho, Fernandinho was still struggling to defend Zhou Yi on his own.

The two had faced off in the Champions League group stage before. Fernandinho was also on the field at that time, but he couldn't stop Zhou Yi, who led Dortmund to victory.

This time, the situation was even worse.

Because Zhou Yi was stronger than he had been two years ago. His body was more agile, his footwork more skillful, his decision-making after receiving the ball more precise, and his dribbling more efficient.

When Zhou Yi got the ball, Fernandinho rushed up from behind, trying to stick to him, but Zhou Yi quickly passed the ball out and turned to run. Fernandinho lunged forward, only to miss. He then pounced on Yang Muge, who was in front of him, but Yang Muge passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who was unmarked, leaving Fernandinho behind…

Once again, when he encountered a similar situation, he ignored Yang Muge, who had the ball, and turned to chase Zhou Yi. As a result, Yang Muge dribbled forward, chasing after him, making him look like a fleeing soldier being pursued…

He was always trapped in such a predicament, unable to escape.

He worked hard to defend, but it wasn't very effective against Zhou Yi.

In his duels with Zhou Yi, he always seemed to play the role of a "loser."

By the sixtieth minute, Fernandinho had become utterly intolerant of his constant defeats in his encounters with Zhou Yi.

When he charged at Zhou Yi for the nth time, Zhou Yi had his back to him. He first leaned to the left, making Fernandinho think that Zhou Yi was going to turn and break through on that side, so he also leaned to that side. As a result, Zhou Yi immediately turned in the completely opposite direction, using the outside of his right foot to push the ball behind him, about to break past Fernandinho.

The Manchester City midfielder could no longer restrain himself. He swept his right leg from behind, directly kicking Zhou Yi's right leg after he had pushed the ball. As a result, Zhou Yi didn't complete his turn but fell headfirst to the ground.