The Korean team, trailing by two goals, could only intensify their offensive firepower at this point.

In the final moments of the first half, the Korean team launched a very threatening attack.

Kim Tae-hee forcefully broke through Jiang Zhipeng on the wing using his individual skills, followed by Gu Ja-cheol executing a brilliant one-two pass. He then delivered a quick, low pass, attempting to find Lee Ting-hyeop, but Feng Xiaoting suddenly stretched out his foot and cleared the ball out of bounds!

The ball was extremely fast, and Feng Xiaoting's clearance grazed the post. If it had been a little further off, the Dragon team would have scored an own goal.

Subsequently, Kim Tae-hee took the corner kick. The ball landed perfectly, but Zhao Gang, who had been entangled with Ki Sung-yueng, didn't have a chance to head the ball. Ji Dong-won headed the ball at the far post, and it went slightly above the crossbar. This ball scared Zeng Cheng half to death, breaking him out in a cold sweat.

The Korean players, having missed their opportunities after continuous attacks, were extremely frustrated.

Their attack had just gained momentum when the first half ended.

This was a bit of bad news for the Korean team, as they might have been able to pull back a goal if they had kept the pressure on.

In the locker room, the Dragon team players looked relatively relaxed, with smiles on their faces.

They had defended very well in this match. Lippi's training had enabled this national team to base itself on defense, but it was somewhat difficult to quickly improve the offense.

Lippi could only rely on Zhao Gang, combined with the movement of the forwards.

Of course, there were also set pieces.

And their set-piece tactics in the first half had indeed played a pivotal role.

Lippi walked into the locker room, clapped his hands, and attracted the attention of all the players.

"Everyone has performed very well. We are already leading by two goals, but we must not be careless. The Korean team's players will not give up easily. Their spirit of perseverance on the field is something we should learn from.

In the second half, I believe they will increase their attack and change their tactics.

I need you to perk up and do your job well!

Also, one more thing is very important to me. As an Italian, just like I said before the match, I hope this match is not only for you, for your fans, for your national team, but also for me!

Kick their asses!

I want to see their failure, their loss of control, their frustration, their regret, their helplessness, and their tears of incompetence!"

Lippi's eyes were sharp, filled with resentment as he spoke fiercely. He rarely showed such a terrifying aura.

Although more than a decade had passed, Korea's poor performance in the World Cup was deeply etched in the memories of every Italian fan.

Whenever Korea was mentioned, they would clench their fists, their faces flushed as they cursed vehemently.

Even today, Serie A teams do not allow Korean players to join.

Lippi kept emphasizing the defensive tactics for the second half, while Stielike on the other side was doing the same thing, but he emphasized offense, making sure to seize every opportunity to equalize.

If they lost this match, he and Korean football would face tremendous pressure.

The fifteen minutes passed quickly.

The fans at Changsha Stadium had long returned to their seats.

During halftime, it took fans a long time to return, and some even chose to leave after watching half the match.

Today, almost none of these fans had left, returning to the stadium early, organized and disciplined.

As the two teams appeared in the player tunnel, Zhao Gang heard the exhilarating cheers.

"Dragon team!"

"Go! Go!!"

Wave after wave, even though Zhao Gang had heard enough cheers already.

But these familiar shouts still made him tremble.

And the few Korean fans who wanted to cheer for their team were quickly drowned out.

When Zhao Gang walked out of the tunnel onto the field and looked up at the sea of red, seeing a large number of fans cheering and displaying his number eighteen jersey, he still managed to restrain his excitement.

At the Etihad, Manchester City fans had shown him this kind of love and madness time and time again. He should have been calm, but seeing this Dragon Red and the support of his compatriots, he couldn't help but be moved.

The two teams stepped into the center circle. The Korean team was the first to make a change, with Go Myong-jin replacing Lee Ting-hyeop.

Go Myong-jin's entry would partner Ki Sung-yueng to form a double defensive midfielder, while Hwang Hee-chan was pushed directly to the front, becoming a center forward.

Stielike's change of formation was a complete declaration of failure.

Hwang Hee-chan failed to complete his defensive tasks, so he simply let him go to the front to do what he was good at.

The Dragon team also made a substitution, with Wu Xi replacing Wu Lei.

In this way, Zhao Gang was pushed to the right wing, with Wu Xi behind him.

After leading by two goals, Lippi wanted to test whether the attack in midfield would still be smooth with Zhao Gang at the front.

If not, he could move Zhao Gang back and change to a 4-4-2 formation.

Stielike was a little stunned when he saw this substitution and Zhao Gang appearing on the wing.

His entire midfield was emphasizing the double defensive midfielders to restrict Zhao Gang, and replacing Go Myong-jin was also aimed at Zhao Gang in the midfield position.

Now Lippi directly pushed Zhao Gang up.

This old fox has some tricks up his sleeve.

Then they could only adjust their defense according to the situation on the field and the players themselves.

Beep!!

The second half officially began.

The Korean team had possession.

They immediately moved their formation forward after the kickoff.

Hwang Hee-chan was very active in his familiar position.

They had no choice but to attack, as they were already two goals behind.

After Ki Sung-yueng got the ball, the issue of Zhao Gang's position gave him more opportunities to organize. The defensive pressure from Wu Xi and Huang Bowen was not strong, and Ki Sung-yueng found several passes behind the defense, giving Kim Tae-hee and Hwang Hee-chan a lot of opportunities.

After Zhao Gang noticed this problem, he could only quickly retreat to assist Wu Xi's midfield defense, and even directly cover the gaps behind him.

Throughout the first half, Zhao Gang's defense made Ki Sung-yueng very uncomfortable, and in return, Zhao Gang kept breaking through and passing the ball, so Ki Sung-yueng had to follow him, which consumed a lot of energy in the first half.

Ki Sung-yueng was puzzled. Was this kid's stamina really a monster? He played like that in the first half, and he's still going in the second half?

The Korean team's stamina was not inferior to European teams like Germany and Italy, let alone Asian teams.

But in the first half, the midfield's defense against Zhao Gang had already been severely depleted, and Zhao Gang himself had repeatedly attacked with the ball, while also taking care of defense. He should have been slightly relaxed now, but he showed no signs of fatigue.

Ki Sung-yueng could only find Kim Jin-soo and ask him to look for passes behind Huang Bowen.

Zhao Gang's retreat was indeed effective, but Lippi was a little disappointed. If Zhao Gang was retreating so deep, why move him to the front line?

Wouldn't it be better to just play a 4-4-2 formation?

If the tactics were fixed, it would be difficult for Zhao Gang to unleash all his energy.

Lippi wanted Zhao Gang's position to be more active. He hoped that the other midfielders could still perform well in both defense and attack without Zhao Gang's help.

Judging from the current situation, it was still not possible.

The midfielders' defense was not a matter of attitude, but of poor awareness.

They wanted to defend well, but they were not aware of their problems.

They needed to read the positions and changes on the field themselves, which was a matter of talent and intelligence.

Compared with Zhao Gang, these players were not only technically inferior but also had a poorer understanding of the game.

These were already the best players Lippi could find, but their football IQ was still too low.