Chapter 1 The National Team

The Dragon Country team, with a dismal record of three losses and one draw in their first four matches, found themselves fifth in their group with only 4 points, even after winning their fifth game against Qatar.

To put it in perspective, there were only six teams in the entire group. Forget about Iran and South Korea; the Dragon Country team was even behind Uzbekistan and Syria.

Syria was plagued by constant turmoil, and their players didn't even have a stable training environment. In contrast, the Dragon Country team's players were all millionaires, driving luxury cars, surrounded by beautiful women, and feasting on sea cucumbers and shark fin soup every day. Given this disparity, it was no wonder that Syrian players could still run circles around the Dragon Country team. Fans were furious and lashed out at Dragon Country football, which was perfectly understandable.

Even with their weaknesses, the Dragon Country team's players' technical and tactical skills shouldn't have been inferior to those of a team like Syria. The reason for their loss was simple.

They didn't want to win; they simply lacked the will to compete.

These players weren't always like this; the distorted system had turned them into what they were.

If you wanted to play football well, you simply couldn't fit into this big family.

Due to the fans' outrage and the pressure from all sectors of society, the Football Association had to find a way to quell the anger.

They brought in Marcello Lippi, the head coach of the Hengtai team, to the national team, and the effect was immediate.

One great victory cheered the fans, and the voices cursing the national team and the Football Association almost disappeared.

Those involved could once again rest easy and think about how to make money.

Zhao Gang didn't understand the specific inner workings of the Football Association, but based on what he knew from his timeline, it seemed that there wasn't a single clean person in the organization.

However, he had to join the national team.

He couldn't change the system for now, and he couldn't stop those office workers from engaging in petty, self-serving activities.

The reason he still wanted to join the national team was for his original aspiration and dream.

It was for those supporters who arrived early outside the stadium, waving flags and chanting in their red jerseys.

It was for the fans who waited in front of their screens, full of anticipation, even to the point of shedding tears.

When Zhao Gang put on that five-star jersey, something inside him would be touched. When he stood on the field, looking at that vast ocean of red, his eyes would always moisten.

He was a passionate young man. Even decades later, after drinking his fill of cold water, he would still feel his blood boil when that inspiring melody sounded.

Zhao Gang raised his head and looked at the crowded stands, packed so tightly that it was hard to find an empty seat.

The song began. No one had ever directed it, but people connected by blood, guided by countless predecessors, raised their heads and looked at the majestic flag forged with blood.

When the opening ceremony ended, deafening applause echoed throughout the Changsha stadium.

These fans, filled with expectation and hope, continued to blindly and even foolishly believe, despite the national team getting worse year after year, that maybe this time they could win.

Despite repeated disappointments, countless fans refused to give up, fighting tooth and nail to be there and cheer them on.

Zhao Gang would always respect these people.

Even his own son would probably want to try again with a second child after so many disappointments.

Facing the national team, these supporters' patience exceeded Zhao Gang's imagination.

Therefore, Zhao Gang didn't want to let these people down.

He would give everything he had and fight with all his might.

Even if they lost in the end, he would fight until the very last moment.

He wouldn't allow his teammates to slack off either. People shouldn't be so shameless as to let down these lovely and admirable fans.

"Welcome everyone to the sixth round of the fourth stage of the 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

This is the match between the Dragon Country team and the South Korean team on Dragon Country's home turf.

In this game, Lippi has made some slight adjustments to the lineup, changing the formation from the previous 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. In the previous match against Qatar, the Dragon Country team achieved a long-awaited victory.

The Dragon Country players showed a very high level of competitive spirit and skill. Zhao Gang, in the midfield, not only played a very good connecting role in the attack, but also used his very strong breakthrough ability to attack the opponent's defense.

On the defensive end, he also tried his best to limit the opponent's midfield offensive core.

He showed an absolute core level of performance on both the offensive and defensive ends.

In this game, he is also the most important link on the Dragon Country team.

His outstanding performances in the Premier League and the Champions League have already made Zhao Gang the most dazzling superstar in European football and even the entire world football scene.

His performance may affect the entire state of the Dragon Country team.

This is the influence of a core player on the team. When he can set an example on the field and put on a good performance, the other players will also be greatly encouraged and play at an even better level.

These two group matches in this stage are the most critical matches in the Dragon Country team's World Cup qualifying campaign. They are against South Korea, who are ranked second in the group, and Iran, who are ranked first.

If they can win both, the pressure will be on South Korea, who are ranked second in the group. If their record is not good, the following schedule will be extremely difficult, and they will have to hope that South Korea and Iran make mistakes themselves.

If we can take the initiative ourselves, why should we have to look at other people's faces?

From the overall strength of both sides, the Dragon Country team is indeed much weaker. In the past encounters between the two sides, the Dragon Country team has won three, drawn three, and lost fifteen, which is an absolute disadvantage.

With the development of South Korea's youth training system and the increase in overseas talent, the overall technical and tactical level between the two sides has become increasingly wide in the last decade.

Objectively speaking, the South Korean team is already a top-tier Asian team, while the Dragon Country team... in recent years, its performance has been at a second-rate level.

Syria, Uzbekistan, and even Thailand and Oman have been able to defeat the Dragon Country team in recent years.

The gap between the two sides cannot be filled by Zhao Gang alone.

One relatively positive piece of news for the Dragon Country team is that Son Xingmin, the absolute core of the South Korean team, is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

South Korea's offense will be greatly affected.

In the first leg between the two sides, the Dragon Country team only lost by one goal in the away game, so the Dragon Country team should still have some confidence. Overall, in this stage of the competition... it will be difficult for the Dragon Country team to achieve a good record. There is still hope, but don't have too high expectations." This online commentator was relatively outspoken, while the central media analyzed the Dragon Country team's advantages in all aspects, making the audience who watched the game think that it was a sure thing for the Dragon Country team to win against the South Korean team.

Of course, the central media was just analyzing, but they didn't say that the Dragon Country team would definitely be able to win the game easily.

Their ability to guide public opinion is still very strong, making the audience feel that the Dragon Country team has a very big advantage, and they are full of confidence and anticipation when watching the game.

He, the poet, began to introduce the starting lineups of both sides.

"For the Dragon Country team, goalkeeper Zeng Cheng starts, replacing Yan Junling, who performed quite well in the last game. These two national goalkeepers should be the best goalkeepers in the country, and both have the strength to start.

Lippi has his reasons for choosing either one to start. The defense line has not been adjusted, and it is still Jiang Zhipeng, Feng Xiaoting, Mei Fang, and Zhang Linpeng. These four players performed well in the last World Cup qualifier.

The most important thing for the defense line is stability, so Lippi did not make any changes easily. In the midfield, Huang Bowen, who performed extremely well in the last game, still starts, occupying the left side. The center is the old captain Zheng Zhi, and the right side is undoubtedly Zhao Gang.

The front three are Wang Yongpo, Yu Dabao, and Wu Lei.

Compared with the last game, Lippi has changed the formation and made three adjustments. Zeng Cheng, Wang Yongpo, and Yu Dabao replaced Yan Junling, Wu Xi, and Zhang Yuning to start.

On the South Korean side, Son Xingmin is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Head coach Uli Stielike has deployed a 4-2-3-1 attacking formation. Obviously, Stielike does not intend to be conservative in the Dragon Country team's home game.

Goalkeeper Kwon Sun-tae, defenders Kim Jin-soo, Jang Hyun-soo, Hong Jeong-ho, Lee Yong, double midfielders Ki Sung-yueng, Hwang Hee-chan, two attacking midfielders Kim Tae-hwan, Ji Dong-won, central midfielder Koo Ja-cheol, and Lee Jeong-hyeop at the front."

In Zhao Gang's original timeline, in this game, the Dragon Country team used all their might and took advantage of a corner kick opportunity. Yu Dabao headed in the only goal of the game, defeating the South Korean team 1-0 and winning their first World Cup qualifier.

And the South Korean team's head coach, Uli Stielike, was directly fired by the South Korean Football Association because of the loss in this game. His original contract was supposed to end after the World Cup!

Obviously, this victory for the Dragon Country team was unacceptable to the South Korean team.

The gap in strength between the two sides was very obvious, but the magical Lippi still managed to win the game with his tactics.

His high salary was not spent in vain.

And most of his high salary was paid by the Hengtai team.

No matter what the final outcome of the Hengtai team is, and no matter how many bad things Xu Pi Dai has done, at least in terms of football, he has indeed spent a lot of money and resources, even if his purpose is not pure.

With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.