As Gerrard began to scold, Sturridge did not dare to continue dribbling too much on the wing and became much more reasonable.
Every time he gets the ball, he immediately looks up and looks for coordination with his teammates.
When Ling Feng came to respond, he didn't know how to stick to the ball and directly hit the wall with him.
Then after a two-on-one to tear apart the defense on the wing, Sturridge will take advantage of the situation and make a cross.
Or a high ball, or a flat ball.
This allows Rooney in the middle to get more support.
However, Costa Rica was able to defeat Uruguay and Italy because of its united defense!
Five defenders, four midfielders, plus goalkeeper Navas
All ten players were crowded within the 30-yard area of their own half, and there was not much space for England to pass and cooperate.
Moreover, Costa Rica coach Pinto specially arranged two central defenders to stick closely to Rooney to prevent him from easily getting the ball or shooting.
When Rooney was being targeted, he would either forcefully turn around and hit the goal, or he would use his strong body to lean on the defender and move the ball back, allowing Ling Feng to take a long shot.
In just fifteen minutes, Ling Feng had three opportunities to hit long shots from outside the penalty area!
It's a pity that the push, which lacked some strength, could not get past Navas's fingers.
After trying a few times, Ling Feng began to reduce the frequency of long-range shots, and from time to time passed some penetrating short-distance through balls to Rooney in the middle.
However, there were too many defensive personnel in front of the penalty area, and several passes could not pass through the legs of the defensive personnel and reach Rooney's feet.
However, even so, England's offensive still suppressed Costa Rica and continued to bombard it, making Costa Rica's defense line trembled.
If we really want to compare, among the four teams in Group D, the team with the most balanced and diverse offensive methods in the frontcourt is England!
Uruguay's front two stars have stronger personal abilities, but lack creativity in the midfield and cannot deliver cannonballs to the frontcourt duo;
Italy relies heavily on Pirlo's passing and Balotelli's flashes of inspiration;
Costa Rica still has a certain speed in defensive counterattacks and relies heavily on teamwork.
Only England's frontcourt is more balanced and each performs its duties:
Ling Feng is responsible for organizing and passing threatening balls;
Rooney has superb shooting skills and serves as a fulcrum in the frontcourt;
Sterling and Sturridge have the ability to break through and tear apart the defense from the wings to create space for their teammates;
And Gerrard took long shots from time to time.
As early as before the start of the World Cup, Hodgson shouted the slogan "offensive football" in an interview with the media.
This is also the reason why he abandoned the 442 formation that the Three Lions have used for more than ten years and chose the 4231 formation with a more three-dimensional offensive method!
Originally, Hodgson chose Rooney as the frontcourt organizer.
However, judging from the first two games, Rooney was not able to assume the important task of connecting the frontcourt, nor did he play the role of attacking the city.
On the contrary, it was Ling Feng's performance as a substitute that allowed him to see the feasibility of the pass-and-control style.
This is one of the reasons why he boldly took Welbeck and let Ling Feng start!
Ling Feng's unique creativity and ability to pass threatening balls finally gave this tactical formation a real "organizer"
Judging from the overall performance of the team in the first half, Hodgson is very glad that he made this bold decision!
Sitting on the coaching bench, Hodgson has already begun to think about the opponents he will face after qualifying from the group.
After winning Costa Rica, England can qualify as second in the group.
The opponent in the top 16 will be Colombia, the South American powerhouse that has already secured the top spot in Group C!
Colombia is not easy to fight.
So far in the group stage, most of the games have been played.
Among all the players in the group stage, three young players performed very well!
One is Neymar, a super monster of the host "Seleção", hailed by the Brazilian media as "the future leader of the new generation of Brazil";
The other one is Colombia’s new No. 10 and frontcourt core, James Rodriguez!
In the first two rounds of the group stage, Ronaldo's dominant performance with two goals and one assist helped the team win two consecutive games and qualify as the top spot in the group.
However, compared to Ronaldo, who has high hopes from Colombia, the Three Lions also have their own future stars!
That was Ling Feng who came on as a substitute in two group matches, contributed one goal and two assists, and helped the team get two precious draws!
Looking at Ling Feng's flying figure on the field, Hodgson felt very at ease for some reason.
. . .
Time was ticking away as England pressed Costa Rica into a half-time onslaught.
One attack and one defense, both sides showed great concentration and hard work.
Finally, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half!
The Costa Rica players and fans breathed a sigh of relief.
They were overwhelmed by the waves of England's attacks.
Such a suffocating sense of oppression was never experienced against Italy and Uruguay.
At least they can take a breath now.
However, for England, this is far from enough!
You know, in a football match, a one-goal lead is the most dangerous!
Because the opponent only needs one effective attack to equalize the score.
Once the score is tied, the three points gained will become one point.
And one point is not enough for England to definitely qualify!
Therefore, during the halftime break, both coach Hodgson and captain Gerrard emphasized that we must not relax on the court because the game is not over yet.
"In the second half, we must show a more aggressive performance and continue to threaten the opponent's goal!"
"Keep attacking! Keep scoring goals!"
"Go on, score one more goal! We'll be sure to qualify!"
"come on!"
After a short intermission, players from both sides returned to the court one after another for the second half of the game.
Neither side made any substitutions.
It can be seen that both sides were satisfied with their team's performance in the first half.
really.
For Costa Rica, they only conceded one goal in the first half, which is acceptable.
You know, England had an absolute advantage in the first half.
The ball possession rate reached 60%, and the number of shots was as many as 13!
What's more, they have already rotated their lineup in this game.
More than half of the players are substitutes who did not play in the previous two group matches.
Anyway, winning or losing this game will not affect their qualifying for the top spot in the group.
Therefore, there is no need to rely on the main force. Give the substitute players some playing time and let them feel the atmosphere of the World Cup.
Kill two birds with one stone!
Of course, the Three Lions don't care whether you are the main player or the substitute.
Their mission in the second half is only one:
Goal!
Ever since, from the first second of the second half, England continued the offensive rhythm of the first half.
The backcourt continues to quickly pass the ball through the midfield, and hands the ball to Ling Feng in the frontcourt for organization, and he decides the direction of attack.
However, in Ling Feng's view, the more you are about to score a goal, the more you must stabilize your mentality and not act too hastily.
The offensive rhythm is fast, which can frequently disrupt the opponent's defensive formation, making the opponent exhausted and their physical fitness rapidly declining.
However, if the lineup is too high, it will also increase the space for the defense, giving the opponent the possibility of counterattack.
Moreover, the Three Lions are not Spain, and their short-pass penetration ability is still not good enough.
It is not possible to pass the ball into the goal after a series of short passes like tiki-taka.
Many times, opportunities to threaten the goal arise only by relying on single-point blasts from the two wings and Ling Feng's sudden direct pass from behind in the middle.
Anyway, they are one goal ahead, and they can qualify even if they don't expand the score.
But if Costa Rica seizes the opportunity to counterattack because they are too eager to score, then the gain will outweigh the loss.
You know, both Italy and Uruguay were "stole" three points by Costa Rica's counterattack in this way!
With lessons learned from the past, they cannot fall into the same river!
Therefore, when Ling Feng took control of the ball again, he slowed down, pressed his hands down, and shouted:
"Guys, play it safe and be more patient!"
"Don't press too hard, beware of their counterattack!"
Seeing Ling Feng commanding and calling his teammates on the field, Beckham's eyes in the stands could not help but shine brightly.
This kid who is twenty years younger than me has no stage fright at all on the big stage of the World Cup.
He vaguely saw the shadow of former Cantona in Ling Feng.
At that time, Cantona, who had just joined Manchester United not long ago, gained the respect of other teammates in the locker room.
In Beckham's view, Ling Feng, like Cantona, has a special temperament that is calm and always makes people feel at ease.
Perhaps, that is the natural leadership quality!
Even under Ling Feng's command, England has slowed down the pace of offense to a certain extent and paid more attention to the quality of offense.
However, it did not reduce the pressure of the entire attack. On the contrary, every attack resulted in an effective shot.
Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas became the busiest person in the game.
The best goalkeeper in La Liga this season made high passes and low blocks in front of the goal, blocking shots from the Three Lions one after another!
Seeing that the field was going strong but not scoring, Hodgson couldn't help but turn to his assistant and said:
"Should we make some changes?"
In his opinion, the team's offense has obviously improved after Ling Feng made his debut.
His scheduling and passing in the frontcourt are like lubricants, making the entire machine run very smoothly.
However, it was still a little short of a goal.
In the final analysis, the forward's ability to seize opportunities is still somewhat lacking.
Although Rooney works hard and runs very actively.
However, this game was tightly defended by the opponent and did not get many shooting opportunities;
And Sturridge did not extend the popularity of the Premier League to the World Cup;
As for Sterling on the right, it goes without saying.
Are we still counting on Ling Feng? !
Although Ling Feng scored in the last game.
However, we can't put all our hopes and pressure on this nineteen-year-old young man.
For many head coaches, once there is a situation where they are gaining momentum and not scoring, they must make changes!
Whether it's tactical or personnel.
Otherwise, if you don't score your opponent's goal, your opponent will score your goal!
Hearing this, assistant coach Livington touched his chin and responded:
"How about we replace Jamie?"
The staff member suggested, making Hodgson's eyes light up.
"It's him!"
In his opinion, Vardy and Ling Feng are club teammates, and they can understand Ling Feng's passing intentions better than others, thus creating a more tacit cooperation.
Moreover, Vardy's impact and confrontation are not bad, and he can also explode in local areas.
In particular, his defensive enthusiasm is much better than Sturridge.
Ever since, in the 60th minute of the game, England took the lead in making substitutions.
Substitute Sturridge on the left and replace him with Lingfeng's club teammate Vardy!
With Vardy's appearance, the Three Lions' passing and receiving cooperation in the frontcourt has become smoother.
Because there is a huge difference between Vardy and Sturridge:
The former is an off-ball forward who does not need much possession of the ball and likes to run into open spaces to catch the ball and then complete the goal.
The latter is a ball-holding forward who needs a certain amount of possession of the ball, can control the ball independently and create threats!
Although with Sturridge on the court, the team can have an extra wing ball-holding point in the frontcourt.
However, not only him, Sterling and Ling Feng also need the ball.
Fortunately for Ling Feng, if there is no ball at his feet, he can still create opportunities for his teammates by running without the ball and kicking the ball.
But Sterling can't.
He must dribble with the ball at his feet in order to be able to use his explosive ability on the wing.
Therefore, considering the distribution of ball rights, leaving one Sterling on the field is enough!
Moreover, compared to Sturridge, whose passing quality is average, Vardy is more adaptable to passing tactics after breaking through from the wing.
And this substitution adjustment quickly received the most direct results!
In the 72nd minute of the game, Ling Feng picked up the ball in front of the penalty area and then passed the ball with a small pick.
The ball just jumped between the two central defenders and fell to the left side of the penalty area.
And a white figure that was activated in advance appeared in a flash!
It’s Jamie Vardy!
Whether it's Ling Feng's timing of passing the ball or Vardy's timing of advancing, they are all just right.
"Nice pass!"
"Vardy has entered the penalty area!"
The two Costa Rican central defenders turned around suddenly and looked surprised when they saw Vardy who was one step ahead of them.
They know very well that if Vardy gets the ball, they can face Navas alone.
Such a close distance is equivalent to giving up a goal!
In the blink of an eye, Costa Rica's substitute central defender Umanha, who was making his first start, suddenly got excited and subconsciously reached out to pull Vardy's jersey.
Vardy, who encountered resistance in his sprint, stagnated, then screamed and fell backwards.
Vardy's fall immediately shocked Umanja.
He quickly raised his hands to show that he had not committed a foul.
However, the referee, who was not far away, saw the entire process clearly.
He blew the whistle decisively and pointed to the penalty spot.
Penalty kick!
This penalty immediately caused a burst of enthusiastic cheers from the England fans at the scene.
Of course, the cheers were mixed with boos from Costa Rican fans.
The Costa Rican players also surrounded the referee and seemed to want to defend themselves.
The referee stretched out his hands resolutely to signal the Costa Rican players to stay away from him.
The penalty has been made and cannot be changed.
Seeing that Vardy had successfully created a point, Ling Feng stepped forward immediately and stretched out his hands to his second brother on the ground:
"Great job Jamie!"
The latter just held Ling Feng's hands, used the strength to stand up quickly, and then showed a smile:
"It's like being at Leicester, isn't it?"
"certainly!"
Other teammates also came to Vardy and patted him on the shoulder and head.
"Man, good job!"
"Excellent movement!"
As the leader and core of the Three Lions' forward line, Rooney is the team's number one penalty taker.
I saw him holding the ball, coming to the penalty spot with a calm expression, and placing the ball.
Then, after taking a few steps back, he looked up at Navas standing on the goal line, and then exhaled.
In the stadium, Costa Rican fans booed.
They tried to use this off-field trick to disturb Rooney's state of mind.
However, Rooney, who has been famous for a long time, his expression was not shaken at all and was as firm as a rock.
With a "beep" whistle, Rooney took steps forward without hesitation and rushed towards the ball!
With a "bang" sound, the inside of his right foot came into close contact with the ball.
The next second, the ball shot out!
At the same time, Navas also made the choice to fly to the right.
However, he guessed in the wrong direction.
The ball went into the net from his left side!
Finally, Rooney, the second goalscorer in Three Lions history, scored his first goal since his eleventh World Cup game!
This goal was a great release for Rooney.
So, after scoring, he ran all the way to the corner flag with a relieved smile on his face, and then did his signature celebration:
I saw him transforming into a boxer, waving the corner flag in the air several times, then opening his arms and accepting the cheers of the entire English fans!
The other teammates also came to his side and hugged each other.
At the same time, on the England bench on the sidelines, both the coaching staff and the substitute players were cheering in unison.
They knew very well that with Rooney's penalty kick, the suspense of the game basically ended.
Taking advantage of this goal, Hodgson also used up the remaining two substitutions, replacing the two core players Rooney and Gerrard, and replaced them with Lambert and Lampard.
Now that qualifying is in sight, he has to prepare for the next knockout rounds.
. . .
Even when the game reached the 81st minute, news of Uruguay's goal came from another stadium.
However, for England, which already has a two-goal lead, the result in another stadium is irrelevant.
In the following time, under Ling Feng's control, England obviously slowed down its offensive momentum.
Costa Rica did not have the luxury of hoping to tie the score, nor did it press too hard, allowing its opponents to constantly make mistakes in the midfield and backcourt, consuming the little remaining game time.
As time continued to pass, the situation on the field became obviously very harmonious and friendly.
The tens of thousands of England fans in the Mineirao Stadium were already singing cheerful songs loudly.
As the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, the last game of Group D ended.
England defeated Costa Rica with a score of 2-0 and scored the key three points. The two teams joined hands to qualify!
In another match in Group D, Uruguay narrowly defeated Italy 1-0 and both were eliminated from the group.
The next second the whistle sounded, the players on the England bench rushed into the stadium in unison, hugged their teammates, and celebrated wildly for qualifying for the group.
The Leicester City duo who were nearby immediately hugged each other.
"Ling, we're qualified!"
"Yes!"
Looking at Ling Feng with a smile on his face, Vardy was a little confused:
"Dude, why don't you look excited?"
"Because I knew a long time ago that we will definitely qualify!"
Upon hearing Ling Feng's answer, Vardy couldn't help but be startled, and then he was relieved.
After knowing Ling Feng for half a year, he gradually gained a certain understanding of this young man's character.
This young man possesses a maturity and stability that belies his age.
All I can say is, it’s you!
In Ling Feng's opinion, with his help, even if the Three Lions cannot win the championship, they can still qualify from the group stage.
If he can't help the Three Lions qualify for the group stage despite being equipped with a system plug-in, then he's too incompetent!
It is worth mentioning that Ling Feng, a butterfly from the future, once again caused ripples!
This time, what was changed was not just one person's fate, but the fate of an entire Three Lions Army!
You know, in the original history, the Three Lions bid farewell to Brazil in this World Cup with the worst record in history with two losses and one draw.
However, with Ling Feng's help, the Three Lions achieved a record of two draws and one win, breaking out of the group of death!
Of course, this is not the first time he has changed history, nor will it be the last.
As he becomes stronger and stronger, the things he affects and changes will become wider and wider, and more and more things will be changed.
While Ling Feng was sighing in his heart, Costa Rica midfielder Tejeda suddenly came to him and said to Ling Feng in somewhat broken English:
"Exchange, okay?"
After saying that, he did not forget to point to his jersey.
Obviously, Ling Feng's outstanding performance in this game has been recognized and respected by his opponents.
Faced with this request, Ling Feng of course readily agreed:
"certainly!"
After the game, in the best selection of the game, Ling Feng, whose passing success rate reached 93%, passed two threatening balls, and contributed one assist, deservedly became the best player of the game. !
This is also the first time he has won the World Cup Player of the Match award.
[Ding dong! 】
[The achievement "World Cup Best of the Match" has been achieved]
[Achievement rating: B]
[Achievement reward: one free attribute point]
There are two thousand words left, I will finish it tomorrow!
Thanks to "Xie Superstar" for the reward, okay!
(End of chapter)
