Beep~beep~~beep~~~
With the referee's long whistle, the game is over!
England lost to Brazil 0-2 and stopped in the quarterfinals, thus ending their trip to Brazil.
The eliminated England players looked at the Brazilian players celebrating wildly with expressions of frustration and helplessness.
Gerrard and Lampard, on the other hand, stood there, bowing their heads in thought.
It wasn't until the Brazilian players came forward to exchange jerseys with the two that they came to their senses.
Afterwards, the captain and vice-captain of England were shirtless and hugged each other tightly.
This scene was accurately captured by the on-site photographer with his camera.
It was this moment that announced the end of an era in England.
From then on, the Three Lions no longer had "double virtues"
Amid the singing and applause of all the England fans, all the Three Lions players walked to the stands, applauded and thanked the fans for their companionship and support along the way.
Shuangde cheered up quickly and applauded to say goodbye to the audience.
Although they try to control their emotions.
However, Ling Feng, the fans and the on-site cameras all captured the two people's eyes filled with tears.
As the saying goes, a man never sheds tears easily.
This is enough to show the reluctance and regret in the two people's hearts.
It's a pity that all the feasts in the world come to an end.
Football too
On the way back to the hotel on the team bus, the car was quiet.
Everyone either wore headphones and listened to music, or quietly closed their eyes and meditated.
Although in terms of strength, their ability to reach the quarterfinals is considered an extraordinary performance.
However, after finally participating in the World Cup, who doesn't want to reach the finals and compete for the Hercules Cup that all professional players dream of? !
Ling Feng, who was sitting by the window, wearing headphones and closing his eyes, was thinking a lot.
From the moment he left the court, he was reflecting on why the team lost!
He thought of several reasons:
One is the lack of player strength and level.
Although England, like Brazil, relies heavily on the performance of a core player in the frontcourt.
On the England side it's himself, on the Brazil side it's Neymar.
However, Neymar is protected by Fernandinho and Paulinho behind him, and as the team's top player and core player, Neymar does not have to defend at all.
Moreover, the defense team led by my sister-in-law can be regarded as one of the most stable defense lines in this tournament.
Neymar doesn't have to worry about defense at all!
On England's side, the four players on the back line are obviously a step behind compared to Brazil's four players.
Therefore, as a newcomer to the national team, it was impossible for Ling Feng not to return to defense when his own side was under attack.
Since he has to focus most of his energy on midfield defense, he is unable to participate too much in the frontcourt offense.
As an offensive midfielder, only by participating in the offense can he help the team to the maximum extent and create more opportunities.
If there is a full-time defensive midfielder behind him to help him protect the space behind him, he can safely attack and deliver cannonballs to the forward!
It's a pity that neither Henderson nor Gerrard are the kind of defensive midfielders.
Moreover, if Brazil is pressed and kicked, if the formation is pressed out, it will only give Brazil more space to attack, and it will only die more miserably!
Secondly, the head coach's tactics and mentality are also one of the reasons for losing the game.
At the beginning, Hodgson wanted to compete with Brazil, so he continued to set up a 4231 formation.
In his opinion, England's defense is not good at all. Only by attacking can they have a chance to win the game.
And it turns out that England's defense is really not good!
After just five minutes, England conceded.
This lost ball disrupted his overall plan.
He had no choice but to immediately call his disciples, change his tactics, and start a defensive counterattack.
This defense lasted for most of the game.
Ling Feng retreated to the midfield, and the offensive threat was greatly reduced.
Moreover, Sterling, the team's only hot spot on the wing, was also blocked by Marcelo.
They can only rely on Vardy and Sturridge to fight alone on the wing, and they are unable to break through Brazil's defense.
During this period, he certainly thought about asking the players to press heavily in an attempt to equalize the score.
However, as soon as they pressed out, the defense was empty, and Brazil scored another goal.
At this point, England has reached the edge of elimination.
The substitution in the 70th minute of the game is actually not difficult to understand.
In Hodgson's view, reaching the quarter-finals has already exceeded the task.
You know, England has a golden generation such as Beckham, Shuangde, and Terry, and its best record in the World Cup is the quarterfinals.
He led England, a team with dim stars, to achieve the same results, which was already beyond expectations!
Moreover, there were twenty minutes left in the game, and seeing them trailing by two goals, there was no hope of equalizing the score.
If Hodgson was in his thirties or forties, he would have waved his hand without hesitation and signaled the players to press forward and fight to the death.
But after all, he is an old man in his sixties, and his drive and passion were already displayed when he was young.
Now his mentality is to seek stability. There is no need to risk the possibility of the main force being injured to fight for the slightest possibility.
Especially Ling Feng, the future core of the team, if anything goes wrong, he will be scolded by the domestic media.
Of course, being two goals behind and substituting the main team in the 70th minute was a bit of a surrender.
And it’s in a crucial game like the World Cup quarter-finals.
Therefore, Hodgson also played a little trick and replaced Lampard.
The beautiful day allows Shuangde to fight side by side for the last time, giving them a chance to make a final show.
This move really diverted the attention of England fans and the media.
At the post-match press conference, no one mentioned that changing the main team for 70 minutes was an act of admitting defeat. They only thought that he was a good person!
With no hope of victory, Lampard and Gerrard were allowed to experience the atmosphere of the World Cup on the field for the last time. This decision made many old England fans feel nostalgic and recalled what England's golden generation had brought to them. Their wonderful memories.
For Ling Feng, who was replaced, if the team attacks with all its strength in the last twenty minutes, it is possible to equalize the score.
Of course, it is also possible that Brazil will seize the opportunity and score another one.
No one can guarantee that if you press the attack, you will score a goal or not lose the ball.
Of course, no matter what the reason for the final defeat was, it is a fact that they did not seize the opportunity in the first 70 minutes.
If they can recover a goal in the first 70 minutes.
If Gerrard had scored that free kick
But there are no what-ifs in the world!
Since the head coach chose to replace him at that time, as a player, even if he was unwilling to do so, he could only obey.
After finally dragging his tired body back to the hotel room, Ling Feng threw his backpack on the bed, walked into the bathroom, and rubbed his face with cold water.
At this time, Luke Xiao's voice came from the room:
"Ling, do you have any plans for the offseason? Where do you plan to go on vacation?"
Although he didn't get much playing time in this World Cup.
However, Luke Shaw has been very proud of himself recently.
Just a week ago, the Premier League giant Manchester United officially announced a blockbuster transfer news:
Luke Shaw, who is under 19 years old, will transfer to the "Red Devils" Manchester United for a transfer fee of nearly 30 million pounds!
This transfer broke the previous record of 25.6 million pounds for the highest transfer value for a player under the age of 20 held by Wayne Rooney. Luke Shaw thus became the most expensive U20 player in history!
Of course, his weekly salary doubled several times after moving from Southampton to Manchester United.
Luke Shaw himself revealed that his weekly salary reached 70,000 pounds!
This salary is not too high for a talented full-back who was selected into the Premier League's best team of the season when he was only 18 years old.
Comparing his weekly salary of only fifteen thousand, Ling Feng suddenly felt that he really needed to sign a new contract!
As the saying goes, how much money you get, how much work you do.
Shaking away the messy thoughts and wiping the cold water on his face with a towel, Ling Feng responded casually:
"I haven't thought about it yet. I might go back to London to do some personal things first and then discuss it with my parents."
According to Mendes, he will be busy during the offseason.
Because there are a large number of commercial endorsements waiting for him to sign, and a large number of pounds waiting to enter his account!
. . .
The eliminated Three Lions did not stay in Brazil.
The next day, the coaching staff and players took a special plane back to England.
However, what all the England players, including Ling Feng, did not expect was that when they came out of the station, they saw the waiting hall filled with fans wearing Three Lions jerseys who came to pick them up!
Many fans were holding either a player's jersey or homemade banners made of cardboard, showing their enthusiasm to the Three Lions:
"Welcome home!"
"I'm so proud of you!"
"Come on, Three Lions!"
"Gerald, you never walk alone!"
"Wayne, your goal is beautiful! Can you sign it for me?"
"Ling, I am your fan and I love you!"
Among them, several young female fans wearing cool clothes and holding up the No. 15 jersey attracted the attention of all the men in the audience.
In addition to fans, a large number of media reporters also gathered at the scene.
They kept aiming at the Three Lions generals, especially Ling Feng, and clicked the shutter one after another.
For a moment, the lights flashed crazily!
"Ling! Look here"
"Ling, smile!"
Vardy on the side poked Ling Feng with his elbow and showed an envious smile:
"Man, you're on fire!"
However, Ling Feng, who lowered his head slightly, just cursed in his heart:
"Gan, the flash is free of charge? My eyes are almost going blind!"
While he was complaining, he secretly made up his mind to bring a pair of sunglasses with him when traveling in the future.
Although the ultimate task of "bringing football home" has not been completed.
However, most media and newspapers in England expressed satisfaction with the Three Lions' World Cup trip.
They saw England's efforts in trying to play offensive football, and they also saw the players' fighting spirit and fighting spirit in the game.
The most important thing is that they saw the rise of a future superstar in England!
Yes, they are talking about Ling Feng!
Thanks to the progress of the times and the development of social media, compared to when Irving became famous with one goal in the World Cup and when Beckham returned home after scoring the equalizing free kick in the World Cup preliminaries, the welcome that Ling Feng and others received when they returned to China was even better. Much more enthusiastic!
Under a large flash of light, the Three Lions players came to the fence and began to sign autographs and take photos with the enthusiastic fans.
"Ling! Can you sign my vest?"
Looking at the plump blond girl who was ogling him in front of everyone and then pointing at the pink camisole she was wearing, Ling Feng showed a polite smile and took the other person's marker:
"certainly!"
After just satisfying the previous girls' requests for autographs and photos, Ling Feng turned around and saw two familiar faces:
"Big William? Bob?!"
A combination of one fat and one thin, the two managers of the Leicester City fans organization "Fox Club" appeared in front of him again.
However, this time they are not wearing his No. 23 jersey in Leicester City, but his pure white No. 15 Three Lions jersey in the national team!
Seeing the surprised look on Ling Feng's face, William smiled, grabbed the extremely close-fitting jersey on his body, and raised it:
"Hey, big star, sign your autograph for me!"
Seeing this, the corner of Ling Feng's mouth curled up, and he reached out to take the marker. While signing his jersey, he did not forget to ask: "Don't you have to go to work today?"
"We asked for leave and drove here specially to greet you!"
Hearing this, Ling Feng moved his hands and his heart suddenly felt warm.
These two can be considered his loyal fans who have supported him since his debut.
To Ling Feng, Big William and Bob were like friends he didn't often communicate with.
Although we don't keep in touch often, we are very familiar with each other every time we meet, and there is no sense of unfamiliarity at all.
At this time, an idea suddenly popped up in Ling Feng's mind:
I just don’t know if they will support me as firmly as they do now if I transfer and leave Leicester City in the future.
"To my truest friend William (Bob)."
After signing his name, adding a blessing, and taking a group photo, Ling Feng did not forget to give the two of them a hug:
"Guys, thanks for coming. Can you drive back later?"
"Yes, I hope there won't be a traffic jam later."
"Be careful on the road, see you in the new season!"
"See you in the new season!"
After a brief stay at the airport for half an hour, the Three Lions players boarded the team bus back to the St. George's Park base while being chased and intercepted by reporters and fans.
Back at the base of St George's Park, Hodgson held a post-match summary meeting.
At the meeting, Hodgson affirmed the team spirit displayed by the players during the game.
Then he praised everyone for their contribution to the England national team.
Finally, he did not forget to tell everyone not to overdo it during the offseason.
With the end of the meeting, this temporary team, which was temporarily drawn from various clubs in order to participate in the World Cup, was officially disbanded.
At the next gathering, no one knows whether any players will be absent or whether new players will join.
It is foreseeable that Gerrard and Lampard may never appear on the national call-up list again.
There will be another chapter later
(End of chapter)
