Chapter 331 It’s China’s Turn

Yang Yang’s Goal and Assist Slay Brazil; Chinese Dark Horse Advances to the Final!

Ronaldo II Shines at the FIFA U-20 World Cup as Kings Brazil Suffer Shock Elimination!

China Knocks Out Brazil 2-1; Yang Yang Hailed as Successor to the King of Football!

Yang Yang Lives Up to European Golden Boy Title, Dazzles at FIFA U-20 World Cup and Aims for the Championship!

Ronaldo: "Yang Yang is not like me. He will be even better than I was!"

...

After the Chinese Team’s narrow 2-1 victory over Brazil, another massive global debate was ignited.

It shattered everyone’s expectations. No one could have possibly imagined that this traditionally weak dark horse could charge all the way to the final, knocking out multiple traditional powerhouses along the way.

The media in every country was shocked, lavishing especially high praise on Yang Yang for his outstanding performance.

The authoritative France Team Report featured this marquee match as its front-page headline, calling it a textbook game.

"On June 28th, the Brazilians’ dream of advancing to the FIFA U-20 World Cup final was shattered!"

"The one to shatter King Brazil’s dream of dominating the FIFA U-20 World Cup was not Argentina, on whom everyone had pinned their hopes before the tournament; nor was it the UEFA European Under-21 Championship winner, Spain; nor was it any of the other traditional powerhouses. Instead, it was a team from Asia, where the level of football is comparatively lower."

The Team Report began its coverage of this world-famous marquee match with this opening.

In the article, the Team Report dedicated considerable space to introducing Chinese Football.

They argued that China has always severely lacked a footballing culture. When football was becoming popular around the world, the Chinese people were still struggling to feed themselves and were caught in the midst of war and turmoil, making it very difficult for the sport to gain a foothold.

The Chinese people were poor. It wasn’t until the last two decades of reform and opening up that China’s economy began to surge. The Chinese started achieving good results in various sporting events, but football—the most complex and intricate sport in the world, and one that requires long-term, unremitting promotion—has always remained a source of heartache for the Chinese people.

After waiting for more than forty years, the Chinese finally entered the World Cup for the first time in 2002. However, this was followed by another slump. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that Chinese Football began to experience a new wave of prosperity.

"A group of young players, led by Yang Yang, won the Toulon Cup by defeating the host, France, twice. They won the Asian Cup by powerfully defeating Japan and Iran. At the AFC U-19 Championship, they won the title by defeating other Asian teams with absolute dominance."

"Over the past two years, Chinese Football has shown a completely new face."

"Specifically, at this FIFA U-20 World Cup, the Chinese Youth Team, under the leadership of German head coach Klauen, is playing the fast-paced, total-football offense and defense tactics that are mainstream in European Football today. They have used their tight, cohesive unit to restrict the Brazil Team’s attack."

"The Brazil Team, on the other hand, put far too much faith in their individual abilities."

"Without a doubt, Brazil is one of the strongest teams at this FIFA U-20 World Cup. Their players are brilliant and possess dazzling footwork. They were able to keep the ball firmly under their control for nearly seventy percent of the match."

"But in this semifinal, the Chinese Team proved to the Brazilians with cold, hard facts that even with only thirty percent possession, they could still create threats and slay the mighty Brazil."

In the article, the Team Report also specifically highlighted the post-match comments from the Brazil Team’s head coach, Weber, during his media interview.

"Weber said, ’I once demanded that my players not only control the ball on the pitch, but also mentally and spiritually dominate the opponent. Unfortunately, they failed to do this. They were only concerned with their own performance and neglected the team as a whole.’"

"Weber attributed Brazil’s defeat to the players, and also believed that the attention from scouts from all over the world in the stands distracted them. That was why they tried so desperately to show off their individual skills, disregarding the team."

The Team Report disagreed with this view, arguing that Brazil’s defeat was mainly because their football philosophy has become outdated.

"While all of Europe, and even the Chinese Team from Asia, have started playing the most popular modern, collective style of football—adopting fast-paced, more direct and efficient attacking and defensive tactics—the Brazil Team remains mired in the traditional football of the last century, unable to extricate themselves. They foolishly attempted to use one man to defeat eleven on the football pitch."

"The result proved it: they lost!"

"Perhaps many years from now, this will be a match that is remembered, because the Chinese Team showed everyone that after integrating modern, collective tactics, even a weaker team has the ability to defeat a powerful enemy."

"Denmark in the nineties and Greece in ’04 were both perfect examples of this."

"And now, it’s China’s turn!"

...

This report from the Team Report quickly sparked intense discussion around the world.

The German Bild also published a commentary piece, arguing that what Klauen had implemented with the Chinese Team was precisely the tactic that the Germany Team had wanted to achieve. Unfortunately for them, the Germany Team was defeated by the Chinese Team at this FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The Dutch Telegraaf, meanwhile, stated that the Chinese Team’s success was worthy of deep reflection in the Netherlands.

Although this year’s Netherlands Team boasted Eredivisie players like Afeley, Ryan Babel, Maduro, Emmanuelson, and Vlaar, their performance on the pitch was far from ideal.

The Dutch Telegraaf also added that Yang Yang’s achievements with the Chinese Team were an affirmation of the Eredivisie’s quality.

Even the media within Brazil were disappointed with the Brazilian Youth Team’s semifinal loss to the Chinese Team, believing that Brazilian football should set aside its pride, drop its world champion airs, and seriously reflect on its approach to the sport.

...

Just as the foreign media was showering them with praise, the domestic Chinese media was a scene of jubilation and excitement.

Fans across the country were shocked that the Chinese Team had reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup final, but they were also filled with pleasant surprise.

After major domestic media outlets reported extensively on the victory, public opinion across the nation simply exploded.

Practically everywhere in the country, from major avenues to small alleys, everyone was buzzing overnight about the Chinese Youth Team reaching the FIFA U-20 World Cup final.

Yang Yang, already a household name, was once again on the lips of the entire nation.

Seven goals, top of the FIFA U-20 World Cup scorer chart, and numerous crucial, game-saving plays—Yang Yang’s exceptional performance had all of China cheering and singing his praises.

With public opinion exploding and fans nationwide in an uproar, the calls for further domestic football reform grew louder and more intense with each passing wave.

From the Toulon Cup to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, from the Asian Cup to the World Cup, the Chinese Youth Team and the Chinese National Team were proving to everyone with irrefutable facts that playing abroad was the key to success, and that foreign coaches could bring more advanced tactical concepts to Chinese Football.

More and more people and media outlets began to pay attention to the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Even the National Television station produced a special feature program. In it, director Wei Zhen not only focused on reporting the National Youth Team’s journey in the tournament but also made a point to call for public reflection.

"In past years, our youth teams have had no shortage of excellent results. But every time a youth team achieves something spectacular, it’s often followed by a downturn for the senior team. This is something that must make us think."

"What is the reason that our players are not inferior to those from other world powerhouses when they are young, yet when they reach the senior team, we can’t even beat other teams in Asia?"

After the program aired, the question raised by Wei Zhen quickly sparked a nationwide debate. The government also took it very seriously, stating that relevant departments should quickly formulate countermeasures for topics and events of public concern. The Football Association even urgently convened a panel of experts for a symposium.

The final conclusion they reached was simple: the domestic league was not good enough.

Sending players abroad quickly became the consensus.

Just then, news that Gao Lin was expected to join Van Gaal’s Alkmaar and that Feng Xiaoting was likely to transfer to Feyenoord reached China, sparking another heated discussion. Everyone agreed that this group of young players should be sent abroad as soon as possible to train in a high-level football environment.

The Football Association also quickly made a decision, stating that it would fully support the National Youth Team players in their efforts to play abroad.

Under immense public pressure, the clubs also successively declared that they would unconditionally support the National Youth Team players playing abroad to contribute to Chinese Football.

At the same time, pushing for league reform and further popularizing youth training also became topics of concern for all media and fans.

As for the German head coach Klauen, whose position was previously shaky and who was rumored to be leaving after the FIFA U-20 World Cup, his retention was now set in stone after leading the team to the final, even though it was still unclear if they would win the championship.

The Football Association had even begun discussing how to use these two foreign coaches, Arie Haan and Klauen, to initiate comprehensive cooperation with Dutch and German football to promote reforms in China’s youth training system.

...

...

Far away in the Netherlands, the entire National Youth Team was unaware of these events unfolding back home.

After defeating Brazil, the National Youth Team remained in Utrecht.

But starting with the next morning’s training session, they discovered they had become the focus of attention for media and fans all over the world.

The number of reporters and fans watching their training sessions from outside the training ground grew daily. It even reached a point where it began to affect their training, and in the end, the National Youth Team had to ask the organizers to step in and properly resolve the issue.

But even so, the training ground and their hotel remained under the watchful eye of the media and fans.

Yang Yang remained the most high-profile star on the team. His every move not only captivated hundreds of millions of people back home but also drew the attention of media and fans worldwide.

In the other semifinal, Argentina defeated Nigeria 2-1. Their top star, Messi, also contributed a goal and an assist to help Argentina advance to the final.

Everyone began to hype up the final, billing it as a duel between Yang Yang and Messi.

Although Messi held the title of "Maradona II," he had yet to achieve anything significant with Barcelona. He wasn’t even a regular starter for the first team. Yang Yang, on the other hand, had already proven himself in the Eredivisie, the Champions League, and the UEFA Cup, solidifying his "Ronaldo II" moniker.

However, while Yang Yang might have crushed Messi in terms of individual achievements, the Chinese Team’s overall lack of strength meant it was still anyone’s guess who would come out on top in the final.

But regardless, both players were the aces of their respective teams. Their duel would undoubtedly determine the final course of the match and the ultimate winner of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.