Chapter 1 The Young Captain

Because Zhou Yi was in the starting lineup for this match, Zheng Zhi, who had started in the previous two matches and worn the captain's armband, naturally sat on the bench.

And the captain's armband also went to Zhou Yi's arm.

When the players from both sides entered the field, Captain Zhou Yi walked at the front, leading his teammates onto the pitch.

Next to him was Sergio Ramos, the center back and captain for Spain in this match.

"Captain Zhou Yi!" Liu Jianhong was very excited when he saw this scene.

Although it was no longer news that Zhou Yi had become the captain of the Chinese team, this was, after all, the first time Zhou Yi appeared before everyone's eyes wearing the captain's armband.

"A twenty-three-year-old captain, Zhou Yi is the youngest official captain in the history of the Chinese national team!"

Zhou Yi had never been a captain in the national team or club before, and had never worn the captain's armband.

But everyone didn't seem to worry about his lack of experience as a leader, because although he didn't wear the captain's armband at the club, he was indeed the actual spiritual leader, and almost like a real captain. Except for not going up to toss the coin, he did almost everything a captain should do.

Moreover, last season, even in such difficult circumstances, Dortmund still won the double, successfully defending the Champions League title. Zhou Yi not only played an important role on the field, but also played a key role in the locker room, helping the team stabilize morale. Klopp praised that having Zhou Yi was something any coach dreamed of.

Through these news reports, everyone knew about Zhou Yi's leadership abilities.

Leadership doesn't necessarily have to be linked to age and experience. Not to mention, Zhou Yi's experience is very rich. In the Chinese team, he has the most European war experience and the most European league experience, having experienced two Champions League finals and countless tough battles.

In this national team, if he is not qualified to be the captain, then no one is more suitable for this position than him.

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Zhou Yi entering the field with the captain's armband was no different from his usual matches. As soon as he came out, he looked around, glancing left and right.

When Zhou Yi first became famous, doing so was criticized as "lack of concentration" and "not serious enough."

Of course, no one says that now. This has become Zhou Yi's habit, and everyone doesn't have much to say about it.

In this match, the Chinese team drew the home team slot, and they still chose the red jerseys, while Spain could only wear the black away jerseys.

On the red jersey, the golden captain's armband stood out very conspicuously.

Coupled with his eye-catching, contrasting-color personalized shoes, even in non-HD TV broadcasts, people could recognize Zhou Yi at a glance. He was completely different from other players.

Of course, personal temperament is also very important.

Although this was his first World Cup appearance and the first time he wore the captain's armband, he didn't show any tension or discomfort.

After entering the field, the players from both sides lined up, and the national anthems of the participating countries were played.

When the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played, Zhou Yi didn't cover his chest with the national flag with his hand, but instead put his hands behind his back, stood tall and sang the national anthem along with the music.

When the broadcast camera gave him a close-up, the audience in front of the TV could even hear him singing.

After the national anthem was played, cheers from fans on both sides rang out.

Next were the necessary pre-match procedures, including the players shaking hands, the captains exchanging team flags and gifts, and the coin toss...

Zhou Yi and Ramos stood together.

They met again after a month.

However, in the Champions League final a month ago, neither of them were captains.

Real Madrid's dream of winning their tenth title was shattered by Zhou Yi, and Ramos had a deep impression of Zhou Yi.

Now this match can be said to have brought together national and personal grudges.

Zhou Yi even felt that Ramos shook his hand harder than during the Champions League final...

In this match, Spain's first captain, Casillas, sat on the bench. In his last World Cup match, Spanish coach Bosque made some adjustments to the team's lineup, whether out of tactical considerations or to appease the players.

In any case, Casillas, who had conceded seven goals in the previous two matches, did not continue to start. He was replaced by Reina.

Diego Costa, the naturalized center forward who had started in the previous two matches, also sat on the bench in this match. He was replaced by Villa and Torres, the main forwards from the previous World Cup.

Diego Costa scored many goals in the league, and even attracted the competition between the Brazilian Football Association and the Spanish Football Association. The Brazilian team hoped that Diego Costa could play for the Brazilian national team, after all, the current Brazilian team is very short of excellent center forwards.

But Diego Costa abandoned Brazil and chose to play for Spain. This decision caused strong dissatisfaction in Brazil. In this World Cup, Brazilian fans booed him a lot. It is unknown whether his poor performance in this World Cup is related to this.

But Costa's performance was indeed very bad. As the main center forward, he started in two consecutive matches, backed by a strong Spanish midfield, but he didn't score a single goal. Spain only scored one goal in the two matches, and it was still a penalty by Xabi Alonso. Spain didn't score a single goal in open play.

With such a poor attacking performance, it's no wonder that Bosque made adjustments to the front line for this match, replacing Costa and Pedro, and starting the thirty-three-year-old Villa and the thirty-year-old Torres.

In addition to making adjustments in the front line and goalkeeper positions, Bosque also made adjustments to other positions. On the defensive line, Azpilicueta and Javi Martinez, who started in the previous match, were replaced by Juanfran and Albiol.

Xavi still did not enter the starting lineup for this match. As the core of the Spanish midfield, Xavi had not played since the first match, which ended in a 1-5 defeat to the Netherlands. This match was also the same. He did not play, disappointing those who wanted to see Zhou Yi and Xavi interact in the World Cup. After all, Zhou Yi's playing style is most similar to Xavi's, and some people even say that they can see the young Xavi in Zhou Yi. It is unknown whether Xavi also thinks so. But the two lost the opportunity to interact directly, which is a pity.

Perhaps Bosque felt that the aging Xavi could no longer keep up with the pace of the match. If the energetic Chinese team sped up the pace of the match, then Xavi wouldn't be of much use even if he was on the field. So he still didn't let him start in this match.

The person who replaced him was Cazorla.

Busquets also did not start, and was replaced by Atletico Madrid's young player Koke.

It can be said that the starting lineup of the Spanish team has undergone a major shift, with a very large adjustment range.

Of the players who started in the first match against the Netherlands, only Ramos, Alba, Xabi Alonso, and Iniesta are still on the field.

In the last match, Bosque completely abandoned the things he had insisted on in the previous two matches, placing Xavi and Busquets on the bench, indicating that he realized that Barcelona's style was no longer suitable for the current Spanish team.

The reason why the Spanish team was able to sweep Europe and the World Cup before was because of the powerful Barcelona-style tiki-taka football.

But at that time, the main players were all in their prime, so whether it was the club or the national team, there was no problem in using this tactic, and they were able to win three major tournaments. But now the main core players have aged, and this tactic requires a high level of physical fitness. After a difficult season, everyone is physically and mentally exhausted, and the result of using this tactic again is a collapse.

Replacing them with Cazorla and Koke, replacing them with Villa and Torres, Bosque hoped that Spain could get rid of the influence of tiki-taka football in this match and switch to another kind of fast, simple, and direct football.

The emphasis on the flanks is also a previous tradition of Spanish football.

Compared with Spain's major shift, the Chinese team's adjustment was much smaller. They only made an adjustment in one position, which was to replace Zheng Zhi with Zhou Yi. At the same time, Zhou Yi's position was slightly forward, and Yang Hao and Yang Muge, the two defensive midfielders, protected him behind him.

The Chinese team's bench depth is not as strong as Spain's, so there is not as much room for adjustment.

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After the coin toss, the Chinese team won the right to choose the side, and Spain got the right to kick off.

When choosing the field, Zhou Yi did not hesitate to choose the half with his back to the Spanish fans. He had already seen this when he entered the field.

His purpose in doing so was to allow the Chinese team to attack in the first half in the direction supported by their own fans, and to receive the support of the Chinese fans at close range when attacking the Spanish goal. And when the two sides changed sides in the second half, the Chinese team could defend with their own fans behind them, and also get the support of their own fans.

The enthusiasm and fanaticism of the Chinese fans should play a certain role in helping the Chinese team defeat Spain—Zhou Yi believed so, just like he believed in his teammates.

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After all the procedures were completed, the players of the two teams stood in their respective positions, waiting for the start of the match.

Villa and Torres walked into the center circle, preparing to kick off.

"Both sides are ready, and this match is about to begin. Viewers, the next ninety minutes will determine the fate of the Chinese team!"