Chapter 28

The 28th minute of the match.

Spain created a chance.

Carvajal, receiving the ball on the right flank, unleashed a furious dribbling attack.

His terrifying acceleration left the Japanese players unable to stop him.

"The Royal Right Road Little Sports Car!"

"Breakthrough! One, two... he's past three players in a row!"

"A perfect individual performance!"

"A beautiful arc finds Asensio in the penalty area!"

"A volley... he's laying it off!"

"Vázquez in a better position, this should be it... oh no, he slipped in front of the goal, a missed opportunity!"

"The linesman raises the flag! Offside!"

"Japan's offside trap!"

The referee team indicated the offside line was exactly where Asensio received the ball.

No complaints.

His Spanish teammates gave the Real Madrid youngster a thumbs-up, as it seemed they were close to breaking through the opponent's goal.

The Japanese players were also encouraging each other.

Halilhodžić clenched his fists excitedly.

Del Bosque sat on the bench, as still as a statue.

Miñano also gradually calmed down, accepting the fact that the team needed overall cohesion.

...

The game resumed.

On the east stand, the honor guard from the J-League's Kashima Antlers club beat out a series of magical, eerie, and soul-stirring drum rhythms.

On the west stand, Yokohama F. Marinos fans clapped to the beat.

On the north stand, Kawasaki Frontale's theme song resounded through the night sky.

The chaotic and noisy sounds vented the Little Japan's desire for victory.

Ajinomoto Stadium was like a cage forged from resentment.

The resentment of defeating the European champions!

"The atmosphere of this friendly match is comparable to a major international tournament."

"Japan's overall formation is maintained very well... but they still can't get past the center circle; Martinez's interception is too solid."

"They're through this time! Keisuke Honda's pass was perfectly timed, Yuto Nagatomo!"

"The Inter Milan full-back, who recently announced his relationship with Airi Taira..."

Nagatomo had plenty of energy, and his sprinting speed was top-notch, especially for an Asian player.

He took the ball and surged forward.

At the same time.

Japan's attacking players also frantically penetrated Spain's half.

They tried to minimize direct contact with their opponents, using their small stature and agile speed to weave through the sensitive areas.

Thirty-meter zone.

Nagatomo sent a through ball, finding Takashi Usami on the outside of the penalty area.

The latter's early career seemed to have the template of a novel's protagonist... At 19, he wore Bayern Munich's jersey, came on as a substitute in a Champions League match against Manchester City, and was even named to the squad for the 2011-12 Champions League final, serving as a substitute for Robben and Ribery.

However, his combat power declined sharply after that, and now he can only play for mid-to-lower-ranked Bundesliga teams.

"Incredible!"

"Takashi Usami is actually able to dodge and maneuver under Alba's pressure!"

"Beautiful backheel pass!"

"Keisuke Honda!"

Right side of the penalty box.

Japan's number 4 slightly raised his left leg!

Even back in Serie A... Juventus's defense wouldn't dare underestimate the Milan midfielder's shot!

Bang!

The football spun violently, drawing an arc in the Spanish penalty area, and plunged straight into the upper left corner of the goal.

The ball speed wasn't fast.

But the angle was tricky.

De Gea was confident he could defuse the danger.

So was Piqué; he saw everything.

Unfortunately.

The two's defensive thinking didn't align.

They jumped almost simultaneously.

A shocking scene was born.

The football bounced off Piqué's forehead, failing to clear the ball successfully, and instead went straight towards the center of the goal... an empty net!

Everyone was dumbfounded.

All eyes watched the trajectory of the football, and when the net rippled, Ajinomoto Stadium erupted in a thunderous cheer.

Own goal!

Piqué's classic own-goal header... broke his own team's goal!

1:0!!!

Keisuke Honda didn't seem to expect the goal to be so dramatic.

Shinji Okazaki, who was originally positioned to shoot from the far post, hadn't recovered either.

European champions?

We broke the European champions' goal!

Bloodlust, fighting spirit, hope, camaraderie... many second-year emotions filled the Little Japan players' hearts!

They ran wildly, eventually gathering at the corner flag to celebrate passionately.

"It shouldn't be, another own goal!"

"Piqué's high-difficulty back header... broke his own goal!"

"The title of president of the own-goal hospital, famous and far-reaching!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Japan broke the deadlock with smooth passing and bold attacks!"

"Will the European champions fall in Tokyo?"

"Keisuke Honda excitedly took off his jersey, and the Japanese fans at the scene seem to be celebrating a grand festival!"

"The problem left for Del Bosque is very serious!"

....

Livestream.

Barrage of comments flying.

-[Fake match!]

-[How much money did the Japanese Football Association give Piqué?]

-[No joke, Japan's attack is colorful and sound, obviously more tacit; Spanish stars have traveled a long way, maybe they haven't adjusted to the time difference, and they don't have time to adapt to the climate and venue in Tokyo.]

-[What about my 0:6?]

-[Which top center back hasn't scored an own goal? No need to ridicule! Watch carefully, Spain can equalize in the first half.]

-[These Little Japan fans' way of celebrating is too exaggerated, right? I don't know, I thought they were playing in the World Cup.]

...

Happiness is contagious.

Beside the pitch.

Halilhodžić raised his arms and shouted.

The substitute players also rushed to the sidelines, roaring loudly.

They did what they said before the game: break the European champions!

On the other side.

Miñano's expression froze, unable to recover for a long time.

"Boss..."

Del Bosque waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, it doesn't matter if we're behind by one goal, I said: Japan is a very suitable warm-up opponent."

The tone was firm.

The 66-year-old Spanish coach had experienced glory and setbacks.

Li Kang finished warming up and returned to the bench.

The God's-eye view didn't deconstruct the game, not because he was lazy, but because the tactics of the Japanese team at this time... were relatively simple and practical, with no strange arrangements.

...

Piqué looked apologetic, raising his hand to indicate that his clearance was superfluous.

No one blamed him.

Own goals, like world-class goals, need a bit of luck.

The game restarted in the center circle.

Japan didn't even leave a counter-attacking player up front, and the entire army retreated to the 30-meter area in their own half.

The Spanish team launched a fierce siege.

A series of beautiful arcs and sharp through balls crisscrossed in front of the penalty area.

But the teammates haven't yet produced a wonderful chemical reaction.

The football always flew into the stands or was cleared out of bounds.

De Gea felt a little bit hot: how did it feel like he was back playing under Van Gaal?

The 45th minute of the match.

Isco ran out of a one-on-one opportunity, sticking to the opponent's defense, and received Alba's pass...

Beep!

"The linesman raised the flag!"

"Another offside trap!"

"Spain's attack is stretched thin, and Valdes is more suitable for the wing. In terms of overall height, the aerial advantage is not great."

"Ramos or Piqué, they have to consider whether to go to the front line! But if that's the case, the backcourt will become empty."

"Japan's style of play is very pragmatic, with a dense defense, and there are people everywhere near the penalty area!"

...

Beep! Beep beep~

The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half.

Japan 1:0 Spain.

The ESPN live studio was filled with wailing.

Ajinomoto Stadium was filled with singing and dancing.

The Japanese players encouraged each other, if they won this real game, it would bring great confidence to the island nation's fans! The opponent is a European powerhouse composed of Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid, and Manchester United main players.

The Spanish players looked a little unhappy, Thiago and his teammates actively communicated: he felt that everyone's offensive rhythm was very uncoordinated, and the defensive thinking of the midfield and back line was not unified.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: When did playing against an Asian team require so much attention to tactics...

Some players were still in a good mood.

For example, Isco.

This guy ran to the bench happily, shaking the water bottle in his hand: "Li, are you tired of sitting? The air is a bit dry, have some water first!"

...

Japanese team locker room.

Halilhodžić already knew how to become a qualified island nation coach.

The fat translator next to him relayed the coaching staff's chicken soup in the most impassioned tone.

"Persist for another 45 minutes, and we will defeat the European champions!"

"Even if Li comes on as a substitute, he can't bring us fear, he can't decide the victory or defeat alone!"

"The stronger the enemy, the more we can hone the Japanese team's fighting spirit!"

Japanese players love to eat this set.

"Hai!!!"

Suddenly, their morale soared and they were full of energy.

...

Spanish team locker room.

The coaching staff reviewed the tactical details of the first half.

It doesn't seem like there's much to analyze.

The tactical and technical level shown in 45 minutes was simpler than in-team training matches.

The problem mainly occurred in the rhythm coordination of the entire central axis.

"We don't have Lewandowski, there is no height advantage on the front line, you kick high balls, can Valdes catch it?"

"Martinez! You can ravage any Japanese offensive player, but you interfered with Piqué and Ramos's defensive judgment!"

"Isco, you should pass the ball at the appropriate time!"

"..."

"Pay attention to the rhythm, pay attention to control!"

Miñano added a few words, tentatively looking at Del Bosque: When should Li come on?

The latter didn't respond, and was still concerned about Morata's "injury."

...

The fifteen-minute break ended quickly.

The players from both sides returned to the field.

Some viewers who didn't see the long-awaited Spanish number 6 suddenly felt that their tickets were not worth the money.

"Welcome back, now we are broadcasting the international friendly match for you!"

"The second half of the match between Japan and Spain."

"Neither side has made any personnel adjustments for the time being!"

"Has Del Bosque found a way to break through Japan's dense defense?"

Beep!

Along with the referee's whistle.

The second half of the match officially began.

Japan's ball possession.

Shinji Okazaki kicked off and passed to Yuya Osako.

Immediately afterwards.

The football was passed quickly on the green field... The Little Japan offensive players frantically penetrated Spain's half.

Bang!

Martinez powerfully intercepted Takashi Usami.

Then a long pass easily broke through Japan's defense.

Where are the teammates in the frontcourt?

Vázquez's position was firmly blocked by Maya Yoshida!

Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima easily caught the ball.

"Unbelievable."

"The Real Madrid youngster didn't gain a one-on-one advantage against the Southampton's main center back."

"This season in the Premier League, Maya Yoshida and Van Dijk's center-back combination is extremely strong, and they once silenced Guardiola's Manchester City!"

"Look at the replay, Martinez did everything perfectly from interception to launching a counterattack... The landing point of the pass is also very good, but the lead is too big, there is no Robben and Coman in Spain's frontcourt!"

Vázquez prefers to play on the wing.

With his small physique and ability to receive the ball with his back to the goal... how can he play as a center forward?

The Little Japan defender on the other side is a circle bigger than him!

...

Time passed by every minute and every second.

The Spanish team still failed to equalize the score.

The dirge sung by tens of thousands of people at the scene... floated in the sky above Ajinomoto Stadium.

Halilhodžić was confident of victory.

Miñano paced back and forth anxiously.

Del Bosque shook his head and waved to Li Kang... The Little Japan's style of play shown in this game wasn't dirty, so there was no need to worry about our players getting injured.

...

ESPN live studio.

-[The difficulty of Spain equalizing the score is equivalent to me defeating the elementary school team! How is it still 1:0?]

-[It seems that the cohesion of this new lineup will take a long time.]

-[Li Mingdeng took off his vest! He is preparing to play!]

-[Wow! Why are these island nation fans crazy? Fervent and terrible! Are they masochistic?]

-[Del Bosque actually used nuclear weapons!]

-[There is not much time left for Spain, Li Kang can't solve the "lack of attack" dilemma, and there are no magicians like Iniesta and David Silva around him... The stability of passing and control can't be maintained, this game is very difficult.]

-[Football is a team sport, although the Little Japan lineup doesn't have any superstars, but they play as a team!]

-[My 1-5 has hope!]

...

The 72nd minute of the match.

The football flew out of bounds.

The referee blew the whistle to pause the game, indicating a substitution.

The fourth official raised the Led substitution number plate.

"Li Kang, standing outside the center circle!"

"The passion of Ajinomoto Stadium was ignited at this moment."

"The one being replaced is... Vázquez!"

"Huh? Is Spain going to play without a striker?"

"In a situation where they are at a disadvantage, it is difficult to open up the situation without a striker!"

...

All the cameras were aimed at the Spanish number 6 on the sidelines!

The island nation fans shouted in unison.

"Lee!!!"

"Lee!!!"

"Lee!!!"

In the corner of the stands.

A childish voice sounded: "Teacher Okada, why are people so excited after Li-san comes on the field? That's our opponent!"

The middle-aged man raised his glasses and said slowly:

"Because he is strong! Only by playing against the strong can we become stronger!"

"We can absorb valuable experience!"

"Imitate him, learn from him, defeat him!"

"Our ancestors have always done this since ancient times!"

...

Vázquez didn't choose to leave the field from the nearest sideline.

Instead, he ran to the center circle, hugged Li Kang, and then walked off the field.

This kind of behavior is rare when the score is behind.

"Huh?"

"Li Kang's gestures are very simple."

"He ran to the forefront of the formation... the finishing position of the no-striker formation!"