Chapter 6 Penalty Battle

In the penalty shootout, a cruel way to win the victory that all teams feared.

Both sides must decide a victory or defeat, a ninety-minute draw, and a thirty-minute overtime draw, and can only push to the penalty shootout, as if playing a Russian roulette.

You know, at the 1968 European Championship, there was no such thing as a penalty shootout at that time. Italy and the Soviet Union drew 0:0 in the semi-finals, and finally eliminated the Soviets by a little boy throwing coins.

Penalty battles are not about skills, but about psychology.

It can be said that at a distance of 9.15 meters, a goalkeeper shot a 7-meter wide gate. Even if there is a goalkeeper, he will just step in.

But the question is, who dares to squint his eyes and just kick it?!

This is the decisive battle that best reflects psychological quality.

Both teams sat on the sod beside the bench, gasping for breath, drinking water handed over by others, and arranging the candidates for penalty kicks.

The list of Argentina was soon settled, Crespo, Canigia, Riquelme, Zanetti and Redondo.

The style of penalty kicks in this era is to save the most confident players until the end. Redondo is one of Argentina's current pillars. After Bati's departure, Maradona even handed over the captain's armband to him, which shows his trust in Redondo.

The Chinese team is in a little trouble.

Ling Feng naturally had to take the penalty, and he was the last player to take the penalty.

As for the arrangements of the other four, it is not easy to solve.

Ling Feng's opinion was to let Yue Lingxiang, Liu Dong and Ding Rui take the punishment. Although no one refuted it, Ling Feng could not see any hope from the eyes of his teammates, even the eyes of the three of them themselves.

Ling Feng forgot that they were less than seventeen years old, and they were not like themselves, with incomparable experience in their previous lives.

In such a cruel game, can the psychological quality of such young players with the free throws?

But what should I do if I don’t choose them?

Hao Haidong and Yang Chen left the court. They were the only players with the best footwork left on the court. The psychology is a problem, but if they don’t have outstanding footwork, it won’t work.

"What's wrong?" At this time, Ling Feng, the spiritual leader, naturally could not remain silent. Such a lifeless look was definitely a taboo before the penalty shootout.

"Xiaoyue, Liu Dong, Ding Rui, why are you three not talking? Tell me, do you have confidence?"

After a while of silence, a low "existence" sounded.

"Stand up for me, what are you like!" Ling Feng was furious and was the first to stand up from the turf and cursed loudly: "What about your confidence? What about your determination to win?! What happened to the penalty shootout? What happened to the opponent in Argentina? The opportunities are equal now. As long as we keep our mind calm, can we not get a penalty in such a penalty?!"

"You!" Ling Feng pointed at Yue Lingxiang: "You took four penalty kicks at Middlesbrough last season, and all of them hit. One of them was in the game against Arsenal and entered David Sheman's goal. What are you afraid of? Can this Bonano be stronger than Sheman?!"

"You!" Ling Feng turned around and pointed at Liu Dong: "Have you forgotten the game I took you to train in Florence? Within ten meters, you can beat the point where you point, and do twenty push-ups with a deviation of more than three centimeters?! I remember you won the most at that time."

"And you," Ling Feng pointed at Ding Rui: "You have now won the position of Inter Milan's main striker and scored a lot of goals. What are you afraid of with such a penalty kick? You should think he is a one-on-one!"

The three people lowered their heads as Ling Feng said, and their fists clenched. Ling Feng shouted loudly at this time: "Brothers! This is the most difficult battle after Chinese football took off. They are facing the world's top teams. If we lose, we will be timid. What should we do if the World Cup three years later? Tell me, what are our goals for the World Cup three years later?!"

"World Champion!" All Chinese players roared.

"Very good! Let's solve Argentina first, solve Brazil, and let everyone in the world know that China is a lion!"

"Oh!" A wolf howl sounded over the court, and Argentina players looked at each other. What's wrong with the Chinese team?

Confidence, Ling Feng cleverly incited the morale of the players and gave them confidence. Although it is not guaranteed to win, at least they will not be weak due to nervousness when they are free throws.

But there is another quota, who is it for?

Zhao Junze, or Sun Jihai.

"I'll do it!" Sun Jihai stood up and said firmly.

Ling Feng nodded, hugged him without saying anything, and then Yue Lingxiang, Ding Rui, Liu Dong, and finally Ling Feng walked to the goalkeeper Fu Bin, hugged him fiercely and said, "It's all up to you!"

In a penalty shootout, for the players who are free throwing the penalty, it is appropriate to get the penalty. If the penalty is missed, it is your fault.

Sun Jihai stood up under pressure, and you can imagine how great his psychological pressure was!

Zhu Guanglu quickly reported the list of free throwers to the referee. After the three-minute break, the players of the two teams stood together in the middle circle, hugging each other to form two spectacular walls of people.

The first goal was taken by Yue Lingxiang.

Goalkeeper Bonano jumped left and right at the door, making a "hoho" roar, trying to put pressure on Xiao Yue, but Yue Lingxiang was thinking in his heart that this guy looks like a toad.

The referee's whistle sounded, Yue Lingxiang assisted and pushed the ball with his right foot.

Fake action! Bonano was deceived by Yue Lingxiang's fake action in the moment before touching the ball, and he threw the ball into the lower right corner of the goal in the wrong direction.

The ball has entered!

The Chinese team players cheered, and the first penalty kick was still as if nothing had happened, which greatly boosted the morale of the players in a sense.

Crespo quietly pushed the ball into the same direction, and Fu Bing also made a mistake in his judgment, 1:1 tie.

The second ball, Liu Dong.

Liu Dong stood far away, almost starting from outside the penalty area, and then shot hard from his left foot. Although the angle of the ball was not very awesome, it was very fast and Bonano did not respond.

The son of Wind, Kanigia, experienced the experienced Taoist, and missed the talisman soldier with a fake move, and shot the upper right corner to succeed.

2:2 square meters.

The third ball, Ding Rui.

The moment he kicked, Bonano tried to judge the direction of the ball by the turning of his ankle, but he was wrong. Ding Rui stabbed the ball hard with his toes. Bonano couldn't react and stood there like a wooden stake watching the ball rolling into the gate from not far away from him against the ground.

The Chinese team scored all three goals!

Riquelme placed the ball on the free throw point.

All three young players in the Chinese team hit him, which put a lot of pressure on him, but Rikelme was a talented general after all. After taking a deep breath, he quickly calmed down his impetuousness. He pushed his right foot and the ball was straight at the upper left corner of the goal. Although Fu Bing judged the right direction, he was empty.

The fourth goal has arrived.

This is what Ling Feng is most worried about. Whether Sun Jihai can get a penalty is the key to the outcome of this game.

Argentine fans in the stands used noisy sounds to interfere with Sun Jihai. The Chinese Suns tried hard to eliminate distractions with their will. After the referee's whistle sounded, they ran up and pulled his right foot hard under the ball!

With a bang, the ball hit the bottom of the crossbar - bounced into the goal!

The ball was scored! The Chinese team hit the fourth goal!

Sun Jihai waved his fist excitedly, and he finally did not become the sinner of the Chinese team.

Now it seems that the Chinese team has the advantage, because everyone thinks that Ling Feng is definitely a must-go, and as long as a mistake occurs between Zanetti and Redondo, it will be completely finished.

Even as calm as old horse, he was already sweating in his palms. He never expected that the Chinese team would hit all four goals!

Sanetti's pressure at this time is no longer something that ordinary people can estimate. There is only one voice in his mind: "You must go in. If you don't go in, we will lose!"

The referee's whistle sounded, Sanetti assisted and volleyed!

The ball is above the crossbar!

Argentina's fourth penalty was not scored!

All Chinese players were in a group. If Ling Feng scored the fifth goal, the Chinese team would win and defeat Argentina, which had never been defeated before!

Zanetti knelt on the ground in pain, covering her face with her hands, and returned to the midfield under the urging of the referee. When he saw his teammates comforting his teammates, the Inter Milan defender lay on Crespo in pain and cried bitterly.

"We still have a chance." Crespo comforted him like this, but, is there really a chance?

Ling Feng, the last free thrower of the Chinese team, the captain of the Chinese team, the soul of Chinese football, and the hottest player in the world today.

But it may not be possible to score a penalty.

Zico, Socrates, Platini, Basten, Baggio...

These were the top players in the world at that time, but they all missed the key penalty in the critical penalty battle. Ling Feng stood in front of the ball, which reminded many people of Baggio in the 1994 World Cup final.

The same is true for such a critical kick. If the penalty is made, Ling Feng will be Maradona. If the penalty is lost, Ling Feng will be the second Baggio.

Ling Feng kissed the ball in his hand and placed it on the turf. The entire stadium is now silent, as if he could feel the huge "bang, bang" sound after everyone's hearts merge into one.

Ling Feng exhaled and looked at the referee, who was signaling how Bonano was preparing.

Ling Feng stood straight next to the ball, only one run-up distance.

Faced with the referee's puzzled gaze, Ling Feng nodded, he punished this penalty and did not help.

With Ling Feng's skills, he could use dozens of methods to send the ball in, and even a spoon penalty kick, but at this time, he chose the simplest method, a penalty kick that was praised by later generations as a clumsy.

The turf is a little slippery. If you run, you will inevitably suffer from tension and unstable left foot landing in the last run, resulting in a free throw error.

Another point is that being close to the goalkeeper makes it impossible for Bonano to make a judgment based on the direction and rhythm of his running.

Generally speaking, the direction of the player's shooting during the run-up has a direct relationship with the direction of his run-up. Ling Feng is now standing in front of the ball motionless, but Bonano has no way to judge the direction of his footing.

The referee's whistle sounded, Ling Feng stepped out with his left foot, supported him on the ground, and pushed his right foot hard against the underside of the ball!

"Is it on the right? No, it must be a fake move!" Bonano only judged the direction of his shooting when Ling Feng touched the ball. Ling Feng's move was planned to shoot on the right.

But it is impossible. Who is Ling Feng? Can he shoot such a ball without any fake moves?

Bonano made a judgment within almost a few seconds and rushed to the left, but found in the air that the ball was flying towards the opposite side of him and entered the gate.

The ball has entered!

5:3! The Chinese team eliminated Argentina 5:3 in the penalty shootout and entered the finals of the Copa America!

Ling Feng rushed back to the midfield excitedly, and the moment he scored the goal, the whole of China was in full bloom. The Chinese players, whether they were the main players or the substitutes, rushed towards Ling Feng at this moment. Yue Lingxiang threw Ling Feng to the ground in the air, and then everyone pressed up one by one!

The highest level of fake action for penalty kicks is that there is no fake action.

Too much energy to deceive the goalkeeper will weaken the control of the ball. For example, Zico, Baggio and others have made double insurance when they were punishing penalty kicks. One is to deceive the goalkeeper, and the other is to push and shoot at a very tricky angle.

However, double insurance may not be guaranteed. The pressure generated by the two energy combined is quite large.

Ling Feng only pursues extremely tricky angles and speeds!

The ball entered the door against the gap between the post and the beam. As for Bonano's mistake in judgment, it can only be said that this guy was frightened by Ling Feng's fame.
Chapter completed!