Chapter 169: A one-man team

The match between the host Australia and South Korea, with a madness in injury time, finally decided the first and second places in the group.

Australia topped the group on goal difference. In this way, the opponent of the Chinese team in the quarterfinals is the South Korean team.

Speaking of the history of the Chinese team and the South Korean team, it is really a bitter tear.

After the opponent was determined, the Chinese team's game against North Korea in the third way of the group stage suddenly had a little significance.

North and South Korea, two countries of one nation. Although the two fraternal countries of the Korean nation hate each other and have different social systems and levels of economic development, as the same nation, the football teams of the two countries are still very similar.

The style of football is often related to the culture of a country, such as the unrestrained Brazil, the melancholy Argentina, the cold Germany like a saber, and the romantic Tulip Netherlands. These things are in line with the culture of the peoples of these countries, adding something to their football that is unique to each country.

The same is true of the two countries of North and South Korea, and the strengths and weaknesses of the Korean nation can almost be found in the national football teams of the two countries.

Both teams are known for their unstoppable physical fitness and tenacious fighting spirit.

Therefore, this match against the North Korean team is regarded by the Chinese team as a preview of the quarter-final with the South Korean team.

Of course, similar styles do not mean similar strength, the strength of the North Korean team is of course inferior to the South Korean team, although they worked hard in the game, but in the end, the Chinese team still defeated North Korea 2-0, Li Qingshan scored again in this game, and another player who scored for the Chinese team was Hao Junmin, who scored directly through a well-placed free kick to help the Chinese team lock up the win.

The Chinese team, which has won all three games, has shown good form and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup.

Advancing to the quarterfinals certainly made the domestic media and fans excited, but when they saw the opponents in the quarterfinals, almost everyone seemed a little lacking in confidence.

"I think that with Li Qingshan, we still have the strength to fight with the Korean team!"

On various TV stations, the opinions expressed by media experts from all walks of life are almost the same - the Korean team is very strong, but we have Li Qingshan!

Yes, from the discussion of the media and fans, the only place where the Chinese team can have an advantage is Li Qingshan, with such a strong striker, it is the spiritual pillar in the hearts of the fans of the Chinese team to defeat South Korea.

This is mainly because the Chinese team's record against the South Korean team in the past is so bad that almost everyone has a big question mark about whether they can beat the South Korean team.

In this case, before the match with the South Korean team started, many media made remarks such as "It's good to break into the quarterfinals", "It's good to be better than before", and "Even if you lose to South Korea, the national football team can win respect".

Of course, the media are well-intentioned, and they want to relieve the pressure before the national football game.

...........

If there is anyone who is not happy that the Chinese team has reached the quarterfinals, it is Simeone.

When the Asian Cup was in full swing, the second half of La Liga had already kicked off.

Atletico Madrid, without Li Qingshan, has played four games so far, two league games and two Copa del Rey games.

On January 3, Atletico Madrid won at home to Levante, and the team performed well, but on January 8, Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at home to Real Madrid.

Then, on January 12, Atletico Madrid lost 1-3 away to Barcelona, and the consequences of missing a main scorer began to appear.

Atletico Madrid's league points were suddenly split by Barcelona and Real Mara.

In the Copa del Rey, Atletico Madrid, who came to the Bernabeu, drew 0-0 with Real Madrid and were eliminated by Real Madrid by away goals.

The league was beaten by a direct rival, while the Copa del Rey was eliminated.

Atletico Madrid has had a very difficult time indeed.

And such days will persist until Li Qingshan returns to the team. If the Chinese team loses to the South Korean team, it will be fine. Once the Chinese team breaks into the top four, there are still two games to play, and it will be early February for Li Qingshan to return to the team.

However, at this time, Li Qingshan, who Simeone missed immensely, was destined to disappoint his head coach.

At the pre-match press conference, Li Qingshan attended as the team's vice captain.

When talking about the opponent of the South Korean team, Li Qingshan said: "The South Korean team is a very strong opponent, but we are not weak, the goal of our Chinese team has always been clear, if you want to win the championship, you must defeat the opponent, no matter who the opponent is." ”

Li Qingshan's tone is undoubtedly very arrogant in the eyes of South Koreans.

Therefore, when it was the turn of the South Koreans at the pre-match press conference, South Korean captain Ji Chengyong said: "Li Qingshan is a very strong player, but this does not mean that the Chinese team is on the same level as him, football is a collective sport." We will use our performance on the field to show the players of the Chinese team that there is no way to succeed in football by relying solely on the tactics of one player. ”

Ji Chengyong's words were all aimed at undermining the self-confidence of the other players in the Chinese team. And to some extent, what Ji Chengyong said is indeed correct.

Because the current Chinese team does rely on Li Qingshan quite a lot. The Chinese team scored nine goals in the group stage, of which Li Qingshan scored six of them, and his goals alone accounted for two-thirds of the total goals of the Chinese team.

And Li Qingshan is not just a scorer in the finals of the Chinese team, he needs to frequently retreat to receive the ball, take the ball, protect the ball, and pass the ball!

Scoring, tactical response, Li Qingshan is almost everywhere on the field, every attack of the Chinese team, every pass in the front court, Li Qingshan can be seen.

Lippi has completely established Li Qingshan's tactical positioning in the team, and all tactical arrangements have to revolve around Li Qingshan.

"The current Chinese team is Li Qingshan's one-man team, as long as Li Qingshan is restricted, the Chinese team will not be able to play." South Korea's number one star Son Heung-min said in an interview.

And Jin Yingquan, who used to be teammates with Li Qingshan in Guangzhou Evergrande, was much more low-key in an interview: "The other members of the Chinese team should not be underestimated, but the biggest threat is of course Li Qingshan, and we will specially arrange defensive tactics against Li Qingshan." ”

The confidence of Koreans is palpable.

In their opinion, the Chinese team is Li Qingshan's team alone, as long as Li Qingshan is restricted, it basically means that the top four are beckoning to them.