The game had officially begun.
From the opening whistle, it was clear that the Chinese team had come out aggressively, full of urgency and intent—not waiting to be tested as they had against Brazil, but instead pressing forward from the first touch.
Unlike their previous comeback performance, this time they were the ones setting the tone early.
The players, now deeply familiar with Coach Eckhard Krautzun's system, moved with coordination and confidence. After several intense matches in the tournament, their understanding of spacing, transitions, and collective pressing had matured. And with energy levels still high in the early minutes, their compact press in midfield and the final third felt seamless.
Argentina, however, had anticipated this.
Coach Francisco Ferraro had done his homework. Aware of China's aggressive start against Brazil, he had prepared his team for precisely this kind of opening surge. Even with only three days to prepare between the semifinal and the final, Ferraro had drilled his players on how to absorb the press, fall back into a structured block, and remain disciplined in transition.
And so, within minutes, Argentina began retreating into their own half, drawing the Chinese players further forward, waiting for a moment to strike back.
While China dominated possession early, Argentina kept their shape tight—especially in midfield, where their primary focus was clear: isolate Yang Yang.
Every time the ball moved toward him, he was immediately swarmed—sometimes two or even three defenders closing space. The goal wasn't just to stop him from dribbling, but to cut off the supply altogether, denying him clean touches and quick combinations with teammates.
Despite their early momentum, the Chinese team found it increasingly difficult to turn possession into danger. They worked the ball patiently around the Argentine penalty area, but every through ball to Yang Yang was intercepted, every cross cleared.
Then came the first warning sign.
In the 5th minute, China committed their first significant mistake in midfield—a misplaced pass near the center circle.
Argentina pounced.
Messi was the first to react, gliding onto the loose ball with his trademark acceleration. He surged through the middle of the pitch, bypassing two Chinese midfielders with ease. Reaching the edge of the box, he slid the ball out wide to the right with perfect timing.
There, Archubi was already making his run.
The Argentine midfielder didn't hesitate. With space in front of him, he took a touch and fired a powerful long-range shot from the right edge of the box.
The ball sliced through the air—fast, low—but tailed wide of the far post.
"Argentina takes the first shot of the match—it looked a little rushed."
"That was a strike from long range by Rodrigo Archubi.
"No real danger on target, but that kind of sudden effort can catch a team off guard. If they'd taken just a bit more time to link up, that attack might've been more dangerous."
"The Chinese side needs to stay sharp. Argentina is clearly looking to punish any mistake on the counterattack."
...
After the goal kick restart, the Chinese team resumed their rhythm, moving the ball quickly down the flanks with short, sharp passes.
Argentina continued with their deep-block strategy, sitting back and absorbing pressure. Their focus was clear: nullify China's early momentum and exploit spaces on the counter.
But Yang Yang, learning from earlier sequences, began drifting inward. No longer fixed to the left touchline, he started moving centrally, scanning for gaps and drawing defenders out of position.
In the 10th minute, the Chinese team found a promising buildup.
Zhou Haibin, positioned just outside the center circle, threaded a quick vertical pass to Yang Yang at the top of the penalty arc. But the moment Yang received the ball, a defender closed in tightly from behind—no space to turn.
Calmly, Yang Yang laid it off back toward midfield, where Hao Junmin arrived to collect.
Yet again, the same issue appeared: without overlapping runs from the full-backs, China's wing play lacked variety. The left-back remained cautious and didn't push forward, leaving Hao Junmin and Yang Yang outnumbered and without width.
Seeing no opening, Hao Junmin smartly recycled the ball back toward the defense, opting for control over risk.
From the sideline, Yang Yang clapped his hands in approval. It was a simple gesture, but it signaled maturity: Better to reset than force a mistake.
Moments later, China tried once more down the left—still no breakthrough. Argentina's structure held firm, particularly their close marking of Yang Yang.
Then came a shift.
Feng Xiaoting, stepping up from the back, noticed Gao Lin making a run across to the right channel. Without hesitation, Feng launched a perfectly measured long diagonal into space.
Gao Lin timed his movement brilliantly. He held off his marker, angled his body, and rose to meet the ball—flicking a clever header into central space.
Chen Tao picked it up, charging toward the right edge of the box.
Just as it looked like he would push wide, he feinted toward the baseline—then sharply cut inside, dragging his marker with him.
Across the top of the penalty area, Yang Yang had already anticipated it.
He was gliding from the left, reading Chen Tao's movement perfectly, and began curling his run just above the 'D'.
Chen Tao delivered a crisp horizontal pass into space—perfect weight, perfect angle.
Yang Yang met it in full stride.
Ahead of him, Fernando Gago—the Argentine midfielder dubbed "the next Redondo"—stepped forward to challenge. But Gago's defensive instincts weren't as sharp as his predecessor's.
Yang Yang stopped the ball dead with his right foot, shifting it to the side as Gago stepped in.
In an instant, he looked ready to shoot.
Gago reacted by throwing his body across to block—but that's when Yang Yang snapped his right foot over the ball and dragged it back sharply to his left foot, sending Gago sliding past.
Zabaleta, covering from the left, recognized the danger too late.
Yang Yang adjusted swiftly—right foot planted, body balanced—and with a smooth motion, whipped his left foot through the ball.
"Yang Yang shoots!" the commentator shouted with sudden intensity.
Inside the box, Ustari read the unfolding play well. Seeing the double feint, he positioned himself toward the center of goal, assuming the shot would go low and straight after the sudden shift.
But Yang Yang wasn't aiming for the obvious.
Instead, he struck across the ball with his laces, generating lift and spin—sending it curling toward the top-right corner.
The shot sliced cleanly through the tight space between Zabaleta and Gago, rising just over their shoulders.
Ustari reacted immediately, leaping at full stretch, arms outstretched toward the top corner...
Too late.
The ball bent just beyond his fingertips and slammed into the top right corner of the net.
"Goal!"
"Yang Yang! Yang Yang has scored!!!"
"In the ninth minute—just ten minutes into the first half—the Chinese team has struck first against Argentina!"
"Yang Yang opens the scoring for China with a stunning left-footed strike!"
After scoring, Yang Yang sprinted toward the stands, heading straight for the section filled with Chinese supporters. As he neared the corner, he dropped into a slide, skimming the turf before coming to a stop near the advertising boards.
A moment later, his teammates caught up, leaping onto him in a joyful pile of embraces, shouts, and laughter.
"Unbelievable!"
"Yang Yang is clearly in excellent form today."
"Despite the early pressure from Argentina, he seized the opportunity, shaking off Gago with consecutive feints before firing a clinical left-footed shot into the net!"
"A clean strike from the edge of the box—this is the Yang Yang we know!"
"This is our hero—Yang Yang!"
As the celebration settled, Yang Yang stood up, eyes scanning the crowd. When he spotted the area where his parents and Su Ye were seated, he lifted his right arm and held up a single finger—his way of telling them: I scored.
In the Ajax players' section, Ibrahimović and the others clapped and shouted, visibly excited by the goal.
The Swedish striker, long known for his inconsistent finishing, watched as Yang Yang buried his first shot of the match cleanly into the net.
Even if he didn't show it, there was likely a hint of discomfort behind that applause.
...
...
Messi stood motionless on the pitch, hands on his hips, eyes fixed ahead as he slowly shook his head.
Conceding a goal just nine minutes into the match—it was far too early. Too careless.
The sequence had unfolded rapidly. A long ball from the Chinese back line, a sharp flicked header into space on the right flank, a quick cut inside, and then—Yang Yang.
One feint. One touch. One shot.
From the start of the move to the finish, only two passes connected the backline to the goal. It was brutally efficient. But what truly made the difference wasn't the build-up—it was Yang Yang's brilliance at the edge of the box.
His quick succession of movements—receiving the ball, wrong-footing Gago, adjusting his body, and unleashing a curling left-footed strike—that was the heart of the goal.
A moment of genius. One that couldn't be blamed on tactics alone.
This was what separated elite players from the rest.
Messi clenched his jaw. He had known about Yang Yang's numbers—34 goals in the Eredivisie, a UEFA Cup title, the European Golden Boy award, and being named Best Player of the UEFA Cup. Those weren't empty accolades. They were earned.
But still—he wasn't here to admire.
He was here to compete.
And he wouldn't go down that easily.
Messi gritted his teeth.
...
...
After the restart, the Chinese team intentionally slowed down the tempo.
It was part of Krautzun's tactical design: start with pressure, but once momentum is seized—whether or not a goal is scored—fall back and allow Argentina more possession. The goal was clear: draw Argentina forward, stretch their shape, and strike back with pace.
Argentina, stung by the early goal, began to commit more players into the attack.
In the 13th minute, their aggression drew the first yellow card of the match, handed to a Chinese midfielder after a late sliding challenge—an attempt to break up transition.
But the Chinese team didn't just sit back—they still looked for moments to surge.
In the 15th minute, Yang Yang received a pass near the left channel and dropped deep to hold the ball. Under pressure, he played it back to Zhou Haibin, who spotted a switch and curled a diagonal pass to the far right.
Chen Tao charged onto it just outside the box and unleashed a shot from over 20 meters out—but he leaned back slightly. The ball ballooned upward, soaring well over the crossbar.
Chen Tao grimaced, raising his hand in apology. He had felt confident as he stepped into the strike but rushed it. The result: a sky-high shot that turned into little more than a warning for aircraft.
Yang Yang clapped hard, shouting encouragement, letting his teammate know the intent was good—even if the finish wasn't.
A few minutes later, the Chinese side created another dangerous chance.
In the 19th minute, Argentine center-back Garay misjudged a defensive header under pressure. Yang Yang pounced near the top of the final third, stealing the ball cleanly and immediately sprinting down the left.
With a burst of speed, he faced Argentina's right-back one-on-one. A sharp shoulder feint, a sudden acceleration to the outside—Yang Yang blew past him and curved a low cross just behind the Argentine defensive line.
Gao Lin sprinted into the box but arrived a split-second too late. His timing was off, and the ball trickled untouched across the six-yard box before crossing the endline.
Another warning—but no goal.
In the 23rd minute, China came again. Yang Yang, once more starting the move from the left, played a pass inside to Hao Junmin, who immediately switched to the right. Chen Tao controlled it on the edge of the area, took a touch, and fired.
This time it was on target—but struck too cleanly, too directly. Ustari caught it without trouble.
As the half wore on, Argentina began to regain control of possession. China, as planned, dropped deeper. But now, the pressure was shifting.
Argentina weren't generating many clear chances—but China was failing to take theirs.
And then, in the 31st minute, Messi made them pay.
It began with a simple pass to him on the left wing. He picked up the ball just behind the halfway line and turned upfield—no hesitation.
With each stride, he accelerated, cutting inside and weaving through space with his low, balanced posture.
One Chinese midfielder stepped forward—gone.
A second closed down—he glided past him too.
A third lunged to intercept—a dip of the shoulder, and he was past.
The crowd rose to their feet as Messi entered the penalty area, where Feng Xiaoting stood his ground. Feng didn't dare dive in—one wrong move, and it's a penalty.
He tried to guide Messi wide, shadowing his every step.
But Messi slowed—then snapped forward with a final touch to shift the ball to his left. Feng hesitated, trying to match the angle, and in that instant Messi struck low with his left foot.
The shot sliced past the defender's leg and skimmed the turf, arrowing toward the far post.
The Chinese keeper dove—but he was a step too late.
The ball nestled into the net just inside the post.
1–1.
Just like that, the game was level again.
And Messi had announced himself.
...
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