LRAB Chapter 2 The Trajectory of History
Chapter 2 The Trajectory of History
The next day.
2002 6 Month 4 Day.
Gwangju World Cup Stadium, South Korea.
The place was bustling with noise, and the heat was intense!
This marks the first time in Chinese football history that it has stepped onto the stage of a World Cup final.
Outside the stadium, a dense crowd of Chinese fans, dressed in red jerseys and waving the five-star red flag, roared and cheered, their shouts piercing the sky.
Shouts of "China will win!" and "Go China!" echoed everywhere, faces flushed red, eyes filled with anticipation and fervor.
In their eyes, this Chinese national football team, which has made it to the World Cup, will definitely be able to defeat the "mediocre" Costa Rica in the first match and win the first point and the first victory in the history of Chinese football in the World Cup.
Anyone who has experienced this World Cup knows that this optimism is nationwide.
"Defeat Costa Rica, draw with Turkey, narrowly lose to Brazil, and advance as the second-place team in the group"—this seems to have become the universally accepted formula for advancing.
This kind of public opinion environment has more or less affected the national football team.
This is why Milutinovic insisted on using a 4-4-2 attacking formation to deal with Costa Rica, including pushing Sun Jihai to the attacking line instead of his more comfortable position at full-back.
It's because we felt that Costa Rica's strength was average, so there was no need to play any counter-attacking style against them!
Inside the stadium.
The Chinese national football team players are doing their final warm-up.
Milutinovic chewed gum, appearing relaxed, but his brows betrayed a hint of seriousness before the big competition.
Ye Xian stood next to Milu, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Sun Jihai.
After hesitating for a moment, he quickly walked over and said to him, "Jihai, warm up your ankles and knees again. The Costa Rican players will be very aggressive today, so don't get injured. Pay special attention to their midfielder, Solis..."
Sun Jihai was tying his shoelaces when he heard this. He looked up at Ye Xian, a nonchalant smile appearing on his lips. He patted his leg and said firmly, "Don't worry, Translator Ye, I'm in great shape. This little bit of exertion is no problem."
He had already played four seasons in the English First Division, which emphasizes physical confrontation, and his physical qualities far surpassed those of other players on the team. He didn't take Ye Xian's reminder to heart at all.
Ye Xian could only swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He knew that he was just a translator and had no right to force the players to do anything.
Moreover, if he were to tell Sun Jihai now that Solis would injure him with a tackle later, who would believe him?
They'll just treat Ye Xian like a lunatic and send him to the hospital!
We can only take it one step at a time...
Soon, the players' entrance ceremony began.
When the Chinese team players, dressed in red jerseys, marched into the stadium in neat formation, the entire stadium of Chinese fans erupted in deafening cheers, and the five-star red flags in the stands formed a sea of red.
Ye Xian followed Milutinovic onto the field, stood beside the coaching bench, and stared intently at the center of the field.
As the national anthem played, its stirring melody resonated throughout every corner of the stadium.
Ye Xian straightened his back and sang the national anthem loudly along with all the fans in the stadium, his voice choked with emotion.
In his past life, he had seen this scene countless times in videos, and he had been excited by it many times.
And now, standing here, experiencing all of this firsthand, he is overwhelmed with emotion.
No wonder so many players are moved to tears after finally making it to the World Cup...
A strong sense of mission suddenly rose in Ye Xian's heart.
This time travel was truly his opportunity.
He must change history and ensure that China's only World Cup journey leaves no regrets.
This will also prevent the hundreds of millions of Chinese fans watching the game on TV from feeling heartbroken!
……
After the national anthem ended, the referee blew the whistle to start the game.
As expected, the Chinese national team pressed forward aggressively at the start of the match, just as Milutinovic had instructed. Sun Jihai frequently made runs down the right flank, attempting to use his speed to break through Costa Rica's left-wing defense.
The Chinese fans in the stands cheered continuously, and every pass and every tackle by the Chinese team drew cheers.
Ye Xian stood beside the coach's bench, his eyes fixed on the field.
Only he knew that the wheels of history were still turning along their original course. And for the time being, he was powerless to stop them.
In the 17th minute, the unexpected still happened.
Costa Rican midfielder Solis intercepted Sun Jihai in midfield and delivered a vicious scissor tackle, slamming it into Sun Jihai's left leg.
Sun Jihai screamed and collapsed on the lawn, his face turning pale instantly.
He tried to struggle to his feet, but found that he couldn't put any weight on his left leg.
The cheers from the entire stadium came to an abrupt halt, and the hearts of Chinese fans leaped into their throats.
The team doctor rushed onto the field to provide emergency treatment to Sun Jihai, and then he returned to the field.
But after only a few minutes, Sun Jihai was unable to continue the match.
In the 26th minute, Sun Jihai was carried off the field on a stretcher, and Qu Bo came on as a substitute.
Seeing the unwilling look in Sun Jihai's eyes as he left the field, and seeing the defense on the right flank suddenly become weak, Milutinovic's composure vanished.
Just then, Milu's gaze inadvertently fell on Ye Xian.
He suddenly remembered that Ye Xian had specifically sought out Sun Jihai for a chat before the match.
Although Milutinovic couldn't hear or understand Chinese, Ye Xian's worried expression was still evident.
Could there really be any connection between these two things?
"Ye, what did you say to Sun just now?" Milu couldn't help but ask Ye Xian.
"It's nothing, I just told him to pay attention to the opponent's defensive moves and to protect himself." Ye Xian shook his head in frustration.
With the all-around player Sun Jihai off the field, it became even more difficult for the Chinese team to play – just like it has happened in history.
When Milu looked at Ye Xian again, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Why does this young translator act like a prophet?
He's not the team doctor, so why would he have a premonition that Sun Jihai would get injured?
If the only issue is that the Costa Rican players are too aggressive, why not have Ma Mingyu or Helidon, who are more prone to injury, been asked to give them a warning, instead of specifically targeting Sun Jihai, who is the most physically robust?
However, the game is still in full swing, and Milutinovic doesn't have time to think about these things.
He then turned his attention back to the field.
Sun Jihai's departure has indeed disrupted the rhythm of the national team.
Costa Rica gradually took control of the midfield, frequently launching attacks from the right flank of the Chinese national team. Left wing-back Castro's speed advantage was on full display, repeatedly breaking through Xu Yunlong's defense and delivering threatening crosses.
The Chinese national football team players gradually became impatient, making more passing and receiving errors, and could only passively retreat to defend.
Ye Xian stood beside the coach's bench, constantly relaying Milutinovic's instructions to the field.
But he knew in his heart that none of this would change anything.
Fortunately, Costa Rica has also been unable to break through the defense for the time being.
The whistle blew to end the first half, and the score remained 0-0.
The players walked into the player tunnel with their heads down; the atmosphere was still somewhat subdued.
The main reason is that the intensity of today's match and the level of their opponents were somewhat beyond their expectations.
Costa Rica is not as weak as people thought before the match!
Ye Xian quickly caught up with Milutinovic and tried to advise again: "Bora, Fan Zhiyi had an injection before the game, and he played very hard in the first half, which greatly depleted his energy. Moreover, I can see that his knee is obviously uncomfortable. Can we let him rest in the second half? Otherwise, he may get injured, and then the defense will completely collapse."
Milutinovic stopped and frowned, but did not immediately reject the proposal.
He now had a rather strange feeling about Ye Xian. Could it be that this kid really had such keen observation skills?
He turned and called Fan Zhiyi over, asking Ye Xian to inquire about his health.
But General Fan waved his hand with great bravado: "I'm fine, just a minor injury. How could I possibly rest? This is our national team's first World Cup match. Even if I break my leg, I'll still be on the field!"
Milutinovic also said to Ye Xian, "Ye, I know you care about the players, but Van is the core of our defense, and we can't do without him in the second half. Costa Rica will definitely intensify their attack in the second half, and we need him to hold the line."
"Hmph, are you spouting nonsense again? A mere translator dares to boss the team around, you really don't know your place." Helidon walked over, arms crossed, his tone full of sarcasm. "You're not trying to curse Fan Zhiyi to get injured, are you? I think you're just hoping we lose!"
Ye Xian didn't want to pay attention to He Lidong at this moment.
He then turned to Milutinovic and shared his experience from his past life: "In the second half, we don't need to attack proactively; conserving energy for counter-attacks might be a better option. When Costa Rica attacks through the middle, our center-backs must pay attention to covering, not just marking Wanchope. Also, be mindful of tactical corner kicks, especially short corners..."
But Milutinovic shook his head and turned to walk into the locker room.
If he was somewhat curious about Ye Xian's "predictive" abilities, then he didn't want to hear about these tactical matters.
The halftime break is very short, and Milutinovic needs to quickly deploy tactics for the second half.
He thought differently from Ye Xian.
Costa Rica is the weakest opponent in the group stage, so we must go all out to attack and win!
……
The second half began, and the situation still hadn't improved.
With Sun Jihai gone, the right flank became Costa Rica's main attacking channel, with Castro frequently breaking through and delivering more and more crosses.
Just as Ye Xian had predicted, Fan Zhiyi's knee pain slowed down his defensive movements, leading to several mistakes.
In the 61st minute, Costa Rica penetrated through the middle. Wanchope attracted the attention of Li Weifeng and Fan Zhiyi in the penalty area. Xu Yunlong barely blocked the shot, while the unmarked Gomez easily pushed the ball into the net near the penalty spot, 0-1!
Milutinovic's face immediately turned ugly.
This time, the two center-backs were only watching the ball and not the player, completely missing Gomez who was making a run behind them.
Isn't that what Ye Xian said during halftime?
But that's not all.
In the 65th minute, Costa Rica took a short corner kick. Gomez crossed from the byline, and Wright, unmarked at the near post, headed the ball into the net, making it 0-2.
This play was a defensive disaster.
No one expected the opponent to take a short corner, and after the kickoff, all the players rushed to Gomez, who had the ball, leaving the near post completely empty!
Two goals were conceded in four minutes, and the cheers of the Chinese fans in the stands gradually turned into sighs.
Some fans had tears in their eyes, while others waved the national flag vigorously and continued to shout "Go China!" But their voices were filled with despair.
Milutinovic stood beside the coaching bench, hands on his hips, his face ashen, muttering something in Spanish.
He was no longer the calm and collected magic coach; his eyes were filled with shock and regret.
He finally realized that Ye Xian's suggestion might not have been entirely unfounded...
What this translator said yesterday and today is gradually becoming a reality!
In the 74th minute, another of Ye Xian's "predictions" came true.
Fan Zhiyi injured his knee again while intercepting Wanchope and could no longer continue, so he had to be substituted off the field!
As Milu watched Fan Zhiyi limp off the field, his face darkened completely.
He also subconsciously looked at Ye Xian beside him—this young man had really hit the nail on the head again.
If he had listened to Ye Xian earlier, would the course of today's match have been completely different?
Milutinovic didn't know.
But there is one thing he has finally realized.
That means he must carefully consider the young translator's advice in the upcoming matches...