Chapter 680 - 605: Don’t Even Know How to Throw a Game

Chapter 680: Chapter 605: Don’t Even Know How to Throw a Game

The match concluded in an amicable atmosphere.

The National Team won, 5-1. It was an easy victory.

But Yan Shiduo didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked rather grim.

So he suddenly asked, "Mr. Chen, you often travel to Europe and hold a position at FIFA. Are you familiar with Mr. Alihan? What do you think of him?"

Chen Yu glanced at Alihan on the sidelines.

"What do you think?" Chen Yu tossed the question back.

Yan Shiduo fell silent. After a long moment, he said, "He had a brilliant career as a player. As a coach... he’s decent."

’No kidding,’ Chen Yu thought.

A member of the legendary Ajax dynasty, three consecutive league and Champions League titles, and two stunning long-range goals in the ’78 World Cup that are still breathtaking today.

Yan Shiduo continued, "My subordinates have reported to me that he still has some significant problems."

For example, he’s clashed with several players, and he has no clear plan for his lineups, constantly changing things around.

Letting the Sun Hei Group’s reserve team—a bunch of youngsters—score on them is the best proof of that.

Moreover, Yan Shiduo had heard that to better simulate the Hong Kong City Team, Sun Hei Group had specifically brought over a foreign player, Qiao Jijim, from their first team. The idea was to have him mimic the Hong Kong City Team’s black forward, Lawrence.

And what happened? Qiao Jijim was warming up on the sidelines before the match, but Alihan stubbornly refused to let him play.

He sent someone to ask and was told that Alihan’s coaching staff was worried Qiao Jijim’s impact would be too strong if he played, and they were afraid the National Team players would get injured.

In Yan Shiduo’s eyes, this was utterly ridiculous. It was a clear sign of being afraid to truly compete.

Chen Yu didn’t ask what Alihan’s problems were. Instead, he said, "Actually, Bo Yang was pretty good. You should have found a way to keep him."

Mi Lu is pretty good with weaker teams. And the fact that he made the National Team drill fundamentals during his tenure is enough to show he had a very clear understanding of their situation.

’Failing to score a single goal in the World Cup, the National Team’s poor results... ultimately, it was never the coach’s fault. The players just weren’t good enough.’

Having traveled all over Europe and met so many players and coaches, Chen Yu knew very well that some coaches who excel in league play just can’t cut it at the national level.

’It’s not a matter of skill at all.’

’In a league, you have an entire season to slowly adjust the lineup and tactics. It might take two or three seasons to see results.’

’But the National Team is different. You assemble a group of players on short notice, and the head coach doesn’t even have the final say on who gets called up.’

’That’s why for national team matches, the players are more important.’

’If the Chinese Men’s National Football Team had Ronaldo, you could tie a pig to the bench and still easily qualify for the World Cup. They wouldn’t be in this situation, having to count Kuwait’s goals and depending on their results.’

’Yan Shiduo is wasting time wondering if the coach is good or a good fit. He should really be thinking about why the players are so terrible.’

’This isn’t basketball, where height is such a restrictive physical requirement.’

’Football became the world’s number one sport precisely because anyone from six-foot-three down to four-foot-eleven can play.’

’In basketball, you can argue there’s a gap in physical attributes. But in football, to not be able to find a few decent players out of 1.4 billion people... you really have to reflect on why that is.’

At the mention of Mi Lu, Yan Shiduo’s expression soured. He sighed and said, "I actually wanted to keep him, but at the time, he had to be let go."

Failing to score a single goal in the World Cup... the angry fans needed someone to vent their frustrations on.

"Alright, I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be going."

Chen Yu didn’t linger, getting up to leave.

Yan Shiduo quickly rose to see Chen Yu off. "Mr. Chen, I’ll see you on the 17th," he said at last.

Chen Yu nodded.

On the 17th, it was Tianhe Stadium again.

Yan Shiduo was personally supervising the match on-site. He invited Chen Yu to watch from the VIP seats, but Chen Yu declined.

Chen Yu and Calva went to a private box to watch the match together.

"Chen, can they win?" Calva asked, pointing at the national team on the field.

Chen Yu nodded. "Don’t worry, they’ll definitely win."

Calva was taken aback. The match hadn’t even started yet.

Chen Yu didn’t explain further.

’Let’s not call it a fixed match, but it was certainly a game with a mutual understanding.’

’Hong Kong is, after all, part of China. They weren’t going to deliberately sabotage the National Team and keep them from advancing, right?’

Sure enough, as soon as the match started, the Hong Kong City Team players began to play their part.

Frequent long balls upfield, forwards who didn’t press aggressively—it was obvious they were just handing possession to the National Team.

Their defense looked like they were sleepwalking.

The first half ended quickly, with the score at 3-0.

But Chen Yu frowned.

’They’re throwing the game this blatantly, and it’s only 3-0? Are you kidding me?’

There was a live broadcast from a sports channel in the private box.

In the other match, which was happening at roughly the same time, Kuwait and Malaysia were tied 1-1.

’At this rate, the National Team’s qualification should be in the bag.’

But Chen Yu’s intuition told him something was wrong.

’The China and Hong Kong game is a coordinated effort, so why wouldn’t the Kuwait and Malaysia game be one too?’

’Malaysia is at the bottom of the group. For this match, they’ve even subbed in all their young players, clearly aiming to use it as a training exercise.’

’With Kuwait’s strength, for them to let Malaysia score a goal is simply unbelievable.’

Down on the field, the players from both teams had left for halftime.

The fans in the stadium seemed very excited, cheering in unison.

Tang Hemin was right about one thing: the football atmosphere in Guang City really wasn’t bad.

Calva got up too, swaying along with the action on the screen and beckoning for Chen Yu to join in.

He didn’t really understand football, but he understood a 3-0 scoreline. In his mind, a match with constant goals and a large score difference was a good match.

What did he know about the teams’ actual strengths or tactics?

Chen Yu didn’t get up. He still felt something was off.

Just then, Chen Yu’s phone rang.

Chen Yu answered it.

It was an official from the AFC. Chen Yu had asked him to help provide real-time updates on the Kuwait match.

The internet wasn’t well-developed back then, so there was still a delay in information.

"They’re fixing the net?"

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed.

At the start of the second half, a Kuwaiti player had torn the net on Malaysia’s goal, and now it was undergoing emergency repairs.

’Just as I thought. Kuwait is stalling for time.’

’But it’s not a huge problem, because this match has also been delayed.’

’The referee had added a few extra minutes of stoppage time in the first half.’

’Fixing a net can only take a few minutes. Time-wise, the Kuwait match will still finish first.’

After telling the official to call him back with any news, Chen Yu hung up. He couldn’t help but shake his head. ’Relying on goal calculations to decide whether you advance... it’s just too ridiculous.’

In the second half, the National Team went on the offensive again and quickly scored two more goals.

5-0!

Many fans in the stands were already celebrating and cheering.

On the sidelines, Alihan even sat back down.

But Chen Yu frowned again, because the national team on the field had clearly slowed their attacking pace.

’Are they planning to call it a day?’

’5-0... Chen Yu felt it still wasn’t a safe enough margin.’

’It’s a coordinated match anyway. The AFC hasn’t said anything; they’d even stated before the games that any result from these two matches would be considered normal.’

’In that case, why not just go all out and score as many as possible?’

’How is 5-0 enough? It should be at least 10-0!’

After watching a little longer, Chen Yu confirmed it: the National Team had indeed called off the attack.

Chen Yu shook his head helplessly. ’They don’t even know how to play a scripted match properly.’

’Are they afraid that if they score too many, people will accuse them of collusion? So, 10-0 is collusion, but 5-0 isn’t?’

’If you’re so concerned about saving face now, why didn’t you just beat Kuwait earlier?’

Fortunately, the score in the Kuwait match hadn’t changed.

It wasn’t until past the sixty-minute mark that Chen Yu’s phone buzzed with a text.

It was 2-1 over there!

Chen Yu didn’t think much of it at first, but just a few minutes later, the score changed again. 3-1!

Chen Yu instantly realized what was happening. Kuwait was starting to push.

And they weren’t just pushing; they were going all out.

Between the 60th and 80th minute, in a span of twenty minutes, Kuwait frantically scored 5 goals.

That’s a goal every four minutes on average.

With the score 6-1, the China Team was now behind on the tiebreaker.

Chen Yu stood up and walked to the glass window.

In the VIP seats, Yan Shiduo was still smiling and clapping.

On the bench, Alihan’s coaching staff obviously hadn’t gotten the news yet and were chatting idly.

’The information really is delayed.’

’You can only say the intelligence work was poor. For such an important match, to not have a way to get real-time score updates... it’s a dereliction of duty.’

At that moment, Chen Yu felt conflicted. He debated whether or not to go and warn Alihan and his team.

’In reality, from my perspective, I’d rather the National Team lose this match.’

’A devastating loss is the only way to expose the problems, the only way to tear things down before they can be rebuilt.’

’Of course, it’s not that I’m hoping for the National Team to fail for my own convenience. The reality is that even if they advance from the group stage, they’ll be placed in the final round group with South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.’

’With the top two from the group advancing, the chances of the National Team qualifying from a group like that are minuscule.’

’They’re bound to be eliminated sooner or later, so it might as well be now.’

While he was debating, someone on the bench answered a phone call. Alihan’s expression changed instantly, and he rushed to the sideline, signaling for the team to attack.

’He must have heard the news from the other match.’

’Looks like I don’t need to warn them after all.’

Chen Yu sat back down.

It was obvious the Hong Kong City Team had gotten the news too. They started throwing the game even more energetically, even going so far as to give away a penalty.

In the 88th and 92nd minutes, the National Team scored two more goals.

7-0.

At this point, Chen Yu noticed the National Team had slowed their attack again.

"Huh?"

Chen Yu froze, subconsciously getting up and walking to the glass.

’What’s going on? It’s only 7-0, why have they stopped attacking?’

’The Kuwait match is over, 6-1. Both teams have the same goal difference now, but they’ve scored one more goal than you!’

’In this situation, you have to score again!’

Chen Yu even noticed the Hong Kong players on the field holding up a finger, reminding the National Team that they needed to score one more.

But on the sideline, Alihan made a hand gesture, waving them off as if to say it was enough.

Chen Yu was dumbfounded. ’Has Alihan lost his mind? A head coach, in such a crucial match... surely he can’t have miscalculated the goals, right?’

And in the next moment, Chen Yu noticed Alihan rushing to the sideline again, waving his hands to signal for one more goal.

Chen Yu finally understood completely. The guy really had miscalculated before.

Glancing at the still-cheering fans in the stands, Chen Yu sighed and sat back down.

’Forget it. A team that can’t even throw a match properly... it’s better to let them suffer a crushing defeat.’