Chapter 131: Defeating Germany, Advancing as Group Leader! (Part 1/2)

The China fans at the venue instantly erupted in excitement.

Everyone waved the national flag in their hands and cheered loudly.

After all, this was China team’s first match in this World Championship!

And they were facing Russia, a slightly stronger opponent.

A loss would have meant no hope of advancing from the group stage.

Three matches later, they would have to head home without even making it to the top sixteen.

“Tang Feng!”

“Tang Feng!”

“Tang Feng!”

Everyone chanted this somewhat unfamiliar name together.

Clearly, the key figure of this match was Tang Feng.

Without Tang Feng’s assists, Yao Ming and the others wouldn’t have scored so many points.

Tang Feng was hailed as the perfect guard.

His combination with Yao Ming could be described as seamless.

The coach and players of Russia had very unpleasant expressions.

Clearly, their chances of advancing from the group were now slim to none.

Unless they could defeat Germany.

But Germany was the runner-up of the last World Championship, with considerable strength.

Defeating Germany was nothing short of a dream.

Sports can be so cruel.

Some laugh, some cry.

China team’s players lifted Tang Feng and threw him into the air to express their admiration for him.

After a while, Tang Feng and his teammates went to the dining hall.

The players from America had already arrived there to eat.

Of course, they had heard about China team’s victory and Tang Feng’s outstanding performance.

Their view of Tang Feng changed somewhat.

However, they still believed that China’s victory was mainly due to Yao Ming’s efforts!

If it weren’t for Yao Ming firmly controlling the space under the basket, even Tang Feng’s numerous assists would have been in vain.

Tang Feng and his teammates talked while eating.

“I just discussed with the coach, and he gave this to you,” Yao Ming took off the captain’s armband and handed it over.

“No!” Tang Feng quickly shook his head, “You are the captain of the China team.”

“Come on! Don’t belittle me here! Your strength is evident, and everyone is not blind! You becoming the captain is well-deserved! Everyone wants to achieve better results under your leadership,” Yao Ming laughed.

“Little Tang, just take it! Your strength has far exceeded everyone’s expectations! And the training plan you devised for us has been very effective! Otherwise, under normal circumstances, China would have likely lost to Russia,” Tian Bin said.

“Yes! Just take it! It’s not appropriate for us to keep passing it back and forth in front of so many people,” Yao Ming said and without further ado, placed the captain’s armband on Tang Feng.

Seeing this, Tang Feng no longer refused.

“Captain, our next match is against Romania! You can rest for this match. We will surely defeat them!” Yao Ming declared confidently.

“Okay!” Tang Feng nodded, “I will watch the match from the bench. After the match ends, I will address the problems that were exposed.”

After eating, everyone took a short rest before continuing with the competition.

The China fans in the stands were somewhat disappointed not to see Tang Feng in the starting lineup.

“What is the coach thinking? With Tang Feng’s strength, why isn’t he playing?”

“Maybe the coach is protecting him! After all, he doesn’t seem to have very good physical fitness! It would be troublesome if he got injured!”

“He must be a player with strong explosive power but probably lacks endurance! It would be difficult for him to play the entire match!”

“It’s a pity he can’t play the entire match! I think if he could, China might have a chance to defeat America.”

“You’re underestimating America’s strength! Even if Tang Feng is incredible, he can’t compare to the strong players of America!”

“That’s true! But I would be satisfied with a runner-up finish!”

“Runner-up? Let’s first win against Germany!”

As everyone discussed, China team had already gained a 9-point advantage.

Romania’s overall strength was indeed a notch below China’s.

Even without Tang Feng playing, China easily defeated them, securing the match smoothly.

Thus, China achieved two consecutive victories.

At the same time, Germany also easily beat Russia.

This meant that, regardless of the result of the third match, China and Germany would advance to the top sixteen together.

“Brother Yao, how’s Japan doing? Do they have a chance to advance to the next round?” Tang Feng asked.

“Japan has already won two consecutive matches, so advancing to the top sixteen is a sure thing. But they will definitely lose to America in tomorrow’s match,” Yao Ming laughed.

“In that case, as long as we secure first place in our group, we will meet Japan in the next round. It seems I need to play earlier tomorrow,” Tang Feng said.

“Germany’s strength is very strong, being the runner-up of the last World Championship. If we lose the match, it means we’ll face America in the next round. That’s not good news for us,” Yao Ming frowned.

“Even if we face America, it’s not a big deal! I believe we can definitely beat them! But I’d rather play against Japan and give them a good thrashing!” Tang Feng’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“In that case, you must play earlier in tomorrow’s match! Otherwise, we won’t be able to withstand it,” Yao Ming said.

“The usual plan! You guys play the first two quarters! I’ll play the second half!” Tang Feng decided.

“Okay!” Yao Ming nodded.

Soon it was time for the match.

China fans were eagerly anticipating!

Everyone was looking forward to this match!

After all, Germany was the runner-up of the last World Championship, with quite strong abilities!

If Tang Feng played, there was a high chance of winning this crucial match.

However, when everyone saw the starting lineup, their faces turned sour.

“What is the head coach doing? Such an important match, why isn’t Tang Feng starting?”

“Could it be that China team is deliberately giving up this match?”

“Impossible! Giving up this match means China will face America in the next round! Basically, there’s no chance of winning!”

“Regardless of whether it’s Germany or America, both are strong! Luckily, China has Tang Feng, otherwise, they would definitely stop at the top sixteen!”

“Such luck indeed!”

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