Falling behind Germany by one goal in the first half upset many England players, who vented their frustration in the dressing room.

"Their jerseys are so dazzling in the sun, it's despicable!"

"yes, I can't concentrate at all!"

"Not to mention concentration, I can't even see their movements, so why doesn't UEFA stop it?"

A group of people blamed the Germans' snow-white jerseys and over-the-top sunshine for their backwards.

When Don followed Rooney in, the voice still hadn't gone away. It wasn't until Don slammed the locker room door shut that everyone realized that their head was here, not the time to make noise.

"What did I say before the game?"

After looking around the locker room, Don asked with a straight face.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering why the leader was so dissatisfied? We were one goal behind, but the morale was still very strong, so it shouldn't be a problem to pull one back in the second half.

"I told you to keep your head level, but I didn't see that in the first half." Donn spread out his hand and shook his head. "I know we have a grudge against Germany and that playing against Germany will give you an adrenaline rush. But if you let that thing dominate your brains, we're going to lose this game......" Don raised his voice sharply, "I'm not alarmist! I'm not provoking you! I'm telling you very seriously—"

He raised his arms and waved vigorously as he spoke: "If you don't focus on how to win the game, but how to get revenge on the Germans, we will lose!" Then we will pin our chances of qualifying to Portugal and Wales! ”

"Have you never experienced a game like this in your career? On a sunny afternoon, the opponent is dressed in white or a light-colored jersey, which reflects the sunlight a little dazzling...... Didn't the Premier League kick off in the afternoon? Did you all lose that game? ”

In Donn's loud rhetorical question, the England players slowly lowered their heads.

"So why did you perform so badly today? Because your opponent is the German team! You will only think, 'What a cunning German!' ''What a despicable German!'' 'Have any of you ever thought, 'I'm going to win the game?' You've put all your energy into the details, but you're not thinking about the current game! Now I say, 'Think of this game as a normal game,' can you listen to me? ”

Don saw George sitting in front of his cupboard. Wood. He didn't seem to be listening, as his eyes were glued to the locker room door, and his heart seemed to fly to the pitch.

"Now take your mind back to the game itself. I don't want to tell you what happens if we don't get out of the line. I just want to tell you that we had a pact with George that he was waiting for us in the knockout rounds and that we would meet him in the knockout rounds. ”

All eyes were on Wood. Wood didn't really listen to what Donn said, he didn't react to anything he said, just continued to stare at the locker room door.

"Are you men?" Don asked, "Men have to keep their word!" What you promised, you must do it! We promised George that we would make it out of the group for him! If we can't, we're all! ”

"Forget the hatred between England and Germany, remember that this is a game, a game about who can qualify directly! Now, let's make tactical adjustments. ”

Donn scratched off the tactical board: "Tony. Klos is their striker, but the heart of Germany's attack is Weinsteiger. Pay attention to his position, which side he goes means which side of the German team's attack is focused. ”

That's the conclusion from Donn's observation in the first half. Tony. Kloss is only responsible for sharing the ball, and "Piggy" Schweinsteiger is the most dangerous man, and his position is also very uncertain, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, and sometimes he will play with Toney. Kloss switched positions and played as a midfielder. Although Kloss has made a name for himself in the Bundesliga in recent years, he has never been the core of Bayern Munich or the German national team. He's just a cover for Schweinsteiger, and if you focus too much defensive attention on that genius kid, you'll miss the big fish, which will end up with terrible consequences.

"So our defensive focus is on Schweinsteiger. Restricting him also limits the German team's attack. When the defence is solid, we have a way to attack with confidence, and we have to be more careful when defending from set-pieces. ”

Hearing the boss say this, Walcott lowered his head. Obviously the goal conceded had something to do with him, it was a set-piece conceded.

Donn glanced at Walcott, "Teo." I don't know what happened to you, but the two before and after the first half were the same. But I don't want to go into it, I just want you to know that I'll give you fifteen minutes in the second half, and if you're still like that, I'll not hesitate to replace you. You're not new anymore, and you don't need me to take care of you. You know what you are supposed to do. ”

Walcott nodded vigorously.

"Now let's talk about offense. We didn't have a lot of counter-attacks in the first half, but our players lacked the ability to take chances...... Is this true? No, it's your mindset that's not right. I bet you're all going to want to pump the ball in when you're facing an empty goal. That's not how you usually are. Don said as he looked at Rooney and Mitchel.

The two did get a little too excited in the first half, and they looked too hard at every chance that came their way.

"Okay, take it easy, I'm not going to eat you." Looking at the players who were a little frustrated by their own scolding, Donn laughed again. Nor can it hit them too hard...... It's a technical job to regulate the psychology of the players.

"The Germans won't eat you either. Just take it easy and you'll find it easy to beat the Germans, who aren't really good opponents! I have the confidence to defeat all the great teams in the world, and you must have it too. This confidence helps you to stay calm against strong teams. Donn pointed to his head, "It's important here. ”

'When you attack, you have to pay attention to the success rate, we are the side behind and in the second half we don't have more chances to counter-attack, but they will decrease. Summerer is a very cautious manager, as long as he can win such a game, one goal is enough, so he will definitely shrink the defense. I ask you to take every opportunity to attack and I don't want to see a blind long-range shot like the one against Wales – too many shots don't lead to goals. ”

※※※

On the other side, in the dressing room of the German team. After praising his team's performance in the first half, Summerer also made adjustments: "In the second half, we started attacking and then slowly shrunk the defense. Remember, all I want is a win, it doesn't make a difference if it's 1:0 or 2:0. ”

The players nodded their heads. German players are known for their discipline, and the manager's words are a holy word. They don't go against the manager's schedule just because they want to play a good game.

Germany's largest bookmaker, Oddset, once filmed a TV commercial that used ridicule and exaggeration to illustrate the characteristics of different leagues. For example, after the players in the Italian league were injured, the team doctor came up with the staff with hair dryers to fiddle with the injured players' hair. In Qatar's league, a European star appeared on the sidelines in a plus-up Lincoln, came out to kick a corner, then put on sunglasses and got on the bus and left to the cheers of the fans. As for the German league, this is how they behaved - players from both sides lined up in a neat 442 formation, marching forward and backward at the command of a coach with a megaphone.

The local bookmakers in Germany have a good reason to describe their league as such, and the discipline of the Germans is not only reflected in football, but also plays an important role in other jobs and even in the war.

Now Summerr is telling his players that he needs to defend and that he needs a secure way to win, and the German players will do the same. "They're like emotionless robots." There will be people who complain about German football, which is rigid and mechanical, and has no aesthetics, but it is this style that has made them the most feared team on the continent, and they have always been able to bring out great potential in desperate situations and accomplish impossible miracles.

Just like the famous British sports commentator Kennett. Wolstenholm's exclamation: "They thought it was all over, but the Germans got up again!" ”（some_people_are_on_the_pitch…… they_thinkits_all_over...... it_is_no！ ）

※※※

As the break wore to the final minute, Donn ended his tactical set-up. The players stood up and walked out of the locker room and onto the pitch.

George. Wood consciously put it off at the end, wanting to talk to Donn alone.

Don also noticed Wood's strangeness, and he stayed to see what was going on with Wood.

"Are you looking for me, George?" After the players and coaches had walked out, Donn turned to look at Wood, who was still in the locker room, and he asked.

"Let me play in the second half." Wood gets straight to the point.

"It can't be, George." Don also rejected him outright.

"It's not going to be good right now."

"It's not bad enough to require you to go into battle with an injury. Otherwise what would your teammates — those who have been on the field for forty-five minutes, and those who are physically fit on the bench? Donn pointed to the door to the locker room, which opened into the hallway.

"Don't you believe them, George?" Don asked, staring into Wood's eyes.

"No......" Wood shook his head slowly, "I'm just...... I just don't want to be a spectator anymore......" he muttered with his head down.

Don smiled and reached out to touch Wood's head. "I'm not going to let you be the audience. We'll definitely go to the knockout rounds and see you then, George. ”

He was the first to walk out.

※※※

When the German players reappeared on the field, Donn did not see the slightest smugness on their faces, but instead put on a straight face and looked solemn as if they were the ones who were one goal behind.

This is the opponent that Don hates to face the most, because they are not arrogant and underestimated, and they are not easily provoked by themselves. They faithfully enforce tactical discipline, as long as the manager doesn't make mistakes. Even in the face of very bad adversity, they will not give up easily, and they will think about equalising until the last minute of the game.

Tenacious like a rock. Against an opponent like that, it's going to be tough. There will be no moment of relaxation, the nerves must be tense for 90 minutes.

He was somewhat relieved that the England players were back to normal.

The other piece of good news was that by the start of the second half, the lights on the roof had been turned on, and the bright sunlight and glaring white jerseys were gone. There are no off-field distractions and the England players don't have to squint and wrestle with the Germans.

It's six o'clock in the afternoon, and it's already evening. A cloud flew in the sky, dimming the glow of the setting sun, and the Estadio Nova Mestalla was shrouded in a faint golden glow, and if the lights were not on, nothing could be seen.

The temperature also dropped, and a cool breeze blew into the Estadio Nova Mestalla, and the stadium, which had been feverish for forty-five minutes, gradually cooled down.

However, this was only an illusion, and when the referee blew the whistle for the start of the second half, a huge uproar erupted in the otherwise quiet stands.

The English fans were singing again, and the German fans were not to be outdone. The stands became a place for fans from both sides to sing to each other. That is, only the English fans are there, and there is such an atmosphere in the stadium. Whether it's Spanish fans, Italian fans, French fans, Dutch fans, they rarely watch a game and sing for 90 minutes like the English.

Germany sensed the change in their side and less than three minutes into the second half, England created a killer with a cross from the wing.

Mitchel's header flew off the post under Mertesacker's interference, sending the German fans in a cold sweat.

It wasn't a counter-attack, but an opportunity created by England through a patient back-to-back shift in positional warfare.

"That kid is too weak to withstand the impact. You can use a little more force next time you defend! Mertesacker told Westerman, telling him the secret to defending Mitchel.

Westman nodded, indicating that he understood.

※※※

Ten minutes passed, England and Germany were entangled in midfield, and it seemed that no one could find a bargain. The England midfielder's defence against Schweinsteiger was quite successful, and wherever the "little pig" was changed, he would find himself surrounded by an English player, who could be Michael. Johnson, possibly Chris. Cohen, and possibly Theo Walcott, or two full-backs. England don't play man-to-man defence and can mess up their defence against players with a wide range of movement.

After Schweinsteiger lost his free space, his contribution to the German attack plummeted. England also have more attacking opportunities as a result. However, the Germans' defence is very well organised, even when the Germans are attacking, their backline is still solid, and manager Summerer is as defensive as he was as a professional. In this way, England lost the opportunity to counterattack and could only honestly play a positional battle with the German team. The Germans contracted the defense line and stuck to the middle, and several giants with a height of more than 1.85 meters in the penalty area made the originally huge penalty area look crowded. If you want to pass the ball to the feet of the strikers, it is simply wishful thinking, and if you force a long-range shot, the biggest possibility is to waste a hard-won offensive opportunity.

Mitchel stood in the box and kept raising his hand for the ball, as if he were a center who had smashed into the opponent's basket. But his teammates can't guarantee that the ball will be delivered to his head every time.

Cohen's cross was excellent, but England played his side in the second half of the first half and were defended by the Germans at all. Walcoat is quick and good at breaking through, but his crosses are lacking in fire.

At this time, Don misses the injured Bentley immensely. He wasn't as fast or dribbling as Walcott, but his crosses were as good as Beckham's. With him on the right flank, Mitchel's role can be played to the limit.

It's a pity......

Although there is also an Adriano. Mock, but his characteristic is neither speed breakthrough nor crossing, but dribbling......

Walcott was clearly aware of the problems he faced. No matter how fast he is, the German defence is useless against the shrinking defence of the German team - there is no space to sprint, and his technical characteristics cannot be brought into play. Mock is the kind of guy who can get out of the defense with skill in place, and he's not.

The boss had only given him fifteen minutes, and now he was three minutes away from that deadline. He had no doubt that if his performance continued to improve, he would be ruthlessly replaced by the boss.

Walcott was not willing to be substituted in such an important game, which was tantamount to being labeled as a "failing performance".

After receiving the ball again, the German defenders were accustomed to preparing to defend against Walcott's breakthrough, and left wing-back Jensen stepped back to compress the space behind him. Although he left the front space to Walcott, he was not too worried, Walcott's cross was of low quality, and none of the previous four passes were accurately delivered to Mitchel's head.

Walcoat had intended to break down and walk into the box to create chaos and then take the opportunity to pass the ball low and see who could touch the ball into the back of the net. But after seeing Jensen's reaction, he temporarily changed his mind and chose to go straight to the cross!

The ball arcs and flies towards the penalty area.

This time the cross was of good quality and the ball went straight to where Mitchel was.

"Get him out of the way!" Mertesacker was defending Rooney and he shouted at Westman.

Mitchel stared at the ball and was about to leap up to head the ball when he felt a force from below knock him out of focus.

With some exaggerated stretching his arm in the air and screaming, Mitchel fell into the box!

Walcott's cross didn't touch anyone and flew straight off the line.

Looks like another bad cross and a failed attack?

No!

The referee's whistle sounded. He ran to the penalty area and pointed to the penalty spot!

"It's a penalty!" John. Mortenson raised his arms and cheered.

Mitchel, who was lying on the ground, also raised his arms and swung his fist into the sky. Next to him, Starman glared at the referee with an incredulous expression - how could this be a penalty? I used a little bit of force, but it was a reasonable collision at the time!

The referee ignored Westerman's doubts, he stood on the penalty spot and unswervingly awarded England a penalty! Looking at his serious expression, he believed that Westermann's defense must have been a foul.

Walcott, who was in charge of the cross, raised his hands on the touchline and cheered for his own cross.

Don even rushed to the sidelines, waving his fists again and again excitedly.

"It's pretty!"

Summerer yelled at the referee with dissatisfaction: "That's an obvious fake fall!" He made a fake fall gesture in the ring, "Can't you see it?" Can't you see it! ”

It wasn't until the Fourth Official intervened that he turned around and walked back with a cloudy face. Leaning against the shed of the coach's box, he kept shaking his head as he looked at the field. It was a sudden accident, and as a head coach, he was useless no matter how good his level was.

After Don cheered, he crouched on the sidelines, one hand on the ground, the other hand on his mouth, full of anticipation and a little nervous waiting for the result of the penalty.

The German players on the field appealed to the referee to no avail, and the referee did not change his decision. Boos and curses from German fans were heard from the stands, and English fans squeezed them down with their singing.

When nothing could be changed, calm returned to the stands.

The German players reluctantly withdrew from the penalty area and conceded goalmouth to the English.

Goalkeeper Adler was constantly moving sideways with his arms outstretched in front of goal, creating psychological pressure on the English players who took the penalty.

It was Steven Gerrard who came to play, and he was not disturbed by Adler after a long time on the field, and the boos from the German fans in the stands did not shake him.

Facing the stands where the German fans gathered in front of him, and the dense middle fingers in the stands, Gerrard ran after the whistle and smashed the penalty into the goal!

Adler was on the right track, but Gerrard's powerful volley was no match for him to fly past the ball when it hit the net.

"Beautiful goal! Gerard withstood the pressure and went in! England equalised! We now see hope again! Mortenson shouted.

After the goal, Gerrard ran all the way back to the bench and pointed at George. Wood, and he came to a powerful hug.

"This goal is for you, George! We'll definitely go to the knockouts! He whispered in Wood's ear.

When the cheering crowd had dispersed, Donn walked up to Wood, grinned at him, and said, "Sit back and watch the game, George." It doesn't look like you need to play. ”

(To be continued)