Chapter 32: The Great War between Germany and Portugal begins
When Eusebio said this, Lao Lei was still in shock, he didn't expect the old superstar to come. The other people on the scene were a little embarrassed because of the old black panther's words, after all, Eusebio also publicly declared in the interview that he didn't like Lao Lei. It's just a matter of shouting in the air, and now they say it to their faces, and they are afraid that Lao Lei will be mad in public. After a month's contact, the whole Portuguese team has an understanding of Lao Lei's temper, as long as you don't mess with him, he won't find trouble. But once you provoke him, he will respond to you doubly, and it doesn't matter who you are, there is quite the essence of a mixed demon king.
They are also afraid that Lao Lei, a young man, will openly stand up to Eusebio, which will make it difficult for them to be caught in the middle. On the one hand, he is his teammates, and on the other hand, he is a senior he admires, and no matter who he helps, he will be a little unreasonable. However, they thought of Lao Lei too extremely, and in the face of such an old man Eusebio, Lao Lei's temper would not be so big. After all, the education of respecting the old and loving the young that I have received since I was a child still has some effect.
At this time, Lao Lei came back to his senses and said lightly: "Yes, then I'm honored." Whether it makes you happy or makes you unhappy. "The subconscious meaning is that whether you are happy or unhappy, it means that I have done a good job, which is a good evaluation criterion. When he said this, Lao Lei's eyes were full of confidence, and he stared straight at Eusebio in front of him.
After staring at Old Lei's expression for a few seconds, the old panther suddenly opened his mouth and said, "I like your confidence Lei Maya." But it's only for the national team and I'll continue to hate you when I come back to the club. Ha lu haha. The laughter. Let the stone in the hearts of the spectators fall to the ground. With that, he turned back to Oliveira. Discuss what he should do and what he should do today.
Old Ray looked at the back of the legendary striker. Suddenly I felt a little like wanting to be friends with him, love and hate clearly, straightforward, very frank, very in line with Lao Lei's requirements for making friends. In the following time, Oliveira arranged for Eusebio to look back on his mood when he played in the World Cup and how he adjusted. In the end, he also deliberately talked to Figo, Rui Costa and others alone. Oliveira wanted to call Ray over, but Eusebio stopped him. said: "He doesn't need it, I know it from his eyes today." ”
Eusebio's visit to the training ground in Portugal appeared on the front pages of major websites that night. There is a lot of interest in the arrival of this legendary superstar in Portuguese history, and there is speculation that the old Panther is sharing his experience with his juniors.
Tomorrow is the game against Germany, Oliveira has done everything he can do, and he doesn't know how much role Eusebio can play, and everything else has to be left to his disciples to solve on the court. Old Ray lay on the bed, thinking about tomorrow's game. Some excitement. To be honest, the game after the World Cup made Lao Lei is eyes rise, the United States is direct, Italy's calmness, Spain's delicacy. Of course, I also got more exercise.
Although the outside world is currently praising his performance, Lao Lei is very self-aware. He knew very well that he could behave this way. Mainly because Figo and Rui Costa attracted most of the opponent's firepower. If he had led this Portugal team with his current strength, he would not have been able to go this far. Italy is probably going to be very sad.
Tomorrow we will play against one of the world's strongest teams, Germany. Ray was looking forward to seeing something new from the German tank. With that in anticipation. Lao Lei slowly sank into his sleep.
The next morning, the fans went out early, and there were already a number of fans gathered around the Seoul stadium. Not only are there Portuguese and German fans, but there are also a large number of neutral fans. For them, their national team has been eliminated. In the next game, they don't have to have any psychological pressure, they just need to enjoy this grand football feast.
The countdown to the World Cup has arrived, and in five days, the Hercules Cup will be held in Yokohama, Japan. So far, in addition to the fans of each team, it may be the most excited and nervous among the major bookmakers and lottery fans. In just 5 days, some people will get rich overnight, and some people will lose a lot. At present, from the odds, Brazil has become the biggest favorite 2 to 7, Portugal is second to 2 to 9, followed by Germany 1 to 7 and Turkey to 1 to 15. From the odds, it can be seen that Portugal and Brazil will meet in the final, which is a more optimistic match for the final.
Of course, all this will depend on the two days of competition. The German chariot will not be willing to be tied up and give up victory. And they definitely have the strength to knock Portugal to the ground. Time seems to have heard the hearts of these fans, and soon the game will begin.
At this time, in the Seoul stadium, it was already lively. The fans on both sides of the competition want to overwhelm each other with louder singing voices and create a better cheering atmosphere for their teams. In addition to attracting fans, the battle also attracted many celebrities and dignitaries to watch.
The cameras found Portugal's President Jorge, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung next to them in the stands. I don't know what the mood of the South Korean president will be to support which side, after all, the two sides of today's game have always been Portugal, which had an unpleasant relationship with South Korea in the group stage, and one is Germany, who eliminated South Korea in the round of eight. And before the game, the media also did a survey, how many South Korean fans will watch the game, and the result is that 60% of South Korean fans will not choose to watch, and the remaining 40% support Germany to kill Portugal. In addition to these people, there are also NBA star Kobe, football king Schumacher, silver fox Lippi and a large number of stars and celebrities.
In the dressing room in Portugal, Oliveira was scrambling to do the final set-up, saying: "High ball, guys high ball. The German's high ball will be the one we need to pay attention to the most. They are almost playing in the air at this World Cup. The power of their high-altitude balls, I don't think we need to describe them anymore. You should all have a deep understanding. When defending free kicks, corners. I want you all to get back on your guard and don't let the damn Germans bomb our heads. Do you understand? ”
"Got it!"
"Very well, let's go, boys, go kick those Germans in the ass. The whole country is waiting for us to make history. We are going to Yokohama, Japan!! “
With a high spirit, Portugal's squad is on the lookout for a game that could make history. In the players' tunnel, Lao Lei's first impression after seeing the German team with his own eyes was that it was really high. On a TV screen, it's far less tangible than watching it up close in person. Lao Lei took a look at the general height comparison between the Portuguese team and the German team. The heart says that golf is really a big threat.
After a while, under the leadership of the referee team, players from both sides came out, bringing the first climax of the game. Seeing the players appear on the field, the fans in the stands suddenly let out a huge cheer together. This means that this German-Portuguese battle will start soon.
After a series of ceremonies such as the national anthem, the players from both sides have taken their positions in their respective halves. German striker Klose, who has been performing well in this year's World Cup, is stepping on the ball in the centre circle, with his strike partner Bird next to him. The time came to 19:30 on time, and the referee's loud whistle officially announced the start of the first semi-final of the 02 World Cup.
The Germans maintained their 3-4-1-2 formation. An active defensive or offensive defensive strategy was adopted. This formation is to maximize the physical advantage of the German team, advance the active defensive area, press in the midfield, and launch a counterattack immediately after the ball is broken in the frontcourt. Offensively, it relied on the running of two full-backs. You have to run back and forth on both ends of the defensive and offensive ends, which is a test of physical strength and that's really what the German players are good at.
For Portugal, the biggest problem facing them will be the steel defence of the Germans. Except for Karn. How to break through Link, LaMelo and Metzelde, three world-class defenders. It will be the first conundrum facing Portugal.
As soon as the game started, the Portuguese players were excited to press and press. I want to win the ball as soon as possible. I have to say that this German team is indeed a little rough in handling the ball, and in the face of Portugal's aggressive pressing in the front, there were soon mistakes in the passing link. Germany's No.22 midfielder Frings had to pass back to Metzelde when he faced a tough press from Ray.
Ray's interference played a role, Frij's pass was not enough, and Rui Costa was rushing towards the ball to take it down and attack on the spot. Metzelder showed his pace, daring to get in front of the ball before Rui Costa and drove straight to the Portuguese half with a big foot for the sake of safety. Costa and Couto teamed up to restrain Klose, who wanted to fight for the top, and after winning the football, he immediately handed it over to Lao Lei.
As soon as the goal was conceded, the German players started to scramble in front of the field. However, the skills of the Portuguese players and the running of Lao Lei did not allow them to succeed, and they held the football firmly at their feet in their own backfield. However, it was not easy, and these German players did not seem to be afraid of their own lack of physical strength at all, and kept putting pressure on Portugal's transmission at the back.
Looking at the situation on the field, Oliveira expressed satisfaction. In addition to defending, he has been emphasizing the issue of possession before the game. He asked the team not to attack immediately after coming up, but to use the ball to slow down the pace of the game and reduce his own running. Once the pace of the game is fast and the players are running, sooner or later the Portuguese players will be brought down by the Germans. After all, the overall running ability of the two teams seems to be a cut above the German team, which is still the result of Lao Leila's high average, otherwise the disparity will be even greater.
In addition to this, there was also the benefit of suppressing the defensive counterattack of the Germans. Due to the 3-4-1-2 defensive zone in advance, they tend to counter-attack as soon as the ball is broken in midfield. However, when facing Portugal who played possession, their counter-attack would face the Portuguese players who were heavily surrounded and counter-attacking at the moment of breaking, and could not speed up.
The scene on the field at this time proved that Oliveira's set-up was a success. With hard pressing, Ballack and Harman cut the ball away from Bento's feet. However, Ballack did not have time to organize the attack, and he faced the combined attack of Lao Lei and Rui Costa, although he eventually managed to pass the ball with difficulty.
But at this time, Portugal's defensive formation has been restored, and there is no space to grab. Ballack had to pass back and wait for another opportunity.
Looking at this scene, Oliveira's face showed a satisfied smile, which was what he wanted to see. (To be continued......)