After a 2-2 game, England and Sweden joined hands to qualify.

After the battle of Group B, it will be the turn of the two groups C and D.

Portugal coach Scolari made it clear before the game that he would finish the final group stage with a substitute.

The reaction of Chinese fans to this is extremely fierce, for no other reason that Jonk has scored 3 goals in two rounds, and he can get the final Golden Boot with 6 goals in the World Cup, so why not let Jonk play to increase the chance of scoring goals.

For a while, the Chinese fans were passionate, and the World Cup, which originally did not have anything to do in China, has caused a lot of heated discussions in China in recent days, and the focus is naturally Jonker.

However, the heated discussion in Oriental China did not affect the decision of Portuguese coach Scolari, who still sent 5 substitutes to face Mexico in the final group game.

C-Ronaldo is not up, Deco avoids the battle, and Jonk scratches the exemption card!

All eyes were on the veteran Figo, but it was not Figo who caught the eye at the Schalke Stadium, but another winger, Simão. It was thanks to his pass and shot that Portugal defeated Mexico 2-1 and advanced to the round of 16 with a three-game winning record in the group stage.

Since the veteran coach Scolari decided before the game that he would not send a player with a yellow card on the field, Simao, who only came on at the last minute in the second game, naturally returned to the starting lineup, and the reason why he said "return" is because Simão was the starter in the first game of the group stage and played the whole game.

In the opening match against Angola, Simão almost equalled a record. It was in the opening 11 seconds that Simão stuffed a good ball from the middle and handed it to Jonker, who got the ball and cut in a small angle along the left side to aim for the far end, but the ball grazed the right post and went slightly wide. Thus missing out on tying Hakan Suker's record for the fastest goal in 11 seconds at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, but then Simão was invisible up front as the team's form was sluggish.

In the second game, after Deco returned, Simão also returned to the bench, only to come on as a substitute for Figo in garbage time until the 88th minute, and naturally there were no too eye-catching chances after coming on.

In the match against Mexico, Simão once again shone shortly after the opening. In the 6th minute, Carvalho stuffed the ball in the middle of the field to the left side of the field. Simão won the ball and drove forward into the box, and with two Mexican defenders in front of him, Simão calmly pushed his right foot through the middle, and Maniche cut in and fired a right-footed shot from near the penalty spot to send the ball into the Mexican goal. The goal was Portugal's first attack. At the same time, he also stunned the Mexican team, which wanted to overwhelm Portugal with momentum at the beginning.

Since then, Simão has harassed Mexico's defence on the left flank. In the 24th minute, Simão was again in the spotlight when Marquez was awarded a penalty for handball in the box. Simão stood on the penalty spot. Although Mexico's goalkeeper Sanchez swayed from side to side on the goal line, Simão was calm and fired a powerful right-footed shot into the left side of the goal.

Although Mexico quickly pulled a point back, Simão remained the biggest threat to Mexico's backline. In the first half, Portugal's threatening playmaking was almost always related to Simao.

In the second half, Simão is still prominent. Not only did he break through the guide Zhì Marquez was yellow, but he almost had another assist on 74 minutes, when the Portuguese midfielder made a mistake with a long diagonal pass. Simão won the ball on the left and crossed, and Marquez made another mistake in the middle. The ball was stopped directly on the way to Nuno Gomez, who missed his chance with a sweeping shot from 7 yards.

In the final moments, Simão moved to the right and also had two beautiful breakaway passes, but his team-mates failed to capitalise on their chances. Although FIFA did not award Simão the title of best player after the game, he was the man of the match in the eyes of all fans.

Under Simao's outstanding table of this game, Portugal also achieved three consecutive wins in the group stage, Portugal qualified for the 1966 World Cup in England 40 years ago, and as a result, they went all the way to the semi-finals and finally won the third place, which is also Portugal's best record in the history of the World Cup, so what kind of results will Portugal achieve in Germany this time?

In 1966, the Portuguese team with the "Black Panther" Eusebio created the country's best record in the World Cup, and 40 years later, only Eusebio's name is in everyone's memory, as for who the coach is or even has no impression at all, in fact, the Portuguese team can win the third place, which is inseparable from the rigorous and tough coaching style of the "master tactician" coach Otto Gloria, and Gloria is Brazilian; In 2006, another Brazilian coach with a reputation for strictness led Portugal to the World Cup, just like 40 years ago, Portugal won all three games in the group stage, and this Brazilian was Scolari!

Unlike other Brazilian managers, Scolari has a more tenacious will and a more rigorous attitude than the Europeans, and his "tenacity before the end" is almost comparable to that of Germany, and his strictness in demanding players is known both inside and outside the football world.

Although Portugal had already qualified ahead of this round and Scolari had decided to use substitutes, the old manager's attitude towards the game did not change because of this, which was to beat Mexico to ensure top spot in the group.

In the game against Mexico, we also saw Scolari's seriousness in the game, although the team established the lead early, but the Brazilian coach still "performed" on the sidelines, when the players on the field were overheated, Scolari pressed down on the sidelines to signal the players to be calm, and when the formation was loose on the field, Scolari waved his arms on the sidelines to command, and the desire to win the game was visible. On the other hand, the Argentine Lavolpe, who smoked and splashed water on the sidelines, and Scolari looked more "lively" on the field.

It was this veteran coach who led the Portugal team, which was not favored before the game, to win three consecutive victories in the group stage.

It's understandable that no one was optimistic about Portugal ahead of the World Cup, the generation of Portuguese players who won the World Youth Championship in 1989 and 1991, what we traditionally call the golden generation. Only Figo is left alone to support the façade of this Portuguese team, Figo is 33 years old, behind him. The most well-known Portuguese players among Chinese fans are Jonker and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jonk is 20 years old, Ronaldo is only 21 years old, in a Chinese saying, it is really old and small.

However, the results of the group stage proved that the Portuguese team is not only supported by new and old star players, Deco, Maniche and Simão have surpassed Ronaldo, but fortunately, Jonker is a surprise. Proving that the national team is not the traditional stars, the newcomers can still shine after missing out on Europe on home soil. The rate of rising is evident, coupled with the players hidden behind the golden generation, a group of post-golden generations that have grown up in the domestic league.

They don't have the temperament of a star and the glory of the youth team, which includes Simão. Maniche, goalkeeper Ricardo. There is even Nuno Gomez, who has been living in the shadow of the golden generation, Maniche grew up with Benfica and Muñerio, and he and Ricardo shone at Euro 04.

Simão was called the new Figo when he joined Barcelona six years ago, and he carried the nickname of Figo's second for six years, and among these players, Maniche is 28 years old and Simão is 26 years old. They also got to the point where they had to produce results, otherwise. This group of players has completely lost the meaning of their existence on the Portuguese football stage.

Euro 2000 was seen as the maturity of the golden generation, when Rui Costa and Figo were 28 years old, and Portugal were excluded from the final by France. In the 02 World Cup, it was regarded as the last collective performance of the golden generation, but the Portuguese team did not qualify from the group. On the contrary, in 04, when Baya, Sa-Pinto, Coto, and Costa, the old golden generation, either faded out of the national team or faded out of the main lineup, the Portuguese team won the runner-up in the European Championships.

It turns out that Portugal can also be a team as a whole, relying on the stars and relying on the whole to achieve the desired results.

Such a Portuguese national team has the coaching style of two coaches.

Muñerio's pragmatism and Scolari's enterprising spirit.

If you use players to describe Xiàn, it is Maniche cultivated by Muñerio's pragmatism, and Deco cultivated by Scolari's enterprising spirit, both of whom are the main players of the Portuguese midfield and also represent the strength of the Portuguese team's midfield. Munirio's pragmatism is reflected in the defensive spirit of the Portuguese team, once they have the lead, they will strengthen the way with the control of the midfield; Scolari's attacking spirit was reflected in Portugal's aggressive attack from the start, and you have to admit that both of these ideas coexisted in the Portuguese team.

Scolari was furious in the second half against Mexico, and he believes that the team should still step up after taking the lead, but the Portuguese players are still very patient and control the tempo of the game, which is Mourinho's thinking, winning is the most important thing. Scolari's spirit helped Portugal score when they were on the verge of a firm footing, and now Portugal maintain the temperament of both managers.

The post-golden generation of players, including Maniche, Petit, Carvalho, Mela, Nuno Gomez and Simão, who were born between '76 and '79, did not achieve the results of their predecessors in their teenage years, so they are called the post-golden generation. They have experienced too many failures with their golden generation of players for almost six years, and now it is time for them to regain their confidence in Portuguese football.

Portugal managed to avoid Argentina's edge by winning the group stage on points, and their opponents in the quarter-finals will be the Netherlands, who are second in Group C. Head coach Scolari was happy with the outcome, after all, the Dutch team's style is more favourable to Portugal's performance than Argentina's.

Two years ago, Portugal watched Greece lift the European Championship trophy on their doorstep, putting Scolari and his players under invisible pressure.

Now in Germany, Maniche said that the pressure is also there, and there is pressure when there is hope, and it is clear that this Portuguese team will not only be satisfied with qualifying from the group. Maniche concluded, adding: "The pressure is the same as it was two years ago, the whole team wants to do something in this World Cup, but there is a road to go one step at a time, and now the priority is to beat the Netherlands first. ”

These are two teams full of sensitivity, and there are similarities in a certain way. Fight crazy, any of them can overcome, but once they encounter unexpected setbacks and blocks. The fragility and lack of domineering hearts make it easy for them to fall again. Such a slightly neurotic contest is full of too many unpredictable variables, and the important thing may not be to see who is the final winner, but to see who will fall first.

Against the Netherlands, Portugal has an absolute advantage. The Netherlands have been winless since 1991. In the last 9 meetings between the two teams, Portugal have lost just one. At Euro 2004, Portugal eliminated the Netherlands to reach the final. In the group stage, Portugal won all three games. The table xiàn showed extraordinary strength.

Although the strength of the opponents is not very strong, the strength should not be underestimated. Especially in the final game of the group stage, Scolari hid five main players. But the performance of the substitutes also satisfied him, especially Simao, who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo, was even more exciting.

The biggest problem that had plagued Portugal before, the striker, was also perfectly solved after the arrival of Jonker. The lack of a centre-forward was a problem that cost them the Euro 2004 title. It is only now that it has been perfectly compensated.

Of course, Portugal's traditional advantage is that their midfield is more formal, attacking and scoring than their opponents. Under the dispatch of Deco. They outperformed the Dutch and had the upper hand when it came to long-range shots.

Judging by the pre-match shape, Portugal is clearly better than the Netherlands. At least Portugal hasn't experienced a bad fight, and Scolari is a bit older than Basten. Now the whole team is full of confidence in the elimination, Figo said that he doesn't care who the opponent is, and everyone in the team is in good shape now.

The Netherlands' last win over Portugal was a narrow 1-0 home win in European Championship qualifiers on 16 October 1991. The two sides have met seven times since then. The Dutch team has a record of 3 draws and 4 defeats, including two home defeats. It is clearly inferior in terms of historical record.

However, now the Netherlands. It's a noticeable difference from what it used to be. Under Basten's leadership, the Orange Shirts transformed into a younger team, with a diminishing colour of ideals in favour of more pragmatism. But the Portuguese are no strangers to them, as quite a few of them are team-mates at the club and everyone knows each other very well.

In the group stage, the Dutch won two games and qualified from the so-called "Group of First Death", but they did not play with the momentum of all-attacking and defensive football. In attack, the Dutch team mainly relied on the individual combat ability of the star to tear through the opponent's defence, especially relying too much on the weaknesses of Robben's individual performance, and Ruud van Nistelrooy's appearance was also disappointing, although he scored a goal against Ivory Coast, but his due strength was not played, and these problems could become the weakness of the Netherlands in the knockout round. But if these problems are resolved, the Netherlands will certainly cause a lot of problems for Portugal.

This is a competition full of artistic charm. Coming from a country full of tulips, the Dutch have a windmill-like temperament, they like to strive for perfection, and they don't even care about the result for the sake of having a beautiful process, so they are the most popular among the fans of the team that has never won a championship so far.

While Basten has injected more pragmatism into the Dutch squad today, the madness that has been in their blood threatens to make them feel free at any time. This is not the case with Portugal, who are more melancholy and tragic than the Netherlands, but they also have the best stars and the most pleasing style of play. The competition between these two teams is destined to be full of artistic color and charm, but also lack strong nerves, and their biggest enemy is not each other, but themselves.

Who can stand to the end?

These are two teams with a wide range of fans, especially the Netherlands, which have cultivated a large number of orange supporters on the land of China since the era of the Three Musketeers. Portugal also have a loyal group of fans – even if they struggle to achieve satisfactory results every time. Especially after Jonk joined Portugal, the influx of pseudo-fans, coupled with the support of real fans, the largest number of Chinese fans in the group is undoubtedly the Portuguese team.

In the quarterfinals, although there are many of these two strong meets, there will never be too many. If you don't watch this game, it is likely to cause great regret for the fans.

In today's era of practical football, these are the few teams that can still stick to their own style. Especially on the European continent, such persistence is even more valuable. Whether it's high or drizzling rain and wind, their style of play is always like a spring breeze. With Arjen Robben, Van Persie, Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jonker, this game will definitely become a classic in the World Cup.

The media is analysing the situation of the two teams, and some football legends have begun to express their opinions.

After Portugal finished the group stage, Panther Eusebio was very excited, saying: "This Portuguese team has a very strong midfield, although the defense is a bit lacking, but our attacking ability can fully make up for this shortcoming. The current Portugal team is the best in history, and I believe they can surpass Portugal's glory in 1966. ”

However, the Panthers did express his concern at the back, as the two Portuguese full-backs seemed unable to withstand the pace of Dutch wingers Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, but the Panthers turned around: "We have to trust Scolari, he can solve these problems." ”

On the game, Portugal captain Figo was relaxed: "Of course it was not lucky to meet the Netherlands so early, but the World Cup is like that, if you want to keep going, you have to be afraid of any opponent. We are very familiar with the Dutch team and there are no secrets on either side. But I'm sure we'll win because our coach Scolari has a lot of experience and experience is decisive when it counts. ”

The Netherlands will face Portugal in Nuremberg for a place in the last eight of the World Cup. Yesterday, the head coach of the Dutch team, Van Basten, said that the key player of the Portuguese team, Luis Basten. Figo, Cristiano. Ronaldo, along with Deco and Jonker, played a huge role in the group stage, so they need to be taken care of in the match against Portugal.

In order to limit their play, the Dutch team will use special tactics. 'I think we want to play the way we've always played, but I know Portugal have Figo, Cristiano. Very good players like Ronaldo and Deco, especially Jonk, they are different from other players, so we have to keep a close eye on them."

Portugal led the way through the group stage wins over Angola, Iran and Mexico, with their captain, 33-year-old veteran Figo Biao Xiàn, the more eye-catching. Previously, the former World Footballer of the Year retired from the national team for a while, but eventually regained the national team jersey and assisted his team-mates to score a number of points in the group stage.

Brazilian-born Deco scored a stunning goal from 25 yards against Iran to give the team a big win that forced Iran to book their return flight in advance. Jonker, on the other hand, is the youngest player to score goals in Portugal's World Cup history, also scoring two goals in one fell swoop against Iran.

In the last 15 years of confrontation between the two sides, the Dutch team has never won against their opponents. The last time the two sides met was in the semi-finals of Euro 2004, when Portugal beat the Netherlands 2-1. In this World Cup, the manager of the Dutch team did not call up Mackay, who plays for Bayern Munich, but chose the in-form Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The 41-year-old former AC Milan legend did not answer whether Ruud van Nistelrooy could be in the starting 11 squad, saying only that he had spoken to Ruud van Nistelrooy. 'We talked about football and what I expected of him and he agreed with me and said he would do his best to play better.

In all three games of the group stage, manager Van Basten did not allow Ruud van Nistelrooy to play the full game. Due to United's sluggish shooting slump, Van Basten is considering replacing Ruud van Nistelrooy with Feyenoord striker Kuyt. Although Ruud van Nistelrooy scored a goal in the 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, manager Van Basten could not hide his frustration with the sluggish striker. Since moving to Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven for €12 million, Ruud van Nistelrooy has made 229 appearances for the club, scoring 150 goals. However, Ruud van Nistelrooy's days at Manchester United have also come to an end due to his clash with "old man" Alex Ferguson last season, with news that Bayern Munich want to spend £19 million to bring in the "goalscorer". (To be continued......)