The group stage of the World Cup is finally over, and after England and Sweden in Group B have confirmed their qualification, the top two teams in each group have been released, while the other teams that have not qualified have gone straight home, and their World Cup journey has ended.

Of the four teams in Group A, Germany and Ecuador qualified for the tournament.

As hosts, they are bound to be given special care when it comes to group draws, with Germany having few opponents in Group A and having a bit better shape than Portugal.

In recent years, German football has not been very good, they have not beaten the world's top teams for many years, and many people think that Germany have been reduced to a second-rate team, but in such an uncompetitive group, qualification is still guaranteed.

In Group A, Poland, who are good at playing power football, are also favored by the media, Poland has more experience in major competitions than the other two teams, and with Poland and Germany bordering each other, it can be said that they occupy the right time and place.

However, it was Germany and Ecuador that made the cut.

Before the game, many media commented that Ecuador would definitely be at the bottom of Group A, because 'they will only bargain at home in the plateau with their South American brothers who are also soft', this is the original words of the newspaper "Kicker", but now Ecuador has squeezed out Poland and appeared smoothly, which has surprised the media.

In Group C Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia and Montenegro and the Netherlands in the group of death, there are no dark horses, the Netherlands and Argentina appear hand in hand, this result is the public is optimistic, after all, even if it is the group of death, but the other two teams are still a little behind them.

The teams that qualified from Group D were Mexico and Portugal. Iran, an Asian team favored by many media, has three games, two losses and one draw, and can only go home with hatred. They failed to create any miracles in the expectations of many fans.

There are many people who think that Iran is the Turkey of Asia, and many media think that Iran's style is tough, and they are likely to become a group of dark horses, but unfortunately, Iran, which has a tough style, has become a reckless man when it encounters Portugal and Mexico, which have delicate footwork and good tactical awareness, and they are powerless. Only one group point was awarded against Angola, who could not make any waves in the group.

Some say the real group of death is Group E, which features four teams from Italy, the United States, the Czech Republic and Ghana.

Under the leadership of the famous coach Lippi, Italy has shown the potential to win the championship. Their football is different from the conservative Italian of the past, because Lippi understands that in modern football it is not possible to defend alone, no matter how solid your defense is.

In this World Cup, the combination of Italian strikers Toney and Gilardino is very practical. Add to that Totti's fiery and Cassano's aura. They can even root the Brazilian technique to help a shorter longer.

There was no pressure on Italy to qualify, with seven points from two wins and one draw from three games, making it easy to make it out of the group.

In this group, the U.S. team is also in the spotlight. Americans don't like football, but with the strong sports heritage and physique of the United States, the American team was born full of strength. In media reviews, the American players are physically excellent and attach great importance to tactical coordination. Both individually and collectively, the U.S. team is good.

Pity. Such a U.S. team was a tragedy in this World Cup, and they returned to North America in humiliation after three defeats to continue their basketball.

Ghana qualified, with two wins and one defeat in the group, and six points comfortably finished second.

As for the Czech team? The aging team, who were not favored at all before the game, only beat the United States and lost the other two.

Group F is a suspenseful affair because Brazil are arguably the best in this group, and Croatia, Australia and Japan are all three teams that are close to each other, with either team likely to finish second.

In the end, Australia won the right to qualify.

In Group G, France and Switzerland qualified together, which was a perfect result, because the other two teams, South Korea and Togo, were really a little different from the European teams.

As for the team that qualified for Group H in the final group, it is a little impressive - Spain and Ukraine, it is normal for Spain to qualify, although this team has not won the World Cup, but it is undeniable that Spain's strength is definitely the top in the world, although the team members are not worth as much as Italy, Brazil, England, but the Spanish team has a characteristic that other teams cannot match, that is, most of the players are from the same club - a Spanish team like Barcelona, It can almost be said that it is the Barcelona team, the cooperation between the players and the team's tactics are almost equal to the Barcelona team, and the Spanish team has a few more world-class stars, so it is really unreasonable for such a team not to qualify.

The most surprising is the Ukrainian team, because this team is completely a one-man team of the "nuclear warhead" Shevchenko, and the reason why I say this is because the other players of the Ukrainian team except Sheva are almost all unknown.

And the Ukrainian team also reached the World Cup finals for the first time.

Reaching the World Cup for the first time and qualifying from the group has to be taken a high look, and the fans are more willing to give credit to the stars, so Shepchenko's reputation is even stronger.

According to rumours, after the group stage, Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich called AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi directly, hoping to complete a somewhat stalled transfer case, and he couldn't wait to get the countryman

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The group stage has completely ended, and the World Cup competition has finally entered the most intense battlefield, and the knockout round of 16 is about to begin.

According to the rules of the World Cup knockout round, the first and second places in the two adjacent groups play each other separately, so the round of 16 knockout round comprehensive group confrontation is -

Germany vs Sweden; Argentina vs Mexico; England vs Ecuador; Portugal vs Netherlands; Italy vs Australia; Switzerland vs Ukraine; Brazil vs Ghana; Spain vs France.

Portugal's opponent was the second place team in Group C, the Netherlands, on this result. Scolari is still very satisfied, but of course this satisfaction is also relative, looking at the quarter-finals only the clash between Spain and France can be similar to Portugal's encounter.

Not a good choice. But it is the only option, and there will be no easy games in the knockout stage, but Portugal enters the most tense state early.

The Portuguese love to eat "oranges". Before the semi-final between Portugal and the Netherlands at the 2004 European Championships, "24 Hours", "Record", "Ball" and so on coincidentally published a juicy orange on the cover; It is said that this dripping orange is already famous in Portugal, it made its first newspaper appearance in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, and whenever it comes to matches against the Dutch team, this poor orange will be taken out by the Portuguese to commemorate it; This. The newspapers brought out the orange again, because the Portuguese team will face the Netherlands again in the quarterfinals of this World Cup.

The Portuguese are definitely not doing this gimmick for grandstanding, there is a deep history behind this famous orange - 15 years. The Dutch team has played Portugal a total of 8 times, and the "orange team" is at an overall disadvantage with a record of 5 losses and 3 draws. The Dutchman's last two defeats at the feet of the Portuguese were even more embarrassing, having been knocked out of the semi-finals of the 2004 European Championships, in a World Cup qualifier in 2002. After losing to Portugal, the Dutch had to go to the play-offs. I didn't even get a ticket to the World Cup.

The Portuguese have known themselves as Dutch nemesis ever since. The president of the country's football federation, Madayl, was dismissive when he learned that their next opponent was the Netherlands, "We would rather meet Argentina first, the Netherlands will only disrupt the rhythm of the Portuguese team." ”

However, the Portuguese are not blindly optimistic, they also realise that the Netherlands have come a long way, its wings and defense are prominent, and the team is no longer the old age under Advocaat's tutelage, but the face of the team. A new army of fighting spirit under Basten. Whether Portugal's two full-backs can withstand the pace of Dutch wingers Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie is what concerns Scolari.

So. Public opinion generally believes that the confrontation between the two teams will be the closest match in the round of 16 stage, according to the Dutch newspaper Volksblatt. Dutch coach Van Van Brown. Basten agrees that the Netherlands are evenly matched with Portugal, with a 50% chance of each team winning. 'Of course Portugal are a very good team, but if we can play the way we play, we can beat them.

At the same time, Houllier also followed the game for the first time and gave his opinion, as it is known that after England's victory over Ecuador, the opponents will be Portugal and the Netherlands.

As the Argentine genius Messi said, entering the knockout round, the real World Cup has just begun. England will face Ecuador in the quarter-finals tonight, but more England fans will be focused on Portugal's subsequent match against the Netherlands. No one thought Ecuador could stand in the way of England.

But in the next round, England's opponents will be drawn from these two teams. French coach Houllier, who has previously managed Liverpool, said he thinks Portugal are the better opponent for England.

The current Dutch squad is very young and very united, and Houllier believes that this is the biggest strength of the Dutch team. In the past, infighting has often affected the team's results, so this time Dutch coach Van Basten has removed the big names who could destroy the unity of the team, and has brought in a lot of new players. In his column for The Telegraph, Houllier wrote: "I'm very concerned about their young centre-back Blarouz, who was only 23 years old when he came on against Argentina and has a bright future ahead of him. We were already familiar with Sneijder before the World Cup, he is a talented midfielder, and although he cannot play in the familiar position of the current Dutch team, he is only 22 years old, and he has a convincing role with the 23-year-old talent Van der Vaart in the past games. ”

While many people don't see Basten's side as favourites, Houllier doesn't see it that way. He believes that the current Dutch team is very strong and a strong contender for the World Cup: "A lot of people say that this Dutch team is too young to win the World Championship. In this way, the pressure on them is minimized. In fact, they have already qualified from the most difficult group, and they have achieved the goals set in advance. The rest of the games are all rewards for them. They don't have any pressure. If the Netherlands can beat Portugal, they will certainly cause England a lot of problems. Their speed is fast, and Robben is a bad omen. Holier even made a special point of emphasis. Absolutely pay attention to the "Flying Dutchman".

But the Dutch team certainly has more than just Arjen Robben. 'The Netherlands' attacking system is fantastic, usually they are in a 4-3-3 formation, with all three players in midfield switching between attack and defence. But the skilful swap between Van der Vaart, Sneijder and Cocu has made their attack very fluid, they have a lot of variation in attack, and they have top centre-forwards like Ruud van Nistelrooy and Kuyt in the middle. Robin van Persie has also excelled in his own position, while Babel and Heiterinck are both waiting for their chance. In fact, this Dutch team has too many good players. So much so that Van Basten could not hesitate to keep stars like Mackay and Seedorf at home. ”

"In addition to having a strong attacking prowess, this Dutch team is also quite solid defensively. They conceded just three goals in World Cup qualifying and did not concede a single against the likes of Romania and the Czech Republic. They defended quite well in the game and Van der Sar is proving that he is still the best goalkeeper in the world. Houllier went on to write that they were both offensive and defensive, and this is what Houllier sees as a Dutch team.

Compared with. Houllier thinks Portugal will be easier to deal with. 'I think the reason Portugal is better for England than the Netherlands is defensively. In the group stage, we could see that Portugal gave their opponents a lot of scoring chances. It doesn't seem quite like Scolari's team. "But Portugal also has its strengths." The most dangerous aspect of Portugal is that they have excellent individual skills, especially on both flanks, with Ronaldo and Figo both able to tear apart opposition defences on their own. And Pauletta is always waiting for the two wingers to deliver bullets to him. In addition, Scolari has created a great team spirit for Portugal, just as he did for Brazil four years ago. When Portugal score, you can see how important that spirit is when you look at the bench. ”

"So no matter which team they face in the second round of the rematch, England must not be taken lightly. Portugal may not be the best team in the world, but they also have the skill and the pace, which is what matters at the World Cup. Anything can happen in the knockout round. That's the beauty of the World Cup. Finally, Houllier concluded. But the French seem to have forgotten that England's opponent in the first round of the rematch is not Ecuador. Knockout matches are all possible!

But Scolari didn't care about the comments that came out of the idlers. He still trains and attends press conferences step by step.

Speaking to the media, Scolari has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the 33-year-old Figo to the Portuguese squad today.

When a month ago Louis. When Figo was selected for the national team to start preparing for the World Cup, some people might have doubted whether the 33-year-old veteran would be able to keep up with the pace of the World Cup after a season at Inter Milan, but Figo told people that he was still young. "Actually, I've been running a lot this year, but now I seem to be younger."

In this World Cup, the former world footballer of the year, who is famous in Portugal, is in surprisingly good form, which is also thanks to the pull of C. Ronaldo and Deco, and the strength of Jonk in the front line. However, C. Ronaldo sometimes likes to show off his footwork and ignore the overall situation, Deco is riddled with injuries and a yellow card, and cannot fully play his level, so Figo must often carry the banner of attack alone without the help of Jonker.

Although Portugal have already qualified after two games in the group stage, Figo still appeared in the third game against Mexico, and Figo said that this game is very important for him and he is very happy.

After losing at the 2004 European Championships, Figo announced his retirement from the national team, allowing him to spend more time taking care of his family and concentrating on playing well for the club. However, under the persuasion of manager Scolari, Figo re-donned the national team shirt in the middle of the World Cup qualifiers.

Scolari said: "I knew he was going to retire after Euro 2004, but all the Portuguese wanted him back. On and off the pitch, his presence is very important to us. Figo has an extraordinary charisma and is a well-deserved spiritual leader of the team. Tomorrow night, Portugal will face their first opponent in the second round, the Netherlands, and Figo hopes that Portugal can repeat the same Euro 2004 victory over the Netherlands and lead the team to the quarter-finals.

After leaving Real Madrid for Inter Milan, Figo has regained his form. Although the speed is slower than before, the ability to defeat the enemy has not diminished in the slightest, and he often uses set-pieces to deliver fatal blows to opponents. Although the current Figo is no longer the Figo of the "World Footballer of the Year", the Portuguese still has amazing abilities.

Figo has played for the national team for 15 years, making 123 appearances for the national team, and when Figo is not on the pitch, Costinha and Pauletta will be captains, but there is no doubt that only Figo is the true spiritual leader and only he deserves the captain's armband.

"I think after the first game, we are getting better and better. Now the only way to win is to win the title, which is a must for any professional footballer, and it should be noted that other teams want to win the title as much as we do. We're confident of winning, but this World Cup, if we get to the last four, it's already a good result."

Now waiting for the start of the game, both teams deliberately maintained a quiet atmosphere before the start of the game, did not say much to the opponent, just do their own thing, but the media believes that this will be an extremely fierce game.

The Netherlands want to be humiliated, especially the Netherlands is still under the command of a young man like Van Basten, of course, Scolari is definitely not a soft persimmon, and he has repeatedly established an absolute core for the team before the game, knowing that the Portuguese team will show a strong team in the game.

There is also the most fundamental reason why the media predicts this, both teams have players with outstanding individual skills, in order to contain the core of the opponent, it is necessary to focus on taking care of it, and there will be no mercy at the feet, such a game is kicked around, and it is impossible not to be hot.

The Chinese media is worried about Jonker, and now it is obvious that the most kicked in the Portuguese team is not Ronaldo who loves to show off his skills, but Jonke, and the Iranian battle is even more obvious.

After that, Scolari did not arrange for Jonker to play in the third group stage in order to protect Jonker, although the Chinese fans were a little regretful, but they still supported Scolari's decision, for a dispensable victory, sacrificing Jonk is obviously not cost-effective, good steel is used on the blade!

If you see the Dutch team is tough when the blade is not sharp, Chinese fans firmly believe that scoring is a must, and support Portugal in the 90 minutes to defeat the Netherlands fans is an overwhelming majority, according to the statistics of the Chinese Sports Lottery Center, as far as ninety percent of Chinese lottery players choose to support the Portuguese team to win.

This also leads to the odds of Portugal winning much lower than the mainstream European bookmakers, only 1.55!

You must know that in Europe it is the odds trend of 232, that is to say, the draw is the highest, but in China it has become the highest odds of winning in the Netherlands.

When Jonke learned the news, he immediately expressed his respect for the fans through CCTV and sent his sincere words, "His other motherland is in China!" ”

He didn't put on a show or hype, he was telling the truth, his mother gave him black hair and black eyes with the characteristics of a Chinese person, coupled with Ouyang's take-in, which further made Jonke have a unique emotion for Huaxia, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is another motherland.

There is also news that makes Chinese fans even more excited, according to the Italian "Milan Sports Newspaper", about the transfer case of Shepchenko and Jonk, it is likely that the final answer will be announced after the eighths of the knockout rounds are over.

Two superstars who have excellent tables in the World Cup want to swap clubs, which has set off a heated discussion for a while, and it is the first time that such a heavyweight transfer case has been completed during the World Cup. (To be continued......)