Chapter 120 World Cup Top 32 (Part 1)
Football, the sport that makes millions of people in the world go crazy, the World Cup, the four-year super feast of the football world, no one can refuse the excitement of the World Cup, and no one can refuse to pay attention to the World Cup.
When it comes to the opening of the World Cup, all other things have to stand aside, even if it is a league that has not yet ended, it can only temporarily enter the suspension period, because no league in any country dares to compete with the World Cup for attention.
Every time Degan played the World Cup in his previous life, he could only be a spectator. Even if he hadn't been dragged down by heart disease, it would be very difficult to go to the World Cup with the weak strength of Chinese football.
But now, with a strong body, Degan no longer feels sorry for the World Cup.
Because of participating in the UEFA Champions League final, Degan felt that Brussels participated in the training camp of the Belgian national team and returned to the world stage ten days late. ?? Stadium Maniac 120
Before heading to Germany, Belgium played two warm-up matches, one of which was against Paraguay. In the end, relying on Degan's two goals, Belgium defeated the opponent 2:1, and in the next warm-up match, Belgium drew again 2:2 Sweden, Degan scored another goal.
Whether you want to admit it or not, one indisputable thing is that the fate of Belgium in this World Cup will definitely be in the hands of Degan. The performance of Belgium will basically depend on Degan's performance.
On June 3, the Belgian national team departed from Brussels and arrived at their residence in Leipzig in Germany, where they will play all three group matches against Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.
There are several other groups, among which Group A gathers the host Germany, the qualifier king Poland, and Ecuador and Costa Rica from the American continent.
The German team led by Klinsmann is a well-deserved European football giant. Steely will and strict tactical discipline are the most important factors for the German chariot, which has dominated Europe for decades and achieved brilliant results in the world arena. History The last three European Championships and three World Cup titles speak for themselves.
Although the overall level of German football began to decline in the mid-to-late 1990s, their super overall combat capabilities helped them win the 2002 World Cup runner-up. The certainty of winning, and winning the cup again after 1974 has become the dream of the whole of Germany.
Most of the players in the German team play in their home leagues, but except for Bayern Munich, German clubs have failed early in the European arena for two consecutive years. The midfielder Ballack has maintained an upward momentum in recent years, and his performance has played a pivotal role in the team. In the goalkeeper position, Lehmann replaced Kahn as the top card, but the too young back line will become a question mark for the team, and Klinsmann still has many problems that need to be solved urgently.
Costa Rica, the sufferer of the Chinese national team in the 2002 World Cup, Costa Rica's journey to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany was not all smooth sailing. If one keyword can be used to sum it up, it would be "changing coaches".
In the initial stage of the qualifiers, Costa Rica had a poor record. In the qualifying stage, they eliminated Cuba with only two rounds of away goals and entered the round robin.
After that, they lost 1:2 to Mexico at home, 0:3 to the United States away, and drew a goalless draw with Trinidad and Tobago. Even if they won 2:1 against the underdog Panaba, it was luck at the last moment. goal.
The coaching change became the turning point of everything. In 2005, Louis. Pinto dismissed get out of class, and the old coach Guimaraes took office again, which changed the fate of the Costa Rica team. Under the leadership of Guimaraes, Costa Rica made great strides all the way, winning consecutive victories, including a 3-0 thrashing of the US team, and finally won the World Cup qualifications for the competition.
The World Cup in Germany will be the third time in the history of Costa Rica to participate in the finals of the competition, and they have experienced it twice before. In the summer of Italy in 1990, the miraculous coach Milutinovic led the team to shock the world. They defeated Scotland 1-0 in the first match of the group stage. Although they lost 0-1 to Brazil, they turned defeat into victory in the crucial qualifying battle. , defeated Sweden 2:1 and advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in the World Cup, which can be said to be a remarkable achievement.
In this competition, Costa Rica has emerged a magical goalkeeper. Conejo, nicknamed "Lucky Rabbit", has become a nightmare for his opponents. In the knockout round, he lost to the Czech Republic 1:4. Conejo was absent due to injury , Costa Rica also suspended the pace of progress.
In 2002, Costa Rica once again entered the World Cup finals. They defeated the Chinese team 2:0 in the first match of the group and drew with Turkey 1:1 in the second match. was eliminated. In that competition, Guimarães was the head coach of the Colombian team. This time he led the team to go out again, and he must hope to go further.
In Costa Rica's lineup, although there are no heavyweight big-name stars, there are also well-known players with strength. Forward Wanchope, who once played for Manchester City and was a teammate with Chinese player Sun Jihai, is one of them. He is currently playing for Spain's Malaga team. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, he scored 8 Ranked fifth in goals and is also the top scorer in Costa Rica's history.
According to the strength of the Costa Rica team, it is unrealistic to become a dark horse that shocks the world. Their primary goal is to qualify for the group stage. Since the main players of the team are aging, whether they can achieve ideal results depends largely on The emergence of newcomers and the command of the head coach.
Poland, Polish football has always been an important force in European football, and has won the third place in the World Cup twice. However, in recent years, Poland has been out of favor, and the team's record has also fallen into a low ebb.
In the European qualifiers, Poland had good luck in signing, and was drawn to the fifth group with average overall strength, under the coach Pavel. Under the leadership of Janus, they showed rare stability, kept chasing England, and poured 8 goals against Azerbaijan. Although they narrowly lost to England at the last moment and missed the first place in the group, they still ranked in the top two in the competition for the second place in each group with a relatively high winning rate, and also got the tickets to directly qualify for the World Cup in Germany .
Ecuador has no big-name stars and no impressive history, but Ecuador is a dark horse that cannot be ignored. Colombian coach Suarez has created a team that relies on the whole, has a tenacious style and is not lacking in technical content. ?? Stadium Maniac 120
Four years ago, Gomez's national team achieved the goal of "scoring a goal and winning a game" in the World Cup group stage. Now his "junior brother" Suarez in Ecuador obviously wants to set his goal further.
The four teams in Group B are England, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden.
England is the originator of modern football, and England is the leader of the country's four representative associations. In the history of the World Cup, they have left a glorious page. In 1966, they won the championship in the World Cup held at home.
England participated in the World Cup for the first time in 1950 and advanced to the finals 11 times. In 1966, England became the host of the World Cup competition, in Bobby. Led by a group of star players such as Charlton and Hurst, they passed all the way and beat West Germany 4:2 in the final to win the Rimet Cup.
In that final, as much talked about as the controversial goal on the line, it was Hurst's hat-trick. He is also the only player in history to score three goals in a World Cup final.
In 1990, the England team reached the semi-finals and lost to Germany on penalties. champion Brazil.
In the qualifiers for the World Cup in Germany, England won the first place in the sixth group and achieved 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Due to the rise of Wayne Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard and others, this England team is considered It is the team most likely to win the championship since 1966.
However, in the face of world powerhouses such as Brazil, Argentina, and the Netherlands, it is still difficult for England to get what it wants. In addition to solving problems such as "difficulty coexisting with two Germans" and "central defender troubles" in the lineup, Eriksson also hopes A little bit of luck.
Paraguay, led by Degan's former teammate Gamarra, has entered the World Cup for the third time in a row. This team has gradually become a strong team in South American football. Lost to France and Germany, but the scene is not at a disadvantage. This time, the Paraguayan team, which has accumulated more experience, obviously hopes to achieve a higher ranking.
Trinidad and Tobago, although the top star of the team, Yorke, is no longer at his peak, but the football level of Trinidad and Tobago has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. A player who has talent but lacks tactical literacy.
Judging from the roster of the Trinidad and Tobago national team, in addition to York, which is well-known to the fans, there are still many outstanding players in the team who have played in the Scottish Premier League and the American Major League. Many members of the domestic powerhouse Jabrot Financial Team have been selected for the national team. It is believed that this team can achieve a balance in terms of advanced football concepts and tacit cooperation. It should be said that, as a newcomer to the World Cup, Trinidad and Tobago has a certain combat effectiveness.
However, Trinidad and Tobago's road to promotion can be described as difficult and bumpy. It was not until the penultimate round of the CONCACAF qualifiers that they overwhelmed Guatemala. After entering the play-offs, they were defeated by Bahrain 1:1 at home. A draw, and then under unfavorable circumstances, they defeated Bahrain tenaciously in an away game and made a historic advance to the finals. If you survive a catastrophe, there must be blessings in the future. This small country in Central and North America should be able to surprise fans in the World Cup.
Swedish football has always been the most important football force in Scandinavia. The traditional yellow jersey and blue trousers show the toughness and sexiness of the Nordics. Swedish football has made history in the 1958 World Cup held in its homeland. The Swedes reached the final in one fell swoop, but lost to the mighty Brazil in the end.
In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, they also achieved third place, which is impressive. In this competition, the opponents of the Swedes in the qualifiers were not very strong. In the end, they finished second in the group and advanced to Germany for the 11th time in history.
In the current Swedish team, the return of the veteran Larsson has added important weight to the striker of the Yellow Jackets, and the old enemy of Digan, who played for Juventus and is known as the "God Tower", Ibrahimo Vevic is a formidable shooter throughout Europe.
In a series of warm-up matches, Obek from Premier League Aston Villa also showed a good state, and they will take on the task of attacking the Swedish team.
In midfield, Arsenal's Ljungberg's breakthrough is indispensable, while Karlstrom from Ligue 1 Rennes is a master of long-range shots and free kicks.
On the defensive line, goalkeepers Isaacson, Mijarby, and Melberg have all been famous for a long time. The appetite for a team that managed to break through the groups of England and Argentina at the World Cup in Korea and Japan will grow even bigger.
Group C is a veritable group of death in this World Cup, Argentina, the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro, and the African elephant Côte d'Ivoire with the monster Drogba.
Argentina is undoubtedly the most promising team in this group. In the history of the World Cup, the Argentine team won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986. Only 4 of the first 17 games were absent. The record of 29 wins, 10 draws and 18 losses is only behind Brazil, Germany and Italy.
Headed by Maradona, Argentina has contributed to the world football since the late 1970s. , Batistuta, Veron, Riquelme and a large number of superstars.
After the "Godfather of Youth" Pekerman took office, he confirmed Riquelme's core position in the team. He beat Brazil in the South American qualifiers to qualify early. In the World Cup in Germany, their only goal may be to win the championship. ?? Stadium Maniac 120
Côte d'Ivoire is undoubtedly an unfamiliar name for fans who care about the World Cup. In fact, among the five African teams that entered the 2006 World Cup, only Tunisia is relatively familiar to people, while Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, and Angola are all the first. Participated in the World Cup finals once. It is somewhat regrettable that the familiar Nigeria, Cameroon and other strong teams have fallen.
However, the World Cup newcomer Côte d'Ivoire is indeed worth looking forward to, especially for the Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who is more likely to become a dazzling star in the 2006 World Cup. Côte d'Ivoire, known as the "African Elephant", is the team with the most dark horse potential among the top 32 teams.
Côte d'Ivoire is the highest-ranked African team in the FIFA world rankings, so it does not need to participate in the preliminaries before the World Cup qualifiers, and directly enters the World Cup African qualifiers group stage.
Côte d'Ivoire is in the third group with Cameroon, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Benin. In the end, Côte d'Ivoire ranked first in the group with 22 points, 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in 10 matches.
Interestingly, Côte d'Ivoire lost both home and away games to Cameroon in the qualifiers, but it was a pity that Cameroon did not live up to it, especially when it missed a penalty kick in the last round of the game, only 1 point away.
Côte d'Ivoire's ability to qualify also benefited from their failure to qualify for the African Cup finals, and the players can concentrate on playing well in the World Cup qualifiers.
During the qualifiers of Côte d'Ivoire, the French head coach Nozarat recalled almost all the stars who played in Europe to the national team in every game. Among them, the most famous one is Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, and La Liga Osa Bakayoko of the Suna team, Toure of the Premier League Arsenal, Carew of the Ligue 1 Auxerre team, Dean of the Ligue 1 Anderlecht team and so on.
But now Nozarat has returned to Ligue 1 to coach Montpellier, his fellow French Henry. Michel will lead Côte d'Ivoire to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Henry. Michel has many years of experience in coaching African teams, and Ivory Coast is likely to have a big upset in the World Cup.
Côte d'Ivoire has never entered the World Cup finals before, and the previous seven shocks have all failed. Only in 1992 did they win the Africa Cup of Nations once.
Now the main players in this Ivory Coast team are basically playing in Europe. In this qualifier, Drogba has become the hero of the team. He scored 9 goals alone, ranking first in the scorer list of the entire African qualifier. ranked second. In addition, Dean, who played for Anderlecht, was on par with his scoring efficiency on the forward line, and he also scored 7 goals. Drogba and Dean's striker, even if it confronts the world's strong teams such as Italy, will give these strong teams a headache.
The predecessor of Serbia and Montenegro is the famous former Yugoslavia team, which is a typical European Latin style of play. The players have both superb skills and strong physique. This genre is unique in international football. The Yugoslavia team was once hailed as the Brazil in Europe.
However, due to political reasons, after the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries, the level of the national team has declined. While the Croatian team gradually became famous in the world football, the Serbian and Montenegro team failed in the qualifiers of the intercontinental competition several times in a row.
After missing the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 European Cup, Serbia and Montenegro regrouped and beat Spain in Group 7 of the European qualifiers to advance to the finals of the World Cup in Germany.
At present, most of the players in Serbia and Montenegro play in the five major European leagues, among which Kežman and Milosevic are the strongest on the front line. Under the leadership of old coach Pitkovic, the mental outlook of this team has been greatly improved compared to the previous two years.
Of course, Serbia and Montenegro can finally enter the World Cup finals, and Belgium should be most grateful. If Belgium did not appear in the early round and beat Spain away, they would only have to wait four years to return to the World Cup stage. after that.
As a veteran football team in Europe and the world, the Netherlands is known as the "uncrowned king". The Dutch team on the field is the most entertaining and popular team. Orange is the color of this country and the label of this team. In the 1970s, Dutch football took the lead in introducing the pleasing style of all-out defense in the world, which attracted countless fans around the world. The classic goal in the 1974 World Cup final is still missed by fans all over the world. In the European Championship, the Dutch team with Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard won the championship in 1988. Mystery is praised. They have entered the World Cup finals seven times, and won two consecutive runner-ups in 1974 and 1978.
The Dutch League is a big factory for manufacturing stars. The traditional top three of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord have trained countless stars for the previous Dutch national teams, making Dutch players the most important players in European football both in history and now. And an important force in world football.
Today's Dutch national team has inherited a full-throated style of play, and there are too many talented players. Since coach Basten took office, he has promoted a large number of new players in the domestic league, making the age composition of the national team younger and more reasonable. Edwin van der Sar and Cocu sit in the midfield, supported by van der Vaart and other new talents in the midfield, while Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Dirk Dirk still dominate the front line. If there is a little better luck, the Oranje should do something in the World Cup in Germany.
Group D includes Mexico, Angola, Portugal, and Iran. The qualifying situation of this group should not be too complicated. Portugal and Mexico are obviously stronger, but Iran and Angola are not completely without chance of qualifying.
As a football powerhouse in Central America, Mexico will participate in the World Cup finals for the 14th time. It is worth mentioning that Mexico was the first country to host the World Cup twice. In 1970 and 1986, they both reached the top eight by virtue of the host. In 1994 and 1998, the Mexican team entered the second stage, but both times they stopped in the round of 16. In this World Cup qualifier, Mexico successfully qualified for the second place.
It is no accident that Mexico is currently firmly in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings. In the Confederations Cup this summer, the Mexicans have shown us their strength. The Mexican team has hard work, skills, and tactical qualities. Marcos is currently an important player for Barcelona. Borgetti is very characteristic "Header King".
In the previous u17 youth team competition, Mexico also beat Brazil to win the championship. This may be one of the best years in the history of Mexican football. The Mexican Football Association also hopes to repeat the achievement of reaching the quarterfinals in 1986.
Iran is a traditional strong team in Asia, and it is the first Asian team to show up in the World Cup. They have won many honors for Asian football in the international arena, and in Asia, they have made them The most difficult opponent for all teams.
As early as the 1960s and 1970s, Iran was once the overlord of Asian football. In the three Asian Cups held in 1968, 1972 and 1976, they swept the Asian powers and won three consecutive championships. Since then, due to the turmoil in the domestic political situation and the violent impact of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, Iran's football level has declined sharply, and it failed to win the Asian Cup again as it wished.
In the 1996 UAE Asian Cup, the Iranian team also made it to the semi-finals. It is particularly worth mentioning that they beat the South Korean team with 6 goals in the quarter-finals.
In this game, the star Ali. Dai Yi alone hit four yuan which shocked the world. Although the Iranian team was eliminated in the semi-finals by the Saudi Arabian team that eventually became the champion, their technical and tactical level in the game left a deep impression on people, and Ali emerged in the team. World-class stars such as Dayi, Aziz, Madavikia and Bagheri, among them Aziz won the Golden Globe Award of the Asian Cup, and Ali. Day was awarded the title of best shooter. Since then, Aziz has also become the Asian Footballer of the year, which is also the first Iranian to receive this honor. In the 1998 World Cup, they first eliminated Australia and then the United States, becoming the representative of all Asia in France.
Iranian football is greatly influenced by German football and is known for its toughness, so it mostly adopts a 352 formation with a midfielder and heavy armor. This is a powerful condition for them to dominate in Asia, and players who have played in high-level European leagues for a long time are another magic weapon for the Iranian team.
Among them are Karimi who is currently playing for Bayern Munich, Maddavigia who is currently in Hamburg, Hashmian from Hannover 96, etc., plus some domestic experts in Iran, the team formed by these people is really difficult to deal with .
The players of the Iranian team are physically prominent and have the strong physique of European players; their personal abilities are extremely strong, and the overall cooperation is tacit. The team is good at breaking through the side, pulling in the lateral quick cover. There are many high balls. Due to their skilled skills and strong stopping ability, there is no adjustment action that often appears in the high-altitude high-ball team. The rhythm of the entire team is very tight. Karimi, Kaybi, Madavigia and Hashmian are the backbone of the Iranian team.
Angola, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of independence and the 3rd anniversary of the civil war ceasefire, Angola, which has suffered a lot from the war, ushered in its first World Cup qualification.
As with many African powerhouses, team strength and some unknown but very real talents are the key to the team's success. The team with the greatest reputation is currently playing for the Portuguese championship team Benfica Mandalas, 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in the qualifiers, with the same points as Nigeria, and finally squeezed out the African heroes with a record of 1 win and 1 tie when the two teams played against each other. The Eagles finally made it to the World Cup after waiting 21 years.
Portugal is undoubtedly the most powerful team in this group. This team wearing a red jersey has extensive influence in Europe and the world. Influenced by Brazilian football, the Portuguese team has always been known for its creativity in the midfield. Last year, the European Championship even reached the final, and finally lost to the dark horse Greece.
The Portuguese are extremely creative, and the "golden generation" of the Portuguese in the past almost overturned the thriving French team, which is embarrassing. The current head coach, the Brazilian Scolari, has brought more defensive awareness into this Portuguese team. The world champion coach will once again show his skills in the German Time Cup.
In this Portuguese national team, famous players such as Figo and Pauletta who have been fighting for many years in the European arena continue to play for the country, and Scolari also recruited many rookies born in the 1980s, such as Manchester United's Ronaldo , the old Portuguese team is very likely to make a greater breakthrough in the World Cup.