Chapter 118 Reveals the Mystery

Chapter 118 Reveals the Mystery

Before the start of the match in Group C, the group qualifying situation can be described as confusing. The four teams, even Algeria, which has only one point in two games, still retain the possibility of appearing. Fate left the mystery until the last moment to solve it.

Two fate-determining matches started at the same time that night. The result that no one expected before the match left everyone dumbfounded in an instant when the 90 minutes ended.

Fate is sometimes so strange, before the last round of the World Cup Group C match, England and the United States had two points each, Algeria one point, Slovenia four points, when the final whistle blew the England game against Slovenia, 1:0 The score allowed England to jump to the first place in the group, and Slovenia temporarily ranked second in the group with four points, and the game between the United States and Algeria was still 0:0. If this score is maintained until the end of the game, the Americans can only say goodbye to the World Cup , At this time, the fourth official of the game raised the scoreboard: 4 minutes of stoppage time.

If nothing happens in these four minutes, then England and Slovenia will advance as first and second in the group respectively. In fact, the wheel of fate seems to be turning in this direction. This game and the previous game, The U.S. team had a good goal misjudged, and a lot of opportunities were wasted. In the first half, Altidore kicked high against the empty goal. In the second half, Dempsey hit the post with a single-handed ball. But at this moment, A wonderful thing happened.

In the 91st minute, just when the Americans were about to give up, an opportunity that was not a chance appeared. At that time, the American team quickly launched an attack after getting the ball in the backcourt. It seemed that bad luck would befall the U.S. team again, but Donovan stood up, and when the blocked ball rolled to his feet, Donovan kicked heavily and Hit the goal with full confidence, straight to the bottom right corner of the goal!

1:0!

Donovan may not have thought much about it. His shot decided the fate of the three teams in an instant. The Americans roared and celebrated. With this goal, the points reached five points and they overwhelmed the England, who won the group first, may have won them a better lottery for the knockout round. The England team, which could have secured the first place in the group with one more goal, had to accept the fate of falling to the second place in the group. The favorites Argentina and Belgium entered the same 1/4 zone, and the Slovenians, who had been playing passively and waiting for the U.S. team to draw, realized what it was like to go from heaven to hell after the final whistle. They accumulated four points , originally planned to celebrate the first World Cup group qualifying in history after the last three minutes, but now they have to accept the fate of going home.

But such a dramatic scene was obviously not intentional by Algeria. After the US team scored, the Algerian who tried to seize the last two minutes to counterattack received a red card because he used too much force. The opportunity to qualify, the whole game, Algeria and the Americans were on the offensive, playing a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle, although the score was also 1:0, but the pace was fast and the scene was exciting, far better than England vs. Slovenia In that one-sided negative game, the Algerian team, which was obviously inferior in strength, tried to create scoring opportunities, but gave the US team a lot of opportunities, but the luck of the US was really bad. In the end, I worked tirelessly and moved God. Maybe the US team suffered too many misjudgments before. When it was time to pay off the debt, this kick that determined the fate of the three teams was a compliment to them for not giving up. It was also a compliment to the Slovenian team. Punishment for passivity and England's lack of aggressiveness, sometimes fate is clearly fair.

The person who decides the fate will also be recorded in the annals of American football forever. This person is Donovan.

For a full 90 minutes, the gate of Algeria seemed to be enchanted by the gods, allowing the Americans to bombard wantonly, but they just couldn't break through.

The unlucky Dempsey's goal was blown, hit the post and missed an empty goal. It can be said that his skills have declined, his level has declined, and he has declined to the extreme.

The teenager Altidore, who was also placed high hopes by Bradley, could only look at the desert fox and sigh endlessly. However, it was Donovan, who hadn't seen much in the whole game, who finally solved the problem. The fans had the deepest love for him before The impression is that in the first half, the shot with my teammates was exactly like the "double tiger shot" in "Captain Football".

However, when Dempsey shot again in stoppage time and was bravely saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, Donovan, in the coolest way people can think of, quickly shot up from off-screen to complete the fatal blow. Novan's "three-pointer at the buzzer" saved the United States and has since written himself into the hall of heroes of American football history.

Donovan's goal finally allowed the United States to suppress England and qualify as the number one in the group. There is no NBA in American football, and there is no dream team in American football. However, American football also has no shortage of heroes who save the team at critical moments .

Donovan, a child of the Los Angeles Galaxy, tonight his name will also be placed in the city's history museum together with another hero of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant.

Just like Kobe Bryant threw the lore ball at the last second before the end of the game countless times, this time Donovan's "3 points at the buzzer" are worth a thousand dollars.

Donovan scored the most brilliant goal of his life on this night. Although his goal in the 2002 World Cup helped the US team enter the quarter-finals, his goal at that time was called icing on the cake, and this time it was a big reversal. The standard lore is the ultimate blow that directly pulls himself from the brink of death to the sun zone. The whole process is too shocking, so that American fans can feel the electrified and refreshing feeling of "surprise".

The U.S. team can always create unexpected surprises, and it seems to be recognized now. In the first game, England lost face by relying on a shot that was difficult for a primary school student. In the second game, they scored two goals when they were behind 0:2. If it weren't for the referee's weird penalty, the game would have been completely reversed. Today's game turned all the little surprises into carnivals, just like Hollywood inspirational movies. The protagonist or the main team will be completely killed in the end Under the premise of the premise, relying on the miracle that is almost controlled by God, it turns the world upside down and whets the appetite of people who are immersed in it.

Such a U.S. team, the ghost knows what unexpected miracles will be brought to people in the future. In the most rational way, the current U.S. team, in terms of overall strength, is indeed at the level of the top eight in the World Cup. Strange adversities have been overcome, and high expectations cannot be avoided. Of course, the US team, which has been given too high expectations, has lost the value of being a surprise. The US team is a team that is good at being ignored or even despised Next, a magical team with jaw-dropping records.

No need to go back and get too far back. The 2002 World Cup was the first match in which the Portuguese team of the golden generation led by Figo was wiped out. In that game, until now, not many people dared to believe it. In the first 35 minutes, the US team It took a 3-0 lead, and the reincarnation of Portugal's Eusebio could not save the situation.

After qualifying in the group, 16 entered and 8 met Mexico. Although the US-Mexico dialogue at that time was recognized as the strongest dialogue between China and North America, Mexico would always pinch the United States when it came to major competitions, such as the Gold Cup. In this generally underestimated game, with the goals of McBride and Donovan, Leng kicked the boss out. Since then, the Mexican team, which has lost its psychological advantage, has a winning percentage of any international A-level match against the US team , plummeted so far.

The Americans qualified with their heads held high. Although the English could only rank second in the group, they are also happy enough, because it was this small victory of England's 1-0 victory over Slovenia, which was all after Capello gave up his stubbornness. earned.

After qualifying as the second place in the group, the head coach Fabio Capello finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the press conference after the game, the Italian even said: "I have rediscovered the England team I am familiar with. England can play against anyone."

Compared with the previous two games, England played much better content in this game. They dared to take the ball at their feet, dared to play and cooperate, and there were many smooth passes. Although they only won by one goal, they created even more opportunities than the previous two games. Sum.

No wonder Capello said: "We can move on, because the players' minds are now free, there is no longer fear, and there are no obstacles."

After the draw with Algeria, all the people in the circle talked about England's downturn, and they all focused on one topic: psychology, not being able to let go is the biggest problem of the Three Lions.

Rooney can't stop the ball well, Barry makes too many pass mistakes, Lennon can't get up, Lampard's shots are not accurate, these are not their normal level, even if the England team is not as good as Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Spain Waiting for the team, but it is obviously abnormal to play like this.

Playing football under tension, worry and fear, can this football be played well?

The mentality of English players in big competitions has never been strong, otherwise they would not have repeatedly fallen on the penalty spot in the World Series, but they were so nervous in the group stage. This is also very rare in the previous England team. Where did it go? problem?

Judging from all signs after England arrived in South Africa, the most nervous person in the team is none other than coach Fabio Capello. This is the first time the Italian has led the team to play in the World Cup, and his nerves seem to be extremely tense.

During the period since the opening of the World Cup, Capello has repeatedly shown his violent face, which even makes the players feel strange.

In terms of team management, Capello's strictness also surprised the English people. Not only did he strictly prohibit the wives and their families from approaching the players, but according to media reports, he also issued a ban on players from surfing the Internet. Activities in the hotel are allowed.

In the history of England's previous major competitions, Capello's closeness to the team is the highest this time. During the 1998 World Cup, the then coach Hoddle would organize players to hold barbecue parties from time to time, and Eriksson would also include Some restaurants or bars around the venue are designed for players to relax at night.

But under Capello's management, England players can only be locked in the small bar of the hotel most of the time, or go back to their rooms to play games.

This kind of closeness, vigilance against the media, and tense nerves may only be worse than that of the North Korean team in this World Cup, and Capello's iron-faced role is reminiscent of the legendary "political commissar" of the North Korean team. General leader.

This is the first time Capello has led the England team to play in a tournament system. In the past, the qualifiers were all temporary training camps, and there will be no long-term concentration of the whole team. It seems that the tyrant side of Tie Shuai seems to be against the players this time. Psychology had some negative effects, which, though seemingly insignificant, could have had a decisive effect.

For such a team that has long-term psychological problems, and even has excessively rigid and tense elements in its national character, relaxation may be more effective than pressurization. After Capello made such a toss, the tension has completely permeated the England team.

In the last 10 minutes against Slovenia, there was no way to break the deadlock. The Englishman's nervousness returned to his old ways. Fortunately, at this time, Capello thought of Beckham, and Beckham, like Donovan, was in the game. In the final moments, played England's hero.

On the first touch of the ball after playing, Beckham used a precise long pass at a 45-degree angle to find Gerrard in the penalty area. The latter used his header, which he is not good at, to help the England team Passed through this gate of hell.

But what next?

The leading England team did not relax. The formation contracted excessively. In order to secure the victory, they even did not hesitate to delay time at the corner flag.

Look at the Americans in the same group, why are they excited when they come to a big game, and they are easy to get in shape when they meet a strong team?

A completely different mental state is the key. The American national character is full of optimism, self-confidence and even conceit. Donovan opened his mouth when he talked about the first place in the group. Words like "believe" and "proud". It is simply a fantasy for Americans to play under the drive of fear. This kind of unscrupulous energy is actually what the English lack. If Capello's team wants to go far in the World Cup, first of all To be freed from the burden of thinking, "relaxation" is the most important keyword right now.

Beckham finally stood on the stage from a spectator in the World Cup. He also used a beautiful assist to save the England team.

If Capello's team wants to go further in the World Cup, in addition to learning to relax, it is obvious that the stubborn Italians also need to learn how to respect Beckham.