Chapter 2096 Four years in a blink of an eye
"To be honest, our performance in the first half was so bad that I wondered if I skipped four years and came directly from the last World Cup to this World Cup... Colombia is not weak, but we are not weak either. They shouldn’t be able to fight back at all!”
In the Spanish locker room, captain Juan Ramirez is lecturing the team.
The other Spanish players all lowered their heads, not daring to get into trouble at this time.
But Ramirez didn't want to see them like this, so he yelled: "Look up! Look at me!"
He points to his eyes with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.
Every Spanish player looked up and saw his angry eyes.
"Don't act like you've lost the game! Let's wait until we get home from China and do that! Cheer up now! There are still forty-five minutes left in the game."
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Ramirez held out five fingers on one hand and four fingers on the other hand.
"We were only behind by one goal, and forty-five minutes was enough for us to equalize the score and come back to win!"
Then Ramirez's tone softened slightly: "In the past four years, I have been in pain all the time. I often still dream about our disastrous defeat four years ago. I have trained hard during these four years and maintained good health. We must adjust our daily routine and diet, and try not to let ourselves fall into the whirlpool of injuries... Everything we do is to regain what we have lost in front of the whole world four years later - dignity!"
In the end, he couldn't hold it back and his voice rose again.
With his roar, the Spanish players standing in front of him began to breathe heavier.
Many of them can't forget how they were ridiculed by media and fans around the world after their humiliating group exit four years ago.
The captain's words hit their hearts accurately.
There is no reason, no excuse, and no way out.
This World Cup is their only chance.
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Ramirez made a vicious tackle to dislodge Leandro Zapata's dribble.
Zapata, who was shoveled to the ground, screamed and fell to the ground.
He hopes this voice will attract the attention of the referee.
But the referee's whistle did not sound.
"Ramirez! Nice tackle! Very clean, no foul!"
Ramirez ignored Zapata, who was lying on the ground wailing. He got up and moved the ball forward.
Then he sent a long pass before other Colombian players could get to him!
The football was passed to Mario Salado in front.
There is also advance quantity!
Salado doesn't need to slow down, just hold down the accelerator button and catch up with the football before moving the ball forward!
In this way, he reached the Colombian penalty area.
Facing Colombian captain and center back Riva Moreno, who came up to defend, Salado made a move to cut inside and move laterally.
After deceiving Riva Moreno, he took a step forward and then used the inside of his right foot to slam the football to the left!
At the same time, he twisted around and inserted into the penalty area!
The thirty-seven-year-old Moreno is obviously slow to turn around. If this were the Madrid Pirates, it would not be fatal, because Danny Drew next to him would immediately come up to fill the position.
But now in the Colombian national team, Moreno does not have Drew, the top central defender, beside him!
By the time Moreno turned around, Salado had already caught up with the football and swung his left foot!
A low kick!
The football stuck to the turf, passed the Colombian goalkeeper's feet, and entered the net!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOL! Salado! Salado! Mario Salado!! He equalized the score!" Spanish commentator Sanchez roared in a long voice.
Spain did not perform well in the first half, and when Colombia took the lead, he was under great pressure.
The scene four years ago even lingered in front of his eyes.
It's like reliving an old dream, but it's just a nightmare...
At half-time, his colleagues in the back studio also slammed the national team's performance in the first half, saying that they seemed to have not woken up and did not seem to be in the rhythm of the game.
However, after the start of the second half, Sanchez was inspired by the spirit shown by the Spanish team.
They are completely different teams.
Sure enough, they evened the score in just fourteen minutes of the second half.
"Not counting injury time, there is still half an hour left in the game. We still have time to score one more goal! Win this game and respond to the world with victory!"
Ramirez has been holding his breath for the past four years. As a commentator in Spain, why hasn't Sanchez been holding his breath?
Even in the past four years, Spanish teams have completely monopolized the Champions League championship, with the three giants taking turns taking charge.
But Sanchez still feels that the club is the club and the national team is the national team. The success of the club cannot be equated with the success of the national team. After all, there are many foreign players in the club...
These foreign players can help the club conquer the European arena, but they are unlikely to help the Spanish national team restore its reputation.
The face lost by Spanish football in the World Cup must be recovered by the national team itself in the World Cup.
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"Spain actually succeeded in reversing the situation!"
"What are you talking about? It's normal for them to win against Colombia, right? After all, the strength is there..."
"Did you not watch the game? Spain played very poorly in the first half. I still thought they were going to replicate the tragedy four years ago..."
The England players, who had finished their game before the match between Spain and Colombia, discussed the match in Spain in a relaxed tone.
This is because they easily defeated Jamaica 3-0 in their first group match.
He scored three goals without allowing his opponent to score. This is called a "complete victory".
Whether it was the score or the scene, England's performance was perfect.
The game has only ended for three hours, and the English media and fans have already regarded this team as the favorite to win the championship online.
The English players who performed so well will naturally feel a bit superior when looking at the stumbling performance of their opponents in the same group, Spain.
But not all England players are so optimistic.
"Spain has a tendency to get better as they play. If we take our game against them lightly, we may not be able to keep first place in the group." Jay Adams said to Pete Williams.
Pete Williams nodded and said: "I will talk to Scott and ask him to remind everyone in the team. But if Spain also plays well in the next game, I think everyone's view of them will change."
"That's true..." Jay Adams agreed.
Everyone is not a fool. If Spain performs well in the second game, can the English players still underestimate the opponent?
You must know that the biggest suspense of this group is not who can qualify, but who takes first place in the group.
England must strive for first place in the group because it can avoid Argentina.
After entering the quarter-finals, the first team in Group C will face the second team in Group D.
The situation in Group D is actually very simple, that is, except for Argentina, the other three teams compete for second place in a group.
Argentina is definitely number one, no doubt about it.
The remaining qualifying spot will be between Tunisia, Serbia and Saudi Arabia.
And no matter which of these three teams enters the top 16, for England, it is a "lottery ticket that can scratch out five million."
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"It's been three days since the World Cup started. All the first-round matches of the first three groups have been played. Basically, the stronger teams have won. Especially the seeded teams, they have won all. Next is the highlight of the day that attracts the most attention. Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia! ”
"Before this World Cup, Argentina, led by Melli, attracted much attention as the favorite to win the championship. Although they were eliminated by Manchester United in the Champions League, Melli still led the Madrid Kings to win the league championship, and he was also in excellent form. . In addition to him, Farias's outstanding performance at the end of the season is also a major benefit for Argentina..."
Along with the commentator's introduction, Argentina's players appeared on the TV broadcast.
They walked to the players' corridor one after another, waiting to play.
When Mellie Banega appeared in the tunnel wearing the captain's armband, the close-up camera immediately pushed up and locked him firmly.
Melly, who has grown a beard, looks older than his actual age, which also makes him look mature.
After all, he is no longer the "young eagle" he was back then, he is the captain of this team.
In the close-up shot, Melli high-fives, pats shoulders and touches heads with his teammates who are already waiting in the tunnel one by one, making him look like the boss of this team.
Then the players from Saudi Arabia appeared in the tunnel.
When they passed by Melli, almost everyone would keep their eyes on the Argentine captain for a few seconds.
They looked on timidly, with admiration and anxiety in their eyes.
It wasn't until later that someone had the courage to go up and shake Merry's hand.
And Melli accepted all the greetings from the opponent players.
Seeing this scene, the Argentine commentator was extremely proud: "This is the superstar in today's football, the idol of countless players, the 'Eagle King' Mellie Banega, who can even conquer his opponents!"
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"What the fuck?"
Many Chinese team players were stunned in front of the TV and vomited sweet things.
The commentator on the TV shouted in a complex tone of excitement and shock:
"The game is over! The game is over! The biggest upset since the opening of this World Cup was born! The powerful Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia 1:2! The second victory of an Asian team turned out to be won by Argentina!" ( End of chapter)