novelweb Chapter 498: Can you become invincible by stepping on the body of the defending champion?
Chapter 498: Can you become invincible by stepping on the body of the defending champion?
South Africa is hot.
The World Cup is cold.
Slovakia defeated Italy 3:2.
The defending champion will be eliminated in disgrace.
2 draws and 1 loss, a win is hard to come by.
Although Italy, which has always been known for its defense, scored in three games, conceding 3 goals in 5 games revealed a significant decline in defensive strength.
The Dutch media is confused.
Shen Hao was also surprised.
They thought their opponent in the round of 16 would be Paraguay or Italy.
Now it’s Slovakia!
But no matter how you look at it, this is much better than they expected before coming to the World Cup.
On the rest day, Shen Hao, his relatives and friends took a group of children for a walk in Cape Town's seaside scenic spots. There are spectacular mountains and magnificent seas. The scenery is beautiful and refreshing.
There are always fans who come up to ask for photos and autographs despite the obstruction after discovering Shen Hao.
Shen Hao's travel plan came to an end, and he finally took his family to enjoy the sunbathing in Africa in the outdoor swimming pool on the roof of the hotel.
After a day of relaxing with family and friends, Shen Hao regrouped his team with full fighting spirit.
All Dutch players returned to the team on time and looked like they were fully charged.
Sharing the pride of competing in the World Cup with their families and receiving their blessings is particularly important for players to inspire their inner motivation.
On this day the Dutch team returned to Durban and checked into their previous hotel again.
The Group G match also ended as scheduled.
Portugal advanced together after a draw with Brazil.
North Korea was defeated by Côte d'Ivoire with 3 goals. Mexico scored only 1 goal in all three games and went home sadly.
Cote d'Ivoire also regretfully bid farewell to the World Cup.
The final match of Group H did not let the upsets continue to grab the headlines.
Spain defeated Chile in a life-and-death battle and advanced to the top spot in the group.
Chile advanced to the round of 16 as second place in the group due to a draw between Switzerland and Honduras.
All top 16 are announced.
The early elimination of France and Italy, the two favorite teams to win the championship, seemed to announce the changing times.
The champions and runners-up of the last World Cup were eliminated in disgrace.
This also means that the chances of other favorite teams to win the championship will be greatly improved!
According to the division situation after promotion.
The winner between the Netherlands and Slovakia will compete with the winner between Brazil and Chile in the quarterfinals.
But before advancing to the quarterfinals.
Of course Shen Hao will not pay too much attention to Brazil.
With the past experience of strong teams overturning, no one can guarantee whether Brazil can pass Chile's level.
The same goes for the Dutch team. How can we underestimate Slovakia, which can defeat Italy?
6 month 26 day.
The top 16 knockout rounds have officially begun.
Uruguay's clash with South Korea kicked off the knockout rounds.
Uruguay played solidly and it was not unexpected to win the South Korean team 2:1.
Be the first to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Then the United States and Ghana met on a narrow road.
Ghana has the last laugh and will compete with Uruguay for the semi-finals.
Immediately afterwards, the war between England and Germany became a focus game that attracted global attention.
The Three Lions suffered a goal-line tragedy, and Lampard's goal was misjudged by the referee.
In the end, England was defeated by Germany 1:4.
Fleet Street exploded!
Crazy criticism of FIFA’s refereeing standards.
But the German media felt that even if there was no misjudgment, England would definitely lose.
The gap between the two teams is huge and not something that one goal can reverse.
The game between Argentina and Mexico, led by soccer king Maradona, had no ups and downs.
Argentina, which defeated Mexico 3:1, was considered by the media to be in a position to win the championship.
Perhaps what the outside world expects more is that Maradona can copy Beckenbauer's legendary trajectory.
Lift the Hercules Cup both as a player and as a coach!
Germany and Argentina will have a fierce battle in the quarterfinals.
It's the turn of the Netherlands and Slovakia to fight each other.
Shen Hao expressed respect for Slovakia before the game.
A team that can knock Italy out of the competition certainly deserves respect.
Slovakia head coach Vladimir Weiss made some unexpected remarks before the game.
"Being able to enter the top 16, we can completely let go of the pressure and go all out to chase our dreams. The Dutch team is very strong, but we have defeated the Italian team, so we will not be afraid of the Dutch team.
I think the Dutch team has not experienced enough offensive pressure before. The teams that lost to the Dutch team were intimidated by the Dutch team. We will show the courage to pursue our dreams in the game. "
Reporters on the scene:? ? ?
It sounds like it makes some sense.
Whether it's Denmark, Japan, or Cameroon.
In fact, they didn’t fight against the Dutch team in the game!
The Dutch team has kept clean sheets in three games, and now I hear Weiss say this.
It's not like the Dutch defense is so good, but the opponent simply didn't produce strong enough output.
But some reporters looked on with cold eyes and sneered in their hearts.
Although Vladimir Weiss comes from a football family in the former Yugoslavia, he was obviously carried away by the joy of eliminating Italy.
If you think Italy's defense is on the same level as the Netherlands' defense.
Slovakia was able to penetrate Italy's goal three times, so it was natural to assume that it could also defeat the steel defense of the Netherlands.
This is obviously very one-sided from an analytical perspective.
Let's put it this way, is Italy's offense comparable to that of the Netherlands?
If Robben and Sneijder are replaced in Italy's formation, it will be strange if Slovakia is not beaten by Italy!
Italy's talent decline is an all-round downgrade!
The strength of the front, middle and rear three lines has declined.
It can even be said that during the European Cup, Italy can no longer be viewed with the strength of the World Cup champion.
Two years later, in the World Cup in South Africa, Italy's elimination, even though there were unexpected factors, was definitely inseparable from the substantial decline in its own strength.
Shen Hao was very concerned about Weiss' pre-match remarks.
He couldn't tell whether the other party was throwing smoke bombs or whether he said such words sincerely.
You won't know for sure until the game.
No matter what, he felt calm and calm.
You won't be offended, let alone irritated.
Game day arrives.
Durban International Stadium.
The Dutch team has fought in this stadium, so it has a slight advantage over Slovakia in terms of venue adaptation, which can be ignored.
Dutch fans turned the stands into a sea of orange, and they did not take Slovakia seriously.
For some reason, at the knockout stage, they had blind trust and dependence on Shen Hao emotionally and psychologically.
It seems that at this moment, they will use Shen Hao's coaching achievements in the Premier League and European wars in the past five years as a source of confidence.
Almost no one has said that Shen Hao is a cup master.
Because most coaches who are generally called cup masters cannot win the league championship, but can win honors in the cup.
Shen Hao is not partial to science and is an all-rounder.
He has the endurance to take the lead in long-distance running and the explosive power to decide life and death.
Slovak fans relieved their psychological burden and fully enjoyed the atmosphere of the World Cup and cheered for their team.
When Shen Hao came to the court, the cheers of the Dutch fans were particularly shocking.
Maybe if a famous coach were to coach the Dutch team, it would be trivial to reach the top 16.
But the strong and steady performance of the Dutch team was even more impressive.
It can still make fans intuitively feel the difference in Shen Hao's coaching attainments.
After Vladimir Weiss entered the court, he looked at Shen Hao from afar and nodded to each other.
Vladimir Weiss did not come here to chase stars. After defeating Italy, he seemed to have unrealistic ideas.
Dreams are always far away and beyond the reach of one's current abilities.
What can be easily touched is not called a dream.
Now Weiss feels that maybe Slovakia can go further in the World Cup, unprecedentedly far in the history of Slovak football, enough for future generations to look up to with respect.
The starting players of both teams entered the field, and the ceremony before kick-off was carried out in an orderly manner.
The national anthem played loudly, and Shen Hao looked at Slovakia's starting lineup indifferently.
"Hello, viewers, welcome to watch the match between the Netherlands and Slovakia in the 1/8 finals of the World Cup in South Africa.
Half of the top eight spots have been selected.
Ghana, Argentina, Germany, Uruguay.
The remaining four places will be announced within the next three days.
Let us first pay attention to who can advance to the quarterfinals between the Netherlands and Slovakia today! "
"The Netherlands' stability in the group stage is impressive, and the Chinese coach has continued his steady style of leading Leeds United to the Dutch national team.
However, the Slovak national team coach Weiss had a different view. He said before the game that Slovakia has the courage to defeat the Netherlands!
Maybe this game will be more exciting and beautiful than we expected.
After all, Slovakia defeated the defending champion Italy head-on. With this battle alone, Slovakia has become famous in this World Cup. "
“Look at the starting lineups of both teams.
The Dutch team started with 442.
Goalkeeper: Stekelenberg.
Defenders: Van der Wiel, Matthijssen, Heitinga, Van Bronckhorst.
Midfielder: De Jong, Inglal, Sneijder, Van Bommel.
Forwards: Robben, Kuyt.
Slovakia also started with 442.
Goalkeeper: Mucha.
Defenders: Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Zabavnik.
Midfielder: Weiss, Hamsik, Kuka, Storch.
Forwards: Vitek, Jendrysek.
What can I say about Slovakia's starting lineup? It's full of offensive cards.
It is worth mentioning that Vladimir Weiss's son, Weiss Jr., is also the starting player for Slovakia's right midfielder today. They are really brothers fighting against tigers, and father and son are on the battlefield! "
The pre-match kick-off ceremony ends.
Weiss' eyes were sharp.
He will use Slovakia's most passionate offensive to tear apart the Dutch team's defense.
Because the Dutch team's defense, in the final analysis, is not world-class except for Van Bronckhorst!
And Van Bronckhorst is both a full-back and an old man.
Counting the midfielder, Van Bommel is the most capable player.
Like the opponents the Dutch team encountered in the group stage, hum.
Weiss thought they were scared out of their wits by the Dutch team and the tyrant in white!
If you don't even dare to attack wildly, you certainly don't deserve to stay in the World Cup.
Weiss was ambitious.
Shen Hao was thoughtful.
What he is now certain of is that Weiss's pregame rhetoric was no smoke bomb.
Slovakia's 442 is most likely a large diamond midfield position.
Hamsik is the attacking midfielder.
Weis and Storch are full midfielders, and furthermore, they are wingers.
The offense is really loaded.
It depends on what the posture will be like.
But looking back, they actually have a single midfielder.
And he is still 23 years old. It can be said that Kukah is unknown on the star-studded stage of the World Cup.
What did Old Weiss think?
Do you really feel that after defeating Italy, you should be invincible by stepping on the corpse of the defending champion and entering the knockout rounds?
Let's see what they are capable of.
With the referee's whistle, the 1/8 finals begin!
Both teams remained cautious for the first five minutes of the game, racing against time to get into their groove, and then Slovakia decisively began to attack the Dutch defense.
Both Weiss and Storch have a certain speed impact, which will give people a stunning visual sense.
However, under the attack from the left and right, they all failed.
Van Bommel teamed up with Van Bronckhorst to deal with Weiss. It was like playing. Whether the former directly pressed or interfered to create a better interception opportunity for Van Bronckhorst, Weiss could not even enter the 25-yard area in front of the goal. go.
Storch was directly suppressed after he made a mistake in controlling the ball after being fiercely challenged by De Jong after the opening game.
I have to say that De Jong's defensive aura is a bit ferocious.
When the Dutch team's quick counterattack advanced quickly into the frontcourt in the usual way.
Slovakia's defense is a little nervous.
Because the advancement speed is too fast!
Sneijder organized the offensive without pressure, and Robben's speed impact after starting was visibly higher than Weiss and Storch by more than one gear.
Especially when running in a relatively open space, he can always receive Sneijder's pass in an ideal position.
The Slovak defense line could only shrink its defense line quickly.
After being spiked by Robben, Kuka turned around and directly pulled him to the ground.
Too scary!
If Weiss believes that the opponents the Dutch team encountered in the group stage were timid before fighting, let’s not care whether this judgment is correct or not.
What is certain is that the opponents Slovakia encountered in the group stage definitely did not have the rapid advancement speed and offensive efficiency of the Dutch team!
And an opponent as powerful as Robben in individual combat capabilities.
The referee blew the whistle and Kuka turned yellow.
It only started for 11 minutes.
Single defensive midfielder, yellow card added.
If this were the famous coach opponents that Shen Hao has encountered in the past few years, he would definitely realize that this is a very dangerous signal.
If we don't make adjustments and strengthen our defense, let alone whether there will be major problems, can we feel at peace?
But Old Weiss was indifferent.
Probably because he decided before the game to use a wave of offensive to destroy the Dutch team's defense, he would not change his mind temporarily now.
Slovakia's attack tried to create changes in the frontcourt.
The impact of the two wing midfielders has been frustrated, so it is a normal idea for the forwards to withdraw to support and add the attacking midfielder to form a partial group cooperation.
But when Whittaker dropped back to receive the ball, Storch's pass from the wing just reached his feet.
Inglal pressed immediately, forcing him to change direction with the ball.
He resisted Inglal's pressing, but as soon as he changed direction, Van Bommel intercepted the ball successfully.
The Dutch team's three midfielders, De Jong and Van Bommel will not help defend the wings together, because it is impossible for the opponent to attack both sides at the same time.
For example, Storch attacks from the left, De Jong helps defend the wing, and there are actually two midfielders in the middle.
In the same way, if Weiss is attacking from the right, the Dutch team will defend in the middle with two midfielders.
The defensive system's zone defense rhythm synchronization has been perfected.
In the 17th minute of the game, Hamsik succeeded in connecting from the back. He stopped and passed Inglar, who was intercepting the front, but fell into siege after the breakthrough.
De Jong's fierce pressing directly blocked the opponent's position. After stealing the ball, he directly passed the ball to Van Bommel, who passed the ball diagonally to the wing.
Weis Jr. went inside with his front foot to press, and Van Bronckhorst received the ball from the wing with his back foot.
After the vision was widened and the situation became clear, Van Bronckhorst sent a diagonal pass to the ground and sent the ball to Sneijder's running route.
Sneijder made consecutive stops in the middle of the frontcourt and headed directly towards the Slovak penalty area.
Kuka retreated all the way, obviously worried because of the yellow card on his body.
However, the main attacking Slovakia's formation does not shrink near the penalty area.
Otherwise the team is disconnected from front to back.
When Kuka retired and had to face Sneijder, he was completely passive.
Sneijder took the initiative to change the direction of the ball and easily passed him.
Robben cut inwards towards the right rib of the penalty area, causing the Slovak defense to tighten there.
In the process, fleeting opportunities arise.
Sneijder keenly grasped the opportunity and sent a diagonal kick to the ground.
The football rolled diagonally from the top of the penalty area into the left rib area of the penalty area.
Kuyt moved forward to prevent offside.
Skrtel turned around and couldn't catch up, so Durica gave up on Robben and retreated towards the middle.
Kuyt passed the ball diagonally to the right rib of the small penalty area when the goalkeeper moved in front of him.
Everyone's eyes turned, and what they saw was Robben outflanking the goal and easily hitting the empty goal with his left foot!
The Slovak generals were like a bolt from the blue, and the fans were stunned!
I was shocked that the Dutch team's quick counterattack was so explosive!