Chapter 154: Neymar's Diving Criticized, Lin Praised!
The first semifinal match featured the host Brazil against Uruguay.
This match was a South American derby, with a lot of grudges between the two teams, so even before the game started, the atmosphere outside the stadium was tense.
As the most famous player on the Brazilian team, Neymar's personal skills were unquestionable and had already gained widespread recognition from fans during the group stage.
However, Neymar's character was being questioned by the fans.
He had just joined Barcelona and seemed to have fully learned the acting skills of the La Masia Film Academy.
His clumsy and exaggerated diving performances on the field made many fans feel embarrassed for him.
The key issue was that Neymar himself didn't seem to mind, often using this tactic on the field. Sometimes he even managed to deceive the referee, winning free kicks or even getting the opponent yellow-carded.
This wasn't just embarrassing; it was shameless!
Fans of the teams that played against Brazil detested Neymar's diving and criticized his character online, calling him a shameless person.
Before the match even started, Uruguay's captain Lugano publicly criticized Neymar for often relying on diving to deceive the referees.
"I don't understand why a talented young player like him doesn't use his skills to win the game fairly but instead turns football into a performance with such clumsy methods."
Lugano's statement, reported by journalists, caused an immediate uproar.
Brazilian fans were naturally outraged and attacked Lugano online.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) also quickly protested, issuing a public statement before the game:
"Neymar is an important part of our team. The threat he poses to opponents is obvious. Against such a difficult-to-defend genius player, opponents will use more aggressive actions or even fouls to stop his attacks.
Neymar's actions are not performances but a form of self-protection.
The Uruguayan's accusations are absurd. They are worried about the threat Neymar poses on the field and are trying to influence the referees with such remarks.
They want to leave a bad impression on the referees to affect their decisions, giving themselves an advantage.
We strongly oppose and protest against this!"
The CBF's response made some sense.
It's possible that the opponent wanted to use foul tactics to stop Neymar, but the Uruguayans' counterattack was also sharp:
"Ha, poor character is poor character, what does it have to do with skill and talent?
The equally talented and outstanding Lin.
Why doesn't he dive and simulate fouls?
We lost to Spain, but we didn't attack their character because we lost fair and square!"
This response was a direct blow, leaving the CBF momentarily speechless.
In terms of creating threats, Lin was no less than Neymar, perhaps even better.
But none of Spain's opponents ever accused Lin of diving, simulating, or feigning injury.
Comparing the two, Lin immediately overshadowed Neymar!
Lin once again became an innocent victim of the controversy!
It was originally a dispute between Uruguay and Brazil, but Lin got dragged into it.
However, the result seemed pretty good?
Before, there was no such direct comparison, so people didn't think much of it.
But with Neymar as a negative example, Lin's image suddenly became much more admirable.
"I never realized, Lin has such great sportsmanship!"
"So talented, so handsome, and with such good sportsmanship, I love it!"
"I didn't care much about Lin before, but now, seeing his sportsmanship, I have to become a fan!"
"Hey, fake fan! True fans call him Lin bro, not Lin king!"
...
Facing the pre-match criticism, Neymar had to publicly respond:
"Everyone has the freedom of speech. These accusations of me diving won't hurt me.
I don't care about enemies' verbal attacks. I only think about how to help my teammates and my team and bring joy to all Brazilian fans and supporters of the national team."
This response was quite skillful, but actions speak louder than words.
Neymar had to prove himself on the field!
And Neymar did not disappoint, delivering a world-class diving performance right from the start.
In the 3rd minute of the game, Neymar broke through on the wing and encountered Uruguay's captain, Lugano.
Neymar first used the step-over move, trying to get past the opponent.
But Lugano, experienced, didn't fall for it and watched Neymar with a look of amusement.
Seeing this move didn't work, Neymar accelerated, trying to overtake.
But Lugano wasn't so easy to fool.
He immediately positioned himself to block, moving his feet to try to take the ball from Neymar.
In the tussle, both had some pushing and shoving, with their hands making small moves.
When Gargano raised his right hand, Neymar's performance began:
Neymar suddenly paused, leaned back, covered his face with his hands, showing a pained expression.
Then he threw himself backward dramatically, falling heavily to the ground like a gymnast, extremely exaggerated.
Neymar's 'gymnastics' move triggered strong dissatisfaction from the Uruguayan players, who surrounded him to condemn his actions.
Lugano, standing nearby, spread his hands to show his innocence while silently mocking the fallen Neymar:
See, I told you he'd dive!
The referee, with a stern face, ignored Neymar's act, signaled him to get up, and awarded the ball to Uruguay.
Nearby Uruguayan players immediately applauded the referee's clear-sightedness, while Brazilian players looked embarrassed.
Only Neymar continued to argue with the referee, insisting he was fouled.
But in the referee's mind, Neymar was already blacklisted, so he ignored his protests.
Seeing his protests were useless, Neymar gave up.
In the 13th minute, Uruguay launched an attack, and Lugano, carrying the ball into the penalty area, was preparing to shoot when he was tripped by David Luiz.
The referee decisively awarded a penalty, putting the host on the edge of a cliff.
The Brazilian fans at the scene couldn't help but worry:
Could the tragedy from fifty years ago repeat?
Will they be eliminated by their old enemy Uruguay at home?
In a critical moment, former Inter Milan goalkeeper Cesar performed heroically, saving Diego Forlan's shot and saving his team!
Both sides then fought fiercely in the midfield, but mistakes were frequent, and neither could control the game, making it a tense battle!
Seeing the team unable to take the lead, the Brazilian fans at the scene couldn't help but get anxious.
They loudly called out the players' names, hoping they would step up and help the team win.
Among these, Neymar's name was called the most.
Encouraged by this, the Brazilian team's morale was boosted.
In the 41st minute, Brazil intercepted the ball in midfield, and Paulinho lobbed a pass into the penalty area.
After receiving the ball, Neymar faked out the defender. He didn't pass to a teammate but chose to go solo.
Uruguay's goalkeeper was focused and saved Neymar's outside foot shot.
But the ball fell inside the penalty area, where Fred picked it up and volleyed it from 5 yards out, changing the score to 1:0.
Seeing the team take the lead, the home Brazilian fans sang and danced, with smiles all over their faces.
They seemed to see their team advancing to the finals!
But at the start of the second half, the situation changed dramatically. Just two minutes in, Uruguay equalized, taking advantage of a Brazilian defensive mistake.
The culprit for this goal was Real Madrid's left-back Marcelo!
After receiving the ball, he hesitated with his pass, allowing Cavani to intercept.
Brazil's other defenders failed to cover in time, giving Cavani a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
As the current record transfer, Cavani naturally didn't miss such an opportunity.
With the score tied, the game became even more intense.
Both teams attacked aggressively, but neither could score.
As the game reached the 85th minute, the score was still 1:1.
This score left the Spanish players watching unsure of who would advance to the final.
"Brazil is harder to play against. We've played Uruguay twice and know them better. If Uruguay makes the final, it'll be more favorable for us!"
"Not necessarily. Uruguay has clearly improved. Their defense is much stronger. Meeting them again might not be as easy!"
"Why worry? Whoever makes the final, we have enough confidence to beat them and win the Confederations Cup!"
An overly confident Ramos didn't seem to take either opponent seriously.
In his view, Spain's current lineup was stronger than when they won the World Cup three years ago. With such strength, who should they fear?
...
As the game seemed headed for extra time, Neymar, who had a lackluster performance, finally stepped up.
In the 86th minute, Brazil won a corner.
Neymar stood in the corner area, observed the positions of his teammates and opponents, and sent the ball to the far post.
There, Brazilian midfielder Paulinho outmuscled the defender, leaped high, and headed the ball into the goal, changing the score to 2:1!
Scoring at this moment was almost a game-winner!
With less than four minutes left in regular time, and with stoppage time, it was less than eight minutes.
If they could hold this lead and prevent the opponent from scoring, they would advance to the final!
While Brazilian fans and players celebrated the goal, the stadium's big screen replayed the earlier altercation between Neymar and Uruguayan player Gonzalez in the corner area.
They seemed to have a verbal dispute, and as Gonzalez walked away, Neymar made a gesture similar to blowing a kiss.
Undoubtedly, Neymar's 'flying kiss' and the quarrel with Gonzalez would be a focus of post-match media attention.
Ultimately, thanks to goals from Paulinho and Fred, Brazil beat Uruguay 2:1, advancing to the final.
Despite many controversies in the Brazil-Uruguay match and the post-match spat between fans due to Neymar's actions, the focus quickly shifted to the other semifinal.
Perhaps because of Neymar's over-the-top antics or because he failed to continue his goal-scoring streak in the last game, the debate over who was better, Lin or Neymar, seemed to have a clear answer before Spain's match against Italy.
Lin was currently two goals ahead of Neymar on the scorer list.
If he scored in this match, he would surpass Neymar in consecutive goal-scoring games and not give his rival a chance to catch up.
Moreover, if Lin scored in this match, he would have at least a three-goal lead over Neymar heading into the final.
A hat-trick or four-goal game in the final is highly unlikely, especially against a top team like Spain.
So if Lin could score against Italy, he would almost certainly secure the Golden Boot for the Confederations Cup.
Considering Lin had already scored five goals, he was just two shy of the Confederations Cup record.
If he scored three more in the next two games, he would break Romario's record of seven goals set in 1997.
Of course, breaking this record is tough.
Spain's next opponents are strong, and scoring three goals against Italy and Brazil is no easy task.
Under immense anticipation, a day later, the semifinal between Spain and Italy began.
However, it was different from what fans imagined.
After the match started, Italy performed exceptionally well.
Their chain defense seemed revitalized, repeatedly stopping Spain's attacks outside the penalty area.
At halftime, the score was still 0:0.
Spain couldn't find a way to score and returned to the locker room frustrated with a draw.
This result shocked all the fans!
Not long ago, Brazil scored four goals in one match against Italy, and a weak Japan scored three.
Why was it that the world champions struggled against Italy?
Could it be that the world champions weren't as strong as they thought?
In the locker room, Bosque seriously told his players:
"We underestimated our opponent!"
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