Bab 302: Chapter 302: Countdown to the Championship, Quarterfinals Kick Off!
Chapter 302: Countdown to the Championship, Quarterfinals Kick Off!
In this World Cup, aside from the four Asian teams, the gap between the other teams seems to have narrowed considerably. Out of the eight knockout matches, five went to extra time, including two that went to penalty shootouts. Apart from Spain, the other favorites for the title—Brazil, the Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, and Belgium—were all dragged into extra time. The Netherlands even got knocked out, not to mention exacting revenge on Spain or making it to the quarterfinals. This made the teams that advanced to the quarterfinals very cautious, no longer underestimating any opponent.
Before the quarterfinals, the Spanish coaching staff specifically studied the player characteristics and tactics of Costa Rica and gathered the players to discuss how to limit the opponent's attacks and break through their defense. As they got closer to the trophy, the players also became more spirited, eliminating all distractions and focusing solely on the World Cup matches. For many players, this might be their only chance to win a championship. Missing such an opportunity would mean living with regret for the rest of their lives.
"Costa Rica's defense is very solid. They mainly play a defensive counterattack strategy, which is quite cautious. However, the speed of their transition from defense to attack is very fast. Therefore, when defending, we must closely mark their midfield core, Bryan Ruiz, limit his passing, and effectively reduce or even curb their quick counterattacks."
"Besides Ruiz, their goalkeeper Navas is also quite capable. From the group stage to the knockout stage, his performance has been very stable. He's a goalkeeper with a very fast reaction, sharp anticipation, and good at coming off his line. When facing him, shots must be decisive, as any hesitation is likely to be blocked."
Overall, there aren't many stars worth noting in the Costa Rican lineup. Compared to Spain's star-studded all-star lineup, theirs is more down-to-earth. Among Costa Rica's 11 starters, only three come from the top five European leagues: forward number 9 Campbell, midfielder number 10 Ruiz, and goalkeeper number 1 Navas. Among them, Campbell is technically an Arsenal player but has been out on loan and hasn't been able to make his mark there. Ruiz plays for Fulham but also isn't a regular, so he's been loaned out to PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league. Navas is the only one who has managed to establish himself in a top league, and he does it well.
In the 2013-2014 season, Navas, with an 80.1% high save success rate, topped famous stars like Casillas and Courtois, and was elected the best goalkeeper in La Liga. His performance in both the group and knockout stages of this World Cup has proven that he truly deserved that award.
On paper, the gap between the two teams is quite apparent. The combined value of the Spanish team is about twenty times that of Costa Rica. However, the World Cup is not about the value of the players but about who scores more and who concedes less.
...
July 5th, the quarterfinals officially began.
The first match was between Germany and France, a European showdown. The two teams have faced each other 25 times in history, with France leading with 11 wins, 6 draws, and 8 losses. However, in their most recent encounter a year ago, France lost 1-2 to Germany on home soil.
In terms of honors, the French team has won the World Cup once, but Germany has already claimed three trophies. France also has one runner-up finish and two third-place finishes, and one fourth place, while Germany has four runner-ups, four third places, and one fourth place.
Germany's record in the World Cup has always been outstanding. Since 1954, they have never missed any edition of the World Cup and have always reached at least the quarterfinals. This stability is why they are always favorites to win the World Cup.
Of course, after 2014, that changed...
Before the match, the general consensus still favored Germany.
Under Deschamps, the French team's performance has indeed improved to some extent. However, there is still a long way to go for a complete revival. Meanwhile, Löw's German team might be the strongest German side of the past decade.
So, facing them, France was more likely to lose than win.
Both teams took the match very seriously.
They both used a 4-3-3 formation. For Germany, veteran Klose was the lone striker, while Lahm returned to his right-back position. For France, Benzema was up front, with Griezmann starting instead of Giroud.
The game started actively for both sides.
In the 3rd minute, Kroos tried a long shot from outside the box with his right foot, but it was blocked by a French defender. In the 7th minute, Valbuena turned near the left baseline and lofted a pass. Benzema shot directly with his right foot in the box, but it went slightly wide of the left post. This was France's best opportunity since the start, but Benzema's shot lacked precision, missing a golden chance to change the score.
After missing this shot, Benzema was very dissatisfied with his performance, constantly muttering to himself, though it was unclear what he was saying.
In the 12th minute, Germany got a free kick opportunity. Kroos delivered the ball into the box from the left, and Hummels pushed past Varane, who was marking him, to head the ball into the goal.
Germany got off to a dream start! Seeing Hummels' goal, Löw excitedly clapped so hard that he didn't even notice his palms turning red.
Before this match, he had studied France's weaknesses and found that they seemed not good at defending set pieces. France's last four goals conceded were all from set pieces.
Thus, the German team practiced set-piece tactics before the match, and it paid off—scoring just 12 minutes after kick-off!
After taking the lead, France tried to equalize but was embarrassed by Germany's counterattacks.
In the 24th and 33rd minutes, Klose and Müller fell in the French box, but the referee did not award a penalty. This caused dissatisfaction among German fans, as the fouls on both players were committed by the same person—France's left-back Digne!
Had the referee awarded a penalty for either foul, Germany might have secured the victory earlier.
In the 34th minute, France also had a chance to equalize. Griezmann beat the offside trap and after reaching the edge of the box, passed to Valbuena. Facing Valbuena's close-range shot, Neuer reacted quickly, blocking the ball with one hand. Benzema rushed to shoot the rebound, but Hummels blocked it with his knee.
After missing this chance, Germany did not give France any more opportunities, maintaining a 1-0 lead until the halftime whistle.
In the second half, Germany's defense became more solid. It was difficult for France to break through Germany's lines, but Germany frequently launched threatening attacks.
Unfortunately, Müller, Schurrle, and others missed excellent opportunities to extend the lead.
In the final minute of stoppage time, Giroud held off defenders in the box to pass to Benzema, whose shot was blocked by Neuer's single-handed save, leaving France powerless to turn the game around.
Benzema's poor performance in this game, missing several opportunities, led to some extreme French fans attacking him after the match.
Accustomed to being blamed, Benzema did not respond to the criticism but silently endured it all.
Not only Benzema, but French coach Deschamps also faced criticism from the outside world, accused of being conservative in tactics and improper in personnel use, leading to France's failure.
In fact, compared to the South Africa World Cup, France's performance in this World Cup was not bad.
But the fatal blow was that they lost to Germany. Because of historical grievances, French fans found it hard to accept their team losing to Germany, so they vented their emotions by attacking others everywhere.
It is unclear what impact this loss will have on France's team rebuilding.
As for Germany, after winning this match, they achieved the feat of advancing to the semi-finals for four consecutive World Cups.
This is also the first time in World Cup history that a team has achieved this feat.
The first team to advance to the semi-finals, Germany, can now calmly wait for their opponent in the semi-finals.
After the match between Germany and France, the next match in the upper half was Brazil vs Colombia, a South American derby!
Amid the cheers of the home fans, Brazil was in fiery form.
Just 7 minutes into the game, utilizing a corner kick opportunity, Brazil took the lead.
Neymar's kick was high quality, and no players managed to reach it at the front post. The ball fell to the unmarked Thiago Silva at the back post, who used his body to block the ball into the goal.
Thiago Silva's goal made the 60,000 Brazilian fans at the Castelao Stadium erupt!
This was the fastest goal scored by the Brazilian team in this World Cup. Taking the lead early, the Brazilian fans who watched the last match anxiously could finally relax.
However, they couldn't be careless, as the opponent's lineup included the powerful star James Rodriguez, who could equalize the score at any moment!
If they could score another goal, it would be even safer!
It seems the prayers of the Brazilian fans had an effect. In the 67th minute of the second half, David Luiz took advantage of a free kick opportunity to score directly, helping Brazil extend the lead to 2-0.
This goal almost guaranteed Brazil a spot in the semi-finals!
So, after David Luiz scored, the Brazilian fans at the venue erupted, Brazilian fans online erupted, and all Brazilian fans erupted!
They saw the hope of winning the championship at home. After advancing to the semi-finals, their opponent would be the newly advanced Germany.
Given Germany's performance in two knockout matches, wouldn't Brazil just slaughter them?
However, Brazil's joy soon turned to sorrow, as their captain Thiago Silva received a yellow card during the defense, leading to a suspension due to accumulating yellow cards, and he would miss the next match against Germany.
In the final stages of the match, James Rodriguez, who had scored in four consecutive matches, delivered a brilliant pass, giving Bacca a one-on-one opportunity, but he was tripped by the rushing Brazilian goalkeeper Cesar.
The referee decisively awarded a penalty and gave Cesar a yellow card.
In the 76th minute, such a penalty kick, which had seemingly secured the match, suddenly made the game uncertain again.
James Rodriguez took the penalty, coolly using a stutter step to deceive the goalkeeper and scored the penalty.
This was James Rodriguez's sixth goal in this World Cup, making him the only player to score in five consecutive matches in this tournament.
After scoring the penalty, James Rodriguez didn't waste time celebrating but quickly ran to retrieve the ball from the net and ran to the center circle.
From his actions, it was clear that Colombia had not given up; they wanted to overturn Brazil and create a miracle!
In the final stages of the match, Colombia's attacks were very aggressive.
To delay the opponent's attacks, Scolari chose to use tactical substitutions to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
Brazil continuously made substitutions, with Paulinho and Hulk successively being substituted out, both of whom deliberately exited slowly to give their teammates more breathing time.
The Colombian players were very dissatisfied, and their actions became increasingly rough.
In the 85th minute, Colombian defender Zuniga kneed Neymar in the back, causing Neymar to fall to the ground in pain.
This foul was very severe; if Zuniga's knee had been a few centimeters higher, Neymar might have had to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
After the collision, Neymar couldn't continue and was carried off the field on a stretcher.
And Zuniga, who committed such a serious foul, only received a verbal warning, not even a yellow card.
This caused serious dissatisfaction among the Brazilian fans at the venue, and boos of protest echoed throughout the stadium.
After the match, Neymar was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra and would be absent for at least 2-3 weeks.
This meant that Neymar would also miss the next match.
Although Brazil ultimately won 2-1 against Colombia and advanced to the semi-finals, the absence of two key players cast a shadow over their World Cup journey.
After the matches in the upper half were over, the next day, the matches in the lower half kicked off.
The first match was Argentina vs Belgium.
This match saw Argentina off to a dream start. Just 8 minutes into the game, Higuain, who hadn't scored in the previous five matches, finally broke the deadlock.
Belgium was unlucky, as Di Maria's pass, intended for the overlapping full-back, was inadvertently blocked by a Belgian defender, ending up at Higuain's feet by mistake.
Higuain reacted quickly, taking a direct shot. The shot was so sudden that Courtois couldn't react in time and could only watch the ball go into the net.
This was the only goal of the match. De Bruyne, Hazard, and Lukaku tried many times over the next 80 minutes but couldn't change the score.
In the end, Belgium sadly fell to Argentina, unable to advance to the semi-finals and meet Spain.
After losing to Argentina, De Bruyne sent a message to Lin Quan:
Take down Argentina!
Lin Quan, about to enter the match, smiled when he saw the message.
"Don't worry, I'll avenge you!"
Receiving Lin Quan's reply, De Bruyne frowned.
This way of speaking felt odd; it made it sound like they had died!
Well, no need to dwell on that, just cheer him on!
On the evening of July 6th at 17:00, the last quarterfinal match of the World Cup, Spain vs Costa Rica, officially kicked off.
The previous chapter contained a low-level error; Germany and Brazil's encounter is in the semi-finals, not the quarter-finals.
(End of this chapter)
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