章 163: Chapter 163: I'll Kick You, You Bastard!
Chapter 163: I'll Kick You, You Bastard!
"The second half begins, let's see what adjustments Scolari's Brazil team makes!"
Andy Gray watched as players from both teams exited the tunnel and spoke.
"The main problem for Brazil in the first half was in the attack. During the group stage and the round of 16, their offensive power was unquestionably strong, but in the final, it seemed to disappear."
Martin Tyler accurately pointed out the problems with the Brazilian team.
"Furthermore, their defense doesn't seem as solid as thought. Thiago Silva's individual skill is strong, but his coordination with national teammates doesn't seem as fluid. In the first half, Brazil's defenders have been caught several times chasing the ball, leaving players who should be marking free."
"Yes, all these problems are objective. Scolari, as a champion coach, cannot fail to notice them, so let's wait and see what adjustments he makes."
Brazilian fans in the Maracanã stadium were also eager to see a different performance from the Brazilian team in the second half.
Especially Pelé, the king of football, who was in a box.
When Brazil opened the scoring in the first half, Pelé, anxious not to be considered a jinx, posted a picture of Brazil 1-0 Spain on social media to show he wasn't a party pooper.
But before he could enjoy it for long, Spain equalized with a brilliant play.
Well, it was just a draw, and with the mood of the young Brazilians today, taking the lead again was only a matter of time.
However, instead of a goal from Brazil, another goal from Spain came.
When Pelé saw Lin Quan break free from the crowd and score Spain's second goal, he himself, the football king, stood still for almost half a minute.
When he saw that Spain had really turned the game around with a score of 2-1, Pelé began to break out in a cold sweat.
It's over!
Now I really look like a party pooper!
He had recently been enjoying himself on social media, basking in the praise of fans, but at this moment, his phone seemed to weigh tons, shaking so much he could barely hold it.
Online, angry Brazilian fans didn't insult the king of their country, but vented their anger on the Brazilian defenders.
Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo!
Brazil's luxurious defensive line, of which they were proud before the match, had become as fragile as paper in this match, crumbling at the slightest contact.
Thinking of their arrogance before the match, saying "who can exploit this defensive line," Brazilian fans felt a burning sensation on their faces.
Of course, admitting their own mistakes was impossible, so they could only vent their anger on these players.
Win and they'll praise you, lose and they'll insult you.
This kind of adoration and condemnation is common in fan groups of all countries.
However, there's a national team that always loses, and their opinion field has almost become a dumpster, where everyone insults them.
...
Del Bosque sat on the bench, quietly drinking water.
As he drank water, he watched the game on the field.
He could be sure that Scolari, during halftime, would have developed specific tactics to face Spain.
But Del Bosque wouldn't easily change his team's tactics.
He wouldn't adjust the team until after 65 minutes; for now, Spain would continue playing as they did in the first half.
In football, there's a saying: a winning team doesn't need to change anything.
If the team can win, it means the formation is effective, and these players have chemistry on the field.
Rushed adjustments can end up going wrong.
Even if there are adjustments, they should wait to see what the opponent does.
Compared to Del Bosque's apparent calm, Scolari's mood on the other side was much more nervous.
Although Brazil had won the Confederations Cup twice before, for them, the value of this championship seemed not so important.
But this game had a special meaning. It was the Confederations Cup held in their own country, and they were facing the number one team in the world.
For Brazil, aiming to win, this game was like a dress rehearsal for next year's World Cup final.
If they lost this game, the blow to the morale and confidence of the Brazilian team would be enormous.
The last time Scolari led Brazil to win the World Cup was partly due to the team's strong ability.
With a plethora of stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, plus rivals like Rivellino and Roberto Carlos, Brazil was almost the strongest team in history.
And besides, during the World Cup in Japan and Korea, there were many biased referees, and due to the referees and the poor performance of opponents, Brazil's major contenders, France and Italy, were eliminated early.
The final was between Brazil, who clearly wasn't as strong as them, and Germany.
But in next year's World Cup, unless Brazil bribes the referees before the final to get rid of Spain.
Otherwise, they'll directly face the challenge of the defending champion.
These Bulls aren't the old and weak German team from back then. It'll be extremely difficult for Brazil to defeat them.
It was thought that Spain's aging lineup couldn't withstand the impact of the youth in their own team, but who would have thought that Spain's tactical core was so young.
Using the "aging" tactic to face someone under eighteen? Isn't that ridiculous?
In the end, Scolari could only sigh in his heart:
How is it possible that Spain, just when they seemed to be declining, suddenly such incredible talent appears!
With Lin Quan present, Spain's peak will probably continue for at least another five years.
Until key players like Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets, and many others retire and there aren't enough talented players in Spain to replace them, only then can the fall of the Spanish dynasty be declared.
But for now, it's too soon!
Scolari's adjustments had some effect.
After his halftime adjustment, Brazil's defense became much more solid.
Brazilian players knew that Spain was skillful in passing, so they no longer chased the ball.
Instead, they closely followed their marking targets to not give them easy chances to take the ball.
This way, they could limit Spain's passes and, consequently, their attack.
In addition to adjusting the defense, Scolari also made changes in the attack.
He had the wing players alternate between crosses from the end line and shots on goal from inside.
And he asked the players to cooperate as much as possible in the attack to avoid falling into the same situation of individual play in the first half.
Neymar, Hulk, Oscar, and others faithfully followed his tactics, exchanging positions among themselves and trying to break down Spain's defense with passes and combinations.
However, because these three players don't play for the same club, the national team training time was also short, so their understanding wasn't enough.
In the attack, Brazilian players weren't synchronized, resulting in several errors.
But these situations were gradually improving.
The three are very talented players, especially Neymar.
Not only can he dribble and shoot, but he also has good passes, allowing him to open up space for his teammates after dribbling.
Once he began to change his playing style and was more willing to cooperate with his teammates, Brazil's offensive threat clearly increased.
Spanish players realized this, so they intensified their defense against Neymar.
But Neymar wasn't easy to mark!
He's very agile, and his dribbling, feinting, and shooting skills are excellent.
Although he doesn't have Lin Quan's touch frequency, his technical ability along with his feints give him great success in dribbling one-on-one.
Most importantly, Neymar, like many South American players, has great creativity. His football is full of imagination!
However, Neymar has a flaw, he's a bit sticky with the ball.
By holding onto the ball, he gives his opponents the chance to commit fouls.
Spanish players might not be sure they could take the ball away from Neymar, but they could certainly knock him down or sweep him.
Therefore, after the second half started, there were several occasions when Neymar was brought down by Spanish players and then pretended to be hit or rolled on the ground.
Brazilian fans, seeing Neymar constantly attacked by rival players, protested with boos and complaints against Spain's rough play.
However, on the other side, Lin Quan was also fouled by Brazilian players while carrying the ball.
Both sides knew who represented the greatest threat, so naturally they targeted Lin Quan and Neymar respectively.
But unlike Neymar, Lin Quan didn't exaggerate when he was fouled.
Even if he was brought down, he quickly got up and kept fighting, without a single complaint.
In contrast, Neymar reacted a bit exaggeratedly after being fouled.
Comparing them, neutral fans naturally sided with Lin Quan and no longer sympathized with Neymar.
"Wow, now we have a second Cristiano Ronaldo who dives!"
"Neymar should go to Hollywood, he's wasting his talent in football!"
"No wonder Barcelona picked him, look at how he acts on the field, impressive!"
"The King Lin is an honest man. If he were brought down and writhed on the ground like Neymar, Brazilian defenders would probably have to receive more yellow cards".
For neutral fans, they watch the game to appreciate the exciting football.
So they don't like Neymar, who interrupts the game's rhythm every time he's warming up, which interferes with the game's continuity and greatly affects their enjoyment.
Although he was subject to several fouls, Neymar's threat didn't diminish at all.
In the 58th minute of the match, Neymar was carrying the ball on the sideline, and immediately two Spanish players surrounded him.
Neymar's physical confrontation ability wasn't strong, at least not stronger than Martínez, who was 1.92 meters tall.
When several Spanish players harassed him, Brazilian fans in the stadium sweated cold for him, thinking they were going to bring him down again.
Neymar isn't like Lin Quan, he can't cleanly pass through defenders using pace changes.
But he can often find incredible ways to deal with the situation.
Seeing Martínez approaching, Neymar gently kicked the ball to the left.
After observing the opponent's center of gravity move, Neymar suddenly used his foot to bring the ball back.
This move was very unexpected and also very dangerous.
When Neymar stepped on the ball, his other foot was just in the air, meaning his center of gravity was at that moment on the foot stepping on the ball.
But stepping on the ball to change the center of gravity can make one fall if the ball unexpectedly rolls.
However, Neymar's excellent balance prevented him from falling, and he successfully completed the move.
This move completely caught Martínez by surprise, and because the field seemed a bit slippery, Martínez stumbled and lost his defensive position.
Only Montoya was left near Neymar!
The Arsenal defender was surprised, completely focusing on the ball under Neymar's feet while watching the opponent's center of gravity changes, ready to intercept at any moment.
But the ball seemed to come alive under Neymar's feet, pushing the ball towards Montoya to lure him into making a tackle, then quickly pulled back and took the ball back, as he retreated, he kicked the ball towards his left foot and shifted his body to the left.
Montoya tried to follow, but this was just a feint.
Neymar went left and tricked his opponent to go left, but he himself cut inside to the right.
At this moment, Martínez had already gotten up and was preparing to intercept.
Neymar lifted the ball, passing it to a teammate in the center, while he slid past Martínez like an eel.
After Fred received the ball, he passed it directly to Neymar, who was preparing to shoot, but was brought down by Ramos in the area.
"You're a crafty one! You deserve it!"
After bringing him down, Ramos shot Neymar a look, not even bothering to help him up.
The stadium erupted in protests.
Brazilian fans, after a moment of bewilderment, began to boo and protest to the referee, demanding a penalty.
The referee quickly showed a yellow card to Ramos and awarded a penalty to Brazil.
Although Ramos touched the ball, he first brought down the player, which led to bringing down the ball.
Seeing Ramos' attitude towards Neymar after bringing him down, many people suspect he was targeting the player rather than the ball.
"I'm sorry, Igor, I've caused you trouble!"
After bringing down Neymar, Ramos calmed down and realized he had made a mistake.
If this shot hadn't been a foul, maybe Casillas would have blocked it.
"It's okay, my position was wrong at that moment. If he had shot directly, I'm not sure I could have blocked it."
Casillas patted Ramos on the shoulder without blaming him.
Not even he, seeing how Neymar was mocking his teammates in that way, wanted to kick Neymar.
Neymar's style of play is exciting to watch, but that's from the perspective of the team's fans and neutrals.
From the opponent's point of view, watching Neymar play this way really feels humiliating, and they can't help but want to commit fouls.
"You play so cool, but you're so sticky, so flashy, and you're the core of the team's attack. Who wouldn't foul you?"
However, the cost of committing a foul is high.
In the Brazil team, Neymar chose to take the penalty.
Casillas stared at Neymar without looking at his movements.
Neymar seemed a bit nervous being watched by Casillas and didn't dare to look him in the eye.
He lowered his head and glanced at the right side of the goal, preparing to shoot in that direction.
This movement was noticed by Casillas, who immediately moved to the right to block it.
With a strong punch, Casillas deflected the ball with one hand.
The Spanish defenders managed to clear the ball from the area ahead of anyone else!
Casillas got up from the ground and roared authoritatively.
You want to break San Casillas's goal, but you're still a bit young.
Brazilian fans began to celebrate when the referee awarded the penalty, but when they saw Casillas stop Neymar's shot.
The Maracaná, with its 80,000 spectators, fell silent.
(End of this chapter)
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