Chapter 136 Calm Opening

Before the quarter-finals between Belgium and Brazil, the other three games ended one after another. In the end, Germany, Italy and Portugal laughed to the end, and Argentina, Ukraine and England were out.

The first match of the quarter-finals started at the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Germany drew 1:1 with Argentina in 120 minutes and finally won the penalty shootout 4:2 to advance to the semi-finals with a total score of 5:3.

In the first half, the two teams fought against each other. As a result, at the beginning of the second half, the situation on the court was broken. Riquelme made a corner kick and Ayala scored with a header, ending Germany's record of not 336 minutes without conceded a goal. In the 80th minute, Cross scored his fifth goal in this World Cup.

The game entered a penalty shootout. In the second round, Lehman accurately put Ayala's penalty in front of the goal line, which made the Germans almost see the hope of victory. Previously, in the past penalty kicks of the World Cup, the Germans have made 12 consecutive free throws, which almost means defeat in the face of them. In the fourth round, Cambiaso became the protagonist of sadness. Lehmann calmly rushed to the left and saved the opponent's half-high ball. 4:2, the German won the penalty shootout!

After the game, German coach Klinsmann praised Lyman, the biggest contributor to the promotion, after the game: "I used to play as a striker. When it comes to penalty, I don't want to meet Leman. He has a natural feeling about where the penalty kicks the ball. Today, he showed this again. He saved two. This is us. The key reason for reaching the semi-finals.

The penalty is undefeated, which is the myth of the German team in the World Cup, and generations of German goalkeepers also have a good tradition of outstanding in the penalty game.

In the 1982 World Cup semi-finals, Germany's legendary goalkeeper Schumacher saved two penalty kicks from France and blocked his opponent from the final; in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, Ilgner blocked Pierce's strong shot, and Germany eliminated England; in 1996 European Cup, Kopke saved Southgate's The low shot helped the team reach the final.

This time, Lehmann took over the baton, and Germany had a new penalty goal god.

Lemann has always been very familiar with saving penalty kicks. As early as the 1996/97 UEFA Cup final, Schalke 04 defeated Inter Milan to win the championship. In the penalty shootout, Lehmann, who played for Schalke at that time, saved Zamorano's shot, which can be said to be the first time.

While playing for Arsenal, Leman also had many performances to save penalty kicks. Last season, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, he saved Riquelme's penalty and sent Arsenal to the final. In the 04/05 season, Arsenal defeated Manchester United through penalty shootout in the FA Cup final, relying on Leman. Scors' penalty kick was saved.

Lemann, who became a German hero, also enjoys this atmosphere of celebration: "Look at how Germans celebrate, which is very important to us. I haven't lived in Germany for the past two years. This atmosphere has reinfused me. I love Germany and the way they celebrate."

Before the penalty shootout, a shot was impressive. Kahn, the substitute goalkeeper of the German team, walked to Lehman, who was ready to play, put his arms around the latter's shoulder and whispered something. Perhaps the 2002 main force wanted to give Leman some help, or told his own experience. Then, Kahn stretched out his hand and Leman hit each other, and the two smiled at each other and encouraged each other.

Just a few days ago, there were some comments from the media that Kahn was dissatisfied with being a Leman substitute. Rumors of the two were also reported by the German media, but before the life-and-death battle, Kahn and Lyman abandoned their past grudges, and the two men's hands were tightly clenched.

While the Germans celebrate the victory, Argentina, which is blocked from the top four, can only taste this slightly bitter result. This is the first time that Argentines have lost a penalty at the World Cup.

Argentina appeared in the World Cup penalty final for the third time on June 30. This time, God is German. Argentina's substitute goalkeeper Franco failed to repeat the scene of the "magic goalkeeper" Goyetia and turned from a substitute to a hero. German main goalkeeper Lehmann became the German "magic goalkeeper" with the encouragement of his rival Kahn.

Leman first easily confiscated the penalty shot by Ayala, who had knocked her ten fingers in the 48th minute, and then blocked the unstoppable penalty, making the Argentine finally taste the bitterness of losing the penalty for the first time.

Cambiaso first did not believe that he would kick such a weak and angleless ball. He didn't have much hair left, and there was a smile on his face and a helpless bitter smile. Then, tears of sadness and regret flowed out of his eyes. On June 30, the lucky day of the original Argentine team became their sad day today.

Before that, the title of "King of penalty kicks" in the World Cup was originally enjoyed by Germans and Argentines. The Argentine felt a cruel penalty eight years later than the German, but it was two games in a row.

On June 30, 1990, exactly 16 years ago, Argentina, which relied on Maradona to support the overall situation, dragged the former Yugoslavia to a penalty kick in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Italy. Although Maradona failed to score a penalty, the magical goalkeeper Gojechea saved two, Argentine 3 ：2 I tasted the victory of penalty for the first time.

Three days later, they ushered in a second time. In the semi-final with Italy, they played 1:1 with their opponents in 120 minutes and persisted in a penalty shootout, and Goiecea saved two penalty kicks. They eliminated the host 5:4.

After eight years of the first penalty, on June 30, 1998, the Argentine entered the penalty again. As a result, they defeated the Englishman with 5 of 4 free throws and 3 to advance to the quarter-finals with 6:5.

Another eight years have passed. This time, Argentina's lucky day has become a sad day, and their history of unbeaten penalty kicks in the World Cup was finally ended by the Germans.

After the game, the secret of Lyman's excellent penalty kick became the focus of media attention, and the German media revealed the secret. Before the penalty shootout between Germany and Argentina, German goalkeeper Lehmann had a piece of paper recording which direction each Argentine team member who played the penalty ball might kick the ball.

German team leader Bierhof said after the game: "Lemann has watched all the penalty kicks played by Argentina in the past two years. At that time, he studied it with our goalkeeper coach, because you can't know who will take the penalty before the penalty. Before our knockout match with Sweden and Argentina, we all gave information about Lehman's opponent's possible penalty kicks.

This strategy was conceived by SigenSalle. Born in Switzerland, his mission is to observe the situation of the opponents for the German team, which also helps the German team stay in the World Cup.

In the competition, the German team has never lost in a penalty fight, which is also an effective method they have been using for many years.

After the game, the German media and international media praised the German media and cheered Germany's "fairy tale victory". However, Brazil's coach Pereira, the most powerful competitor of Germany's World Cup, believes that the final score of the game is not a fair result. Argentina should win the game, and their luck is too bad.

In an interview, the Brazilian coach said: "The German team's performance on the field is not worthy of their victory at all. Argentina's performance is far better than them on the field, and Argentina deserves to win the game."

Regarding the dull process of this game, Pereira said: "Two teams have fully expressed their respect for their opponents in the game, so they are too careful to suppress the attack in the game, and the goalkeepers of both teams have nothing to do for a long time."

But Pereira believes that the mutual containment between Argentina and Germany on the field is a major reason why the game entered the penalty shootout: "Germany has reduced the quality of Argentina's passes and shots, while Argentina has successfully curbed the speed of Germany."

As a result, in the 120-minute game, the Argentine team's proud shooting success rate did not continue, and the German team's speed football was also greatly limited.

However, the coach who led the Brazilian team to win the 1994 World Cup still praised the German team's excellent performance at the penalty spot: "They shot a very good penalty, as the fans expected, with tricky and powerful shots. Lyman became the only hero of the whole game, and no other player in this game satisfied me, whether in regular time or overtime.

The Brazilian team led by Pereira will play against Belgium with Degan on the morning of July 2. They want to meet the German team, at least until the final.

The next day, the second game of the quarter-final of the World Cup started at the AOL Stadium in Hamburg. Italy finally defeated Ukraine 3-0 and was shortlisted for the top four for the first time in the last three World Cups. They will compete with Germany for a place in the final. Zambrotta shot short after the opening of the game. In the second half, Tony's head, who had not scored in the previous four games. Lippi's Italian team was unbeaten for 23 consecutive games.

Both sides played very fast in this game and threw themselves into the game with a positive offensive attitude. The scene looked good and scored a lot of goals. Overall, Italy has a technological advantage, and Ukraine's sideline attack also poses a considerable threat to Italy, but the Italians are more successful in seizing the opportunity.

After the beginning, the Italian team grabbed very fiercely in the front court. Camoranesi reached the position of the striker, somewhat like the three strikers, pressing on the opponent's half for continuous robs. After Ukraine got the ball, it also accelerated its attack and the two sides launched an offensive. In this speed, the Italian's ability to seize the opportunity showed its power, and Zambrotta took the lead in breaking through the opponent's goal in the fifth minute.

Eight minutes later, Ukraine seemed to feel that this kind of fast attack might suffer, so it slowed down and used more long passes to hit the front court and organized some counterattacks, while Italy still insisted on grabbing in the front court and making a fast attack after breaking the ball.

Of course, this style of play is very physically exhausting, but the overall physical strength and overall state of Italy are very good. However, after attacking the opponent's penalty area, the effect is not particularly good because the speed is too fast.

In the first half, Camoranesi on the right side of Italy was very active, with more attacks organized by him as the main organization. In addition, his defense on the right side was also very active. Therefore, the overall center of gravity of Italy is on the right.

After the start of the second half, Ukraine overwhelmed the attack and made multiple crosses from the two sides, or the bottom pass, or the diagonal pass, using the height of the front court to compete for the top, posing a considerable threat to the Italian team.

Especially in the first ten minutes, there were many consecutive headers. If it hadn't been for Buffon's brave save and the help of the goal beam, Ukraine might have scored.

At this time, Italy was still grabbing the ball in the front court, did not recover the defense, and still put on the posture of attacking. In the 13th minute of the second half, Tony scored a goal from Italy's left corner.

Strictly speaking, Tony was offside, but the referee did not find it. Since then, the Italian team has gradually controlled the situation, and their interception in the midfield is relatively effective.

Since then, Ukraine's offensive momentum has been affected to a certain extent, but few attacks still pose a threat, especially the cross on the side and the header in the middle.

Italy replaced Barone and Odo in the 23rd minute of the second half, replaced Camoranesi and Pirlo, moved Zambrotta to the left, played left defender, and Odo played right back. Turn the center of gravity to the left, and this substitution should be said to be very effective.

Just 20 seconds later, Zambrotta broke through the cross from the left, and the Italian scored the third goal. It should be said that Lippi's replacement idea is really powerful.

After that, Lippi replaced Zakardo, which strengthened the interception of the midfield and made Ukraine no longer have a good chance. Italy's overall physical performance in this game is very good, but there are still some problems.

The cooperation in the fast attack is not smooth enough and tacit enough. Totti's state is still not very good, at least not reaching his best level, reaching 70% at most, so after Italy attacks the front court, there is always some unsmooth. In addition, on the back line, Italy's ability to defend against highballs is still worrying, and on several occasions, Ukraine's header poses a threat.

At the same time, news came from Italy that the final interrogation of the ugly "telephone door" incident will be announced in a few days, and the deadline is likely to be set on the day the end of the World Cup in Berlin on July 9.

The four clubs involved in the scandal may be punished, and 13 of the 23 Italian internationals currently playing in Germany are from these four teams.

Italian coach Lippi believes that such negative news will not be an obstacle to Italy's campaign, and nothing will be brought to the stage until the end of the World Cup.

Before the start of the World Cup, the incident about the "telephone door" had been hyped up, and many media predicted that it would lead to the premature "a premature death" of the Italian national team in the World Cup.

However, Italy's performance surprised many people. They passed all the way and now they are in the top four. This gives Lippi reason to believe that the Italian army has the ability to resist any interference from the outside world and concentrate on playing every game.

Perhaps it was the pressure brought by the "telephone gate" incident that inspired the potential of Italian players to sink the boat. They showed unprecedented fighting spirit and proved their courage in the World Cup. At least Lippi believes that this sentiment is very obvious in him. The goal of the World Cup is the whole Italian team. In my heart, it is much more than that.

Although there are good wishes, the "telephone door" incident that broke out in Serie A on the eve of the World Cup is unlikely to affect their journey. This incident involved Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio, and these four clubs are also the main sources of Italian international transport.

On July 4, Italy will compete with the host Germany for a ticket to the final. Although Germany occupies the right time, place and people, Lippi does not think this will become a factor for Italy's submission. Lippi showed strong confidence in overcoming the host barrier: "We have everything behind us. With the support of the people of the country, this will be a tough game, but it will also be a ** four-shot game. The German team can take advantage of the home court, but Italy has stronger strength than them to cause trouble for them.

At the same time, German team leader Bierhov said that Italy, the opponent in the semi-finals, would be afraid of the host team. Bierhoff firmly believes that their next opponent has begun to worry about the future game.

Bierhoff pointed out at a press conference: "It's wonderful to win five games in a row, but winning the championship is the top priority. German fans and people all over the world have seen that Germany has reached its best. Italy is a tough opponent, but they will be afraid of this German team.

The latest confrontation between the two teams was a friendly match held in March this year. Italy defeated Germany 4:1 at home, causing Klinsmann's coaching to be seriously questioned.

However, this time the German team has a home advantage. Bierhof revealed that Klinsmann and he will show what they have learned in the 4:1 defeat.

The third match of the quarter-final of the World Cup began at Gelsenkirchengen and went to Schalke Stadium. Portugal drew 0-0 with England in 120 minutes and finally won 3:1 in the penalty shootout. Following the 2004 European Cup, the Portuguese scored England again, and Scolari completed three consecutive games. England's "hat trick" was eliminated in the competition.

In the penalty shootout, Portuguese goalkeeper Ricado saved three penalty kicks from Lampard, Gerard and Carragher. England has lost five penalty shooters in the last six competitions and has not been in the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 1990.

In the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Cup, Eriksson was defeated by Brazil and Portugal coached by Scolari, both of whom were eliminated with the first goal.

The game was tense and fierce, and the two sides were on a balanced basis, but soon after entering the second half, the red card presented by the referee completely changed the trend of the game.

In the sixty-second minute, English striker Rooney fell into the encirclement of the opposing players in the midfield. Portugal's petite collided with Carvalho and Rooney. In the crushing, Carvalho fell to the ground first, and Rooney also lost his balance in staggering. His left foot stretched back and stepped on the back-down Cava The latter immediately rolled on the ground and looked very painful.

At this time, several Portuguese players rushed to the scene of the incident and questioned Rooney. Several English players also gathered around. At this time, Argentine referee Elisson also called Rooney out of the crowd and showed him a red card directly. Seeing this penalty, the English players and the coach on the sidelines were surprised. They did not I thought that the referee would directly send Rooney off.

What happened when he fell to the ground?

From the slow-motion replay, Rooney lost his balance under the squeezing of several Portuguese players and looked a little angry. After Carvalho fell to the ground, his foot stepped back and just stepped on the part between Carvalho's legs. However, at that time, Rooney was facing Carvalho's direction and was going backwards, which was difficult. To judge whether he deliberately stepped on this foot, it is more likely that Rooney subconsciously stretched his foot back in anger, just a counterattack against his opponent's entanglement. Unexpectedly, he stepped on Carvalho's key point impartially.

This red card sentencing reminds people of Beckham being sent off at the 1998 World Cup. At that time, after being hit in the back by Argentine player Simone, Beckham, who fell to the ground, swung his right leg and touched Simone's calf. The latter staggered to the ground, and the referee Nelson immediately showed a red card to Beckham. This time, Argentine president Elissund also did not show mercy to Rooney.

There was another controversial penalty in the second half, when Beckham's cross hit the open right hand of Portuguese defender Valent in the penalty area. The English player signaled a penalty, but Elisson did not give a penalty.

The England team led by Erikson finally failed to realize their desire to advance. The England team with a luxurious lineup failed to break through the fate of the penalty nightmare. After the European Cup, they fell at the feet of Portugal again in the penalty final.

The latter held his head high and entered the semi-finals and will compete with the winners of Brazil and Belgium for the finals, while the Swedes and his disciples had to fight back home.

After the three quarter-finals, some people were happy and some were worried. At this time, people's eyes were focused on the last quarter-final match between Brazil and Belgium.

Some media directly used such a title to mark the game: the Brazilians will decide the final victory or defeat!

On one side is the five-star Brazil led by Pereira, and on the other side is Belgium led by Degan, a Brazilian.