Chapter 155 Keep moving

When everyone thought that Portugal would end the Belgian dark horse journey, the Belgians laughed again to the end. Although the Portuguese team used various means to try to turn over, the opponents who weighed them were too heavy.

For the first time in history to reach the final of the World Cup, the Belgians were also congratulated by FIFA President Blatter after the game: you deserve it.

On the Belgian team's promotion road, the bodies of three technical streams representing the team were left. France was the first to fall. This time, it was only regarded as a miracle of human landing on Mars, and Brazil fell immediately, which caused the world to exclaim. When Portugal had no choice but to retreat, it seemed to have become a law that is no longer surprising. , the strong Belgium has simply become the nemesis of the technology flow.

Scolari must have had a certain feeling of suffocation on the sidelines, which Domenek and Pereira also had, adjusting the midfield and changing to the striker, but nothing helped.

In 90 minutes of the game, except for Proto's release and giving Figo a chance, Portugal had no chance to score a goal. They got nearly 60% possession, but they were unable to break through the Lige fortress arranged by the Belgian in front of the penalty area.

Commenting on the game, Reuters said that Portugal got the ball possession rate, but it was the Belgians who really controlled the game.

"Told fighting spirit, tireless running, the Belgians seem to control the overall situation most of the time, and Figo's header is the only shock they have experienced."

A similar situation also appeared in the competition with France and Brazil. The opponent has the advantage of ball control, but is unable to break the Belgian team's defensive system. Degan's game not only showed his power on the offensive end, but also made outstanding contributions in defense, Degan's command, and a large range. The running plays a maximum role in this system.

In the end, the two positioning balls brought victory to the Belgians, and the opponent was simply "suffocated".

"Most importantly, our defense is so good," Antiennis pointed out the key to victory after the game. "After Degan scored a goal in the first half, we were defending like eleven Lions."

Excellent defensive system, which is the cornerstone of Rehagel's creation of the myth of the European Cup in 2004, and now Belgium seems to be taking this path again.

Solid as a rock and with strict barriers, this is the most frightening place for the Belgian team. After three consecutive games, Antienis proudly declared that his opponent had no chance, and he did not exaggeration.

The current Belgian team is like an "upgraded" Greek team, and what's more terrible is that they also have a super killer Degan who can give their opponents a fatal blow at any time.

After the European Cup final two years ago, Scolari sincerely lamented that the Greek team's way of fighting posed a problem to the world: "Greek posed a challenge to Europe's offensive play. They have a perfect defensive system. The way they play is to wait for their opponents' mistakes. I don't think it's Football is a kind of regression, but if other teams want to win, they must first find a way to defeat this system.

In the past two years, after changing an opponent, Scolari obviously still couldn't find a way, so he left regret again. Now, this problem is left to Lippi.

Belgian coach Antienes is looking forward to the great finals. He believes that Belgium and Italy have left unforgettable memories of this World Cup.

"There are two great achievements in this World Cup. One is that we defeated Brazil. The reason why we are great is that no one can do it. Another great moment is that Italy defeated Germany, because they did it in an extraordinary way, and I want to take off my hat to them.

Belg beat Brazil and Italy beat Germany, which may be the two most classic matches of this World Cup so far. Degan's hat-trick, the fall of the popular Brazilian, the tenacity of the Italians, the host's award, and the magical overtime for 2 minutes, which are all factors that add the classic index.

Now, Antiennis can consider the finals, and he wants to strive to bring decades of glory to Belgium.

"Now we still have the last game to play. Our goal is to win the final. I used to say that our goal is to go to Berlin on July 9, but now I can tell you that we still want to go there to celebrate the victory."

Belgium and Italy, two teams that attach great importance to defense, also have excellent forwards. Whose life will be harder in the finals? Can the indestructible Degan break Italy's reinforced concrete defense line?

Looking at the semi-finals that just ended, for the World Cup to reach the semi-finals, it is said that teams should no longer have obvious weaknesses. However, Portugal is different. Compared with several other teams, or their own powerful midfielders, the thin front line makes them have to accept the fate of reaching the finals.

Before the start of the semi-finals, the former Portuguese star Eusebio said of the team: "The current Portuguese morale is high and is likely to continue to move forward. If there is nothing to say, it is that the striker's grasp ability is a little worse, which requires us not to give the other party any chance.

Since Scolari coached Portugal, the core of 4231 tactics is not attack, but rather defense. When the main defender Andrade was injured and missed the World Cup, Scolari was furious, blamed his carelessness, and called other players one by one to avoid injury.

Fortunately, he discovered Mera's height and has a good sense of position, but a slightly defective defender. In the six games that have been played before this game, Portugal has lost only three goals, and has not conceded more than two goals in a single game.

Compared with a solid defense, Portugal is less commendable in terms of attack, especially the ability of forward players to seize opportunities.

After scoring six goals in six games, only Pauletta and Simang were on the front line, of which the latter still scored a penalty, and the other four goals were scored by midfield players.

No wonder some people have such an idea. What would it be like if Degan and Pauletta were replaced?

Pauletta was the best scorer in Ligue 1 last season. Logically, it should not be "poor" to this point. This is related to Portugal's overall style of play. Scolari advocates single strikers and emphasizes the pressure and level of midfielders. This determines that Pauletta can only be a point of frontline transition, or a striker who can only be useful when counterattacking, rather than the kind of killer who can score with the ball on his back in a position. In fact, in Saint-Germain, Pauletta is only the second striker, which is related to his physical and technical conditions.

As for Simang, he is not a striker striker. Most of the people's impression is that he is like a "powerful shot from 30 to 50 meters to kill the Czech Republic and Liverpool, but how many times can such a difficult shot appear in a game?

Postega and Gomez are all available talents, but in Scolari's view, they still do not have the quality of a single front line, so they can only act as "strange soldiers" in the second half of the game at most. Since they are "strange soldiers", the probability of winning the goal can be imagined.

Portuguese players are talented and have good skills. In addition, the team led by the tactical and psychological master Scolari finally made them advance to the top four of this competition.

However, it is also a tactic designed by Scolari, which uses a Pauletta as a "wooden stake". In addition, there are no heavyweight players on the front line, so it is not surprising that he was eliminated by Belgium.

At the end of the 90-minute game, the Portuguese got the only opportunity, which is Figo's header. Degan's Belgian team will go to Berlin to compete for the World Cup with Italy, while Figo, the last representative of the golden generation, can only go to Stuttgart to compete with Germany for third place.

After Rui Costa had withdrawn from the national team, Figo chose to insist. Although many people thought that he was old and should give his position to younger players, Figo's performance perfectly countered all doubts.

Before the semi-finals, Portuguese right-back Miguel once said: "If I were to say who is the best player in the World Cup, I would say Carvalho and Mera. If I were asked who was the biggest surprise of the World Cup, this person must be Figo. He is 33 years old. Look at his running and his passing. This is Figo!"

Migel was right. For this semi-final, Figo recovered for three days, and the team doctor did not confirm that he could participate until the day before the game.

In the 30 minutes before the game, Portugal's attack has always been dominant. In the 16th minute, Figo's own long shot outside the penalty area was saved by Proto. Compani, who was chasing him, hit him, and Figo was forced to be carried down by the stretcher. Fortunately, it was not a big problem, and he returned to the field.

Followed by Carvalho's foul on Degan on the penalty area. Degan's free kick broke the ten-finger level of Rikkaddo. Figo began to be a little anxious. In the second half, he made a mistake in passing back at the beginning of the game, which almost made Degan expand the score.

The veteran deserves to be a veteran. He can adjust his own mentality on the court. He passed the ball well on the left side. After Pauletta turned around and got rid of Van den Bole, he almost hit the shot.

The best and last chance appeared in the 77th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick bounced high in Proto's chest, and Figo headed the ball in front of the goal. Unfortunately, the ball was higher than the crossbar.

With the whistle of the referee, Portugal's dream of reaching the finals in 1966 failed. Figo was blocked from the finals. In 1991, Portugal, led by Figo and Rui Costa, won the World Youth Championship. That time, the Portuguese team was called the "Golden Generation" and in the following ten years. Meanwhile, the Portuguese team crossed Europe, and Figo became the representative of Portuguese football. In his 16-year national team career, Figo has only participated in two World Cups, which is indeed a little cruel for a generation of masters, and the German World Cup will also be Figo's farewell performance on the world stage, which also marks that the golden generation that once crossed Europe is about to bid farewell to the historical stage.

Four years ago, at the Suwon World Cup Stadium in South Korea, 30-year-old Figo set foot on the World Cup for the first time, which was also the first World Cup debut of Portugal's golden generation. But fate is always playing tricks on the golden generation. Portugal lost to the United States 2:3, making a big surprise, while Figo, the core of the team, only handed over pale data: 0 goals, 0 shots, 62 passes, 1 interception, 0 fouls, 5 violated.

In the Jeonju competition in South Korea, Figo showed its core value in the match with Poland. His assists allowed Pauletta to complete a hat-trick in the heavy rain, but when Figo and Pauletta celebrated, they may not have thought that they would say goodbye to the World Cup between Korea and Japan in four days.

In Incheon Monhe Stadium, Figo needs to lead Portugal to defeat South Korea to ensure promotion, but the referee's two red cards made Figo gradually move away from the top 16. With Figo's free kick in the 74th minute, Portugal has become farther and farther away from 16th. As a result, Park Ji-sung's left foot volley made Figo's World Cup The dream ended early.

On June 12, 2006, 34-year-old Figo walked into the World Cup again at the Rhine Energy Stadium in Cologne, Germany. The former golden generation was left only Figo in Germany. In the first game against Angola, Figo passed 75 times, threatened passes 7 times, and sent an assist. Figo, who was in his late career, interpreted the core concept in his own way.

On June 17, 2006, at the Frankfurt Commercial Bank Stadium, Figo sent another assist to Deko. Portugal, which won two consecutive victories, advanced ahead of schedule, completed the tasks they had not completed for 40 years, and also ended the 15-year unfinished wish of the "golden generation".

On June 21, 2006, Germany went to Schalke Stadium. Figo's corner kick made a penalty. Portugal advanced to the top 16 with a complete victory, while 34-year-old Figo fulfilled his wish for 12 years, and the World Cup knockout match came to Figo.

On June 26, 2006, Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0 and advanced to the top 8 at the Frankish Stadium in Nuremberg, Germany. In the game, Figo hit Van Bommel on the head, but FIFA did not impose additional penalties on Figo, and Figo was able to continue to fight.

On July 1, 2006, Germany proudly went to Schalke Stadium and relied on goalkeeper Riccido's magical performance in the penalty fight. Portugal advanced to the top four. In the game, Figo repeatedly hit the English defense on the sidelines, which also made him booed by the English fans on the spot every time he took the ball.

On July 6, 2006, at the Allianz Stadium in Munich, Germany, there was a confrontation between a generation of midfielder master Figo and the frontline wizard Digan. Portugal finally hated it, and Portugal's closest score in the game was Figo's header against more than half of the empty goal, but Figo, the world's top technology under his feet, made it rare. The opportunity was missed, and the last warrior of the golden generation fell out of the finals.

For 34-year-old Figo, there is only one last game left in his World Cup, and it is a pity for such a great player not to participate in the final. For Figo, the biggest regret in his career is that the championship is disproportionate to his skills, which may be a shortcoming of Figo's football career. Beautiful.

Portugal lost, but reaching the top four of the World Cup is enough to make the Portuguese leave proudly like the Germans. The only regret is that after this game, Portuguese football is finally time to say goodbye to the "golden generation".

As the organizer of the Portuguese team, Figo's performance is very active, and his running and passing people are completely impossible to see that he is 33 years old. But in fact, Figo was exhausted, and the team doctor did not confirm that he could participate in the competition until the day before the game.

The Portuguese media sent all the praises to the mainstay of the "golden generation". Figo has been a European footballer and a world footballer, but he has never been able to taste the taste of a world championship. He finally fell in front of the tenacious Belgians and leaves without regret.

Scolari likes to play single arrows, and Pauletta is in charge of this task. This performance of the same "golden generation" is disappointing.

Yesterday, Pauletta's only shot in the side net left an impression, and most of the rest of the time was mediocre. As the best scorer in Ligue 1 last season, Pauletta is suitable for battle and counterattack, which is incompatible with Portugal's overall combat thinking.

Obviously, this game is not a match that Pauletta is satisfied with. As the striker of the "golden generation", it is undoubtedly a pity to say goodbye to the World Cup with just one goal.

After the World Cup, Portugal will say goodbye to the "golden generation" and what color will the Portuguese team be after "gold"?

There is no doubt that this World Cup is a peak of Portuguese football. After the retirement of the "golden generation", Portugal may never reach this height for a long time.

The real drawback of the Portuguese team is still in the front line. Pauletta has not done much in the first place. After his retirement, he exposed the paleness of the Portuguese team's attack power, while Gomez and Simão are difficult to take up their major responsibilities. What the Portuguese team needs now is not necessarily a "Figo II" but a true front-line killer.

The number of shots is 12 to 5, the corner is 8 to 3, and the possession time is 59% to 41%. While Portugal has an overall advantage in the scene, it has never been able to score. The key lies in the weakness of their front line.

Portugal, which adopts the single center tactic, encounters Belgium, which is heavily defended in the middle. The difficulty of breaking the goal can be imagined. When the opponent controls the situation slightly and makes an effective counterattack, the Portuguese's failure is inevitable.

There is no strong center to pull the cover in front. In the face of Belgium's intensive defense, Deko and Manicce could not penetrate from the middle of the midfield and could only divide the ball to both sides again and again.

Although the breakthroughs that Figo, Ronaldinho and Siman later played on the sidelines were effective, but countless passes could not find a target. The lonely team's center was submerged in the strict defense of the Belgians, and Pauletta had only one shot in the whole game.

What's more, because the Portuguese center, whether Pauletta or Postega, is famous and small, can't win sympathy when they fall in the opponent's penalty area.

The referee waved his hand and the game continued. On the contrary, when Degan staggered on the opponent's penalty area, the referee held the whistle tightly and was ready to help.

At the last moment, the Portuguese accelerated and strengthened the oppression, but the effect was very small. Looking at his disciples creating thrilling scenes again and falling on the road of attack again and again, Scolari, who had rich command experience, did not chatter and jump as usual. He was calm and even a little stunned. Stand down to reality.

It is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice. The team's lack of killer reserves makes it impossible for him to make a trump bet at the last moment like Lippi. This time, "Big Phil" lost convincingly.

Figo's World Cup dream is over, but Portugal will continue. After Figo is about to leave, it is time for Portugal to find a new leader for itself.

Deco, who is also from Brazil and has a bitter face, is obviously a good candidate.

In this semi-final with Belgium, Scolari regarded Deco as the key to whether he could advance. Before the match, he told Deco before the match, "We will enter the semi-finals, but after this, I need a stronger you."

Figo also has the same argument as "Big Phil". He also said, "Without Deco, our attack can only get half the result with twice the effort."

As for Deco himself, his desire to fight is also very strong. "I can't imagine the feeling of not participating in the game. I only played two games in the World Cup. This time, I won't miss the opportunity again."

In the game, he was against Goor, the old captain of the Belgian team. In the first half of the competition, Deko still created a lot of opportunities under the control of Goor. Only four minutes into the opening, he shot low with his right foot in front of the door. Proto appeared with a butter hand, and Pauletta was held by Compani before making up the shot.

Under the dispatch of him and Figo, Portugal's offensive was once more efficient and threatening than that of Belgium. In the 36th minute, he made his own long-range shot. Unfortunately, the ball was too weak and was won again by Proto.

In the second half, the Belgian team deliberately recovered the defense. Perhaps Degan warned his teammates before the game that "Deco is the player we must focus on" played a role. As long as Deco takes the ball, there will always be two Belgian players close to the defense.

The number of his passes decreased significantly, 15 fewer in the last 45 minutes than in the first half. Portugal is not Barcelona. Barcelona can have Harvey to control the ball, and even Emilson and Van Bomel can organize attacks, but Portugal has only one Deco.

Figo and Deco passed 12 times each other in the game. After Figo got the ball, 6 passes were formed and 2 long-range shots were made.

The two haven't called much in the 2004 European Cup, and now they have become an indispensable and important combination in Portugal's offensive system. However, the ending can no longer be changed, and Deco and his Portugal can only compete for third place.

In addition to Deco, who else can carry the flag of the Portuguese team? People will definitely think of the same answer: Cristiano. Ronaldo!

The appearance of Golden Mavero makes people see a glimmer of hope. Although this calculating teenager was booed by fans as soon as he took the ball because he made too many fake falls in yesterday's game, to be honest, his technology, speed and breakthrough ability can be among the world's first-class.

However, it is obvious that Kim Retrius does not have this ability and how to become a leader. He has done a lot in this regard. And compared with Degan, Kim Mauro's perception is obviously much worse.

In today's game, whenever Ronaldo took the ball, some fans at the Munich Allianz Stadium booed, which was even stronger after Kimuro fell several times in the penalty area and asked for a penalty.

In this regard, Xiao Luo said that he didn't care about it after the game: "I don't care. It doesn't make me worry at all. I will only continue to do my work and work hard to help the team."

After Portugal reached the semi-finals, some people accused them of advancing by fake falls and some unethical behaviors, and Kim Maero was one of the main targets of criticism. Although his plate breakthrough can cheer the audience, his tendency to fall to the ground after slight contact also makes some people feel disdainful.

In the first half, Figo's cross from the right, Kimuro's body flew out and fell to the ground, which caused the Portuguese bench to demand a penalty**. In the second half, the same thing happened again, but this time the intention was too obvious, and Scolari could not protest against the referee.

Despite this, Ronaldo still thought that today's referee was unfair after the game: "I don't think the referee is fair. There are many fouls in the game that deserve a yellow card, but he didn't give it. However, I don't want to get involved in too much debate.

When Digan endured the injury on his leg and insisted on fighting, tying Fang Dan's single World Cup goal record with two goals, leading the weak Belgium to the final, while Golden Retriever would only follow the referee. No wonder someone will say after the game: The debate about who is the new generation of football king, now There can be a conclusion for the time being. Degan is much stronger than Cristiano Ronaldo!

Belgians have won, and now no one will talk about miracles, although they have continuously eliminated France, Brazil and Portugal without being favored, and for the first time in history to compete for the championship. But looking at the painful expression when Degan was carried off the field, this unexpected victory seems to be reasonable.

Can the seemingly "weak" Belgians hold the Hercules Cup in their arms again?

Judging from the current situation, the outlook does not seem to be optimistic.

Belgium has met three strong rivals along the way, France, Brazil and Portugal. Judging from the performance of the game, the Belgian's defense won the victory over France, and the team's state reached its peak in the first game against Brazil. Although they won the semi-finals against Portugal, they did not have the momentum of giving up their own in the quarter-finals. In other words, the Belgians' state is declining.

In the final, when encountering Italy, which has been stable in the World Cup, Belgians need more powerful spiritual strength to return their state to the peak. According to common sense, this state will rebound in a short period of time, and it is difficult to return to the peak.

And due to the schedule, Belgium has one less day off than Italy before the final. For the weak substitutes, it is likely to kill the Belgians who have been relying on 11 main forces since the start of the World Cup.

Continuous combat has long brought the Belgian's physical fitness to the freezing point. In the face of Italy, which also pays attention to defense and overall combat, the Belgians are obviously at a disadvantage in terms of physical fitness.

Of course, nothing is absolute. After eliminating the three favorites to win the championship, it will be known whether Belgium will eventually break out or hate Germany.

Zidane, Henry, Vieira, Carlos, Ronaldo, Figo, one emperor superstar after another has become the sacrifice of Degan. Perhaps Figo is lucky. As the last representative of Portugal's "Golden Generation", Figo led the team all the way to the semi-finals, but unfortunately he failed to go further.

In 2006, Germany witnessed Figo's second World Cup trip. I believe this is also the last time he participated in the World Cup at the age of 34. Four years ago, in the World Cup between South Korea and Japan, Figo made his first appearance on the stage of the World Cup. At that time, all he left the Portuguese was the dark experience of not qualifying in the group stage.

Compared with four years ago, although Figo's good friend Rui Costa is less, he is more mature and old, and the captain's armband on his arm also gives him more responsibility.

As the captain and leader, Figo integrates himself well into the team. He is Portugal's best player in this World Cup. Except for leaving early due to injury in the first game against England, Portugal's victory in the other four games is inseparable from Figo's excellent performance.

The semi-final with Belgium was Figo's 126th appearance for Portugal, tying the Portuguese national team record held by Eusebius. The third place battle on the 9th will be the best opportunity for Figo to surpass the Black Panthers.

For this semi-final, it took Figo three days to recover from his injury, and it was not until the day before the game that the team doctor confirmed that he could compete.

On the grass of the Allianz Stadium in Munich, Figo was not only very active in attack, but also returned to the backfield many times to participate in defense. But Figo's last trip to the World Cup failed to work miracles, and his World Cup was not perfect for Figo, who was about to bid farewell to the national team.

Perhaps, in the next battle for the third place, Figo still has the opportunity to leave his goals in the World Cup. However, as a king-level football superstar, it is not enough to have World Cup goals alone. Without the honor of World Cup champion, Figo's football career can only end in an imperfect way.

As the last ray of light of Portugal's "golden generation", Figo will also retire after this World Cup. However, fans all over the world will not forget the breakthroughs, assists and goals that once belonged to Figo, as FIFA officials said: "Even Louis. Figo withdrew from international football, and his excellent performance will remain in the memory of fans all over the world!"

Figo was finally defeated in the confrontation with the tenacious Belgians, and his header failed to enter the goal, leaving the finale of the final.

The injured Degan scored directly with two free kicks, deciding the final fate of the battle between Portugal and France. The Belgians and the Italians met in Berlin, while the Portuguese could only compete for the third place with the host Germany in Munich.

In fact, the Portuguese team has a lot of opportunities in the whole game, but they also waste more opportunities. 15 minutes before the end of the game, their army crushed and attacked crazily, and even the goalkeeper Rikado joined in at the last minute.

However, they lacked a stable and fatal striker, which was not enough to tear apart the dense defense of the Belgian team, which led to the Portuguese team's final defeat in possession of the ball.

The Portuguese left with endless regret, far away from Berlin, and Belgium wanted to continue to move forward to fight for the supreme honor.