Chapter 118 Revealing the Mystery

Before the game of Group C, the group qualifying situation was complicated. Four teams, even Algeria, which had only one point in two games, still retained the possibility of appearing, and fate left the mystery to the last moment.

Two fate-determined games started at the same time this night. No one expected the result before the game. When 90 minutes were over, everyone was stunned in an instant.

Fate is sometimes so wonderful. Before the last round of Group C of the World Cup, England and the United States each scored two points, Algeria scored one point and Slovenia scored four points. When England's match against Slovenia sounded the final whistle, the score of 1:0 made England jump to the first and fourth point in the group. Slovenia temporarily ranked second in the group, while the match between the United States and Algeria was still 0:0. If the score was maintained until the end of the game, the Americans could only say goodbye to the World Cup. At this time, the fourth official of the game raised the scoreboard: 4 minutes in stoppage time.

If nothing has happened in these four minutes, then England and Slovenia will advance as the first in the group and the second in the group respectively. In fact, the fate of the roulette seems to be turning in this direction. In this game and the previous game, the United States had a good ball that was misjudged, and a lot of The opportunity was wasted. In the first half, Artidor kicked high against the empty goal, and in the second half, Dempsey's single-knife ball actually hit the post, but at this moment, a wonderful thing happened.

In the 91st minute, just as the Americans were about to give up, an opportunity appeared. At that time, the American team quickly launched an attack after taking the ball in the backcourt. Artidor passed the ball from the right, and Dempsey quickly enveloped the middle, and was magically saved by the opponent's goalkeeper one-on-one again. It seemed that bad luck would come again. On the U.S. team, but Dorovan stood up and rolled the blocked ball at his feet. When Dorovan hit the goal vigorously and confidently and went straight to the lower right corner of the goal!

1:0!

Donovan may not think much about it. His shot determined the fate of the three teams in an instant. With this ball, the Americans who roared and celebrated reached five points and won the first place in the group with the advantage of the number of goals, which may win a better sign for their knockout. The English team, which could have scored one more goal to ensure the first in the group, had to accept the fate of falling to the second place in the group. It entered the same quarter as Argentina and Belgium, and had been playing passively. The Slovenians who had been waiting for the U.S. team to draw realized something after the final whistle sounded. From heaven to hell, they were originally going to celebrate the first World Cup group qualifying in history after the last three minutes, but now they can't accept the fate of returning home.

But such a dramatic scene was obviously not intentional by Algeria. After the goal of the American team, the Algerians who tried to seize the last two minutes to fight back received a red card because they tried too hard. Because they could only win to qualify, Algeria and the Americans were facing each other throughout the game. The attack played a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle. Although the score was also 1:0, the pace was fast and the scene was wonderful, far better than the unilateral negative match between England and Slovenia. Algeria, which was obviously inferior in strength, tried to create a goal opportunity, but gave the American team a lot of opportunities, but the United States The luck is really bad. Maybe the Americans did not bow to fate and worked hard to touch God until the end. Maybe the previous American team suffered too many misjudgments. When it came to pay off the debts, this break that determined the fate of the third team was a reward for them not giving up, and it was also a tribute to the Slovenian team. The punishment of extreme attitude and England's lack of enterprising attitude is obviously fair sometimes.

The man who determines fate will also be recorded in the history of American football. This man is Donovan.

For 90 minutes, the gate of Algeria was like being enchanted by gods, allowing Americans to bombard them, but they could not break the door.

The unlucky Dempsey's goal was blown and shot into the post and the empty goal did not enter. It can be said that the technology has declined, the level has declined, and has declined to the extreme.

Altdol, a young player who was also highly expected by Bradley, could only look at the desert fox and sigh. However, the final problem was Donovan, who didn't see much in the whole game. The fans' deepest impression on him was that he and his teammates were like the "double tiger shot" in "Football Player" in the first half. Hit the door.

However, when Dempsey shot again in stoppage time and was bravely saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, Donovan completed a fatal blow from outside the screen** in the coolest way people could think of. Donovan's "three points" saved the United States and wrote himself into the history of American football. The palace.

Donovan's goal finally allowed the United States to suppress England and qualify as the first in the group. American football does not have the NBA and American football does not have a dream team. However, American football also does not lack heroes to save the team at a critical moment.

Donovan, the child of the Galaxy in Los Angeles, tonight his name will also be with Kobe, another hero in Los Angeles. Bryant was put together in the city's history museum.

Just like Kobe's countless times throwing a final goal in the last second before the end of the game, this time Donovan's "3 points" is worth a lot of money.

Donovan scored the most brilliant goal of his life this night. Although his goal in the 2002 World Cup helped the American team reach the quarterfinals, his goal at that time was called the icing on the cake, and this time it was the standard kill of the reversal pattern, which was the ultimate one to pull himself directly from the edge of death to the sunshine. The whole process is too shocking, so that American fans can feel the "surprise" as comfortable as electricity.

The U.S. team can always surprise people. Now it seems to be recognized that England lost face by a difficult shot by a primary school student in the first game. In the second game, the ball pulled two goals under the premise of falling behind 0:2. If it hadn't been for the referee's strange penalty, the ball would have been completely reversed. Today's ball Some small surprises turn into carnival, just like Hollywood inspirational movies. The protagonist or the main team, on the premise of being completely killed in the end, relies on almost divine miracles to turn the universe upside down and hang the appetite of the people immersed in it.

Such an American team knows what else can bring to people unexpected magic. In the most rational terms, the current American team, in terms of its overall strength, does have the level of the top eight of the World Cup. Since such strange adversity has been broken through, it is impossible to give high expectations, of course Instead, the American team that gave too high expectations has lost the value of becoming a surprise. The American team is a magical team that is good at making a jaw-dropping record from the eyes of people's neglect and even contempt.

First of all, there is no need to fish back too far memories. The 2002 World Cup was the first game that destroyed the golden generation of Portuguese team led by Fergo. Not many people have believed that game until now. In the first 35 minutes, the United States led 3:0, and Portugal's reincarnation of Eusebius could not be saved.

After the group qualified, 16-8 met Mexico. At that time, although the American-Mexico dialogue was recognized as the strongest dialogue in Central America, Mexico could always pinch the United States in a big competition, such as the Gold Cup, but the United States was in this generally underestimated competition. Relying on the goals of McBride and Donovan, the boss was kicked out. Since then, the Mexican team, which has lost its psychological advantage, has fallen sharply to the winning rate of the United States in any international A-class event.

The Americans qualified with their heads held high. Although the English can only be second in the group, they are also happy enough, because this small victory over Slovenia by England 1-0 was earned by Capello after giving up his stubbornness.

After qualifying as the second in the group, head coach Capello was finally relieved. At the post-match press conference, the Italian even said, "I have regained the English team I am familiar with, so that England can fight against any opponent."

Compared with the first two games, England played much better in this game. It dared to take the ball and cooperate. There were many smooth passes. Although it only won by one goal, it created more opportunities than the sum of the previous two games.

No wonder Capello will say: "We can move on, because the players' minds are now open, no longer afraid, and there are no obstacles."

After the draw with Algeria, all the insiders talked about England's downturn and focused on one topic: psychology, not being able to let go is the biggest problem of the Three Lions.

Rooney can't stop the ball, Barry has too many passing mistakes, Lennon can't get up, and Lampard's shot is inaccurate. These are not their normal levels. Even if England's strength can't catch up with Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Spain and other teams, it is obviously abnormal to play like this.

Can you play well in the game with tension, worry and fear?

The psychology of English players has never been strong, otherwise they will not repeatedly fall on the penalty points in the World Series, but they are so nervous in the group stage, which is also very rare for the English team in the past. What's the problem?

Judging from the signs after England arrived in South Africa, the most nervous person in the team is none other than the head coach Capello. This is the first time that an Italian has led a team to play the World Cup, and his nerves seem to be particularly tense.

In the period since the opening of the World Cup, Capello has repeatedly shown a furious face, which even makes players feel strange.

In terms of team management, Capello's severity also surprised the English people. Not only did he strictly prohibit his wife and family from approaching players, but even according to the media, he also issued a ban on players from surfing the Internet. The whole team was required to be closed and only allowed to operate in the hotel.

In the history of previous England's competitions, Capello's closure of the team was the highest this time. During the 1998 World Cup, then coach Hodell also organized barbecue parties for players from time to time, and Erikson also chartered some restaurants or bars around the venue for players to play in the evening. Loose.

But under Capello's management, English players can only stay in a hotel bar most of the time or go back to their rooms to play games.

This degree of closure, vigilance and tense nerves may be that only the North Korean team is more than the English in this World Cup, and Capello's iron-faced role is reminiscent of the legendary "political commissar" of the North Korean team.

This is the first time that Capello has led the England team to play a competition. In the past, the qualifiers were temporary training, and there will be no long-term concentration of the whole team. The handsome tyrant side seems to have had some negative effects on the psychology of the players, which seems inconspicuous, but it may be decisive. Impact.

For such a team with long-standing psychological problems and even excessively rigid and tense elements in their national character, relaxation may be more useful than pressure. Before the World Cup, the British media shouted for the champion, which has put too much pressure on this group of players. Now they have been tossed around by Capello, and their nervousness has been completely in Inge. The Lan team is full of people.

In the last 10 minutes against Slovenia, there was no way to break the deadlock, and the tension of the English returned. Fortunately, Capello remembered Beckham, and Beckham, like Donovan, played the hero of the English team at the last moment of the game.

After his first touch, Beckham made a 45-degree accurate long pass and found Gerrard in the penalty area, who helped England break through the ghost gate with a header he was not good at.

But what about next?

The leading England team did not relax, and the formation was overshrunk. In order to win, they even did not hesitate to drag their time at the corner flag. Although they were qualified for the group, the root of the English did not seem to have been removed.

Look at the Americans in the same group, why are they excited when they arrive at the competition and easy to come to the state when they meet a strong team?

A completely different psychological state is the key. Americans' national character is full of optimism, self-confidence and even conceit. Donovan opened his mouth when talking about the group's top name and "convinced" and "pride" are the words. Like the English team, it is simply a fantasy for Americans to play under the drive of fear. This kind of energy is actually what the English lack. If Capello's team wants to go further in the World Cup, it must first be liberated from the burden of thought. "relaxation" is the most important keyword at the present.

Beckham finally stood on the stage from a World Cup spectator, and he also saved England with a beautiful assist.

If Capello's team wants to go further in the World Cup, in addition to learning to relax, it is obvious that stubborn Italians need to learn how to respect Beckham.