Chapter 178: Czech Tower

Chapter 178: Czech Tower

Na England made a fatal mistake, and the Czech team immediately seized the opportunity to counterattack across the board. For most of the first half, it seemed that the Eastern European cavalry had tightened its hard shell and suddenly pulled out its sword.

After the ball was intercepted, the Belgian players were stunned for a moment, and then quickly returned to defense, but it was obviously too late. The Czech team formed a situation of playing more and playing less in the frontcourt.

Although Rosicky can only do Bregas's auxiliary work at Arsenal, he is an absolute core player in the Czech national team. After holding the ball, he quickly went straight into the half of the Belgian team.

Garasek and Prasir on the two sides also advanced to both sides of the Belgian penalty area. Together with Jan Koller and Barosz, the Belgian defense was also struggling to cope.

Kompany and Van Buyten, who were dragged at the back, did not dare to step forward to defend, so they could only keep retreating and blocked the penalty area line.

The captain of the Belgian team, the veteran Goul, also fought hard. His speed has never been as fast as it is now. Originally, there was a distance of five meters between him and Rosicky, but he was caught up by him.

Stick it on, hit it!

Gul wanted to use a foul to block the Czech team's counterattack, but at the moment of being knocked down, Rosicky, the last genius of Czech football, passed the ball accurately to Garasek's feet.

"Look at Jan Koller!" Antiiennis shouted from the sidelines.

Jan Koller, the last banner of the golden generation of Czech football, mentioning Jan Koller, the first thing that comes to mind must be his height of 202cm. In the field of football, this height may only be achieved by a handful of goalkeepers, but Kohler His position on the field is a forward, so the nickname of "the world's number one high center forward" has spread like wildfire.

Of course, Kohler is definitely not satisfied with the word "tall" only in terms of height. In this World Cup, he is considered to be quite old. In the first game against the host Swiss team, he just came off the bench and used a With a header, he scored his 35th goal in the national team, surpassing the old shooter Putz 70 years ago, and became the first scorer in the history of the Czech national team, giving this "high" another layer meaning.

In the Czech Republic, fans affectionately referred to him as "The Dinosaur", while Dortmund fans proudly named him Borussia's "Tower of the Striker".

With a natural height advantage, the tall Jan Kohler has a unique advantage in the penalty area and can always take advantage of it.

From a young age, Khloe was used to getting attention for being "above". From the age of 7 to 20, he has been playing for the hometown Lotas Metanova team, and he was the team's main goalkeeper until the age of 18.

Later, at the suggestion of his father who was the coach of the team, Kohler decided to change his career. In the year he changed his career, the team won the second division championship, and he scored more than half of the goals.

Later, when he played for Anderlecht, Jan Koller, who did not forget his old profession, also fought against the Belgian goalkeeper de Velde in the team and won the penalty.

Regarding the height of Jan Kohler, there is such a tidbit. In the 2002/2003 season between Dortmund and Bayern, when Lehmann was sent off, Dortmund had used up three substitutions. Kohler put on Lehmann's goalkeeper uniform without hesitation, and put on gloves to play as the goalkeeper. He not only kept the goal in the last 20 minutes of the game, but also ran into the Bayern penalty area at the last moment of the game. After a circle, he rushed back to the team's penalty area and miraculously saved Ballack's shot.

In fact, there is no shortage of high center forwards who are good at headers in the Bundesliga. Kohler can stand out from them and quickly become popular, but also because he has excellent footwork. Extraordinary, and he can also kick high-quality arcing free kicks with his right foot.

A big man with great wisdom.

Jan Koller not only had the experience of scoring with his heel in the Bundesliga, but also used his feet to play wonderfully for his teammates on the court. Therefore, he is regarded as an outstanding representative of the modern center forward.

Since he only played in the Belgian league before coming to Dortmund, many German media questioned him and even ridiculed him at the beginning of joining. Think Dortmund wanted to buy a striker, but bought the wrong defender or even a goalkeeper. However, in Dortmund's first season, Kohler helped the team win the league championship with 11 goals and 7 assists.

Kohler not only has a height of 202cm, but also a weight of 103kg, and a big foot of 50 yards, which makes it impossible for the opposing defender to take him in the penalty area.

But the giants also have their old age. Everyone knows that this is Jan Koller's last European Cup. The Czech team has been full of tragic atmosphere since the start.

Jankulovski and other players vowed before the game: "This European Cup, what we have to do is not only for the country, but also for Jan Koller."

Jan Koller also said in an interview with the media that this will be the last competition he will participate in, and he will withdraw from the national team no matter what the result is or what happens after the European Cup.

"Nothing can change my decision and this will be my last major."

The 35-year-old Jan Koller still has a one-year contract with Nuremberg in the Bundesliga. Although Nuremberg regretted being relegated this season, judging from the current situation, the Czech veteran will choose to play with the team in the Bundesliga next season.

Although he himself has stated that he will return to his home team Sparta Prague at an appropriate time, he has no specific plans yet.

As the place where he went to glory, Sparta Prague is of great significance to Jan Koller, but when talking about this issue, he first expressed his loyalty to Nuremberg: "I haven't considered this issue yet, and now I am still with Nuremberg. With the contract in hand, I will continue to stay there, even if it is to play in the Bundesliga."

Although he is getting older, Kohler, a giant with excellent physical fitness and air superiority, is still the leading striker of the Czech national team. After Nedved and other veterans quit, he also shoulders the important task of continuing to lead the team forward. In the few warm-up matches before the European Cup, Jan Koller was the single arrow of the team, at the forefront. Needless to say, his important role to the team.

Although Jan Koller was a substitute in the first game, after he came on the field, coach Brückner's tactics completely started to revolve around Jan Koller. The four defenders seldom assisted, consolidated the defense, and the midfielder spared no effort to run. , Even in the frontcourt, the whole team presses the ball. The whole team gets the ball in one action and passes it to Jan Koller.

It was the same in this game. The players on both sides knew very well that there was only one chance for the two teams to survive, and defeating the opponent became the only choice.

Before the start of the game, Jan Koller said: "This game will definitely be difficult, we should keep calm, and we should know that the game is not enough to determine the qualifying situation, what we need to do is to try our best strength."

In the previous game, the Belgian team completely took the initiative. They have better skills and determination to win. The Czechs were completely suppressed. In front of the stormy offensive of the Belgian team, the Czechs looked so angry that they didn't even have a chance to struggle.

However, everyone underestimated the tenacity of the Czechs. Eastern European cavalry let people see their iron-blooded spirit, and they will never give up fighting until the last drop of blood is shed.

Perhaps God felt that the Czech Republic was too sad, so it gave them this chance.

Speaking of the tragedy of Czech football, some people may have objections, such as Italy.

Italian tragedy? If you have to start talking about sadness when Baggio misses a penalty, it will only be that year. Afterwards, Feng Shui improved immediately; French tragedy? It doesn't matter at all, Zidane's retirement is quite satisfactory, it's nothing more than embarrassing red card for Digan's foul.

But who is more tragic than the Czech Republic?

In the last European Cup, the Czech Republic showed the kingly style of ruling the world, but it was a pity that it was destroyed in front of Greece, which was a "dark horse". In the World Cup two years ago, Nedved's back declared the end of the golden generation. The Czech Republic was the first The first team to be killed by the "Golden Ball" and the first team to be killed by the "Silver Ball". In this European Cup, with many veterans retiring, the Czech Republic has been judged by people before they even set foot on the European Cup. got the death penalty.

However, the sad Czech Republic suddenly got a chance to change their fate against the sky. The Belgians were probably too optimistic. The smooth sailing in the first 40 minutes made them relax in the gradually growing complacency. Blocked the way to victory for the Belgians. A huge barrier lake hangs above their heads, until Na England's fatal mistake dug up the last handful of soil before the dam broke, and now it's the Belgian's turn to make a dying struggle. The Czech team's quick counterattack is like The death noose bound them tightly.

After Antiiennis realized the danger, the first thing that came to his mind was Jan Koller, who was at the top of the Czech team.

Has Kohler aged too?

He had a one-shot chance before, but it was a pity that when he faced Bailey, his shot seemed slow and unchanged. It was really difficult to break through the opponent's defense simply by relying on his height advantage. It's no wonder that Baros was jumping in a hurry. In the same single-handed fight, if Baros was replaced by someone with speed, stamina, and breakthroughs, the Czechs might have already taken the lead.

But when the opportunity appeared again, the first thing the Czechs thought of was Jan Koller. Just like the danger that Antiiennis realized, the Czechs always believed that Jan Koller was the player who could decide the outcome of the game.

Garasek passed the ball at a 45-degree angle, and the football flew directly into the penalty area. Jan Koller looked a little clumsy, but Kompany, who was defending him, could not stop Jan Koller from moving.

In front of Jan Koller, Kompany didn't seem to exist. He only had football in his eyes, taking off, shaking his head, and he had done countless times in previous games. In the game, Jan Koller finished with extra ease.

Although Bailey fought hard to save, it was difficult to stop the football from entering the net. The position of Jan Koller's shot was closer than the penalty spot, and the speed was very fast.

The Czech commentator, who had been suppressed for forty minutes, finally broke out. The moment the football crossed the goal line, he jumped up suddenly, roaring loudly, and waving his fist vigorously.

The opposite is the Belgian commentator. Just now everything is clearly moving in a direction that is beneficial to Belgium. The commentator has even begun to analyze which team Belgium will meet after the team appears. After Degan lifts the ban and returns, How far will it lead Belgium, and how in a blink of an eye, the Czechs scored first.

What's happening here?

After the goal, Jan Koller seemed very excited. His teammates wanted to catch him, but there was no way to stop the mad bull.

Jan Koller rushed all the way to the bottom of the South Stand, where the Czech fans gathered, with arms outstretched, roaring loudly.

On the sidelines, the always steady old coach Bruckner was also excited like a child at this time, hugging everyone around him.

Just before the game, people were full of criticism for his decision to abandon the single striker tactics, re-use double strikers, and put Jan Koller in the main position. Now it seems that Bruckner's trust in Jan Koller is completely correct.

In front of the excited Czechs, Na Engel, who made a big mistake, was probably the most disappointed. If it weren't for his overconfidence, he wouldn't have been intercepted, and then Jan Koller's goal would naturally have disappeared.

"Radgar! Stand up!" Gul walked to the side of Na England who was slumped on the ground. Although he was equally disappointed and complained, at this time, as the captain, he was thinking about the fate of the team.

Even though the conceded goal was Na Engel's responsibility, at this moment, he couldn't say anything, let alone complain. Before Antiiennis replaced Na Engel, he had to cheer Na Engel up and fight again.

When Na Engel thought that the team might lose the chance to appear because of his fault, Na Engel's eyes turned red, and he held back his tears.

"Sorry! Captain! It's all my fault!"

Gul really wanted to say, "That's right! It's all your bastard's fault!"

But such words cannot be said.

"If you think this is your mistake, then go to make amends, otherwise, apply to leave the field. Of course, I don't want you to choose the second way. At least you are still useful to us on the field. So stop your tears now, Mr. Naengleng, the game is not over, we haven't thrown in the towel!"