Chapter 45: The Humiliation

Chapter 45: The Humiliation 

The first round of Group A ended, and then the tournament entered the second match day. The two teams were the Netherlands vs. Denmark, and Germany vs. Portugal.

The first match between the Dutch team and the Danish team was held. Although everyone believed before the game that the Dutch team was obviously better than its opponents, in this match against Denmark, the high-profile uncrowned king did not show the domineering power it should have. , The muddy control of the ball clearly exposed the Dutch's arrogance and underestimation of the enemy.

In the end, the Danes used sharp counterattacks and tenacious fighting spirit to teach their invincible opponent a lesson. In the 24th minute of the game, Cologne intercepted the opponent's clearance ball outside the penalty area and faced Heiting who was rushing towards it. Plus, Colondry dunked lightly, shaking the core of the Dutch defense like a wooden stake, and then shot from a small angle in the penalty area. The ball passed under Stekelenburg's crotch and went straight into the net.

You know, the Netherlands has won a total of 17 games in the 32 European Championships, 14 of which were the first to score, and only three were reversals after conceding the ball first. The last time they reversed and won in the European Cup, they still needed to win. Dating back to the battle with France 12 years ago, in other words, Colondry's goal almost announced that the probability of the Oranje getting off to a good start in this European Championship is extremely slim.

Although the top-heavy problem of the Netherlands has been around for a long time, it is still surprising to be scored so freely by the opponent. You know, before the game, Heitinga also boasted that he was confident that after three years of experience at Everton, he had the strength to deal with any forward, especially someone like Bendtner, who could do it effortlessly. Done.

Heitinga said: "Bendtner is a good shooter. We have played against each other in the Premier League. He failed to get any chance from me. It was the same tonight. Now I am a mature defender. I have the confidence to take on any striker."

As a result, Colondry, who is far less famous than the Danish striker, used the most humiliating way to vent his anger on his teammates. Steck, who was once handpicked by Van der Sar as the dual successor of the club and the national team, Lundborg was also played by this little-known Dane.

After that, Colondry played more and more confidently. In the 41st minute, he even had a chance to help the Danish team expand their results. At that time, the ball fell into the blind spot of the Dutch defense, and Colondry was about to complete a goal. Shot from close range, but Jacobson, who came in from behind, missed the shot and squandered Colondry's excellent opportunity.

Just one minute later, Colondry's right-footed curve ball shot in front of the penalty area shocked Stekelenburg into a cold sweat. In the 70th minute, Colondry repeated his old tricks. After dribbling horizontally, he shot straight to the lower left corner of the goal with his right foot. Corner, Stekelenburg tried his best to block the ball from the baseline with a side dive.

It is worth mentioning that the Netherlands has the strongest striker combination among the participating teams in this European Championship. The three forwards, Huntelaar, Van Persie, and Luc De Jong, have the total number of league goals for their respective clubs this season. Nearly a hundred in total, each won the Golden Boot Award in the league they competed in. Compared to the luxurious strikers in the Netherlands who can be called a "tall, handsome and rich" combination, Colondry can only be regarded as a "poor and short", but he is good at writing. The fairy-tale Dane used diligence and fighting spirit to write an extremely determined diaosi counterattack.

As a result, Robin van Persie, who has dominated the Premier League this season, frequently shot, skidded, and missed, while Colondry on the other side seized almost Denmark's only real opportunity in the game and struck a fatal blow.

After the game, Netherlands captain Van Bommel also said bitterly: "They only created one threat in the whole game, and we had so many chances!"

Denmark coach Olsen once said in a low-key manner before the game: "The Netherlands' lineup is really enviable. Their strength is even stronger than that of the World Cup two years ago. They are undoubtedly the favorites to win the championship. "

But Bendtner pointed out: "Our opponents are the favorites to win the championship. Maybe they are stronger than us in terms of strength, but there are many factors that determine the outcome of the game."

Now it seems that Colondry is the deciding factor in winning or losing.

In the end, the Danish team defeated the favorite Dutch team 1:0 with Cologne's goal in the first half. This result seems to be shocking, but if you take a closer look, you will find that the Dutch team's defeat is actually reasonable. middle.

Before the game, Dutch coach van Marwijk said that any team that underestimated the Danish team would be punished. Unexpectedly, his words came true for his own team.

The game process and results proved that the Danish team is not weak, nor is it the weakest team in this group as people imagined. Although the Danish team members are tall and strong, they are not clumsy on their feet and can pass the ball smoothly in the midfield and frontcourt. , and also created many threatening attacks.

In contrast, only Peter Pan Robben of the Dutch team hit the goal post with a long-range shot, but failed to score a single goal in dozens of attempts. What is the reason? Is it just bad luck?

In this game, although the Dutch team took a lot of shots, most of them were completed outside the penalty area. While demonstrating their excellence, it also exposed the Dutch team's eagerness to win the game, but the rough shots in front of the goal The attack also showed that the Dutch team underestimated the enemy.

Under such a seemingly contradictory mentality, the Dutch team's offense has never been as smooth as people expected. As the game progressed, impatience also followed. As you can imagine, the Dutch team There is a wave of offensives, but only a few can pose a real threat to the Danish team's goal.

Especially when the score was behind, the Dutch team became more impatient as time went by, and coach Van Marwijk also replaced Huntelaar, Van der Vaart and Kuyt in the last 20 minutes. Single arrow Van Persie, the Dutch team had four players on the front line at the last moment, but the effect was still not ideal.

At the last moment of the game, the Dutch team's overall formation was completely out of touch. There were five players in the front and backcourt, and there was no midfield transition. It was like a person who only had his head and feet, without the strength of his trunk and waist. It is definitely not possible to provide support and connection. Especially the five people in the frontcourt, lined up from left to right, with no interaction and no hierarchy. With such a formation and positioning, it would be useless even if all 10 people, excluding the goalkeeper, were in the frontcourt.

Excessive impatience wasted too many opportunities, and too hasty and reluctant shooting failed to show the cooperation that could have been more delicate.

Lack of composure is the biggest problem of the Dutch team in this game. Although the Dutch team had dozens of shots in the game, most of them were individual breakthrough-style solo shots, and there were very few decent continuous kicks to form coordination. It affected the scene and rhythm. The control did not show the level that a strong team should have. The final score was very disappointing to the fans who supported the Netherlands, but the result was reasonable.

Underestimating the enemy, the impatient Dutch team finally paid the price. Perhaps before the game, no one expected that the game would have such a result. No matter which line it was on, the Dutch team was far stronger than Denmark, but in the end, they Lost.

During the competition, the Danish team performed more actively and worked harder, confirming the saying "God rewards hard work", and those who work harder will get richer rewards.

After the game, Denmark's striker Bendtner also said excitedly in an interview that the victory in this game was hard work. Although he did not score in the game, he undoubtedly became the Dutch team's defense. The most dangerous explosives faced.

The tall Bendtner is also very good at his feet. In the duel with Heitinga who did not take him seriously, he completely had the upper hand. Although he did not score a goal, Bendtner was very good against the team in this game. The contribution is needless to say.

"We fought hard to win. This was a great moment. No one was optimistic about us before the game. Everyone thought that we would become victims of the Dutch's good start. But in the end, we used the victory to tell those who looked down on us. , Danish football is not as weak as they thought! Victory is the best reward for us. Now we have to focus on the next game. I believe that as long as we can keep fighting, we will have the best result. !"

The Danes cheered for their victory, while the Dutch were about to taste endless pain. In an interview after the game, coach Van Marwijk publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the team: "The whole game seemed a bit... It's not normal. The players seemed very blind on the court. They didn't know what their goals were. Yes! We had many shots, but we didn't even have one real chance. Is this normal? I'm They had warned before the game that no one should underestimate Denmark. Anyone who underestimates them will be punished. But obviously, no one listened. They only wanted to win a quick victory and enjoy the joy of victory. It's this attitude of underestimating the enemy that made us pay the price!"

However, it is obvious that Van Marwijk's words cannot be approved by everyone. After learning about Van Marwijk's critical remarks, the number one troublemaker within the team said: "Can anyone shirk responsibility? I Admit that we played a very shitty game, but this is not all the players' responsibility. We tried our best, but we didn't get more correct instructions, especially at the last moment. We went all out and there were many people on the front line. But what's the result? I'm sure you've all seen it!"

Van Persie publicly refuted Van Marwijk. Seeing this scene, many people may feel very familiar, because this kind of thing has long been common in Dutch football.