Chapter 216 After the Great War

In the history of world competitions, there will always be a very strange phenomenon. The best team may not be able to win the final championship. The Netherlands and Spain have proved this historical judgment in this European Championship .

The two teams are both known for their skillful skills and hearty offense. They both have a strong reputation in international football, but they rarely have the embarrassment of being decorated with championship trophies.

In this European Cup, the results of the group stage of the Netherlands and Spain can be said to be the best, with three wins and three wins, they advanced easily. It was eaten cleanly 3:1, and Spain was brutally raped by Belgium after almost pocketing the championship.

It's a bit of a showman meeting a soldier, and it's not clear why. Facing tall, upright and fierce opponents, the technical advantages of the Dutch and Spanish teams have no way to adapt.

Originally, the Spanish team had the opportunity to break the rules of football, and they had the last laugh. The most pleasing team almost won the cup that everyone expected. From the first 4:1 victory over Russia in the group, to the 3:0 victory over Russia in the semi-finals, the former With five wins and five wins in five games, the Spanish team was proud and convincing, but in the final match against the German team, the gorgeous artistic football finally fell in front of the strength and tenacity of the Belgians.

In this decisive battle, the Spanish team's offense was almost completely restrained by the Belgians, and they couldn't maintain a stable rhythm from the beginning to the end. With the lead in the score, especially the number of players still had an advantage, facing the Belgian team's Jedi In the counterattack, the Spanish team's defense was in a hurry and had no power to fight back. Ramos, who had been acting like sleepwalking, finally made a big mistake and had to be replaced at the beginning of the second half.

After the game, the old coach Calagones could only leave the position of the Spanish coach with regret. He is about to celebrate his 70th birthday. After the European Championship, he will definitely leave the position of the Spanish national team coach. There was an opportunity to write his name into the history of Spanish football, but in the end, as the show drew to a close, Degan played the role of a spoiler and made his final move aborted.

In the battle against Germany, the main striker Villa was injured and unable to start. The old coach arranged a 4-2-3-1 formation with five players in the midfield and Torres the striker.

After the start of the game, facing the Belgian's iron barrel formation, the Spanish team was a little bit reluctant to let go, completely unable to adapt to the Belgian's strong style of play, and Spain's technical and speed advantages were completely unrevealed. The Belgian defender was a little out of breath, but his strong body and high-altitude advantage managed to keep the goal. Then the performance described by many media as shameful began. ball.

Leading the score and having an advantage in numbers, it seems that all signs are indicating that the time has come for Spain to rule the world, and no one can stop them.

But at this time, the Belgians started their counterattack. Degan's goal was blown, but the tenacious Belgians refused to give up. Finally, after the start of the second half, they equalized the score.

Degan's goal is the perfect interpretation of the combination of technology and strength. Simmons sent a cross from the wing. Degan's header was blocked by Casillas under the tight defense of the Spaniard, but he Immediately counter-robbed and finally broke through the Spanish city gate. The Spanish goalkeeper Casillas could only look at the ball and sigh.

In the eyes of the outside world, Degan and tenacity are the two reasons why the European Red Devils had the last laugh for Belgium's unbelievable victory over the Spanish team in the final of this European Championship.

Belgium's absolute core, number one star Degan missed three group matches due to suspension, but he still relied on his hat-trick against Germany, his goal against Turkey, and his brace in the final For the second time, he won the top scorer award of this European Championship. After winning, he adjusted a little and took the initiative to go to the reporter interview area and accepted the interview.

"This is a difficult game. We have to face not only the Spanish pair, but in the game, we showed how eager we are for the victory and the championship. Of course, it is undeniable that good luck has always been with us from the beginning to the end, but More importantly, as we all know, although Belgium can be regarded as a strong team in world football, it is embarrassing to say that in the history of Belgian football, there has not been any history of winning an international competition. The only time the closest to the championship was 28 years ago ."

"We're all very excited to be crowned champions and I think you've all noticed that a lot of us couldn't hold back our tears after winning this match that's destined to go down in history and we're done An impossible task, the score fell behind, and another person was sent off. You can imagine how difficult the situation was at that time, but we did not give up. I told my teammates, 'we have no choice, since Come to today's game field, we have no other choice but to win', I am very gratified, each of our players has done their best, and if there is one less player on the field, other players must come back and run more. More stamina, but luckily we made it through."

"Before the start of the European Cup, no one was optimistic about us. At that time, some old players left the team and added a lot of fresh faces, but although we were young, we did not lack the courage to fight at all. Moreover, we I am more eager to win, more eager to prove myself with success."

At the press conference after the game, Antiiennis' voice was trembling when answering reporters' questions, and his excitement can be imagined: "I am very excited, I am proud of my players, they are the best Players, I'm proud to be their coach, really! I'm very proud! We had a tough game, everything was against us, but my players didn't give up, they beat their opponents and won Champion."

2:1 reverse victory over Spain, Belgium reached the top of Europe for the first time in history, the European Red Devils finally showed their sharp fangs in front of the world for the first time, and after the game, the major media in Belgium also followed suit Flowers and applause were presented to the boys.

"The European Red Devils crushed the Matador with their tenacity, and they ended the tournament in a spirited way. Although the process of the game was very infuriating, the result was gratifying. This great victory is enough to change The whole history of football in Belgium."

"When the Spaniard scored, almost everyone thought we had to wipe away the tears from the corners of our eyes and leave the stage of the European Cup, but the boys pushed the story another way in a crazy way. , we are the champions of Europe, we won the European Cup, the result is fair, the best team is awarded the trophy, it is a big gamble, Belgium won the first title in history, the whole country is delighted Overwhelmed by emotions, the moment Degan lifted the championship trophy was the best reward for these talented players."

"Belgium, European champions, it sounds crazy but it's true, the top honor goes to the best team in three weeks, Degan's brace gave Belgian football its first ever title The European Cup has left a beautiful legend for future generations."

"The Belgian national team became the new European champions. This team gave Calagones a bitter parting gift. It's all over. The European Cup rewards the best team and the prize is this well-deserved Victory in the final, the spring of Belgian football is here, look at this final, we have a group of players who are eager to win and are willing to give everything for it."

"Thanks to Degan. For the first time in the history of Belgian football, Belgium has become the European champion. Belgium has reached the top of Europe. Degan is the best player in this game. With the help of his teammates, he is unstoppable."

With the championship trophy, the Belgian team flew to Brussels Airport on a special plane the next day, and the words "champion" were sprayed on the outside of the special plane.

After the cabin door was opened, head coach Antiiens and captain Delaunay held the Delaunay Cup together and walked out of the cabin first, followed by other members of the Belgian team. An open-top bus was already waiting beside the plane. The soldiers of the Belgian team Board the bus directly and go to the downtown square. The Belgian national TV station landed from the special plane to the downtown square for the celebration, and conducted a live broadcast of the whole process.

When the bus headed to the square, the traffic along the way was interrupted. Fans holding high the Belgian flag lined the road to welcome the hero's triumphant return. After an hour and a half of slow driving, the bus finally arrived at the central square.

Tens of thousands of fans were already waiting there. Degan held up the championship trophy and shouted loudly to the fans: "This trophy belongs to you too!"

For a time, the whole square was boiling.

Immediately afterwards, Degan thanked the head coach Antiiennis for his outstanding contribution, and the players then threw the head coach high several times.

Antiiennis was also affected by the atmosphere of the scene: "I am a person who is not easily emotional, but facing this situation, I am also extremely excited."

The Belgian team failed to advance in the 2004 European Cup qualifiers. Conservative football made the European Red Devils all listless. At this difficult time, Antiiennis took over the coach of the Belgian team.

After taking office, Antiiennis immediately clarified the dominant position of offensive tactics, but the record was not satisfactory. Later, Antiiennis recruited Digan to join, and the Belgian national team re-emphasized fast counterattacks based on a solid defense. Belgian football suddenly took on a new look.

Unfortunately, the German World Cup missed the championship, which did not shake Antiiennis' determination to reform. Then Belgium began to emphasize the technical offensive line while upgrading. All of this finally came to fruition in this competition.

Now the Belgians have finally realized their dream. At this moment, it is difficult to describe their feelings with joy alone. In Belgium, millions of fans flocked to the streets, celebrating the European Red Devils' first appearance on the European Cup with car horns and fireworks. The great achievements of the top, and the way the players celebrated is even more enthusiastic, because they are not only the live witnesses of the historical moment, but also the people who created this historical moment.

After receiving the cheers from the fans, Degan held up the trophy and shouted: "We are the European champions! We are the champions, and the championship belongs to the whole of Belgium."

As the saying goes, the money comes with the name. After Belgium won the European championship, each of these international players will also receive a huge bonus of about 1 million euros. Of course, not all of the money comes from the Belgian Football Association. Part of this money comes from the Belgian Football Association, because the players received a championship bonus of 200,000 euros from the Football Association, and the Belgian team received 27.5 million euros from UEFA. It can be divided into about 800,000 euros, and the addition of the two naturally constitutes a huge bonus of one million euros for the Belgian internationals. It seems that this championship not only makes them famous in history, but also instantly swells their pockets. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone. .

The Spanish team who won the runner-up also returned to Madrid. Although they lost the championship, the matadors were still welcomed by more than 100,000 fans in the city hall square.

After the Spanish team's special plane flew over Madrid, it deliberately flew at low altitude several times in order to allow the players to see more clearly the scenes of fans waiting to welcome them.

After walking out of the airport, captain Iker Casillas seemed a bit disappointed: "To reach the final, but not to win the championship, always makes people feel a little disappointed and bitter."

It is indeed a pity that Spain failed to win the championship. Their strength has been fully reflected in this European Cup. Strong midfield control is the foundation of Spain's survival. Whether it is 442 or 4141, the Spanish midfielders are all The face ability will always make the opponent hard to defend.

Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Silva, these four attacking midfielders are all able to pass the ball and shoot quickly. The fast and smooth kick makes the opponent's defense useless.

The single defensive midfielder Senna is also not limited to doing dirty work. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he not only has a strong ability to instigate fast breaks, but also can be used as a finisher. Senna hit the post against Italy, and in the final he almost scored the equalizer for Spain in the 80th minute.

The semi-finals can best show the strength of the Spanish midfielder. Russia once beat the mighty Dutchman into a sieve, but in front of Spain, the polar bear is like a plaything that matadors play with in the palm of their hands.

It is with the midfield control as a guarantee that Spain can repeatedly create murderous opportunities through direct passes. Today, when conservatism prevails, Spain has proved their strength with their performance, proving that football is not a sport of pure running and strength.

The fiasco of failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup allowed Calagones to start the replacement of old and new in advance. Raul, Canizares, Salgado and other veterans were purged one after another, and replaced by a group of post-80s, Iker Casillas Take "realizing the replacement of old and new as soon as possible" as the biggest reason for the team to win the championship.

The purge of veterans not only allowed the team to further speed up the team's tactics, but also allowed Aragones to establish a complete authority in the hearts of the players. Torres, Ramos and others have all had conflicts with Zhisou, but the precedent of Raul is right in front of us, and the thorns have surrendered to the old man with public apologies.

Del Bosque will be the coach of Spain after the European Cup. In addition to leaving him with the most advanced and well-formed technical and tactical style of play, the old man also left countless treasures of youth.

Only Puyol, Capdevila and Senna are over 30 years old in Spain's main lineup, but the position of the three determines that their state will not decline soon.

Marchena is 29 years old, Harvey is 28 years old, Casillas is 27 years old, and Villa is 27 years old. The core of Spain's third-tier players is in their prime.

The other main players are younger, Iniesta and Torres are 24 years old, Ramos and Silva are 22 years old, and Fabregas is only 21 years old.

Looking at world football, the age structure of the Spanish team will be the most competitive in the next three to four years. In South Africa two years later, the Matador is expected to get rid of the regret of this final and give the world a huge surprise.

The 2008 European Cup came to a successful conclusion after the Belgian team won the trophy. Through the comprehensive evaluation of this competition, the best team was also produced. The new champion Belgian team and the most popular Spanish team became the biggest winners.

Goalkeeper: Casillas (Spain)

Although he could only stand in the corner and watch the Belgian hold up the championship trophy, Casillas' performance was absolutely worthy of the captain's armband on his arm. The penalty shootout with the world champion Italy blocked De Rossi and Di Nata Lai's penalty kick ended the 88-year history of losing Italy in major competitions. Casillas did not face many tests in this cup, but when he encountered problems, his performance was beyond reproach. Although it is regrettable that he failed to win the cup, his Performance worthy of the title of the best goalkeeper.

Defenders: Altintop (Turkey), Kompany (Belgium), Zhirkov (Russia)

The Turks should be thankful that Altintop, who was born in Germany, finally chose to play for his "motherland" Turkey. He performed well as a full-back in the first two games of the group stage, but later changed to a midfielder due to the team's disorganized lineup. He staged a hat-trick of assists in the life-and-death battle. Even though he was eliminated by Belgium, his outstanding performance still created huge troubles for the eventual champion, the European Red Devils.

As the core of Belgium's defense, Kompany's performance in this cup is reassuring, especially after entering the knockout stage, Klose was completely misfired against Germany, and Torres was silent in the final against Spain. That non-existent foul It's not his fault, and his performance has already deserved the title of the best central defender in the world.

Zhirkov, who was born as a left midfielder, performed equally well at the full-back position. Compared with Lahm, the Russians' offense and defense are more balanced, especially in defense, and his left breakthrough is Russia's offensive weapon. Look at him The European scouts must be thinking about the game against the Netherlands. Of course, Zhirkov's value will definitely soar after this cup.

Forwards: Gool (Belgium), Senna (Spain), Sneijder (Netherlands), Podolski (Germany)

As the vice-captain of the Belgian team, Goul played all the Belgian games of this European Cup. In the final, despite a shoulder injury, he still persisted in the game just reflected the tenacious spirit of this tough guy.

In the absence of Albelda, the "Brazilian" Senna became the only person in the Spanish team to take on the defensive responsibility. Perhaps Senna is not as eye-catching as Harvey or David Silva, but he has played a pivotal role in the team.

Sneijder, who played with injuries, is the most stable and outstanding player in the Dutch team in this cup. The two wonderful goals against Italy and France are amazing. Even if he is eliminated by Russia, Sneijder He is also the hardest and hardest Dutch player.

Podolski's cup game was a little bit high and low, but he is still the most eye-catching and stable player in the German team. Podolski worked hard whether he played as a full-back, second striker or winger.

Forwards: Villa (Spain), Arshavin (Russia), Digan (Belgium)

He missed the final due to injury, but Villa finally finished behind Digan with four goals and became the silver boot of this European Cup. When Spain lost the final, people thought more about if this What will happen if Villa can play in the game.

The baby-faced killer with a "little red face" became the protagonist of this European Cup. Arshavin conquered the whole of Europe and the world in two games, especially when facing the Dutch team, his superb footwork made him People compare him to Maradona.

There is no need to repeat Degan's performance too much. He missed the group stage, but in the three knockout games, he scored an unbelievable six goals, surpassing Villa to be the best player in this European Cup. The shooter, at the same time, won the honor of mvp in the final selection.

Where there is the best, there is the worst. A group of superstars who originally wanted to show off on the big stage lost to Maicheng, and ended the European Cup trip hastily with a disappointing performance.

Goalkeeper: Nicopolidis (Greece)

The defending champion suffered a disgraceful three-game losing streak in the group stage, and Nicopolidis, known as Clooney in football, could not escape the blame. His state continued to decline as he grew older. In the three group matches, Nikopolidis seldom played brilliantly. That rash attack was really unforgettable. The goal lost to the Russian team 0:1 It directly led to the tragedy that the defending champion team failed to qualify.

Defenders: Zambrotta (Italy), Abidal (France), Materazzi (Italy), Janssen (Germany)

Whether in Barcelona or Italy, Zambrotta, who was once the world's number one full-back, is the team's weakness. In the group match with the Netherlands, all the goals conceded by the Italian team were directly related to Zambrotta. Once world-class, it has now become a big hole in Italy's defense.

In France's first match against Romania, Abidal had almost no assists on the left. Against the Netherlands, Domenech abandoned Abidal and chose Evra, who has a more outstanding offensive ability. In the last battle, Domenech had a whim , Putting Abidal in the middle, Abidal, who has a reckless defensive style, really became Italy's "blessed general", fouled in the penalty area, and a red card was added to the penalty kick.

With Cannavaro injured, Materazzi was expected to be the leader of the world champions' defense, but the personality was vulnerable against the Netherlands, and then he became a spectator in the European Cup .

Perhaps Jansen is the future of the German team, but as the youngest player in two consecutive major teams, Jansen's performance in this competition is obviously failing. The amateur performance of the game almost made the German chariot fall into the abyss. In the quarter-finals, after coming off the bench at halftime, he also failed to help the team out of adversity.

Forwards: Perrotta (Italy), Gattuso (Italy), Malouda (France)

Through this competition, Perotta proved that he is just a "labourer" who can run, not a master who can organize. After leaving the Roman system, Perrotta became mediocre.

What left the deepest impression on Gattuso in this European Cup was the off-field bickering with the Spanish coach Calagones. "Grandpa" said that he is not a great player. It should be true. The fierce midfielder is indeed out of form. In addition to suspension in key battles, the group stage did not perform too well.

After a disappointing season at Chelsea, Malouda, who relied on connections to occupy the main position of the French team, still performed sluggishly in the European Cup. His performance is the epitome of the French team. There was a problem with the speed, and the only impression Malouda left to the fans was mistakes and non-stop mistakes.

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Germany), Toni (Italy), Anelka (France)

This European Cup proved that the Bundesliga scorer list is poison. The silver boot winner Gomez, although wearing the team's No. 9 jersey, but what people saw was his watery performance. In addition to sleepwalking most of the time, he also completed a book on the mistakes of forwards. In the life-and-death match against Austria in the group stage, he outflanked the goal three meters in front of the goal, and unexpectedly managed to hit the ball on the opponent's defender's head.

He won the Golden Boot with 24 goals in the Bundesliga. The strong firepower of Italian striker Toni has made fans look forward to it. In fact? Tony played the role of the king of waste in this competition. Against the Netherlands, it was invincible; against Romania, the goal was blown offside; against France, it was still unable to score.

The French striker was like a bunch of chickens without his head, Anelka was a waste. He made his debut against Romania in the first game, but except for kicking a small-angle strike that should have been passed directly to the side net, he did nothing for the rest of the time, and after the next two rounds of substitutes came on the field, they were nothing. As the "precious species" with the highest accumulative transfer value, he used one performance after another in the European Cup to accumulate another record for himself. He participated in 7 European Cup finals without scoring a goal, the worst in history!

The European Cup has come to an end, but Degan's journey this summer is not over yet. When Kaka and his wife returned to Brazil with their children to continue practicing childcare, Degan entered the training camp of the Belgian Olympic team , began his journey to prepare for the Olympics.

"I like the feeling of winning the championship. I will try my best to win any championship. The Olympics is also an important competition. Belgium has never made a breakthrough in this event. I hope this time, we can win the final gold medal." !"

Of course, apart from the piece of golden incense jade being a factor that attracted him, what Degan wanted more was to go to China to see the rise of China after the catastrophe.

Winning the European Cup has also boosted the confidence of the Belgian Football Association. This time in the Beijing Olympics, many national team members who participated in the European Cup also expressed their willingness to join after Digan expressed his willingness to represent Belgium in the competition.

Although there are still two weeks to go, the 22-man squad has been confirmed. Goalkeepers: Bailly (Genk), Yves Macalambe (Hibernian), De Winter (West Lu).

Defenders: Laurent Simão (Club Brugge), Deruel (Groningen), Kompany (Fiorentina), Müllermo (Standard), Poconioli (Alkmaar), Verma Ren (Ajax), Vertonghen (Ajax).

Midfielders: Fellaini (Standard Liege), Demur (Sevilla), Harouen (Genk), Martens (Alkmaar), Simayes (Club Brugge), Nana England (Piacenza), Vardis (Hamburg), Desmet (Club Brugge).

Forwards: Dembele (Alkmaar), Di Smith (Sera Brugge), Miralas (Lille), Degan (Fiorentina).

As Belgium's number one star, Degan put on the captain's armband without hesitation, and Degan joined the team, which made the head coach of the Belgian Olympic team, De Sartre, very excited.

After winning the European Cup, some media have shouted "Get Digan! Win the world". Although the Olympic Games is international in nature, due to age restrictions, the intensity of competition, and the level of participating teams must not be able to compete. On the same day as the European Cup, perhaps in Beijing, the Belgian National Olympics really hope to compete for that golden Xiangyu.

In this regard, Degan's response was: "In any event, we always have only one goal, and that is to win the championship. Other than that, any other results are not in my consideration!"

If Degan wants to win the championship, the biggest problem he faces is certainly not Brazil, which has never opened in the Olympics, nor is it the host China, but Barcelona, which has Messi.

Although Barcelona is empty this season, the rise of Messi has given the Catalans hope for revival. Messi is also eager to lead Argentina to defend the title in this Olympic Games. As the two major candidates for the world champion, The collision of Digan and Messi will also produce fierce sparks.