Chapter 4 Decisive Battle

In the pampas grassland with high sky and clear sky, passionate tango, this is the most direct impression that distant Argentina brings to fans. The culture here has bred Argentine players with distinctive personalities, wild and unrestrained. From Kempes , Caniggia to Redondo, Batistuta, fans saw a kind of wild beauty from them, they seemed to have a kind of elegant wind, lightness of wind, wildness of wind, long hair is their logo. Watching Argentine players play football is like galloping on the Pampas grassland. Their long hair moves with the wind, and they are chic and unrestrained. This is exactly the style of Argentine football.

From the day when modern football was born, Argentina has been considered a country rich in football geniuses. From Maradona to Batistuta to Messi, they have dedicated one after another talented players to world football.

Argentine players are exquisite in technique, flexible in passing and receiving, and cooperate with each other tacitly. They can often play beautiful balls on the court, so they are very popular with fans.

The biggest feature of Argentine football is that it pays attention to short passing and ball control. It can break through the blockade through cooperation in a small area. It is a typical "little fast spirit". The speed of Argentine football has also gradually increased, and it can be regarded as a relatively fast-paced team among the South American powerhouses.

In the history of Argentine football, they have won the World Cup twice, and the Copa America champion is second only to Brazil. In the Olympic Games, Argentine football also left a very deep impression on people.

Historically, the Argentine football team has participated in the Olympic Games six times, four of which reached the finals. In the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the Argentine team lost to Uruguay and Nigeria and finished second. In the football final of the 2004 Athens Olympics , Argentina defeated Paraguay 1-0 and won the Olympic gold medal for the first time in history.

The success of the Athens Olympics has injected great confidence into the Argentine Olympic team. In order to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, the head coach Batista used the Argentine U20 World Youth Championship lineup as his team, and called up a group of stars such as Messi and Riquelme to form a team. A strong team.

Most of the players in this Argentine Olympic team have played in the top European and Argentine leagues, with stars like Messi, Riquelme, Aguero and Gago.

But head coach Batista said that if the Argentine Olympic team wants to win the Olympic gold medal, it cannot rely solely on the individual abilities of the stars, but should learn from the successful experience of the Athens Olympics and rely on the whole to compete with other world-class teams.

"Yes, we have a group of players with outstanding individual abilities, but the Argentine team should not rely on individuals to compete for gold medals. Football is a team sport. The most important thing is that we need to form a combative unit."

Now they have only one goal—to win the gold medal one by one and successfully defend their title in the Olympics.

At 12 o'clock on August 23, Beijing time, the men's football final of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games will officially start at the National Stadium "Bird's Nest".

In this game, Argentina continued to use the semi-final lineup, goalkeeper Romero, four defenders Zavalletta, Pareja, Garay and Monzon, midfielder Mascherano, Gago as midfielder, Messi With Di Maria on the two wings, captain Riquelme serves as the attacking midfielder, and Aguero is on the forward line.

The main lineup for Belgium is still the same as in the previous game. The goalkeeper Bailly and the defense line are Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Kompany and Poconioli in parallel positions. In the midfield, Fellaini and Nayingeng served as the midfielders, Martens and Demur divided the two wings, and Digan partnered with Miralas on the forward line.

In just three minutes of the opening, the Argentine team almost took the lead. Messi broke through the center and scored the goal. Aguero broke into the right side of the penalty area and fell to the ground under the pressure of Poconioli. Although Aguero raised his hand to signal Poconioli Foul, but the referee did not say anything.

In the 6th minute, Belgium also had a good chance to score. Miralas took the ball and was tripped by Pareja. Belgium got a free kick. Digan took the free kick and shot low directly from 28 meters in front of the goal. Romero, who reacted quickly, confiscated it.

In the ninth minute, Di Maria was tackled in the middle, and Argentina also got a free kick. Riquelme took the free kick 20 meters in front of the goal, and the result was slightly higher.

Immediately afterwards, in the twelfth minute, Degan was on the right side of the penalty area. After receiving a pass from Demur, he volleyed from a small angle and went slightly higher.

The game had only started for more than ten minutes. The two sides were not conservative on the court and played very fiercely. Wonderful offenses appeared frequently, which made the fans at the scene very enjoyable to watch.

On the court, the two teams played beautifully, and the Chinese fans in the stands started to show their power again, and the shouts of "Xie Yalong dismissed get out of class" resounded through the sky.

In the VIP seat, Xie Yalong's face became more and more ugly as the invited guest of this game. Originally, he wanted to fight for his achievements in this Olympic Games, but he didn't get his achievements. Being able to qualify, one draw and two losses, the record is bleak, and it is because of this voice, "Xie Yalong dismissed get out of class", that he has lost his face in the international arena.

In the 24th minute of the game, Martens and Vermaelen cooperated to pick a pass from the right to the center. Degan followed up in time and 7 meters in front of the goal. He scored a header and was blocked by Romero. , flew out of the beam.

Just one minute later, Degan knocked back with the ball from the left, and Demour dunked the defender. At 25 meters in front of the goal, he volleyed vigorously with his left foot and was caught by goalkeeper Romero.

Looking at the offensive of the Belgian team, it is even more violent than the Argentine team, which advocates offensive football.

The Argentine team is not to be outdone. While resisting the Belgian team's offensive, it is also waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, especially Messi, who is very active on the court.

Losing to Degan in the Champions League before made Messi feel unconvinced. He was not planning to participate in the Olympics, but after learning that Degan had announced that he had joined the Belgian Olympic team, he did not even report to Barcelona. Followed by the announcement to join the Argentina Olympic team.

The two sides fought fiercely for 30 minutes. Due to the hot weather at noon, the physical energy of the players of both teams was very high. The referee rarely asked the players of both sides to go to the sidelines to replenish water, and the game was suspended for a few minutes.

After the players of the two teams returned to the field, a confrontation continued. In the 34th minute, the Belgian team created a series of dangerous situations. The ball missed, and Degan, who was in the back, kicked a shovel shot, but kicked it on the goalpost, and Argentina escaped a quarter.

But the Belgian attack did not end here. The football that popped out of the penalty area was caught by the Belgian players again and continued to attack. Martens made a low pass from the right and was missed by two central defenders, but Miralas was obviously not prepared enough. , the ball bounced off his right foot and was picked up by goalkeeper Romero of the Argentine Olympic team.

In the 40th minute, the Argentine team also organized a wave of offensive. Messi dribbled the ball from the side and rushed to make a surprise attack. The ball was lobbed and was caught by goalkeeper Bailey.

In the forty-fifth minute, Di Maria volleyed from a small angle with his left foot 35 meters away from the left, and was once again thrown out of the near post by goalkeeper Baili. After the corner kick was taken, Riquelme knocked back and Gago was 28 Meters away, the shot was blocked by Kompany's body.

Following Gago's missed shot, the first half ended immediately. The score between the two sides was still 0:0, and judging from the situation on the field, it was hard to say who had the upper hand.

In the locker room, Degan and his teammates all had the same expressions. Playing football in such hot weather is definitely a big test for physical fitness. When they entered the locker room, everyone was drinking water to replenish water. Salt, otherwise, whether it can last in the second half is a question.

For the team's performance in the first half, the head coach of the Belgian Olympic team, De Sart, seemed very satisfied. The Argentine team is the favorite to win the Olympic Games. The Belgian team has been able to attack the opponent on the court for such a long time. Rare.

However, this is not what De Sutter wants. What he wants is victory, that gold inlaid jade.

After the start of the second half, the Argentine team suddenly launched a strong attack. Mascherano counterattacked in the middle and was blocked, but Messi got the ball and put his left foot straight into the space. Aguero broke into the penalty area single-handedly. Argentinian attack.

The Argentine team failed to attack, followed by the Belgian team and immediately responded. Degan received the ball from Bailey's hand and ran with the ball. After passing three of the Argentine team's defenders, he pushed and shot , Romero surrendered, but it was a pity that the football hit the goal post, and Belgium once again missed a good opportunity to score.

The Belgian players hadn't had time to be upset, but Argentina's attack started immediately. Zavaletta knocked back from the right, Messi pulled the ball from the sole of his foot, turned around and got rid of the defense, 20 meters in front of the goal, he volleyed vigorously with his left foot, and was reacted quickly The Belgian goalkeeper Bailly flew out.

The offensive of the two sides made the fans enjoy watching, but if there is no goal to embellish, people are very anxious. No one wants the final of the Olympic Games to be decided by a penalty shootout.

Just when people were anxious for the first goal, the Belgian team finally broke the deadlock on the field in the 58th minute. Nayingeng made a long-distance pass from the backcourt with his left foot and instigated a counterattack. Degan broke into the left rib Facing the attacking goalkeeper Romero, he calmly scored with his left foot on the penalty area line, 1:0!

After scoring the goal, Degan rushed directly to the stands on the sidelines, pointed to the stands, and patted his chest hard.

No one knows what Degan means, only one person understands it, and that is Park Zhiyan who met Degan yesterday. She was also worried about Degan just now. After Degan scored a goal, she jumped up and down excitedly. As for The little girl didn't expect Digan to fulfill the promise made by Digan yesterday, until Digan rushed to the edge of the stands.

With so many people in the bird's nest, Digan actually found Pu Zhiyan's location accurately, which made Pu Zhiyan very excited.

Park Ji-yeon's cheers were drowned out by the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, but Deegan heard it, smiled at Park Ji-yeon's position, turned around and returned to the court, and hugged and celebrated with his teammates.

Belgium scored a goal and the stalemate on the field was broken. Now it was the Argentine's turn to be anxious, but under the impatience, the Argentine players made more mistakes.

Gago's pass was blocked by Fellaini, and then he passed the ball to find Degan. After receiving the ball, Degan went straight into the penalty area, but Miralas' weak push from the left side of the penalty area was caught by Romero Easy to get.

Argentine coach Batista immediately replaced Aguero, who was not performing well, with Sosa. After Sosa came on the field, he immediately got a chance to equalize the score. Di Maria made a low pass from the right and Sosa made a point forward 4 meters away from the goal, the shovel shot missed the near post!

In the 67th minute, Di Maria once again instigated an attack, broke through with a steal from the left rib, and Sosa had outflanked the goal. As long as Di Maria can pass the ball, Sosa can score the ball in a hundred ways , But at the critical moment, Kompany risked getting a card and rushed directly to trip Di Maria, and Kompany also got a yellow card for this foul.

For the referee's penalty, the Argentine players seemed very dissatisfied and surrounded the referee to protest, but the referee insisted on his penalty.

The Argentine team, eager to equalize the score, then launched successive attacks. In the 69th minute, Argentina took a tactical corner kick from the right. Messi dribbled the ball inside and volleyed with his left foot from the corner of the penalty area. As a result, he was caught by Bailey again because he was too upright. get.

After withstood Argentina's counterattack, Belgium is also planning to attack, hoping to score another goal to seal the victory. In the 74th minute, the Belgian team made a curved pass from the right, and Miralas, who was outflanking the goal, was attacked by the goalkeeper. Romero interfered and missed the ball, Garay made a clearance and Messi got the ball.

At this time, Degan suddenly posted a discussion. The two best players in this Olympic football match had a face-to-face contest for the first time in the finals.

Messi wanted to break through directly, but was blocked by Digan ahead of time. Although Digan's defensive ability is average, but his huge body completely blocked Messi's way forward. Messi wanted to pass the ball. As a result, as soon as the ball was out of his control, it was broken by Degan.

Then, Degan poked the ball forward, blocked Messi behind him, cut inside directly, faced two defenders to block, stabbed with his left foot to the middle, Miralas immediately passed back after receiving the ball, Digan Gandu didn't wait for the ball to stabilize, and volleyed directly 15 meters in front of the goal. The football went through Garay's buttocks and hit the dead corner of the goal.

2:0!

The Belgian team basically locked the victory.

Before the game, people predicted that this game would be a fight between dragons and tigers, and the process of the game was indeed very exciting, but the score of 2:0 still made people see the great strength of Belgium.

Even with Messi, Riquelme, Aguero and many other stars in charge, Argentina has no way to fight against Belgium led by Digan!

Subsequently, the Argentine team, unwilling to fail, launched a fierce attack around the penalty area of the Belgian team. In the 77th minute, Messi made a steal from Na England in the frontcourt and broke into the penalty area single-handedly. Kompany chased back and tackled. Destruction, despite the loud protests of Messi and other Argentine players, the referee just signaled the game to continue.

The slow motion also replays Kompany's passing action just now is really very clean and neat, even if the referee wants to help, because Messi's fall action performance is too much. Obviously, after La Ying's training, Messi Has not yet reached the stage of actor.

In the 82nd minute of the game, Argentina had another chance to save face. Messi made a cross from the left. Sosa's shot was about to score, but Bailly reacted strangely. Quick, press the ball under your body.

In the end, Belgium maintained a 2:0 advantage until the end.

After the game, all the players of the Belgian team who won the gold medal rushed into the field, cheering and celebrating. As the biggest contributor to the team's victory, Degan was surrounded by his teammates.

Even the Argentine commentator couldn't help sighing: "Although we have always believed that Messi will be the successor to Maradona's mantle, but now it seems that Degan may be more suitable for this title. Look at his current status." The achievements are simply unimaginable. This is what a 23-year-old player can have, two Serie A titles, two Champions League titles, two Italian Cup titles, one European Cup title, and an Olympic gold medal, perhaps in the next ten years Here, no one can threaten his position."

The tone of the Argentine commentator seemed very disappointed. Messi was even more frustrated than him. He lost again. Although he tried his best, he still lost in the end.

Messi's performance in this game is definitely world-class. He caused a lot of trouble for the Belgian team on the offensive end, but "Ji Shengyu, He Shengliang", Messi's greatest sorrow may be that he was born with Degan the same era.

Then there was the awards ceremony, and Ronaldinho, who won the bronze medal, also arrived at the scene. By the next season, the Brazilian genius will compete with Degan in Serie A.

Looking at the gold inlaid jade on his chest, Degan couldn't help but feel excited. Although the five-star red flag is not slowly rising in the stadium, it is enough for Degan to participate in this Olympic Games. .

After the game, when everyone left the field, Degan made another move that surprised everyone. He walked to the sidelines, took off the gold inlaid jade around his neck, and handed it to the stands A young girl on the road.

People were stunned, completely unaware of the relationship between Digan and that girl.

Pu Zhiyan was also stunned, looking at the gold inlaid jade in her hand, she really didn't know what to do!