118 Knockout begins!

"Germany v Sweden, their winners will play the winners between us and Mexico, then England v Ecuador, their winners will play the winners between Portugal and the Netherlands for a place in the semi-finals, Brazil will play Ghana, France will play Spain , the winners of the two sides will fight it out, Italy will face Australia, Ukraine will face Switzerland, and they will form the final half of the division... Then if we reach the semi-finals, then our opponents will be one of Italy, Australia, Ukraine and Switzerland , It's very clear, so now our goal is Mexico!" After the group stage, in the hotel where the Argentine team stayed, the head coach Bielsa had calculated various situations of the knockout match more than once.

The World Cup in Germany can really be said to be a World Cup belonging to European teams. In the top sixteen, European teams occupy ten places. As the center of world football, European football once again showed their strength to the world .

In the history of the World Cup, a South American team has never won a championship on the European continent. Can the powerful defending champion Argentina break this curse?

... "I said Tevez, you must play faster. The Mexican team, like us, is taking the team route, and many of their players are not inferior to you in dexterity. The Mexicans are also fierce in defense. So if you can't play the ball faster, our strengths will become our weaknesses." On the training ground, the Argentine team is making final preparations during the offseason between the group stage and the knockout stage.

As the captain of the team, Leon will immediately stop the ball and explain when his teammates make mistakes. If there are players who make the same mistake next time, then he must accept punishment. If a player makes the same mistake three times in a row, he will be disqualified as a main player.

"No, Leo, you can't play like that. The biggest weakness of the Mexican defense is the air. What they are least afraid of is their feet. You must know that the Mexicans' foot skills are definitely not inferior to ours. Their style is very close to ours, so We have to change our style and pinpoint Mexico's weakness to kill with one move." Leon clearly remembered that the Argentine team played in the round of 16 in the previous life was not easy, and they were even forced into overtime by Mexico , If it weren't for Maxi Rodriguez's magical touch, once it entered a penalty shootout, the outcome would be 50-50.

The reason why the Argentina team had a hard time playing against Mexico in the previous life was mainly because Mexico's style was very similar to that of the Argentina team, so when they met Mexico, the Argentine team's advantage would not be so great, instead their strengths might become their weaknesses.

The style of the Argentina team in this World Cup in the previous life was very particular about possession of the ball. However, in the face of Mexico, too much possession of the ball will not be effective. The reason why Mexico played against Angola in the group stage was difficult because Angola is a A team with excellent physical fitness.

Physical fitness is the biggest shortcoming of the Mexicans, so during these days of running-in, Leon has been communicating with the head coach Bielsa.

"How about it, Leon." After the morning training session, Bielsa also left Leon alone.

Leon shook his head: "No, if we still play against Mexico in the group stage, it will be very difficult for us to play. I think we can use the tactics of double centers."

Bielsa thought for a while, then put his hands in his arms and said, "Going to Higuain?"

"No, it's Cruz." Leon said clearly, "Mexico's central defender Max is the tallest in Mexico's backcourt, and Max is only 1.83 meters tall. Crespo is not enough for a center forward. In the last two, with Cruz attacking with him, the Mexican will be very difficult to parry. Messi's kick against Mexico is not as good as Maxi's, because Maxi's cross will be more precise than him. In addition, in the midfielder position, We need an intercepting midfielder and I think Mascherano would do better than Camby."

Bielsa nodded, "It's just a temporary change..."

Leon shook his head: "Boss, we have to be flexible. The knockout round is not a group match. It's a game to determine the outcome. I know that my idea is likely to fail, but using Cruz's height and Maxi's distance And plug in, we will be easier to break the dense defense of the Mexicans, coupled with Mascherano's wide-range interception in the midfield, we will not play very hard, moreover, if our first lineup plays If we don't start the situation, Higuain, Tevez, Messi and Cambiasso will all be our changes."

Bielsa buried his head, he had to think about it.

About ten seconds later, Bielsa nodded, then looked at Leon and said: "Well, my captain, you moved me, I think what you said is very reasonable, I hope your thoughts can bring us good luck."

Leon shrugged, "Boss, if my ideas want to become a reality, I still need your command. You are our brain, and you must run at high speed so that our team can remain invincible."

Bielsa patted Leon on the shoulder: "My captain, you think too highly of me, well, I will study it carefully these days, tsk tsk, if the Mexicans know that we will use German methods to educate them , I don't know how they will feel?"

The Argentine team's two lunatics, one old and one young, set the course for the Argentine team. On June 25th, at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany, the host German team took the lead in kicking off the top 16 of the German World Cup knockout round.

Today the Germans are going to face the Vikings of Sweden. The Swedish team, known for its powerful play style, has Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Before the game, they were regarded as a strong enemy on the way forward for the German team.

However, amidst the monstrous cheers of the home fans, the German chariot made great strides forward!

Before the Vikings' sails were pulled up, the German chariot's gunfire exploded on the pirate's ship one after another.

Ibrahimovic was completely lost in the long German defense line of Mertesacker and Metzelder. In the 21st minute of the first half, the new golden bomber Santa Klose got a good chance. His shot was blocked by the Swedish goalkeeper After the save, Prince Podolski of Polti, who is gradually emerging in this World Cup, followed up and exploded with the ball!

One to zero, the entire Munich Olympic Stadium soon became a sea of joy.

However, the celebration of the Germans had just begun. Prince Polti brought the stadium to a new climax three minutes later. This time it was Klose's support. Knock on the door of the Swedish team!

Two goals in four minutes made Podolski the hero of the Olympiastadion in Munich!

The Germans let the Vikings Sweden see the host's overwhelming momentum!

Klinsmann's team made a fantastic start. In the next game, the Germans still had the opportunity to expand the score, while the Swedes' offense was lackluster.

2006 was halfway through the ten-year plan for German football. The birth of a group of young people such as Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Deisler, and Podolski made the German team, a veteran of the world football The powerhouse quickly came back to life.

Two to zero, this is the final score. Relying on Prince Polti's brace, the Germans made a strong move into the quarter-finals, where they will wait for the winner between Argentina and Mexico with peace of mind.

"It's really tough, and there are some technical skills. If we can play like the Germans, it will be difficult for Mexico to resist." After watching the whole game with coach Bielsa in the hotel, Leon endured Can't help but sigh with emotion.

Bielsa also nodded aside: "To be honest, if I meet the German team in the quarter-finals, I really don't have any confidence at all."

"Boss, you are too self-deprecating. I think the German team is not confident. Don't forget that we are the number one favorite to win the championship. Boss, you were able to bring the Argentine team to the throne four years ago. Four years later, you will be the same Yes." Leon said after patting the crazy coach on the shoulder.

Bielsa smiled and nodded. As a personality coach, Bielsa is the kind of coach who is optimistic after being optimistic, and pessimistic after being pessimistic. This is why he often has some crazy and amazing moves on the court. reason.

Because his personality is very extreme, but the more extreme the personality, the more he can create miracles on the court.

The German's strong promotion made the other 14 teams in the World Cup feel the German's desire to return to the top of the world.

In the last game of the first round of the knockout round, David Beckham once again saved the England team with his full moon scimitar. Ecuador was defeated by a free kick.

In the 2006 World Cup, Eriksson was too superstitious about the young Rooney and did not dare to boldly use the best Crouch, which was his biggest failure.

In fact, in this World Cup, Crouch is the best English striker. Although Gao's reputation is not as good as Rooney and Owen, Gao is indeed the English center who is most in line with the British style of play.

Beckham saved the world again, but it was his saving the world this time that made people misjudge the strength of the England team. Although it was not easy, the promotion of the England team was still very easy in general.

In this way, the first match of the knockout round was over, the German team and the England team entered the quarter-finals with both hands, and tomorrow, the defending champion England team will play!