Midfielder Ruler

"Beep~beep~beep~~"

With the three long whistles of Turkish referee Guneit Cakir, the third round of Group D between Argentina and Nigeria came to an end. In the end, Argentina won 2:1 with two goals from Messi and Rojo. Defeated Nigeria and emerged from Group D with four points from three games.

However, while qualifying, it also brought endless troubles to Argentine fans, because Argentina will face the favorite France in the 1/8 finals.

Of course, it is very rare for Argentina to qualify from Group D, so naturally it cannot expect an opponent in the 1/8 finals.

The French players who followed the two group matches of Group D were very speechless. If they had known that Argentina could beat Nigeria, they might as well draw with Denmark. Compared with the face of being first in the group, going further is more important.

Even if fans are asked to choose a strong team to save face and have the last laugh, it is estimated that 99% of the fans will choose to have the last laugh.

But French coach Deschamps and the French players have no regrets. Although Argentina is also the favorite to win the championship, the Argentina now is not the Argentina four years ago. Messi in the Argentine national team is not Messi in the club. It is simply not enough. As evidence.

According to the knockout schedule of this World Cup, the 1/8 finals between the Chinese team and Croatia are scheduled to be held in the fourth game at the Nizhny Novgorod Arena in Nizhny Novgorod on July 1, local time in Russia. Nine p.m.

Chinese fans are naturally looking forward to the Chinese team's second 1/8 final in the history of the World Cup. Just like the past three group matches, the tickets arranged for Chinese fans were sold out early, and a large number of tickets belonging to Russia were also sold out. Chinese fans who are not short of money bought it, even if the transaction price is much higher than the face value of the ticket.

The Chinese team flew from Sochi to Nizhny Novgorod at noon the next day to prepare for the 1/8 finals with Croatia.

It is worth mentioning that while the Chinese team is preparing for the 1/8 finals, domestic reports indicate that FIFA President Infantino and Russian President Vladimir Putin sincerely invite the two heads of state to watch the 1/8 finals between the Chinese team and the Croatian team.

As for why they were invited in the first knockout round, it is directly related to the fact that the Chinese team encountered the stronger Croatia...

However, is the Chinese team really unable to defeat Croatia? Can it go further?

As an important publicity and public opinion institution created early in the country, it has been working under the direct leadership of the Party Central Committee since its birth. It shoulders the sacred mission entrusted by the Party and the people, plays the role of mouthpiece, ears and eyes, think tank and information gathering, and unites and leads all parties across the country for the Party. The national people have made important contributions to the major victory of revolution, construction and reform, so the relevant reports are extremely authoritative, which means that the Chinese team will have Xi Boss in the 1/8 finals at the Nizhny Novgorod Arena.

The Chinese players who are preparing for the game feel a surging sense of power while shouldering huge pressure. Regardless of the outcome of the game, they can see President Xi with their own eyes and even have the opportunity to shake hands.

For the players, it is a matter of honoring their ancestors!

It is inevitable to feel pressure when the game reaches the knockout stage. After all, if you lose, you will go home. Everyone will have pressure, but the players feel more of a surging sense of power because they know that they have witnessed the head of state in their lifetime. Countless, if you perform well, it is entirely possible to get praise from the head of state!

Thinking of this, the players' enthusiasm for training has been greatly improved.

The final rounds of the other four groups continued, and Tang Zheng, who was preparing for the match, was also paying attention, especially the match between Germany and South Korea.

Surprisingly, when Sweden led Mexico by three goals, the German team actually conceded two goals in stoppage time. They lost 0:2 to South Korea, which had lost both previous games. It was a pity that they lost the opportunity to advance.

Tang Zheng, who was sitting in front of the TV watching the live broadcast, could not calm down the ripples in his heart for a long time.

Logically speaking, it is a very normal result for the obviously stronger German team to easily defeat South Korea, but many games cannot be measured by strength.

Throughout the entire game, the German team had an absolute advantage, but only threatened the South Korean team's goal very few times.

What Tang Zheng regrets is not that Germany failed to advance, but that Reus suffered a lot.

He missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 European Cup in France due to injuries. He finally made it to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but unexpectedly he died before his ambitions were fulfilled.

The best Reus meets the worst German team.

It is a kind of sadness.

Since Germany lost to South Korea, Mexico still advanced to the top 16 of this World Cup even if it suffered a three-goal defeat against Sweden. However, if nothing else happens, Mexico, which was originally determined to be first in the group, will most likely face five-star Brazil. Major gaming companies The favorite to win the World Cup!

The result was no surprise. In the two group matches later, Brazil defeated Serbia 2:0, and Switzerland drew 2:2 with Costa Rica.

The qualifying situation for the remaining Group G and Group H is basically clear, especially for Group G. England and Belgium have already qualified together as early as the second round of the group. Their direct confrontation in the third round is more like fighting for who can be the second place in the group. , thereby avoiding the powerful upper half.

The suspense of Group H is to choose two out of three. From the cards, Japan and Senegal have the best chance to become the last two top 16 teams in this World Cup.

Japan only needs a draw to advance against Poland, which was eliminated early, and the same goes for Senegal, which has four points from two games. Only Colombia, which suffered an upset loss to Japan in the first round, needs to win in the last round to advance.

After ninety minutes of fierce fighting, Colombia finally defeated Senegal 1:0. Because Japan lost 0:1 to Poland, Colombia, which won the game, topped Group H.

So, the question arises. Japan and Senegal, who lost, both have four points, scored four goals and conceded four goals, and their mutual records are also tied. Who will advance to the top 16?

According to the relevant regulations of this World Cup, when the number of goals scored, the number of goals conceded and the mutual record are the same, instead of drawing lots, the number of red and yellow cards of the two teams will be considered. Therefore, the Japanese team with the fewest fouls so far in this World Cup relies on With the advantage of having fewer cards, Senegal narrowly defeated Senegal and became the last team to enter the top 16.

The last two games of Group G were about group ranking and the battle for glory. In the end, Belgium defeated England 1:0, and Tunisia reversed Panama 2:1.

With the end of the two group matches of Group G, the 48 group matches of the 2018 Russia World Cup have come to an end, and the dust has settled on the sixteen teams that have advanced to the knockout rounds.

Nine European teams, four South American teams, two Asian teams and one CONCACAF team.

The eight contests between the 16 teams are arranged in the upper and lower halves respectively. The Chinese team that Chinese fans are concerned about is arranged in the lower half with Croatia according to the Russian World Cup knockout format.

What's interesting is that the top half and the bottom half are completely different worlds, because except for Japan, the other teams in the entire top half are very strong and can be called the top half of death.

First half matchups: A1 Uruguay VS·B2 Spain, C1 France VS·D2 Argentina, E1 Brazil VS·F2 Mexico, G1 Belgium VS·H2 Japan.

Matches in the second half: B1 Portugal VS·A2 Russia, D1 Croatia VS·C2 China, F1 Sweden VS·E2 Switzerland, H1 Colombia VS·G2 England.

According to the schedule, once the Chinese team defeats Croatia and advances to the quarterfinals of this World Cup, the team it will face will be the winner between Portugal and Russia. If it can win the winner between Portugal and Russia, the Chinese team will Will make history and enter the World Cup semi-finals!

It's even possible to advance to the finals!

Many domestic media and fans have pondered and researched that this possibility is really likely to happen!

In the entire lower half, only England won the World Cup in 1966.

With the strong strength of the Chinese team and some luck, everything is possible!

Of course, the first thing the Chinese team needs to do is to defeat Croatia!

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Forty-eight group matches are over, and the World Cup in Russia has a one-day break.

Waiting is torturous for the fans, and even more so for the sixteen teams preparing for the match, because in the near future they will have to fight for ninety minutes or even one hundred and twenty minutes to get further.

The 1/8 finals between the Chinese team and Croatia are scheduled to be the second game on the second day of the knockout stage, which is the game at 9pm local time in Erlos.

Before that, there were three contests.

France VS Argentina, Uruguay VS Spain and Portugal VS Russia.

There is no doubt that the most watched 1/8 finals are France and Argentina, a direct confrontation between the two favorite teams.

The two sides have met eleven times, including nine international friendlies and two World Cups.

In the head-to-head record between the two sides, Argentina has the advantage, with six wins, three draws and two losses, scoring 12 goals and conceding seven.

The most recent match took place in February 2009, when Argentina defeated France 2:0, but it was nine years ago, so there is not much reference value.

They played twice in the World Cup, and Argentina won both games.

Considering that the last time the two teams met in a World Cup was in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, there is also no reference value.

Of course, for Chinese fans, the 1/8 finals between the Chinese team and Croatia is the real focus.

I don’t want to miss every detail of the team’s preparations.

Although several frontcourt players of the Chinese team are only in their twenties and have a long career, fans all know that the peak period of the Chinese team may only be this period, because... Tang Zheng is 28 years old this year. Four years later, The World Cup in Qatar is 32 years old, and the competitive state by then is unpredictable.

When Tang Zheng was at the peak of his career, it was the best moment for the Chinese team to achieve its best results in the World Cup.

Otherwise... why is Tang Zheng the only one who can be called the world's top superstar?

The one-day World Cup gap period has passed in an instant, and the 1/8 finals of France VS Argentina and Uruguay VS Spain are just around the corner.

The football atmosphere in the cities of Kazan and Sochi, which hosted the two 1/8 finals, became fanatical again. Fans of any national team were venting their indescribable excitement and excitement.

However, what Chinese fans are most concerned about on this day is not the two 1/8 finals, but the head of state, Xi Jinping, who has been jointly invited by FIFA President Infantino and Russian President Vladimir Putin to watch the Chinese team and Croatia in person. The fourth 1/8 final of the World Cup.

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On the day of the France VS Argentina and Uruguay VS Spain matches, the Chinese team and the Croatian team came to the Nizhny Novgorod Arena at staggered times to adapt to the competition, which is also commonly known as stepping on the field.

Croatia was arranged by the organizing committee to adapt to the venue in the afternoon, while the Chinese team was arranged in the morning.

The Chinese players were particularly excited when they knew that President Xi Jinping would meet them when they arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The training atmosphere was very good. The 23 players shortlisted for the squad were all eager to try and in great condition.

When the Chinese team entered into joint training, no one knew who shouted: "Look, it's Boss Xi and Mrs. Xi, as well as Putin and Infantino!"

The smiling Mr. Xi and Mrs. Xi, accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Infantino, walked from the player tunnel into the Nizhny Novgorod Arena. They were exactly in sight of Tang Zheng and others. match.

In addition to the head coach Lippi who is used to seeing big winds and waves and doesn't have many emotional fluctuations, it is the captain Tang Zheng who reacts the fastest.

As China's top sports star, Tang Zheng has been summoned by Xi Boss in Germany, Spain and China, so his surprised expression was replaced by a smile, and then he followed the head coach Lippi and took the initiative to greet him.

The entire Chinese team, except for Tang Zheng who was talking to Mr. Xi, Mrs. Xi, Putin and Infantino with a natural expression, the other players were in a state of confusion.

They are not even good compared to Tang Zheng, and the attention they receive is really limited. However, as the head of state, *** obviously did some homework before coming. He can call out the name of every player and shake hands one by one. , bringing these confused players back to reality.

Although they have been mentally prepared for a long time, when they actually face the head of state, they will be somewhat nervous. Even the old players who participated in the World Cup in Brazil four years ago cannot avoid it.

Of course, these players returned to being on the sidelines after a simple encouragement from Boss Xi, leaving only captain Tang Zheng chatting and laughing with Boss Xi, Putin and Infantino.

Not far away, Lu Liang, who was no longer interested in training, looked at Tang Zheng and said with envy: "Brother Zheng's heart is really not that big. He can actually talk and laugh with Boss Xi, Putin and Infantino. I'm so envious." Say it!"

Sun Jingbo nodded lightly and said with envy: "Yes, I wonder if I will achieve Brother Zheng's achievements in the future!"

The other players didn't speak, but the envious eyes said it all.

At this moment, Ye Erfan, who scored the only goal for the Chinese team in the third group match, suddenly shouted: "Look! Brother Zheng is taking a photo with Boss Xi and Putin! No, it's a selfie!"

Everyone turned to look and saw Tang Zheng standing in the middle holding a mobile phone. Boss Xi and Putin stood on both sides with smiles on their faces. Tang Zheng kept pressing the camera button on the phone screen with his left thumb.

In October 2015, Xi Jinping visited the UK. Aguero once posted a selfie with Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Cameron on his personal social network, and that selfie was called the best selfie by fans from all over the world.

If this photo is published, will we still say it is the best selfie?