World Cup of Great Powers

"With two wins and one draw in the group stage, the Chinese team became the first Asian team to qualify first in the group at this World Cup!"

A headline that cannot fit in a single column of a newspaper has become an important test point in the civil service examination after 2002.

Whether it is current affairs or logical reasoning, this title triggers many test points.

"Two wins and one draw", "First in the group", "First team", "Asian team"...

These keywords tease the nerves of fans all the time.

From last year's World Cup grouping, all games in Group A have ended.

The answers submitted by the four teams surprised all fans.

The much-anticipated French team, the former world champion, lost all three games in the group stage, swallowing a big duck egg.

The Chinese team, the least favored Asian team, has two wins and one draw, and stands tall in qualifying.

Many fans were in a daze after seeing such a record, thinking that the media had printed the results of the two teams backwards.

The former World Cup and European Championship double champion did not take away a single point in this World Cup.

Maybe "Marseillaise" has been played too much in the past few years, and God wants to change the taste this time.

The French team's humiliating exit aroused strong reactions in France.

When the Paris stock exchange market opened the next morning, the stock of France Televisions, which purchased the rights to broadcast the World Cup, immediately fell by 3.34%. After the start of the World Cup, the company's stock market value had fallen by 10.62%.

Even the "savior Zidane" failed to bring back a miracle to France.

The French media immediately published articles criticizing the French team's performance.

The title of "L'Equipe" was "Farewell, Blues", "The miracle did not happen, we were beaten 2-0 by our second team."

The honor of France's former heroes no longer exists, and there are big problems with the team's playing style and tactical organization. Ironically, the French team has the top scorer in Ligue 1, Serie A and the Premier League, but has not scored a single goal.

Didn't get in.

In other words, the entire French team needs to be completely rebuilt.

Liberation Daily wrote an article titled "The Blue Army Falls Back to the Ground", and accompanied it with a picture of Qi Zu falling headfirst to the ground, indicating that the Gallic rooster, which was flying high, had completely fallen back to the ground.

The majesty of the past is gone, and only the remnants of defeated troops are left in front of us. It would be strange for such a team not to lose.

After the game, Qi Zu lay down in the center circle and kissed the turf passionately, expressing his sadness.

After the game, Zizou said: "I didn't want to have any other reaction after the game because the defeat came too quickly. I was really disappointed. I never thought that we would be eliminated in the group stage. It all happened too suddenly.

."

News of the team's internal strife, unreasonable personnel structure, internal corruption, and coach's incompetence were exposed one by one. Le Maire also resigned immediately before returning to China.

On the contrary, the great country far to the east is full of enthusiasm and joy.

Unlike the proud French fans, after seeing the grouping, the fans' first reaction was to win one game in the group stage and get one point.

But after the victory over France in the opening game, the fans' expectations have also risen.

From scoring a goal, getting a point, winning a game to qualifying...

When they saw that the Chinese team actually topped Denmark, Senegal and France in the group and advanced to the top 16, the fanatical fans ran to the street with loud objects and smashed the porcelain bowls in their hands.

At the same time, Zeng Zheng's reputation among the people has once again climbed to a new peak.

"Coach Zeng, congratulations!"

"Coach Zeng, you are truly a god!"

"With Coach Zeng, we can kick France and punch Italy. The day when we win the World Cup is just around the corner!"

...

That night after the game, a large group of officials came to Zeng Zheng and insisted on toasting him with a few glasses of wine.

Zeng Zheng also refused to accept anyone who came.

Holding a whole glass of liquor in front of him: "Chief Zhang, after one glass of wine, I will have to sleep with him for three days and three nights!"

"Ah, don't, don't, don't, don't..."

Upon hearing this, Section Chief Zhang quickly pressed down the wine glass in Zeng Zheng's hand.

"The World Cup is important, the World Cup is important."

“We accept Coach Zeng’s sentiments.”

“Coach Zeng still drinks tea instead of bar.”

After saying that, Section Chief Zhang quickly stuffed a cup of tea into Zeng Zheng's hand.

Looking at the quiet tea in his hand, Zeng Zheng grinned slightly.

"Then I would be disrespectful."

"But let's talk first. After drinking this glass, I will go about my business."

"Before the next game, the entire Chinese team will no longer accept interviews, meetings or any other activities."

After hearing this, all the officials nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, that's right. Coach Zeng must put the World Cup and the country first."

Amid the flattery, Zeng Zheng drank the tea in his hand in one gulp.

Dan Hou arched his hands and left the venue in front of everyone.

It's different from Denmark where I'm going to have a small life.

The Chinese team won the first place in the group and can stay in South Korea to wait for work.

The war was imminent, and Zeng Zheng was unwilling to miss any slight advantage.

Seeing Zeng Zheng disappear into the banquet hall, an official who had just toasted to Zeng Zheng's back immediately lowered his lips.

"Tch, why are you so pretentious? I just complimented you a few times and you are so beautiful! If you have the ability, you will come back as a champion!"

"Yeah, yeah, look at how awesome he is after qualifying from the group. Winning another game in the knockout round won't necessarily be a big deal!"

"I don't know how to weigh myself. The first place in the group is the performance of the entire team and the efforts of the players. If you change to another coach, you can still win!"

"Hmph! You don't understand the ways of the world at all. I'll wait for you to lose in the next game!"

"Okay, okay, Section Chief Li, let's not mention the troublesome thing about Zeng. By the way, look at the batch of sporting goods from XX company, can you still take care of it..."

...

Unlike the mixed crowd outside, the national team is completely clean inside.

This is not only due to Zeng Zheng's management, but also because the players on the team truly admire Zeng Zheng.

Especially some veterans.

Even when I returned to the hotel room after the game, I was still a little enlightened.

"Lao Fan, do you think we will win now?"

"We won, we won!" General Fan also clicked his tongue repeatedly.

"Beat France first, then Denmark. Tsk tsk tsk..." Ou Chuliang shook his head, "The first time I heard Coach Zeng said that he would win the first place in the group and beat France or Denmark, I was shocked.

"

"I didn't expect this to come true! And both teams won!"

"Now that I think about it, it really feels like a dream!"

Speaking of this, both veterans sighed with emotion.

Looking out the window at the fans who refused to leave for a long time, I felt a burst of emotion in my heart.

After the Chinese team defeated Denmark, in addition to the team's performance attracting much attention, Yu Genwei, who scored the key goal for the Chinese team, also received unprecedented attention.

Not only Tianjin fans insist on an autograph or a photo, but also the foreign media are eager to get an exclusive interview with Yu Genwei.

the reason is simple.

The players and main players of the Chinese team have been thoroughly studied by foreigners.

Only these substitutes are unknown to opponents.

Who is Yu Genwei?

Isn't he a midfielder?

How can he still play as a forward?

Is your level of playing forward so high?

What type of player is he?

Does he still play in China's domestic league?

Are you interested in coming to Newcastle to see the world?

If there is one goal in the World Cup that makes one famous, then the first one to become famous in this World Cup is definitely the little-known Tianjin star.

...

While fans all over the world were still devastated by the French team's early elimination, another team that was the favorite to win the championship was also sadly eliminated in the group stage.

At 14:30 pm on June 12, the two games of the third round of Group F started at the same time. At Osaka Nagai Stadium, England drew 0-0 with Cameroon and ranked second in the group with 5 points.

At the same time, in Konihi Miyagi City, the Argentina team will have a last-ditch battle with the Swedish team, which currently ranks first in the group.

For the Argentines, only by defeating their opponents can they guarantee promotion to the top 16.

In the 59th minute, A-Svensson opened the scoring for Sweden with a free kick.

But the Argentina team only equalized the score with Crespo's penalty kick in the 88th minute.

In the end, the Nordic iron barrel array trapped the Pampas gale.

In this World Cup, people will never see the Pampas eagle spread its wings again.

At the post-match press conference, God of War Batty told reporters with tears in his eyes: "I hope Crespo will be better than me in the future..."

After this battle, the God of War Batty officially announced his retirement from the Argentina national team.

And he left his No. 9 to Crespo and regained a good relationship with Crespo.

Crespo also said: "I also want to thank Barty."

"That's the way football is. No matter how strong you are, you can never guess the outcome. It's the same for you, me, and him."

"Farewell to the World Cup, we also have to say goodbye to Batty. We are leaving the World Cup, and I want to talk to him, hand in hand, face to face, to bid farewell to the symbol of the national team in the most intimate way."

In the two games of Group B, Paraguay played Slovenia in the third group match.

Paraguay, which only accumulated 1 point in World War II, is hanging on by a thread. If it wants to reach the top 16, it must not only defeat its opponent Slovenia by a big score, but also hope that Spain, which has already qualified in the same group, can defeat South Africa, which already has 4 points.

Since the two games are played at the same time, every minute is a test for the Paraguayan players.

After 90 minutes of thrilling and exciting competition, Spain finally defeated South Africa 3-2, winning all three games in the group to advance to the top 16.

Paraguay relied on a big lead in the end, successfully eliminated South Africa with a goal difference, and entered the knockout round.

The poor South African team has failed to win two consecutive World Cups.

Seeing that Paraguay advanced, domestic discussions arose.

As FIFA likes to form CPs, they would rather see the Chinese team play against the South African team to give their African buddies a chance to "revenge".

In this way, there will be a gimmick, and the ratings will double.

However, compared to African teams that are good at running, domestic fans generally feel that Paraguay is better at playing football.

Just like Senegal is the second team of France, many fans regard the Chinese team as the "second team of Brazil".

Since it is named "Brazil", how can it be afraid of Paraguay, which is on the same continent?

However, more fans said in interviews: "...We are already very content!"

"Thanks to Coach Zeng's clever calculation, we avoided the Brazilian team."

"As long as we don't play against Brazil, we are not afraid of anyone!"

"Hahahahaha, the Chinese team must win, must win!!!"

At 14:00 on June 13, the two matches of the third round of Group C of the World Cup started at the same time.

The Brazilian team is guaranteed to win, and the fans' focus, apart from admiring the Selecao's gorgeous dance, is speculating on their strategy for the World Cup knockout rounds.

Of course, for a team of Brazil's level, there is only one reason for other teams to avoid them, and there is no team they are afraid of.

Not only that, they have no need to "save face" for others.

In the end, the Brazilian team defeated Costa Rica with a big score of 5 to 2, winning all three games and advancing to the top 16 as the first in the group.

Because the competitors in the same group lost to Brazil by a huge score, the stronger Turkey defeated Nigeria 3-0 in the last game.

The final result was that Turkey, like Paraguay, advanced to the top 16 in a desperate counterattack!

After losing both games, the Ecuadorian team only fought for the dignity of the country in the last game.

But for Croatia, they must beat Ecuador by at least two goals in this game to ensure that they advance to the top 16.

In the end, Ecuador defeated Croatia 1-0 and got its first goal and first victory in the World Cup.

On the other side, the Mexican team, which has won 2 games but is not guaranteed to qualify, faces Italy, which is fighting against the odds.

In the 34th minute, the Mexican team's Borgetti headed the ball backwards in the penalty area and hoisted the ball into the far corner of the Italian goal.

Such an incredible goal left Buffon with no reaction.

But the tenacious Italians had no intention of giving up. In the 84th minute, with Del Piero's goal, Italy equalized the score and finally advanced.

Italy's qualification was quite dramatic.

According to the Italian media, Italy needs to defeat Mexico to successfully qualify, otherwise it will repeat the mistakes of France and Argentina.

At halftime, the headline news on Italian national TV was that Italy had a bad start. "The whole of Italy is suffering like the national team. The national team is in danger of being eliminated. This is an outcome that none of us want to see."

But Ecuador's unexpected goal in the second half directly became the Italian's savior.

After the game, many Italian media expressed their gratitude to the Ecuadorian sports team. If Ecuador loses this game, Italy will be eliminated with a draw.

On June 14, in two simultaneous games in Group H of the World Cup, Xiaotian defeated Tunisia 2-0, qualifying as the group leader and becoming the second Asian team to advance to the top 16.

This is also a historic breakthrough for Little Lives. For Little Lives fans and players, advancing to the top 16 has been a wish for many years.

In another match of Group H, Belgium and Russia competed for the last qualifying spot in the group, and Russia, the points leader, can successfully qualify as long as they tie their opponents.

In the end, at Shizuoka Fukuro Stadium, the European Red Devils defeated the Polar Bears with a score of 3-2, narrowly advancing to the top 16.

At 19:30 on the evening of June 14, the two games of Group G, the last group of the World Cup, also started on time.

At the Daejeon Stadium in South Korea, the United States team will play the final game against the Polish team that has been eliminated to fight for the right to qualify for the group.

After 90 minutes, the Polish team defended their dignity and won the game with a score of 3-1.

The Chinese team and Xiaoli have advanced to the second stage of the World Cup, which is undoubtedly a tangible incentive for South Korea, which loves face very much.

After the match against Portugal started, the entire South Korean team launched an offensive amidst roaring cheers like a tsunami.

Portugal defended calmly and did not allow the opponent to invade the dangerous zone. The two sides basically fought in the midfield.

Just when everyone thought it would be no problem for Portugal to win South Korea, the whole game took a very dramatic turn.

In the 22nd minute, Xue Qixuan counterattacked with the ball from the left. Beto knocked him down and was given a yellow card.

Due to the accumulation of two yellow cards, Beto will be suspended for one game if Portugal qualify.

Just 5 minutes later, Pinto's scissor kick knocked down Park Ji-sung again.

Argentinian referee Sanchez did not hesitate to take out the red card. Although Pinto was indignant, he still fulfilled the referee's decision.

In the following time, South Korea fought with more and less. However, due to technical reasons, they frequently made mistakes.

However, Portugal also had one player missing, so it was difficult to organize a decent attack. The two sides started a tug-of-war in the midfield.

Seeing that neither side could open up the situation, the referee once again exercised his right to make a penalty.

In the 65th minute of the game, Beto hooked Lee Yong-pyo who had broken through near the sideline. Beto was sent off for a total of 2 yellow cards in this game, and Portugal could only fight with 9 men.

At this time, the Polish team on the other side was already leading 3-0.

If the score of this match between South Korea and Portugal is maintained until the end, Portugal will join hands with South Korea to qualify.

Facing the "sad and happy" situation, Figo could only hold his head and smile bitterly.

In the 69th minute, Oliveira replaced Pauleta with defender Andrade, and the 9-man Portuguese team began to try their best to maintain the tie.

However, South Korea had no intention of letting Portugal go.

In the 70th minute, Lee Yong-pyo made a long pass from the left to the back post. Park Ji-sung stopped the ball with his chest and picked up Concei San with his right foot.

He volleyed with his left foot in front of the corner of the small penalty area, and the ball passed under Baya's crotch and into the near corner.

South Korea takes the lead 1-0!

The camera panned to the front of the rostrum, where General Manager Kim Dae-jung was smiling and waving towards the court.

One goal behind, and nine men responded. Even a world-class superstar like Figo could only "look at the goal with a sigh."

"There is not much time left for Portugal..." a familiar line came from the TV.

Watching the nine Portuguese players fighting desperately on the field, domestic fans were infected by their spirit and cheered for them one after another.

But for those who have guessed many things, it seems to be a certainty that Portugal will be eliminated by South Korea.

At the same time, Portugal coach Oliveira smiled bitterly.

He finally understood the meaning of what Zeng Zheng said to him in the friendly match in HK more than ten days ago.

“Is God going to destroy Portugal?”

The match between the two sides went on in an orderly manner. In the 89th minute, Xavier threw a sideline ball from the right. Substitute Andrade made a header. The South Korean defender headed the ball to clear the ball, but it was not far.

The Portuguese captain suddenly burst out to catch up with the ball with unprecedented speed, and directly raised his foot to shoot a volley from 16 meters in front of the goal.

The ball hit the left goal post hard. Although Li Yunzai made a save gesture, he was helpless and could only watch the ball go into the net.

The moment the ball hit the net, Zeng Zheng couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Damn it, Portugal is amazing, did they really score a goal?"

In the camera, Figo immediately knelt down and kissed his jersey deeply.

Behind him were a group of excited and tired Portuguese players rushing towards him.

What the fuck?!

Portugal scored? Portugal equalized at the last moment of the game? Portugal is going to advance?

"Look, Xiao Zeng, let me tell you, Portugal will definitely advance!" Chi Shangbin, who was watching the game together, put his hand on Zeng Zheng's shoulder.

"But Portugal is really dangerous. With nine men fighting, they can even tie the score after falling behind by one goal!"

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "If it weren't for stars like Figo, Portugal would really not be what it is!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Speaking of this, Chi Shangbin couldn't help but speak in an official tone.

"Xiao Zeng, when it comes to judging the situation of the World Cup, I am not as good as you; but when it comes to understanding football, hahaha, you are still missing a trick!!!"

...

South Korea qualified first in the group with one win and two draws.

Portugal was not ruined by two red cards. Relying on goal difference, Portugal had one win, one draw and one loss, with four points, edging out the United States and Poland and reaching the top 16 of the World Cup.

After the battle between Portugal and South Korea, all the top 16 players in the World Cup between Japan and South Korea have been born.

The matchup list is as follows.

South Korea Division: South Korea VS Italy, China VS Paraguay, Germany VS Turkey; Sweden VS Belgium.

Little Days Division: Mexico VS Portugal, Denmark VS Spain, Ireland VS Brazil, Little Days VS England.

Among them, what attracts the most attention is naturally that in this World Cup, three Asian teams entered the top 16 of the World Cup at the same time.

This also made many fans sigh.

Many media outlets have even published articles stating that Asian football is on the rise.

And because many players from China, Japan and South Korea are playing in mainstream European leagues, the markets of the three East Asian countries have also been completely opened with the formation of the top 16 of the World Cup.

Countless scouts flocked to the three East Asian countries to search for potential stars.

Correspondingly, the three East Asian countries have also seized opportunities to cooperate with European clubs to cultivate more talents.

There was not much rest time after the group stage, as the quarter-finals followed immediately.

In the knockout round, any mistake may lead to irreparable consequences.

...

The knockout match against Paraguay was definitely a great victory for the Chinese coaching staff.

Not only do we avoid strong opponents like the Brazilian team, but we don’t have to fly to a small country, so we can meet our opponents in a leisurely and leisurely way.

Judging from the top 16 list, although the two favorites, France and Argentina, were eliminated early, the winning odds of Italy, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Portugal and England are still far lower than those of the Chinese team.

However, due to the two-half zone format, the Chinese team is only in the same half zone as Italy and Germany.

In addition to food, compared with the other four favorites to win the championship, the fatigue of the "Axis Two" is most vividly highlighted in this World Cup.

Although the Germans beat Saudi Arabia 8-0, in fact this aging German team was not favored before the World Cup.

To paraphrase a common saying, “those who are nouveau riche and poor only have money left”!

The same goes for the German team.

The only thing left of this once invincible team is the tenacious fighting spirit of German football.

It's not much better in Italy.

Not to mention the stumbling in the group stage, Serie A is also declining and becoming lonely.

Even Italy's own media said: Italian football has a bigger problem than the Italian national team!

It has to be said that it is luck that the two fellow sufferers are separated into one and a half areas.

For other teams in the same half zone as the two teams, this is of course also a good opportunity to knock their powerful opponents off the altar.

From this perspective, the fact that the Chinese team avoided more favorites to win the championship is naturally the result of Zeng Zheng and the coaching staff!

The streets of Seogwipo are not wide.

Maybe it's because there are too many Chinese fans.

How has the little South Korea ever seen such a huge army of Chinese fans?

In just a few days, all the "ginseng chicken" in Seogwipo was eaten by fans, and the love hotels here were also full of Chinese fans.

Hundreds of Chinese fans were even dragged to the outskirts about two hours' drive from the city and stayed in so-called "resorts" with conditions similar to county guest houses.

The tour guide introduced to everyone that the local residents of South Korea are not particular about food, so Chinese fans should not be too particular. You also have to eat inferior barbecue and military hot pot. The daily food standards are very low.

Not only that, the itinerary is also very unreasonable.

I was driven twice a day by bus between the city and the suburbs. Many fans were in tour groups, and the more than 10 days they visited South Korea were the more than 10 days of fighting with travel agencies.

The team advanced to the top 16 by "overfulfilling the task". As a result, Bamboo Shoes did not control it too strictly.

Players are even allowed to go to the local pub for a drink after a win.

Of course, if anyone stays out overnight, they will face the penalty of not being able to play.

Many times when the rules are relaxed, people spontaneously follow them.

"Coach Chi, what's the noise outside?"

"Alas, another tour group was tricked!" Chi Shangbin sighed.

Being cheated?

Zeng Zheng pricked up his ears, and there were several heart-piercing shouts faintly heard in the lobby downstairs.

"...We don't make any money either, everything we make belongs to the country."

"...After we organize a World Cup tour for thousands of fans, we will donate 5 million to the "Women's Football Development Fund" to Bamboo Shoes."

"...Don't forget, next year is the Women's World Cup!"

South Korea has limited reception, and China’s ability to organize tourist groups is limited.

"Going to South Korea to watch the World Cup" is not a great experience for many fans.

But when I thought that the Chinese team was still in the World Cup, those annoying trivial things that happened in life were immediately forgotten.

After the opponents for the quarter-final knockout rounds were determined, the media who paid attention to this knockout round also became intensely focused.

As soon as Paraguay got off the plane, he was caught red-handed by reporters.

"We can definitely eliminate the Chinese team!"

"We are lucky to meet the Chinese team in the top 16!"

The combative Chilavert started talking as soon as he got off the plane.

"Compared with other opponents who are first in the group, I believe there is no better opponent than the Chinese team."

"Of course, I'm not saying they are worse than us. We respect them."

"But I believe we can defeat them."

Chilavert even said, "If I have a chance, I hope to use my free kick to knock on the door guarded by Europe."

"In my career, I have never scored against an Asian goalkeeper!"

These words reached Ou Chuliang's ears, and Ou Guomen, who had received instructions from Zeng Zheng, became more domineering.

"(Chilavert) is just a thing of the past."

"Don't forget, he is 36 years old."

"Judging from Paraguay's three group matches, it was entirely luck that they were able to qualify. There was even some credit for Spain's help."

"If Chilavert wants to break through the gate I am guarding, then first ask the teammates in front of me if they agree!"

The Chinese team is not afraid of Paraguay, and Paraguay is not afraid of the Chinese team.

In fact, any team assigned to this division will feel "lucky".

"Haha, great, XX and I are in the same group!"

This game actually does not receive much attention at the global level, but in Asia, where the World Cup is held, it has received tens of millions of fans!

In the words of Chinese fans, this was our territory thousands of years ago.

Today we are competing here, and we are also half the hosts!

Because of the high level of attention in Asia, many European media have also made professional predictions about this game.

For example, Geert, a reporter for the Belgian "VOTEBALL" sports magazine, predicted that the Chinese team would win in overtime with a score of 2-1:

The Chinese played too hard in the last game and might have reorganized their team.

Roberto, a reporter for Mexico's Liberation newspaper, predicted that Paraguay would eliminate the Chinese team in the penalty shootout: Cuevas may not be able to play, which is Paraguay's biggest regret.

Although Paredes is suspended, old Maldini has enough manpower to make up for this loophole.

After experiencing the test of life and death, Paraguayans have a very relaxed mentality.

And Chilavert will still be the driving force for the Paraguayans to keep moving forward. His leadership qualities are not comparable to those of Chinese goalkeepers.

Soon, it was the day before the game

Both teams expressed their confidence in winning in the media, while Sports Weekly reported a ridiculous incident about the Chinese team.

"The Chinese team is in big trouble!"

With such an attractive title, it’s hard not to keep reading.

"This trouble comes from a Spanish-speaking person who calls himself a journalist."

"Chinese people often call room 903 where the Chinese team is located late at night, which seriously affects the rest of the players in this room."

"According to the hotel manager's inference, this matter is likely to have a lot to do with the upcoming knockout round, and the other party may even be a Paraguay fan!"

"On the night when the entire Paraguay team arrived in Seogwipo, the phone kept ringing at one in the morning, six in the morning, and seven in the morning, which made it difficult for the players in this room to sleep."

"When he called again the next night, one of our team members picked up the phone and chatted with him for a long time."

"This guy pretending to be a reporter got our main team's lounge from somewhere and hopes to interfere with our team members' rest in this way."

"But Coach Zeng said that this harassing phone call did not cause much trouble to the players and the team."

"Because room 903 is occupied by Zhang Xiaorui and several other players who will not play in the next game."

"However, Bamboo Shoes has contacted the local police station and hotel, and has taken some corresponding restrictive measures on this matter."

...

June 15, 14:30 pm, Seogwipo World Cup Stadium.

The first round of the 2002 World Cup knockout round of 16 kicked off.

"Hello, fans and friends in front of the TV, and welcome to watch the World Cup quarter-finals, the match between China and Paraguay."

"This is the second time that the Chinese team has reached the top 16 of the World Cup for the first time."

"The opponent Paraguay has entered the World Cup finals 5 times in history, with 4 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses in 15 games, ranking 25th among the 67 teams that have participated in the finals."

"This is definitely an extraordinary achievement for a country with a population of less than 5 million."

"Numbers prove that Paraguay has always been a "second world" member of South American and world football."

"In the last World Cup, they teamed up with Nigeria to "destroy" Spain and caused a lot of trouble for the French team."

"They have been performing well since the start of this South American qualifier. Under the leadership of the "magic goalkeeper" Chilavert, they forced Argentina twice and won the qualifying rights relatively easily."

"But then bad luck struck, and Chilavert was severely punished by FIFA. In the last two qualifiers in which he was absent, the Paraguayan team was completely exhausted, and ultimately ranked fourth in the South American qualifiers."

"This bad news not only made coach Markarian sacked, Chilavert also missed the first two games of the finals, which gave Paolo Maldini, who took over the coaching job, a headache."

"Compared with four years ago, the Paraguay team will compete in Japan and South Korea with almost the same lineup."

"However, the emergence of Santa Cruz, a young player who plays for the Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich, has greatly increased the team's forward strength."

"In the words of old Maldini, the current Paraguay team has the strength to challenge any strong team."

"For the Chinese team, Coach Zeng, who is familiar with South American style of play, is not afraid of the Paraguayan team."

"In the group stage that just passed, the Chinese team qualified first in the group with two wins and one draw, just to be placed in this division and compete with the second-placed team in Group B."

"So for the Chinese team, all the advantages they can get off the court have been obtained, and all the efforts they can make have been done. The only thing to do now is to play well in this knockout match."

"We are waiting for work. I believe Coach Zeng's team has already found a way to defeat the enemy."

"...Okay, now the players from both sides have entered the stadium, and we can hear the sudden burst of cheers from more than 50,000 fans at the scene."

"Everyone listen carefully, you can still hear the faint sound of cheering for Coach Zeng. It can be seen that Coach Zeng is still very loved by the fans."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Today the Chinese team still played 442, and the goalkeeper is still Ou Chuliang."

"The four defenders are Sun Jihai, General Fan, Li Weifeng and Wu Chengying."

"The four central defenders are Li Tie, Zhao Junzhe, Li Jinyu and Qi Hong."

"The two arrows on the front line are Yang Chen and Xie Hui."

"The lineup of the Chinese team today is a little different from that of the group stage. Li Tie returned to the game after being suspended, but Zhang Xiaorui was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards."

"In addition, Li Jinyu, General Fan, Li Weifeng, Zheng Zhi, Yang Chen and others all have yellow cards on their bodies."

"And according to the latest news, Li Xiaopeng, who was injured in the last game, will bid farewell to this World Cup early."

"The Chinese team's lineup can be said to be on the verge of 'losing soldiers and generals'."

"The one shown in the camera is Yu Genwei, who scored the winning goal on the field. He is still sitting on the bench today."

"In Paraguay, old Maldini arranged an Italian-style formation and played 532."

"The goalkeeper is the legendary goalkeeper Chilavert, who is also the legendary leader of the Paraguay team."

"This is a very offensive-minded goalkeeper who often uses free kicks and penalty kicks in the frontcourt to break the opponent's goal."

"Chilavert has currently played 67 times for the Paraguay national team and scored 8 goals."

"The five defenders are Arce, Jia Mala, Ayala, Canisa, and Caceres."

"The three midfielders are Struve, Acuna and Bonnet."

"The two strikers are Kazuo Zai and Santa Cruz."

"Paraguay's main midfielder Paredes was suspended due to a red card and was replaced by Struve; Bonnet also made his first appearance, replacing Alvarenga."

"Santa Cruz, who plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, is the core of Paraguay's attack."

"As long as we limit him well in this game, I believe Paraguay will not pose much of a threat to us."