Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 631 Group 1 and Group 2

The day after the match between China and Greece, the Chinese team began their training session, and the first fifteen minutes of the training were open to the media.

Reporters from China and some from Colombia gathered outside the training field, waiting to watch the Chinese team's training session begin.

As their next opponent, Colombia is paying close attention to the Chinese team's situation. Although they have already secured qualification, Colombia is not complacent.

After all, if they lose to China, they will drop to second place in the group. The second-place team in Group C will then face the first-place team in Group D, which currently seems likely to be one of Italy, Uruguay, or Costa Rica.

In the two Group D matches that just concluded, Italy suffered a shock 0-1 defeat to Costa Rica, while Uruguay beat England 2-1.

In Group D, Costa Rica, the dark horse, is in first place with two wins, Uruguay and Italy are in second place with one win and one loss each, while England, with two losses, has been eliminated.

Based on the current situation, Costa Rica is likely to remain the top team in Group D.

The opponent of the top team in Group C is either Italy or Uruguay.

Both teams are traditionally strong, and in terms of both reputation and strength, they are far superior to Costa Rica in the eyes of outsiders.

From this perspective, both Chinese and Colombian media seem to see competing for second place in the group as a better option.

However, for Colombia to secure second place in the group, they must lose to China, which is no easy feat.

Therefore, they are also paying close attention to the situation of the Chinese team.

For the Chinese team, the best result seems to be a draw.

If China can secure a draw against Colombia, they will be guaranteed second place in the group and will likely face Costa Rica in the round of 16.

It's not just the media that sees it this way; many fans online share this view, leading to numerous online arguments.

"If we secure second place in the group, and face Costa Rica, the Chinese national football team will have a chance to advance to the quarterfinals!"

"To avenge the defeat against Costa Rica in 2002!"

"Do you guys have some kind of misunderstanding about Costa Rica? They advanced from the group of death early."

"There are always dark horses every year, and this year it's Costa Rica!"

"The Italy in the group stage and the Italy in the knockout stage are not the same team. I still support the second-place team in the group to play against Costa Rica."

"Do you really think Italy will advance? What if it's Uruguay?"

"To be honest, with Shan Yongzhuo on the team, I think it doesn't matter who we beat, we have a very high chance of winning."

"Shan Yongzhuo is good, but his teammates are not up to par. They can't even beat Greece."

"What are you talking about? Reaching the top 16 is already amazing!"

"Yes, it's a historic breakthrough."

"What the hell are you talking about? They haven't even qualified yet!"

"Exactly, have you guys gotten too cocky? The national football team is already incredibly lucky to have made it out of the group stage, okay?"

"Just waiting for them to lose to Colombia and be eliminated in the group stage!"

"Upstairs, you're fucking idiot!"

"Go China's national football team! Go Shan Yongzhuo!"

Although the match isn't until several days later, Chinese fans are already buzzing with excitement and offering all sorts of analyses. With one win and one draw, the Chinese team is in a good position; a draw against Colombia would be enough to qualify.

Even if they lose to Colombia, as long as Greece doesn't beat Ivory Coast by a large margin, a draw or a loss would still allow the Chinese team to qualify.

Overall, there is still a lot of room for maneuver.

However, the situation of other Asian teams is very bad.

In the second leg of Group F, South Korea lost to Nigeria in the previous round and then lost 0-2 to Argentina in this round. With two consecutive losses, South Korea was eliminated early, becoming the second Asian team to be eliminated after Iran.

In the following Group H match, Japan suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat to North African team Algeria.

After two rounds, Belgium advanced to the next round with two wins, Algeria is second in the group with one win and one loss, and Japan and Russia have only managed one point each.

In the next round, Japan will face Belgium, the strongest team in the group. Although they still have a theoretical chance of advancing, their prospects have become very slim.

Before we knew it, the Chinese team seemed to have become the only Asian team left.

Meanwhile, the Chinese national football team continues its training at a leisurely pace.

Whether it was Gao Hongbo, Shan Yongzhuo, or any other player, the entire team was highly unified in spirit, and no one thought about or talked about whether they would be first or second in the group.

Against Colombia, the team was united in their mindset: ignore everything else and just give it their all.

Dan Yongzhuo accumulated 1.2 points, but instead of rushing to add them to Endurance, he planned to focus on the match and add them to Shooting at the appropriate time to obtain the Sacrifice skill.

However, Shan Yongzhuo did not intend to add it when facing Colombia.

This skill should at least be used in the knockout stage.

With the conclusion of the match between Japan and Algeria, the second round of group matches has also ended, and the situation in each group has become clearer.

Some teams have already qualified, while others have already been eliminated.

There are also some teams whose situations are quite unpredictable.

Brazil and Mexico in Group A both have one win and one draw, while Croatia has one win and one loss. In the third round, Mexico and Croatia will compete for a spot in the knockout stage.

Group B has the clearest picture, with the Netherlands and Chile already advancing. The next match will see the two teams face off for the top spot in the group.

Group C is about to see Colombia and China battle for first place.

In Group D, Costa Rica, the dark horse, was the first to advance. Italy and the two Uruguayan powerhouses will face off directly for the second-place finisher in the group and the qualification spot.

In Group E, Ecuador and Honduras, two minnows, had no chance, while France and Switzerland also advanced smoothly.

In Group F, Argentina and Nigeria, both with two wins, advanced to the knockout stage, while South Korea and Bosnia and Herzegovina were unfortunately eliminated.

In Group G, tournament favorites Germany were unexpectedly held to a draw by Ghana. Klose came to the rescue, not only scoring a goal that equaled Ronaldo's World Cup goal record, but also helping Germany equalize and avoid defeat.

However, the match between the United States and Portugal ended in a draw, and with one win and one draw, Germany's chances of advancing remain very good.

In Group H, Belgium has already qualified, and Algeria, with one win and one loss, holds the biggest advantage for the remaining spot.

The final round of group matches to determine the 16 teams advancing to the knockout stage is about to begin, and all 16 teams in this World Cup will be determined.

(End of this chapter)