The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 198 Meet the Bull Warriors!
  There were basically no upsets in the quarter-finals of this World Cup. The stronger side always advanced successfully.

The only thing that was a bit special was the battle between England and Germany. With a goal line, the German tanks were able to take advantage and usher in a big victory.

But in fact, if Lampard's goal had not been misjudged and England equalized the score, it is hard to say whether the German team would have won successfully in the end.

Of course, it was this controversial penalty that prompted UEFA to accelerate the introduction of VAR video playback technology.

It can only be said that there are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is the unlucky Three Lions. The advantage is that maybe future games can reduce the chance of such a situation happening again.

In the pre-match preparation meeting, Lippi focused on analyzing Spain's only defeat in this World Cup.

“Spain’s ball control tactics are indeed very skillful, and even in the game they lost to Switzerland, they had all the advantages on the field.

With a ball possession rate of 63% and 24 shots in the game, they lost to Switzerland 0-1.

We have also played against Switzerland in previous warm-up matches, and we know their strength very well.

If they can beat Spain, of course we can too! "

First of all, he gave examples to boost the morale of the team, because Lippi was worried that when the game against Spain started, some players would feel desperate because of the opponent's advantage on the court.

"So we don't need to compete with Spain for possession of the ball. We just need to defend well and wait for opportunities to counterattack. It is best to kill with one shot!"

With that said, Lippi glanced at Leo.

Leo:? ? ?
  “It doesn’t matter if we can’t score, as long as we keep a clean sheet and send the score to overtime or a penalty shootout, that’s fine.

We have Buffon, so we won’t be afraid of them in penalty kicks! "

Buffon smiled and gave a thumbs up but said nothing.

Some people always think that Buffon is a goalkeeper who has excellent abilities in other aspects, but is not good at saving penalty kicks.

There is a big reason for this impression. The vast majority of so-called fans have not actually watched a few Buffon games.

However, in the penalty shootout of the 2006 World Cup final, none of Buffon's four penalty kicks against France went in the right direction.

Trezeguet, the only French team miss, was not saved by Buffon, but Trezeguet kicked off too hard and hit the crossbar.

In fact, if someone looks back on Buffon's career, the Italian goalkeeper's point saving success rate exceeds 30%, which is close to one third.

In other words, Buffon is sure to save one out of every three penalty kicks on average!
  Although he has the advantage of having a relatively long career, Buffon's success rate and number of penalty kicks saved are far unmatched by any other goalkeeper.

The success rate is similar to his, but the total number is not as good as Buffon.

The number of shots saved is close to Buffon's, but the success rate is far lower.

For example, their opponent tomorrow, Spanish goalkeeper Casillas, has a point saving success rate of only in his early twenties.

If anything, perhaps only goalkeeper Handanovic, who is still playing for Udinese, can compare with Buffon in this regard.

Unfortunately, due to restrictions on nationality, Handanovic was unable to lead Slovenia to any breakthrough in international competitions until his retirement.

To go a long way, after saying so much, it can be summed up in one sentence: Italy is not afraid of having a penalty shootout with Spain!

Although in the 2008 European Cup quarter-finals, Italy was eliminated by the champion Spain on penalties.

But today is different from the past. De Rossi and Di Natale, who had penalty kicks saved at that time, are now more mature.

Moreover, the two newcomers in the Italian team, Leo and Balotelli, are both big-hearted and don't seem to be nervous, and they are as steady as old dogs in taking penalty kicks.

In addition, Casillas, who relied on his top reactions to secure his position as a first-class goalkeeper, has entered a period of decline in strength as he grows older.

Compared to defeating the in-form and strong "Matador" in the 90-minute game, Lippi felt that he might have a better grasp of the penalty spot.

Of course, it is definitely the best situation to be able to solve the battle and eliminate the opponent within the normal time.

Therefore, Lippi not only formulated the defensive arrangement for the game against Spain in detail, but also gave some guidance on the penalty shootout.

After all the tactics were deployed, Lippi specifically called Leo over.

“You are the key to our victory in the next game, and our opponents will definitely defend you closely.

You can make your own decisions on the field and attack at the right time! "

The head coach's trust is both pressure and motivation. Leo nodded.

He really never worried about Spanish defensive players, he was just worried that his teammates would not be able to withstand the opponent's attack.

On July 7, the last quarter-final match of the World Cup in South Africa was held at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.

Defending champion Italy faces Spain, the European Cup champion two years ago. This game is undoubtedly a highly anticipated battle!
  Spain continued the lineup that defeated their neighbor Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals. The sluggish Torres started again, with Villa and Iniesta on the wings.

Xavi leads the midfield, with Busquets and Xavi Alonso the remaining two.

Left back Capdevila, right back Ramos, center back combination of Puyol and Pique, goalkeeper Casillas.    This lineup is basically a patchwork of Barcelona and Real Madrid's starters.

It seems that there is less Messi on the front line, and the other positions are not inferior to Barcelona, ​​which won the triple crown last season and the domestic double crown this season.

Therefore, the strength of the players is only one aspect. Del Bosque used the Barcelona skeleton to build this Spanish team. The skilled ball control tactics and the tacit cooperation between the players are the main factors for their consecutive victories.

The Italian team only changed two starters compared to the previous game.

Balotelli and Iaquinta double arrows.

Leo's attacking midfielder, behind him is still Pirlo, De Rossi and Marchisio.

Left back Criscito and David Thornton returned to the right back position, Chiellini and Bonucci partnered with center back and goalkeeper Buffon.

The Azzurri versus the Matadors is also a contest between Lippi and Vicente del Bosque. This World Cup quarter-finals competition begins at Ellis Park Stadium!
  After the game started, Italy unexpectedly took the initiative to "give" the ball to its opponent and launched a defensive counterattack with determination.

Of course, Spain would not be polite. They played short passes and penetrated in the midfield, constantly turning their feet to avoid Italy's pressing.

But at the same time, Italy's defense was very sophisticated, and it was difficult for Spain to organize an effective attack calmly for a while, especially since it could hardly reach the opponent's penalty area.

How can I put it, both teams are playing the tactics they are best at currently.

So although it is said to be one attack and one defense, and the scene is not exciting, in fact, the battle on the tactical level has quietly begun.

In the second minute, Busquets got the ball in the backcourt, and Leo actively grabbed the ball and successfully intercepted Busquets' pass!

He was also an old rival. Leo showed a "kind" smile to Professor Bu.

But when Busquets saw Leo's smile, he immediately turned red and turned around with a fierce sweep!
  Leo made dangerous jumps to avoid Professor Bu's spikes, but was still brought down.

He had lost his balance when he fell, so it would be reasonable to inadvertently step on Busquets' ankle.

Then the audience saw the guy who was shoveling holding his right leg and wailing in pain, and the one who was shoveled rolled many times in a row before falling to the ground.

The referee Carlos Butres from Guatemala blew the whistle to stop the game, and the team doctors from both sides hurriedly entered the field with medical kits.

Fans of both teams looked at the field with some concern, praying in their hearts that no players would be injured at the beginning of the game.

If there is one, it would preferably be the opposite player.

After a simple "treatment" by the team doctor, Leo limped to his feet and moved a few steps, which seemed to be nothing serious.

To his surprise, Busquets seemed fine and returned to the court after going to the sidelines for treatment.

Of course, the referee did not forget to give Busquets a yellow card warning.

Professor Bu successfully received the first yellow card of the game.

Once again, Leo and Pirlo stood in front of the free kick position, one on the left and one on the right.

However, the ball is a little far away from the goal, and it is difficult for either of them to directly attack the goal.

In a coordinated move, Leo feinted over the ball and then quickly moved forward to near the top of the arc in the penalty area.

Pirlo's free kick was also dropped into the penalty area. Bonucci did not fight for a header at the penalty spot. Pique took the lead and headed the header to clear the ball!
  Leo looked up at the ball, took two steps forward, jumped to his chest, and stopped the ball firmly at his feet.

He made a slight adjustment and dunked forward to the left to dodge Puyol's upward attack, and Leo followed up with a powerful low shot with his left foot!
  Casillas, who was guarding the goal line, was very focused and reacted quickly before falling to the ground and making a save!

The Spanish goalkeeper pushed the ball over the baseline with one palm!

The first threatening shot since the start of the game came from Leo, but it was a pity that he could not break through the ten fingers of "Santa Cassie" who was in excellent condition.

After this, Spain's offense became more cautious, and they even spent more time returning to their own half.

In the dreary atmosphere, the spectators watching the game, especially the "fake fans" who only come to join in the fun every World Cup, were drowsy and unable to cheer up.

In the seventh minute, Xabi Alonso's long shot from outside the penalty area was blocked by the Italian defender.

The subsequent corner kick passed into the penalty area did not pose any threat, and the Spanish team's height did not have an advantage.

Torres, who is 1.83 meters tall in the midfield and frontcourt, is already considered tall, while Professor Bu is nearly 1.9 meters tall. Unfortunately, he is not good at heading the ball.

Of the two central defenders, only Pique has the ability to header. It would be too difficult for Puyol, who is over 1.7 meters tall, to fight for the header in the tall Italian crowd.

Spain's attack failed, and Italy naturally launched a rapid counterattack.

A long pass from the backcourt went to the frontcourt, and Iaquinta, who was at the front, turned back and headed back.

Balotelli dribbled the ball diagonally to the right side of the penalty area!
  Facing the front and back attacks from the defensive players, Bashen cleverly knocked back with his heel in front of the penalty area!

De Rossi followed up with a volley at the top of the arc that slightly missed the right goal post!

(End of this chapter)