The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 310: Complete victory and promotion! (Please subscribe)

The first round of the European Cup group stage ended soon, and the situation of each group is still unclear.

Take Italy's Group C as an example. Italy defeated Spain 3-1, while Croatia also defeated Ireland 3-1.

Currently, Italy and Croatia are tied for first place with three points, and even the goal difference and number of goals are the same.

After the match against Spain, the Italian team left Gdansk and headed to Poznan, the largest city in central and western Poland.

Poznan is the capital of Wielkopolska Voivodeship, located in the center of the Greater Poland Plain. It is Poland's largest industrial, transportation, cultural, educational and scientific research center.

Italy will face Croatia in the second round of the European Cup group stage here.

In the historical confrontation with Croatia, Italy did not have an advantage.

Especially during the period from 1996 to 2006, the two teams met five times in official matches. The Azzurri had two draws and three losses but no victory.

From a certain perspective, Croatia can be regarded as Italy's nemesis.

The Azzurri coach was also asked this question during an interview with reporters before the game.

"Italy is a brand-new team now, so past records are not of reference significance."

Croatia's rock coach Bilic also strongly agrees with Prandelli's view.

"Those good results are in the past. Now we are facing Italy, a World Cup-level team. We will not take it lightly."

There may be many head coaches with great personalities, but there may not be many coaches like Bilic who play rock and roll and wear diamond earrings to command from the sidelines.

Bilic plays guitar in a heavy metal band called "Rawbau".

Before the last European Cup, Bilic's band composed a song called "Blazing Madness" specifically for the Croatian team.

The song caused a sensation as soon as it was released, and even reached the top three on the British pop music chart.

Yes, Italy's opponent's coach in the next game is such a weird one.

On June 6, in the second round of Group C of the 14 European Cup, Italy and Croatia competed at the Poznan Municipal Stadium!

Compared with the last game against Spain, Italy's lineup has only one change.

Marchisio replaced Thiago Motta in the starting lineup, and the other positions remained unchanged.

Prandelli followed the 4312 formation that successfully defeated the Bull Legion in the first round.

Buffon and Cassano played together in the European Cup for the ninth time, second only to Del Piero and Zambrotta's Italian record.

As for the Croatian side, Bilic arranged a starting lineup of 442.

The double forwards of Mandzukic and Jelavic, Modric in the attacking midfielder, Vukojevic in the back midfielder, Perisic and Rakitic on the wings.

Left back Strinic, right back Srna, Hildenfeld and Joel Luka partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Pletikosa.

Croatian captain Srna has also participated in seven European Cup games, tying Stojkovic's appearance record for a Balkan player.

Before the game started, the Inter Milan players in the Italian team greeted their club teammates in the Croatian team very friendly.

This is only possible before the game starts, and is not possible after the game starts.

The main reason is that there is Spain in their group who is eyeing them.

If the two sides draw this game, it will give Spain a chance, and they are definitely not willing to admit defeat, and they will definitely fight for the victory of this game.

Especially Croatia, which will play Spain in their last game, they hope to seize the opportunity to qualify in their own hands no matter what.

In the last European Cup, Croatia was grouped with Germany, Austria and Poland. As a result, they won all three games and qualified first in the group.

Unfortunately, they lost to Türkiye on penalties in the quarter-finals.

This time Bilic leads the team again, and he definitely hopes to make a breakthrough.

It's a pity that we are divided into a group with Spain and Italy. It is indeed very difficult to qualify in the group.

After the game started, the Italian team took the lead in launching an offensive.

Cassano made a pass from the left, Balotelli stopped the ball in the penalty area and turned around to volley, but unfortunately it missed the left post slightly.

It's amazing to say that in the past, the Azzurri were known for their tough and steady defense.

But now this Italian team seems to be a bit stronger in offense than defense, and there are often problems in the defense. Fortunately, the players in the midfield and frontcourt are pretty good.

Leo made a diagonal pass to the left, David Thornton stepped in to assist, cut inside to the edge of the penalty area and fired a long shot that was resolved by Croatian goalkeeper Pletikosa.

Of course, Bilic's team will not retreat on defense, they are also looking for opportunities to counterattack.

In the fifth minute, Strinic threw a sideline ball from the left side of the frontcourt, Mandzukic headed the ball over, and Jelavic's sideways volley in front of the goal failed to hit the mark!

Buffon saved the ball easily.

Srna and Rakitic hit the wall on the right and cooperated to break through the defensive player and then passed the ball. Mandzukic headed the ball wide under Chiellini's marking.

Maggio also sent a cross from the right. Balotelli shot the ball without stopping in front of the small penalty area and was blocked by Croatian defender Joel Luka!

Cassano got the ball from the left and passed it. Marchisio's left-footed shot from outside the penalty area passed the top of the crossbar!

A minute later, the Azzurri came back.

Leo first got rid of the entanglement of club teammate Modric, and then made a flexible acceleration change to wipe out the Croatian midfielder Vukojevic who stepped forward to cover the defense.

Dribbling the ball to the edge of the opponent's penalty area, Leo swept his eyes and had a panoramic view of the situation in the penalty area.

Soon enough, Leo's pass passed over Sildenfeld's head and landed in the penalty area.

Cassano hit the ball too hard and flew into the stands.

Fifteen minutes into the game, Italy had the upper hand.

The Croatian side focused more on defense, otherwise they might not be able to withstand the fierce offensive of the Azzurri.

Modric was finally able to control the ball and organize an attack.

He distributed the ball to the left, and Perisic took the ball all the way to the bottom line before passing in.

Bonucci made a big save before Mandzukic grabbed the shot!

The clearance is still somewhat accurate. As a central defender, Bonucci has developed a good ability to play the ball.

Balotelli stopped the ball in the chest in the frontcourt and returned it to his teammates, then immediately turned around and pushed forward.

Leo's direct pass was neither too early nor too late. It was sent out at just the right moment when Balotelli was level with the opponent's back line!

The linesman looked carefully and had no intention of raising a flag.

Not offside!

Balotelli took the ball in stride and broke through to the penalty area!

Facing the opponent's goalkeeper alone, Bashen didn't know what panic or nervousness meant.

Pletikosa saw that his teammates could not count on him, so he could only abandon the goal and attack Balotelli.

Balotelli made a slight adjustment, spiked the ball to the right, turned around and passed the opponent's goalkeeper and pushed the ball into the empty goal!

One to zero!

As expected, the Italian team scored first!

The Croatian players suddenly felt a sense of urgency. If they lost to Italy today, they would have to fight Spain in the last game.

In contrast, Croatian players are more familiar with Italy. Bilic's original plan was that it would be best to win a victory today, but if it was not possible, he would at least get a point.

They are even less sure about playing in Spain.

Strinic passed from the left, Jelavic fell to the ground under Chiellini's close defense, and Howard Webber awarded Croatia a well-positioned free kick.

Srna is unable to take free kicks in Inter Milan, who else would he be in the national team!

Croatia's free kick was taken. Captain Srna curled the ball into the penalty area and was punched out by Buffon!

Modric knocked across and Srna sent a cross from the right!

Jelavic's previous shot missed, and Buffon fell to the ground and confiscated the ball.

Cassano broke through to create chaos, and then he knocked the ball across the penalty area.

Marchisio's powerful volley from outside the penalty area was blocked by the defender.

Leo skillfully passed the ball into the right side of the penalty area, and Balotelli successfully reversed the offside with his right foot and missed the far post.

Croatia's counterattack was intercepted by Italy before it reached the frontcourt.

Leo immediately blocked the penalty area, Cassano dunked Srna with his right foot, and his left-footed shot from close range in front of the goal was bravely saved by Pletikosa!

Immediately afterwards, Cassano got the ball from the left and his shot was blocked by Croatian goalkeeper Pletikosa!

In the 35th minute, Pirlo passed the ball and Balotelli shot a cold shot near the arc of the penalty area. The ball was barely saved by Pletikosa.

The Azzurri were firmly on top and controlled the tempo of the game.

As the first half came to an end, Italy continued to attack.

Marchisio dribbled the ball through the middle and handed it to Leo's feet. Balotelli pulled to the left and raised his hand for the ball.

Leo moved directly to the left without turning his head.

As soon as Bashen received the ball, he was tackled by Rakitic who stepped forward and fell to the ground!

Referee Weber took out a yellow card and gave Rakitic a verbal warning.

Leo and Pirlo discussed it and stood on the free kick penalty spot.

Modric hurried over and whispered a few words to Pletikosa, probably explaining to him the characteristics of Leo's free kick style.

The other party has an undercover agent!

But Leo didn't panic at all. Did he really think he could figure out my background after being my teammate for one season?

In the front left position outside the penalty area, according to Leo's usual habit, there is a high probability that he will shoot a curve ball into the upper right corner of the goal.

Modric should have said the same thing to his team's goalkeeper. This can also be seen from the layout of the wall and Pletikosa's position.

The corners of Leo's mouth raised slightly, and when the referee's whistle sounded, he kicked the ball in the middle without taking a step forward. "What?"

The Croatian goalkeeper, who was already preparing to take off, was stunned for a moment before he realized something was wrong.

The ball went over the wall and flew straight to the upper left corner of the goal!

Pletikosa flew up and fought hard to save, but it was too late. The ball grazed his fingertips and went into the net!

Two to zero!

Italy extended its lead.

Leo's free kick scores directly!

Modric and Pletikosa looked at each other helplessly.

This is also the first time an Italian player has scored a direct free kick in the European Cup since Domenghini scored against Yugoslavia in 1968.

Domenghini also won the Serie A and Champions League championships with Inter Milan. Leo can be regarded as inheriting the will of his predecessors.

The last time a free kick was scored directly in the European Cup was in 2004 when Czech player Heinz scored against Germany.

The first half of the game was not over yet. De Rossi intercepted the ball and passed it straight. Leo, who had just scored, suddenly shot a cold arrow from the outside of the penalty area!

However, the Croatian goalkeeper concentrated and flew to block the ball!

Pirlo took a corner kick from the right, and Cassano's header from the previous point went slightly wide.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Rakitic made a direct pass in the counterattack, and Mandzukic's shot from the right side of the penalty area was confiscated by Buffon.

At the end of the first half, Italy temporarily leads 2-0!

“Everyone performed well, but we have to continue in the second half.

Croatia has the strength to pose a threat to us and must not relax. "

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again, with neither team making any substitutions.

The second half of the game had just begun. Modric passed the ball laterally and took a long shot near the edge of the penalty area!

The ball was saved by Buffon.

Two minutes later, Modric once again had a chance to take a long shot from the outside, but it went directly over the crossbar.

Emotional Croatian fans threw fireworks into the stadium, and Weber had to stop the game.

It took a few minutes for the staff to clear the field before the game resumed.

Marchisio pulled Jelavic while receiving Leo's pass and was given a yellow card by the referee.

Shortly after, Marchisio suffered another head injury during a defense and went to the sidelines for treatment.

In the 61st minute, the Italian team took the lead in substitutions. Prande replaced Marchisio with Thiago Motta.

Then Motta, who had just come on as a substitute, completed a wonderful steal in the center circle. He stole the ball from Modric's feet.

After receiving the ball, Leo immediately sent a direct pass without any delay. Balotelli's powerful long-range shot at the top of the arc was slightly higher than the crossbar.

In the 68th minute, Strinic made a breakthrough pass from the left, and Chiellini made a mistake and headed the ball!

Mandzukic stopped the ball before the penalty spot and volleyed with his right foot. The ball hit the right post and bounced into the goal!

Two to one!

Croatia comes back!

There were about twenty minutes left in the game, and Italy's lead was reduced to just one goal.

This is not good. Leo looked at his opponent's renewed fighting spirit and sighed secretly.

"Hey guys!

We can no longer squander our chances, now we are only one goal ahead of Croatia!

If we win this game, we will qualify from the group early!

We need more determination and courage to score another goal to kill the game! "

Leo's encouragement to his teammates on the field was also echoed.

"Must win!"

Very good, military morale is available!

After the opponent pulled a goal back, the Azzurri were not affected and organized their attack in an orderly manner again.

The Croatian side saw hope of tying the score and getting a point.

Bilic mobilized his troops, and Planic, Kranica and Milan Badelli came on as substitutes.

But it seems that the effect is not very big. Under the leadership of Leo, Italy continues to control the initiative on the field.

The game entered stoppage time. Leo passed the ball from the frontcourt into the penalty area. Balotelli followed up with a volley shot that missed the right post.

Unfortunately, neither team scored again.

At the end of the game, Italy defeated Croatia 2-1.

The Azzurri, who had won both games, also ranked first in the group with six group stage points and advanced to the knockout rounds in advance!

On the other side, Spain rallied after losing to Italy in the first round and beat Ireland 4-0.

Now the defending champion Spain is temporarily in second place above Croatia with the advantage of scoring the winning goal.

However, which of the two can successfully advance to the quarterfinals depends on the outcome of the direct dialogue between them in the final round.

As for the Italian side, they all had smiles on their faces after qualifying early.

“We had a lot of chances in this game, but unfortunately we didn’t take advantage of most of them.

Even though we won the game, I think the boys should have been able to do better.

It is indeed a happy thing to qualify early. In the last game, I think some players can take a rest.

But this does not mean that we will give up. We will also try our best to win the final group match. "

If Italy ends up qualifying as first in the group, they will face the second place in Group D in the quarter-finals.

Now that England and France are tied with four points, it's hard to say what the final situation in Group D will be.

So there is no need to say that you deliberately lose in the last round just to meet an easy opponent. That is definitely not the mentality that a strong team aiming to win the championship should have.

"What I told reporters was not a lie. I hope everyone will give their best in the last game."

Prandelli said this to the Italian players on the training ground.

Four days later, still at the Municipal Stadium in Poznan, Italy ushered in the last game of the group stage.

Ireland, which had lost all the first two rounds, was at the bottom of the group and was eliminated early. The final game for them was a battle of honor.

The Azzurri rotated their lineup, with Balotelli, Leo, Pirlo and many other main players taking turns.

Members of the two teams wore black veils on their arms to commemorate the "Bay Island Massacre" that occurred in Northern Ireland when the two teams clashed eighteen years ago.

At that time, six Catholics were shot dead by Protestants while watching a live broadcast of the game in a bar.

Liverpool football legend Shankly once said:

"Football is not about life and death, but football is higher than life and death."

This sentence has the background of the times when it was born, and it still needs to be viewed dialectically from multiple angles.

Just like Leo, there are at least a dozen times of silence before games for various reasons in a season. Fans who don't understand may find it redundant and even affect the perception of the game.

But for the parties involved, this is not a comfort.

After the game started, Ireland unexpectedly launched an attack first.

Robbie Keane, who used to be teammates with Leo at Tottenham Hotspur, received the pass from Duff and completed the first attack of the game.

However, De Sanctis, who replaced Buffon as the starting goalkeeper today, flew and blocked the ball.

After that, the game came into the control of the Italian team.

Di Natale and Giovinco successively shot very threatening shots.

However, the Azzurri were unable to score and were unable to break through the gate guarded by Given.

After the start of the second half, the Italian team continued to maintain pressure on Ireland on the offensive end.

It is a pity that the Italian offensive players on the field are not capable of seizing opportunities.

In the 82nd minute, Leo and Balotelli were substituted.

Shortly after they came on the field, the Italian team took advantage of a corner kick to break the deadlock.

Leo took a corner kick from the right, and Balotelli turned sideways in front of the goal and shot a volley into the net with his right foot!

Italy one to zero Ireland!

This competition was maintained until the end of the game.

In the end, the Azzurri won all three games in the group stage and advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Cup as the group leader!

On the other side, Spain also defeated Croatia 1-0 and ranked second in the group with six points and also advanced to the knockout rounds.

All the group matches were completed the next day, and the quarter-finals of the European Cup were determined.

Italy, first in Group C, will face England, second in Group D, in the first round of the knockout rounds, and Spain will face France.

At the same time, Italy and Spain are in different halves, and they can only meet again in the finals.

If Italy successfully eliminates France and advances to the semi-finals, their opponent will be the winner between Germany and Greece.

Another quarter-final matchup is between the Czech Republic and Portugal.

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(End of this chapter)