When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 176 Sleepless Nights in Lisbon
Another Group B match in the European Championship came to a dramatic close.

The Netherlands and England engaged in a goal-fest at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, with the Oranje taking the lead twice only to be pegged back by the tenacious England.

19-year-old Rooney tore through the Dutch defense like an enraged bull.

He first blasted past Van der Sar with a powerful 25-yard shot, then delivered a precise diagonal pass on the counter-attack, assisting Scholes to slot the ball home.

Two crucial performances pulled the Three Lions back from the brink of defeat.

The score was tied 2-2 in the 90th minute.

England launched a final counterattack, with substitute Phil Neville dribbling the ball down the right flank.

Veteran De Boer stepped forward to block, and the two engaged in a fierce physical confrontation near the penalty area line.

Neville suddenly changed direction and accelerated, and when De Boer stretched out his leg to intercept, it clearly caught on his supporting leg.

Neville stumbled a few steps and fell in the penalty area, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation.

Dutch players immediately surrounded the referee to protest, with de Boer gesturing excitedly to indicate that he had touched the ball first.

Under immense pressure, Beckham stood at the penalty spot.

The shadow of missing a penalty against France a few days ago had not yet faded, but this time he took a deep breath, ran up, and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.

Despite Van der Sar judging the direction correctly, the ball was too fast and still went into the net! 3-2!

As the final whistle blew, the Dutch players collapsed to the ground.

This pre-tournament favorite was thus eliminated, while England advanced as the second-place team in their group.

Beckham knelt down and roared, using this redemptive penalty to prove himself.

The boos from the Dutch fans and the cheers from the English fans in the stands brought this controversial match to a close.

In the mixed zone after the match, Beckham, with beads of sweat still on his forehead, spoke to reporters with a slightly hoarse but firm voice:
"To be honest, the Netherlands played brilliantly today. They took the lead twice, and we equalized twice. It's a game that fans enjoy, but it's really tough for the players."

"Especially that last penalty. I know there will be controversy, but the referee made the decision, and as players we have to accept it."

“The host country is never easy to beat, especially this Portuguese team. They have enviable talent. Figo played alongside me at Real Madrid, I know him too well. Give him just one second of space and he can change the game.”

"And then there's Deco. Although many people are not familiar with him, anyone who has watched the Champions League knows that he is the brain of Porto. His passes and long-range shots are extremely threatening."

"And of course, there's Cristiano. Although he's only 19, we've all seen his potential this year at Manchester United. He's fast, technically gifted, and fearless."

"But football is not a one-man sport, and we are confident in our ability to cope. Scholes and Gerrard are in excellent form, and today's victory has given us a lot of confidence. This summer, we will show everyone the courage of England."

When asked about the previous loss to France, Beckham took a deep breath, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes:
"That loss was really painful, especially my penalty. But you have to admit, Zidane proved that he's not old yet. At 32 years old, to be able to maintain such calm judgment and precise technique in such a crucial moment—that's why he's still world-class."

"Roy's form is terrifying. With 4 goals and 3 assists in the group stage, he is definitely the strongest contender for the Golden Boot. And Henry—although he was a bit quiet in the early stages of the group stage, he has clearly found his rhythm now."

"However, I sincerely hope to meet France again. This England team has learned so much from their defeat, and if we meet again in the knockout stage, we will prove our growth. Of course, right now we need to focus on Portugal and take it one step at a time."

Finally, he flashed his signature smile at the camera: "This England team has exceptional resilience, and you'll see."

The French team bus slowly drove into the circular driveway of the Penaronga Resort Hotel.

Although the players were tired after the game, they couldn't hide their excitement.

Just now, Santini announced on the bus that family members would be released from quarantine tonight.

Roy was looking down at his phone when he suddenly felt someone gently tug at his sleeve.

“Roy,” Domenech said in a low voice, leading him to the potted palm trees in the lobby, “is here for a short visit of fifteen minutes in the hotel’s small conference room.”

Roy glanced at him: "Now? You know I don't do extra interviews."

Domenech rubbed his fingers together: "Consider it a favor. They're very sincere; it won't take too long."

"All questions have been reviewed. They are all about youth football development and do not involve any tactics."

Roy took the note and glanced at it; indeed, they were all trivial questions.

I stared at the teaching assistant for two seconds, noticing his slightly tense expression: "Is it that important? Whose influence is that great?"

Domenech avoided his gaze: "He's just an old friend. You'll see when you get there."

Just then, a cheer suddenly erupted in the hall.

As soon as the players entered, their girlfriends and wives rushed to greet them.

Nicole Meryl came running over in her high heels and threw herself into Henry's arms.

"You're the best!"

Nicole looked up and smiled, gently stroking Henry's cheek with her fingers.

Henry instinctively put his arm around his wife's waist, but his smile froze for a moment.

The damn phrase "Roy is better" suddenly flashed into my mind.

Lately, after every game, the media always seems to talk about that kid's performance.

"what happened?"

Nicole keenly noticed her husband's distraction.

Henry shook his head, forcing a smile: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

He lowered his head and kissed the top of his wife's head, but couldn't help searching for Roy's figure out of the corner of his eye.

Just then, Leticia Casta, dressed in a red dress, swayed gracefully towards us, her captivating eyes seemingly about to overflow with tears.

She nestled into Roy's arms like a flame, her fingers, painted with scarlet nail polish, already climbing up his shoulders.

You are the best.

She whispered in Roy's ear.

Roy naturally wrapped his arms around her slender waist: "Of course I know."

I have a surprise in mind.

Her voice was like melting honey, and her knee brushed against his suit trousers. "...Your favorite color."

Roy smiled and tightened his arms: "That sounds a hundred times more enticing than an interview. I want to unwrap the gift right now."

"Interview?"

"fifteen minutes."

Roy gave her a reassuring kiss on the tip of her nose, "I promise."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Domenech led a woman in a beige business suit over.

Estella Denis, wearing ten-centimeter heels, her chestnut curls swaying gently with each step, reached out her hand when she was two steps away from Roy.

"I've heard so much about you," her perfume wafted over first, "thank you for taking the time."

Roy gave her a brief handshake: "I've looked at the list of questions."

"We will follow the checklist exactly. It's in a corner of the coffee shop, so it won't take you too long."

Dennis turned to Leticia and nodded slightly: "Sorry to disturb your evening."

Her smile was just right, carrying a professional apology.

Leticia raised an eyebrow.

Of course she recognized the popular host from M6.

in the hall.

Warm hugs erupted one after another, with some people even picking up their partners and spinning them around, drawing cheers and laughter.

In the corner, several couples couldn't wait to kiss, ignoring the teasing from their teammates.

Santini stood at the door, watching his teammates walk towards their families.

“Enjoy tonight,” he raised his voice, “but remember the curfew. Training tomorrow morning is postponed to ten, but I don’t want to see anyone coming to breakfast with dark circles under their eyes.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, couples began moving toward the elevator.

Some people walked briskly with their fingers intertwined, while others hugged each other's waists and chatted and laughed in hushed tones.

The tinkling sound of the elevator doors opening and closing continued, and the scattered footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away, leaving only a few waiters in the lobby tidying up the scattered champagne glasses.

Roy finished the interview in just twelve minutes.

Several unreported questions had been secretly added to Dennis's list of questions.

Regarding the locker room atmosphere and future transfer rumors.

Whenever this happens, Roy will interrupt with "Next question," but when it comes to topics that aren't too inappropriate, he still gives brief answers.

"One last question, as a new generation of leaders."

Roy suddenly raised his hand to interrupt: "There is no leader in the French team. I'm just a player, just like all of them."

"If there is one, it can only be the one on the coaching bench."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

The female host forced a smile and extended her hand.

As Roy left the hall with Dennis, he caught a glimpse of Giuly sitting alone in a corner.

He was slowly stirring his coffee, but his gaze was already subtly following Denise's swaying skirt.

After seeing Dennis off, Roy strolled over to Giuly's table.

"Who is it? I think I've seen them on TV before."

Juli asked casually, but his gaze remained fixed on the corridor where Dennis had disappeared.

“The sports presenter on M6,” Roy shrugged, “Domenech’s ‘old friend’.”

He deliberately emphasized the last word.

"Oh?"

Roy raised an eyebrow: "What, interested?"

His unspoken message was: You're really hungry. "Are you kidding me!"

Juli immediately straightened up: "I have a wife and children."

Roy smiled without saying a word; the Frenchman didn't even believe himself when he said such things.

He suddenly stopped joking and lowered his voice: "Seriously, don't touch it."

In late 2004, Giuly sent flirtatious text messages to Denise, an M6 news anchor, without knowing that she was secretly dating Domenech, the national team's assistant coach.

This text message, which Domenech witnessed firsthand, became the real reason why Giuly was long sidelined by the national team.

Although he later explained that "Dennis is not my type," Domenech refused to communicate and even completely excluded Giuly from his list after Dennis gave birth to his daughter.

This love triangle, first revealed by Giuly in his 2007 autobiography, ultimately cost this talented player his entire national team career for an unintentional mistake, while Domenech and Denis's relationship grew stronger. Power and love both won in this power struggle.

"I know, I know."

He waved his hand, as if shooing away annoying flies, "Go back to your paradise."

Roy laughed and raised his hands in surrender, then backed away towards the elevator.

He knew very well that a long-time partner like Giuly was extremely important in the national team.

If someone loses their position because of offending Domenech's woman, it would not only be a loss for the team, but it would also disrupt the team's balance.

He had witnessed Domenech's methods firsthand.

That teaching assistant looks refined, but he's ruthless when it comes to punishing people.

Roy thought to himself that it was better to make things clear sooner rather than let Juli take risks.

After all, in a place like the national team, off-field relationships are often more important than on-field performance.

Roy knocked on the door three times, his knuckles making a dull thud on the wooden door.

The door lock clicked open, but the doorway was empty.

He raised an eyebrow as he walked into the room, casually tossing his bag onto the entryway cabinet.

Just as I unscrewed the mineral water bottle, a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted up from behind me.

Leticia pounced from behind the door like a hunting leopard, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

She tiptoed and buried her face in the back of Roy's neck, her burning lips nibbling along his short sideburns all the way to his Adam's apple.

"Your Dutch sweetheart really knows how to pick her timing."

Her teeth gently brushed against his earlobe.

Roy looked bewildered: "What?"

"Pretending to be stupid?"

Leticia sneered, pulled a crumpled newspaper from her pajama pocket, and slapped it on Roy's chest.

The entertainment section of Paris Match prominently featured the headline: "Love Across Borders: Roy and Doutzen's Euro Cup Romance," accompanied by a close-up of Doutzen during an interview on Dutch television, where she flashed her signature sweet smile at the camera.

“French journalists are quite good at making up stories,” Leticia said, poking Du Chen’s face in the newspaper with her fingernail. “Now all the cafes in Paris are talking about how I broke up your ‘golden couple’.”

She deliberately flipped through the newspaper noisily, "and your Miss Tulip has become the lovestruck heroine."

Roy chuckled and crumpled the newspaper into a ball:
"Paris Match loves to make up these kinds of clichéd stories."

Suddenly, he lifted Leticia's buttocks up, and she gasped in surprise, instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist.

"what are you doing--"

Roy had already carried her to the bed, and Leticia wriggled in his arms like a freshly caught red carp.

“Before tomorrow’s morning paper comes out,” he leaned down and sank her into the duvet, pressing his knees down on her kicking ankles, “we’ll only discuss the color of the sheets.”

Meanwhile, Spain's head coach, Sebastián, was working late into the night in the hotel conference room, repeatedly replaying Roy's match videos.

The analysis reports were piled up to half a person's height, with each page filled with dense annotations.

Coffee cups were refilled when empty, and ashtrays were filled with cigarette butts.

2004年6月22日，C组收官战完赛，丹麦2-2瑞典。

The Nordic derby concluded with a dramatic finale.

The two teams were tied 1-1 for the first 80 minutes. In the 89th minute, Sweden took the lead through Larsson's goal, but in stoppage time, Denmark's midfielder Tomasson headed in a last-minute equalizer.

The 2-2 scoreline ensured both teams advanced, sparking controversy over a "fixed match," with Italy becoming the biggest victim.

Italy 3-1 Latvia
The Azzurri, fighting for their lives, scored three goals in quick succession through Pirlo, Cassano, and Di Vaio, but a draw in another match against their Nordic rivals rendered this victory meaningless.

Vipakovskis scored Latvia's first-ever European Championship goal, becoming a bright spot in a lackluster match.

The final round of the group stage of the 2004 European Championship ended dramatically.

Sweden, Denmark, and Italy all finished with 5 points, but Italy was eliminated due to a worse goal difference.

Sweden secured first place in the group with a goal difference of +5, while Denmark finished second with a goal difference of +3, both advancing to the quarterfinals.

Italy, with a goal difference of only 2, despite defeating Latvia 3-1, became the biggest victim of the "Nordic fixed match," and the Azzurri were eliminated in disappointment.

Italian media angrily denounced the 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark as "too coincidental" after the match, but under the rules, the advancement of the two Nordic powerhouses was indisputable.

2004年6月23日希腊1-0克罗地亚
Greece continued their underdog run, defeating Croatia 1-0 thanks to a header from striker Charisteas in the 42nd minute.

Throughout the match, Greece's tight defense repeatedly thwarted Croatia's attacks, ultimately securing a historic second-place finish in the group and advancing to the quarterfinals.

In the match between Germany and the Czech Republic, Ballack scored a penalty to give Germany the lead.

But then the Czech team unleashed their full attacking power, with Nedved, Baroš, and Rosicky scoring in succession to complete a 3-1 comeback victory.

Germany finished bottom of their group with only one point from three matches, suffering a humiliating exit and marking their worst performance in European Championship history. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, having already qualified, advanced to the quarterfinals with an unbeaten record of two wins and one draw.

After the match, German coach Rudi Völler announced his resignation.

The group stage of the 2004 European Championship has concluded, and the eight quarter-finalists have been determined:

Portugal advanced strongly from Group A with three wins, followed closely by Spain;

France was unstoppable in Group B, sweeping all three matches: a 3-1 victory over England, a 4-1 win over the Netherlands, and a 4-0 thrashing of Bulgaria, scoring a whopping 11 goals and leading the European scoring charts.

Star striker Roy is in phenomenal form, scoring 4 goals in 3 games to top the scoring charts and carrying the French team into the quarterfinals.

Group C witnessed a Nordic miracle, with Sweden and Denmark advancing to the next round;
In Group D, the Czech Republic remains undefeated in all three matches, topping the group.

Greece, the dark horse, made a strong advancement.

They defeated Croatia 1-0 in the group stage, followed by a hard-fought draw with the Czech Republic and a stunning upset against Germany, thus emerging from the "group of death".

This team, which was not favored before the tournament, not only made all its opponents suffer with its impenetrable defense, but also surprisingly achieved the same points as the group leader, the Czech Republic, becoming the biggest dark horse miracle of this tournament.

The quarter-final matchups for the European Championship are officially set: hosts Portugal will face England, Spain and France will clash, Sweden will take on the dark horse Greece, and the Czech Republic will battle Denmark.

Of the four matches, the clash between Spain and France is considered the least suspenseful.

The Spanish team, which stumbled in the group stage, will face the French team, who have won all three matches and scored 11 goals.

Media outlets widely predict that a French team in full attacking form is likely to give the struggling Spanish team a "brutal attacking lesson."

The European Championship has entered the knockout stage, with the England-Portugal match kicking off first.

The atmosphere before the match was even more tense than on the field.

The media of both countries launched a psychological war, with their newspapers featuring headlines that were sharply contrasting each other every day.

The Portuguese media, representing the home team, dug up historical records and emphasized the importance of "home advantage," even bringing in tactical experts to analyze every defensive weakness of the opponent.

The visiting English media, on the other hand, cited big data to emphasize their tradition of "beating technically skilled teams," with their columns subtly implying "we are tougher."

The media war intensified, with newspaper sales and television ratings soaring.

At the pre-match press conference, the reporters' questions were increasingly pointed, as if they wanted to pry a hint of hostility out of the coach.

Both teams tacitly kept a low profile, but everyone knew that these off-field verbal battles had already added fuel to the fire of the match.

Only The Sun newspaper did something truly substantial.

Just as the England team was preparing for a fierce battle with Portugal, they pulled off a big stunt – 11 Page 3 girls, all dressed in English flag underwear, posed for a series of photos with their shirts off.

These girls really competed fiercely for the starting position, and they all said it was an honor to take off their shirts to cheer on the national team players.

The Sun newspaper bluntly stated: With this lineup, England is sure to put on a great performance tonight.

It's a newspaper that ordinary people love to read; it doesn't waste time with fluff and gets straight to the point.

The quarter-final of the 2004 European Championship was a thrilling match between England and Portugal at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.

England got off to a dream start, just 2 minutes and 24 seconds into the game.

Portuguese midfielder Costinha's header back pass went astray, allowing Owen to make a clever run and chip the ball into the net, scoring his first goal in the tournament and the fourth fastest goal in European Championship history.

However, their good fortune was short-lived. In the 22nd minute, England's rising star Rooney was forced to leave the field after Andrade stepped on his ankle, greatly reducing the Three Lions' attacking firepower.

In the second half, Portugal's coach Scolari brought on Simão and Posti to strengthen the attack.

In the 82nd minute, it was these two substitutes who completed the fatal connection.

Simão delivered a precise cross from the right wing, and Postiga outjumped Terry to head home, leveling the score at 1-1.

England had a chance to win in stoppage time when Campbell's header was disallowed due to Terry interfering with the goalkeeper, sending the game into extra time.

In the 110th minute of extra time, another Portuguese substitute, Costa, unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, the ball hitting the underside of the crossbar and going into the net.

But a tenacious England side equalized again in the 115th minute when Beckham's corner kick was met by Lampard's close-range shot.

In the penalty shootout, Beckham missed the first penalty, while Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo became the main character.

He not only saved Vassell's penalty, but also scored the winning goal himself.

When Ricardo's penalty kick nestled into the net, the entire Estádio da Luz erupted in cheers. Portugal ultimately secured a thrilling 6-5 victory, continuing the host nation's magical run, while England once again suffered the agony of a penalty kick.

(End of this chapter)