Chapter 467 The surprising ending of the group stage
Chapter 467 The surprising ending of the group stage
Author: Ant who watches football ruthlessly
Chapter 467 The surprising ending of the group stage
If there are 16 teams, there will be a period for the top two teams in each group to qualify. Winning two games does not guarantee early advancement from the group.
Because there is such a situation, there are three teams that cannot win two games and lose one, and the other unlucky team cannot lose three games.
Then, the three teams need to look at the goal difference to determine the top two in the group.
That kind of situation is rare, but it has never happened in the World Series.
In the 12th World Cup in 1982, Algeria, West Germany, and Austria in Group B all had 2 wins and 1 loss. Algeria was eliminated in third place due to a low goal difference.
A similar situation actually occurred in the Champions League.
If the Champions League group stage is a double round-robin, multiply the score by two. In the 2013-14 Champions League group stage, Arsenal, Naples and Dortmund all had 4 wins, 2 losses and 12 points. In the end, Napoli was eliminated in third place.
But in that European Cup, the third place in the group with the best results could qualify, so the Swedish team can say that it has entered the top 16 in advance!
After all, it’s not uncommon for a 6-point third place finisher to appear in a group, let alone five or more 6-point third place finishers...
"That somewhat surprising victory allowed the Swedish team to get 3 points, allowing them to become the first team to qualify in the group of death."
“In that game, Italy’s performance was indeed a bit disappointing. They defeated the favorites Belgium in the first game, which made everyone look at the Italian team and think they could be better in that cup.
performance."
"But the fact is that the Italian team was not too impressive in front of the Swedish team. On the contrary, the Swedish team showed convincing strength for the second consecutive game."
"In other words, the overall performance of Ru Ming's Swedish team was even better than when they played Ireland in the first game. Their offense and defense were also relaxed and they always controlled the game situation steadily. Considering the strength of the Italian team,
Better than Ireland, such a performance is indeed a bit surprising."
"If it depends on that one game alone, the Swedish team can even let people see their unlimited cocoa. After all, no other team can beat the Italian team in such a mess!"
"Of course, if the Swedish team wants to go further in that European Cup, it will undoubtedly require them to maintain that state for a longer time, which will also test Pan Yi's ability to compete in a tournament system.
Overall control and capability.”
"But now the Swedish team that missed Pan Yi has a very favorable situation. That is, they have qualified early, which also made the Swedish team miss Belgium in the last round, making it a less demanding game. Pan Yi
We can also take the opportunity to rest more main players in order to prepare for the more brutal knockout matches."
"This is very important. Because whether it is the European Cup or the World Cup, the schedule is actually very intensive. Such a chance to rest is really rare!..."
Thanks to the slightly excited commentator, the Swedish players on the court were already celebrating excitedly.
Before the start of the European Cup, almost everyone was not optimistic about Sweden, thinking that they would be eliminated at the bottom of the group. Even after Pan Yi took over, that view did not change much;
This also caused the Swedish national team to hold back a lot of anger in the East.
Now, they have qualified ahead of schedule!
Two consecutive wins, in that group of death!
Therefore, the aggrieved emotions before could finally be vented properly, which made the Swedish international players very excited.
On the other hand, the players of the Italian team competing in the same field all had their heads lowered and looked very depressed.
Originally, they were not thinking about the team that could qualify early!
But since they lost to the Swedish team, they have to fight against Ireland in the last round of the game, which is actually not that sure.
After all, the Italian tradition is that when you are strong, you are not weak, and when you are weak, you are not strong. When I think he is strong, he is weak. When I think he is very weak, he will show his strength to me...
"Congratulations, boss!" De Sciglio saw Pan Yi walking towards him, and his face immediately showed an indescribable stiff smile.
On the one hand, it's because Italy lost, and on the other hand, it's because he didn't even get a chance to play for one minute in the losing Italian team!
That also shows that after Pan Yi left Milan, De Sciglio's career development was not as smooth as he expected.
It cannot be said that it is very bad - after all, he can be selected for the Italian national team, but it is definitely not a big success.
Generally speaking, he is just a qualified player in the five major leagues, nothing more.
"Wish me good luck too!" Pan Yi patted De Sciglio on the shoulder to express comfort.
The master leads you in, and practice depends on yourself.
De Sciglio's future depends on himself.
Very good, he will only be 23 next year and has a good chance to improve...
——
The post-match press conference was packed with people.
Reporters and media from all over the world gathered there. They were all waiting for the head coaches of both sides to appear, hoping that they would be able to comment on that game, especially Pan Yi.
Conte played first, but he lost the game tomorrow and was obviously not in a good mood.
After briefly answering a few reporters' questions, he left the venue in a hurry.
When Pan Yi appeared, the atmosphere at the scene reached a climax.
Obviously, this is not only because of Pan Yi's reputation as the world's number one coach, but also because of the two games he led the Swedish team.
Especially if Italy can be suppressed like that tomorrow and make Conte's team play so uncomfortable, this fully reflects the fighting power of the Swedish team.
It can be said that after that game, anyone who criticizes Pan Yi and his Swedish team is really lying.
After all, can it be the first team to qualify for this European Cup!
"Mr. Pan Yi, how do I view that victory?" A reporter was the first to raise his leg and ask.
"It was a very difficult game. Italy was very strong and posed a lot of threats to them, but if they won the game before, it was very important that the victory belonged to everyone and the whole team."
Pan Yi's answer was very formal, which also gave Conte enough face.
Another reporter stood up: "Mr. Pan Yi, which player in the Swedish team do I think will perform best tomorrow?"
Pan Yi said with a smile: "Everyone performed very well. Ibrahimovic and Isaac who scored goals for them are of course very good, but he especially wants to praise Victor Lindelof tomorrow. He completely defended the number one player on the wrong side.
Pelle, he thinks he has the potential to play in a big club."
The reporters all nodded.
Ever since Pan Yi joined the team, Lindelof seems to have become a different person.
In addition to being a good defender, he also shouldered the heavy responsibility of Sweden's ball distribution in the backcourt, making the Swedish team's originally chaotic ball distribution system more orderly.
That makes people admire Pan Yi's accuracy in employing people.
After all, under his predecessor, Lindelof was just a reckless man who often got ahead of himself.
At this time Pan Yi continued: "Of course he does not want to emphasize one thing. Playing in a big competition like the European Cup depends on the joint efforts of the 23 players in the team, rather than relying on one or a few players.
It can be done.”
At this time, another reporter raised his leg: "After two consecutive victories, the Swedish team has actually qualified from the group. Will I make some lineup adjustments when playing Belgium?"
"Of course!" Pan Yi nodded, "He must consider the game from the overall situation. If there is an opportunity to let his players rest, why not? Of course, the ranking of the group will also affect the wrong leg in the knockout round, and he will also
and consider it.”
"But because the third place in the group can also qualify, it is difficult to predict whether we will be in the top 16 now?" the reporter asked, "The situation of qualifying will be much more chaotic than before."
Pan Yi smiled and said: "Then, let them try to occupy a good position in the group, and then let them think about how to avoid them."
——
Soon, the match between Belgium and Ireland also started.
Compared with the starters present, Fellaini, Nainggolan and Seaman were replaced by Wilmots and replaced by Dembele, Carrasco and Meunier respectively.
But in the first half of the game, the offense of both sides was lackluster, and the two teams drew 0-0.
After the start of the eastern half, Belgium's offensive was overwhelming.
In the 48th minute, the Irish attack failed, and Belgium launched a quick counterattack. De Bruyne passed the ball to Lukaku, and the little monster shot hard with his left foot from the penalty area line. Belgium led Ireland 1-0.
, that was Lukaku’s first goal in the European Cup.
In the 61st minute of the game, Belgium made continuous cooperation. Meunier sent a cross from the wing. Witsel quickly moved forward and scored a header in the penalty area, helping Belgium lead 2-0.
In the 70th minute, Belgium scored again. Hazard calmly knocked outside the penalty area and Lukaku scored in front of the goal. Belgium led Ireland 3-0. Lukaku scored twice.
Previously, Belgium defeated Ireland 3-0.
That victory allowed Belgium to jump to second place in the group, while Ireland lost both games and lost five goals, leaving little hope of qualifying.
The situation of the Swedish team has been clear for a long time. If they want to remain undefeated in the final round, they can qualify as the first in the group.
As for Italy and Belgium, who have three points in each other's legs, it is actually the same. If they don't lose, they have a high chance of qualifying. The only difference is the ranking in the group and the number of legs in the knockout round.
Given that the first place team in Group E has a high probability of meeting the second place team in Group D, and Group D is composed of Croatia, Spain, Turkey, and the Czech Republic;
The second place team in Group E will meet the first place team in Group F, and the four teams in Group F are Hungary, Iceland, Portugal and Austria;
Analyzing from that situation, perhaps finishing second in the group is not such a bad choice.
Of course, the third place in the group cannot be avoided, because they will meet the first place in Group A. At present, the host France team has a great chance of standing in that position. They just defeated Albania 2:0.
, also won both games.
None of these are theoretical arrangements.
Since we don’t know which group’s third place will appear, it is difficult to fully confirm whether there are certain variables.
——
The last round of Group E is scheduled for June 22, which is the last day of the group stage.
Therefore, before the two games of Italy VS Ireland and Sweden VS Belgium that start at the same time, the rankings of other groups have been settled.
In the final round of Group A, which ended first, France drew with Switzerland 0:0, while Romania lost 0:1 to Albania. This made the initial ranking of Group A 7 points behind France, 5 points for Switzerland, and 3 points for Albania.
Romania is out with 1 point.
Then in Group B, after Wales unexpectedly defeated Russia 3:0, they actually occupied the first place in the group!
England, ranked second in the same group, also has the right to qualify, while Slovakia, ranked third with 4 points, also ensures the right to qualify.
The rankings in Group C include Germany with 7 points, Poland with 7 points, Northern Ireland with 3 points, and Ukraine with 0 points.
Group D, which Pan Yi needs to focus on, had a moderate upset in the last round. Croatia defeated Spain 2:1!
That also allowed Croatia to beat Spain to win the first place in the group, and Spain could be ranked second.
Initially excluded from Group F, Hungary and Portugal completed a 3:3 goal battle, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice.
Hungary is first with 5 points, Iceland is second with 5 points and Portugal is third with 3 points after all three games.
Since in the previous groups, two teams, Albania and Turkey, were already ranked third with 3 points and a negative goal difference, Portugal has also qualified.
So, the final round of Group E is a bit tricky.
The first place in the group will be ranked second in Group D, Spain, and the second place in the group will be ranked first in Group F, Hungary. If the third place in the group also advances, then the second ranked team in Group A will be France.
In other words, the first place in Group E may not be as good as the second place after qualifying...
Pan Yi didn't think too much about it, because he was ready to "let go".
Okay, no need to release the water.
Will the lineup undergo a massacre?
All the players who started the game before are on the bench, and all the original substitutes start!
Even the starting goalkeeper was replaced by Robin Olsen from Copenhagen.
So, except for the third goalkeeper Karlgren, all the players of the Swedish team have made their debut in the European Cup.
As for Belgium, since they are unlikely to guarantee a qualifying spot, they will not be able to play with their main lineup.
But their mentality is a bit strange.
They wanted to qualify, but they thought they could just finish second in the group, so they could play Hungary instead of Spain.
Therefore, the Belgian players were a little distracted and were not in a 100% fighting state.
"Swedish team's Lustig stole the ball and gave it to Hiemark. He dribbled the ball forward and passed it to the east of Levitsky's feet..."
"Lewitsky took the ball, turned around, and pushed it behind Vermaelen. After Kulusevski got the ball, he went east to the baseline and passed..."
"The goal is in! Marcus Berry is in goal!!!"
I heard a deafening cheer from the entire Nice Stadium. Countless fans wearing yellow Swedish team jerseys jumped up from the stands, raising their arms in the air, and Gao Han showed off loud and clear celebration slogans,
It makes the entire Nice Stadium seem to be in the whirlpool of a storm.
"In the 14th minute, just 14 minutes after the opening, the Swedish team took the lead in breaking through the Belgian team's goal!"
"1:0, it was a very sudden, but it felt like a natural goal. Because the Swedish team was very proactive in attacking forward from the beginning, which put a huge pressure on the Belgian team's defense.
pressure!"
"And the Belgian team obviously did not adjust well. Facing the Swedish team, which played with all substitutes, they turned out to be completely powerless?"
"If they go further east, they will be in danger. Belgium's real-time points score is still less than 3 points, but the goal difference has dropped to 0. If they lose another goal, they will be comparable to Albania and Turkey..."
The live TV footage and the big screen in the stadium were replaying the entire process of scoring the goal just now.
Everyone can see that when the Swedish team turned from offense to defense after stealing the ball, the Belgian team players obviously did not have the awareness to counterattack immediately, and even returned to defense slowly. It seemed that
Looks listless and weak.
After receiving the ball from Levitsky and then passing the ball diagonally, Vermaelen never returned to his position.
When Kulusevski passed the ball, Alderweireld was naturally blocked by Marcus Berry. The latter headed the ball directly outside the penalty area without much interference.
The ball went in.
"There is obviously a problem with the Belgian team. After conceding the goal, it felt like many Belgian players were complaining to each other instead of encouraging."
By that time, the players of the Swedish team had returned to the court in unbridled celebrations, and the game was about to begin.
But it is obvious that Belgium's morale shows no sign of recovery.
"It seems to Ru Ming that the news about the quarrel in the Belgian locker room before the game is very likely to be true."
Although the on-site commentator did not say it clearly, everyone could tell one thing from his tone, that is, he was disappointed.
Maybe this is a stubborn problem in Belgian football.
After all, in football matches, in addition to the level of the team, the internal unity of the team is also an important factor that determines the results of the game.
In the past competitions, some strong teams often had conflicts due to many issues. For example, Yugoslavia had many ethnic groups, and the players in the national team were divided into gangs. The Dutch team had many players from the colonies, and they could not compete well with the local players.
In Belgium, they don’t even speak the same language outside the team!
The Belgians are made up of French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish people, and the two peoples have always been very friendly to each other.
And that conflict has a long history, and that kind of cultural and language conflict has also been brought to the football field.
Belgium missed three European Cups and two World Cups from 2002 to 2012. A very important reason is that the Walloon and Flemish players outside the team formed cliques.
Later, Belgium's golden generation emerged, and they were finally allowed to participate in major competitions, but the conflicts within the team remained the same.
During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Belgian internationals Vermaelen and Witsel attended a press conference at the same time. At the scene, Vermaelen spoke Dutch, while Witsel insisted on speaking French...
There are even rumors that in order to avoid language conflicts, all players in the Belgian team will speak English, because English is safer and will not cause child abuse outside the team due to language.
This means that Belgium can probably compete with its own strength in the qualifying stage, but once it comes to the competition, it will be disheartened.
"Perhaps there are differences within Belgium because of the current situation of qualifying for the group." The commentator speculated, "For example, the Walloons think that they should strive to be first in the group without fear of any mistakes; while the Flemish people think that they should be ranked first in the group.
Two is good…”
"Of course, that's just his guess. Maybe their external conflicts are more complicated than he thought."
"For example, De Bruyne is not a Flemish person, but he has some other conflicts with Courtois, whose father and mother are from Flanders and Wallonia respectively..."
"But the question is, if they go east like that, will their current fate be eliminated from the group!"
——
Of course, Pan Yi didn't know anything about Belgium's external conflicts.
Well, since he was a fan in his previous life, he had heard about conflicts outside Belgium more than once.
Even if such contradictions continue until the end of the 2022 World Cup...
Can people lament that the golden generation they finally emerged is slowly getting old and unable to win any decent championships?
This also shows that football is really not only a sport that tests the body and skills, but also depends more on whether the entire team can form a whole and use its strength in one place.
That's why Pan Yi never likes those prickly players.
Including Guardiola.
Wasn't Cancelo not strong in his previous life at Manchester City? At least he wasn't at the top three level at the same position.
But because he had conflicts in the locker room, including losing his temper when he didn't start the game, Guardiola ignored him and sent him away directly.
After Cancelo left, Manchester City's performance got better and better, and finally became the Triple Crown champion!
Although in Belgium now, there are several Chelsea players such as Lukaku, Hazard and Courtois, who can be regarded as Pan Yi's "fellow" team;
But he can also ensure that those people will not cause conflicts in the Chelsea team - well, it is not easy for just three people to form cliques.
But when we arrived in Belgium, Pan Yi had nothing to do with it.
Even in the future Chelsea, Pan Yike will not be able to control it. After all, he is no longer the head coach of Chelsea...
——
With the referee's whistle, the game ended.
1:0, Sweden defeated Belgium!
In other words, Marcus Berry's goal in the 14th minute was the only goal in the game.
In the next 70 minutes, although Belgium was distracted, Sweden's substitute lineup was also very limited after all. Therefore, the two sides reached an inexplicable balance and maintained the score until the end.
That also made all the Swedish fans at the Nice Stadium shout excitedly in celebration.
None of them thought that the game would turn into a posthumous one.
Belgium can be considered a strong team in Europe, after all, it ranks second in the world.
And whether the Swedish team came on the bench, Pan Yi even replaced the third goalkeeper Karlgren on the field in the 70th minute, allowing him to have a taste of the European Cup...
But even so, Sweden could not win Belgium and achieved an amazing record of winning all three games!
That is of course surprising, because from every aspect, Belgium could not be that weak, nor could Sweden be that strong, but it just happened.
Then……
More surprising news came from another venue:
Italy surprisingly lost to Ireland 0:1!
Well, it seems that Italy’s loss is not a surprise?
But then, Group E formed a series in which Sweden won three games with nine points, while the other three teams scored three points with one win and two losses.
In this set, Belgium's goal difference is 0, Italy's goal difference is -1, and Ireland's goal difference is -4.
Therefore, Belgium "got their wish" and won the second place in the group!
Italy was ranked third in the group, while Ireland was eliminated in fourth.
And because Albania, third in Group A, and Turkey, third in Group D, both have 3 points and a goal difference of -2, that means Italy has also qualified!
In the knockout round of the top 16, the fate of the three teams in Group E was also decided: