Chapter 122: The Final Begins
Don't look at these Palmeiras people who reluctantly retreated under the interference of the South American Football Confederation and gave up their plan to continue harassing Boca players, in fact, they have achieved their desired goal! For the Boca players, who will only be in São Paulo for two days, they have already wasted an important morning due to malaise! In this regard, there is no apology that can be redeemed!
Therefore, although the already uproarious harassment incident was temporarily suspended due to the intervention of the South American Football Confederation, the tricks of the Palmeiras still made Boca angry, and even worse when they returned to Buenos Aires in the second leg, Boca fans could not do the same thing to retaliate against the Palmeiras.
In such a situation, the Boca team, which has no good way for the time being, can only push away all press conferences and interviews with the outside world under the leadership of head coach Ischea, and concentrate on preparing for the game and adapting to the venue every minute and second.
Seeing this, the local media in São Paulo and most of the domestic media in Brazil not only deliberately ignored the existence of the harassment incident, but also hyped up the nervous tension of the Boca team before the game, as if Boca had no confidence in the first leg and was destined to lose the match.
In the words of Palmeiras' mouthpiece, Naca, Boca was already in the limelight at this time, and the visitors to Sao Paulo were pessimistic about the final, with no player believing that they could take the three points away from Palmeiras' home stadium, and even some players in their squad showed extremely negative emotions, which is why Boca refused to accept all the interviews and press conferences scheduled for the past two days.
Boca fans who came with the team and Buenos Aires were outraged by such reports, and they certainly wouldn't believe such nonsense. In view of the decline of Argentine football in recent years, even the Boca club is no longer favored by people, and there were once some crazy fans who shouted that the era of Boca and River Plate's dominance has come to an end.
It is worth that many Argentines came back to their senses at this time, and it turned out that their neighbors were already so unoptimistic about themselves! It's infuriating, who gave them the courage? Liang Jingru?
As a result, many Argentine fans couldn't help but feel the same hatred of the enemy, and started a counterattack against the Palmeiras together, and the two sides began a back-and-forth scolding battle, and in this case, the Boca players, who were interpreted by many outside media as having no hope for the game, were devoting themselves to training with high enthusiasm. Under the pressure, Boca will turn their anger into motivation and wait for the final like a tight spring.
They are looking forward to, looking forward to a hearty win at Palmeiras' home stadium to give their doubters a slap in the face!
This is something that the arrogant Palmeiras fans and media never expected!
"That's it! Gentlemen, I believe you are already familiar with all the tactics! Step by step, you have done a lot better than the outside media and even the fans imagined, but now I think you can do better! After a season, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay think about it! How much you've paid for it, and now, it's time to harvest! Get your best foot forward and go! ”
The tense atmosphere in the dressing room before the game almost froze the air, and the cheers that soared into the sky reached the ears of the players through the layers of wall stacks, making everyone's mood no longer calm.
Ischea needs an Intercontinental Cup title to keep his position; Riquelme needs a championship to prove that he is not old, and his withdrawal from the national team is not because of the decline in strength, but really incompatible with Maradona; Boca will also need a champion to prove their dominance; As for Santiago, he wants to respond with a good game and an unquestionable performance!
It was at this moment that coach Ischea looked down at the watch on his wrist, then raised his head and said loudly.
"Boca! Win! ”
The players were passionately moved by the heroic in Ischea's not-so-passionate words, and they responded loudly. Indeed, in a not-so-intensive but intense competition like the A-League, fighting on both fronts and squeezing out a small amount of time to fly to various places to play is a great test for every player, especially in South America, where the climate is very complicated.
Everyone has put a lot of effort into the pursuit of this honour, and now at the last minute, Ischea's words undoubtedly resonated with everyone, and when you think of the extreme ridicule of the Palmeiras outside the world, the players are even more enthusiastic.
As mentioned earlier, with only one game per week, most teams will schedule around 10 training sessions during the week, with each session lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, and while each team has a slightly different training schedule, each preparation cycle mostly consists of three phases. The first phase consists of the post-match summary and recovery from the previous match, the second phase is physical and tactical training, which usually lasts four days, and the third phase is conditioning and pre-match preparation.
For professional players and clubs, only after these three steps can the players understand the shortcomings of the previous game, the tactical arrangement that needs to be done in the next game, and make enough training and adjustments for these two, and it is in this way that the team can face the next opponent with a complete state and targeted tactics.
Whenever it comes to the double match of the week, not only the team's training session, but also the time of these three stages will be very tight, without good recovery and tactical training, it is a great pressure on the players' bodies, and it is also very difficult to arrange and implement tactics. That's why it's so difficult to even play twice a week, not to mention what a hell of abuse the players can be in the natural climate such as the Ecuadorian Altiplano and the humid home stadium in Chile.
Coach Ischia's entry point for this is also very old-fashioned, he did not motivate the players to be worthy of the club and the fans, but told them that this last all-out fight is an explanation of their hard work in recent months. Only in the giants can feel this pressure, honor and survival of the fittest at any time, which also caused the biggest resonance among the players, and the players were burning a raging fire in their hearts under the roar, and then the generals sorted out their clothes.
The overcrowded locker room was empty in an instant, and only the huge clock was still moving forward minute by minute.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, 7:40 p.m.
In the small tunnel of players, the players of both sides were waiting for each other under the leadership of their respective captains, and gradually the tension spread between everyone, and the much-anticipated final has long been hyped by the outside media as another war between Argentina and Brazil. The Brazilian national team has left the Argentine national team behind with their impeccable performances, and the young generation of Argentina has not disappointed, whether it is the World Youth Championships or the Olympic Games, they have not failed to defeat their opponents to the end.
In such a situation, when the two national teams are still inseparable, the best clubs of their respective domestic leagues meet together in the final of the South American Club Cup, which has to make people lament the grievances and hatred between the football world of the two countries.
In this season's Copa Sudamericana, Boca have beaten the most famous Brazilian clubs in Brazil along the way, while Palmeiras have beaten the new La Liga champions! Compared to Boca Juniors, they are even better in terms of momentum!
"Wow, the Palmeiras Home Park Stadium is already full at this time, and the atmosphere here is constantly pushed up by more than 50,000 fans, and the flags, fireworks, and huge banners have become the most eye-catching sight at the Palmeiras Park Stadium. It has to be said that the current Palmeiras Park stadium has become a sea of green and blue, but these two teams will compete here for the final championship today! ”
"The fans were singing uplifting songs, jumping and cheering, and the atmosphere was unheard of! We saw that in the VIP box, the President of the Confederation of South American Football Federations, Mr. Hulo Kosian, and the Chief Executive Officer, Harder Accommodating, were all present at the Palmeiras Park Stadium to witness the final of the year's biggest competition for South American clubs! And in the boxes on either side of them are the president of Palmeiras and the president of Boca! They will also be here to watch their respective players compete in the final game! ”
"There is no doubt that this trophy is a must-win for both teams! From our vantage point, the stands on three sides have become a sea of cheers and swaying, with fans wearing colourful jerseys, scarves in their hands, and waving flags belonging to their team's culture. ”
"Under the exciting competitive song, the players of both teams walked into the field under the guidance of the referee! At the same time, the atmosphere at Palmeiras Park is at its top! The referee who officiated the game was from Chile, and the referee was Meier! He confirmed his choice to the captains of both sides and began to toss the coin, and the players on both sides quickly dispersed to their predetermined positions in the pre-match tactical set-up. ”
Sure enough, in this game Boca fielded their best lineup 4-4-2! This is their tactical set-up that is unbeatable in Argentina and in the continental arena of South America! As for their lineup, compared to their opponents, they are even more star-studded! The strong bench will make Boca Juniors more than enough to cope with any change, and the victory will also belong to Boca, now let's cheer!! ”
While the commentators were methodically introducing the lineups to the audience, the commentator from Buenos Aires proudly said that although such words would make the opposing fans extremely disdainful and angry after hearing it, it is true that as he said, Boca has a squad that every South American coach will covet! This is the foundation of Boca's pride! It's the glory of their football culture!
Unlike other South American clubs, Boca are one of the few teams that can still win against European giants in the Club World Cup, whether they are against the once-luxurious Galaxy Battleship Phase 1 or AC Milan at the peak. Boca's spirit and culture make the players who leave here like wanderers, who always return with glory and help Boca continue to be successful with their performances, rather than returning home at an age when they are injured and unable to participate in the high intensity of their work.
After a brief exchange of greetings, the players from both sides quickly returned to their positions and began their final preparations, while the entire Palmeiras Park stadium gradually fell silent, and although the flags were still unfurled, the frenzied shouts were gone, and all that remained was the whispers of countless fans.
But the silence is like the calm before the eruption, and everyone in front of the TV knows that the volcano is about to erupt!
Sure enough, when the referee Meier blew the whistle for the start of the game, the entire Palmeiras Park stadium went from relatively quiet to deafening in just one second, and the cheers that soared into the sky were enough to cover everything up, and the more than 50,000 fans in the stadium at this moment were not cheering for the final championship, victory or defeat, they were just excited from the bottom of their hearts to have the honor to be there to witness the championship of the highest club competition in South America this year!
Santiago, who had just completed his self-emotional adjustment and was cruising in the middle, was also shocked by such a huge momentum for a while, but his increasingly strong psychological quality and personal adjustment power made him come back to his senses immediately. In this game, Palmeiras, wearing the green shirt at home, attacked from the left and right, while Boca was in the opposite direction, and after Sintana tolerated the ball to his teammates, the Palmeiras generals immediately started at full speed, while Santhiago did not choose to wait and see after the opponent got the ball, but after glancing at Riquelme, he showed enough momentum to rush towards the Palmeiras players.
His goal is simple, that is, to carry out the tactics laid out by the coach Ischea before the game, and to crush the enemy with the most determined attacking football and the most gorgeous tango! There was no detour today, there was no talk of retaining the results to the home side of the second leg, there was just an attack!
At the same time, not only Santi, but even Riquelme pressed forward and rushed forward to meet the monstrous momentum of Palmeiras's home stadium.