Chapter 110: Confusion and Clarity (5)
Compared with the chaotic situation after two rounds in other groups, there is basically no suspense about which two teams will qualify after the second round of Group G.
The five-star Brazil defeated the African elephant Ivory Coast 3-1, but the game was completely reversed in the end, and the Ivorian players began to focus on something outside the game, Elano was kicked off the pitch by a rough foul, and Kaka was also involved in the conflict.
In a previous clash on the sideline, Kaka received a yellow card for pushing down the opposing player, but he didn't expect this to be just the beginning of the turmoil, in the 88th minute, an unexpected scene happened, Keita of the Ivory Coast team fell to the ground in pain after colliding with Kaka, rolled on the ground, and the players on both sides immediately clashed, and an Ivorian player tried to chase Kaka to reason.
The referee then made a surprising decision, he called Kaka and showed him a second yellow card, and the Brazilian No. 10 covered his head in surprise, red card! He couldn't believe his eyes, and Brazil coach Dunga was also thundering on the sidelines, angry at the referee's decision.
Slow motion shows that Kaka's red card is really wronged, when Keita ran towards Kaka, perhaps because he looked back at the ball, he didn't see Kaka in front of him, and suddenly hit the Brazilian No. 10, and Kaka himself did not have any aggressive movements, he just raised his right arm slightly, protectively trying to block the opponent who collided with him.
The biggest controversy was apparently Keita's "reaction", Kaka's arm touched his chest when he collided, but he rolled on the ground with his face covered and earned the referee's sympathy.
It's reminiscent of Rivaldo's performance in Brazil's opening group game at the 2002 World Cup, when a Turkish player kicked the ball into his lap and rolled around with his face covered, only to trick the referee into showing him a red card.
Kaka has received two red cards in his career, both during his time at Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has not received a red card since his European debut in 2003, and it is surprising that he has now been red at a major tournament such as the World Cup.
With Dunga's angry reaction, the Brazilian team may consider appealing against Kaka's red card, of course, from the actual situation, Kaka's suspension in the final round of the group has little impact, and after entering the knockout round, it will be unlicensed and light, which is the only consolation that Brazil can get from this miscalculation.
After Keita fell, he looked up at the referee's camera, and in an interview with Degan after the game, he said: "That clown's performance made me think of Barcelona's Busquets for the first time!" ”
Keita's performance failed to salvage Ivory Coast's defeat and with only a measly point after two games, several African teams, including hosts South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast and Ghana, were expected to be high ahead of the World Cup.
After all, on the one hand, the World Cup is playing for the first time on the ancient African continent, and on the other hand, most of the main players of the above-mentioned African teams play in the top leagues of Europe, however, after Ivory Coast was easily slaughtered by Brazil 1-3, the African powerhouses seem to have heard the song of collective annihilation.
Ivory Coast has always been considered the number one team in Africa, and the reason for this is that the team has Drogba, Yaya and Yaya on three lines. Toure and Colo. Toure has three of Europe's top clubs, striker Kalou also plays for Chelsea, and the rest of the squad mostly plays for mid-table teams in Europe's top leagues.
However, after this match, it was disappointing to find that Ivory Coast had been completely beaten into a sieve by Brazil. Toure was no match at all under the onslaught of Fabiano and others, and all three goals conceded had something to do with him.
Had it not been for Brazil's usual habit of locking up the win, the game could have turned into a one-sided massacre.
And the red card of Kaka made by Keita, is likely to play with fire and self-immolation, forcing the Ivory Coast team into a desperate situation, after this game, the Brazilian team won two games and two wins, basically qualified, Ivory Coast counted the first round of 0:0 draw with Portugal, only one point, and the main competitor Portugal, no accident will be in the subsequent game, win North Korea to accumulate four points.
Brazil will face Portugal in the final round, while Ivory Coast and North Korea are dead-to-head, even if Ivory Coast can get all three points, if Brazil and Portugal play a tacit match, the Ivorians can only watch Brazil and Portugal join hands to qualify.
Originally, the Brazilian's casual style was not very aggressive in the last game, and now Ivory Coast has let its midfield core Kaka be suspended red, hoping that Brazil will carry forward the spirit of fair play to defeat Portugal in the last round, which is tantamount to a fool's dream, not to mention that the Brazilian Football Federation and the Portuguese Football Federation have always had a good relationship, this time, the Ivorians have lifted stones and smashed their own feet.
Once Ivory Coast misses out of the knockout round, it probably means that there will be no African team in the round of 16 of this World Cup.
In the second match of Group G, Portugal surprisingly and reasonably defeated North Korea 7:0, surpassing Belgium to slaughter Nigeria and South Korea 6:0, creating the most disparity in the score of this World Cup, and North Korea was out of the tournament early after consecutive defeats.
There is no doubt that North Korea lost 0:7 or lost in strength, and under the premise of no technical ability guarantee, it played against Portugal.
It can be said that the North Korean team was not fully prepared for this game, and the whole team did not put themselves in the right position from top to bottom, and it may have played well with Brazil in the last game, which made the North Korean team coaches and players change their thinking.
In the first 20 minutes, with the help of heavy rain and ferocious scrambles, the North Korean team once took the initiative, which made the North Korean players have the urge to win.
Today's North Korean fiasco is also a warning for the whole of Asian football, the North Koreans have taught a vivid lesson to Japan that is still working hard to qualify, it is useless to rely on fighting and body on the football field, and finally use the feet to speak, technology is absolutely the first, what spirit, hard work is also based on strength.
The hard work of the North Korean team is in everyone's eyes, but can the spirit prevent North Korea from losing to Portugal 0:7?
Don't North Korean players work the field and don't play with their lives?
But what's the use of playing football just by playing with your life.
In the 2002 World Cup, which player of the Chinese team did not play the field, but lost to Brazil 0:4, this is the absolute gap in strength, with the current strength, North Korea and Brazil can lose 99 games in 100 games, and Portugal has to lose more than 90 games.
The football game itself should be simple, and has nothing to do with politics and any other off-the-field factors, North Korean fans are always accustomed to rising heights, and without a correct public opinion environment and public opinion orientation, if North Korea can create the miracle of 1966, it will be called a strange thing.
It is undeniable that Portugal took the initiative to qualify after this big victory, and a draw in the last round against Brazil, who had already qualified early, advanced, and the advantage of seven goal difference in this game made it easy for them to face Brazil.
Ivory Coast now has a goal difference of minus two, and North Korea must also win by a large margin in the final round, and must hope that Brazil will win Portugal by a large score, and in this situation it is obvious that Portugal has a greater hope of qualifying.