Chapter 44: Crazy European Cup
The Belgian team's palace drama began quietly, and then ended, Wilmots was forced to hand over the control of the national team and became the puppet of Degan, all of which the outside world does not know, and then the second game of Group A, unlike the dull opening game, played a big score.
The Russians had the last laugh, perhaps before the game, people were optimistic that Russia could win, but the strength of the Czech team was not bad, but no one would have expected that the final score would be 4:1.
A score of 4:1 against the Czechs, and an 11-11 score, was clearly beyond everyone's expectations.
After the game, even the head coach of the Russian team, Advocaat, looked very surprised: "The result of this game was completely beyond my expectations, I just asked the players to play their best on the field, to keep the situation at all times, to show themselves as much as possible, I didn't expect this result, it's crazy, I want to thank my players, they did a great game!" ”
In the last European Cup, the scene of the Russian team knocking out the hot Netherlands is still fresh in my memory, and now a Russian team with a combination of old and new is once again in the sight of fans.
Just looking at this game, maybe the feeling will not be too deep, and even feel sorry for the Czech team, the opponents of the same level, carelessly, the situation of losing all the games is more, but you must know that before the opening of the European Cup, the results of the Russian team's airport warm-up match are not very ideal, but when it comes to the start of the official game, the polar bear's minions are actually open, and a chaotic fist will beat the Eastern European iron horse Czech Republic all over the ground to find teeth.
Advocaat took over Hiddink's team, and the pressure was there, as the two were the only coaches to lead two different national teams to the final stage of the European Championship.
Hiddink overfulfilled the task in the last European Cup, and although Advocaat had decided before the game not to renew his contract with the Russian Football Federation, at least before leaving, he had to prove that he was not much inferior to his compatriot Hiddink, and the European Championship was the only chance.
Before the game, it was generally not seen that Advocaat, who was a slightly conservative tactically, could lead Russia to much of a difference in this tournament, but the results of the game proved that he has what it takes.
Judging from this game, the mutual inheritance of the Dutch coaches has been carried forward in the best way, so that the Russian team suddenly has a sense of rebirth, the front-court counterattack attack is rapid, the rib straight plug or strong cutting efficiency is very high, the players run quickly and accurately, the back and forth pass and cut smoothly and freely and the formation is not chaotic at all, except for Kerzhakov's feet are really inaccurate, the other shooting players have a very good grasp of footwork, if you change into the Dutch team jersey, in a trance this is the Russian-speaking orange army.
In this game, it seems that the number of shots on goal between the two sides is about the same, and the ball possession rate is almost the same, but the score is 4:1 in two grades, is there any reason for Russian fans to have the luxury of hoping to reproduce the glory of the former Soviet Union in the 1960 European Championship?!
The Czech boss was obviously very disappointed after the first game of the heavy defeat: "I think we played well in the opening 15 minutes, we passed well and created some chances, but the shot was not good, but then we lost possession in the opponent's half and they quickly disrupted our attack, it was our mistake, Russia is a good team, they have a very high level, at half-time I made some adjustments to hopefully change the situation, but the result was very disappointing. We had a lot of problems when we played against Russia, they created a lot of chances, they were a threat with one or two touches of the ball, we couldn't take the ball away from their feet, that's why they got so many chances, today Russia showed us what a good team they are, the most disappointing thing for me is that we have problems defending Zageyev, he can play on both wings and take the ball freely, I have players to mark him but still can't stop him. It wasn't really our fault, we were cohesive but they still created a lot of chances, passed the ball calmly and we couldn't stop them. ”
Zagoev!
Four years ago in the European Cup, Russia made the world remember a name, Arshavin, after four years on the European Cup stage, a younger, more concerned red star, and rose from the Russian camp, Zagoev, the name has long begun to circulate in European football "demon", an instant hit directly to the position of the new tsar.
Zagoev, wearing the number 17, played an amazing performance in Russia's 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic, which was his European Championship debut, but he scored two goals in one game, and there was no perfect "self-introduction" than this.
In the fifteenth minute of the game, the Russian teenager scored his first goal in the European Cup, and he appeared in a key position smartly and shot into the net vigorously.
But that wasn't the end of the story, as in the 79th minute of the second half, Zagoev struck down the middle and fired a volley past Petr Cech again.
Zagoev's goal set a new record in the European Cup, which is the first time in the history of the tournament that a "post-90s" player has scored a goal, born on June 17, 1990, Zagoev is not yet 22 years old this year, and the old Tsar Arshavin was 27 years old when he made a splash in the 2008 European Cup.
Despite his young age, Zagoev has already made a name for himself in European football, playing for CSKA Moscow and already impressive in the Champions League.
In the 2009/2010 Champions League group stage, Zagoev scored the goal of Manchester United, and finally helped the team draw 3:3 away from the Red Devils, and in the group stage of the Champions League this season, Zagoev conquered Inter Milan goalkeeper Cesar with an earth-shattering free kick.
Hiddink, who led Russia to shine at Euro 2008, predicted before leaving office that Zagoev would become Russia's "new tsar."
'Zagoev is a smart player, he can organise the whole team very well, he has the ability to deliver lethal passes and he can make good use of every inch of the pitch.
What Zagoev lacks at the moment may be the training of European giants, in this regard, the eldest brother Arshavin once recommended this younger brother to Arsenal: "He is the most talented player in Russia today, Arsenal should sign him." ”
However, judging from the recent developments exposed by the media, the Chelsea owned by Russian owner Abou is a team closer to Zagoev, in fact, the Russian talented teenager once tried out at Chelsea, and the then Blues boss Hiddink once wanted to sign him, but failed to do so.
Chelsea's interest in Zagoev had been revealed in the media before the tournament, and now that his countrymen are in a position to shine at the Euros, Abu may throw out his cheque book again and shout the words that Blues fans love to hear: buy!
Speaking after the match, Zagoev, who was interviewed in the mixed zone, did not want to talk about his individual performance, but thanked his team-mates, saying: "It was the first game, we played well, it was very important, it was one of the six steps to get to the final, for us this victory is the result of the hard work of every player, everyone is doing everything to help the team." ”
It sounds like this "post-90s" is quite mature and atmospheric, and this temperament may help him climb to higher peaks in the future.
Fans have a new idol, and of course they can't forget the old Tsar, this game, the familiar Arsenal "Tsar" is back!
Fans will remember four years ago at the European Championships, when the then-unknown Arshavin returned from the final group stage to help Russia beat Sweden in a do-or-die match, and then shined against the favourites Netherlands, leading them to the last four with a dominant performance of one goal and one assist.
Four years later, Arshavin is no longer young, and at Arsenal, he also fell into the dilemma of being purged because of the decline in form, but in the European Championship that made him famous, Arshavin used a perfect performance to tell the world that the "Tsar" does not want to abdicate yet!
Russia can 4:1 bloodbath Eastern European veteran powerhouse Czech Republic, this result will undoubtedly surprise many people, this game, the only two yuan in the 90s teenager Zagoev is undoubtedly the biggest highlight, I believe that as the captain of Arshavin, must also see his shadow in Zagoev.
However, for "The Tsar", he did not have time to lament the passage of time, and Arshavin had to silence those who had doubted him with his excellent performance.
Arshavin did not score in this game, but he contributed two assists, and his role at the heart of Russia's attack was on full display.
In the game, the "Tsar" was very aggressive, with sharp passes, breakthroughs and accurate passes, compared to the poor form at Arsenal at the beginning of the season.
In the 24th minute of the game, Arshavin took the ball in front of the penalty area to instigate the attack, his diagonal pass was missed by Krzhakov at the front post, and Schrokov at the back post shot from a small angle pierced Cech's ten fingers, Arshavin helped the ball extend the lead to 2:0.
In the 82nd minute of the second half, Arshavin shared the ball, and Pavlyuchenko, who came on as a substitute, shook off Hubnik in a row, and scored hard from the edge of the penalty area to lock the score at 4:1, and Arshavin also completed his second assist in the game.
Arshavin's performance in the game is a vague reminder of his peak form at Arsenal, which spent £15 million to acquire Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersburg after making a name for himself at the last European Championship, and the Russian has quickly adapted to the Premier League environment.
Arshavin's most classic game at Arsenal was the away game against Liverpool, and the prestige of the "Tsar" was widely recognized in the Premier League.
However, in the last two seasons, due to the change of position and the decline in form, Arshavin has become less and less trusted by Arsene Wenger, and his playing time has dropped sharply.
In the winter transfer period of this season, Arsenal loaned Arshavin to his parent club Zenit St. Petersburg, and the future of the "Tsar" at the Emirates Stadium was also clouded.
However, it is gratifying to see that Arshavin has been reborn after returning to his hometown, and he has quickly become an important attacking hub in the front of the team at his former club Zeni St. Petersburg, helping the team to win the Russian Premier League trophy for the third time, and more importantly, Arshavin has regained his form and self-confidence.
While Arsenal have yet to make a clear statement on where Arshavin will stay next season, the 'Czar' will be hoping to prove himself again at the Emirates Stadium.
Now that Arshavin is willing to return to Arsenal, it will now be up to the Gunners to respond, as Arsenal have previously signed Germany international Podolski, which is seen as a harbinger of abandoning Arshavin.
Although Arshavin's poor form at the beginning of the season has greatly disappointed Wenger and the fans, after seeing the "Tsar" who was resurrected in the European Championship, is Wenger willing to give him another chance?
Considering that Poudowski may need an adaptation period when he first arrives in the Premier League, then Arshavin, who is in excellent form, is worth a sum of tens of millions of signings, and if the Russian captain can continue to contribute excellent performances in this European Championship, then what harm does it matter for Arsenal to welcome back the "Tsar" and set up a double insurance for their attacking line?
After two matches in the first round of Group A, Belgium unexpectedly reached a 1-1 draw with hosts Poland, a result that the Belgians should be happy with, and if it weren't for their bad luck, Poland could even get a big win in the game.
Russia's 4:1 victory over the Czech Republic is a bit of a surprise, and it is not difficult to see from this game that the Eastern European Iron Cavalry, which once shocked Europe, has really begun to decline, and after the golden generation withdrew from the stage of history, the follow-up talent pool of Czech football has not been able to keep up at all, and the current result cannot be said to be expected.
All four teams will have hope of qualifying for the next two rounds, and the defending champions Belgium will have to make a change if they don't want to go home after the group stage.
At least like the first game, having Deegan on the bench for the entire game is a must-have situation again.
The media and fans are worried about Belgium at the moment, they don't know what is happening inside the Belgian team yet, before the next game, all the players and coaches have been banned by the Football Association, and when the second round of the group stage begins, they will surprise everyone.