Benfica were Portugal's most successful team, having reached the same level of world football in the sixties as Real Madrid and Milan today, reaching seven Champions League finals and winning twice.

However, in recent years, Benfica's situation has deteriorated, there are fewer and fewer big-name stars, and the team is becoming less and less famous.

Benfica's situation is similar to Fiorentina's, but after the real estate tycoon Vieira came to power, Benfica has changed dramatically.

However, it took a year and a half for Vieira to deliver on his election promise to "rebuild his achievements and thrive in business".

Last season, they won the Portuguese Super Cup for the first time in 10 years, reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League last season, and this season they have made a comeback in the Champions Cup, meeting Fiorentina in the quarter-finals.

He invented the "new member joining" strategy, which quickly recruited nearly 10,000 new members within 15 months, helping Benfica surpass Bayern Munich to become the second largest membership club after Manchester United. Last year, Benfica achieved more than 100 million euros in revenue, turning a profit.

Facing other giants, or the down-and-out aristocracy Benfica is still a little lacking in confidence, but in the face of Fiorentina, a team that has no background in the Champions League, Benfica people are full of pride and confidence in reaching the semi-finals.

In an interview with Portuguese journalists, Benfica president Patrick Vieira spoke wildly about the showdown with Fiorentina. 'Three months ago, no one believed that Benfica would make it out of the group, OK, we squeezed out Manchester United. A month ago, there was no prediction that we would get to the quarter-finals, OK, we eliminated Liverpool. Today, it seems that many media are optimistic about Fiorentina, there is no doubt that Fiorentina is a great team, they are the favorites to win Serie A, the biggest dark horse in the Champions League, and it will definitely be a very difficult confrontation to meet them in a narrow way, but it is not as difficult as imagined to face them. I'm sure we can get to the last four because we've proven ourselves to be a good team and anything is possible in football. Jose Mourinho used to be our manager, he played in the Champions League when he was in charge of Porto, and he jumped up with joy when Manchester United were drawn in the knockout rounds, which may not be understood by others, but this is the thinking of us Portuguese: you can only make a splash when you defeat the strongest of enemies

Benfica coach Koeman said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "The Stadium of Light will be the hell of Fiorentina, and it is likely that Chen Yu and Toney will sprain their feet soon after they enter the stadium." I think we have three big advantages for Benfica: one is that we have the Champions League, we have won the Champions League twice, and our players have a lot of European experience, while Fiorentina have very little experience in the Champions League. The second is that we don't need to fight on both fronts, there is no hope of winning the domestic league championship, and we can devote ourselves to the Champions League. The third is that we have won the first two European champions in seven days in a row (Liverpool in the Champions Cup, Porto in the Portuguese Super League), and the defense has not conceded a goal, and the morale is high. Chen Yu and Toni were sharp, but our zone defence was disciplined and effective, and we had the ability to prevent him from scoring at the Stadium of Light. ”

It was the age of a global village, and the arrogant rhetoric of the Benfica people reached the ears of the Florentines almost immediately.

Now Fiorentina have crushed Milan in the league and pulled Juventus away by three points, and a win over Juventus in the next game will almost guarantee the league title, and once they win the title, this fame is far from being comparable to that of a team like Benfica.

If these words are said by giants such as Barcelona, Manchester United, and Bayern, Fiorentina's players can also accept it, after all, the reputation and strength are all there, what is Benfica, a few decades ago, you were awesome, you dominated the world, but now Benfica is just a first-class team in a non-mainstream league, not even a king, which point is better than Serie A leader Fiorentina? Florence was furious from top to bottom.

Fiorentina president Delava said: "Benfica are a strong team, they came out of a difficult group and eliminated the defending champions Liverpool, but they were a little too confident, they thought they could beat Liverpool and easily get past us, it was a dream, we are not as strong as Liverpool, but we have our own characteristics, it is not so easy for any team to beat us, and now we are facing a major opportunity in the history of the team. We have a chance to win the league and a chance to reach the last four of the Champions League, and we can be proud to achieve either of those goals, and if we can achieve both, we can say that we have created another peak in the team's history. At this time, we are not going to give up any tournament or any honours, and although it will be difficult, I am sure that the players will give up all their energy and potential to take advantage of this opportunity. ”

Fiorentina coach Prandelli is a relatively calm person, Fiorentina has achieved such excellent results this season, he still maintains a non-arrogant attitude, facing the challenge of the Portuguese, Prandelli is still decompressing his players, "Benfica want to say what their freedom is, but if you want to win, you have to work hard, you can't rely on words to win the championship." If they are much better than us then they should be on the pitch, otherwise it will not be easy to pass, Fiorentina have no pressure now, even if we don't get anything at the end, this season is a successful season, and with every step we take forward, we are making history as a team, we have nothing to lose, we will be full of passion and motivation to win everything we can win and draw a successful end to this season. ”

Compared with his coach Prandelli, Fiorentina's captain Chen Yu is not so tactful, in the face of the opponent's provocation, Chen Yu gave a resolute response, "This is a close game, it is not so easy for anyone to qualify, Benfica don't want to lean on the giants, we have not entered the quarterfinals of the Champions League for 35 years, they have not won the Portuguese Super League championship for 10 years, and have not entered the round of 16 of the Champions League, there are still such giants in European football?" We are all dark horses, not white horses, whoever can enter the semi-finals will be earned, don't dream of winning the Champions League, you will become an idiot if you dream too much, not everyone is Porto. Coach Koeman is a defender and I believe in his ability to play defensively, but I also want him to respect my ability to score goals, anything can happen on the pitch, I can not score a goal, I can score a hat-trick, that's football. ”

Before the start of this game, Benfica people didn't speak very well, but Chen Yu's words were even more ugly, and it was directly a lesson丨Koeman.

Coman is not a good man or a woman, whether on the court or in a war of words, he is a fierce general who is afraid that things will be too small, hearing Chen Yu say this, he immediately launched a fierce counterattack against Chen Yu.

"What qualifies a player who has only won one Coppa Italia to judge me and try to point fingers at me, to win a league title and a Champions League. Don't think that scoring a few more goals is great, what's the use of scoring more goals, football is a whole sport, if you can't win the championship, it's nothing, Chen said I'm dreaming, I think he wants to score a hat trick on the Stadium of Light is a dream, isn't Chen strong in scoring goals, if you have the ability, I'll take a look at the three in the Stadium of Light. ”

If Chen Yu spoke politely, then Koeman's attack on Chen Yu was a bit mean. Chen Yu debuted only four years ago, and he played in a team that started from Serie C, and it was very unnatural to be able to play today's achievements, so that Chen Yu led the team to win the championship, which is simply difficult for a strong man, but there is no weighty championship is always Chen Yu's heart disease, Koeman's attack on Chen Yu makes it difficult for Chen Yu to fight back, because any counterattack seems to have no weight.

In this regard, Chen Yu didn't say much, but publicly challenged Koeman, "I don't have a champion, but I can score, doesn't Coman want to see me score a hat trick in Guangming Square?" I'll let him get his way. ”

In the four games of the Champions League quarter-final finals, Fiorentina and Benfica are the least concerned, because there are no giants and no big-name stars, but Chen Yu publicly told the media that he was going to score a hat trick in Guangming Square, which attracted a lot of attention, because Chen Yu has now scored 10 goals, and his three goals are not only to hit Koeman in the face, but also to break the single-season goal record held by Van Nistelrooy in the 03 season. Although Chen Yu scored a lot of goals in the group stage, because of Fiorentina's limited strength, no one thought that Chen Yu could break Vanney's record, but Fiorentina met teams like Villarreal and Benfica in a row, which made Chen Yu have the possibility of breaking the record, but Chen Yu dared to say that scoring three goals in Guangming Square shocked the whole world.

The reporter of Portugal's "El Ball" asked in surprise in the report: "...... Am I mistaken? Chen is going to score three goals at the Stadium of Light? This is the two giants of the Premier League, Manchester United Liverpool did not do it in two games, Chen Yu can not be said to be confident, this is simply arrogant, this is the Champions League quarterfinals, not an ordinary game, if Chen Yu just wants to add a highlight to the game, I think he has done it now, the fans of the whole world have been whetted by him, and it will be up to him to see how he ends. ”

The British newspaper The Sun commented: "Is Florence trying to steal the limelight from the gunman and the old woman? If so, he certainly did. However, Chen Yu didn't know that Benfica have conceded one of the fewest goals of any team in the Champions League so far, and they have only conceded two goals in their four home games, and Chen actually wants to score a hat-trick here, not only to hit Koeman in the face, but also to hit Manchester United and Liverpool in the face. ”

Even the Italian media felt a little unbelievable about Chen Yu's arrogant words, "Milan Sports Newspaper" commented: "Four Champions League games, two matchups between giants, a Ligue 1 six-time champion Lyon challenged AC Milan, in comparison, Fiorentina and Benfica The game is not so eye-catching, but Chen Yu claimed to score a hat trick at the Stadium of Light in the war of words with Benfica, which made this game the focus of attention, we don't know whether Chen Yu is too confident or too arrogant, no matter what." , Such remarks are a bit irresponsible, Chen Yu is not a nobody, he has grown into a star, if what he said this time cannot be realized, it will be a big blow to his reputation and character. ”

"La Repubblica" looked for Chen Yu to get under the stairs, and the reporter commented: "Koeman's attack on Chen Yu is too ungraceful, Chen Yu said in a fit of anger that he wants to score a hat trick at the Stadium of Light, I don't think these can be more serious, just angry words and jokes, just listen to it, I think the focus should be back to whether Chen Yu will score in the Guangming Square, and whether Fiorentina can win away from home." ”

Chen Yu has enough freedom of press in the Fiorentina team, and his words are also regarded as jokes in the Fiorentina team, and even the coaching staff thinks that Chen Yu's words can provoke Benfica to guard against him and give other players a chance to score.

No one thought that Chen Yu now has a lot of fame and influence, but this wild sentence has caused a sensation in the entire world of football, Chen Yu's fans feel that Chen Yu's words are really domineering, and they are very relieved, and fans who don't like Chen Yu laugh at Chen Yu's arrogance, and they don't know what their surname is. The reprinting and comments of the major media in the world have also played a role in fueling the flames, but in just two days, Chen Yu's words to score a hat trick on the Stadium of Light have spread all over the world, whether Chen Yu is angry or joking, it has now become a bet between Chen Yu and Koeman, if Chen Yu can't score a hat trick on the Stadium of Light, his reputation will definitely suffer some losses.

The way things turned out was unexpected, and on the eve of the trip to Portugal, manager Prandelli called Chen Yu to his office.

"Chen, sit down."

Prandelli handed Chen Yu a bottle of sports drink worth hundreds of euros, and even when chatting, he did not forget to supplement Chen Yu with a little nutrition.

"The coach is looking for me?"

Chen Yu was very straightforward, and before he sat down, he immediately asked what was going on.

Prandelli had long been accustomed to his style as a Chinese disciple, he smiled and said, "There is nothing big, only a little thing I want to ask you, that is, you said that you are going to score a hat trick on the Stadium of Light, is this true or funny." ”

Chen Yu groaned for a moment and said, "Are jokes and truths important?" ”

Prandelli was slightly stunned and said, "Of course it's not important, it's just that I want to know your situation so that I can make tactical arrangements for this game." ”

Chen Yu showed a very resolute and eager look in his eyes, and said, "What I said was angry, but I will be responsible for this sentence." ”

Prandelli instantly understood Chen Yu's true thoughts, and he said seriously: "Chen, I have always respected your opinions and ideas, you are the most important player in the team, many times, the victory or defeat of the team depends on your performance, your role in the team is not only to score, you can also help your teammates score, after Toni came to Fiorentina, he did not score fewer goals because of your existence, but he scored more goals, just because you created a lot of opportunities for him, but if the whole team helps you score, And if you're being watched to death by your opponents, it's going to be a difficult game for us, you know how important this quarter-final is for Fiorentina and I'm afraid I can't get the whole team to help you score. ”

Chen Yu hurriedly said: "No, coach, you may not understand what I mean, I will be responsible for my words, but I don't need the whole team to be responsible for my words, everyone usually plays how they should play, I can play how I should play, my only request is to arrange the team's free kicks and penalties." ”

Prandelli's only worry is that Chen Yu needs the whole team to cooperate with him to score, since Chen Yu does not make such a request, of course he is very happy, as for Chen Yu's request for free kicks and penalties, this was originally Chen Yu's power, Prandley naturally agreed, "There is no problem with this, the team's set-piece has always been your right, and it is also your responsibility, but I also want to remind you to be careful of the opponent's bad, we still have a lot of games this season, you can't hurt yourself." ”

Chen Yu smiled: "Coach, don't worry, I will definitely pay attention to protect myself, I understand the team's goal, to reach the Champions League semi-finals, win the league championship, before I complete these goals, I will never be injured."

Prandley said with relief: "I am very happy that you can have such a big picture and understand things, I hope you can fulfill your promise and score three goals in the Stadium of Light, if you can do this, it is estimated that we will not have to play the second game, and directly complete the goal of the semi-finals." ”

Chen Yuha said with a smile: "You can't say that, we still have to give our back line strength, let's score 3, the opponent scores 4, it's still difficult to say whether you will be promoted or not." ”

Prandelli laughed: "If an Italian team is scored four goals by the opponent, such a coach should be sacked, defense has always been our strength, as long as you can score three goals, I dare to guarantee that we will win this game away from home." ”

Chen Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Coach, did you also bet with me." ”

Prandley was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized that his tone was no different from Koeman's, and he couldn't help but laugh loudly. "Well, I'll bet with you too, if you can score three goals, I'll guarantee to win Benfica away and slap Koeman in the face."

Chen Yu said: "Okay, coach, let's make a decision." ”

"It's a deal."

Prandley smiled and high-fived Chen Yu as an oath, and then chatted with Chen Yu for a while, and after Chen Yu left the office, Prandley once again took out his tactical deployment plan to study, and after a long time, he wrote three words on Chen Yu's name, "Free man".