Chapter 107: Confusion and Clarity (2)

Because of the successive draws, the qualifying situation in Group C has become more chaotic and confusing, with one win and one draw in the first place in the group, followed by the United States and England with two consecutive draws, and even Algeria, which also got a point, still has hope of qualifying.

In Group D, Germany and Ghana, who both won their first games, clearly took the initiative, and almost everyone thought that the Boateng brothers' respective teams would qualify, but when the second round was over, it was discovered that the situation had gone wrong, and the situation was not only clear, but more chaotic.

In the first match between Germany and Serbia, almost everyone was expecting the Germans to appear early, but the result was unexpected, and the Germans lost the game 0:1.

After the game, although goalkeeper Stojkovic was awarded the best of the match to save Podolski's penalty, it was the striker Zhikic who really brought three points to Serbia.

ZKIC, WHO IS ANTIC'S FAVORITE PLAYER, HAS A 202CM TALL MAN IN THE LATTER WORLD CUP PLAN.

Zhikic can dribble the ball, have a good header, he can score on the front line, he can also set up a gun mount to create opportunities for his teammates, in the first game because the midfielder did not support Zhikic enough, Antich also criticized the relevant players after the game.

Antich's emphasis on the importance of Zikic was evident, and in the first minute, Zhikic's header came into play, and he almost set up Jovanovic to score.

Germany's two central defenders are 185CM and Mertesacker is 196CM, which is not low, but the problem is that Zhikic is very tall, but his running position is flexible, which makes it quite difficult for the two German central defenders.

In the 22nd minute, under the wrapping of two central defenders, Zhikic received a corner kick from his teammates, and his header threatened the German goal, but the ball was slightly wide.

In the next game, the German team has always had no way to take the high point of Zhikic, in the 38th minute, Krasic crossed to the back point, and Ram, who was only 170CM by his side, could he stop the 202CM Zhikic?

The answer, of course, is no.

The tall guy easily ferried, and the unguarded Jovanovic volleyed into the net from inside the small penalty area, and Serbia took a 1-0 lead.

After that, the confident Zhikic "bullied" the German central defender almost to an outrageous extent, header goal, header ferry, Zhikic can do everything in the German team's penalty area, and the German defender, who has always stood at the top of Europe with his height, has never been so embarrassed under the bombardment of Zhikic.

There is no shortage of long-term talents in football, there was Jankel, Jankoller in the past, and now it is Zhikic.

Most fans know him from La Liga, where he moved to Racing Santander from Red Star Belgrade in 2006, scoring 12 goals in 32 games in one season, and being hailed as the "Tiger Brother and Leopard Brother" with his striker partner Munitis.

His impressive performances led to a move to Valencia, where he was not reused, scoring just five goals in 28 appearances in 2007/09. In the summer of 2009, he returned to Santander on loan and rediscovered his senses, scoring 13 goals in 19 games and helping Serbia reach the World Cup.

Sadly, fans won't see Zikic in next season's La Liga fixtures, with Valencia selling him to Premier League side Birmingham City for €8 million before the World Cup.

When seeing the excellent performance of Zhikic against the German team, did Valencia regret selling people cheaply?

The Serbs were able to overcome the mighty Germany thanks to a brilliant performance by Nikic, and Germany lost the game, apparently not just because of a Zhikic, but because of their own problems.

The German team seems to be strong, but in fact, how many people can really be used in their 23-man squad?

Marin, who came off the bench in this game and did nothing, relied on his performance at the end of the warm-up game and the team's extensive injuries, and finally barely got on the 23-man list.

Marin is seen as a wide raider by Loew, but in fact, the role that Marin can really play is far less than Loew thinks, Marin was known for his sharp breakthroughs when he became famous in the Bundesliga, but in fact, this season just ended, Marin's performance in the league was far inferior to Mesut Ozil, and his prospects in the national team were once very uncertain.

Marin's breakthrough is indeed very distinctive, but there is no chance at all in physical confrontation, as long as the defender does not take the liberty of being completely passed by him, he can use his physical advantage to carry Marin behind him.

As for Gomez, his performance in the German national team has not been satisfactory, it is undeniable that in some stalemate games, Gomez's physical condition and hard work can be a good attack point for the team, he can use his crazy running and strong impact to create chances, but looking back at the performance of Euro 2008, Loew should be sober, this Mario, not super at all.

There is also Cacau, the Brazilian with German nationality, who came on as a substitute in this game, and there were no bright spots, contributing 0 shots on goal, not even a single offside.

On the bench of the German team, in fact, there is still Kiessling, who has scored 21 goals this season in the Bundesliga, but in Loew's eyes, Kiessling is far from being the number one, and he is only a late substitute among the German forwards.

However, seeing Kacau's performance today, Loew should consider moving Kiessling's position forward, after all, the game against Ghana is about qualifying from the group, and it is really not reassuring to expect Kacau to perform today.

In fact, the problems that have arisen in Germany today on the offensive line can expose a red flag in other aspects of Germany. Khedira and Schweinsteiger in midfield are now yellow cards, but there are no real midfielders on the German bench.

If either of them are suspended, they will have to make cameos with Auger or Boateng on the bench, and these two players are now more likely to play at full-back.

The biggest headache for Loew in this game is probably the suspension of Klose, after losing the number one main striker, who can be an arrow on the front line?

In a series of previous matches against Germany, Gomez was certainly the first choice, but now Gomez has been disappointing every time he takes the field, and his place in Loew's heart has been shaken.

As for Cacau, there is hardly any Brazilian shadow in him, and he is really German regardless of his stopping and passing skills.

After today's game, Loew will need to face two problems, how to relieve the pressure on the team and allow the players to play normally in the next game. Also, think about what the substitutes in the team are going to do.

The substitutions are not strong, in this game, the main players also failed to make Loew happy, the German team is not without good chances to tie in this game, or in fact, the German team has enough chances to win in this game, but Germany was expected to score Podolski with his own prodigal performance ruined everything.

Podolski had a good chance to open the scoring and although he didn't score, he looked in good form, and while everyone thought Podolski could continue his excellent form, Podolski's performance in the following games went from worse to worse, and he even ruined the German's 28-year-old tradition.

After Klose was sent off, when Germany fell behind 0:1, Loew did not replace the striker, and in Loew's eyes, there was also Prince Porti, although in the previous league Bordolski only scored two goals, an average of one goal every 900 minutes, but because Podolski has always performed well in the national team, in Loew's heart, Podolski is the absolute core of the team.

Podolski had a lot of chances in this game, even with the German team having one man less. But Podolski's poor form has allowed opportunities to slip away from his feet again and again.

The most unacceptable thing is that in that penalty, God gave the Germans a chance to equalize, Podolski of course did not let stand in front of the penalty spot, at this most critical moment, in front of the penalty spot that the Germans are best at, Podolski kicked the ball into the arms of the Serbian goalkeeper.

Podolski's penalty was the first time Germany had missed a penalty in the World Cup since 1982, after Stillik missed a penalty shootout with France in '82, and Germany's penalty in a non-penalty shootout was Hoeness in 1974, a record that Podolski has been 36 years away from.

Podolski clearly broke the rules of the Germans, and with his penalty banquet, the magical monument of 28 years of penalty bounces in German football collapsed.

Excluding the penalty kick, Podolski had seven shots on goal in this game, but none of those seven shots hit the goal, the penalty was Podolski's only shot in the range of the goal tonight, he finally shot on target, but he really shot too right.

In the next life-and-death battle against Ghana, perhaps Loew should really think about the choice of the striker.

In the next game of Group D, the Australians took the lead early, but in the twenty-third minute of the game, a red card and a penalty kick completely pushed the Australians into the abyss, and Colwill, who was sent off, almost bid farewell to this World Cup early because of this red card.

At that time, the football did concentrate Colwill's arm, but judging from the slow motion, Colwill did not take the initiative to block the ball with the ball, but the ball hit Colwill's upper arm, even if the referee decided to continue the game, I believe the Ghanaian players will not have too many complaints.

After the penalty, the score was tied and the Australians were denied one of the team's most skilled core players, Colwill, and because of an equally scathing red card from the previous game, another Australian star, Cahill, was also unable to play, losing two key players at once, leaving Australia completely at a disadvantage in the ensuing game time.

Moreover, Colwill will not be able to play in the next game, they must win against Serbia to have a chance, Australia's prospects of qualifying are becoming more and more difficult, and a red card from Rossetti may be an important reason for Australia to leave the World Cup.

If the absolute core Cahill received a red card because of a misjudgment and was ruined in the World Cup, which has made the Kangaroos look bitter enough, then today's terminally ill Colwill replaced Cahill's position and was sent off again, adding a heavy stroke of pathos to the Australians' World Cup journey. The limited 20 minutes of playing time against Ghana will most likely be Colwill's swan song at the World Series.

In the limited playing time, Colwill, who started as a lone arrow, has given his best, and after he broke the ball in the opposition penalty area after the opening, he was knocked down by a Ghana defender, but the referee did not give any indication of a penalty at the time.

Colwill was repeatedly pushed to the ground by Ghana defender Jonathan when receiving crosses from his teammates, but the 31-year-old still gave it his all to fight for the spot.

After the half-time whistle, Colwill was on the sidelines, crying sadly, which made countless fans in front of the TV feel even more worried, and after the half-time whistle, the fans in the stadium sent boos, which were undoubtedly sent to the referee, because he killed a star's last World Cup dream.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the last World Cup trip of Colwill, who was diagnosed with a strange disease eight years ago, because as early as 2002, during a routine physical examination of the national team, Colwill had been found to be suffering from a rare disease, the scientific name is "autoimmune hepatitis".

At the time, doctors concluded that Colwell would have a maximum of 5 to 8 years to live, but with effective long-term treatment, Colwell has lived healthy until now and has been active in the professional arena.

For any veteran Premier League fan, Colwill is a character that will never be erased from their memory. After making his mark at Leeds United, Colwill not only helped the team reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, completing the incredible myth of the Young Guard, but also won the title of Young Player of the Year in the Premier League.

After moving to Liverpool, Colwill also featured on the night in Istanbul, and although he missed most of the game due to injury during his career at Anfield, Colwill was definitely a milestone in the last 10 years of the Premier League's history.

The Australian team doctor once urged Colwill to stop his football career, but Colwill said: "If one day, I can't live up to the team's expectations, then I will choose to quit, but only when it does come I will let myself stop." ”

Despite such poor physical condition, Colwill still played 23 games in all competitions for Turkish club Galatasaray in the past season, scoring a miraculous 12 goals.

Dragging his life-threatening and injury-ridden body, in only half a season of appearances, he was able to hand in almost two one-goal answers, and Colwill was enough to put many big forwards to shame in terms of willpower and efficiency.

Away from his wife and daughter in the UK, he went from Liverpool to Turkey to play football alone, not only to repay Galatasaray FC for not leaving him when he knew he was terminally ill, but also to accumulate enough savings for his family in his limited life.

Before this World Cup, Colwill asked Australian head coach Welbeck to play, and he himself said: "I came here for the World Cup, whether it's an injury, a sickness or whatever, everything is not as important to me as the World Cup, if it wasn't for the World Cup I wouldn't be here, it's as simple as that." ”

Terminally ill, a timid person is unable to face such a cruel reality, often curled up waiting for death, most people will choose to give up football when they encounter him, but Colwill is not, he is a real warrior, a warrior who fights to the end.

But now, with a red card and a draw, Colwill's World Cup may really have to say goodbye early.

With Ghana and Australia 1:1, the first two rounds of Group D of the World Cup are over, in the current group standings, Ghana ranks first with four points with one win and one draw, Germany ranks second with one win and one loss with three points, Serbia ranks third with one win and one loss with three points, and Australia ranks at the bottom with one draw and one loss.

In the final round of the group stage, Ghana will face Germany, who are temporarily ranked first, and Serbia, who are third, will face Australia who are at the bottom of the table.

Theoretically, all four teams have a chance of qualifying now, but Germany, Ghana and Serbia are in their own hands, while Australia's chances of qualifying are very slim.

The German team must not lose the final game, because Serbia will meet Australia in the final round, and any result will have one team surpass the losing Germany, so once Germany loses in the final round, it will be eliminated.

With Serbia and Australia unable to win in the final round, a win over Ghana will ensure a six-point finish and a good chance of topping the group thanks to goal difference.

If Germany draws, they need Serbia to draw with Australia, or not lose to Australia with a super high score of 0:8 or above, but the probability of that outcome is slim to none.

Sending a group to the final round, Australia will basically have to fight for their honour, with three other teams battling it out for two qualifying spots in the group.