The game went on until the 25th minute.

After patiently passing for several minutes in their own midfield, Germany created a good chance.

Kroos pulled down the left flank and then received a pass from Draxler, and seeing that Desiglio had blocked his way, Kroos immediately dunked the ball back and then raised his foot to knock it back.

Werner, the center forward who had been cruising outside the penalty area, received the ball and immediately shot in the corner of the penalty area, which was pounced by Bonucci and blocked with his body, and Draxler, who followed him, shot again, but failed to shoot under the attack of Barella and Tonali, who were back on the defending, and Donnarumma easily confiscated the ball.

After getting the ball, Donnarumma didn't lose time, but immediately ran two steps forward and kicked the ball off!

This is also one of Pan Yi's requirements for the goalkeeper, that is, the goalkeeper should also be the first person to attack.

However, it is clear that Donnarumma's kick-off is not particularly good, and perhaps this is one of the things that prevents him from becoming the world's top goalkeeper.

Now he had enough power to kick the ball, but the direction was a little worse, and the ball flew straight to the wing, and then Kimmich controlled the ball at his feet.

Chiesa Jr. immediately rushed towards him.

Kimmich is a mature youngster who, like his predecessor, can play as a wing-back or a central midfielder, and today he was deployed by Loew at right-back to strengthen the defence.

He was also calm in the face of Chiesa Jr.'s pressing, and immediately raised his foot to pass the ball to Thomas Muller a little ahead.

Muller took the ball and crossed the ball to Kroos, who retreated to the middle, who sent in a through ball and Timo Werner took the ball again, only to be unceremoniously brought down by Chiellini.

The referee blew the whistle and blew a free-kick.

It was a direct free-kick just 25 metres from the Italian goal, which of course made Italy nervous, but the Germans didn't get on the scoresheet.

In this German team, the level of free kicks is relatively high, there are Kimmich, Reuss, Kroos and others, Reus did not start today, and after deliberation, it was decided that Kroos would take the penalty.

But the German's cooperation obviously didn't work, and Kroos's free-kick actually hit Muller, who was standing in front to help break down the human wall.

Draxler then broke the ball from Verratti, who was a little slower to play, and fired a long-range shot from 30 yards out, which was again saved by Donnarumma.

The fact that successive attacks can only be completed with long-range shots proves that Italy really value defending in the box.

In addition to the card confrontation, they will never be soft when it is time to foul, even if they will give the opponent a free kick opportunity.

'Although Kimmich and Kroos are good free-kicks in the German team, they are not too efficient, so I still have confidence in Donnarumma. Pan Yi said this before the game, and it seems that this is indeed the case.

In addition to the free-kick that was directly in front of the goal, Germany also won a few free-kicks that were not too well placed in the following games, but neither direct shots nor coordination posed a threat to the Italian goal.

And the reason why the German team was able to get so many free-kick opportunities is, of course, first of all because they dominated the field.

They were constantly looking for opportunities through penetrations in the middle, while Italy stepped up their pressing in midfield while holding on to the penalty area, launching counter-attacks immediately to contain the opposition's attack when they had the opportunity.

But neither side got too good a chance.

Italy's counterattack was inherently inefficient, not to mention that the wings did not press too little due to the high pressure on the defense, resulting in a lack of support in front.

Although Germany, although Timo Werner, a striker, runs very aggressively and always wants to find good opportunities in the Italian penalty area, Bonucci and Chiellini are also excellent central defenders with fame and strength, and they also did not give Germany too many opportunities to attack.

After getting everyone's nerves up with a goal from the start, the game quickly fell into a stalemate.

The fans on both sides were certainly nervous, but in the eyes of neutral fans, they couldn't help but feel a little boring, but now that there are more and more boring games in the World Series, the fans are also a little used to it.

Especially when one of the teams in the tournament is Italy......

In the 35th minute, Germany finally came close to equalizing through a persevering attack in the middle.

Returning to midfield, Muller sent in a beautiful through ball and Werner was able to counter offside, but thanks to Donnarumma's timely attack, Werner was forced to cross from near the baseline, and Chiellini headed in the box.

Italy also launched a counterattack immediately after Pan Yi's signal.

The two Italian full-backs pressed on the attack at the same time, almost catching Germany off guard, and finally Barella passed back to Verratti, Verratti went straight into the penalty area, Chiesa Jr. forced a breakthrough and volleyed from a small angle, and Neuer fell to the ground with agility to save the ball off the line.

The Italians then went on the defensive again, and the Germans continued to attack, but it was clear that they were becoming more cautious.

This kind of situation is what Pan Yi likes to see.

He just wants to attack suddenly to deter the opponent, so that the arrogance of the German offensive will also be beaten down a lot, and the rhythm of the German offensive will be forced to be interrupted, which will naturally be more beneficial to Italy's next defense.

However, in terms of offense, Italy's performance today did not make Pan Yi particularly satisfied.

Mainly due to the lack of support from players on the wing, even if Barella is more advanced today, the front trident will rarely create good opportunities.

Scamacca is a central striker, and although Chiesa Jr. and Insigne are both good in terms of technique, it will be a little too difficult for them to completely tear apart the German backline by their individual ability.

They are not Messi or Neymar after all!

"Fortunately, the other side doesn't have any good chances, and I still have a ball in my hand, and it's them who are anxious."

Thinking about it, Pan Yi turned his head and glanced at the coach's seat next door.

Sure enough, Loew, who was standing on the sidelines, now only had two words written on his face: "depressed".

The Italian team defended so strongly, which was not surprising to him.

But conceding the ball after the opening kick-off completely disrupted his pre-match set-up.

And then Italy's defense is also very targeted, in addition to defending the penalty area, the destruction in the midfield is constantly disrupting the rhythm of Germany's attack, making Germany's attack seem to be lively, but always look awkward.

Having coached the German team for many years, he certainly knows how big a problem the attacking side can be if they always play awkwardly.

He also knew that Germany's defense was definitely not as good as the attack, and if it weren't for the inefficiency of the opponent's counterattack, maybe just relying on a one-goal lead and continuous counterattacks could have sealed the victory of this game.

Loew was even considering whether to make a substitution at half-time.

Now the two wings of the German team, Draxler and Muller have their own characteristics, such as Draxler's technique at his feet is very delicate, his dribbling ability is particularly good, and Muller's running and receiving ability is even more unique;

But they also all have a common weakness, that is, they are not very fast, in the face of such a dense Italian defense, even if you get rid of one, a second person will immediately come up to block.

This also shows that Pan Yi's efforts on the defense of the Italian team have not been in vain, and now Italy's defense has a bit of Italian chain defense style in regional defense and mutual complements, even if it is not so perfect, it is enough to break through in Germany when there is a lack of manpower.

Then, to break through such a steel line, Loew really has to think about strengthening the speed of the wings.

'It would have been nice if I had brought Sane into the national team.' Loew couldn't help but regret it a little.

In the World Cup list of the German team this time, Sane's omission can be said to be the biggest controversy.

Leroy Sane has enjoyed a perfect season for Manchester City this season, helping them to halt Chelsea's back-to-back title streak and win the Premier League and EFL Cup double, as well as a 100-point Premier League title.

In terms of personal data, Sane has contributed a double-double of 10 goals and 15 assists in 32 Premier League appearances this season, second only to Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne's 16 assists and second in the Premier League's assists charts.

It was thanks to Leroy Sane's performances that he was named the PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year in 2017/18.

But it's a bit incomprehensible that the talented player was left out of Germany's final 23-man squad.

In terms of position, Sane's biggest rival is Draxler, plus a Brandt.

Compared with the two of them, Sane is faster, better and more comprehensive, and can be used as a flashpoint in the front field and a quick advance on the counter-attack, but the team awareness will be slightly weaker.

And team spirit and overall football are precisely the core of the German team, which is the biggest reason why Loew gave up Sane.

But now, against a defence like Italy's, it is impossible not to miss Sane's quick break......

It's just that Loew can only think about it.

He also quickly thought that with Pan Yi's tactical ability, not to mention that Sane was not in the team, even if he could play today, Pan Yi had a way to deal with him.

Sane is very strong, but how is he better than Aguero, better than Di Maria, and what kind of green onion is compared to Messi?

In the warm-up match, the Italian team can guard Argentina's powerful trident to the ground, and how can they be afraid of a 22-year-old player?

Loew can only hope for an equaliser in the middle of the tussle so that he can be more comfortable with his next tactics at half-time.

After all, today is only the first game of the group stage, and even if it is drawn, it will not have much impact on the next games.

That's why Loew doesn't make much of a move.

The first fight is important, but it's precisely because there are two more games left that he has to think about more.

Pan Yi knows this, but he dares to take risks in this game - this is due to the super self-confidence he has accumulated over the years of repeated victories.

Seeing that the first half had reached 40 minutes, after a fierce attack, the German players' physical strength had also decreased a lot, and they began to slow down and wait for the halftime break.

They were quite awkward, so hopefully at half-time the coach will make timely adjustments to change the situation.

But Pan Yi keenly discovered this, and he immediately changed his original intention, stood up, and commanded the team to press the attack aggressively!

Anyway, the opponent doesn't have a good hand to counterattack quickly, and the rhythm has slowed down, even if he presses it now, he is not very afraid of the opponent's counterattack!

Seeing Pan Yi's action of getting up, Loew's heart immediately tightened.

He is a famous fan of Pan Yi, whether it is Pan Yi's tactical theory or on-the-spot command method, he has studied a lot.

Like Pan Yi, who suddenly got up on the sidelines, it means that he has to move!

Seeing such an action, Loew will of course feel a little nervous.

But the problem is that he doesn't know what exactly Pan Yi is going to do.

Although Loew is a world-renowned coach, he is still far from the top, and some flaws in on-the-spot judgment and change are important reasons.

Therefore, now he can only look at the field with wide eyes, trying to understand what has changed in the Italians and what Pan Yi thinks.

Then, the changes in the Italian team on the field were immediately apparent.

Italy stepped up their pressing up front and Barella cut off the ball at Plattenhardt's feet with the help of Scamacca before immediately passing to Tonali on the right.

Tonali distributed the ball to Desiglio who came in and ran forward, Desiglio immediately passed the ball to Tonali's feet, Tonali made a cross feint to lure Kimmich to break the ball, and then began to force a breakthrough!

Rarely breaking through on the wing, he suddenly came here and immediately made Kimmich deflated.

After breaking through to the baseline, Tonali crossed with his feet, Chiesa Jr. received the ball at the back post and volleyed the ball between the legs of Boateng Jr., but fortunately Neuer reacted quickly and judged accurately, and held the ball in his arms with a low body.

Loew breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that such a threatening attack had been stopped, and then shouted loudly on the field: "Counterattack!" Counterattack! Don't let them take their chances! ”

He understands that Pan Yi is going to make a counterattack before halftime!

This is also Pan Yi's usual routine, that is, the sudden acceleration before the opening and final games caught the opponent who was a little slack physically and mentally off guard.

He's done it once at the beginning, and now he's doing it again at the end of the half?

Loew, of course, didn't want to see that.

If you want to do it, let's do it together!

So he commanded his players to get back on their feet and then drown the Italian team with their attacks!

And Pan Yi laughed.

To be sure, Loew is making the right decision now.

First, the players have the backbone and know what to do at this time, and secondly, Italy is pressing, and the back line will not be as airtight as before, and if you take the opportunity to equalize, it will be quite beneficial to the next game in Germany.

However, the players of the German team have already retreated just now, can the hasty arrangement have such a good effect?

There may even be situations where the players do not understand each other, resulting in the tactics not being executed perfectly.

However, under Loew's constant urging, the German tank still slammed the throttle and rumbled towards the Italian position.

Italy, on the other hand, fought and retreated slowly, retreating to the front of their own penalty area to defend.

This time Germany did not entangle with Italy in midfield, Kroos and Draxler played a series of short passes, and then Kroos quickly broke through from the right and almost went straight into the box.

Thankfully, Desiglio was quick to defend and took a risk to tackle Kroos off the line with the ball.

As he tackled the ball first, the referee only gave a corner.

Seeing that there was not much time left in the first half, most of the German players pressed back and wanted to take advantage of the few last chances to equalise.

Pan Yi made a few gestures in the coach's box, letting Chiesa Jr. and Insigne, two faster players, stay in the front court and not return to the defense, and even left the center forward Scamacca in front.

At this time, Loew's attention was on the Italian penalty area, and he was also busy directing his players to carry out what could be the last threatening attack in the first half, so he did not see Pan Yi's movements.

But this gesture, which Loew ignored, also caused him to swallow the bitter fruit after a minute.

Kroos took a corner kick and was cleared by Desiglio's header at the back post, the ball fell to the feet of Tonali, and Italy immediately launched a counterattack!

Verratti, who was inserting at high speed, received a long pass from Tonali and immediately distributed the ball to Spinazzola, who was also determined to cut in on the left.

Spinazzola was quick to get forward, the opposing Muller was fighting for a header in the box, Goretzka was also very far forward, and because the two central defenders had already gone to the Italian penalty area to fight for the top, Kimmich on this side also received a central defense, so he was not hindered in the slightest when he rushed forward.

After receiving Verratti's pass, no one came up to defend him, but Spinazzola did not break forward directly, but looked up to observe the situation in the penalty area, and saw that the three attackers in the front field had rushed to the opponent's penalty area, and there were only three people defending them, and they immediately raised their feet and passed the ball directly into the penalty area.

Scamacca watched where the pass landed and ran forward.

Spinazzola's pass was a bit bigger, but it was still in the box.

Scamacca rushed close to the baseline before the ball began to fall, and Scamacca stopped Kimmich behind him, then jumped high and slammed the ball into the box.

Chiesa Jr. lunged forward, got away from Plattenhardt's defence, and then struck the ball down with ease before Neuer pounced to block!

In front of the goal, it is a push shot from four or five meters!

"The ball is in!!! Chiesa! Federico Chiesa! Two to zero! Italy extends its lead! Lineker jumped up with his hands raised in the booth, "Nice quick counterattack!" The German backline is like papier-mâché! ”

"Because of this goal, Chiesa Jr. has surpassed his father in the Italian national team!"

'His father, Enrico Chiesa, was also an Italian international in the 90s, but he only made 16 international appearances and scored four goals, and his only goal in a major tournament was in the European Championships.

"In the World Cup, Chiesa Sr. played in the 1998 World Cup in France and didn't score."

"Now, Chiesa Jr. has scored a valuable World Cup goal for Italy and helped the team to lead the last year's champions, Germany!"

Lineker was praising Chiesa, but more people on the field and in the stands were still in shock.

It was mainly this quick Italian counterattack that stunned everyone.

No one expected that Germany, which had the upper hand in the first half, would fall behind by two goals like this.

To say that Italy's counterattack speed is not very fast, Tonali and Verratti even controlled the ball back and forth in the midfield for a while, waiting for Spinazzola on the side to press, but just now Germany pressed too far forward, and the gap left in the back was too big......

"I really don't know what happened to Germany just now, suddenly pressing so high, there are two or three players left in the backfield, and there is such a big ......gap in the middle," Alan Shearer also shook his head and said.

Between Germany and Italy, of course, he was inclined to support Italy, but he looked at the goal more for tactical reasons.

Loew watched this scene with some dumbfounded, just now he asked the team to press up and beat the opponent's counterattack back, but he didn't want them to press up like this.

There were only two full-backs and a Goretzka left at the back, and everyone else rushed into the opposition penalty area as if he were waving his hand, and then the members of the German national team rushed up in a cheer......

No matter how you look at it, it seems to be its own pot!

And just when Loew was still doubting his life, the referee had already blown the whistle for the end of the first half.

Italy leads Germany 2:0!

"We did a good job in the first half!"

In the locker room, Pan Yi came up and praised everyone.

"Just don't forget, there's still forty-five minutes to go, so don't relax! Continue to defend like you did in the first half, start disrupting their attacking rhythm from the midfield, and then use counter-attacks to draw their attacking energy! ”

Pan Yi emphasized: "Also, in the midfield, even if it is a foul, it must disrupt their offensive rhythm. It doesn't matter if you eat your cards, as long as you can stop their attack! ”

The players all glanced at each other, but they were all professional players and understood what Pan Yi meant.

After all, this is only the first game of the group stage, as long as they can qualify from the group, even the players who have been sent off will most likely be able to continue to play after the knockout stage begins.

This is commonly known as the "shuffle", and many teams aiming for the title use this strategy.

As for specific tactics, Pan Yi did not change much.

He believes that with the execution of the current batch of players, as long as they can disrupt the offensive rhythm of the German team as he said, there will be no major problems!