The match between Portugal and Morocco, after 120 minutes of fierce battle, entered the penalty shootout with a score of 1:1.

Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench in the 70th minute of the second half and scored with a header in the 78th minute to give Portugal the lead.

Morocco did not rest on their laurels and equalised in the 88th minute with a header from striker Nesri.

In the second round of the penalty shootout, Morocco missed the penalty first and was taken the lead by Portugal.

In the fifth round, Ronaldo stood in front of the penalty kick and looked at the opposing goalkeeper with a resolute gaze.

As long as this goal is scored, Portugal will be able to advance to the semi-finals.

There is no suspense,

No surprises,

The Portuguese superstar's penalty kick is firmly in the bottom left corner of the goal.

Ronaldo, who took off his shirt and showed his perfect muscles, sprinted wantonly on the pitch.

Then he came to the sideline, jumped high, half-turned in mid-air, drew a "C" with his fingers, and landed domineeringly.

SIUUUUU！！！！！！

Click!

The TV in the conference room went black in an instant, and Southgate said with a smile: "Our opponent is confirmed, it is the Portuguese team." Let's go back and rest first, and the training session is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. ”

After the players dispersed, Southgate spent a long time in the conference room before dialing the phone.

"David, can you come to the conference room tomorrow morning?"

"I knew you were going to call me."

"You have more experience against Portugal than I do."

The next day, the results of the quarterfinals of the remaining two matches were released.

Argentina drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in regulation time and eventually eliminated their opponents through a penalty shootout.

Brazil met Croatia, and it was also 1:1 in the 120-minute game, and finally lost on penalties.

Brazil, the second favorite to win the World Cup, was eliminated from the tournament.

After the game, the media opinion added a lot of stories to the two games.

First of all, in the match between Argentina and the Netherlands, the referee on duty showed a total of 17 yellow cards and 1 red card, which shows the intensity of the game between the two teams.

Flying shovel fouls are even more commonplace, and there was a hot scene of two teams fighting.

Even Messi, who has always been modest, couldn't help but give the Dutch team two nests in the post-match interview.

Give you two a nest, and it will instantly become popular on the whole network.

At the same time, it also deepened the grievances and contradictions between the two teams.

As for the Brazilian team.

After they reached the quarterfinals, Brazilian celebrity Ronaldo also followed Xiaobei's example and invited the whole team to go to the Internet celebrity restaurant of "Brother Salt" to build a team, so as to increase the cohesion of the team.

But in the face of nearly 1,000 euros of gold leaf tomahawk steak, the Brazilian national team players were angrily accused by many domestic netizens.

"There are still 50 million people in the country who suffer from poverty and hunger, and yet they live in luxury."

Faced with brainless doubts, Ronaldo responded: This is a sign of jealousy and cowardice.

With Brazil knocked out on penalties, the reaction from domestic fans was even more intense.

At a time when public opinion was flying, the England team turned a deaf ear to what was going on outside the window and concentrated on training on the field.

Four days later, they will face arch-rivals Grape at the Bay Stadium.

Speaking of the grievances between the two teams, what impressed fans was the Euro Cup in 04 and the World Cup in 06.

In the 04 European Cup, Beckham, as the captain, kicked the ball directly to the stands in the first round of the penalty shootout, which was ridiculed by Portuguese fans and became one of the classic pictures of that year's European Cup.

And Becky became a sinner in England because of this.

In the 1/4 finals of the 06 World Cup, England met Portugal again, and the protagonist changed from Petty to Rooney.

In the 52nd minute, Xiaobei couldn't stick to the game due to injury, and watched the young Rooney step on the young Ronaldo outside the stadium, and was sent off with a red card, crying bitterly.

In the end, we can only watch the team lose to Portugal again in the penalty shootout.

Xiaobei, who has always shown off in formal wear, changed into sportswear this time and trained with the team.

His role is more on the spiritual level.

After training, Xiaobei also had a free kick contest with Rossi.

In the end, Jiang was still old and spicy, and Xiaobei defeated Rossi by 1 goal.

After training, Southgate hurriedly convened a tactical meeting of the coaching staff to work out the tactics for the match against Portugal.

"Portugal's personnel reserve in the center forward position is our presence this time."

Beckham first put forward his own opinion and focused on Cristiano Ronaldo.

"As the strongest 12th man, he has unparalleled finishing ability and air dominance."

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 37 years old, is not physically fit and explosive enough to support the whole game.

But as Portugal's strongest substitute, he has the ability to crush the defenders after 70 minutes.

In the match against Morocco, Portugal attacked wildly and got lost behind the opponent's strong walls.

It was only after Cristiano Ronaldo came on the pitch that the situation changed.

If England want to stop Cristiano Ronaldo, they must be prepared to defend.

"Another point is that the position of their back is a shortcoming."

Regarding Xiaobei's opinion, the assistant coach was a little puzzled.

"David, you're not right. The opponent has brought 6 or 7 midfielders and midfielders in this Cup, which is their strength! ”

In the group stage against Switzerland, Portugal's midfielder showed the attributes of an iron waist.

Xiaobei, who used to play in the back midfield, did not agree with his views.

"Portugal removed Willian Carvalho and Pallhinha in midfield in order to allow the attack to move quickly, resulting in a decrease in interception and coverage in the midfield position.

"It's a bit like I played at the back at Real Madrid. However, I can still make up for the lack of defensive area with my movements. ”

Becky is trying to explain for herself.

But no one doubted his analysis and judgment.

If it weren't for Morocco's poor attacking ability, I am afraid that the Portuguese team would not have survived extra time.

At this point, Becky's conclusion is that if Portugal still maintains the original tactical play, then the defensive defects in the midfield will be the main direction of the England team.

Southgate was impressed by Beckham's expertise.

If it weren't for Xiaobei's focus on developing his own commercial value after retiring, I'm afraid the position of England coach would not be his turn.

"What often seems to be the strongest is actually the most difficult to compatible."

Southgate's analysis of Portugal is largely the same as Becky's research direction.

"There are a number of good central midfielders and midfielders on the other side, and we haven't found a suitable midfielder so far, so this is our chance."

Speaking of this, it can't help but remind England of the national team squad after 2002.

At that time, the players in every position were all talented giants.

But when combined, it doesn't work 100%.

How the two Germans coexisted was a problem for the England team until they withdrew from the national team one after another.

Now Portugal's double back is also facing the same situation.

"But don't underestimate them."

Southgate reminded: "Their dual-core drive is still the fundamental driving force of Portugal's strength. ”

(End of chapter)