Chapter 377 The first trip to the national team in his career

Chapter 377 The first trip to the national team in his career

【Shock! Cristiano Ronaldo defeated Leo Messi and successfully invited Martin to join the team]

[Informed sources: Martin has agreed to accept an invitation from the Portuguese national team, and Miguel Mario’s dream is about to come true! 】

[Argentinian fans: There was once an excellent opportunity in front of me, but I didn’t fight for it...]

[The Gun King comes to Fruit Ya, the gods give in! 】

[Is the favorite to win the World Cup among the fighting countries now? 】

……

UEFA is still complacent about the Group of Death script drawn from the 2017-2018 Champions League group, thinking that it will definitely become a hot topic and further increase the influence of the Champions League in world football.

Unexpectedly, Martin's regaining Portuguese/Argentinian citizenship directly occupied all the topics.

Officials from the Portuguese Football Association and the Argentinian Football Association also mobilized and directly blasted the mobile phone of Martin's agent Mendes.

The result is naturally that one family is happy and the other is sad.

The international break in September is around the corner and will start after the weekend league games.

Taking advantage of this wave of enthusiasm, the Portuguese Football Association immediately announced the list of players for the European Qualifiers of the Fighting Nations World Cup in September.

Goalkeepers: Beto (Goztabe), Barrera (Benfica), Patricio (Sporting CP)

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cedric (Southampton), Eliseu (Benfica), Coentrao (Sporting CP), Cancelo (Inter Milan), Font (Western Hanoi) (Multiple United), Pepe (Beşiktaş)

Midfielder: Adrian Silva (Sporting CP), Andre Gomez (Barcelona), Danilo Pereira (Porto), Martin (Arsenal), Joao Mario (International) Milan), Moutinho (Monaco), William Carvalho (Sporting CP)

Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruma (Red Bull Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting CP) , Nelson Oliveira (Norwich City), Quaresma (Beşiktaş)

Since Martin was focused on preparing for the league before the international break and did not accept reports from outside media, not many people knew that he had actually made a choice.

Therefore, sports media and fans around the world are focusing on Portugal and Argentina's national team rosters for the World Cup qualifiers in September.

The Portuguese national team roster was first announced on the Football Association’s official website and certified social accounts.

In an instant, the news that Martin was selected for the Portuguese national team to participate in the World Cup qualifiers directly shot to the top of the trending searches on major social platforms.

In addition to the joy of the Portuguese domestic media and fans, the media and fans in many countries feel hesitant.

In particular, those traditional football powers have strong uneasiness about next year's World Cup in the warring countries.

Countless Portuguese fans cried with joy.

Winning the European Cup last summer was highly accidental, and many people thought it was just bad luck. Next year's World Cup has a high probability of reaching the top eight like previous World Cups.

With Martin entering the Portuguese national team roster, it will mean that the overall strength of the Portuguese national team will be directly raised by at least one level.

想到2015-2016赛季的阿森纳，攻防两端的整体实力其实比较弱，根本就没办法跟2016-2017赛季和如今的2017-2018赛季相提并论。

Why can you still dominate the 2015-2016 season?

It is completely due to Martin's personal super ability and overall ability to knead.

No matter how weak Portugal's overall strength is, it is still one of the strongest football countries and the favorite to win the championship.

With Martin joining the team, we are not the biggest favorite, but definitely one of the biggest favorites to win the championship.

Many former Portuguese stars and current Portuguese internationals were interviewed by the media and expressed their full support and warm welcome to Martin who joined the Portuguese national team.

The person involved, Martin, did not pay attention to outside reports. He focused on the peak battle that was about to start in two days.

Be a guest at Anfield Stadium and challenge the Red Arrows' successful trio of Liverpool!

According to the original development trajectory, Liverpool performed very well this season and even reached the final of the Champions League.

However, with Martin's strong intervention, Liverpool, which was supposed to enter the Champions League final this season, only finished fifth in the league last season, and therefore could only participate in the Europa League this season.

So Martin couldn't help but wonder, if Salah didn't participate in the Champions League final, wouldn't he suffer a flagrant foul and miss the World Cup?

Against this background, the third round of the 2017-2018 Premier League season has quietly arrived.

The first game started at Dean Court Stadium. The visiting team Manchester City defeated Bournemouth 2:1 with Sterling's goal in the th minute.

It is worth mentioning that Sterling received his second yellow card and was sent off for taking off his clothes to celebrate, which meant that he was bound to miss the peak game against his old club Liverpool at home after the international break.

Manchester United, which had won two consecutive games before, was in very good condition. They defeated Leicester City 2-0 and won their first three consecutive games.

With Huddersfield and West Bromwich Albion drawing successively, Manchester United and Arsenal, who have not yet kicked off, became one of the only two teams to start the Premier League with a complete victory this season.

In other words, if Arsenal fails to win the league game at Anfield, Manchester United will become the only team to win the Premier League at the beginning of this season.

Against this background, some Manchester United fans encouraged Liverpool, hoping that they could hold down Arsenal at home and at least ensure not to lose.

Regular press conference before the game.

Although Martin did not attend, reporters still asked Wenger and Van Dijk.

The two of them had been mentally prepared for a long time, and their answers were precise, saying that this was Martin's personal matter, and they should leave the topic to the next game.

Liverpool's home game against Arsenal is the traditional Big 6 peak showdown in the Premier League. The Premier League's schedule has always been simple, either the earliest or the latest.

At four o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday, the starting lineups of both sides in the match between Liverpool and Arsenal were reproduced by major media.

The home team is still in its usual 433 formation.

Goalkeeper: Karius

Defenders: Moreno, Lovren, Matip, Alexander-Arnold

Midfielder: Wijnaldum, Henderson, Emre Can

Forwards: Mane, Firmino, Salah

……

Arsenal follows the commonly used 4231 formation.

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech

Defenders: Mendy, Van Dijk, Koscielny, Bellerin

Midfielder: Ramsey, Kante

Midfielder: Ronaldo, Martin, Gnabry

Forward: Cavani

……

Before the game, Klopp was confident about the home game, but as the game progressed, his frown deepened.

It was clear that there was growing concern about the game.

The Liverpool he was in charge of had not put pressure on Arsenal's defense, and the offensive system led by Martin launched a storm of attacks, wave after wave.

The defense line that seemed to be stable before has already become shaky.

The shouts of exclamation echoed across the Anfield pitch.

The home fans also tried to use the team anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" to encourage the struggling home team players to release more energy.

Arsenal, which took full initiative, continued to organize attacks under the leadership of captain Martin. His frequent position changes with Ronaldo and Gnabry also put Liverpool's defensive pressure on Liverpool, and the number of defensive problems exposed began to increase.

Klopp, who was standing in the technical area where the home team coach directed the game, felt increasingly uneasy.

In the 16th minute of the game, Gnabry used Mendy's advance to suddenly cut inside while attacking the left rib. Henderson, who was responsible for the defense, pounced too hard.

Emre Can knew that whenever Gnabry touched the ball again and had the chance to send the ball to a more dangerous area, he would have to commit a foul.

The referee Oliver blew his whistle, called a foul, and gave a yellow card.

Such a penalty certainly caused strong dissatisfaction among the home fans and Klopp.

But Oliver, the commentator in the commentary box/live broadcast room, Emre Can did kick Gnabry down, and he still fouled in a very dangerous area, so the yellow card is no problem at all.

Klopp saw Martin pull up compatriot Gnabry from the ground and then hold the football and place it at the foul spot. The resolute face brought him strong uneasiness, and it swept through his body in a very short period of time.

Zhan Jun, a well-known commentator who switched to PP Sports, looked at Martin in the broadcast and said loudly: "The location of Emre Zhan's foul is open to question. Martin's direct free kick at this position is no different from a penalty kick... …”

Sky TV commentator Andy Gray said impassionedly: "I don't know if it's an illusion, but I always feel that Martin will score this direct free kick in a very good position."

The location of the foul is approximately 80° from the goal post on the left, which is just right for a right-footed player.

Goalkeeper Loris Karius kept adjusting his position on the five-man wall until Oliver intervened to finally determine the position.

Ronaldo stands at the back right of the football and Martin stands at the back left.

"Beep~"

Everyone, including Karius, knew that Ronaldo was the cover, and the player who took the free kick was definitely Martin.

as predicted!

Ronaldo took two steps and then stopped.

"wuwuuwwuwuu——"

Martin followed closely behind him and took two incremental small steps. His last left foot stepped about 25 centimeters to the left of the football. Ignoring the wild boos coming towards him, he swung his right foot from back to front with a sharp kick. The ball is kicked towards the lower right part of the football placed at the foul spot.

The football shot up from the ground with an increasingly strong spin, passing over the head of Henderson in the middle of the wall and flying towards the upper left corner of the goal.

Karius, who used a wall to block the near corner and stood in the far corner, looked at the ball and subconsciously took two steps to the right, and threw out with his outstretched right arm.

But the football with strong internal rotation is very fast, and the angle is also very tricky.

The fingertips of Karius's spread right arm have not fully reached the expected area, and the football has already rubbed the inner edge of the upper end of the left goal post and hit the snow-white net...

"Goooooooooooooal——"

Andy Gray, the Sky TV commentator in the live commentary box, subconsciously lengthened his voice.

"Beautiful direct free kick! The fifth goal of the season!!" PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said impassionedly: "Arsenal leads Liverpool 1:0 as a guest!"

"Oh My God!"

BBC Sports TV commentator Lineker exclaimed: "The world wave user shows his power again! Liverpool is one goal behind at home!"

The Arsenal fans who traveled with the team were particularly excited. The Arsenal players on the field rushed towards Martin who scored the goal.

On the contrary, Martin, who scored the goal, stood there with his trademark open arms, waiting for his teammates to come forward to celebrate.

……

Liverpool, who were sitting at home and trailing at home, had no choice but to use their kick-off advantage to try to threaten Cech in guarding the goal.

Klopp's tactics are very direct, using Firmino's return connection to give Mane and Salah the opportunity to directly face the defense from the ribs.

Especially 'Egyptian Messi' Salah, he is very skilled with his left foot, very fast, and has strong scoring ability. In the last round of home game against Crystal Palace, it was this new aid who scored the winning goal at home 1 :0 small victory over the opponent.

In the 3:3 draw with Watford in the first round of the league, he scored a goal in passing and shooting, which is equivalent to averaging one goal per game.

Putting aside Martin, who averages passes and shots per game, Salah's performance in the first two rounds was perfect.

Firmino received the ball with his back and brought Koscielny out, and then immediately handed it over to Salah, who was attacking the right rib and advancing at high speed.

Facing Mendy's extended foot to steal the ball, Salah pushed the ball outward with the outside instep of his left foot, then dunked with the inside of his instep, and entered the penalty area from the front of the right penalty area without losing speed.

Van Dijk was unmoved by Salah's continuous changes of direction during his high-speed movement, and was always stuck in the shooting path of Salah's left foot.

Seeing that Ramsey was about to hit the defense, Salah could only grit his teeth and dunk the ball toward the baseline. He took two quick steps using his explosive power, adjusted his steps according to the situation, and then kicked the football with his right foot, which he was not good at. .

Cech, who maintained a high level of attention, looked at the football heading straight into the sky without even subconsciously reaching out. Instead, he turned around and asked the ball boy outside the baseline for the ball.

Head coach Klopp shook his head in frustration.

The eyes looking at Van Dyke became even hotter.

If his team has a central defender like Van Dijk, the overall defensive ability will be improved by at least one level.

"Hey~"

Sighing, his eyes returned to the court again.

Cech took a short goal kick and his team followed the tactics developed before the game and defended high.

Martin retreated to receive the response, his superb and skillful foot skills were fully displayed, and he did not need the involvement of other teammates at all. He turned 360° on the spot and easily passed the siege of Wijnaldum + Henderson + Salah, and then picked up the ball. Go to the other side of the attack, which is the right side of the attack.

Gnabry took the ball forward across the center line, and waited until Bellerin's speed was fully restored before sending a diagonal through ball with a relatively large advance.

Moreno's speed is a shortcoming, so he can only adopt a defensive strategy of leaving the outside line and protecting the inside line.

Bellerin, who was running at full speed, reached about 30 meters from the baseline. He stopped and adjusted his steps while turning his head to look at his teammates who were outflanking and following up.

He took a few steps to catch up with the football rolling forward, and made a direct pass from the inside of the instep of his right foot!

The football shot up from the ground and flew horizontally into the penalty area with a strong inward arc. Like a rainbow across the sky, it just bypassed Lovren at the front point and accurately found Cavani who suddenly accelerated in front of Matip. .

"wowowooooooo——"

With the exclamations ringing in the sky above Anfield, Cavani, who appeared on the broadcast screen, stopped the ball in the direction of travel with his chest, adjusted two steps, opened the distance between him and Matip, and raised his right foot. The bow bounced the football and kicked it to the left side of the opposite goal.

Karius, who attacked to block the angle, reacted slowly and could only watch helplessly as the football flew towards the goal...

"Oh My God! Two goals in three minutes!"

BBC Sports commentator Lineker exclaimed: "Edinson Cavani helped Arsenal expand the score to two goals!"

Cavani, who scored, celebrated the goal ecstatically, while Klopp, who was standing in the technical area commanded by the home team coach, closed his eyes in pain.

Less than twenty minutes into the game, his team fell behind by two goals at home.

It's incredible.

But Klopp does not admit that his ability to transform a team that has lasted a season and a half is insufficient, but...Arsenal led by Martin is too strong!

Conceding two goals in three minutes also made Liverpool realize that they can't eat hot tofu in a hurry and can only move forward step by step.

However, the lack of relaxed attack cannot threaten Cech's goalkeeping.

Arsenal, who are leading by two goals, are not in a hurry. Martin is adapting the new tactical system according to the ideas of head coach Arsene Wenger to prepare for the championship of various competitions in the new season.

Until the end of the first half, the score on the scoreboard did not change.

In the second half, the team changed sides and fought again. Liverpool, who had no way out, strengthened their attack and replaced Emre Can with Coutinho, who had stronger defensive attributes.

Coutinho's appearance did play a certain role and forced Cech to make successive saves, but he was still a little far away from scoring.

In the 66th minute of the game, Arsenal launched an efficient counterattack.

Xhaka, who came on as a substitute, prejudged Coutinho's pass to Salah, and then quickly handed the ball to Martin.

Henderson pounced on the ball immediately, but Martin's legs diverged during the return and he gave the ball away.

It turned out that Ronaldo was right at the end of Xhaka's passing route!

Ronaldo caught the ball and turned around, quickly picked the ball out and gave it to Martin, who turned to face the attack.

Wijnaldum and Coutinho were too far forward. Henderson was taken out by Martin who turned the ball and it was too late to turn around. This meant that Martin, who received the ball, directly faced the entire back line.

Martin, Gnabry and Cavani played brilliant shots one after another and the team was dazzling.

Cavani, who received the ball at the end, sent a through ball that was very early. Martin, who was full of speed, directly used his speed to overtake Lovren from the outside and then blasted a shot into the top corner from the right rib of the penalty area.

0:3

The score displayed on the scoreboard changed again.

Meanwhile, Anfield fell silent.

Arsenal were three goals ahead as a guest and everyone knew the game was decided.

Even though Liverpool really wants to narrow the gap in the next game and equalize the lead.

But strength doesn’t allow it.

Martin and Xhaka's deliberate connection in the second half of the second half also made Liverpool's high defense useless.

"Beep~beep~beep~~"

As Coutinho's long shot went over the crossbar in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, referee Oliver blew the whistle for the end of the game, two short and one long.

"The game is over!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "With Martin's brace and Cavani's goal, Gunners Arsenal defeated Liverpool 3:0 at Anfield and won their first three consecutive victories! With a goal difference The advantage overtakes Manchester United and returns to the top of the standings."

The on-site director gave Martin a close-up shot.

Without a doubt, he was man of the match again.

After the away game, the Arsenal players were dismissed on the spot. Martin, who had successfully transferred to the national team, had a national team match assignment for the first time. He took a flight from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport to Porto to participate in the seventh round of Portugal's match against the Faroe Islands. group matches.

In the first six rounds of the group stage, Switzerland has 18 points with six wins, while Portugal has 5 points with 1 wins and 15 loss.

According to the European qualifying rules for the World Preliminaries, the first place in the nine groups will appear directly, and the eight best group first places will be drawn to play in the play-offs.

Although they are three points behind Switzerland, their 19 goal differences are 9 more than Switzerland's 10. This also means that they will not lose points in the next games against the Faroe Islands, Hungary and Andorra. If you win the last round of the home game against Switzerland, you can qualify first in Group B with a goal difference!

Francisco de Hesa ​​Canero Airport, Porto.

International arrival gate.

"Martin!"

"Martin!!"

"Martin!!!"

A large number of Portuguese fans held up banners, slogans and posters about Martin, and they let out one huge chant after another.

Apparently, someone knew in advance that Martin would arrive in Porto on this flight.

Martin smiled and waved to the enthusiastic fans.

Immediately, he took a commercial vehicle driven by the Portuguese national team’s logistics staff to the Portuguese national team’s hotel in Porto.

The crowds of people welcomed the fans again, and the unified slogans made him moved.

Entering the hotel lobby, Martin also saw all the Portuguese players, led by head coach Santos and captain Ronaldo, who had arrived at the hotel in advance, and each one took the initiative to hug them.

In competitive sports, the strong are respected.

Martin's abilities clearly command the respect of the world.

Only...

(End of this chapter)