Chapter 509 World Cup Semi-Finals: The Gallic Rooster's Revenge

Chapter 509 World Cup Semi-Finals: The Gallic Rooster's Revenge
Doha exudes the atmosphere of wealth everywhere, but at the end of 2022, the football atmosphere in this city is particularly fanatical.

The countdown to the closing of the Qatar World Cup has also begun.

In the first World Cup semi-final played at the Lusail Stadium, Argentina defeated Croatia 3-0 and advanced to the World Cup final first.

As a result, the attention of fans around the world shifted to the second World Cup semi-final to be held at the Bay Stadium.

A World Cup final that is hailed as an early one!
France VS Portugal!
On the day of the match, the fanatical atmosphere in Doha increased instead of decreased after losing the Croatian fans.

The World Cup theme song "Hayya Hayya" spread from the streets and alleys and gradually swept the entire city.

Fans of both teams in the semi-finals were extremely excited, dancing and singing their national anthems, creating a frenzy atmosphere for the upcoming World Cup semi-final.

The local police in Doha also became nervous, fearing that fans of the two national teams would fight.

However, most fans of both teams behaved very gentlemanly and did not take the initiative to provoke.

On the contrary, those neutral fans who just watch the fun like to stir up trouble, and even pretend to be fans of one of the teams, in order to gain a lot of traffic.

It’s a pity that the local police had enough manpower to investigate the matter thoroughly while preventing the situation from escalating.

The reason, naturally, was the instigation of certain tabloids.

Players from the Portuguese and French teams who were preparing for the World Cup semi-finals stayed in the hotel that day.

It's either a gym or a multimedia room that serves as a makeshift tactical room.

Both teams know that the other side is strong. If they want to defeat their opponent, they first need to give 100% of their effort.

However, the French players, who had lost to Portugal twice in the finals, were under great pressure. They were afraid of losing to Portugal led by Martin in the third world championship final.

Stars like Griezmann and Mbappe are under great pressure.

In order to allow players to fully focus on preparing for the game before the game, the French Football Federation also paid special attention to the players' mental health.

Before the game, a psychology doctor was specially hired from China in order to make the players forget the losses in the past two finals and focus all their attention on the World Cup semi-final which would start in the evening!

The entire Portuguese team was in a relaxed state of preparation at the hotel where they were staying.

As champions of three consecutive competitions, all the players now seem to have the temperament of champions. They did not feel as much pressure as they did against the French team in the match against strong teams.

The game time is 8 pm.

The entire Portuguese team took a bus to the Bay Stadium, which would host the second World Cup semi-final, at 6pm.

The Gulf Stadium can accommodate 120 fans. Among all the venues in the Qatar World Cup, only the Lusail Stadium, which hosted the final, can be compared with it. However, this capacity is far from satisfying the appetite of more than million fans entering the country.

More volume and less meat has become the standard at the final stages of major competitions.

In the outer plaza of the Bay Stadium, there were fans everywhere holding up signs that read "Tickets at high prices".

Unfortunately, no one will pay attention.

First of all, local fans in Qatar are not short of money at all. Secondly, fans who come to Qatar to watch the game are not short of money either. Unless they really have to leave for something, few people would be willing to give up the tickets they have "grabbed" with great difficulty at a premium of dozens of times.

So starting from the hotels where both teams are staying, all the way to the main roads of the stadium, there are large numbers of loyal fans without tickets.

When they realized that they could not enter the stadium to watch the game, they spontaneously came to the bus to cheer for their beloved team.

The entire Portuguese team, led by Martin, loved the fans very much. They did not draw the curtains throughout the whole game and just waved to the enthusiastic fans.

As the world's top football player today, Martin has a huge fan base around the world, and other Portuguese players who are favorites to win the championship are also loved by him.

At a glance, you can see a large number of banners, slogans and posters about Martin.

With more than an hour and a half left before the game, more than 50,000 fans had already poured into the Bayfront Stadium, which can accommodate 60,000 fans.

The remaining 10,000 seats were also being filled with fans queuing up to enter the stadium at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this time, players from both sides of the game also came to the luxurious home and away team locker rooms.

The French team was lucky as they drew the home team draw before the game.

This... also means that the French team can enjoy higher-level treatment.

By the time both teams changed into their training uniforms and came to the stadium to warm up, the audience seats were almost full.

"aoaoaooaoooooo——"

The overwhelming cheers came one after another, which served as a warm-up for the competition.

The die-hard fans of both teams are also adjusting the rhythm of their cheering.

A game is never just about two teams. Many times, fans of both teams also have to compete with each other in exciting games.

The players' performance often complements the fans' cheers.

The noise made by the fans is loud enough, and the players perform better.

The players who came into the field to warm up seemed to be in a good mood and waved to the enthusiastic fans.

Martin, who came out of the player tunnel, high-fived the fans who stretched out their hands. Reporters waiting in the mixed zone kept pressing the shutter to record the wonderful video footage.

About an hour before the game, the starting lineups submitted by the head coaches of both teams to FIFA were quickly reposted on social platforms by major media.

The French team still uses their usual 4231 formation.

Goalkeeper: Lloris

Defenders: Theo, Konate, Varane, Kounde

Defensive midfielder: Chuameni, Fofana
Midfielders: Mbappé, Griezmann, Dembélé
Forward: Giroud

……

Portugal still uses 433 formation
Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa
Defenders: Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Pepe, Dalot
Midfielders: Palinha, Martin, Ruben Neves
Forwards: Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Seat B

……

As the starting lineups of both teams appeared, fans who were paying attention to this World Cup semi-final knew that this World Cup final, which was hailed as being staged in advance, was getting closer and closer.

The French fans in the audience couldn't help but look at Martin who was warming up with the ball on the court.

The excellent form and hot feet make French fans worried about the upcoming World Cup semi-finals.

For French fans, they are not actually afraid of Portugal. The one they are really afraid of is Martin.

He can bring the Portuguese team together into a strong whole and play a huge role on both offense and defense.

Such a comprehensive Martin is what French fans are worried about.

Argentina head coach Scaloni was sitting in a stand at the Bay Stadium at this time.

The winner of this game will be the opponent that his team will face in the World Cup final.

Seeing Martin in very good warm-up condition, he was mentally prepared enough.

Portugal has a high probability of defeating France in the semi-finals.

But he hopes that France can beat Portugal.

Compared to the invincible Portugal, the French team will obviously have a higher chance of winning in the final.

After warming up for about half an hour at the air-conditioned Bay Stadium, players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms through the player tunnel to make final preparations for the World Cup semi-final which would kick off at 8 p.m.

Home team locker room.

Deschamps waited until the players had finished their personal appearance, then called them to gather together to get excited and prepare for the upcoming World Cup semi-final. To defeat Portugal, in addition to deploying the correct game tactics, the players also need to have enough confidence to win.

"... Guys, I believe you are tired of losing to Martin's team in the game, and so am I! The Battle Country World Cup final four years ago was a shame for me and for everyone here. Now is the perfect opportunity to avenge that shame."

"Portugal has not encountered strong opponents in the past five games, so they must be a little slack psychologically. This... is our chance! I hope everyone can be as confident as I am in the game! Defeat Portugal! Then beat Argentina in the final at the Lusail Stadium and win our second World Cup title!"

Deschamps spoke in a high-pitched voice, and as his body movements became more elaborate, his voice became more provocative.

He can pick up on what's in the players' eyes.

A strong desire to win!
This... is the effect he hopes to achieve.

……

Visiting team locker room.

"From the group stage to the quarter-finals, we faced Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in the group stage, Switzerland in the round of 1, and Morocco in the quarter-finals. None of them can be called a strong team. Winning is a natural result, but the next semi-final opponent France is recognized as the favorite to win the championship after us. The European Cup final six years ago and the World Cup final four years ago both had happy endings. I hope the same will be true for the later games."

Portugal coach Santos said solemnly: "The result of the game is never determined by the historical record, but by our best efforts. So the upcoming game will test us against strong teams. Do we have the confidence to eliminate France? And win the World Cup at the Lusail Stadium?"

"Have confidence!"

The Portuguese players in the locker room shouted in unison.

Seeing that there was still time before reaching the player tunnel, Santos allowed the players to move freely.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo gathered the players together, formed a circle, put his left hand on the shoulder of his left teammate, and folded the backs of his right hands together to encourage each other.

Soon, the game preparation bell rang in the locker room.

Players from both teams walked towards the player tunnel.

Many players from both teams are club teammates and they greeted each other before the game.

Of course, with the crucial World Cup semi-final about to kick off, communication between the players was limited to hugs and high-fives, and small talk was non-existent.

Only by treating the competition rigorously can we win the competition better!
The live director gave close-up shots to the key players of both teams.

The player that is receiving attention from the French team is Mbappe, who is gradually becoming the top star, while Portugal still has Martin, the world's top star.

When the screen showed Martin, CCTV5 commentator He Wei said loudly: "The next game is the first world-class team Portugal will encounter in this World Cup. Whether they can get out of the rhythm of the past five games that they easily won, Martin's performance will be crucial."

Ten minutes before the start of the game, the Mexican referee team led the players from both teams onto the field.

Players from both teams, holding their caddies, walked into the Bay Course with their heads held high.

"aoaoaoaoaooo——"

The overwhelming cheers instantly filled the entire stadium.

The two large open-air viewing venues built outside the square also emitted huge cheers, creating a frenzy of the World Cup semi-final atmosphere for the upcoming game.

The fans sitting in front of the TV are obviously impatient and are dancing and hoping that the game will start right away.

After a series of necessary pre-match procedures, players from both sides stood on each side.

"Beep~"

Referee Cesar Ramos blew his whistle.

Ronaldo, stepping on the football, kicked it to Martin outside the center circle.

"Longguo TV, Longguo TV."

"Now broadcasting for you is the live broadcast of the second semi-final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup France vs. Portugal."

"The players wearing red jerseys and green shorts are the defending World Cup champions Portugal. They are attacking from the right side of the broadcast screen to the left side..."

CCTV-5 commentator He Wei blurted out the iconic opening remarks.

Portugal, which had the advantage of kick-off, played steadily and did not rush forward to attack.

The offensive organization is mainly composed of Martin and Ruben Neves. They connect the overall offense through continuous running and passing, involve the French team's defense line, and find the space needed for threatening offense.

Even before the game started, the French team led by Deschamps tended to choose a tactical strategy of defending first and then using Giroud's back-to-the-basket ball technique and the ability of absolute core Griezmann to send exquisite passes to Mbappe and Dembele for counterattacks.

This tactic has long been familiar to us.

Whether playing against a strong team or a pseudo-strong team, this tactic is used.

Portugal, led by Martin, was also extremely cautious and did not rush forward to attack.

Although Cancelo and Danilo are both very fast, Mbappe and Dembele are faster.

Offense is also more proactive than defense, and there is a very high risk of losing the ball when switching from offense to defense.

The game has just begun, so there is no need to be too proactive.

The most important reason is that the opponents encountered in the past five games were not strong, and suddenly playing against the favorite to win the championship, France, might cause problems with rhythm.

Deschamps, who was standing in the technical area directing the home team's coaching, looked at Martin with a resentful look.

What the hell.

There's no need to be so cautious when you're so capable, right?
He hopes that Portugal will launch a massive attack, and then Mbappe or Dembele will complete an efficient counterattack with the ball.

Martin's steady and cautious approach was tantamount to making his intended strategy of stealing the chicken fail in the womb.

Of course, the tactical arrangements before the game are careful, and there will be multiple sets of backup tactics.

There are also corresponding strategies to deal with Portugal's steady and cautious approach.

The overall movement limits the offensive space of the Portuguese offensive system led by Martin through the active running of the midfield and backcourt players.

In addition, the defense beyond thirty meters was very strong, and the defense within thirty meters compressed the Portuguese attack through dense defense.

The first ten minutes passed quickly, Portugal dominated the attack, with the ball possession ratio being 73:, and Portugal took the lead.

Shots: 1:0
Ronaldo received a secret pass from Martin outside the penalty area and made a slight adjustment before kicking the ball. The ball was very powerful, but the aim was not good and it flew directly onto the second-tier stands.

The French team's possession time mainly revolves around the midfield and backcourt, and the attack to the frontcourt is mainly simple and small-scale cooperation.

It was still effective at a distance of thirty meters, but once it got within thirty meters, the French players, whose footwork was not particularly delicate, had a hard time performing.

In the end, the ball had to be passed to the full-back, and Theo or Kounde completed the cross.

Giroud had no way of getting the ball under the joint defense of Ruben Dias and Pepe, which meant... he had no way of posing a threat to Diogo Costa guarding the goal.

"If I am not mistaken, this World Cup semi-final between the two teams will turn into a long tug-of-war."

CCTV 5 commentator He Wei gave his own commentary based on the first ten minutes of the game.

"The game came to the semi-finals and both sides were very cautious."

Commentator Xu Yang said solemnly: "The next step is the finals, no one dares to take it lightly."

The atmosphere at the Bay Stadium was quite enthusiastic, with huge cheers coming one after another.

It's just that the neutral fans in front of the TV find it a bit boring.

They hope that the two teams will play an exciting offensive game, and then... score goals one after another.

Unfortunately, however, both teams chose to play it safe.

(End of this chapter)