Chapter 526 The Italians want to cry but have no tears!

"This kid..."

On the coaching bench, Del Bosque was so angry that his beard flew up when he saw Ramos missed the penalty kick.

If the goal just scored could be scored, Spain would be able to re-establish its lead, and the next game would be easy to play.

But who would have thought that Ramos would miss such a good opportunity. I really don’t know what to say.

The score between the two sides was tense, and Spain took the lead in making substitution adjustments.

Thiago came on to replace the weak and underperforming Xiaofa.

Perhaps it is because he has not been playing well at Chelsea in the past year, and Fabregas's form has declined compared to last year.

This made the old coach frown even deeper. Xiaofa, who was born in 1987, can be regarded as a relatively young player among the 1985 generation.

If he is not in good condition, there will be one less player available in the Spanish midfield position.

The fans in the stands and in front of the TV saw Spain preparing to make a substitution, and everyone looked forward to it, hoping that the man would be able to play.

However, to their disappointment, it was not Lin Quan but Thiago who played.

After Thiago came on the field, Spain's offense was still not going smoothly.

Croatia played very tenaciously, using aggressive running and ferocious tackles to resolve crises time and time again.

In the process, Croatia even had a very threatening counterattack, but it was a pity that the final kick lacked some firepower.

The game time quickly passed the critical node of 85 minutes, and there were less than five minutes left before the end of regular time. Even including injury time, there was only less than 10 minutes.

At this time, the score in the other game was still 0:2. Turkey had a two-goal advantage and victory was in sight.

If another game ends with this score, Croatia and Spain will advance together.

After learning the news, the head coaches of both teams wanted to call it quits.

Anyway, we have already qualified, and this game seems unlikely to be won. In this case, it is better to save some energy to deal with the upcoming knockout rounds.

With this thought in mind, Del Bosque replaced Morata and Nolito backwards.

However, his side had just completed the substitutions, and the Croatian side immediately replaced Kovacic to strengthen the attack.

The signal of this substitution is very clear. The Croatians are not satisfied with a draw and qualifying from the group. They want to win and be first in the group!

After Kovacic's appearance, Croatia's offensive threat greatly increased.

With abundant physical fitness and outstanding ball protection ability, Kovacic can hold the ball in the frontcourt and complete precise passes in a narrow range.

In the 87th minute, Croatia launched a counterattack. Kovacic sent a key through ball and assisted Perisic, who came in at high speed from the left to score from a small angle.

The score on the field became 2:1, Croatia reversed Spain!

This result greatly exceeded everyone's expectations. Few people could have imagined that Spain, which had maintained the advantage throughout the game, would be defeated by its opponent before the final whistle sounded!

Ramos was very depressed and kicked the ball hard at his feet.

De Gea knelt on the ground and beat the grass in frustration, feeling guilty for the save he just made.

Alba stretched out his right hand apologetically, indicating that the ball just now was his responsibility.

After the goal, Perisic and his teammates all went crazy. They actually defeated the invincible Spain!

This is a feat that countless top teams have never accomplished. I never thought that one day they would be able to achieve it!

How incredible!

Regardless of Croatia's final result, this victory alone is enough to be remembered by their fans for a lifetime!

On the coaching bench, Del Bosque looked very ugly.

He blamed himself a little in his heart, blaming himself for being too trustworthy.

If I had known this earlier, I shouldn't have used up all three substitutions so early.

If you still have a substitution spot in your hand at this time, you can replace Lin Quan and give it a try!

Lin Quan's expression was very calm. It was just a group match. If you lose, you lose. It's no big deal.

As long as they are first in the group, it is naturally better if they have it, and it doesn't matter if they don't. Anyway, if they want to win the championship, they cannot be afraid of any opponent.

Moreover, the Spanish team has won too much in the past, and it is time to lose a game to let the teammates wake up.

In the end, Spain lost to Croatia 1:2 and finished second in the group by one point.

According to the rules of the European Cup, their opponent in the top 16 will be the first place in Group E.

The only teams in Group E that may compete for first place in the group are Italy and Belgium. Judging from the current points situation in Group E, this opponent is more likely to be Italy.

After the game, at the post-match press conference, the number of reporters who wanted to interview or watch Bosque's excitement was even greater than in the previous two games.

Spain lost the game in the main match, which in itself was a sensational piece of news.

In addition, he brought Lin Quan with him in this game, but did not give Lin Quan a chance to play, which left the outside world with too many questions to ask.

Unfortunately, after losing the game, Del Bosque was in a bad mood. After hastily answering a few questions, he ended the press conference in a hurry. He didn't respond to any of Lin Quan's questions.

The more he ignored their questions, the more curious they became.

They wanted to go directly to the player himself for an interview, but Lin Quan had already taken the team bus back to the hotel and did not give them a chance to interview.

Lin Quan had just returned to the hotel when De Bruyne called.

"Will you appear in the next show?"

"Probably, what's wrong, why do you ask this question?"

"Well, because our next opponent is likely to be you, I wanted to call and confirm in advance!"

De Bruyne looks confident!

"Haha, as far as I know, your points are three points less than Italy. It's not easy to counterattack Italy!"

Italy has won both games, and a draw in the next game will secure first place in the group. Even if it loses, it is possible to get first place in the group with a goal difference.

Belgium, on the other hand, not only needs to defeat their opponents, but also score as many goals as possible. Otherwise, even if they qualify, they can only finish second in the group.

They still didn't play well in the first game. If Belgium had won the first game, they would be the ones to sit back and relax now.

"Don't worry, we will definitely win the next game!"

De Bruyne is full of confidence, his mentality is completely different from a week ago.

At that time, Lin Quanke remembered that De Bruyne was very lonely and confused on the court.

It seems that the internal problems in Belgium have been resolved, otherwise De Bruyne would not have such strong confidence.

"Okay, then you guys, come on, don't lose to Sweden and fail to qualify, it will be embarrassing!"

"Tsk, tsk, you don't expect us to be well, do you? Is it possible that you are afraid of meeting us in the knockout round, so you hope that we will be eliminated early?"

De Bruyne sounded like he had 'see through' Lin Quan's thoughts.

Belgium is indeed very strong. Looking at paper strength alone, they can rank among the top three in this European Cup.

But, the European Red Devils have not performed well in competitions in recent years, and the problems within the team are not so easy to solve.

"No, no, I wish you success tomorrow and win first place!"

…

After hanging up the phone, De Bruyne looked at his teammates and coaches, and everyone was also looking at him.

"How's it going? Will Lin appear in the next game?"

Facing everyone's questions, De Bruyne nodded heavily: "Based on my understanding of him, he will definitely play!"

After De Bruyne finished speaking, the scene fell into silence.

Belgian head coach Wilmots clapped his hands, attracted everyone's attention and then said: "We have to change our strategy for tomorrow's game!"

In Group E, in addition to Belgium, the Italians are also paying special attention to the information about Lin Quan.

"Although there are rumors that Lin Quan was seriously injured and unable to play, he appeared on the bench in Spain in the last game.

This makes me a little worried. If he really plays in the next game, Spain will become a full body. I think everyone has seen how powerful the Spanish team is in this state! "

Spain is Italy's bitter host. In the 2012 European Cup final and the 2013 Confederations Cup semi-finals, Italy was defeated by Spain.

The experience of two disastrous defeats has caused Italy to suffer from Hispanophobia. Now it is a little frightened when encountering the Spanish team and does not know how to deal with it.

So the best way is to avoid Spain, just don’t encounter it!

"Boss, just say what you want to say, we all listen to you!"

The Italian internationals all looked at Conte, as if Conte was following his lead.

Conte nodded: "According to the rules, the first place in Group E will play against the second place in Group D. If we win tomorrow, we will 100% meet Spain, but if we lose the game tomorrow, we may fall to Second in the group, we will be able to avoid Spain then!”

"So, I will use the substitutes in the next game and try to win the game!"

After Conte finished speaking, no one at the scene objected. Everyone seemed to agree with the decision.

The head coach has always emphasized how to win, but this is the first time that a head coach wants to make the team lose. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him!

…

The next day, the final round of Group E began.

As soon as these two games started, the fans smelled something unusual.

"It's strange. Italy is so confident. They sent so many substitutes to play. Are they really not afraid that Belgium will take away the first place in their group?"

Compared with the previous game, Italy made personnel adjustments in as many as eight positions.

The main players such as Chiellini, De Rossi, Pelle, Candreva and others are all sitting on the bench. If these are still normal rotations, then even the absolute main goalkeeper Buffon is also sitting on the bench. Isn’t that a bit too much! ?

As Italy's absolute main force, Buffon had no injuries and no ups and downs in form, so he was suddenly put on the bench to rest, which was a bit weird no matter what.

However, what is even more outrageous is that in this game, Italy stood out as having no desires and no desires.

It is clear that the ball possession rate is significantly ahead, and the number of passes and the success rate of passes have completely exceeded the opponents.

However, they had no shots. After the first half, Italy only completed one shot, while the opponent had already completed 7 shots.

The team names of the two teams are covered up, and those who don’t know may think that Ireland is on the left and Italy is on the right!

Compared with Italy, which has no desires and desires, the Irish who are facing a life and death battle are obviously much more active.

They seized every opportunity and actively attacked Italy, hoping to break through Italy's unbreakable defense!

Ireland now only has 1 point. If they want to qualify, they must defeat the powerful Italy. If they can defeat Italy and get 4 points, they may qualify by virtue of being third in the group.

But if they lose or draw, then they will 100% go home.

Compared with Italy, in another game there, the battle between Belgium and Sweden was fierce.

Sweden also has a point in hand. If they can beat Belgium, they can qualify with 4 points!

On the contrary, the same is true for Belgium. Losing the game means being eliminated, so they cannot lose under any circumstances!

Both teams attacked very resolutely, and the offensive rhythm of both sides was very fast. In the first half alone, both sides contributed nearly 20 shots!

De Bruyne's condition today is much better than before. He can be seen on both the offensive and defensive ends.

He actively returned to defense and even completed a thrilling interception on the goal line. Without him as the savior on the goal line, Belgium would have fallen behind.

The two teams played very fiercely, but the goals never came, which made the players and fans of both teams become more and more nervous and anxious.

As a result, the movements of both sides became larger and larger, and yellow cards came one after another.

Soon, eighty minutes passed in both games, but the score remained tacitly 0:0, with no one scoring a goal.

The fans and head coaches on both sides were extremely nervous. While watching this game, they were paying close attention to the results of the other game.

As time went by, the hearts of the fans from the four countries were in their throats.

In the 84th minute of the second half, Sweden and Belgium took the lead in breaking the deadlock.

Belgium's captain Hazard stepped up and assisted teammate Nainggolan to score a goal, helping Belgium take a 1:0 lead!

This goal is very crucial. Scoring this goal basically ensures that Belgium gets a qualifying spot.

Unless Sweden can score two goals in the last few minutes and reverse the game, Belgium can rest easy.

Belgium's goal stimulated Italy and Ireland.

The Italians were overjoyed, Belgium was the only team that could take over their top spot in the group!

But one goal is not enough. Belgium's current goal difference is one less than Italy's. Belgium still needs to continue to score goals!

The Irish are also anxious. The Belgians have already qualified. If they can't score as soon as possible, they may have to go home with the Swedes.

As a result, the Irish, who were greatly stimulated, made a desperate move and launched a desperate counterattack.

I thought that this attack would be as fruitless as before, but who knew that the Italian's "impregnable" defense was like a shoddy project that could be broken with just one poke.

Ireland's midfielder Brady penetrated Italy's defense with a shot, helping the team rewrite the score to 1:0!

The Irish were in a frenzy, this was a goal as valuable as gold!

After scoring this goal, they basically guaranteed a qualifying spot.

However, the performance of the Italians on the opposite side left them stunned.

Not only was the Italian not frustrated after losing the ball, but he quickly rushed into his own goal, fished the ball out, put it back in the center circle, and then ran to urge the referee to let the Irish end the celebration quickly and return to the game.

Seeing this scene, the Irish players were in awe:

Italy really deserves to be a traditional strong team, and their players have such a strong sense of honor. In such a desperate situation, they still want to equalize the score, which is really admirable!

However, what the Italians really think is not what the Irish think at all!

The reason why the Italians are so anxious is because after being scored by Ireland, their goal difference is the same as Belgium and the points are the same. However, because of the relationship between the wins and losses, Italy is still ranked ahead of Belgium.

If Italy wants to be ranked second, either Belgium will score another goal or they will concede another goal. Otherwise, all their previous efforts will be in vain!

Thinking of these terrible things, can Italians not be anxious?

They are in a hurry to start the game and continue to concede goals!

But the Irish completely misunderstood what they meant. Seeing that the Italians were so active, they became a little afraid and tried to delay as much time as possible without giving Italy time to counterattack.

After the restart, he stopped attacking and tried his best to defend!

For the Irish, one goal is enough, don’t be greedy for more!

All this makes Italians want to cry!

I don’t want to be number one in the group, who can give me death?