Chapter 541 European Cup semi-finals, Spain VS France

July 8, 2016, Stade de France.

The second semi-final of this European Cup starts here.

This game received a lot of attention from the outside world before the game. Before the game started, a large number of fans poured into the stadium.

Among them, the number of fans of the host French team is significantly larger.

In a stadium that can accommodate 80,000 people, at least 50,000 are fans of the French team, and the number of fans wearing Spanish red jerseys is less than 20,000.

With their numerical advantage, the French completely suppressed the away fans in terms of momentum.

They sang the French national anthem, shouted the names of every player who played, and filled the entire stadium with applause and cheers.

This may be the closest they have come to a championship in the past ten years.

As long as we can defeat Spain, a strong enemy, we can defeat the mediocre Portugal in the final, isn't it within our grasp?

The French look determined to win this game, which can be seen from the fighting spirit exuded by their players.

During the warm-up before the game, every player of the French team seemed extremely excited and excited, as if they couldn't wait to start the game.

Compared with them, Spain seems much calmer.

After all, the average age of the team is several years older than the opponent's, and they have won various honors before. Whether it is the mentality of this kind of competition or the desire for the championship, they are not as strong as the opponent.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing for Spain!

Staying calm when faced with big events is the mentality of a strong person.

Maintaining a calm mentality can reduce their nervousness and make them less likely to make mistakes during the game.

But a reduced desire for championships will also damage their fighting spirit.

For many teams, after winning championship honors, the players' morale dropped rapidly, causing their results to plummet.

This was the case for Inter Milan in the 10-11 season. After winning the Triple Crown, this team with mostly veteran players showed a cliff-like decline in the second season.

Although this is related to the change of head coach, it is also inseparable from the players themselves losing their desire and motivation for the game.

The current Spanish team is already in this state.

After the warm-up of both sides ended, the head coaches of the two teams seized the last moment before the start of the game to mobilize the players in the locker room before the game.

Compared with the bustling French team locker room next door, the Spanish locker room can be described as quiet.

Del Bosque is not the kind of coach who is very good at inspiring players' emotions. He laid out his tactics in a strict manner, and then encouraged the players before getting them ready to play.

Deschamps was making the final mobilization in the French team's locker room. Although it was two doors away, Deschamps's voice still came faintly from the crack in the door.

Although I couldn't understand what the other party was saying, the ups and downs of the tone and the loud echoes from the players below showed that they seemed to have done a good job in mobilizing before the game.

Sure enough, when the two sides left the locker room and met in the players' tunnel, Lin Quan could clearly see that every French player on the opposite side looked as if they had been beaten to death.

Even Kanter, who has always been introverted and shy, seemed to be unable to contain his little universe at this time and was about to explode.

What on earth did Deschamps pour into these French players to make their morale so high?

Thinking of this, Lin Quan was a little worried that the opponent would launch a fierce attack at the beginning, so he told several teammates in advance about his worries.

"Be sure to be steady at the beginning, and then wait until the opponent's momentum is exhausted!"

Young players are easily beaten, but this kind of blood won't last long.

Spain has many old players and rich experience, so they can be worn to death patiently.

But the prerequisite is that they can withstand the impact of the French.

When Deschamps, the coach of the French team, passed through the tunnel and entered the stadium, he glanced at the Spanish starting lineup. When he confirmed that Iniesta was not among them, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, just as he thought, Iniesta's injury was very serious and he would not recover so quickly.

In this case, the French team has a better chance of winning this game.

As the game time approaches, the referee begins to lead the players into the stadium.

The 22 players from the two teams each held a caddy and walked through the players' tunnel into the court.

After playing the national anthem, shaking hands before the game, exchanging team flags and guessing coins, the players from both sides got into position and the game was finally about to begin.

Just as Lin Quan thought, the French team did not choose the venue after winning the coin guessing round, but chose the ball.

It seems that they really plan to take advantage of the head coach's bowl of chicken soup to seize the time to launch a fierce attack on Spain.

Beep!

With the referee's whistle, the European Cup semi-final match between France and Spain officially began.

After the game started, Giroud kicked the ball to Griezmann and quickly rushed towards the Spanish half.

At the same time, Sissoko, Payet, Pogba and others are also rushing forward.

As soon as the game started, the French team put on a desperate posture and rushed forward to kill Spain.

Seeing this scene, the French fans at the scene were extremely excited and shouted loudly one by one, trying to create greater momentum for the French team's offense.

Seeing their opponents attacking so fiercely as soon as they came up, all the Spanish fans who went to the away game to watch the game couldn't help but become frightened.

Although this Spanish car is very luxurious, it is a true classic car.

Facing the French team's young and impactful lineup, they were worried that the Spanish team would be overwhelmed.

Fortunately, what they worried about did not happen.

Because of Lin Quan's reminder before the game, everyone in Spain was well prepared for the French attempt.

When they saw the opponent launching an attack at the beginning, they immediately chose to shrink their formation backwards, not giving the opponent a chance to make a fast break.

When Griezmann dribbled the ball into the opponent's half, he was almost surrounded by defensive players. He could neither continue to break forward nor pass to Giroud who was surrounded by multiple people to retreat. Forced shot.

So he could only stop and pass the ball back to his teammates so that they could reorganize the offense.

Although Spain's formation was slightly pressed out by the opponent passing the ball back, it did not cross the center line as a whole.

This leaves the French team with still little room to attack forward. Every time they pass forward or dribble the ball, they face huge resistance. If you don't pay attention, you may lose the ball.

As a last resort, the French had no choice but to give up their intention to attack, began to slow down the pace, waited for subsequent teammates to follow up, and then patiently moved forward to organize the attack.

On the French team's coaching bench, although the team's plan to grab the start failed, Deschamps's expression did not change.

The Spanish team is not a loser. If they can be defeated so easily, then I won't have to spend so much energy and make so many preparations.

If one plan fails, there are other ways.

Even if it is a positional battle, the French team's lineup may not be afraid of the opponent.

Compared with the French team, which is anxious to attack, Spain is not in a hurry.

After successfully blocking the opponent's offensive, they did not try to launch a quick counterattack to give the opponent back.

Instead, under the leadership of Lin Quan, he patiently controlled the ball in the backcourt, mobilizing the opponent's players to run back and forth, consuming the opponent's physical strength.

Except for a few people such as Lin Quan, the Spanish players on the court are all veterans with very rich game experience.

Maybe in terms of impact, they are not as good as the young guys from the French team.

But with more experience, they were able to play around with these young guys.

Giroud, Payet, Griezmann, Sissoko and others at the front were very active in running around at the beginning, pressing the ball carrier, trying to intercept or even steal the opponent's pass.

But these Spanish players are very calm and work together very well.

They can move and respond quickly when the opponent rushes towards the ball holder, so that the ball holder can always find a safe route for the ball at critical moments.

If that doesn't work, they can pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.

As the goalkeeper of the Spanish team, having excellent ball-playing ability is an essential skill for them.

And in this game, Bosque's starting goalkeeper is still Casillas, who performed well in the last game.

He has been cooperating with the players on the field for a long time, and they have a tacit understanding with each other. With him at the back, his teammates are very relieved.

As a result, such a scene often occurs on the court. When the French team players are approaching a certain Spanish player aggressively, the Spanish player passes the ball dangerously and dangerously at the last moment.

From the perspective of Spanish fans or neutral fans, it seems to be very thrilling, and they can't help but feel terrified.

But from the perspective of a French team fan, this is completely different.

They felt that the opponent was deliberately teasing or even humiliating their players. Otherwise, why would the timing of the card be just right every time, but when they were about to succeed, the ball would be passed out?

It can be said to be a coincidence once or twice, but if it is like this every time, then it is definitely not a coincidence.

"The Spaniards are so talented and bold. They are almost playing with fire in front of their own goal!"

In the CCTV studio, several commentators couldn't help but sweat for the Spanish team after seeing this scene.

"Maybe no other team would dare to do this except Spain, right?"

"Even if other teams have such courage, they may not have such skills!"

One commentator couldn't help but shook his head, perhaps thinking of the national football team.

The National Football Team is one of those teams that can't hold the ball at all. The football seems to be hot under the players' feet. Even in their own backcourt, they can't hold it at all. The opponent will panic and become confused if they try to grab it. It seems that only kicking the ball far away with big feet can make them feel at ease.

Compared with the national football team, Spanish players are not only technically better, but their psychological quality is also countless times better.

Under the huge pressure of losing the ball if the ball is intercepted, they still played so steadily. They didn't make a single mistake. They seemed to be in danger, but in fact they were as steady as an old dog, spinning the opponent around.

This kind of skill is really not something that ordinary teams can possess.

Being walked by a dog is a very bad experience. It will not only quickly consume the players' physical energy, but also seriously damage their morale.

After trying for several minutes without even being able to touch the ball, the Frenchman gave up.

They have already sent four players to press, so there is no way they can continue to send more troops, right?

If they really continue to increase their pressure, if the opponent suddenly takes advantage of the empty troops in their rear to launch a quick counterattack, then the French team may not be able to survive.

The French use personal experience to tell everyone not to try to steal the ball from Spain when they are playing in the backcourt.

Seeing that the opponent's morale has been almost depleted, the chicken blood that was gained before the game has basically faded away now.

After Lin Quan received the ball again, he no longer participated in the backcourt kick, but dribbled the ball forward.

This is a signal that the Spanish team is about to launch an attack!

Seeing this scene, the players at the scene suddenly became energetic.

Spain's backcourt defecation made them sleepy, and many people had already cursed.

Are you trying to hypnotize us with such a shameless kick at the beginning of the game?

Fortunately, Spain was not so shameless and finally started to attack.

This has made the fans look forward to it, wanting to see what wonderful cooperation Spain can play.

Iniesta was on a truce in this game, so Lin Quan retreated to the midfielder, and Pedro took his place on the wing.

As the core of Spain's midfield, Lin Quan was immediately targeted by the French team as soon as he brought the ball close to the center line.

Kanter, Payette and others are almost all eyeing him.

Especially Kanter, he was like a piece of brown candy, rushing up and clinging to Lin Quan. No matter whether Lin Quan had the ball or not, he would turn into a cage and wrap Lin Quan tightly in it.

Kanter's one-on-one defense ability is extremely strong, and he has abundant physical fitness and strong fighting spirit. He is the most difficult existence among the active defensive midfielders on the planet.

I'm afraid no one wants to face this guy in the middle, not even Lin Quan.

However, compared to others, because Lin Quan and Kanter are teammates, he knows Kanter's technical characteristics and personal habits very well.

In addition, the two of them have been sparring in the club, so he knows very well that he has a high probability of defeating Kanter in a one-on-one duel.

This gave Lin Quan a certain psychological advantage and made Kanter more cautious when defending him.

When defending other players, Kanter might have had the opportunity to intercept with his feet, but Kanter chose to be steady and did not make a hasty move. He would rather miss the opportunity than make a mistake.

Kanter's caution gave Lin Quan a headache.

It's not easy to get past Kanter one-on-one, and the opponent is so careful. What's even worse is that Kanter is not alone, he has teammates to help him.

This makes Lin Quan's situation even more difficult!