Chapter 12: Fight against the elite! Fight for first place in the group!

In a later match, the Syrian U20 team and the Canadian U20 team, both in Group E, drew 1:1.

Li Qi watched the game live on TV with the coaching staff and breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that not every team is as fierce as Colombia. It should be stable to qualify from the group stage...

Although the Syrian U20 team qualified as the fourth in Asia and its performance in adult level competitions was not very impressive, it has participated in the World Youth Championship three times before; its best result was reaching the quarterfinals in the 20 World Youth Championship in Portugal. Syria is the only representative from West Asia in this tournament, and its goal is to create the best result in history.

Another team, Canada, is also a regular at the World Youth Championship. This is their seventh time participating in the Championship, but their past performance was average. They only achieved their best result in the 2003 World Youth Championship, where they reached the quarterfinals. They will be the host of the 2007 World Youth Championship.

This is Colombia's sixth time participating in the World Youth Championship. They achieved their best result in history at the last World Youth Championship in the UAE, defeating Argentina 2-1 and finishing third.

In fact, despite the impressive results in adult-level competitions, if we only compare the results of the U20 World Youth Championship, the Italian U20 team is not as good as Canada and Colombia. They have only participated in three World Youth Championships before, and their best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 3. They are even behind the Chinese team in the World Youth Championship rankings!

Therefore, in this cup, the Italian U20 team is expected to make a breakthrough; after all, Li Qi led the team to win the first championship in history in the previous U17 and U19 level competitions...

The day after the game was an off-season, and there was no game. In the morning, there was a simple recovery training session. After lunch, the coaching staff gave the players a day off, so they could stroll around the small town of Tilburg, but they had to return to the team before 8 p.m. to prepare for bed and rest...

Li Qi took several of his followers to stroll around the scenic spots that he had circled before, took photos, and tried some local Dutch delicacies: ice cream, French fries, fried meat rolls, and Dutch pancakes...

While eating pancakes, Criscito approached Li Qi and asked, "Boss, why didn't you score the last goal yourself? What a good opportunity... Let me get an assist too!"

Li Qi wanted to knock Criscito on the head, but with a pancake in one hand and a fried meat roll in the other, he had to kick him instead: "Hey, idiot! Two big guys flew out in front of me... Oh, you mean after I dunked from behind... Actually, I don't have any strength left, my legs are a little weak, it would be better to pass the ball to him..."

When Pelle heard the word "nanny ball", he moved his big face, which was eating pancakes, closer with a look of resentment...

Li Qi quickly used his elbow to push the ugly face away: "Go away, go away... Cozzolino's position is better than yours! Besides, it's not like you didn't have a chance in the last game. Who can you blame for not seizing it..."

After saying that, Li Qi, who continued to eat pancakes, was also thinking back to the situation at that time: Well, why didn't he shoot it himself? After all, he was also a young man full of blood and energy...

Li Qi has thought about and calculated the role of "breaking point moments" and the most efficient options:

The first choice is definitely shooting. More accurate shots can directly score, but it also depends on the distance, route and the position of the goalkeeper... You can't just shoot from 40 meters away and expect the goalkeeper to stand still, right? The set-piece in the last game was mainly calculated to take into account the possible interference of the players who were trying to score in the penalty area...

The second is passing. After finding an opening and calmly analyzing various possibilities, long passes, straight passes, and wonderful passes can help teammates directly break through the opponent's defense and score a goal...

Then there is the ball interception. By predicting the opponent's passing route or dribbling intention, planning the movement in advance or stealing the ball directly, it is very likely to directly create an unexpected counterattack opportunity, and then form a goal...

Finally, Li Qi believes that dribbling is the least efficient. There are many variables after dribbling, and the opponent may foul roughly. Moreover, most of the time, it is impossible to directly create a chance to score... Of course, Messi may have a different opinion...

But in the last game, why did Li Qi choose to cancel the shot and instead dribble past the defense? Of course, it was also because most of the shooting routes were blocked by the opponent's defensive players. And after dribbling into the small penalty area and facing the goalkeeper lying on the ground, why did he choose to pass the ball? Of course, the probability of scoring a goal is higher if the ball is passed...

In fact, Li Qi felt that this was related to his own playing habits: Li Qi just wanted to sneak away and win the championship, so as not to let more people pay attention to him. If nothing else, the more attention he got, the greater the chance of being fouled, and the more thoroughly he would be studied... This old Li Qi from the future had countless experiences and cases...

So from the beginning, Li Qi developed the habit of passing the ball whenever he could and assisting whenever he could, and he was a low-key man hiding behind the spotlight...

Later, I found that the more I passed the ball and assisted, the better the relationship within the team became. Especially the ones who ate the most cakes, they all bowed down to me... er, no, they called me brothers. Then I showed them some small favors, such as occasionally treating them to a real cake or a bottle of drink, and these kids almost knelt down to acknowledge me as their godfather... er, no, they acknowledged me as their big brother.

Anyway, there are a lot of younger brothers following behind me and calling me big brother; there are even more brothers who have a good relationship with me...so assists are better than goals, and passing the ball is better than working alone!

……

In the afternoon, Li Qi received a notice from his cousin that the funds had been transferred, and sent a message to Chiara to help collect the money...

At night, Li Qi went back to the hotel with his brothers to play Victory 11! Speaking of this game in the notebook, Li Qi was very excited, because although he was not good at micro-management, his basketball IQ was online, and he found that he could actually get "explosion points" when playing Victory 11, and he regained the feeling of being a father on the court...

But before he could even beat half of the team, Li Qi was too sleepy to bear it anymore, so he had to give up his position, leaving behind a harsh promise to fight again tomorrow...

Before he fell into a daze, Li Qi suddenly remembered that he hadn't touched a word of the homework he brought with him: "Forget it, I'll do it tomorrow..."

……

On June 6, the second round of the group stage kicked off today. The matches that Li Qi was paying attention to included the Group B match between China and Ukraine which started at 14:5 pm, and the Group D match between Egypt and Argentina which started at the same time.

But the game didn’t start until later in the afternoon. The Italian U20 team had a recovery training session in the morning and a tactical training session in the afternoon, mainly practicing set pieces and side cross shots…

At 9:05, Li Qi, who had just changed into training clothes and was about to go to Tilburg University Stadium with the team for recovery training, received a call from Chiara...

"Buongiorno, laprincipessa" (Good morning my princess in Italian...)

All I could hear was the excited babble on the other end of the phone, while Ricardo responded and made arrangements very calmly:

"Yeah, yeah, $5050 million..."

"Uh... don't be nervous... yes, I can issue a certificate for my personal funds..."

"It seems that it will remain in the account..."

"...Don't be nervous... Let me do this, Chiara. Please help me prepare an investment analysis report on unlisted unicorns (industry-leading companies) in Europe and the United States. I'll come back to interview you after the World Youth Championship..."

"Okay, we don't need to do too many, just pick about 20, mainly American ones..."

"Okay, I'll borrow your good words..."

In fact, Ricardo doesn't need any analysis report at all, he knows what's going on in his mind, but it's better if everything is reasonable, right?

……

Resume training in the morning, indoor tactical training in the afternoon, and announce tomorrow's roster. Tomorrow's lineup should be the strongest lineup in the coach's mind for this cup:

Game formation 4-4-2:

Goalkeeper: No. 12 Viviano;

The back line from left to right: No. 5 Criscito, No. 14 Canini, No. 3 Coda, No. 2 Motta;

Central midfielders from left to right: No. 17 Bentivoglio, No. 10 Li Qi, No. 8 Nocerino, No. 7 Montolivo;

Forward line: No. 9 Pelle and No. 11 Rossi;

……

Li Qi chose to watch half of each of the two matches in the afternoon and evening, namely the first half of Egypt vs. Argentina, and the second half of China vs. Ukraine.

The Egypt vs Argentina match continued in Enschede, the Netherlands, where Group D was held. After losing 0-1 to the United States in the first match, Argentina could not afford any more mistakes; in the last match, Messi only came off the bench and did not have many outstanding performances, but in this match, Messi finally started as a striker.

At the beginning of the game, Argentina launched frequent attacks. Messi was very active on the front line, especially in the 10th minute when he broke through and left three Egyptian defenders behind. Unfortunately, he made a mistake in the final shot and missed the target...

In the 40th minute, another striker, Oberman, received a cross from Cardoso from the flank and hit the crossbar.

Messi was quite eye-catching in the first half, the only thing he lacked was a goal.

Egypt's dense defense temporarily blocked Argentina's attack. The two sides were tied 0-0 at halftime, but Argentina's offensive completely dominated.

In the second half, Li Qi went to watch the Chinese team's game, but he still watched the highlights of the Argentina team after the game.

Less than a minute into the second half, Argentina caught their opponents off guard and it was Messi who scored the goal.

At that time, Zabaleta broke through on the left and passed the ball to the penalty area. Messi received the ball and shot into the far corner. The ball hit the far post and bounced into the net, 1-0.

After that, Messi continued his performance. In the 49th minute, his free kick hit the crossbar and flew out. In the 58th minute, Messi made another quick breakthrough, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper...

In the 83rd minute, Messi was substituted for rest.

In the 90th minute, Torres made a wonderful pass and Zabaleta flew to send the ball into the net. This goal was extremely exciting. Zabaleta also won the MVP of the game with an assist and a goal; Argentina thus secured a 2-0 victory.

After watching the game, Li Qi found some problems. Although Messi and the Argentine team performed well, Li Qi believed that the current performance of Messi in the Argentine team was far inferior to that of Messi in the club... It was probably because Messi was young and had not yet established a core position in the team. The cooperation was not tacit enough, and of course his teammates were not as good as the adult team.

In addition, Argentina's overall advantage was not brought into play, and the game basically became a stage for Messi's personal performance. Although Argentina had the initiative on the field, with Messi attracting a lot of the opponent's troops, Argentina could not use this to open up other offensive routes. This made Li Qi think...

The situation in Group D in the evening is still confusing. The United States drew with Germany in the second round. The United States and Germany both have 4 points, Argentina has 3 points, and Egypt has 0 points after two consecutive defeats. Before the results of the last round come out, the United States, Germany and Argentina may all compete for the first place in the group. At the same time, Argentina may also end up third in the group or even be eliminated.

However, based on Li Qi's analysis of the approximate results in his future memories and today's results, Li Qi has roughly deduced that Argentina will qualify as the second in the group, while Italy is actually the third in the group? !

But Italy's opponents in the last two rounds are Syria and Canada... Isn't it too difficult to get third place? It's easier to get first place...

……

Another match between China and Ukraine was thrilling and exciting. It can be said to be the most classic and peak battle of the Chinese U20 team.

Li Qi didn't watch the first half, but he knew from the replay that the Chinese team fell behind in the 19th minute, but in the 31st minute, Zhu Ting received Hao Junmin's cross and made a domineering half-hook volley to equalize the score. The two sides were tied at 1-1 at halftime.

In the second half, the two sides continued to attack each other. After Ukraine repeatedly wasted opportunities, in the 65th minute, Cheng Tao scored a penalty in the penalty area. The Chinese team overtook the score 2-1.

Not long after, Ukraine won a set-piece in the 68th minute. Aliyev's free kick hit the post and the ball bounced back into the penalty area. Sitnik quickly inserted himself to make a supplementary shot, but fell to the ground while competing with Tan Wangsong. The referee awarded another penalty kick. Aliyev took the penalty kick himself and scored, and the two sides returned to the same starting line, 2-2.

The young people's impulsiveness and lack of calmness soon taught them a lesson. Zhu Ting, who scored the goal in the first half, was dissatisfied with the referee's decision. He went up to the referee and argued excitedly and had physical contact with him. He was directly sent off with a red card, and the Chinese team was left with one less player.

But a dramatic scene happened in the 75th minute of the game. The Chinese team took advantage of a corner kick and Cui Peng, who was lurking outside the small penalty area, suddenly broke free from the defense and moved forward to the small penalty area to receive Cheng Tao's corner kick and scored with a header from close range!

The Chinese team, who were one man down, once again took the lead and maintained the score of 3 to 2 until the end. The Chinese team won both games and advanced to the next round!

……

After the meal, Li Qi found head coach Casiraghi and shared his experience.

Casiraghi asked curiously, "What is it, Li Qi?"

Ka: "Oh, you watched the match between Egypt and Argentina and have some thoughts? That's good, our coaching staff also has some ideas and plans to announce them during the training session tomorrow morning..."

Ka: “Yeah…yes…that’s right…”

Card: "In general, do you think Messi has not yet fully integrated into the Argentina U20 team and is not in the best condition? But if they are given time to grow, it will be very difficult to deal with them if they meet in the final? Well, your idea coincides with our coaching staff!"

(Li Qi complained in his heart: What a coincidence? Do you know Messi's performance in the club?!)

Ka: "So... huh?! Oh, you're right, we'd better strive for first place in the group, face Argentina as soon as possible, defeat them while they are not in their best form, and clear the obstacles to winning the championship..."

(Li Qi complained in his heart: Is it so casual? My statement has changed from before? Didn’t you notice? Or did you also calculate that Argentina would be the second in the group?)

Ka: "Yes, yes, we will convey this belief to everyone tomorrow morning. In the last two games, we will try to get more goals and grab first place in the group!"

……

After talking to the coach, there was no time to play Victory 11, so Li Qi hurried to do his homework...

After all, they are still in school, we can’t afford to hurt them…

……

On the morning of June 6, head coach Casiraghi gave a speech in front of the team to boost morale: "(a brief speech of about 15 minutes will be omitted)...Yes! So for the honor of the country! Our Italian youth team is playing with the best and we are fighting for the first place in the group! Forza!"

Hmm? I'm fighting the elite? Why does this sound so much like what the boss said when he fought the 11 victorious men the night before... Andreoli, Criscito, Mazzorati, Montolivo, Desenna, Pelle, Acquafresca and others couldn't help but think...

But... let's applaud and shout first, Forza! Papapapapa (applause)...

……