Chapter 44: Battle to the Finals
Thanks to Ronaldinho's father's heroic hat-trick, Barcelona defeated Udinese and returned to the league. They will soon face the challenge of Zaragoza at home!
Barcelona, which had won two consecutive games and was playing at home, did not take the visiting Zaragoza seriously at all!
At least Ricardo thought that was what Rijkaard thought, because the boss excluded him from the league squad again... "Okay, I'll go play a two-player game with Chiara... play ball... yes, play ball..."
Then I will go back to Milan to report to the national team on the weekend and prepare for the last two World Cup European qualifiers...
Yes, unlike Rijkaard, Lippi has recruited Ricardo into the national team roster again this time - although Ricardo's appearances are not stable, he still has outstanding performances in limited playing time, and his versatility is further confirmed.
Li Qi, who came on as a substitute in the last round of the league, although he seemed to be playing as a central midfielder, was actually more like a double defensive midfielder with Van Bommel, effectively making up for Xavi's shortcomings in hardness, speed and coverage in defense, and greatly reducing the pressure on Barcelona's defense and passing in the midfield...
Although Barcelona only scored a penalty in the final stage of the second half, Barcelona played more easily and cohesively after Li Qi came on the field, and the final penalty was also won by the attack launched by Li Qi...
Lippi's coaching team did observe Li Qi's performance. Lippi also knows football very well. He discovered many tricks just from the edited videos...
In fact, Lippi is also very jealous of Ronaldinho and Eto'o: it would be great if these two could be in the Italian national team, they could just hide in the back and play defensive counterattack, Pirlo would pass the ball from the backcourt, and Ronaldinho's talent and Eto'o's speed would be used to deal with the opponents in the frontcourt, it is estimated that they would be hard to beat in the World Cup...
Other strong men: ...Do you still want to be shameless? !
Lippi: Hehe... just imagining...
……
On October 10, China's National Day, at 1 p.m., after dinner, Ricardo hugged Chiara and leaned on the sofa to watch the live broadcast of Barcelona's home game against Zaragoza...
First of all, the tee time is still quite early today, so it’s not time to go to bed or do anything else…
Secondly, Ricardo was always worried that he would be slapped in the face again when he woke up the next day. After all, it was not the first or second time, right?
Snapped!
Girl: "Just look at your ball, why are you touching it?"
Male: "Uh... sorry, I can't help but want to play with the ball at the same time... Hey, let me play for a while..."
Girl: "You bastard... you can touch me, but you can't pinch me..."
Off topic…
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After Messi started in the Champions League in midweek, Rijkaard placed him on the bench to start the game, while Giuly returned to the starting lineup and midfielder Xavi was replaced by Iniesta.
Barcelona's starting lineup was 4-3-3:
The goalkeeper is No. 1 Valdés;
The back line from left to right is No. 12 Van Bronckhorst, No. 23 Oleger, No. 5 Puyol, No. 2 Belletti;
The iron triangle in the midfield is No. 4 Marcos, No. 24 Iniesta and No. 20 Deco;
The forward trident is No. 8 Giuly, No. 10 Ronaldinho and No. 9 Eto'o!
……
There were two players, or a pair of brothers, in the opponent's starting lineup, which aroused Ricardo's interest.
They are the Argentine brothers Diego Milito and Gabi Milito. One of them plays as a forward and the other as a defender. One is responsible for attacking the city and the other is responsible for defending the city.
The former will transfer to Inter Milan in the future, help Inter Milan win the treble and become a great striker.
The latter would join Barcelona two years later; Xiaomi had the opportunity to join Real Madrid in 2003, but the deal was called off by Real Madrid after a physical examination revealed a knee injury.
That's why Xiaomi came to Zaragoza. During his time with Zaragoza, he did not seem to have any so-called knee injuries. He played more than 33 games every season and became the core of the team's defense. He was a true defensive leader.
……
Just two minutes into the game, Giuly made a cross from the right, Deco volleyed the ball to Ronaldinho on the side in a very stylish manner, and the Brazilian volleyed the ball directly from 2 yards on the left without stopping. Unfortunately, the shot was not suppressed and was slightly higher than the crossbar.
After the opening, the Barcelona team took advantage of the home court, showed good competitive form and constantly threatened the opponent's goal.
Zaragoza could only interrupt Barcelona's offense and organization by constantly committing fouls. Although embarrassing, this destructive defensive tactic still achieved good results.
The score was still 0-0 at the end of the first half, despite Barcelona's 10 attempts at goal...
……
Girl: "Come on, open your mouth and eat a grape..." (Really a fruity grape, the Kyoho kind...)
……
At the beginning of the second half, Barcelona, who had been unable to break through the defense for a long time, let Zaragoza open the gate through a set-piece. Zaragoza took the lead in the 48th minute!
After taking advantage of Belletti's foul to win a set piece, Brazilian golden left-foot Savio took a free kick from the right, Cani headed the ball to the back post, Gabi Milito followed up and headed the ball into the goal from 6 yards in front of the goal! Xiaomi comes first...
Then less than 5 minutes after this goal, Zaragoza expanded the score through a counterattack!
In the 53rd minute of the game, it was Brazilian midfielder Savio who dribbled the ball inside from the right and shot a curved ball with his left foot into the far corner from 28 yards in front of the goal!
Valdes dove sideways, stretching his body to the extreme, and barely blocked the long shot that was heading straight for the blind corner of the goal with one hand!
But as soon as the ball landed, Diego Milito, who was smart enough to intercept it, easily blocked the ball into the unguarded goal. This was the third league goal of the Argentine this season.
……
Girl: "Ah! You pinched me and it hurt!"
……
Although Rijkaard was helpless, he had to quickly deploy his troops. Between 60 and 70 minutes, he replaced Oleger with Van Bommel, Giuly with Messi, and Iniesta with Larsson. He changed to a 4-forward lineup and went all out for an all-out attack!
Finally, Barcelona scored a goal in the 77th minute: Larsson received a long pass from the backcourt and stopped the ball beautifully with his back, then turned around and passed the ball directly to the middle of the penalty area. Zaragoza defender Toledo made a tackle in the penalty area and tripped Van Bommel who was advancing...
The referee decisively showed the yellow card package, Toledo accumulated two yellow cards and was sent off, and Ronaldinho's father was responsible for the ultimate penalty in the penalty area...
Ronaldinho's father used his usual pace to trick the goalkeeper, and then shot the penalty kick into the upper right corner. However, the referee Davila believed that a Barcelona player entered the penalty area early and demanded a heavy penalty...
Ronaldinho's father had to perform the devil's steps again, this time he shot low into the lower left corner, and still scored!
At this moment, Ricardo realized that this was Ronaldinho's father's first league goal of the season: "Huh? It turned out to be later than my first league goal? Hahahaha..."
……
Girl: "Come, have a cantaloupe!" (The real cantaloupe, the kind with honeydew melon...)
……
Barcelona almost equalized the score in the 85th minute!
Deco made a long pass from the midfield to the left side of the penalty area, Van Bronckhorst made a high-speed run forward and headed the ball back, Larsson stopped the ball and made a lob pass to Eto'o in the penalty area, and the Cameroonian volleyed the ball directly from 12 yards in the middle before the defender blocked it!
Unfortunately, the ball hit the post and bounced out of the bottom line...
……
Snapped!
Girl: "Ah! Slap your thigh! Why are you slapping me?"
Man: "What a pity! We were almost there..."
……
However, when the game was about to enter injury time, in the 88th minute, Barcelona finally equalized the score!
First, Milito headed the ball from the backcourt but it was too high and too far. Zaragoza full-back Alvaro thought goalkeeper Cesar could get the ball...
But this time it was the clever Eto'o who seized the opportunity. He inserted himself into the space between the two players and intercepted the ball!
Then he easily dribbled past the diving goalkeeper and shot into the empty net from the right side of the small penalty area!
This is also the Cameroon Leopards' sixth league goal this season. It can be said that in the first six rounds of La Liga, Eto'o was carrying the team forward, averaging 6 goal per game!
In the end, Barcelona drew with an opponent with only 10 men at home...
Doesn't this sound a bit depressing? Maybe it's better to say it this way: Barcelona let the opponent play 2-2, forced the opponent to play with 10 men and almost won the game!
Did the Barcelona match, which ended in a 50-50 draw, become a thrilling and famous match? It all depends on how the media and the audience view it.
As for what Ricardo thinks? That’s not important. The midfield prophet has already taken the soft beauty into the bedroom to calm her down…
A tie at the last minute? So exciting! A few shots to calm the nerves...
……
本轮战罢，巴萨罗那6轮2胜3平1负积9分，已经落后联赛3连赛的皇家马德里3分，落后领头羊开赛以来4胜2平未尝败绩的赫塔费5分……
……
After training with the whole team on Sunday evening, Ricciardo and Chiara flew back to Italy, ready to face the crucial Group 3 battle of the 2006 World Cup European qualifiers in Germany in three days, facing the Slovenia team at home in Palermo!
This round is the penultimate round of the European qualifiers, and the Italian team only needs one more point to secure the top spot in the group and directly advance to the 1 World Cup finals in Germany!
But in the third round of the qualifiers, Italy lost to Slovenia 0-1 away from home. And in terms of historical record, before this game, Slovenia had 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss against Italy, making it one of the six most feared opponents in the Apennines.
So before this game, the atmosphere in the Italian national team was a bit tense and solemn, and Lippi's deployment of the troops was also carefully considered.
But the main controversy is about the right-back position. Should Zaccardo, who has made many mistakes in previous games, be used, or national team newcomer Ricardo Liqi, or other players?
In the end, Lippi decided to be safe and use the all-rounder Li Qi as the starter... on the bench, and use the more mature Zaccardo... also as the starter on the bench!
The starting full-backs are Zambrotta and Grosso.
And this decision finally made Li Qi unable to say... "Boss, you are right. After all, one is the almighty big brother, and the other is the future great left..."
At 10 p.m. on October 8, Italy will host Slovenia at home in Palermo.
Before the halftime match, Italy had never lost at home in the World Cup qualifiers, with a total record of 33 wins and 4 draws, so all major media and bookmakers were optimistic that Italy would easily win and advance...
But Ricardo also knows that he must be careful of the curse of money ability that the favorites will fail or die...
意大利开场排出了近年一直沿用的4-3-1-2阵型，或者叫4-3-3阵型。
Goalkeeper No. 1 is the veteran goalkeeper Peruzzi;
The back line from left to right is No. 3 Grosso, No. 5 Cannavaro, No. 6 Nesta, No. 2 Zambrotta;
The iron triangle in the midfield is No. 7 Camoranesi, No. 8 Pirlo and No. 4 Gattuso;
The attacking midfielder is No. 10 Totti;
The forward pair is No. 11 Gilardino and No. 9 Luca Toni.
With the referee's whistle, the crucial battle that determines whether Italy can qualify in advance officially begins!
……
Just one minute into the game, Italy almost scored! Totti received Pirlo's long pass and crossed from the left after opening the angle. Camoranesi made a header but it was a bit higher than the crossbar.
After that, the Italian team's offensive was even higher and higher...
In the 4th minute, Camoranesi and Totti made a wonderful combination and passed the ball diagonally to the middle of the penalty area. Gilardino stopped the ball in the penalty area and faced the goalkeeper alone!
But Slovenia goalkeeper B. Mavric fell to the ground and blocked Gilardino's shot on the goal line, and then central defender Knavs arrived in time to clear the ball.
In the 7th minute, Gattuso made a sudden shot from 25 meters in front of the goal. B. Mavric lost the ball, but he still used a vicious dog pounce to grab the ball before Luca Toni made a follow-up shot.
In the 15th minute, the Italian team organized themselves and came back. Pirlo made a clever pass and Zambrotta successfully broke through to the end line. Unfortunately, the final cross flew directly out of the bottom line. Maybe they were not used to the change of wing...
In the 18th minute, Totti made a lob pass, Luca Toni retreated outside the penalty area to receive the ball, and headed the ball to Gilardino, who received the ball from Luca Toni at the front of the penalty area and shot with his left foot...
The ball was blocked by the Slovenian defender, but it bounced back to Luca Toni, who shot directly from the middle of the penalty area without adjusting! Unfortunately, B. Mavric subconsciously saved it again...
"Brothers... are you really so nervous? Or are you too excited? Does it seem a little fake... When you were training, you bang bang bang these balls into the goal." Ricardo, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel anxious.
In the 38th minute, the Italian team finally scored a goal! Unfortunately, it was a fake draw...
Grosso broke through to the left bottom line and crossed the ball. Luca Toni headed the ball back at the back post. Gilardino rushed forward in time and swept the ball into the goal with his right foot! But the referee blew the whistle first, thinking that Grosso's cross had already gone out of the bottom line in mid-air...
However, from the slow-motion replay of the TV broadcast, Grosso's cross did not seem to go out of bounds.
Anyway, in the first half, the Italian team basically pressed the Slovenian team in the half court and shot as many as 12 times, but the ball was just like what Ricardo promised Julian: "I just rubbed it, but didn't go in..."
"Yes! It went in, and the referee blew it out for you..."
I just don't know when this scumbag of the Italian team will break his promise as expected...
Both sides entered the halftime break with a score of 0-0.
Soon, the two sides changed sides in the second half and the Italian team continued to besiege the opponent's goal.
In the 50th minute, Camoranesi made a cross from the right, and Lukatonica shot sideways but missed the target.
One minute later, Luca Toni and Totti had a wonderful wall pass (Ricardo shouted in his heart on the sidelines: This is copied from me!), but the former lost the chance when he stumbled when receiving the ball in the penalty area...
Ricardo quickly lowered his head to warm up and pass the blame on, "This has nothing to do with me. I didn't have time to draw a circle..."
In the 54th minute, Totti's long-range shot with his left foot was too straight. After the ball was hugged by the Slovenian goalkeeper, he directly threw the ball with his hand to launch a counterattack!
Slovenian striker Pacon received a direct pass from midfielder Asimovic and shot low from outside the penalty area to break through the goal guarded by Peruzzi!
A false alarm! It was clearly offside, and it was also a fake draw...
Then the Italian team threatened the Slovenian team's goal in the 57th and 58th minutes, but still failed to score.
Now Lippi can no longer sit still. You bastards, if you continue playing like this, you might get into big trouble!
In the 60th minute of the game, Lippi decided to make substitutions and adjust the formation!
……
