Chapter 191: Death Half Zone?

Corner of the stands.

A child pointed at the Czech penalty area, curiously asking: 'Dad, why is that person wearing a hat?'

The man was slightly surprised, thought for a moment, then said: 'He's afraid of the cold.'

In a 2006 Premier League match, Chelsea goalkeeper Ceich suffered a skull fracture, narrowly escaping death.

The match became increasingly dull.

Spain crowded in front of the Czech penalty area, frantically attempting 'backheel' kicks.

Ceich calmly directed the defense.

Morata and David Silva fiercely tugged.

Yinniesita had to play an important role in organizing and linking, because Yin Si Ke's position was extremely similar to his.

"The defensive formation is too dense."

"Today's Czech team is very Chelsea."

"The spacing between all players is maintained very well."

"Spain still can't find a gap; after losing Xavi, Spain's possession system lacks overall rhythmic variation!"

"Meaningless passes cannot threaten the Czech goal!"

Match minute 24.

Spain's front line forcibly accelerated.

The ball swiftly skimmed past Yinniesita and David Silva's feet, tearing through the opponent's dense defense like a steel wire.

Cazorla, pulled to the wing, lightly lifted his foot for a chip.

The ball ultimately formed a beautiful arc, soaring toward Morata's head!

How could the pastry made jointly by the three midfield masters be spat out?

"Morata's run was excellent!"

"Perfect timing for the insertion!"

"Look at this ball!"

Morata, who doesn't use his feet, is practically a forward-line bug.

This group of Czech veterans from the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 completely can't keep up with his pace.

The Spanish fans in the stands began celebrating early!

Czech penalty area.

Morata leapt high and fiercely flicked his head.

The ball swiftly thundered toward the lower left corner of the Czech goal.

Mininiano's joy was evident.

Fuerba tensed, bending his knees.

Morata's header never disappoints!

Ceich's right arm has sequelae.

The entire Premier League keeps attacking this weakness of his.

Can't beat him.

The Atlantic Stadium echoed with gasps of amazement.

Ceich, with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, fiercely slid in, his right foot clearing the ball off the goal line!

Morata patted his forehead and helplessly stomped his foot.

"Beautiful!"

"Ceich used his disabled leg to block Spain's sure goal!"

"Hard to imagine, a 34-year-old veteran is still constantly improving, fixing his weaknesses!"

"His only flaw is lacking dominance; he cannot become the spiritual leader of the Czech team."

He Wei hurriedly poked Duan Xuan.

Even if he lacks dominance, he's still one of the top goalkeepers in Champions League history.

Live broadcast room.

-【Ceich is truly the father of Arsenal's defensive players.】

-【Czech players' defensive positioning is good; Morata's attacking position is as expected, so Ceich's saves and blocks aren't that taxing.】

-【Ceich is one of those who best understand the essence of 'Mou-style bus'; the goalkeeper's position offers a wide view, making it easy to direct the back line.】

-【Spain can't play tiki-taka anymore; without Xavi there's no rhythmic variation, and the chances they painstakingly created can't get past Ceich!】

-【This match is likely to end in a draw.】

-【The Italian team is much smarter! Without Pirlo, they directly gave up midfield control and transition; when attacking they shift focus forward, when defending the whole team retreats to assist the Xuanming Two Elders and Buffon!】

-【Italy currently trails Northern Ireland.】

-【You don't understand; this is Bosque's strategy: a nurturing style of play.】

Mininiano anxiously kept running back and forth.

Coaching staff members inside and outside the venue busily relayed messages.

"Boss, if we top the group, we're likely to face Portugal... no, wait, is Belgium also behind?"

Bosque smiled and patted the assistant coach's shoulder: 'Don't panic, do what you can control.'

Mininiano said: 'What we can currently control... win the match at the lowest cost?'

Bosque nodded and sat back down on the coaching bench.

His coaching career can be called perfect.

At the club level: he led Real Madrid to lift two Champions League trophies, and in the 02 season he also defeated Tuopu Laotou's Leverkusen.

At the national team level: during his eight years coaching the Spanish national team, his win rate reached 76.32%, and together with the peak bullfighter dynasty he helped create the first team in history to successfully defend the European Cup and the first team to win three consecutive international tournament titles.

The old man's situation can be described as "failing to end well"; the humiliation brought by the 2014 World Cup was too heavy, and this European Cup is his final campaign before retirement.

The bench.

Diego Costa was bored.

He was quite sure he wouldn't appear in this match.

Because past tournaments have shown: his footwork technique does not meet the requirements of the possession-based system.

Saúl, Koke, and De Gea were likewise relegated to the bench.

Li, Atletico Madrid will soon have a new luxurious stadium!

Li, Atletico Madrid's training intensity is high, La Liga's taxes are too heavy, and our Old Trafford locker room has a massage pool...

We also have a massage pool!

Li Kang nodded.

He then shifted his gaze back to the green field.

He couldn't help but wonder: if they encounter a team skilled at positional defense in the knockout stage, how should they harness their teammates' strengths to launch threatening attacks?

The ball kept rolling near the edge of the Czech penalty area, but it never again threatened the goal.

Yinniesita's long-range shots and Yin Si Ke's diagonal runs were all blocked by experienced Bundesliga and Ligue 1 veterans.

What about David Silva?

Whenever he received the ball on the flank, he would face three Czech defenders.

The slow-motion Messi is never the real Messi.

It's impossible to easily pull off that kind of 'sudden burst' solo run that breaks through the defense.

What about Morata?

He went invisible.

The Atlantic Stadium was like a huge library.

Fans of both sides gazed at the dull situation, feeling somewhat regretful about the ticket price.

The Czech team had several good counterattack opportunities.

Rosicky could always, at the first opportunity, use a long pass to tear apart Spain's high defensive line.

That's the 'football Mozart' who made his name at Dortmund and Arsenal!

He once embodied elegance and lightness in European football, only to suffer severe injuries.

It's a shame his forward teammates were too weak.

The likes of Nesic have limited ability.

Even if they received the ball, they could not get past Ramos and Pique's interceptions.

Even a distracted Pique could easily complete the block and disruption.

In the 93rd minute of the match, the final moment of injury time.

Morata created space outside the penalty area!

A complete forward, going invisible is just charging up a big move.

Cazorla then passed the ball along.

Morata's run is divine.

The Czechs' concentration is dropping, great chance.

Here it comes!

Morata didn't trap the ball.

He aimed for the top right corner of the goal.

He kicked off with a furious shot!

Bang!

The instant the ball traced an arc.

Cech moved.

He anticipated the shot direction, leapt sideways, and blocked it precisely with his left fist!

The ball's trajectory was altered, striking teammate Walker's head and rebounding into the net!

1-0!!!

Oh no!

Own goal!

The Czechs held out for 93 minutes, not letting the opponent breach their fortress, only to have their own teammate blast the door open!

Morata! He created danger at the last moment and killed the match!

Three straight wins, Spain have secured first place in the group and advanced!

Morata rushed to the corner flag, excitedly slapping his chest.

Cazorla and the others excitedly gathered around.

The bench players also rose to their feet, excited.

The main referee glanced at his watch.

Beep! Beep-beep~

He then blew the whistle to signal the end of the match.

Cech took off his tank helmet, consoling the teammate who scored the own goal.

He took it in stride.

As a child, his family was poor; he couldn't afford expensive hockey equipment, so he had to abandon his dream and switch to soccer.

He won many honors at the club level.

Premier League clean sheet record.

Premier League three Golden Gloves.

Premier League champion.

Champions League champion.

For the national team... even the Czech golden generation always fell just short.

This is his fourth European Championship.

In the early 2000s, an uncapped Cech was capable of vying with Buffon for the world's No. 1 goalkeeper.

Compared to the frantically waving red flags in the stands.

Yet the Spanish coaching staff couldn't laugh.

Mininyanuo panicked: "Boss... our knockout opponent is Italy!"

Bosque was laughing and clapping, but upon hearing this news, his expression didn't change.

"One must have a fearless heart."

"In this match, our Li Kang... most of the main players got precious rest and adjustment time."

"Fear shouldn't be ours, but Italy's!"

Moments later.

Li Kang and his teammates left the field, entering the player tunnel.

Morata was still accepting interviews from media reporters everywhere.

"Luck is part of football; if Li Kang were to play, the match would lose its suspense even sooner."

"You're asking about the knockout stage? Well... I love Juventus... the Italian team has Juventus' defense and goalkeeper, but they lack Juventus' forwards."

Li'er

This city, known for its seafood, has not become a blessed land for Italians.

Conte stumbled.

He couldn't control his emotions, frantically pounding the turf.

Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, and Chiellini sat on the bench, expressions numb.

Watching helplessly as the juniors were trampled by Northern Ireland.

"Poor little guys..."

"Alright, let's have pity on ourselves; in the round of 16, we might face Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, or Chelsea!"

"Cech was eliminated? Won't you say a couple words?"

"What to say? Schmeichel's son has already won the Premier League, damn it!"

Every so often, the question of "who is the world's No. 1 goalkeeper" sparks heated debate.

1996: Buffon and Schmeichel.

2004: Buffon and Cech.

2010: Buffon and Casillas.

2014: Buffon and Neuer.

That night.

The Euro round-of-16 matchups have been officially decided!

Upper Half A:

Switzerland vs. Poland.

Croatia vs. Portugal.

Upper Half B:

Wales vs. Northern Ireland.

Hungary vs. Belgium.

Lower Half A:

Germany vs. Slovakia.

Spain vs. Italy.

Lower Half B:

France vs. Ireland.

England vs. Iceland.

The news quickly topped the online hot searches.

Comment numbers, likes, and shares surged wildly.

-【What hellish difficulty is the lower half? Europe's strongest teams are all gathered!】

-【What does this zone mean? No need to draw lots like in the Champions League?】

-【In the knockout stage of major national team tournaments, there's usually no draw; for example, if Spain beats Italy, they'd have to face the winner of Germany vs. Slovakia!】

-【If Spain breaks through, they'd have to face the winner of France, Ireland, England, Iceland, win all the way, reach the final, and the opponent would be the upper half's ultimate victor!】

-【Spain is literally hellish difficulty, having to face strong teams all the way!】

-【From another angle, other teams encountering Li Mingdeng would be the real hellish difficulty...】

Lei Dao, France

Spanish base, tactical room.

Bosque requires all team members to attend the meeting.

The large screen projects the hotspot imaging of the match against the Czech Republic.

"If we insist on keeping a possession-passing style, we lack variation in speed and rhythm!"

"Eight of our attacks were simply broken by the opponent's lateral shift!"

"Too slow; the opponent always gains a numerical advantage on the flanks, cutting off our passing links."

"Although we luckily won this match, it feels as if we've returned to the plight of the 2014 group stage."

"Possession rate and pass count—these two statistics are meaningless in the face of the score result."

"Italy's defensive system far surpasses the Czech's... what do we have to break through their goal?"

The image cuts off.

The coaching staff begins reviewing Italy's first two group matches.

Yinniesita and Busquets stare at each other.

They have long known, but they simply don't want to admit it:

Perhaps... the downfall of the peak bullfighter dynasty is not solely due to Xavi and the aging lineup.

But rather, when the performance achieved through a tactic reaches its extreme, it will inevitably be studied and inevitably be broken by the simplest, most efficient means.

Li Kang had already finished watching Italy's match in advance.

He also saw two old friends in the footage: Buffon and De Rossi.

Conte also demonstrated his dominance in the squad selection: no Pirlo, no Totti, no Verratti, no Marchisio, no Balotelli.

Even the active Purple Beibe, Green Beibe, and Red Beibe in Serie A could not be selected due to various injuries.

But this does not mean that this civilian Italian team is weak; Conte's mature three-center-back system fits extremely well with Juventus' defensive backline.

In God's perspective.

Slowly reviewing the details of Italy's match.

The shadow in the mind spreads wildly.

In an instant, a three-dimensional solid figure forms.

3-5-2 formation.

The three center-backs who rotate the ball out.

De Rossi drops back, Parolo links up.

The asymmetrical attack of Florenzi and Candreva.

All information frenetically floods the mind.

After a moment.

The coaching staff just finished analyzing Italy's tactical system.

Cazorla, David Silva, and others feel willing but unable.

If they continue with the lineup used against the Czech Republic, Spain will surely fall before the Azzurri.

It is highly likely they will suffer a crushing defeat.

Saúl and Koke frown tightly, having faced Juventus in the Champions League while representing Atlético Madrid: this guy named Conte seems much stronger than Allegri.

Diego Costa let out an 'ah'.

Yin Si Ke occasionally turns his head to look at Li Kang.

Morata looks puzzled: Italy's Xuanming Two Elders and Buffon are different from their club versions!

Bosque lightly taps the table and says seriously: 'The fearful thing is Italy.'