Chapter 541: Semifinal Matchup Results (Everyday Transition)

The Samara showdown finally came to an end.

The sea breeze fluttered the corner flags.

Members of the Bullfighters Legion gathered at the sidelines, embracing and celebrating.

Everyone's faces were filled with the joy of victory, as they narrowly advanced to the World Cup semifinals.

Opposing the joy was sorrow.

Lukaku stood with hands on his hips, his gaze vacant, staring blankly toward the opponent's goal.

Courtois angrily threw his gloves onto the turf and walked alone toward the tunnel.

De Bruyne sat slumped on the ground, listlessly plucking at the grass.

Hazard lay on his back, gasping for air.

"The faces of the Belgian players were filled with regret."

"It's a pity that the Platinum Generation couldn't fully realize their potential, but they can leave the World Cup stage with their heads held high!"

"Hazard succeeded in all 10 of his dribbles in this match, delivering a phenomenal performance!"

"De Bruyne delivered 36 threatening passes and won 6 ground duels."

"Courtois made several superb saves, repeatedly neutralizing danger,"

"However, all of this failed to translate into goals."

The livestream room.

【He's been whitewashed again, my big ball.】

【Spain can thank Lukaku for their semifinal berth.】

【At the victory banquet.】

【Batshuayi, who came on later, has terrible shooting—he blasted the ball, which hit the post and bounced back to smash his own head.】

【Dingding's luck is awful—his club has Sterling, his national team has Lukaku, Benteke, and Batshuayi; when will he ever meet his true destined striker?】

【Li Mingdeng's running stats for this match are low; the semifinal will be tough, as his opponent will be the winner of England vs. Croatia.】

Post-match press conference.

Bosque's complexion was flushed, his smile amiable.

"This match was very difficult; Belgium's strength is immense, they've gone 22 matches unbeaten in international play—an astonishing record."

"Their last loss dates back to 2016."

"It seems they lost to a Wales side led by Bale; that doesn't matter—we endured a tumultuous, difficult match."

"That's right—Li You changed the course of the game!"

"He is the hero of the Bullfighters Legion!"

Applause thundered, unceasing.

Moments later.

Martinez appeared in the hall.

He had been holding it in for a while before summing up the match: "Our luck was a bit off."

Samara has only one five-star hotel, which Belgium booked early.

Li Kang and his teammates stayed at an ordinary inn.

Near the inn there is a strip club.

"The Sun" reported: This strip club is willing to provide free services to the players of the winning side.

Free only for the players?

Assistant Coach Minyanov specially checked the usual rates: for just 25,000 rubles one can sip champagne and enjoy two pleasant hours with three beautiful Eastern European women.

Of course there was no chance to go, as the coaching staff still had a meeting.

The inn where they stayed was already thronged with fans and tourists, impassable.

Li Kang's room was on the top floor of the inn, which isn't high—the building has only twelve floors.

Through the window one could see up close the fireworks shooting upward.

【Ding, mission completed: Platinum Generation.】

【Mission feedback: Hmm. Suffering and regret are not necessary lessons in life.】

【Congratulations on obtaining: Platinum Treasure Chest.】

Li Kang didn't check the prize pool.

【The chest is opening—congratulations on obtaining: Lukaku 'Finisher' Module!】

No changes occurred.

The module didn't even emit any emotion.

Li Kang: ""

He felt Lukaku's strength was still strong, but for the team's tactical needs he kept gaining weight, losing the agility of his early days.

He pulled out a tablet and began reviewing the match.

He played easily in tonight's match, but his teammate Saar, who gave his all for ninety minutes, couldn't even muster a sigh.

Li Kang's brilliant moments in the round of 16 once again ignited the internet.

"Brace, the Bullfighters Swordsman subdued Belgium's stars."

"Receive, trap, and shoot— the unstoppable number nine and a half."

"On the pros and cons of Li Kang's prefatory kick technique."

"Belgium's loss wasn't due to Lukaku; an in-depth review of Little Monster's attacking movement and pulling."

"Peak goalkeeper showdown: analyzing the brilliant performances of De Gea and Courtois."

Position-invincible dribble king, super Hazard!

In-depth analysis of De Bruyne's role transformation in the ninety minutes.

Comment counts, share counts, and like counts surged wildly.

【How can anyone still be whitewashing Lukaku? He wasted at least four sure-goal chances.】

【Every match explosive performance, Kairi all over, if Li Kang wins the World Cup championship, could he be crowned king?】

【Big Ear Cup, Champions League Golden Boot, Premier League Golden Boot, Russia World Cup up to now scored eight goals. If he also leads the team to lift the Big Ear Cup.】

【Even my nephew who went to kindergarten knows Li Kang.】

【My grandmother also knows him.】

【I think Li Kang reaching the final is very secure, because the winner of "England vs Croatia" is not a tough opponent.】

【England will surely crush Croatia easily, Croatia had to rely on penalties to eliminate Denmark.】

Nizhny Novgorod

The big screen above the stadium displayed the score of 1:0.

English fans were immersed in the joy of leading.

Although I don't understand why on the field the Three Lions were being pressed by Croatia, it doesn't matter; winning is enough.

"What a pity!"

"Lingard wasted a sure-goal chance!"

"The smile on his face was radiant, he wasn't troubled by missing the chance."

"This is a microcosm of England in this World Cup; the Three Lions' path to advancement has been smooth all the way."

"."

"Oh no, how did Maguire lose the header duel to Modrić?"

"Beautiful."

"The checkered team put on a richly varied attacking chain, controlling rhythm and making runs into space. Oh no, Brozović didn't score this shot!"

"Brozović comes from the Serie A club Inter Milan."

"By the way, since 1982, every World Cup final has had players from both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich."

The young and energetic Three Lions displayed Premier League-level aggression.

They prepared to overwhelm the "aging" Croatia with speed and power.

It was useless.

Modrić and Rakitić, the Real Madrid midfield partnering with the Barcelona midfield, two men in their thirties interlocking, flexibly rotating, stubbornly withstood the opponent's impact and pressure.

This made the overall structure extraordinarily stable.

I don't know what kind of belief is sustaining their stamina.

Fighting until the last moment, the already limping Mandžukić broke through the Three Lions' defense!

Finally.

The checkered team completed the comeback.

England 1:2 Croatia.

The 2018 Russia World Cup semifinal matchups have been decided.

France vs Brazil.

Spain vs Croatia.

(End of chapter)