Chapter 184
The smoke of war still permeates the transfer market, but this summer, this is definitely not the place that attracts the most attention. The European Championship held in Portugal is the stage that attracts everyone's attention. However, this battlefield representing the highest level of European national football teams has no trace of Lin Yi.
Anyway, no matter whether Scolari is using this method to maintain the authority of his national team coach, Lin Yi can only be a spectator this time.
Mourinho seems a little disdainful of Scolari's behavior. At least in the eyes of people like him who only pursue victory, it is stupid to do so.
"I will not miss any opportunity to strengthen my team, but some people like to use this method to flaunt their authority."
Mourinho himself is absolutely not afraid of offending Scolari. Anyway, the intersection between the two people is pitiful. One is the boss of the national team and the other is the head coach of the club. The confrontation between them is only this time. The issue of using Lin Yi broke out.
Scolari insisted on not using it, and Mourinho just used guns and sticks in newspapers and interviews to damage the authority of the Brazilian old man.
Anyway, on the question of whether Lin Yi should join the national team, the people of Porto stand on Mourinho's side. Even though he is no longer the head coach of Porto, the city only shows sincere admiration for this guy who is like a king in Porto.
In addition, the people of Porto really don't like the old Brazilian man who rejects his city's mascot, and even have a little disgust.
Although Mourinho and Scolari are tit-for-tat, Lin Yi, who is at the center of the incident, keeps his mouth shut and avoids talking to any interviewer.
The main reason is that Lin Yi thinks that arguing about something that cannot be changed is really a bit of a loss, and he doesn't want to have such a war of words with the other party.
Anyway, since the old Brazilian man thinks he is not suitable for this team now, Lin Yi has nothing to say, and the facts will tell everything anyway.
At least Lin Yi will not think that he is not qualified to win a place in the national team, but now, the national team has not ushered in the era that belongs to him.
Lin Yi, who shone in the Champions League, could only sit in the stands of the Lisbon Stadium of Light and watch the 22 people on the field.
Lin Yi was not invited by the organizing committee, so he just sat in the most ordinary seats with Mourinho and others, surrounded by crazy fans.
Fortunately, this is Lisbon, and there won’t be too many fans around Lin Yi to ask for autographs, but even so, Lin Yi was busy for nearly an hour.
No wonder, with him and Mourinho, these two are the most popular figures in the transfer market now, it is strange that no one pays attention.
The commotion caused by Lin Yi made the TV broadcast camera keep capturing his every move. This blatant peeping made Lin Yi very uncomfortable.
But he and Mourinho, who couldn’t resist the temptation of the final, could only endure this harassment. Fortunately, the entrance ceremony started in time, which saved the beasts.
The entrance ceremony of the two teams and the arrival of the trophy finally made those damn TV broadcast cameras leave Lin Yi and Mourinho.
However, before the camera left, Mourinho and Scolari were given a close-up shot, and the meaning of this is self-evident.
The most influential coach on the field is not Mourinho, but the tough Brazilian Scolari, because it was this guy who led the Portuguese team into the final of the European Cup. This was a crazy experience for those Portuguese people, and they were really going crazy.
Maybe even Scolari didn't expect to make it to the final, but this is the reality. They made history in this European Championship held in their home country.
They beat Spain, the Netherlands, and England. This was something they couldn't imagine at ordinary times, but this time, it became a reality. They even made it to the end in the penalty shootout, and their opponents in the final were just a group of strong Greeks.
"Kill those Greeks! Keep the European Cup in our country!" The almost crazy shouts of the Portuguese spread throughout the Guangming Stadium.
In fact, Lin Yi didn't want to sit in the stands and become the target of others' attention, but such a top football event did have a fatal temptation.
Moreover, Ronaldo called Lin Yi more than once to urge him to come to the scene to watch their game, especially after Portugal entered the final.
It can be seen that Ronaldo just wanted to regain some face in front of Lin Yi. He lost the two games of the Champions League in the club confrontation. Now he wants to regain it in the European Cup, especially when Portugal has the opportunity to lift the European Cup, he really wants to show off.
Knowing that he might be the starting player, this guy even sent two tickets to Lin Yi, as if he was afraid that Lin Yi would not come.
"You have already won the Champions League for Portugal, so this time, you come to the Stadium of Light to see how I won the European Cup for the national team."
This guy who came out of Lisbon, this time is a real home game, he wants to prove his strength in front of Lin Yi thoroughly.
"An idiotic idea." Although Lin Yi despised Ronaldo's 2-point approach, he finally decided to go to the scene to watch the game in person.
Of course, he didn't do it just to look at Ronaldo, that idiot. Lin Yi still looked at his defeated general with contempt.
According to Mendes, they are a pair of natural enemies, and the rivalry between these two boys may last throughout their football careers.
However, the performance of the little Argentinian in Barcelona has been very dazzling recently. Maybe in the future, European football will be a Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Although Lin Yi was invited by Cristiano Ronaldo this time, what moved him in the end was the atmosphere on the field. The taste of the decisive battle was very attractive.
The European Cup was still held in Portugal, and it was able to reach the finals in one fell swoop. Lin Yi was also a little infected by the atmosphere around the Stadium of Light at this moment.
"If this was my stage, I really don't know what it would feel like." Lin Yi muttered softly while sitting next to Mourinho.
"You still have a chance. At your current age, you can participate in at least three European Cups. Don't envy the guys on the field. In my opinion, this game is not as easy as those critics predicted. Those guys Greeks with fierce personalities are definitely not easy to deal with.”
Mourinho didn't speak loudly to Lin Yi, but his calm expression was in sharp contrast to the enthusiasm of the fans around him.
Lin Yi was used to the old man around him always disagreeing with others, but this time, he seemed to smell danger from those Greeks.
Compared with the excited expressions of the Portuguese players when they came out, the Greeks seemed too calm, as if this game was not a decisive battle.
This reminded Lin Yi of the feeling when Porto stepped onto the turf at the Schalke Stadium more than a month ago, and he was completely relaxed.
One side is excited, the other side is calm. I wonder if the Portuguese team's offensive flames can burn smoothly in the Aegean Sea this time.
Mourinho also felt the same way, especially when he saw Rehagel, this dangerous feeling became even stronger.
It's just that the two of them can only represent their own opinions and will not influence other people's views on the game, at least those reporters will not agree.
Before the start of the final, the whole of Portugal went crazy. For them, this was the final performance of Portugal's golden generation. Using a European Cup championship to bid farewell to those talented players was the best farewell ceremony. And they do have the ability to win the championship.
Figo, Rui Costa, Costinha, Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gomez, this is Portugal full of talent, almost no one can resist it.
With perfect technique, exquisite coordination, and the overall tactics instilled in them by Scolari, this team performed very strongly throughout the schedule.
Players like Figo know that this is their last chance to win the European championship, and they don't want to leave any regrets for themselves.
The technical midfielders organized by Rui Costa and Deco in the midfield, coupled with new forces such as Ronaldo, they are almost invincible.
But this time it was indeed Scolari who injected defensive soul into these Portuguese, so they could attack without any worries.
But there are still traces of Mourinho in it. After all, defenders like Carvalho and Valente are all strong players created by Mourinho himself.
Whose coaching ability is more outstanding may ultimately depend on trophies to prove it. Now Scolari has received such an opportunity.
Moreover, in the just-concluded Champions League decisive battle, the Porto team successfully defeated all the princes and won the highest award among European clubs. Now the Portuguese national team is also continuing the good luck and good form of the Porto team. This summer may be a complete It’s the carnival season of Portuguese football.
The club has won, can the national team be far behind? When Portugal reached the final, this desire for the European Cup had reached its peak.
Almost all Portuguese media are exaggerating this game with big headlines. In their view, this is the best opportunity for the Portuguese team to reach the top of Europe.
Fighting on local soil, with solid fan support, home court advantage, and most importantly, their opponents for the decisive battle this time are not the traditional strong teams.
The Greek team, a country that is not even considered second-rate in Europe, even Belgium is many times more famous than theirs, a perfect opponent.
It seems that even God is creating the final chance for the Portuguese team to win the championship. Even the opponents have been selected so appropriately. Now only the final crowning is left.
In the eyes of many people, the loss in the group stage was just an accident. At that time, the Portuguese team had not yet fully entered its state.
The Greek team relied more on their bravery and stole a victory despite the carelessness of the Portuguese. Without this victory, maybe those guys from the Aegean Sea would not have even qualified for the final group. The problem is, facing such an opponent is really a kind of luck.
The Portuguese have always had bad luck in major competitions, but this time they are at a peak, both in terms of competitive form and good luck.
Their confidence is also different, because they defeated Spain and England, and their competitive status is in a strong upward stage.
It can be said that Scolari dares to tell anyone that the current Portuguese team definitely has a strong momentum of killing gods and Buddhas.
Yes, the Greek team was defeated all the way this time. France, Czech Republic, and other old teams all fell under the feet of this group of Greek tough guys.
But in the eyes of the Portuguese, these results are just their good luck, especially after entering the knockout stage.
Rehhagel, a German who has always believed in the old-fashioned tough style, also infused the Germanic spirit of never giving up until the last moment into the body of the Greek team. With such a group of high-altitude bombers with a height of more than 1.8 meters, they bombed all the way into the finals.
But it is no wonder that no one in the media is optimistic about Greece. After all, this is a group of guys with rough skills, and they really don’t show much technical content in the game.
Especially compared with Portugal, they are simply a group of barbarians. Some guys don’t even have the skills of stopping the ball and turning around.
Rehhagel’s tactics are very simple. Height plus bounce, fierce siege, and running without hesitation. All attacks are completed in the air.
The entire Greek team does not have any particularly outstanding organizational core. They rely not on clever skills to score goals, but on set-piece tactics.
It was just a simple high-handed attack. They liked to use headers to solve problems more than the English did decades ago. They pushed all the way here.
But this extremely simple tactic worked again and again. Even the French could not do anything with them. They headed the ball again and again, and successively conquered the solid fortresses of several traditional teams. This time, they stood on the grass of the Stadium of Light, ready to snipe the Portuguese team again.
Just like Mourinho and Lin Yi felt about these Greeks, when the opponent was determined to defend, it was difficult for the attacker to deal with it.
This time, Rehhagel was like this. He didn't even think about attacking. He knew very well that this was not his territory, and he had to stabilize the defense.
Especially when the opponent's attack was very sharp, he had to occupy the defensive space. After the game started, he left eight people in the backcourt to defend, leaving only two high-altitude bombers with a height of more than 1.9 meters on the forward line, and only one organizer who could hold the ball was left in the midfield.
Pure defensive counterattack, Rehhagel knew what his disadvantages were, and he also knew very well what his team should do on the court.
However, Scolari had no way to deal with his opponents like he did with Spain and England. The hot atmosphere of the Stadium of Light forced him to attack.
Throughout the first half of the game, the Portuguese team was in a posture of besieging the Greek team, and their shots were continuously creating threats.
Figo's long shot, Costa's short pass penetration, Ronaldo's wing breakthrough, Costinha's back row insertion, it can be said that the Portuguese spent the first half in wanton attacks. Every time they pressed forward, the Stadium of Light was filled with crazy shouts from fans.
The Greek team had no chance to shoot in the first half, but they relied on the collective defense of eight or nine people to stifle the Portuguese attack.
Perhaps at this time, Scolari's biggest headache was why there was no one who could kill on his front line. A weak team killer like Pauleta was indeed not suitable for this kind of head-on competition, but apart from him, the Portuguese team could not pick out a qualified center forward.
But relying on a striker like Pauleta to find a chance to shoot among the tall and strong defenders of the Greek team was simply a fairy tale.
Maybe Rehhagel had read Chinese military tactics. This calculating German did know how to take advantage of the gaps in the attack.
When Portugal continued to attack wildly in the first ten minutes of the second half, the Greeks began to counterattack.
A quick counterattack, a slightly off-center cross, a non-threatening attack, but Ricardo's save gave the opponent a corner kick.
The murderous intent hidden in the ordinary, when the two central defenders of the Greek team pressed into the penalty area, Scolari smelled a hint of conspiracy.
But it was too late at this time. A corner kick with an excellent arc, five big men over 1.9 meters, rushed to this point at the same time, a bomber group.
Charisteas, the top scorer of the Greek team, grabbed this point sharply, and his teammates blocked Carvalho and gave him this opportunity.
The net shook, and the cheers of the entire Stadium of Light stopped abruptly at this moment, and Scolari's reminder to the defenders had not even dissipated.
But the ball had already gone in. It wasn't beautiful, it wasn't skillful, but the ball had passed through Ricardo's fingertips and stayed in the net behind him.
No one dared to believe this, but the rolling ball had stung everyone's eyes. At this moment, the Stadium of Light was filled with only the cheers of the Greeks.
This was the first threatening shot of the Greek team in the whole game, but this goal was enough for Rehhagel, with more than 30 minutes left.
When Mourinho saw the goal, he subconsciously said to Lin Yi, "This is just like your pass. One time is enough."
Lin Yi didn't say anything, but he seemed to have foreseen the end of the game. When the Greeks huddled up in an iron barrel, the Portuguese team lacked a knife.
A knife that could cut through the opponent's defense...
(Happy New Year, comrades... I hope everyone has smooth sailing in 2011... and your family is safe... Thank you for your help this year, thank you...)