Chapter 163 Advancing to the Top Four
After the start of the second half, the trailing Italian team intensified their attack, launching repeated assaults on the Brazilian goal.
However, this Brazilian team, after Dunga dropped undisciplined players like Ronaldinho and Adriano, was very disciplined. Every player worked diligently like a sapper, strictly following Dunga's instructions.
After Kaká left the field, Brazil, under Dunga's command, switched from attack to defense. The players' defensive coordination was excellent, and they did not give Italy any chances in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
In the 48th minute, Fino took a long-range shot from the right wing near the penalty area, which was easily saved by Cesar.
In the 52nd minute, Di Natale headed the ball, but Cesar caught it again.
In the 57th minute, Pepe received a cross from Fino inside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot, which hit the post and rolled out of bounds.
...
The Italian players were not discouraged. They tried attacking twice after failing once, and ten times after failing twice. Quantitative changes will eventually lead to qualitative changes, won't they?
In the 68th minute, Italy had another attacking opportunity.
Pirlo launched a long pass from midfield, and Fino knocked Melo aside on the right wing, then received the ball and began to make his way down the right flank.
Fino's dribbling speed was extremely fast. Before Melo, who had failed to regain possession, could get close again, Fino had already rapidly approached the Brazilian penalty area.
Juan and Bastos both left the penalty area and double-teamed Fino from the left and front. Fino seized the opportunity when Juan took a step and gently pushed the ball between Juan's feet, sending it flying towards Di Natale near the penalty area line in the middle.
At this moment, Di Natale was completely blocked by Lucio, and he could not find a shooting opportunity. So Di Natale chose to pass the ball to Pepe on the left side of the penalty area.
After passing the ball, Di Natale bypassed Lucio and entered the penalty area from the middle. At this time, Fino also shook off Juan and Bastos and cut into the penalty area from the right.
Di Natale and Fino created two passing options for Pepe in the penalty area, allowing him to either shoot directly or pass the ball – both were good options.
The situation on the field instantly became serious, with a shot from the Italian team possible at any moment.
At such a crucial moment, Pepe made a mistake in controlling the ball... Although he quickly recovered and did not give Maicon a chance to intercept the ball, the opportunity to pass the ball was fleeting. Pepe hesitated for only a second before Brazil's defense had already retreated into the penalty area, cutting off the connection between Pepe and Di Natale and Fino.
Maicon and Gilberto are closing in on Pepe. Pepe is now ready to pounce; any further hesitation could result in Maicon and Gilberto intercepting the ball.
Pepe gritted her teeth and swung a shot directly at the goal.
The ball hit Lucio, deflected, and began to fly towards the near corner of the goal.
Brazilian goalkeeper Cesar quickly turned to make a save, but collided with Melo, who was also rushing to save the ball. The ball hit Melo's head as he was about to fall, changed its flight path again, and went into the goal through the outside of Cesar's shoulder, who was also about to fall.
As the net splashed white, Melo and Cesar fell heavily to the ground.
The series of changes inside the Brazilian penalty area stunned everyone present.
Pepe scratched his head, wondering if this goal shouldn't be considered his.
Yes, that's right, the goal was credited to Melo.
Italy equalized in the second half at 2-2 thanks to an own goal by Brazilian midfielder Melo.
Now the two teams are back on equal footing.
Melo and Cesar's faces were both as dark as the other's.
An own goal by their own team leveled the score for Italy, severely damaging the morale of the Brazilian team, especially Melo, who had performed exceptionally well in the first 60 minutes of the match, gradually became irritable.
After Italy equalized, Dunga faced a serious question: how to turn the tide?
Most of the Brazilian national team's midfielders are defensively oriented. After Kaká leaves the field, who can take over the responsibility of organizing the attack?
After some consideration, Dunga ultimately decided to switch Robinho and Baptista's positions, with Robinho taking on the role of the attacking focal point.
But before Robinho could make an impact, Italy's attack came again.
After De Rossi intercepted the ball in the backfield, he immediately launched a long pass to Fino in the middle, and Fino began his long run.
Facing the irritable Melo, Fino made a feint to break through from the left, tricking Melo into turning to block him. Fino then used the outside of his foot to flick the ball to the right front, while quickly pulling his body back and accelerating past Melo on the right.
Before Melo could react, Fino had already run two or three meters.
Then Gilberto came over, and Fino used his right foot to feint around the ball before breaking through in the opposite direction, using a stepover to leave Gilberto behind.
Fino continued to advance with the ball, quickly approaching the Brazilian penalty area, where Juan and Bastos came to meet him.
At this moment, Di Natale was being marked by Lucio inside the Brazilian penalty area, while Pepe on the left wing was also entangled with Maicon.
Zambrotta made a run down the right flank, with Melo sticking close to him.
Gilberto chased after Fino from behind.
As Juan, Bastos, Gilberto, and Fino closed in, a three-way encirclement was about to take place, but Fino failed to find a good passing opportunity.
Fino didn't give anyone a chance to mark him closely. He spread out outside the penalty area, ready to shoot—since his teammates weren't available to cooperate, he would go it alone!
With a powerful shot from Fino, the ball passed Juan and flew at high speed towards the goal. Juan tried to block the shot, but he was a fraction of a second too slow. Cesar, who was standing in front of the Brazilian goal, quickly got to the ground and lunged towards the bottom right corner of the goal.
However, the shot kept the ball at a certain height and did not drop in front of the goal as Cesar had expected. The ball went into the net from above Cesar.
Hearing the whooshing sound behind him, Cesar pounded the turf a few times.
3-2, Fino has given Italy the lead.
With only a dozen minutes left in the game, Brazil, who had been leading by one goal, lost their key player Kaká and were first tied by Italy before being overtaken.
Kaka is too important to this Brazilian team.
After taking the lead, Lippi, just like in the previous match, substituted Pepe with Cannavaro, adding a center-back to strengthen the defense and protect the victory.
Fino also returned to the Italian half, joining De Rossi, Gattuso, and Pirlo to solidify the second line of defense, leaving only Di Natale up front to draw the Brazilian defense and await quick counter-attacks.
Trailing behind, Brazil launched a desperate counterattack in the final moments, but Italy, with its all-out defense, gave them no chance.
Even though Marchetti wasn't exactly a reliable figure, Italy, under Nesta's leadership, managed to maintain the 3-2 score until the final whistle.
Italy defeated five-time champions Brazil, who were ranked number one in the odds of winning the World Cup on Bet365, to become the first team to advance to the semi-finals.
With the results of the other three quarter-final matches still pending, Italy's odds of winning the title briefly rose to first place.
The joy of victory spread throughout the Italian team. Whether on the field or on the bench, the players were excitedly embracing each other. Lippi happily lit a cigar, and Buffon, supporting his back, slowly strolled onto the field, kissing whoever he could reach.
Cannavaro, De Rossi, and Gattuso rushed to the Italian fans' stand and led them in singing "Azzurro." The familiar melody floated in the air above Mandela Bay Stadium, and at that moment, South Africa was a deep blue.
...
Fino walked through his ecstatic teammates to the Brazilian bench and extended his hand to the Brazilian national team coach, Dunga.
Despite his disappointed expression, Dunga still shook hands with Fino with courtesy.
"You are a promising young man, congratulations!"
Fino skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Sir, how is Richie doing?"
"The team doctor has initially diagnosed a meniscus tear in the left knee, which may require immediate surgery. An endoscopy will be performed tonight, and further plans will be made after the results are available. Medical resources in South Africa are limited, and we will discuss the surgery with Real Madrid."
Brazil's World Cup journey is over, and there's no point in hiding Kaka's injury anymore. Besides, they're about to inform Real Madrid about Kaka's injury, so telling Fino in advance isn't a big deal.
Seeing the worry on Fino's face, Dunga suddenly remembered the scene before the game when Kaká refused to take a pain-relieving injection. Perhaps the assistant coach had guessed the right person.
Dunga thought for a moment, but decided to satisfy his curiosity: "Was it you who made Kaká swear on his Bible that he wouldn't get a pain-relieving injection for the World Cup?"
Although he didn't know why Dunga suddenly asked that question, Fino nodded in agreement. For him, it wasn't something he couldn't talk about; he dared to do it, so he wasn't afraid of others finding out.
Dunga's feelings were a mix of emotions.
He should have been angry, because Fino prevented Kaká from dedicating himself fully to the national team. Kaká's injury greatly affected his performance, which in turn affected the Brazilian national team's results.
But he was also relieved. They had underestimated Kaka's knee injury. Kaka's knee was already extremely fragile. If Kaka had really received a painkiller injection, the medication would have made him less sensitive to knee pain, which could have caused even greater damage to his knee during high-intensity matches.
If Kaka had torn his knee ligaments, his professional career would have been essentially over.
They almost ruined Kaka.
After hesitating for a long time, Dunga finally patted Fino on the shoulder and said, "You're a good friend, and you did the right thing."
After saying that, Dunga turned and went back to the locker room, ready to face the bloodshed in Brazil.
Before the start of the South Africa World Cup, Brazil had extremely high expectations for winning the championship. Surveys showed that 86% of Brazilian respondents believed that Brazil could lift the World Cup trophy once again.
Now, a confident Brazil has been defeated by defending champions Italy, failing to advance beyond the World Cup quarterfinals, and Dunga himself will inevitably become the biggest target.
When announcing the roster, Dunga defied public opinion and excluded players like Ronaldinho, Adriano, and Pato, opting instead for a large number of players whose form and ability were not at their peak. This sparked huge controversy in Brazil, and Dunga's reputation as a "dictator" during his playing days resurfaced.
Now, it's time for him to take responsibility for the failure.
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support! [cat paw emoji]
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