Chapter 163 Tears and Hope (1)
The inventor of the penalty shootout is Karl Wald, who used to be a famous football referee. It was this old man who invented the penalty shootout that is now widely used in football matches.
Penalty shootouts were first introduced at the 1970 World Cup in Germany.
"I'm very happy that we have penalty shootouts now," Wald said. "Everyone is crazy about it. I thought so too at the beginning."
What Wald said does make sense. A penalty shootout is like gambling. That split-second decision can really make people excited, except that the stakes on the football field are the win or loss of the two teams!
But on the other hand, for the two teams participating in the penalty shootout, this is a very cruel thing. In such a world-wide competition, with the attention of hundreds of millions of fans around the world, the pressure can be imagined!
That’s why so many stars have fallen here: if they score, it’s taken for granted, but if they don’t, they become the sinner of the team!
And now, in the quarter-finals of the 2004 European Cup knockout match, the host Portugal and England are about to face this cruel war, yes, war!!
Even more cruel than war!!
A simple kick will determine success or failure, excitement or tears, heaven or hell!
For the England team, penalty shootouts will always be a pain in their hearts!
According to statistics from experts on the British website transfertavern, England has the lowest winning rate in penalty shootouts in the world, with a winning rate of only 19%, while Germany's winning rate is as high as 71%.
The England team always unexpectedly fails to overcome the penalty shootout. In the past 20 years, the England team has lost on penalties in three major tournaments: the 1990 and 1998 World Cups, and the 1996 European Cup. This shows that England will lose on penalties in almost every major tournament.
So what about this time?
Will England break this curse?
Will they be victorious?
At this moment, the hearts of tens of millions of English fans around the world are all concerned about the upcoming decisive battle. They desire victory, but are afraid of failure. They can only hope that their favorite stars can bring victory to the team. In their hearts, they are silently cheering for the players on the field and praying that God can help them!
"Let's see. Eriksen first sent out David Beckham, our great new captain of the England team! I believe he can get the first point for the team. Although he missed a penalty in the group stage, mistakes are inevitable. We still trust him!" Graham said immediately after drinking a glass of water in his spare time and looking at the camera.
Beckham came to the ball, bent over to put the ball in the right position, then looked up at Ricardo. A penalty kick is a competition of skills as well as wisdom. Goalkeepers are often in a disadvantageous position because it is difficult for them to predict in which direction the taker will kick the ball.
At this time, Beckham aimed at the right side. Because his right foot was very good at free kicks, his right foot was praised by fans as the "golden right foot", so when taking penalties, he was used to kicking to the left side, but that would easily make it difficult for Ricardo to save the ball.
He had already determined that Ricardo would definitely dive to the left!
"Beep", a brisk whistle sounded, and the referee signaled that the free throws could begin.
Beckham looked to the left, took two steps back, and started a run-up, one step, two steps, and in the rhythm of running, he swung his right foot and the ball flew straight to the right!
Sure enough, Ricardo made a wrong judgment! He jumped to the left!
Just when almost everyone thought that the ball would definitely go in, the ball hit the right goal post.
Fly out of the baseline!!
Beckham's kick flew away!
"Oh my god, he missed! David...David hit the ball away, he was too focused on the angle!!"
Seeing the result, the Portuguese players collectively jumped up to celebrate, which seemed to be gloating, but the fact was that the England team's mistakes were their chances, and penalty shootouts were cruel. On the other hand, the England team remained silent. Wang Li covered his cheek, walked up, and patted Beckham on the shoulder, "It's okay, David, we still have a chance, right?"
Beckham squatted on the ground, closed his eyes, turned his head, and forced a smile, "Oh, thank you!"
But anyone can hear the difficulty, and one can imagine how much pressure he will be under if the England team really loses because of this!
The next player to come on the field is Portugal’s No. 20 Anderson Deco. He was previously a Brazilian player who first played for the Sao Paulo club in his country. He only obtained Portuguese citizenship last year. Perhaps many people would oppose his joining the Portugal team, but Scolari was the coach at the time, so with his good performance in Porto this year, he successfully joined the Portugal team.
Facing David James, who is known as the "nerve knife", he also chose to push the ball to the right with his right foot, but James pounced to the left!
This penalty kick was almost a replica of the previous one, but the difference was that Deco succeeded!
Portugal 3:2 England.
Michael Owen came to the ball. This ball was very stressful. If he failed to score, it would be almost difficult for England to catch up. Under the gaze of all the fans, Owen did not disappoint them. He stood still, shot low with his right foot, and the ball flew into the goal from slightly left of the center!
Portugal 3:3 England.
Simao Sabrosa, a local winger who transferred from Barcelona to Benfica, won the love of all Benfica fans in 2002 and became the captain of the Eagles with his outstanding performance. Facing James, he calmly shot the ball into the upper left corner of the goal. Although James made an accurate judgment, the angle was too tricky.
Portugal 4:3 England.
When Gerrard came on the pitch, Ricardo knew that this engine of England's frontcourt had very sharp long-range shots with great force. Such players are often the most troublesome for goalkeepers, because they don't have to deliberately pursue angles. With a powerful volley, it is difficult for the goalkeeper to react. This is indeed the case. Gerrard took two steps and kicked the ball directly to the middle. Ricardo jumped to the left as if to make way, and the ball rushed into the net from his previous position.
Portugal 4:4 England.
It was the turn of the Portuguese team again. This time, they sent out Postiga. It was obvious that this 22-year-old striker had won the favor of Scolari. With the goal in this game, I believe his value will increase several times after the European Cup! However, he made a mistake this time. He seemed to be imitating Gerrard and kicked the ball directly to the middle. However, the ball was too fast and James had no time to react, so he simply stood still!
The ball hit James' arms directly!
The ball didn't go in, England tied the score! ! The players immediately celebrated with each other, and even Beckham, who looked embarrassed, smiled.
Portugal 4:4 England.
John Terry, the captain of Chelsea, will take the fourth penalty kick. He did not participate in England's group match due to a minor foot injury before the game. But in today's game, he played very well. It seems that the injury did not defeat this Chelsea tough guy. Facing this penalty kick, he also chose to volley! The ball flew directly to the top of the goal!
The sound of "bang" touched the hearts of all the fans, but they let go of their worries the next moment. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced into the goal!
It's a dangerous trap!!
Portugal 4:5 England.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the rising star of Manchester United and the super talent of Portugal, finally played in the expectation of local fans. In the Premier League, he once scored a goal in the game against West Ham, so now facing James, he is still very confident. He stepped back a few steps, then made a strange change of speed, swung his right foot, and the ball flew directly into the upper left corner of the goal! The speed of the ball was not fast, but his action just now successfully deceived James, who made a misjudgment!
Portugal 5:5 England.
Next, it was Wang Li's turn to play. When Eriksson was arranging the players, he directly asked the head coach to play. Eriksson, who was very satisfied with Wang Li's performance, chose to trust him. This black-haired boy was indeed trustworthy!
The 5th penalty!
This may be the most stressful ball! Because this ball may determine the victory or defeat of the two teams!
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