[Confrontation between two midfield masters? Who is better, Devitt or Pirlo? 】
Similar headlines appeared in major sports newspapers in England and Italy. An ordinary international friendly match was immediately portrayed as an extraordinary battle between two powerful opponents.
The English fans who traveled to Italy were already prepared, and so were Irvine's fans. They had put up Irvine's posters in the away stands early on. Some showed him in referee uniform, some in Chelsea jersey, and more were his new national team jersey - also No. 29.
On the poster, Ivan took over the No. 29 jersey of the England national team with a beautiful and warm smile.
"If you don't know, you might think it's a derby match." commented the Italian commentator.
English fans are very proud. Our little Sweetie got a red card when she came on the field. Are you afraid? !
If you dare to mess with our referee, be careful when you meet him officiating in the future!
#小本本警告.jpg
They were even happier waving that poster of the referee.
Before the game, both coaches expressed their willingness to satisfy the fans.
As you wish?
Their loudest demand is to see Pirlo and Ivan compete on the same field!
Let’s not talk about the skills first, please, the appearance is enough to make us cry!
The two coaches did not lie, they did put Pirlo and Ivan in the starting lineup at the same time.
For a friendly match, it seems a bit of a waste of talent for Lippi to let Pirlo play so early. It can only be said that the two Italian coaches must have their own plans in mind.
Player tunnel.
The little caddy holding Ivan's hand was very happy. Although he didn't quite know who the big brother next to him was, the big brother's smile was so nice and it was great to follow him.
"How old are you this year?" Ivan asked with a smile.
The caddie replied: "7 years old."
Ivan: "Oh, I'm twice as big as you."
"What's twice, brother?" The caddy was confused.
"It's just that I'm two years older than you."
Rooney couldn't listen any longer, so he turned around and said, "Ivan, are you sure you want to discuss math multiplication with a kid who's just entered first grade?"
Ivan said innocently: "Oh, I forgot."
He smiled and said, "I really don't understand this aspect. Is Kay in the first grade, Wayne?"
Rooney was speechless: "Are you living a miserable life, Alvin? The last time you saw him he was only three years old."
"All right."
The two men were chatting about trivial matters, but Joe Hart behind them didn't understand. Are these two people here to have fun? Well, it was indeed a friendly match, but it was Alvin's first official start in two years, so how come he was calmer than me?
Joe Hart kept encouraging himself. He heard that Pirlo was a free kick master. He had to work harder and perform better...
The position of England's first goalkeeper in the World Cup has not been determined. Who among him, Green and the older James will eventually become the main goalkeeper depends entirely on their performance in these games.
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed that Ivan in front of him turned around and put a hand on his shoulder: "Don't worry, Joe, just treat this as an internal training match."
Joe Hart is even more miserable. Is he treating this as an internal training match within the team? ! God knows, he has not been successful in saving Ivan's free kicks in the past few days, and he even saved the ball in his dream last night.
QAQ guys, please be gentle.
Ivan and Rooney, who were standing in front and behind him, were chatting, and the Italian players next to them occasionally glanced over here. The coach said that England’s No. 29 plays in the midfield position. But looking at their position in the player tunnel, why is he standing with the goalkeeper and forward?
At this time, Ivan's empty right hand was held by a pair of small hands.
Ivan looked down and saw a little ball boy wearing an England team uniform.
The ball boys of our team wear the uniforms of the opposing team to show the friendship of the game. So this little caddy came from the Italian players.
From this perspective, the one missing a child is Italy’s No. 21, Andrea Pirlo.
Well, look what this kid has to say coming over here?
This caddy looks even younger, maybe only 5 or 6 years old?
The little boy was not afraid of strangers. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone's jaw dropped and he attracted the attention of players from both sides.
"Brother, why are you standing here? The Italian brothers are all over there." The little boy pointed in the direction of Pirlo, pulled Ivan, and said to him.
Rooney: “…”
When he glared at the little brat, he wanted to warn him that his brother could shout whatever he wanted but couldn't say anything nonsense. What does Italy mean over there? Irwin is English!
Ivan stopped them: "Brother is an English player, not an Italian one. So I should stand here."
As Ivan spoke, he met Pirlo's eyes and touched the boy's head: "Why do you think your brother should stand over there?"
The little boy said naively: "Dad always keeps you at home, and you are clearly wearing blue clothes."
A lightbulb went on over Rooney's head: "Is it Chelsea's uniform? The colour is indeed very similar to Italy's."
The little boy retorted: "It's Italian clothes! Dad said that's a great Italian football star!"
Everyone looked at each other, confused by the little boy's childish words.
Is there an Italian player who looks similar to Ivan?
That's not right. In the eyes of these big men, although Italy is called the male model team, they have to admit that Alvin looks better than them.
Pirlo, who was watching this scene, felt something in his heart, and he seemed to realize who the child was talking about.
Ivan asked, "Then do you know the name of the person Dad put the sticker on? Or, what's the number on his clothes?"
The little boy tilted his head and thought for a moment: "Dad said his name was Roberto Baggio."
“…”
Rooney glared and said, "Awesome, Alvin. This mistake was too much. He had the same face as the Italian star, and a retired superstar at that."
Pirlo raised his eyebrows and came over to take away the little boy who didn't know what shocking words he had said. He shook hands with Ivan by the way, and the two smiled at each other in a friendly manner.
Rooney held Ivan's hand and muttered, "I say, Ivan, look at his expression just now. It's obvious that he thinks you two look alike, too."
Ivan wondered: "How can I be like Baggio? England and Italy are so far apart, maybe we just happen to be similar."
Rooney shook his head: "You can't trust what children say. Adults have different perspectives. I heard that Baggio is Pirlo's idol, so he must have had the same idea as that child just now."
Ivan didn't argue with him, just listened to him continue to compare logically: "It's not impossible if you think about it this way. Think about it, Baggio seemed to be born in 1967? I remember you were born in 1989. Maybe you are his long-lost son?"
Everyone in England: "..."
#Is this a football game or a family reunion meeting?
#Do you think Alvin doesn’t have a father? Will he not know who his father is?
Ferdinand couldn't stand it anymore. He happened to pass by. The Manchester United big brother pinched his ear, but the force was not strong enough and Rooney smirked and passed by.
Terry and Lampard looked at each other. They knew a little more than others. It seemed that they had never heard of Evan's father. They only saw Evan's mother and grandmother in the hospital two years ago.
But they didn't take it seriously, it was just an episode.
Pirlo was taking the caddy back, and Cannavaro asked casually: "I just heard something about father and son, what's wrong?"
Pirlo thought it was just his ball boy who was more lively. He said casually: "Do you think England's No. 29 looks like Roberto?"
Cannavaro didn't quite understand: "Resemblance?"
He thought for a moment and said, "I can't really tell. It's normal for someone to look alike. But I don't see it from a distance. Roberto is only 174cm tall, and England's No. 29... He looks like he's over 185cm tall, right?"
The Italian captain quickly clarified: "Hey, I don't mean anything else. You have to know that our average height is indeed not as high as that of the English."
After Cannavaro finished speaking, he innocently pointed out his height.
Pirlo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Players from both teams enter the field.
The atmosphere was very lively. In addition to the fans from both countries, there were also many assistant coaches who wanted to observe their World Cup opponents.
Prince William appeared in the VIP box, and his appearance sparked further interest in the event.
The symbols of the English royal family are all present, and there must be some famous figures on the Italian side as well.
Sky Sports commentator Andy was surprised: "Is this really a friendly match, man? Isn't the World Cup brought forward?"
Richard laughed: "Just treat it as a mini World Cup, bro."
Playing a game with Italy is a good warm-up opportunity. You know, a few years ago, Serie A was known as the Little World Cup.
Needless to say, Sky Sports' live camera was glued to England's sweetheart's face during the national anthem.
The Italian commentator said to Ivan’s close-up: “He is Ivan Devitt, a new member of the England national team. Girls watching this game will probably be in for a treat.”
"The lineups for today's game... well, Andrea Pirlo is still in the defensive midfielder position, which we are all familiar with, but England's lineup is quite interesting."
Richard said to the starting lineup: "Capello did not let Gerrard play. Lampard was in the midfield, Terry was in the backcourt, and Irving...he appeared on the forward line!"
Everyone thought that Ivan would play in midfield, but unexpectedly Capello asked the team to play 433, facing the defensive counterattack of Italy... This is really not in line with the usual style of the Italian coach.
But this is a friendly match, don't take it too seriously.
People who were attracted by the gimmick of the two midfielders were a little disappointed. They thought they would see them facing off in the midfield, but Capello avoided it directly. No wonder he agreed so readily before the game.
This is equivalent to giving England's midfield initiative more to Italy. Gerrard did not play, and the captain of this game was Ferdinand. It seems that Capello is ready to let these players play freely.
Italy played a defensive counterattack, but their pace was not slow at all. The ball was passed quickly in the midfield, and led by the team's brain Pirlo, they took the lead in launching a wave of offense.
Joe Hart made a great contribution with this goal!
He held the ball under himself!
He quickly kicked the ball out with a big foot, and the ball landed in a perfect spot, just finding Lampard.
Lampard has a very high football IQ and first-class passing skills. He successfully sent a through ball to Ivan on the edge of the penalty area on the left.
The fans who had been holding their breath since the beginning of the game were boiling with excitement, Ivan got the ball! Go!
"Ivan! Turn around! That ball was stopped beautifully!"
This ball is extremely dangerous! The Italian defense line quickly surrounded Ivan, and suddenly there were two more experienced defensive players in front of him. Cannavaro, who was marking Rooney, cut off Ivan's chance to pass the ball.
"Pass the ball? No! He chose to carry the ball forward himself!"
Ivan is not a left-wing player, but he is relatively balanced with both feet. Capello wanted to see the limits of his ability, so he directly let him play in an unfamiliar position.
Rooney is in the middle and Lennon is on the right. It is possible to pass the ball to Lennon, but the defensive midfielder Pirlo has already come up, and if the ball is passed to Lennon, the ball may be lost.
In just one second, many thoughts flashed through Ivan's mind, and finally he chose to break through on his own.
In the eyes of the opposing defenders, Ivan looked in the direction of Lennon and at the same time made a passing gesture with his left foot, so they subconsciously thought he would pass the ball and their attention inevitably relaxed.
And it was this moment! Ivan seized this opportunity, he kicked the ball with the instep of his foot, and the ball passed over the opponent's defender's head!
With an aerial kick, Ivan passed two people, accelerated to catch up, dribbled past the defender in front of him, and got a one-on-one chance!
Andy shouted, "Oh my God! Is this a pass in the air? Ivan kicked the ball! One-on-one!! Shoot!!!"
The net is shaking!
Italy's second goalkeeper Marchetti couldn't believe it. One minute into the game, his goal was breached by the opponent!
Ivan broke out of the Italian defenders who were standing there in a daze and ran towards the midfield!
There, his teammate Lampard, who had passed the ball to him, rushed over and hugged him tightly!
Only his former teammates will understand, and only they can personally experience his joy at this moment!
The camera was not stingy with the goal scorer, it was focused on the dazzling Englishman who was embraced by his teammates.
He has eyes as blue as the Mediterranean Sea, and in his eyes, there is a light that bursts out after two years of precipitation. His beautiful smile and his skills under his feet have made countless Italians remember him.
The commentator of Sky Sports trembled: "Goooooooooooal!!!! The game just started, England's new No. 29 player, Alvin de Witt, scored a goal! He used 30 seconds, at an incredible speed, to prove himself to the whole of England!!!"
"What time takes away, time will also return! God has returned the amazing Irving to the English people! God has returned the exciting and crazy World Cup to Irving!! Thank God!!!"
The camera was focused on the expressions of the coaches in the coaching booth. Capello was as serious as ever, and Lippi still had that calm "worried face". On the contrary, Buffon, who stood up next to him, looked seriously in the direction of England's celebration.
In the stands, English fans who came from afar waved their national flags. There were even more different reactions. When they saw their team score a goal, many people had tears in their eyes.
No one else will understand our feelings for England!
Irving is the sentiment in the minds of the English people!
The author has something to say: Baggio, Pep Guardiola, Buffon, Cannavaro, the handsome Italians. I'm very nervous. Does anyone like them? You didn't seem to react when they played against Italy yesterday.
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