Football career: From winning the championship to becoming a legend

After the Italian U21 team equalized the score, the tempo of the game had actually gradually fallen into Italy's rhythm. The Dutch U21 team's passing and cutting rhythm was a bit chaotic, their offensive efficiency was relatively low, most of their single plays could not result in a final shot, and their running speed also began to slow down.

The media commentators, who were fence-sitters, changed their attitude at the start of the game and believed that Italy could score the second goal at any time, and if the Netherlands team could not adjust its tactics in time, the game might be in danger.

But, this world is full of unexpected things. We should not set goals casually, especially in public, otherwise we will be severely slapped in the face.

Less than three minutes after the professional media live commentary publicly expressed his change of mind and turned to support Italy, the unreasonable offensive of the Dutch team gave him a big slap in the face.

The game had been going on for about 30 minutes and was about to enter the last ten minutes of the first half. But at the 33rd minute, the situation on the field became turbulent again.

Originally Italy had the ball firmly under control and suppressed the Netherlands' fast attacking rhythm, and the Netherlands was obviously unable to charge forward. After all, they charged for 10 minutes after the start of the game, another five or six minutes after the goal, and nearly ten minutes after being equalized.

After three consecutive shock waves, even the strongest players would need to take a breath. Li Qi clearly felt that the Netherlands was relying on the excitement of playing at home and in the finals. If they could hold on for a while longer, the Netherlands would be completely exhausted and fall completely into the strategy that Italy had arranged before the game.

But at this critical turning point, Babel, who had failed to break through many times in this game, once again relied on his strong physical fitness to use his body to block the long pass from Zuverunn's backcourt under Andreoli's top defense.

Then, Babel turned around and passed the defense under Andreoli's foul, facing the Italian goal. Fortunately, Motta rushed to defend and knocked Babel down with the ball, preventing him from rushing into the Italian penalty area.

However, just as the referee was about to call a foul, he suddenly saw the ball fall to Bakar's feet, so he raised his hands to indicate that the attack was advantageous.

Bakar also took advantage of the confusion in Italy's defense and tried to break through alone, but because he was too slow in holding the ball, Nocerino, who did not slip, poked the ball away from his feet.

However, the ball that was poked away by Nocerino was too close and the grass was slippery. Chiellini was caught off guard and failed to stop it. The ball bounced to the other side passively, but another Dutch player came in, no. 8 Drenthe.

After using a rough move that looked like a foul to push down Aquilani who was returning to defense, Drenthe actually failed to stop the ball properly, and the force of his touch was a bit outrageous, pushing the ball seven or eight meters away from his body. However, he hit the ball into the penalty area by mistake. Drenthe took advantage of the situation to get in, but Viviano also attacked, trying to compete with Drenthe for the 5-5 ball.

Although Drenthe's brain was a little slow, his explosive power was excellent. He caught up with the ball, which was originally closer to Viviano, in just two steps. Before the latter could tackle the ball, he shot the ball towards the goal.

The ball accelerated again and was blocked by Viviano’s calf, but it bounced and hit Viviano’s face, who was unable to dodge, and then bounced to the penalty spot...

At this time, the front and inside of the Italian penalty area were in chaos. Although Drenthe and Aquilani were suspected of fouling, the referee did not stop the game because Motta's previous tackle was already a foul and physical contact was more encouraged in youth team games.

So Babel, who was knocked down at the beginning, got up and found that the ball was not far in front of him again, and there was no one marking him. So he got there before his teammate Rigetes and shot the ball into the empty goal of Italy with a fierce shovel shot.

The Netherlands U21 team was lucky enough to change the score again with their relentless attack in the midfield and frontcourt. 2-1, the Netherlands team is ahead of Italy again!

After the Dutch goal, De Haan did not rush forward again, but quickly directed the team to retreat and slow down the pace of the game. The Dutch team also retreated, not because of lack of enthusiasm or low morale, but because they were a little tired; they were ahead again, so they retreated to take a breath.

Li Qi sighed and felt a little sorry. After all, if the game lasted a little longer, the Netherlands would definitely collapse. However, Li Qi still loudly comforted and encouraged his teammates: "No, it doesn't matter, we can win the game!"

Li Qi felt that since the Netherlands had retreated, there was no need to think about popping out.

Italy, which fell behind again, did not pass the ball slowly in the backcourt as before. It was Li Qi's turn to call on his teammates to start pressing forward collectively, speeding up the passing and cutting, and starting to make more straight passes and cuts inside.

It's another common trick. When the opponent wants to slow down the pace, we must speed up, interrupt the opponent's blood recovery rhythm, further squeeze the opponent's physical strength, and at the same time, take advantage of the instability in the opponent's rhythm change to create scoring opportunities.

In addition, the Netherlands is not a team that excels in defense. This is one of the reasons why De Haan did not want to start retreating to defend so early. Italy's counterattack also made the Netherlands' goalkeeper nervous for a while.

Dutch goalkeeper Dimitrov made consecutive saves in the 35th and 37th minutes of the game, blocking Pelle and Rossi's low shots from both sides of the penalty area respectively; and in the 41st minute of the game, facing Li Qi's right corner kick, he made a wonderful three saves, blocking Chiellini's header, Pelle's follow-up shot and Aquilani's long shot in succession, keeping the goal intact.

The Netherlands was about to enter the halftime break with a one-goal lead. On the sidelines, the Dutch coach De Haan glanced at the Italian bench on the other side, and looking at Casiraghi who was still sitting on the Diaoyutai, he couldn't help but clench his fists: Boys, you must hold on. The main thing is to enter the halftime break with a lead. In the second half, we can calmly change players and adjust the formation to counterattack and grind this final to the end...

But eight out of ten things in this world are not as we wish. No matter how good your luck is, it cannot accompany you all the way; let alone facing Ricardo Liqi, the Vajra Arhat who has been on defense for twelve days.

Just before the first half of the game entered injury time, Italy won a throw-in on the left side of the field. Li Qi, who looked back at the Dutch team's defense, suddenly had an idea and started to squat deep in the sideline to ask for the ball, signaling Criscito to throw the ball over with force...

On this side is the Dutch right-back Zuverunn playing against Licky, but he is less than 1 meters tall and weighs less than 8 kilograms, so he is rather thin. He is no match for Licky, who is over 70 meters tall and has a muscular body. He is forced to retreat frequently.

But just when Zuvilun was trying his best to hold Li Qi's back to prevent the latter from going any deeper, he suddenly felt the huge force in front of him loosen, and he almost fell forward due to excessive force, but he also staggered slightly.

By the time Zuvilun reacted, he realized that he didn't know when Criscito had thrown the ball out of bounds, and Li Qi turned his head to bypass the ball and turned around to leave himself behind.

But just when Zuvilun turned around to chase back, Li Qi had already stopped the ball near the baseline and slipped into the penalty area.

What Li Qi just observed was that the Dutch defense was lax at the baseline, and there was no one to assist Zuvilun in guarding him. Naturally, he had to take advantage of it.

When Li Qi was about to step into the small penalty area, the outbreak point was triggered, and the situation around him seemed to suddenly stop.

At this time, Li Qi was at the intersection of the baseline and the small penalty area line. The goalkeeper had blocked the near corner, and the Dutch defenders and midfielders also surrounded him, trying to intercept Li Qi's inverted triangle pass as much as possible. It seemed difficult to find an angle to pass to his teammates who were covering.

Even Zuvilun, who was wiped by him, came over to block his chance of getting back on the field to increase the angle for his shot...

However, Li Qi has already discovered an angle and made a decision.

Li Qi just pushed the ball lightly into the field, and before Kruswick could tackle him, he kicked a low shot. The ball rubbed the slippery grass like a sharp arrow, and whizzed through the crotch gap between the water man's legs, which was only wide enough for a ball to pass through, drawing a straight grass line and rushing into the net of the Dutch goal!

2-2! The Italian U21 team equalized the score again before the end of the first half!

@

Watching Li Qi running towards the stands on her side while covering his ears to celebrate, Sarafina, who was jumping and skipping to celebrate the goal with nearby fans and girlfriends, couldn't help but blush with excitement. Even the Italian flag painted on both cheeks could not cover up the girl's shyness.

Although the night was chilly after the rainstorm, beads of sweat still oozed out of Sarafina's forehead. Her body was filled with a mixture of youthful hormones and high-end perfume due to her intense celebration, making her look particularly charming.

Add to that a group of beautiful and charming girlfriends, each with their own merits. If it weren't for the burly bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses arranged in advance by the Sarah family, it would be hard to guarantee that these young ladies would not encounter any accidents in the free land of the Netherlands. After all, it's hard to find a three-legged cat, but there are many two-legged hooligans everywhere...

@

Not long after the Netherlands kicked off, the referee ended the first half without giving too much extra time. Dutch coach De Haan walked into the locker room with a gloomy face and prepared to arrange tactics for the second half.

In contrast to the Dutch team, who were a little breathless and somewhat helpless and angry, and hurriedly walked into the player tunnel with their heads down, Italy walked back to the locker room slowly, talking and laughing with a relaxed and excited look on their faces. After all, they fell behind twice and quickly equalized twice. The balance of momentum and victory has begun to tilt towards Italy...

In the second half, the Netherlands, which was at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength, pressed forward and attacked again. This was obviously De Haan's arrangement in the midfield. Taking advantage of the halftime break to recover some physical strength, he attacked again and tried to score another goal. When he was ahead, he turned back to defend and counterattack.

However, Italy was well prepared. After returning in the second half, they did not rush to attack, but instead strengthened their defense first.

The main reason is that Casiraghi and Li Qi both believed that they had already taken the lead, so they did not need to take risks and instead played steadily, further wearing down the Dutch's spirit, and victory would naturally follow. As long as they did not lose the ball, even if the game could not be decided within 90 minutes, Italy's advantage would be even greater after entering the extra time.

Moreover, Li Qi assured Casiraghi that he was in particularly good shape today, and the barrel, oh no, the cannon barrel was extremely hot, and he would definitely score another goal, so Casiraghi could rest assured.

After sprinting for about 5 minutes, the Netherlands still had nothing to show for it. The only shot they created was a long shot from outside the penalty area. De Haan, who had not achieved any of the expected results, was a little worried: This Italian national youth team is really a cuckold, how patient they are. Should they make substitutions in advance? Rigets and Drenthe were obviously a little tired, and if these two idiots could not rush, it would be a negative effect if they stayed on the field...

While the Dutch team was still struggling over whether to recall the starting lineup whose physical strength had obviously declined, Italy achieved results with an ordinary long pass from the goal kick.

In the 52nd minute of the game, considering that the Dutch midfielders were still adopting a tight defensive position throughout the court, Viviano did not choose a short pass to Chiellini, but chose to make a long pass directly to Pelle on the front line.

Viviano had obviously put a lot of effort into the goal kick, because Li Qi knew that two years ago, Viviano was not sure that he could kick the goal kick so far and ensure that it did not go out of bounds...

Viviano's goal kick went directly over the head of Pelle in the middle of the Dutch half. Donk, who had been fighting with Pelle throughout the game, began to feel overwhelmed. In the battle for position with Pelle, he didn't even have time to jump and head the ball away.

However, Pelle also had to stay in position, so he didn't have time to jump up to compete for the header. So Viviano's goal kick actually hit two people, or more precisely, hit Donk's shoulder, and bounced behind the Dutch team's defense.

When Viviano was about to kick the ball, Li Qi had already moved closer to Pellet's position, preparing to grab the second penalty kick. Of course, he was also prepared to jump and head the ball if it went to his side. However, it was obvious that the goal kick was effective this time, and it was directly blocked by Donk and crashed into the Dutch defensive third zone. Li Qi also cleverly grabbed the ball first.

Seeing that Li Qi had caught the ball 25 yards in front of the goal again, the Dutch defense was nervous as if facing a formidable enemy; Donk didn't care for the time being, and he and Pelle hadn't found where the ball went yet, while the remaining Kruswijk, Zuverun and Peters all surrounded Li Qi's position.

As Li Qi stopped the ball and turned around, he glanced at it from the corner of his eyes and had an idea. Then, Li Qi pretended to kick with his left foot, but suddenly he secretly released the force and sent a behind-the-back ball to the gap between Kruswick and Peters...

Kruswick and Peters were deceived by Li Qi's fake shot and had no time to intercept the pass from behind. Rossi inserted from the outside of Peters like a ghost, successfully countered the offside, stopped the ball in one step and went straight into the penalty area, a single shot!

Facing the attacking Waterman, Rossi did not think of making another attempt, after all, Pelle probably just realized that the ball had entered the penalty area, and Li Qi was surrounded by three opponents. Rossi stopped the ball with his right foot, then took a step with his left foot and shot it with the outside of his foot, not giving the attacking Waterman any chance to move.

The ball whizzed past the feet of the waterman and hit the net in the middle of the Dutch team's goal, taking advantage of the slippery grass...

Shortly after the start of the second half, Italy took the lead to 3-2!

As for the subsequent games, although they cannot be said to be mediocre, they can only be said to be uneventful.

The Netherlands, which was behind, naturally wanted to counterattack quickly, and the old coach De Haan did not hesitate to make two substitutions. However, the two substitutes did provide limited help to the team, and their technical characteristics and level of strength were far from those of the starting players.

But the key point is that the Dutch team's overall speed was slow, and they couldn't get the ball from Italy. And the ball they finally got back was either intercepted by Babel and Bakar, or was intercepted before half the field.

Italy, which was leading, did not attack much. Although leading by one goal was not safe, if they could control the ball, Italy would never take the risk of losing possession by shooting.

In addition, the host team also has to save some face. As long as the Dutch team can no longer create threats, Italy will plan to control the ball and waste the remaining time. Li Qi, who has been in Barcelona for two seasons, is very familiar with this process.

So in the second half, Italy's ball possession ratio was close to 70%. In order to better control the game, Casiraghi did not use Pazzini as a backup, but replaced Rosina and De Sena in succession to strengthen the control and defense of the midfield...

In the end, the Netherlands team used up their last bit of energy but still couldn't break through Italy's defense, and the Italian U21 team got their wish and reversed the game with a score of 3-2 to win the final of the U21 European Youth Championship.

This is also the sixth time that the Italian national youth team has won the European Under-04 Championship, following its fifth title in 1978. They are the country with the most wins since the European Under- Championship was held in !

Unlike his teammates who were celebrating again, Li Qi, who once again won the Golden Boot, the best player in the final and the best player of the tournament, suddenly disappeared mysteriously after the award ceremony! Not only were the media reporters who wanted to interview him unable to find him, but even his family and agent could not contact him.

However, Li Qi's parents and Raiola received a brief notice from Li Qi during the halftime break: "The next day at noon, contact again in the afternoon! Love you Li Qi! Mua!"

(End of Volume 2)

……