long live football

Argentina and England are blood feuds, both politically and in football.

Two keywords can explain everything: "The Falklands War" and "The Hand of God".

The Falklands refers to the Malvinas Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, known as the Falkland Islands. The islands have been occupied by the United Kingdom since 1833. Since modern times, Britain and Afghanistan have conducted many negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falklands. In 1982 After the negotiations broke down, the Argentine government sent troops to the Falklands, and Britain fought against them. The 74-day war finally ended with the British reoccupying the Falklands.

Because of losing the war, the Argentines were full of hatred for Britain, and they soon got a chance for revenge-in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Argentina met England, and the struggle between the two sides was very fierce. It was 6-0 until 0 minutes after the start of the second half, and then Maradona passed half of the England team and poked the ball into the net with his left hand.

The referee on duty did not see the scene where Maradona poked the ball with his hand. He thought it was a header, so he ignored the protests of the English players and judged the goal as valid.

This is the famous "Hand of God."

Maradona's handball goal is undoubtedly very precious, because it helped Argentina finally beat England, the favorite to win the championship, 2:1.

After the game, the comments on this goal were also very polarized. The Argentine called it "the hand of God", saying that this goal was scored by God to help O'Maradona, while the English called it "the hand of God". Ugly and deceitful", thinking that Maradona's handball must have been intentional.

Of course, Maradona refused to admit that he was deliberately handballing at the beginning. It was not until 19, 2005 years after the "Hand of God", that he admitted for the first time in "Night of the Tenth" hosted by himself: " It wasn't the hand of God, it was the hand of Diego, England's goalkeeper Shilton was fighting with me for the football, but I was too short to catch him, so I handed him before he received the pass. The ball went into the goal...".

"Hand of God" is not the end of the football grievances between England and Argentina, but the beginning: in 1998, the Argentine team played a trick to drive England out of the World Cup in France. In the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, England made a comeback, relying on Baker Ham's penalty sent the Argentine team back home.

Now, the sworn enemies will meet again in the World Cup in South Africa.

The fans of both countries have been excited recently, as if they had been beaten with chicken blood.

Although the World Cup has come to an end, and although the tickets for each game have been sold out, there are still many Argentine and England fans flying thousands of miles to South Africa.

Just to breathe the air under the same sky as their enemies, just to see the pained expressions of the enemies up close.

Although British Prime Minister Cameron did not have time to come to South Africa, he talked with Karl on the phone for more than three minutes and talked about the Argentine issue.

Prince William also conveyed warm regards from his grandmother to Carl.

The war between Britain and Afghanistan must be won.

……

There are several copies of the Clarion on the England manager's desk, along with other local Argentine sports papers.

With the help of a Spanish dictionary, Karl finally finished reading the newspapers.

For the game against Argentina, Carl has already done all the preparations on the field, but football is round, and with sufficient tactical preparations alone, he cannot guarantee that England can win against Argentina without a single accident, so the off-field work also needs to be done. Let's do it.

Combining the two on and off the court, the chances of winning in his heart can be increased by a few points.

It is also a unique breakthrough to study the gossip in the Argentine media.

Carl never underestimated the media, because he knew that the paparazzi had a better sense of gossip than the private investigators.

What's more, just like the sports media of various countries basically have internal channels in their country's football, newspapers like "Clarion", which has a wide influence in Argentina, are bound to be inextricably linked with Argentine football.

But now, in the large and small academic or gossip or gossip media reports, Karl has discovered several very interesting rumors.

One is a report in the entertainment section of the "Clarion" on June 6, saying that in the last group match of Argentina in the World Cup in South Africa, Maradona handed over the captain's armband to Messi. The young captain of the national team, because the next day, June 24, is Messi's birthday, so the media from various countries have said that this is the best birthday gift Messi has received this year.

Then Argentina defeated Greece 2:0. After the group stage, the national team went to a famous local restaurant to celebrate Messi’s birthday. Most of the players in the locker room attended, but Argentina’s heavyweight star Carlos “The Beast” Tevez and midfielder Javier Pastore were absent.

Karl learned through a Google search that Pastore's birthday is on June 6, four days earlier than Messi, and Tevez and Pastore are good friends.

On June 6th, Pastore updated a group photo of a birthday party via Twitter. In the photo, there were about five or six Argentine international players. Most of the faces were unfamiliar. There was no Messi, the most famous player in the Argentine national team, and no Di Maria, Higuain, not to mention Maradona.

Less than 10 minutes after Pastore posted the group photo, Tevez reposted the photo and left a message saying: "You are my best friend, I will always remember your birthday."

The implication was that someone had forgotten Pastore's birthday, and he felt dissatisfied about it.

The other is the news about the 5-man roster of Argentina's South African campaign in May from "Ole", which mentioned that Maradona had recruited 23 different players in less than two years as Argentina's head coach. The player has entered the national team, which created a record for the coach of the national football team in the world.

At the end of the article, "Ole" mentioned vaguely: "There is a rumor that there is a 'black gold' transaction in Maradona's national team. Many Argentine players paid him a lot of money. In order to get an international spot, the identity of the Argentine international has plated a layer of gold for these players, and it has also given them more confidence when negotiating with the club to renew their contracts, and they can ask for a better salary. As for Maradona, Then take the opportunity to make money...Of course, because the person who broke the news has always refused to show up, this is probably just a nonsense."

Then the "Nation" broke the news that the Argentine locker room might not be harmonious at the beginning of the World Cup: "Maradona's assistant coach, the confidant Mancuso's popularity in the national team is not very good...' The entire Argentine team demanded that Mancuso's head be cut off' This is the news from another member of the Argentine coaching staff... It is said that the most important reason why Mancuso is hated by the international players in the national team is that he and the legendary The 'black gold' incident has a direct connection..."

Finally, the Argentine LaRed radio station and "Super Football" and other media broke out the scandal the day after Argentina's quarter-final match against Mexico: "In the battle against Mexico, Juan Veron, the core of Argentina's midfield playmaker It’s really incredible that he didn’t start the game and didn’t get a 1-minute substitute to play. Why can’t Veron play? Insiders revealed that he has been blocked by the head coach Maradona.”

"According to insiders, before the opening of the World Cup in South Africa, Veron gathered a group of veteran players in the team and asked Maradona to fire assistant coach Mancuso. At that time, even Maradona's direct descendant Heinze stood up. On the side of Veron, but Maradona turned a deaf ear to it... After the start of the group stage, Mancuso knew about it, so Mancuso advised Maradona not to let Veron start the game... In the match against Mexico The day before, the coaching staff distributed the jerseys in the locker room. As we all know, the jerseys of the main players and the substitute players are of different colors. Mancuso handed Veron a red jersey worn by the substitute players. Veron was very dissatisfied. He even Instead of catching the jersey with your hands, you sat there with your feet up and…”

Both Veron and Tevez are big men in the Argentine locker room. They both became famous in the Boca Juniors team and have a lot of friendship with each other.

Standing behind Veron is the president of the Argentine Football Federation, Grondona.

Messi is the player Maradona loves like a treasure. Today's Argentine team is like the Barcelona team. Messi is the core of the core, and the whole team's tactics are built around him alone.

Carl felt a clear context map slowly unfolding in front of his eyes.

There are files of every Argentine player piled up on the desk, Carl took out one of them, tapped his finger, and said with a smile: "It's you."

……

On the way from England and Argentina to the Cape Town Stadium, the buses of the two teams were escorted by many media cars and fan cars spontaneously.

When they arrived at the stadium, the cheers of the fans were even more powerful.

Judging from the high and low decibels, about half and half of the fans supported Argentina and England respectively.

Although England is popular, Argentina with Maradona and Messi is not bad.

At the pre-match press conference.

Looking at the crowded hall, Carl estimated the number of media present.

Are there two hundred?

Maybe more.

He tapped on the microphone, and after the scene had quieted down, he pulled the microphone closer and read England's starting line-up with a smile.

After reading, Karl signaled that the media could ask questions freely.

This really surprised some reporters who are familiar with him: In the perception of these media, the England coach is really the most cunning figure, and he doesn't like to stand on the cusp of the storm, so he always tries his best to avoid direct confrontation with the media Avoid, now you are generously leaving so much time for the media to ask questions?It's so strange.

Soon a reporter asked Karl what he thought of the Argentine team.

That's a really good question.

Carl replied warmly: "Argentina is the most powerful opponent England has encountered since this World Cup, because they have Messi, Messi is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, Barcelona swept Europe because of him In the field, now that Maradona is building tactics with Messi as the core, I believe that Argentina will also become the Barcelona of the national team."

Almost all the media present were stunned for a second: Is this a compliment to Argentina and Messi?That sounds right...but why does it feel weird?

The "Clarion" reporter raised his hand: "Among the entire Argentine national team, do you fear Messi the most?"

Several English reporters glared at him: the reporter from Argentina's "Clarion" was obviously talking, and he was asking if the England team had a tactic specifically for Messi.

"As for your question, you can actually answer it in a different way: Who would not be afraid of Messi when he confronted him head-on?" Karl nodded, "accidentally" stepped on the reporter's trap, and The tactics of the England team revealed part of it: "Is Messi's strength still questionable? He will be the focus of all teams' defense in the game. I believe that as long as Messi is defended, England has a great chance of winning the game." .”

Some people can't help but have a little contempt for the England coach: such a timid enemy, wow!

Some people also think that the coach of the Three Lions is playing tricks.

More people are thinking: It's not true, they don't understand what Auston wants to do.

……

In the stands of Cape Town Stadium.

Wearing presbyopic glasses, Ferguson watched the live broadcast of the pre-match press conference on a tablet computer, and said while watching: "Karl has also started to play tricks, which is really rare."

Mourinho just chuckled, also holding a tablet in his hand.

"It's really true to say who meets someone. Even if I retire in the future, you won't be lonely anymore. You will have Carl as your companion."

Mourinho raised an eyebrow: "Do you want to see us fight to the death?"

Ferguson also said with a chuckle: "Isn't this very interesting? It's better than me leaving and leaving you alone without finding an opponent."

Mourinho was noncommittal.

……

Tut tut. — Ronaldo

? - Carl

Tut tut tut. — Ronaldo

speak English. - Carl

Messi is the best player in the world?ha! — Ronaldo

You forgot the word "one". - Carl

Also, I say this because of strategic needs. - Carl

Strategic need?snort. — Ronaldo

Wait, your goal isn't what I'm thinking of, is it? — Ronaldo

which? - Carl

You said that on purpose! — Ronaldo

...just now seeing it?Can I despise your IQ? - Carl

you!try!try! — Ronaldo

Actually, I don't quite understand what you want to do, but I know your purpose is definitely not pure. ——Ronaldo Because you are full of bad water, it is impossible to purely praise the enemy. ——Ronaldo Thank you for your... compliment? - Carl

You're welcome. — Ronaldo

In the England locker room, Karl stared at the phone screen with a slightly complicated expression: Is he just stupid for accepting my thank you so frankly, or is his face getting thicker and thicker?

……

"...a one-man team."

When Messi finished warming up and went back to the locker room to change into the official game jersey, he saw half of the national team teammates gathered in the middle of the locker room, as if discussing something.

He stood at the door of the locker room, neither retreating nor advancing.

But some players had already seen him, and half of the Argentine national team immediately dispersed.

Messi, who is delicate and sensitive, immediately sensed something was wrong.

He intuited that everyone was talking about things behind his back, and it was very likely that this matter had something to do with him.

Looking up at his teammates, Messi went to change clothes in front of his closet. After dawdling for a while, he saw other players gathered together in twos and threes, as if he didn't pay attention to his side, so he turned to face the one not far away from him. Higuain secretly asked: "What were they talking about?"

Although Higuain is a Real Madrid player, he and Messi have a good personal relationship. The two often feed each other in national team games.

And he just stayed in the locker room and didn't go out, so Messi thinks Higuain must know something.

Higuain didn't know how to answer.

He wanted to tell Messi the truth, but he knew that if the other party knew the truth, it would probably be uncomfortable for several days.

What if the state of the game is affected by being squeezed out by teammates behind the scenes?

Besides, this matter cannot be resolved once they know about it. Veron's group...even Maradona can't afford it.

So Higuain just replied calmly: "Nothing, they are just discussing the tactics of the game."

Really just that?Messi didn't believe it, but seeing Higuain's calm expression, he felt a burst of laughter coming from outside the locker room at the moment.

Argentine coach Maradona pushed the door open, his eyes lit up when he saw Messi, and in front of the whole team, he hugged Messi without hesitation—he only hugged Messi alone— — Then he laughed heartily and said: "Boys, get ready to play! The England team is a little guilty today, we will take them all at once!"

"Papa papa." The Argentine internationals "responded enthusiastically" and contributed a few sparse applause to the coach's ambition.

……

The referee blew the opening whistle.

"In this game, both Oston and Maradona have formed their strongest lineup."

"In England, Owen, Rooney, Sturridge became the three heads of the attacking side, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick dominated the midfield, Terry, Cahill, Johnson, Ferdinand guarded. At the back, Joe Hart was the last line of defense in front of goal."

"Argentina, Tevez, Higuain and Messi lead the striker, Mascherano leads Di Maria and Rodriguez in the midfield, Demichelis and Bradisso, Heinze, Otamen Dee guards the line and Romero guards the gate."

"The players of the two teams were fighting for the ball near the middle circle. Beckham passed the ball to Gerrard. Gerrard passed Di Maria and sent the ball to the Argentinian penalty area. Rooney ran wildly... oops! Foul! This is A foul move!"

At the front of the restricted area in Argentina, Rooney flew forward face down.

He tried his best to raise his neck when he landed, and he avoided the fate of hitting the ground with his face.

The slow-motion replay shows that when Rooney crossed the Argentine half and was about to reach the penalty area, defender Otamendi stretched his foot from the side and hooked him.

It was this hook that made Rooney fall to the ground and missed a good opportunity to attack.

Otamendi's action was an obvious foul.

So the referee gave him a yellow card and awarded England a free kick.

Beckham stands in front of the penalty spot.

The Argentine penalty area was crowded with people, and half of the main players of the two teams were crowded here.

After the referee blew his whistle, Beckham moved.

Direct shot?

Do not!

The penalty spot is too far from the goal!

Beckham took a free kick on the left, and the football flew to the front point with a strong spin!

Rooney jumped up on the spot, took the lead in the battle with Heinze, flicked the header, and threw the ball towards the goal!

Romero missed the save!

"GOOOAL! 1:0! England took the lead!"

After scoring the goal, Rooney was neither arrogant nor impetuous. He first hugged his teammates nearby, and then ran to the outside of the penalty area, facing Beckham's outstretched palm, and shook his fist heavily.

After 5 minutes, the Argentine team won the ball in the process of fighting for the ball and played a wonderful attack.

After a three-legged pass, Mascherano made a cross from the bottom.

The Argentine midfielders pressed forward collectively, and Messi was the fastest runner among them.

He concentrated on breaking through the England penalty area, scanning the left and right sides from the corner of his eye while running, waiting for his teammates to pass the ball.

England's defense closely watched Messi's movements.

But because he didn't have the ball at his feet, no Three Lions player stepped forward to confront him head-on.

Messi quickly arrived at the position he expected.

But he did not receive a pass from his teammates.

There was an exclamation from the nearest stand.

Messi turned his head and looked back to the right.

On the other side of the penalty area, the ball at Di Maria's feet was just broken by Terry.

The restricted area was full of red, full of England players.

After being stunned for a moment, Messi turned around and ran back to the middle circle angrily.