Dear Gua
Chapter 192 Saint Denis Rain Battle
Legend has it that long, long ago,
a religious man named Saint Denis preached in Paris.
Religious strife was ceaseless.
After being beheaded, he was still able to hold his own head and preach for six miles before finally passing away in the town now known as Saint-Denis.
The bright floodlights high above the stadium attracted thousands upon thousands of moths.
The camera lenses were covered with dense swarms of tiny insects.
The yellow cloth on the corner flag poles became a habitat for the insects.
The stadium maintenance crew was very annoyed, unable to find any way to get rid of these damn bugs.
If this problem couldn't be solved,
the Saint-Denis stadium, only eight years old, would never be able to surpass the 95-year-old Old Trafford, the 58-year-old Bernabéu, or the 79-year-old San Siro.
That's right.
Saint-Denis Stadium also has a very famous name: the Stade de France!
The original venue for the final!
Had become the stage for Spain and Italy!
....
Thousands upon thousands of security personnel were stationed throughout the town of Saint-Denis.
This was a high-incidence area for bombing attacks.
Near the stadium,
the lights shone brightly,
filled with shouts and curses in Spanish and Italian.
Tourists who weren't careful would find their wallets and phones vanishing without a trace.
Dressed in flamboyant attire, the ** enthusiastically rubbed against the arms of passers-by while making professional gestures.
From time to time, groups of people would chase after each other in the streets.
The streetlights above Saint-Denis gave the daggers a cold, glinting edge.
Filthy things accumulated under the sycamore trees lining the streets.
The glittering summer night in the small town held the romance of tens of thousands of people.
....
In the tunnel,
Miniano's mood at this moment was like the dark clouds gathering over Paris.
"Boss, damn it, this formation makes it very likely to rain!"
"Relax, we won't be sticking to passing and possession."
Del Bosque, with a smile on his face, strode into the pre-match press conference.
The silent venue suddenly erupted in exclamations.
Everyone stood up to pay their respects.
Conte hesitated for a moment, then slowly stepped forward to shake hands with the Spanish veteran coach.
The reporters began to ask questions eagerly.
"Mr. Conte, I'm a reporter from *Marca*. Congratulations on being found not guilty! What are your thoughts on the upcoming match?"
Conte suppressed his anger.
He couldn't discuss the past match-fixing scandal as the head coach of the national team.
"Spain has no shortage of excellent distributors in the middle and front lines. Italy's defense is very good."
The understated response left the reporters somewhat disappointed.
Everyone's attention quickly shifted to Del Bosque.
"The match will be very difficult, especially with the rainy weather. The ball cannot roll smoothly on the grass, which is a big problem for Spain. I hope it doesn't rain during the match against Germany."
The reporters sighed at the old coach's humility.
It took them a while to come to their senses...
Germany?
Was Spain so confident that they could eliminate Italy?
...
The tunnel of the Stade de France.
Unlike other places, the ground was covered with Dutch grass.
The walls on both sides were plastered with Coca-Cola advertisements.
Buffon was very melancholy. As the "Italian Serie A Buffett," he had recently led his old friends to lose a lot of money.
De Rossi simply greeted Li Kang.
The Roma veteran wanted to chat about something... but didn't know what to say.
A system notification quietly sounded.
[Ding, task triggered: Kill the person representing "Italian Football Tradition"! ]
[Task Description: Conte is the one who truly killed classical chain defense. He is about to lead a tactical frenzy throughout the European continent!]
[Task Reward: European Tour · Platinum Treasure Chest!]
Li Kang didn't feel much pressure.
During national team matches, he didn't need to use his brain too much.
The Spanish coaching staff and technical team were very professional.
"Li, good luck!"
Buffon re-entered his state of preparation, patting Li Kang on the shoulder.
...
Clap, clap, clap.
Morata lightly high-fived his Juventus teammates in greeting.
"You're starting, kid? Then we're going to fall asleep."
"Damn it, the opponent has sent out the most formidable striker. We can't even judge which foot he prefers! One-on-one defense has become a major problem!"
Chiellini and Bonucci's banter made the atmosphere of the line-up a lot more relaxed.
Morata's face flushed red, and he kept arguing.
Isco quickly tugged at the hem of his shirt.
A moment later,
when the line-up was orderly and neat,
both sides put away their jokes.
The animosity between these two countries was subtle, especially since the grievances of the last century were too complicated.
The relationship between the new generation of players hadn't reached a boiling point yet.
They met in the quarter-finals of the 2008 European Championship.
They reunited in the final of the 2012 European Championship.
They had developed some feelings, more or less.
...
"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers."
"We are now broadcasting the 1/8 knockout round of the 2016 European Championship."
"Spain versus Italy!"
"The champions and runners-up of the previous European Championship meet again in France!"
"Both sides also have another identity, respectively, the 2006 World Cup champion and the 2010 World Cup champion!"
"The gold content of the lineup may not be as high as in the past, but two European powerhouses with deep foundations will definitely bring us the ultimate visual enjoyment!"
"This is a heavyweight showdown that is watched all over the world. In the minds of some fans, the dialogue between the two is a premature European Championship final!"
"Since the first meeting between the two players at the 1920 Olympic Games, several classic duels have been staged over nearly a century!"
"I am Duan Xuan, the commentator for this match."
"I am He Wei!"
...
Stade de France.
The stands, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators, were divided into blue and red.
As if ice and fire were smiling at each other.
The light pillars of the floodlights reflected a drizzle of rain.
The European Championship theme song reached its climax.
The referee team led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.
In an instant,
two waves of sound with extremely similar pronunciations, like rain pouring down from the sky, flooded every corner of the stadium.
[Ding! "B-level Environmental Adaptation" module has been activated.]
[The overall rating of the current match environment is: light rain.]
[This factor will not cause any negative impact on you in the match!]
....
"Now I will introduce the starting lineups of both sides!"
"The Spanish team has rarely lined up in a 4-4-2 formation!"
"Goalkeeper: De Gea!"
"Defenders: Carvajal, Ramos, San José, Juanfran!"
"Double defensive midfielders: Li Kang, Saúl!"
"Central attacking midfielders: Isco, Cazorla!"
"Forwards: Morata, Diego Costa!"
...
Live broadcast room.
The number of viewers skyrocketed.
-[What the hell? Del Bosque really isn't using a single Barcelona player?]
-[It's a targeted arrangement. Maybe he'll use Barcelona players when playing against Germany. You want to play Italy with the "Barcelona gang"... they'll be counter-attacked to death in minutes.]
-[Double ghosts knocking on the door? When did Spain's frontline become so luxurious? Two big center forwards!]
-[Del Bosque will definitely not play "asymmetrical wing attacks" in this match. Carvajal and Juanfran will push up together to increase passing points for Li Mingdeng and suppress Conte's two attacking wingers.]
-[There's no need to analyze matches with Li Mingdeng. Surrounded by a group of top-tier teammates, no one can stop him in this European Championship.]
....
"The Italian team is fielding a 3-5-2!"
"Goalkeeper: Buffon!"
"Defenders: Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini!"
"Midfielders: Florenzi, Parolo, De Rossi, Giaccherini, Candreva!"
"Forwards: Pellè, Éder!"
-[I haven't watched football for many years. I remember De Rossi and Buffon were still young players when I was in school...]
-[I don't recognize any of the other players except for those two. Where's Pirlo? Where's Balotelli? At least bring Cassano along, right?]
-[Why don't you ask about Cannavaro, Materazzi, Gattuso, Grosso, Toni, Totti... The once star-studded Azzurri now only have a group of second-rate players in the middle and front fields!]
-[Don't underestimate this Italian team. Belgium suffered against them too!]
-[Be confident. When has Italy ever relied on forwards and midfielders to score goals?]
....
The players from both sides stood in position.
The match was about to begin.
Miniano worriedly said, "Boss, if this rain gets heavier..."
Del Bosque, with a look of confidence, smiled and said, "Don't catch a cold. Sit down quickly. Have confidence in Li... in our players."
On the other side,
Conte, wearing a black suit, allowed the rain to wet his hair.
Half an hour before the match, after seeing the starting lineup of the Spanish team, he was dumbfounded.
4-4-2? Two big center forwards?
The arrangements made by the Italian team's coaching staff against the opponent's passing and possession system had all turned into bubbles.
Not afraid.
Give him a little more time, and maybe he can think of a solution.
Conte's ability to adapt on the spot was very slow.
But if the Italian team could withstand the offensive, he would definitely be able to break the deadlock.
....
Beep!
With the referee's whistle,
the match officially began!
Spain had possession of the ball.
Diego Costa passed the ball back to Li Kang.
The Italian team launched a frenzied press.
That's right.
They didn't adopt a defensive posture, but wanted to compete for possession in the front field!
Bang.
Li Kang touched the ball with one foot and passed it to Carvajal, who was cutting in on the wing.
Then he rushed towards the Italian team's half.
Carvajal was a little dumbfounded. Facing the aggressive Pellè, he realized that there was no short passing option nearby.
Oh, they're not playing passing and possession now!
Since the news of his joining the Chinese Super League was confirmed, Pellè's wife, Varga's, social media account had been flooded.
...
"Not a surprise at all, the Real Madrid full-back is eating up the Chinese Super League forward!"
"With one acceleration run, he has shaken off Giaccherini's interception again!"
"In the face of absolute strength disparity, all tactics are fleeting!"
"The real test will come after the thirty-meter zone."
Carvajal was about to enter the thirty-meter zone with the ball.
Without choosing to clash head-on with De Rossi and Parolo,
he sent a diagonal pass.
The ball splashed up water and found Isco, who had cut into the opponent's central defense line!
Bonucci quickly rushed up to intercept.
At this time, he hadn't completely gotten rid of the bad habit of acting impulsively.
Parolo also pinched over at this time.
"Next up is Isco's performance!"
"Oh, is he going to pass the ball?"
....
With a snap!
Isco gently flicked his heel.
Li Kang met the ball and made a shooting motion.
Conte roared angrily.
De Rossi and Giaccherini quickly retreated to block.
Chiellini sprinted madly towards the center!
Everyone knew: how terrifying the Spanish number 6's long-range shots were!
...
From a bird's-eye view,
Buffon's positioning was exactly the gap exposed by the Juventus defense.
There was no long shot as expected.
Li Kang's foot shape changed.
The ball drew an arc in mid-air, steadily falling to the right side of the penalty area!
It was precisely the space left by Chiellini!
A pinpoint landing point!
Cazorla splashed up rainwater, and his timing was also extremely clever.
"Exquisite passing, perfect positioning!"
"In the face of great strength... crossing!"
Before the words were finished,
the Stade de France erupted in gasps of surprise.
The Arsenal midfield master swept his right foot in the air!
The ball spun at high speed, rushing towards the small penalty area!
....
Morata and Diego Costa plunged forward, double ghosts knocking on the door.
Barzagli followed closely.
He was old.
No matter how rich his defensive experience was, he hadn't anticipated that Spain would make such a complex aerial passing combination in such a short period of time.
t how could you expect a Juventus veteran to defend against two big center forwards?
Thump!
When he saw that Diego Costa's right foot touched the ball first,
Del Bosque and Miniano breathed a sigh of relief!
....
The ball howled towards the upper right corner of the goal!
Seeing that the Spanish team was about to pry open the Italian team's door,
a stalwart figure appeared in the camera.
Buffon!
He leaned back slightly and pushed with both palms.
It looked as if he had anticipated the opponent's shooting direction long ago, and forcibly blocked the close-range shot out of the penalty area!
The whole place was in an uproar!
"A miraculous save!"
"Too bad, a sure goal!"
"Buffon's brilliant performance, this performance doesn't look like that of a 38-year-old veteran at all"
"The Spanish team is going to reorganize the attack!"
....
Diego Costa didn't have time to feel frustrated.
He immediately turned his head to observe the landing point of the ball. After seeing that his teammates were about to control possession, he continued to stretch the opponent's defense!
Juanfran's judgment of the landing point was very accurate.
He easily squeezed away Florenzi and stopped the ball steadily!
From an overhead perspective,
Spain had almost launched a full-scale attack.
Only San José was left in the backfield.
Even Ramos had lurked into the Italian team's penalty area.
"Too confident!"
"If the Italian team seizes possession at this time and launches a counterattack, the consequences will be disastrous!"
...
There was no opportunity for Italy to counterattack.
The Spanish team's large number of players in the front field opened up the width and depth of the attack.
Conte's three-center-back system had a very small overall range of movement and was flattened.
The strength gap between the matched players was extremely large.
After abandoning the passing and possession system,
it was simply using the fighting power of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid from the Champions League final... to suppress the second-rate mid- and front-fields and the Juventus defense in Serie A.
Li Kang liked this feeling of not having to use his brain very much. If he encountered Conte at Bayer Leverkusen, he might have to spend a lot of time probing, exploring, and deconstructing...
.....
Juanfran ignored Morata's call for the ball.
He dribbled the ball down to near the baseline.
No one interfered.
The Italian team's defensive stars were busy shrinking the distance between the three lines.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Koke, Ramos, Saúl, and Diego Costa to create a gap by drawing away defenders.
"Is he going to curve one in himself?"
"Hey! Why is he passing it back!"
"Beautiful reverse triangle pass, looking for Li Kang!"
"A big lead."
The Atletico Madrid full-back was constantly observing Li Kang's run.
An excellent assist plug-in shouldn't just know how to demand the ball, but also know how to create good attacking space.
....
Li Kang turned and shook off the past-his-prime De Rossi.
From a bird's-eye view,
he had already found the most perfect long-range shooting angle.
The phantom of Ballack's cannon shot lay dormant.
Three-step run-up.
Facing the ball.
The body tilted slightly.
Blue cleats splashed up water.
The impeccable shooting action was like a killing god!
Under the spotlight, thousands of moths scattered like a curtain of rain with the huge sound of the ball being touched.
...
Stade de France.
80,000 fans forgot to breathe.
All eyes were fixed on the Spanish number 6 with his fluttering jersey!
Miniano's legs went weak.
Del Bosque trembled all over.
Conte was dumbfounded.
....
The ball stuck to the grass and turned into a black shadow.
At an incredible speed,
howling,
spinning,
it went straight for the lower left corner of the goal.
The momentum was like a rainbow!
Fierce and fierce!
...
Buffon moved.
He had forgotten when Cannavaro, Nesta, and Maldini had stopped standing in front of him.
His body could no longer keep up with his reactions.
He relied entirely on predicting and directing the defense's positioning to defuse the opponent's attack.
This long shot,
he predicted correctly.
....
The picture seemed to freeze.
The purple gloves were so fragile in the face of the earth-shattering long-range shot.
With the Italian goalkeeper falling to the ground,
the violent shaking of the Italian goalpost was like a wail of lament!
The ball lost its last trace of violence.
It quietly bounced once,
and fell into the goal line.
1:0!!!
Buffon couldn't get up anymore, painfully tucking his palms in front of his chest.
Li Kang, supporting his body with his right foot, staggered a few steps before falling heavily on the grass, covering his crotch.
99 points of leg power.
The load was too great.
The referee immediately signaled for the team doctors to enter the field!
Del Bosque couldn't bother to celebrate, running to the sideline in the Italian half with his big belly.
Conte covered his forehead and quickly had Sirigu warm up on the bench.
That's right.
Paris Saint-Germain's main goalkeeper, Sirigu!
t matter how patchy Italy's talent pool was, they would never lack top goalkeepers.
VIP box.
King Felipe VI gasped.
He quickly covered the eyes of his two little princesses with his hands.
....
Ctv5 live broadcast room.
Duan Xuan and He Wei were stunned.
"An epic... contest..."
"Violent aesthetics and ultimate saves..."
The comment section exploded.
-[Li Mingdeng is awesome! Buffon is awesome!]
-[What to do? The core main players of both teams are injured. Little Li hasn't gotten married, doesn't have any children, doesn't even have a girlfriend yet!]
-[Won't it be like that Scott Dann from the Premier League... tearing his balls after a long-range shot?]
-[Tearing it and sewing a few stitches will be fine, what's the panic.]
-[Don't worry, Li Mingdeng just has some pain in the area near his balls, a normal phenomenon of overexertion.]
-[As for Buffon... a genius goalkeeper who was able to push away Batistuta's cannon shots with both palms since he was a child, he has a wealth of experience.]
-[The speed of the shooting training machine has long surpassed the limits of the human body.]
-[Strictly speaking, Buffon could be Li Mingdeng's father!]
-[Del Bosque has found a way out, arranging different tactics for each match around Li Kang! This Spanish team is really fierce.]
....
A moment later,
the team doctors quickly left the field.
Li Kang and Buffon stood up again.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier.