Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 650 Brazil, Where Starlight Dimmed

Commentator He Wei excitedly announced the victory: "The match is over, it's over!"

"At the Maracanã Stadium, in the second round of 16 match, the Chinese team defeated the previous semi-finalist Uruguay team 5-3 after 90 minutes of hard-fought battle, becoming the second team to advance to the quarterfinals!"

"This is a historic moment!"

"This is a moment to be proud of. Congratulations to the Chinese team, congratulations to all the players on the Chinese team. They deserved the victory!"

He Wei's shouts of victory were tinged with a strong sense of pride.

That came from the bottom of my heart.

As a veteran commentator for CTV5 and a Chinese football fan himself, he feels very proud that the men's national football team has reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup and achieved such a historic result.

This is even more true for ordinary fans.

When the match ended and the Chinese team secured their place in the quarterfinals, every fan felt a deep sense of pride. The Chinese team had not defeated some weaklings, but rather the previous semifinalist, the 2011 Copa America champions, and the world's sixth-ranked Uruguay team.

Moreover, unlike the South Korean team in 2002 who used shameful tactics, they defeated their opponents through sheer strength.

As the only Asian representative, this is an unprecedented victory for Chinese football.

While feeling proud of the Chinese team, the media and fans are also constantly talking about the most key figures.

Shan Yongzhuo.

Shan Yongzhuo was the only talking point of the competition.

He scored a total of 4 goals in the first and second halves. Zheng Zhi's goal was also related to him. It can be said that he almost single-handedly led the Chinese team to defeat Uruguay and advance to the quarterfinals.

Seeing his goal tally only intensifies that feeling.

The World Cup is currently underway.

Shan Yongzhuo participated in a total of 3 group stage matches and 1 knockout stage match, scoring 12 goals.

His average of three goals per game not only secured him the Golden Boot at this World Cup, making him one of only five players comparable to him, but also puts him just three goals away from Ronaldo and Klose's all-time World Cup goal record of 15.

One World Cup is almost enough to tie the historical record.

This is really quite terrifying.

"A quadruple goal! A quadruple goal against Uruguay!"

"12 goals, maybe in the next match a small bet can tie or even break the record!"

"All of these goals were scored through individual skill; it's absolutely terrifying."

"Shan Damo is the greatest basketball player of all time!"

"Yes, even Pele can't compare, even Gao Qiu can't compare!"

Amidst the discussions among fans and media, the Chinese team was also celebrating their victory.

Shan Yongzhuo and his teammates high-fived and hugged each other. After the game, he felt very relaxed, not just because the Chinese team had won.

After all, this is the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Winning once means advancing to the next round, and we've now reached the quarterfinals.

This is a success, this is an honor.

And external reports began.

With the World Cup in progress, football has become the most talked-about topic on the planet, and the fact that the Chinese team made it to the quarterfinals and eliminated Uruguay immediately became the core topic.

Everywhere you look, there is admiration.

There is anticipation everywhere.

However, what people talked about most was the Chinese team's opponents in the quarterfinals.

China's opponent in the quarterfinals is the host team, Brazil.

This year's Brazilian team, despite playing on home soil, has had a controversial performance.

In their first group stage match, they defeated Croatia, but the penalty that became the turning point of the game was not very convincing.

In their second match, they were held to a draw by Mexico. It wasn't until their third match, a resounding 4-1 victory over Cameroon, that the Brazilian players regained a sliver of confidence.

In the knockout stage, they drew with their opponent in regulation time and were finally eliminated in a penalty shootout.

However, their goal was highly suspected of being a handball.

This Brazilian team actually has a lot of problems.

But the victory masked these problems, which were avoided by the Brazilian media and fans.

Brazil's head coach, Scolari, is a very stubborn coach.

Scolari's coaching career was quite illustrious, leading the Brazilian team to win the World Cup in 2002.

However, his stubbornness made his later coaching career very difficult.

He was sacked after only half a season managing Chelsea.

After just 56 days in charge of Palmeiras, he led the Brazilian powerhouse to relegation, which led to his dismissal by Palmeiras.

The Brazilian media were quite surprised when Scolari returned to lead the Brazilian national team.

However, his eventual Confederations Cup victory masked many problems and allowed him to regain his place in the national team.

However, this Brazilian team is not what it used to be. Compared with the once star-studded five-time champions, they can be described as an ordinary team.

The most serious problem lies with the forward line.

Brazil has always been known for its outstanding attacking power, and it never lacks superstars in the attacking line.

This country values ​​attacking football, and from the moment children are introduced to the sport, their favorite role is striker. They love scoring goals, which naturally makes it easier to cultivate striker players.

In contrast, Italy, which values ​​defense, has never lacked excellent defensive players. Although it has also produced many outstanding forwards, it has even more and better defensive players.

Brazil, on the other hand, has consistently produced outstanding attacking players since the Pelé era.

Pelé, Garrincha, Rivelino, Zico, Socrates, and in the most recent peak period, there were Romario, Bebeto, Rivaldo, Edmundo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká...

In the past, the Brazilian team often had the happy problem of having too many excellent attacking players.

But this problem no longer exists.

In fact, Brazil already showed this problem at the South Africa World Cup four years ago.

The number 9 at the time was Fabiano, who was then jokingly referred to as the weakest number 9 in Brazilian history.

but now……

Fred was wearing the number 9 jersey, and people then realized that Fabiano was actually quite strong.

Fred is not exactly a newcomer to the Brazilian national team. Born in 1983, he is now 31 years old. This is his second World Cup appearance. He has made 32 appearances for the Brazilian national team and scored 16 goals, second only to Neymar.

But this doesn't mean he's strong.

The reason he is able to wear the number 9 jersey is that, in the current Brazilian team, there is no one more available than him in the number 9 striker position.

Diego Costa, who could have been a suitable replacement, reportedly refused to play for Brazil due to Scolari's arrogance and ultimately joined Spain.

Without Diego Costa, Brazil has absolutely no reliable number 9 player.

Of course, Shan Yongzhuo doesn't think so. In the Brazilian number 9 position, even without Diego Costa, there are still people who can be used, such as Firmino, who has had a breakout season. From any perspective, he is much better than Fred.

However, Scolari's stubbornness ultimately kept Firmino out of the game.

Besides Fred, many other players in other positions have also been criticized.

For example, Hulk, Willian, Bernard, Jo...

Surprisingly, this Brazilian team only has Neymar and Oscar as truly outstanding players, along with defensive stalwarts like Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo, Ramirez, and Gustavo.

The attacking players were truly lackluster, far inferior to the star-studded Argentine team next door.

This can be considered a tragedy for Brazil.

(End of this chapter)