i am beckham

Chapter 352 Golden Ball
The moment Kluivert was sent off with a red card, Beckham felt that the look in the eyes of the Dutch players suddenly dimmed.

This means that in the next nearly 20 minutes, the Dutch players will have to stick to it, have been through extra time, and then have a penalty shootout with the England team.

This is a tactic that almost all teams will choose. Only by surviving the 20 minutes when the number is at a disadvantage can they re-talk with the England team on an "equal" basis.

After two trials, Beckham felt that the previous style of playing through with the ball was too simple.

The 10 players of the Dutch team were all in their own half. Except for Overmars who stood near the midfield and waited for an opportunity to counterattack, everyone else was in the 35-meter area in front of the goal.

Their purpose is very clear, which is to survive overtime and seek a turnaround from the penalty shootout.

Therefore, all the actions of the Dutch players when they take the ball are to delay time. They only invest 2 to 3 players in each attack. If the situation is critical, they simply kick the ball to the frontcourt.

The Dutch team has too many defensive players, even if Shearer gets the ball, there is no room for a kick to shoot.

Beckham felt that the more it came to this kind of time, the less he could do it recklessly. After all, the Dutch team only lost one player, and it was really hard to play desperately defending.

So he kept moving to both sides after taking the ball. For the England team, the most important thing is to let the football move quickly and let the Dutch move.

Instead of kicking the ball into the crowd when the opponent is waiting for it, this kind of play is obviously not smart.

The Dutch formation moved back and forth following England's passes, and whenever the Dutch defense failed to catch up once, the ball was passed into space.

Several England frontcourt players would pass the ball to Beckham immediately if they had no chance to shoot.

While England don't have the ability to move the ball quickly as a whole, and Beckham doesn't have the ability to kill a bloody path, his ability to move the ball into the open space of the Dutch formation every time he gets the ball is crucial.

"David is only 23 years old, but he behaves like a seasoned veteran. The England team naturally uses him as the core to besiege the opponent. His mid-range and long-range transfer accuracy is terrifying!"

"Yes, the goal now is to keep the Dutch players doing short sprints and not give them a chance to breathe. England are pretty good at that. We still have time."

During the rational and firm comments of the two, the referee signaled the game to be suspended, and the heavy gunner Jonker cramped.

England players and Dutch players surrounded him at the same time. Beckham was observing whether this guy was pretending, and Shearer reminded the referee to pay attention to the time.

After 1 minute, Jonker barely resumed the game.

The England team continued to transfer. Seeing that the first half of extra time was coming to an end, Beckham lifted his foot from outside the penalty area and hit the goal, and the ball was pushed out of the crossbar by Van der Sar.

"The Dutch goalkeeper is in great form. Without him, the England team could have scored 90 goals in 5 minutes of regular time!"

Every time Martin Taylor saw Van der Sar, his teeth itch with hatred, wishing he could spit in the other's face.

Beckham was also very helpless, he was not very impressed with the Dutch goalkeeper. Old John just said that he was an excellent goalkeeper, but he did not expect him to be so good.

With Van der Sar's performance today, it is not a problem at all to help a relegation team reduce 30 goals conceded in one season in the Premier League.

His coverage and save consistency are headaches.

The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half of extra time without giving England a corner kick. The two teams did not take a break and directly switched venues to enter the second half.

Not long after the game started, Jonker had another cramp, this time in the other leg.

In other words, this guy got his legs cramped after a fight.

Seeing the pain of the Dutch heavy gunner, Beckham could only feel sorry for him for a second, and then prepared to carry this guy out with Husky.

Even if he died, he had to die outside the court, otherwise it would waste more time.

Before he started, he was stopped by Robert Lee: "You don't need to do this kind of rough work, I can do it!"

Beckham smiled and nodded to the joking Robert Lee. He thought this guy was very sensible. No wonder Hoddle would rather let him come than Bart, and Keegan would rather let him play than Ginger Head.

First, he has a very accurate positioning of himself. When he first appeared on the field, he looked like he was waiting to be dispatched, rather than being a person who rewrites the fate of England.

This person is definitely not his turn.

Second, he is very sensible and knows exactly what he should do.

Seeing Husky and Robert Lee disregarding the protests of the Dutch players, forcibly lifted Jonker to the sideline and threw it on the lawn. Beckham felt that these two guys were a bit too much. Jonker rolled half a circle before stopping.

It's really not kind.

At that moment just now, the Dutch players only protested not to stop it, and Beckham felt that they were trying to save energy.

I don't know if the referee wants to see the golden ball or what is going on. He is particularly disgusted that the injury of the player affects the time. Once someone is injured, he will strictly ask the injured player to find a way to get out of the court.

This just saved time for the England team, and they continued to besiege the Dutch team.

In the 107th minute of the game, Husky jumped high after receiving a pass from Anderton. Edwin van der Sar hit the ball over his head and knocked it out of the penalty area. Robert Lee volleyed the ball in the air.

Frank De Boer blocked the shot with his face, the football flew high, and the players from both sides fought in the penalty area.

The Dutch team asked for a substitution. They were going to use Van Bronckhorst to replace Jonker with cramped legs. Frank De Boer suddenly had a nosebleed.

With the help of the Dutch team's substitutions, the England team also used the last substitution quota. They replaced Le Saux with McManaman.

The 26-year-old Liverpool winger was the biggest victim of Hoddle's transformation. He was the core of the England team in the 1996 European Cup.

The England team changed to play three central defenders. The requirement for wide players is to be able to attack and defend well, and have plenty of physical fitness. McManaman's characteristics do not belong to this system. In addition, his state has declined significantly in the past two seasons, so he faded out of the main lineup.

The reason why he dares to release him now is because the Dutch team has almost lost its offensive ability, and the characteristics of the former England core can be used just right.

"Finally seeing Steve and David on the court together again, hopefully it ends in overtime."

Seeing McManaman taking the instructions of the coaching staff and communicating with Beckham seriously like bowing to the pier, Lineker can only feel that the time is like water, and the weather is full.

The game continued, and McManaman scared the Dutchman into a cold sweat as soon as he came on the field.

He took Reziger to the middle of the penalty area and passed the ball to Beckham on the right as soon as he received the ball.

The latter made a cross immediately without stopping the ball, and Batty's header hit the crossbar, blinding Hiddink on the sidelines instantly pale.

All the fans stood up at this time, and the game was played for this sake, and most of them couldn't sit still.

Except for a few people who bear his title and sit still because of their reputation, everyone else counts as one, and they all focus on the competition.

At this point in the game, everyone has a hunch that the second golden goal of this World Cup may happen at any time.

The Dutch players, who played one less player, used up all the substitutions. They were equalized by the England team at the end of the regular game, and their morale was low.

The game entered overtime and they were sent off again. Now that the Dutch team's physical condition has been exhausted, it is obvious that they are faltering on the court, with more and more defensive holes and more and more powerless.

"I feel that we are getting closer to victory, maybe in the next moment!"

In Martin Taylor's impassioned commentary, McManaman used his speed to eat the right back Reziger of the Dutch team, and completed the pass from a small angle.

The Dutch team once again walked around the life and death line.

Beckham glanced at the exhausted Dutch players. He felt that the opponent was hanging on his breath, and he almost wrote the word "pain" on his face.

Bergkamp seized the opportunity to press his hands on his thighs and panted continuously. From his face, the arrogance of the past could not be seen at all, only the anxiety and heaviness on the way to escape.

The England team quickly issued a throw-in, and Bergkamp gritted his teeth and straightened up, running towards the player with the ball.

The football quickly shifted to McManaman's feet. He kept pedaling his bicycle in front of Reziger, and now it was all about reaction.

McManaman is very experienced. He knows how to irritate the defenders. Once he is angry, he will use steals to prove himself.

But Rezig stood still no matter what his opponent made, and he would never lose his position unless the opponent used his speed to overwhelm him.

Seeing this, McManaman pulled the ball back and was about to cross. Reziger subconsciously approached, and the Liverpool left winger immediately stabbed the football through his crotch.

Rezig turned immediately and crossed his arms, blocking McNammaman's path.

Just when he was gritting his teeth and preparing for a life-and-death fight, McManaman pulled the football back again, and his fake action tricked the opponent into turning around in a circle.

McManaman shook Reziger away, took a small step forward and immediately crossed.

Unexpectedly, the Dutch right back flew to block the cross from the bottom line.

"What a pity! The Dutch players are working too hard! Wait, many players from the two teams surrounded the referee. I don't know what happened just now."

The broadcast camera first gave a long view of the stadium, and the English players and the Dutch players rushed to the referee at the same time.

In the picture, Hiller's eyes are rounded, and he looks like he was rear-ended on the road and wants the other party to pay for the repair of the luxury car.

Beside him, Beckham also "makes up the knife" from time to time, and he also has a desperate expression on his face.

Frank De Boer kept waving his hands and kept saying something.

"Oh my god, what happened? Can the broadcaster give me a signal, it's so unprofessional!"

Seeing that the game has lasted to 110 minutes, there must be something wrong in this scene. Either solve the problem, or hurry up the game. What's the matter with surrounding the referee?

Just as Martin Taylor scolded the live broadcast team for their ability to work, the slow motion finally came out.

At the moment of McManaman's cross, Reziger flew to block it, and finally blocked the cross from the bottom line with his hands.

"Penalty kick! This is undoubtedly a penalty kick! The Dutch are still quibbling! I seriously doubt that they have a lack of morality!"

Martin Taylor fully represented the aspirations of the English people. Seeing that the referee was still confirming with the linesman whether it was a handball, the fans present all booed. This penalty should not be too obvious.

The referee then pointed to the penalty spot, which was a penalty.

Shearer signaled to the referee to play the card, what does it mean that the handball in the penalty area does not even play the card.

The referee was also in a hurry at this time. He saw Shearer's gesture and then showed Reziger a yellow card.

As soon as he played the card, Beckham wanted him to say and gesture again: "Two yellow cards! Red card!"

The referee took a look at the record on the yellow card, and he did get a yellow card, so he showed the yellow card to signal Reziger to leave the field.

Beckham patted Shearer with his hands on his thighs and said, "Don't think too much about it, just kick it like you usually do now."

The live broadcast captured this scene, and Martin Taylor said excitedly: "If Alan Shearer can score this penalty, then he will rank No.6 in the World Cup scorer list with 1 goals. Since 1974, the top scorer of all previous World Cups has scored 6 goals. This means that Alan is very likely to be the top scorer of this World Cup. This is a good sign!"

Just when Martin Taylor's mouth was like a machine gun describing the situation on the field, the broadcast camera that was continuously switching around switched back to the Dutch team's penalty area, and Beckham took the penalty kick.

Shearer, who was beside him, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't think too much, just play how you usually play now."

Beckham's face twitched slightly, unable to squeeze a smile at all.

Can you not think too much about this?

This guy can stand and talk without pain in his back. If he can play as he usually does, can this still be called the World Cup?
When he gave Shearer a penalty just now, England's shooting machine showed a wry smile: "My legs are on the horse! David, come on."

This is outrageous, just now when he was arguing in front of the referee, he walked like flying, and he collapsed so quickly, this guy is inflated!
Beckham wanted to check Shearer to see if there was a leak, but then interrupted his thoughts.

Now is not the time to talk about these idlers, since it is decided to be me, then bite the bullet.

Beckham is the second penalty shooter of the England team. Since Shearer does not raise it, he must stand up.

It's just that it happened so suddenly that there was no time to prepare for it.

Beckham walked slowly towards the penalty spot. He felt extremely uncomfortable psychologically. This feeling of nervousness and excitement at times, tension mixed with excitement was consuming his energy.

Beckham walked to the penalty spot amid the cheers of the fans, then put the football on the penalty spot, and then slowly backed away.

He felt his heart beating so strongly and so fast!
No, don't be nervous, take a deep breath
Beckham took a deep breath, he really hoped that this moment could last longer, but he was a little afraid to face this moment.

But he immediately dismissed the idea. If he thought so, he would subconsciously feel unprepared when the whistle sounded.

In that case, you will not dare to speed up and run, and the start will be slower than usual, which will definitely affect the run-up.

At this moment of life and death, once the peacetime rhythm is not in line, problems are likely to occur.

Beckham tried hard to hint, trying to change his mentality into a state of can't wait to kick a penalty.

"David is England's most reliable penalty-taker apart from Allan, coming off the bench in the Euro semi-final two years ago and scoring the penalty against Germany.

Although the England team eventually lost to the Germans on penalties, David is the most reliable penalty shooter for the England team!

He's waiting for the whistle and he looks positive! "

While Beckham was waiting for the whistle, the stadium, which can accommodate 5000 people, suddenly fell silent.

"Whistle blows! David runs! Shot!"

Without hesitation, Beckham kicked the ball towards the top left corner of the goal, and in his peripheral vision Van der Sar judged the right direction.

But he didn't hesitate and the Dutch keeper was in the middle of the goal before he took the penalty.

As long as there is no problem on his side, he can't jump even if he is 20 centimeters taller. This is a theoretical dead end, and his shooting speed is no problem!
Beckham didn't panic, he kicked towards the upper left corner of the goal.

In his sight, Van der Sar's hand can cover the football line at first, but as his body rises to a certain height, the speed of his arm's upward movement slows down significantly.

The football hangs straight to the upper left corner of the goal!The referee pointed his finger at the middle circle, and then blew his whistle!
"The goal! David scored the game-winning penalty for England! England beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the quarter-finals and advanced to the semi-finals!"

In the broadcast screen, Beckham's eyes suddenly lit up after the goal, and the smile returned to his face.

Beckham ran towards the sideline. After dashing tens of meters, he suddenly jumped high, turned 180 degrees and swung his hands on his chest back vigorously.

This presidential celebration was done perfectly.

"Hey, it's amazing that David can still jump so high at this time. He can still run so powerfully after playing for nearly 120 minutes. It is definitely not luck that he can achieve today's results. I'm sure that no matter what country he is from, he will be an indispensable core player for the national team."

Lineker was also moved. He didn't hesitate to praise Beckham. Now he can't wait to blow the heartthrob to the moon.

All members of the England team rushed into the coaching staff, everyone hugged each other and jumped around.

Neil Bright hugged Beckham in a gentlemanly manner, then patted Beckham and said, "I said before extra time that we will be the final winners."

Beckham politely perfunctory the other party, this guy is a standard standing and talking without back pain.

At this time, the scene turned to the court, and the Dutch players were all crying. They were "died suddenly" by the English a few minutes before the penalty shootout.

The way of being eliminated through the golden ball is the cruelest way to decide the victory. The trauma caused by such a loss is more intense, and it will even bring an indelible shadow to people.

In view of the cruelty of the "Golden Ball Death Law", FIFA later canceled this sudden death decision.

Twenty years later, Bergkamp, ​​who has retired, recalls that day as if it was yesterday: "It was like yesterday. We led twice and England equalized twice. They caught our pass error in the first half and scored a wonderful free kick before the end of the game.

We were sent off in overtime and the game suddenly became difficult.England got a second-half extra-time penalty and I can still remember the way David scored it, the height of his celebration adding to our desperation.

I'll be ringing that game a lot, if we get the details right, maybe.
Hehe, sorry, that was the closest I got to the World Cup."

During the interview, Bergkamp suddenly lowered his head: "There are always some regrets that people can't let go of. This is life."

(End of this chapter)