knife guard

Chapter 442 Huo Cun Miraculously Defensive Counterattack (1)

Another draw for Hoffenheim in the UEFA Cup as they drew [-]-[-] with Benfica in Portugal was positive for Hoffenheim as they scored a valuable away goal , which gave them a head start on the road to promotion.

These few draws cannot be said to be meaningless. Hildebrand and Simunić, who joined during the winter break, have gradually adapted to the team, and their playing time in games has also gradually increased.In the away game against Bielefeld, Simunić and Hildebrand started for Hoffenheim for the first time. Worry-free, the striker was on a killing spree, and the 4-0 away game completed the Bielefeld massacre, which improved the morale of the team before the life-and-death battle between the UEFA Cup and Benfica.

The German team failed to return in the Champions League, but they showed strong competitiveness in the UEFA Cup. After the first round of the UEFA Cup 3th final, the Bundesliga team won two wins and three draws, and defeated Zurich 1:3 in the away game. Hamburg and Bremen, which beat Braga 0:0 at home, have entered the final with one foot. The most dangerous Leverkusen also drew 0:[-] away with Galatasaray in Turkey.The only surprise is that Bayern did not win Aberdeen in the away game, and they fell behind twice.After the game, Bayern fans also ridiculed Bayern that "the weak are not strong, and the strong are weaker".

The Benfica team that Hoffenheim encountered was star-studded. The head coach Camacho used to be the coach of Spain. At his peak, Rui Costa was not a blue-collar worker who relied on running and hard work. He was an artist on the court, an elegant poet, and was good at completing a deadly pass while strolling in the garden, so age is not enough for him. It is not the most fatal weakness.The main striker Gomez is a handsome guy who is famous all over the world. In the 02 World Cup and the 04 European Cup, he made female fans all over the world go crazy.

Benfica are not all outdated stars, they also have young people with great potential. Di Maria, who just spent 800 million to buy from Argentina, is known as the second Messi. His breakthrough on the wing is very sharp. Benfica deadly weapon.

Originally, Benfica also had a rookie from China, Yu Dabao, but during the winter break, Yu Dabao was loaned to Portugal B by Benfica.Let the Chinese media and the Portuguese media feel sorry for not being able to see the Chinese Derby staged in the UEFA Cup.

In the first round, Hoffenheim was the first team to encounter a ball-holding style of play. Benfica's running was not fast, and the fighting was not fierce, but every player's skills were very delicate, and they always used the ball constantly. To mobilize Hoffenheim, Hoffenheim's players are running all over the field but they can't get the ball.Because it is Benfica's home court, the referee's law enforcement standards are a bit too strict, and Hoffenheim's game is relatively open, so it gave Benfica a lot of offensive opportunities. With the ball, Hoffenheim has absolutely no chance to get a draw back.

As a newly promoted team, Hoffenheim can't compare with the old strong teams in terms of experience and bench thickness. If it weren't for an away goal in the away game, Rangnick would have almost given up in the second game, but now the team is in a favorable situation for promotion, Rangnick plans to work hard, and it just happened to pass the UEFA Cup and the German Cup To run-in the lineup Simunić, Hildebrand, and Wellington need to run-in with the team and adapt to Hoffenheim's offensive style of play. Players like Jankel, Coppado, Nelson, and Weiss are Matches are needed to maintain the state. Although these players are still substitutes in Hoffenheim, they are not bad in strength, but they lack the running-in with the main players.

Benfica is different from Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim is half-hearted, but Benfica is determined to advance to the top 16. Before coming to Mannheim, Benfica's head coach Camacho said that Hoffenheim has been amazing this season , They were talked about by the fans in Portugal, because the last game was tied 16-[-]. Now Benfica has more difficulties in advancing, but they will definitely be able to overcome difficulties and reach the top [-].

The famous star Rui Costa said in an interview with reporters: "Hoffenheim's style of play is very passionate and very fast, but Benfica's offensive football is different from Hoffenheim. I prefer to control the ball at my feet and create opportunities through more possession of the ball. This is also a common feature of Iberian Peninsula football. Hoffenheim has more visual impact, but we have more artistic beauty. "

However, Hoffenheim players had no players to speak out before the game. After the start of the second half, Hoffenheim's three-line record was three wins and three draws, which was much worse than last season. Rangnick knew that this was It was a very critical time, so the players were strictly controlled from being interviewed by the media.Especially core players like Li Huan must obtain the club's consent before reporters can interview them.

Hoffenheim's starting lineup for this game has been adjusted a lot compared to the previous league game. Goalkeepers Hildebrand and Simunić continued to start, and midfielders Weiss, Salihovic and Eduardo led the way. Wellington and Coppado walked on both sides of the forward line, Ibisevic was at the center position, and the back line was basically unchanged except for Simunić. For a team, the defender The adjustment of the line must be cautious, and rashly making major changes is likely to cause the collapse of the team.

Benfica's lineup is basically the same as the last UEFA Cup, still a 442 formation, goalkeeper Quim; four defenders Luis Felipe, Miguel Victor, Ed Carlos, Leo; four midfielders Capranis, Rui Costa, Maxi Pereira, Rodriguez; Di Maria, Nuno Gomez, Benfica are unbeaten in the last nine games, Camacho vs. This lineup is very trustworthy.

After the start of the game, Hoffenheim, which had undergone a major change, still attacked with all its strength, using active running and fierce scrambling to contain the opponent's pass. shoot.

Benfica still controlled the ball unhurriedly, and were not in a hurry to attack. It was constant crosses, back passes, and direct passes. Hoffenheim’s fast and fierce pressing was famous in the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim couldn't even get the ball out, so they could only start from the back line, but Benfica was still able to toss the ball upside down under the pressure of Hoffenheim. If you are in a hurry, you will use your big foot, and you will not give Hoffenheim a chance to counterattack on the spot. The Portuguese's small-scale pass and cut skills have been practiced since childhood, and there are not many opportunities to be forced to use your big foot.

Hoffenheim has a lot of substitute players, so they don't seem to have a tacit understanding in collective pressing. Often one player goes to press, but the other player stands still, and the pressing is meaningless. It can only be played by Benfica players. It's a monkey.

The pressing was ineffective, too many unnecessary runs, and the cooperation was not tacit enough. After more than ten minutes of the game, Hoffenheim's full defense could not be maintained, and was forced by the Benfica players to retreat step by step. Three 10 After [-] minutes, the entry turned into being pressed by Benfica players within the half-court.Portugal's forwards are notorious for their poor scoring ability, and Hoffenheim's defense is very active. Even though they have a clear advantage, Rui Costa, Di Maria and Pereira created a lot of opportunities but None of them got hold of it.

Seeing this situation, Duan Xuan couldn't help but said: "Benfica is like a Tai Chi master, using softness to overcome strength, leaving Hoffenheim's players with nowhere to use their strength. It is the first time for Hoffenheim to be pressed by the opponent in half-court. .”

Tao Wei said: "The opponent's skills are better, and the cooperation is better than that of Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim can't get the ball and can only play a defensive counterattack at the front of their own penalty area. But they are forced, not out of intention. Hoffenheim has always been difficult to gain the upper hand against technical teams, technical teams restrain power teams."

Hoffenheim fans rarely see such a situation. Even in an away game against Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim can also attack and defend with their opponents. Seeing the opponent pass the ball back and forth in their own half, almost everyone Hoffenheim fans feel a little nervous, they can't adapt to this situation like Italian fans.

However, an unexpected scene soon happened. Benfica passed back and forth in Hoffenheim's half. The ball was aimed at the peak, and Gomez's appearance was just right. One pass and one run made Hoffenheim's four defenders and one midfielder all become decorations.

Gomez twitched his thigh and volleyed the ball towards the goal before the ball landed.

If the goal is scored, it will be a world wave and definitely has a chance to become the best goal in the UEFA Cup this season, but Hildebrand, who started for the second time, made a miraculous save. Hit, the ball was touched and deflected, hit the goal post and bounced towards the sideline.

The audience exclaimed the voice of God, Hildebrand's save made the Hoffenheim fans shout lucky, but Gomez covered his face with his hands and knelt in the penalty area.

However, the game was still going on tensely. The ball just bounced to the area where Li Huan was. Li Huan's reaction was not usually fast. He was the first to react and got the ball as quickly as possible.

Di Maria saw that Li Huan had controlled the ball and ran over to press for it, but it was too late at this time. When Li Huan got the ball, Ibisevic understood and started to run. Passed behind the Benfica defender.

(End of this chapter)