i am quaresma

Chapter 356 Group Qualification and Knockout Opponents
In the end Scolari still did not replace the high center forward.

First of all, Portugal has a perfect lineup now. If Gomez is replaced, who will be taken down?
Secondly, Portugal is not the one behind. Even if they lead by two goals, even if they don't score any more goals, it will not affect the overall situation!

Therefore, Scolari let the players play on the court, he just needs to control the overall situation on the sidelines

No matter how you look at it, Iran doesn't look like it can cause trouble for Portugal!

Throughout the first half, Iran’s most threatening attack was created through a set kick. A corner kick was taken. The flag player of Iranian football, Ali Daei, actually overwhelmed Carvalho and grabbed this point, but only interfered with the header. The top is too upright, and it was easily won by the Portuguese national goalkeeper Ricardo.

At the end of the first half, Deco made a long-range shot and blasted the Iranian goal, rewriting the score to 3:0.

At this point, the overall situation is set!

When they walked off the field during the intermission, the Portuguese players walked together in twos and threes, very relaxed and excited. As long as they played for 45 minutes, Portugal would break out of the group stage!
You know, in the three previous World Cups, Portugal has only had the experience of qualifying for the group stage once.

That was 40 years ago in the 66 World Cup, when Portugal broke into the semi-finals and finally won the third place. At that time, Portugal's passing star Eusebio came to the scene to watch the game today to cheer for Portugal.

And this time, it was the second time that Portugal broke through the group stage and successfully qualified.

This is simply a feast for the whole of Portugal!
Moreover, they have enough reasons to believe that Portugal can go further, not just satisfied with qualifying for the group.

With the current outstanding performance of Portugal, there is no need to care about who the opponent in the knockout round of 16 is.

Even before the start of the World Cup, everyone thought it would be difficult for Portugal to play against the Netherlands or Argentina, but now the situation has completely reversed. Neither the Netherlands nor Argentina would be willing to meet such a Portugal!
Now, it's up to the opponents to find ways to avoid Portugal!

At this time, in the locker room, Pauletta was apologizing to Quaresma with embarrassment, because he only now knew that his goal was actually snatched from Quaresma's head!
This is a little embarrassing!
For a striker who is devoted to scoring goals until his death, it may be more difficult to rob his goals than to rob his daughter-in-law.
Fortunately, Quaresma is not that kind of person, so he didn't fight Pauleta desperately, otherwise it was destined to be another bloodbath!
Pauleta is still very embarrassed and is thinking about how to return Quaresma's goal, but if Quaresma knows what he thinks, I'm afraid he will be dumbfounded again!
If you have that ability, you should first think about how you score goals. Do you need to worry about my goals?
Me, the Premier League silver boots, the Champions League golden boots, and the World Cup golden boots soon, why don't you worry about scoring goals?

Am I getting a little bloated?
Perhaps it was because the game was so easy that even Scolari was abnormal!
If it is facing an opponent that must be desperate, then Scolari will definitely have a passionate speech, allowing the players to fight until the last second on the court.

But now Scolari actually let the players take it easy, it doesn't matter if they score or not, as long as they don't get injured!
Even Scolari wanted to shuffle the players who got yellow cards in the last game in this game!
According to the World Cup suspension rules, yellow cards will accumulate until the semi-finals, two yellow cards will be suspended for one game, and will be automatically canceled in the semi-finals!

Anyway, qualifying is in sight, shuffling the yellow card players and suspending the next game will not affect Portugal's exit. When playing in the knockout rounds, you don't have to worry about being affected by the yellow card and appearing in the next game!
In many cases, this kind of shuffling behavior is actually despicable, but in front of the team's results, who cares whether others chew their tongues or not!
If Quaresma stood in Scolari's position, he would have done it long ago!

Talking and laughing with his teammates and walking out of the player tunnel, Quaresma was still thinking about shuffling the cards, but suddenly he seemed to be struck by lightning, and he froze on the spot!
Nima!

I just said that I always felt uncomfortable, and it turned out to be because of this!

Quaresma remembered!

In his previous life, there was a World Cup game that impressed him deeply. During the game, yellow cards and red cards were flying all over the sky, which directly broke the historical record of red and yellow cards in a single game, and was recorded in history in a different way!

If I remember correctly, this game is Portugal's round of 16 knockout match with the Netherlands in this World Cup!

That game couldn't be viewed from the perspective of a football game. It was clearly a collection of the plot of Vice City. If you could bring a gun to the field, I'm afraid there would be no one standing on the field at the end of the game!
How could he forget about this game?

Not to mention shuffling the cards, there will be quite a few people who will be sent off with a red card by then!

The two technical teams played a tragic game that even the physical teams could not play, which shocked the whole world!
How to do?
Quaresma is shaking a bit!
Part of the reason why Portugal failed to advance in the semi-finals in the previous life was its strength, and another part of the reason must be because it suffered a serious injury in the game against the Netherlands, which affected its subsequent state, and then it had a big battle with England. It is unknown how much combat power can be left when facing France!
If this life is still the same as the previous life, Quaresma feels that he may be sent off directly by a red card!
You know, he has never been a good baby!

If his teammates are viciously violated by the Netherlands, can Quaresma stand by and remain indifferent?

Definitely rushing forward to fight injustice for teammates!
Then, things got worse and worse, and in the end they even fought each other. Needless to say, they would be expelled from the field with a red card!
It's inevitable when you think about it!

This is how to do?
Is it an early warning that he and his teammates have been swallowing their anger and being indifferent to the rough-playing Netherlands?
Who has no temper!
If you can bear it once, if you can bear it twice, you will go on a horse for the third time!

Quaresma was in a daze for a while, because he really didn't know how to solve this problem. After all, the Dutch way of playing is beyond his control!
Don't talk about a problem that can't be slapped, now Quaresma just wants to let the team pass the Dutch level without too much loss!

If I remember correctly, the Netherlands seems to have qualified as second in the group because of the goal difference in the end, so they will encounter Portugal, which is the first in the group.

Otherwise, Portugal will take the next best thing and qualify as second in the group to win Argentina?

Seems like a nice idea!

Although the outside world is generally optimistic about Argentina, and even Argentina's enthusiasm for winning the championship is higher than that of Portugal, in Quaresma's view, Argentina and the Netherlands are actually teams of the same level, and no one is better than the other!
At this time, Argentina really does not have the strength to win the championship. The core Riquelme is naturally flawed. The little flea Messi is far from reaching his peak state, and the strength of the lineup is not even as good as Portugal!

Touching Argentina, Quaresma felt that maybe Portugal's defense would be tested, but the offensive end would definitely beat Argentina out!

However, although this idea is good, Quaresma has no way to tell Scolari!

If Quaresma went directly to Scolari and said that he wanted to touch Argentina in the knockout round of 16, Scolari would definitely take off his shoes and slam Quaresma with his soles!

What do you want to do?

Steal my job?
Not to mention whether Argentina is strong or not, this is something you as a player have to consider?
Scolari just said in front of the media that Portugal did not want to touch Argentina in the knockout round. As a result, Quaresma was going to make trouble, so it's no wonder he didn't turn his face!
Sighing helplessly, Quaresma's footsteps on the court became dispirited, because he was really not sure!

Some things really cannot be solved by your good football!

Can you stop Holland from fouling you?
Can you dispel the evil thoughts in the minds of the Dutch players?
After a malicious foul, most of the players on the field might want to take revenge, and then the game collapsed!
Quaresma really doesn't want Portugal to win a miserable victory!
Forget it, it's time to play by ear!

Right now, let's deal with Iran first!

Because he was anxious about the game against the Netherlands, Quaresma also played anxiously on the field. When Portugal slowly besieged Iran, he kept sprinting towards the opponent, and even the rhythm of his teammates began to speed up. At the beginning of the game, we must ensure that the victory is the same!
The teammates thought that Quaresma wanted to score goals, so they were willing to cooperate with Quaresma when he was in good physical condition, especially Pauleta. He still wanted to return Quaresma to score a goal. Woolen cloth!

As a result, Portugal played more oppressively, making Scolari off the field think that the players on the field were going to rebel!
The Iranian team is about to collapse!
That's not how the game is played!

Obviously we are all going to give up, shouldn't we all slow down the pace tacitly and play slowly until the end of the game?
But what the hell are you playing so passionately?

Why, do you still have to wash us with blood?

It's no wonder that Iran is now in the circle. The last time Portugal played against Angola, when the overall situation was settled, Portugal began to paddle. If Angola did not seek death by itself, Portugal would not have scored the next two goals.

But now that Iran has almost surrendered, why is Portugal still reluctant?

Did you read the score wrong!

Now the score is 3:0, we are behind, you are ahead, not you are behind!
But the Iranian team doesn't understand it, and it doesn't affect Portugal's offensive play, especially on Quaresma's side, which is in a state of full firepower!
In the 56th minute of the second half, Quaresma made continuous breakthroughs from the left, cut inside and took a big arc. However, due to impatience, the arc has a little flaw, and I am afraid it will miss the goal!
Seeing Pauletta in front of the goal, as if he stretched his head, just like when he scored a goal in the first half, I am afraid that the Iranian goalkeeper is still powerless!
However, no one expected that this time Pauletta was indifferent with a smile on his face, as if telling Quaresma: "Look, I didn't steal your goal this time!"

Then, Pauletta watched helplessly as the ball rubbed against the post and flew out of the baseline, feeling bad all over!
Countless question marks popped up above your head, why didn't you score this goal?
If I had known earlier, I would have made up for it with a header!

Quaresma on the left couldn't help but sigh with his forehead, he was really defeated by Pauletta!

You insist on grabbing when you shouldn't, but now when it's your turn to grab, you're quite honest!

Can I apply for a change of teammate?
Seeing Quaresma and Pauletta staring wide-eyed, the fans couldn't help but laugh like crazy!

When it comes to playing football, can you be more serious, don't always show us comedy all of a sudden!

Enough laughing, the game will continue, but Quaresma has gradually calmed down after such a fuss!

Soldiers come to block, one step counts as one step, it's useless to think too much at this time!
After all, I have already traveled through it, and if the little wings are flapping, it is not impossible to bring about a small change!
Maybe the Netherlands went home after being eliminated in the group stage!

Speaking of which, I am too disrespectful to Iran as an opponent. I am playing against them, but I always think about the Netherlands. If I let the Iranian players know, why not fight myself?
But now Iran really doesn't have the will to resist. They all pile up near the penalty area to defend, and they don't counterattack.
It's just a broken pot!

When Iranian coach Ivankovic replaced the core player Karimi, Karimi was still very upset. I don’t know if it was because he was upset about being replaced or because the team was playing like this. The water bottle placed on the sidelines splashed Ivankovic with water all over his body!

It's clearly the rhythm of internal strife!

Looking at such an Iran that can only wait for death, everyone's eyes are sympathetic. Maybe if they change their opponents, they still have a glimmer of hope, but who made them meet Portugal!
Cristiano Ronaldo on the right side is also unwilling to be lonely, and contributes wonderful breakthroughs from time to time. Perhaps this kind of game is his favorite at this stage!
Don't think about the result, show off your footwork casually, make the Iranian players start to doubt their lives, the smile on Ronaldo's face is about to melt the Sahara desert!

For this, Quaresma expressed disdain, because he has passed the stage of showing off his feet. Although his unique skills are still there, he has rarely used them. Will humiliate the opponent with these fancy dribble moves.

I have already scored a goal and barely reached the goal. Although I also want more goals, but judging from Iran's current state, it seems that there is no need to stimulate them to berserk.

As a result, Quaresma also began to fall silent!

Everyone can see that there will be no more disturbances in the game, just wait quietly for the end of the game!

After more than 20 minutes of tacit football, the referee didn't even care about stoppage time, and directly blew the whistle for the end of the game, and the game finally ended!

Quaresma and his teammates smiled knowingly, hugged and celebrated the victory and Portugal's great qualifying!
The fans were so excited that they seemed to be crying. Although the opponents in these two games did not cause too much trouble for Portugal, in any case, Portugal once again entered the World Cup knockout round. This is the most worth celebrating!
They have waited 40 years for this day!
Fortunately, the Portuguese national team did not let them wait any longer.

Unknowingly, history was made again, and for Portugal, this seemed to be uneventful.

Their goal is not just to stand out from the group stage, they want to go further and go all the way to the end!
Under the leadership of Figo, the whole team came to the sidelines to say goodbye. Although the number of Portuguese fans in this game was not even as large as that of Iranian fans, the noise they made was no less than that of their opponents.

"Long live Portugal!"

"We're going to keep winning!"

"We want champions!"

The fans collectively shouted the player's name, and at the same time they shouted out the voice from the bottom of their hearts. They believed that the team would be able to realize their wish!

Quaresma looked at the excited fans, and the excitement that had gradually subsided came to his heart, and he couldn't help shouting with the fans. This feeling is so refreshing!

Think about the Viking battle cry in Iceland later, even if there is no sense of substitution, you still feel passionate, that is simply a kind of belief!
Although the Portuguese fans do not have a similar and unique way of cheering, their love for the team is still from the bottom of their hearts, and Quaresma is equally enthusiastic.

Rest assured, I will bring the championship trophy back to Portugal!
Quaresma couldn't help murmuring, as if he was promising something, but also thought he was setting a goal for himself.

Quaresma was dragged by Scolari to the press conference. It was rare to find a player who cooperated so well with him. How could Scolari let Quaresma go?

"Iran is too strong, stronger than I imagined!" Scolari said with a strong sense of ridicule.

The reporters are all speechless!
Iran was beaten helplessly by Portugal, so the score will not be mentioned, and Iran did not have a few threatening shots in the whole game. Your irony is almost meaningless.

Quaresma couldn't help but support his forehead, Scolari is really a grudge old man, and he still doesn't forget to taunt him fiercely.

This is simply whipping corpses!

Iranian head coach Ivankovic's face is still dark. From the moment he became Portugal's opponent, his face seems to have never been better!

No matter on or off the court, he was all deflated, being repeatedly rubbed on the ground by Portugal, with no resistance at all!
Scolari taunted happily, and finally handed over the microphone comfortably.

After winning the game, you can still taunt your opponent. This is like a cigarette after a meal, a perfect match!
Originally, Quaresma didn't want to say anything, but under Scolari's expression of "I like you", Quaresma still had to follow Scolari's footsteps and continue to attack Iran!

"Today's game was like a dream. I really didn't expect that we could defeat the mighty Iran and send Iran home!"

"This feeling is even more exciting than defeating Barcelona to reach the Champions League!"

"Now, many teams should be thanking us, because we have eliminated the biggest favorites to win the championship. In this way, everyone can rekindle the hope of winning the championship. This is the greatest contribution we have made to world football!"

Quaresma doesn't know whether Ivankovic is trying to kill people now, because the Iranian coach left the meeting angrily before the press conference was over, and ran away in anger!

FIFA officials looked helplessly at the Portuguese master and apprentice who cooperated tacitly, and didn't know whether they should sue them with FIFA officials!
However, there is not much to watch in this game. There is no suspense for Portugal to play Iran. Now that Portugal has sent Iran home, isn't it what everyone expected?

Originally, everyone's focus was not on the game itself!
Quaresma scored again, scored 4 goals in two games, and continued to lead the scorer list. With this trend, it seems that it is only a matter of time before he gets the Golden Boot!
Portugal has won two consecutive victories and is firmly ranked first in the group. As long as they do not lose to Mexico in the final round, they can qualify as the top of the group. It seems that this is not a big problem.

So, predicting which opponent Portugal will meet next in the knockout round is a game that fans prefer to participate in. Whether it is the Netherlands or Argentina, Portugal will face a severe test!

"Not surprisingly, we may meet the Dutch team!" When asked this question by reporters, Quaresma pretended to think for a while before speaking slowly.

"Both the Netherlands and Argentina have achieved two consecutive victories in the group stage, just like us, so in the direct confrontation between the last two teams, the Argentine team, which still has a goal difference advantage, will have some advantages. After all, as long as they can draw against the Netherlands, They will be able to qualify as the number one in the group!"

"I think, I am afraid that neither the Netherlands nor Argentina would like to meet us Portugal!"

"The hard power of the Netherlands is not as good as that of Argentina, and the situation is not as good as Argentina, so I think we still have a better chance of meeting the Netherlands!"

He is not aimless, but stimulating the Netherlands in his own way!

He said that the Netherlands is not as strong as Argentina, just to stimulate the Netherlands to prove itself. If the Netherlands overthrows Argentina, then Portugal's opponent will become Argentina. This is the result that Quaresma most hopes to appear!
As for whether the Netherlands can really compete, Quaresma is actually not sure, and can only say that he is doing his best and obeying the destiny!

Sure enough, Quaresma's words were hyped by the media, which attracted strong dissatisfaction from the Dutch side!

It's as if Iran's head coach Ivankovic said before the game that Portugal's strength is not as good as Mexico's dissatisfaction with Portugal, and now the Netherlands is also very unhappy with Quaresma!

Why do we say that we are not as strong as Argentina?
Obviously everyone is on the same level, who is better than whom?
Now that Quaresma has said so, the last round cannot be treated sloppily. If Argentina is really suppressed and can only advance as the second place in the group, wouldn't it directly prove what Quaresma said?
Moreover, the Netherlands is really unwilling to touch Portugal from the bottom of their hearts. In comparison, despite Mexico's high ranking, its strength is really not top-notch. When it comes to picking opponents, Mexico is obviously better!
Therefore, we can only compete with Argentina!

(End of this chapter)