Godfather of national football

Chapter 348 South American Warm Up
The last time Bolivia entered the World Cup finals was in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. In the opening game, the defending champion Germany team defeated Bolivia 1-0 with difficulty, allowing the world to see the tenacity of the plateau eagle.

The most famous player in Bolivian history is Echeverri, but few people have seen him play. On the one hand, the age is too far away, and on the other hand, he mainly played in South American clubs, and did not go to Europe to shine.

Another thing Bolivian football is known to the world is their famous highland home stadium, the highland stadium in the capital La Paz.

How high is it?
To put it simply, it is similar to the Chinese LS, with an altitude of about 3600 meters. In such a place, you will suffer from altitude sickness even if you are sitting, let alone playing football.

The moment the players of the Chinese team got off the plane at La Paz International Airport, many people began to feel unwell. Dizziness was the most obvious. The oxygen content here was only about 60% of that in the plains, and the hypoxia was obvious.

On the bus leaving the airport, Mu Fei smiled and said, "I finally understand Argentina's suffering. Every time I come to this place for the qualifiers, it's like being tortured."

The South American qualifiers are a round robin, so coming to La Paz every 4 years is unavoidable. Many teams have protested, but it is useless. Why is the capital of Bolivia here!
Li Guo's original idea was to accept the challenge and make trouble for himself in the warm-up match, that would be interesting.

But now Li Guo regretted it. This place is really not suitable for Chinese players to compete, and Li Guo himself feels very uncomfortable.

But the warm-up match is a FIFA A-level event, it is not canceled just because it is cancelled, Li Guo can only think of other ways.

In the second day's training, Li Guo just arranged for jogging, but that was it. Some players still felt sick, which is normal altitude sickness, and some serious players had diarrhea, which obviously exceeded Li Guo's expectations.

"Chen An, immediately contact the Bolivian Football Association to cancel the game, and we will bear the loss."

Chen An felt like a thunderbolt, which was unprecedented. Everyone came, and they went back without playing a game?

"Say it yourself."

"Why? Are you embarrassed? Playing football here will kill you."

Chen An chuckled, "Could you name someone who played football in La Paz and died? You name one, and I'll talk about it right away."

Having said that, Li Guo calmed down. Although there were many people protesting against the Bolivian highlands, no one had an accident here in the past few decades.

"Li Guo, think about it, if playing football in Bolivia really kills people, then FIFA must have interfered long ago."

Li Guo nodded and hummed, "Chen An, you are more thoughtful this time, which is rare."

"I'll go to you!"

*****
Li Guo chatted with Dr. Heinrich again. The doctor told Li Guo that human beings have a strong ability to adapt. This is also the result of human footprints everywhere on the earth. This is the result of evolution, so don't worry.

On the second day, Li Guo and the players took a stroll in La Paz. The city is dilapidated, but the roads are quite clean. There are few white people in the city, and there are many descendants of the Incas. It is said that the native Americans came from Asia (so South Americans and Chinese are actually quite similar).

There are many Inca monuments in the city, but there are no tall buildings. To be honest, it is not as good as LS.

After a casual stroll, the players returned to the hotel. Li Guo was about to prepare for the match against Bolivia.This Bolivian team doesn't have any stars, at least Li Guo doesn't know one of them, but after watching a few videos of the South American qualifiers, this team is probably based on technology.

He has a tenacious style on the court, strong physical confrontation, and his running ability is the biggest advantage of Bolivian players.

Due to the impact of the plateau, the starting lineup will not be determined until tomorrow. After the players pass the doctor's physical examination, whoever has no physical problems, Li Guo will choose who to play, and those who feel uncomfortable will stay on the bench to inhale oxygen.

In the end, the Chinese team formed a remnant lineup, most of the main players did not play, except for the iron-clad Zhou Dun, who started every game.

On the day of the game, the stadium was full, mainly because the tickets were very cheap, only 15 Bolivianos, and the exchange rate between Bolivia's one dollar and China's one dollar was almost the same. No wonder the stadium was full.

After the start of the game, the pace of the Chinese team was very slow, only about 50% of the usual pace, while the opponent's pace was very fast, frequently attacking the Chinese team's defense. In the 15 minutes of the first half, the Chinese team conceded a goal.

The opponent took a long-range shot that was not too threatening, but the trajectory of the ball was very floating. It is said that the trajectory of the ball is different in places with thin air. When Wang Dalei almost reached out to save, the ball flew from his hand into the goal.

1:0.

This is already the first goal conceded by the Chinese team in two consecutive warm-up matches. Unlike the previous game, at the end of the first half, the Chinese team conceded two more goals, ending the first half 0-3.

In the second half, Li Guo still changed three players in a row, without any tactical substitutions, it was purely like changing batteries, letting those who couldn't run down to rest.

I thought it would be the end of the second half, but the thin air also made it difficult for the home team. Zheng Zhi kicked a long-range shot in front of the penalty area, which was also not threatening, but the speed was very fast. It may be because of the low friction. The ball flew into the far corner, and the Chinese team pulled back a goal.

The final score was 1 to 3. The Chinese team lost another warm-up match. After the game, the players said in an interview with reporters that it was like being forced to play 5 games in a row, and their bodies were hollowed out.

In fact, this feeling has a scientific basis. The effect of the same amount of exercise in the plateau area is several times that of the plain area, so the training of many sports will be placed on the plateau, such as the Chinese swimming team and track and field team.

Li Guo did not talk about the game after the game. The opponent of the Chinese team in this game is not Bolivia, but the altitude here, so it is meaningless to talk about the game.

"I'm glad that my players are not injured, and I'm also glad that the fans here are very enthusiastic. The atmosphere of the stadium is good, but the quality of the lawn is a bit poor."

Two-thirds of the Chinese team's warm-up this year has been completed, and there is still the last opponent, Albania, but that game is in June, before the World Cup in Brazil, which is like an appetizer before the World Cup.

But at that time, the Chinese team should have already trained in Chile. According to the agreement, the match between China and Albania will also be arranged in Chile. The next day after the match, the Chinese team will fly to Brazil to prepare for the group stage.

(End of this chapter)