When the British referee Webber blew the whistle to end the game, all the fans in the Bordeaux Stadium, which can accommodate a total of 42,000 people, stood up from their seats, raised their arms and shouted loudly. .
Whether they are German fans or Swedish fans, they are all cheering for their teams.
The scoreboard at the Bordeaux Stadium shows the time and score of the match between the two teams in this game.
The number under the name of the German team on the left is 0, and the number under the name of the Swedish team on the right is... 0!
The time below shows... 120+1 minutes!
This also means that in this much-anticipated European Cup quarter-finals, the Swedish team and the German team played until the end of overtime and could not decide the winner!
This result is actually beyond the expectations of many people.
Before the game, obviously most people still believed that the powerful world champion German team would still win over Sweden and successfully enter the semi-finals.
The last time these two teams met in a World Series was in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup, when Germany easily defeated Sweden 2:0.
But during today's game, the Swedish team caused a lot of trouble for the German team.
Pan Yi set up a 4-3-1-2 three-midfielder formation to strangle the German team's double midfielder combination of Khedira + Kroos, making the German team's offensive organization a bit chaotic.
Moreover, the Swedish team's back line is mainly defensive and does not easily step forward to assist. This makes the Swedish team's defense line tighten at the edge of its own penalty area for a long time.
This also makes the defense in front of the Swedish goal very dense. As soon as the German team's ball enters this area, it is like a mud cow entering the sea, making no sound.
Even those who thought the German team could win easily before the game may change their minds after watching the first half.
Because Sweden's defense is really good!
At this time, they will think that the German team's offense may really be unable to break through the Swedish team's defense, and the game is likely to enter overtime or even a penalty shootout.
And when the game reaches the second half, they will feel that the Swedish team has more hope of winning?
Because at this time, Sweden's two-forward tactic began to show its power.
Lindelof began to frequently launch long passes from the backcourt to find Ibrahimovic or Isak in front, and Forsberg also used through balls from the midfield to threaten the German defense from time to time.
Ibrahimovic and Isak, two strong centers with comprehensive skills, often play with each other to find the space between Hummels and Boateng.
Including the two wings, Sweden's strikers will also intersperse on both sides to attack Hector and Kimmich.
But at this time, one of the shortcomings of the Swedish team's three-back midfielder strategy was revealed, that is, there was too little support for the frontcourt.
Except for Ibrahimovic and Isak, Forsberg will basically step in to help, while Ekdal, Weinblum, and Larsson's main tasks are to sweep up and do not often participate in the attack;
And the two fullbacks would not step forward without Pan Yi's instructions!
This resulted in the Swedish team basically playing more with less in the frontcourt.
However, Isaac's powerful impact and Ibrahimovic's unparalleled shooting skills still gave the Swedish team a lot of shooting opportunities.
It's just that Germany's goalkeeper Neuer is not a vegetarian. He saved the balls one by one and tried his best to keep the goal.
When the game reached about 65 minutes, Loew made a substitution.
He replaced Khedira with the tougher Schweinsteiger and replaced the young player Draxler.
At the same time, Loew also changed his tactics, began to slow down the rhythm, and began to pursue fast, slow, orderly and stable performance. The German team would even take the initiative to withdraw the defense line, release the Swedish team, and then counterattack.
After the substitutions, the German team's offense began to show its power.
The midfielder shifted and transitioned, the wing advanced and broke through, and the frontcourt and center supported and cooperated. The entire offense began to have a more three-dimensional coordination routine, which was fully blossomed. It was far more effective than the previous monotonous and dense defense, especially in pulling and searching. on the loopholes.
After that, the German team launched several offensive climaxes and created several good shooting opportunities.
But like the past few games, the Swedish team's defense performed well in this game as always.
Although the defense line composed of Olsson, Lindelof, Granqvist, and Lustig lacked offensive ability, they played more and more tacitly on defense, making the defense very strong.
Moreover, Ekdahl, Weinblum, and Larsson, three defensive midfielders with strong defensive capabilities, protect the Swedish team's defense from being directly exposed to the opponent's artillery fire, which also greatly reduces Iraq's defense. The risk of Saxon facing the German striker directly.
And even if sometimes Gomez gets the ball, he will immediately encounter the double insurance blockade of Lindelof and Granqvist, which makes it difficult for him to shoot comfortably, let alone score.
This is actually Pan Yi's strategy.
That is to focus on defense within ninety minutes and drag the game into overtime!
Since Sweden got sufficient rest in the last round of the group stage and avoided fatigue during the round of 16, the Swedish team's physical fitness has an advantage over Germany.
If it can be delayed to overtime, the balance of victory will naturally tilt towards Sweden.
However, when the game went to overtime as Pan Yi wished, Pan Yi found that it was really difficult for this German team to be brought down.
They inherited the traditional German spirit of perseverance and persevered without sacrificing too much in terms of technical level!
No wonder they can win the World Cup, and no wonder there is a saying that "a football match is a game in which 22 people from both sides play for 120 minutes, and the Germans win in the end."
It is indeed difficult to defeat the Germans in terms of will and quality.
Of course, another important reason for this is that the Swedish team's offense was really not very good.
Since he had to be careful to prevent the German team from attacking at all times, Pan Yi never changed his formation to attack aggressively.
On the basis of this three-midfielder system, even if Sweden wants to attack, the route is too single. In many cases, it is mainly long passes from the center, which is inefficient.
There are also problems with offense and defense transitions and rhythm control.
Speaking of which, I have to mention Ekdal.
His position today is in the middle of the three defensive midfielders, which can be regarded as the hub for the Swedish team's offensive and defensive transitions, but he can obviously only complete the task of "defending".
His strength is actually not his strengths, but his average. He can play any position in the midfield, left, center, right, front, center, and back. He can play any position in the midfield, and he can play it all. Can make a difference, there's almost nothing he can't do.
But the problem is exactly this. When it comes to the overall situation and the ability to control the rhythm of the game, he is not as good as Kjellström. When it comes to the precision of passing, he is not as good as Forsberg, but he has what these players have. The kind of defensive ability and excellent physical fitness and running ability that he doesn't have.
His type of midfielder is actually very interesting. If he plays well, he can perform well in any position, but once he encounters a problem or needs a flash of inspiration to break the deadlock, he is likely to No more.
Playing against Germany actually exposed his control over the game situation and the gap in his ability to control the rhythm of the game.
At least in the overtime, the Swedish team seemed to gradually take advantage of their physical strength to take the initiative on the court, but they failed to create obvious scoring opportunities. This was because of rhythm problems and it was difficult for the forward staff to get any clear opportunities. Threatening pass.
In fact, at this time, experienced and capable organizers often adjust the rhythm according to the situation on the court, disrupting the German team's defense by dividing the ball left and right, by appropriately retracting, by deliberately slowing down the rhythm, etc. The pace makes the opponent's defense lose its predictability.
Everyone knows that once the defense loses its predictability, it is too slow to wait until the moment the opponent attacks to react!
But throughout the first half, Ekdal was obviously stuck in the overall rhythm of the team instead of controlling the team's rhythm!
Pan Yi is not unaware of this problem, but in order to maintain the toughness of defense, he can only continue to play in this position.
There’s no one left on the bench! Hiyemak? Levitsky? It almost doesn’t make sense.
We can't let Forsberg play as a defensive midfielder, right? He is not Pirlo...
And even Pirlo is actually not very useful in the current defensive-oriented three-back system.
After all, he himself needs more protection, which will weaken the sweeping power in the midfield.
In short, with the two sides in such a tug-of-war, the game time gradually moved towards the last 120 minutes.
And this time also means...
The two teams are about to enter a brutal penalty shootout! ——
If we say that a football match is a game where 22 people from both sides play for 120 minutes and the Germans win in the end;
So, taking a penalty kick against the Germans seems to be a more desperate moment in a football match.
The Germans are clearly better at penalty shootouts than any other national team in the world.
Before this campaign, in the international competitions of the World Cup and European Cup, Germany participated in penalty shootouts 6 times and achieved 5 wins and 1 loss. The only loss was in the distant 1976 European Cup final.
At that time, current Bayern president Hoeness missed a penalty kick, but the Czech team made all five free throws. Panenka also scored the first spoon penalty in history, causing the German team to lose.
Since then, Germany has continued its 40-year unbeaten record in penalty shootouts in international competitions.
It is worth emphasizing that Germany only missed 2 penalty kicks in 28 international competitions!
This fully illustrates the iron will of the German tank. After all, penalty kicks are more about mentality and who can withstand pressure and remain calm than the skills at their feet.
Therefore, going to a penalty shootout was actually not what Pan Yi expected.
But now that it has really reached this point, Pan Yi can only face it.
Having said that, his team is indeed not as good as Germany in terms of strength, so being able to play like this is enough to satisfy him.
"Boss, is it time to arrange the roster for the penalty shootout?"
Arteta walked to Pan Yi's side and asked.
Scaloni also looked at Pan Yi.
Perhaps they thought Pan Yi had already prepared for the penalty shootout.
But Pan Yi shook his head and smiled: "Let the players decide this."
Arteta and Scaloni looked at each other and immediately understood Pan Yi's intention.
In fact, many coaches will do this, that is, let the players decide whether to take a penalty kick.
After all, there is too much pressure to take penalty kicks. If you are not willing to do so, you might as well not take it.
"Well, let them decide later."
When the overtime period reached 1 minute of stoppage time, referee Weber finally blew the final whistle, and the brutal penalty shootout was about to begin! ——
"I'll be the first to appear. Who else do you love?"
When all the Swedish players and coaches gathered in a circle, Ibrahimovic immediately said domineeringly.
This actually shows the responsibility of a veteran.
Because in a penalty shootout, the pressure to be the first to appear is the greatest!
"I'm fifth," Granqvist also said.
Pan Yi nodded slightly.
Granqvist's mental quality is excellent and his penalty kick skills are also good.
In fact, after Ibrahimovic withdrew from the Swedish national team, Granqvist took over the position of captain of the national team and also became the first penalty kicker!
Therefore, there is definitely no problem in letting him guard the fifth level.
The fifth player to appear has the highest pressure after the first, because that is often the moment when one goal determines the outcome.
Often some stars either choose first or fifth.
For example, Messi usually appears first, while Ronaldo likes to appear fifth.
After the two captains and deputy captains Ibrahimovic and Granqvist have spoken, it is time to determine the free throw shooters No. 2, 3, and 4.
"I'll do it. I'll kick the second one." It was Wayne Bloom who spoke at this time.
"I'll play third." This is Larsson.
"Then I am fourth." Ekdal.
It just so happens that today's three defensive midfielders are also the group with the best psychological quality.
"I want to kick too..."
"And I……"
Also competing for help is Augustinsson, who came on as a substitute in the second half. His footwork will certainly be no problem in taking penalty kicks;
There is also the young player Isaac, who will actually be the number one penalty kicker at Real Sociedad and Newcastle in the future.
At this time, Pan Yi could only come forward: "Let's go on a first-come, first-served basis. If you guys line up at the back, you might even play in the sixth or seventh round. So even Isaacson, you have to do a good job." Be prepared, don’t think that because you are a goalkeeper, you don’t have to take penalty kicks!”
Everyone couldn't help laughing.
This sound couldn't help but make the Germans look askance.
We are about to take a penalty kick. Can you be more serious? Why are you still laughing? ? ?
And this is what Pan Yi is very satisfied with the Swedish team.
As expected of a descendant of the Vikings, he has a strong psychological quality and is not afraid at all.
Some team players' legs become weak when they take a penalty kick. Many times, the coach has to call them one by one to take the kick.
But the Swedish side is very good, everyone is rushing to kick, and they are not happy if they can't play.
"The penalty shootout is very important, but just kick it when you see the right direction. Don't think too much. Leave more thoughts to the girls waiting for you in the hotel!"
This was Pan Yi's last lecture.
After causing another burst of laughter from the players, Pan Yi pulled goalkeeper Isaacson aside.
Isaksson is a very stable goalkeeper who rarely makes mistakes on the field. In terms of FM attributes, his "nervous index" is very low.
But this also means that he rarely performs at a super high level, including not being particularly good at saving penalty kicks.
Therefore, Pan Yi needs to give him some guidance.
"This is the list of players who are likely to take penalty kicks in the German team and the way they are used to taking penalties. You can take a look first."
Pan Yi handed Isaacson a small note and warned: "Put it away, don't throw it away."
This is the information collected by the Swedish coaching staff before the game and the analysis and summary made based on the recent penalty kicks taken by German players.
In fact, when Sweden entered the knockout rounds, they would do this in every game. After all, no one could predict that the two sides would not decide the victory through a penalty shootout.
Today's scene is a bit special, as the main reference opinions were given by Pan Yi.
Because he still remembers that in his previous life, Germany met Italy in the quarterfinals, and they decided the winner through a penalty shootout.
The reason why Pan Yi was deeply impressed by this game is, first of all, because this penalty shootout can be said to be thrilling. The two sides played until the ninth round to determine the winner!
Another reason is a famous scene, that of Italian striker Zaza.
It was not until the 120th minute, at the end of overtime, that Zaza came off the bench to replace Chiellini.
Obviously, Conte deliberately asked Zaza to kick the penalty shootout, but this forced arrangement turned out to be a big mistake.
In the first round, Italy's Insigne and Germany's Kroos both scored penalty kicks;
In the second round, Zaza stepped forward to take the penalty kick. The Juventus forward started his run from the line of the penalty area and was only 6 yards away from the penalty spot. Zaza's running made people laugh and cry: he was pacing in small steps, Like a marionette, he took 18 steps to cover 6 yards, which looked very funny.
Perhaps, when Zaza's running was replayed in slow motion and he covered a distance of 5.5 meters in 4 seconds, Italian fans already felt an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, Zaza's left foot shot flew directly over the crossbar!
This may be the penalty kick that has been complained about the most in the history of football. It was later parodied by netizens from all over the world and became a famous and enduring meme.
Therefore, how could Pan Yi forget this game?
I even remember who the players on the German team are and which side they play on.
Therefore, the level of detail in this note to Isaksson can be said to be higher than any cheat sheet in football history.
"Kross, upper left corner of the goal; that is: your right side. The same below."
"Thomas Müller, bottom right corner of the goal;"
"Draxler, lower right corner of the goal;"
"Hummels, bottom right;"
"Schweinsteiger, upper right corner;"
"Kimmich, lower left corner..."
After guessing the coin, it was the German team that took the first penalty.
The first one to appear was Cross as expected!
He slowly walked to the penalty spot, took a deep breath, took a run, shot, and the ball went in!
"It's a bit surprising that Kroos took the first penalty for the German team."
"Although he is one of the players with the best footwork, some people have criticized him for not being mentally strong enough and sometimes refusing to take penalty kicks."
"But obviously he felt very good today. He opened the scoring for the German team and stabilized the morale of the army."
"Isaksson made the right decision, but he didn't seem to make a decisive save. Kroos's shot was also from a very tricky angle, so it still entered the net from Isaksson's fingertips."
The first penalty kick for Sweden was of course captain Ibrahimovic.
He looked at German goalkeeper Neuer with a relaxed expression and even smiled.
After the referee's whistle blew, he took a running start, raised his leg, then flicked his ankle and made a fake move. Neuer pounced in the wrong direction and the ball went in! !
The whole audience burst into cheers first, and then quickly fell into silence due to nervousness.
Penalty shootouts are a ravage on the nerves, especially for everyone involved, and not just the players...
Germany's second penalty kicker was Thomas Muller.
When he bent down to place the ball, Isaksson began his own mental activities:
"Oh my god, all the players that the boss predicted to play for the German team actually came to play, even in the same order!"
"Poker Ross almost pounced just now. It's all my fault that I still have some doubts."
"I don't care this time. Anyway, I will pounce wherever the boss says!"
By the time Muller kicked the ball out, Isaksson had even pounced on the lower right corner of the goal in advance.
"Pounced out!"
"Isaksson saved Thomas Muller's penalty!"
"Thomas Muller hid his face and regretted it, while Isaksson raised his arms and shouted!"
"This goalkeeper, who is not good at saving penalty kicks, was like a god with help today!"
"The Swedish players and coaches standing in the center circle and on the sidelines were also in jubilation, and there were even yellow waves in the stands!"
However, Neuer's ability to save penalty kicks cannot be blocked.
Soon, he also saved Wayne Bloom's penalty!
Weinblum didn't control his footwork well, and the ball he kicked happened to be in the goalkeeper's favorite mid-air position. Neuer directly dived to the side and suppressed the ball.
The second round of penalty kicks ended, and the score was still 1:1!
In the third round of the German team, Draxler, who came on as a substitute, took the penalty. The ball he kicked went straight to the lower right corner of the goal.
Although Isaksson fought hard to save, it was still a little short.
And Sebastian Larsson, who played for the Swedish team, also fulfilled his mission and succeeded in one fell swoop.
2:2!
In the fourth round, Germany's defender Hummels took the penalty, and he also took the penalty to the lower right corner.
This time Isaksson reacted very quickly and blocked the ball directly from the baseline!
But the same plot happened again, Neuer also rejected Ekdal's penalty ball!
Still a tie!
"Today's penalty shootout was really suffocating."
"In the first four rounds, both sides scored two penalty kicks, and each had two penalty kicks saved!"
"Neuer once again showed his strength as the world's number one goalkeeper. When the German team faced unfavorable situations twice, he turned the tide and allowed the German team to maintain its hope of advancing!"
"And what is even more worthy of mention is Swedish goalkeeper Isaksson."
"The former Manchester City goalkeeper's career trajectory after leaving the Premier League was not particularly smooth. After leaving Eindhoven in the Eredivisie this season, he will go to Turkey to play for Kasparsa. It can be said that he has entered the end of his career."
"But he performed very well in today's penalty shootout!"
“Not only did he save penalties from Thomas Muller and Hummels, but he also made the right call in the other two saves!”
"Four saves, all in the right direction. Is this still the Isaacson we know who is not good at saving points?"
"Oh, now the director has shown a shot. We can see that before the penalty shootout started, Pan Yi handed Isaacson a note... Could this be the secret?"
"It seems that Pan Yi is very well prepared for this penalty shootout!"
"Is this the level of Shiyi's teaching? You can even tell which side of each opponent's penalty kick???"
The fifth German team to take a penalty kick was current captain Bastian Schweinsteiger.
When Piggy was running, Isaksson pounced on the upper right corner almost at the same time.
But he missed it.
While Isaksson felt chilled, the Swedish fans in the stands gave roaring cheers.
Schweinsteiger did hit the upper right corner of the goal, but it missed!
The ball flew directly into the stands and missed!
Schweinsteiger knelt down in frustration, while Sweden's vice-captain Granqvist had already moved forward.
This is undoubtedly a huge test for Granqvist.
As mentioned before, in a penalty shootout, the first and fifth player to appear are both very important.
The first player should give the next teammates a good start. If he can kick the ball in, it can also release the psychological pressure of everyone behind him. If the first player fails to kick the ball, then the players behind him will not be able to kick the ball in. Teammates will naturally become nervous instantly and carry heavy ideological baggage.
As the last fifth person to take a penalty kick, it is equally important, because he is likely to decide the life and death of himself and his opponent with one goal.
Just like this situation now, the opponent's fifth player has already shot away. If our fifth player kicks in, the game will be over and Sweden will advance!
However, when everyone saw Granqvist taking the penalty kick, many people were a little surprised - almost no one had seen Granqvist take a penalty kick...
Many people are even wondering whether Granqvist has ever kicked a penalty kick or scored a penalty kick?
At least not in the Swedish team, because the first penalty taker in the team is Ibrahimovic.
Arranging for such a person who rarely or even never kicked a penalty to take the fifth key penalty? And he is also a central defender who seems to have rough feet.
Is Pan Yi crazy?
At this time, under the gaze of countless people, Granqvist had already reached the penalty spot. He hooked the ball directly with his foot and stepped on it.
Many players will place the ball very seriously before taking a penalty kick. Some people must also keep the ball's valve core pointed at themselves. This can ensure that the hardest part of the ball's body is hit and increase the speed of the ball.
But Granquist didn't do that.
He is very casual, as casual as if he was doing penalty kick drills in training.
Then he stepped away and turned to look at the referee.
The German goalkeeper Neuer standing opposite him was also a little stunned.
As the Germans are known for their rigorous work, of course they have made various preparations, including shooting penalty kicks.
So for the Swedish team, Neuer will also get corresponding information, such as who may take penalty kicks and how they will probably take them.
But their preparations obviously cannot be as accurate or comprehensive as Pan Yi's.
Because there was no information about Granqvist’s penalty kick before!
Is he better at taking penalties to the left or right? Is it above or below?
Or even whether he is better at kicking with his right foot or his left foot? Does he cum hard or like to spoon? Does he prefer to pursue angles or play it safe?
Neuer doesn't know any of this...
A central defender who plays for Krasnodar in the Russian Super League. Who knew he would come up and take a penalty kick? Many people can't even name this team!
This resulted in Neuer having to rely on guessing when he saved a penalty kick.
He felt a little unsure.
There was no time for Neuer to think anymore, the referee had already blown the whistle.
The whole place suddenly fell silent.
Granquist started to run... no, or it would be more accurate to say "walk", because Granquist didn't run at all. He took a step forward, then another step, only two steps in total, more like In stride.
Then he whipped his right foot towards the ball.
Everything happens very quickly.
Neuer pounced before Granqvist's foot hit the ball. He guessed a direction to the left of his body and guessed that Granqvist would hit the corner, so he pounced decisively.
But Granqvist kicked the ball to the right side of his body, and it was in the upper corner!
The football flew into the goal from the angle between the goal post and the crossbar!
"Granquist!!! Beautiful! Blind spot!!"
"The game is over!!! Sweden eliminated Germany with a score of 3:2 in a brutal penalty shootout and advanced to the semi-finals!!"
On the TV screen, all Swedish players swarmed towards Granqvist to celebrate this hard-won victory.
Pan Yi also raised his arms high.
They did it! Sweden has reached the semi-finals of the European Cup!
(End of chapter)
