The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 357: Rio Cup
"We came to Brazil to win the championship.

I think the final against the host country is a very interesting experience.

Grand Slam? I haven't thought about this problem. The World Cup is definitely more important than the Confederations Cup.

So regardless of the result of tomorrow's game, I think it will help us prepare for next year's World Cup. "

On June 6, local time in Brazil, the Confederations Cup final kicked off at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro!

If football has a hierarchy, then five-star Brazil and Italy, which has also won the World Cup five times, are undoubtedly at the top.

They will just be on the stage of the Confederations Cup final today to present a gluttonous feast to fans all over the world!
Perhaps the Azzurri's results in the last two competitions have been more impressive, but the Selecao have the home advantage this time.

The Maracana Stadium is the world's largest football stadium. It can originally accommodate more than 20 spectators. The Jules Rimit Cup, which is permanently retained by the Brazilians, is stored here.

As early as 1950, this stadium had experienced the World Cup final.

Nearly 20 people came to watch Brazil lose to Uruguay in the final and miss out on the Hercules Cup.

Staggering, Paulinho failed to maintain his body balance and accidentally fell onto his butt.

This trip to Brazil indeed gave Leo a different experience.

The atmosphere is indeed quite interesting and special.

The game continued, and the Azzurri, who gradually entered the game state, stepped up their offensive.

Only one minute into the game, David Luiz made a long pass from the backcourt. Hulk stopped the ball on the chest on the right and was blocked with his heel. Oscar got the ball and sent a through ball!

One to zero!

Two consecutive fake moves failed to dodge his opponent. Looking at the Brazilian midfielder named Paulinho, Leo felt a little surprised.

During the warm-up before the game, Leo smiled and said hello to Neymar and the others again.

The Brazilian fans in the stands also responded, and the entire Maracana Stadium suddenly started singing and dancing.

Leo:......

This is also one of the football matches with the largest attendance to date.

The Brazilian suddenly stepped forward and tried to steal from Leo's feet!

About 75,000 fans attended the game today, the most since this tournament.

Brazil takes the lead!

With all the Brazilian fans cheering on, the Selecao launched an all-out attack as soon as the game started.

It is said that Tottenham intends to bring Paulinho from Corinthians to White Hart Lane this summer, and it is reasonable to have two brushes.

"We will show no mercy today."

Looking at the Italian side, Prandelli also continued the lineup from the last game against Spain.

David Thornton and Maggio are on the left and right backs, Chiellini and Bonucci are partnering as center backs and goalkeeper Buffon.

Balotelli and Giovinco partnered as a double forward.

Leo received a pass from his teammate, and the Brazilian defensive player quickly followed.

It can be seen that despite the commotion off the field, Brazilian fans' love for football remains unchanged.

Perhaps the current Brazilian team is far less luxurious than the lineup of Ronaldo and Ronaldo in the past, but there is still no need to worry too much about their offensive capabilities.

However, due to safety and other considerations, the Maracana Stadium was remodeled in accordance with FIFA's mandatory requirements.

"Then let's meet the real chapter on the field."

Hulk once again took the ball from the right and passed directly with his left foot, causing chaos in the Italian team's penalty area!

Fred's goal was also the second fastest goal in a FIFA major final, only slower than Neeskens' 1974-second goal in the 87 World Cup final. A real blitz!
Accompanied by Brazilian-style music, Fred and his teammates came to the sidelines and danced samba after scoring.

When Paulinho saw Leo stopped, he thought it was his chance.

Scolari's team did not struggle with the Italian team in the midfield, but passed through the midfield as quickly as possible without unnecessary possession of the ball. The offense was efficient and concise.

"This guy is unknown, but he seems to have pretty good abilities."

Leo serves as the attacking midfielder, while Pirlo, Marchisio and De Rossi sit in the midfield.

The host country still uses a four-three-three starting lineup, with Fred in the center, Neymar and Hulk on the left and right.

But the ball under Leo's feet seemed to be standing firmly on his shoes. He pulled and buckled, changed direction, accelerated and galloped past Paulinho easily!

Left back Marcelo, right back Alves, David Luiz and Thiago Silva partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Cesar.

As the Selecao team advanced all the way to the final with consecutive victories, the Brazilian people also temporarily put aside their dissatisfaction with the government and rekindled their enthusiasm for football.

Neymar stopped the ball from behind and bounced off the body of Maggio who was marking him. Fred fell to the ground in front of the goal and hooked the ball into the net!

So Leo put away the idea of ​​underestimating the enemy, slowed down a little and seriously responded to Brazil's pressing attack on the 18th.

The three midfielders are Oscar, Gustavo and Paulinho.

Now this stadium can "only" accommodate less than 80,000 people to watch the game at the same time.

Compared with the starting lineup when the two teams met in the group stage, Scolari made only one adjustment to the Brazilian team's starting eleven in this game.

"It's as if no one is afraid of the other!"

The embarrassed Brazilian midfielder quickly disappeared from the broadcast screen. Leo, who got rid of the defense, quickly brought the ball to the outside of the opponent's penalty area.

Cesar did not dare to be careless and stared at his former teammates with bated breath.

Leo dunked the angle at the top of the penalty area and kicked off to hit the goal!
Thiago Silva was not fooled and continued to keep an eye on Giovinco, who was running back and forth in the penalty area.

However, when David Luiz saw that Leo was about to shoot, he quickly left Balotelli beside him and stepped forward to block the angle.

Leo faked a shot and passed the ball, and cleverly sent it to Balotelli!

Bashen didn't need to make any adjustments. He just leaned over and headed the ball into the right side of the goal!

One to one!

Italy equalized the score!

After Balotelli scored, he followed the example of the Brazilian team before and ran to the corner flag area and danced a dance that even Leo couldn't name.

The two sides are back on the same starting line, which makes this game more interesting.

In the eighth minute, Neymar's direct pass after breaking through on the left side of the frontcourt hit the defensive player's foot and changed the line. Fred followed up with his heel on the left side of the penalty area!

In the end, Oscar's shot from the edge of the penalty area missed the near post.

A minute later, David Thornton stepped forward with an assist, but vented his dissatisfaction after being tripped from behind by Alves. Referee Bjorn didn't say anything.

Paulinho's lob from the outside of the penalty area!
Italian goalkeeper Buffon turned around and lifted the ball with one hand!
Giovinco received Pirlo's direct pass and pulled to the wing to dribble the ball through. Balotelli did not receive the cross from his teammate due to the interference of Thiago Silva.

Brazil counterattacked with a direct pass from the backcourt, and Neymar was pulled down by Maggio near the center circle.

A dispute ensued between the players on the field. The Brazilians believed that Maggio was the last defender and should give him a red card, but the referee Bjorn Capers from the Netherlands only showed a yellow card.

Neymar's powerful long-range shot missed the goal post and flew out of the baseline.

In the 19th minute, Giovinco cut in from the left and knocked Balotelli's shot from the penalty area out of the near post by Cesar!
Leo took a corner kick from the left, and Chiellini's header went over the crossbar.

Gustavo controlled the ball in the middle of the backcourt and was intercepted by Leo. Pirlo's long-distance goal was resolved by Cesar.

Oscar organized the attack in the midfield and sent a wonderful pass. Hulk hit the goal with his right foot in front of the penalty area!

Buffon reacted quickly and flew to save the ball from the bottom line.

Then Neymar took a corner kick, and Buffon used his height and long arms to fly over and take the ball first!
Fred was brought down by Chiellini when he broke through on the left side of the penalty area, and the referee awarded a direct free kick.

Neymar moved the ball, and Hulk followed up with a heavy left-foot shot that missed the goal.

Alves broke through from the right and sent a through ball. Fred's right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area missed.

In the 25th minute, Hulk dribbled the ball horizontally from the midfielder to the right and passed the ball. Oscar swung the ball from an angle and shot the far corner, but Buffon blocked it with all his strength!
During this period of time, the Samba Group played at home with a fierce offensive. Fortunately, the Italian goalkeeper Buffon played steadily and had high resistance to keep the goal.

But continuing like this is not an option. We must still seek opportunities to fight back.

In the 28th minute, Paulinho took a long shot from the front of Italy's penalty area.

As the Brazilian team continued to besiege the opponent's penalty area, even the defensive players in the midfield and backfield were overwhelmed by half, so the defensive end was naturally a little lax.

Paulinho's explosive shot flew directly into the stands.

Just when he was still regretting that the kick did not hit the goal frame, Buffon had already taken the goal kick.

Italy's quick counterattack opportunity!
Leo sent a precise long pass to the frontcourt. When Balotelli received the ball at high speed, only Cesar was left in front of him.

The other Brazilian defenders tried to catch up, but it was too late.

Balotelli dribbled the ball straight in and broke through to the sideline of the penalty area. Regardless of Cesar's attack, he volleyed with his right foot straight into the upper right corner of the goal!
Two to one!

After being suppressed by the host for more than ten minutes, the Azzurri scored first and took the lead!

Bashen also scored twice and scored his second goal in this game!

At the same time, this is Balotelli's eighth goal in this Confederations Cup!
Torres, who is second on the scorer list, has ended the game with five goals in total, while the gap between Fred and Balotelli, who have scored the most goals among their opponents, is as much as four.

This means that if nothing unexpected happens, Bashen will once again gain a golden boot.

Balotelli, who does not suffer from convulsions or illnesses, is indeed unstoppable. There is nothing to say.

The score went from leading to falling behind. The Brazilian team would definitely not be convinced. They strengthened their offensive power and tried to equalize the score before the end of the first half.

Neymar made a diagonal pass in front of the penalty area. Fred broke into the penalty area and faced the Italian goalkeeper with his right foot. Buffon blocked the angle in advance and easily saved it!
Immediately after the Brazilian team took a corner kick, Neymar's header in the middle of the penalty area missed the goal.

In the 38th minute, Leo sent a wonderful pass from the midfielder, and Balotelli's right-footed shot from the top of the penalty area missed.

Two minutes later, Oscar passed the ball to Neymar on the left side of the penalty area at the top of the penalty area!

After getting the ball, Neymar faced Buffon and scored decisively with his left foot!

Two to two!
Brazil equalized the score amid cheers from the audience!
Near the end of the half, the score was evened again.

After losing the ball, Buffon yelled at his teammates in front of him, accusing them of not paying enough attention.

Leo is also helpless. The Italian team, known for its defense, seems to have lost its tradition.

Paulinho stepped forward again and took a ridiculously wide long shot from outside the penalty area.

After reading it, Leo shook his head silently in his heart.

It seems that the previous evaluation of this guy must be taken back. Ability is one thing, and it is useless to play football without brains and physical skills.

The midfielder doesn't play like this. A defensive midfielder inserts into the opponent's penalty area time and time again and then shoots from long range.

Maybe this kind of playing style can be tolerated in Brazil, but it will definitely have no future in the Premier League.

Leo is not optimistic about the prospect of Violent Bird going to Tottenham.

Pirlo sent a wonderful pass in the counterattack. David Thornton stopped the ball on the left and sent a cross. Balotelli resisted Thiago Silva and turned back!

Leo rubbed his left foot in front of the small penalty area and shot into the far corner. The ball bypassed Cesar and went into the net!
In the 44th minute, the Italian team completed a series of exquisite coordination in the opponent's penalty area and took the lead again!

Three to two!
There was two minutes of stoppage time in the first half, but neither side made any further achievements. Referee Bjorn blew the whistle for the halftime break.

Italy currently leads host Brazil 3-2.

“The game is not over yet, there are only forty-five minutes left before the final champion!

Brazil is the host, and they will definitely continue to attack in the second half with the support of the fans on site, so the defenders must always be alert! "

In the second half, the sides changed sides to fight again, and neither side made any substitutions.

Hulk sent a diagonal pass in front of the penalty area. Neymar inserted a feint shot in the middle to attract the attention of the defensive player and then cleverly missed it!
Fred got the ball on the left side of the penalty area and shot into the far corner of the goal with his right foot!
Buffon fell to the ground and blocked the ball with his legs!

At the beginning of the second half, the Italian goalkeeper blocked a must-goal opportunity!
Prandelli made the first substitution, and Shalawi came off the bench to replace Giovinco.

The "Little Pharaoh" who just came on as a substitute also immediately had a good effect.

In the 51st minute, Leo made a diagonal pass. Shalawi broke into the right side of the penalty area and dialed the ball. He turned around and was knocked down from behind by Marcelo!
Penalty kick! Referee Bjorn pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation!

Leo stepped up to the penalty spot without hesitation. Under the interference of boos from the audience, he pushed hard and hit the left goal post and into the net!
Four to two!
The Italian team took advantage of the penalty kick to expand their lead!

Brazil was a little anxious, and Scolari made substitutions one after another.

Lucas Moura and Coutinho came off the bench one after another!

After the appearance of two Brazilian teenagers from Inter Milan, the Selecao's offense improved slightly.

Neymar went straight to the left side of the penalty area. Lucas Moura did not pass the ball to Coutinho, who was outflanking him in the middle. He directly hit the goal from a small angle and hit the side net.

Coutinho broke through two people with the ball in the frontcourt and then hit the goal with a heavy shot from the outside of the penalty area, but Buffon jumped into his arms!
Italy also slowed down its offensive pace and began to recycle its formation to strengthen its defense.

The Brazilian fans chanting in unison in the stands could not change the situation on the field.

As Neymar forced his way into the penalty area with a low shot that was pinned down by Buffon, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

The final score of four to two was maintained until the end of the game.

Following the World Cup and European Cup, the Azzurri have won the Confederation Championship trophy again!
(End of this chapter)