All-around center

"First of all, after these three games, for us, the state adjustments and tactical adjustments have been carried out step by step. From this point of view, our overall condition is still very good."

"Secondly, we entered the knockout rounds as the first in the group. This also opens a new chapter in the World Cup. We must work harder to adjust and face more intense competitions!"

Su Ke spoke eloquently when being interviewed by the media.

After successfully advancing, he felt very comfortable and talked a little more about it.

"Prediction? Sorry, I don't know how to predict, and I can't predict. I can't determine the places for the next group promotion. We just need to work hard to play our own game!"

After Su Ke almost satisfied most of the reporters' interview questions, he walked into the player tunnel.

As soon as he reached the door of the locker room, he heard the sound of wolves howling from inside.

The moment he pushed the door open, demons were already dancing in the locker room.

The teammates were all jumping up and down with excitement, and Duimovic even carried a speaker among his teammates and danced with them from time to time.

"Hey! Suk join us!"

Rakitic waved to Suker.

Su Ke waved his hand and declined, walked directly to the bench and sat down, then began to take off his jersey and prepare to take a shower.

"What a kick!"

Van Steyak came over and handed over a bottle of water.

Su Ke took the water, opened it, took a sip, wiped the corners of his mouth and said, "Actually, I can play better!"

Van Steyak smiled: "I know your requirements are very high, but the task of this game is to suppress, and we have done a good job."

Suk nodded. Just from the perspective of suppression, they did a good job.

"In the knockout round, we are playing second place in Group B, right?"

Van Stryak nodded: "Kick Chile!"

There are clear rules on how to play in the knockout rounds of the World Cup, the top 16.

Each group has a first and second place.

The first team in Group A will play against the second team in Group C, and the first team in Group B will play against the second team in Group D.

That means Brazil VS Greece, Colombia VS Italy, Netherlands VS Costa Rica, Croatia VS Chile.

This is the knockout match between the four groups that have been determined so far.

On this basis, the quarterfinals will continue.

For Croatia, their current pressure is not great. Although the World Cup has been a series of upsets, they did not follow the disgusting upset method of knocking some powerful teams to second place in the group, but directly eliminated them.

Spain, Uruguay, and England, these traditional powerhouses, are still very capable of adjustment.

If they give them some more time to adjust, they may become a strong opponent after entering the knockout rounds.

For this reason, after directly eliminating them, other strong teams will qualify first in the group, which means that the top 16 battle will not be so fierce.

The flames of the World Cup were not ignited instantly.

If fans want to see those top-level confrontations, it is estimated that the real strong dialogue will begin when the quarterfinals begin.

At the post-match press conference, Besic spoke eloquently in the face of reporters' questions.

"We have won three victories, but that doesn't mean we can relax. Instead, we need to work harder to adjust our state. The World Cup schedule is tight, and anything can happen during this process, so we also need to be fully prepared!"

"Croatia needs to perform better in this World Cup to achieve our goals!"

As for what the goal was, Besic did not make it clear. Even when reporters asked, he chose to ignore it.

After briefly talking about some game matters, Besic left the post-game press conference.

By the time he returned to the locker room, the players had basically finished washing up, and the logistics staff were also transporting various packages to the bus.

Besic waved his hand and the whole team took the bus back to the hotel.

The night in Brasilia is hot. Since it is during the World Cup, there are many fans celebrating all night long. For this reason, police and troops are guarding the intersections almost 24 hours a day. All major bars and restaurants are open until late. , even working in two shifts 24 hours a day.

The Croatian players were very tired after returning to the hotel and went to bed early, but Suker was woken up in the middle of the night.

His sleep quality was very good, and he would not be woken up, but if there was a group of people singing loudly below the hotel, Su Ke couldn't stand it.

After getting up, Sukra opened the curtains and looked down.

It’s okay if you don’t watch it, but if you watch it, you’ll laugh out loud.

These were not other fans, but some drunk Croatian fans who were celebrating in front of the hotel.

Suk knew they were excited, but he wouldn't come here to disturb their rest, right?

Suk shook his head. He opened the door to the room and walked to the living room area, finding that the light was on.

"Are you awake?"

Modric said while sitting on the sofa and yawning.

Su Ke: "I was woken up!"

Modric nodded; "I was woken up too."

Su Ke: "No one cares? How can I sleep here?"

Modric smiled and joked: "Are you woken up sometimes?"

Su Ke's sleep quality has always been very high, and it is difficult to be woken up after falling asleep.

Suk looked at the time. It was 4 o'clock in the morning. He scratched his head and simply stopped sleeping.

He walked straight to Modric and sat down. The TV was playing a replay of the game.

It was the match between Croatia and Costa Rica, and Modric was watching it with great interest.

"Are you enjoying your own game?" Suker turned his head: "Do you still have this interest?"

Modric: "I'm just reminiscing about the game and looking for any mistakes or omissions in the game."

Suker looked at Modric with a different look.

He was not examining the game, but simply enjoying it.

Suk rolled his eyes and said, "There are still many games to come."

"There are only four games at most!" Modric counted on his fingers, "One-eighth, quarter-final, semi-final, final!"

After that, he turned his head and said, "Do you think we can make it to the final?"

Suk, "What do you think?"

Modric was silent for a moment, and said firmly, "Yes!"

"Do you remember South Africa four years ago?"

"The last game we played was at the Ellis Stadium, and three days later, the final was held at the Soccer City Stadium, five kilometers away from the Ellis Stadium!"

Modric held up five fingers, "Our final venue is five kilometers away."

Suk was silent.

Even now, when I think back on it, it was a sleepless night.

After that game, many people couldn't sleep all night, facing the night and looking northwest, looking at the dream stage that should have been in the air.

"That's our regret, and I don't want to create regrets again in this World Cup." Modric looked at Suker; "Remember the interview we gave when we played in Bosnia?"

Suker nodded: "Champions League, World Cup!"

Modric nodded: "We have the Champions League, the World Cup is missing."

"Watch your game!"

Suker got up and walked towards the room.

"Where are you going?" Modric asked.

Suker turned his head; "I can't sleep, I'm going out for a morning run!"

"Morning run at four in the morning?"

Suker looked out the window: "Can you sleep?"

Modric also shook his head helplessly.

Suker changed into sportswear and a hat, and then took the elevator downstairs, but he did not go in and out from the main door. Who knows what these drunks can do.

His morning run route is towards the training ground.

For the two-kilometer journey, he jogged as a warm-up.

Along the way, there were police officers and soldiers guarding the intersection. At first, they also thought Suk was suspicious, but after confirming his identity, they gathered around and took a signature, and then let him go with satisfaction. Some people even volunteered to escort Suk to the training ground, but were declined by the latter.

Arriving at the training ground, Suk ran around the court for another three kilometers, which was considered a five-kilometer warm-up.

He also got some footballs from the equipment room and put them on the court to practice shooting for a while.

Because he went to bed early yesterday, he didn't feel too tired.

After training, he ran back to the hotel again.

When he went back, he found that the drunks at the door had been driven away, and some police officers were added to the security force at the door.

Apparently, Croatia had made some purge requests.

When Suk returned to the hotel, he found that his teammates had also gotten up and were walking to the restaurant one by one to prepare for breakfast.

Suk also went back to the room and took a simple shower before going to the cafeteria.

"Good morning!"

Srna yawned.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Suk asked.

"That group of people quarreled from 1am to 4am, how could they sleep?"

Suk: "They were jumping around so much, shouldn't they have sobered up long ago?"

Srna: "Good question, is it possible that they were drinking and making noise at the same time?"

Suk couldn't help grinning.

"Don't worry, the coaching staff has communicated with the organizers, and they promised to increase the security force outside the hotel, and will not open it to the public except when necessary!"

Hearing this, Suk nodded, after all, during the World Cup, the quality of sleep must be guaranteed.

At this time, Besic also came in.

"In the afternoon, we set off for Rio de Janeiro!"

In the next game, they will return to Rio de Janeiro to play.

They will play against Chile, so they will act early and adapt to the venue by the way.

The games of other groups have not yet ended, and it will take another day or two.

Reading the error-free version! 6=9+Shu_Bar first published this novel.

That afternoon, Croatia was ready to go and returned to Rio de Janeiro to prepare for the game again.

At the same time, the World Cup Group E competition also started.

At present, France is the leader in points in the World Cup Group E, followed by Switzerland and Ecuador.

Since Switzerland lost to France, and France has won two games so far, even if France loses to Ecuador, they will face elimination.

Therefore, if Switzerland wants to qualify, they need to beat Honduras, and France also needs to beat or tie Ecuador to have a chance.

Switzerland is lucky. As they thought, in the third round, Switzerland defeated Honduras 2:1.

And France also tied Ecuador 1:1.

Group E first place, France, 2-1-0, 7 points.

Group E second place: Switzerland, 2-0-1, 6 points.

Group E third place: Ecuador, 1-1-1, 4 points.

Group E fourth place; Honduras, 0-0-3, 0 points.

Group F competition is more intense.

Argentina defeated Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first two rounds and won two consecutive victories. The opponent in the third game was the last-placed Iran.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Nigeria are competing for second place in the group.

This game was intense, with a total of 8 yellow cards and two red cards issued in 90 minutes.

The game was interrupted twice. In the end, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored a header from Suk Mazic in stoppage time, helping Bosnia and Herzegovina win the final and successfully advance to the knockout rounds.

First place in Group F: Argentina, 3-0-0, 9 points.

Second place in Group F: Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-0-1, 6 points.

Third place in Group F: Nigeria, 1-0-2, 3 points.

Fourth place in Group F: Iran, 0-0-3, 0 points.

The last two groups are Group G and Group H!

Portugal, which had high hopes, performed poorly in this World Cup. Germany still performed steadily and won the second place in the group. However, the second place in the group was taken by the United States, and Portugal missed the World Cup knockout rounds.

Among the top stars, Ronaldo became the first star to miss the knockout rounds of the World Cup.

In Group H, Belgium and Algeria qualify together.

Finally, all the top 16 spots were determined.

Brazil vs Greece.

Mexico vs Colombia.

Croatia vs Chile.

Netherlands vs Costa Rica.

France vs. the United States.

Germany VS Switzerland.

Argentina vs Algeria.

Belgium VS Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But the most exciting thing is not the round of 16. In fact, the strength of this group is still very obvious.

The most critical thing is the quarterfinals.

Because the quarterfinals are played across the distance.

To this end, Brazil defeated Greece and Croatia defeated Chile.

Then Brazil and Croatia will face off directly in the quarterfinals!

This is the most exciting news, and the possibility is very high.

One is the host country, five-star Brazil!

The other is Croatia, the current European hegemon!

These two teams represent the two top football powers in South America and Europe respectively.

What kind of performance the game between them will show is the most exciting thing.

Although the top 16 has not yet begun, fans are already thinking about the more anticipated quarter-finals.

"If we win against Greece, we will play Croatia. The intensity of this quarter-final match has reached its peak, right?"

Marcelo couldn't help grinning.

In the Brazilian team's base camp, they also saw this match list.

After the group is determined, the top 16 is not a big problem for Brazil. They are still confident of defeating Greece.

But in the next quarter-finals, Croatia's attack will make them uncomfortable.

As a five-star Brazil, they have enough World Cup heritage. They are the team with the most World Cup championships and the strongest team.

Brazilians have such pride!

But the problem is that Croatia is not a small player to deal with now. Including players such as Suker, Modric, Rakitic, and Mandzukic, Croatia's performance in the World Cup also explains a lot of problems.

It can be said that Brazil has ushered in its biggest challenge!

This is also the most dangerous opponent they will face as hosts.

"Don't think about the quarterfinals first, just play the current game well!"

Kaka was also worried, but he knew not to think too much about the problem, let alone think about the Croatian game beyond Greece.

This may cause them to overturn early in the round of 16.

For this reason, it is very important to play well in the current game. As for the issue of the quarter-finals, let the coaching staff find a solution.

At the same time, Croatia is also discussing a match with Brazil.

"The intensity is about to increase in a moment!"

"Chile is fine, but Brazil is really dangerous!"

"First Uruguay, then Chile, and then Brazil. Are you really targeting South American teams to become your opponents?"

Modric said: "Finish playing against Chile first!"

They have the same idea as Brazil.

Don't think too much, don't think too much, it will only affect your state.

After the group stage, the competition immediately entered the knockout stage.

There is only one day of rest between the knockout rounds and the group stage.

Brazil, as the host nation, is also the opening match of the knockout rounds.

On June 29, the knockout rounds of the 2014 World Cup officially began.

The first game, Brazil VS Greece!

Greece's performance in the group stage was not satisfactory. Compared with Colombia, it is a more optimistic side.

However, Colombia relied on Rodriguez's performance and won all three games to advance.

Greece hurriedly caught up slowly, but still stumbled into the knockout rounds with a score of 1-1-1.

But the problem with qualifying second in the group is that they have to face a large number of first place players in the group. These are the top teams in the world.

Facing the powerful five-star Brazil, Greece can only live to death.

"It's very intense!"

Croatia is also paying attention to this game. Their opponent in the quarter-finals is the winner of this game, so they will definitely pay attention.

Greece showed a very strong desire to attack after the opening game.

Even if the opponent is the powerful five-star Brazil, they still want to use high-position pressing as much as possible to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.

But it is not known whether Brazil's rhythm is messed up or not, but Greece is getting more and more out of tune.

Finally, at the 21st minute, Kaka seized the opportunity and directly passed the ball to Pato who was advancing. Pato dribbled the ball into the penalty area, dribbled the ball to create a shooting angle, and then connected the shot with his other foot.

Swish!

The ball went into the net, and Brazil scored the first goal of the game and also gained an advantage.

This goal was too easy!

Greece wanted to disrupt Brazil's rhythm, but its midfield and backcourt were somewhat out of touch.

And Kaka would not miss this opportunity and immediately turned the advantage into a goal.

This is the price of impatience!

Greece wanted to disrupt Brazil's rhythm as soon as possible, but they did not know how dangerous this style of play would be when the midfield power was not balanced enough.

When a weak team plays a strong team, it always needs to defend well and use counterattacks to get opportunities.

But Greece was obviously too hasty!