The first round of the World Cup group stage has concluded.
To summarize the first round of matches, it was 'chaotic'.
Before the tournament, there was a clear qualification probability table, but with the end of the first round, everything was thrown into chaos.
After all, no one expected Spain to be massacred by the Netherlands, Uruguay to lose to Costa Rica, or Colombia to defeat Greece.
But this also made this World Cup full of excitement.
The unknown thrill satisfied the senses of the fans, at least for those who simply enjoyed this tournament; they were happy to see such a chaotic situation.
Of course, there were also teams who are stable.
For example, Germany and Croatia, who were unanimously favored before the tournament!
These two teams played dominant matches in the first round.
Croatia defeated England 3-0!
Germany defeated Portugal 4-0!
They both delivered stunning performances in their opening matches.
Of course, as the host, the Brazil Team should not be underestimated, and there are also successive dark horse teams emerging, all of which are making the World Cup trend even more intense.
On June 17, the World Cup began its second round.
The matches still started with group b.
In the first match, host Brazil faced Italy.
Italy adopted a 5-2-1-1-1 formation in this match, focusing on defensive counterattacks.
And with this tactic, they managed to draw with Brazil 0-0 in a 90-minute match.
Although this was similar to Mexico's tactics in the first round, Italy, as the originator of defense, understood better what to do on the defensive end.
Even though Neymar and Pato desperately pushed forward, they still couldn't score any goals.
After this match, Brazil also got their first draw of this World Cup.
For Brazil fans, this match was a bit dull.
But they also knew that against Italy, they shouldn't expect a fiery attacking match.
Italy is a traditional defensive counterattack team, which is related to the characteristics of their region.
Another team, Mexico, defeated Cameroon, giving themselves a glimmer of hope for advancement.
As for the last team in group b, Cameroon from Africa, they suffered two consecutive losses.
The aging African Leopard Eto'o could no longer carry this Cameroon, and they did not have a completely new squad, currently with two consecutive losses, becoming the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup.
Cameroon's elimination stimulated the matches in group B.
The next day, the group b matches became the focus of the world.
Could Spain, the reigning Champions League who suffered a massacre in the first round, adjust their state and turn the tide?
The Matador Legion faced Chile in the second round.
From a lineup perspective, there were no issues; it combined Spain's best players, and even the entire lineup became younger, precisely to combat the problem of insufficient running.
But the impact of the first round match was still too great on them.
From the beginning of the match, Spain clearly showed an anxious mentality.
Their offense was fierce, constantly pushing forward, wanting to score quickly to change the current atmosphere.
But the more they did so, the more prone they were to making mistakes.
In the 31st minute, Chile's attacking midfielder Vidal seized an opportunity, successfully stole the ball in Spain's half, and blew the trumpet for a counterattack.
Sanchez pulled wide, went to the byline, crossed, and Vargas headed the ball into the net from the center.
The entire counterattack was seamless, as for Spain's defense, they seemed to be sleepwalking and completely failed to react.
"Spain has collapsed!"
Seeing this scene on TV, Srna shook his head directly and said.
As a fellow defender, he clearly knew that Spain's state at this time was problematic.
Especially since he was familiar with players like Ramos and Pique.
Their performance should not be like this, but in this match, they were muddled, playing without any rhythm.
It can be said that the Netherlands indeed made them collapse!
Suker also agreed with this view; looking at the current match, Spain seemed to be half a beat slow, always unable to keep up with the rhythm, and losing the ball was only a matter of time.
"Let's see if they can adjust in the second half!" Modrić said.
But before the second half arrived, in the final moments of the first half, Chile's midfielder Charles Aránguiz launched a sudden long-range shot from a distance.
This long-range shot, taken with a try-it-out attitude, hit Spain's central defender Javi Martínez's calf during its flight, flying towards Goalkeeper Casillas's diving direction, and scored again.
This goal completely broke the tension in Spain.
It was clearly visible from the close-up expressions that the Spanish players' faces were filled with anger, accompanied by signs of frustration, irritation, and collapse.
Even their gazes towards their teammates were not so friendly, clearly, internal conflicts were constantly brewing at this moment.
"This match is over!"
Suker stood up directly.
Seeing this goal, Suker basically understood.
Although slightly different from the original timeline, it was largely the same.
Spain's mentality had problems, and they were directly made to collapse by the Netherlands.
When facing difficulties, these players also found it hard to unite, and it was more about mutual complaints and accusations, which ultimately led to this situation.
It can be said that the problems left over from the previous match were not resolved.
And these were still affecting subsequent matches!
In the second half, Spain also failed to adjust, while Chile adopted a tactic of full-team retreat, defending for 45 minutes.
Until the end of the match, Spain also failed to score.
Ultimately, Spain lost 0-2 to Chile in the second round.
Defending Champion Spain suffered group stage elimination in the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
This news was explosive!
Spain left too deep an impression on fans in the 2010 World Cup; they absolutely did not expect Spain to leave in this manner.
At the very least, they should have made it to the knockout stage!
But the World Cup is just that cruel!
If the first round was not covered by the media, the impact of the second round would be insurmountable.
Two consecutive losses directly buried four years of effort!
Spain ended their campaign dismally, but the media world was abuzz.
They shouted that the 'World Cup curse' had begun to take effect.
As for the World Cup curse, it is that the defending Champions League cannot escape group stage elimination.
Even a strong team like Spain was no exception.
But upon a deeper technical analysis, in fact, Spain had already begun to decline after the 2010 World Cup.
Also, the entire football world's understanding and overcoming of tiki-taka football were gradually causing Spain to lose its dominant position!
Spain's elimination was definitely the biggest news of this World Cup so far.
Those Spanish fans were even more unable to comprehend the situation, gathering in front of the hotel where the Spain National Team was staying, making a fuss.
As for the Spanish side, apart from the Head Coach and team leader who came out to speak, none of the other players showed up.
What happened inside, what problems occurred, the fans also did not know.
And on the second day, Spain directly packed up and left!
Only Captain Casillas remained as the representative of the defending Champions; he had to wait until the World Cup ended to personally return the World Cup trophy.
The second round of matches was particularly intense, especially the consecutive eliminations of Cameroon and Spain, which stimulated the senses of other teams.
In the group c matches, Japan exerted all its strength to fight Greece, ultimately securing a draw, which helped them overcome the crisis and retain a glimmer of hope for advancement.
However, Japan still struggled to win, and their situation was also very passive.
Colombia is currently far ahead in group c, thanks to the excellent performance of their young number 10 player Rodríguez; they consecutively defeated Greece and Ivory Coast in two rounds, securing their knockout stage qualification one round early.
And in these two matches, Rodríguez scored three goals, currently tied with Suker at the top of the World Cup top scorer list.
However, Suker still has one less match played, so Rodríguez still has some gap compared to Suker.
After much anticipation, the Group D match day finally arrived.
The first match was a life-and-death battle!
Croatia vs. Uruguay!
Both teams are world-class powerhouses.
Even in the World Cup, they are highly competitive teams, but with Uruguay's loss in the first round, they are now facing elimination.
If they lose this match.
They will follow in the footsteps of Cameroon and Spain, becoming the third team to be eliminated from the World Cup.
Uruguay cannot allow this to happen, so they are also fully prepared.
As for Croatia, they will not give up the hope of early qualification, so this match will undoubtedly be a fierce struggle.
Corinthians Arena, the largest and most watched stadium in São Paulo.
And today, it also won the favor of fans.
The reason is simple: both teams in this match are top teams from different continents.
Uruguay is one of the top three teams in South America!
After Croatia consecutively won the European Cup, it can now be considered the overlord of Europe.
The clash between these two teams will inevitably attract the attention of fans.
Corinthians Arena is much smaller than Maracanã Stadium.
Not every stadium can accommodate 200,000 fans, and Corinthians Arena is a standard 'regulated stadium'.
With 70,000 seats, it was virtually full.
Uruguayan fans in sky-blue jerseys and Croatian fans in red and white checkered colors became the focus here.
However, compared to the Croatian fans' unrestrained singing and shouting, Uruguayan fans always had a hint of awkwardness.
No way, they were nervous!
They, unlike Croatia, did not win the first round smoothly, leading to a very passive situation now.
This passivity not only affected the team, but also made the fans feel upset.
"Why is it Croatia? Wouldn't it be better to play England first, and then Croatia in the last round!" a Uruguayan fan said with a bitter face.
Another fan shook his head and said, "I feel this is actually better. If we lost to England, I would collapse, but if we lost to Croatia, I would only feel that we were affected by not playing well in the first round, and also, I don't want to continue to be tormented until the third round, it's too painful!"
"We have to win, or we can draw, but we can't lose!"
"This also depends on another match. If England defeats Costa Rica, then if we draw with Croatia and then defeat England, we still have a chance to qualify!"
"Hey! Why don't we think about winning?" a companion asked.
The remaining Uruguayan fans fell silent collectively.
Did they not want to?
If possible, winning the match is indeed the best scenario, but it's too difficult!
On the other side is Croatia!
They are the reigning European champions, the current overlord of Europe!
The team is full of stars; just Modrić, Srna, Mandžukić, Rakitić are enough to give them a headache, not to mention Suker is also there to hold the fort.
"They're coming out!"
As soon as a sharp-eyed Uruguayan fan finished speaking, the entire stadium suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers.
Despite being the warm-up phase, the enthusiastic atmosphere was already at its peak.
The shouts of over 70,000 fans in the stadium made the ground tremble.
Through the large screen, it was not difficult to see the tension of the Uruguayan players.
The camera even gave close-ups to players like Suarez, Cavani, and Godin, clearly highlighting them as the backbone of Uruguay.
As for Croatia, the focus was mainly on Suker's close-ups; although other players also got some screen time, the camera quickly returned to Suker.
At this moment, Suker was wearing a black training uniform. In this match, Croatia was playing in their black away jerseys, and the golden number 9 on his back shone brightly.
Number 9 is traditionally the center-forward position!
But ever since Suker wore the number 9 jersey as a winger, the number 9 has begun to take on different meanings.
Many players also like to wear number 9 and play as wingers, all influenced by Suker.
Suker's expression was calm, without any tension, and even his shoelaces were loosely untied. He warmed up in such a relaxed manner.
"Since the beginning of this World Cup, Suker's form is exceptionally good. This excellence is not only reflected in his technical level but also in his mentality, and Suker's excellent performance also enables Croatia to perform better in matches!"
The Brazilian commentator remarked, "A top star like Suker would receive the highest treatment in any team. He is definitely Croatia's insurance policy; in critical moments, he can use his individual brilliance to break the deadlock for the team!"
"Uruguay is also our old opponent, but they are facing a World Cup favorite, and also the reigning European Cup overlord. Facing this life-and-death battle, I don't know if they are prepared, but I believe this match will be full of excitement from the very beginning!"
The warm-up session ended.
Both teams' players walked towards the player tunnel, ignoring each other and walking straight in.
They silently entered the locker room for their final preparations.
"This is the tactic for this match. I need you to show your best form, your strongest fighting spirit, gentlemen. You must remember that this might be our last chance. If we don't seize this match, you all know the consequences. I don't want to put pressure on you, but this is our current situation, so maintain sufficient vigilance from the very first moment of the match!" the Head Coach of Uruguay said with a serious tone.
On the other side, Croatia's Head Coach Bešić also delivered a speech.
"We played very well in the first match, and we need to continue this state. I have always emphasized one thing: football is a team sport. Forward attack, midfield organization, defender defense—this division is correct, but it's even more important to integrate with each other. Midfielders can drop back to supplement the defense, and forwards can also drop back to enhance midfield control. When someone goes up to attack, someone needs to cover their position. Always pay attention to your teammates' positions, and also know what you need to do, clearly defining what to do at what time, playing with purpose, understand?"
Listening to Bešić's words, everyone shouted in unison.
Finally, Srna took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said, "Guys, let's go!"
Inside the player tunnel, both teams' players were already standing on opposite sides, waiting to enter.
The entire player tunnel was quiet, but the cheers and shouts from outside constantly stirred their heartstrings, making their hearts beat faster and faster.
Godin kept rubbing his little fingers to relieve his emotions.
He had a great responsibility in this match; he needed to withstand Croatia's attack before his team scored.
To be honest, Godin was not very confident.
If it were anyone else, it would be easier to say, but when facing Suker, he wasn't so confident.
After all, in the League, he had been taught a lesson more than once or twice.
It could be said that Suker was the nightmare of all Atlético Madrid defenders!
Yet, in this life-and-death match, their opponent was Suker!
This made Godin feel as if he could never escape this nightmare.
They had just lost to Real Madrid, led by Suker, in the Champions League.
And now, were they going to be eliminated by Croatia, led by Suker, in the World Cup again?
Godin didn't want that!
For this, they could only fight with all their might!
He couldn't say he would definitely succeed, but at this point, he also needed to give his all.
"It's our turn, guys!" Godin said in a deep voice, then led the Uruguayan players to follow the referee team onto the field.
On the other side, in Croatia, Srna turned and winked at Suker, then shouted, "Suker!"
The Croatian players were visibly stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted. Due to their tacit agreement, they all laughed and shouted in unison:
"Awesome!!"
The starting lineups for both teams are as follows:
Uruguay (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Muslera.
Defenders: Caceres, Giménez, Godin, Pereira.
Midfielders: González, Arévalo, Rodríguez.
Forwards: Suarez, Lodeiro, Cavani.
Croatia (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Subašić.
Defenders: Srna, Vida, Lovren, Strinić.
Midfielders: Rakitić, Vukojević, Modrić.
Forwards: Perisic, Mandžukić, Suker.
Uruguay's formation is listed as 4-3-3, but it should actually be 4-1-2-1-2.
Both the midfield and forward lines form inverted triangles, with Lodeiro positioned behind the two forwards, primarily playing as an attacking midfielder.
This also indicates that Uruguay is aiming for an offensive approach in this match.
Croatia has made some personnel changes, but their formation remains the same.
This also indicates that Croatia has not yet revealed too many tactical ideas.