Chapter 548: Mysterious Kingdom

The strong teams appeared one by one. However, the traditional powerhouses did not seem to be doing well in the first game of this World Cup.

France was held to a draw by Uruguay. England was held to a draw by the United States. Italy was held to a draw by Paraguay. Portugal was held to a draw by Côte d'Ivoire.

Then finally it was Brazil's turn. Their first opponent is the mysterious North Korea.

The last time North Korea entered the World Cup was in 1966, and that time they shocked the world.

North Korea is a country that gives people the impression of being closed, poor, and backward.

In the Shanghai Four Nations Invitational Tournament in 1999, the North Korean team asked the hotel manager for candy to satisfy their hunger because they did not have a free lunch. In the end, North Korea penetrated the Chinese team's defense twice! After defeating China, the North Korean players drank half a bottle of water discarded by the Chinese team and took pictures with old-fashioned cameras.

In the 2000 Four Nations Tournament, only 4-5 North Korean players could afford a can of Coke through a joint venture. Yan Shiduo, then chairman of the Chinese Football Association, wept on the spot after watching the training of the North Korean team.

Under such difficult conditions, the long-dormant North Korean football finally ushered in the spring. After 44 years away from the World Cup, North Korea has returned to the center of world football, and they are eager to bloom on the stage of the World Cup.

Unlike the international footballers of other countries who enjoy honors, flowers, luxury cars, and celebrities, the life of the North Korean international footballers is very difficult. It is said that the monthly salary of their international players is only equivalent to 12 yuan. It is said that their daily diet is mainly coarse grains, and every 11 people is equipped with a bottle of Coke. They stayed in budget hotels and rented courts in slums. Their players don't have their own personal phones...

In the previous warm-up match, North Korea lost to Paraguay and Nigeria, and drew 2-2 with Greece. Although they did not win, their tenacious style and fierce offensive play won unanimous praise from the media.

In the pre-match press conference, Dunga was extremely confident.

"It's a pity that we haven't collected much information about North Korea. We don't know much about this opponent. We have never played against them in history. But we will stick to our football style and I firmly believe that we can win. This It has nothing to do with the opponent, no matter who the opponent is, we have enough confidence. Because we are Brazil, we have the best players in the world."

Kim Jong-hoon, head coach of the North Korean team, is low-key and humble, but yet tough: "We came to this arena with the attitude of learning from our opponents. We know that we will face the best stars in the world. My players I can't sleep because of the excitement. Of course, we are not here to accept defeat, we will play our own style, no matter how strong the opponent is, inspired by a great leader, we will not be afraid."

No one thinks that North Korea can cause any trouble for Brazil.

Some even predicted that Brazil could play North Korea 8:0.

But Ricardo said meaningfully in an interview: "Sometimes, the power of will is stronger than you think..."

On the evening of May 15th, at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, the five-star Brazil team made its debut.

Dunga continued to use the 4231 formation, the goalkeeper Cesar, the defender he chose Maicon, Lucio, Thiago Silva and Bastos.

In the midfield, Baptista and Felipe Melo partnered in the midfielder, Kaka in the midfielder, Ricardo on the left, Rico on the right, and Ronaldo on the left.

Few people know that Dunga had discussions with Ricardo on the starting list.

Thiago Silva and Baptista were the choices he made after listening to Ricardo's advice.

Of course, no one will tell this. If the media knows that the head coach of the Brazilian team actually discussed the starting list with a player, it will definitely cause an uproar.

But in fact, in Dunga's view, this is normal. Ricardo is the core player, and the players' tactics are formulated around Ricardo. Then whoever Li Cardo wants to cooperate with, of course, should be satisfied first.

The game was kicked off by the North Korean team.

Only 4 minutes after the drive, Ricardo cut inside the left rib and shot around, almost breaking North Korea's goal.

As soon as the North Korean team made a big kick, the Brazilian team grabbed the ball and went into the attack again. This time, Kaka completed a high-quality long-range shot.

Two shots made the North Korean team sober. They are facing the best players in the world, any mistakes... no, no mistakes are needed, as long as the opponent plays normally, they will be passively beaten.

They can only rely on their running and tenacious fighting spirit to deal with their opponents.

Soon they gave the Brazilian team a little bit of color. In the 11th minute, Zheng Dashi broke into the Brazilian team's penalty area with three consecutive players and forced a shot. Cesar confiscated the ball.

Although he didn't create much threat, the fans still applauded him.

It is normal for Brazilian players to make such a performance, but it is really amazing for North Korean players to do this.

The mental outlook of the North Korean team is indeed refreshing, but technical and tactical shortcomings are not so easy to make up for.

In the 16th minute, Riccardo ran to the center to seek cooperation with Kaka. After receiving a pass from Kaka, he suddenly picked a pass. Ronaldo shook off the North Korean player marking him. Before the football hit the ground, he kicked it cleanly. shoot.

North Korean goalkeeper Lee Myung-guk made a brave save, but Ronaldo's shot was too close and from a tricky angle, and he was completely helpless.

Brazil leads 1:0.

The North Korean team did not collapse.

They swooped with more ferocity than before.

After the Brazilian team took the lead, they swayed leisurely, and it was difficult for the North Korean team to touch the ball. In the eyes of the fans, this was the Brazilian team's monkey slithering in training.

But it is easy to control the ball, but it is more difficult to continue to score goals.

North Korean players are not skilled enough, but the bus will still be placed. Even their attacking players went back to the defense without hesitation, creating a numerical advantage in the backcourt and containing Brazil's attack.

As soon as Ricardo got the ball, there were often two or three North Korean players rushing towards him, and it was difficult for him to break through smoothly.

In order not to get injured in the first game, Ricardo always passed the ball quickly, not trying to test the opponent's work ethic.

There is no reason to be kicked and broke his leg.

In the Brazilian team's deliberate control of the rhythm, the score of 1:0 was maintained to the midfield.

Entering the second half, the North Korean team wanted to continue to fight, but they are not superhuman after all, and their physical fitness still has limits. After entering 60 minutes, their rhythm slowed down significantly and they couldn't run anymore.

The Brazilian team launched an offensive again.

In the 67th minute, Kaka sent a through pass, Ricardo successfully reversed offside, and scored the goal with a small angle shot.

In the 74th minute, Kaka made a gesture to pass the ball to Ricardo, but changed direction at the last moment and turned the ball to the right. Baptista followed up with a low and flat ball and shot from a long distance, breaking the goal of the North Korean team for the third time. .

The tenacious North Korean team did not give up. In stoppage time, Jung Dae-se finally found a chance to score a goal.

The Brazilian team won the first show 3:1.