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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 114 / 12095%WebWeb+AI#114Chapter 114 (Crackling sounds)Chapter 114: Kaka, Kaka, Kaka, Kaka!All eyes at this moment fell on the few players in the frontcourt of the Brazil National Football Team. Adriano still looked half-dead, his work rate even lower than Ronaldo's, while Ronaldo stood in the half-spaces, his gaze still fixed on the midfield battle for possession.Kaka and Ronaldinho firmly controlled the football at their feet; even if they lost possession under double-teaming, they could quickly press and win the ball back.The match looked extremely bizarre.The Brazil National Football Team had no central forward in the frontcourt; one of the two central forwards was absent-minded, and the other was stationed in a winger position.As the side with a numerical advantage, the Croatia national football team had somehow lost control of the midfield?In the 67th minute of the match, Ronaldinho's explosive run on the left flank was tackled by Šimić. The ball did not roll far, and Kaka, who had been maintaining a supporting position with Ronaldinho, raised his foot to cushion the ball and threaded it right back.After falling to the ground, Ronaldinho quickly got back up, receiving the ball with a continuous touch and turn to shake off Šimić. Kaka turned his head and sprinted down the central channel. Srna and Tudor sandwiched Ronaldinho from left and right, while Robert Kovač, who had been idle for over ten minutes, quickly stuck close to Kaka to block him from entering the penalty area.Ronaldinho delivered a chipped pass through the gaps between players. Kaka leaped to meet the ball, and lacking the space to bring it down, quickly flicked his head to pass the ball back behind him. Zé Roberto, who was following up with a forward run, controlled the football and played an extremely tacit through ball."Ronaldinho, Elastico, oh... Šimić's cover defense is extremely timely, this tackle is very clean. Huh? Kaka passes, Ronaldinho receives again, he's past! Chipped pass!""Kaka... header flick, Zé Roberto... a brilliant through ball, Kaka is through on goal!"Zé Roberto's through ball directly pierced through Croatia's defensive line. Just as he passed the ball, he was heavily knocked down by the rushing Niko Kovač, but at this moment he couldn't care less about arguing; instead, he lay flat on the ground with his eyes locked onto that figure sprinting wildly with the ball."Kaka is through on goal! Pletikosa rushes out, Kaka, Pendulum dribble! The familiar Pendulum dribble! Pletikosa is shaken to the ground!"When a forward faces a goalkeeper, Ronaldo's Pendulum dribble is indeed the most effective technical move. As long as it is executed, and as long as the opposing goalkeeper has dreams, there is no reason for him not to fall.Kaka's body rapidly swayed left and right, his right foot sweeping quickly over the top of the football. His left foot guided the ball as he instantly slipped past Pletikosa's side, leaving the path ahead completely unobstructed.With a gentle push from the outside of his right foot, the football rolled unimpeded into the net, 2–0.Only at this moment did Ronaldo trot over to the goalmouth with his big belly protruding.Kaka smiled and hugged him."Ronnie, if you had been just a tiny bit faster just now, I would have passed the ball."Kaka smiled mischievously, while Ronaldo wore an expression of utter disbelief.That ball just now was facing an open goal, you would pass it? This is the World Cup! What World Cup goals mean to a player, Ronaldo understood better than anyone.Brazil began their passionate celebration once more. Ronaldinho dragged Kaka to the sideline to dance the samba, and Kaka swayed along with his teammates.As a Brazilian, Kaka naturally knew how to dance the samba; it was just that his personality had always been shy, unlike Ronaldinho and the others who were outgoing, so those stereotypical Brazilian traits were rarely seen in him.Footage of Kaka dancing was extremely scarce for the media. The telephoto lenses and cameras on the sideline aimed at Kaka, broadcasting his maiden dance on the pitch to all corners of the world.The match restarted. Trailing by two goals, Croatia visibly grew much more impatient.In the 74th minute, Croatia captain Niko Kovač unleashed a long-range shot from the edge of the penalty arc. The ball struck Juan and rebounded back, and Ivan Klasnić turned to shoot on the follow-up. Dida, who had been like a reincarnated guardian deity in the first half, fumbled the ball due to a hurried save, but fortunately, Lúcio was extremely focused and quickly booted the ball out over the sideline.Croatia won a corner kick. Niko Kranjčar lofted the ball toward the near post. Adriano, who had been sleepwalking the entire match, finally rose to the occasion once, outjumping Ivan Klasnić to head the ball out of the six-yard box, and Pršo's ensuing shot flew over the crossbar.As the match progressed, the physical stamina of the players from both sides inevitably declined, and executing actions on the pitch was no longer as effortless as it had been at the start.Dida distributed the ball to Cafu's feet. Cafu started surging forward with the ball, with Emerson ready to support from the side, while Kaka quickly moved closer to the right flank. At the centerline position, Cafu was pressured by Marko Babić and Niko Kranjčar working in tandem, so he passed the ball to Emerson, wanting to execute a one-two combination with him. However, after receiving the ball, Emerson didn't even glance at him, dribbling forward for two steps before lifting his foot and kicking the ball away.Kaka cushioned the ball with his back to the goal, leaning his back against Niko Kovač. The moment the football successfully landed, he forcefully exerted strength backwards to lean against Niko Kovač. Utilizing the rebounding force, Kaka quickly turned and flicked the ball, dribbling diagonally toward the right flank to break through."Kaka's back-to-goal technique is extremely mature; this is a technical move he frequently uses at his club. Kaka has initiated his acceleration, Marko Babić comes up, OMG, an exquisite feint, Kaka easily shakes off Marko Babić's entanglement! Kaka changes direction, Kaka is charging toward the penalty area!"Because of the threat Kaka had previously posed to the team, Croatia had piled up at least five players in the central position at this moment. Tudor and Niko Kovač immediately collapsed inward the exact moment Kaka changed direction and accelerated, attempting to shut the door and lock down Kaka's breakthrough route.But Kaka's speed exceeded their imagination. With just a heavy touch and burst of speed, the football shot straight through the space between the two of them, and Kaka followed closely behind, forcefully barging right past.Niko Kovač was knocked off balance and completely lost his position. Tudor tenaciously kept up with Kaka, sliding in swiftly the instant Kaka touched the ball, but Kaka's left foot struck the ground and bounced back up at an exaggerated speed to gently tap the football, successfully avoiding Tudor's sliding tackle while completely breaking through the encirclement of Croatia's double defensive midfielders.At this point it was only five or six meters away from the penalty area, and the three players on the defensive line—Šimić, Robert Kovač, and Josip Šimunić—faced a formidable enemy.Especially Šimić, who had seen this kind of scene countless times at club level: whenever Kaka initiated his run, there was a high probability that a goal would be added to the scoreboard, but now he was standing on the opposite side of Kaka.Šimić hurriedly called out to his teammates to commit a direct foul—they absolutely could not let Kaka enter the penalty area. Kaka charged at high speed directly toward Robert Kovač, with Tudor and Niko Kovač in hot pursuit from behind.At the edge of the penalty area, Kaka suddenly flicked the ball to change direction to the left. Robert Kovač, retreating with quick, choppy steps, thought Kaka was going to shoot and hurriedly threw himself forward to block, but Kaka's move to the left was merely a feint. The ball rolled from right to left, and the moment his left foot stepped on it to halt it, Kaka's core suddenly tightened, his body abruptly rotating to the right while his left foot guided the ball with a gentle nudge toward the right-rear.Exercising power from his right heel, he struck a heavy back-heel kick onto the oncoming football!Šimić watched helplessly as the football that had been under Kaka's foot slid right past beneath his very eyes, and then with a flick of Kaka's right heel, the football drilled right through Josip Šimunić's legs.Josip Šimunić? What was he doing here? What about the person he was supposed to be marking?"Kaka, Kaka, Kaka, Kaka! OMG! OMG! OMG!"The Brazilian commentator only had time to frantically call upon God, because Kaka was dancing gracefully on the edge of a blade!"Kaka, turning back-heel pass!!!!!!""Ronaldo!!!!!!!!!""GOAL!!!!!!!!!!"Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 114 / 12095%Ch. 114 / 12095%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 115 / 12095.8%WebWeb+AI#115Chapter 115 Drowning People Don't Save ThemselvesChapter 115: The Drowning Man Does Not Save Himself"GOAL!!! Kaka! Kaka! Guys, I am practically about to faint on the spot, this is too exaggerated, what kind of breakthrough and pass is this? Who can count how many defensive players Kaka dribbled past in just over ten seconds, five? Or six? He truly single-handedly challenged the entire Croatia defensive line, and he is just like a noble spirit fox, dodging and weaving through the enemy's heavy encirclement. The football is as obedient to him as his own limbs, with feints, momentum deception, a sudden burst, and a pinpoint backheel flick! I feel like I am seeing the Brazilians dancing gracefully on the pitch, this is too Samba! This is too Brazil!""At today's Berlin Olympic Stadium, it is God playing football while wearing the number 8 jersey!"That's right, Kaka's national team jersey was still number 8, whereas in the Brazil National Football Team, the jersey number symbolizing the core was number 10. However, this number had already been handed over to Ronaldinho in 2004. Before Kaka reported for duty, Carlos Alberto Parreira had also asked about the jersey number issue, but the number 10 jersey was rejected by Kaka.He did not want a jersey number to affect his friendship with Ronaldinho. Besides, whether one is the core or the leader is not decided by a jersey number, but rather by a player's performance on the pitch.What skill is there in inheriting a jersey that a predecessor has already made famous? Kaka's goal was to turn the Brazil National Football Team's number 8 jersey into a legend. After his retirement, every junior who wanted to wear the number 8 jersey would have to be carefully evaluated, or rather, when he retired, the Brazil National Football Team's number 8 jersey would retire along with him.This was the style the King of Football should have!Heh heh heh heh heh heh!!!...In the 75th minute of the match, the Brazil National Football Team led Croatia 3:0!After scoring, Ronaldo roared and sprinted towards the corner flag, pounding his chest vigorously with both hands.It was too frustrating! This season, whether in Real Madrid or the national team, Ronaldo had lived through too much frustration: continuous injuries, poor form, alienation by coaches and teammates, and jeers from fans at the home stadium!Ever since the World Cup started, Ronaldo had been holding in a breath of anger. He wanted to prove to the world that he had not completely exited the ranks of superstars, and that he was still the sharpest blade in world football. This was also the reason why he would rather watch the team atmosphere worsen day by day than make tactical concessions.The world's number one player had the pride of the world's number one player!This goal allowed Ronaldo to fiercely vent his pent-up anger!He roared frantically, then turned around to point at Kaka, rushing over to give him a heavy embrace.Looking at this young junior's handsome face, even Ronaldo had to admit that Kaka's butterfly-weaving-through-flowers style dribbling and assist just now was something even he himself in his peak period would find very difficult to pull off. If that ball had been handled by himself in his peak period, there was a high probability he would have been brought down by someone midway.Moreover, Kaka's advancement speed was too fast, and his center of gravity transition speed completely mismatched his 1.9-meter tall stature. It wasn't that the Croatians didn't want to commit a foul, but rather that every time they made up their minds to slide tackle, a simple change of direction by Kaka would throw their center of gravity off balance.The people who could keep up with Kaka couldn't slide tackle, and everyone else was left eating exhaust fumes in the back, not even having the chance to slide tackle. By the time they had the chance, Kaka had already entered the penalty area, and at this time no one dared to commit a foul easily anymore.After all, failing to defend meant conceding a goal, but if anyone dared to slide tackle and foul inside the penalty area, they would receive a red card and penalty combo meal, the consequences of which were much more serious than the former.Ronaldo considered his own speed not slow either, but purely in terms of dribbling advancement speed, he and Kaka were truly not on the same order of magnitude.Patting Kaka's back heavily twice, Ronaldo let go of him and reached out to punch him on the shoulder."Kid, you're strong!"Kaka raised an eyebrow and said with a smile:"So are you convinced? Willing to yield the central path for me?""Damn! You kid are celebrating too early; this single goal is still not enough to convince me, let's talk after advancing from the group stage!"Ronaldo cursed and smiled, pushing Kaka away, and turned around to start celebrating with the other teammates.Kaka looked at his back and shrugged. The strong were always proud and aloof; even if they were convinced in their hearts, they wouldn't admit it with their mouths. As a handsome guy, he completely understood Ronaldo's psychology.The match restarted. Croatia, trailing by three goals, completely lost the attacking momentum of the first half. Head coach Niko Kranjčar on the sidelines had a gloomy expression, repeatedly raising his hand to scratch his already sparse hair, but facing the situation on the pitch, aside from worrying anxiously, he had no other solution.In the remaining time, Croatia did not organize a single effective attack. The performance of the team's sole organizing playmaker, Niko Kranjčar, after his physical strength declined, could be described as a disaster; the football couldn't even be effectively passed into Brazil's penalty area.Meanwhile, although the Brazil National Football Team's attacking momentum was fierce, Kaka was well-versed in the principle of quitting while ahead. After assisting Ronaldo's goal, he decisively reined in his offensive edge and stopped provoking the somewhat hot-headed Croatians. Losing Kaka's central breakthrough, the team's front-court "Magic Quartet" started becoming abstract again.Ronaldo stood like a pillar, Adriano daydreamed, and the only hardworking Ronaldinho directly incarnated into Croatia's official designated match ball.The 3:0 scoreline was maintained until the very end. As the referee blew the three whistles signaling the end of the match, Brazil successfully defeated Croatia, securing a winning start to their 2006 World Cup campaign.Kaka was the absolute hero of this victory, contributing two goals and one assist throughout the match and completely dominating it. Although Ronaldo scored a goal, it was basically fed to his mouth by Kaka; his overall performance in this match still failed to be recognized by fans and pundits, and when he was substituted off, he even received jeers from some fans.As for Adriano, who performed the worst... better not say anything...Regarding Adriano, who seemed to be retracing the old path of the original timeline, Kaka himself didn't have many ways to help.The two had a good relationship, but before Kaka time-traveled, Adriano's father had already passed away—a completely irredeemable tragedy. And as for Adriano's downfall, while his father's death was perhaps an important blow, in Kaka's view, what truly caused his downfall was instead his own problems.The death of Adriano's father did indeed deal a heavy blow to him, but in the subsequent 05-06 season, Adriano's performance was still at a world-class level. What truly caused his downfall was the series of bad habits and professional attitude issues that subsequently emerged.In Kaka's view, Adriano's father was like a seal. When this seal dissipated with the wind, the demon suppressed by the seal could not wait to emerge. With bad company and straying from the right path, Adriano began heavy drinking, frequenting nightclubs, developing a fiery temper, and suffering from depression brought about by these faults...Kaka also wanted to save Adriano, but Adriano was an adult; Kaka couldn't manage him like his father did. He could only advise him, but Adriano didn't listen...A drowning person does not save themselves, and instead might even drag the person trying to save them down into the water. Regarding this, Kaka could only express regret.Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 115 / 12095.8%Ch. 115 / 12095.8%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 116 / 12096.7%WebWeb+AI#116Chapter 116 Fighting in ProgressChapter 116: Combat in ProgressWith the matches on June 13 concluded, the match between Brazil and Croatia became the latest hotly discussed topic. In particular, Kaka's exaggerated performance and that goal dubbed the "Century Assist" were wildly hyped by the media and fans. The World Cup had just begun, yet many people were already rating this goal as the best of the tournament, practically crowning the MVP before the semifinals were even played.Kaka expressed his condemnation of this, though fortunately, he desperately suppressed the corners of his mouth that were trying to curl up!However, not everyone gave positive reviews to this match; on the contrary, while heavily hyping Kaka, most pundits and knowledgeable fans expressed concern over Brazil's form.Ronaldo's performance was atrocious. Throughout the entire first half, knowing full well that Kaka needed space in the middle, he just occupied the space without contributing anything and continuously missed chances. Pundits even unanimously called on head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to bench Ronaldo and start Robinho.There wasn't even as much criticism for Adriano as there was for Ronaldo, and similar sentiments emerged within the Brazil National Football Team. Truly, Ronaldo's drag on the team's tactics was simply too massive.But both Kaka and Ronaldinho publicly expressed support for Ronaldo.Ronaldinho did so because he was naturally good-natured, and Ronaldo was a senior in the national team; given his temperament, he wouldn't talk trash about someone like that.As for Kaka, it was because he saw the changes in Ronaldo. Looking across the four forwards of the current Brazil National Football Team, with Adriano's form being absurd, when it really came to finishing ability in front of goal, Ronaldo at this moment was still the strongest, especially given that he had shown the intention to participate in the team's attacking system.Ronaldo was still Kaka's ideal front-court partner. Robinho lacked no speed, but his shooting left a lot to be desired. Fred played well at Lyon, but he suffered from the same flaw—insufficient finishing ability. Aside from these two, Kaka surely couldn't just pass the ball to Adriano, who had been sleepwalking in an offside position the whole match, right?In fact, purely judging by front-court attacking power, pushing Kaka or Ronaldinho up to the forward line would obviously yield better results, but if they did that, the team's midfield would be far too weak. Under these circumstances, the team genuinely could not do without Ronaldo.As long as Ronaldo was willing to participate in running—he didn't even need to be overly active—as long as he could stretch the defensive line and make proactive runs when Kaka and Ronaldinho broke through, Ronaldo would still be the most threatening center forward in the world!Just like Kaka and Ronaldinho, head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira also publicly expressed support for Ronaldo, stating that he would not make adjustments to the existing lineup and that the current Brazil National Football Team was walking on the right path.Having finished their first group match, the Brazil National Football Team entered a five-day rest period. During this time, matches for other national teams were also proceeding in full swing.In Group F matchups, Australia and Japan kicked off a day before Brazil, with Australia defeating Japan 3:1. Currently, Brazil and Australia, as the winners, temporarily ranked in the top two positions of Group F.On the same day Brazil defeated Croatia, South Korea beat Togo 2:1, while France was held to a 0:0 draw by Switzerland in Stuttgart.Switzerland has always been famous for its discipline and defense. Much like world-renowned Swiss watches, the Switzerland National Football Team's defensive line was organized with clockwork precision, yet it also possessed sufficient grit, causing quite a bit of trouble for France.The two teams turned the match into a duel. Throughout the entire game, the referee handed out a total of 8 yellow cards, including 3 for France and 5 for Switzerland.Although the France National Football Team maintained higher midfield control throughout the match, their front-court players performed poorly. Henry was in a sluggish form, and Ribéry had not yet reached his peak. Instead, Switzerland repeatedly created threats in front of France's goal, though due to limited midfield creativity, they failed to successfully break through the goal guarded by Barthez.In the following days, matches in various groups took place successively. Spain, Germany, England, Argentina, Portugal, and Netherlands all easily defeated their opponents. To everyone's astonishment, the star-studded Italy was surprisingly held to a 1:1 draw by the United States team, and this match shockingly accumulated a full three red cards, directly entering the history books.Alberto Gilardino used a header in the 22nd minute to give his team the lead, but right after that, in the 27th minute, Zaccardo scored an own goal to help the United States equalize the score.Then the match entered combat mode. In the 28th minute, Daniele De Rossi seemed possessed by a mob boss, elbowing U.S. forward McBride and sending him straight back to his hometown. He directly beat the American player until his face bloomed with peach blossoms, and ultimately Daniele De Rossi was sent off with a red card.Turning around, Mastroeni took down Andrea Pirlo with a scissor kick from behind in the 45th minute, similarly receiving a red card to leave the pitch, leaving both sides playing with 10 men simultaneously.As soon as the second half began, U.S. defender Pope seemed possessed by an NBA player with the exact same name, and this player perhaps learned a teammate's sliding tackle special skill, viciously cutting down Alberto Gilardino during his breakthrough. The referee of this match was not polite either; to control the match's scale, he decisively showed a red card to send him off to cool down.Next, the two teams exchanged "attacks and defenses" with each other. The frequency of people flying across the pitch was almost catching up to the frequency of the ball flying. Uruguayan referee Larrionda didn't want to become the target of public criticism after the match either, so he didn't continue handing out cards, but facts proved that those three red cards were already enough to make him "famous in a single battle"!The United States' high-intensity physical confrontation and foul tactics indeed yielded exceptional results. Italy, having lost emotional control, became obsessed with free-for-all combat, with their minds not on football at all. Thus, being held to a 1:1 draw was nothing strange.Time finally arrived at June 19. The day before, Japan drew 0:0 with Croatia; having failed to win either of their two matches, they were basically declared eliminated from the group stage. Next, the Brazil National Football Team ushered in their match against Australia.Australia's head coach prudently chose a 451 parked-bus formation to deal with Brazil, while hoarding heavy troops in the middle to restrict Kaka's performance.In the first half of the match, Australia's dense defense indeed played a role, and they seemed to have learned the tactics previously used by the U.S. team against Italy, being very decisive when committing fouls.Ronaldinho and Kaka's breakthroughs were either intercepted by double-teams or directly fouled to the ground. But similarly, the Australia National Football Team also paid a price for this tactic. By the end of the first half, their two central defenders and two midfielders each carried a yellow card.This led to these players showing obvious hesitation in defense during the second half. Kaka and Ronaldinho keenly seized upon this flaw.In the 59th minute of the match, Ronaldinho broke through on the left flank and passed the ball to Kaka, who was closer and parallel to him. Kaka shook off Australian defender Popovic in one step, advanced two steps to lure the goalkeeper out, and then tapped it horizontally with his right foot, allowing Adriano to easily push it into the empty net.Then in the 63rd minute, Kaka wreaked havoc in the middle before being fouled to the ground by Culina. The Brazil National Football Team took a quick free kick, and Ronaldinho curled the ball into the penalty area. Ronaldo outjumped Moore to contest the landing point and fired a low shot that went through two layers of defense, scoring another goal for the Brazil National Football Team.The 2:0 scoreline was maintained until the end. Kaka and Ronaldinho each provided an assist, and the forward duo that had been in atrocious form in the previous match both scored, causing Brazilian fans to rejoice wildly.They shouted that they were back, everything was back!Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 116 / 12096.7%Ch. 116 / 12096.7%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 117 / 12097.5%WebWeb+AI#117Chapter 117 Massacre of JapanChapter 117 Slaughtering JapanHaving concluded the battle for group top spot with Australia, the Brazil National Football Team secured two consecutive wins to accumulate 6 points, practically sealing their advancement from the group stage into the knockout rounds.Australia held 1 win and 1 loss with 3 points, while both Japan and Croatia had 1 draw and 1 loss with 1 point each.Among these three teams, who would ultimately secure advancement remained unclear for now.In the Group G matches that immediately followed the Brazil and Australia game, France, having just been held to a 0:0 draw by Switzerland, was halted in their tracks once again by a 1:1 draw against South Korea.Moreover, in this match, the South Korea team did not resort to a cowed defensive formation, opting instead for a conventional 3-4-3 attacking setup.Henry's form remained exceptionally poor in this game; although he managed to break his 414-minute World Cup goal drought with a rebound shot just a few minutes into the match, the King of Highbury fired off a total of 6 shots during the rest of the game with only 1 on target, completely lacking the convincing prowess he displayed at Arsenal.France National Team's core midfielder, Zidane, also received a yellow card near the end of the match, meaning he would be suspended for the next group stage game due to accumulated yellow cards.Judging by the current Group G standings, France had recorded two consecutive draws with 2 points, South Korea had 1 draw and 1 loss with 1 point, Switzerland had 1 win and 1 draw with 4 points, and Togo was directly eliminated after two straight losses.Judging purely by the on-field battle, the France National Team, spearheaded by stars such as Zidane, Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Makelele, shockingly faced the risk of crashing out in the group stage.In the matches from June 19 to June 23, there was no shortage of thrilling games.Sweden held the Three Lions to a 2:2 draw at the Cologne Stadium, though the Three Lions had already secured qualification, leaving open the possibility that they were preserving their strength for the knockout rounds.Additionally, with both Netherlands and Argentina having already secured qualification, they jointly staged an "Oscar Night".With both sides resting a large number of starters consecutively, the two teams played out a 0:0 stalemate.Youngster Messi's performance in this match was commendable, and his breakthroughs in the frontcourt were quite sharp, drawing the eyes of many fans.Next, Portugal defeated Mexico 2:1.Youngster Cristiano Ronaldo was kept on the bench to preserve his strength for the knockout rounds, but Portugal still advanced with three straight wins in the group stage, and head coach Scolari set a record of 10 consecutive World Cup coaching wins.Meanwhile, their opponents Mexico secured a thrilling advancement to the knockouts due to a draw between Iran and Angola.Time came to June 22, with the Italy and Czech Republic match playing first.Italy, having appeared somewhat sluggish in their first two group matches, returned like kings in this game, easily defeating the Czech Republic 2:0, followed by Ghana defeating the United States 2:1.Then, the matches for the four teams in Group F kicked off simultaneously in Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart.Japan faced Brazil, while Croatia played against Australia.With qualification already secured, head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira rested several key players in succession.Adriano, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, and other starters were all rested.Robinho and Fred stepped up in the forward line, while Kaka served as the attacking midfielder for the match, and Brazil's tactics completely replicated AC Milan's classic formation.Facing the weakest team in the group stage, Japan National Football Team, Kaka completely let loose in this match.In the original timeline, this game was supposed to be Ronaldo's classic battle, but now he was resting!Just as the match began, Kaka dealt a shocking blow to the Japanese side.In the 3rd minute, Kaka received a through ball from Zé Roberto in the central midfield, dribbled forward a few steps, and suddenly unleashed a long-range shot from about five meters outside the penalty area.Japan National Football Team's goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was caught off guard and reacted a half-beat slow, watching the ball slip past his fingertips and into the goal.When he climbed up from the ground, his expression of utter bewilderment had the watching fans bursting into laughter.Kaka scored his 3rd goal of this World Cup!In the 33rd minute, it was Kaka again.This time he chose to break through on the right wing.Hidetoshi Nakata and Akira Kaji pulled and dragged him together yet still failed to stop Kaka's high-speed advancement.Then, at the corner of the penalty area, he used a backheel to change direction and cut inside, calmly delivering an outside-of-the-boot pass.Fred leaped high to head the ball across, and Robinho alertly darted forward to score with a diving header, making it Brazil 2:0 Japan!And it wasn't over yet!In the 42nd minute, Gilberto Silva's long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area was blocked out by Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, and Robinho's follow-up shot was also blocked out of the baseline by defender Yuji Nakazawa with his body.It was a corner kick for the Brazil National Football Team; Kaka curled in a Banana Shot with an inward-spinning arc that hit Gilberto Silva's forehead as precisely as if locked on by radar, and the ball drilled into the back of the net once again amidst Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi's dumbfounded gaze.By the end of the first half, Brazil already led by three goals, making Japan's elimination from the group stage inevitable.However, as soon as the second half started, Kaka still showed no intention of showing any mercy under his feet.In the 57th minute, Kaka shook open space laterally from about 33 meters out on the left side of the goal, unleashing a ferocious strike amidst Junichi Inamoto's panicked gaze—this was a half-height shot carrying intense topspin.After flying straight for three-quarters of the journey, the ball suddenly dropped and bounced off the ground two or three meters in front of Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, brushing past his shoulder and crashing into the goal, making it Brazil 4:0.The Japan National Football Team players completely lacked any fighting spirit, and their defensive actions had completely lost all aggressiveness, making Kaka's breakthroughs even easier.In the 62nd minute of the second half, Japan National Football Team's attack was intercepted by Cicinho.Getting back up, he didn't even think before launching a long clearance toward the frontcourt.Kaka received the ball at the center circle, took two big strides forward, and suddenly looked up to see Fred about to accelerate beside Akira Kaji.Inspiration struck Kaka instantly, and he whipped an inward-curling long pass straight toward the penalty area.The football traced a clear and beautiful C-shape in the air, flying over the head of Japanese defender Yuji Nakazawa.Fred precisely met the landing spot of the ball and unleashed a direct volley without stopping it.Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi had been shot numb; seeing the Brazil National Football Team wind up their feet instantly made his heart flinch with dread, and he watched the ball crash into the net without making much of a reaction.In 60 minutes of play, Brazil slaughtered Japan 5:0!Without the frontcourt trident of Ronaldo, Adriano, and Ronaldinho, the semi-main lineup led single-handedly by Kaka dazzled everyone.Carlos Alberto Parreira substituted Kaka off in the 65th minute.As he walked off the pitch, he received enthusiastic applause and cheers from the fans.Carlos Alberto Parreira waited on the sidelines with a radiant face, impatiently giving his beloved pupil an immensely sincere hug!He could finally see that the dimensionality-reduction strike effect Kaka had displayed in the Confederations Cup had not dissipated as the season progressed; instead, he had brought it back onto the World Cup stage.This was simply a god-tier carry!As long as a comfortable performing environment was created for Kaka, he could use his individual ability to tear open a gap for the team.Moreover... Kaka's assists were also outrageously powerful; once he had a blast playing, his cooperating teammates had a blast too.Didn't you see how Robinho and Fred crowded around Kaka right after being substituted off, grinning from ear to ear like they had eaten bee shit, wearing the exact expression of, "This subject has drifted for half a lifetime without encountering a true master. If Lord Kaka does not abandon me, I am willing to..."Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 117 / 12097.5%Ch. 117 / 12097.5%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 118 / 12098.3%WebWeb+AI#118Chapter 118 The Elimination Rounds Are HereChapter 118: The Knockout Stage Is HereThe 5:0 scoreline was maintained until the end. Brazil slaughtered Japan with 5 goals, and Kaka dominated the match with 2 goals and 2 assists. Aside from him, Robinho, Fred, and defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva also got on the scoresheet. In this match, Brazil National Football Team truly blossomed, sweeping away the sluggish offensive buildup and unfamiliar teamwork from the previous two matches, as if they were the real starting lineup.In the group match played simultaneously with Brazil, Croatia drew 2:2 with Australia. After this match, all matches in Group F concluded. Brazil National Football Team advanced as the group leader with three straight wins, Australia finished second in the group with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss totaling 4 points, while Croatia with 2 draws and 1 loss totaling 2 points, along with Japan National Football Team who had 1 draw and 2 losses with only 1 point, were both eliminated.On the final day of the group stage, Saudi Arabia 0:1 Spain, Ukraine 1:0 Tunisia, France 2:0 Togo, Switzerland 2:0 South Korea.With this, the group stage matches of this World Cup came to a complete end, and the qualification slots for each group were determined accordingly.Germany and Ecuador qualified from Group A, England and Sweden qualified from Group B, Argentina and Netherlands advanced hand in hand with 7 points each from Group C, Portugal and Mexico advanced from Group D, Italy and Ghana qualified from Group E, and the USA team, after drawing with Italy, suffered two consecutive defeats and headed straight home as the fourth place in the group.Switzerland and France advanced from Group G. Switzerland turned the tables by taking the initiative as guests, securing 2 wins and 1 draw for 7 points to suppress France (1 win, 2 draws, 5 points), strongly capturing the group top spot to advance to the knockout stage.Finally, in Group H, Spain and Ukraine advanced hand in hand.From this point on, all 16 teams of the World Cup were decided.The matchup classification for the 2006 World Cup knockout stage adopted a fixed bracket tree: Group A first vs. Group B second, Group B first vs. Group A second, pairing them up in alphabetical order, group winners facing runners-up.Brazil National Football Team was the winner of Group F, and their Round of 16 opponent was the runner-up of Group E, which was Ghana from Africa!This matchup basically defaulted Brazil to advance to the quarter-finals. Judging by the strength displayed by Brazil National Football Team and Kaka in the group stage, Ghana clearly could not pose much trouble for them. The gap in strength between the two teams was visible to the naked eye, and this match lost its suspense even before it started.Among the other 7 sets of matchups, the three duels between Argentina and Mexico, England and Ecuador, as well as Italy and Australia, similarly held little suspense. Whether it was Argentina, England, or Italy, they far surpassed their opponents in star quality and squad strength. Such freebie matches would make losing the biggest joke.Excluding these four duels, the remaining matches were toss-ups. In the Germany and Sweden group, although Sweden's strength was inferior to Germany's, as a team that suppressed France in the group stage, many people believed Sweden might create a miracle against Germany, hence the attention paid to this match was quite high instead.Then came the match between Switzerland and Ukraine. Ukraine possessed Andriy Shevchenko, undoubtedly the strongest attacking point of the two teams, but the configuration of Ukraine's other players was a bit weaker, and Switzerland was famous for its formidable defense. Who would emerge victorious in this match was truly beyond anyone's guess.The remaining two most concerned matchups were Portugal versus Netherlands and Spain versus France.Especially the match between Spain and France attracted countless eyes. France National Team's performance in the group stage was lackluster, and Henry's form was simply too bad to look at straight. Although the midfield led by Zidane could often control possession, the poor conversion rate of the weak forward line seriously dragged the team down. If Henry after entering the knockout stage remained as lackluster as in the group stage, France would very likely be blocked outside the quarter-finals by Spain, and Zidane's final dance in the World Cup would end with massive regret.Kaka had no interest in these analytical pieces of information. He knew Spain was not a match for France, and he also knew that in this World Cup's Round of 16 matches, all victories went to the powerhouse teams with not a single upset occurring. Brazil National Football Team's real test was in the quarter-finals, and all plots prior to that were just foreshadowing for that defeat in the original timeline!On June 24, the Round of 16 match between Germany and Sweden kicked off first in Munich. The magic of Sweden strongly suppressing France in the group stage was no more. The German team dreamed back to their peak and blitzed Sweden. Germany National Football Team's front-court core Lukas Podolski scored a goal each in the 4th and 12th minutes of the match, bagging a brace to help the team effortlessly defeat their opponent and advance to the quarter-finals.Then on June 25, Argentina defeated Mexico 2:1. In this match that was thought to be a one-sided stomp before the game, Argentina nearly capsized in Mexico's hands. If it weren't for an own goal by Mexican player Jared Borgetti that did Argentina a huge favor, the trajectory of this match might have exceeded everyone's expectations.England narrowly won against Ecuador 1:0. Beckham scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute of the second half, once again becoming a national hero!On June 26, the match between Portugal and Netherlands kicked off at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg. In the end, Portuguese player Maniche scored the only goal of the match, and Portugal eliminated Netherlands 1:0.On the same day, Italy presented a sickening match to global fans, going crazy with mental breakdowns against Australia, who was obviously more than a notch weaker. In the first half, Alberto Gilardino and Toni's shots either lacked accuracy or were passed straight into the arms of the opposing goalkeeper. In the second half, Marco Materazzi suffered a relapse of his old illness, contentedly picking up a red card with a sliding tackle and walking off the pitch.Then came the classic famous scene——"Get past him, great, it is in! Iaquinta? Huh?! A penalty! A penalty! A penalty! Fabio Grosso has made a contribution, do not give the Australians any chance, the great Italian left-back! He inherits the glorious tradition of Italy..." (Automatically match Teacher Huang Jianxiang's tone!)Italy, boasting Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero, Toni, Alberto Gilardino, and the Wolf King Francesco Totti, was actually nearly dragged into a penalty shootout by Australia National Football Team. This in itself finally left fans shocked, just like the Miami Heat featuring the Big Three being wiped out by the Mavericks, which didn't quite make sense.Fortunately, Fabio Grosso truly made a contribution at the last moment, and Francesco Totti's penalty was rock solid; otherwise, the Italy players might have had to swim back.Italy's main strategy in this World Cup was head coach Lippi's counter-attacking defense tactics, but for most of the time up to now, the impression Italy National Football Team gave fans was that they only had defense and no counter-attack. They seemed able to drag any opponent down to the final moment, and then win in a thrilling fashion.Kaka sometimes thought to himself: when he was at the club, with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo behind him, the team's counter-attack was clearly lightning-fast. How come it didn't work once it shifted to the national team? Were Pirlo and Gatba suffering from jet lag? Or was Italy's forward line truly that awful?Alberto Gilardino, Alessandro Del Piero, Toni, Francesco Totti—these people were not weak at all. Alberto Gilardino could not be said to have scored goals like hemp this season at AC Milan, but he could still be considered prolific. Alessandro Del Piero was Juventus's core forward, Toni had banged in 31 goals this season, and if not for Kaka, he would have been the Serie A Golden Boot winner. The Wolf King Francesco Totti needed even less introduction.But with such an attacking line, midfield, and backline squad, Italy still played so difficultly, which indeed made a little no sense.On June 27, Brazil National Football Team welcomed their Round of 16 match, while three hours earlier, the match between Ukraine and Switzerland had already kicked off a step ahead of them.Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 118 / 12098.3%Ch. 118 / 12098.3%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 119 / 12099.2%WebWeb+AI#119Chapter 119 Blitzkrieg in Ghana!Chapter 119: Blitzing Ghana!The strength of Ghana in 2006 was not weak at all, or rather, any team that could fight its way out of Africa—a place crawling with athletic freaks—couldn't possibly be weak, and Ghana was no exception.The team maintained the runner-up core from the U20 World Youth Championship, and its midfield configuration was even at a world-class level.Michael Essien was the absolute core of the team's midfield; during the summer transfer window in 2005, he transferred from Ligue 1's Lyon to Chelsea for a staggering transfer fee of 38 million euros, making him the absolute peak in market value for African players at the time, the most expensive player in the global transfer market, and the Best Player of Ligue 1 in 2005.After arriving at Chelsea, Essien was an instant hit, immediately displaying excellent competitive form. His midfield interception and assist abilities provided a huge boost to Chelsea's strength, and an 80% tackle success rate was enough to reflect the Ghana midfielder's super-strong defensive capability.Besides Essien, his midfield partner Stephen Appiah was a core player for Fenerbahçe and also the playmaker of Ghana; he was flexible in his movement on the pitch, possessed extremely high football IQ, and coupled with a highly threatening passing ability, his strength could not be underestimated.Meanwhile, Sulley Muntari, playing for Udinese, was capable of both driving forward and tackling, showing active and lively performances on the pitch as the team's midfield perpetual motion machine.This midfield could be considered an upper-middle setup in this World Cup, and given Brazil's tactical lineup, with Kaka and Ronaldinho participating more in breakthrough attacks, in terms of ball possession, they might not necessarily win against them.However, before the match, Ghana's core Michael Essien was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, which was a major boon for Brazil National Football Team.Carlos Alberto Parreira stuck with the 4-4-2 formation, and the lineup composition had no changes compared to the group stage: Dida guarded the goal, while Cafu, Lúcio, Juan, and Roberto Carlos guarded the defense; Emerson, Zé Roberto, Kaka, and Ronaldinho partnered in the midfield, while the forwards remained Ronaldo and Adriano.Although the form of these two forwards was worse than the other, Carlos Alberto Parreira did not make adjustments easily in order to maintain stability within the team. Besides that, right midfielder Emerson had some muscle soreness, but still chose to play through injury, and his form might be affected.Similarly, Ghana also used a 4-4-2 formation, choosing to go toe-to-toe with Brazil National Football Team.Goalkeeper: Richard KingsonDefenders: Shilla, John Mensah, Pappoe, PaintsilMidfielders: Dramani, Appiah, Otto Addo, Sulley MuntariForwards: Gyan, AmoahAt the Westfalenstadion in Borussia Dortmund on June 26th, Kaka had some impressions of this place; during last year's Confederations Cup, local fans in Germany had witnessed Kaka's dashing posture with their own eyes, and now that he had returned, his elegance was naturally as grand as yesteryear.As soon as the match started, Brazil National Football Team, as the side with stronger paper strength, pressed forward with the whole team. The football was controlled at the feet of Kaka and Ronaldinho, and relying on individual abilities in small spaces to shake off opponents and continuous passing, they successfully pressed into Ghana's heartland.Ghana obviously had not gotten into the game yet at the start, and the front-court pressing they showed in the group stage was temporarily of no use. Ronaldinho dribbled the ball past Gyan and Dramani calmly, and then passed the ball horizontally to the supporting Kaka.Kaka made his usual body feint to perform a breakthrough fake move, but was actually preparing to dribble horizontally before passing the ball back to Ronaldinho. Who could have expected that with just a gentle shift of his center of gravity, Sulley Muntari, who was responsible for marking him, started nervously and hurriedly turned around to find his mark."There's such a stroke of good luck?"Kaka was also somewhat caught off guard, but his reaction was extremely fast. He instantly steadied his left foot that was flicking toward the ball, and with the outside of his foot, he pushed it forward smoothly. The football obediently passed through the legs of Sulley Muntari, who was only halfway through turning around, and Kaka closely followed behind, controlling the football with his right foot at the first instance.The commentator was still analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both teams' lineups and introducing the players along the way, not taking Kaka's attempt seriously at all. Who would have known that in the blink of an eye, Kaka was already rapidly approaching Ghana's penalty area."It's simply outrageous! What happened? Why was Sulley Muntari bypassed by Kaka so easily? Why did he turn around? Even an old amateur like me knows that's Kaka's signature fake move. Sulley Muntari is too nervous!""Kaka is approaching the penalty area! Ghana might pay a heavy price for Sulley Muntari's mistake!"True to the commentator's words, Kaka rapidly approached the edge of the penalty area, and Ghana's central defender John Mensah hurriedly pounced over with a fierce look, looking like he intended to bring Kaka down directly outside the penalty box.This was a strategy formulated by the team after observing Australia's match against Italy before the game, utilizing frequent physical contact and rough fouls to stop the individual breakthroughs of Kaka and Ronaldinho.After three group matches, everyone was clear about the problems of Brazil National Football Team: the connection between the team's midfield and front court was extremely fragile, relying solely on the individual abilities of Ronaldinho and Kaka to complete the forward and backward delivery of the football. Once the two of them were cut off, Brazil's front court would completely lose support. Clearly, dealing with Ronaldinho and Kaka with fouls was a very useful tactic.But Kaka did not force his way forward against John Mensah. Instead, as Mensah pounced over, he quickly turned and dribbled horizontally to the left for two steps. In a flash, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a yellow figure starting to run on the front right. Inspired by a flash of inspiration, Kaka lifted a pass with the outside of his right foot that grazed past Mensah's shoulder and flew out."Kaka! John Mensah's cover defense is very timely. Kaka dribbles horizontally, passes!!!!""Ronaldo has started! One-on-one!!!!""GOAL!!!!!!"Although he was already Fat Ronaldo by now, there was no doubt whatsoever about Ronaldo's finishing ability within 10 yards of the goal. He comfortably used his thigh to bring down Kaka's pass while running, and cleverly swung his right foot to strike a rolling grounder. Ghana goalkeeper Kingson failed to get down in time, watching helplessly as the football drilled through his armpit and into the net.Just 3 minutes into the match, Kaka assisted Ronaldo to score, putting Brazil 1-0 ahead!The moment the goal went in, the Ghana players raised their hands in unison to signal offside. Kaka was also not sure whether Ronaldo was in an offside position when he passed the ball, and could only focus his gaze on the main referee."Oh? Ghana players are complaining to the referee, believing that Ronaldo's goal is suspected of being offside? But the linesman hasn't raised his flag. Let's look at the replay... No problem, this is very clean. Ghana players cleverly tried to fall back to create an offside trap, but obviously, communication between teammates was lacking. While teammates were falling back, central defender Pappoe's position was closer to the goal!""Blitz! Utilizing the individual abilities of Kaka and Ronaldo, Brazil National Football Team dealt a heavy blow to Ghana right at the start of the match. This is already Ronaldo's third goal scored in this World Cup, and his 15th goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup.""Ronaldo has officially surpassed German legendary star Gerd Müller's record of 14 goals, becoming the current all-time top scorer in World Cup history. Folks, we have witnessed history, and Ronaldo is extremely likely to further elevate this record in the upcoming matches!"Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 119 / 12099.2%Ch. 119 / 12099.2%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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WTR-LABKaka Reborn, Starting in IstanbulCh. 120 / 120100%WebWeb+AI#120Chapter 120 The Changes of Da Luo!Chapter 120: Ronaldo's Change!Scoring against the opponent right at the start, head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was exceptionally excited, pacing back and forth on the sidelines, clenching his fists and swinging them fiercely twice.His gaze did not linger on the passionately celebrating Ronaldo, but instead immovably followed Kaka's back as he moved.Such a player who could solve problems at any time and bring the head coach unprecedented a sense of security—Carlos Alberto Parreira really loved him more and more the more he looked at him.Ronaldo was also very excited. Having surpassed Gerd Muller's record to officially become the World Cup top scorer, his name had also become a part of the history of world football, occupying a prominent page within it. Any professional player would find it impossible to remain calm in the face of such honor.He excitedly and heavily embraced Kaka. Although they didn't say a word, in his heart, he had completely acknowledged this little brother who wanted to snatch away his authority in the Brazil National Football Team.Although Ronaldo was proud, unwilling to step aside, and wanted to continue maintaining his transcendent status in the Brazil National Football Team, as a member of the national team, he was equally eager for results and faced the responsibility of answering to hundreds of millions of fans back home.Knowing that his form was declining, although he was stubbornly holding onto the core position in the team's frontcourt, the inner torment was something only he could understand. However, following Kaka's arrival and successfully scoring comfortably for three consecutive matches,Ronaldo had a complete epiphany..."What the hell is there to keep persisting for?"Back in the day when he led a group of old brothers to conquer the world, even for that zenith Brazil, scoring goals had never been this comfortable.He didn't need to run much, nor did he need to receive the ball in midfield like in the previous two World Cups and get crudely knocked down by opponents while bursting forward. It seemed he only needed to give up the central breakthrough space, watch out for offside, run to the front of the goal, and tap in the passed ball.Wasn't this kind of pampered life the dream enjoyment of every forward?At this moment, the gloomy resentment in Ronaldo's heart about his status being challenged completely dissipated, replaced by an involuntary anxiety of gain and loss.What if the head coach put him on the bench in the subsequent matches? What if Robinho and Fred replaced him in the starting lineup?What a great experience of finishing chances... He had to work hard; such delicious chances must absolute not be let others take advantage of.In the 16th minute of the match, Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah sent a long pass from the center circle. Forward Asamoah Gyan instantly launched, relying on his speed advantage to forcefully breakthrough past Roberto Carlos before taking a shot, but the football's trajectory was ridiculously skewed, flying diagonally straight out of the baseline.Turning back around, the Brazil National Football Team repeated their old trick. The ball still circulated at the feet of Kaka and Ronaldinho. This time, Cafu and Roberto Carlos both pushed forward to participate in the attack. As everyone passed back and forth and pressed forward, Ghana's frontcourt pressing was exceptionally active. However, whether it was Ronaldinho or Kaka, their ball-retention and elusion abilities were enough to look down upon all heroes, and the ball was passed safely and soundly into Ghana's hinterland.Then Kaka was surprised to find that Ronaldo actually began to actively seek combination play with him on the right flank.This was... taking the wrong medicine? Or had he submitted? Had he figured things out?Whatever it was, as long as Ronaldo was willing to actively participate in the team's frontcourt attacking system, then the Brazil National Football Team was invincible!Ronaldinho was still looking for breakthrough opportunities on the left flank, but this time Ghana had grown smart. Before Ronaldinho could pick up speed, Draman gave him plenty of physical confrontation. Ronaldinho's dribbling was affected, and before Appiah could come over to double-team, he passed the ball back to Roberto Carlos.Without stopping the ball, Roberto Carlos directly made a large-scale shift. The football crossed the pitch from the left flank and landed at the feet of Cafu on the right. Old Cafu quickly dribbled forward to interpolate, and Kaka immediately pulled wide, ready to support at any time. This was the classic tactic of AC Milan.But what he didn't expect was that as he shifted from the center to the right, Ronaldo, standing in the right frontcourt, unprecedentedly stepped forward to shift toward the center, forming a timely positional swap with Kaka. Pappoe was directly dragged away by Ronaldo. In this way, a 2-on-2 situation was formed on Ghana's right flank.Paintsil tightly blocked Cafu's crossing route. Near the baseline, old Cafu raised his foot and nudged the ball back diagonally. Kaka used his body to forcefully squeeze past Sulley Muntari to receive the ball, bursting past Muntari by half a body length in one step before delivering a right-footed cross.Ronaldo's sense of smell in front of the goal truly gave people incomparable peace of mind. Pappoe, who was defending him, had just barely completed his jump when Ronaldo had already flicked a header to send the ball into the goal."Ronaldo! GOAL!!!!!""It's him again! Another assist from Kaka. The two generations of leaders of Brazil formed an astonishing chemical reaction in this match. Ronaldo, who had sparse frontcourt runs in the group stage, began to actively seek combination play with Kaka, and Kaka once again lived up to expectations. Ghana's defensive line was practically free for him to come and go as he pleased!""I think Ghana must make changes. It's obvious that their defensive judgment on Kaka has problems. One-on-one defense completely cannot stop Kaka. Serie A teams have already personally proven this truth. When defending Ronaldinho, defensive players can still use physical confrontation to cause his dribbling errors, but judging from the scene in these ten minutes, it's clear that among Ghana's defensive players, there is no presence capable of suppressing Kaka in physical confrontation.""Kaka can calmly dribble the ball into the penalty area, not even leaving Ghana players the chance to commit a foul! If Ghana's head coach still maintains this defensive strategy in the second half, I can boldly predict that this match will be turned into a massacre by the Brazilians!"The commentator's suggestion was very pertinent, but Ghana's head coach was indeed stubborn, or rather... he simply had no one else to use.The defensive players currently sent onto the field were already the strongest batch in the team, possessing both physical confrontation and speed. Strictly speaking about confrontation, there were indeed players on the bench who could suppress Kaka, but if he substituted them on, they would probably be pierced into a sieve by Kaka's speed. It was better to just maintain things like this and hope that his defensive players could step up a bit.Sulley Muntari felt he had already tried his best, but he simply couldn't defend against the damned Kaka! He was tormented by Kaka in the League, and he still had to be tormented by Kaka when he came to the World Cup. The match had barely been played for ten-odd minutes, and he already felt like throwing in the towel and quitting!In the 39th minute of the match, Ghana's attacking shot was easily collected by Dida. After receiving the ball in his own half, Kaka quickly launched, and after attracting the encirclement of three defensive players, he delivered a through ball from amidst the crowd.Ronaldinho quickly caught up with the ball and rushed into the penalty area. Adriano and Ronaldo quickly dragged away their respective defenders. After swaying open an angle with a sideways body movement, Ronaldinho directly lifted his foot to curl a shot into the far corner of the goal. Brazil 3:0 Ghana!It was too easy!Before the match, everyone thought that the Brazil National Football Team could defeat Ghana and advance, but no one had imagined that the situation would become completely one-sided like this.Having lost the sweeping defense of midfield core Michael Essien, Kaka and Ronaldinho were practically in no-man's-land in the midfield-frontcourt linkage zone. Ronaldo and Adriano also swept away the sluggishness of the group stage in this match, running actively in the first half with a full sense of presence.Before halftime had even arrived, Ghana was already on the verge of collapse!Problematic ad?Report it hereYou can disable popup ads by becoming a contributor. Become a contributorCh. 120 / 120100%Ch. 120 / 120100%ReadDisplaySettingsMoreWTR-LAB

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Chapter 1833 - hhh