For the German Team, advancing from the group stage was just the beginning.
The knockout stage was the real test!
Fortunately, they were very lucky to draw Algeria, a "good draw" that wasn't considered strong in the upper bracket.
In the group stage, Algeria first lost to Belgium, then defeated South Korea, and drew with Russia, ultimately advancing to the Round of 16 as the second-place team in Group H with one win, one draw, and one loss, accumulating four points.
Within this Algerian squad, there were also many famous players such as Feghouli, Mahrez, and Bentaleb.
Their six goals in the group stage were scored by five different players.
It could be said that this was a team with evenly distributed firepower, where anyone could score.
Although their paper strength had a clear gap compared to top European powerhouses like the German Team.
However, Algeria was not a weak opponent to be trifled with.
Moreover, when talking about the history between Germany and Algeria, one cannot help but mention the Spain World Cup thirty-two years ago.
Back then, the Germans colluded with the Austrians, playing a fixed match that destroyed the "Desert Foxes'" dream of advancing from the group stage.
Thus, this upcoming match was inevitably marked as "revenge."
The two teams had only met twice in history, and one of those encounters was at the 1982 Spain World Cup.
Algeria caused an upset in their first group stage match, defeating West Germany two-to-one, then lost to Austria in the second round, and finally overcame Chile in the last round.
Unfortunately, in the last round, after West Germany scored in the tenth minute, they began playing a fixed match with Austria, ultimately ending with a one-to-zero score, eliminating Algeria and advancing together!
This match was known as the "Disgrace of Gijón" at the time, and after that, the final round of group stage matches in major World Cups all started at the same time.
After thirty-two years, meeting again on the World Cup stage, the Algerians were highly motivated at the mention of "revenge."
However, German coach Löw was very annoyed by this talk of revenge:
"I was very angry when I read reports calling this match a revenge battle. Most of our players weren't even born in 1982, so why does Algeria want to punish us? It's simply illogical! Perhaps the opponent wants to create this topic to motivate them."
Indeed, bringing up old scores or grievances before a match is a common trick used by the media to create conflict and headlines.
And the Algerians also hoped to use this method to ignite the players' fighting spirit and make the team more united in defeating their opponent.
Simply put, it was like putting on a song of revenge to give themselves a buff!
On the German side, preparations were proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Entering the knockout stage, Löw naturally prioritized stability.
The starting lineup was announced the day before the match!
The starting eleven largely retained the lineup that swept Portugal in the first round.
There were only two changes: Mustafi replaced Hummels, who had a cold, and Schweinsteiger replaced Khedira, partnering with Lahm as the defensive midfielders.
Seeing Löw once again stubbornly deploy his "Strikerless Formation," Marc couldn't help but inwardly complain:
"How long are you going to cling to this Strikerless Formation?"
"Can't you really see the importance of a center-forward to the team?!"
"I'm truly frustrated!"
Although he thought this, Marc certainly didn't dare to voice his opinion to Löw in person.
However, to ensure he could follow the German Team into the final and lift the world cup trophy, Marc certainly didn't intend to sit idly by.
In the evening, Marc also sent a message to his club teammate, De Bruyne.
"Kevin, are you there?"
"What's up?"
"I need to talk to you about something."
"Alright!"
After confirming that De Bruyne was free to talk, Marc immediately made a video call.
There was only one purpose for calling De Bruyne on the eve of the knockout stage.
That was to understand Algeria's tactics and personnel from him!
Considering that if the match tomorrow did not go well, Löw might very well substitute him in, Marc felt it was very necessary to do his homework in advance.
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles!
The more you understand the opponent's weaknesses, the closer you are to victory!
And in the group stage, Belgium defeated Algeria two-to-one, and De Bruyne had faced Algerian players on the field.
Therefore, he had the most authority on the matter.
Hearing Marc's intention, De Bruyne also held nothing back, telling Marc everything he had felt and observed.
For example, Algeria's main attacking direction, which player in Algeria's defense was easier to break through, and so on.
This, of course, did not count as leaking team tactical secrets.
Firstly, De Bruyne was not an Algerian player and did not harm the interests of his own team; he only harmed Algeria's interests.
Secondly, they had no vested interest in Germany or Algeria.
Even if he told Marc his views, and Germany defeated Algeria, they would still have to overcome strong teams like France or Brazil, and Belgium itself would have to reach the final for the two sides to potentially meet.
So, this operation was completely fine!
And through De Bruyne's intelligence, Marc also took out a small notebook and meticulously recorded all relevant information about the opponent.
The next day.
June 30th.
Sunny.
Guíba Riverfront, Porto Alegre.
The Estádio Beira-Rio, capable of holding fifty thousand spectators, was already filled with the resounding chants of both teams' fans.
Porto Alegre has many German descendants, so many fans could be seen in the stands holding German flags, cheering for their homeland.
"Welcome to Sky Sports' live broadcast of the 2014 Brazil World Cup…
"About to kick off is the sixth match of the Round of 16, the German Team against the Desert Foxes…
"Let's first look at the starting lineups provided by both sides…
Accompanied by the commentator's narration, the players of both teams lined up and entered the field.
Marc also went to the bench by the sideline and sat down.
At this moment, Draxler, sitting next to him, suddenly asked:
"Marc, how many goals do you think we can win by in this match?"
Upon hearing this, Marc curled his lip and couldn't help but inwardly complain:
"It'd be good enough if we just win, and you're asking how many goals?!"
Little Draxler's thought actually reflected the German Team's current blind confidence in the team.
Having scored nine goals and conceded only two in the first three matches, the German media had been lavishing praise on the team's performance and results.
And many players in the team felt confident in their strength, believing that a team like Algeria could not stop the German Team's advance.
However, it was precisely this mindset that made the German Team somewhat complacent at the start of the match.
After the kickoff, the German Team clearly had more possession than Algeria.
But it was Algeria that posed more threats to the German goal.
In the 17th minute, Algerian player Soudani broke through on the left, and Slimani scored with a header, but it was unfortunately ruled offside, and the goal was disallowed.
And this offside goal was just a microcosm of the match….
...
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