Chapter 226: The First Time Being Respected on the World Cup Stage
The three group-stage matches of the World Cup were not held in the same city.
The match between England and Uruguay was scheduled at the São Paulo Athletic Stadium.
Uruguay had a shocking loss in their opening match, falling 1-3 to Costa Rica, who were widely regarded as the weakest team, which meant Uruguay now had to fight tooth and nail against England.
This match kicked off at 3:00 a.m. on June 20, while the Italy vs. Costa Rica game would take place at midnight on June 21.
Mario Balotelli called Xia Qi and said he would watch the live broadcast and root against him, prematurely wishing Xia Qi "to fall into the gutter"...
Xia Qi replied, "Mario, I've booked three tickets for England's knockout match for you. Joe and I are looking forward to you coming to the stadium to cheer for the two of us."
There was a roar from the other end of the line from Balotelli: "I'm going to take part in the match..."
"No, you don't need to! After we beat Uruguay, we'll lose to Costa Rica, and then the two of us will qualify together."
"You can't do that!"
Balotelli raged down the phone! Xia Qi and Joe Hart on this end laughed loudly.
At the pre-match press conference, Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez said, "Suárez has recovered very quickly; his left knee can already handle the intensity of training.
"Of course, training is not the same as competitive matches. If his performance tomorrow is not at the same level as his season in La Liga, we can accept that. Whether he can be 100% fit, we are also looking forward to seeing."
"England are among the favorites to win the tournament; they are strong, especially now that they have a healthy Xia Qi.
"Yes, as you have guessed, we arranged some tactics specifically aimed at Xia Qi. I can't tell you the details now, but I believe we can contain him..."
Suárez's strike partner Edinson Cavani said, "I've worked with Suárez for a long time; teams with him have achieved good results. Besides, our squad gathers many international-class stars — they are all excellent, and we will work even harder on the pitch."
"Xia Qi is of course one of the great players; he is indeed difficult to deal with, but we have no room for retreat. If we lose again, we'll be on vacation — this actually becomes our motivation to move forward."
Uruguayans celebrated the return of "El Pistolero." But upon hearing this news, England's players probably felt a little uneasy.
Earlier, England midfielder Frank Lampard had been frank: it was almost impossible to stop "El Pistolero." With Cavani and Diego Forlán alongside, Suárez's threat would be multiplied.
Steven Gerrard, Suárez's former teammate at Liverpool and England captain, said, "I've said many, many times that Luis Suárez is a genius, an outstanding player. I think there are many excellent Uruguayan players supporting him; they are a well-rounded, strong team.
"We need to pay special attention to defending Suárez, and we must not ignore Uruguay's overall strength. Personally, I think the deciding factor will be which side defends better."
When Roy Hodgson faced reporters he said:
"We believe Suárez will recover; he will become a powerful bomb for Uruguay, but he's only a player."
"Are you all waiting to see whether England can really stop Suárez? After all, in the past in the Premier League, Cahill and Phil Jagielka couldn't stop him. But can Uruguay stop Xia Qi?"
"This is a match where Xia Qi and Suárez will explode against each other. I think Xia Qi's threat is much bigger than Suárez's — if you don't believe me, go and ask Tabárez."
So, some media labeled this match: Suárez vs. Xia Qi.
…
June 20, 2014, 5:00 p.m., outside the São Paulo Athletic Stadium.
Duan Xuan, the field host from CCTV-5, moved through the area outside the stadium with his crew.
However, today was not a "friendly day" for Duan Xuan.
After all, Uruguay is a South American team, and there were too many "sky-blue legion" fans outside the stadium. When Duan Xuan was conducting interviews, they often made mischief behind him.
Either they waved posters and banners insulting Xia Qi behind him, or they rushed into the camera shouting slogans like, "Uruguay will win, Xia Qi will lose."
Duan Xuan had no choice but to move toward the English supporters' gathering area.
But that area wasn't peaceful either. England fans were generally quite friendly toward the CCTV-5 crew supporting Xia Qi, but at that moment they were fighting with the Uruguay fans who were insulting Xia Qi, and the scene was chaotic. In short, Duan Xuan's interviews did not go smoothly, so he had to enter the stadium early.
Inside the stadium, things were a bit more orderly than outside.
Fans from both sides sang their team songs: Uruguayan fans loudly sang, "We have a muscle monster goal machine…"
England fans: "Our prince is invincible…"
Seeing CCTV's logo, many England fans shouted at CCTV-5's camera, "I love China!"
When interviewed by Duan Xuan, they showed great friendliness.
"China is vast and rich. I believe there are many youngsters like Xia Qi; China and England could definitely strengthen cooperation in youth football training."
After interviewing the fans and with Hodgson's permission, Duan Xuan entered the locker room and recorded Hodgson's tactical arrangements and pre-match team talk.
In Duan Xuan's words, it was the first time he had felt respected on the World Cup stage.
…
"CCTV-5, CCTV-5!"
"Good evening, viewers. We are now broadcasting live the second match of Group D in the 2014 Brazil World Cup finals, featuring England, which includes the Chinese-born youngster, against Uruguay led by Luis Suárez."
"I am host Huang Jianxiang."
"I am He Wei."
"This match is being played at the São Paulo Athletic Stadium in São Paulo."
"At this moment, this stadium, which can hold sixty thousand people, is already packed. Because Uruguay is a South American team, they are almost a half-host — the majority of the stands are filled with fans wearing sky-blue jerseys."
"Although the number of England fans is relatively small, their momentum is in no way weaker than their opponents — their songs and shouts fill the entire stadium..."
"Viewers, to the sound of the World Cup theme and led by the referee, the teams are now entering the field in order."
"Now let us introduce the starting lineups for both teams."
"Uruguay are wearing their traditional blue kits. Coach Óscar Tabárez has set them up in a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: 1 — Fernando Muslera;
Defenders: 22 — Martín Cáceres, 3 — Diego Godín, 13 — José Giménez, 6 — Álvaro Pereira;
Midfielders: 14 — Nicolás Lodeiro, 17 — Ríos, 20 — Álvaro González, 7 — Cristian Rodríguez;
Forwards: 9 — Luis Suárez, 21 — Edinson Cavani.
"England's starting lineup is exactly the same as in the previous round..."
(END CHAPTER)
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