Chapter 756: Encounter in the Interdomain Era
The 2016 UEFA European Championship kicked off in France on June 10th. This was the first tournament after UEFA decided to expand the number of participating teams from 16 to 24.
Portugal had a poor performance in the group stage. In their first match against Iceland, they broke the deadlock but were held to a 1-1 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo's spectacular header in the 85th minute was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Halld��rsson, failing to secure a victory.
In the second match against Austria, despite dominating the game, they couldn't break through the defense, and the score remained 0-0.
In the final do-or-die match against Hungary, Portugal fell behind three times but managed to equalize each time. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice with a header and a shot, and assisted Nani to score, redeeming himself and saving the team.
Hungary and Iceland advanced together, with Portugal only finishing third. They had to compare results with the third-placed teams from the other five groups and, thanks to their goal difference, made it to the round of 16, where they faced Croatia.
In the Round of 16 against Croatia, both teams fought until extra time. In the 117th minute, Ronaldo missed a shot, but Quaresma followed up with a goal, securing a 1-0 victory.
In the quarter-finals against Poland, Lewandowski scored early for the Polish team, but Sanchez helped Portugal equalize. After battling for 120 minutes with the score still 1-1, Portugal won 5-3 in the penalty shootout, eliminating Poland.
In the semi-finals against Wales, Ronaldo scored with a header in the second half, and then assisted Nani for another goal, securing a 2-0 win.
Reaching the final, Portugal faced the host nation, France. One can imagine Ronaldo's excitement at this moment, but he unfortunately got injured and had to leave the field in the first half.
Nevertheless, Ronaldo, the Portuguese star, stayed on the sidelines to encourage his teammates. The two teams fought until extra time, and Eder's long-range shot helped Portugal win their first European Championship!
Despite a difficult start and three extra-time matches, Portugal's journey to the championship was arduous but worth it!
On the other hand, the "Copa America Centenario" took place in the United States on June 4th, 2016.
Argentina was grouped with Chile, Panama, and Bolivia, and they easily advanced to the quarter-finals with three wins in three matches.
In the quarter-finals against Venezuela and the semi-finals against the United States, Argentina displayed excellent performances, winning 4-1 and 4-0 consecutively, becoming the favorites to win the title.
In the final against their previous opponents, Chile, all fans believed they would easily win. However, reality was often absurd. Despite their arrogance and defensive tactics, Argentina could only accept a 0-0 draw and a cruel penalty shootout defeat.
No one knew what Messi felt as he stood at the penalty spot for the third time. Everyone saw him sending the ball into the stands and then handing over the championship trophy.
Three times! As the core of the team, he had now lost the championship three times in a row!
In the 2010 World Cup final, he missed a penalty; a year ago, in the Copa America final, he missed a penalty, and now he missed another penalty.
To make matters worse, after the match, the Argentine star tearfully announced his retirement from the national team, seemingly giving up, which triggered strong criticism and dissatisfaction from fans.
At this moment, the Portuguese media and Ronaldo's fans were the happiest. "The situation is starting to reverse!" This is how the Portuguese newspaper evaluated the current situation.
In recent years, due to poor performances at the club level, Ronaldo had often been overshadowed by Messi in their competition and had even failed to make it to the top three of the Ballon d'Or several times.
But now, the Portuguese star not only boarded the mighty "Galactic Battleship" but also led the national team to win their first European Championship. In contrast, the Argentine star had always been suppressed by Real Madrid, failed three times with the national team, and finally decided not to play anymore, making the comparison between the two obvious.
With the conclusion of the intense intercontinental matches, major clubs quickly entered the rhythm of the summer transfer window. For Manchester City, the new coach, Guardiola, took office, and his primary task was to have an in-depth discussion with Wang Feng.
The two talked for a long time via video call, while the Chinese superstar was still enjoying a leisurely vacation on the beaches of Akomaniuo.
"You are the most important part of my tactical planning. I've wanted to try it for many years," the Spaniard said enthusiastically. He understood Wang Feng's technical abilities, which not only had exceptional adaptability but also greatly enhanced the level of coaching.
Wang Feng had a deeper understanding of passing and positioning. Although he had studied Barcelona extensively in the past, he rarely practiced it himself. Now, under Guardiola's leadership, he could try a brand-new style of football, which was very exciting for him.
"How do you feel about the new environment, new people, and things?" Lu Yao walked in and handed Wang Feng a glass of frozen fruit juice.
Wang Feng took a big sip, feeling the cool sensation rushing into his mind. "It's wonderful! Every day ahead is an unknown experience, and I'm looking forward to competing for new honors."
"And Guardiola's tactics are also very challenging. I can't wait for the new season to start."
In addition to finalizing the deal with the Chinese superstar, Manchester City quickly announced another major signing, bringing De Bruyne back from Werder Bremen.
This dazzling 25-year-old Belgian midfielder was at the peak of his career. Manchester City had been very interested in him last year, but Huang Hu successfully persuaded him to stay with the club for another year.
This decision proved wise. After leading the team to historically reach the Champions League quarter-finals, De Bruyne's reputation grew, and Manchester City paid a transfer fee of ��60 million for him, plus an additional ��5 million in floating clauses.
It's worth mentioning that when Werder Bremen bought him two years ago, they only spent �20 million, and his value had nearly quadrupled in two years.
Additionally, Manchester City increased the Belgian's salary from ��250,000 per week a year ago to ��300,000 per week, ranking him among the top earners in the entire Premier League.
Delighted with this deal, the Belgian posted an old photo on Twitter, showing a young Wang Feng holding De Bruyne, who was less than 10 years old, in his arms.
"I finally waited for this day, to fight alongside my idol!" De Bruyne wrote.
Soon, Wang Feng also commented below: "I finally waited for you. Let's open up new territory for Manchester City together! [Thumbs up]"
The encounter across eras sparked discussions among fans and the media. "Wow, De Bruyne was so young back then, and Wang Feng also looked very young."
"Don't be fooled by his fresh appearance. Young? Remember, that year he won both the Belgian League and the League Cup."
"So Wang Feng has been a star for so long. I always thought he was very young, especially since he has been dominating the football world for the past few years."
"You can tell you're a new fan. Not just these past few years, it's been over a decade!"
Many young players envied De Bruyne's situation, such as 17-year-old Mbapp��.
Starting with football at the age of 4, in his perception, Wang Feng was the number one player in football. As his football skills rapidly developed, he also witnessed the entire era of the Real Madrid dynasty.
This had a strong impact on a young player. He didn't know when he started to yearn to join Real Madrid, to fight side by side with Wang Feng.
Last year, with outstanding performances, Mbapp�� made his debut in Ligue 1 at the age of 16 years and 347 days, setting a record.
"I will grow up as soon as possible. Wang, please wait for me!" he solemnly wrote on social media, but it didn't cause much of a stir.
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