Chapter 433 Defending Dignity

England's preparations in Kazan are still centered around Li Qing. Tactical drills include bottom crosses, 45-degree crosses from two sides, long shots, screens, corner kicks, etc. Li Qing, who is in excellent form, has created a visual feast with one wonderful goal after another, which has caused other England players to be willing to be supporting roles for Li Qing.

Ten goals in four World Cup matches, plus England's 2-0 victory over Brazil in the international friendly match last November with Li Qing's two goals, have given England players great confidence in defeating Brazil.

Many players may have been bullied by Li Qing in the league, but no one wants to lose the game in the World Cup. The next step is the semi-finals. If you can laugh to the end, you will be the World Cup champion!

Many players have spent their entire lives trying but have no chance to participate in the World Cup. Moreover, the World Cup is held every four years, and no one knows whether their condition will be as good as it is now in four years. A new generation replaces the old, and things have changed. We should drink wine today and enjoy it today. If we are lucky enough to participate in the World Cup, we should contribute all our strength and never regret it.

Head coach Southgate is very satisfied with the players' preparation and mental state, and is full of confidence in the World Cup quarter-finals that will start the day after tomorrow.

At another training base in Kazan, Brazilian head coach Tite looked solemn. It was not that he was dissatisfied with the players' training state and mental state, but as time passed, the quarter-finals were getting closer and closer, and the opponent England was in very good shape. If the team could not have an explosion in the game, it would be difficult to get past England.

It's not that Tite is afraid of England, but... afraid of Li Qing who is in excellent form.

A super shooter who averages two goals per game is difficult for any opponent to ignore, on the contrary, they often can't help but pay too much attention to him.

England has been able to win all of the past four games. In addition to Li Qing's excellent personal strength, it is largely because most of the opponent's defensive players focus on Li Qing, so that other key players lack defense, which leads to defensive losses.

One link goes wrong, one after another, then... it's not far from losing.

"What should we do?"

Tite looked at Neymar with a sad face, and he looked at him helplessly. Although his personal strength is still ranked in the top five in the world, he has not reached the growth ceiling, which makes him feel very sorry.

If Neymar can be as self-disciplined as Li Qing, perhaps... he can challenge Messi and Ronaldo's top position in the world football.

The day before the game, which is July 5th, local time in Russia, both sides went to the Kazan Arena to adapt to the venue and make final preparations for the game tomorrow night.

England still drew an away draw, and went to the Kazan Arena at 2 pm for a two-hour adaptation training. About an hour later, head coach Southgate took Li Qing to the press conference hall to attend the routine pre-match press conference.

Li Qing, who has scored 10 goals in four World Cup matches, has caught up with German star Rahn, English star Lineker, Argentine star Batistuta, Peruvian star Kubilas, German current international Thomas Muller and Polish star Lato, ranking eighth in the World Cup history scorer list. There are only seven players ahead of him: Klinsmann, Kocsis, Bailey, Fontaine, Gerd Muller, Ronaldo and Klose.

The biggest advantage for Li Qing is that he is still very young, 17 years old. As long as there is no big problem in the future, he can at least play in four World Cups. According to the current efficiency, when he retires, he will be far ahead of the retired international superstars.

"I remember Crow... um... cough cough..."

When asked by the media about the quarter-finals tomorrow night, Li Qing changed the subject: "No, it was Pele who scored 12 goals in four World Cups. You may not believe it, but I plan to surpass him in this game, really. As for victory... what do you think? We have scored three goals, so we will not lose, right?"

As he said this, he also blinked mischievously.

If other players dared to say this, the media reporters would definitely spit him to death. The problem is that Li Qing is not an ordinary player. He is a ruthless person who can score four goals in the England-Argentina war and the Champions League final. According to past cases, anyone who questions will be slapped in the face, so that the Brazilian domestic media reporters present did not speak, and everyone was holding back their faces and blushing, which made people laugh.

Southgate could feel that Li Qing was confident from the bottom of his heart rather than arrogant, and grinned. It seems that the strategy of bringing Li Qing to the routine press conference before the game this time is right.

After a while, the words Li Qing said at the pre-match press conference were exaggerated by media reporters and appeared on well-known social platforms around the world such as INS, Twitter, and Facebook. In addition to the large number of football players in Brazil, there are also many keyboard warriors who immediately attacked Li Qing. English fans obviously couldn't stand it and fought back.

As time went by, football legends from England and Brazil also joined in. Pele posted on the social networking site INS that Li Qing was too arrogant and lacked respect for his opponents.

Ronaldo did not give a direct answer, but he said that Brazil would maintain its undefeated record against England in the World Cup knockout stage.

Ronaldinho, as the biggest contributor to England's elimination in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, did not respond, but just silently liked Pele's speech.

Brazilian star Kaka x-on:Neymar on INS, hoping that Neymar can take more responsibility in the quarter-finals, lead Brazil to defeat England, and win the sixth World Cup in team history.

About two hours later, Brazilian head coach Tite brought top star Neymar to the press conference hall to attend the routine pre-match press conference. There was no need for media reporters to deliberately convey the news. Neymar had already learned about Li Qing’s remarks in the media interview through social media. He said seriously: "I respect my opponents very much, but some people do not respect us. In tomorrow night’s game, I will defend my dignity with goals and victories!"

"Well said! Defend dignity with victory!"

The reporter from Brazil felt proud and encouraged Neymar.

The English media reporters and the Chinese media reporters took two steps back in disdain and snorted. Li Qing has never lost a game or been slapped in the face since the beginning of his career. Brazil, as England’s defeated opponent seven months ago, dares to speak wildly?

Wait for being slapped in the face!

Head coach Tite is an old hand, avoiding the important issues. He is afraid of being slapped in the face after the game, so he focuses on the upcoming game.

So, the day before the game, supporters of the two teams started to taunt each other on the Internet platform, and Li Qing and Neymar were pushed to the forefront. In the words of the French "L'Equipe" INS, who will be slapped in the face?

To put it simply, only one of Neymar and Li Qing will have the last laugh.

However, those Brazilian players who have actually played against Li Qing or are teammates with him consciously shut their mouths and concentrate on preparing for the quarter-finals.