Chapter 463: The Highest in History, 2.6 Billion Euros

In the second semi-final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia between France and Croatia, both sides played very carefully and did not create any opportunities in the first ten minutes.

Until the 18th minute of the game, Griezmann was knocked down by Brozovic when he got the ball on the right side of the attack. The referee Cakir decisively blew the whistle to indicate a foul and awarded the French team a direct free kick in a very good position.

However, Griezmann, who took the free kick, did not shoot directly with his left foot. He passed the ball to the back of the penalty area. Mandzukic, who was actively defending, accidentally headed the ball into his own goal. Goalkeeper Subasic didn't even have time to react.

In this way, the French team got a dream start with 1:0.

Although Li Qing, who watched the live broadcast, had traveled to this world for nearly two years, he still remembered this game in his memory. The two teams that should have become the Champions League final met in the semi-finals due to Li Qing's intervention. I thought the process would change, but according to the game process, it seems that this game should not change.

Sure enough!

Nine minutes later, Croatia equalized the score. Central defender Vida stepped on the ball to Perisic on the penalty area line. The latter used the inside of his right foot to dribble the ball to the left, shook the angle and shot to score.

Croatia, which equalized the score, quickly launched a counterattack, trying to overtake the score in one fell swoop, but the French team led by Deschamps played very smartly, choosing to passively defend and preparing a quick counterattack tactic.

In the 32nd minute, the French team quickly counterattacked, Lovren chose a good position and blocked Mbappe's shot out of the baseline.

Griezmann took the corner kick, Matuidi headed the ball in the middle, and Perisic blocked it out of the baseline with his hand. The referee Cakir did not blow the whistle at the time, but VAR intervened. Through slow-motion playback, the referee Cakir decisively signaled a penalty kick.

Griezmann took the penalty kick and helped the French team surpass the score again.

The score of 2:1 did not change until the end of the first half. In the second half, the first ten minutes were exactly the same as the beginning of the first half. They played very carefully, so no absolute opportunities were created.

In the 58th minute, Pogba made a very imaginative through pass, which perfectly combined with Mbappe's speed. Pogba's pass, which broke through to the bottom line on the right side of the penalty area, was blocked, but was still received by Griezmann in the middle of the penalty area, who passed it to Pogba who followed up.

Perisic blocked the ball with his body very timely, but he didn't expect that the block did not block the ball far away, but indirectly set up a shot for Pogba. Pogba swung his left foot and shot again amid the huge cheers of tens of thousands of French fans. The ball rolled to the lower left corner of the goal along the ground, and the score on the scoreboard became 3:1.

Five minutes later, the French team scored another goal, almost killing the game.

Lucas Hernandez passed the ball to Mbappe in the middle on the right in the counterattack. Mbappe suddenly shot a cold arrow. Subasic was obviously not prepared to do it. It was too late to react. The ball flew into the lower left corner of the goal.

France led 4:1. Then another scene happened that Li Qing remembered vividly. Varane passed the ball back to goalkeeper and captain Lloris. Maybe it was the relaxation brought by the big score. Lloris, who always handled the ball very neatly, chose to dribble the ball in the face of Mandzukic who was rushing up. As a result, Mandzukic stretched out his foot to block it, and the ball was reflected into the net, helping Croatia to catch up to 2:4.

England assistant coach Alan Russell suddenly said seriously: "I hope everyone will not see such a thing in the final. Entering the World Cup final is an opportunity that countless professional players dream of. Since we have such an opportunity, we should cherish it. We must not relax our vigilance like Hugo Lloris. As long as the game is not over, we must go all out, understand?"

"Sir, we know."

The players said in unison.

As Alan Russell said, the chance to play in the World Cup final is something that people dream of, and any small mistake could ruin the championship.

According to the current score, the opponent in the final will be France, one of the biggest favorites to win the World Cup. Facing a team with top configurations in three lines and goalkeeper positions, they must not make any mistakes.

The score of 4:2 continued until the end of the game, which means that... England's opponent in the World Cup final in Russia is France, which has also won the World Cup once!

After the game, England coach Southgate also took the latest flight of the night to return to Moscow, and prepared with the whole team for the World Cup final at Luzhniki Stadium four days later.

France's victory was the result of no unexpected circumstances, and there were no unexpected events in the game. The final against France did not bring any pressure to the English players. It can only be said that in the next final, if you want to win, you must pay 100% attention, otherwise it will be difficult to win the game even with a pervert like Li Qing.

The total value of the French team is the highest among all 32 teams, reaching 1.08 billion euros, while England's total value is 985 million euros, ranking third, slightly lower than Spain, which was eliminated by the host Russia in the 1/8 finals.

According to the latest player values ​​of the German "Transfer Market", England and France are almost the same.

The French team has risen to 1.352 billion euros, and England has risen to 1.28 billion euros, which means that the two teams with the highest value in the world at the 2018 Russia World Cup final are currently.

In this way, the England-France battle at the World Cup final will be more exciting.

World Cup history: 2.6 billion euros worth duel!

A higher worth may not mean winning the game, but the higher the player's worth means the stronger the player's ability. One link after another is strong, that is, the overall strength is strong, which is equivalent to France's overall strength being stronger than England.

In the same formation, except for Li Qing, the only position on the field in England is Harry Kane, the center position, who is stronger than Giroud. Other positions are not to say that they are crushing, but at least they are a little bit worse.

In the history of the two sides' battles, England has the upper hand. A total of 40 matches, England has the upper hand with 16 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses. There have been seven major matches, two World Cups, and five European Cups.

Interestingly, England has maintained a perfect record against France in the World Cup, and France has remained unbeaten against England in the European Cup, with two wins and three draws, but England's defeat of France in the World Cup is a long time ago, and the latest can be traced back to the 1982 World Cup in Spain, which is of little reference value.

The last time the two sides met was in June last year, when France, with one less player, beat England 3:2 at the Stade de France. The last time they met in a major tournament was in the 2012 European Championship, when the two teams tied 1:1.

The European Championship six years ago is actually of little reference value. Only Lloris and Matuidi were shortlisted for the 2012 French team, while England only had Cahill, Milner and Ashley Young.

Of course, these questions are a headache for media reporters and football fans. The players of the England and France teams are oblivious to what is happening outside, and all their attention is focused on the World Cup final that will start in three days!