[Football] Bad Boy Batty

6月27日晚上9点, 美洲杯1/4决赛在阿莱格里港的格雷米奥球场举行，能够容纳3万3千人的球场硬是塞进去了4万名观众。

In the group stage, Paraguay only had 2 points, tied with Japan, and only advanced to the quarterfinals by relying on a slight goal difference advantage. Their coach knew that he could not go head-to-head with Brazil, so he fielded a completely defensive lineup with as many as 8 players on the back line.

Of course, the Brazilian team is not afraid of this. Tite still sent out the regular lineup. Except for Casemiro in the defensive midfielder position who was unable to play due to accumulated yellow cards, there were no changes in other positions.

In the player tunnel, Batistuta stared at the turf not far away.

He knew that what he was doing was a bit unprofessional, that he should respect his opponents and play every game as if it were a final, but he couldn't help but think of Porto Alegre - the man's hometown, where he had also played.

[The game will start soon! Let us welcome today's important guest! Ronaldinho! ]

The live DJ began to stir up the emotions of the fans. They shouted the name that Batistuta didn't like over and over again. Apparently, that guy also came to the scene and attended as a special commentator.

However, what made Batistuta happy was that before the game, Ronaldinho did not come to the team's training base as he had done before to harass him in the name of encouraging the players.

Hope it stays.

It’s very good like this now, don’t disturb each other’s lives.

As his biological father, maybe in the future -

No, never give in.

Batty pulled his thoughts back from the brink of danger. He slapped himself hard on the face and rejected in his mind the idea of ​​wanting to live in harmony with the other party or simply forgive him.

"Hey, Batistuta, what's wrong?" Alves noticed Batistuta's actions. As the captain, he stepped forward and patted Batistuta on the back and asked with concern, "What happened?"

"No, it's okay, thank you, I'm fine." Batistuta smiled at Alves, "Just trying to cheer myself up."

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"No, it's just - you know the Bloodhound from the Slums, he told me to win the game, the next game is in Rio, he might come to watch."

Batistuta used some other excuses to evade the question. Finally, the DJ on the scene started to interact with the fans. He didn't want to mention Ronaldinho's name anymore.

"Really?" Alves nodded. "That's good—"

"I heard that he has become more prestigious in the local area recently, and is even more trustworthy than the police and the government." Alves paused and then said, perhaps to relieve Batistuta's nervousness, he joked, "After the America's Cup, why don't you invite him to a gathering? I dare say that no one in our team has seen such an important figure in the slums as him except you."

"Sure, I'll go talk to him." Batistuta continued along with Alves' joke, "But it's hard to say. He's very superstitious. Every time he goes out, he has to consult a fortune teller. You know, he sent me a text message yesterday, asking me not to wear a blue jersey."

Alves looked down and said: "Our away jersey is blue."

"Yes, so what can I do?" Batty shrugged. "Don't worry, I don't believe that. We will win this game today, and by a big score. I promise."

Alves laughed, then he reached out and pushed Batty's head.

"Of course! We are five-star Brazil!"

……

From the beginning of the game, Brazil took the absolute initiative.

All Paraguayan players retreated to defend, trying to make their iron formation impenetrable. Their tactics were simple, to consume the Brazilian team's physical strength and preferably to block them until the second half. When the Brazilian players were very tired, that would be their chance.

But ideals are full.

Just six minutes into the game, Neymar seized the opportunity given to him by Batistuta, shook off the defender in front of him and shot the ball into the far corner.

Paraguay deployed heavy troops to defend the right side, leaving the left side empty. Although the space was not large and the defensive players returned to defense, they did not dare to make tackles in the penalty area, which gave Neymar enough time and space to shoot.

【Gooooooooal! 6 minutes into the game! The perfect combination of Batistuta and Neymar in the frontcourt tore through Paraguay's self-proclaimed solid defense, 1-0! Brazil is leading! 】

To be honest, Batty's lob pass was not very good.

But Neymar made accurate judgments and used his skills to make up for the lack of passing. In addition, the Paraguayan players may not have been in good form at the beginning of the game, which gave Brazil the opportunity to quickly take the lead.

"I know which way you're going to go, see my stop, isn't it awesome-eh?"

After scoring the goal, Neymar ran to the sidelines to accept the cheers of the fans, then he turned around with his arms open, waiting for Batistuta to hug him, and then he watched Batistuta being hugged by Richarlison on the way.

Due to poor performance in the group stage, in the quarter-finals, the starting center position of the Brazilian team was replaced by Richarlison from Jesus. Of course, this also stems from the head coach's trust in the team. He fully believes that the current Brazilian team can easily defeat Paraguay.

And so it is.

Looking at Batistuta who was picked up and spun around, Neymar curled his lips and then joined in.

Well, he thought, it would be nice to have a celebratory striker.

……

Brazil's second goal came from Coutinho. In the 21st minute, in his most familiar left midfield position, he kicked a signature "arrow through the clouds", and then Coutinho roared on the spot to vent his emotions.

After transferring to Barcelona, ​​Coutinho has not been able to reach the heights that people expected, and was even complained by many fans that he hindered Messi's performance on the field.

This goal helped him regain his previous confidence and also gave him more bargaining chips in the negotiations with Xu Yun of Barcelona.

After being defeated 2-0, Paraguay adjusted their tactics. They no longer sat back and waited for the Brazilians to attack. They used offensive and foul tactics to counter the Brazilians' attack. It must be said that they should have done so a long time ago. But this did not prevent their goal from being penetrated.

In the 36th minute of the first half, Brazil got a corner kick. Neymar kicked the ball to the back post and the unguarded Batistuta easily scored with a header!
This is also thanks to the contribution made by Richarlison. At the front point, he had a big quarrel with several Paraguayan players and attracted most of the attention. Otherwise, Batistuta would not have been able to break through the defense so easily.

[3-0! Go ahead my good boys! Nothing can stop us! Argentina, here we come!]

At this point, Brazil's luck ran out.

Oh no.

It should be said that Batty's luck has run out.

The Paraguayan players were furious and their actions became more and more violent. Even Batistuta's ordinary cross-legged pass was regarded as a provocation by them.

So two minutes after the goal, the Paraguayan player named Alzamendia who was responsible for defending Batistuta once again grabbed Batistuta's calf during a scramble, then knocked him to the ground with all his strength, and finally stepped hard on Batistuta's ankle while pretending to ask about the injury.

"what--"

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" Alzamendia said to Batistuta viciously a second before he fell to the ground, "I'll destroy you and see if you dare to do those so-called tricks again in the future!"

"You bastard!" Batty's eyes turned red with anger. He gritted his teeth and wanted to get up and teach this guy a lesson. But as soon as he moved, he felt a piercing pain in his right leg. "Hiss! Puta——"

Richarlison and Alves rushed forward quickly.

"What the fuck did you do to Batty!"

"It's nothing." Alzamendia said calmly, "I didn't do anything. I didn't even touch him. He fell there by himself."

"Bullshit! Everyone saw your dirty trick!" Richarlison grabbed his collar, "How dare you do such a despicable thing on our land! If you dare to hurt him——"

"What about you?" Alzamendia sneered in protest, "You want to beat me? Here? On the field?"

"I have ten thousand ways to kill you here!"

"Come on," the Paraguayan defender sneered, "Tell me, how much did that pretty little thing pay you to stick up for him like that, his ass?"

Richarlison was furious.

"Shut up!"

As he spoke, he was about to lose his mind and rush up to fight. Alves had an even more violent temper than Richarlison. He could not tolerate anyone who dared to treat his players like this, but fighting was not allowed. He separated Richarlison and Alzamendia, and then, in the name of persuading them to stop fighting, he pushed the Paraguayan hard.

Hidden and safe.

This is what Alves learned from Spain.

Enough to give Alzamendia rib pain all day.

[beep——]
The referee was experienced and he showed the player a red card without hesitation before the players on both sides broke out into a fight.

"Are you okay, Batistuta?" Neymar walked over and asked. Batistuta was still sitting there, with his head down, pressing his calf gently to check. This was not usual, and his subconscious told Neymar that things seemed to be serious.

"Are you still okay?" he asked. "Can you get up?"

"...No." Batty squeezed out a word from his throat with difficulty. The referee also noticed the problem and quickly called the team doctor to come on the court.

"Oh my god." Neymar frowned and squatted down, "Where does it hurt?"

"Knee." Batistuta's voice sounded calm, but he never looked up, and Neymar didn't know what his expression was.

Damn it.

Neymar cursed inwardly.

Knee injuries are quite fatal on the court. Ronaldinho chose to retire early because of knee problems.

The team doctor arrived and pulled Batistuta's socks down to below his knees. There were no apparent skin injuries.

"Come on, stand up."

With help, Batty stood up from the grass, but as soon as he tried to exert force, his knee felt a tearing pain.

“I feel—” I can’t move my right leg at all.

The two team doctors looked at each other and immediately understood the seriousness of the matter. They gestured to the bench, indicating a substitution.

"Is it serious?" Neymar asked nervously.

"I don't know." One of the team doctors replied, "We need to do an examination to be sure. The only thing we can be sure of now is-"

"He can't play anymore."

In the 39th minute of the first half, the Paraguayan defender was sent off with a red card for a malicious foul. Batistuta was unable to continue due to a knee injury, and Jesus came on as a substitute.

(End of this chapter)