[Football] Bad Boy Batty

【The ball went in! ! In the 29th minute, Thiago Silva scored with a header! Brazil extended the lead to 3-0! 】

【Oh oh oh oh! Paqueta is so excited! He dribbled the ball all the way across the half court, and he was still dribbling, and he was still dribbling—the ball went in again! 38th minute! Paqueta drove straight in and shot! The Korean team scored an own goal in a panic, 4-0! Oh my god, Paqueta entered the penalty area as if there was no one around! At that moment, it seemed as if the Korean team's defenders had already flown back home in advance! 】

[——I’m tired of saying the ball went in! In the 44th minute, Vinicius dribbled the ball from the baseline and made a continuous breakthrough in front of the goal to assist, and Richarlison followed up in the middle and successfully scored a goal. The Brazilian team went crazy! The score came to 5-0! This is a record-breaking half-time score. The last time the Brazilian team scored 4 goals or more in the first half was the game against Germany 4 years ago, and the previous time was in 1954, when the victim was the Mexican team. ]

[beep——]
[Okay, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half. I don't know if the Korean team is tired of kicking off from the center circle, but I believe that the audience in front of the TV must be tired of watching. It doesn't matter, let's take a 15-minute break, and the excitement will be back in 15 minutes. ]

……

[Half-time report: Scumbag style of play? Five Brazilians scored goals, and they beat South Korea in the first half, setting a record 5-5 lead]

Batistuta hummed a tune as he walked briskly back to the locker room. Before walking into the player tunnel, he was in the mood to wave and say hello to the fans wearing Brazilian jerseys on both sides.

Of course it wasn't just him, all the Brazilian players were very happy. Not far away, Charlesson was chatting with Son Heung-min. The atmosphere between the two was very harmonious, which was not at all like what the players of both teams should have when the score was 5-0 at halftime.

Maybe it was because of the eye patch, Son Heung-min didn't look too sad, so Batistuta looked at him a few more times when he passed by. The Korean striker immediately noticed Batistuta's gaze, turned his head and smiled at him and waved slightly to show his friendliness.

Batty did not give him a very enthusiastic response. After all, it was only halftime. If he was caught by the media, he would probably be labeled as "disrespecting the game."

After returning to the locker room, the air inside was particularly comfortable.

"Is this the world after halftime, 5-0? So vivid and beautiful!" Paqueta exclaimed in an exaggerated operatic tone. "I can't believe it. It feels so magical. How can there be a game where scoring a goal is so easy!"

Vinicius bit the water bottle and raised his thumbs to show his agreement. Others also responded. Paqueta expressed what everyone was thinking. They hadn't played such an exciting game for a long time.

As many people have said, in recent years almost no team has been able to play against Brazil, and even fewer teams can continue to attack when their defense is penetrated by Brazil.

So, to some extent they also have to thank the South Korean team.

It is rare to find a sparring partner like this who is brave enough to fight and not too weak in ability.

Batistuta took off his dirty jersey and went to his seat to get some water. When he passed by Paqueta, he pinched his chin and asked him to lower his head: "Don't be too proud. The South Korean team made tactical mistakes today and had no desire to win. It's not surprising that we scored five goals."

"Don't be such a downer, captain!" Before Paqueta could say anything, Richarlison came in from the door. It was not known whether he was excited about the record-breaking goal in the first half, or he was happy chatting with Son Heung-min in the corridor just now, but his whole body was emitting bubbles of happiness.

"South Korea is not weak and they play with discipline. This only proves that we are too strong!" he said, shaking his finger.

"Listen to that." Batty rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's the attitude I least want to hear. What did that Korean just say to you?"

"Hmm? You mean Brother Sun?" Richarlison grinned foolishly, "We were just chatting casually. I asked him when he would be leaving, and he told me that because of our performance they were already considering booking flights before the end of the first half."

"Oh my God! Dove, you sound like the naive heroine in love in a Korean drama!" Paqueta mocked him mercilessly, and even imitated the tone of his voice when he called Son Heung-min "brother" in Korean.

Richarlison glared at Paqueta.

'If Barty wasn't here, I'd beat you up! ' he said with his eyes.

"I don't care what you said specifically, you silly pigeon. We are opponents, and now is not the end of the game, now is halftime." Batty stood between the two and looked at Richarlison with disapproval, "If you must be so close to your opponent, at least wait until the game is over."

"Ouch." Richarlison made a strange cry of dissatisfaction, then grabbed a towel to wipe his hair, saying as he wiped: "That's not intimate at all. Brother Sun and I were just chatting normally. Batistuta, you are being hypocritical again."

"WHAT???" Batty looked over in surprise, "Double standard? Me? Again?"

"Yes, you are always like that. Maybe our opponent and I did play too well at halftime, but at least I didn't flirt with him." Richarlison pointed at the captain with reason, "I don't just mean in the national team, I mean in all the games. Everyone knows that you flirt with people everywhere."

Batistuta couldn't believe what he heard. He looked at Richarlison, as if to make sure that the words he had just said really came from him.

"What did you just say?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Whoa-oh, pigeon you poked Batty," Neymar interjected from the back bench, and in a way, Richarlison said what he had always wanted to say, "I would shut up if I were you."

Batistuta turned his head and glared at Neymar, then returned to his previous position and continued to watch Richarlison.

"What did you say, Rich?" he asked again.

"I say, you flirt with people everywhere, you have no right to say that I am too close to my opponent." Richarlison said with a fearless look. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, "You care about my good relationship with Sun Ge, could it be-"

He pretended to be shy and twisted his body while covering his face: "Are you jealous, Captain?"

Batty: ???
Batty again: ...

The entire locker room was silent for a few seconds, and then burst into shocking laughter. Neymar was the most exaggerated. He fell to the ground with laughter, holding his stomach and unable to lift his head.

"You fucking idiot—" Batty angrily pulled out the shin guards from his socks and threw them at Richarlison's head, "Taste this!"

Richarlison was quite agile. Seeing the situation was not good, he immediately squatted on the spot, and the custom-made shin guards passed over his head.

'Snapped'

The shin guards did not fall to the ground but were grabbed by Zidane who had just come in from the door. He looked at the logo on it, confirmed that it was Batistuta's, and then threw it back to him.

"Okay, the play time is over, now let's talk about the changes that will happen in the second half," he said.

The head coach adjusted his tie and ordered his assistant to push the tactical board up. "Since you scored the full-time goal in the first half, I think it's time to try a new approach. Look here. When the time comes, you will..."

……

The 15 minutes were over quickly and the second half started. Although the South Korean team substituted two young players at the beginning to feel the atmosphere, they still did not change their offensive tactics.

Of course, this is understandable. After all, it is unlikely to turn the tables when they are 0-5 behind. It would be better to fight Brazil to the end. There is no loss anyway.

There were obvious changes on the Brazilian side. After the players walked onto the field and took their positions, everyone was surprised to find that their positioning had changed from 4231 to 4141.

Vinicius came to the left, Neymar moved to the middle, Paqueta moved forward, and Batistuta returned to the right where he made his debut.

【Oh? Brazil changed its formation. It seems that they are trying a new tactic. Obviously, both wingers are strengthened in this lineup. Casemiro is the only defensive midfielder, which may be a bit thin. Neymar takes the responsibility of the No. 10 position. However, it is well known that the offensive players in the front court of the Brazilian team often change positions. So what responsibilities will Batistuta take on? Will he share the organizational tasks with Neymar? Let's see together. 】

In the 49th minute, the Brazilian team, which had not yet fully adapted to the formation, launched an attack, which just answered the fans' questions.

The South Korean team controlled the ball in the midfield. New substitute Hong Cheol tried to pass the ball to the front court with a long pass over the top, but he took too long to think and hesitated for a moment, so Casemiro immediately intercepted the ball.

Since the South Korean team was still preparing to attack the moment before, the players were standing closer to the wing, leaving the middle slightly empty. Batistuta gave up the wing and moved back to the middle, while reminding Danilo to press forward.

But this is not enough.

If there are few people attacking on the wing, there will be a lack of support points, and in the process of switching from offense to defense, it will be difficult for Danilo to get to the position quickly, making it easy for others to counterattack.

"I'm going back, I'm going back!" Richarlison noticed the situation in the backcourt and took the initiative to move to the right, but he was quickly stopped by Batistuta.

"Don't move!" Batty turned his head to observe the surrounding situation, then made a hidden gesture, "The pigeon is in front, you go!"

Paqueta immediately stepped forward to fill the position.

"Don't go too far." Neymar reminded, "Be careful, be flexible!"

After passing the ball several times in the backcourt and with the goalkeeper, Casemiro suddenly accelerated forward, and then turned and passed the ball to the opposite right at the moment when the South Korean team's midfield defense became tense and moved to the left.

After receiving the ball, Danilo immediately moved forward. He and Paqueta played a wall pass and tried to send the ball into the penalty area from the ribs, but the South Korean team's defense here was quite good. After several unsuccessful attempts, the two chose to pass back.

At the same time as the pass was returned, Batistuta and Paqueta completed the second position change, and the ball passed between them and landed at Neymar's feet. This operation was extremely comfortable to watch, and the Korean players on the field were almost stunned. For a moment they didn't even know who to defend.

Of course this is still a cover.

Neymar dribbled the ball on the left side of the midfield, broke through the defense line and passed it to Paqueta, who passed it to Batistuta, who at this time received the ball from the ribs that they had not been able to break through and rushed into the penalty area.

Unfortunately, his final shot was not accurate due to interference from the defensive players and ended up missing the goal.

This wave of attack is over.

[Okay, now let's simply split it up. Neymar is responsible for sorting out the ball from the backcourt and passing it to the left. Batistuta is also responsible for sorting out the ball but passing it to the right or he goes to the right himself, running more. Casemiro is the gate in the backcourt. In a multi-core team like the Brazilian team, this method can be said to be a clear division of labor. ]

In this way, the South Korean team attacked, the Brazilian team counterattacked, the South Korean team attacked again, the Brazilian team pressed again, and this went on and on. The second half of the game seemed to have become a one-sided offense and defense drill.

In the 63rd minute, the South Korean team made another substitution, and this time the young player had a hot temper and was not very tolerant, so under the stimulation of Batistuta's teasing dribbling, he irrationally kicked Batistuta and received the first yellow card of the game. Brazil won a free kick from a slightly farther position.

"Do you want to come?" Neymar walked towards Batistuta who was still sitting on the ground, holding the ball. "Don't sit down. I saw it all. You are obviously trying to cause trouble on purpose."

"So what?" Batistuta gasped and climbed up to glare at Neymar, "It's true that I was tackled."

"So do you want to come?" Neymar asked again.

"Why do you always like to ask me? Just go and take the penalty." Batty 'beeped' at him a few times, "I'll tell you if I want it."

"I just think this position suits you." Neymar explained, "How about we decide by rock-paper-scissors?"

"Hey!" Batty cast a disapproving look at him for the second time today. "There are still three games left until the final. I know we are leading 3-5 now, but at least pay attention and save some luck for us."

Neymar spread his hands to indicate that he understood.

"So do you want to come?" he asked the question for the third time.

"Jesus!" Batty cursed in a low voice, then he rolled his eyes and snatched the ball away, "Okay, okay, I'll do it, you annoying guy, stop nagging!"

Neymar achieved his goal and took a few steps back to make space.

He didn't mean anything else, he just thought - Batistuta is now only 16 goals away from Klose's 4 goals, and the games will become more and more difficult from now on, so shouldn't he seize every opportunity to score a goal?

He really hopes that Batistuta can break that record, so that the record holder will return to a Brazilian. (The previous one was Ronaldo)

Pity.

Batty runs up and shoots.

【The ball went in!! Batistuta scored the free kick directly into the net! The Korean team's wall didn't seem to cause him any trouble. With this, Batistuta now has 5 World Cup goals, rising to second place in the scorer list, and his total World Cup goals has reached 2! Only 14 goals away from the record! 】

With 20 minutes left in the game, the score was 6-0.

……

Seeing that the formation test was almost done, it was time to let the main players come down to maintain their condition and prepare for the next game. The Brazilian team made substitutions, and all the core players in the front midfield went back to the bench to rest.

Sitting on the bench, Batistuta took off his shoes and took out his shin guards, then casually crossed his legs and sat on the front seat. Neymar was sitting next to him in almost the same posture, and the two were still arguing about the free kick like two childish kids.

It took Casemiro throwing a smelly sock at them to finally make them stop and unite to attack the enemy.

In the last 10 minutes, the Brazilian team was obviously relaxed. The Korean players gathered together to attack again at the signal of the head coach, and this time they finally succeeded. Son Heung-min's goal restored a bit of face for them.

Soon the game was over.

Brazil defeated South Korea 6-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Their opponent is——

……

"I can't believe we have to play Croatia again after 4 years. When I see their jerseys, I think of overtime. Oh, painful overtime!"

Batty rolled up the dirty jersey into a ball, then used a shooting motion to throw it into the basket in the center. Loach cheered beside him and then handed over his phone.

"There's news for you," he said.

"Hmm?" Batty turned his head in confusion, "Who sent it?"

As there have been so many bad things happening outside in the past two days, his cell phone and all devices that can access the internet are now kept by Loach. Any messages sent to him will be read by Loach first before he decides whether to tell his boss.

Barty has always felt that this was unnecessary, but Niuchi insisted on doing so, so he did not refuse, after all, the game is still the priority now. (Bati speculated that it might be because Niuchi felt that he had not been able to help in the past few days and wanted to do this)

"It's Haaland," said Loach. "It's a beautiful video."

Batty took the phone skeptically, and the first screen showed the pause interface of the video. Batty clicked the small triangle in the middle, and the video started playing.

It was all black for the first few seconds.

"What is this?" Batty asked curiously, "It's pitch black and I can't see anything - oh!!"

The video screen changed when the words were halfway spoken. It was no longer dark, but instead showed beautiful clouds that glowed light blue like silk ribbons.

It's the Aurora.

"This is so, so... I don't know what to say, it's so beautiful!" Batty exclaimed as he looked at the aurora in the video. He remembered his godfather saying that auroras are mostly green, but there are also red ones, and blue is the rarest.

"Where did Erlin see that?" he whispered.

At this time, the video ended and automatically exited, revealing the following dialog box. Haaland not only sent him the aurora video, but also several close-up selfies and full-body photos of him on the snow.

Haaland: I'm back in Norway
Haaland: It just so happens that there are auroras these two days
Haaland: I guess you haven't seen it, Batistuta, it's really beautiful
Haaland: It will be there until January
Haaland: When you win the World Cup, I will take you to watch it live
profound--

This is so sweet. (Except for the selfies)
Batistuta nudged the loach next to him with his elbow: "Hey, did you see Neymar? We have to ask him to come and see this."

Haaland sent you the aurora and said he would take you to see it. The first thing you thought of was to show it to Neymar? Of course, Niuchi only dared to think about it in his mind. He shrugged and said, "He went to be interviewed. You pushed him over just now. Have you forgotten, boss?"

"Oh!" Batty slapped his forehead in a pretentious manner, "Look at me, I completely forgot about it."

"It doesn't matter. Neymar likes to talk to the media. I just satisfied him." The captain is very good at making excuses for himself. "But he has been gone for too long."

Batistuta stroked his hair and decided to take his phone to look for Neymar. "He must see the aurora. And Erling's words are so sweet!"

Oh, I see.

on purpose.

Loach tried hard to control the corners of his mouth and nodded. It seemed that he thought too highly of his boss.

……

Batistuta walked into the player tunnel with his mobile phone. After a few minutes, he saw Neymar's back in the crowd. He quietly approached and then pounced on the other's back.

"Why don't you go back after the interview? What are you waiting for?" He hugged Neymar's neck and bit his cheek gently. "You know, Erling just gave me... Hey?"

Before he could finish his words, he saw Neymar walking out from the corner in front of him, looking at him and the person he was hugging with a look of horror and anger... uh, the other Neymar.

Batty: ???
Or Batty: WTF?

The fake Neymar, who was hugged by him and had no time to explain, took off his sunglasses, turned his head and smiled at him awkwardly.

He knew that he could look like Neymar as long as he didn't take off his sunglasses, and he also knew that the security guards wouldn't stop him as long as he made the right gestures. But he really didn't expect to meet Batistuta, and he really didn't expect that Batistuta and Neymar had a closer relationship than he thought.

But this is also considered a gain for him.
That's Batty.

"Sorry, I'm just, uh, an imitator." The fake Neymar said as he subconsciously reached out to touch his cheek that had just been bitten, and he could hardly hide the joy on his face.

“Bati!!”

The real Neymar came over aggressively, obviously he saw the interaction between Batistuta and the imitator clearly.

So now comes the problem.

How to comfort Neymar who had just been thrown into dealing with the media and then turned around to see his lying lover "kissing" his imitator in public?

Batty blinked and handed the phone over resolutely: "Look, beautiful aurora."

(End of this chapter)