Max-level burst damage at the start, the British Empire arrives!

At the tactical preparation meeting the day before the match, Hodgson announced the starting lineup for tomorrow's game in the conference room.

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart!

"Guards: Jones, Jagielka, Cahill, Walker!"

Defensive midfielders: Wilshere, Henderson!

Attacking midfielder: Rooney!

Left winger: Sturridge!

Right winger: Walcott!

Center: Sun Ke!

Many England players looked surprised when Hodgson announced the starting lineup.

Sun Ke glanced at his teammates. Walker clenched his fists, Jagielka froze on the spot, Wilshere and Henderson both had satisfied smiles on their faces, and Sturridge was beaming.

These players clearly didn't expect that after winning the first game by a large margin, they would actually get a starting opportunity in the second game.

Among the rotated players, Terry and Gerrard remained silent, Milner seemed thoughtful, Sterling appeared somewhat uneasy, while Ashley Cole wore a "do as I say" expression.

Hodgson glanced at the players, chuckled, and said, "Heh, I talked to you guys during training camp. I said that every player has a chance to perform, but you don't seem to have taken my words seriously."

Since the start of training camp, Hodgson has completely let loose, and he's incredibly stubborn when facing the media and players.

In previous England teams, managers have never dared to offend players easily, let alone change a player's position after a victory.

But Hodgson dared to do it, and he did it with a straight face.

Seeing that no one spoke, Hodgson suddenly stopped smiling and said seriously, "I chose 23 players to come to Brazil, not so that the other 10 players could sit on the bench and cheer for their teammates."

"There are only 30 days between the first group stage match and the World Cup final. If we want to win the championship, we need to play 7 matches in that time."

"You've all experienced the intensity of the first match, so you should have a deep understanding of what the World Cup is like. No opponent will give you time to adjust on the field."

"Every time we finish a game, we waste half a day moving to another city, which is like playing seven away games for us."

"We have to stay in unfamiliar environments every day, and we have to endure the high temperatures here for every game."

"If we go to the knockout stage, we also need to be prepared for extra time."

"So I need more players to join the game, and you all need to be mentally prepared for the upcoming game every day."

"Furthermore, I believe you certainly wouldn't want to waste a month's vacation watching your teammates play through an entire World Cup from the bench."

"Judging from the current group standings, if we win tomorrow's match, we have a good chance of advancing to the next round as group winners."

"If that's the case, I will give the opportunity to the players who didn't play in the last group stage match."

"In my plan, the starting lineup for the first game will be the core of the tournament, but adjustments will be made based on the characteristics of the opponents."

"If you get a chance in Game 3, don't take it as a sign of pity. Each of us is an integral part of the championship race."

"You must use this opportunity to strive for the next one. We need to work together to have a chance to compete for the championship."

......

With the conclusion of the first round of group matches, the second round of group matches immediately commenced.

In Group A, Brazil was held to a 0-0 draw by Mexico despite dominating the game.

After the match, many media outlets questioned the Brazilian team's performance.

Amidst the overwhelming cheers of the home fans, the Brazilian players appeared anxious and flustered despite having a commanding advantage.

They had many chances during the match, but they were too hasty, allowing the Mexican goalkeeper to make several excellent saves. After the match, they were named the best player of the match by FIFA.

Many media outlets believe that this Brazilian team looks very similar to the Brazilian team from twelve years ago, but it has many shortcomings.

First of all, this Brazilian team does not have a striker who can solve problems. The main center forward, Fred, has even been jokingly referred to by the English media as a pressing center forward for a mid-table Championship team.

In fact, since Adriano's "fall," the Brazilian team has not had a center forward who can match the world champion in two World Cups.

In the last World Cup, Brazil's main center forward was Fabiano, who played for Sevilla.

This second-tier center forward, on whom Brazilians placed high hopes, rose to fame at the young age of 15, but it wasn't until he was 31 that he played a few Champions League matches for Galatasaray. His highest honor at the club was only the Europa League.

Fabiano won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the Confederations Cup, but that's hardly enough to compete on the World Cup stage.

Four years later, Fred became the center forward for the Brazilian national team, and he was even less successful than Fabiano.

The media believes that this Brazilian team can't even be considered to be dancing samba while wearing bulletproof vests; they can't dance at all.

Another reason why the media is not optimistic about the Brazilian team is that this Brazilian team does not have a true leader.

When the team was struggling to break through, no leader stepped up to stabilize the situation and boost morale.

Neymar is the technical core of the Brazilian team, but compared to the five-time champions Brazil twelve years ago, his role is at best comparable to Ronaldinho. This Brazilian team also lacks a spiritual leader.

In the 1994 World Cup, the Brazilian team had Romario in front and Dunga behind them. One of them could boost morale with goals, and the other could stabilize the team's morale.

At the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo, who had just recovered from injury, was still able to dominate the field.

When he was surrounded by defenders, Rivador was able to become a reliable scoring option, and Ronaldinho also played a crucial role in eliminating England.

That Brazilian team also had Lucio and Cafu in their defense, so they had superstars in all three lines.

Following the match, European betting companies almost simultaneously lowered Brazil's odds of winning the championship, dropping them from the top favorite to the third favorite.

If they hadn't had the advantage of being the host nation, their expectations might have been overtaken by the Netherlands.

In another Group A match, Croatia thrashed Cameroon 4-0.

Song hadn't suffered such humiliation in years. After Croatia scored their third goal, he lost his composure and elbowed Mandzukic in the back during the match, ending his World Cup journey prematurely.

After the first two rounds, the situation in this group is very clear.

Brazil crushed an easy opponent in the final round, while Croatia and Mexico battled for the remaining qualification spots.

Brazil did not dare to make extensive rotations in the third round because they only had one more goal difference than Mexico.

The host nation's group stage journey was not overwhelming at all.

In Group B, the Netherlands defeated Australia 3-2, making their opponents the second team to be eliminated in this World Cup.

Spain fared even worse, controlling possession against Chile but failing to create any decent opportunities.

Chile, on the other hand, had many opportunities and ultimately defeated the defending champions 2-0.

Before this match, Spain's odds had slipped to fifteenth place.

The betting companies unanimously believed that even if they managed to reach the round of 16 by sheer luck, they would become a stepping stone for the Brazilian team.

The championship-winning midfield of Xavi, Iniesta, and Alonso appeared weak and ineffective in the first two matches.

With Xavi's declining form, the Spanish team has lost its dominance.

In Group C, Colombia defeated Ivory Coast, considered the most competitive team in Africa, 2-1. James Rodriguez was in his prime during the match, like a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel.

With the score tied 0-0 with Greece, the possibility of advancing is only theoretical.

Before the Group D matches, England's odds of winning the title rose from seventh to fifth.

The betting companies still believe they will have a tough time getting past the Dutch team.

......

6 month 19 day.

São Paulo Stadium.

Sun Ke and Uruguay captain Godin stood at the center line.

Sun Ke let the opponent choose first. Godin chose "Number", the referee threw "Head", and Sun Ke decisively chose to keep the ball.

Before this World Cup, the Uruguayan team was considered by the media to have a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals. The team has Muslera in goal, veteran Godin in defense, three muscular midfielders, and two formidable attacking weapons, Suarez and Cavani.

Unexpectedly, Uruguay almost suffered a defeat against the relatively unknown Costa Rica in their first group stage match.

If it weren't for Suarez's two late goals, Uruguay might have been eliminated from the group stage a round early.

Facing an England team with Sun Ke, Uruguay has no way out.

If they lose this match to England, Costa Rica will gain another point.

In the final round, Uruguay will face a do-or-die match against Italy, while also hoping that England will not lose to Costa Rica.

If England manages to secure first place in their group early and then pulls all the "slop" in the final group stage match, they might actually lose three points to Costa Rica.

If Luke Shaw plays, he will face Campbell, who is on loan from Arsenal to Olympiacos, in the final round, and the young England player could very well be completely outmatched.

As the most aggressive team in South America, Uruguay fielded a 4-3-3 formation, aiming to fight England to the death with their attack.

So after the match started, the Uruguayan players didn't probe at all and rushed towards the English players.

Wilshere used his ball control to shake off Rodriguez, who turned and chased after him, knocking Wilshere to the ground along with the ball.

England took a free kick in their own half and continued to build their attack. Half a minute later, Wilshere was tripped by Rodriguez.

Despite his short stature, Wilshire had a fiery temper; he got up and immediately started cursing at Rodriguez's family.

Rodriguez immediately rushed over, and then the players from both sides surrounded each other and began shoving each other.

Sun Ke and Godin stood at the front of the team, pushing and shoving the opposing players while signaling them to restrain themselves.

How can anyone possibly control themselves when playing like this?

The two teams shoved each other in midfield for almost a minute before calming down due to sore arms.

The referee gave the "perpetrator" a warning and allowed the game to continue.

Rooney unleashed a long-range shot at Godin in a fit of frustration. The ball hit Godin's head and was caught by Muslera on the goal line.

Godin was hit hard and lay on the grass for half a minute before getting up. The game started in three minutes, but he only played for one minute.

Uruguay launched a short goal kick, and the ball quickly reached Suarez on the right wing.

Uruguay's attacking line only has Cavani and Suarez available. The center forward position is occupied by a strong and fast player standing at 1.69 meters tall. Cavani can only play on the left wing, so Suarez has moved to the right wing.

After Suarez got the ball, Walker focused on the player, not the ball, letting Suarez dribble around the ball in front of him, constantly looking for a challenge.

Suarez, angered by Walker's collision, retaliated by kicking Walker's leg, creating a corner kick.

Both sides were very heated in this match.

In the media area, Lineker was still discussing with the host the issue of the significant changes to the England team's starting lineup.

As soon as he saw Uruguay take a corner kick, Lineker immediately stood up.

Suarez's corner kick spun directly toward the goal, where Cahill and Sturridge were positioned together at the near post.

Sturridge, fearing an own goal, hesitated to make a move and even blocked Cahill from standing next to him.

The football is heading straight for the near corner of the goal!

From Sun Ke's perspective, the rotation of this corner kick was simply bizarre, suddenly spinning violently after landing.

Joe Hart, in front of the goal, slid his knees on the goal line and pushed the ball out of bounds with both hands.

so close!

England has finally found a reliable goalkeeper after so many years.

Uruguay took another corner kick, with the nearly 1.9-meter-tall Cavani facing off against the 1.8-meter-tall Jagielca.

Cavani was determined to win, but he was pushed so hard by Jagielka that he couldn't even stand up straight.

As the ball flew overhead, Cavani made a desperate gamble, leaping into the air and landing as if hit by a cannonball, before demanding a penalty from the referee.

Cahill held Godin back and headed the ball out of the penalty area from the grass.

The Uruguayan players were shouting and yelling. Henderson chipped the ball to Wilshere, who dribbled past the defender the instant he controlled the ball, and then passed it to Rooney.

Rooney was brought down by a Uruguayan player before he could even receive the ball.

Without hesitation, the referee signaled for the game to continue.

England maintained possession of the ball throughout the rest of the match. After a season as a regular starter for Dortmund, Wilshere's abilities have improved significantly, and he is beginning to resemble a midfield commander.

In the ninth minute, England strung together a series of passes in the attacking third.

Wilshere executed a one-two pass, passing the ball to Sturridge on the left wing.

Sturridge used his speed to outpace the Uruguayan right-back and chipped the ball into the penalty area just as Godin was about to cover.

Inside the penalty area, Sun Ke had already pushed 19-year-old center-back Jimenez to the edge of the six-yard box.

Godin didn't even need to look behind him to know that something big was going to happen when the ball passed by.

In a moment of desperation, he pretended to turn around outside the penalty area, then knocked the ball down with his left hand, and then turned to clear the ball.

At that moment, the referee blew his whistle.

Godin made a series of innocuous and frantic excuses, and the referee immediately issued him a yellow card.

England were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area.

This is a good position, but it's not easy to kick.

A powerful shot is unlikely to penetrate the wall, and a dipping shot is unlikely to hit the target area.

In front of the football, Sun Ke and Rooney stood in front of the ball, both covering their mouths as they communicated.

Sun Ke thought for a moment and asked Rooney, "How about a tactical free kick?"

Rooney covered his mouth and said, "Okay!"

The two pretended to argue for a few words, then Rooney suddenly flew into a rage, shoved Sun Ke aside in front of the astonished Uruguayan players, and put the football on the grass.

Sun Ke shouted "emotionally" and was then pulled into the penalty area by Cahill.

At this moment, commentators from all over the world were loudly proclaiming, "Sun Ke and Rooney have clashed on the field!"