Football: Banned for life, forced to travel to Europe

Chapter 261 The Real Champions League

In the eyes of many fans and even players, the Champions League is the real Champions League after qualifying in the group stage.

In the earliest UEFA Champions League, only the league champions could participate, and there was no group stage. It was a knockout stage, which was very exciting.

It was not until the 1992-93 season that the group stage took shape. Two years later, the Champions League was expanded to sixteen teams, and the group stage was officially established. The top two teams in the four groups advanced to the quarter-finals.

After another three years, the Champions League expanded again, introducing two rounds of qualifiers, and the group stage was also increased to six groups of four teams each.The No.1 of the six groups and the No.2 of the two best-recorded groups advance to the knockout stage.

In the 1999-2000 season, the UEFA Champions League added another round of qualifiers, and the group stage was also divided into two stages. In the first stage, 32 teams were divided into eight groups, and each team played six games.

The top two of the eight groups enter the second stage of the group stage, and No.3 enters the third round of the UEFA Cup.In the second stage, the group stage is divided into four groups, and the top eight will be determined to advance to the knockout round.

In the 2003-04 season, the UEFA Champions League canceled the second stage of the group stage, that is, after the top [-], there will be two rounds of knockout matches. This rule is still in use today.

It was in this season that Mourinho led Porto to win the Champions League, which was also the last Champions League outside of the five major leagues.

It is not accurate to say that, it should be said that it is the four major leagues. After all, Marseille won the Champions League once in the 1992-93 season in Ligue [-]. It is not as good as the Portuguese Super League and the Eredivisie...

It is precisely because of the continuous expansion of the Champions League that everyone has the idea that the knockout round is the real Champions League.

Although the expansion of the army has increased the influence and ratings of the Champions League, as well as the exposure and income of the second- and third-tier league teams, it has also made the Champions League more watery.

The gold content of the group stage has plummeted, and many teams that fans have never heard of are shortlisted for the group stage. They have no desire to leave their names in this great football event.

They are purely here to play soy sauce, and they just want to go home after playing six games and earning appearance fees.It's rare to find a small team that makes it to the Champions League but desperately wants to go the extra mile.

If they lose their domestic titles because they focus on the Champions League and fail to qualify for the Champions League next year, they will lose a lot of money, which is not something they will do.

Of course, some black shops have also been born, such as Udinese, Porto, Benfica, Monaco... These teams all have the idea of ​​​​going as far as they can go, and regard the Champions League as a way to inflate the value of their players. The place.

Not to mention the Bulgarian, Romanian and Norwegian teams...

But it’s different when it comes to the knockout stage. Take this year’s top [-] teams as an example. Except for Shakhtar Donetsk, everyone can at least name them. The essence of the Champions League has just begun.

Roma have two more games to play before the expedition to Lisbon.

On February 2, Roma defeated the visiting Cagliari cleanly 0-[-] at home, and the defense line that had been working for more than a month finally paid off.

Although there were still some loopholes, under Palin's command and saves, he tried his best to keep the team's goal.

A week later, Roma challenged Sampdoria away.

Gonzalez rotated all the players except the back line. Palin's performance once again conquered Gonzalez, and still did not concede a goal after 10 minutes.

But Roma's offensive line was disappointing. The attacking group of Jara, Herman and Lamela failed to break through Sampdoria's goal, and the two sides scored a goalless draw 0-0.

Roma lost another two points, they were overtaken by the winning Naples and temporarily ranked third in the league.

……

Wishing they didn't go to Genoa at all, they were directly at the Rome airport, waiting for the team to come back, and boarded the flight to Lisbon together.

This game is of great significance to Wishing, Gaitan and Jara. This is the first time they have played against their old club after leaving Benfica.

Just thinking about it makes wishing very exciting.

He can't wait to score in the game. It's not that he has a grudge against Benfica. Benfica is the blessed land of wishing. Without this team, wishing may still be trying out at the gates of major clubs. Maybe he is playing in Norway League with Belgium.

Although he can get ahead with his ability, these few years have been wasted. Benfica has given Wishing a very good platform and springboard, and he has a lot of affection for this club.

It is precisely because of love that I wish to do my best and use my best performance to thank my old club for their cultivation.

If Jesus knew that the wish was made with this idea, he probably had the intention of killing him...

Gaitan and Jara have more affection for Benfica. After all, they have stayed here longer than making a wish. However, they are both professional players, and they will definitely not deliberately release water. As for whether Benfica can qualify, it is not in their control It's a big deal, can we treat them to a big meal after the game...

The reporters in Lisbon got excited as soon as they got off the plane, they really wanted to make a wish.

After Wishing left, there were a lot fewer reports about football in Lisbon, and there was nothing topical about it.It was only then that the reporters in Lisbon remembered that Wishing Well, such a controversial figure, why did he go to Italy?

Wishing, Gaitan and Jara were surrounded by reporters, and wishing was naturally the focus.

"How does it feel to be back in Lisbon again?"

"It's unbelievable." Looking at the familiar airport and familiar reporters, Wishing felt a little emotional, "There are so many things worth remembering here."

"Including your old club Benfica?"

"Of course." Wishing blurted out, "I have many beautiful memories here."

A reporter suddenly asked, "Is it like the one against Porto?"

Wishing and the reporters all laughed, they all remembered the anxious scene when Benfica and Porto competed for the league and Europa League titles, how nostalgic it was.

After laughing, Wishing shook his head, "It's different. I'm talking about the real beautiful memories, the cultivation of Benfica, the fans' love for me, the tolerance of my teammates, and the promotion of me by the head coach. This is the most precious treasure in my life, and I will remember it with my whole life."

The reporters were a little surprised. They didn't expect such a delicate side to the straightforward, arrogant and domineering wishing. Everyone was a little moved for a while.

After a while, a reporter asked, "Then how will you repay the team? And you, do you have the same idea as Xu?"

Gaitan and Jala felt a little helpless, they had been standing beside Xu Wish for a long time, and it was only at this time that the reporters remembered them, but they still looked at each other with Xu Wish, and then the three of them said in unison——

"Go all out!"