For the Chinese team, the semi-finals are indeed not failures, but supreme glory. After all, the strength of the Chinese team has not reached the level of winning the championship.

So the players still calmed down, got together, and lined up to express their gratitude and tribute to the fans on the scene. The Chinese fans also swept away their previous depressedness and gave the warmest applause. Today no one would blame the players because they had done their best, even if the final result was to lose the game.

In the mixed zone, Chinese players also accepted interviews.

Li Weifeng wiped the sweat from his face: "Of course we are very sad now. We were going to make the finals, but now it is impossible. I express my gratitude to the Chinese fans, and I believe they will be proud of us."

Sun Jihai: "Brazil has begun to be afraid of us. They saw how we fought in the second half. I think they will be afraid of the Chinese team. I only realized after the game that Zheng Zhi hit the lintel should have scored, so we had a chance to take the lead, but luck was on the side of Brazil. Now, we will fight for the third place, whether the opponent is Germany or South Korea, we will eventually become the third place!"

Zheng Zhize was interviewed by Milan Sports Daily.

Reporter: "Can you talk about this game?"

Zheng Zhi: "Both sides played well at the beginning and the game went smoothly, but we failed to win the game in the end. Ronaldo scored a goal in the second half, and the Chinese team failed to tie the score. This is a very regrettable. We will continue to work hard in the future."

Reporter: "But in the first half you shot and hit the lintel. The slow motion showed that the ball had flown into the goal. What do you think about this?"

Zheng Zhi: "This is football. To be honest, I can accept this penalty because none of us can see clearly whether the ball is entered or not. The referee is also a human being. Of course, he is the same as us. Unfortunately, the game cannot be repeated, so there is no need to be so regretful. Brazil's offense today is very strong, and we are lucky to not lose more goals. If we hadn't had Ou Chuliang, we might have lost more points. Similarly, Ronaldo's goal was also very unexpected. We didn't expect him to shoot the ball in. This is a very accidental thing. The football game is looking at the result, not the process, so I can accept the result."

Reporter: "Can you give a brief comment?"

Ilhan: "Hakan Suk is a very good player. We passed many good balls to him, but football is a coincidence, and it is inevitable to lose opportunities. We did lose some opportunities."

Reporter: "Please talk about your opinion on competing for third place?"

Zheng Zhi: "Yes, we still have a chance to compete for third place. We will play well. We will not consider the impact of this game too much. The Chinese team has been very successful."

...

Head coach Horton also talked a lot after the game:

"Our participation in the World Cup this time is like participating in a grand festival. We have left a deep impression on people, showed Chinese football to the whole world, and achieved our goals. I am very happy about this."

Speaking of the game, Horton said: "I am very proud of my players, they performed very well in the game. The only regret today is that they have not been able to continue to bring joy to the Chinese people."

"We didn't seize the opportunity to equalize. Despite this, this game was different from the first match against Brazil. We originally had the goal to win the championship, but now we can only compete for third place."

“Entering in the World Cup semi-finals is a great experience, and if there is a next chance, I believe we will reach the final.”

"I think Brazil will win easily in the finals, but if we reach the finals, I also think we will win the championship."

...

Although the Brazilian team was also ecstatic, they expressed their respect for the Chinese team.

Head coach Scolari gave the Chinese team a high evaluation.

He said: "We think the Chinese team is a very powerful opponent. They play very hard and their style of play is also very distinctive. Just looking at their midfield and forward line, it is definitely a world-class team! In the game, they created many opportunities. They are very dangerous teams, but we figured out their routines."

Speaking of Brazil's victory, Scolari said: "From the beginning of the game, I felt an inspiring power from the Brazilian fans, players and people on the scene. I believe that the Brazilian fans will be very happy tonight. We are very, very happy. We wanted to score more goals in the game, but it failed to achieve it."

Scolari continued: "We are very eager to win, but I would rather congratulate the Chinese team. It is an amazing achievement for them to reach the semi-finals!"

Speaking of Ronaldo who was replaced at 68 minutes: "When I saw his new hairstyle at the training ground, I felt that this was a positive signal. We knew him too well that he didn't have any fatigue problems. Swapping him in the middle was entirely for the final consideration."

Ronaldo, the top star of the goal, also said: "I have always been very cautious about this game because the Chinese team has my best friend. We must admit that he originally scored a beautiful world wave in the first half, but no one can see whether the ball has scored. The Chinese team should have been ahead. He organized the Chinese team very well. They are a good team and deserved to reach the semi-finals. However, our offense has always been very strong and always tried to score goals. If it weren't for their goalkeeper's world-class performance, I could have scored more goals. Anyway, we entered the finals and could only say sorry to my friends."

"My teammates and I both tried 100% and we finally reached the final. I'm very happy."

"In 1998, we knew what it meant to reach the finals. We must keep our energy focused now, but we don't have to think too much about the game and make ourselves nervous."

When talking about his toe shot, Ronaldo also said happily, "This is a typical 'Romanio' goal. Although the goal method may look casual, the effect is very good. This is a very important goal."

"Romario and I are friends, so I remember him and his way of scoring."

...

Media around the world also quickly reported the semi-finals.

Germany's "Spiegel Online": Zheng Zhi created a goal line unsolved case, and Ronaldo's goal brought Brazil to the final for the 7th time, and also pushed the World Cup final to a climax. Although he lost, the Chinese wrote history and they still have third place to compete for!

Reuters: Ronaldo "stuns" Brazil into the final with one kick. Chinese goalkeeper Ou Chuliang failed to save the ball, allowing Brazil to win this fierce confrontation. This is a game they should win, and they will appear in the final for the seventh time. The Chinese team played very smartly in the opening stage, and Zheng Zhi even created a goal line unsolved case, but was eventually dragged down by Brazil's offense, so they could walk out of the court with their heads high.

Deutsche News Agency: This is a competition between the genius of the Brazilians and the Chinese in close midfield organization, but the latter obviously lacks the Brazilians' offensive talent, and they waste many equalization opportunities. After many dull knockout games, the two teams finally contributed a wonderful game to us. During the game, both sides created many goals and the midfield performance was also amazing. Luck also stood on the side of the Brazilian team. Zheng Zhi's goal hit the lintel is not counted, and Ronaldo's dexterity finally brought Brazil into the final!

The Italian "Milan Sports" positioned this game today as "a very tense and exciting game" and "a performance of two football geniuses". It is true that Ronaldo performed well today. In addition to that wonderful goal, he also successfully cooperated with the other players many times on the front line and had several beautiful assists, but he should thank Zheng Zhi for his goal hitting the lintel, which was a perfect world wave...

Italian Le Republic said: "This World Cup seems to be a vicious circle. The strong team did not show their strength as they think. Instead, people thought that the "weak team" played at the beginning. But today Ronaldo's performance broke this spell, and his talent finally sent the powerful Brazilian team to the final. But it has to be said that Zheng Zhi had hoped that the Chinese team would take the lead, but unfortunately his goal to hit the lintel was considered to be a failure. However, this time the referee's penalty was wrong, but the ball was really hard to see clearly..."

China Sina Sports: Although we lost 0:1, we actually led the Brazilian team 1:0!

Sohu: The referee owes us a World Cup final!

Sports Weekly: We led Brazil 1:0 in the first half and Brazil led us 1:0 in the second half. Although we lost the game in the end, we have reason to continue looking forward to the 2006 World Cup in Germany!

...

...

Two hours later, another World Cup semi-final whistle was blew at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea, and the game was quite boring. The South Korean team defended with the advantage of home court, and the score did not change until the 75th minute.

In the 75th minute, the German midfielder made a straight pass. Neuville successfully counterattacked from the right and made a quick cross from the bottom. Barack and Bierhof crossed in the back point. Barack pushed the ball 12 meters in front of the goal. Li Yun fell to the ground and blocked the ball with his legs. Barack volleyed the ball without stopping on the inside of his left foot and scored into the lower right corner of the goal.

Unfortunately, Barack, who scored the goal, will miss the final with Brazil.

In the end, Germany defeated South Korea 1-0 and reached the World Cup final for the 7th time. It will compete with Brazil for the championship in Yokohama on June 30.

The Koreans can no longer rely on the help of home court and referees to continue moving forward. Their opponents in the battle between three and four naturally became the Chinese team!

Media around the world cheered for Brazil and Germany meeting in the final.

France's "Team": The darlings of the final meet for the first time in the final! Germany vs Brazil, both teams are super strong teams in the World Cup. They have entered the World Cup finals seven times. Now the German team has the opportunity to tie the Brazilian team to win the World Cup record four times, so that Brazil will not win the World Cup five times, making other teams far beyond the reach.

England's Times: Brazil vs. Germany, the football world has finally returned to its rationality. However, it is different again. The final is still the World Cup, and the third and fourth place finals have become an "Asian Cup".

ESPN: Brazil will beat Germany 2:0 in the final!

Spain's largest sports media, "Maca", commented: German team's young midfielder Barack pushed his team to the final with his goal in 75 minutes. But he himself could not fully enjoy the team's happiness to reach the final, because the yellow card he received in the game made him lose the opportunity to play in the final. Can the German team lacking Barack withstand the Brazilian's attack?

On the contrary, the German media did not believe that they reached the final.

After the German team defeated South Korea and entered the World Cup final, the German media was very happy about this, but the online version of some newspapers still vaguely revealed their surprise and suspicion that the German team entered the final.

The Cologne Express pointed out: "The German team will at least win the runner-up in the World Cup. To be honest, who dares to make such a bet in advance?" In an article titled "Yes, we reached the final", the newspaper believes that although the critics are not optimistic about the German team, the German team did get a chance to tie Brazil and win the World Cup for the fourth time.

The article also states: "Waller will definitely get a place in the temple of football, and after Beckenbauer, he is expected to be the second person to win the World Cup as both a player and a coach."

The newspaper also pointed out that Barack, who scored a winning goal for Germany in the 75th minute, was a "tragic hero". In this semi-final, Barack received another yellow card. Due to the accumulated two yellow cards, he will miss the World Cup final on Sunday. Previously, Barack also scored a winning goal for Germany in the match against the United States.

The online version of "Spiegel" also pointed out that thanks to Woller's leadership, the German team was able to enter the finals. "The world used to ridicule our football, and now it's our turn to laugh, but we laughed because of happiness."

Le Monde pointed out: "Incredible things happened, and the German team entered the finals of the 17th World Cup. Le Monde believes that the German players adhere to the tradition of the German team in the World Cup. Although the last few minutes of the game were nervous, today's semi-finals were the best match for the German team in this World Cup.

"Kicker": Compared with the previous two games against Paraguay and the United States, the performance of the German team has improved significantly today. Faced with the seemingly exhausted South Korean team, Waller's players are more agile and active, and are not affected by the opponent's home atmosphere.

...

...

Asia, China and South Korea have to fight again. Both teams represent Asia. Whoever wins the game will create new history on behalf of Asia, and the loser will bear more humiliation.

The South Korean team definitely doesn't want to meet the Chinese team, they suffer from phimosis.

However, after reaching the semi-finals, the mentality of Koreans has indeed changed drastically compared to the past.

After losing to the German team, the Korean players seemed to be surprisingly calm. Korean fans also expressed their understanding and acceptance of this result. For the Korean team that reached the semi-finals in the first World Cup, their only goal now is to play a beautiful battle with the Chinese team and get third place. The competition for the third and fourth places may be far less touching and passionate than the championship and runner-up game, but South Korean team head coach Hiddink still said he would use third place to prove himself again.

For the Korean team, which has always supported itself with patriotism, the only reason for the battle with the Chinese team is that the Korean team has not won the Chinese team for four consecutive years, and hopes to avenge the revenge in this World Cup. Perhaps only with such a slogan can fans have more passion.

Although it is normal to lose to the German team, the failure still makes the Korean players who are eager to pack up and go to Japan feel a little regretful, so they hope to achieve good results in the third and fourth finals to repay all the Korean fans who are paying attention to them and put a perfect end to South Korea's World Cup journey.

At present, all 68,000 tickets for the third and fourth finals have been sold out, which is definitely a very bad news for Chinese fans, because most of the tickets have flowed into the hands of Korean fans, and the Chinese team has only received more than 1,000 tickets, which means that Daegu Stadium will definitely become the most terrifying home court for the Korean team!

Even if they played at home in the South Korean team before, the Chinese team could get at least five or six thousand tickets, but this time the Koreans really used the means, but they couldn't buy it anyway. In order to help the South Korean team defeat the Chinese team and get third place, perhaps the entire South Korea has started.

Although many Chinese fans were cruising outside the Daegu Stadium in advance, trying to buy tickets through scalpers and other channels at high prices, they still got nothing...

The Chinese team arrived in Daegu, South Korea on the night of the semi-finals, but everyone looked exhausted and walked out of the airport listlessly for the hotel.

That night, head coach Horton refused interviews from all media reporters. After the team had dinner in the hotel, they immediately closed their doors to thank the guests.

According to the hotel service staff, the floor where the Chinese team is located is quiet and most people sleep in the room.

The delegation officials have instructed the hotel to avoid any possible interference to the team's rest. For this reason, the cleaning of the floors where the Chinese team is stationed has been changed to manual operation, and all vacuum cleaners and other modern tools that may make noise are prohibited.

Most of the fans around the hotel were also dozens of meters away, and the security guards even received orders to prevent fans from making noise. Neither the siren nor the tweeter of the police car could be used.

The next afternoon, the Chinese team resumed training, but the training content was relatively simple.

Horton re-approved the media interview: "The Chinese team's mission is to win the third place in this World Cup, and the team is feeling good after the rest."

"The Korean team is very strong, and their advantage at home is very obvious. Korean fans are very enthusiastic and crazy. I have never seen such a fan. And Hiddink is a very smart coach. It is not unrelated to him that the Korean team can achieve such results today."

"They defeated some traditional European teams, and they only had one goal to lose to Germany, and they performed very well in the game. The Chinese team also lost to Brazil, and the game was equally beautiful. We are of equal strength, and I think this game will definitely be very intense."

But then he changed his mind.

"But I don't want this game to be swayed by the referee..."

Holden was still worried about the referee's problem.

"If the referee doesn't become the protagonist, I think we will play against the Korean team in June 4th!"

In the 3 and 4 finals between the South Korean and Chinese teams, none of the four referees came from Europe. The referee was Manny from Kuwait, the linesman were Saudi Trefi and Canada's Wagala, and Mexico's Ramos as the fourth official.
To be continued...