Chapter 49

The American Dream Team 6 that participated in the Athens Olympics was actually a mixed team. Superstars like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, and Jason Kidd did not participate in the Athens Olympics.

However, the lineup of Dream Team 6 was still impressive. Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion, Amar'e Stoudemire, Lamar Odom, and Richard Jefferson were all top-tier NBA stars, including superstars and future superstars.

Sitting in the car with nothing to do, Zhang Guan began to analyze the American Dream Team 6.

Zhang Guan extended one finger and said, "First, Jason Kidd is not here. Who will organize the team? Rely on Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury?"

As guards, Iverson and Marbury are not incapable of organizing, but their playing styles are not those of point guards.

Zhang Guan extended his second finger, "Second, without Kobe, Tracy McGrady, and Ray Allen, the Dream Team 6's outside shooting will definitely be insufficient. They might struggle against teams with accurate three-point shooting, and everyone knows this."

The Dream Team 6's outside shooting is a known issue. None of the guards on the team are particularly accurate shooters. The 2003 Golden Generation had only played one year in the NBA, and their skills were not as comprehensive as they would be in the future.

"Third, the Dream Team 6's frontcourt is too weak," Zhang Guan continued.

"Wait, I don't agree with that. The American team's frontcourt has Tim Duncan, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and Emeka Okafor, none of whom are weak," Ba Da said.

"Don't forget, this is the Olympics, which follows international rules. There is no defensive three-second rule in international rules," Zhang Guan extended his fourth finger and said, "The fourth point is that there is no restricted area in international rules, so the frontcourt will be crowded, which will nullify the offensive strategies of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury will have to rely on jump shots. I think this American team will mainly rely on individual skills and one-on-one play."

What Zhang Guan said could be analyzed by any basketball coach or even a seasoned fan. However, since the men's national team was in Group A and Dream Team 6 was in Group B, the two teams would not meet, so the men's national team's coaching staff did not analyze Dream Team 6, and the players were not very familiar with the true situation of Dream Team 6.

The car was full of basketball players, and the mention of basketball seemed to open the floodgates. With Zhang Guan leading the discussion, the car quickly became lively.

...

The Athens Olympics officially opened on August 13th, but many events had already started, such as football.

On the evening of August 10th, Athens time, the Olympic football group stage officially began. On that night, women's matches were held, and in the F group, the national women's football team was defeated 8-0 by Germany. Before this, the betting company had given the national women's football team a 1:3.5 odds to win the championship. The 8-0 defeat was completely unexpected.

The next day, the men's football matches began, with the A and C group teams playing first. There were no upsets that day, and the teams that should have won did, while teams with similar strength drew.

On August 12th at 8:30 AM Athens time, the B and D group matches began, with Italy and Portugal, two of the favorites, making their debut.

At the British William Hill company, Vice Director of Intelligence Analysis Thomas and his colleagues were sitting together. In front of them were four TVs, each showing one of the four matches in the men's football B and D groups.

Thomas was once a scout for a small English football club. After the club was acquired, Thomas left and, with his football knowledge and technical analysis skills, successfully joined the well-known British betting company William Hill, where he has now been promoted to Vice Director of Intelligence Analysis.

There is a three-hour time difference between the UK and Greece, and since it was August, the UK was on daylight saving time, so it was not yet time to go home. However, during the Olympics, Thomas and his colleagues were destined to work overtime. Their job was to watch the Olympic football group stage matches, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each team, and write intelligence analysis reports to be sent to the data department to set the odds for the next matches.

In the match between Paraguay and Japan, Paraguay scored a goal against Japan just five minutes into the game, making Thomas think the match would quickly lose its suspense. In the match between Costa Rica and Morocco, the two teams were still probing each other. In the match between Italy and Ghana, the two teams quickly entered the game, making it the fastest-paced match. As for the match between Portugal and Iraq, Thomas chose to ignore it.

"The Ghanaian players are very active, which is different from what we expected. We thought Ghana had declined, but this young Ghanaian team is quite good and could be a dark horse in this group. We need to pay more attention," Thomas said to his colleagues.

At the 13-minute mark, Portugal led Iraq 1-0, with the goal scored by Iraqi defender Jabar, an own goal.

On TV, the Iraqi team looked dejected, and the Portuguese team did not seem too happy either, not even celebrating the goal. For the Portuguese team, leading against Iraq was expected, and it being an own goal was not worth celebrating.

"This match is already over; the teams have a huge gap in strength. What do you think the final score will be? 5-0? 6-0? 7-0? Or even 10-0? Poor Iraqis, they have just experienced a brutal war and will now be massacred on the football field. I think the Portuguese team should show mercy to the poor Iraqis and score fewer goals," Thomas said, feeling sympathetic.

Just 13 minutes into the game, with an own goal, and facing a strong Portuguese team, no one thought Iraq could win. Some even thought that being on the field would be a great torment for the Iraqi players.

Three minutes later, while Portuguese fans were still savoring the own goal, Iraqi player Eymad Mohammed scored against Portugal, leveling the score.

"Iraq has scored!" Thomas was slightly surprised but then relaxed.

"The Portuguese were complacent after the own goal, but it's good that the Iraqis scored a goal in the World Cup, which can be a consolation to the Iraqi people," Thomas thought to himself.

The Portuguese team, now trailing, became very anxious, especially forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who frequently demanded the ball. The Portuguese team's attacks put immense pressure on the Iraqi goal.

"At this pace, the Portuguese should score soon! The match will still be one-sided," Thomas refocused on the Italian team.

In another match, at the 22-minute mark, Japanese player Shinji Ono scored, leveling the score for Japan. Just four minutes later, Paraguayan player Cardozo scored against Japan, putting Paraguay 2-1 ahead.

"Paraguay is leading again, and Portugal should score soon!" Thomas looked at the match between Portugal and Iraq, only to see the Iraqi team counterattacking.

"Huh? What's wrong with the Portuguese defenders? They should be defending! Follow up! Foul! Oh no!" Thomas shouted.

The Portuguese goal was breached again. The goal was scored by Iraqi player Hawar, putting Iraq 2-1 ahead of Portugal.

"Iraq is actually leading? What's going on?" At this point, Thomas began to seriously watch the Iraqi team's performance.

"Iraqi players, though rough in technique and average in coordination, are very fast and always running. Tactically, their play is simple, with no complex combinations," Thomas noted in his notebook.

The Portuguese team, trailing, launched fierce attacks, with core player Cristiano Ronaldo particularly active. However, luck did not seem to be on the Portuguese side.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has the ball, he's breaking through, shooting! Oh, too bad, it hit the post!"

"Cristiano Ronaldo takes a long shot from outside the box! Ah, it's off."

"Cristiano Ronaldo breaks into the box, the Iraqi team dares not foul, the goalkeeper comes out, shooting! Great save!"

In the remaining time of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo displayed his exceptional skills and talent, hitting the post multiple times.

In other matches, at the 36-minute mark, Ghana scored against Italy. At the 37-minute mark, Paraguayan player Cardozo scored his second goal, putting Paraguay 3-1 ahead of Japan, effectively ending the match's suspense.

Near the end of the first half, Bosingwa finally scored to level the score for Portugal. On the other side, in stoppage time, Ghana's Perea scored, putting Ghana 2-0 ahead of Italy.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, his notebook filled with notes, but his expression was serious.

Iraq 2-2 Portugal, Ghana 2-0 Italy, both results were beyond Thomas's expectations, considered upsets. For an intelligence analyst like Thomas, upsets meant more intelligence gathering, increasing his workload.

After a brief break, the second half began.

At the 49-minute mark, Italian player Pincio scored, putting Italy 1-2 behind Ghana.

At the 51-minute mark, Portuguese player Boa Morte received a red card.

Boa Morte played in the Premier League, so Thomas was very familiar with him. Thomas knew Boa Morte had a notorious temper, and now he was paying the price for his recklessness.

"The Portuguese are committing too many fouls, and now they are down a man. The situation is not favorable," Thomas said.

...

In Athens, at the Olympic Village.

To avoid disturbing other athletes, Zhang Guan went to the athlete activity center in the Olympic Village to watch the match between Iraq and Portugal.

Seeing the referee show a red card on TV, Zhang Guan smiled.

"History hasn't changed; it's indeed like this. The Iraqis will win. But more importantly, it's the indomitable will and the spirit of fighting, which is what athletes should have!" Zhang Guan suddenly thought of the football team he always supported unconditionally but always disappointed him, and sighed helplessly.

"Never mind, no more complaints. Let's think of something happy!"

---

Always supporting unconditionally, hoping that one day they won't disappoint us. Chapter 2 is here, thanks to the readers for their support: Rain Dragon, Fashion Brother, Xun Wei Xue, Loli Green Town, Old Zhang, Alex, Lone Wolf, Rich Man Can't Enjoy, Reader 151117204016906, Ming Brother, Ada 146, Little Runner, dfhdfg, Snowy Wind, Misplaced in Books, f111111111, Big 1 Cheng. Please give a recommendation vote!