世界杯小组赛：双方谨慎死守僵持难分，布迪米尔下半场一击制胜，老练克罗地亚一比零小胜巴拿马保留出线希望

说它紧张，是因为整场比赛的绝大部分时间里，场上的比分都一直是零比零，一直要到比赛的后半段，克罗地亚才终于用一个进球，锁定了这场比赛的胜局。

What made it tense: for the vast majority of the match the score stayed nil-nil, and only in the second half did Croatia finally seal the win with a single goal.

在回顾这场比赛之前，让我们先来认识一下这两支球队。

Before recapping the match, let's first get to know these two teams.

克罗地亚来自欧洲，是世界足坛一支底蕴极为深厚的传统强队。

Croatia comes from Europe, a traditional power in world football with extremely deep heritage.

在最近的几届世界杯上，他们都有过非常出色的表现，曾经一路过关斩将，走到过相当靠前的位置，让全世界都为之侧目。

In the most recent World Cups they've performed superbly, once battling past opponent after opponent to reach a fairly advanced stage, drawing the whole world's attention.

而在这支球队当中，还拥有着不少经验极其丰富的老球员。

And within this team are a number of hugely experienced veteran players.

他们彼此之间配合默契，对比赛的阅读能力也很强，越是这种关键的硬仗，往往就越能够保持冷静、稳住局面。

They combine seamlessly and read the game very well; the more crucial the battle, the better they tend to keep calm and steady the situation.

而他们此役的对手巴拿马，则来自中美洲，无论是名气，还是球队整体的实力，都和克罗地亚之间，存在着相当明显的差距。

Their opponents in this match, Panama, come from Central America, with a clear gap to Croatia in both fame and overall team strength.

不过，巴拿马的球员作风顽强，向来都不会轻易地认输，是一支很有拼劲、也很有血性的球队。

But Panama's players are tenacious in style and never give up easily, a team with real fight and real mettle.

而对这两支球队来说，这都是一场必须全力争胜的关键比赛。

And for both teams, this was a must-win, crucial match.

因为在这一场，谁要是输了，谁就很可能被淘汰，提前结束自己本届世界杯的旅程。

Because in this game, whoever lost would likely be eliminated and end their World Cup journey early.

也正因为如此，比赛一开始，场上的双方，都踢得格外谨慎、格外小心。

For all these reasons, from the start both sides on the pitch played especially cautiously and carefully.

两支球队，都首先把自己的防守做得非常扎实，谁也不敢轻易地大举压上，生怕被对方抓住机会，先打进一个球。

Both teams first made their defence very solid, neither daring to push up in numbers, afraid of being caught and conceding first.

于是，在很长的一段时间里，这场比赛的比分，都一直牢牢地保持着零比零。

And so, for a long stretch, the score in this match stayed firmly at nil-nil.

场面上虽然没有出现太多的进球，但实际上，双方都踢得非常紧张，场上的每一次进攻、每一次防守，都直接关系到整场比赛的最终走向。

There weren't many goals on show, but in fact both sides were very tense, every attack and every defensive moment directly bearing on the final direction of the match.

巴拿马的整体防守相当顽强，他们退守到本方的后场，努力地保护着自己的球门，让克罗地亚一时之间，也难以真正攻破。

Panama's overall defence was quite tenacious; they dropped into their own rearguard, working hard to protect their goal, making it hard for Croatia to truly break through for a while.

有那么几次，巴拿马甚至还利用快速反击，制造出了一点威胁，让克罗地亚也不敢有丝毫的大意。

A few times Panama even used quick counters to create a little threat, keeping Croatia from easing off in the slightest.

然而，克罗地亚毕竟是一支更有经验、也更有实力的世界级强队。

However, Croatia were, after all, the more experienced and stronger world-class side.

他们踢得很有耐心，并不急于求成，而是稳稳地控制着场上的节奏，一点一点地，寻找着对方防线上的破绽。

They played patiently, not impatient for success, calmly controlling the tempo and probing, bit by bit, for flaws in the opposing defensive line.

终于，在比赛的后半段，克罗地亚迎来了一次相当宝贵的机会。

Finally, in the second half, Croatia got a rather precious chance.

他们的球员布迪米尔抓住了这难得的机会，冷静地完成了破门，帮助克罗地亚以一比零取得了领先。

Their player Budimir seized that rare chance and calmly finished, helping Croatia take a one-nil lead.

进球的那一刻，克罗地亚的球员和球迷，都激动地庆祝了起来，因为他们都非常清楚，在这样一场比赛里，这一个进球的分量，到底有多重。

The moment it went in, Croatia's players and fans celebrated wildly, because they all knew exactly how much this one goal weighed in a match like this.

在两支球队的机会都不算多的情况下，这一粒进球，显得无比关键。

With both teams having few chances, this single goal was extremely crucial.

在这样一场紧张的比赛当中，谁能够先打破场上的僵局，谁就占据了巨大的主动。

In such a tense match, whoever can break the deadlock first seizes a huge advantage.

在取得领先之后，经验丰富的克罗地亚，立刻摆出了稳守的姿态。

After taking the lead, the experienced Croatia immediately set up to defend solidly.

他们非常清楚，在这种势均力敌的比赛里，只要能够守住这一球的领先，往往也就意味着，能够拿下整场比赛。

They knew very well that in this kind of evenly matched game, as long as they could hold the one-goal lead, it often meant taking the whole match.

而落后、又必须取胜的巴拿马，则别无选择，只能放手一搏、全力压上，向克罗地亚的球门，发起了一波又一波的进攻。

And the trailing, must-win Panama had no choice but to go all out and pile forward, launching wave after wave of attack at Croatia's goal.

看台上的巴拿马球迷，也一次次满怀希望地为球队呐喊助威，盼着他们能够扳平比分。

Panama's fans in the stands cheered hopefully again and again, longing for the team to equalise.

然而，克罗地亚的整条防线同样表现得十分稳固，他们凭借着丰富的大赛经验，一次次地化解了巴拿马发起的冲击。

However, Croatia's whole defensive line was just as solid, using their rich big-match experience to defuse, time and again, the charges Panama mounted.

时间一分一秒地流逝，占据着场面的巴拿马，却始终没能攻破对方那道顽强的球门。

Minute by minute the time slipped away, and the territorially dominant Panama still never managed to breach that tenacious opposing goal.

最终，比赛以一比零的比分结束，老练的克罗地亚，笑到了最后。

In the end, the match finished one-nil, with the savvy Croatia having the last laugh.

对克罗地亚来说，这是一场无比重要的胜利。

For Croatia, this was a hugely important victory.

正是凭借着这宝贵的三分，他们继续保留着从小组顺利出线的希望。

It was precisely with these precious three points that they kept their hopes of qualifying smoothly from the group alive.

而对巴拿马来说，这却是一个相当残酷的结果。

But for Panama, it was a rather cruel result.

输掉了这场比赛，意味着他们提前被淘汰，本届世界杯的征程，也就此画上了句号。

Losing this match meant they were eliminated early, and their World Cup campaign came to an end.

不过，巴拿马其实也完全不必过于沮丧。

Still, Panama really need not be too dejected.

作为一支实力相对弱小的球队，能够踢进世界杯的决赛圈，本身，就已经是一种相当不容易的成就。

As a relatively weaker team, just reaching the World Cup finals is already a rather hard-won achievement.

更何况，他们这一场所要面对的，是克罗地亚这样一支世界级的强队，输掉比赛，其实并不让人感到意外。

What's more, in this match they faced a world-class power like Croatia, so losing was hardly a surprise.

他们在场上，自始至终都拼到了最后一刻，面对强大的对手，毫不畏惧，这份顽强的精神，依然赢得了许许多多中立球迷的尊重与掌声。

On the pitch they fought to the very last moment from start to finish, fearless against a strong opponent, and that tenacious spirit still won the respect and applause of countless neutral fans.

比赛结束之后，人们的讨论，也自然而然地围绕着这场比赛展开。

After the match, the discussion naturally centred on this game.

有人由衷地称赞克罗地亚，不愧是一支底蕴深厚、经验丰富的强队，越是这种关键的硬仗，越能够保持冷静，最终笑到最后。

Some sincerely praised Croatia as a worthy power of deep heritage and rich experience: the more crucial the battle, the better they keep calm, and the last to laugh in the end.

也有人为巴拿马感到惋惜，认为他们其实踢得并不差，只是在最后，少了那么一点点的运气和经验。

Others felt for Panama, that they actually played well and only lacked, at the very end, the tiniest bit of luck and experience.

还有人感慨，正是因为有了巴拿马这样敢于和强队周旋到底的对手，这场看似平淡的比赛，才会一直紧张到最后一刻。

Some also remarked that it was precisely because of an opponent like Panama, daring to spar with a strong team to the very end, that this seemingly bland match stayed tense to the final moment.

其实，这恰恰正是足球这项运动的魅力，同时，也是它最为残酷的地方：有的时候，仅仅一个进球，就足以决定一场比赛的胜负，甚至，决定一支球队的命运。

Actually, this is exactly the appeal of football, and at the same time its most cruel side: sometimes, a single goal is enough to decide a match, even to decide a team's fate.

也正因为如此，在世界杯这样的最高舞台上，每一个进球，每一次机会，都显得弥足珍贵，而这种残酷，也恰恰让最终的胜利，显得格外有分量。

And for this very reason, on the highest stage like the World Cup, every goal and every chance is all the more precious — and it's this cruelty that gives the final victory such weight.

好了，这就是巴拿马对克罗地亚这场比赛的全部故事，我们下期再见。

Okay, that's the whole story of Panama against Croatia, see you next time.