The blue and white striped RCD Espanyol fans in the visiting stands were still very conspicuous. Wu Lei found them at a glance.
Xue Jinshan and the other RCD Espanyol fans saw Wu Lei look up and could not help but shout even louder. At the same time, they waved the team scarves in their hands.
Because of the distance, Wu Lei could not see the faces of these fans clearly. Naturally, he did not know that there was a group of excited Huaxia compatriots in the stands. He smiled and waved to the visiting stands, then continued to warm up with his teammates.
Xue Jinshan and the others also waved their scarves excitedly at Wu Lei. Their enthusiasm slowly subsided until Wu Lei continued to warm up.
Xue Jinshan said with emotion, "I didn't watch football much before. Now that I'm back to watch it live, I realize that the charm of football is really great! With this atmosphere, even the most introverted people can't help but shout together! "
"Isn't that right? The game hasn't even started yet! I feel like the stands are about to boil over! "
"To be able to watch a top league game live, I can brag about it for a year when I go back!"
The employees of Taoyuan Company were also discussing this matter at the same time.
After the players finished warming up, they returned to the locker room to make their final preparations before the game. The manager would also clarify the tactics for everyone again.
Xia Ruofei did not follow them back to the locker room. Instead, he sat directly on the bench and took a nap. This was not considered special. The tactics laid out by the manager were mainly targeted at the main players. Xia Ruofei was a substitute in this game. Before he came on, the manager would again clarify how to play after he came on. Moreover, Xia Ruofei also told Ruby in advance that he wanted to minimize the chances of him showing up before the game. Ruby also agreed.
…
Huaxia, Beijing.
In a studio of PP Sports, the commentators for the game were still Shen Fangjian and Jia Tianning.
Because of the time difference, the starting time of the game was not very friendly for the Huaxia fans. Huaxia kicked off at three o 'clock in the morning. In the past, this time was enough to make many fans fearful and choose to give up watching the game.
Fortunately, tomorrow was a Sunday, and most people did not have to go to work. In addition, Wu Lei's performance in the last game had raised the expectations of many fans, so there were still many fans who stayed up late to watch the game. According to the data from PP Sports, the number of people online at the same time was not much less than the last game.
RCD Espanyol's last game kicked off in the afternoon, and Huaxia's game started at about 11 pm. This time was still very suitable for watching the game, and it was not even one o 'clock yet.
Shen Fangjian and Jia Tianning were doing the pre-match analysis and commentary. Both of them agreed that the RCD Espanyol team was much worse than their opponents in terms of strength. In this game, the RCD Espanyol team should give up their possession tactics and tighten their defensive line as much as possible. In addition, they should be resolute in their counterattack and speed up their advancement.
Like many La Liga teams, RCD Espanyol was used to playing pass and control tactics, and they liked to constantly pass the ball in the middle and backfield, hoping to pull the opponent's defensive line and find the opponent's flaws. Many of the RCD Espanyol players were used to controlling the ball after receiving it. If one or two players did that, the rhythm would be slowed down.
After the pre-match analysis, it began to broadcast the scene of the team's arrival before the game, as well as the scene of the RCD Espanyol club's television station before the players arrived in the locker room.
Shen Fangjian and Jia Tianning's attention was focused on Wu Lei, and Xia Ruofei, who was wearing sunglasses and a mask and walking with the coaching staff, did not attract their attention.
In the scene of the away team's locker room that appeared later, the two of them noticed the number 25 jersey next to Wu Lei's jersey, because the jersey was hanging next to Wu Lei's jersey, and the name "XIA" was very eye-catching.
The two of them could not help but play a game of "guess who I am" and made a lot of guesses during the live broadcast.
However, as the signal in front switched to the scene of the players' tunnel, the attention of the two of them suddenly shifted.
In Valencia, Spain, the players from both teams were standing in the players' tunnel, ready to enter the field under the guidance of the referee. As for Wu Lei and several other substitute players, they had already gone directly to the away team's bench before this.
Shen Fangjian looked at the screen and said, "We can see that the players from both teams are ready to play. Before the game, we got the starting lineup of both teams. Wu Lei is still on standby on the bench for this game. This is not good news for the fans who stay up late to watch the game. "
Jia Tianning said, "I think Ruby is still a little conservative. Although Wu Lei has not been on the team for a long time, it can be said that he completely showed his strength in the last game. However, Ruby would rather use the young Puado in this game than let Wu Lei start. I personally think that the coach is too conservative."
"That's right! No matter how you look at it, Wu Lei is more suitable to be in the starting lineup than Puado! "Shen Fangjian said." The most important thing is that Wu Lei has the support of the mysterious power of the East! Just look at the last game and you will know! "
After the last game, Shen Fangjian and Jia Tianning were almost unprincipled in singing praises for Wu Lei. Therefore, the two were "honorably promoted" to the head and vice head of "Wu Chui Tang" on the Internet and were ridiculed by the fans. Now it seemed that the two of them wanted to continue to carry forward the glorious Wu Chui Hall career. They still had no intention of keeping a low profile in this game.
Soon, the players from both teams walked out of the players' tunnel with the ball boys under the lead of the referee.
The atmosphere in the home team's stands, which were already very lively, was suddenly ignited at this moment. The cheers and applause instantly increased by several levels.
The sudden cheers and applause made Xia Ruofei, who was dozing off, wake up. He turned his head to look at Wu Lei in a daze and asked, "Lei, who scored? Is it our team or the opponent? "
Wu Lei did not know whether to laugh or cry and said, "Brother Xia, it was the players who came in just now. The game hasn't even started yet … You slept too soundly, didn't you?"
Xia Ruofei rubbed his eyes and said, "Why hasn't the game started yet? Isn't this too dawdling?! I've already slept … "
Wu Lei could not help but laugh. The nervousness before the game had unknowingly disappeared.
After a while, the players from both teams took their positions in their respective halves of the field. The referee blew the whistle, and the game officially began.
As the opponent was stronger, Ruby was already standing on the sidelines from the start of the game, nervously watching the situation on the field. He had no intention of returning to the technical area at all.
"Okay, PP Sports audience friends and fans friends! With the whistle of the referee, the game has officially begun! Today, the commentators are still Jia Tianning, Coach Jia, and I, Shen Fangjian! "Shen Fangjian said skillfully.
"Hello, audience friends!" Jia Tianning said tacitly.
"Just now, we introduced Valencia's starting lineup. Now, let's take a look at the starting lineup of the visiting team, RCD Espanyol." Shen Fangjian said, "First of all, Wu Lei is still on standby as a substitute in this game. At the same time, it's worth noting that the suspected Huaxia player, number 25, who everyone has been talking about on the domestic Internet recently, has also appeared in the main roster today. Like Wu Lei, he's also on the substitute lineup for this game. Everyone can pay attention to this player. I've specifically observed him just now, and in the few shots given by the broadcaster, we didn't notice the existence of this mysterious player …"
After briefly explaining the situation that everyone was concerned about, Shen Fangjian began to introduce RCD Espanyol's starting lineup. "As we can see, the goalkeeper position is still the brave veteran number 1, Diego Lopez. The center backs are the partners of Naldo and Hermoso. These are the current main force of RCD Espanyol. The two full backs are respectively … Wait! Let's take a look at this game first! "
Before Shen Fangjian could even finish introducing the starting lineup, the situation on the field had already changed.
RCD Espanyol kicked off this game. After the kickoff, RCD Espanyol's players habitually passed their feet in the backfield to look for opportunities.
They were already familiar with this routine. Even though the Valencia team pressed hard and even forced the full back to pass the ball to the goalkeeper, RCD Espanyol did not panic. The goalkeeper, Diego Lopez, did not nervously kick the ball away. Instead, he gently passed the ball to Naldo when the opponent's forward closed in.
Naldo looked up and quickly observed the situation before he passed the ball to Puado.
Puado had been holding back his energy for a long time. He wanted to perform well and shut those who doubted him up.
Therefore, after Naldo passed the ball, Puado rushed along the side without thinking and ran all the way to the opponent's half of the field.
However, just as Puado dribbled the ball across the half of the field, he still buried his head and dribbled the ball forward in an attempt to use his personal ability to break through in the face of the opponent's fast pace.
However, he obviously overestimated his personal ability. The opponent's full back did not fall for his feints at all. He cleanly shoveled the ball and snatched the ball from under Puado's feet. He quickly got up and passed the ball out with a straight pass.
Valencia's transition between offense and defense was very fast. After the successful steal, they quickly pressed forward.
It was a stark contrast to RCD Espanyol's slow pace earlier.
RCD Espanyol's midfielders were running with Puado to provide support. However, Puado's low-level mistake led to the loss of the ball, and everyone did not have time to return to their defensive positions.
It was quite dangerous to have the ball suddenly intercepted in the middle of an attack.
Valencia quickly formed a situation in the front field where they outnumbered their opponents. They did not hesitate. After a two-footed triangle pass, the ball was pushed to the front of RCD Espanyol's penalty area.
From the moment Puado lost the ball, he desperately chased back, hoping to make up for his mistake.
When Valencia's midfielders were slightly stunned at the front of the penalty area, Puado was already in position to defend.
He saw that Valencia's players seemed to be ready to kick the ball on the spot, so he did not even think about it. He directly slid over from the side.
However, what Puado did not expect was that the opponent played a fake shot and a real dunk. They easily bypassed his defense and broke into the penalty area.
As soon as the opponent player entered the penalty area, RCD Espanyol's players dared not make any moves. They were afraid that they would give the opponent a chance to "dive" to get a penalty kick.
However, at that moment, Valencia's striker, Rodrigo, did not hesitate to kick the ball when he swerved to an angle. With a swoosh, the ball flew past the inside of the pillar and into the goal.
A huge uproar erupted in the stadium.
Ruby angrily smashed the mineral water bottle in his hand on the ground. The fourth official of the match immediately walked over and said sternly, "Mr. Ruby, please watch your behavior. Otherwise, I don't mind suggesting to the referee that you be punished!"
Ruby spread his hands and shrugged. "Okay! Thank you for the reminder! "
He did not stand on the sidelines to direct the match anymore. Instead, he returned to his seat with a complicated and helpless expression.
He had anticipated many scenarios before the match, including the sudden loss of the ball at the start of the match. However, that was the worst-case scenario, and he did not expect it to happen.
Moreover, the loss of the ball was very cowardly. Puado had failed to live up to his trust. He clearly had a good route to pass the ball, but he only knew to dribble the ball forward and break through. He did not even think about passing the ball.
Now that RCD Espanyol was one goal behind, they had no choice but to attack. Valencia, who was stronger than RCD Espanyol, could wait for the opportunity to counterattack.
It could be said that the situation was quite unfavorable for RCD Espanyol.
"Puado has an unshirkable responsibility for this ball!" Shen Fangjian said. "He was too attached to the ball!"
"If it were Wu Lei, the ball would have been passed!" Jia Tianning did not forget to mention Wu Lei. "If the ball was controlled well, there would be a lot of space on the left side. Moreover, RCD Espanyol's left midfielder was quickly plugging in. However, Puado chose to dribble the ball into the darkness, which ultimately led to the loss of the ball!"
On the Internet, the bullet screen was flooded with comments.
"Puado is an idiot!"
"Can he play in La Liga with this level of skill? I don't think he'll even be able to play in the Second Division! "
"Although RCD Espanyol is behind, why am I so happy? Hmph! As long as it's not Wu Lei, I'll be a fan of RCD Espanyol's opponent! "
"This is the bitter consequence of ignoring the power of the East! Rubi! You should be more careful … "
Naturally, Rubi did not know that the Huaxia fans were celebrating together thousands of miles away. He sat in his seat for less than two minutes before he could not help but stand up again. He walked back to the side of the field and began to command the game loudly.
The early loss of the ball caused RCD Espanyol's players to be a little disunited. Some of them wanted to stabilize their defense, while others wanted to force an attack and equalize the score as soon as possible.
The disunity led to a disconnect in the middle and front of the field, which made it even more difficult to control the ball.
For a moment, RCD Espanyol was in a precarious situation. The ball could not cross the half of the field at all. Mistakes were often made when passing the ball, resulting in the ball being intercepted by the opponent.
The players were all exhausted, trying all kinds of ways to suppress Valencia's offense.
RCD Espanyol's situation was getting worse. Valencia completely controlled the rhythm of the game. If it were not for the veteran goalkeeper, Diego Lopez, RCD Espanyol would not have been able to maintain the 0-1 score for long. The opponent would have increased their lead.
However, at the 35th minute of the first half of the game, RCD Espanyol lost the ball again.
The problem was still with Puado. He passed the ball from the bottom, but the ball was headed out of the penalty area by a Valencia player. The second penalty kick was also snatched by a Valencia player, and they launched a quick counterattack again.
The opponent advanced quickly along RCD Espanyol's right flank, but Puado did not return to his defensive position for a long time, resulting in a large open space on the right flank.
Valencia easily broke through to the edge of the penalty area. The player who dribbled the ball directly passed the ball at a 45-degree angle. Rodrigo leaped high in the penalty area and headed to a theoretical dead corner to send the ball into the RCD Espanyol goal again.
Rodrigo scored a brace!
Ruby finally couldn't bear it anymore. He originally wanted to make a substitution during the halftime break, but now he felt that he couldn't wait for even a second.
Ruby immediately asked his assistant coach to inform Wu Lei and Xia Ruofei to get up and warm up!
Wu Lei was excited. He quickly put on his training vest and went to the side of the field to warm up with Xia Ruofei.
The camera also captured the scene, but due to the angle, the camera only captured part of the warm-up area. Everyone could only see the backs of the players who were warming up.
"We can see that Wu Lei is already warming up!" Jia Tianning said excitedly. "It seems that Ruby is very dissatisfied with Puado's performance. He did not even wait until halftime to make a substitution!"
"I also noticed that the mysterious player number 25 is warming up with Wu Lei!" Shen Fangjian said. "It's a pity that we can't see his face. Otherwise, the questions that the fans have been discussing during this period of time will be answered!"
"Don't worry. If he is really replaced in a while, the broadcaster will definitely give a close-up. In this way, the answer to who this mysterious player No. 25 is will be revealed!" Jia Tianning said.
Looking back at the game, Puado apparently also saw Wu Lei warming up. He felt that something was wrong. If he was replaced in the starting lineup after more than 30 minutes, he would definitely not be able to accept it. It would be even more humiliating than not being in the starting lineup.
The anxiety in his heart was reflected in his actions, which meant that his movements were a little big.
Puado was the same. He was anxious to show off to Ruby, but the more he wanted to show off, the worse his performance was. Soon, he lost his mental balance. During a scramble, he tackled the ball from the side behind, which brought him a yellow card.
Ruby saw this and was so angry that he almost cursed. He could not wait to ask his assistant coach to go to the fourth official to ask for a substitution. He personally went to the warm-up area and used the little time before the dead ball to clarify their tasks once again to the two players.
Soon, Xia Ruofei and Wu Lei changed into their jerseys, put on their leg pads, and followed the fourth official to the sidelines …
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