Amid the passionate cheers of the Red Army, the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 14 final in Anfield kicked off.
As soon as the game started, the Red Army immediately stepped up the pace of the game.
In terms of experience, Liverpool definitely had the advantage. They also had the home advantage, plus most of the main players would be conserving their energy in the future.
Liverpool had no reason to give Shakhtar Donetsk more time to get into the game.
Mascherano actually played as a single defensive midfielder today.
There were two central midfielders in front of him, Alonso and Meireles. Gerard was an attacking midfielder who could be regarded as an attacking midfielder or a shadow striker.
Liverpool passed the ball continuously through the triangle offensive system in the midfield. Alonso suddenly passed the ball diagonally to Qin Xiong's feet.
Qin Xiong happened to be facing Srna, a full-back favored by many European powerhouses, but he never played in the four major leagues.
Qin Xiong stopped the ball in front of Srna and then dribbled to the middle. When Srna followed Qin Xiong's movement tendency to move, Qin Xiong's foot, which looked like it was going to cross the ball, was hooked back behind him. At the same time, he turned to the end line and dribbled.
The Red Army fans at the scene chanted Qin Xiong's name. This was Cruyff's famous move. It was also known as Cruyff's extraordinary turn.
Srna was shaken and suddenly felt a lot of pressure. Qin Xiong did not stick to the ball on the edge of the penalty area. Instead, he passed the ball.
Raúl attracted the defensive attention of the two central defenders in the middle of the penalty area. Qin Xiong's pass was a half-high ball to the front of the central defender. Gerard rushed from outside the penalty area and did not stop the ball. He met the flying football and volleyed it in the air!
Just when everyone thought that the ball would go in, Gerard's shot was too straight!
The goalkeeper, Pyatov, did not dare to receive it with his hands. Instead, he blocked the ball with his palms.
Meireles followed up and jumped high to head the ball on the penalty area line, but his header was too high!
"Just at the start of the game, Liverpool played with the momentum of the defending champions. Their two consecutive shots put Shakhtar Donetsk under great pressure. Shakhtar Donetsk needs to adapt to Liverpool's rhythm. If the Premier League powerhouses want to play fast attacks, their ability can be said to be unparalleled."
Shakhtar Donetsk were not intimidated by Liverpool's quick attack at the start of the match. Perhaps the situation was indeed dangerous, but at least they quickly calmed down and patiently organized their attacks.
The cautious Shakhtar Donetsk did not seem to intend to go head-to-head with Liverpool. Their technical ability was good and their teamwork was smooth. It was just that they did not have a very novel offensive routine when they attacked the front field.
In the seventh minute of the game, William dribbled the ball and broke through in the middle of the front field. He could not see the route to pass the ball to the striker, Luis Adriano, so he could only do it himself.
Mascherano was one step faster when William changed direction to break through. He turned around and blocked in front of William, and at the same time, he intercepted the ball at his feet.
Liverpool's defense was successful.
Two minutes later, Liverpool's offense threatened again.
Baines came up to assist and played a fast and smooth pass and cut attack with Qin Xiong on the left flank.
When Baines cut into the end line, he knocked the ball back to Qin Xiong, who then passed the ball short to Meireles nearby. The Portuguese player immediately sent out a straight kick. Qin Xiong ran past Ishchenko and completed the reverse offside position.
When facing the goalkeeper, Qin Xiong did not stop the ball and directly shot the ball into the far corner of the goal.
Seeing that the football was about to fly into the far corner of the goal, an unexpected person appeared. The left back, Lander, flew behind the goal and lifted his leg to block the ball out!
The Liverpool fans in the stands, who were ready to celebrate the goal, suddenly fell into silence. The cheers stopped abruptly and immediately turned into applause.
Shakhtar Donetsk looked like they really put in some effort in their defense today. When Qin Xiong was about to cut into the penalty area, the other full back on the other side withdrew into the penalty area, ready to act as a moving human wall in front of the goal line to block Qin Xiong's shot.
It was obvious that Shakhtar Donetsk had studied Qin Xiong's shooting habits!
The weak had to make up for their shortcomings with a more diligent attitude. It was not by chance that Shakhtar Donetsk could break into the Champions League quarter-finals and beat FC Roma in the last round of the knockout stage.
In the 15th minute of the game, Gerard and Alonso cooperated in the front field. When they plugged in to the front of the penalty area, Gerard received Alonso's pass and was about to adjust the angle of the ball horizontally for the next step. Fernandinho used a slide tackle to kick the ball away from Gerard's feet. It was a very clean tackle!
The shoveled football rolled to the right flank.
Qin Xiong just started running ahead of time and missed the football. The ball rolled behind him. After Qin Xiong stopped and turned around, he saw the full back, Srna, rush forward to control the ball, and then Srna flew forward along the flank.
Shakhtar Donetsk's previous attacks did not pose much of a threat, but this time, they came aggressively!
Douglas Costa, William, Judson, and Luis Adriano began to run actively in the front field, looking for openings and then ready to receive Srna's pass.
Srna dribbled the football to the area forty yards away from the goal, and Baines came in front of him to prepare for a head-on confrontation.
At this time, Shakhtar Donetsk played a beautiful offensive coordination.
First, William and Judson completed the switch in the middle and the flank, which distracted Mascherano.
Srna passed the ball diagonally to William, who was running towards him, and then William kicked the ball out before Mascherano got close. The ball diagonally crossed to the empty space in the flank of the penalty area!
Douglas Costa ran straight to the empty space in the right flank of Liverpool's penalty area. Baines immediately turned to chase, and Agger also quickly moved to block Costa's path to the goal.
When Agger and Baines were about to complete the double team on Costa, Costa suddenly deftly kicked the ball back, and then dribbled a step back, dodging Baines and Agger's double team interception.
At this time, Adriano and Skrtel in the penalty area were confronting each other in front of the goal. Costa had two choices. He could shoot himself, or he could pass the ball.
Johnson returned to the penalty area to help Skrtel double-team Adriano, which made Costa choose not to pass the ball to Adriano in the end.
His own shooting angle was not very good, and Mascherano was coming towards him. He calmly passed the ball to the other side of the penalty area.
Liverpool's defenders in the penalty area were surprised to see the football roll past in front of their eyes.
Looking in the direction of the rolling football, they were stunned to see another Brazilian player appear in front of them.
William!
He rushed over and did not hesitate to volley the ball into the top left corner of Liverpool's goal!
Reina was too far away to save. He had just gone to block the near corner of the goal where Costa was located!
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