Ajax had a 2: 0 lead over Chelsea. On the Champions League stage, a 2: 0 score was definitely better than a 3: 1 score because there was no away goal for the opponent.
But after a 2: 0 score, Comain really could not weaken the team's offense and switch to full defense.
The first basis for all opportunities in a football game was time.
As long as there was time, everything was possible.
The longer the time, the more unpredictable what would happen.
On the contrary, the less time there was, the fewer opportunities there were.
When Ajax scored in Qin Xiong's goal to make the score 3: 1, there were less than 10 minutes left in the game.
At this time, Comain could withdraw the team to concentrate on defense.
Ranieri and the Chelsea players on the field had the same expression, helplessness and panic.
They came to Amsterdam ambitiously and certainly did not expect to encounter such a difficult and imminent defeat here before the game.
Abramovich's money not only brought them high salaries, but also some illusory self-confidence and arrogance.
They thought they were already a world-class strong team.
Although they were below Arsenal in the Premier League, they could match Manchester United's record.
Arsenal and Manchester United both fell in the quarter-finals. They advanced to the top eight of the Champions League. Shouldn't they be confident? Shouldn't they think they had the strength to stand with the world's strongest team?
But the cruel reality told them that they were not strong!
In the battle with Ajax, did any Chelsea player's individual ability stand out? No!
From the collision of the overall technical and tactical styles, could Chelsea breed a richer and more suppressive offense? No!
In the various statistics of the game, did Chelsea have the upper hand? No!
It was this group of "immature" Ajax youth team that put a bloody score and cruel reality in front of them.
It was not just them, but also Abramovich in the VIP box.
In fact, when the team relied on the aggregate score of 1: 0 to beat VfB Stuttgart to advance to the quarter-finals, Abramovich was already dissatisfied with the team. He was a Russian tycoon who had just stepped into the football circle, and he still had perfectionism and idealism. He wanted a dream game! What they wanted was an earth-shattering victory over their opponents, not a boring 1: 0, nor was it the old-fashioned British style bombing.
He wanted to see elegant, beautiful, passionate and colorful football.
However, the current Chelsea could not give him such enjoyment.
He still didn't have enough money to spend. He still needed to build a stronger lineup.
This was what the Russian tycoon was thinking.
Comain made a substitution. O 'Brien and Passanin respectively replaced Ivan and Van Der Vaart.
Ajax simply did not want a striker.
Qin Xiong's responsibility changed from organizing the attack to controlling the situation.
With his experience in controlling the field in the final stage of the battle against Arsenal, Qin Xiong was able to handle such a task easily.
He, Pienaar, Galasek, and the defenders on both sides of the field played a passing game together.
Chelsea was a little anxious. They also knew that if they returned to Stamford Bridge with a score of 1: 3, the next game would be extremely difficult!
In the 88th minute of the game, Qin Xiong was knocked down by Lampard.
Lampard stretched out his hand to indicate that Qin Xiong was stalling for time and expressed his innocence to the referee who had called him for a foul.
Qin Xiong was too lazy to argue with the other side. It seemed that all Premier League teams had this problem.
When the score was behind, there was not much time left, and the ball could not be snatched, all kinds of outrageous moves were revealed.
The game came to an end with Lampard's long shot over the crossbar. Ajax's players did not shout excitedly to celebrate. They faced the result with great restraint. They were a little arrogant, but they thought they deserved it.
"In the first leg of the Champions League 14 final, Ajax's home game against Chelsea has ended. The score is 3: 1. Congratulations to Ajax for winning the game. They will return to Stamford Bridge in half a month with a two-goal lead. How far can Ajax, who has stirred up a youth storm in European football, go? Maybe this is what many fans are concerned about now. They took the lead in the Champions League 14 final and once again proved their strength. Although Chelsea is at a disadvantage, they may be able to make a comeback when they return to their home ground. In any case, two weeks of games cannot be missed. Goodbye, audience! "
Ranieri shook hands with Comain expressionlessly and quickly walked into the players' tunnel.
Chelsea's players looked helpless. Some of the players looked like they had not woken up, as if they could not accept such a result.
Abramovich had long disappeared from the VIP box. When did he leave? Perhaps only the live broadcast agency's camera could explain.
Qin Xiong walked to the sidelines after the game and asked Snede, who had already put on his jacket, about his injury. Snede said that he would need to recuperate for about a week. This was the team doctor's initial diagnosis. It was estimated that the injury was not serious, as he felt.
After the game, the Ajax players did not go to party. Everyone went home early to rest.
They had reached the Champions League quarter-finals and made a good start on the road to the semi-finals. No one wanted to ruin such a good situation.
The next day, the Dutch media published a review of the game.
"Ajax's youth storm destroys Chelsea's Gold Empire!"
Even Fleet Street in London was singing the praises of Jax.
"Chelsea lacks European experience. Ajax's offensive football has opened Chelsea's eyes!"
The Daily Mail analyzed the reasons for Chelsea's defeat and wrote: Although Chelsea has a good card, they do not have a clear and outstanding technical and tactical style. Compared with Ajax's delicate team football style, Chelsea is like a mid-level Premier League team with no characteristics. Abramovich does not like Ranieri for a reason. Ranieri cannot bring the technical and tactical improvement that matches Chelsea's strength on paper. Chelsea can only look more frightening.
.....
Qin Xiong began to feel the pressure of becoming a star player.
He would no longer go to the North Sea Beach to play football because after eliminating Arsenal, he went to the North Sea Beach with Sylvia and Georgia. Sylvia sat on the beach and quietly watched Georgia and Qin Xiong train and play football together. As a result, they were harassed by reporters. Many reporters from the Netherlands, China, Europe, and many new faces came to ask to interview Qin Xiong. Even if they were rejected by Qin Xiong, they would still take photos around him. It felt very strange.
Even when he jogged along the familiar streets, passers-by would greet him kindly, ask for autographs, take photos with him. He even found that sometimes there were female fans following behind him. Although he did not mind, the scene still made him feel at a loss.
Although he had not earned as much money as a star, he had begun to enjoy the treatment of a star and was sought after by many people.
He roughly understood why Van Der Vaart, Snede, and the others did not go to public places to exercise. If they appeared in places like the North Sea Beach, it would definitely cause a lot of chaos. It would take a lot of effort to deal with the fanatical fans, so how could they exercise?
The night after the game with Chelsea, Sylvia invited Qin Xiong to her house for dinner. Qin Xiong gladly agreed.
After the winter break, he and Sylvia met more often, but this was the second time he saw Sylvia's father after Christmas.
Mr. Slott's complexion looked worse than it had at Christmas.
However, he still forced himself to be alert and entertained Qin Xiong.
During dinner, Mr. Slott made an unexpected request to Qin Xiong.
"This weekend is George's birthday. I want to take him to Ajax's home stadium. I don't know if you can help me with this."
At first, Qin Xiong didn't feel anything unusual. He only glanced at George inadvertently, only to find that the little fellow had his head lowered, tears falling down his cheeks. Then, he got up and left the dining table, turning his head and running upstairs.
Qin Xiong did not know why George was like this. He wanted to wish him a happy birthday in advance.
"Oh, oh, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll send the tickets to you tomorrow."
Qin Xiong thought that the "help" was only about the tickets.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Slott shook his head slightly and said lightly, "This weekend, Ajax will play AZ Alkmaar at home. I want to take George into the stadium before the game and let him feel the atmosphere at that time. This is my biggest wish."
Qin Xiong was stunned and did not know how to answer.
This was not something he could decide. Of course, he could not agree immediately.
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