Fourth update.
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Due to Qin Xiong cramping and collapsing after the Champions League match, Comain did not include Qin Xiong in the squad list for the match against Nijmegen on the weekend. He stayed in Amsterdam to recuperate.
Comain transferred some players from the reserve team to play in the league. Since Ajax had already won the league title ahead of time, he could give the rookies more time to train.
Qin Xiong went to the hospital on the weekend.
Mr. Slott was hospitalized for observation. Perhaps his life had entered the countdown stage.
George accompanied his father in the hospital. He was in a daze and silent state for a long time. Sylvia was calmer. Perhaps it was because she had been hit by the news of her father's poor treatment over the past few years. She had been agitated, in pain, and in tears countless times. Now, she felt that her father had been ravaged by illness for the past few years. Perhaps death was another form of relief.
Many of Mr. Slott's organs had begun to fail. He could barely speak and would occasionally fall into a coma for a long time. Qin Xiong did not say a word to him when he came to the hospital. He just silently accompanied Sylvia in the hospital for the whole day.
Ajax did not win against Nijmegen in the away game. That was no longer important.
In the next week of Ajax's preparation, Comain focused on the coordination of Pinard, Qin Xiong, Snede, and Van Der Vaart.
In May, the third last round of the Eredivisie League. Ajax continued to be a guest. This time, their opponent was Zeffler. Qin Xiong, full of energy, accompanied the team. Only in the last 30 minutes of the second half did he appear together with Snede and Van Der Vaart. Together with the starting Pinard, they formed the attacking combination for Ajax against Monaco.
As the score was already 3: 0, the results of the 30 minutes of the game could not be seen. At most, it was a warm-up for them to find the feeling of the game.
May 5th.
FC Porto advanced to the Champions League final after defeating Deportivo La Coruna 1: 0 in Spain!
On the same day, another pre-match press conference for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final was held in Amsterdam.
Comain claimed that Ajax needed to remain calm and warned the players not to underestimate their opponents.
Deschamps, on the other hand, brought a rather sorrowful Monaco to Amsterdam. They sacrificed the league for the Champions League!
Didier Deschamps claimed that this was a game to test the will of Monaco. He firmly believed that the team would create a miracle!
A day later, the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium was packed to the brim before the start of the match. Crazy fans of the home team fought to enter the stadium, and Ajax's flag fluttered magnificently in the stands.
In the locker room, Comain reduced the pressure on the players. He still focused on the mentality of the game.
When it came to the semifinals of the Champions League, the mentality was always the first.
Ibrahimovic was not included in the main roster. Even though he had said before the match that he could sit on the bench, Comain did not take the risk.
He came to the locker room in casual clothes and was with his teammates. He looked more nervous and serious than his teammates. After the players tidied up their jerseys and equipment, Ibrahimovic high-fived his teammates one by one. He did not say a word, as if he was sending the soldiers off.
Ajax's players came to the players' tunnel. Qin Xiong sensed the invisible and heroic aura of the Monaco players. He knew that this game would be unimaginably difficult.
For Monaco, the 2: 2 score made them lose the initiative to advance to the final. But who could say for sure what would happen on the football field?
In a battle with one's back to the river, the warrior would be the hero!
The Champions League was not a stage where one could logically win the world by playing steadily with one's own strength.
Because of this understanding, Qin Xiong and his teammates were also particularly serious.
Want to go to the final?
If you want to go, then bring out your guts, courage, and willpower. Fight, fight, and snatch the opportunity that did not belong to any side!
The players from both teams entered the stadium, and the resounding and melodious theme song of the Champions League began to reverberate in the stadium.
The fans in the stands of the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium enthusiastically cheered for Ajax.
"The last game of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final will start at Ajax's home ground. In yesterday's game, Porto has already won the ticket to the final by winning 1: 0 in the away game against Deporto. Who will be Porto's opponent in the final today? At present, it looks like Ajax has a slight advantage. They had a 2: 2 draw with Monaco in the last leg and had two away goals. As long as Ajax wins this game or gets a 0: 0 or a 1: 1 draw, they will advance to the Champions League final and have a chance to compete with Porto for this season's Champions League crown.
But the slight advantage in the score is a thing of the past. Now the problem in front of Ajax is that they do not have a striker to use!
We see that in Ajax's lineup today, there is no official center forward. Comain did not choose the Belgian striker, Sonke, but replaced Ibrahimovic with the South African, Pienaar. We will see if this adjustment will have a decisive impact on the game.
Ajax's lineup: 4: 33.
Goalkeeper: Lobonte.
Defenders: Grygera, Heitinga, Escude, Maxwell.
Midfielders: De Jong, Galasek, Qin Xiong.
Forwards: Pienaar, Van Der Vaart, Snede.
Monaco's lineup: 4: 33.
Goalkeeper: Roma.
Defenders: Ibarra, Rodriguez, Givett, Evra.
Midfielders: Cisse, Kierce, Bernardi.
Forwards: Giuly, Morientes, Roten.
Well, in the thunderous cheers of the home fans, the referee blows the whistle to start the game. Ajax kicks off first. The show is about to start! "
Ajax, who had the home advantage, quickly assumed an offensive stance after the game started.
The Monaco players, including the manager, Deschamps, were confused about Ajax's lineup today.
Van Der Vaart as the center forward?
Oh no!
After the game started, Van Der Vaart did not go deep into the enemy's zone at all. He stood less than 20 meters in front of Qin Xiong, and there was still a clear distance from the goal. He looked like he was standing in front of the attacking waist, and when Ajax's offense started, the Dutch golden boy took the initiative to run to the flank.
Was it due to inertia, or was he pretending to be confused?
Monaco's two center backs did not dare to leave their posts without permission, but their defensive zone did not have a target to mark for a long time.
For a moment, Rodriguez and Givett were at a loss and hesitant.
They were hesitant about whether they should take the initiative to help defend other areas.
They did not dare to!
Ajax's offensive system focused on the flank.
They did not give the ball to the winger to break through and tear open the flaws in the opponent's defensive line like a traditional flank attack.
When Qin Xiong moved closer to the flank, he formed a triangular passing system with Grygera and Pienaar on the right flank. They first established a possession advantage, and even if Monaco had three players to defend, they could not easily intercept the football at their feet.
And the best part was that Van Der Vaart also moved over, and the opponent's two center backs did not dare to leave the defensive zone limited by the center backs' responsibilities, so when Ajax attacked from the flank, there were four players in one area!
Their skillful teamwork ensured that they did not concede the ball. Coupled with their dazzling running and quick passing of the ball, it made it difficult for the opponent to mark. When they pushed forward from the midfield to attack, they did not seem particularly difficult.
Qin Xiong strengthened his marking of Qin Xiong, but today, he lacked the help of Bernardi and Cisse. He had been passively following Qin Xiong since the start of the game, and could not form an effective interference or steal from Qin Xiong.
When Ajax pushed the attack from the right flank to the front of Monaco's penalty area through tacit passing and cutting, their forward space was compressed, and the opponent formed a dense defense on that side.
Qin Xiong kept his eyes on all six sides. Ajax's push forward on the flank was effective. The closer they got to the opponent's penalty area, the harder it was to play a fatal blow.
However, they succeeded in containing Monaco's defensive focus on that side.
When Bernardi and Kierkes teamed up to steal Qin Xiong, they were surprised to see that Qin Xiong had premeditated to transfer the ball to the middle.
Galasek, who plugged in from the back, received Qin Xiong's pass without anyone marking him. He took a step forward and pretended to do a long shot!
Monaco's defense in the middle was slightly empty, and the defensive midfielders were attracted to the right flank. When Galasek came up, Rodriguez had no choice but to head up, but Galasek was waiting for him to move!
As soon as he moved, Galasek immediately passed diagonally to the area behind him, and Snede ran inside to cut into the penalty area. It looked like the attack was a success!
Sneijder rushed to shoot at the goal before Givett could block it, but Sneijder squandered this heaven-sent opportunity!
The football that slid out of the goal set off a wave of sighs in the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium.
However, Ajax's players on the field were not discouraged.
Instead, they built up confidence because of the successful attack!
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