Generally, in a 90-minute game, there were four periods that the coach deliberately emphasized in training.
Ten minutes after the start of the first half and five minutes before the end of the first half.
Five minutes after the start of the second half and ten minutes before the end of the game.
Of these four periods, it was easy for teams to enter the state slowly in the first two periods after the start of the game, which led to the loss of the ball or the entire game being passive. They were forced to follow the rhythm of the opponent who entered the state first.
It was easy to relax before the end of the first half because the halftime break was coming. The time before the end of the game was the most dangerous. On one hand, it was because the game was about to end. On the other hand, it was because the physical fitness had entered the critical point in the 70-75 minutes. A lot of the motivation to support the players to continue to play came from their mental will.
In the final game at Highbury, it was already the 44th minute of the first half of the game. The injury stoppage time was probably only one minute at most. The referee could even blow the whistle at the end of the first half without stoppage time.
Wigan Athletic was still in a defensive stance against Arsenal. They were not like a monolithic block. After their mental state relaxed, their play improved significantly. On the other hand, Arsenal inevitably had some players become anxious and their play fluctuated.
For example, Pires frequently cut inside, but it was difficult for the passer to find space to pass the ball. Ljungberg cut into the penalty area to form a new striker, but he could only do it himself. There was no way he could threaten the opponent's goal.
The Wigan Athletic players' thoughts were simple.
If there was a chance, they could not grasp it. Why be so nervous?
In the last minute of the first half, Arsenal attacked a group of players. Two of the wingers and the striker, Henry, rushed into the penalty area. They wanted their teammates in the midfield to create some chaos for them to see if they could win in the chaos.
Fàbregas dribbled the ball forward. He could no longer see the space to deliver a chance to the front line.
When Mahon returned to the middle of the midfield to defend, Fàbregas directly passed the ball to Qin Xiong, who ran out of the space to receive.
Qin Xiong controlled the football and slowly dribbled the ball forward in a leisurely manner in the face of Wigan Athletic's defensive line.
In front of Brad and Francis, Qin Xiong made a bicycle move and pulled the ball to the left. Then he immediately pulled the ball back and turned to dribble the ball to the right.
This was the dribbling technique used by Riquelme when he was bypassed by Villarreal in the game.
Changing directions wasn't too difficult. What was difficult was flexibility. Coincidentally, he felt that he could do it, so he tried to escape.
This type of escape is very suitable for static use.
Bullard made the same mistake as Qin Xiong at that time.
When Qin Xiong pulled the ball to the left, he followed to the left. Seeing that he was closing in on Qin Xiong, Qin Xiong pulled the ball behind him, Brad thought that Qin Xiong had been forced to "retreat", so he subconsciously went forward to intercept!
But just as he stepped forward to snatch the ball, Qin Xiong dribbled the ball to the right side, and Brad missed!
Qin Xiong broke away from his defense and happened to be in Francis's frontal defensive area. Francis also stepped forward to intercept, but was stunned to see Qin Xiong drive the ball diagonally into the gap between him and Brad.
Qin Xiong almost circled around in a small circle and played Tai Chi that foreigners did not understand. After brushing past Francis diagonally, Qin Xiong still did not accelerate because the space was too small.
But when he looked up to observe Wigan Athletic's goal, he instantly caught a detail.
He was on the left side of the front of the penalty area. When he looked at the goal, he did not see the goalkeeper, Pollitt.
The defensive line contracted tightly. Chimbonda blocked between Qin Xiong and the goalkeeper, Pollitt, making Qin Xiong a blind spot in Pollitt's field of vision!
Qin Xiong seemed to absent-mindedly use his foot to shoot the ball to the lower right corner of the goal.
The goalkeeper, Pollitt, was fully focused. Although he did not see Qin Xiong, he guessed who Qin Xiong would pass the ball to.
Ljungberg?
Pires?
Henry?
This was the point that posed a huge threat in the penalty area.
But just as he was guessing and anticipating, ready to move on the goal line at any time to carry out a reasonable defense, he was stunned to see the football roll over from Chimbonda's side.
He first thought that the ball was passed to Ljungberg, but he instantly observed Ljungberg's position and felt that it was impossible for Ljungberg to receive the ball.
His inner world suddenly surged with monstrous waves!
Pollitt was horrified!
He had just thought that the ball was a mistake in Qin Xiong's pass and blindly sent the ball into the penalty area.
But when the football rolled past a position parallel to the point of the ball, he belatedly realized that the slow football was coming in the direction of the goal!
Pollitt immediately moved towards the lower right corner of the goal. The slow speed of this shot made the entire audience nervous.
It looked like it could go in, but it also looked like it could not.
It looked like it would be successfully saved by the goalkeeper, but it felt like there was still hope for a goal!
After running two steps, Pollitt felt that he had to make a save, so he pounced out horizontally with his left arm extended to the extreme. The fingertips of his palm reached for the football that was about to roll into the goal along the right post of the goal.
Everything did not have the earth-shattering visual impact of the green field.
But in this slow-moving showdown, it was as if the calm scene had turned into another world.
Pollitt stared dumbfoundedly at his left hand that was finally just a little bit away from being able to grab the football, and the football slowly rolled into the goal before his eyes, brushing the inside of the goal post!
Boom!
Pollitt fell in front of the goal line. The football brushed the inside net and rolled less than a meter before stopping. It was a very calm goal, but it made Pollitt feel as if he was struck by lightning!
Deafening applause rang out in the Highbury stands, and Qin Xiong showed a joyful smile after seeing the football roll into the goal.
The way the ball went in gave off the feeling of using four taels to deflect a thousand catties.
He rushed to the sidelines, and the flags fluttering in the wind in the stands were once again waved by the fans.
The Arsenal fans were not stingy with their love for Qin Xiong, and kept cheering his name. Many fans immediately began to talk about the goal, describing the scene in which the goalkeeper, Pollitt, reacted slowly.
"Qin Xiong scored! It was an incredible goal. Although the angle of the ball was tricky, the speed of the ball was not fast, and it did not look threatening. But through the slow-motion replay, we can understand that the goalkeeper, Pollitt, had his vision blocked. He only made the save when he saw the football rolling into the penalty area. Even though he tried his best to save the goal, he still failed in the end!
The crowd in Highbury cheered. Qin Xiong once again became the hero of the team. His contribution was unparalleled. Now Arsenal is in the lead. As long as they win, they can successfully defend their title in advance!
This is a golden goal! "
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