The entire Sporting de Gijón team took the bus to Fenerbahçe's home stadium, the Saragöğlu Stadium.
This was not the first time that Sporting de Gijón played an away game in Spain, but the notoriety of Turkey's devilish home stadium spread far and wide. Li Ang had previously only seen the horror of the Turkish team's home stadium from the news and game footage. Just the news footage alone was enough to make one's scalp tingle. Therefore, Li Ang himself did not know how much of a negative impact the home fans in this stadium would bring to Sporting de Gijón in today's game. It was impossible for him not to be worried.
The bus was still blocked despite being escorted by police cars. A large number of Fenerbahçe fans had gathered to block the road in front of them. The police were clearing the road.
The Saragöğlu Stadium was right in front of them, but it was blocked. It would be strange if the Fenerbahçe fans did not do it on purpose.
The bus stopped. The Sporting de Gijón players looked out of the window and "saw" the enthusiasm of the Turkish fans.
The Fenerbahçe fans raised their middle fingers at the Sporting de Gijón players to express their most direct feelings. They also shouted the F word that the whole world could understand.
Finally, the police cleared the road and the bus slowly started to move.
"We're delayed by another ten minutes," Scottley said as he looked at his watch.
Li Ang's face was gloomy. This meant that the time left for Sporting de Gijón to warm up before the game and set up tactics in the locker room would be reduced.
*****
Sporting de Gijón's bus passed through amid countless middle fingers and abuse. In a corner of the square outside the stadium, about a thousand Sporting de Gijón fans were waiting to enter the stadium under the "protection" of the Istanbul police.
Rather than saying that these Sporting de Gijón fans were being protected by the police, it was better to say that they were deliberately separating the visiting fans from the visiting team to prevent the visiting fans from having a chance to cheer for their team and boost their morale.
The players sucked in a breath of cold air when they saw the numerous middle fingers and ferocious faces outside the window. They had never encountered such an away game before.
"I feel like if I go out now, they'll tear me apart!" Little Mata said.
"Scared?" Carlos squinted.
"Only a coward would be afraid!" Mata said with a stiff neck.
Finally, Sporting de Gijón's bus arrived at a parking lot. The players got off the bus one after another, and then they heard the loud noise coming from the stadium. The Fenerbahçe fans were already having fun.
The air seemed to be filled with the thick smell of gunpowder.
There were reporters waiting outside the bus, planning to interview him. There were Turkish and Spanish reporters.
Li Ang waved his hand and the players were urged by the coaches to hurry to the locker room to change and warm up. He had wasted too much time on the road just now, and there was not much time left. Also, he had to stay away from the Turks!
Li Ang simply accepted the media's interview and hurriedly left.
At this time, he did not say any harsh words. A dog that bites does not bark before it bites. If he said harsh words at this time, he would only be laughed at. It was better to see the truth on the field.
*****
The players quickly changed their jerseys and then went to the stadium to warm up under the lead of the assistant manager, Scott Terry.
The players walking in the corridor were still talking about the "enthusiasm" of the Turkish fans. In the Sporting de Gijón team, only two really experienced and tested veterans were Hierro and Albertini. They were prepared for this and did not care too much. However, the Sporting de Gijón team had more young people like Little Mata and Ribéry, as well as grassroots players like Dinatale and Grosso, who were not young but had not experienced real name big occasions. Therefore, the "enthusiasm" of the Fenerbahçe people would still affect the Sporting de Gijón players.
Then these players walked out of the players' corridor and were simply shocked. The Saragöğlu Stadium, which could accommodate 53586 people, was like a powder keg that had been detonated.
It was not just ear-piercing boos. The more than 50,000 middle fingers were like a dense and terrifying forest!
Of course, no one threw debris down for the time being. The game had not started yet, and the Turks' program had not reached this point yet.
Even so, the deafening boos and fanatical hostile atmosphere hit them in the face. The legs of those with weaker psychological quality even trembled a little.
Scott Terry looked at the players and shook his head. After a simple warm-up, he hurried the players back to the locker room. In such an atmosphere, the longer the warm-up time, the greater the impact on the players. It was better to wait for the game to start. Maybe after the game started, the players could concentrate on the game and it would be better.
*****
In the visitors' locker room at the Saragöğlu Stadium.
Li Ang briefly explained the tactics of the game again, as well as some details that needed to be paid attention to.
When the players were about to go to the stadium, Li Ang did not give a long motivational speech this time.
"Don't pay attention to those fans. No matter how powerful and terrifying they are, they can't come down and bite you!"
He only said a short paragraph, the most important of which were a few sentences.
"Imagine what you suffered last night. You couldn't sleep, there was a fake fire alarm, you were drenched by the sprinklers, and everyone's female and male relatives were cursed! I know you're unhappy, and I feel the same. "
"Is there anyone who doesn't think he's a man?" He asked the whole team in the locker room.
Is there a need to say it?
Sporting de Gijón are all men with balls!
"You're a man! If you have the guts, then vent all of your resentment! Beat them! Score their goals! Kill them! "
When Li Ang said these words, his tone was flat, without the roar and passion of the past. However, at this moment, it seemed to be more effective. Everyone was silent, and no one shouted. Then, quietly and orderly, they opened the locker room door and walked toward the players' corridor!
If they did not die in silence, they would explode in silence!
*****
The live broadcast was announcing the names of the players from both teams. Every Fenerbahce player whose name was called would cause a huge cheer in the stadium. However, when the name of Sporting Gihon's player was called, the boos from the stands could almost tear the eardrums of the spectators …
Especially when the name of the Sporting de Gijón captain and former Real Madrid captain, Fernando Hierro was read, the boos reached the peak.
"Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe have a grudge?" Li Ang, who was walking to the away team's technical area, asked. He had not heard of it.
"Maybe they think Hierro is our team's biggest player," said Scott Tri.
Li Ang nodded. This explanation should be close to the truth.
The players on both sides stood in their respective formations. The referee was looking at his watch. The game was about to start.
Li Ang came to the away team's technical area. He did not sit down. Instead, he put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked up.
There was a huge banner in the front stands at the entrance of the tunnel of the Saragosoğlu Stadium. On the white background, there were red words. They were probably written with red paint or paint. At this moment, the banner hung from the top to the bottom. The wet paint slid down from the top to the bottom, leaving a red trail on the cloth, as if dripping blood. The words were:
Welcome to hell!
Li Ang sneered. Hell? Whose hell?!
At this moment, with the whistle of the referee, Tomasson, from Switzerland, in the midst of the huge noise, the focus of the 20042005 UEFA Europa League round of 16 finals, the away game between Sporting de Gijón, second place in the La Liga, and Fenerbahçe, the leader of the Turkish Super League, began.
PS: Second update, looking for a monthly ticket. Looking for a recommendation ticket.
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