April 11, 2005, Gijón, El Molinon Stadium.
Li Ang roared angrily, and the fourth official's face was gloomy. He asked the Sporting de Gijón manager to control his temper.
Banderas dragged Li Ang back to his technical area. He was worried that if they delayed any longer, the referee would come over to pick the cards.
"Manager Li Ang is very angry. I think he has the urge to go on the field and hit someone," Dagestino said. "However, he does have a reason to be angry."
"The referee of this game, Depay, may become the focus of discussion after the game," González said. "I even wonder if we are watching a free fight."
Sporting de Gijón encountered extremely tenacious resistance from the Albacete players from the beginning of the game.
José González, Albacete's manager, had a clear strategy today. He used their excellent stamina to run all over the field and began to intercept the football at the feet of the Sporting de Gijón players from the front field. In the words of the commentator, Dagestino, Albacete was like a clockwork, running wildly from the beginning of the game.
The Sporting de Gijón players were obviously unprepared for the Albacete players' desperate play. In the face of this crazy pressing, they looked embarrassed and began to make more mistakes.
*****
If the opponent's crazy pressing tactics were in the category of tactics, Sporting de Gijón was unprepared for it and had nothing to say, then Albacete's foul tactics made Li Ang furious.
Albacete played dirty. As long as the Sporting de Gijón players took the ball, especially the 'blacklisted' players such as Ribéry, Mata, Dinatale, Benzema, and other threatening players took the ball, they would 'take special care' of them. They would kick the ankles, hit the thighs, kick the heels, secretly hit the people with their elbows when competing for headers, pull the jerseys, and so on.
In the face of Albacete's little tricks and fouls, if the referee stopped them in time, maybe the game would return to normal.
However, the referee's performance had infuriated the Gijon people. In the face of the continuous fouls by the Albacete players, the referee's whistle kept sounding. However, most of the time, he only verbally warned the Albacete players who had committed the fouls. He was quite stingy with his cards.
The referee's frequent whistles had no intention of playing cards, which, to a certain extent, encouraged the crazy Albacete people. Even if it was the referee, they couldn't care less. In order to avoid relegation, all of their players were crazy. Moreover, the referee's enforcement was so weak today.
Mata, Ribéry, and the other players fell to the ground and got up again and again. They protested and complained to the referee, but the referee, Depay, always smiled and asked the Sporting de Gijón players to calm down. Then he turned to the Albacete players and verbally warned them that unless the opponent's foul was too bad, he would never give out a card. What did he mean by "too bad a foul"? In the eyes of the referee, only something as obvious as a shovel from the back was worthy of a card.
*****
Li Ang was extremely dissatisfied with the referee's enforcement. In his opinion, even if it was a verbal warning, three verbal warnings should have been exchanged for a yellow card. However, under the referee's enforcement, Albacete's defensive midfielder, Viod, had committed five fouls on Ribéry today, and the referee had no intention of giving out a card.
At the end of the first half of the game, the score was zero to zero.
During the halftime interval, the Gijon people nodded. The commentator said sarcastically, "Did the Spanish referees' committee come up with something again? Did they limit the maximum number of cards the referee can play? Otherwise, why would Mr. Depay be so stingy with the cards in his pocket? "
In the locker room, Sporting de Gijón's assistant manager, Banderas, was a little angry and said that the Albacete people were too shameless. They took advantage of the referee's leniency and inaction, and the fouls became more and more unscrupulous.
Li Ang's face was gloomy. His players' performance was average. There were few real threatening shots in the entire first half of the game. However, the game had played to this point, and the players' poor performance could be said to be the fault of the game.
Li Ang was angry, but he was also helpless. The referee's inaction and the opponent's targeted tactical arrangement formed a perfect combination. Unless he had a way to turn the referee into a card maniac, it was conceivable that the Albacete people would only get worse in the second half of the game.
"I know we're in trouble now."
"The opponent's barbaric tactics and the referee's inaction have made things worse for us."
"But remember, we're the Sporting de Gijón who defeated Barcelona in Camp Nou. We're the Sporting de Gijón who took away a great victory from the Bernabéu Stadium!" Li Ang's firm words, in the ears of the players, calmed down their impetuous mood due to anger.
In their minds, they were so proud and cheered for victory at the Camp Nou and the Bernabéu.
"Now, in our own territory, can a single Albachet stop us from moving forward?"
No!
"I know we're in trouble now, but this is the last darkness before the dawn. As long as we firmly believe that victory will belong to us, we'll do everything we can to kick this stumbling block away! We'll find that the future is open! "
"One goal! Just one goal, and the Albacete people will collapse! " Li Ang raised a finger. He knew the mentality of a relegation-fighting team like Albacete. The opponent wanted to hold on to a draw and get a point. Of course, if they could succeed in a sneak attack, they would make a profit. Anyway, if they did not concede a goal, it would strengthen Albacete's belief in resistance. However, once Sporting de Gijón scored, cracks would appear in the Albacete people's resistance, and even collapse!
*****
Sporting de Gijón, whose fighting spirit was once again aroused by Li Ang's words, suffered a heavy blow at the beginning of the second half of the game.
Mata fell to the ground after being attacked by the opponent's defender, Argus, and could not continue to play.
Li Ang could only substitute Javier Blanco for little Mata.
Then, in the 69th minute of the game, Albacete took advantage of a set piece opportunity in the front field, and their center back, Argus, scored with a header.
Zero to one!
The Albacete people, who had been competing with the legs of Sporting de Gijón's players throughout the game, thinking about how to foul and try to avoid conceding a goal, scored on their second shot in the game!
This goal concede was a big blow to Sporting de Gijón.
And the score was behind, which meant that if Sporting de Gijón wanted to win and achieve their goal of reaching the top of the league, they had to ensure that they would not concede a goal and score at least two goals!
Not long after Albacete's goal, there was another accident on the field.
Benzema was tackled to the ground by the opponent's defender, Gaspar, and the referee finally showed a yellow card to Gaspar. However, this obviously did not satisfy the Gijón people, because Benzema was finally injured and could not continue playing after being attacked repeatedly.
Benzema's injury made Li Ang furious. This was also the reason why the commentator, Dagestino, said that Li Ang was so angry that he had the impulse to go on the field and beat someone up.
*****
Just as Dagestino said, Li Ang really had the impulse to go on the field and beat someone up. Benzema's injury had a big impact on Sporting de Gijón, because Li Ang had no one to replace.
Sporting de Gijón's bench was not deep enough. Diego Milito had just recovered from his injury and had only participated in the team's training. He had not yet reached the requirements to play in the game, so he was not in the main roster today. The veteran, Chiesa, was suspended for the game because of his yellow card accumulation. Now, Sporting de Gijón's bench only had Michael Pihra, who was a backup striker.
Li Ang could only let Skrtel inform Michael Pihra to warm up.
They watched as the seventeen-year-old Benzema was helped off the field and the thirty-six-year-old veteran, Maiquel Pihra, was warming up.
The game had already gone on for 76 minutes, and his team was behind by a score of zero to one.
Li Ang had a kind of resentment of being at the end of his rope!
However, he had to control his emotions. He could not let anyone see his helplessness and frustration. He was the manager of this team, the backbone and the soul of this team.
No matter when, no matter how bad the situation was, he had to let everyone see his confidence and let everyone see that there was still hope!
After a simple warm-up, Maiquel Pihra returned.
"Michael." Li Ang looked into the veteran's eyes and said, "The team needs you now!"
*****
Michael Pihra clenched his fists. He was always ready.
He was always ready! The time spent sitting on the bench did not wear away his fighting spirit. He knew that his ability was not enough. He knew that his opportunities to play were getting fewer and fewer. This would not make him slack off. It would only make him train harder and work harder. He knew that he had to be ready at all times to welcome that incomparably precious opportunity to play.
Every day at the Malaio training base, every day at the El Molinon Stadium, every breath of the air here would make him satisfied and excited. He loved this place. He loved this team.
He also wanted to thank the manager, Li Ang, for recognizing his worth. He, who had wasted half his life, could have the opportunity to contribute to his favorite team in the last moments of his career.
At this moment, in the team's most critical moment, in the most difficult moment, when he heard the manager say to him, "Michael, the team needs you now." The 36-year-old veteran, who rarely played this season, seemed to have a light in his eyes when he heard that. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to have been blown away by the spring breeze.
PS: Everyone has been waiting for a long time. Here's the update. I was in the study writing all night without telling my family. My family was worried about my health and did not allow me to stay up late. However, I will no longer publish this chapter. I feel guilty towards everyone. I promised to update more after May Day.
It's past two o 'clock at night. It's late. Good night, everyone.
Begging for a monthly ticket.
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