"Arshavin passes the ball … Diego Milito heads the ball!! Reina! Pounces out! Aurelio breaks the siege … Modric spikes the ball … Passes the ball … Beautiful! Arshavin! Foot Aurelio comes up, Carragher comes up, double team … Pass the ball! It's out! Beautiful! Mata! Mata! Shoots! Shoots! goooooaaaaal！！！！”
The commentator on the television stretched out his voice and roared to his heart's content. In front of the television, many Inter Milan fans were like him. Their loud cheers even drowned out the commentator's voice!
In Milan, countless Inter Milan fans in the bars cheered wildly. At this moment, their excitement and enthusiasm could explode everything. Torres's header earlier had shocked them into a cold sweat. In the blink of an eye, Inter Milan used a goal to tell everyone how strong they were!
Three to zero! Mata's goal widened the score to three to zero. In the two-legged knockout round, the away team was temporarily leading Liverpool by three to zero. The pressure in the second leg would be much less. The door to the top eight of this season's Champions League was already opening for Inter Milan …
On the television, Mata, who scored the goal, tore his jersey forcefully. He ran and roared at the same time, looking extremely excited.
Behind him were the excited Inter Milan players. This goal ignited all the enthusiasm of the players. They knew the significance of this goal. In this game, no one could take away the victory that belonged to them!
In the situation where a teammate was sent off with a red card in the first half of the game, they scored another goal in the second half to widen the score to three to zero. This was not easy!
It was because it was not easy that they were so excited.
*****
Li Ang jumped up in the technical area. He shook his arms vigorously and clenched his fists tightly.
This goal perfectly achieved his strategic intention. In the situation of three to zero, he did not think that Liverpool could make a comeback. Benítez's team had no chance. Even if it could cause some trouble for Inter Milan, they had no chance to make a comeback!
Although the team was playing with one less player, Li Ang still firmly believed that no team could make a comeback in the situation where Inter Milan was leading by three goals!
No!
"This goal is in, this game is in the bag!" Banderas also shouted excitedly. "Everything is going according to your plan!"
Li Ang laughed and did not hide his pride. "The plan is good, but it still needs the players to execute it!"
On the other hand, Inter Milan's substitutes' bench was already a sea of cheers. Everyone in Inter Milan was celebrating the arrival of the third goal to their heart's content!
Not far away in the Liverpool technical area, the Liverpool manager, Benítez, was discussing tactics with his assistant. Then his attention was attracted by Inter Milan's attack. Looking at Inter Milan's smooth attack, Benítez's heart tightened. Then he saw the situation he least wanted to see: he saw Mata shoot the football into the goal again with his outside instep.
Benítez froze for a moment. He was still holding the tactical board in his hand. Then the Spanish coach slammed the tactical board to the ground. It seemed that this was the only way to vent his anger. Once the goal was lost, all the things he had discussed with his assistant before became useless!
Benítez was a very rational person. He had always been very calm when doing things. He was rarely so angry. It showed how angry and disappointed he was at this time.
*****
There was a reason for Benítez's anger. Just as he was thinking hard about how to suppress Inter Milan's offense, how to fight against Inter Milan's tough midfield, and how to break through Inter Milan's goal, Inter Milan scored!
This goal was a huge blow to Liverpool!
Although the difference between 0-2 and 0-3 was only one goal, it was completely different!
Although Liverpool had the advantage of numbers, Benítez was not arrogant enough to think that his team could be able to score three goals in a row in the next game. Most importantly, the loss of this goal could be a huge blow to Liverpool's morale!
At 0-2, if Liverpool scored a goal, they would only be behind by one goal. This would give the players hope. With hope came motivation!
However, it was inevitable that the players would feel a little discouraged when they were three goals behind. They would subconsciously think that even if they managed to get one goal back, it would not make any difference. Although this might only be a momentary thought for the experienced players, and then they would muster up the courage to fight, the subconscious influence on the players could not be ignored.
At this moment, Benítez had to admit that it would be difficult for his team to win the first leg of the game at Anfield's home ground.
Although there was still a second leg of the game, the door to promotion had not been closed to Liverpool, and Liverpool still had a chance to make a comeback. However, Benítez knew that he had already lost one game in his contest with Li Ang, and he had lost miserably. He had dug a big hole for the second leg!
Benítez became famous earlier than Li Ang, but in fact, there was only a difference of two or three years. Both men were champion managers from La Liga. They were even famous managers from Real Madrid. Both men were recognized by the media as tactical masters. This time, the media hyped up which of the two men was more powerful, which also affected Benítez to some extent. He was also looking forward to defeating Inter Milan and Li Ang's team in such a direct confrontation. However, the reality now was that although the game was not over yet, the game at Anfield, on Benítez's turf, was a little too embarrassing for him …
*****
Benítez was not reconciled!
He knew that he and the team had to do something!
Now, although Benítez had accepted the result of the team's possible failure, he knew that Liverpool had to fight hard in the remaining time of the game for the second leg of the game!
With a wave of Benítez's hand, the television began to show a number of Liverpool's players on the bench warming up one after another.
In the 65th minute of the game, Liverpool made a substitution.
Benítez used up two substitutions at once:
Finnan, the veteran on the rear defensive line, was replaced by the 25-year-old fast player on the wing, Jermaine Pennant, as a substitute.
The Dutch star player, Dirk Kuyt, who played very diligently today, but his performance could only be described as average, was replaced by the tall man, Crouch, as a substitute.
Li Ang sat in the Inter Milan technical area and saw Benítez's substitution adjustment arrangement. The Inter Milan manager showed a surprised expression. He pouted at his assistant, Pablo Banderas, and said, "Mr. Benítez is going all out! Tsk! "
Banderas shrugged and said nothing.
Li Ang got up from his seat. Benítez had made a move and was going all out. It was time for him to make a move in return.
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