Forest Bar, Wilford District, Nottingham.
The beer in their glasses was all splashed into the air. Everyone raised their arms and clenched their fists, roaring loudly. The sound in the television was drowned out by their roars, but no one wanted to hear the commentator clearly at this time.
"Although it's just a draw, the Forest team's point is as precious as three points from the process! They forced a draw with Manchester United in an away game. As a newly promoted team, this result is not easy! George Wood is undoubtedly tonight's hero, the protagonist! This goal, whether from the process or the result, can be called perfect! "
※ ※ ※
Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester City.
George Wood stood where he shot. He did not run with his arms open, nor did he take off his jersey and throw it into the air. He did not even make a move to swing his fist. He just stood where he was, turned around and stared blankly at his excited teammates rushing towards him.
He had never scored in a game and did not know how to celebrate after a goal. Should I yell and swear to vent my feelings at this moment?
"Beautifully done!" Ashley Young rushed up and hugged him fiercely, yelling in his ear, "That was f * * king beautiful!"
Then more teammates rushed up and surrounded him. Even the goalkeeper, Darren Ward, ran all the way from the backfield. The Forest players, who had looked exhausted just now, were as energetic as when they had just come on the field.
Twain knelt on the ground on one knee and hit the turf hard. The excited Kerslake picked him up. "He did it! He really did it! "
The players on the field and on the Forest team's substitutes' bench were huddled together. The referee looked down at his watch and blew three whistles to represent the end of the game.
Manchester United continued their "bad luck" this season and allowed Nottingham Forest to equalize the score in the last ten seconds of the home game.
Although the Forest team only got a draw, they were like the victors, celebrating Wood's last-minute goal on the field.
Twain looked at his players and waved his fist. Then he remembered that he had a very important thing to do. He turned and walked to the middle of the two technical seats, where the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was waiting for him.
"It was a good game." Despite losing, Ferguson still maintained a smile on his face. It wasn't easy to restore his expression to normal in such a short time. "Your team is great, Mr. Tang En."
"Thank you for the compliment, Sir Alex." Tang En's words were no longer as sharp and unkind as before. After all, to him, a draw was a victory. There was no need to take it for granted.
Ferguson nodded and took his leave. Just as he turned around, the smile on the old Scotsman's face disappeared completely. There was now a definite answer in his mind to the summer's question.
Are they a threat to us?
Yes, they have threatened us.
※ ※ ※
After watching Ferguson leave, Tang En stood by the side of the field and looked back at the players who were still celebrating. He saw George Wood surrounded by the crowd. Looking at his dazed expression, a smile appeared on Tang En's face.
He believed that there was a 99% chance that Wood would not be able to score if he tried the same shot again.
In fact, it didn't matter how the ball went in. What mattered was the result. Wood had truly become a superman, a hero, and the one.
This game would probably not be forgotten for a long time.
Well done, boy. Keep playing like this, and your future will be bright …
※ ※ ※
Wood struggled to break free from the embrace of his teammates. Everyone walked to the players' tunnel one after another, returning to the locker room through there. Wood was about to leave the field when he met Roy Keane on the sidelines.
Clearly, the Manchester United captain was waiting for him.
Seeing Wood walk over, Keane took off his jersey and handed it to Wood. "You did a good job, boy."
This was the first time Wood had encountered a situation where the other side had taken the initiative to exchange jerseys with him. He was a little overwhelmed. Tang En happened to see it. Originally, the communication between the players had nothing to do with the coach, but he still walked up and reminded Wood, "What are you doing? Exchange jerseys! "
Wood heard Tang En's voice and looked back at him. Tang En winked at him.
So, Wood lowered his head and took off his jersey, exchanging it for Keane's number 16 Manchester United jersey.
Keane felt that Wood's clothes were completely soaked in sweat, wet and heavy. This kid really ran without a care for his energy … He thought of the last goal. Only such a jersey was worthy of that kind of goal.
It was an opportunity that came from running for ninety minutes.
In this young man, he saw a shadow of himself in the past. Wearing the Nottingham Forest jersey, he appeared in the Anfield stadium, played against the strongest team at the time, and began his career.
Looking at Wood, he nodded and said, "We'll play against each other often in the future. Don't let me down, boy." With that, Roy Keane turned and walked toward the tunnel.
Wood said nothing. He did not know what to say. Tang En patted him on the shoulder. "How do you feel, George?"
Wood looked at Tang En and said, "Very good."
"You're really not modest …"
"What's that?"
"No, nothing. That's good. "Tang En laughed." Do you know who exchanged jerseys with you? "
Wood nodded.
"It's not easy to get his appreciation and recognition … Go on, go back to the locker room." Tang En pointed to the left of the fork, which led to the visiting team's locker room. Continuing straight was the press conference hall. Tang En's destination was there.
"Also, George. You should smile at this time. "Tang En said as he pointed to Wood's face as he left. "Your performance was very good. Why don't you smile?" Tang En grinned.
Wood also grinned and finally smiled … Rather than saying he was smiling, it was more like he was imitating Tony Twain's expression.
Tang En saw Wood's strange smile and smiled even more happily.
"Remember, George. Don't be dejected when you fail. Enjoy your victory. Go on, we'll only be back in Nottingham tomorrow morning. Enjoy the night! "
Patting Wood on the shoulder, Tang En went straight to the press conference hall.
※ ※ ※
At the post-match press conference, Tang En's first words made the reporters present laugh.
"A football match is like life. It's full of ups and downs!" He shrugged and laughed. "I'm very satisfied with the players' performance. Although it's only a draw, I can't ask them to do more. It's perfect. Manchester United didn't lose at home, and we didn't return empty-handed. "
Ferguson looked at Tang En.
"I'm very satisfied with the result of the match, and even more satisfied with George Wood's performance. I think … the reporters who had nothing better to do in the few days before the match to hype up the Forest team's internal conflicts must be stupid now, right? "After praising the team and talking about the match, Tang En changed the topic. His fighting style was back. "Those who think I have no reason to favor Wood, after watching this match, who else dares to say I have no reason to trust him?"
The reporters stopped laughing and did not utter a word.
Looking at them, Tang En laughed again. "That's why I said I'm very satisfied with my players' performance in this match. Very, very satisfied."
Having said that, Tang En did not speak anymore. He leaned back in his chair and quietly listened to Ferguson's speech with a relaxed smile on his face.
The thrill of taking revenge on the media was so strong in his heart that he was afraid he would laugh out loud when he continued to speak. If not for Wood's last goal, he might be in a different mood now. The reporters would definitely keep asking him questions because of his failure. As long as you lost the match, it did not matter how hard you tried. The media was always good at making things that seemed normal seem like the end of the world.
There was nothing special about Ferguson's speech. Before the match, the two sides had been at each other's throats. Now, the tone was much more relaxed. There was no sarcasm. Ferguson praised the Forest team's performance in the match, and then focused on George Wood's spirit of never giving up. Following that, he tactfully criticized Manchester United's performance. He did not point out any names, but said that some people did not think for the team. Anyone who watched the match would know who he was referring to.
This time, the media's attention had all shifted to Manchester United's internal strife.
When Ferguson criticized Cristiano Ronaldo, Tang En glanced at him. The old man's face was even redder. It was likely that he had been exposed to the wind in the locker room earlier.
He sat there and thought for a moment. Cristiano Ronaldo was temporarily expelled from Manchester United by Ferguson and returned to Portugal to recuperate in mid-December 2004. It was now November 28th, and that day seemed to be only a few days away.
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened afterwards, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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