Even the commentator could see how good Eastwood's play was. How could Sporting Lisbon's manager, Pesero, not see it? So, he got up from the technical area, walked to the sidelines, and blew two rapid whistles.
Hearing the whistle, the other Sporting Lisbon players did not react. Only the defensive midfielder, Fabio Rochenbach, turned his head to the sidelines. Obviously, the whistle was specially blown for him to hear.
Pesero pointed to Rochenbach to Eastwood, who had retreated back to receive the midfield. Rochenbach nodded. He knew what to do. This was exactly what he wanted.
The manager asked him to keep an eye on the Forest team's most active player.
Because the Forest team usually did not have an attacking midfielder, Rochenbach, as the defensive midfielder, did not have anyone to mark. And because Eastwood liked to retreat back to get the ball, his actual position was more like a free man in the front field than a striker. Therefore, letting the team's best defensive midfielder, Rochenbach, mark Eastwood would not disrupt Sporting Lisbon's own defensive formation. At the same time, it could reduce the pressure on the rear defensive line.
It was a good idea, and Rochenbach liked it very much.
※ ※ ※
But before Rochenbach could implement the plan, Sporting Lisbon conceded another goal.
The Forest team took advantage of Sporting Lisbon's adjustment of the rear defense and a gap appeared. They played a very efficient counterattack.
Eastwood was pulled out and attracted all of Rochenbach's attention. Ribéry, who had been active on the flank, suddenly switched to the middle and replaced Eastwood's position. In this short period of time, the Sporting Lisbon players lost their defensive target, and Ribéry was unmarked! Albertini did not hesitate and distributed the ball in time. After Ribéry received the ball, he did not give Sporting Lisbon's center back a chance to make up for the defense. He immediately raised his leg for a long shot, and the football flew into Sporting Lisbon's goal for the second time!
"A _ wonderfully _ GOOAL!" the commentator exclaimed. "2: 0! Nottingham Forest has once again extended their lead! Sporting Lisbon is in trouble! "
Tang En jumped up from his seat again, but this time he was not as excited as he was when he scored the first goal. He just clenched his fist and waved it hard in front of his chest.
"This is wonderful, David! 2: 0 at home! "
Kerslake smiled and nodded. No matter how much he objected to Twain's plan, since he had agreed to it, he could only focus on doing it well. The current score was a good indication that their efforts had not been in vain.
"I think … Tony, maybe we should consider defense?"
Tang En raised his head to look at the time on the electronic scoreboard. It had already been 27 minutes since the start of the first half. He shook his head. "It's too early, David. We'll see what happens in the second half … "
※ ※ ※
Sporting Lisbon, who was trailing by two goals, did not give up. After all, there was still plenty of time for them to equalize the score. Although it was an away game, the experience of playing away games was too common for professional players.
Pressure?
They had to play under pressure. If they could not do it, they would not be Sporting Lisbon, one of the top three teams in Portugal.
Although letting Rochenbach mark Eastwood caused the team to concede the second goal. Pesero had no intention of changing the arrangement. But just now, while the Forest players were celebrating the goal, he called Rochenbach to the sidelines. There was no superfluous tactical arrangement. There was only one sentence.
"I don't care what you do, Fabio. I want you to completely freeze that Eastwood, so that he has no way to pose any threat to us! Remember, I don't care what you do! "
Eastwood's nightmare had begun.
Rochenbach might be the Brazilian player with the crudest skills, but he did not need to rely on his skills to make a living. He was a defensive midfielder. He did the dirtiest, most tiring, and most unlikeable work on the field. He was a blue-collar worker most easily overlooked by the fans and club chairmen, but he was the most important and indispensable.
Rochenbach was not like Redondo, who could play as a defensive midfielder as an art. His job was very simple — close to the opponent to intercept, make small movements, and tackle ferociously. Then, he would foul when necessary.
After Eastwood was entangled by Rochenbach, he found that he could not receive the ball as comfortably as before. Many times, when he received the ball with his back to the opponent's goal, the moment the football reached his feet, there would be a violent push from behind that made his center of gravity lean forward. Or when he was about to turn around and break through, he would feel an extra weight on his shoulders.
He had no choice but to wholeheartedly deal with the person behind him. As for how much he could contribute in terms of offense, it was hard to say. If the ball was lost at Eastwood's feet, it would cause problems in the Forest Team's transition between offense and defense. Then, if Sporting Lisbon seized the opportunity to make use of it, it would likely lead to a reversal of the situation.
Tang En could see that Sporting Lisbon wanted to make the Forest Team's offense simpler by restraining the most active Eastwood, making it easier for their remaining ten players to defend.
If they passed it to Eastwood, Eastwood would face tremendous pressure. Losing the ball at his feet could happen at any moment. If they did not pass it to him … The Forest Team only had a few ways to attack. Eastwood could enrich the means in the middle, while the flanks mainly relied on Ribéry and Ashley Young.
It looked like Sporting Lisbon's manager had put in a lot of effort to study his opponent.
Tang En looked at Sporting Lisbon's manager, José Pesero, who stood on the sidelines to supervise the battle.
Was it to reduce the pressure on Eastwood, or to let the Forest Team's offense proceed according to the opponent's intentions?
※ ※ ※
Eastwood received another pass from Ribéry. Behind him, Rochenbach was pressing very fiercely. His body collision had almost become a very normal defensive action. This time, Eastwood did not want to pass the ball back. That would make him look too cowardly!
You want to force me to submit? I'll not let you have your way!
Eastwood leaned back forcefully, and then his upper body made a posture of wanting to break through to the left. Then, regardless of whether his move was effective or not, he very quickly moved the ball in the completely opposite direction and turned around!
He did not look back. It was impossible for him to look back to confirm whether he had successfully shaken off his opponent, but he thought he had done it. Because he felt that the pressure behind him was not as strong as before. Now, he could speed up, speed up, brush away his opponent, and go straight into the penalty area! Disrupt their defense and bring the team a third goal! Completely lock in the victory!
The football was slowly rolling not far from his feet. Eastwood was sure that he only needed to take one more step to beautifully take the ball away. By then, he would have completed his turn. The annoying Brazilians would no longer be able to restrain him. He would once again set off a tsunami of cheers in the City Ground Stadium …
"Beep!"
An ear-piercing whistle rang out.
The tsunami of cheers did not ring out. Instead, an earth-shattering booing burst out.
The football was still rolling in front of Eastwood's eyes, but he himself had fallen to the ground. Rochenbach was just about to get up from the ground. He raised his arms high, indicating that the opponent had dived.
Yes, the Sporting Lisbon players would be happy to accept this explanation, but the Nottingham Forest fans would not. Just when Eastwood was about to break away from Rochenbach, this defensive midfielder who defended fiercely and had a bad temper pushed Eastwood down from the side without any mercy.
(To be continued. If you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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