Rochenbach himself did not think that his one foul could have such a miraculous effect. The price of a yellow card seemed so insignificant in the face of the result of the opponent's main striker being injured and leaving the field. He also did not have to worry that he would be unable to play freely in defense with a yellow card on his back. After Eastwood came off, the Forest team did not have a dedicated attacking midfielder. There were not many opponents that he needed to tangle with.
Without having to mark a certain Forest player, he even had a chance to dribble the ball up to assist.
Sporting Lisbon intended to take advantage of the Forest team, which had just made adjustments and was still at a loss, to narrow the gap between the two sides.
Perhaps it was a dishonorable move, but Sporting Lisbon's manager, José Pesero, still had to praise Rochenbach's kick. He risked the possibility of being sent off with a red card to help the team get rid of the most dangerous enemy.
In Sporting Lisbon's offense, Fabio Rochenbach looked around in the backfield and found that except for the Forest player, who was as tall as a telephone pole, everyone else had gone back to defend. It was useless for him to stay in the back. It was better to go up and participate in the offense to score a goal or assist.
Albertini was directing George Wood's defense, asking him to pay attention to the possibility of the opponent breaking through from the flank and be ready to help Ribéry at any time.
Wood nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Rochenbach, who was quietly approaching.
He did not know the man's name, but he remembered the man's appearance and number. He thought he would not mistake him for someone else.
Sa Pinto was dribbling the ball. He found that the success rate of a forward pass was low because George Wood and Albertini were like a wall, blocking off possible passing routes.
At this time, he heard someone call him from behind.
"Sa! Sa! "
It was Rochenbach's voice.
George Wood looked up, over Sa Pinto's shoulder, and saw Rochenbach lurking behind.
Pinto heard Rochenbach call him and knocked the ball out with his heel. Almost at the same time, George Wood left his defensive zone and rushed out. His target was Rochenbach, who was ready to receive the ball!
Rochenbach did not seem to see Wood. His eyes were fixed on the football and he made a motion to receive the ball.
The ball arrived.
Wood arrived.
Rochenbach glanced at Wood out of the corner of his eye and suddenly had a crazy idea. Why didn't he take the opportunity to mess with this silly boy?
Rochenbach poked the ball outwards, ready to bait George Wood into committing a foul. As long as he acted properly, he might be able to get No.13 off the field directly!
Come on, kid! Come on!
I'm coming, you bastard!
George Wood had already made a flying tackle when he was still a distance away from Rochenbach. Rochenbach had just finished turning around when George Wood's right stud had already stepped on his left ankle!
With a solid stomp ….
With a muffled bang, even the audience sitting in the stands could clearly feel the power of this kick.
After hitting Rochenbach from the side, the momentum didn't stop. George Wood continued to slide forward while Rochenbach was kicked up from the ground. He somersaulted in the air and fell to the ground. Grass fragments flew up and landed on Rochenbach's body.
The noisy stadium was quiet for a moment, and then a shrill whistle sounded.
The referee quickly ran to the scene of the accident and reached into his chest pocket to pull out a red card, ready to show it to George Wood. There was no doubt that a shovel from behind would result in a direct red card.
Wood ignored the referee. He got up and walked straight off the field. He knew what was waiting for him before he made the kick, but it did not stop him from completing the blow. Obviously, since the goal was achieved, he did not care what the judgment that befell him was.
The referee flashed a red card to George Wood's back. He was once again wildly booed and abused by the home fans. In their view, since Wood was sent off, then Rochenbach, who injured Eastwood with a shovel, should also be directly sent off with a red card!
Rochenbach's goal was achieved. He succeeded in making the Forest team lose two of its core main players. But as a price, he was afraid that he could not continue to play in the game. Lying on the ground, Rochenbach only felt that the area around his left ankle was numb and completely lost feeling. He tried to regain control but was unable to do anything. As a professional player, he knew in his heart that it was time for him to come off the field.
He completely did not think that George Wood would be so ruthless and so fast. He was not aiming for the football at all. From the beginning, he wanted him to come off the field as well!
George Wood calmly walked off the field. He was neither hurried nor slow. He did not feel the slightest bit sorry or guilty for injuring someone. The angry Sporting Lisbon players rushed towards him, wanting to demand an explanation. But before they could get close to Wood, they were first pushed away by Ashley Young and Viduka.
The scene suddenly became chaotic again. The players from both sides mixed together, looking like they were about to fight. The referee had no choice but to abandon the injured Rochenbach and rush towards the entangled players from the two teams. Of course, he did not forget to wave to the field, signaling for the stretchers to hurry up and enter the field.
Tang En saw the entire process off the field. He had expected this outcome when he saw Wood rush towards Rochenbach. It was useless to say anything now. In any case, the Forest team was destined to have a ten-man match.
He stood on the sidelines and waited for Wood to come down. He went up and patted him on the shoulder. "Go back to the locker room to shower and change."
He did not scold or complain.
Wood nodded.
"Also, give the fans a round of applause to express your gratitude," Tang En instructed again.
There had never been a player who raised his hand to greet the fans after being sent off. That was because such an action was too ironic. Players who were sent off often walked quickly back to the locker room with their heads down, afraid to face the fans. But Tang En had asked Wood to do so. It was as if in his eyes, it was normal for Wood to not be sent off, but replaced.
Wood raised his hands obediently and thanked the Forest fans in the stands with a round of applause.
What did he get in return?
Thunderous applause came from the three stands.
"This is an unbelievable scene. George Wood, who was sent off with a red card after maliciously violating his opponent, has become the hero of the City Ground!"
Wood's actions were treated as a provocation and insult by the Sporting Lisbon people. Even the Sporting Lisbon substitutes rushed to the side to protest loudly. But Wood ignored them. He waved to the fans as he walked towards the players' tunnel. What made the Sporting Lisbon manager, José Pesero, even more dissatisfied was that the Forest manager, Tony Twain, was not ashamed of his actions. Instead, he stood to the side and applauded Wood with the fans!
"Do you still have any sportsmanship, Mr. Twain?!" Pesero pointed at Twain and reprimanded him in not very fluent English.
Tang En responded with a smile, "Good question, Mr. Pesero. Please pass this sentence to Fabio Rochenbach on my behalf. "
"You …"
The fourth official appeared between the two of them and glared at them. Pesero obediently returned to his manager's seat. Tang En continued to stand on the sidelines and cast his gaze towards the field.
The commotion had subsided. With the efforts of Hierro, Albertini, Edwin van der Sar and the other veterans, the fight finally did not break out.
George Wood had also disappeared into the tunnel. The applause from the stands turned into boos again. The boos were so loud and fierce that the players on the field almost forgot that they were still supposed to continue the match.
David Kerslake walked up and stood beside Tang En. "It was a terrible match, wasn't it, Tony?"
"That's right. It was terrible, David," Tang En said through gritted teeth. "Go and call Gunnarsson back. I think it's time for him to play."
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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