After pulling the ball back, Robben suddenly accelerated and dribbled the ball towards the end line!
Baines had expected Robben to do so. He had held back when he was stuck inside. He immediately turned around and ran as fast as he could. He stuck close to Robben and was still stuck inside, not letting the Dutchman have any chance to overtake him. Robben was now about a quarter of a body length ahead of Baines, but he was not sure he could get past him.
Seeing that the football was about to be dribbled out of the end line, Robben suddenly stepped on the ball on the end line and braked at the same time. He and Baines, who was running behind, slid out of the field due to inertia.
However, one had taken the initiative to stop, while the other was passive. Following that, Robben had the upper hand in terms of reaction speed. He turned around and shook off Baines, who was lying on the ground. He wanted to get the ball back and dribble it into the penalty area. As soon as he turned around, he was stunned. The ball was gone!
The referee's whistle rang. Robben saw the flag in the hands of the assistant referee beside him point to the corner flag area at his feet.
"Corner! Leighton Baines fell to the ground and shoveled the ball out of Robben's end line the moment he lost his balance! Beautiful defense! "
Enthusiastic applause rang out in the stands.
Baines' chest heaved violently as he lay on the ground. He certainly knew the applause was for him. But he was not happy, because he knew that he had given his all and still given the opponent a corner flag. He really did not know what would happen next time.
He wanted to get up and return to the front of the goal to defend, but he suddenly found that he could not exert strength in his right foot. He forcefully exerted strength, but a piercing pain came. A thought came to mind: I'm done for …
Baines, who was lying on the ground, raised his hands and stretched out his index fingers, slowly circling them twice. This was a gesture to signal to the manager that he could not continue in the game and to request to be substituted. Then, after doing all this, he covered his face with both hands and remained motionless.
"D * mn it …" Tang En saw Baines's hand gesture and cursed subconsciously.
Fleming had already run over with the team doctor. Baines had fallen outside the field and did not need the referee's permission to enter.
"Gareth!!" Tang En roared without looking back. "Go warm up! You only have time for one corner kick! "
Bale jumped up from his seat and did not show any surprise. He took off his vest without hesitation and ran to the sidelines.
Kerslake got up from his seat and walked to Tang En's side. "Baines can't make it?"
Twain nodded. "I think he sprained his ankle. I saw him shovel the ball a little awkwardly … He forcibly changed his center of gravity in high-speed motion."
"Motherf * cker …" Kerslake cursed. Albertini had just recovered from his injury, and the Forest team had another injured player. Unlike the previous two seasons, where there were almost no major injuries, this season, the Forest team had one injury after another when they needed to play on multiple fronts.
The two coaches stood on the sidelines, silently watching the match.
The referee saw Baines make a substitution gesture and ran over to inquire. Then he routinely waved for the Forest team's doctor to come up. Seeing that the Forest team's doctor was already running over here, he turned back to the field and motioned for the Chelsea players to reposition the football. Then he ran back into the penalty area.
The competition had to continue. It would not stop just because of one person's injury. The Forest team could only play with ten players. One less player could be an important factor in breaking the balance in such a game.
Mourinho clearly knew that this corner kick was an opportunity that he could take advantage of and had to seize. He waved for everyone to go up, leaving only Paulo Ferreira and the goalkeeper, Čech, in the backfield. The three defenders, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, and William Gallas, all rushed into the Forest team's penalty area.
The atmosphere in front of the Forest team's goal suddenly heated up.
"This is our chance to equalize the score! Don't let it go! "Terry shouted in front of the goal to encourage his teammates.
"Defend! Watch them, watch them to death! "Edwin van der Sar also roared to instruct his teammates to mark the tall Chelsea player. "Push outwards, push outwards!"
※ ※ ※
Close at hand, but far at the horizon. This sentence was too appropriate to describe Leighton Baines' mood and situation at the moment.
The Forest team's crowded goal was five meters away from him. He could clearly hear the sounds made by the players on both sides as they fought for position. He could imagine what it would be like in front of the goal at this moment with his eyes closed. It must be chaotic, with a lot of people …
But he could not do anything. His injury left the team with one less player on the field. Could they defend against this attack? Did someone replace him at the right goalpost?
Fleming was pinching his right ankle and asked him if it hurt, but he did not answer.
"It looks like the injury is not light. He can't feel it …" Fleming took out an ice pack from the medical bag and pressed it on Baines' ankle. Then he began to wrap it with a bandage.
※ ※ ※
The turmoil in front of the Forest team's goal finally subsided, but it was only temporary. Everyone knew it. Like the calm before the storm, it was full of repression, anxiety, and restlessness.
The referee withdrew from the penalty area and blew the whistle in his mouth at the same time.
Lampard raised his right hand high and clenched it into a fist. It was Chelsea's tactical code for a corner kick. No one knew what it meant except for themselves.
The football flew out and flew straight in front of the goal. Drogba and Carvalho were still wrestling with Chelsea's two center backs until this moment. They wanted to jump and fight for the header, and the Forest team's center backs would not let them get what they wanted. But no one knew that the two men were just a cover. They were so desperate to turn the tide in front of the Forest team's goal just to attract the Forest team's defensive attention.
John Terry sprinted from the penalty spot and took off!
With no one defending, he made a powerful rush to the top!
"John Terry … An _ a _ GOOOOAL!!"
Edwin van der Sar, who responded hastily, just jumped up on the spot and waved. He watched the football fly into the goal but could not stop it.
Loud cheers erupted in the visitors' stands.
Hearing the unfamiliar cheers, Fleming, who was bandaging Baines, lowered his head and cursed, "Damn it!" At the same time, he could not help but tighten his grip a little.
Baines finally reacted. He frowned and took a breath.
Gareth Bale, who was immersed in sprinting and warming up on the sidelines, also stopped. He could not continue warming up because the area he was warming up in was now full of people. The Chelsea players who were celebrating the goal rushed over and waved their fists at the Chelsea fans in the stands behind him. The Blues fans responded with cheers.
Bale looked at these people coldly. He suddenly heard someone call his name. It was the assistant manager, Mr. Kerslake, who was waving his arms at him. "Gareth! Come back! It's your turn to play! "
Glancing at the excited Chelsea people again, Gareth Bale turned and ran to the Forest team's technical area.
As he passed by the Chelsea technical area, he was attracted by Mourinho's wild celebration. The Portuguese was sliding on his knees on the ground! Like a player who had scored a goal, he was wearing a black trench coat, kneeling on the ground and sliding!
The Portuguese became the center of attention once again.
The audience in front of the television and the live audience, consciously and unconsciously, all turned their eyes to the manager who never hid his emotions.
"Oh, oh! This is the best celebration I've ever seen from a manager! "Motson shouted.
When Gareth Bale ran back to his team's technical area, he still turned his head to look at the Portuguese.
"Stop looking, Gareth." Tang En's voice rang out behind his head.
"Ah, I'm sorry, sir …" Bale thought the manager must be angry.
Tang En coughed. "I've said it many times. Don't call me sir in the First Team. Call me Boss or Boss."
"Yes, Boss …"
Tang En glanced at Mourinho, who was still performing in front of the television cameras, and asked, "You think that gesture is cool?"
Bale nodded at first, then immediately shook his head. "No, it's nothing, Boss."
Tang En grinned. "Now you have the chance for me to do the same. Baines is injured. You go up and replace him as the left back. When necessary, you have to plug in to assist … "
"Isn't it defense, Boss?" Bale was a little puzzled. The first task of the left back should be defense. After all, Chelsea had just attacked so fiercely.
"If we keep defending, this will be the result." Tang En pointed to the electronic scoreboard in the far end of the stands. "So, send the ball out when you have the ability."
Bale nodded to show he understood.
"Go on the field and perform well! If you can score a goal, I'll give you a more cool celebration than that! "Tang En winked at Bale.
The young monkey laughed. "How cool can it be, Boss?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Score a goal for me first!" Tang En pushed Bale to near the center line outside the field.
After leading for 14 minutes, the Forest team was equalized. But this was by no means the end. Mourinho, who had attracted everyone's attention in an instant with his unconventional celebration, knew it. Tony Twain, who stood on the sidelines with his brows furrowed, knew it too.
It was not over yet.
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