No one thought that Javier Zanetti would suddenly give up his position and rush to the middle of the midfield to grab the ball. Perhaps even his teammates did not expect this move of his …
Cambiasso was a little surprised to see the captain intercept the ball from under Albertini's feet, and then watch him dribble the ball and rush to the center circle.
"This is Inter Milan's counterattack! At the last moment! "
The stands at the Giuseppe Meazza gave an earth-shattering cheer.
"Javier Zanetti! He's still fighting at the last moment of the game! "
Albertini was shocked to see the football suddenly fly out from under his feet. Then he saw the back of his old opponent, Inter Milan's number 4, sweep past in front of him.
He wanted to go back to defend. The ball was intercepted at his side. If Inter Milan took this opportunity to score, then he would be a sinner … He absolutely could not let this happen!
But just as he was about to run, he saw another figure run past him at high speed.
This was definitely not Inter Milan's player to receive him, because this figure was red, red … number 13!
"Nottingham Forest's back defense is empty with the massive pressure! This is Inter Milan's best chance. If it's 3: 1, they can go to Nottingham with peace of mind … Oh, no! George Wood … God, he's so fast! Did he really not just come on?! "
George Wood quickly closed in on Zanetti, who was dribbling the ball. Looking at him running at full speed, he really looked like a leopard chasing its prey.
"Bastard! Go up and support him! " Regardless of whether the players on the field could hear or hear clearly in such a noisy environment, Mancini yelled off the field.
Tang En also rushed to the sidelines, but he was not telling the players to go back to defend. He was waving forward!
"Don't go back to defend! Damn it! Rush up … Losing one is a loss, losing two is also a f * * king loss! This is our last chance … George, f * * king intercept the ball for me! "
In a flash, Wood caught up with Zanetti, who was running with the ball.
Now the Inter Milan captain had Pepe in front of him, and George Wood, who had already closed in next to him. He knew that relying on speed or forcing a breakthrough to get rid of the defense would definitely not work. He was not a speed player. But if he stopped to control the ball and waited for his teammates' support, he was afraid that the opponent would return to defend. Even though this could keep the ball on their team's side and drag it out until the end of the game. But Zanetti did not want to do that. Inter Milan could only win by one goal at home. In the away game, the opponent only needed to score 1: 0 and Inter Milan would be eliminated. For the safety of the team, in order to ensure that they could advance, the key was to score as many goals as possible at home.
This was the last chance to attack before the match. They had to seize it!
The fourth official appeared between the two referees and held up the stoppage. But almost no one looked at him. Everyone's attention was attracted by the sudden change in the situation on the field.
"There are three minutes of injury stoppage time, and Inter Milan is attacking … If this goal is scored, Nottingham Forest will lose by two goals, and it won't be easy to play back at home. But if … "
Before the commentator could finish, George Wood saw that Zanetti had a slightly bigger gap in the ball and exerted force to overtake him. Then, he tackled the ball and passed it to Pepe in front of him before Zanetti could poke the ball again!
Zanetti, who could not stop in time, kicked Wood's thigh, staggered, and fell forward …
"Foul!" A loud roar broke out in the stands.
The referee raised his right hand in the process of running, stretched out his index finger and shook it.
"Good ball!"
The roar instantly turned into a deafening booing that almost gave people a heart attack.
Pepe easily received the ball that Wood shoveled over. He had wanted to directly kick forward because most of the Forest players had not had time to return to defend. Moreover, a long pass was the most time-saving way when they were in a hurry to equalize the score.
But he saw that George Wood had climbed up from the ground and was waving to him.
Waving?
What did that mean?
"Give me the ball!" Wood saw that Pepe was a little stunned and finally could not help but shout.
Pepe obediently passed the football over, but in his heart, he still suspected that he had heard wrongly. When did Wood take the initiative to ask for the ball so forcefully?
Wood received Pepe's pass, but he did not kick forward. There was a large space in front of him. The Inter Milan players had just switched from defense to offense, and suddenly switched from offense to defense again. The players had not reacted, and no one came up to defend him.
At the same time, in the stands, a faint singing suddenly rang out in the midst of the loud booing. It was certainly not singing to cheer for Inter Milan. It was the singing of two thousand Nottingham Forest fans. The singing was intermittent and was always covered by the boos and roars of the Inter Milan fans, but it could not be completely drowned out. It was like a small boat fighting against the wind and waves. After being knocked into the water by a wave, it would drill out again. The wind and waves could throw it into the sky and it could also hit it into the water, but it could not make it capsize and never appear again.
Martins used his speed to catch up with Wood. He quickly caught up with his target, but he was completely at a disadvantage in the physical confrontation with Wood! He had wanted to use a tactical foul from behind to stop Nottingham Forest's counterattack, but he did not expect to collide head-on with Wood. Wood's footsteps only staggered, while Martins himself lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground.
The boos in the stands became louder. The Inter Milan fans had already determined that every time they had a physical confrontation with Wood, their players must have fallen to the ground because of Wood's foul. The referee did not give a penalty because this cunning man's little tricks were very hidden!
Wood staggered, but he quickly stabilized the football.
At this time, he suddenly did not worry about how he was going to pass the ball, because he could not care about it at all.
He saw a lot of empty space in front of him, so he decided to dribble the ball forward himself.
Albertini saw this scene in front of him. He froze for a moment before he suddenly turned around and ran forward. The Inter Milan players were all defending against the original offensive players of the Forest team. If George suddenly plugged in, he would definitely be able to disrupt the opponent's defense, and then he or the others would have a chance. It all depended on whether Wood could see it, whether he could think of it, and whether he could pass it!
Wood was dribbling the ball, and it was dribbling the ball in a straight line. There was finally a player in front of him who came up to defend him — Cruz.
As a striker, Cruz's defensive level was really not flattering. George Wood just pushed the football to Cruz's side, and then with force, he sped up! He went around the Argentine's side …
It was so easy to get past a player. But Wood did not have the time to be complacent about his success this time.
On the other hand, Cruz froze in place. He did not expect Wood to be so fast. He had just turned around when Wood, who was still two meters away from him, had already swept past him … It was not that he did not want to react, such as being pulled deeply or stretching out his foot to trip him, but he could not react at all!
George Wood, who had relied on his speed to get past Cruz, was already very close to Inter Milan's heavily defended penalty area. If he still rushed over at this time, there would probably only be one result — the ball would be intercepted.
Wood was not an idiot. He slowed down but kept moving forward. Cambiasso looked at George Wood, who was already in front of him, and remembered that during the introduction of this opponent before the game, he had emphasized his defensive ability. As for his offensive level, he had only said, "When the Forest team attacks, you guys treat him as if he doesn't exist." The previous performance in the game also proved this point. How did we score our first goal? Wasn't it Veron who took the initiative to go up and intercept the kid's ball?
If Veron can do it, why can't I?
I don't know what's wrong with the kid on the other side. He actually wants to dribble the ball to tear open our defense … He must be crazy!
Let me finish you, kid.
Because he was the closest Inter Milan player to the opponent, Cambiasso pounced on him.
Wood's dribbling looked methodical and he had done a good job in basic practice, but it was too rigid.
Cambiasso knew that Wood was physically excellent. He did not intend to be like that fool Materazzi and crash head-on. Stealing also required a little bit of trickery. I just had to make you think I was going to directly intercept the ball and force you to make a move. Then I could take the opportunity to intercept your clumsy dribbling …
Watch carefully, kid.
Cambiasso stretched out his foot to poke at the football. As long as Wood dribbled the ball out in a panic as he expected, he would immediately turn around to block, then intercept the football and then organize a counterattack. Zanetti, Martins, Adriano and Cruz were still in front and had not had time to come back. This was a great opportunity to hit the Forest team's counterattack …
George Wood was also now in a dilemma. He had dribbled the ball to this place in one go. What should he do next? Now there were people in front of him, and a bald man was trying to intercept his ball. Wood was well aware that if he did not pass the football out and kept it at his feet, the possibility of it being intercepted again was very high. The best case scenario was that he would foul immediately after the opponent intercepted the ball to delay Inter Milan's attack.
This was not the result he wanted. He hoped the Forest team could score and equalize the score. Otherwise, why would he dribble the ball in the backfield and run more than thirty meters to rush up to do what he was worst at?
Just as he did not know what to do, he saw a red figure flash in front of him and disappear into the blue-black crowd.
"If you don't know how to pass the ball, pass the ball to the teammate you see. It's that simple. "
He did not see his teammates around him, except for the red figure.
The opponent's bald player was ready to make a move, and another blue-black figure rushed up. It looked like he was going to double team him in an attempt to intercept the ball and counterattack. There was no time to think about it. Just do it!
Cambiasso's toes were very close to the football. He did not directly poke at the football, but circled to the side of the ball so that the ball would naturally be intercepted when Wood poked it. But he neglected one thing …
English boy, your performance time is over … Huh?
Wood did kick the ball away when Cambiasso made to intercept, but it was not a hasty poke before the breakthrough. It was a direct pass! And most importantly, what Cambiasso least expected was that the football drilled through between his legs! In order to intercept the ball successfully, Cambiasso spread his legs wide, but he did not expect it to open a path for Wood!
Through the crotch!
But in the crowded penalty area, who did he pass the ball to?
"Albertini!"
Nottingham Forest's number 4 suddenly appeared in the middle of the defensive line. There was no Inter Milan player around to mark him. He received a direct pass from George Wood!
The Inter Milan players did not expect Albertini to suddenly appear here, and they did not expect George Wood, who had not performed well in the offense, to be able to pass such a penetrating ball!
Albertini stretched out his leg to receive the ball and turned around. He could already see the goal very clearly. The mixture of fear and surprise on the face of the goalkeeper, Julio César, was very clear.
You didn't expect it, did you, Inter Milan boys?
Well done, George! I knew you could do it!
"He can't go on, interfere with him!" Materazzi roared and took the lead to rush up. Now that they were in the penalty area, he naturally would not use a foul to stop the shot, but he believed he could interfere with Albertini's shot by going up. He remembered clearly how Albertini panted in the front field with his hands on his knees. With this kind of stamina, a little influence could make him shoot the ball away.
I can't run anymore, and I don't have the strength to chase back to defend. It's only because of the trust of the coach and my teammates that I was not replaced. The boss said before the game that he would let me play the whole game. I can't just end my game without doing anything.
Materazzi, when I was playing at the San Siro, you were still playing for god knows what lower division team you were in. I'm the master here!
I'm Demetrio Albertini, this is my way!
Albertini swung his leg to shoot, and Materazzi flew to block it, his leg raised high. But he missed, because it was just a feint. Nottingham Forest's number 4, who used to be AC Milan's number 4, raised his leg exaggeratedly and buckled down again. He flashed past Materazzi, but Samuel also rushed over. Looking at him, it seemed that as long as Albertini raised his leg again, he could take the opportunity to poke the football away.
But Albertini would not give him the chance. He directly raised his leg to shoot!
The football flew between Samuel and Materazzi. It was not fast or powerful, but it was sudden enough! An arc, bypassed Julio César's hands, and then fell, drilled into the goal, and hit the net …
"Wonderful goal!"
"God! Nottingham Forest equalized the score at the last minute! "
“GOOOOOAL！”
"Demetrio Albertini, Nottingham Forest's captain, conquered Inter Milan's city!"
"Nottingham Forest's desperate counterattack, they won! Two away goals, two! "
Tang En rushed out of his seat and kept waving his fists vigorously, showing off his prowess at Inter Milan's home ground.
Albertini, who scored, could not suppress his inner excitement. He turned and rushed to Wood, who passed the ball to him, hugged him, and pulled him to the ground.
"Thank you, George! Thank you! "
"Captain, well done!" Eastwood rushed up, and more teammates rushed up, piling up layer by layer. Even the veteran Edwin van der Sar ran over from the goal, jumping up and waving his fists.
"George Wood's assist … It's really unexpected. Look at the Forest team's excitement, as if they've already advanced. But two away goals can make the English leave Italy with a smile. "
The boos, swear words, and roars of the Giuseppe Meazza disappeared. The singing of two thousand Englishmen resounded throughout the stadium. The wind stopped and the waves subsided. The small boat was still on the sea, under the bright sunshine.
"… We're from England … We're the best team in England! We're the best team in the world … "
What arrogant and conceited lyrics. But looking at the scene on the field now, no one could think of the word "arrogant" in any case.
Because they really did it.
Forcing an away draw with Inter Milan, 2: 2! Two away goals were worth a lot of money!
Mancini's face was ashen, and he bit his lips until they turned white. He seemed to be able to foresee what kind of situation he and his team would face in England a week later.
Motherf * cking … bastard!
※ ※ ※
The Nottingham Forest players' wild celebration had to draw the referee's intervention to continue the game, but in fact, the less than two minutes after the whistle was off was already useless.
After Inter Milan kicked off, they kicked the ball to the front field, hoping that Recoba would be able to receive the ball on the wing. But the kick was too forceful and flew straight out of the sidelines, and they handed over the possession of the ball for nothing.
What happened next was simple. Albertini retreated back to the backfield and used his skills and experience to firmly control the football at the feet of the Forest team. He was not in a hurry to kick forward, and slowly used up the remaining time.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the Nottingham Forest players entered the field to celebrate with their arms raised high, while the Inter Milan players walked back to the locker room with their heads down. Mancini had to come up and shake hands with Tang En due to etiquette.
"Congratulations, Mr. Tang En." Despite being very dissatisfied with the score, Mancini still congratulated Tang En with a smile.
Tang En certainly knew that Mancini's smile was forced. This result would definitely not make him in the mood to smile, so he tactfully replied with a simple sentence, and the two men took their leave. Mancini accepted a few interviews in the mixed zone, and then left in a hurry.
Tang En, on the other hand, walked to the field to celebrate this "victory of a draw" with his players.
Albertini led his players in thanking the England fans who had come from afar, with George Wood at his side.
He thought of the last goal. He really did not expect Wood to be able to pass a ball like that … Was it a fluke?
But regardless of the process, a good result was a good thing. He got the result he wanted, so he did not care how Wood passed the ball.
Looking at the celebrating players, Tang En did not want to disturb them. He turned and walked toward the tunnel.
His pocket vibrated. It was his cell phone. He would set it to vibrate during the game.
There were two text messages. The first one was from Clarice Gloria.
"The game was very successful. The last goal was perfect. Thank you for your support and cooperation these days, Mr. Tang En. I wish you all the best in the Champions League. "
Tang En replied, "I want to thank you too, Miss Gloria." He then flipped to the next message.
This was not a text message, but a multimedia message.
What appeared on Tang En's phone screen was a photo taken with a mobile phone.
Shania stood in front of the camera and made a "V" gesture, smiling happily. Behind her was the sea of people in the stands at the Giuseppe Meazza. At the far end was the red stands. That was the square formation of Nottingham Forest fans.
Tang En looked up at the stands. The fans had already left the field, and he could not find Shania in the chaotic stands.
But that was not important.
What was important was that Tang En believed Shania would come, so Shania came.
※ ※ ※
Sorry, I'm late. (To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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