"Now it's Nottingham Forest's offense. After the start of the second half, they were very proactive and began to threaten Arsenal's goal!"
Twain did not participate much in the offense. He was put in a defensive position by Twain in this game. His role was to stop the opponent's offense. So, he had nothing to do now. He stood at the back as if he was watching a show.
Arteta dribbled the ball across the midfield, and then Ribéry did a coordination here. The two crossed and changed positions. Ribéry went to the middle, while Arteta ran to the side. Whose feet was the football?
No one had the ball.
When Arteta changed positions with Ribéry, he passed the football to Ribéry. Then, when the two of them crossed each other, Ribéry directly moved the football horizontally to the right side of the field, which was Ashley Young's territory.
"Ashley Young, a beautiful stop!"
Ashley Cole went up to defend against the young player with the same name. He did not dare to slight him.
Chimbonda was plugging in behind him to set up his side. Ashley Cole saw it, and Ashley Young must have seen it too. He dribbled the ball inside to leave space for Chimbonda to plug in from behind. Ashley Young hesitated for a moment, but still followed beside Ashley Young. As for Chimbonda, he left it to his teammates to deal with.
Ashley Young continued to dribble the ball sideways. Chimbonda ran past him from behind. He had no intention of passing the ball, nor did he intend to change his direction to break into the penalty area. He dribbled the ball to the middle, and Arsenal's defenders formed a wall in the penalty area to guard against his sudden straight pass and to prevent him from shooting.
Ribéry was very close to him, and the two players crossed and changed positions. This time, it was Ashley Young who switched to the middle, and Ribéry went to the right side. The football reached Ribéry's feet when the two of them changed positions. Then, just when everyone thought Ribéry would continue to dribble the ball to the side, he suddenly crossed with his right foot!
Viduka leaped high and headed the ball at the goal! Lehmann performed valiantly and pushed the powerful shot over the crossbar.
The Forest team was awarded the first corner kick of the second half. It was also their second corner kick of the game.
Piqué and Pepe both ran up, ready to fight for the header, while George Wood and Leighton Baines stayed behind to guard against a counter-attack.
"Watch them!" Lehmann raised his arms and shouted. There was chaos in front of his door. "Push it out!"
Arteta stood by the corner flag, ready to kick off.
"This is Nottingham Forest's corner kick and their chance."
The referee whistled to signal that a corner kick could be taken.
Arteta ran up and raised his leg to pass the ball!
The speed of the ball was fast and flat, the arc was not big, and it flew straight ahead!
When the defensive attention in Arsenal's penalty area was focused on the big men like Pepe, Piqué, and Viduka, Ribéry suddenly charged out from the side, rushed forward, and swung his header!
“GOOOOOAL！！”
The City Ground Stadium was in an uproar. The home team had scored!
"What a beautiful header! Franck Ribery! There was no one around him to defend him, and his header was very powerful! Nottingham Forest has taken the lead at home! "
Tang En stood up from his seat with his arms raised high. When he needed to score a goal, the goal came. Could there be anything more perfect than this?
Corner kicks, free kicks … Every set piece was something that they would repeatedly practice during training, especially before important games. They would even practice more. Today, it was effective.
It was as if he could already see the gates of the Stade de France in Paris slowly opening before his eyes.
"2: 1! Nottingham Forest is in the lead with an away goal. They're getting closer and closer to the finals! "
Loud cheers rang out from the stands. The Nottingham Forest fans were surrounded by great happiness.
Ribéry ran to the corner flag and hugged Arteta tightly as he passed the ball to him. Scoring a goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final was something that the Ribéry of two years ago did not even dare to think about.
On the other side, Wenger, who saw the goal concede, waved his hands forcefully in the manager's seat, feeling very vexed. However, he was not in a hurry because it was only five minutes into the second half. They still had at least 40 minutes to equalize the score. Nottingham Forest had only scored one goal at Highbury Stadium, which was good news for Arsenal. This way, as long as Arsenal scored a goal, not only would they be able to equalize the overall score, but they would also be able to cancel out Forest's away goal advantage. Both sides would truly return to the same starting line.
However, these things were just projections in Wenger's mind.
He needed the players to put all of these into practice.
Wenger stood up from his seat. Without needing to shout anything, the Arsenal players on the field already knew what to do. Everything had already been arranged during the halftime interval.
They had only conceded a goal. They were not at the end of the line yet.
The Nottingham Forest players celebrated the goal to their hearts' content. Ribéry hugged everyone in a circle before running back to hug the manager, Tony Twain.
Tang En smiled and congratulated him before asking them to return to the field to restart the match.
"Well done, guys. Return to the field. Defend! Remember, defend! Our next task is to defend. Don't let Arsenal seize the opportunity. Don't let us score. Hold on until the last second! "
Tang En felt that he was being a little long-winded. He could not help it. The closer he was to success, the more nervous he became. If he could, he really wanted to smoke to reduce the pressure. However, smoking was not allowed here.
※ ※ ※
The players obediently returned to the field. The Arsenal players had already placed the football in the center circle, ready to kick off.
"If Arsenal wants to advance to the finals, the only way to do so is to go all out and try to equalize the overall score as soon as possible. I think … Wenger must have an idea. "
He indeed had an idea. After the match restarted, Arsenal unexpectedly gave up on attacking from the flanks and switched to attacking from the middle. This was a move that defied common sense. Even the commentator found it inconceivable. However, Tang En, who was sitting in the home team's technical area, cursed Wenger for being cunning in his heart.
Wenger knew Wood's current situation and what Tang En was most worried about.
Attacking from the middle and using Wood as a target, concentrating their firepower to make Wood unable to attend to one thing and lose sight of the other, increasing the pressure on his defense. At the same time, it also increased the possibility of him fouling.
Wenger must have thought that because Wood was worried about getting a card, he would be overcautious in his defense and not dare to go all out. That way, his team would have more chances to break through the defense and equalize the score.
If not for the conversation at the last moment of the halftime interval, Tang En would have thought so too.
However, it was precisely because he knew that Wood would not change his playing style just because of a yellow card that Arsenal's tactics worried Tang En even more.
Wenger hoped to use Wood as a breakthrough point to score and equalize the score. On the other hand, Tang En was only worried that Wood would foul and get a yellow card in the face of the incessant attacks.
Arsenal's players intentionally leaned towards Wood and sought an opportunity to break through from him. They even had the intention of luring him into a trap.
Wood did not cower. He would deal with the situation as it came, and he would take it all in.
However, Tang En could only nervously bite his lips as he watched the scene unfold from the sidelines.
"This bastard …"
Tang En squeezed the words out of his mouth. Beside him, David Kerslake also did not know whether Tang En was scolding Arsenal's manager, Wenger, or the stubborn George Wood.
※ ※ ※
When Wood once again used a foul to stop Arsenal's attack, Wenger stood by the side of the field and waved to the field in dissatisfaction. He could not stand the referee's delay in playing a card. He was also using this method to exert pressure on the referee, hoping that he would play a card against Wood.
At the same time, there were also Arsenal's players exerting pressure on the referee. However, the referee only gave Wood a verbal warning and did not intend to play a card.
"George!" Edwin van der Sar called out from behind. "Don't forget what Boss told you …"
Wood ignored Edwin van der Sar. He had his back to the goalkeeper and did not say anything.
The next time, when Arsenal's army pressed on, Arteta tripped Henry before Wood could go forward to defend.
The referee's whistle rang out again. During this period of time, his whistle sounded very frequently. Arsenal's attack was ferocious, and the pressure on Forest Team's defense in the middle was very high.
Wood looked at Arteta, a little astonished.
"Don't think I don't know how to defend, George. I'm also a defensive midfielder. Don't look down on me. "Arteta turned his head and smiled at Wood.
Then, taking the opportunity of the human wall, Arteta turned around and shouted to his teammates beside him, "George needs support, guys. Defense is not something he can do alone! Those who don't have a card, be more self-aware! "
Pepe laughed from behind. "George has locked the front door by himself. We can only head the ball if we want to perform."
"Then come up, Pepe. Arsenal's goal is very clear. They want to use the pressure of George having a yellow card to create trouble for our defense. Don't give them such a chance! If they want to play, we'll play with them! "
When Arteta said that, George Wood kept looking at his midfield partner.
After giving his instructions, Arteta noticed Wood looking at him. He smiled and said, "You've always protected me in the past. Now, it's my turn to protect you."
Henry's free kick hit the human wall and did not pose any threat to Edwin van der Sar's goal.
After that, Arsenal clearly discovered the changes in Nottingham Forest. They wanted to break through Wood, but they would always encounter people like Arteta, Ribéry and Pepe. In short, they could not let Wood directly face the opponent's firepower. Arsenal's offense once again fell into a deadlock. Wenger's wishful thinking did not work.
Tang En, who saw the scene off the field, laughed. This is his team. This time, it's his Nottingham Forest …
※ ※ ※
The time of the match passed very quickly in the entanglement between the two sides. While everyone was still immersed in the suspense of whether Arsenal could equalize the score, no one noticed that there were only ten minutes left until the end of the match.
George Wood rarely committed fouls anymore, because the pressure on his defense had been diverted to his other teammates. Arsenal did not have any good ideas when faced with a Forest team that was determined to defend to the death and counterattack. They could pass the ball back and forth on the periphery and play beautiful passes and cuts, but Nottingham Forest did not move. They just stayed in their own position and did not go out. They allowed Arsenal to pass the ball back and forth on the outside, and then occasionally tried long shots.
In order to prevent Wood from being affected by the yellow card, Wenger chose to attack the middle. However, in a football match, attacking the middle was not a wise way to play. It would only block off all of one's offensive routes. In this way, Arsenal could not even think about equalizing the score in the afternoon. They could even lose the match directly.
Wenger knew that he could not go on like this. Although it was a pity that he could not make use of Wood, the crucial moment was to equalize the score. He had to change everything that was terrible and let the match return to the track that Arsenal was familiar with.
Wenger stood up and made a gesture to the field.
※ ※ ※
Tang En brought off Viduka, who had an average performance, and brought on Eastwood. Unlike the first round of the match, the substitution this time was not to drag out the match.
Because Arteta had to help Wood defend, Forest's midfield was a little out of control. Tang En brought on Eastwood to regain control of the midfield and push Anelka to the front. Eastwood was mainly responsible for connecting the middle and front fields.
They had just brought on Eastwood, and before they could regain control of the midfield, Forest suffered a heavy blow.
Henry suddenly exerted force near the center circle and intercepted the ball from Ashley Young's feet. Arsenal took advantage of the situation and directly counterattacked in the front field. Forest's defense was caught off guard, and it was very difficult for them to deal with Henry's breakthrough.
In order to protect George Wood, Arteta was the first to rush up to intercept. However, he was ultimately not a person who specialized in this, and he was easily bypassed by Henry.
George Wood rushed up from the side to intercept. This time, Henry had no intention of baiting him into a foul. He gently pushed the ball to the side, then jumped up to avoid Wood's tackle from the side.
"What a beautiful dodge! That's Henry's standard! "
Wood did not give up. He climbed up from the ground and continued to chase.
He kept repeating because he had been stifled for nearly a match. The depression that had accumulated in Henry's chest exploded at that moment.
Before the match, the news that he had encountered trouble renewing his contract with the club had been spread around the world by the media. Arsenal's fans even doubted his loyalty. He was also tired of his time at Arsenal. Being suppressed by Manchester United in the Premier League and unable to win the UEFA Champions League … Was it time to move to another place? But at the same time, he was Arsenal's captain, the king of Highbury. He was not someone who could leave just because he wanted to.
He had told his agent to wait until the Champions League was over before discussing the matter of renewing his contract. The results of the Champions League would determine whether he would stay or not …
This is Arsenal's best result. We've reached the semifinals for the first time. We must not stop here!
Henry increased his dribbling speed to the maximum. He rushed quickly into Nottingham Forest's penalty area. George Wood chased after him, and in front of him was the defensive line formed by Pepe and Piqué.
He raised his leg and pretended to shoot, tricked Piqué into losing his balance, and dodged the ball. At the same time, he trapped Wood behind him and broke into the penalty area!
"Henry went past Nottingham Forest's entire defensive line alone! He entered the penalty area, and George Wood did not dare to foul! "
Pepe flashed out from behind Piqué and blocked in front of Henry. Henry used a change of direction to easily evade the angle of the shot, and then under Wood's interference. The French striker raised his leg to shoot!
The shot was very tricky. Edwin van der Sar used all his strength to pounce towards the far corner, but he did not touch the ball. He could only watch the football fly into the goal behind him …
"Oh, oh, oh! Thierry Henry! What a brilliant breakthrough! A wonderful goal!! In a situation where Arsenal could not break the game open, he alone pulled the team back from the abyss of elimination! "
No matter how exaggerated the commentator's praise of the goal was, it was not an exaggeration. It was indeed a goal that made people slap the table and shout.
It was not difficult for Arsenal's Henry to pass four people in a row, but this scene happened at the most crucial moment of the Champions League semi-final, which showed the color of legend.
"He is the king of Arsenal, he saved the team, he is Thierry Henry — —!"
(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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