"George Wood has received his third yellow card. In this way, he will be automatically suspended for the next round of the competition. If Forest Team … and I mean if, Forest Team can really eliminate Arsenal and reach the finals, then they will also lose an outstanding defensive midfielder, as well as a captain … "
The voice of the commentator came from the television in the box. Forest's club chairman, Evan Doughty, turned his head to look at the seat on the right.
Sitting there was George Wood's mother. She was staring at her son on the field below in a daze.
Could she understand what her son was thinking the moment he crashed into Henry?
"Madam …" Evan said to her, "Your son is outstanding, very outstanding. As for this yellow card, I'm very sorry … "
Sophia turned to look at him and shook her head. She smiled politely and replied, "It's alright, Mr. Chairman. It's just his job. "
※ ※ ※
George Wood seemed to have quickly forgotten about the yellow card he had just received.
Just as Tang En had said, the competition was not over yet. It was not yet time to be depressed or pained over his absence from the next match. It was still unknown if there would be a next match. If he wanted to be pained, there had to be a reason for it.
Arsenal's free kick did not pose any threat to Nottingham Forest's goal. Henry's shot went wide.
Following that, Nottingham Forest's players learned their lesson and did not blindly press forward to attack again. Instead, it was Arsenal who mustered the last of their strength and launched a series of attacks against Forest Team.
Only this time, under George Wood's leadership, Forest Team's defensive line performed very steadily. There were not many opportunities for Arsenal to directly threaten Forest Team's goal. Most of the time, they were forced to do long shots from outside.
If they still wanted to score with such an attack, they could only hope for two things: one, for Nottingham Forest's defensive players to make mistakes; two, for God to help them.
The first was unlikely, and the second was even more impossible.
Wenger and Tang En were now standing on the sidelines, while their assistants were busy behind them. Both teams were beginning to prepare for the penalty shootout.
After George Wood headed Ashley Cole's cross over the sideline, the referee finally blew the whistle for the end of the 30-minute overtime.
"The entire match has ended. We've officially entered the penalty shootout! Both sides were unable to defeat each other in the 120-minute match, so the winner could only be decided through this cruel method. "
The players were lying on the turf, seizing the time to rest. The team doctors were massaging the players who were going to take the penalty kicks.
Wood sat on the ground. He was now the tallest because everyone around him was lying down. He is not on the penalty list and he does not need a massage. Tang En busied himself in front of him. He was giving individual psychological counseling to every person who was preparing to take the penalty kick, helping them reduce their pressure and build up their confidence.
At the same time, the goalkeeper coach pulled Edwin van der Sar to explain to him in detail the habits of every Arsenal player to take penalties. Perhaps he felt that he might not be able to remember it just by talking, so he stuffed a note into Edwin van der Sar's hand.
"This is …" Edwin van der Sar was puzzled.
"Boss's idea." The goalkeeper coach pointed at Tang En, who was behind him. "He asked us to carefully study the characteristics of each of our opponents' penalty kicks and then write it down here. If you can't remember it, or can't match it up, then look at this. Anyway, the rules didn't say that we can't look at the paper slips."
That's right. This was Tang En's idea. And the one who gave him the idea was none other than Arsenal's main goalkeeper, Lehmann.
Before this match, Tang En's plan included "penalty kicks." He had made preparations to fight it out with Arsenal in a penalty shootout. He had his players practice penalty kicks during training. Later, when he was looking at Arsenal's player list, he suddenly remembered that Lehmann was Germany's main goalkeeper in the 2006 World Cup. He had squeezed out Kahn's main position. From this point, Tang En thought of the quarterfinal match between Germany and Argentina in the 2006 World Cup. That match was decided through penalty kicks, and the secret to Germany's victory was a small piece of paper that the goalkeeper coach had stuffed into Lehmann's hands. The characteristics of all the Argentina players' penalty kicks were written on it. Lehmann matched them according to the characteristics written on the piece of paper and responded accordingly. He saved consecutive penalty kicks and finally sent Germany into the semifinals.
After the match, that piece of paper became the subject of intense media coverage and hype.
Tang En remembered this "story." Now, he decided to copy it verbatim and use it to deal with Lehmann's Arsenal. For this reason, he had the goalkeeper coach study the characteristics of all the Arsenal players' penalty kicks and summarize them before writing them on a piece of paper. If it really came down to a penalty shootout, he would give it to Edwin van der Sar and have him do it accordingly.
This time, it really came in handy.
Edwin van der Sar listened to the goalkeeper coach's explanation and opened the piece of paper. Indeed, it used very simple words to describe the characteristics of almost every Arsenal player's penalty kicks.
He thought it was amazing. He could not figure out how the Boss had thought of it. He did not know if using a small piece of paper in a penalty shootout was considered cheating. In any case, he had never tried this method before. In the past, everyone said that saving a penalty kick was a test of a goalkeeper's experience and reaction speed. Now, it had become a test of the meticulousness of the coaching team behind the scenes. He only needed to save according to what was written on the piece of paper. For example, lower left, upper right, middle …
He really did not know if this was good or bad for a goalkeeper. However, he could not care so much now. Victory was more important.
Edwin van der Sar carefully placed the piece of paper in his goal sock, not daring to let others see it. He was also not sure if doing so was against the rules.
※ ※ ※
Tang En finally finished the mental work of every player on the list. He got up and saw George Wood sitting on the grass resting.
He walked over and squatted down in front of Wood. "Well, George, you know, I'm not angry at all when I saw you foul and get a yellow card."
Wood looked at Tang En and did not speak.
"Thank you." Tang En patted Wood's leg, stood up and walked away.
He had just left when Albertini walked over and sat cross-legged in front of Wood.
"George, I'm very curious about what you were thinking at that moment. No, don't tell me." He reached out his hand to signal Wood not to speak. "That was the path you chose. Do you know how many players in this world dream of being able to participate in the Champions League final? Even when I played for AC Milan, I had a lot of outstanding teammates around me. They were outstanding and world-class star players. But there were still many people who could not even step through the doors of the Champions League final. "
"S-Sorry, Demetrio." Seeing Albertini's serious face, Wood stuttered a little.
He did not expect to see him like this. Albertini laughed instead. "What are you afraid of? You're a bastard who's not afraid of anything. If it were me, I would have made the same choice as you in that situation. Well done, George. "He stroked Wood's hair and smiled at the young man in front of him. It was like watching a child grow up day by day. His heart was filled with pride and a sense of accomplishment that outsiders could not understand.
※ ※ ※
The assistant managers of both teams handed in the names of their respective penalty kickers. The referee compared them one by one. After confirming that there were no mistakes, the irrelevant personnel were cleared from the field.
George Wood stood up again and walked towards the referee with Henry. They were going to "guess sides" on which team would take the penalty kick first. While he and Henry were guessing the coin toss, his teammates walked to the center circle. There, they put their arms around each other's shoulders and leaned close to each other. They used their hands to transmit strength and faith as they faced the unknown future together.
Wood won the contest with Henry. He chose to take the penalty kick first.
Nottingham Forest's first player was Eastwood. The Forest team was not short of penalty kickers, and Eastwood was the first choice. As long as he was on the field, he would be the one to take the penalty kick in the game.
Facing Lehmann, Eastwood calmly pushed the shot to the middle and hit the football in.
The City Ground stadium erupted with cheers as Eastwood waved his fist.
Arsenal's first player was the defender, Lauren. Although Arsenal's first penalty kicker was Henry, Henry had a habit — he never took the penalty kicks he created. So, in most cases, Arsenal's actual first penalty kicker was the Cameroonian defender. In the penalty shootout, putting Lauren first and Henry last was a double insurance.
Edwin van der Sar saw Lauren come out. He took out the note and quickly glanced at it when the other side lowered his head to place the football, and then stuffed it back.
"Lauren takes the penalty … The ball's in!"
Two thousand Arsenal fans cheered. Edwin van der Sar punched the ground hard. He judged the right direction according to the note, but he almost poked the football out …
But it also strengthened his idea of pouncing on the ball as written on the note.
Nottingham Forest's second player was the striker, Anelka. He pushed the shot to the bottom left corner, and the football rolled quickly along the turf. Lehmann judged the right direction, but the angle was too tricky. The football hit the goalpost and bounced into the goal!
"Now the score is 2: 1! Nottingham Forest is in the lead for now … "
After the goal, Anelka waved his fist at Lehmann in a dramatic manner and then retreated.
Edwin van der Sar took out the note again. Arsenal's second player was the Dutch youngster, Robin van Persie. He looked up at Robin van Persie and then down at the note. It read: bottom right.
The right side of the shooter was the left side of the goalkeeper.
Edwin van der Sar stuffed the note back. He knew what to do.
Standing in front of the goal and watching his compatriot, Edwin van der Sar slowly opened his arms. He was like a wall.
Robin van Persie glanced at the referee. When he heard the whistle, he ran up and then pushed the shot! Edwin van der Sar flew to the left the moment he kicked the football. As expected, Robin van Persie's shot flew straight at him …
"Edwin van der Sar! He saved Robin van Persie's penalty! Beautiful! "
Tang En, who was nervously watching the goal from the sidelines, jumped up. Their work had paid off. His idea had worked! Most importantly, Nottingham Forest now had the advantage in the penalty shootout. They also had the upper hand psychologically. The scales of victory were gradually tipping in their favor.
Robin van Persie looked dejected at Edwin van der Sar, who had saved his penalty. He was different from Henry. His penalty kicks often lacked variation. He did not shoot like a hook shot, nor would he use feints to deceive the opposing goalkeeper. His shots were as straightforward as his temper. This time, Edwin van der Sar caught hold of it, or rather, the Forest team's coaching staff caught hold of it.
Nottingham Forest's third player was Franck Ribéry. The Frenchman was equally calm when facing Lehmann. His shot made Lehmann misjudge the direction.
"The ball's in! The pressure is on the Arsenal players now … "
Arsenal's third player was Fàbregas.
The Spanish youngster calmly kicked the penalty kick in. Edwin van der Sar judged the direction correctly, but he was a little too slow, and the football slipped past his hand.
But this time, Edwin van der Sar did not beat the ground in frustration because he was confident.
Forest's fourth player was the youngster, Gareth Bale. This was his first time participating in such an important match. It looked like his expression was a little too serious. This child, who could easily break through in the match against Chelsea, was nervous when faced with the penalty shootout in the Champions League semi-finals.
Bale placed the football twice. Seeing him do so, Tang En could not help but open his mouth. He could even hear his own heartbeat in this noisy environment. An ominous premonition slowly emerged …
Bale ran up and raised his leg to shoot! Lehmann judged the direction correctly, but he could not reach the football. The distance was too far …
"Ah! Young Bale kicked the ball directly into the stands! He missed the penalty kick! "
A cheer came from Arsenal's substitutes' bench. Clearly, their joy must be built on their opponent's pain.
Bale raised his hands to grab the hair at the back of his head. His eyes glistened with tears. No matter how one looked at him, he was still a child who had not grown up.
Edwin van der Sar walked up and patted his head. "Don't worry, little monkey. Go back and wait to celebrate the victory. " As he said this, he looked at Arsenal's fourth penalty taker, the Brazilian Gilberto Silva, who was walking towards him.
He had been brought on by Wenger at the last minute of the match. His role was to kick this penalty kick. Before Lauren, Gilberto had once been Arsenal's number two penalty taker. His ability in the penalty kick could not be underestimated.
But Edwin van der Sar was not afraid. He had a card up his sleeve.
Bale walked back to the team with tears in his eyes. Naturally, he was greeted by a pair of warm hands. No one complained that he had missed the penalty kick.
Edwin van der Sar stood in front of the door, gripping his gloves tightly.
Gilberto started running up after hearing the referee's whistle. Edwin van der Sar was unmoved.
The Brazilian raised his leg to shoot!
Edwin van der Sar did not pounce. He fell to the ground, and the football bounced off his leg!
"Edwin van der Sar — a beautiful save! His judgment was correct! In the middle, Gilberto's shot was saved by the Dutch goalkeeper! "
The City Ground stadium once again erupted with loud cheers. This time, it was almost deafening!
Gilberto, who missed the penalty kick, was dejected. In front of him, Edwin van der Sar raised his arms high, like a general returning from a victory.
"The situation is not good for Arsenal. If Nottingham Forest kicks the ball in, then Arsenal's fifth player will not have to play because they have been eliminated …"
Henry stood at the front of the team, ready to go out and kick the most crucial goal. But whether he could go up and kick the ball depended on Lehmann's performance.
The last player to play for Nottingham Forest was the team's second penalty taker, Mikel Arteta. If he could kick the ball in, then the game would be over and the Forest team would qualify for the Champions League final. If he could not kick the ball in, then Arsenal would have a chance to decide their fate — if Henry kicked the ball in, the score would be the same, and they would continue to play the penalty kick. If Henry did not kick the ball in, then Arsenal would still be eliminated.
For a moment, everyone felt the tense atmosphere. This atmosphere started from the penalty spot and spread to the entire stadium.
The Arsenal fans were not noisy anymore. The Nottingham Forest fans also held their breath, for fear of interfering with Arteta's play.
"Perhaps this is the ball that will decide the fate of the two teams. Arteta is now shouldering a heavy burden …"
Tang En stared closely at Arteta, wishing he could see every little move he made. But Arteta did not do anything. After arranging the ball properly, he stood up and waited for the referee to blow the whistle.
Arsenal's manager, Wenger, was just as nervous as him. He also stared at the goal, and the expressions of the two men were strangely the same.
If they went in, it would be the Forest team's paradise.
If they did not, it would be Arsenal's salvation.
To go in or not to go in?
Arteta turned his head to look at the referee, as if he was waiting for the signal light to flash. A crisp whistle rang out. It was exceptionally clear in the quiet City Ground stadium.
"Arteta runs up … He shoots! The ball's in! The ball's in!! "
The previously silent City Ground stadium erupted like a volcano following the commentator's scream.
Lehmann had judged the direction correctly. Unfortunately, Arteta's kick was too tricky. He was too far away …
"Nottingham Forest has made it into the Champions League final! They did it! A year after being promoted from the EFL Champions League, they qualified for the Champions League. Another year later, they've made it into the Champions League final! Everything is just like that summer 26 years ago. From here on out, Brian Clough's Red Forest walked into a glorious era! "
The stands were shaking, and everyone was jumping and cheering with their arms in the air.
The players on the substitutes' bench could not hold back and rushed onto the field. Kerslake hugged Tang En.
"We've succeeded, Tony!"
"It's unbelievable. The biggest dark horse in this Champions League has been dark all the way. They've eliminated countless strong opponents along the way. Benfica, Glasgow Rangers, Inter Milan … and now Arsenal! Tony Twain's team has done something that people don't even dare to think about … "
The Nottingham Forest players on the field had long rushed into the penalty area. They pressed Arteta and Edwin van der Sar under their bodies and wildly celebrated this great victory. As a newly promoted team last season, after becoming a dark horse in the Premier League, they had become the darkest dark horse in the Champions League this season. This group of young players was creating a future that no one dared to think about.
"Congratulations to Nottingham Forest. This familiar name will once again appear in the Champions League final … I feel like I've turned back time. The young manager, Tony Twain, has created another history. He's the youngest manager to lead a team into the Champions League final! "
After hugging Kerslake, Tang En walked towards the field. He raised his arms high, enjoying the moment of glory that belonged to him. In his ears, the cheers shook the heavens and the earth. Looking up, the night sky seemed to have become incomparably brilliant.
No, it wasn't just seemingly brilliant. It really was incomparably brilliant. Resplendent fireworks rose above the City Ground stadium, crackling and lighting up everyone's excited smiling faces.
(To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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