"At the 38th minute of the match, Nottingham Forest is actually in the lead with one player less! What a surprise! Look at the expressions on the faces of the Barcelona players. They can't believe it! "
Puyol covered his face with his hands. It was his mistake in judgment that gave the opponent the chance to score.
While the Barcelona players were depressed, the Forest players hugged each other in the rain. Taking the lead in the face of adversity greatly boosted the team's morale. The thought that they might lose the match because they had one less person was completely thrown away.
Tony Twain's team was never afraid of any opponent, whether it was Barcelona or Real Madrid, whether they had eleven players or ten players, no matter what the weather was like, no matter which side the media and public opinion were leaning towards before the match …
When they saw Pepe head the football into Barcelona's goal, the Forest team's substitutes' bench and technical area suddenly burst into cheers. Kerslake took the lead and rushed out.
Tang En also jumped up, waving his arms in celebration.
But very quickly, he lowered his arm, and the smile on his face gradually froze. No matter how excited the people around him were, he couldn't smile at all.
He had watched the Champions League final. Even though he could not remember the specific details, he would not forget iconic events like scoring a goal.
In the 18th minute, Lehmann was sent off with a red card for attacking Eto 'o. Wenger replaced Pires with the substitute goalkeeper, Almunia.
In the 38th minute, Arsenal, with ten players in the match, took the lead against Barcelona thanks to Cambier's header.
And then … the second half...
Tang En did not dare to continue thinking about it.
Once was a coincidence, twice was also a coincidence, but thrice … it wasn't that simple.
He looked up at the sky and felt that this matter was very strange. It was as strange as when he transmigrated here in 2007 to become a football manager.
It was as if a pair of invisible hands were fiddling with it …
"Tony! Tony! Are you stupid? We're in the lead! "David Kerslake excitedly patted the dazed Tang En to wake him up.
"Ah, that's right. We're in the lead … in the lead!" Twain nodded in response. "But the game is not over yet. Now is not the time to be ecstatic. Barcelona's offense is very strong … We have to be careful."
"Now that we're in the lead, we can return to the way we're most used to and good at." Kerslake laughed. "Defense. Let's show those bastards who look down on us how powerful we are! "
The assistant manager was much more ambitious than the head coach.
"You're right, David. We really need to defend … "
※ ※ ※
The singing of the Nottingham Forest fans came from the stands, getting louder and louder. The sound of the rain could not be covered up, and the boos of the Barcelona fans could not be covered up.
At this moment, the joy belonged to the Nottingham Forest supporters.
"There has always been a saying in England that even though Manager Tony has never been willing to admit it, he is indeed seen as the successor of the legendary manager, Brian Clough. To give the simplest example, Brian Clough led Nottingham Forest to complete three leaps in three years, from the Second Division to the First Division champion, and then to the Champions League champion. And this scene was perfectly replicated by Manager Tony Twain to the current Forest team. Two seasons ago, they were still a participating team in the EFL Champions League. At that time, it was not called that, it was the EFL First Division … A year ago, they were promoted to the English Premier League and qualified for the Champions League. Now, they had broken into the Champions League final! A 1: 0 lead, even the score was the same! Can his team defeat Barcelona tonight and replicate that miraculous era to the end? "
It was a beautiful wish, but it was not easy to realize it.
After all, Clough's Forest team did not have a single player sent off in the final.
After the match resumed, Forest returned to defense, leaving only Viduka in front. The players in the backfield who received the ball mostly used long passes, looking directly for Viduka's head. Playing like that would not make the match look good at all, but it was very useful in this kind of situation. Twain did not care what others thought of him. He only wanted the result of victory.
Forest retreated to defend, and Barcelona naturally would not be polite. They pressed forward heavily, wanting to equalize the score as soon as possible. Falling behind in a situation where they had one more player than their opponent was something that the proud and arrogant Barcelona players could not tolerate.
"Barcelona has launched a siege on Nottingham Forest. The match has returned to the situation before Forest scored. Now, it's Ronaldinho who has the ball. "
Albertino stood in front of the Brazilian. When they were celebrating the goal just now, he had a simple exchange with Arteta, switching to the more experienced Albertino to defend against the opponent's core.
Ronaldinho looked at Albertino standing in front of him. Albertino had chosen a good position, so he did not dare to rashly choose to break through.
However, as the core of the midfield, he did not only know how to break through. Ronaldinho could become the world's number one midfielder after Zidane not only because of his superb dribbling, but also because of his passing.
He twisted his buttocks and made a feint, causing Albertino to focus on preventing him from breaking through. Then, he passed the ball to Eto 'o in the penalty area in front.
Eto 'o leaned against Piqué, who was defending against him. He did not stop the ball, but directly pushed the ball to the left of his body, and at the same time, quickly turned around!
The explosive power of the African cheetah was astonishing. In an instant, he left Piqué behind!
He turned and broke through, facing the attacking Paul Gerrard … and shot!
Piqué's tackle looked more like a formalistic interference — completely without any practical effect. In that instant, Paul Gerrard became the savior of the team. He struck out in time to seal off Eto 'o's shooting angle, and then, in the nick of time, he reached out to grab the ball!
The ball changed direction and hit the goalpost, bouncing out!
Loud gasps rang out in the stadium.
It was not over yet!
The ball bounced back. Eto 'o was already on the ground, unable to get up in time to make a follow-up shot. At that moment, Ronaldinho, who had been just outside the penalty area, suddenly appeared in the penalty area. Facing the ball that bounced over, he swung his leg, wanting to directly volley a shot.
At that moment, the slippery field saved Forest's fate. When Ronaldinho swung his right leg, his supporting leg slipped, and he lost his center of gravity. His body fell to the left, and his swinging right leg did not kick the ball. Instead, it brushed past the ball!
Albertino, who chased after him, hurriedly kicked the ball out.
"Woo —" The sigh rang out again.
"Ronaldinho … what a pity! Eto 'o's shot was touched by Paul Gerrard at the most crucial moment, changed direction, and hit the goalpost. And Ronaldinho's follow-up shot did not kick the ball. "
"This bastard, he's too fast …" Piqué was still grumbling as he crawled up from the ground. He thought that his opponent would not have a chance if he blocked his position. He did not expect Eto 'o to use the most direct defense to break through him. He could threaten the goal with a turn.
After he got up, Piqué saw that the goalkeeper, Paul, was nervous. His taut facial expression was like his taut nerves. When he appeared on the squad list, it was probably more to make up the numbers, because the rules stipulated that there must be a goalkeeper on the substitute list. He himself did not think he would have any chance to play. In such an important game, Edwin van der Sar would definitely be in the starting lineup. Moreover, the goalkeeper was the most stable position, with few injuries. He knew his own limits. It was impossible for him to appear on the field. Absolutely impossible …
Paul Gerrard's heart was racing. He had watched the ball fly past his body just now, and his heart had leapt to his throat. He felt his knees go weak, and he knelt on the ground. Of course, he knew that he had touched the ball, but touching the ball did not necessarily mean that he could have saved it. These were two different things.
The ball eventually hit the goalpost and did not bounce into the goal. He had saved Eto 'o's shot. Even so, his wildly beating heart had not calmed down.
Piqué could certainly understand Paul's inner feelings. As a substitute goalkeeper who often did not get a chance to play, the pressure was not light to go on the field to guard the goal for Edwin van der Sar in the Champions League final. No matter what his ability was, after all, fate had made him the Forest team's goalkeeper for this game. They had to trust this man, give him encouragement, and let him play his best.
"Well done, Paul …" Piqué patted Gerrard on the shoulder and pulled him up. "You saved my life." He was right. If Eto 'o had scored the ball, the goalkeeper, Gerrard, would not have had to bear any responsibility. Piqué would have had to bear the blame for his poor defense.
Albertini also ran back and patted Paul Gerrard. "Well done."
The encouragement from his teammates finally eased Gerrard's tension.
"I insist that Paul Gerrard is not a player who can create miracles. But … at least at this moment, he did a good job. He saved Barcelona's most threatening attack in the first half of the game. "
This was indeed Barcelona's most threatening attack in the first half, because not long after, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.
When he came off the field, Albertini also found the referee and asked him about the penalty for Edwin van der Sar's foul. He felt that the referee had given too much punishment. Even though it should have been a red card according to the rules, Albertini felt that the penalty for sending off Forest's main goalkeeper just 18 minutes into the game was debatable.
The referee politely replied to Albertini with a few words, not wanting to be entangled in the past penalty. Albertini also tactfully shook hands with the referee and left.
Only Tang En stared unhappily at the referee, who walked off the field with the two assistant referees. Edwin van der Sar's sending off was bound to be the turning point of this game. If they lost the game, Tang En would bear a grudge against the referee for life.
"The first half of the game is over. Barcelona, who has the upper hand, is now behind Nottingham Forest, who has one less player. They have tried everything they can but cannot score a goal to equalize the score. Rijkaard should adjust well during the halftime interval. As for Nottingham Forest, even though they play the conservative style of football that we hate watching the most, I still have to applaud this team's courage. In a disadvantageous situation with one less player, they are still ahead of Barcelona. For Manager Tony Twain, who led his team into the Champions League finals for the first time, this is remarkable. "
The commentator's evaluation could be considered fair and objective.
Tang En angrily turned around and walked toward the tunnel. He did not notice that the rain was already getting lighter.
※ ※ ※
The Forest players in the locker room were all panting heavily. They took off their wet jerseys and threw them on the ground, then sat down to rest.
With one less player, fighting in the rain, and a strong opponent who attacked relentlessly. The psychological pressure had turned into a huge drain on their stamina.
Edwin van der Sar was still blaming himself for his foul. Perhaps he should have let Eto 'o go and let Barcelona score a goal. As long as their players were intact, they might have had a chance to equalize or even overtake. He sat in front of his locker and did not say a word.
Tang En pushed the door open and entered. He looked at the crowd. Other than the sound of panting, there was no other sound in the locker room. No one spoke. Everyone was silent.
This was not a good mental state.
"Hey, what's going on? Did we fall behind in the first half? "he asked. "Why do you all look listless? Aren't we leading Barcelona by one goal? Barcelona! The Barcelona that was praised to the skies before the match, the invincible, the best in the world, the synonym for perfection! The champions of the Spanish league, who beat Real Madrid to a pulp at the Bernabéu, swept across Europe, and set off a frenzy of attacking football. They have the best midfield superstar in the world, Ronaldinho, and they have one more player than us … We are in the lead against such a damn almost invincible team! What else are you unhappy about? "
"Before the match, there was so much media hype about George Wood's absence. It was as if Nottingham Forest was nothing without George! In the end? Do you know what I want to do the most right now? I want to slap those sons of bitches! You've all done well. All of you have done well. What's there to be silent about? "
At this point, there was a creak behind Tang En. George Wood pushed the door open and entered.
Tang En turned back to look at Wood. Wood stood at the door and looked at him. The two of them stared at each other.
Thinking back to what he had just said, the locker room was silent for about two seconds before it suddenly burst into laughter.
"Weren't you watching the match with your mother up there?" Tang En found it strange.
Wood nodded. "I wanted to come down and watch …"
Looking at the expression on Wood's face, Tang En laughed. "You're not used to watching the match sitting in a luxury box, right? Come in. "He waved at Wood.
Wood came in and sat in a corner.
Albertini stood up. "Boss … I think everyone was quiet just now because they were tired?" At this point, he turned to look at his teammates, hoping they would stand up to support his statement.
Immediately, a group of people nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's right. It's too tiring. After all, we're down one player, Boss."
"Alright, I accept that explanation. I just hope you all understand that no matter how bad the situation we face, don't give me that dispirited look. "He knocked on the tactical board." Let's talk about what we're going to do in the second half … "
"Barcelona will definitely step up their offense in the second half because they're behind." Tang En carefully searched through Barcelona's two goals in the second half in his mind. "You must pay attention to Eto 'o. We've done a good job defending in the middle. They don't have many chances, so we have to be careful of their attacks in the second half."
"Also, if Barcelona can't break through the situation, they may bring on Larsson, an experienced forward. Similarly, be careful of his ability to make plays. "
Both of Barcelona's goals against Arsenal had something to do with Larsson. That was his most glorious moment that season. Tang En believed that as long as they suppressed Larsson's performance, they could successfully change the outcome.
"Guys, we're already ahead of Barcelona. To hell with those who didn't think highly of us before the match! Let me tell you, it's not the most popular team that will definitely win the championship! It's also not the team with the most media support that will be the strongest! " Perhaps deep in his heart, he was still vaguely worried about the future of this highly similar match. But in front of his subordinates, Tang En did not show any of it. He waved his fists and cheered for the ten-man team, using his own words to motivate the players to create miracles in the match.
"Football matches are all about the results. Whoever wins in the end will be the strongest! Now that we're ahead of Barcelona, we're stronger than them! " (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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