After the first half of the game ended, Tang En did not look good. He lowered his head and walked straight back to the locker room. He was not blaming the players for their poor performance, but he was unhappy about his own bad luck.
Chelsea's equalizer goal had really left him speechless. With so many people in the penalty area, Lampard's long shot had really gone in.
The reckless shot that he thought posed no threat ended up scoring a goal. How could his mood be any better?
But when he entered the locker room and saw the players coming back one after another, Tang En's face broke into a smile again. He could not let the players be affected by his emotions.
"You guys did well. We were just a little unlucky." He comforted them. "Play like this in the second half. Score a goal. Score more goals. One goal isn't enough. "He raised his index finger and wagged it.
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On the other side, Mourinho was also praising his players, saying that they played well and did not panic after falling behind, which made him very pleased.
"But, getting a point here is not my request." Mourinho wagged his index finger. "We are the league champions for two consecutive seasons. This is the only opponent that we have not won against. I think it's a disgrace to all of us to say it. In the second half, continue to attack. If Nottingham Forest wants to go against us, we'll let them see the consequences of going against us! "
"In addition, the opponent's Chimbonda received a yellow card. Use it in the second half and focus on breaking through his point." Mourinho drew a cross on Nottingham Forest's right back position.
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The arrangements of both coaches during the halftime interval were very simple because there was nothing wrong with the tactics used in the first half. The goal concede was all within the plan, and so was the goal. Therefore, there was no need to make any adjustments. All the coaches needed to do was continue to boost morale and continue the tactics and form of the first half in the second half. They would consider adjustments when the situation arose.
After the second half of the game began, the situation of the game was the same as the first half. No one could completely suppress the other, and both sides had chances.
It could also be said that the two teams were evenly matched.
"If we said that Nottingham Forest and Chelsea were evenly matched two years ago, we would certainly be laughed at. But looking at the game now, what else can we say? A year ago, we rated Nottingham Forest as a dark horse. It would be inappropriate to say that they are a dark horse this season. Tony Twain has successfully brought this team to this stage. They should be heading towards the championship next, right? "
When Motson said this, Mark Lawrenson did not speak. Because this was a well-known fact, he could not refute it.
Two years ago, what kind of expression did everyone have when Nottingham Forest was mentioned? Disdain, unfamiliarity, nostalgia … what about now?
You can hate him and his team, but you can't ignore the results he has achieved.
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"Chelsea's offense is concentrated on our right flank." Kerslake said to Twain next to him.
"I saw it." Twain nodded.
In the first half, Chelsea's offense was mainly concentrated in the middle because both Albertini and van der Vaart could be used. Albertini was older, and his body was not as flexible as before. When faced with the fierce men in Chelsea's midfield, there would always be times when he was careless. Van der Vaart specialized in offense and did not participate much in defense, so the Forest team's middle was indeed a breakthrough point.
Didn't Lampard score from the middle? If George Wood was there, at least someone would run over to fill this position, and not watch helplessly as Lampard took a kick outside the penalty area.
In the second half, they concentrated on the Forest team's right flank and clearly found a breakthrough point that was more advantageous than Albertini — Chimbonda, who still had a yellow card on him.
Recently, the Forest team had been frightened by the red cards. Because of the conflict in the game against Reading, as well as the manager's "unbridled criticism" of the English referees after the game, the Forest team had become the main target of the referee's "attention." A little carelessness could lead to a "yellow card on them."
Therefore, during this time, the club had given a reminder to the players internally, asking them to pay attention to their actions in the game and not be foolish birds who ran into the muzzle of a gun during the crackdown.
Chimbonda certainly knew he had a yellow card on him if Chelsea took turns to bombard his side. He really could not guarantee that he could block the opponent's offense without fouling.
Now that he knew the opponent's intentions, he had to make corresponding countermeasures.
Twain called Sun Jihai back from the warm-up area and told him what to pay attention to after he went on the field. Sun Jihai knew it was time for him to perform.
"I know this task is a little heavy …" Twain instructed Sun Jihai in English. "Chelsea has placed almost all of their offense on our right flank. Now that Chimbonda has a yellow card, we can't keep him on the field. Do you understand, Sun? "
In fact, Twain could speak Mandarin. He and Sun Jihai had no problem communicating in Mandarin, but that was in private. In the team, Twain still insisted on communicating in English with Sun Jihai. He did not want Sun Jihai to think that he could abandon English as a means of communication with others just because he had a manager who could speak Mandarin.
Sun Jihai nodded. "I know, boss."
"Don't let the referee catch you, and don't give Chelsea a chance. Go. "Twain patted Sun Jihai on the shoulder and sent him to the sidelines.
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"Nottingham Forest has replaced Chimbonda, who has a yellow card, and replaced him with the China defender, Sun Jihai. Sun has played for Manchester City for many years and has now transferred to Nottingham Forest. It is said that Manager Tony Twain can communicate with Sun in very fluent Mandarin. Sun has lamented the standard of Twain's Mandarin. " When Motson broadcasted Sun Jihai's appearance, he also mentioned an interesting piece of news related to Twain.
Sun Jihai played as the right back and was mainly responsible for defense. At the moment, Chelsea's offense was swift and violent, but Twain was not in a hurry to attack.
He was really a good jack of all trades. With Wood suspended and the lack of a defensive midfielder, he played as the defensive midfielder. Chimbonda needed to avoid the risk of a red card, so he went up to play as the right back. Twain believed that if a left back was needed, Sun Jihai could also complete the task.
"Is replacing Sun Jihai to strengthen the defense on the right flank?" Mark Lawrenson finally found a place to criticize. "I don't think the ability of the China player can compare to Chimbonda, who was replaced. Sun is a good substitute, but he is only a substitute. Whether he plays as a defensive midfielder or a full back, he is not that reassuring. Replacing Chimbonda is because he is worried that he will get a second yellow card. If he is sent off with a red card, I can understand. But can the incompetent Sun withstand Chelsea's attack? "
"He was once Manchester City's main full back. If he was not injured … His ability is not as bad as you think, is it, Mark?"
"But he has suffered a serious injury after all."
When Lawrenson said so, Motson could not find a reason to refute. Indeed, since Sun Jihai suffered that serious injury, not only did he lose his main position in Manchester City, but his own ability had also been affected.
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In fact, Sun Jihai was very clear about his own ability. There was no need for Mark Lawrenson to remind him of his serious injury.
After the China men's national football team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany, Chinese football fell into an overall low point, whether it was the domestic league teams or individual players like him who studied abroad. After all, he was a Chinese and a Chinese player. Who did not want to perform better when they ventured outside? On one hand, to seek the greatest benefits for themselves, and on the other hand, to fight for the honor of the Chinese people?
China's football was in an overall slump, and the sport was almost a joke in the country. As a football player, it was inevitable that he would feel the same if the lips were gone. He still hoped to use his performance to give the domestic fans a shot in the arm. The appearance of Dunn, the China assistant manager, gave many people hope. But without a win in three games as an acting manager, there were a lot of cynical voices in the country immediately.
Chinese people were always used to feeling inferior about their football and took failure for granted …
Sun Jihai admitted that China's football performance was not good, but what could one person do?
He alone could not bring China's football back to life, and he could not change the stubborn problems of China's football system. The only thing he could do was to train well in the club and strive to perform well on the field, so that those who had not been disappointed in China's football could breathe a sigh of relief.
Robben dribbled the ball and charged towards Sun Jihai. Lampard and Shevchenko cruised near Robben.
Chelsea really valued him.
Sun Jihai did not dare to be negligent. He lowered his center of gravity and faced Robben's dribbling. As an experienced veteran who had been in England for many years, he knew how to deal with Robben. Even if Tang En did not tell him, he knew how to deal with Robben.
Robben dribbled the ball quickly. He needed to make movements while running and needed space for him to escape and accelerate. As long as he could suppress his speed and stop him from controlling the ball, the threat would be reduced by a third.
Sun Jihai would not stupidly stretch out his leg to intercept the ball when he saw Robben make movements. It would be irreparable once he was bypassed.
All he needed to do was to retreat with Robben and use his slowness to suppress the opponent's speed. As long as he forced Robben into a dead end, he would not be a threat.
It was a good idea. Unfortunately, Robben did not give him such a chance. After he made a move to cut inside, he suddenly knocked the football outwards and then turned to break through!
Sun Jihai was caught off guard and staggered from Robben's shake. It looked like Robben was about to break free in front of him. Albertini rushed out from the side and kicked the football that Robben had knocked out out of the sideline.
In order to completely get rid of the cautious China defender in front of him, Robben's kick was a little big. The football was a little further away from him. It was this little distance that allowed the more experienced Albertini to grab hold of it and successfully clear the siege.
Robben, who had made a wasted trip, kicked in the air regretfully. When he broke through Sun Jihai, all his attention was on the opponent in front of him. He did not notice that Albertini had come over to cover the defense.
Sun Jihai straightened up and prepared to thank Albertini.
He did not expect Albertini to give him a thumbs up first. "Well done, Sun. If that kid had a smaller kick, he wouldn't have been able to get past you. "
Sun Jihai smiled.
In the commentator's box, Lawrenson had another point of view. He found evidence to prove his point from this defense. "Look, John. Sun Jihai could do nothing about Robben's speed breakthrough. If Albertini had not rushed over to cover the defense, he would have been broken through by Robben. "
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Robben stomped hard on the turf under his feet. Because of his sudden acceleration, the turf in this area was overturned. He was going to make many breakthroughs here. If the turf was not good, it would affect his sprint.
After putting down the turf, he looked up at the serious-looking Easterner.
You won't be so lucky next time …
"Robben has the ball again! Shevchenko raises his hand next to him for the ball, but the Dutchman has no intention of passing the football out. He faces Sun Jihai and wants to break through! "
It was not that Robben did not see Shevchenko next to him, but he was confident in his breakthrough. He relied on his speed to gallop in the English Premier League and rarely met an opponent. Against Sun Jihai, he had absolute confidence to break through and then threaten the Forest team's goal.
He intended to break through. Sun Jihai was cautious and would not rashly make a move. Robben intended to do the same thing again. As a result, just as he began to make a feint inside cut, Sun Jihai suddenly shoveled with his foot and stopped the football that had left Robben's feet slightly!
“OH_YES！ Beautiful defense! " Motson, who had been silent when Lawrenson criticized Sun Jihai just now, cried out. "Beautiful shoveling, no foul! Nottingham Forest took the opportunity to attack! Robben is still on the ground asking for a free kick, but the referee ignored him! "
This time, it was Lawrenson's turn to be silent.
As the game progressed, everyone could already see that Tang En's substitution was definitely not a failure.
Sun Jihai's performance was indeed not as good as before since his serious injury, but his drive and professionalism were not affected by the injury. These made up for some of his shortcomings in ability.
Sun Jihai, who did not have a yellow card, was more daring than Chimbonda. Chelsea was somewhat helpless in the face of such a desperate but cautious defender.
After the situation on the field went through a phase where Chelsea had the upper hand, it gradually became a situation where Nottingham Forest regained the advantage.
As it turned out, Sun Jihai's appearance on the field effectively eased the defensive pressure faced by the Forest team.
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Nottingham Forest's attacking spirit rose, and the formation pressed further and further forward. Bale frequently assisted in the game because of Tang En's instructions. After the end of an attack, he was not in a hurry to return to defend. Instead, he waited in the front field for a chance to attack again. Most of the time, he looked more like a winger than a full back.
Even the center back, Kompany, had a good show of dribbling the ball forward to plug in a few times.
The center back could not help but go forward to join in the fun when the team's situation was good, and he still fulfilled his duty. The only one left in the backfield was Sun Jihai. It was not that his offensive ability was not as good as those mentioned above, nor was it that he did not like to participate in the offense. The reason for letting him stay in the backfield was simple. The manager let him come up to defend and did not let him attack.
When everyone was in the mood to kill, someone had to think about defense, right?
Nottingham Forest received a corner kick. Kompany and Piqué rushed up to prepare to head the ball into the goal. The left back, Gareth Bale, was the main player for the place kick. The Forest team's backfield was suddenly empty. Other than the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, only Albertini and Sun Jihai stayed behind to defend. Even so, their positions were still pressed to the center line.
The ball that Bale sent out was not headed by Kompany, Piqué, or any of the Forest players. Instead, it was directly picked up by Čech. Čech, who intercepted the Forest team's corner kick, directly threw the ball to launch an attack. He threw the football to Shevchenko in front!
The Ukrainian's speed was not inferior to Robben's at all. He had changed to a new environment this season, but he could not find his form, which made him very depressed. Now was a chance, a chance to prove himself again!
Shevchenko looked at the Forest team's situation in front of him before he received the ball. There was a wide space of about sixty yards between him and the Forest team's goal, but there were only two Forest players. One was his former teammate at AC Milan, the aging Albertini. With his speed, it would not be a problem to break through him.
The other was the Chinese man.
The two of them stood parallel to each other. Breaking through one was equivalent to breaking through two. This was a great opportunity for him to score!
"Shevchenko dribbles the ball to break through. The Ukrainian nuclear warhead is already aimed at Nottingham Forest's goal!"
A huge uproar immediately broke out over the City Ground stadium. The boos of the Nottingham Forest fans and the cheers of the Chelsea fans were intertwined.
Sun Jihai wanted to come up to be the first line of defense. He did not expect Albertini to yell at him amid the loud noise, "Go back! I'll do it! "
The captain's choice was right. Albertini, who was not fast, could only be the first line of defense. If he followed and retreated, he would be immediately left behind. Sun Jihai was faster. Between the two of them, he was the most suitable person to be the second line of defense.
Sun Jihai gritted his teeth and turned to run back.
Albertini pursed his lips tightly in the face of Shevchenko, who dribbled the ball toward him.
I didn't think we'd have a day like this … Come on, Sheva!
Shevchenko slowed down a little when he saw who was blocking in front of him. This gave Albertini an opportunity. He suddenly rushed up and quickly closed the distance between himself and Shevchenko. Then he blocked and intercepted the ball.
Just when he thought he had done it successfully, Shevchenko suddenly kicked the football to the side and then accelerated to bypass the statue-like Albertini.
"Albertini has been intercepted! Too easy! "
Too easy … That was what Albertini thought too. When Shevchenko suddenly accelerated, he did not even have time to foul and let the opponent get out of his control range.
I'm really getting old …
Seeing that Albertini had been broken through, Sun Jihai, who was retreating, had already run to a place only five meters away from the top of the arc. He heard the people in the stands of the UEFA team opposite him raise their arms and stand up. He quickly looked back, just in time to see the scene of Shevchenko breaking through Albertini.
He gritted his teeth and turned to pounce back.
Shevchenko kicked the ball a little too wide in order to get rid of Albertini. Sun Jihai thought of the scene of Albertini helping him defend against Robben and decided to repay the captain.
Both men were chasing the rolling football at high speed, like two meteors about to collide, with a dazzling flame trailing behind them.
Who would win this competition?
Sun Jihai knew he could not outrun Shevchenko. When there was still a distance between him and the football, he grasped it for a moment and did not hesitate to drop to the ground to shovel.
Manager Tang En's instructions were still in his ears. He did not forget. This was not a foul. He was completely aiming for the football. Even if he brought Shevchenko down in passing, there was no reason for the referee to call for a foul, no matter how much he disliked the Forest team when neither of them had full control of the football.
But a world-class striker must have his own strengths. Shevchenko saw Sun Jihai's plan. Under the situation where his center of gravity was not very good, he suddenly leaned forward and stretched out his right foot to poke the football first!
Sun Jihai missed!
"The second one! Shevchenko's beautiful breakthrough! He wants to prove to people that he is by no means the biggest fake in the history of the Premier League! "
Sun Jihai slid on the ground. He looked up and saw the Ukrainian nuclear warhead sweep over his body, casting a shadow.
It's over! What did it mean to let such a striker face the goalkeeper one-on-one? Not scoring was simply harder than reaching the sky …
Shevchenko did not have the mood to look back at the loser he had broken through. Because of the forceful poke, his speed and center of gravity were affected. He had to adjust everything before Edwin van der Sar hit the spot, and then slip past the attacking goalkeeper to easily score the football into the empty goal …
The speed of Edwin van der Sar's attack was a little unexpected. When he finally adjusted the football, Edwin van der Sar had already rushed to the edge of the penalty area, and he just happened to step in.
This meant that Edwin van der Sar could intercept the ball with his hands, and the scene in last season's Champions League final would not happen.
The television cameras were locked on this area. Whether it was the fans at the scene or the television audience, their eyes were firmly fixed on the two men.
A goal. Chelsea overtook the score. Their morale was greatly boosted.
If they did not advance, Nottingham Forest escaped.
Shevchenko had no time to adjust again. He made a move to break through in a straight line. Edwin van der Sar did not fall for it. He waited for the Ukrainian's next move. Sure enough, Shevchenko pulled the football sideways and went to the middle, intending to shoot directly.
The 1.97-meter-tall Edwin van der Sar fell toward the football and opened his arms to increase his length as much as possible, intending to stop Shevchenko's next shot.
The commentator, Motson's voice unknowingly doubled. His buttocks almost left his seat as he held the microphone and shouted, "Shevchenko has deceived Edwin van der Sar! Shevchenko … He swings the angle! No center of gravity! This is an empty goal, this is an empty goal! Raise your leg to shoot —!! "
Just behind the goal, the Chelsea fans stood up and raised their arms, ready to celebrate the goal. The Forest fans' boos were overwhelming, as if to hiss the football out of the goal range.
A red figure suddenly rushed into everyone's field of vision.
It's not over yet, it's not f * * king over yet!
As Sun Jihai ran at high speed, his eyes stared at the ball that Shevchenko shot. Shevchenko, who had lost his center of gravity in order to get past Edwin van der Sar, barely managed to shoot. The ball that he kicked out was not a ground ball, but a half high ball, and it fell toward the goal in a parabola.
Sun Jihai, who returned to defend, still had a chance.
The football was getting closer and closer to the goal. If he did not kick now, there would be no chance … Sun Jihai decisively soared into the air and kicked his right foot forward. His eyes were still fixed on the football in the air. He wanted to confirm if his foot had blocked the ball.
Shevchenko, who fell to the ground, also stared at the ball he shot out. He also wanted to confirm that the football had entered the goal.
"Bang!" The football and Sun Jihai's foot met in the air. It was kicked, then changed direction and flew diagonally out of the end line!
"Sun Jihai! Sun Jihai! Unbelievable … unbelievable! It's unbelievable! He saved the team! "Motson had completely stood up from his seat, holding the microphone, spittle flying everywhere. "A perfect return to defend!"
In the stands behind the Forest team's goal, all the people in blue had their arms raised high, but now they held their heads in frustration.
The other three stands erupted with deafening cheers.
“SUN！ SUN！ SUN! "They shouted Sun Jihai's surname.
Piqué, who had not been able to catch up after sprinting all the way, did not stop. Instead, he took advantage of the fall and slid toward Sun Jihai, who was still lying on the ground. He hugged him, pressed his forehead against each other, and yelled at him. That scene was too thrilling and exciting.
The second to join in the roar was the captain, Albertini. The third was Edwin van der Sar, who had been saved by Sun Jihai. More and more Forest players rushed up to celebrate Sun Jihai, as if the Chinese player had scored a goal.
Tang En swung a few punches off the field, then turned back to the coaches and said fiercely, "Who the f * * k thinks we bought him for the China market!"
Motson was still roaring, and Mark Lawrenson was completely extinguished.
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