"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the heavyweight showdown of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 finals presented to you by ESPN! The two sides are the opponents from last season's Champions League final, Barcelona and Nottingham Forest! Due to Manager Tony Twain's actions and words after the final, the two teams have accumulated enough grievances this season. Now they can finally resolve this grievance on the football field! " The ESPN commentator in China described the match between the two teams as if it was a decisive battle at the top of the Forbidden City in a martial arts novel, but it was very suitable for the current relationship between the two teams.
Of course, the Barcelona fans in China would certainly not think that Nottingham Forest was some hero who could be compared to their own team. Many Barcelona fans could be said to "hate" Tony Twain to the bone. They would gnash their teeth when they talked about him.
The ESPN China commentary was used here to illustrate that the round of 16 match had attracted the attention of the world. After a long period of media hype, everyone was very interested in this "sequel" to last year's final.
Not only in England and Barcelona, but in the larger United Kingdom, Spain, other European countries, as well as Asian countries like China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and South America, they would all be able to watch the live broadcast of the match through satellite.
The two teams played 1: 1 in the first half, but this was far from enough for the spectators.
So far, both sides had only scored two goals. There were no red or yellow cards, no intense physical altercations, no soaring curses from the stands … There was nothing at all. It was too unworthy of the pre-match description of the match — "Mars colliding with Earth."
The commentators had prepared a bellyful of words to describe how exciting this match was, but now they realized that it was useless.
Tony Twain was certainly not the kind of saint who sacrificed himself to help others. Rijkaard was also a little annoyed by the Forest team's stubborn defense. So now everyone was pinning their hopes on some changes in the second half of the match. No matter which side scored, who was sent off, or who was seriously injured, as long as there was an accident that could break the current equilibrium, then needless to say, the second half would be exciting!
"The second half of the match has just begun. As expected, Barcelona has launched a fierce attack on Nottingham Forest's goal on their home ground! They want to score as soon as possible … Let's see Nottingham Forest's countermeasures … It's really disappointing. It's still a lifeless defense, defense, defense, defense! Is Tony Twain satisfied with being able to leave Camp Nou with an away goal? "
The television broadcast gave a close-up of Tang En, who was sitting in the manager's seat.
Tang En's smile was gone, and the expression on his face gradually turned serious.
"Alright, looks like he's not satisfied …"
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George Wood did not forget what Tang En had said to him during the halftime interval, telling him not to blindly defend and to think of a way to send the football forward. But now it was not that he did not want to send the ball forward, but Barcelona's attack was so fierce that he could not care about moving forward.
Barcelona's offensive routine became more flexible and varied in the second half. Ronaldinho was no longer the only core. If he watched the Brazilians too rigidly, they would pass the ball to Messi or Eto 'o, as well as Deco, Iniesta, and Xavi, who plugged in from behind. Barcelona's offense was like the rising tide of the sea, wave after wave, each higher than the last.
No matter how good George Wood was, he could not appear on the left, the middle and the right at the same time, could he? Fortunately, the entire team gave him enough support in the second half.
It was currently a stalemate. Barcelona's offense looked fierce, but it could not form a real threat to Nottingham Forest's goal. Most of the time, Deco and the others could only helplessly choose to do long shots. Eto 'o's and Messi's movements in the flanks were even more strictly monitored. Forest was very good at doing this kind of compressed defense.
In the last finals, Barcelona had a taste of Forest doing this. That defense only allowed them to knock open Forest's goal at the very end. This time, Forest's lineup was complete, and no one was sent off. The goalkeeper was the main force, Edwin van der Sar, and the defensive core, George Wood, was holding the line. Tang En was confident in playing defensive counterattack against Barcelona in the away game.
He wanted to use the reinforced concrete defense he inherited from Italy to tie up Barcelona's proud offense, and then rely on speed to deliver a fatal blow!
At the moment, the defense was still fine and could withstand Barcelona's offense. It was now up to the offense …
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When the team was on the defensive, Ribéry and Ashley Young were on the two flanks, occasionally participating in the defense. Ashley Young came back to defend more often, but Ribéry could not be like his teammates. Because when he came back, Wood would glare at him. Although he did not say anything, Ribéry understood what he meant.
Wood was worried that there were not enough people in front and that he could not go up when they needed to attack, so he did not let him return to defend frequently.
He actually wanted to tell Wood that his stamina was fine, and he was fast enough to support frequent sprints from the back to the front. But looking at Wood's sweaty head, he opened his mouth and gave up the idea.
Well, I'll wait in front, waiting for you to pass the ball …
Ronaldinho took the ball and George Wood leaned over. This time, the Brazilian did not dribble the ball to the middle, but to the right flank. He wanted to seek cooperation with Messi.
Wood followed Ronaldinho to the left, and Messi immediately understood what his senior wanted to do. He was ready to receive the ball.
Wood was not a fool. He noticed Messi, who was ready to run to the middle. Follow Ronaldinho or Messi?
"George!" Bale called out to him from behind. Apparently, the little monkey was also facing the same choice.
Wood waved his hand behind him, motioning for Bale to cover the middle and he would defend the flank. He decided that whether Ronaldinho passed the ball or dribbled the ball to break through, he would follow him.
After Ronaldinho came to the flank, Messi ran behind him. At this moment, Wood raised his vigilance and his eyes were fixed on the football. Ronaldinho circled his feet and he almost pounced to intercept the ball. The football was not passed by Ronaldinho. Messi just made a feint. Fortunately, Wood did not move. Otherwise, he would have provided Ronaldinho with a flaw for him to break through.
Messi ran empty, and Bale followed Messi again. Ronaldinho did not pass the ball immediately and lost a good opportunity to pass the ball again. Even if he passed the football to Messi now, it was not a good choice. It looked like he intended to challenge Wood again on the flank.
In fact, Ronaldinho did intend to pass the ball to Messi the moment he crossed with Messi, and then cut into the empty space to run. But when he saw Wood staring intently at the football, he raised his foot and changed his mind at the last minute, turning it into a feint.
He only won once in several one-on-one challenges in the first half. He did not want to let it go just like that.
He was very good at doing all kinds of feints on the flank, especially his best … Ox Tail!
Wood did not know what his opponent was thinking at this time. He just stared at the football and did not even look up to see the expression on Ronaldinho's face at this time.
He stared at the football and stared at it … No matter how Ronaldinho's foot circled around the football to interfere with him. He only recognized the football. If the football did not move, he would not move. He was not afraid of the passage of time. Anyway, he was not the one who should be anxious, but Barcelona, who was eager to win. But at the same time, his body was like a taut bowstring, as if he was about to shoot an arrow.
The football in front of him suddenly swayed and was about to rush past his right side!
Wood did not hesitate to shovel to that side.
What about the football?
He saw the football clearly coming this way. Why did it just move a little and suddenly make an incredible ninety-degree turn in the air and fly to the left side of his body?!
Before he could figure out the reason, Ronaldinho had already started to rush past his left side!
"Ox Tail! Wonderful! Wonderful … What else can we say other than wonderful? No, words pale and powerless in the face of this extraordinary performance! That's right, this is a performance! A performance that elevates technique to art! "
Along with the commentator's generous praise, Camp Nou and the entire city of Barcelona rang with loud cheers … Or it could be said that the sound was a demonstration and warning to Nottingham Forest, who intended to strut around in their territory.
We have Ronaldinho! He is a football wizard that God gave to the world!
Someone on Barcelona's substitutes' bench stood up and cheered for the player, while looking forward to the next goal.
At this point, whether Ronaldinho dribbled in to shoot from a tight angle or passed the ball, the chances of a goal were high. Eto 'o and Messi, and even Deco, rushed to the Forest team's goal for the first time.
And because Bale was pulled away, Wood was bypassed. Kompany and Piqué, who were supposed to defend those people in the middle, had to separate a player to rush to the side to stop Ronaldinho.
The situation in front of the Forest team's goal was critical!
Piqué glanced back at Kompany and did not hesitate to rush up to Ronaldinho. But he had just started to move when he heard a loud roar, like a thunderbolt exploding in his ear — "Go back! Defend the middle! "
Immediately after, he saw George Wood, who had just been shaken by Ronaldinho and lost his center of gravity, turn around and pounce. His face was ferocious, like a black panther that had seen its prey.
He was frightened by Wood's expression and such a quick reaction. He did not retreat to defend but froze in place.
This was a good opportunity for Ronaldinho. The Forest team's defense in the middle had been emptied by his breakthrough. There were three Barcelona players in front of the goal. There was no lack of front, center, and back. As long as the quality of the pass was high, the possibility of a goal was very high!
He no longer hesitated and prepared to lift his leg to pass the ball.
At that moment, he saw Messi, who had pounced forward, suddenly stop and look at him in horror, as if he had seen something incredible.
You idiot … What are you doing standing there? You happen to be in line with Piqué. How can I pass it to you?
Ronaldinho scolded Messi in his heart for dropping the ball at a crucial moment, but he completely forgot the danger around him.
Wood sprinted back to defend at high speed and saw Ronaldinho swing one leg high. It looked like he was going to pass the ball. There was still a distance between his supporting leg and the football. This was the best and only chance …
"George Wood — a fierce tackle! Oh! "The commentator exclaimed, as if he had been shoved out of the field by Wood.
Wood took advantage of the moment when Ronaldinho was about to pass the ball to shovel the football out. The unstoppable momentum knocked the Brazilian out of the penalty area, and the two men fell together in front of the billboard outside.
The Camp Nou stadium inhaled sharply and then roared at the same time, "Penalty kick!!"
The same voice came from Barcelona's substitutes' bench. Rijkaard directly stepped forward and rushed to the sidelines, intending to cheer for the penalty kick.
But what did they see?
The assistant referee and the referee pointed at the corner flag at the same time!
Corner kick?
Corner kick!
Corner kick?!
Rijkaard jumped up abruptly and really flew into a rage.
The Barcelona fans were indignant, and the Barcelona players were indignant. Ronaldinho was still lying on the ground in pain, ready to let Wood make the foul a reality. As a result, when he clearly saw the referee's gesture, he jumped up from the ground and angrily waved his arms at the referee to protest the penalty. His teammates had already rushed up to surround the referee to demand an explanation.
"The referee has awarded a corner kick … This is unbelievable. George Wood's tackle was so fierce and it looked very lethal, but it was just a corner kick? Let's look at the replay again … "
In the replay, the slow-motion camera repeatedly replayed the moment back and forth several times. It clearly showed that Wood shoveled the ball first, and then because he could not control the huge kinetic energy of the shovel, he knocked Ronaldinho out. The referee's decision was correct.
"Well, it looks like a really clean and beautiful shovel … It was really thrilling. If he had been a second later, I bet this foot would have definitely shoveled Ronaldinho's right foot."
George Wood was pulled up by Piqué. The Spanish kid even patted him on the thigh and said with lingering fear, "I didn't expect you to really shovel over …"
"Is there any other way?" Wood asked curiously.
"No, uh … I mean, aren't you afraid of getting a penalty kick?"
"I didn't think that much." Wood's answer left Piqué at a loss for words. Should he say that this man was skilled and daring, or was he simple-minded and all brawn and no brain?
Bell, on the other hand, was so excited that he rushed forward and hugged Wood tightly. He shouted, "You did a great job, George! You knew he would leave football, didn't you? "
Wood pushed him away. "All right, go defend the corner kick."
Bale obediently ran away. Only then did Wood notice that Ronaldinho, who had been next to him, was staring at him with a face full of anger. He must still be angry that the shovel was not a penalty kick but a corner kick. He did not want to pay attention, but he was stopped.
"Hey, hey!" Ronaldinho did not speak much English, so he could only question in Portuguese. "That was clearly a foul! If you're honest, you shouldn't be celebrating here! "
In fact, it was more like a complaint to himself. Ronaldinho did not expect George Wood to understand his Portuguese.
He did not expect Wood to stop and look back at him when he heard him say that. Obviously, he understood.
Wood just looked at Ronaldinho and did not say anything in the end. He turned and ran away again.
The Barcelona players were still unrelenting around the referee. Rijkaard attracted special attention from the fourth official because he was too emotional just now.
He repeatedly reiterated to the fourth official that he was convinced that the shovel was a foul in the penalty area and should have been awarded a penalty kick. The fourth official's answer was like a robot with a preprogrammed content. He just repeated, "I believe in the referee's decision on the field. Besides, it was a decision made by the referee and the assistant referee at the same time. There will be no problem. Please calm down, Mr. Rijkaard. "
Could he calm down?
As if it was specifically to provoke him, Tang En jumped up from his seat, raised his arms and cheered. Then he turned around and gave the agitated fans in the stands of Camp Nou the finger. Of course, it was not the middle finger. He put his index finger to his lips and pursed his lips. His meaning could not be more obvious — he wanted the noisy Barcelona fans to quieten down.
Could the Barcelona fans quieten down?
Tang En was not naive enough to think so. This was a provocation. In the end, as he wished, the stands behind the technical area erupted like a volcano. Boos and curses aimed at Tony Twain abruptly erupted.
Rijkaard, of course, also saw it. He pointed at Tang En and yelled at the fourth official next to him, "You calm that bastard down first!"
The fourth official turned around just in time to see the scene of Tang En provoking the Barcelona fans, so he left Rijkaard behind and quickly ran toward Tang En. He stood between Tang En and the fans in the stands, wanting to chase him to the away team's technical area.
"Please watch your words and actions, Mr. Tony Twain!" The fourth official sent by the UEFA reminded Tang En, who was still going against the fans, with a dark face. "Don't cause trouble for us, and don't cause trouble for yourself!"
Tang En finally put down his index finger and pointed at the agitated fans in the stands instead. He said to the fourth official, "Those fans are calling my players liars, sons of b * tches. May I ask if the UEFA has any laws to punish and prevent such a situation?"
The fourth official froze for a moment and shook his head. "No …"
Tang En whistled. "How fair." Then he shrugged, turned around, and walked back. Behind him, there was still the incessant boos and curses. The waves of sound seemed to be driven by a strong wind, attacking him, wanting to completely engulf his figure.
The direction in which he walked back happened to be face to face with Rijkaard. From afar, the two men stared at each other. Tang En saw Rijkaard. After he walked closer, he spread his hands at his opponent and tilted his head helplessly. This action made Rijkaard gnash his teeth in hatred. The Dutchman was not a man who liked to pick fights with others, but he could not suppress his anger when faced with a scoundrel like Tony Twain.
"This damn bastard!" He turned around and punched the ceiling of the technical area.
"Calm down, Franck!" The assistant manager, the Dutch legend Neeskens, who was older than him, had to remind him. "You're the soul of this team, the leader. You can't be angered by the opponent and lose your cool thinking mind!"
"Sorry … It's okay now." Rijkaard covered his head with both hands and sat down. His ten fingers were in his braids, scratching them.
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Tang En certainly saw all of this. Although he could not hear the conversation between Neeskens and Rijkaard, he knew that Rijkaard could not truly calm down.
He had achieved his goal.
Next, he could turn his attention back to the field. The curses of the Barcelona fans behind him? Sorry, he did not understand Catalan.
As for the universal, easy-to-understand English word like "fuck," his ears automatically filtered it out.
The Barcelona players surrounding the referee did not get the result they had hoped for. This time, the referee and the assistant referee were in agreement. The referee did not even have to run over to ask the assistant referee for his opinion. He firmly awarded the corner kick. He waved away the Barcelona players around him and told them to hurry up and take the corner kick. Otherwise, he might take out a yellow card to warn some people who were still chattering.
The decision had a huge impact on the entire Barcelona team. It had a different level of impact on their emotions and morale.
Ronaldinho's corner kick was not of high quality. The football flew over the goal and was easily picked up by Edwin van der Sar.
The Nottingham Forest fans, who had been suppressed by the boos, finally heard their voices again. They sang the lyrics they had made up on the spot and set up a popular tune. "You have Ronaldinho, we have George Wood! Your footwork is fancy and beautiful, we tackle the ball fiercely and directly — no foul! La la la, no foul! No way even if you want a penalty kick. All! No! No way! "
Amid the resounding singing of the Forest fans, Nottingham Forest, wearing the yellow away jersey, launched an attack with a throw-in from Edwin van der Sar.
The Dutch goalkeeper's throw-in was very far, almost directly past the midfield. Franck Ribéry appeared in the middle and received the ball.
The defensive players had successfully completed their task. They had stopped Barcelona's several attacks. Now it was the offensive players' turn to play their role.
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