"Franck Ribéry — he grabbed the chance to shoot in the crowd! Nottingham Forest leads Barcelona for the second time! With seventeen minutes to go before the end of the game, this situation is downright bad news for Rijkaard's team. If they want to win, they must score two goals in a row in the last twenty minutes, including the injury stoppage time, and ensure that their defense does not continue to concede goals. That's a little difficult. The Nottingham Forest fans cheered. This is a score that makes them happy! "
Fat John and Bill hugged each other in the stands. The score did not just make them happy, but excited them. The hardcore fans naturally knew what it meant to win at Camp Nou. Since ancient times, there had been only a handful of teams that could take down this stadium.
"Guys, sing our song!" John turned back and shouted at the thousands of Forest fans in the stands.
"The world is in our hands! We are invincible and invincible! Because we are the strongest team! Oh oh oh — "
After a few seconds of silence, the Barcelona fans booed loudly again, trying to drown out the singing of the Forest fans.
The Forest fans raised their volume when they saw the situation. They only had seven thousand people, but they did not want to lose to the seventy thousand Barcelona fans.
In the end, the Barcelona fans desperately booed, and the Forest fans desperately raised their volume. It was no longer singing, but roaring. They roared until their voices were hoarse.
The Forest fans in the stands frantically confronted the Barcelona fans, and the Forest players in the field also wildly celebrated the goal. They celebrated unscrupulously in front of the Barcelona players.
Ribéry ran across the stadium with a group of his teammates and rushed to the stands where the Forest fans were. A group of people waved their arms and directed the singing fans to get them to sing louder and louder.
It was a good time to stir up emotions.
Even Tony Twain's celebration was a little out of the ordinary. He did not think of giving a hint of respect to his opponent in this stadium. He celebrated as if he were at his home ground, hugging everyone in the technical area and the substitutes' bench. After the hug, he also waved his fist at the Barcelona fans in the stands behind him to demonstrate.
This action, of course, caused him to be cursed even more fiercely. If he could understand Catalan, those words would be vicious enough to bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, he didn't understand. He just smiled and looked at the angry Barcelona fans, then bowed slightly and turned around to let them see his back.
"Before the game, we thought that since Tony Twain swore that the game was under his control, he was either lying, a psychological attack, or he really had a way to deal with Barcelona. Now it seemed that it was the latter. His team did have a way to deal with Barcelona. The Nottingham Forest players remembered last season's failure. Now they finally found the best time to take revenge and vent their emotions. For Tang En's team, Barcelona is indeed their best opponent in the round of 16. The best, the best … opponent that could not be any better. "
"… The English teams are different from the teams in other countries' leagues. The manager is the soul of a team. The personality of a manager often determined the character of the team. By studying Tony Twain, we can clearly understand what kind of person he is. To put it bluntly, he is narrow-minded, vengeful, and can't afford to lose. Then his team is likely to be the same. Barcelona beat them in last season's final, which made them very unhappy. They were more motivated to play this game than any other game. It's no surprise that they were able to lead Barcelona twice … "
"Although you're not my favorite manager in England, Tony Twain, you're representing England in the Champions League. But in the Champions League, you represent England. I still have to say — well done, Forest! "
"Barcelona had the advantage, but in the end, Forest took the lead twice. Nottingham Forest was almost always at a disadvantage, but they led Barcelona twice … Football is so wonderful! "
"The game is not over yet. Barcelona still has a chance! Nottingham Forest did not win the game. Although they got two away goals, I believe Barcelona won't let them leave Camp Nou with three points. The people here don't agree! "
The commentators from various countries expressed their views on the current situation. Some evaluated from an objective and neutral point of view, some expressed appreciation for Tony Twain, and some encouraged Barcelona not to give up.
Compared to Tang En's flamboyance, Rijkaard stood in the open space in front of the technical area with a pained expression.
The Forest team was clearly very good at playing defensive counterattack. They were very familiar with this strategy after luring Barcelona out and then suddenly launching a counterattack.
But now was not the time to consider why Nottingham Forest was able to take the lead. Instead, they had to seriously consider how to tie the score in the last 20 minutes and then turn the tables to achieve a big reversal.
This … Rijkaard did not want to admit it, but it was indeed difficult.
Pressing forward on a large scale meant that there were more gaps behind them. More gaps behind them meant that Nottingham Forest would have more opportunities to display their best defensive counterattack.
Should they recklessly attack and use more goals to salvage their defeat, or should they cautiously wait for the final whistle to be blown?
Was there even a need to choose?
After biting his lip on the sidelines for a while, Rijkaard walked back to the substitutes' bench and called up the French winger, Giuly.
On the other side, Rijkaard had just sent Giuly on, and Tang En also made a substitution.
He replaced Mikel Arteta and sent Petrov on. This completely fixed Ribéry in the middle of the midfield, similar to the position of an attacking midfielder. On the other hand, Petrov carried out a surprise attack on the left flank.
"Both sides have made adjustments. What excites us is that Nottingham Forest, who is in the lead, did not bring on a defensive player. Instead, they continue to make adjustments to their offense. Tony Twain replaced Mikel Arteta in the middle and sent on the extremely fast left forward, Petrov. His speed will be an important weapon for the Forest team in defensive counterattack. It looks like Manager Tony Twain is going to carry out his defensive counterattack to the end here. "
The commentator was right. Tang En knew that under such circumstances, Rijkaard had no other choice. He would never accept admitting defeat here and would inevitably send on an offensive player to fight to the death with Nottingham Forest.
As for Tang En, he seized the opportunity to continue to strengthen the speed of his counterattack. On one hand, the defensive lineup remained the same and stabilized the rear defense. On the other hand, he continued to improve the speed of his counterattack and his individual combat ability. He knew that as the game progressed, it would no longer be realistic to ask the team to send more players up during the offense. At that time, the counterattack could only rely on the players' individual abilities. Petrov was fast and excellent with his dribbling. Whether it was a pass or a shot, he was very good. It would be best to let him go up to counterattack.
Rijkaard also knew what Tang En meant by doing this. He was not an idiot who did not know anything. He could tell. Tang En followed him closely every time to make a substitution. Why? Because he wanted to make adjustments in response to his last substitution. This cunning and despicable fox!
Now, the Dutch manager could only curse his opponent in his heart. He had no other choice. Or rather, he had no other choice. Even if he knew that Tang En wanted to do so, he could only let his team continue to step up their offense and constantly threaten the Forest team's goal, hoping to break through Edwin van der Sar's defenses sooner. There was only one way for Barcelona to go now — to replace defense with offense.
※ ※ ※
As the game progressed, it entered into the plot of Barcelona's frantic counterattack and Nottingham Forest's battered and exhausted but tenacious defense.
Rijkaard's idea was correct. Barcelona's desperate momentum and offense pushed the Forest team, who still wanted to play defensive counterattack, back to their own half of the field. Petrov, who was replaced, could only run back to participate in the defense and had no time to counterattack.
In the 80th minute, Tang En made a substitution before Rijkaard this time. This was also his last substitution for the game. He replaced Gareth Bale with Leighton Baines to strengthen the defense on the left flank. After Baines came on, he also passed a message to Wood.
Tang En told him to stop caring about the offense and devote himself to the defense. Keep a close eye on Ronaldinho and, if possible, help defend against Messi.
He followed Ronaldinho closely, no matter where he went. He did not give him the slightest space. Not only did he follow him, but he also constantly used his dominant body to squeeze toward Ronaldinho, constantly harassing Ronaldinho's possession of the ball, making him unable to move in peace. It annoyed him so much that he could only pass the ball.
Tang En saw this scene off the field and chuckled. He turned his head to his two assistant managers and said, "Now Ronaldinho must regret why George Wood did not play in that final. He lost first-hand, the most detailed information. Before this match, I bet that all he knew about Wood was limited to written materials and videos of the match. This kind of thing, you still have to experience it for yourself to know. Haha! Your body is more trustworthy than any written or video information. "
It was not the first time Ronaldinho had felt this kind of anxiety. In the away game against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage and in the first leg of the season's El Clásico, he felt this kind of defense that followed him like a shadow in both games. His technique was good, but he also needed space and time to display these techniques. He could not display his magic-like skills under any circumstances. Unfortunately, Wood's defense did not give him such space and time. His body constantly felt the collision from the opponent, and more of his energy had to be focused on maintaining his body's balance and not losing the ball.
Ronaldinho was the core of Barcelona's current offense. If he could not perform, Barcelona's offense would be very scattered.
From the looks of it, that was the case. Barcelona became more and more anxious in the final moments. More people did not have the patience to enter the penalty area through meticulous coordination in front of the penalty area. Instead, they constantly tried long shots, hoping to use the simplest and most convenient method to score a goal.
Faced with Barcelona's long shots, the Forest players used any part of their bodies other than their arms to block them. Anyway, there was not much time left. As long as they persevered to the end, they would be the victors and could leave Camp Nou with their heads held high. No matter how pathetic they looked now or how ugly the situation was, as long as they won the game, it would all vanish.
※ ※ ※
"Defend! Defend! " Edwin van der Sar roared on the field. The situation was critical. After Barcelona's frequent long shots were ineffective, they began to organize meticulous short passes to penetrate. They had already broken into the penalty area twice to form a shot.
On the sidelines, Tang En and assistant manager Kerslake also stood up from their seats. Faced with Barcelona's storm-like attack, they could no longer sit quietly in their seats.
Loud shouts rang out above Camp Nou. "Barça! Barça! Barça!! " The fans were cheering for their team. This was a crucial moment. No one wanted to see an arrogant person strut around on their own turf.
At this moment, their hatred for Tony Twain must have exceeded their hatred for Real Madrid and RCD Espanyol combined.
Anyone could lose, but they could never lose to Tony Twain and his team!
Even under such circumstances, the Forest team did not forget their task of waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. Petrov finally seized a chance to fight back. Unfortunately, after he sprinted more than 60 meters on the sidelines, the football brushed against the goalpost and rolled out of the end line in the face of Valdés's attack.
At that moment, the hearts of the fans at Camp Nou collectively stopped beating.
"Petrov … The ball didn't go in! It didn't go in! It brushed against the goalpost and rolled out … It was too thrilling! Barcelona desperately wants to equalize the score, but their defense is teetering in the wind. If the Forest team counterattacks like this a few more times … I can't imagine what the result will be. Fortunately, there's not much time left. The Forest team probably won't be able to do it a few more times. Unfortunately, there's not much time left. Barcelona is still one goal behind. "
The fourth official walked to the sidelines and raised the injury stoppage sign — three minutes.
On the sidelines, Rijkaard anxiously waved for his players to press forward and forget about defense.
Twain was also on the sidelines, but he no longer yelled for the team to defend. Instead, he stood on the sidelines with both hands in his pockets and watched the show.
At this time, there was basically nothing for the coaches to do. The adjustments that needed to be done had long been done. Everyone knew what needed to be said. What was the point of standing on the sidelines and yelling, other than putting on a show? Twain chose to quietly watch the last three minutes of the game.
No matter how Barcelona bombarded, he believed his team could hold on. Because he knew how stubborn and crazy this group of people were to defeat Barcelona. They were more unwilling than him to allow the victory in their hands to slip away.
The Barcelona players were still attacking frantically, trying everything they could to seize the time. But the three minutes of injury stoppage time were still passing mercilessly, taking away the hope of more and more Barcelona fans with each passing second.
There were already Barcelona fans in the stands at Camp Nou stadium who had left early, while the Nottingham Forest fans sang loudly in excitement in their own stands.
Rijkaard did not make a sound. He bit his lip and frowned as he appeared on the television screen. He was at a loss for what to do with the situation in front of him.
The fighting spirit and confidence shown by Nottingham Forest in this game had completely exceeded his expectations.
Generally speaking, the other teams that came to Camp Nou must want to try not to lose and treat a draw as a win. Unexpectedly, the goal of Twain and his team, who were not afraid of death, was actually to win.
He looked at the Barcelona players, who ran desperately on the field like headless flies. They wanted to score a goal and equalize the score — at this moment, Barcelona's goal had changed from a reversal to an equalization — but the reality was so cruel.
Rijkaard lowered his head. He did not want to see the scene on the field when the final whistle was blown.
Twain turned his head to look at Dunn behind him. Dunn knew what he meant and said, "There's still half a minute left."
Twain nodded and pulled his hands out of his trouser pockets. He slowly pointed to the sky and then clenched them into fists. The action looked like he was stretching, which made the Barcelona fans in the stands behind him grit their teeth.
※ ※ ※
"The game is over!" When Eto 'o missed another long shot, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game. Loud boos rang out in the air above Camp Nou stadium. Of course, these boos were for Tony Twain and his Forest team.
Twain, who had won the game, was not as excited as his assistants and players. He still stood in place with his fists raised. The coaches and players had long rushed up from his side to celebrate the victory with their exhausted teammates.
When he heard the final whistle, Kompany fell backward and lay on the ground. He was too tired. Not only was he physically tired, but more importantly, he was mentally tired. His nerves had been tense at the last moment, for fear that he would make any mistakes and let the football enter the goal.
Now it was all right. He could lie on the turf and catch his breath. He let out a long breath.
Edwin van der Sar ran past him with his arms open, excited as if they had already won the Champions League title. As a player who had only joined in the summer, sometimes he really could not understand why these people valued and were so persistent in defeating Barcelona. Wasn't winning and losing common? Who could guarantee that they would always win? Who could guarantee that they would win all the titles?
But now, no matter what the reason was, it felt good to be able to win.
He closed his eyes and listened to the cheers of his teammates around him. Even the boos from the opposing fans were so pleasing to the ear.
Twain did not rush up to celebrate the victory with his players. He very politely put down his hands, tidied up his clothes, and reached out to the low-spirited Rijkaard.
"Mr. Rijkaard, there's still one more round. I'll be waiting for you and your team in Nottingham."
Rijkaard took his hand out of politeness, but did not follow up with his words.
The two quickly separated. Twain was the first to walk to the tunnel mixed zone to be interviewed by the reporters. He was stopped by a number of reporters.
"Why does it look like there's no smile on your face, Mr. Twain? Your team has just won at Camp Nou, "the reporter asked curiously.
Twain shrugged. "Do I need to be happy? It's not like we won the Champions League title. This result was within my expectations. I said the game was on my track. None of you believed me before, did you? The facts have proven that I was right, and you were all wrong. "
With that, he turned and left the mixed zone. No matter how the reporters called his name, he did not look back or stay.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
