When Drogba received the football, there was not a single Forest defensive player around him. Chelsea's tireless mobilization of the Forest team's defensive line finally played a role, helping Drogba shake off the annoying defense at the most critical moment. The difficult action of turning around to shoot was as common to him as eating. "Beast of Magic" Drogba was best at shooting goals with unconventional movements.
The distance was too close for Edwin van der Sar to save in time. He could only watch the football enter the net.
At that moment, Stamford Bridge shook and huge cheers rang out. The blue sea set off monstrous waves, temporarily drowning the red rolling lava.
"Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! "The fans in blue jerseys chanted the name. At this moment, you could hear nothing but this voice.
Seeing Drogba score, Mourinho rushed out of the technical area. With a slide, he knelt on the ground and raised his arms to celebrate with the people around him.
There were thunderous cheers in the Chelsea technical area and substitutes' bench.
"Chelsea's attack has finally paid off! A beautiful offensive organization tore open the Forest team's defensive line! 1: 0! They've made a good start at home! "
As the team that lost the ball, there was dead silence on the Nottingham Forest side.
Tang En sat in his position with his legs still crossed, not much different from before he lost the ball. But the expression on his face was no longer relaxed.
No one wanted to lose the ball, whether it was planned or not.
He had to admit that Mourinho's move was timely and outstanding. He did not keep up with the change, so he lost the ball.
"Trailing in the away game, Chelsea will let the Forest team know who's playing at home now!"
Tang En got up from his seat and blew two short whistles toward the field. It was the secret signal he used to contact Wood.
George Wood heard Tang En's whistle and turned to run over.
"Don't help defend the two sides for now. They want to pull you out from the middle. Do you see it?"
Wood nodded. "I see it."
"Just stay in the middle. If they want to stay on the sides, let them toss around on the sides. Your task is to defend the middle. "
"Okay, I understand." Wood continued to nod.
"Go back and reorganize the defensive line. Their passes are mobilizing our defensive line and looking for loopholes. Don't fall for it. Keep the formation. "
Wood accepted the order and left.
※ ※ ※
The game restarted. Chelsea's morale was boosted after they scored a goal. They hoped to take advantage of the situation to score another goal and many more goals to directly lock in the victory. Although the Forest team lost the goal, they did not lose confidence and fighting spirit. Their defense was very tight. The match returned to a stalemate.
Five minutes passed, and then ten minutes passed. Chelsea saw that their continuous attacks did not result in a goal, and their pace slowed down.
Now it was the Forest team's turn to look for an opportunity to attack.
The Forest team's offense was mainly defensive counterattack. They did not pursue quantity, but quality. If he did not have the necessary confidence, he would rather give up this attack than give Chelsea a chance to score another goal. In an away game, Tang En appeared very cautious.
It could not be said that there were no good chances at all. Towards the end of the first half, the Forest team had consecutive chances to score.
First, Piqué intercepted Drogba's dribbling and passed the football to van der Vaart, who then dribbled the ball to attack. After Eastwood received, he made a cross substitution with van der Vaart, and the football passed to his feet during the substitution. Eastwood did not continue to dribble the ball forward or pass it to someone else outside the penalty area. Instead, he directly raised his leg to shoot outside the penalty area. The shot was tricky. A clear arc bypassed Čech's hands, but it did not bypass the goalpost.
The football hit the goalpost hard and made a crisp sound.
The Chelsea fans were still in shock when Nottingham Forest's van Nistelrooy grabbed the second point. The king of the penalty area was very sensitive in front of the goal. He immediately appeared at the point where the ball landed and raised his leg to shoot.
Čech had already fallen to the ground and struggled to get up. But it looked like it was too late. His outstretched hand was still far from the football.
The captain, Terry, swooped over and stood in front of Čech.
"Van Nistelrooy!"
"It hit Terry's body!"
"Was it a handball? It doesn't look like it! The referee did not say anything. Terry successfully defended the goal. This was the Forest team's best chance in the first half so far. What a pity! "
Terry used his chest to block van Nistelrooy's shot. If the angle was not right, it would look like Terry had turned around and blocked the football with his arm. Eastwood raised his hand to the referee to indicate that Terry had a handball. The referee ignored him and blew a corner kick for the Forest team.
Van Nistelrooy, who shot, did not bother with the referee. He scratched his head in annoyance. It was a pity that the ball did not go in. He had specifically observed before the shot. Other than Čech, who was lying on the ground, he did not see a single Chelsea player.
When van Nistelrooy shot, Tang En also lifted his butt off his seat and stretched his hands forward, ready to cheer for the goal. But when he saw Terry block the football like a divine soldier, he slammed his palms on the ground. His celebration was not successful, and he fell to the ground.
"Luck! Luck! My luck is too f * cking bad! "Tang En was indignant as he kept muttering.
"Chelsea escaped a disaster. Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief in his seat. There are now three minutes to go before the end of the first half. If there are no accidents, Chelsea will enter the halftime break with a one-point advantage. "
The Forest team made a little adjustment in their corner kick. The Forest team had received three corner kicks before, all of which were directed toward the front of the goal. The effect was not good. This time, they switched to a short corner kick.
Van der Vaart passed the football to Ashley Young, who came up to receive. Young was not in a hurry to pass the ball. Instead, he passed the football to George Wood. The Forest team intended to make the most of the last three minutes. They patiently passed the ball and looked for Chelsea's defensive loopholes.
On the other hand, Chelsea's entire team retreated to defend, intending to defend until the end of the first half.
The Forest team kept passing the ball on the outside, from left to right, and from right to left. Chelsea did not fall for it. Their defensive formation remained tight and did not give the Forest team a chance to find a straight pass to the danger zone.
Van der Vaart was the core of the Forest team's playmaker. The football was passed to his feet many times, but he did not have a good chance to send the football to where it should go. Now he was more like an ordinary passer. He received the ball and passed it. He received the ball and passed it again. The football always moved horizontally.
What the Forest team needed now was not a horizontal pass, but a penetrating straight pass. If it was just a horizontal pass, that was what Chelsea wanted to see the most.
There was little time left in the first half of the game. The Forest team was still at a loss in the face of Chelsea's stubborn defense.
George Wood, who was at the back, was a little anxious. If they could not tie the score in the first half, it would be a big blow to his side's morale.
He looked around. Except for the two center backs, everyone had gone up. But it might not be good for everyone to go up. Now that the front was crowded with people, our passing had blocked our own route and space.
To George Wood, offense was to move forward. If they could not move forward, it would not be an offense. If everyone passed the ball horizontally, then even if they kept the football on their side for ninety minutes of the game, they would not be able to enter the goal.
Did Wood have any good way to pass the ball? Not at all.
Van der Vaart's experience and ability to organize the offense were much higher than his. He was helpless in the face of Chelsea's impenetrable formation. How could George Wood pass the football in?
However, George Wood had George Wood's football philosophy and methods.
He ran up and waved to van der Vaart, who had his back to the goal and was facing him. He motioned for him to pass the football over.
At the same time, the fourth official on the sidelines raised the sign for a minute of first-half injury stoppage time. Forty-five minutes had passed in the game.
Van der Vaart was a little hesitant. He still wanted to find a passing route that could deal a fatal blow and directly penetrate the opponent's defensive line.
Wood ran closer and closer. Some of the Chelsea players had already noticed him.
"Pay attention to that kid!" Terry roared at the back. Essien moved his position up a little, ready to intercept Wood.
"Give me the ball!" Wood could not help but yell.
Van der Vaart had no choice but to pass the football back to Wood.
The football was rolling toward him, and Essien followed the football and pounced at him.
George Wood had his own football philosophy, which was not complicated at all. It was very simple. If the complicated did not work, then he would use the simple and direct method.
He did not want to beautifully move the football to a defensive dead corner — he did not think about it at all!
Essien initially thought that Wood would pass the ball after he received it, just like the other Forest players involved in the offense. But he soon found that the situation was not right. Wood's running speed and pace did not seem to mean to stop the ball. It was clear that he was sprinting and adjusting his pace. He was going to …
Shoot!
Essien, who reacted, sped up and pounced sideways, intending to use his body to block Wood's shot.
Wood's line of sight went past Essien's body and straight to the goal. He did not see a path for the pass in the crowd, but he saw a path for the shot.
Just for a moment, it was enough!
He stomped hard on the ground with his left foot, raised his arm, twisted his body, swung his right leg, and fiercely whipped at the rolling football!
"Bam!"
"George _ WOOOOO … GOOOOOAL!! What_a_great_GOAL！ What a great goal! "
The football streaked across the sky over Stamford Bridge like a comet and fell into the net, stirring up brilliant splendor.
Čech did not even change his position. His view was blocked by the dense crowd in front of the penalty area. When he saw the football appear, the ball seemed to tear through the heavy sky and rush out of the rolling dark clouds. It was in front of him in an instant, and it was too late to do anything. The football whizzed past his ears.
The speed was too fast, and the power was too great.
That was George Wood's football philosophy and method. It was simple, direct, and the most effective.
※ ※ ※
"George Wood! This is the first goal he has scored for the Forest team in the UEFA Champions League! As a defensive midfielder, his shooting level is not praised, but this kick … is a world wave, no doubt a world wave! "
Cheers rang out in the pubs in Nottingham at the same time.
"You're the best, George!"
"Beat them, captain!"
At the same time, at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea fans were temporarily silent. The Forest fans were ignited by the goal.
"George —" Fat John, the leader of the fans, roared in the stands.
His brothers followed up loudly, "— WOOOOOD!!"
It was a volcanic eruption. As the temperature rose, the sea began to boil. The entire Stamford Bridge stadium was like a pot of boiling water, gurgling incessantly.
"That's a beautiful goal! It's hard to imagine that it came from George Wood's foot … The speed, power, angle are all good … If he were to do it again, who knows if he would be able to score? But in any case, Nottingham Forest relied on George Wood's world wave to equalize the score. Just as the first half is about to end, both sides are back at the same starting line! "
This time, Tang En, who was on the sidelines, did not waste his expression and posture. When the football rushed into the net, he jumped up abruptly and did a spin in the air. After landing, he could not wait to hug the people around him one by one.
"Beautifully done!" He shouted the phrase through gritted teeth. "Beautifully done!"
"But I'm really surprised that it was George who shot such a goal …" Kerslake said next to him.
"Even if it's luck, it's okay as long as the ball goes in!"
George Wood, who scored the goal, did not stop on the field to celebrate with his teammates. After he reacted that he had scored, he immediately turned and ran to the substitutes' bench. After running all the way, he gave Albertini a tight hug.
Demetrio was about to leave. He had taught him for three seasons, from defense to offense, from how to be a professional player to how to be a captain. He had a greater influence on him than even the coaches.
This is for you, Captain … Thank you!
The new and old captains of Nottingham Forest hugged each other tightly.
"George Wood dedicated this goal to Demetrio Albertini. In his career, this Italian man was one of the most important people to him. Albertini will retire at the end of this season. If Forest can finally make it to the finals, it will be the best parting gift for him! George Wood's goal has brought hope for Forest to advance. An away goal is often worth a lot of money at a crucial moment! "
※ ※ ※
Mourinho had nothing to say about this goal concede. His players performed well enough to not give the Forest team a chance to pass the football in. However, he did not expect Wood, who had always been the worst at shooting, to use an earth-shattering world-class shot to penetrate Čech's ten fingers …
This … was really not the fault of the game!
He held a small mini laptop in his hand, which had the real-time data of the game to make it easy for him to observe the game and understand the trend of the game. The statistics of George Wood's shot just now were also typed out and displayed on the screen.
One hundred and forty.
This was the speed of the ball.
Mourinho threw the laptop to his assistant and shook his head. "What else can we say? That bastard is so lucky that even a person like George Wood can enter the world-class shot … "
There was silence in the Chelsea technical area. As Mourinho said, they did not know what to say. Such a goal was completely unplanned.
※ ※ ※
Without even giving Chelsea a chance to restart, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half of the game. The players on both sides walked toward the tunnel. Wood was favored by the television broadcast. The camera followed him and gave him a close-up, which was interspersed with replays of his goal just now. It was a powerful long shot that made people's blood boil and could not help but jump up from their seats …
Dunn and Twain stood on the sidelines and watched the players exit.
"Now can you look at Demetrio's retirement with a normal heart?"
"An old friend is leaving. How can I still have a normal heart?" Twain pursed his lips. "George is George, and Demetrio is Demetrio. But I'm happy to see George grow every step of the way, and Demetrio is happy too. "
In the sight of the two men, Albertini, who had specifically waited at the tunnel entrance for George to come off, pulled him over and patted him on the head. The intimacy was like a father praising his son for a good performance.
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