In the city of Liverpool, the Liverpool team's reputation was greater than that of their city rival, Everton, and they had won more titles. But in fact, the glorious Liverpool split from Everton, a bit like the duo of AC Milan and Inter Milan in Milan, except that Everton and Liverpool split over the issue of whether to continue renting the Anfield stadium …
In terms of history, Everton had a much longer history than Liverpool. Everton was one of the seven founders of the English Football League, quite like the "Seven Elders." In 1891, Everton won the first League Championship in their club's history. The next year, they split into two factions over the issue of whether to continue renting the Anfield stadium. The side with more people moved out and moved into Goodison Park.
Although Everton was not as famous as Liverpool and did not have as many overseas supporters as their city rivals, they were indeed a traditional powerhouse in English football: nine times League One (England's top league at that time) champions, five times FA Cup winners, and one time Cup Winners' Cup winner.
Today, under the leadership of manager Moyes, this Everton team was stable in the middle every year, playing in the UEFA Europa League, with entering the Champions League as their biggest goal.
Unlike Nottingham Forest, Everton's results had basically been the same for more than a hundred years. There were not many ups and downs, neither were there particularly glorious and dazzling moments, nor were there dark years. Just like the color of their jerseys, they were stable and calm.
And Nottingham Forest was the most famous shooting star in English football history. Established more than a hundred years ago, they suddenly burst into dazzling light in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning the Champions League two years in a row, undefeated in 42 top league games, and defeating the then European giant, Liverpool, twice in a year. Even Aston Villa, who also won the Champions League, could not compare to the shock that Nottingham Forest brought to English football and European football. Now they were the only team that won the domestic league title once, but picked up the Champions League three times.
In the early 1990s, they once bloomed with dazzling light across the sky and disappeared into the darkness. Until Twain appeared …
Nottingham Forest seemed to be such a team, either particularly bad or particularly good. Today's Forest team was clearly in a "particularly good" historical period. They were visiting Goodison Park, and although it was an away game, they were unanimously favored before the game.
Look at the titles that the media gave them — "European champion," "strong contender for the new season's league title," "one of the top five in the English Premier League," "a terrifying red storm."
Only Moyes refused to admit that these titles would help the Forest team defeat their own team in an interview before the game. "The Forest team winning the Champions League title has nothing to do with the first game of the league tournament. The glory only belongs to the past. Whoever wins or loses in today's game will depend on who performs better."
Tang En expressed his agreement. "I think Moyes is right. Even though we are the European champions, if we lose at Goodison Park, we will still be ridiculed by others. Those titles will only come into effect if you can win. If you can't win, then goodbye. "
It seemed that both managers were clear-headed, and the media's manipulation did not work. They found of Arof Ar Ar.
Other than Beckham's first game back in the English Premier League, there was a lack of other highlights. As a result, the current Everton player, Mikel Arteta, who had followed the Forest team to lift the Champions League title, naturally became another focus of the media.
Although he had left Nottingham Forest, Arteta did not speak ill of the Forest team. He did not deny that he moved to Everton in order to get more opportunities to play, but he did not regret spending two and a half years at Nottingham Forest. "… If I had to choose again, I would still choose to join the Forest team. There, I trained and competed with the best players in the world. I benefited a lot and it helped me a lot in the future of my career. In addition, Tony is not like what you media say. We all think he is a good person. "
Then the reporters ridiculed on the grid, "I'm afraid Anelka and Ashley Young don't think so …"
Of course, even though there were two managers and Arteta as a stepping stone, the biggest focus of attention in this game was still David Beckham.
An hour before the start of the game, the Forest team's starting list had been sent to the media reporters. David Beckham's name was impressively on the list.
In this game, among the newly joined players, only Beckham and Arshavin were in the starting lineup. Sidwell, Rafinha, and Akinfeev were on the substitutes' bench, while Grosso did not qualify to be on the squad list and come to Goodison Park with the team.
Eastwood's muscles were sore from yesterday's training to adapt to the venue. Out of caution, Tang En put him on the substitutes' bench.
Beckham's appearance on the starting list certainly satisfied the wishes of the audience, but it also aroused a new round of speculation from the media. They wondered if Tang En was pressured by the club's higher-ups to let the aging Beckham appear in the starting lineup.
When the team arrived at Goodison Park for their pre-match warm-up, Tang En got out of the car to be interviewed by the reporters. When he was asked this question, he answered impatiently, "Nonsense! I have the final say on who is allowed to play and who is not. What pressure from the club's higher-ups? Even the Queen and the Prime Minister have no right to dictate the team's lineup in front of me! "
He was unhappy that many of the media were still focusing on Beckham's commercial value rather than his competitive value. But the media's performance also made it clear to him that Beckham still had a very difficult way to go to re-establish his image. The impression formed over a long period of time could not be changed overnight by a league title. If Beckham joined the team and the team was surrounded by all kinds of media and rumors all day long and did not win a championship title in the end, there would be countless people jumping out to criticize Tony Twain's choice to sign Beckham in the first place. David Beckham and himself would become the culprits of the team's failure.
This was not what Tang En wanted to see.
He also wanted Beckham to fight for him on the field and prove that his vision was not wrong with an excellent performance to reduce the pressure on him.
The first game must be played well. Everyone was looking forward to it, and countless pairs of eyes were watching his team. Some people even held a magnifying glass, waiting to jump on the team's problems in the game and then magnify them countless times in the media to attack him.
Don't think that winning a UEFA Champions League title is so great. Those who liked him liked him even more, and those who hated him hated him even more. All kinds of criticism in speech and writing would not be restrained at all because of how many championships he had won.
※ ※ ※
The temperature on August 10th was very high, and so was the weather on August 11th. At three o 'clock in the afternoon, as the opening match, the main referee blew the whistle under the hot sun, and the curtains were kicked off.
The Goodison Park stadium was full. Everton fans occupied half of the seats, and Nottingham Forest fans also gathered in the away team's stands to cheer for their team. Perhaps before the game started, the people sitting in the stands were still complaining that the weather was so hot that they almost got heatstroke.
But when the game started, no one thought about such trivial matters anymore.
The singing in the stands was earth-shattering. Everyone was doing their best to wave their arms and roar loudly. So what if it's hot? The passion of our fans is hotter than the weather! So what if the sun is strong? Running and sweating under such strong sunlight is a man's sport!
"Van Nistelrooy will partner with Arshavin in this game. This is his first time as a forward partner with Arshavin in an official game. This is also the Russian striker's debut in the Premier League …"
The commentator began to say the opening he had thought of before.
On the field, the Forest team had already kicked the ball out.
Arshavin gently kicked the football out, and van Nistelrooy gave him a look. He understood tacitly and no longer cared about the ball and rushed forward.
Van Nistelrooy passed the football back to van der Vaart on the center circle line. At the same time, Ribéry on the left side also sprinted forward at full speed.
So far, everything was normal. It was a regular kick-off that could not be more regular.
Arshavin was still rushing forward, and the Everton people did not care about him. Anyway, if he continued to rush forward, it would not be long before he was in an offside position.
Who the ball was with was the key.
Van der Vaart did not let the football stay at his feet for more than a second. The ball had just rolled over, and he diverted the football to the right side again.
Unlike Ribéry, who had already rushed up, Beckham, the starting midfielder on the right side, was still standing behind the center line and had no intention of going up.
Ribéry and Arshavin continued to run forward. It was as if they were not playing football, but running a hundred-meter race.
Beckham stopped the ball and glanced up.
The right side of the field was on this side of the technical area, and Beckham's current position was very close to Moyes. Seeing this scene, he suddenly felt it was familiar, and then his heart inexplicably beat wildly.
"Don't let him …" Before he could finish his words, he saw Beckham swing his leg in front of him and whip the football!
A long pass!
When Beckham received the football, the cheers of the Forest fans rang out, and now it was louder and louder, completely overwhelming the boos of the Everton fans.
Just as the football soared into the air, Arshavin was like a bomber that broke through the clouds and appeared in view, charging out from behind Everton's entire rear defensive line!
One of the Everton players raised his arm to signal to the assistant referee, Arshavin, that he was offside. But the assistant referee ignored it and just continued to run down with Arshavin.
Everton's American goalkeeper, Tim Howard, reacted faster than his defender teammates. When he saw Arshavin charge out from the rear defensive line, he decisively abandoned the goal to attack. The goalkeeper coach would never tell the goalkeeper to choose to give up when he was suspected to be offside. Regardless of whether he was offside or not, the goalkeeper had to do his job.
But Beckham's long pass was directed at Arshavin, not to be passed to Howard.
Arshavin only then looked back at the situation behind him. He saw that the football had indeed arrived as promised. Howard was still a little far away from him. Was he going to do a lob shot?
Howard saw through Arshavin's intentions. He suddenly leaped up and stretched his body in the air. He opened his arms and pounced on Arshavin like a net. The advantage of doing so was that he successfully sealed off the opponent's space for a lob shot. As for what was below … Generally speaking, when the football bounced up, it was a little difficult for a striker to shoot a ground ball. The goalkeeper was not a god. He could only choose to block one possibility.
A black projection shrouded the top of the short Arshavin's head. Because of the glaring sunlight, he could not see the other party's expression when he looked up. But there was no chance of a lob shot.
Arshavin lifted his right leg high and his body was almost in the air. He swept the football horizontally in the air. Not being able to shoot did not mean he could not pass the ball …
Howard struck, and Everton's goal was an empty goal. Who was on the other side at this moment?
"Franck Ribéry!" The commentator called out loudly.
Yes, Ribéry, who sprinted at the same time as Arshavin, finally arrived at the moment when he was most needed.
With a height of 2.44 meters and a width of 7.32 meters, the goal looked no different from a dog hole from fifty meters away. However, from within the penalty area, it was simply … a vast expanse of the sea and the sky!
The huge empty goal lay horizontally in front of Ribéry. The football that Arshavin passed over was a little forward, but it was not a problem for Ribéry. He exerted force with his left foot and flew forward just like that.
"Diving to the top — What a GOOOOAL!!!!!"
“Oh_yes！ Yes！ Nottingham Forest leads Everton 1: 0! "
Howard, who was pouncing on Arshavin, returned to see the football on top of the net and had already entered the goal …
"Ten seconds! This is the new season debut of the European champion, Nottingham Forest! Beautiful! Wonderful! "The commentator said with a laugh. "David Beckham's precise long pass, Arshavin's calm mind, and the whole team's quick coordination! This is the characteristic of Nottingham Forest. Fast! So fast! "
Tang En led a group of coaches and substitutes as they rushed out excitedly. He did tell the players before the game that scoring as fast as possible in an away game could completely disrupt the opponent's deployment and give them an advantage in future games. But he did not expect this group of players to do so well.
What was the fastest goal record in the English Premier League?
"The results from the computer are out. The entire process of this goal took exactly ten seconds. Ribéry broke the previous record of the fastest goal in the English Premier League, which was jointly held by Alan Shearer and Ledley King, at 10.5 seconds! "The commentator announced excitedly after getting the latest data.
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