"Eastwood shoots directly from the top of the penalty area! Ah, but it's blocked by Chelsea's defender, Carvalho, with his body out of the end line. This is Nottingham Forest's first shot in the second half! They were suppressed by Chelsea in their own half of the field and basically couldn't get out. "
The words sounded a little miserable, but the actual situation was as such.
After Tang En adjusted the tactics in the midfield, Nottingham Forest's offense finally picked up a little. Eastwood's shot was an opportunity found through a quick pass in the midfield.
Chelsea made a very tough arrangement in the midfield, but Tang En did not go head-to-head with them. He used faster passes and movement to shake off Chelsea's defense.
Following that, the game fell into a stalemate. Both sides had some chances, but neither could directly threaten the other's goal.
In the 74th minute, Ribéry once again relied on his personal skills to force a breakthrough from the flank of Chelsea's defensive line and then shot from a small angle, but it hit the side netting. This made Ribéry very annoyed. Although he had already scored a goal, the pursuit of goals would never stop.
Following that, Chelsea launched an attack. Malouda stopped the ball with his chest after receiving Lampard's pass, but he fell to the ground in a scramble with George Wood and fell right into the penalty area. The Chelsea players raised their arms high, while the Chelsea fans booed loudly, hoping the referee would see this scene so that he could blow a penalty kick for Nottingham Forest.
The referee's whistle rang, but he did not blow for George Wood's foul. Instead, he blew for Malouda's handball foul first!
This call made Malouda, who had just fallen to the ground and raised his hands to signal his innocence, jump up immediately. He waved his arms angrily and grumbled incessantly. It was not an exaggeration to describe him as "furious."
Seeing this scene, Grant also jumped up from his seat and complained angrily off the field. At first, he was angry because the referee did not give George Wood a foul. Later, he was angry at Malouda — did you forget you have a yellow card on you? You want to apply for a red card to be taken off the field by contradicting the referee at this time?!
Lampard was the calmest. He went up to pull Malouda away and repeatedly reminded him of the yellow card on him.
Only then did Malouda give up and run back with Lampard. The referee had no intention of taking out a card, which made the other Chelsea players secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
※ ※ ※
The match had been going on for 76 minutes, and Drogba had not had any decent opportunities. His physical fitness was well-known in the English Premier League, but today he met a difficult opponent — Pepe and Piqué stayed close to him from the beginning to the end, firmly sandwiching him so that he had no chance to get the ball. Even if he got the ball, he could not turn around, and even if he turned around, he did not have a chance to shoot.
As Chelsea's center forward, his performance in his first Champions League final was so useless. How could he not be angry?
In addition, Grant's harsh words at halftime made him eager to prove himself with a goal.
I have to think of a way to change this situation!
He retreated outwards and no longer stuck in the innermost area, which made it easier for him to get the ball.
Pepe and Piqué did not follow when they saw Drogba take the initiative to leave the penalty area. They did not need to care about Drogba who did not have the ball. Only when the ball was passed to Drogba's feet would the two pounce on him.
After Drogba withdrew, he raised his arms and motioned for his teammates to pass the ball to him. He wanted to vent the frustration of being frozen during this period of time.
Joe Cole's individual skills on the left side attracted both Lennon and Rafinha, and he took the opportunity to pass the football horizontally to the front of the penalty area.
Drogba received the ball.
The football did not stop very well and jumped up slightly. But this also gave Drogba a chance to shoot. He did not have to think about how to get rid of the difficult defense. Now he just needed to … directly swing his leg!
"Beast of Beasts" Drogba swung his thick thigh, relying on his poisonous waist and abdomen to rotate his body and volley in place!
No one would underestimate the strength of the center forward. He was already famous when he was still in Marseille, but it was Chelsea and Mourinho who made him truly a world-class striker. Everyone still remembered the world-class wave when he received the ball outside the penalty area and turned to volley directly to break through Barcelona's goal. For such a player, even if he was far away from the goal, one could not take it lightly!
Pepe took the lead to pounce, hoping to block the football with his body. But the football whizzed past him.
The football passed through the penalty area and flew straight to the right side of the goal.
Edwin van der Sar struggled to pounce. His whole body flew out horizontally and he stretched out his arms to try to save the football. He did not get what he wanted.
The football skimmed past his fingertips.
At this moment, it was believed that the hearts of all the Nottingham Forest players and fans turned cold. At the same time, the Chelsea fans could not wait to raise their arms high, ready to announce their lead.
"Clang!"
The loud sound pulled the souls of the Nottingham Forest fans back into their bodies, and at the same time, it sent the souls of the Chelsea fans flying into the sky.
The football hit the outside of the goalpost and flew straight out of the end line!
"Ah —" The commentator yelled, as if he was more regretful than Drogba himself. "It actually hit the goalpost! Chelsea's luck is terrible! Drogba's luck is terrible! "
The kick startled Tang En so much that he jumped up from his seat. In that instant, it was as if his buttocks were on fire.
"F * * k!" He cursed.
Chelsea's second half was like a collective on drugs. They were so excited and threatened no matter how they shot. How could they still play this game? If this went on, even if there was a counterattack, the Forest team would collapse sooner or later.
This kind of shot that hit the goalpost was simply a psychological torture for the Nottingham Forest players. Would they feel a little weak in their legs after surviving a disaster?
Even the game against AC Milan for the championship title had not been so tense. The defending champion was indeed more difficult …
You were the target of public criticism. You were an extra-large moving target. Everyone wanted to overthrow you and then step on the corpse of the defending champion to pick up that supreme honor. If you could not hold on, you would fall from the throne and then be divided and eaten by a pack of hungry wolves waiting below.
"Go call Beckham back," Tang En said to Kerslake behind him.
It was time to adjust.
Lennon's performance under the opponent's continued high pressure was not as active as in the first half. In the second half, the Forest team's few attacks all came from Ribéry and Bale's side. Lennon could only be exhausted in the defense. In addition, his offensive method was singular, which was to rely on speed to break through. He was quickly seen through by Chelsea. Ashley Cole was also not slow. Lennon was basically useless against the two.
David Beckham ran back from the warm-up area. The two men looked at each other, and Tang En pulled him to the sidelines. "You go up and replace Lennon. In addition to contributing in defense, I need your long passes to send the football out."
Beckham nodded.
"After the team presses up, you can go up and try a long shot. Tell Bale that the corner kicks are all yours. "Outside of the routine, Tang En lowered his voice and said to Beckham," David. "
"Hmm?"
"I've set up a stage for you to prove yourself."
Beckham looked at Tang En in surprise.
Tang En did not say anything else. He patted Beckham on the back and let him follow the fourth official to the sidelines.
※ ※ ※
In the 77th minute, Nottingham Forest made its first substitution in the entire game. Number 24 David Beckham replaced number 17 Allan Lennon.
This time, the substitution did not have an immediate effect. Instead, Chelsea continued their strong performance in the second half and continued to press down on Nottingham Forest's goal. In the 79th minute, Malouda passed the ball after breaking through on the flank. Drogba rushed in front of Pepe and Piqué to shoot, but hit it high.
It looked like he did not bring his shooting boots today.
In the 80th minute, Beckham finally passed a good ball to Eastwood. Eastwood, who had a mediocre performance in the game, adjusted slightly outside the penalty area and raised his leg for a long shot. However, this shot went straight high and was not within the range of the goal.
In the second half, Chelsea strengthened their defense. Eastwood, who did not have an advantage in terms of physical strength, basically disappeared. There were two shots, but they did not threaten the opponent's goal.
The commentator could not take it anymore. "So far in the game, if you want to score, both sides have players with the lowest scores. On Chelsea's side, the winner is Drogba, and on Nottingham Forest's side, there is no doubt, is Eastwood. The Welsh striker was completely at a disadvantage in the physical confrontation with the Chelsea defenders. He seemed to be afraid of this kind of physical confrontation. He pulled his position outside the penalty area, avoided the opponent's defenders, and stayed away from the goal. At the same time, he also hindered van der Vaart's play here. Manager Tang En just replaced Lennon. Although Lennon's performance in the second half was not spectacular, he was still very active in the first half. As for Eastwood? Perhaps, Tang En will have to consider a substitution again. "
Tang En was indeed considering whether to replace Eastwood. The repeated injuries had greatly reduced his strength, and at the same time, there was a psychological shadow in his heart in the physical confrontation. Chelsea changed their defensive strategy to focus on toughness. Of course, it would not specifically target Eastwood, but it caused the objective phenomenon of Eastwood disappearing.
Should he come down?
"Tony?" Dunn also noticed that Eastwood's performance was getting worse. Perhaps it was because his stamina was close to exhaustion, but his running was not as active as in the first half.
"Hmm?"
"Do you want to continue substituting?"
Tang En nodded. "You go call Bendtner back."
The decision surprised Dunn a little. Nottingham Forest's substitutes were warming up in the warm-up area, ready to play at any time. Dunn did not expect Tang En to put on Bendtner instead of Arshavin.
"You want to play as a double center forward?" Kerslake asked curiously.
"No, van Nistelrooy's stamina is not enough to compete with Terry and Carvalho. I want to replace him. " Tang En made the decision to keep Eastwood on the field. He believed that the Romani was a smart player and knew to play with his brain. Not active in running? That was just to maintain his stamina and prepare for a one-hit kill. Look at his positioning. He could run to the key spot every time. Otherwise, why were Forest's two shots completed by him in the second half?
Dunn did not refute or raise any objections. He accepted the order and left. Kerslake, on the other hand, could not figure out what Tang En was thinking. "Ruud has experience. With him, Chelsea's two center backs are quite fearful. And Freddy, he can't run anymore … "
Tang En glanced at him. "Don't tell me that if we bring on Bendtner, the opposing two center backs will have it easy? Bendtner's body is stronger than van Nistelrooy's, and his stamina is better. With him around, we can continue to suppress Terry and Carvalho. Eastwood stays on the field. He's our second point when we counterattack. "
Kerslake still wanted to say something, but Bendtner had already run back with an excited look on his face. Tang En left him behind and went to greet him.
"Your chance is here, kid," Tang En said with a smile. Tang En said with a smile. This kid carried Tang En's hopes and Nottingham Forest's future. Van Nistelrooy will leave sooner or later. At that time, the main center forward here will be you, Nicky!
Bendtner nodded. This was, of course, his chance. Even a fool would know that the team had encountered a bit of trouble and needed someone to step forward and become the hero to save the team and win back the title.
And at this time, the Boss had chosen him!
"After you go up, go to the front and push Terry and Carvalho back into the penalty area to create opportunities for the others who plug in from the back." Tang En's first sentence poured cold water on Bendtner.
Tactical center forward again! Bendtner hated this word. As the center forward at the front, he was not the first choice to attack the city and seize the stronghold. Instead, he was a foil to others! This was simply …
But he still nodded his head. In the team, the absolute authority belonged to Tony Twain. No one dared to express dissatisfaction in front of him. No, someone dared to. It was just that that person was later chased away.
"Of course, if there's a better chance, choose to shoot." Tang En laughed. "Don't always think about creating opportunities for your teammates." He had no idea what kind of waves were stirring in Bendtner's heart.
"Go!" After giving Bendtner a push, Tang En continued to stand on the sidelines.
Bendtner went on to replace the somewhat exhausted van Nistelrooy. Tang En did not think of defending a draw to play overtime or even a penalty shootout to determine the winner. Although the team had additional penalty practice before the game, it was routine, just in case. He himself did not want to play penalties. Perhaps he especially liked to watch this cruel method of determining victory when he was a fan, but ever since he became a manager, he hated this method very much. Why? Because this method of determining victory and defeat did not rely on which side was stronger, nor did it rely on which side's tactics were more reasonable. Instead, it relied on psychological quality and luck. There was a large element of luck. As a manager, he should consider all the circumstances and let the development of the situation always be within his control. However, the penalty shootout was something that he could not completely control, so he hated it.
※ ※ ※
After Bendtner came on, he maintained the pressure on Chelsea's rear defensive line. Eastwood still drifted near the penalty area, mainly moving around the top of the arc outside the penalty area.
After Nottingham Forest finished adjusting, Chelsea also began to adjust. Grant replaced Malouda, who had a yellow card on his back and was getting more and more irritable, with the injured Karu, which could be considered as reducing a hidden danger. Grant had already begun to prepare for overtime. What if Malouda's blood rushed to his head at the last moment of the game and he got another yellow card?
Grant was preparing for overtime and even the penalty shootout. The players on the field lost all their strength and were ready to make a last stand. There were less than ten minutes to the end of the game. If they did not fight now, when would they? That was the common thought of the players on both sides. They were just players. No matter how many thoughts the managers had in their minds or what considerations they had, these players only had one thought — to defeat the opponent in front of them, win the game, end this damn final, and pick up the trophy!
Not win against Nottingham Forest? That was ridiculous. Tonight, let the world see what a big joke it was. Defeat the Nottingham Forest bastards and let Chelsea stand on top of the world! Win the first Champions League in the club's history!
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