"There are still eight minutes left before the end of the game. If there are no surprises, the injury stoppage time should be three minutes — the second half went well. That is to say, there are still eleven minutes left. If the outcome is not decided, both sides will be dragged into thirty minutes of overtime. Now Grant has only changed one player, while Tony Twain has changed two players in one go. The intentions of the two managers can be seen clearly in this substitution. "
"Grant wants to play overtime or even a penalty kick. There were reports before the game that Chelsea had specially practiced penalty kicks the day before the game. But Tony Twain doesn't want to give him this chance. He prefers to settle the battle in the ninety minutes compared with overtime and penalty shootout. "
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Rafinha now took the ball. He hesitated a little and did a one-two pass with Beckham, and then continued to dribble the ball forward. Everyone's physical strength was not good at this time, and Rafinha had to grit his teeth and persevere. The idea that supported him was that "the other side would not be much better than him." So, Rafinha gritted his teeth and rushed up.
Ashley Cole felt that his job was a lot easier after Lennon came off because Beckham did not have the ability to break through. As a defender, he just needed to stand in his position and there would be no problem. Prevent the pass? That was a matter for the center backs.
Seeing Nottingham Forest's number 14 dribble the ball up, Ashley Cole, who had a short break, went up to meet him. He was not afraid of a one-on-one with Rafinha.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo, who was at his peak, had to think about whether to break through when facing him.
Not to mention a Brazilian Olympic team's full back?
He was ready to receive the enemy, but Rafinha did not give him a chance to play one-on-one with him. As he ran, he passed the football horizontally to Beckham.
Ashley Cole froze for a moment and chose to continue to retreat with Rafinha. He was afraid that Beckham would pass a straight pass to his back. Beckham had no intention of passing the ball. He did not hesitate after receiving the ball and directly raised his leg to shoot!
"David Beckham's long shot —"
Čech once again made a high-level save. He flew and blocked the football with one palm!
Nottingham Forest's offensive was not over yet.
Eastwood appeared at the football's landing point. As long as he faced the ball and shot, the football would fly into the empty goal!
Čech fell to the ground and completely lost his center of gravity. He could do nothing about Nottingham Forest's follow-up attack.
Terry stood up.
Eastwood's shot hit Terry's head and flew over the crossbar!
"Ah--what a pity! If this ball goes in, Nottingham Forest is almost guaranteed to win! "
Nottingham Forest's technical area and substitutes' bench were also sighing.
"Freddy's using too much force!" Kerslake complained unwillingly. "If he didn't pull, but push, Terry wouldn't have time to react."
He was right. Eastwood seemed to have lost the calmness that a striker should have at that moment and chose the most inappropriate way to shoot.
Towards this, Twain could only gently shake his head. The continuous heavy injuries caused Eastwood to no longer be the same person he was when they first met … Beautiful things always belonged to the past.
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Cech picked himself up from the ground and high-fived Terry for his last-minute rescue. Next, he began to direct the defense in the penalty area. A corner kick was equally dangerous, but perhaps it was also an opportunity?
Pepe and Piqué saw Nottingham Forest get a corner kick and ran into Chelsea's penalty area at the same time, ready to fight for a header.
Chelsea was on high alert. Even Drogba returned to the penalty area to defend, but Joe Cole chose to stand near the center circle, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack that he did not know would come.
George Wood had intended to go up and participate in the attack. But when he saw Joe Cole, he changed his mind at the last minute and walked over to stand quietly next to Joe Cole.
When Beckham placed the football, there were Chelsea fans behind him. Those fanatical fans constantly used words and gestures to provoke and insult him, trying to distract him. But he seemed to turn a deaf ear to them. After placing the football, he retreated and waited for the referee's whistle.
This was a corner kick located on the left side of the goal. If Beckham, a right-footed player, wanted to take the kick, the football would rotate inward in an arc. Generally, the front and back points near the goalpost were the most dangerous places. That was also where the Chelsea and Nottingham Forest players were densely packed.
After Beckham ran up, the ball did not hit anyone's head. It flew high, bypassed the front goalpost, dropped midway, and jumped directly to the back of the goal!
It turned out to be …
"He's shooting directly!"
Čech had intended to attack and take the ball directly, but he realized something was wrong as soon as he took a step. The football was high and fast, and the direction of its flight was behind him — the goal!
He jumped in a hurry and looked up at the football in the air. Then he struggled to reach out his arm to touch the football. He did not expect to get it directly. It was fine as long as he could poke the football out.
He could not touch the football. He only caught a gust of wind.
"Clang!"
A few minutes ago, the sound made the Chelsea fans feel chagrined, but now they felt it was the sound of nature!
Beckham's unexpected choice fell short at the last moment. The football hit the top of the crossbar and bounced straight out of the end line.
The cursing behind him disappeared with the crisp sound of the collision. The extreme Chelsea fans had yet to recover from their shock when David Beckham ran far away.
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Kerslake was still holding his head in regret below, and Grant was still worried about his heart. Nottingham Forest's new wave of attack came again. In the final stages of the game, Nottingham Forest was even crazier. They could not wait to pick up the championship trophy for the second time. Who would want to wait another thirty minutes for another penalty shootout?
In just a few minutes, Chelsea had to retreat all the way. Joe Cole, who was still fantasizing about a counterattack, had to go back to defend under Terry's loud call. As the captain, Terry was well aware of what kind of situation it was — if they could not hold on, they would lose …
Grant was a little relieved to see the team follow his instructions to defend all the way back in the last few minutes. But his heart still had to continue to suffer.
Because Nottingham Forest had no intention of letting Chelsea go.
Van der Vaart made a long shot outside the penalty area, which was pounced on by Čech. The Czech Republic national goalkeeper wanted to throw the ball to launch a counterattack, but Drogba's ball was intercepted by George Wood who circled to the front to defend. Wood, who intercepted the ball, gave the football to Ribéry, who was in excellent form for the game. Ribéry forced a break through the penalty area from the flank and passed the ball. There was a scuffle in front of the goal, but no one touched the football. The football brushed the goalpost and rolled out of the end line.
Chelsea's goal-kick was intercepted again. George Wood made a feint and made the illusion of passing the ball. Then he dribbled the ball and plugged in. When he messed up Chelsea's rear defensive line, he suddenly distributed the ball.
This time his pass was aimed at Bendtner.
Bendtner had his back to the direction of the attack and wanted to turn around to shoot.
It looked like he did not want to easily hand over the opportunity to attack, whether it was to Chelsea or his own teammates …
His insistence in the penalty area attracted three Chelsea players, Terry, Carvalho and Makelele.
The three men surrounded him. It was almost impossible for him to turn around, let alone shoot.
"Pass the ball out!" Van der Vaart shouted anxiously outside.
Bendtner gritted his teeth — Damn Chelsea! My chance is gone just like that!
He saw a red figure in the midst of the crowd. There was no number on the back and he could not see the face. He did not know who it was, but it was enough to know that it was his teammate.
Bendtner leaned hard on Terry and made a posture to forcibly turn around and shoot to attract the Chelsea players' attention to the back. With a quick shake of his feet, he passed the football through the gaps of the crowd!
"Beautiful pass!"
Unfortunately, it was a little too late. Eastwood ran too far.
The Romani thought Bendtner would make a cross pass so that he could shoot directly. After all, there were many people in the penalty area. A slight delay could cost him a good chance to score points.
He did not expect Bendtner to pass the ball back. He only discovered it after he ran over and hurriedly braked. His right foot dragged behind and barely hooked the football, preventing it from being directly snatched away by the Chelsea players.
But this had lost the surprise and concealment of the first shot. The best chance to score was gone. What was he going to do next? Protect the ball and wait for his teammates to support? He had to have his back to the goal …
Eastwood was not reconciled to it.
Bendtner played alone because he was a striker, and the striker's job was to score goals. Therefore, Eastwood would also play alone. His performance in this game was very average. He wanted to prove his contribution to the team with a goal.
When I was a down-and-out player who helped my father sell second-hand cars at home with a broken leg and occasionally played in the amateur league, did I ever have such a dream? To perform on the stage of the European club's top tournament final? But it's not a dream now. I scored a goal in last year's Champions League final. It was a goal that sealed the victory. I can do it this year too!
After Eastwood made up his mind to come alone, he completely ignored his teammates' positions. At this moment, his heart and eyes were only on the opposing defensive players. With his back to the goal, he felt the pressure coming from behind. It should be Ashley Cole.
Terry had given up on Bendtner and turned to pounce on him.
There was no time to hesitate here. In case he was surrounded, passing the ball would be the only option.
It was not that Eastwood did not think about the idea of diving in the penalty area. Some strikers would choose to do so in a critical situation, hoping that the referee would award them a penalty kick. But as soon as this foolish thought flashed through his mind, it was immediately thrown away to Java. He was not that kind of person, and he knew the boss would not allow him to do so.
To throw away the opportunity in his hands and then rely on the subjective judgment of the unreliable referee was no different from a fool. As long as the opportunity was in his hands, even if it was only 0.01%, he could not throw it away!
With the football under his feet, Eastwood felt the pressure from behind and judged the distance between the opponent and himself. At the same time, he was observing Terry's shot.
These people were clearly not as bold as they were outside the penalty area and just took a shot. Unless he shot, they would always surround him and wait for support. As long as the number of defenders increased, he would have no chance at all. The opportunity for them to steal would only appear at the moment when he shot …
Having made up his mind, Eastwood adjusted his posture slightly so that his side was facing Ashley Cole and Terry, instead of facing Terry with his back to Ashley Cole like he did just now. Next, he swung his leg to look like he was going to hit the goal, causing Terry on the right side to make a steal.
But in fact, Eastwood did not swing his leg. He just moved slightly. When he saw Terry move, he immediately used his foot to push the football behind him. Although the angle of turning was a little small, it was the only gap and the only chance to shoot …
The Chelsea defenders wanted to force Eastwood to a place near the end line so that even if he was allowed to shoot, there would be no threat.
After pushing the football behind him, Eastwood helped Ashley Cole to turn around on the spot. As soon as he turned around, he saw the football under his feet. Although it was now very close to the end line, he did not hesitate to push the football to the end line, and half of his body flashed out of the encirclement!
Cruyff turned around!
Although his body had not completely escaped the entanglement of the Chelsea defenders, Eastwood could not wait for that time. He did not adjust the football at all and directly lifted his left foot to blast the goal at a very small angle!
The football flew past Ashley Cole like a cannonball.
Čech was sure that he had blocked all the shooting angles. He lowered his center of gravity and waited for Eastwood to shoot. Just as he saw the football roll out of the crowd, he saw a leg whip over and the football flew over with a whoosh!
So fast!
That was Čech's only thought. He saw the football flying over before he saw the player who shot. At a very close distance, the opponent used the strength and footwork of a long shot. The football swept over his head in an instant. Nine out of ten times, the ball would fly straight out of the end line like this …
Before shooting, Eastwood had no idea where Čech was or where the gap in the goal was. He completed the difficult shot by relying on a striker's instincts. What did he need to do next?
Pray?
No!
The chance is still in my hands. Who should I pray to?
"Clang!" It was the sound of the football hitting the goalpost again. Only this time it did not bounce out of the end line.
Čech looked up. His eyes were always following the football. Even if his body could not keep up, his vision could still keep up. He saw the football hit the lower edge of the crossbar and hit the net when it bounced up …
Čech, who had lost his balance, fell to the ground on his back with his eyes still fixed on the football that had fallen into the goal!
"EASTWOOOOO — GOOOOOAL!!! Freddy Eastwood! Freddy Eastwood!! This is a kill! This is a kill! So beautiful!! "
Eastwood, who had lost his balance and fell straight out of the end line after the shot, wanted to jump up after seeing the football enter the goal, but found that he was already exhausted. He could only lie on the ground with his hands raised high and clenched into fists, pointing to the still rainy night sky. His face had a ferocious expression from excessive excitement.
"The 89th minute!! This is a goal that almost locks in the victory! Does Chelsea still have a chance? Is there still a chance? "
"Even if they want to equalize the score again, Nottingham Forest will never agree to it this time!"
The excited Nottingham Forest players collectively sprinted to the outside of Chelsea's goal. They did not press up, but lay on the ground with Eastwood with their fists pointing to the sky.
※ ※ ※
"I didn't f * * king replace him. Wahaha … That's so f * * king brilliant!" Tang En laughed heartily on the sidelines, completely without the usual restraint of a manager.
"Freddy, you're my lucky baby! You're a champion striker! As long as you score, the championship is ours! "
Kerslake was also excited at this time. He had completely forgotten that he had suggested that Tang En should replace Eastwood, who was physically weak and did not perform well.
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"Eastwood is really a striker who has the ability to determine the outcome of the game! In last year's Champions League final, it was his last-minute goal that helped the team secure the victory and extinguished the confidence of AC Milan's counterattack. Now, it's him who decides the outcome with one kick just as the injury stoppage time is about to enter! "
"Who can imagine that such a striker was still playing football in an amateur competition four years ago, relying on helping his father resell used cars to make a living?"
"Nottingham Forest is really a miracle team! Such a player, such a team, they always bring us surprises! "
"The first defending champion since the restructuring of the UEFA Champions League … is about to be born!!"
"They have written history, and they will continue to write legends. In the two seasons starting from the 0708 season, there is only one color and one name in European football. It belongs to Nottingham Forest. It's red! "
The commentators who were broadcasting the game live went crazy. They knocked on the table and stamped their feet, desperately raising their volume and speaking speed to show their passion.
The last-minute killing blow simply made the blood of everyone watching the game boil in an instant!
※ ※ ※
Did anyone still care about Chelsea's side?
The Chelsea players on the field froze in place after the football bounced into the goal. They could not accept such a result at all. How could … How could they let the opponent score in the last minute? Was our defense not good enough? No! No …
Grant sat in his seat in the technical area, or it would be more appropriate to say that he "slumped" in his seat in the technical area. At this moment, it was as if he had no bones in his body. His face was ashen, as if he had lost his life.
It was all for naught, all for naught …
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"Brian Clough's most glorious moment was when he led Nottingham Forest to win a domestic league title and two UEFA Champions League titles. Tony Twain still has the opportunity and time to surpass his predecessor because he has now caught up with the former legend. Now he can start to shape a new hero in the history of Nottingham Forest Football Club, a new legend! "
"Don't be too happy too early. The game is not over yet! There are at least three minutes left … The football is round! "
"Remember what that guy Tony Twain said before the Champions League final last year? His football is triangular! Haha! "
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"The whole world is in our hands. We're Nottingham Forest! We're the best fucking team in the world! Oh, oh, oh — we're the champions! Nottingham Forest is the champion! "
The Nottingham Forest fans did not care about the nonsense of "football belongs to the garden." They could not wait to announce who the champion belonged to.
For a moment, the loud and clear song rippled in the stands of the Luzhniki Stadium, penetrating the layers of rain and fog and reaching beyond the clouds!
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