"Freddy Eastwood is in trouble. He's sandwiched by two Chelsea players in front and behind. The football is at his feet, but he can't turn around and shoot. As long as one more person comes up, the ball will definitely be intercepted … He turns around … shoots — the ball goes in! The ball goes in! The ball goes in —!!! Final — kill — of — the — game!! "
The commentator's excited roar came from the television.
The Nottingham Forest fans were more excited than him in front of the television. Those who could not go to the stadium to watch the game could only choose to watch the game together in the crowded bar. They were lucky to see this exciting scene near the end of the game.
"Champions! We're the champions! "
"The Double!"
"Tony, I f * * king love you, I f * * king love you —"
"Oh oh oh — are you going to propose to him, Joel?"
"If I were a woman, I'd marry him!"
"Ahahahaha …"
Such a scene appeared in all the bars where Nottingham Forest fans gathered, including Kenny Burns' Forest Bar.
"Beer! More beer! How can there be no beer at a time like this? "
"Cheers! To the championship! "
"Cheers! To the Double! "
No one watched the television or listened to the commentary for a long time. Right now, everyone's thoughts were focused on drinking, loudly announcing their victory and excitement.
Someone raised a glass to Burns behind the bar. Burns also raised the glass in his hand and nodded. The man downed it in one gulp, while Burns only took a sip. As the owner of the bar, he still needed to stay sober.
But that did not mean he was not happy for the Forest team's result. In fact, he might be happier and more excited than everyone here. The defending Champions League champion … Twenty-eight years had passed. That scene seemed to appear in front of Burns' eyes. It was the same group of people, but they were still young at that time and could run around with the team. They witnessed the first glory in Nottingham Forest's history at the Bernabéu — before Tony Twain, it was the "most glorious" — and now these people were old and many of them had white hair on their temples.
Time passed really quickly.
※ ※ ※
In the heavy rain in Moscow, the crazy celebration at the Luzhniki Stadium was finally stopped by the referee's forced intervention. The game was not over yet. Chelsea still had a chance to attack and equalize the score. If the Nottingham Forest players continued to celebrate so unscrupulously, the Chelsea players would surely complain angrily that they were taking the opportunity to delay the game.
Just as the Nottingham Forest players returned to the field, the fourth official also stood on the sidelines. He raised the electronic bulletin board high, and the number displayed on it was the final stoppage time of the game — three minutes!
There were still three minutes left for Chelsea to equalize the score. If they could not score, they would regrettably miss the championship trophy.
Tang En had also calmed down from his excitement. He stood by the side of the field with his arms crossed, staring nervously at the field. Anything could happen in the last three minutes. Think about the Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich in 1999 …
Don't slack off, you guys! He stared at the Nottingham Forest players on the field and gritted his teeth.
"Three more minutes, we must hold on!" Van Nistelrooy, who had been brought off, patted his tracksuit jacket and stood on the sidelines with his hands curled into the shape of a trumpet.
While Nottingham Forest was celebrating wildly, Grant had already completed the work of substitutions and adjustments. This time, he brought on two players in one go. He did not hold back because he wanted to play overtime with Nottingham Forest.
Shevchenko replaced Joe Cole, who could not do anything under Nottingham Forest's ferocious pressing. Belletti replaced Makelele, who was physically exhausted.
It was obvious that they wanted to step up their offense and were going to stake everything on one throw in the last three minutes.
The game resumed. Chelsea kept the football firmly under their feet and advanced into Nottingham Forest's penalty area. The Chelsea players were also smart. They did not rush to send the football directly to the Forest team's goal with a long pass, because that might cause them to lose possession of the ball faster.
As long as the football was controlled on their side, they could launch an attack at any time. There was not much time left. The important thing at this time was not the quantity of attacks, but the quality.
Ashley Cole also rushed up and threw himself into the attack. When Lampard saw him, he passed the football over.
At the last moment, Ashley Cole relied on his speed to forcefully plug forward and finally broke through Rafinha. He tore a hole in Nottingham Forest's right defensive line!
The cheers of the Chelsea fans at the scene rang out.
The Forest players thought Ashley Cole would definitely pass the ball from the byline. Pepe rushed up to block and prevent him from entering the penalty area. Drogba in the middle was handed over to Piqué.
Ashley Cole did not pass the football to Drogba. He did not even pass it to the front of the goal. He directly made a diagonal pass from the back. The football flew outside the penalty area!
Ballack received the ball and looked like he was going to shoot. He asked George Wood to throw his center of gravity out and use his body to block. In the end, he made a pass. The target was Lampard on the other side!
The corner pass was wonderful. Lampard was almost unmarked when he received the ball. He turned around after he got the football and directly raised his leg to shoot!
Everyone got up from their seats. If it went in, the Nottingham Forest fans would have been happy for nothing. If it did not go in … Chelsea was done for.
"Clang!"
How many times had they heard this sound in the game?
"The crossbar stopped Lampard's shot! The crossbar stopped Chelsea! "
The football hit the crossbar and bounced back. The attack was not over yet.
Although Lampard did not shoot the ball into the goal, it also caused the entire Forest team's rear defensive line to be shaken. Shevchenko appeared at the point where the ball would land. He had a chance to add the football into the goal …
"Shoot —"
The football flew directly over the crossbar …
It did not kick the right spot and shot high.
Tony Twain felt his legs turn to jelly. This was too stimulating for his heart … He pressed his hand on his left chest and could clearly feel his heart beating rapidly.
"Damn it …" He muttered weakly.
Beside him, Kerslake groaned, "Do you know, just now, I almost thought I had a heart attack …"
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"This could even be said to be Chelsea's best offensive opportunity in the second half. But the crossbar rejected Lampard, and Shevchenko's follow-up shot was directly kicked into the sky! Chelsea's luck is terrible! Or should I say, Nottingham Forest's luck is really good … "
Shevchenko held his head in his hands. He had the chance to be a hero … But in such a short time on the field, his body had not even warmed up, and his feet were still cold. How could he have the feeling to shoot? If he had been given another five minutes … Damn it! Bastard!
Lampard stood in front of the goal and weakly looked at the opposing goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, who was still in shock. He had gotten a lucky ball in the first half, but in the second half, his luck had all gone to the other side.
He had used too much force. If he had been a little lighter and the football had gone a little lower, it could have flown directly into the goal. Edwin van der Sar had already surrendered …
Gareth Bale hugged the goalpost and kissed it wildly. Words could no longer describe his feelings at the moment.
The ball did not go in, which was a huge blow to Chelsea's morale. Although there was still more than a minute left in the game, Chelsea looked like they could no longer muster up the spirit to attack. Furthermore, Nottingham Forest had the football firmly under their feet. They were not in a hurry to attack, just constantly passing the ball around in the backfield and midfield. Even if they were collectively booed by the Chelsea fans, the Nottingham Forest players were unmoved.
In this way, the game was getting closer and closer to the end.
Even the commentator announced, "The game is over. Chelsea's morale has been hit by the crossbar just now. They seem to have lost all their courage and fighting spirit in an instant. They have no idea how they should play out the remaining minute of the game. The football is now under Nottingham Forest's control, and the Chelsea players are being played around by them … "
In the stands, a man hidden deep in his trench coat saw this scene and silently shook his head.
※ ※ ※
The football was still under the feet of the Nottingham Forest players. Other than Lampard, the Chelsea players had no intention of coming up to grab the ball. They could see that Nottingham Forest wanted to delay the time until the end of the game. No one wanted to go up and be the monkey being played.
Outside the Nottingham Forest substitutes' bench and technical area, the players and coaches gathered on the sidelines, waiting for the referee's three whistles so that they could rush in to celebrate.
Tang En was sandwiched in the crowd and was trying to hide the joy on his face. The game was not over yet. He did not want the people on the field to think that they could relax.
In the stands of the Luzhniki Stadium, the Chelsea fans had quieted down, while the Nottingham Forest fans had been singing non-stop since Eastwood's goal. Other than Lampard's goalpost and Shevchenko's rebound shot, which made them pause slightly, the singing was now mixed with increasingly loud cheers. Everyone — no, all the Nottingham Forest fans — were waiting for that moment to come.
The referee was looking at his watch. The whistle was already in his mouth. Perhaps they would hear that sweet whistle in the next second.
There were ten seconds left in the injury stoppage time.
Lampard kept running and finally snatched the ball! This might be Chelsea's last chance!
There were seven seconds left in the injury stoppage time.
George Wood rushed out from the side, forcing Lampard to be unable to dribble the ball out or pass it out. Lampard wanted to get rid of Wood like a madman. He was betting that the ball was now on the attacking side. Unless this attack was completely hopeless, the referee would not blow the whistle to end the game. But … first, he needed to show that he was attacking and not tangling with George Wood in the midfield.
Wood stared coldly at the Chelsea number 8, who had once been a teammate in the England team. He felt the same desire to win and be the champion. But who asked us to be opponents? I'm going to let you down this time.
Lampard was waiting for his teammates to support him. He did not dare to return the ball. He was afraid that the referee would blow the whistle if the ball was passed back.
Wood realized that Lampard did not seem to be focusing all his attention on the football at his feet. This was an opportunity!
Without hesitation, he stretched out his leg and stabbed it out from behind. Lampard staggered and lost the ball!
After discovering that the football was intercepted, Lampard's heart instantly turned to ice.
Then he heard the last sound he wanted to hear:
"Beep! Beep! Beep — "
※ ※ ※
"The game is over —" The commentator's voice was immediately drowned out by even louder cheers.
The Nottingham Forest players and coaches waiting on the sidelines swarmed into the field.
Tang En was not so excited. He had not forgotten that he still had to shake hands with the opposing manager. Although he still did not like Grant, he was not averse to shaking hands with the loser as a winner.
So, he walked towards Grant with a smile.
Grant came up to him with a livid face.
Neither of them spoke. It was not appropriate to say that they shook hands. They just touched their fingertips and immediately separated.
Grant turned to comfort the players, while Tang En was surrounded by reporters.
"Congratulations to your team for creating new history, Mr. Tang!"
"Thank you."
"Do you have anything to say?"
"Before the final, I thought we should be the champion. We should be the best team in all of Europe … No, the entire world. I'm very happy that this result proves my thoughts. " Winning the championship made the already arrogant Tang En even more arrogant. Of course, he had the right to be so arrogant.
The reporters liked to see him being arrogant. Once he was arrogant, his mouth would say a lot of things that pleased the media. The readers would then follow the media's teasing to climax, and then everyone would be wet.
"Can you evaluate the opponent? Chelsea gave you some trouble in the second half … "
"It was just trouble." Tang En stretched out his right index finger and waved it. This action, which resembled Bruce Lee, made him the favorite of photographers. Tomorrow, this extremely arrogant photo of him would appear on the headlines of all the media.
"They did a good job in the second half, but they did a good job. They did not score. Instead, they allowed us to score and win the championship. This shows that we did better than them! "
"How does it feel to become the Double Winner and defend the UEFA Champions League?"
"It's f * cking great! Haha! "Tang En laughed but could not help but swear. Now was the peak of his life. He stood on the clouds of happiness, enjoying the compliments, praises, and flattery of the reporters, enjoying the joy of winning the championship, and enjoying the pleasure that he could never experience in his previous life.
※ ※ ※
In the private room, Shania stood up from her seat. Her gaze was fixed on Tony Twain, who was surrounded by reporters. She looked at him silently for a while before saying to Gloria beside her, "We should go, Clarice."
Gloria pointed below and asked her, "Are you really not going to say hello or say goodbye?"
"There are so many media outlets. What am I going to do?" Shania said with a frown. "If you want to say goodbye, you can say it over the phone."
"At least let him know that you came to watch his game, right?"
Shania laughed. "It belongs to him now. I'd better not disturb him."
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David Beckham was with the other players, thanking the Nottingham Forest fans in the stands. He was not as excited as his teammates around him. He had seen big scenes. But he was still very happy.
He did not expect his transfer to Nottingham Forest to be able to win the league title and the Champions League title in one season. It was almost comparable to his 1998-1999 season at Manchester United.
Who did not like champions? Who did not like victory?
Someone suddenly hugged him from behind. Bale's excited voice rang in his ear. "David! We're champions! Haha, we're champions again! "
Beckham looked back at the happy little monkey and replied, "Ah, yes, we're champions again." He emphasized the word "again."
This was his second UEFA Champions League title.
The reporters flocked to David Beckham, wanting to interview him on what the Nottingham Forest "newcomer" thought of the championship title.
This was definitely not special treatment. The other Nottingham Forest players were interviewed individually. Everyone said a few words, and the next day it could become a vivid live report in the newspaper.
However, George Wood refused such an interview. He hid in a slightly quieter place and called his mother.
Bendtner and Chimbonda, the two players who had been kicked out of the First Team for fighting in training, also hugged together to celebrate the championship title. Because of the championship title, all the contradictions did not exist … Of course, it was temporary.
※ ※ ※
Just as this group of people were celebrating wildly or being interviewed, a group of people had put up a billboard in the center to announce the championship title. Against the background of the UEFA Champions League logo, there were big red words:
2007-2008 UEFA Champions League title winners
Nottingham Forest Forest!
As the weather was not favorable and it was still raining, the award ceremony was not held in the middle of the stadium but on the podium. The red carpet had been laid from the bottom of the steps to the top. This was the road to the championship. This was the road to glory.
The first to go up to receive the award was second-place Chelsea. Each of them would receive a silver medal. It was believed that these people would be very unhappy when they received the award. No one wanted to get a silver medal after reaching the final. Just like Tang En had roared in the locker room three years ago, to take the silver medal to serve as a foil to the champion?
The Chelsea players received the award on stage with gloomy faces. They did not want to say a word more, and there was not the slightest hint of a smile on their faces. Most people took the silver medal off their necks and held it in their hands after coming down. Everyone looked unwillingly at the glittering silver trophy when they went on stage to receive the award. It was so close yet so far away from them …
The last person to go on stage to receive the silver medal was the Chelsea manager, Grant. His face was livid. He did not let Platini, who was in charge of presenting the award, hang the medal around his neck. Instead, he received it directly in his hands.
Then he walked off the stage. Unlike the others, he did not look at the championship trophy throughout the entire process.
The podium was in the middle of the stands. On the right was the area where the Nottingham Forest fans gathered, and on the left was the phalanx of Chelsea fans. The right side was bustling with activity, while the left side was dead silent.
Grant walked down. Halfway down, he looked at the silver medal in his hands, and then at the silent and heartbroken Chelsea fans. Then he did something that caused an uproar.
He threw the silver medal in his hands into the stands! Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, it stirred up waves. Some people raised their hands to fight for the silver medal, and the previously quiet stands became noisy again.
Tony Twain whistled when he saw this scene. He could understand Grant's thinking of doing so. He felt angry, unwilling, but helpless. Other than using this method to express the dissatisfaction in his heart, what else could he do?
Didn't Tang En do the same back then? After the game, there was even a huge uproar. However, he did not need to express such an extreme expression now, because he would not be dissatisfied at all. He was the winner, for two years in a row!
"Grant finally became a man at the last moment," Tang En said to Dunn beside him in Mandarin.
Dunn nodded in agreement.
If Grant had gone on stage with a smile, politely received the silver medal, and then thanked Platini and the other senior officials of the UEFA, Tang En's disdain for him would only deepen.
Grant throwing the silver medal was just an interlude. Soon, it was the Nottingham Forest players' turn to go on stage to receive the award. The players excitedly went on stage to receive the award. It was no different from the first time they had won the championship. It was a joy that came from the bottom of their hearts.
George Wood was at the back of the team. He was responsible for picking up the championship trophy in a while. Tang En was in front of him.
"Have you called your mother?" The two took the time to chat for a while.
"Yeah."
"Is she very happy?"
"Very happy."
Tang En smiled. "Ah, that's good. If you're in a good mood, your body will recover faster. So, George, for your mother's sake, you have to keep leading this team to win, understand? "
Although Wood thought the words sounded a little strange, he still nodded because he also liked to win.
As Tang En walked up the steps, the Nottingham Forest fans in the stands on the right extended their hands to welcome him, as if they were the spears of a guard of honor. They chanted Tony Twain's name, praising him for winning another championship trophy for the team. Some people even had tears in their eyes, so excited that they could not speak to themselves. In this area of the stands, the cold of the rainy night had long been dispelled without a trace by the fiery red.
In this way, Tang En stepped onto the podium step by step amidst the cheers of the fans. He received the gold medal that symbolized the championship from Platini's hands, but his expression was not as happy as when he walked up.
"Congratulations, Mr. Tony Twain." Platini held out his hand.
"Thank you." Tang En simply shook hands and left. He did not like the officials of the UEFA very much, even the star player Platini, whom he had once admired for a while.
Platini was a little disappointed with his reaction. He had wanted to take the opportunity to say a few more words …
George Wood was already standing in front of him. He collected his thoughts, hung the gold medal around Wood's neck, and then placed his hand on the championship trophy.
The crucial moment had arrived.
When George Wood took the trophy from Platini's hands, the cheers of the fans at the scene had reached a peak, but he did not take advantage of the situation to raise it. He handed the trophy to Tony Twain, who was next to him.
"You take the other side."
Tang En looked at the serious-looking George Wood and smiled. This porter that he had picked up from the streets, this ignorant teenager who claimed that he was the best player in England …
I can give you a chance, but whether you can become the best player in England depends on you, George.
These words seemed to have been said yesterday.
Taking the other hand of the trophy, Tang En and George Wood raised it together.
At this moment, the continuous cheers hit the shore like a tide, stirring up a thousand layers of waves, and drowning everything in the loud roar.
"Hurray! Nottingham Forest! Hurray! The Double Winner! "
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