During halftime, Tang En praised the team's overall performance and asked the team to continue playing like that. On the other hand, Mourinho did not have it easy. On one hand, he had to worry about Quaresma's injury, and on the other hand, he had to think of a way to break Nottingham Forest's defensive counterattack. But what else could he do other than strengthen the team's offense?
Inter Milan's morale was low. Because the situation was not in their favor, and Quaresma had suffered such a serious injury — Komby had confirmed that Quaresma would miss all of the season's games, and it was hard to say when he would return next season.
But in Mourinho's mouth, this matter became a good way to boost the team's morale. He used Quaresma's broken leg for the team to inspire the players' fighting spirit, telling them that there was no way back, and that if they did not work hard and fight hard, they could only return to Milan dejectedly. And Quaresma's injury this time would be meaningless.
Like Tony Twain, Mourinho was also a manager who could stir up the hearts of the people, and he was good at doing such things. The Inter Milan players, who were originally a little dispirited, were stirred up like a pack of wolves by his words.
Just like that, they went on the field.
After the start of the second half, Inter Milan's offensive clearly strengthened. They seemed to not think about defense, and they surrounded the goal guarded by Akinfeev. Since that was the case, Nottingham Forest was naturally happy to play defensive counterattack.
But César played very well, and he saved Nottingham Forest's two shots in a row. With him at the back to ensure that the goal was not lost, Inter Milan's attacking players could rest assured.
Below the field, Tang En was angry that the team had missed two opportunities to score. He was acutely aware that the second half was different from the first. The first half was stagnant, and only Quaresma's injury could lift everyone's spirits. The second half was a bloodbath, and they could not help but be vigilant.
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Ibišević was in a tight encirclement, and he had to take on too many defensive tasks. At the same time, he was not fast, and he was not cut out for counterattack. Tang En decided to replace him, and he did it immediately. He did not want to waste time. What if Inter Milan scored in such a short time?
Since they were going to counterattack, it was best to change to a speedy forward. Now, Tang En had two choices. One was the experienced shooter, Eastwood, and the other was the faster Agbonlahor. Eastwood was not slow, but he was certainly not as fast as Agbonlahor. His strength lay in his ability to seize opportunities in front of the goal and his variety of shooting methods. Agbonlahor's advantage was much simpler, and that was speed. His wind-like speed ensured that he could easily tear through the opponent's defensive line and face the goalkeeper.
But what about after facing the goalkeeper? Agbonlahor's shooting was not exquisite and it was very likely that he would not be able to score in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. At the same time, César was in good form for the game and always made some incredible saves. If Agbonlahor repeatedly wasted his chances, it would only strengthen Inter Milan's confidence and reduce Nottingham Forest's determination to fight back quickly.
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Tang En chose Eastwood, who was slightly slower but had better skills in front of the goal.
When he called Eastwood to his side, Tang En looked at him and smiled. "When I need help, the first person I think of is you, Freddy."
"We need goals, boss."
"You won't disappoint me, right?"
"I rode Fina to warm up this morning, boss." Fina was the horse that Eastwood rode. When it was still a foal, Eastwood rode it to warm up on the road in the eastern suburbs of London. Now that it was in its prime, Eastwood's form for the past two seasons had been excellent.
"Then I'm relieved. As you said, go up and score goals. "Tang En patted him on the shoulder and handed the work to Dunn, who would be responsible for explaining specific tactics to him.
Dunn asked Eastwood to have a wider range of activity on the field and not be limited to the middle. At the same time, he did not have to think too much about defense and only had to think about scoring goals. He had to shoot more, no matter where he was, so that he could have a chance to score.
After Eastwood nodded to show that he understood, the fourth official raised the sign on the sidelines to signal a substitution.
Ibišević walked off the field and completed the handover with Eastwood. Both of them received the applause of the Forest fans. Although he did not score, Super Ibi worked hard in defense and had several key headers to clear the siege. His selfless character also helped the team's overall defense.
When Eastwood came on, everyone knew that it was Tang En's "attack signal." Eastwood was not good at defense, but he was good at scoring goals. His body and stamina did not allow him to sprint back and forth in the game from one penalty area to another, let alone engage in physical confrontations with the opponent in defense.
After Eastwood ran onto the field, he raised his right hand above his head and drew a circle, finally pointing to the front. It meant to continue to stick to the defensive counterattack. All the Forest players understood what was going on.
Tang En had already made a substitution, but Mourinho's side was still biding his time. First of all, he still did not know what effect Tang En's adjustment would bring, so it was right to observe first. Secondly, due to Quaresma's unexpected injury, he had already lost a substitution spot for no reason. He only had two cards left, and they had to be used at the most crucial moment.
He only asked the players on the rear defensive line to pay attention to creating offside. One way to deal with defensive counterattack was to create offside, to make the opponent's attacking players frequently fall into the offside trap, thus causing the opponent's passing players to not dare to easily pass the ball straight.
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After Eastwood came on, the quality of Nottingham Forest's counterattack improved. The Romani could control the ball at his feet, break through, and shoot long shots. He was very well-rounded. Such a striker could do things that required several people to do alone.
The Forest team mainly used long passes and straight passes during the counterattack. Although the error rate was high, once it was successful, it could allow Eastwood to face César directly.
Eastwood did not return to defend. He cruised in the front field, waiting for an opportunity. If his teammates made a mistake in the pass, he would snatch the gun on the spot. If he could not snatch it, he would let it go and continue to wait for the next opportunity. He believed in the midfield's ability to intercept. He would not be short of opportunities.
The Forest players in the middle and back field also trusted Eastwood's ability. They were not worried that no one would receive the ball when it was passed out. They just had to send the ball forward.
After Eastwood intercepted an Inter Milan pass, he passed the ball to Şahin, who continued to pass the ball straight. This time, they succeeded!
Samuel was a little careless and directly tackled, but the ball slipped past his feet! Eastwood just happened to rush out from behind Burdisso on the other side. He was not offside, and he cut in diagonally to receive the ball.
"Freddy Eastwood!! A beautiful pass and anti-offside! "
But it was not a death sentence for Inter Milan, because there was still some distance between the passing route and Eastwood. As long as César came out in time to block the route and angle, coupled with his continued magical play, it was not impossible to save the team again.
Julio César made his choice — abandon the goal and attack. He wanted to get as close to Eastwood as possible to block his shot. At the same time, he recalled some of Eastwood's technical characteristics in his mind — as a striker, he liked to shoot hard, not clever shots. That was easy to deal with. If the angle was blocked, no matter how much strength he used, he would not score unless he shot through the goalkeeper.
Şahin passed the ball in a straight line, and Eastwood cut in diagonally. If he wanted to shoot, he still needed to adjust his direction after receiving the ball. These were all advantageous to Inter Milan's defense.
César slowed down a little because he estimated he could not grab the ball in front of Eastwood, and once he went out, he could not use his hands, which would greatly limit his play. He intended to let Nottingham Forest's number 11 receive the ball first and then block his shot.
"Eastwood is about to receive the ball. Now he's outside the penalty area and César has blocked his shooting angle. Will he pass the Brazilian goalkeeper? "
"Pass him —!!!" There was a tsunami of cheers in the stands. They all wanted to see Eastwood take advantage of the situation to bypass César and send the ball beautifully into the empty goal. They also wanted to enjoy the desperate expressions on the faces of the Inter Milan players who were chasing after them. As long as the ball went in, Inter Milan would need to score at least two goals to ensure their advancement.
But Eastwood made a move that none of them expected.
At the same time as he cut in diagonally to receive the football, the Romani faced César sideways, led the way with his right calf and the tip of his toe up …
The football passed over the head of César, who had lowered his center of gravity to prepare to pounce on the ball, and flew straight to the empty goal behind him!
"A lob shot! Beautiful! Beautiful!! "
César had been guarding against Eastwood's powerful volley, but he did not expect the other side to make a lob shot. It was too late for him to jump up from the ground to pounce on the ball. He could only half-kneel on the ground and look back in amazement at the football still in the air.
Eastwood, who had completed the lob shot, ran to the other side and had already opened his arms to celebrate the goal.
He knew that it was impossible for anyone to stop the ball, not even the crossbar or goalpost.
César watched the football fall into the net and finally fell sideways to the ground, a chill in his heart.
The beautiful arc seemed to make all sound disappear and time stand still. But when the football fell into the goal, the City Ground stadium came alive like an erupting volcano.
"Wonderful shot! An unexpected lob shot. César was in good form, but Eastwood, who had just come on not long ago, was in better form than him! This goal, from the passing to the running position to the final shot, the route was clear and the goal was scored easily. Eastwood seemed to be in his usual training. When he made a lob shot, you could not see any extra movements from him. Clean and neat! "
"Ah ha! Don't think I only know how to volley! "After the goal, Eastwood opened his arms and flew on the field, not forgetting to express his pride.
"You're still chewing gum? Aren't you afraid of swallowing that thing! "His teammates swarmed up.
"Hey, if you don't pat my head, I won't!"
"Hahahaha —"
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In sharp contrast to the excitement of the Nottingham Forest players was the frustration and disappointment of the Inter Milan players — they besieged Nottingham Forest but could not score, and instead allowed the other side to score. How were they going to play this game? Now they had to ensure that they would not concede in the future and score at least two more goals to advance. Even if it was 1: 1, they would be eliminated because they scored fewer away goals.
As the manager, Mourinho stood in place and felt a little helpless. It was reasonable to say that this goal concede started with Samuel's shovel error, but he could not blame anyone. Because if they continued to play like that, Nottingham Forest would score sooner or later. He had only hoped to score first before the other side scored, so as to change the balance on the field and take the initiative of the game into his own hands.
Now it was all for naught, all for naught!
Was he really going to lose again in the hands of that guy Tony Twain?
Mourinho clenched his fists. He could not accept it.
Why was it so difficult to win a game against him!
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Mourinho then brought off Cambiasso and brought on Adriano, and then brought on Mario Balotelli to replace Samuel, who had made a mistake. It was a madman's all-out gamble.
On the other hand, Twain brought on Woodgate to replace Şahin and repeated the same trick, with five defenders and three center backs defending to the death. As the game went on, his chances of winning increased. As long as Inter Milan did not score two goals in a row at the last minute, even if they accidentally scored a goal, the Forest team would still advance.
He really could not be more utilitarian …
In the final moments of the game, the Forest team gave Inter Milan three consecutive free kicks at the front of the penalty area due to their excessive defensive movements. This made Twain very nervous, and he could no longer sit still. He got up from the technical area and paced to the sidelines, nervously watching the field.
He knew that Balotelli was a master of free kicks and was taught by Mihajlović, so he should not be underestimated. He did not want to be the pave for the emergence of some talented youngster. He was more willing to be the devil who strangled some talented youngster.
Balotelli's first free kick hit the goalpost and flew out of bounds, causing the Forest fans in the stands to break out in a cold sweat.
Mourinho was also nervous. He stared at Balotelli on the sidelines, gritting his teeth. At this moment, what he wanted to see the most was probably Balotelli's "two goals to become famous."
For the second free kick, Balotelli kicked the football onto the human wall. The cunning Nottingham Forest player made full use of this opportunity. Eastwood, who was smothered in the chest by the football, fell to the ground, groaning in pain on the ground, unwilling to get up.
Inter Milan wanted to continue to attack, but in a moment of impatience, the football was moved to the feet of the Forest players. Baines happened to kick the football into the stands with a big foot. Then the team doctor entered the field and naturally dragged out the time.
Mourinho mocked the scene off the field, "I bet that if Baines didn't kick the football out and instead decided to dribble the ball to counterattack, Eastwood would jump up immediately to participate in the attack."
What he said was not wrong at all.
Nottingham Forest was so "unsportsmanlike" …
The matter with Eastwood lasted for five minutes, and not long after the game resumed, Inter Milan was awarded another free kick.
At this time, there were still three minutes before the injury stoppage time. Even if the injury stoppage time was given five minutes, there were still eight minutes left. It was not easy for the Inter Milan players to score two goals in a row in these eight minutes. Moreover, their opponent was Nottingham Forest, who was good at defense.
This third free kick was sufficient proof of how anxious the Inter Milan players were at this moment. Balotelli directly kicked the football into the sky, thousands of miles away from the goal.
The six minutes of injury stoppage time did not bring good luck to Inter Milan. They frantically besieged the Forest goal, and even the goalkeeper, Julio César, rushed up to act as a scorer in the corner kick. But it did not help.
When the referee blew the whistle at the end of the game, the City Ground stadium was instantly covered in loud cheers. They finally avenged their defeat a season ago and eliminated Inter Milan in the way they were best at.
At the end of the game, the Nottingham Forest fans in the stands excitedly sang a self-composed song to mock Mourinho:
"You can never win Tony! You can never win Tony! What a pitiful person! Tony appeared in your dreams, you had a nightmare! You opened your eyes, Tony was still in front of you, smiling at you, smiling at you! "
In the midst of the noise, Mourinho came over to shake Twain's hand.
"Did you step in dog shit today?" he asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Good luck …"
Twain laughed heartily.
"As long as I can win you, it doesn't matter what the reason is." Twain did not care if it was good luck. "I only care about the result."
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