The goal concede was not necessarily a bad thing for Real Madrid. At the very least, they lost it early enough that they had forty minutes to get it back.
Furthermore, the coach Michels also found a problem — Diarra's excessive dribbling in the midfield had indeed threatened the safety of the goal.
Because of this, he called Diarra down from the field while the Forest team was still celebrating the goal.
"Lars, you've been holding the ball for too long. The goal concede was caused by you holding the ball too much in the midfield. "Michels stared at Diarra seriously.
Diarra knew it was because of himself. "I understand, coach. Should I hold the ball less? "
Michels shook his head, "No. How can you connect the front and back of the field if you hold the ball less? I mean, you should let the ball stay under your feet for less time … "Speaking of this, Michels wanted to give Diarra an example. He thought for a while and unexpectedly thought of the opponent's player — George Wood. He opened his mouth, but the name did not come out.
"Anyway, their midfield defense is very tight. If you can let the ball stay under your feet for less time, you can break their defense and reduce the possibility of your ball being intercepted."
Diarra nodded while listening, "Okay, I understand, coach."
"Don't take this goal concede to heart. We still have 40 minutes." After criticizing Diarra, Michels comforted him again. "If Gago becomes the core of the opponent's organization, you should take care of him appropriately."
Diarra understood and ran back to the field.
Michels clapped his hands to encourage the Real Madrid players on the sidelines, telling them to pull themselves together and not be defeated by the goal.
※ ※ ※
Florentino finally remembered to go back to his position. Evan Doughty stood up and made way for him with a smile on his face. He did not reach out to the Spanish football tycoon and say some provocative words to him. In the end, reason won over impulse, and he buried those provocative words in his heart.
Florentino did not seem to see Evan Doughty. The calm smile on his face was gone, and he hurried past with his head down. It seemed that he had not recovered from the shock of losing the goal so quickly.
Evan and he sat down at the same time, calmed themselves down and continued to watch the game.
※ ※ ※
Nottingham Forest, who was in the lead again, gained the advantage on the field. For a while, they even bombarded Real Madrid's goal. Unfortunately, Casillas was in good form. He made three saves in a row and finally managed to keep the goal.
He was a little dissatisfied with the team's defense. He got up from the ground and shouted the names of the defenders.
"Don't let them shoot so easily! Not even a long shot! "
"Be careful of Gago's backstab!"
"Two flanks and the flanks!"
Under his command, Real Madrid's defense finally stabilized.
After Nottingham Forest tried to attack several times without success, they also began to retreat in a planned way to save energy.
Both sides fell into a stalemate again. Both teams did not have many chances to really threaten the goal, and they were caught in a tough battle in the midfield.
Diarra obediently gave up on his favorite way of playing. He would pass the ball quickly after he got the ball in the midfield. He would not let the ball stay at his feet for a second longer than necessary. Nottingham Forest's defense was in a tough spot. Gago tried to pounce on the ball several times, but he always missed. Diarra also took advantage of the space behind him to send the ball out, causing trouble for Nottingham Forest's defense.
Tang En and the players on the field also noticed this change. He glanced at Michelle.
The Real Madrid manager was indeed not an ordinary person. If he could see this problem, there was no reason why the other side could not … and Michelle corrected it very quickly. It looked like it would not be easy to use Diarra to open up Real Madrid's goal.
He could only let Gago temporarily give up his method of pouncing on Diarra and retreat to a stalemate with his opponent.
If Diarra had passed the ball earlier, Nottingham Forest's players would not have bothered him. If he hesitated and did not pass the ball the first time, Gago would immediately stick close to him.
On the other side, Ribéry was closely marked by George Wood. Ronaldo and Higuaín were also left idle on the sidelines. Real Madrid's "kicking the ankle" tactic caused frequent boos from the stands. They also paid the price of three yellow cards, but the effect was good. Real Madrid was clearly not used to this kind of game. They could not organize their offense at all. Huntelaar and Benzema had to retreat to the midfield to get the ball. Being too far away from the goal, their threat to the goal was much smaller.
※ ※ ※
Time passed by. Up until the 30 minutes of the second half, neither side scored again.
Nottingham Forest was not in a hurry. Although a one-goal lead was not safe, it was, after all, the finals. It was better to be safe. Tang En's team chose a solid defense, disrupting the opponent's offense in the midfield and waiting for the opportunity to counterattack.
Real Madrid was a little impatient. After all, this was their home ground, and now they were one goal behind … there were 15 minutes left in the game. If they could not fight for a goal, they would lose the Champions League in the Bernabéu.
This was something that must not happen.
Michelle began to adjust. He made a very bold change, which was even beyond Tang En's expectations. He did not change the players on the field, he only changed the positions of the players on the field. He let Marcelo play in the midfield and pushed Higuaín to the front line. Ronaldo returned to his favorite right side, and Ramos retreated to the middle to be the center back.
This time, Real Madrid's formation changed from 4-4-2 to 343, an absolutely aggressive formation.
Tang En was stunned for a moment when he saw the change, and then he laughed. He really lived up to his name as the Real Madrid manager, Michelle González, who insisted on attacking football. This kind of desperate play really did not consider the path of retreat at all …
Tang En thought for a moment and decided to avoid the brunt of the attack. He let the team temporarily retreat and shrink their defense, and then slowly deplete Real Madrid's stamina. At the last moment, they would … deal a fatal blow!
He whistled and used hand gestures to convey the news to the players.
The change in the situation on the field could be seen very clearly. Real Madrid's offense strengthened, while Forest's counterattack decreased a lot. The previously silent Real Madrid fans became excited again at this time. They loudly shouted slogans and cheered for Real Madrid.
In fact, football games were very strange. Both managers made a lot of detailed and thorough arrangements, but the game did not necessarily go according to the route they planned, because there would always be such and such accidents that the game would take a turn in an unknown direction.
For example, after Michelle made the arrangement to go all out, the team's offense only picked up for a while before it withered again. Nottingham Forest's defense had been honed for a decade. The addition of a forward would not cause them to panic.
Another five minutes passed, and Real Madrid still could not see any hope of scoring. Sporadic boos sounded in the stands again. Hearing this voice, Tang En grinned widely. Are the impatient Real Madrid fans going to start waving their white handkerchiefs again? Very good, very good. Continue to put pressure on the Real Madrid players!
※ ※ ※
Ribéry was kicked to the ground again. He lay on the ground and rolled in pain, causing Rafinha to receive a yellow card for the foul. It was also Nottingham Forest's fifth yellow card in the game. On the other hand, Real Madrid did not have a single yellow card. They were clean like a piece of white paper.
Pepe was very unhappy with Ribéry's pain. He rushed forward and bent down to question Ribéry. In his opinion, the Frenchman must have dived!
But he was held back by Woodgate next to him. Fortunately, Woodgate reacted quickly. Otherwise, Pepe's aggressive charging stance might have caused him some trouble — the Real Madrid players would have been happy to take the opportunity to have a physical conflict with him, and then pay a yellow card for their side in exchange for Pepe to get his second yellow card of the game.
Pepe had been in high spirits since the game in the tunnel. Everyone was paying attention to him.
"Bastard! You dived! "Pepe was still being held back by Woodgate, but he still yelled at Ribéry relentlessly.
Ribéry got up from the ground and did not argue for himself. He just walked forward with his head down. His footsteps seemed to be limping a little. But he did not know if it was an act or if he was really kicked.
This was just a small episode. In a tense and intense final, it was normal for players from both sides to get dizzy and clash. The game continued.
The free kick that Ribéry fought for for Real Madrid brought a little threat to the goal guarded by Akinfeev. Ronaldo passed the ball to the front of the goal. With an inward spin, it hung straight in the back corner of the goal. In the process, as long as someone touched the ball in the direction of the goal … it might go in!
Unfortunately, no one touched the ball. The players from both sides were entangled in the penalty area like a mess. The ball flew straight between them and the goalkeeper, Akinfeev, and out of the end line.
The ball flew out, but it was not over. Just as the ball flew past the goal, a Real Madrid player fell to the ground in the crowd. It immediately drew a roar of "penalty" from the stands.
But the referee did not say anything. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had fallen to the ground, drew Bale's angry gaze. Bale pushed against Ronaldo's head as he stood up. Bale's mouth was pouting and his eyes were wide open. Hot air was puffing out of his nostrils.
The person who pulled Bale away this time was Akinfeev. On the other side, a Real Madrid player also cut in to separate the two men.
"This is a penalty!" Benzema pushed Bale away and protested to the referee.
"F * ck your balls!" The person who retorted was Rafinha. He had just received a yellow card and was in a bad mood.
Seeing that the two sides were about to directly clash, the players from both teams who were still clear-headed rushed up to completely separate them.
As there was no direct physical conflict, the referee did not take out a card. He only called Rafinha and Benzema, as well as the two groups of Ronaldo and Bale, over and gave them a few verbal warnings. Originally, he wanted everyone to shake hands and show their friendliness. In the end, as soon as he finished nagging, the four of them turned around and walked away together. They did not even bother to look at him.
He shook his head at the back. The finals were indeed different from ordinary matches. The atmosphere between the two sides had already reached the point where swords were drawn. As long as they did not do anything too out of line … then forget it.
The referee was still in a lecturing posture, frozen on the spot. His face was green and white. He had lost a lot of face — but he could only pinch his nose and let it go. The atmosphere on the field was tense and it was simply in a white-hot state. As long as they did not really fight, he would just bear with it …
Tang En saw this scene from the sidelines, but there was a smile on his face. Continue to spit, spit more! It's best if you spit for ten minutes straight into the injury stoppage time!
Michels certainly knew what Tang En was thinking with a smile on his face. He rushed to the sidelines and did not care about the demeanor of a powerhouse coach anymore. He shouted, "Go back and continue the match! Go back and continue the match! We're still behind! "
His shout woke the Real Madrid players up. They hurriedly abandoned the referee and ran back to their positions somewhat unwillingly.
Seeing this scene, Tang En whistled. Sure enough, the opponent was not a block of wood. They were not that stupid.
※ ※ ※
The match resumed, and the boos from the stands did not lessen at all. The Real Madrid fans thought the referee was unfair, and so did the Real Madrid players. In the ensuing match, the anger of both sides rose with the decision. Nottingham Forest kicked their ankles for nearly 45 minutes and finally angered the Real Madrid players.
In response, their actions became more and more aggressive, and the number of shoving and shoving between the players on both sides increased.
The referee had to show Real Madrid a yellow card to help him calm the emotions of the players on the field. After all, this was Real Madrid's first yellow card of the match. Tang En applauded off the field, but the clapping was obviously sarcastic. Because of this, he received the "favor" of the fourth official, who specially came over to greet him with concern. "Watch your behavior, Mr. Tony Twain!"
The match had reached the 87th minute, and the score was still 2: 1. Nottingham Forest was in the lead.
The Forest players on the substitutes' bench could no longer suppress the excitement in their hearts. They stood shoulder to shoulder on the sidelines, waiting for the whistle to end the match to rush onto the field to celebrate the birth of the Treble.
Even the coaches beside Tang En were excited and left their seats to accompany the players on the sidelines.
Tang En himself was a little excited, but he tried his best to suppress that excitement. He could not let the players on the field get too carried away. After all, the match was not over yet, and they did not know how many minutes of injury stoppage time there would be. If it was five minutes, it would still be very dangerous.
At this moment, Tang En could no longer care about letting the team continue to attack and strive for another goal. It was too dangerous at this time, and it was better to defend steadily. Just at the 80th minute, he replaced Şahin and sent Kompany on the field to form a defensive formation with three center backs, which had already clearly conveyed his thoughts to the players.
After that, Gago's assists were not as frequent as before. Most of the time, Gago and Wood were doing blue-collar work in the midfield — constantly running and intercepting, not caring about their physical strength to destroy the opponent's attack.
The boos from the stands were getting louder and louder. It was no longer clear whether the boos were aimed at Real Madrid, Nottingham Forest, or the referee …
The two men sitting on the podium did not hide their inner thoughts at this moment, and the expressions on their faces faithfully reflected their thoughts. Florentino's face was solemn, while Evan Doughty's smile was obvious. It looked like he would have the last laugh. The arrogant Spanish football tycoon finally had to bow his head and admit defeat!
Deep down, he applauded Tony Twain, but on the surface, he tried not to let his smile be too wanton and arrogant. This is really hard …
※ ※ ※
Michels stood on the sidelines. It seemed that there was nothing he could do. In the last ten minutes, he had changed two players in a row. He replaced Diarra with de la Red. Then, in less than two minutes, he replaced David Luiz with Pallejo.
Twain could not help but grimace when he saw these two substitutions. This man was crazy.
He was completely playing with no regard for his life. The meaning was obvious — if you can't kill me in the last few minutes, then I'll kill you!
The barefooted were not afraid of the barefooted. At this time, Real Madrid, which had always been gentle, elegant, and was known as the model of aristocratic temperament, had turned into a barefooted bumpkin …
Faced with such an aggressive Real Madrid, Twain was not sure that he could escape unscathed. He could only choose to retreat, retreat, and retreat. The situation was a little ugly, but at least it was safe. If Nottingham Forest was determined to defend to the death, the number of teams in the world that could break through their goal could be counted with half a hand.
As long as they could defend for a few minutes, defend for a few minutes …
Twain repeated in the depths of his heart. Unbeknownst to himself, his fists were clenched tightly, and they were full of sweat.
※ ※ ※
Real Madrid's frenzied style of play did frighten some of the Forest players. Three forwards, five attacking midfielders, and two defenders surrounded Nottingham Forest's half of the field and began to practice offense and defense.
This was no longer the time to solve the problem by kicking the ankle. Real Madrid's offense had formed a layered and deep posture. No matter how the Forest team ended up, the football would eventually fall to their feet. Hence, another wave of offense came.
Nottingham Forest, which had been awe-inspiring before, was now like a turtle in its shell, letting the wind blow in all directions.
On the rostrum, the smile on Evan Doughty's face was gradually fading away. Florentino, who was beside him, looked at the field nervously like a real fan, not noticing the facial expressions of the people around him.
The fourth official stood on the sidelines, fiddling with the electronic cards in his hands. It seemed that injury stoppage time was coming.
Twain glanced at the fourth official. He had never felt that the fourth official was so cute as he was today. As long as he saw him come out, he knew that the game was not far from 90 minutes.
Hold on, hold on for one more injury stoppage time! They had held on for 90 minutes, could it be that they had to hold on for the remaining minutes …
Before he could finish encouraging himself and the team in his heart, he saw Ribéry, who had the ball outside the penalty area, suddenly forced a breakthrough in front of George Wood!
Wood was taken aback by his movements. Ribéry's feet had been a little limp before, as if he was really injured. Wood was a little slack because of this. He did not expect this kid to be pretending!
In great shock, Ribéry had already left him behind and rushed into the penalty area.
Pepe rushed up immediately. If he shouted again, "Enemy general, don't run! Your Grandpa Zhang is here! ", it would be even more imposing.
He came a little late, and Ribéry was already about to rush over, so at this moment. Pepe stretched out his hand and gently pushed Ribéry's shoulder …
Ribéry, who had been moving like a rabbit, suddenly tripped and dived to the ground like a torpedo bomber.
Then he landed on all fours in the penalty area.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden change.
Including Tony Twain who was standing on the sidelines.
"Penalty!!" This time, not only the Real Madrid fans in the stands were shouting, even the commentator was shouting non-stop.
Looking at the referee, he was running to the penalty area and pointing at the penalty spot — that was the gesture for a penalty.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
