Not long after the second half of the game began, Spain used their strong midfield ball possession advantage to push England back. This was within Twain's expectations, so the England team did not panic. Instead, they shrank the defense and patiently contended with England.
Fàbregas remembered Hierro's special instructions to the team before the game:
"There's a piece of information that might be beneficial to you — George Wood has a yellow card …"
Hierro did not go on, but many people, including Fàbregas, had fully understood.
As England's captain and core, if Wood received another yellow card in this game, then he would lose the qualification to play in the final. Such a thing had happened to Wood once. In the 05-06 season, Nottingham Forest, who returned to the Premier League, reached the UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona, who had trained Fàbregas. In the semi-final before that game, it happened to be against Arsenal, where Fàbregas played. George Wood received a yellow card at the last minute, and because of his accumulation of two yellow cards, he missed the final. If it had not been for his absence, maybe Nottingham Forest would have picked up the UEFA Champions League a season ahead of schedule.
Since that incident, Wood was quite disgusted with this kind of thing of watching from the sidelines. So, even if he was seriously injured, he strongly asked Twain to take him to Spain and was ready to play at any time.
This news was indeed very good for Fàbregas.
George Wood, who had a yellow card, was bound to have scruples in the second half of the game. He could not play at his full level. As long as he thought that if he received another yellow card, he would have to say goodbye to the UEFA European Championship, no one could remain indifferent.
This was worth taking advantage of.
Thinking of this, Fàbregas raised his hand for the ball and ran forward at the same time. He wanted to get closer to Wood and force him to foul.
Iniesta passed the football to Fàbregas. He knew what Cesc was going to do. In fact, he also had that intention, but he was entangled with Michael Johnson. If he went to Wood, he would be walking into a trap.
Fàbregas, who received the ball, dribbled the ball straight towards Wood.
Wood did not avoid it, waiting for Fàbregas to come up. As the last line of defense in front of the center back, he could not escape in any case.
Fàbregas suddenly turned the football to the left as he approached Wood, then twisted his body to change direction, waiting for Wood to come up.
Wood did not disappoint him. He took a step to the right and stuck close to him. At the same time, he extended his leg to intercept the ball. Fàbregas was faster. He poked the football away and crashed into Wood's leg. Then he lost his balance and fell to the ground, not forgetting to cry out in pain!
However, this voice made Tang En's heart clench. Wood had broken the rules. How would the referee decide? A verbal warning or a card?
He stood up nervously and stared unblinkingly at the judge in black who was running to the scene of the accident.
Fortunately, the referee only stretched his hand forward and did not intend to take out the cards from his chest pocket. In the end, there was not even a verbal warning. They just gave Spain a free kick in the front field.
Twain heaved a sigh of relief and sat down again.
Four minutes later, the Spanish team made a comeback. This time, it was Fàbregas and Wood again. But this time, after Fàbregas fell to the ground, Wood raised his hands high to show that he didn't move. The referee didn't pay attention to Fàbregas' protests as he lay on the ground and signaled for the match to continue.
For the third time, Wood, faced with Silva's sudden cut inside, used his body to knock the thin opponent away and was whistled for a foul. Silva, Fàbregas and Iniesta surrounded the referee, all gesturing to him to take out their cards.
Seeing this scene, Tang En cursed off the field, "Take out your f * cking card!"
Fortunately, the referee was not disturbed by the Spanish players this time. But Wood's continuous fouls and lack of a card had already caused the Spanish fans in the stands to boo in dissatisfaction.
Tang En could see that the Spanish team had planned this. They knew that Wood had a yellow card on him, so they deliberately wanted Wood to have some scruples when defending. He had to remind Wood.
Thinking of this, Tang En got up and walked to the sidelines, shouting Wood's name at the field. After attracting Wood's attention, he shouted, "Watch your movements, George! Don't easily foul! Don't give them a chance! "
In fact, without Tang En shouting, Wood knew what the other side wanted to do. He admitted that he was in a dilemma — he did not want to give in, nor did he want to really get a yellow card and miss the final. As an England player, it was not common to reach the final. He did not want to miss such an opportunity, not to mention that he wanted to pick up the championship trophy with his own hands. How could he be a spectator on the bench?
※ ※ ※
After the England team fought back once, the Spanish team charged again. The target was still George Wood, but this time it was Iniesta. After a series of short passes and changes of positions with Fàbregas, Iniesta came in front of Wood. This time I must make you flinch!!
Wood looked at Iniesta, who was getting closer and finally made up his mind not to let the other side pass. But just as he was about to kick, a man came out of the side and knocked Iniesta out with the ball. Iniesta, who flew out, heard the referee's whistle, but to his surprise, from the corner of his eye, George Wood was still standing well in front of him …
Wayne Rooney raised his right hand cooperatively when he was still on the ground, indicating that he had violated the rule.
Wood was a little surprised to see Rooney sitting on the ground and not caring.
After Rooney got up from the ground, he patted Wood on the shoulder and said, "Defense is not something you can do alone."
For Rooney's foul, the Spanish players thought it was a provocation. They angrily surrounded the referee and signaled for the referee to give a card. But this time, the referee just gave Rooney a verbal warning and did not take out a card. The boos of the Spaniards in the stands grew louder.
Tang En decided to make an adjustment. It was a bold adjustment. He decided to switch Gerrard back to the back and let Wood play as the attacking midfielder. Although this might send Wood to Camacho, it at least reduced the possibility of him getting a card for a defensive foul. Anyway, England had a one-goal lead in hand. Even if they won by a small goal in the end, Tang En did not think there was anything to be ashamed of. The loser had no right to make irresponsible remarks. Moreover, Wood's long-range shooting ability could be more important in the attacking midfielder position.
Tang En's adjustment was unexpected to the Spanish team …
Hierro turned his head to look at Twain a few times, trying to figure out what he was thinking. It was clear that England's flanks were basically useless under Spain's powerful offensive. The few attacks they had were all initiated by Wood in the backfield, using his big picture and long passes to create opportunities for Mitchell and Vaughan in the front. Now he pushed Wood to the front field and directly faced Spain's defensive midfielder, Camacho. Wasn't he destroying his own martial arts?
Camacho turned his head to look at Hierro on the field, and Hierro gestured to him to go up and mark Wood. That was all he could do at the moment, but it could also be considered as indirectly achieving his goal — anyway, George Wood was no longer in the defensive midfielder position, and the 36-year-old Gerrard's contribution in defense was certainly not comparable to Wood's. Spain could also be considered to have cleared the obstacles on the offensive road.
Now they could ignore Wood and attack with all their might!
The Spanish wanted to sound the horn of a counterattack, but they did not expect the first to attack was the England team.
Gerrard could also organize the attack like Wood after he got to the backfield. When the football was passed to Wood's feet, he used his strong body and explosive power to squeeze Camacho behind him, and then did a two-on-one coordination with Mitchell, who had retreated to receive him, and directly raised his leg to shoot!
The shot was very sudden, and Asenjo basically did not react. Unfortunately, the football missed the post.
Although it did not score, it shocked the Spanish people into a cold sweat.
Hierro also reacted at this time. When it came to long shots, England did not only have one Steve Gerrard …
He walked to the sidelines and nervously asked Camacho to strengthen his close marking of Wood. Now he could only think of such a response. If he adjusted his team again, he would be at a loss.
Hierro, who issued this instruction, walked back. He suddenly felt a little indignant: As a result, in the competition with the manager who had once coached him, he was at a disadvantage from beginning to end. He was led by the nose by Tang En. There was never a time when he took the initiative … including the adjustments he made during the halftime interval, and now he found that the other side had already expected it.
He asked his players to try to get as many set pieces as possible, which was an effective way to break the tight defense. But England was very cunning and always tried to foul in non-dangerous areas far away from the penalty area. He asked the team to suppress England's flanks, and as a result, England took the initiative to give up the flanks. George Wood became active in the middle and became England's main point of attack.
And although England had been in a defensive position since the beginning of the second half, their goal was not in too much danger. This was what worried Hierro the most — if the game went on like this, it would only be more advantageous for the defense. They had to score as soon as possible, and in order to achieve this goal, even if … even if they temporarily ignored the defense, it was worth it!
Hierro thought for a while in his seat and decided to put the two full backs up to strengthen Spain's attack and create pressure on England's rear defensive line, so as to force Wood and the others to return to defend, to achieve the purpose of reducing the pressure on his own defense.
England's defense was tight, and it was difficult for Spain's offense to penetrate. And when England fought back, they were besieged by Spain in the front field, which made it difficult for them to send the football to the front field. Michael Johnson did not have the ability to do an excellent long pass. It was easy to be marked by Gerrard alone.
For a moment, the two sides were in a deadlock, and no one could do anything to the other.
※ ※ ※
Both managers stood up from their positions one after another and stood on the sidelines to supervise the game. The players on both sides fought to the death on the field and did not give way. Wood had another foul, and Agbonlahor received another yellow card. Spain had a very good chance during this period, and there was a little mistake in the cooperation between England's three defenders, allowing Bojan to slip in between the three of them and get a one-on-one chance to face Joe Hart. Unfortunately, the chance seemed too easy, and Bojan actually kicked the ball directly into the stands.
The ball made Hierro grumble for a long time off the field. He certainly had a reason to complain. He watched Bojan charge in, watched Fàbregas pass the football in, and finally saw Bojan kick the ball away. He also jumped up, as if it was not the football that was kicked away, but him.
"This was almost Spain's best chance in the second half, but Bojan kicked it away! What a pity … "The Spanish commentator was annoyed.
John Motson breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It looks like God is on our side today …"
Hierro made a mistake during the break in the middle of the game, and he only saw it now. He asked the team to strengthen the offense on the flanks, and passing from the flanks was naturally one of them. But Bojan was short and thin, and he could not get any advantage in the fight with England's center backs. Passing from the flanks became a useless decoration.
Hierro could not agree to such a waste of offensive resources.
In the 20th minute of the second half, Hierro gritted his teeth and replaced Bojan with the more impactful Torres. Even if Torres was still injured, he had to play. Because if he lost this game, it would be meaningless even if he recovered from his injury. Who would want to play in the third or fourth place finals?
Torres ran onto the field in high spirits. He hoped he could be the hero to save Spain.
The 32-year-old Torres was not as fast as he was when he was young, but his experience and awareness, as well as the use of his shooting footwork, were a level higher than when he was young. Now, he could be considered an "old ginger".
Seeing him come on, the England defenders collectively tensed up. As people who also played in the Premier League, everyone knew what level of striker Torres was. A player who hovered in the top three of the Premier League's goalscorers all year round could not be underestimated.
Sure enough, Torres gave the England team a show of strength with a long shot as soon as he came on. His shot from outside the penalty area was pounced on by Joe Hart with difficulty. His long shot also reignited the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans. Originally, seeing that there was no goal for a long time, the Spanish fans in the Nou Mestalla were a little discouraged, but the English fans' singing became louder and louder.
George Wood finally returned to the position of the defensive midfielder. After all, Spain was attacking with all their might and England's backfield was tight. Naturally, he also became the goal of the Spanish team's breakthrough. Even Torres, who had just come on, found a chance to fight with Wood once. This time, Wood did not foul and blocked the ball.
Off the field, Tang En applauded and cheered for Wood's defense. This time, he let go and dealt a good blow to Torres's arrogance and let him know whose territory it was in front of the penalty area! The effect was quite good. One only had to look at the England fans in the stands who were desperately applauding and cheering.
St. George was a mountain in front of England's goal. Any storm had to stop in front of him, and the goal behind the mountain was always sunny.
However, this mountain wasn't just a shelter from the wind and rain …
※ ※ ※
In the 75th minute of the game, after Torres's shot was saved by Hart, the goalkeeper from Manchester City did not kick the football out. Instead, he threw it to Gerrard outside the penalty area.
Gerrard had just received the football when Iniesta rushed up. The Spanish players still remembered that the manager wanted them to actively surround and snatch in the front field.
Gerrard naturally also remembered that Twain asked them to quickly send the ball out.
He turned and passed the football to Michael Johnson next to him. Gerrard ran forward, pretending to be involved in the attack, but in fact just to attract the attention of the Spanish midfielders.
Sure enough, Johnson did not pass the ball to him, but to Agbonlahor on the right flank. Agbonlahor did not delay for a second after receiving the football. He directly knocked the football forward and accelerated to chase the ball.
This was the offensive method that the Spanish were most afraid of. If he did not stop him when he started, he would be in big trouble. Camacho also left Wood and ran to Agbonlahor when he saw the situation. The people who came out of Nottingham Forest were not fools who only knew how to play with brute force. Seeing Camacho pouncing on him, Agbonlahor neatly passed the ball to George Wood, who plugged in in the middle. Luring the tiger away from the mountain!
Wood received the ball and Camacho was not there. Only the center-back could fill in.
Piqué motioned for Albiol to wait in the back. He wanted to go up and meet his former captain in person.
Wood's dribbling never used fancy moves. He had the advantage of explosive power. He really only needed to push the football away and then accelerate to overtake. Piqué understood this, so he did not pounce on him. Instead, he kept a certain distance and retreated with Wood, while slowly forcing him to the flank. As long as he let Wood go to the flank, it would be considered a success. Because Wood did not know how to pass, the quality of his passes was terrible.
Piqué thought so, but Wood would not give him such a chance to implement it. After seeing Piqué's attempt, Wood directly passed the football to Vaughn in front of him.
Piqué froze for a moment and immediately turned to pounce on Vaughn. At this time, Vaughn passed the football back to Wood. Wood did not stop the ball and directly knocked it to Mitchell, who was waiting in front.
Mitchell returned the ball again. Albiol knew that the front of the penalty area was where Wood was good at exerting force, so he hurriedly let Mitchell pounce on Wood. At the same time, Piqué also turned and pounced on him. The two men rushed towards Wood one after the other. They had the same idea — even if they were to be sent off with a red card for a foul, they could not let Wood shoot the ball out!
Wood returned the ball to the left and seemed to want to avoid Albiol, who was in front of him, and then wait for the opportunity to shoot to score. Albiol and Piqué thought so. The two men also changed their direction slightly and continued to press on towards Wood.
In fact, Wood's action was beneficial to them. The two men's idea was to force Wood to the flank in time so that he would not be a threat at all. But just as the encirclement of the two men was about to close, the football shot out from the gap between the two men!
No one thought that Wood would use his heel to knock the football behind him …
Mitchell was already in an offside position. He was indifferent to Wood's pass.
But the other man was in an exceptionally good form today …
James Vaughn scored a goal in his first start in the UEFA European Championship and was actively looking for a chance to score a second goal.
Now, the opportunity was in front of him!
George Wood attracted the attention of Spain's two center backs for him and then passed him a moderately powerful ball to make him face the goal. Was there any better opportunity in the world than this?
Of course not!
Vaughn faced the incoming ball and volleyed directly. The football drew a very obvious arc. From Vaughn's point of view, he probably thought that the ball would fly straight out of the end line because … the arc was a little too big …
But just as it approached the goal, the football suddenly began to circle back!
Although Asenjo made a save early on, the football's arc was too big … It bypassed Asenjo's hands and went straight to the top corner of the goal!
"James Vaughn … YES! YES！ YES!! "Motson was excited." England is leading by two goals!! "
The football flew into the goal from the dead corner. Asenjo could only look at the ball and sigh. Then he fell heavily to the ground and even forgot to roll over to unload the impact. It was not his fault. The blow was too heavy for the Spaniards.
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