No one knew what was in Agbonlahor's mind at this moment. Even he himself did not know how the idea came to rise from the bottom of his heart.
Anyway, he now had a surge of energy in his chest. The UEFA European Championship final was not something that could satisfy him by running two laps and then going down. The team's starting lineup was eleven players, but only the person who scored could leave his name in the final. As a striker, he had an innate advantage over his teammates in other positions, so what was the point of running mediocre for dozens of minutes?
Of course he had to score!
He had to score!
Agbonlahor got back into the game. It was clear that he was running more actively than before, and he did not seem to continue to be at the forefront, but withdrew from the opponent's penalty area and took the initiative to raise his hand for the ball.
Twain was very satisfied with his change, so he did not continue to supervise the game on the sidelines, but turned back to the technical area to get a drink of water.
The coaching staff knew why he let Agbonlahor start and gave up on Vaughn. But they could not tell the players the reason, because it was related to whether the team could win the game.
Three minutes later, England's sustained offensive finally created a chance for Agbonlahor. After he received Wood's pass on the edge of the penalty area, he broke into the penalty area and faced the goalkeeper, Amelia. He tried to use the outside of his foot to bypass the opponent, but the arc was a little too big and went straight around the far end of the goalpost.
The goal made the English feel it was a pity, and the Italians broke out in a cold sweat.
But the commentators who opposed Agbonlahor's starting were still picking on his faults, "It's a pity! But if it were Vaughn, maybe he would have scored … "
This statement was completely irresponsible, because James Vaughn's shooting was not accurate to the point of millimeters. Shooting was something that depended on luck. With good luck, even the worst shooting could score a goal, and it might even be a world-class shot. With bad luck, even if a striker of Romario's level came, he might miss facing an empty goal. What's more, in terms of big game experience, Agbonlahor was clearly better than Vaughn, because Nottingham Forest could often participate in important Champions League games a few years ago, and Agbonlahor also had achievements. Twain let Agbonlahor start in the game not simply because of nepotism, but because Agbonlahor did have the ability to be a starter in such an important game.
The main reason for the media's criticism of him was that Agbonlahor had only scored one goal in this UEFA European Championship, which did not match his status as a striker. On the other hand, his performance in the right midfielder position was quite outstanding.
Agbonlahor's shot did not result in a goal. Tang En stood on the sidelines and applauded his performance. There was no problem with his technique, it was just that his luck was a little bad …
Agbonlahor himself could not hear what the commentators said about him. Through this shot, he found a point that he could take advantage of.
In the subsequent attack, Agbonlahor appeared more in the flank of the Italian defensive line — between the center back and the full back. This position made the opponent very uncomfortable. It was similar to a place that was not governed by any of the three. It was not easy for anyone to go there.
Wood also noticed this, and he had his own plans in mind.
Logically speaking, Rooney should be the main attacking point of the England team because he is physically strong, skillful and has a wealth of experience. However, these were just words and routes on the tactical board. When it came to the actual competition, Rooney would not be able to get that many opportunities. Mitchell was suspended and Vaughan, who performed well in the semi-final, was pressed on the bench by Tang En. In the eyes of the Italians, the most threatening player in England's forward line was Rooney. They had no reason to let him go.
Therefore, in the actual game, Rooney received the harshest defense.
One only had to look at Criscito, who never left his side, to know how much of a risk it was to pass the ball to him …
Wood was a human being, not a machine. He had the right to modify the instructions entered before the game according to the situation on the field. Since Rooney's path did not work, then he would change it. He took aim at Agbonlahor, who looked like he was sleepwalking before.
He did not know why Tang En did not let Vaughan play, but he did not think that Agbonlahor was not qualified to start. And in his view, Agbonlahor's sleepwalking performance before was a big advantage. If it was used well, it could achieve an unexpected effect for the Italians.
Because of his previous poor performance, it had made the Italian defenders relax their marking on him. Now the Italians must feel that this Agbonlahor was not a threat, right?
That would be great …
Wood ran to the front field to participate in the attack, and Gerrard returned the football to him. Wood sent the football directly to Agbonlahor in the flank. Sure enough, when he received the ball, the Italian defenders did not pounce on him immediately.
Agbonlahor took advantage of this time to quickly complete his turn and face the goal.
When Chiellini pounced over, he did not bury his head to dribble the ball inside, but suddenly distributed the football to the middle!
This move was really unexpected for the Italians. Gerrard, who received the pass in the middle, did not hesitate to lift his leg for a long shot!
Fortunately, Amelia was very focused and firmly pressed Gerrard's long shot under his body.
But this attack made the Italians realize one thing — Agbonlahor was still the guy who passed the ball to others. He was definitely not England's main offensive direction.
This strengthened the Italian defenders' idea of focusing on Rooney and Gerrard.
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"Actually, our tactics in the first half were not suitable for Agbonlahor to play …" Walker said to Tang En standing on the sidelines. "He's more suitable for counterattacks. I think he should be sent on after we're in the lead. It's more useful …"
"Most people think so, including the Italians." Tang En turned his head and shook his head at Walker. "Agbonlahor's speed is too fast and too dazzling. Everyone has formed a fixed view of him. Including the current Nottingham Forest manager … But I don't think so. After so many years under me, if he still only knew how to use speed, he would have long cleared him out of the team. He has another side, it's just that it's not very noticeable. I'm going to use this unnoticeable side of him to help me open up the situation. "
At this point, Tang En laughed. "Now the Italian players all think so."
He pointed to the field for Walker to see.
Agbonlahor's position retreated a little more, but none of the Italian defenders pulled out to keep up with the defense. The Italian midfield defensive players were also paying attention to Gerrard and Wood, who frequently plugged in from the back, as well as the other two wingers.
Agbonlahor raised his hand for the ball. He did not forget to turn his head around to look at the situation around him. Unsurprisingly, no one paid attention to him. He was looked down upon.
Agbonlahor was angry at such treatment, but Tang En was laughing, and he was laughing very happily.
"Lippi …" He glanced next door. "He's a very cautious manager, but he didn't expect me to let Agbonlahor, who had an average performance in this tournament, start. So, he must not have made any targeted arrangements for Agbonlahor. Everything depends on the player's own judgment. You know, Des. People make mistakes. They have their own ideas. This is something the manager can't control … "
The Italian players, under Lippi's repeated emphasis, gave the England team a high degree of importance. But Agbonlahor, who was not part of the plan, did not get the respect he deserved. Of course, his previous poor performance "helped" him. No one would waste time on a player who was not in form. Compared to Agbonlahor, even George Wood's shot was more threatening.
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Wood did not intend to tell his other teammates his thoughts and then let everyone go and pass the ball to Agbonlahor. It was a gamble. He gambled that the Italians would not react so quickly. If the England team fed the ball to Agbonlahor, it would instead reveal their true intentions. He decided to do it alone.
Of course, he had to take some risks. But as the team's metronome and core, it was his duty to choose when to take risks and when to be conservative.
Agbonlahor raised his hand again to ask for the ball, and Wood passed the football over. Then he rushed forward and looked like he was going to play a "two-versus-one" combination with Agbonlahor. The Italian defenders fell for it. Whether it was Chiellini or Aquilani, they all looked at him and ignored Agbonlahor, who had already received the ball.
Agbonlahor, who received the ball and turned around in one go, had no intention of passing the ball. He looked up and saw a straight path to the penalty area …
Just between Chiellini and Vitale, in the flank of their defense, there was a gap from which Agbonlahor could see the penalty area.
After Agbonlahor made the illusion of passing the ball, he suddenly knocked the football forward and then started!
Chiellini was paying attention to Wood, while Vitale stared at the "Tiger Cub" Walcott. No one expected Agbonlahor to choose himself to lead the ball to break through!
He was really fast. In an instant, he had already rushed in, and it was at this time that Chiellini began to turn around …
"Stop him!!" De Rossi cried out in a panic.
Criscito rushed over from the side. He once again made a crucial prediction and left Rooney to pounce on Agbonlahor. It was entirely out of the instincts of a good defender.
Agbonlahor, who broke into the penalty area, did not hold back and directly swung his leg to shoot. At this moment, Criscito came with a flying tackle and shoveled him out along with the ball!
"Penalty shot!" John Motson screamed.
"Beautiful defense!" It was the voice of the Italian commentator.
Agbonlahor, who fell to the ground, thought he would hear the whistle for the penalty shot, but there was nothing. The ball that Criscito shoveled out was kicked out by Chiellini, who rushed back. The referee did not express anything about Criscito's action. Agbonlahor jumped up from the ground angrily and roared at the indifferent assistant referee, "This is a foul! A foul! "
The other England players were as dissatisfied as he was. Wood ran in front of the referee and pointed to the penalty area, reminding him that Criscito's defense was definitely a foul. Rooney was also protesting against the injustice for Agbonlahor, even though he made a gesture for Agbonlahor to pass the ball to him when Criscito rushed towards Agbonlahor.
The referee just waved his hand at Wood's protest, indicating that he was clear and not to say anything more.
Twain was also angry off the field, but the person who endured his roar and spit was the fourth official.
"Please believe in the referee's decision. Not every fall to the ground is a foul …" In the face of the manager, who was described by the media as a demon, the fourth official said this with some lack of confidence.
"So I support the use of electronic eyes to replace the referee! Humans make mistakes! "Twain spat out these words and walked back angrily. He knew that he could not get the penalty shot back no matter how much he made a fuss. The referee's decision was not allowed to be changed. He looked for the fourth official just to vent his dissatisfaction. It was not good for his health to keep it bottled up …
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England still did not get the penalty shot, while the Italians escaped. They began to pay attention to marking Agbonlahor closely and no longer gave him free space to move around. Even a fool could see that the sleepwalker was gradually coming to his senses. Not to mention Lippi's dissatisfaction with Italy's defensive performance off the field just now, reminding them to pay attention to Agbonlahor's defense.
They still thought that as long as they did not give Agbonlahor space to sprint and dribble the ball, he was not a threat.
Twain began to call Walcott's name off the field. Walcott, who had returned from his injury in the first half, was not active enough.
"Get the ball more. What are you afraid of? Pass the ball more … low and flat! "
"George! Go over and coordinate with him … Yes, yes, that's it! "
Walcott and Wood ran forward after playing a one-two combination on the flank. Wood passed him an overhead ball to bypass Vitale's defense.
Receiving Wood's pass, Walcott crossed from the byline. Rooney grabbed the ball in the middle, but he clearly could not compete with Italy's entire rear defensive line alone. The football was headed out by Chiellini.
Although the attack did not work, Twain still applauded the players' performance off the field.
The England fans were also applauding. Because the strong offensive shown by England had completely suppressed the Italian team.
The Italian commentator did not see it that way, "I think the current situation is in our favor. The more fiercely the English attack, the greater our chances of winning the game. Previously, when Lippi decided to play defensive counterattack, I was worried that the England team would not attack, and then none of us would be able to win the game. Now that one side has taken the initiative to cooperate, I think the game will be over in 90 minutes … "
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After Walcott and Downing increased the number of passes from the flanks, Agbonlahor seemed to have become a forgotten player again. He did not have excellent header skills and did not have an advantage in jumping for headers. Instead, Rooney frequently appeared in front of the goal and competed with the Italian defenders.
But Agbonlahor did not give up himself. He was still looking for a chance to score. Like a hunter, he was patiently waiting for a rabbit to appear in front of him.
When Walcott took the ball to break through again, the Italian defenders were divided into two parts, one to prevent him from breaking through and passing, and the other to keep a close eye on Rooney and Gerrard.
This time, Walcott did not simply rely on speed to overtake and then pass the ball from the byline. He made a feint to pass the ball, tricking Vitale's center of gravity to shift, but he slammed the football between Vitale's legs, and then used his nimble figure to go around in front of Vitale.
"Beautiful pass of the man and the ball!"
Walcott, who broke through Vitale, made the Italian defensive line very nervous, because cracks had appeared in their defense. Walcott could either continue to break through on his own, or he could pass the ball now, or he could even directly hit the goal.
Chiellini rushed towards Walcott. Although Rooney was important, it was always important to remember that the player with the ball was the most dangerous when defending.
Walcott took advantage of him catching up to pass the ball, not to Rooney, not to Gerrard, but to Agbonlahor, who was dragged near the penalty spot!
Agbonlahor was not unmarked. Aquilani was next to him. When he saw that he caught the ball, he went up to interfere.
Agbonlahor swung his leg to look like he was going to shoot, and Aquilani threw his center of gravity out.
It was almost instinctive. Agbonlahor did not have the mind to think about why he received the ball and what he should do next. Seeing that he had shaken off Aquilani's center of gravity, he pushed the football to the left and dodged the angle. It seemed that there was more than one trouble …
Just after he dodged Aquilani, De Rossi appeared in front of Agbonlahor again, blocking his shooting angle.
Agbonlahor once again swung his leg to look like he was going to hit the goal. This time, De Rossi did not fall for it. He stood in place and did not move …
"He should have passed the ball! Rooney is asking for the ball! "
"Indecisive behavior will lead to the failure of this attack. He has no angle and space to shoot …"
"Our defense is very successful. Agbonlahor now either passes the ball out or waits for the ball to be intercepted!"
De Rossi thought that Agbonlahor must have made a feint this time, but he did not expect that when Agbonlahor's right foot swung down, he really hit the football …
It was a very covert shot. Agbonlahor poked the football with the tip of his foot when he swung his leg in place and could not exert force. In order to exert as much force as possible, his body leaned back and gave it a push.
The football that was poked by the tip of his foot went straight between De Rossi's legs and flew toward the goal.
De Rossi's position blocked the angle of Agbonlahor's shot, but he could not narrow the gap between his legs. Instead, he blocked the sight of the goalkeeper, Amelia. When Amelia saw the football flying toward the goal near the goalpost, it was too late for him to make any save action. He could only twist his head to send the football flying toward the goal while praying in his heart that it would not enter the goal. It would be best if it flew out against the goalpost …
Unfortunately, the Italian's prayer was not heard by God. The football flew into the goal against the goalpost!
"What?" The Italians had not reacted yet. From the perspective of the stands, it seemed that the football flew out of the goal against the goalpost and swept to the side of the net, giving the illusion that the ball had entered the goal. But when they saw the referee's gesture, they were stunned — the referee's finger pointed to the center circle, which meant that the goal was valid!
"It's unbelievable! England has taken the lead! "
"Agbonlahor! Yes! He scored the first goal in the final! He helped the England team take the lead! "
"In the face of two Italian players blocking, Agbonlahor calmly shot like an arrow! Beautiful! "
At this moment, the commentators all changed their tune and praised Agbonlahor's performance. No one mentioned whether he was qualified to replace Vaughan in the starting lineup …
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Outside the field, Tang En jumped up excitedly and hugged Walker next to him after he saw Agbonlahor hit the football into the goal.
Agbonlahor's goal lifted a heavy burden off both himself and Tang En. Even if Agbonlahor was replaced in the later games … or even more extreme, even if England eventually lost the final, no one would question Tang En's adjustment.
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Agbonlahor was very excited after the goal. He could not stand firm when he got up from the ground and almost fell to the ground again. After stumbling to the technical area, he gave Tang En a warm hug. He had to thank the boss. If he had not insisted on sending him on, if he had not roared to wake him up off the field, then this UEFA European Championship final might have been a regret in his career forever.
Now that he had scored a goal, the regret was gone. He was a striker who had scored a goal in the UEFA European Championship final. He could already hold his head up and accept the scrutiny of others.
He proved with his actions that he had the qualifications and ability to represent the England team in the UEFA European Championship final. No matter what Vaughan thought, Agbonlahor was fully deserving of the starting striker at this time!
"Well done, boy!" Tang En patted Agbonlahor's back and growled in his ear.
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