Michael Bernard had never been as anxious as he was today. Even in the face of difficult clients and sudden business, he always handled it with ease and a courteous smile on his face, which made his subordinates feel confident that no matter what difficulties there were, they would certainly not be a problem.
But today was different.
At noon, he locked himself in his office and specifically instructed his secretary not to let anyone disturb him. Then he planned to watch the game live on the Internet. But he was so unlucky that before he planned to do so, he was called in by his immediate boss for a talk.
It was a tragedy. What was even more tragic was that his boss talked to him with great interest this time to tell him that the company planned to further promote him and might entrust him with important tasks. He did not dare to not attend such a conversation, nor did he dare to show any impatience during the conversation … although he was indeed very impatient.
Looking at his boss opposite him, he really had the urge to pick up the heavy glass ashtray on the table, cover his head, and then rush out of the door to run to watch the game. As for work and whatnot … Now was not the time to think about it?
This unexpected conversation made him realize one thing — it turned out that he still could not let go of football in his heart. He thought he had forgotten, but in fact, he had not forgotten. He had buried it in the deepest part of his heart, so deep that even he himself was not aware of it. It was not until today, when he was anxious to watch the UEFA European Championship that he woke up from a dream.
When his boss finished talking about business and personal matters, he was able to leave. He looked at the watch on his wrist again. There were less than five minutes left before the end of the ninety-minute game.
He jogged all the way to the elevator and found that the elevator was still ten floors away. He looked at his watch again. He did not have the time to wait for the elevator here. He simply rushed to the stairwell next to him and ran down with a hop and a jump.
Although it was only a few minutes, he did not want to give up. His feelings for English football had gradually faded. The only team in his life that made him excited was Nottingham Forest. He just wanted to see what his old friend looked like standing on the most dazzling stage of this world competition.
He did not know if he was still as arrogant as before. Ha!
Like a whirlwind, Michael swept up the papers and documents on the desks on both sides of the aisle. Under the surprised gazes of his subordinates, he swept into his office, not forgetting to close the door.
Michael rushed to his desk and eagerly clicked on the live stream link. He waited anxiously for the media to connect.
The quality of the internet in the United States was very good. The live broadcast only took a dozen seconds to connect, and it was very smooth.
Before he could even catch his breath, he stared at the computer screen and almost forgot to breathe.
In the video player, the first scene he saw was the fourth official standing on the sidelines, holding up the stoppage: 5.
"Five minutes of injury stoppage time!" The ESPN commentator told Michael, who had just started the live broadcast in English. "And England is still trailing 1: 2. They only have five minutes left. I really can't imagine how Tony's team is going to salvage the situation …"
As he spoke, the camera focused on England's manager, Tony Twain, who was standing in front of the technical area.
Michael saw his long-lost friend, but he did not see his face, because the first thing he saw was Tony Twain's back. The man was standing on the sidelines with his arms around his chest. The back of his white shirt was drenched in sweat.
The live broadcast did not give him a close-up shot because the game on the field had entered a white-hot stage. The camera just flashed behind Twain and then turned to the field.
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"The England team is in trouble. There are five minutes of injury stoppage time. They must seize it, otherwise it's all over! But can they seize the opportunity of these five minutes? Or … how many minutes can the Italian team give them? You know, the Italian team is in possession of the ball now! "
"Let them pass the ball in the back like this? That won't do! "Vaughan rushed up, hoping to intercept the ball in the front field.
Chiellini saw this and hurriedly passed the football to Silvestri next to him.
Silvestri had just come on and his feet had not even warmed up from running. In such a hurry, he suddenly received a pass from his teammate, and he stopped the ball a little too quickly. Like a shark smelling blood, Rooney appeared in front of him in an instant. At this time, he did not think about continuing to control the ball at his feet. In order not to make a mistake, Silvestri directly kicked the football out.
The England team finally got possession of the ball. At this time, there were less than five minutes left. They had to seize all the time to attack.
The Italian team also did not have the strength to harass in the front field. After 90 minutes of fierce fighting, they also had little physical strength left. In order not to make a mistake, they all chose to retreat back to their half of the field to defend. Lippi did not care how miserable his team would be in the last few minutes. As long as they could hold on, then the ultimate glory would be him.
In the face of the Italian team, even the strikers had retreated to the front of the penalty area to participate in the defense, the England team was a little helpless. After passing the ball horizontally several times in a row, they still could not find the right time to pass the ball. Bentley, who was a little anxious, simply made a ridiculously long shot from the flank …
The Italian fans in the stands applauded his shot warmly, thanking him for helping to waste another opportunity for the England team.
Twain was no longer as restless as before. He was indifferent to Bentley's blind long shot from the sidelines. He did not make any upset moves, nor did he yell. It was as if it was not his team that was trailing. Perhaps it should be said that he had no other choice at the moment. As a manager, he had done what he should do. It was impossible for him to personally help the team play again, right?
What would happen after this would depend on the performance of the players.
For example, James Vaughan had not made a single contribution since he came on.
Vaughan himself was also very dissatisfied with this — when he did not play, he complained that he was not put in an important position. Agbonlahor, who replaced him, scored a goal. And when he himself had the chance to play, the team was facing a crisis, but he did not contribute, which was really inexcusable.
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"We need to score goals! Rooney! Vaughan! And Walcott, what are you doing?! "
In the pubs in the United Kingdom, countless people stared at the screen and issued such questions. Twain had already used up all three substitutions. What happened afterwards could not be blamed on him.
"What can we do at this time? We can't go up and help them score goals, but we can use our songs to inspire them! "In the stands at the Bernabéu, John was fervently speaking to his partners. "Guys, sing with me — Saint George bless England! Saint George bless England —!! "
"Saint George bless England!!"
The singing came out of everyone's mouth, like rivers flowing into the vast ocean, and eventually formed the momentum of a raging wave beating against the shore.
At this time, the England fans became the absolute masters in the stands, and the Italians' momentum was firmly suppressed by them.
But it seemed that their singing did not have any effect. In the first three minutes of injury stoppage time, the England team could not threaten the Italian team's goal.
"As expected of the Italian team, as expected of Lippi. This defense has Tony Twain's England team at a loss. The Italian team is a little closer to their second UEFA European Championship in history, while the England team, who was leading, is far away from their first UEFA European Championship. This is a reality that really saddens the English fans … "
He did not know if the others thought so, but John's phalanx of fans did not give up singing because of this.
Even Motson was a little disheartened, "Maybe only the gods who descended from the sky can save us … Such a reality is cruel. Who would have thought that we were leading by a goal twenty minutes ago?"
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The injury stoppage time officially entered the fourth minute.
Now that both teams' managers had no cards, all they could do was to watch the show from the sidelines. Lippi also got up from his seat and slowly walked to the sidelines. At such a tense moment, even if he had experienced countless storms, he could not sit still anymore.
Just a little bit more and a full stop would be drawn.
George Wood was holding the ball, and he did not face much defensive pressure because his position was relatively far back, and the Italian players shrank even further back. There was a long distance between the two. The cautious Italians did not rush up to intercept the ball. They did not want to give the England team a chance to hit behind.
Wood passed the ball to Bentley on the side, and Bentley then passed the ball to Chris Cohen on the other side.
It seemed that England could still only pass the ball pointlessly and could not send the ball to the front.
Chris Cohen lifted his leg to pass the ball. Rooney struggled to get the ball, but the football hit Criscito and flew out of the end line.
The England team quickly sent a corner kick, which was a tactical kick. After Wood came forward to receive the ball, he passed the ball back to the full-back, Joe Mattock, who rushed up. Mattock faced Balotelli's defense and wanted to break through after a feint, but he was knocked to the ground by Balotelli.
The referee's whistle sounded, and the England team was awarded a free kick from a small angle on the left side of the Italian goal. It was more like a thirty-degree corner kick from a closer distance.
At this time, every set piece could break into the opponent's goal. Terry and Taylor all pressed up, and even Joe Hart was eager to rush up to score for the team.
Bentley was a right-footed player, and it was reasonable to say that the free kick from this angle should be passed to the center. It was more common sense for a left-footed player to kick it. But a right-footed player to kick a free kick from the left side had another purpose.
Bentley placed the football properly, got up and retreated. He just waited for the referee's whistle.
"This is an internal spin ball! Be careful of their plugging in from behind!! "The goalkeeper, Amelia shouted in front of the goal and asked his teammates to keep a close eye on it.
At this time, the players from both sides were concentrated near the penalty spot, and they were not crowded in front of the goal like in the corner kick. This was obviously to let the players who took the penalty kick the football towards the goal, and not to spin it outside, and then let the group of people in the middle plug in from behind to rush to the goal. And because the players on the defensive side had to sprint towards the goal with the attacking players, it was a little difficult to let them shake their heads to head the football in the opposite direction during such a process … Even if no one could head it, the football would continue to fly straight to the back corner of the goal according to the established trajectory. As long as Amelia was shaken by anyone during the whole process, and lost the initiative and due judgment, it could lead to the football flying directly into the goal.
This was the advantage of letting the right-footed player play the set piece on the left side, and letting the left-footed player play the set piece on the right side.
It was such an obvious tactic, how could the Italian team not see it? The Italians strengthened their close marking of the England players, and did not hesitate to use the action of pulling the jerseys to stop their offense.
Everyone turned their attention to Bentley's ball in the air.
George Wood stood next to Bentley, but he did not attract any attention. Although Wood used a free kick to score a goal in the game against the French team, the position of the free kick was directly in front of the penalty area, on the line of the penalty area, and the shooting angle was very good. And now the football and the goal were at about a thirty-degree angle, and Amelia could easily seal the angle. Shooting with great force would not work here.
In the penalty area, the England players and the Italian players were entangled, one side wanted to get rid of, and the other side desperately stuck. Neither side gave way to the other, but the England players had their own little calculations – it did not matter to let them pull at this time. When the ball was kicked out, they just had to take advantage of the situation, and maybe it would be a penalty kick?
The referee retreated from the penalty area, and he blew the whistle to kick off.
After Bentley ran up, he did not pass the ball directly into the penalty area, but instead poked it away!
Standing on the side, Wood rushed up, swung his left foot, and directly whipped the football in!
Starting from Amelia to the striker, Foti, the eleven Italian players put the focus of their defense in the air. No one thought that the ball would actually fly along the turf to the goal!
Could it really be a direct shot?
Amelia turned pale with fright, hurriedly lowered his center of gravity, lowered his body, and tried to pounce on the ball sideways.
At the same time, the penalty area was like the Royal Jockey Club firing guns. The Italian and English players fought bravely to be the first to rush to the goal.
In fact, it was not a shot at all, but a pass, just a Wood-style pass. The football rushed to the far corner of the goal, and as long as someone touched it in the process, then …
Rooney, who was at the front, did not kick the football due to Criscito's interference, and he brushed past the football. Wood's powerful "volley" was really too fast, and the chance to shoot was fleeting.
Walcott and Terry, who were in the middle, did not touch the football either. Instead, they collided with Chiellini and Silvetri, causing them to be thrown off their feet.
This consecutive collision also interfered with Amelia, and when he finally got rid of the situation in front of him and was ready to pounce, he found that it was already too late!
In the chaotic penalty area, no one on the outside could see what was going on. But they only saw a white figure suddenly thrust out from the crowd, like a flashing dagger, and then saw the football suddenly change direction just a step away from the goal and roll over the goal line!
This was really an unexpected scene. No one thought that this free kick would actually result in a goal!
“What？ What … what _ the _ great _ GOOOOAL!!! "
John Motson, who was a little dejected just now, was instantly resurrected.
"What did we see? A miracle that is happening! England equalized the score in the fourth minute and ten seconds of injury time!! Who scored the goal? Or was it simply an own goal?! "
While he was puzzled, a man rushed out of the crowd in front of the Italian goal, and it was James Vaughan in a white jersey!
As he ran to the corner flag, he lifted his jersey in front of the camera lens, revealing the T-shirt he had prepared for a long time, which read: "We're with you, Aaron!"
"This ball is dedicated to you, Aaron!" He shouted to the camera, pointing to the T-shirt on his chest.
"James Vaughan! James Vaughan!! He saved England!! He saved Tony Twain's heart!! "
Motson roared at the top of his lungs and almost lost his voice.
"What happened? The ball went in? The England team equalized the score? "The Italian commentator used three questions in a row, and the shock in his heart was beyond doubt. "God, what's going on?!"
The tsunami-like shouts from the England fans in the stands answered him, "Long live! James Vaughan! Long live! Saint George! "
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Amelia lay on the ground, his hands spread out in a big shape. At this time, he did not even have the strength to get up. He only felt weak all over, and all the strength in his body was taken away with the goal concede.
What was going on? Even now, his mind was still in a state of confusion.
Why did this happen?
This was probably the common question of countless Italians.
Lippi stood on the sidelines and watched the football roll into the goal. His face was still expressionless.
But Tony Twain, who was next door, jumped up from the ground and waved his fists as if he was going to break his arms to celebrate the goal.
His heart, which had been beating rapidly in his chest just now, suddenly slowed down, and his breathing was no longer hurried.
He survived a great disaster …
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Vaughan yelled at the camera at the corner flag, followed by the equally excited players. They equalized the score at the last minute of the game, and this was a good celebration.
But someone interrupted their celebration.
George Wood rushed into the Italian goal and snatched the football from Santon's hands. Then he shouted to his teammates who were still in the corner flag area, "The game is not over yet!!"
Seeing him like this, Lippi, who had been as steady as a mountain, felt a chill in such a hot summer — what a scary guy …
Lippi felt that even if the two sides tied, it was not unacceptable. At least there were still thirty minutes left. He could readjust and drag it until the penalty shootout. The Italians would not suffer. But George Wood obviously did not think so. He wanted the game to end in these ninety-five minutes!
Even if there was only one second left, the game was not over for him.
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"YES!" Michael waved his fist at the monitor. Vaughan's goal at the last minute was too exciting. It made him, who was far away in the United States, feel hot all over.
At the same time, in the big and small pubs of England.
Golden hops bloomed above everyone's head, and countless beers were thrown into the air.
"Cheers to England!!"
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Vaughan wanted to turn around and hug Wood, who had assisted him, but saw Wood waving at him, indicating for him to hurry back to the field.
This move surprised him a little. Was the equalization not enough?
There was not much time left. What else did he want to do? Still want to score?
Without time to think more, he was dragged back to the field by his teammates to prepare for the next game.
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Lippi only froze on the sidelines for a while before he turned and walked back. He had to discuss the tactics and strategies for overtime with Ferrara.
Similarly, Tang En called Walker to his side and began to prepare for overtime and even the penalty shootout.
"We must curb their morale! We'll attack in the first half of overtime! " Lippi himself might not have noticed, but his voice had unknowingly risen a lot. Clearly, he was very emotional. "Take the initiative in the game back into our hands. Tell them, don't worry, don't panic. There are only a few dozen seconds left in the game. The English must also want to play overtime! "
"This damn five-minute break …" Tang En was complaining that the game was about to end, and the high morale of the England team, which was not easy to gain, could be lost because of the five-minute break. "Well, let's put this aside … This game will definitely go into overtime. We have to be prepared. Tell them not to get carried away during the break. The Italians are still very strong. The 30-minute overtime is equivalent to giving them a reassurance pill … Bastards! "He still could not help but scold.
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Both managers were racking their brains off the field for the sudden addition of 30 minutes of the game, hoping to overwhelm the other side and continue to take the initiative on the field in their own hands.
On the field, Wood seized the last bit of time to tell his teammates what to do next.
"I don't want to play overtime, not even for a minute. They think we'll accept this result … "He pointed to the opposite side. "We'll give them a surprise."
"But what are we going to do to score another goal? There's no time, George … "Terry had doubts.
"I don't know …" Wood was honest and shook his head. He shook his head and replied. If Terry wasn't familiar with his temper, he would have thought that he was joking earlier …
But as the captain, he must be using this method to boost morale, right? It was not that he really could not accept a draw. In fact, a draw was also a very good result. At least they would not lose the game within 90 minutes. Now there were still 30 minutes left. They could still rally and make a comeback.
Terry thought so. Wood did not really want to score a third goal. He was just saying "big words" to keep everyone's morale up.
The football was repositioned by Wood at the kickoff point in the center circle. James Vaughan and Wayne Rooney stood outside the center circle, waiting for the Italian players to come up and kick off.
Vaughan was a hero once, but now he was not in the mood to think about the treatment a hero should enjoy. Because the game was not over yet. It was only an equalizer. The captain was right. The game was not over yet.
Lippi stood on the sidelines and was yelling at the Italian players inside, "Keep the football under your feet. Don't easily kick! Drag out the time until the end!! "
At this time, his originally meticulous silver hair had become messy because of his intense movements, and his gentlemanly demeanor had long left him. England's equalizer at the last minute made the cunning silver fox smell the danger. Years of experience told him that he must not think about scoring a goal to take the lead again at this time. That was a very dangerous "adventurism." Anyway, there was less than a minute left in the game. There was a hope of winning the game by dragging it into overtime. In his original tactics, there was a deployment for overtime.
Tang En did not rush to the sidelines to yell because he also felt that the game was destined to be dragged into overtime. It would be stupid to run to yell nonsense.
The Italian strikers, Foti and Balotelli, came up to prepare for the kickoff. They had received the latest instructions from the manager that the game would be played into overtime.
Vaughan, Rooney, Walcott and the others who were waiting in front suddenly heard a voice coming from behind.
"Go up and grab it! Don't worry about defense, go grab the ball from them! "It was George Wood! "Grab the ball, we still have one more chance to attack!"
Following the referee's whistle, Balotelli knocked the ball to Foti, and Foti passed the ball back. At the same time, George Wood was the first to rush up, and a little later, Vaughan and Rooney. Then, Walcott, Bentley, Cohen, Joe Mattock, Richards … and a group of people all rushed to the Italian team's half of the field. They only had one goal — to grab the ball!
It was like a small game used to practice passing in training, "Monkey Tease". The Italian players passed the ball back and forth in the backfield, while the England players acted like they were novices playing professional football for the first time. They only recognized the football and did not care about the opponent's marking at all.
The scene looked a little funny.
The England fans in the stands were booing. They were very dissatisfied with such a timid approach by Italy. They could not wait for the Italians to send the football directly to the feet of the England team.
In such a situation, Tang En could only curse secretly and did not have any other thoughts.
But the England players on the field were anxious.
If the football was allowed to be passed around the feet of the Italian players, then the referee might not wait for the stoppage time to really end and blow the whistle to end the game. That was not what they wanted to see.
Vaughan made a very dangerous flying tackle. He did not shovel the football, but he did not shovel the player either. De Rossi dodged his rash tackle and passed the football to Aquilani next to him. Aquilani faced Rooney's pressing and passed the football to Chiellini behind him. Chiellini then passed the football to the defender on the right, Santon.
Joe Mattock rushed up, and Santon passed the football to De Rossi in front. No matter how hard the England team fought, the football was always at the feet of the Italian players. In terms of footwork, the Italians were indeed better than the English players.
But when it came to intercepting the ball, the best player in England had not made a move yet.
Wood kept glancing at the referee. Although he had not looked at his watch so far, there was not much time left for England.
De Rossi took the ball again, and this time he passed it to Balotelli in the middle. At the same time, Wood followed. In the face of the club captain, Balotelli was not afraid. He even decided to bypass Wood and pass the ball. But in the next second, he found how stupid his idea was. Wood pounced on him very quickly, and did not give him time to use his footwork.
In desperation, Balotelli had to quickly turn around, protect the football in front of him, and block Wood behind him. He thought he could temporarily keep the football in this way, but he did not expect Wood to suddenly stretch out his leg from the side and poke the football away!
Balotelli saw Wood go around him and was about to chase the ball. He was shocked and hurriedly reached out to pull. Originally, Wood would not give up his pursuit of the football in the face of such a pull, but when he found that Aquilani was in front of the football, and he was pulled by Balotelli like this, it was very likely that he would not be able to reach the football at all.
Balotelli naturally used all his strength to pull Wood, but Wood's fall was a little too smooth …
The referee's whistle sounded immediately after.
"Balotelli has fouled! England is awarded a free kick in the front field! This is likely to be England's last chance to attack! " In fact, the injury stoppage time had already exceeded five minutes, but the England team had advanced a goal first. Celebrating the goal and waiting for the Italian team to come to serve delayed some time. Although the fourth official did not raise the card again, according to the usual practice, this time still had to be made up.
The atmosphere on the field was not tense, because everyone's mind was now thinking about overtime, and not the current game. Even John Motson began to speculate about the tactics that the two managers would use in the extra time.
After Gerrard came off, although Bentley could also take a free kick, this free kick was a little special – it was 32 meters away from the goal. If he wanted to shoot directly, Bentley's leg strength could not reach it, so he could only choose to pass the ball.
Bentley had the same plan when he carried the football over.
But someone stopped him.
"If you kick the ball out, the game will be over." Wood stopped him halfway.
Bentley looked at the captain, not understanding what he meant by that.
Wood took the football in his arms over and said, "I'll do it."
This sentence gave Bentley a huge shock. He and Wood had been teammates at Nottingham Forest for many years, but he had never seen Wood practice free kicks because his free kicks could not be seen at all. He himself knew that, so he never asked to be the main player for free kicks during the game.
Why did he suddenly want to take a free kick at the last moment of this game?
Bentley guessed and thought that Wood wanted to have a kick. Anyway, it was the last attack, and the possibility of scoring a goal was too small.
Therefore, he allowed Wood to take away his right to take the place kick.
Watching Wood put the football on the ground, Tang En also felt puzzled: Is he going to do it himself? What does this mean?
When Lippi saw that Wood was preparing to take a free kick, he no longer had any worries in his heart – this game looked like it would definitely go into overtime.
"George Wood? It looks like England is going to give up this last chance to attack, ha! "The Italian commentator was no longer flustered.
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The Italian players were building a human wall. The ball was a little far from the goal, and there were not five or six people lined up in the human wall. There were only four people blocking in front of Wood. The referee looked at his watch, ready to blow the whistle to end the game after this free kick, regardless of the result.
Thinking that it was going to be overtime soon, there were not as many England players going up to attack as before.
The stands suddenly quieted down. Whether it was the England fans or the Italian fans, they all chose to shut up at this time. Perhaps they were tired at this last moment after fighting non-stop for 95 minutes. Perhaps it was because they felt that this was a crucial moment and were afraid of any noise disturbing them.
Just like them, the fans of both countries in front of the TV, as well as Michael Bernard in the United States, were quiet.
Sophia could not come to watch the game live. She sat at home and stared at the TV screen, her hands clasped together as if praying to God.
In such a quiet environment, it was as if everyone's heartbeat could be heard.
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Wood put the football in place. It was only a blink of an eye, but so many things happened around him. It only made people feel as if another 90 minutes had passed.
The Italian human wall did not move forward. They felt that the ball was too far away, and it was Wood who was going to kick it. It was really not a threat.
Wood put the football in place and began to move back to pull out the run-up distance.
He did not stop after taking two steps back. Instead, he kept retreating, almost to the center circle. The run-up distance was about ten meters.
Was he going to learn from the long-retired Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos, the master of powerful free kicks?
Wood looked at the football ten meters away, the human wall further away, and the goal at the end of the road. At this moment, he suddenly remembered something from a long time ago. At that time, Demetrio had not yet retired and was still playing for the Forest team. Twain asked Wood to follow Demetrio and learn how to be a good midfielder. Therefore, Wood was often by Demetrio's side, including when Demetrio was practicing free kicks.
At that time, he had revealed the idea of wanting to practice free kicks, but he did not have the talent to do so. However, there was one thing that Demetrio said that made a deep impression on him. It was what Demetrio had advised him when Wood hoped to master Albertini's "falling leaves." "I'm one type, and Beckham's is another. There are many types of free kicks, George. A powerful volley is also a type … "
A powerful volley was also a type!
The referee blew the whistle in his mouth, indicating that Wood could take the penalty kick.
Wood took a deep breath and then stomped his feet hard. Then he leaned forward and got into the starting position of a hundred-meter sprint. All the muscles in his body tightened and contracted. In the next second, he rushed out like a cheetah!
The distance of ten meters was only a moment. He had already rushed in front of the football. His left foot stepped hard beside the ball, his left hand swung out and drew a circle outwards, while his right foot swung up at the same time. The power was transmitted from the ground through the left and right feet respectively. The power of the left foot was then amplified by the swing of the left hand, twisting to the right through the waist and abdomen, combining the power of the left and the power of the right into one, directly accelerating to the arch of the right foot.
Finally, the power born from the ground reached its end — —
Wood's right leg was like a whip, and the arch of his foot was the tip of the whip, fiercely lashing the football.
The football seemed to be shot out by a cannon. It soared into the air and whistled forward.
The people closest to it were the Italian team's human wall. They only felt a gust of wind blow over their heads, and the football flew over.
The whistling sound made by the friction of the football across the air was like an alarm, sounding over the Italian defensive zone.
WARNING！ WARNING！！ WARNING！！！
With a "woo — —" sound, the football had already flown into the penalty area.
Amelia began to move when he saw the football over the top of the human wall, ready to pounce on the ball. When the football flew into the penalty area, he jumped up and made a save.
But a terrible thought suddenly emerged in his mind — — I can't get this ball …
"Whoosh!" The image of the football in his pupils did not gradually enlarge little by little, but as if it suddenly expanded, it suddenly doubled in size and then doubled in size again. Now it was close at hand, but his hand was not in place yet.
"Oh no …"
This was the only thought in his mind as the football flew over his defensive line.
Then, in the silence of the stadium, he heard the rustling sound of the football rubbing against the net, as well as the sound of the Italian teammates around him inhaling sharply.
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The people outside the field only saw a white line across almost half of the field, and then crashed into the goal, swinging the net.
The first people to react were the England fans in the stands. They jumped up from their seats with their hands up high. Their mouths burst out with earth-shattering cheers, breaking the silence in the stadium.
Then John Motson also woke up as if from a dream. He was extremely excited, "Saint George! Saint George! Oh my God, what happened? Why do I think I'm dreaming? Is this real? Did the football really hit the goal and not hit the side of the net? A goal in the last second … Yes, not the last minute, but a goal in the last second! This is simply too unbelievable!! "
Not to mention him, even the England players on the field could not believe what they saw. It was reasonable to say that after a teammate scored, they should hold their arms high and cheer. But these people opened their arms, but they held their heads and stared at the football inside the goal …
Terry stood at the back. He did not go up to participate in the attack because he felt that the game was over. It was a smart move to conserve energy and prepare for overtime. But now he looked at George Wood's back and realized that he was not talking big to boost morale. He turned out to be serious!
"I don't believe George Wood can shoot such a ball! If he has the ability to give it another kick, he will definitely shoot it into the sky! This must have been shot by God! It was God who used Wood's right foot to kick such a goal! In the last second of the game, England got the last chance and they reversed the situation! Would anyone believe such a game? "The Spanish commentator was also very excited." But this is happening! We are lucky to witness such a game … No, it's a miracle! "
Wood, who scored, was not as excited as these outsiders. He did not run to the sidelines, nor did he take off his jersey. He just stood in place, opened his arms, clenched his fists and pointed to the sky.
He was not excited, but there were others who were excited. His teammates rushed over from all directions excitedly and surrounded him. In the end, they simply lifted him up and threw him into the sky! Such a celebration was rare. In the past, no matter how excited they were, they would only press the scorer under their bodies …
"George Wood – an incredible goal! Whether it was the way the goal was scored or the timing of the goal, it was incredible! The Italians were defeated in the last second! They did not drag the game into overtime as they wanted. They lost the championship trophy in the last second! "
Amelia knelt on the ground, and his teammates next to him looked at the excited England players in a daze. No one could accept such a reality – just a minute ago, they thought they were going to be the champion. Just a second ago, they thought the game would be dragged into overtime, and with their impenetrable defense, they would still be the winner in the end.
But Wood's world-class kick shattered their dreams. The scenes of revelry after winning the title were now reduced to countless fragments, blown away by the night wind in Madrid.
Lippi stood on the sidelines in a daze. This time, he was not as calm as before, but completely lifeless … He did not expect his team to lose the game in such a way. At the most impossible moment, the most impossible person would be the one to end the game.
That full stop was just a little bit away from being drawn …
Lippi was dumbstruck, but Tang En did not jump and jump like the people around him. He stood in place, but reached out his right hand to press on his heart.
He felt his heartbeat, fast and strong.
"Hey, Tony! We're the champions! European champions! "Walker did not give him a chance to be emotional here. He ran up from behind and hugged him. "We did it, we really did it!"
Tang En did not struggle, letting him hug him and roar like a madman.
He was relieved. It was good to be hugged. Otherwise, he really suspected that he could not maintain his standing posture …
At this time, he did not care about what Italy would do to counterattack, because he was sure that the game was over. This time, it was really over!
No one would fish out the ball from the net and place it in the center circle. The English team, who were leading, would not do that. The Italians, who were behind, would not do that either.
After the referee blew the whistle to indicate that the goal was valid, he immediately blew the whistle to end the game three times.
The game was over!
England's substitutes rushed onto the field together with the coach to celebrate their first UEFA European Championship title in history.
Tang En did not rush up with the crowd. He stood on the sidelines, ready to shake hands with Lippi.
This was the etiquette after the game.
After the game, Lippi finally returned to normal. He had experienced countless championships in his life, but he had also won many runners-up. He had seen a lot of such failures.
"Congratulations, Mr. Twain."
He politely congratulated Tang En as he shook his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Lippi."
The two men did not engage in any further conversation. Lippi needed to be busy comforting his players, who were already crying so hard that they were no different from people in tears. As for Tang En himself … He was already surrounded by a large group of reporters, waiting for him to rush up to interview him after he shook hands with Lippi.
Lippi had just turned to walk away when the reporters swarmed up and surrounded Tang En, as if they were afraid that he would run away.
"Mr. Tang! First of all, congratulations on winning the first UEFA European Championship in English football history … "
"Mr. Tang, can you talk about your current thoughts?"
"Did winning the match at the last moment exceed your expectations, Mr. Twain?"
"Regarding George Wood's goal, do you have anything to say?"
"Mr. Tang …"
"Tony …"
"Mr. Tang …"
"Mr. Tony Twain …"
Countless topics, microphones, recording pens, and mobile phones were stuffed in front of Tang En's mouth. Now, even if he farted, it would smell good, and any sentence would be regarded as a famous saying. In the entire football world, no one dared to question his ability to coach the national team anymore.
Tony Twain was equivalent to a champion. This law was once again in effect for the national team.
At the end of the first installment of the classic movie, "The Godfather," Michael Corleone finally became the new godfather of the Corleone family. Under the peeping eyes of his wife, he accepted the hand kisses of his subordinates behind the door of the study and completed the transformation from a young officer full of ideals to a ruthless Godfather of the underworld.
Now, at the Bernabéu stadium. The old Godfather of Italian football was walking down the stage step by step. He was comforting his players. Not a single media expressed any concern for him, and no one would care about the feelings of this "loser."
Tang En, on the other hand, was receiving unprecedented popularity and adoration.
Tonight, the entire Europe was crawling at his feet, kissing the hand he extended to show their allegiance.
When the old Godfather left alone in the afternoon sun in Sicily, the new Godfather was sitting high on the throne of power, enjoying the oath of allegiance from his new subordinates. Looking down on the world, he was in high spirits, as if there was nothing in the world that could stop him from conquering the world.
Tonight, it was only Europe. Two years later, he wanted the entire world to bow at his feet!
He had no doubt about this, because the champion's heart in his chest was beating vigorously.
(End of "Seven Volumes of the Heart of the Lion King")
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PS, the seventh volume was finally written. There was only one volume left to the completion of the Godfather of Champions.
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