The green devil

Goalkeeper Diego.Lopez, the only Espanyol player with big-game experience, knows exactly what needs to be done at this time.

"Come back! Come back!"

Lopez stopped the ball, facing the Monaco players who were rushing to press, he was not in a hurry to play the ball, but called his teammates to come back to meet him.

When the opponent's striker arrived, the goalkeeper Lopez unhurriedly split the ball and passed it to Zhao Yang who was running over.

After Zhao Yang received the ball, he didn't blindly open his feet. He swayed Dilar who pounced on him, and then passed it to Diop.

The calmness of Lopez and Zhao Yang calmed down the Spaniard's players.

Under the frenzied press of the Monaco players, they calmly passed in the backcourt, and if they couldn't pass, they kicked out of the sideline. As long as they were touched by their opponents, they would immediately fall to the ground and consume the little time left.

The Spaniard's delaying tactics made the Monaco players impetuous. They pressed forward across the board, but they were almost counterattacked by the Spaniard and conceded another goal.

Seeing that the general situation is over, the Monaco players are worried about conceding another goal, which also reduces the number of pressing players, which makes the Spaniard's possession of the ball more calm.

The 4-minute stoppage time passed quickly, and with the whistle of the referee Rossi, the first round of the UEFA Champions League play-off game ended.

"The Spaniards will win! The Spaniards will win!"

"Zhao Yang, Zhao Yang..."

At the same time as the whistle sounded, there were thunderous applause and cheers.

The Espanyol players were tired physically but in good spirits after a tough game.

The players circled the field to greet the fans and thank them for their support.

The live DJ kept leading the fans to shout the names of the players who performed well today, pushing the atmosphere of the scene to a climax.

Defeating Monaco 2-0 at home, the Spaniard is 90 minutes away from participating in the Champions League.

At such moments, reporters will not be absent.

Lopez, Zhao Yang, and Diop were surrounded by reporters for interviews.

In addition to Zhao Yang who scored two goals alone, the biggest hero today is goalkeeper Lopez.

In the face of reporters' interviews, Lopez was very calm.

"I'm glad we won, Monaco are a strong team! There were chances to score on both sides, but we took advantage of them."

"2:0 is a very good score! We have already had a great advantage in the two rounds of the knockout round, but this does not mean that we have advanced. Blind optimism is not allowed. We must seriously prepare for the next game .”

"We prepared for this game before the game, and our tactics are reasonable. Sergio is a good coach. The teammates are also very good. After Monaco, I believe we will go further."

Compared with the calmness and rationality of the veteran, the young Zhao Yang was more confident in the interview.

"The game was tough, we played very well, we deserved this victory!"

"This is my first Champions League game. Although it is a play-off, I am very satisfied with my performance... In terms of scoring, I scored eight points and a hat-trick is even better."

"We believe that we must be the last one to advance, not only because we lead by two goals, but also because we are more motivated. We are all very eager to go to the Champions League to see it!"

After a week around the field, the players returned to the locker room, but the fans were still reluctant to leave, and were still reminiscing about the wonderful goals of this game on the big screen.

Head coach Sergio and owner Chen Yansheng stood at the door of the locker room waiting for the players to arrive.

Chen Yansheng gave Zhao Yang a big hug and said, "Thank you!"

Then he walked in front of Lopez, held Lopez's hand tightly, and said sincerely: "Thank you! Today you are the pinnacle of our defense. With you, I have more confidence in the team's results this season."

Diego.Lopez couldn't help being moved after hearing this.

Although Lopez has rich experience, he is 36 years old. From Real Madrid to Milan, and then from Milan to the Spaniard on loan, he intends to retire in his hometown.

But when he came to this former relegation team, he fell in love with this team after only playing one game.

The coach of this team is very young and has little experience and qualifications.

The players on this team are either unknown or veterans who are close to retirement like themselves.

The owner of this team is also a Chinese who he doesn't know.

But this team is full of vigor and ambition, which makes Diego Lopez feel like returning to his youth. He believes that this team will be able to do something that shocks the world sooner or later.

At this moment, the words of the Chinese boss Chen Yansheng made Lopez feel like he had met a bosom friend.

Lopez said: "Chairman Chen has given the award, I can only use my spare energy, the Spaniard's performance still depends on Zhao and these young people."

Chen Yansheng said with a smile: "The future belongs to young people, but now, these young people have no experience in the Champions League, and they still need the help of veterans like you. There is an old saying in China that says that every family has an old man, like a treasure."

Head coach Sergio also took the opportunity to say: "Diego, you are the treasure of our Espanyol team, Dinghaishenzhen."

Diego.Lopez said with a smile: "The ability to win is mainly due to the coach's strategizing, and we are just the executors."

Sergio laughed, "Let's stop bragging about business, you have worked hard for 90 minutes, go in and have a rest."

Back in the locker room, Chen Yansheng waved his hand, and the secretary took a lockbox and opened it, and there were piles of euros inside.

Chen Yansheng said with a smile: "I don't like to wait. The winning award for this game will be given out now. After the promotion, the bonus will be doubled. After the money is divided, everyone will go to Lhasa for dinner together. Let's have a good time."

The Lasat restaurant is the only Michelin three-star restaurant in Barcelona. It is also a good benefit for the players to have a big meal there.

The locker room suddenly burst into joy.

Although the winning award is written in the contract, the feeling of getting a thick wad of cash is definitely different.

Moreover, the boss said that after the promotion, the winning prize will be doubled, which is also a good income for the players of these small teams.

The boss took out the bonus, and the head coach Sergio didn't have anything to say. He waved his hand and said, "Thank you for your efforts, take a shower, and let's go have a good time."

After the players came out of the shower, many die-hard fans still did not leave. They waited at the gate of the stadium, wanting to take photos with their idols autographed.

Sergio is not a person who doesn't understand the style. After the team's big victory, he generously left 10 minutes for the fans to take photos with the players.

After taking photos with the fans and signing autographs, the players went to the Lasater restaurant for dinner. It was almost 12 o'clock before the players went home to rest.

When Zhao Yang returned home, the excitement had not disappeared. He took out his mobile phone and found dozens of congratulatory messages.

Zhao Yang found a few close classmates, friends and relatives to reply, and took another shower before going to rest.