long live football

Manchester United got off to a good start.

In the 5th minute, Ruud van Nistelrooy tried a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, and Manchester City goalkeeper David James reacted quickly to save the ball.But in the 11th minute, Van Nistelrooy received a pass from teammate Nicky Butt again, cut inside the penalty area from the right and hit the goal from a small angle. James was unexpected this time and could only watch the football fly into the net.

Manchester United lead 1:0!

There was a burst of enthusiastic cheers at Old Trafford, and even the acting coach Walter Smith's face was full of joy and relaxation. He must have thought that if Manchester United could take the lead, they would surely be able to reap the victory.

But this goal seems to have temporarily used up Manchester United's good luck. In the next ten minutes, the Red Devils failed.

In the 17th minute, Louis Saha made a long shot from outside the penalty area, but the football went slightly wide of the post.In the 31st minute, Ryan Giggs passed the ball from the right, Ruud van Nistelrooy pushed the ball into the front of the penalty area, but Manchester City goalkeeper James suddenly fell to the ground and blocked the ball out of the bottom line with his fingertips.

In the 35th minute, the fourth official held a sign outside the field-Manchester City made a substitution!

Manchester City boss Kevin Keegan replaced defender Sun Jihai with striker Robbie Fowler.

This substitution was considered unwise by the commentator at the beginning, because there are only three substitutions for a team, and most players will be seriously exhausted after the second half. If a substitution quota is lost, they are likely to face a situation where players are too tired to run in the second half, but they cannot be replaced because there is no substitution quota.

The British "Sky Sports" commentator Andy Gray was still laughing at the unwiseness of Keegan's substitution in the last second, but in the next second because of the sudden situation on the field, he abruptly turned his words around : "Coach Keegan's substitution was unquestionably...inconceivable! Fowler dribbled the ball straight into the box! He passed Giggs...Ferdinand... oh oh oh he shot! Unfortunately, this The ball was saved by Howard, but it doesn't matter, the fighting spirit of the Manchester City players has been fully stimulated, and their fighting is really fierce!"

Andy Gray is right. Manchester City's substitutions have increased their offensive power on the front line. Although the defense is a bit weaker, when Manchester City launched a fierce battle with Manchester United, who noticed them? What about this weakness?

The Red Devils fans cheered wildly for the team in the stands, but at this time God was really not on Manchester United's side. Ruud van Nistelrooy and others' offenses failed again and again. In the 43rd minute of the game, the first half Towards the end, Manchester City scored!

It was Robbie Fowler who scored the goal!

Unlike Manchester United's precise combination of passing and shooting, Manchester City's goal was achieved entirely by desperate fighting.Their players made ferocious tackles on the United players, passed the ball to midfield, and finally allowed Claudio Reina to send Fowler's fatal pass at the edge of the United penalty area.

Robbie Fowler, one of the best strikers in England in the 90s, volleyed in front of Manchester United goalkeeper Howard and pierced the goal!

1:1!Manchester City equalized the score!

Smith looked frustrated, and he murmured to himself in a flustered expression: "It would be great if Sir Alex was here..."

What he was begging for was not that Ferguson was there to give him advice, but that Ferguson himself was a deterrent to Manchester City coach Keegan.

This started almost ten years ago. In the 1995-96 season, Kevin Keegan was the coach of Newcastle at that time. After half a season, Newcastle ranked first in the standings, while Manchester United led by Ferguson ranked at the bottom, behind Newcastle scored as many as 12 points.But in the second half of the season, Ferguson used a series of psychological warfare to attack Kevin Keegan, almost driving Keegan crazy. Newcastle gradually lost their advantage due to the instability of the coach, and Manchester United finally caught up with points bit by bit. , and finally won the league championship.

Since then, Ferguson's psychological tactics have become famous in the world of football, and no matter what team Keegan leads, he always loses more and wins less when encountering Manchester United.Smith felt that perhaps it was because Ferguson was not at Old Trafford at the moment that Keegan performed exceptionally well and used subtle substitution tactics to allow Manchester City to equalize the score.

Sky Sports commentator Gray seemed to know what Smith was thinking, and talked into the microphone: "'Keegan Nemesis' Ferguson is not here, Manchester City has been activated again!"

……

Morale has always been an invisible but extremely important thing on the court.

When a strong team meets a weak team, the coach hardly needs to encourage the players to have a good morale, because they believe that they will win before the game starts.But such a situation is also extremely dangerous, because strong team players never think that they will lose to weak teams, so when they find that they are ahead of their opponents in the game, their morale will definitely decline at an extraordinary speed... …

Just like now.

It is nothing new to not take the lead at home in the first half, but it is sad to start the lead and be equalized by the opponent immediately.

Especially at the end of the first half, the morale of Manchester City was obviously higher than that of Manchester United.

The Manchester United players are not in a good mood at the moment. They obviously worked hard on the field, but the god of luck is still leaning towards Manchester City without mercy.They were eager to change, but couldn't find a way, so they sat on the benches one by one in silence, drinking water while waiting for the acting coach to speak.

After talking about the tactical arrangements for the second half, Smith was silent for a moment when he saw the performance of the players, and said: "Sergeant must be watching our game in front of the TV now. I hope everyone will not let him down in the end."

The spirits of the players were lifted up a little bit. When they concentrated on listening to Smith's continuation, Smith comforted them with the results of the first half, and wished them a better performance in the second half, and it ended like this made his own speech.

ended?

it's over!

This, this is too mild!That was the first thought that crossed the minds of the Manchester United players.If Ferguson was leading them to play the game now, the grumpy Ferguson would have started yelling at them, scolding them for not living up to expectations, and they were equalized by their opponents at their home court, and they were still their mortal enemy Manchester City!Calling them a group of useless players, they still refuse to cheer up!

Although severe scolding may make an unconfident player perform worse in the second half, for these long-standing Manchester United superstars, being drenched in cold water is more likely to wake them up and inspire them. Vitality, let them realize that they are the masters of Old Trafford, they should let the group of Manchester City people get out in disgrace!

But Smith is not Ferguson after all.

The morale of the Manchester United players has not changed much compared to the end of the first half.

Karl originally thought that he was not familiar with football and he should be a bystander now, but the strange thing is that he is now in the same low mood as the rest of Manchester United.

……

At the beginning of the second half, Manchester City striker Paul Wanchope took advantage of a sneak attack in front of the goal and relied on his teammates to pass the ball to attack the goal. If the goalkeeper Howard hadn't reacted quickly, he would have thrown the football into the air. Out of the gate, Manchester United will fall behind at home.

But even though the goal was missed, the Manchester United fans were still in a cold sweat. They kept stamping their feet in the stands and shouted: "Counterattack! Counterattack! We will counterattack!"

But Manchester City, who continued to play an offensive role in the game, and Manchester United's valuable forward line seemed to be silent, unable to start for a long time.

Walter Smith's coaching style is as calm as his personality. Generally speaking, he sits firmly on the coach's bench and observes the overall situation. But at this moment, he also stood up and wandered around the court, paying attention to any tiny thing on the court. movement.

Behind him, there was no silence on the coach's bench or the bench.The coaches of the team were discussing the situation on the field in whispers. The young substitute players had already raised their arms high and joined the ranks of cheering for the team just like the fans. Staring at the court with wide eyes, worrying about the current situation of the game.

Carl has read a lot of theoretical information recently, but he lacks actual combat experience. From now on, every game of Manchester United will be a good opportunity for him to learn.

Looking closely at the field, Karl paid attention to the movement and coordination of each player, as well as the on-the-spot reactions of Smith and Keegan. Before he knew it, he said what he was thinking: "Manchester City's No. 15 The players seem to be unable to run..."

After waiting for a while, but no one around him responded to him, Carl felt a little strange, so he turned his head, only to see——Cristiano Ronaldo looked into the field with an unhappy expression, his eyes were round and his hands were tightly clenched. Hold it by your side.

"Didn't you hear what I said just now?" Carl asked him.

"If I can play, I will definitely score!" Ronaldo said this angrily, and then he was discouraged again, and his expression became depressed.He looked at Carl: "Did you just talk to me?"

Carl said helplessly: "One of Manchester City's defenders has a physical problem."

"Which one?" Ronaldo became more energetic.

Carl pointed to him: "The one wearing the No. 15 jersey, Distin. Don't look at him. He is very active in returning to defense, but he has never actively participated in the fight. It will quietly stop in place for a few seconds, resting and breathing."

"That's because his physical fitness is particularly poor." Ronaldo said disdainfully: "But within 20 minutes, half of Manchester City's players will have physical problems..." He slowly closed his mouth.

Carl understood what he hadn't said.

Now 60 minutes have passed in the game, and it won't be long, not to mention the Manchester City players, the Manchester United players will also have major physical problems.

And now Manchester United has a slightly more advantage than Manchester City, that is, they have one more substitution than the other side.

In the 65th minute of the game, Manchester City coach Kevin Keegan finally couldn't help but take the lead in making substitutions.Midfielder Claudio Reina was substituted and a defender, Tanat, was added.

Seeing that Manchester City had put on a vigorous defensive player, Smith couldn't sit still anymore. He returned to the coach's bench and prepared to apply to the fourth official for a substitution.

When passing by the coach's dugout, he hesitated for a while, and finally stopped, telling or asking other coaches: "I want Louis Saha to replace Nicky Butt."

Carl, who was sitting behind the coach's bench, also heard this sentence, and almost instantly, he saw Cristiano Ronaldo's expression of disappointment that he couldn't hide.

On impulse he stood up, walked over to Smith, and whispered, "Mr. Smith, I think it might be more effective to replace Ronaldo."

In fact, Smith didn't have an absolute idea in his mind, so he easily listened to Carl's words: "Why do you think so?"

Some theoretical knowledge related to tactics can perfectly explain Karl's thoughts at the moment, but perhaps because he has not mastered them, the more anxious he is, the less he can clearly express his thoughts, so Karl directly Bai said: "Because I saw a strong desire to score goals from his face. The strongest kind."

Smith looks to Ronaldo.

The sensitive Portuguese immediately cast his eager eyes on the acting coach.

Smith was impressed by him.

After 1 minute, the fourth official raised a card: Manchester United, Ronaldo replaced Nicky Butt.

……

Before going on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo said to Karl: "Thank you."

Although the smart Portuguese star didn't know the real reason why the coach replaced him on the field, he understood that it must have something to do with the few words Karl said when he stood beside Smith.

If someone speaks well of him, he must immediately express his gratitude. This is Ronaldo's way of thinking.

Carl accepted this sentence frankly, but he also began to wonder in his heart-judging from the few 10 minutes he spent with Cristiano Ronaldo, the other party is obviously a straightforward person, and his nature is not bad.Why does such a person have such a bad reputation in the locker room?Why is it that no one in Manchester United seems to be on good terms with him?

Just as he was puzzled by this, there was a burst of cheers from the stands. It was the fans who were expecting the new players to bring some changes to the game.

Karl then once again turned his attention to the game.

When Ronaldo was first replaced, he almost kicked an own goal.

That happened in the 68th minute, Giggs crossed from the right, Manchester City player Robbie Fowler headed the ball back to the Manchester United half.Ronaldo was probably eager to make a contribution. He rushed to the football landing point and competed with Manchester City midfielder Button for the ball. Button kicked the ball to the right, but Ronaldo wanted to do it the other way around. Almost shot the football into his own goal-if it weren't for goalkeeper Howard's quick eyes and quick hands to hold the ball.

There was a burst of laughter in the stadium. This was the Manchester City fans laughing at their arch-enemy, and someone shouted from the stands: "One more! Come and give us a point!"

But those fans soon stopped laughing as Ronaldo unleashed his firepower from the 70th minute onwards.

Although the rising star of the Portuguese national team, who is becoming more and more famous, may still be a bit jerky in technique, his drive and attack power are absolutely top-notch. He made a threatening shot in front of Manchester City's goal within 5 minutes of playing, and almost missed the goal. The team took the lead again.

In the 77th minute, the two teams were in a scuffle near the midfield. Giggs took advantage of the chaos and knocked the ball aside. Ronaldo received the pass and immediately ran towards the Manchester City half.

Manchester City's No. 15 defender Distin was defending him. Ronaldo was still hesitant to pass the ball. When he saw who was defending him, he wondered, "Isn't he exhausted? Why hasn't he passed?" Substituted?", Bianer decided to break through head-on!

Distin's body collided with Ronaldo who was dribbling the ball, and then he went to the end immediately, but Ronaldo broke into the penalty area with the ball!

Distin hugged his legs and rolled on the ground.

But the referee didn't blow the whistle.

Some Manchester City fans in the stands shouted angrily: "Foul! Foul by Manchester United No. 7! Give him a yellow card!"

Maybe in other leagues, you can get a yellow card if you hit someone with the ball head-on, but this is the Premier League. When the referee was near them, he could clearly see that the two of them just collided with each other. After all, it was because of Distin's inferior physique, no wonder Ronaldo, so the referee ignored the fans' shouts.

When Distin, who was hit by Ronaldo, saw that the referee did not give the opponent a yellow card, he immediately got up from the turf and went to assist in returning to defense.

This shows that he was not injured at all, and Manchester City fans had to shut their mouths.

Ronaldo has already dribbled the ball into the penalty area.

Two Manchester City defenders surrounded him, but Ronaldo suddenly turned around near the penalty spot to avoid their defense, and immediately raised his foot to hit the goal!

Manchester City goalkeeper David James made a pounce on the ball, but unfortunately saw his finger across the football ball, but failed to stop its flight trajectory!

2: 1!

Manchester United lead again!

"Long live! Long live! Long live Manchester United!"

The fans rejoiced.

But the fans were not the only ones who were excited. Walter Smith was almost overjoyed. He picked up a person beside him and gave him a big hug!

The person he caught was none other than Karl...

However, Karl did not refuse Smith. He even hugged the opponent and waved his fists shoulder to shoulder: "Go on, another goal!"

The sound of cheering gradually filled the entire Old Trafford, and the Manchester United players on the field seemed to be encouraged by these words, and their morale swelled wildly.

The most touching thing in a football game is the fighting spirit of the players for victory!

These subtle emotional factors also infected Karl.

He has never hugged, punched, or howled wildly in public in his life, but today in these 10 minutes of the game, he did it all at once.

Carl didn't feel regretful at all, on the contrary, he felt that there was a flame burning in his chest at this moment.

Just before the start of the game, what he said to Smith, the phrase "We will definitely win" is more to comfort the other party, and it is some scene words.

But that sentence has entered Carl's heart at this moment. He has never believed so firmly as today: Manchester United will definitely win!We will definitely win!

Although Karl Alston's body is only 25 years old, the soul inside has more ideas than this number.The background of his birth and his childhood living environment made him appear more mature than his peers. After entering the society, it was even more difficult to find vitality in him.Although he worked very hard, what was infused into him was not ideals and passion, but the fear of youth and poverty, and the desire for a rich material life.

So he had always mistakenly believed that the empty but beautiful words like dreams would probably never be with him.

But now, he feels that he has found the taste of youth again, and found the impulsive and exciting youth.

Perhaps this is the charm of football.