champion godfather

Chapter 982 The Heart of the Seventh Lion King Goes Further

Not long after the start of the second half, Spain took advantage of their strong midfield possession to push England back.This was within Twain's expectations, so the England team did not panic. Instead, they shrunk their defenses and dealt with England patiently.

Fabregas recalled Hierro's special instructions to the team before going on the pitch:

"There is a piece of information that may be beneficial to you——George Wood has a yellow card..."

Hierro didn't go on, but many people, including Cesc Fabregas, have fully understood.

As the captain and core of England, if Wood receives another yellow card in this game, he will lose his qualification to participate in the final.This kind of thing happened to Wood once. In the 05-06 season, Nottingham Forest, who returned to the Premier League, reached the final of the European Champions Cup. The opponent was Barcelona, ​​​​who trained Cesc Fabregas.In the semi-final before that game, it happened to be against Arsenal where Cesc Fabregas was playing. George Wood received a yellow card at the last moment and missed the final because of accumulating two yellow cards.If it weren't for his absence, maybe Nottingham Forest would have won the European Champions Cup a season earlier.

Since that incident, Wood has been quite disgusted with this kind of watching from the sidelines.So even if he was seriously injured, he strongly urged Tang En to take him to Spain and be ready to play at any time.

This news is indeed very favorable for Cesc Fabregas.

George Wood, who has a yellow card on his body, will definitely have some scruples in the second half of the game. He cannot play at his full level.As long as he thinks that if he receives another yellow card, he will bid farewell to the European Cup, no one can be calm in his heart.

It's well worth taking advantage of.

Thinking of this, Fabregas raised his hand for the ball and ran forward at the same time. He wanted to be closer to Wood and forced him to foul.

Iniesta passed the football to Fabregas, who knew what Cesc was up to.In fact, he also meant that, but he was entangled by Michael Johnson, and if he went to Wood again, he would be in a trap.

Fabregas, who received the ball, took the ball and rushed straight towards Wood.

Wood did not evade, just waiting for Fabregas to come up.As the last line of defense in front of the central defender, he cannot escape anyway.

When Fabregas approached Wood, he suddenly flicked the football to the left, then turned around and waited for Wood to come up.

Wood didn't let him down, stepping to the right and sticking up, while extending his foot to steal the ball.Cesc Fabregas was quicker on his feet, poked the ball away and slammed it into Wood's leg.Then he lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground, not forgetting to cry out in pain!
This voice made Tang En's heart ache - Wood made a foul, what will the referee do?Verbal warning or card?

He stood up nervously, staring unblinkingly at the black-clothed judge running towards the scene of the accident.

Fortunately, the referee just stretched his hand forward, and didn't mean to take out cards from his chest pocket.In the end, there was not even a verbal warning, but Spain was given a free kick in the frontcourt.

Tang En let out a long breath and sat down again.

Four minutes later, the Spanish team made a comeback, this time it was Fabregas again, and it was Wood again.But this time after Cesc Fabregas fell to the ground, Wood raised his hands to indicate that he had not moved. The referee did not protest Fabregas lying on the ground, but signaled the game to continue.

For the third time, Wood faced Silva's sudden inward cut, knocked the thin opponent away with his body, and was called a foul.Silva, Fabregas and Iniesta surrounded the referee, all gesturing to him to draw cards.

Seeing this scene, Tang En yelled at the audience: "Take your MB card!"

Fortunately, the referee was not disturbed by the Spanish players this time, but Wood did not get a card for consecutive fouls, which had already made the Spanish fans in the stands boo dissatisfied.

Dunn could tell that the Spaniard had planned this.They knew that Wood had a yellow card on his back, and they wanted to make Wood have scruples when defending.Wood must be reminded.

Thinking of this, Tang En got up and walked to the sidelines, shouting Wood's name into the arena. After attracting Wood's attention, he said loudly: "Pay attention to your movements, George! Don't foul easily! Don't give them a chance!"

In fact, Wood knew what the other party wanted to do without Tang En calling out.He admits he's struggling right now - he's unwilling to back down, and he doesn't really want to get a yellow card and miss the final.As an England player, reaching the final is not very common. He doesn't want to miss such an opportunity, not to mention he wants to win the championship trophy with his own hands. How can he become a spectator on the bench?

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After the England team counterattacked once, the Spaniard came again.The target is still George Wood, but this time it is Iniesta.After consecutive short passes and position changes with Cesc Fabregas, Iniesta came to Wood.This time is sure to set you back! !

Wood looked at Iniesta, who was getting closer, and finally made up his mind not to let him pass.But just as he was about to make a kick, a man came out from a diagonal stab and knocked Iniesta out with the ball.Iniesta, who flew out, heard the referee's whistle, but to his surprise, in the corner of his eye, George Wood was still standing in front of him...

When Wayne Rooney was still on the ground, he cooperatively raised his right hand, indicating that it was his foul.

Wood looked at Rooney, who was sitting on the ground indifferently, with some surprise.

After Rooney got up from the ground, he patted Wood on the shoulder: "Defense is not your job alone."

For Rooney's foul, the Spanish players considered it a provocation.They surrounded the referee angrily and motioned for the referee to give the card.But this time, the referee only gave a verbal warning to Rooney, and did not draw his cards.The boos of the Spaniard in the stands grew louder.

Tang En decided to make an adjustment.A bold adjustment, he decided to switch Gerrard back to the back and let Wood play the front midfielder.Although this may send Wood to Camacho, it at least reduces the possibility of him getting a card because of a defensive foul.Anyway, England took the lead by one goal, even if they beat Twain by one goal in the end, they didn't think there was any shame in it. The losers are not qualified to make irresponsible remarks.Moreover, Wood's long-range shooting ability can play a more important role in the midfielder position.

Twain's adjustment made the Spanish team unexpected...

Hierro turned his head and looked at Twain several times, trying to figure out what he was thinking—it is obvious that England is now under the strong offensive of Spain, and the flanks are basically abolished. It was initiated by Wood in the backcourt, using his overall view and long pass to create opportunities for Mitchell and Vaughn in front.Now he pushes Wood to the frontcourt and directly faces Spain's midfielder Camacho. Isn't that self-defeating martial arts?

Camacho turned his head to look at Hierro on the field, and Hierro gave him a gesture to go up and mark Wood.At present, I can only do this, but this can be considered as an indirect achievement of my goal - anyway, George Wood is no longer in the midfielder position, and the 36-year-old Gerrard's defensive contribution must not be comparable to that of Woodby, Spain It can also be regarded as clearing the obstacles on the way to attack.

Now you can ignore Wood and attack with all your strength!

The Spaniard wanted to sound the clarion call for a counterattack, but it was the England team that took the lead.

Gerrard can organize an offense like Wood after he reaches the backcourt. When the football reaches Wood's feet, he takes advantage of his strong body and explosive power to squeeze Camacho behind him, and then retreats to meet himself. After Mitchell made a two-for-one cooperation, he kicked and shot directly!
The shot was very sudden, and Asenjo basically didn't respond, but it was a pity that the football missed the post.

Although he didn't score a goal, the Spaniard was shocked into a cold sweat.

It was only at this time that Hierro realized that when it comes to long-range shots, there is not only one Steve Gerrard in England...

He went to the sidelines and nervously asked Camacho to strengthen Wood's personal marking.Now he can only think of such a countermeasure, and he will be at a loss when he adjusts his team.

After giving such instructions, Hierro walked back. He suddenly felt a little unwilling: In the end, in the competition with the head coach who once coached him, he was at a disadvantage from the beginning to the end, and he was being led by the nose by Twain. He has never once mastered the initiative...including the adjustments he made during the halftime break, and now he finds that the opponent has already expected it.

He asked his players to fight for as many set-pieces as possible, which is an effective way to break through dense defenses, but England is very cunning and always tries to commit fouls in non-dangerous areas far away from the penalty area.He asked the team to suppress England's flanks, but England voluntarily gave up the flanks. George Wood became active in the center and became England's main attack point.

And while England have been on hand from the beginning of the second half until now, their goal is not in much danger.This is what Hierro is most worried about-the game will only be more beneficial to the defense if the game continues like this.Goals must be scored early, and in order to achieve this goal, even if it is... even temporarily ignoring the defense is worth it!

Hierro thought about it for a while, and decided to put two full-backs on it to strengthen Spain's offense and create pressure on England's defense, thereby forcing Wood and others to return to the defense and achieve the purpose of reducing their own defensive pressure.

England's defense was very tight, and the Spaniard's offense was difficult to penetrate.And when England counterattacked, they were surrounded by the Spanish team's frontcourt, which made it difficult for them to send the football to the frontcourt. Michael Johnson did not have an excellent long pass ability, and it all depended on Gerrard. , easy to be stared at.

For a while, the two sides were at a stalemate, and no one could do anything about it.

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The two head coaches stood up from their positions one after another and stood on the sidelines to supervise the battle.Players from both sides fought to the death on the field without giving in.Another foul by Wood and another yellow card for Abanglaho.The Spaniard once got a very good chance during the period. There was a little mistake in the cooperation between the three backs in England, allowing Bo Yang to slip in between the three of them and face Joe Hart. It's a pity that this opportunity seemed too easy, and Bo Yang kicked the ball directly into the stands.

This ball made Hierro mutter for a long time off the field. Of course he had a reason to complain. He watched Bo Yang go in, and then watched Fabregas pass the football in. Finally, he saw Bo Yang kick the ball away. Then he jumped up, as if it wasn't the football that was kicked away but him.

"This was almost Spain's best chance in the second half, but Bo Yang kicked it away! It's a pity..." the Spanish commentator said angrily.

John Mortensen breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that God is on our side today..."

Hierro made a mistake during the mid-level break, and he's only seeing it now.He asked the team to strengthen the attack from the side. Crossing from the side is naturally one of them. However, Bo Yang is short and thin. A useless decoration.

Hierro cannot agree to such a waste of offensive resources.

In the No. 20 minute of the second half, Hierro gritted his teeth and replaced Bo Yang with the more impactful Torres. Even if Torres was still injured, he had to play.Because of losing this game, even if he recovers from his injury, it becomes meaningless.Who wants to play in the third and fourth finals?
Torres ran on the field in high spirits. He hoped that he could be the hero who saved Spain.

The 32-year-old Torres is not as fast as he was when he was young, but his experience and awareness, as well as the use of shooting skills, have improved to a higher level than when he was young.Now he can be regarded as "Old Ginger".

Seeing him playing, the defenders of the England team were collectively nervous. As someone who also plays in the Premier League, everyone knows what level of striker Torres is.People who have been in the top three of the Premier League scorer list all year round should not be underestimated.

Sure enough, as soon as Torres came on the field, he gave the England team a blow with a long shot.His shot from outside the penalty area was saved by Joe Hart with great difficulty.His long shot also rekindled the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans.Seeing no goals for a long time, the Spanish fans in Nuevo Mestalla were a little bit quiet, but the singing of the English fans became louder and louder.

George Wood finally returned to the position of the midfielder. After all, Spain attacked with all its strength and England's backcourt was tight.Of course, he also became the goal of the Spanish team's breakthrough again.Even Torres, who had just played, looked for a chance to single out Wood once, and this time Wood blocked the ball without fouling.

Dunn applauded Wood's defense from the sidelines.Letting go this time was a good blow to Torres' arrogance and let him know whose territory is in front of the penalty area!It worked out pretty well, just look at the England fans in the stands applauding desperately.

St. George is a big mountain in front of England's goal. Any storm must stop in front of him, and the goal behind the mountain is always sunny.

It's just that this mountain is not only for shelter from wind and rain...

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In the 705th minute of the game, after Torres' shot was saved by Hart, the goalkeeper from Manchester City did not kick the football out, but threw it to Gerrard outside the penalty area.

As soon as Gerrard received the football, Iniesta rushed forward.The Spanish players still remember the coach telling them to aggressively attack the frontcourt.

Gerrard naturally also remembered that Tang En let them play the ball quickly.

Turning around and passing the ball to Michael Johnson next to him, Gerrard ran forward, pretending to be involved in the attack, but really only attracting the attention of the Spanish forwards.

Sure enough, Johnson did not pass the ball to him, but gave it to Abang Laho on the right.After receiving the football, Abang Lahuo didn't delay for a second, and directly knocked the football forward, and started to accelerate to chase the ball.

This is the way the Spaniard is most afraid of attacking. If he doesn't stop him when he starts, he will be in big trouble.Seeing this, Camacho also dropped Wood and ran to Abanglahuo.The people from Nottingham Forest are not fools who only know how to play football with brute force. Seeing Camacho rushing towards him, Abanglaho passed the ball neatly to George Wood, who was in the middle, and turned the tiger away from the mountain!
Wood received the ball, but Camacho was not there, and only the central defender was able to make up.

Piqué signaled Albiol to wait behind, and he wanted to go up to meet his former captain in person.

Wood's dribbling never uses fancy moves, and he has the advantage of explosive power. As expected, he only needs to push the football away, and then speed up to overtake.Piqué understood this, so instead of plunging forward, he kept his distance and followed Wood back while slowly pushing him wide.As long as Wood is allowed to go to the wing, this time letting go will be considered a success.Because Wood doesn't know how to cross, the quality of the cross is terrible.

Piqué thought so, but Wood would not give him the chance to implement it.After seeing Piqué's attempt, Wood passed the football directly to Vaughn in front of him.

Piqué was stunned for a moment, and immediately turned around to pounce on Vaughn.At this time, Vaughan passed the football back to Wood, and Wood knocked the ball directly to Mitchell who was waiting in front.

Mitchell returns the ball again.Albiol knew that the front of the penalty area was where Wood was good at exerting strength, so he quickly asked Mitchell to pounce on Wood.At the same time, Piqué also turned and jumped on him.The two rushed towards Wood one after the other. They had the same idea-even if they got a red card for a foul, they couldn't let Wood shoot the ball!
Wood swiped the back pass to the left, as if to get out of the way of Albiol who was coming from the front, and then waited for an opportunity to score.That's exactly what Albiol and Piqué thought, and they also changed their direction slightly and continued to push towards Wood.

In fact, it is beneficial to them for Wood to do so. The two people's ideas will force Wood to the side in time, so that he will have no threat at all.But just when the encirclement circle of the two of them was about to close, the football jumped out from the gap between the two of them!
No one thought that Wood would knock the football behind his heel...

Mitchell was already in an offside position, and he was indifferent to Wood's pass.

But the other person is in a particularly good state today...

James Vaughan scored a goal in his first start in this European Cup, and is still actively looking for a chance to score twice.

Now, the opportunity is right in front of his eyes!

Could there be a better chance in the world than George Wood drawing two of Spain's centre-backs for him, and a decent pass to put him head-on?

of course not!

Vaughan volleyed directly in the face of the incoming ball, and the football drew an obvious arc.If you look at it from Vaughn's point of view, you might think that the ball will fly directly out of the baseline, because...the arc is too big...

But just as he was approaching the goal, the football suddenly started to spin back!

Although Asenjo made a saving action early in the morning, but the arc of the football turn was too big... bypassing Asenjo's hands, he went straight to the top corner of the goal!
"James Vaughn...YES! YES! YES!!" Mortensen became excited, "England leads by two goals!!"

The football flew into the goal from a dead corner, and Asenjo could only look at the ball and sigh, and then fell heavily to the ground, forgetting even the movement of rolling to relieve the force.Don't blame him, this blow is too heavy for the Spaniard.

2:0!England lead!

(End of this chapter)