Chapter 115 AC Milan has finally opened up...
Pirlo and Kaka crouched down to ask Fino about his condition.
"Finnie, how are you? Is anything bothering you?"
Fino shook his head. He had just fallen flat on his back, his head and shoulder getting caught in his jersey, but he wasn't injured.
On the contrary, Gala's situation might be more serious; his knee made direct contact with his own cleats.
Gallas had indeed injured his right knee. After examining him, Arsenal's team doctor gestured to Wenger, and Gallas was immediately carried off on a stretcher; he could not continue the rest of the match.
Wenger on the sidelines was in a real bind. The first half wasn't even over yet, and they already had two players down in defense, forcing them to use two substitutions.
Zhu Lu was substituted onto the field before he even had a chance to warm up.
Pirlo took the free kick.
The ball was about 25 meters from the goal on the right flank, within Pirlo's most comfortable shooting range. Fino was convinced that Pirlo couldn't miss it, and he was already standing by with his hands on his hips, waiting to cheer.
Pirlo certainly didn't disappoint him; the ball sailed over the wall and dipped to the left, perfectly avoiding Fabianski's save and nestling into Arsenal's goal.
Milan are leading 2-0 away from home.
Fino and his teammates went up to hug Pirlo, while Ancelotti, standing on the sidelines, smiled and applauded.
With two away goals in hand, Ancelotti is already 30% confident of advancing to the semi-finals.
He took a small bottle out of his pocket, poured in two pieces of chewing gum, and popped them into his mouth, chewing them casually as he continued watching the game.
Wenger, also standing on the sidelines, looked grim. Two unplanned substitutions had disrupted his strategy for the match, and Arsenal were now on the back foot.
In the 42nd minute, Arsenal launched a relatively smooth attack. After a series of short passes in midfield, the ball was lobbed into the Milan penalty area by Fabregas.
Nesta was struck in the face by Adebayor's arm while contesting for the ball.
Nesta covered his face to relieve the pain, but by the time he let go, he had missed his chance to retaliate against Adebayor, as the referee had already come over and given Adebayor a yellow card.
Milan's team doctor came onto the field to examine Nesta's cheek, which was hit. It was somewhat swollen, but there was no bone damage or broken skin. The doctor sprayed him with some pain-relieving spray.
Nesta was determined not to let this go after suffering such a huge loss, and he secretly plotted how to get revenge.
Two minutes later, Nesta got his chance. Adebayor was brought down by Nesta as he received the ball and turned.
Nesta's action was merely a bit rough; he had no intention of injuring anyone, nor did he cause any real harm to Adebayor. Therefore, even though the referee knew it was retaliation against Adebayor, he couldn't issue Nesta a card and only awarded Arsenal a free kick.
The free kick was taken by Fabregas. Perhaps Arsenal's two-goal deficit made him impatient, as Fabregas took the free kick before the referee blew the whistle, for which he received a yellow card.
Arsenal fans in the stands started to stir. How come, halftime had passed and their home team was not only two goals down, but two players were injured and had to leave the field, and they had also received four yellow cards?
Off the field, Wenger also had his own grievances. These four yellow cards had a huge impact on the team, especially the two for Song and Clichy. This would make the two defenders hesitant to make any moves, which would greatly affect their defense.
Unfortunately, two of the replacement slots have already been used, and the only remaining slot is being used cautiously, so it's not something that can be easily used.
He couldn't even appeal any of the yellow cards; the referee's decisions were entirely reasonable.
He had a bad feeling; was Arsenal going to lose this game?
After halftime, the two sides switched sides and resumed the game.
Milan did not slow down their attack despite taking a two-goal lead. Taking advantage of Arsenal's unstable defense and several players being hampered by yellow cards, they continued to press forward and establish a clear advantage in the qualification round.
Arsenal certainly didn't want to give up on this match. If they were struggling at home, it would only be more difficult away from home. The atmosphere at the San Siro was much stronger than at the Emirates Stadium. To be honest, Arsenal's fans were too reserved and didn't put enough pressure on the away team.
The two sides launched attacks one after another, and the transition between offense and defense was extremely rapid. Within just ten minutes, there were already several shots on goal.
Fabregas' long-range shot from the center was blocked out of the Milan penalty area by Kaladze. Jankulovski dribbled into the Arsenal penalty area and crossed the ball, but Fino's shot was also saved by Fabianski.
Immediately afterwards, Kaká and Seedorf combined with a one-two to penetrate Arsenal's half, and under pressure from Toure, Kaká's hasty shot went wide of the post.
Two minutes later, Pirlo launched a counter-attack from midfield and was tackled to the ground by Fabregas.
Fino rushed over to check on Pirlo, and thankfully Pirlo was alright.
Wenger's heart clenched. Fabregas already had a yellow card; what if he was sent off due to accumulated yellow cards? Fabregas is Arsenal's playmaker; what would happen if he were sent off?
Amid Wenger's concerns, Milan's players surrounded the referee. Ambrosini, Nesta, Fino, Gattuso... a circle of small hands poked at the referee's face, strongly demanding that Fabregas receive another yellow card.
Seeing that things were going badly, the Arsenal players also crowded around and loudly defended Fabregas.
The referee, exasperated by the arguing between the players, signaled everyone to step back and not interfere with his decision-making.
In such a crucial match, refereeing decisions are extremely cautious, whether it's a straight red card or a sent-off due to accumulated yellow cards. Sending Fabregas off at this point was tantamount to a death sentence for Arsenal.
He ultimately didn't give Fabregas a card, but only warned him: "Watch your movements, or you'll get a yellow card next time."
Fabregas breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly to acknowledge his mistake.
Wenger, who was on the sidelines, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ambrosini and Gattuso were very dissatisfied and prepared to continue their protest, but the referee's attitude was very firm.
Fino pulled on the arms of the two men to prevent them from confronting the referee.
"It's okay, let's score another goal!"
"Score another goal!" The teammates nearby gathered around, patting each other on the back and encouraging each other.
Gattuso calmed his rapid breathing and shouted, "Score another goal, kill the game completely, we can win on our own!"
The referee pretended not to hear the disgruntled remark and nonchalantly ordered the game to restart.
After the game resumed, Milan retained possession, with Kaká, Seedorf, and Fino launching another attack on Arsenal's defense.
At this moment, Kaká is dribbling the ball in the middle, with Seedorf and Fino positioned on either side of Kaká, slightly forward, forming an inverted triangle.
Arsenal's defense immediately tensed up.
Toure and Djourou blocked Seedorf and Fino's forward runs, while Sagna and Clichy blocked Kaká's passing lanes to the left and right, attempting to cut off the connection between Kaká, Seedorf, and Fino.
Song Zheng stayed close to Kaka, ready to pounce at any moment.
Kaka remained calm and composed, managing to retain possession despite Song's interference, and the two remained locked in a stalemate in the middle.
"Kaka and Alex Song faced off. The yellow card in the first half did not make Song more aggressive; his defensive tackles remained heavy. However, Kaka's nimble movements seemed effortless, keeping the ball firmly under his control. But Kaka had to find a way to break through. Denilson and Nasri were dropping back, and Arsenal's half-field defense would become increasingly dense."
Although they lack the commentator's omniscient perspective, good players are always observant and attentive. Kaká had already noticed the positions of Denilson and Nasri. Furthermore, Ambrosini and Zambrotta were also making runs down the flanks to provide support for the front three.
Kaka waited until Denilson and Nasri got a little closer, then turned and blocked Song, passing the ball back to midfield. The ball passed between Denilson and Nasri, with the target being Pirlo 20 meters away.
At this moment, Pirlo was not being marked by any Arsenal players, and the nearest player, Fabregas, was about four or five meters away. Gattuso was also roaming nearby to protect him.
Pirlo calmly adjusted the ball, then launched a long, diagonal pass over the top, the ball arcing in an arc towards the right flank of the attacking third.
By the time the ball landed, Fino had already shaken off Djourou and Clichy's defenses and gotten to the ball's landing point.
Without hesitation, he controlled the ball and immediately took a long-range shot.
At this moment, Arsenal only had goalkeeper Fabianski defending in front of the goal. After Fino's shot, Fabianski judged the trajectory of the ball and chose to dive towards the far corner of the goal.
However, things didn't go as planned. The ball's trajectory changed during its flight, veering towards the center. Just as Fabianski fell to the ground, he saw the ball slip through the middle of the goal and into the net.
Fabianski closed his eyes in despair and pounded his fists on the ground.
Milan took a 3-0 lead away from home, pushing Arsenal further into the abyss.
"Gooooal! Cabrini scores his second goal, extending AC Milan's lead once again. Milan now has a three-goal advantage away from home, and Arsenal is in a dangerous situation!"
Arsenal's players were visibly frustrated. AC Milan's squad was severely imbalanced, with a mix of old and young players, while Arsenal was experiencing a youth revolution, their players in their prime. Yet, against this Milan side, they couldn't break through their defense or attack. Had AC Milan activated a cheat code, or were they simply out of their element?
"Cheer up!" Fabregas clapped his hands, drawing his teammates' attention. "There are still 30 minutes left in the game, and we haven't lost yet! This is a two-legged tie, what does a short-term deficit matter? Look at the fans supporting us in the stands, are we going to surrender at home?"
Arsenal's players were energized, encouraged each other, and moved to the center circle to prepare for the kickoff.
Wenger nodded with satisfaction from the sidelines.
With years of playing the lottery, Arsenal's average player age is getting younger and younger. It's common for young players to have unstable mentality, especially when playing from behind, where they are easily demoralized.
But Cesc Fabregas, who wore the captain's armband at a young age, is different. Although he is still young, his mental attributes are top-notch. He is not only the tactical core of the team, but also the emotional stabilizer within the team. This is the captain he chose, the cornerstone of Arsenal for the next ten years.
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Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support! [cat emoji]
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