"Torres is very fast, this is a perfect counter-attack opportunity for Leeds United!" Lineker's voice suddenly became loud as he watched Torres's powerful forward run on television.
Correspondingly, the deafening cheers that had just filled Old Trafford turned into boos the moment Lahm intercepted the ball, as more than 70,000 fans tried to put pressure on Torres in this way!
Because they could see that if Torres were to dribble into the penalty area, Manchester United would be in serious trouble!
The Manchester United players reacted quickly.
Before Ferguson could even shout anything as he rushed to the sidelines, Ferdinand and Vidic, the two center-backs, had already turned around and, regardless of whether any other Leeds United players were also making runs forward at the same time, pounced directly on Torres.
At that moment, they had only one thought.
Even if you get a red card, you must keep the ball or Torres in place!
Sneijder's through ball seemed to sound the horn for Leeds United's attack.
Except for Torres, who was leading the charge.
Kaka, Adriano, Modric, and Bale and Alves on both sides all pressed forward. Their pressing forward prevented Manchester United's full-backs from moving inside to cover for a short period of time. Giggs was already exhausted, while Hargreaves, who had lost the ball, and Carrick, who had been lingering near the center circle, were also chasing back behind Kaka.
Just a few seconds.
Leeds United created a six-on-four situation in Manchester United's half.
Torres, who started first, was the first to touch the ball.
While running, he had already looked up to observe the situation in Manchester United's penalty area and noticed that Schmeichel had abandoned his goal and was rushing towards the outside of the penalty area.
Schmeichel is in good form today, and Torres, sitting on the bench, knows it.
He wasn't sure if, after taking that big step, he could score against the onrushing Schmeichel, despite the pressure from the two center-backs behind him.
Therefore, Torres abandoned the idea of taking another big step forward.
Instead, he used just the right amount of force to push the ball forward to a rather ambiguous position.
This position is about 30 meters away from the Manchester United goal.
For Schmeichel, who was about to run to the edge of the penalty area, seeing Torres's touch on the ball caused him to be quite conflicted for a moment.
If Torres had stood still and stopped lunging forward, he could have caught up with the ball and taken another step to shoot. Facing his energetic old teammate, Schmeichel wasn't entirely confident he could save his shot.
But if we were to launch an attack...
He glanced at Ferdinand and Vidic, who were getting closer and closer to Torres.
Schmeichel made up his mind, didn't slow down, and rushed straight out of the penalty area towards the ball.
Although the three Manchester United players did not exchange words, they surprisingly shared the same thoughts at that moment.
Torres' shot requires some finesse; at the very least, he needs to adjust his running pace.
To make adjustments, we need to slow down.
The moment Torres slowed down was the moment the three of them launched their sliding tackles!
That is indeed the case.
In their eyes, as the ball drew closer, Torres' speed decreased.
finally.
With over 70,000 fans watching, all three Manchester United players felt they were in the best position.
Without hesitation.
Three people, from three different angles, fell to the ground and placed their shovels!
Schmeichel's sliding tackle from the front was aimed at the ball, while Vidic and Ferdinand were aiming for Torres himself!
Just as Torres was racking his brains, frantically trying to figure out how to handle the situation, a voice suddenly came from behind him!
"Fernando! Behind you!"
Torres didn't recognize who was calling him, or even if it was one of his teammates.
But faced with this situation, he still made a choice.
Push off with your feet.
Push your body's explosive power to the limit.
Torres reached the ball in just one or two steps.
Then he flicked his right foot backward, using his heel to knock the ball behind him, and then pushed off with his left foot, which was supporting him on the ground, launching himself into the air and maintaining a forward-moving posture, thus dodging the tackles of the Manchester United defense trio!
In the blink of an eye.
The three Manchester United players who attempted a sliding tackle collided, but fortunately, they all pulled back their feet when they saw Torres jump. Otherwise, the tackles might have backfired due to the difference in height.
Because he was on edge during the tackle, Ferdinand didn't hear the sound behind him, but he did see Torres flick the ball backward, which relieved him.
Anyway.
The further the ball is from Manchester United's goal, the less threatening it is.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his foot, Ferdinand, knowing the ball was still in his own half, was the first to get up and look back.
But the imagined scene of the football resting on the grass did not appear.
What came into view was a figure wearing a white jersey.
Modric appeared behind the ball, and there wasn't a single Manchester United defender around him!
I ran for almost 90 minutes.
Modric was also exhausted, but at this moment, facing Manchester United's defenseless goal, which was just empty in his sight, he didn't think about anything, his eyes were only on the football slowly rolling on the grass!
Support yourself with your left foot.
He swung his right leg with all his might and then swung it out!
Then.
The right foot struck the soccer ball solidly with the instep!
The sound wasn't loud, but it sounded particularly jarring to Ferdinand!
The distance of nearly 35 meters is not a problem for Modric, Leeds United's top penalty taker.
The football drew a beautiful arc in the air.
And then, unsurprisingly, it flew into Manchester United's goal...
····
The boos throughout Old Trafford ceased abruptly when the ball bounced off the ground and into Manchester United's goal!
Li Shiguang, who had been completely silent except for boos, heard the loud cheers after Modric scored.
"It's over!! It's over!!" Lineker jumped up from the commentary box. "The 87th minute!! Leeds United executed the most exquisite combination of the match!! Torres, facing three Manchester United players, delivered an incredibly imaginative assist!! Modric, behind him, unleashed a lobbed shot!! He lobbed the ball into the unmarked Manchester United goal!!"
“It’s absolutely unbelievable!!” Jon continued, picking up where Lineker left off. “Manchester United paid the price for their carelessness!! Carrick was marking Kaká, Hargreaves was drawn to Adriano!! And Park Ji-sung!? The Korean who should have been alongside Modric at that moment was still strolling down the right wing!! Schmeichel put on a show the whole game, but he ruined his perfect performance at the last moment!!”
"No matter what!!"
"Leeds United! They've taken the lead at Old Trafford!!"
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