Torres' goal gave Leeds United the lead going into halftime.
In the locker room.
Li Shiguang repeatedly emphasized to the players that they should pay attention to defense in the second half, as Chelsea would definitely launch a fierce counterattack.
We must strengthen our defense, especially against Drogba.
It doesn't matter if we can't win the first ball; as long as we press forward in time and prevent the Ivorian from passing the ball smoothly, we've already succeeded halfway in defending against him.
Second half.
Under Terry's leadership, Chelsea's defense was better than in the first half, and Adriano and Torres failed to create many good chances throughout the second half, which dashed Leeds United's hopes of extending their lead.
In contrast, Chelsea faced some obstacles in attack.
The Leeds United players did indeed do as Li Shiguang instructed.
When the ball is passed to Drogba, Modric and Alonso will immediately close in, no matter where they are, preventing Drogba from passing the ball out immediately.
Most of the time.
Drogba was also subject to this restriction, which prevented Chelsea's counterattack from being very effective.
However, players have limited physical strength and concentration.
The match has entered stoppage time.
Despite his relentless efforts, Drogba still taught Leeds United a lesson.
Ninety-second minute.
Joe Cole crossed the ball from the left wing. Perhaps due to near exhaustion, the pass wasn't very good; it was a half-high ball, making it difficult for him to get a direct shot on goal.
So Drogba, standing in the penalty area, managed to control the ball by holding off Kompany behind him.
He then forcefully turned sideways, his arm like an iron fence firmly controlling Kompany, who was trying to steal the ball, to his left side, before sweeping a shot into the bottom left corner of the Leeds United goal...
Lineker, who was sitting in the studio, had completely relaxed and was ready to celebrate Leeds United's victory in the first leg.
But Drogba's strike.
This caused Jon, who had been sitting next to him with a dark expression, to jump up from his seat.
"1-1!! Didier Drogba!!! Didier Drogba!!! He equalized for Chelsea!!! Chelsea finally equalized near the end of the match and scored a crucial away goal!!! Now they don't need to rush, because Chelsea will be the dominant side in the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week! It has to be said that Drogba's goal was crucial!!"
"Ah—Drogba—" Lineker let out a long, helpless sigh. "Kompany failing to stop Drogba is a disaster... But it's not entirely his fault. If he had forced a foul in the penalty area to stop Drogba, he would not only have given Chelsea a penalty, but he might have also gotten a yellow card, since Kompany already has one..."
Drogba's goal came way too late.
With a dark expression, Li Shiguang considered it again and again, and finally shut down the system that was already open.
There's only one last trump card left.
If you encounter this situation again in the next round... then use it again!
Two minutes later.
Today's referee, Malcolm, blew the final whistle.
Thanks to Drogba's goal in the final moments.
Chelsea fought back to draw 1-1 with Leeds United away from home.
They gained the upper hand in the two-legged Champions League semi-final.
····
The day after the match between Leeds United and Chelsea.
The other Champions League semi-final also kicked off on time.
Manchester United traveled to Spain to face Barcelona at Camp Nou.
We've reached the semifinals stage.
Even if the team is in good form, once on the field, everyone prioritizes stability.
Therefore, the pace of the match between Manchester United and Barcelona was also very slow. In the first 45 minutes, the two sides combined only had three shots on goal, highlighting the word "steady".
Neither team showed any improvement in the second half.
They still played lukewarmly.
Ninety minutes later, the score was tied 0-0, leaving the question of who would advance to the final a week later at Old Trafford.
····
Failing to beat Chelsea at home left Li Shiguang a little frustrated, but with the packed schedule, he quickly put that minor frustration behind him.
Three days later.
Elland Road Stadium.
Leeds United will face Tottenham Hotspur.
The 2007-2008 Premier League season has entered its final four rounds, and the battle for the title, the top four, and the relegation battle has entered a fierce stage.
Tottenham Hotspur are currently eleventh in the Premier League standings, in a state of having nothing to play for.
Li Shiguang had thought today would be an easy match.
It's unclear whether the players were affected by Chelsea's late equalizer in the previous match.
On the field, they seemed a bit anxious.
Tottenham capitalized on several mistakes early in the game, threatening Neuer's goal.
Noticing the problem, Li Shiguang was about to run to the sidelines to remind the players.
But the next second.
Then something bad happened.
The match has reached the fifth minute.
On the right flank, Sun Jihai had pushed too far forward during the previous attack and couldn't get back in time. Lennon seized the opportunity, dribbling the ball deep into the penalty area before crossing it to the center. Robbie Keane, who was following up, scored, giving Tottenham the lead.
This goal conceded was something Li Shiguang hadn't anticipated.
The main reason is that Manchester United's opponent in this round is Blackburn, who also have nothing to play for.
If Leeds United fail to beat Tottenham at home, they will likely be overtaken by Manchester United and fall behind in the title race.
So after conceding the goal.
Li Shiguang was somewhat unable to control his emotions.
He rushed to the sidelines and unleashed a torrent of abuse on the defense in his native language.
Fortunately, the Leeds United players understood the team's current situation and adjusted themselves in time after being scolded by Li Shiguang.
Tottenham scored just six minutes later.
Kaka helped Leeds United equalize.
But after the score was tied, Tottenham seemed to suddenly give up on winning the game and parked the bus in front of the penalty area.
No matter how loud the boos were inside Elland Road Stadium, they wouldn't step more than thirty meters away.
This defensive approach has made things very difficult for Leeds United.
Even though Li Shiguang adjusted the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 in the second half and launched a full-scale attack, with even the defense pushing past the midfield, they still couldn't find a second chance to break through Tottenham's goal.
Ultimately, after ninety minutes, Leeds United could only accept their second draw in three days at Elland Road...
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