Chapter 244: Lifting the first championship trophy!
March 8, Wembley Stadium, London, England.
The first champion of the top five leagues this season will be decided here, with Manchester City and Sunderland facing off.
Due to the conflict between the League Cup final and the league, Manchester City's 29th round match against Aston Villa was postponed to May 8.
Relying on its own bench depth and excellent luck, Manchester City won all the way in the League Cup and finally reached the final.
Their opponent today, Sunderland, may be just a civilian team, but their record in the League Cup this season cannot be underestimated.
Sunderland faced the Blues Chelsea and the Red Devils Manchester United in the knockout stage.
Relying on their outstanding performance at home, they first defeated Chelsea and then the Red Devils, miraculously making it to the final.
If they can beat Manchester City in the final, they will break the team's record and win the League Cup for the first time.
Sunderland's last significant championship was the FA Cup in the 1972-1973 season, which is more than 40 years ago.
So the whole team is extremely eager to win this trophy.
Coincidentally, so is Manchester City on the opposite side!
"Hear the cheers at Wembley Stadium?"
Before the game, in the locker room, Pellegrini gave a rare pre-match mobilization speech.
In Lin Quan's impression, Pellegrini is not a man who is good at speaking.
But today, he said a lot.
"That was the sound made by more than 90,000 fans at the scene!"
"Tell me, do you want to win the championship in this holy land of English football and enjoy the cheers and applause of all the fans?"
The players nodded one after another, even though the League Cup championship content was not high.
But a small coin still counts, and if they fail to achieve anything on other fronts this season, the League Cup trophy can at least bring them some consolation.
Moreover, now that they have made it to the finals, how could they possibly give up the championship?
"Very good, then go to the competition field and prove your desire for the championship with your actual actions!"
Kompany took the lead and the other players followed suit.
“Manchester City!”
“Go, go, go!”
…
Stepping onto the lawn of Wembley Stadium, Lin Quan took a deep breath, raised his head and looked around.
Compared with Manchester City's home stadium, the Etihad Stadium, Wembley Stadium is obviously much larger and can accommodate more than 90,000 people to watch the game at the same time.
And this is the new Wembley after the renovation, not the old Wembley that could accommodate 120,000 fans.
The most impressive part of the new Wembley is a 133-meter-high arch with a total length of 315 meters. Dozens of steel cables are used to fix the north and south ceilings of the Wembley Stadium.
This is different from the Camp Nou that Lin Quan often visited when he was a child. Although the Camp Nou is large, it only has a roof on one side.
On rainy days, more than half of the area is exposed to the rain, and the viewing experience is quite bad.
The huge Wembley Stadium was packed today, with fans of both teams and some neutral fans filling the stadium.
At first glance, the light blue fans representing Manchester City occupied most of the stadium.
According to a rough estimate, the number of Manchester City fans who came to the scene may exceed 50,000.
There were only about 20,000 fans wearing Sunderland's yellow jerseys, and the remaining 20,000 were neutral fans.
Before the game started, fans of both teams had already started their competition.
Sunderland fans sang the team song "I'm On My Way".
Compared to Manchester City's soothing team song, the Black Cats' team song is obviously more passionate.
The momentum created by more than 20,000 people singing the team song together cannot be underestimated!
If Manchester City fans also sang the team song at this time, they might not be able to suppress them.
However, Manchester City fans were not fooled at all. More than 50,000 Manchester City fans shouted the names of the players, and there was a loud shout for every player who came on the field.
The Sunderland fans who were singing felt very uncomfortable as they were interrupted every few sentences by the other side.
Moreover, the Manchester City players, whose names were shouted in unison by more than 50,000 fans, looked energetic and in high spirits, as if they had been given a shot of chicken blood and a buff.
On the other hand, Sunderland's players all entered the field at the same time, and people from the opponents next to them shouted their names to cheer them on, but they got nothing.
This inevitably made them feel a little depressed, and they had a sense of powerlessness as if they were against the whole world.
Before the game even started, there was already a difference in morale between the two teams.
At 7:00 p.m., the game officially began with the referee's whistle.
After the game started, Manchester City did not show any mercy to the opponent and launched a fierce attack directly.
The two teams had just met in the league not long ago, and they knew each other well, so there was nothing to test.
Manchester City's formation today is 433. When attacking, the three forwards will launch the first wave of attack. If it is unsuccessful, the three midfielders will launch the second wave of attack.
The two full-backs will assist in the attack, increase the number of attackers and receiving points in the frontcourt, and maximize the control of the ball.
Manchester City's tactics are not complicated. It is clear that they rely on the strength of their lineup to bully others.
Sunderland is just an ordinary team, but Manchester City on the opposite side has a lot of stars.
If these stars are really allowed to fully display their strength, Sunderland will definitely be in danger.
In the first ten minutes of the game, the situation on the field was almost one-sided.
Manchester City completed four shots around Sunderland's goal within ten minutes, two of which were threatening.
If it weren't for the heroic performance of their goalkeeper, Sunderland would probably have fallen behind.
We can’t continue to be passive like this. If we defend for too long, we will lose. Perhaps in the next attack, Manchester City can change the score.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce's brows were twisted into a "川" shape, thinking hard about how to resolve the unfavorable situation on the field.
It is definitely not an option to passively take a beating. You must launch an effective counterattack to curb the opponent's attack.
The final is different from the semi-finals. The final is a one-match decision.
There is a lot of randomness in this kind of competition, and even weak teams have the possibility of an upset.
So unlike the Premier League championship, in competitions with a lot of randomness such as the FA Cup and the League Cup, many of the champions are small and medium-sized teams.
Sunderland players are really eager for this championship. They haven't won the championship trophy for a long time.
This desire will greatly stimulate their fighting spirit, but it may also increase their pressure and make them unable to move freely.
On the other hand, Manchester City still has to compete for the league title, and their prospects for qualifying for the Champions League are also very good. They may not devote all their energy to competing for this rather useless trophy.
So as long as we grit our teeth and hold on, and withstand this wave of attacks from the opponent, the next game may be easier.
Thinking of this, Steve shouted loudly to the players on the field, boosting their morale and asking them to grit their teeth and hold on for a while longer.
Steve's guess was correct, Manchester City's tactic was to attack at the start.
Once they succeed in the attack, they will control the situation on the field to attract the opponent to take the initiative to attack, and then use the speed of the two wingers to launch a counterattack against the opponent, winning the game with minimal consumption.
As long as the strong team can humble themselves and play defensive counterattacks, it will be difficult for the weak team to defeat them.
Manchester City still has three games to play in the next few days: the FA Cup quarter-final on March 10, the second round of the Champions League knockout on March 13, and the 30th round of the Premier League on March 15.
Including this game, they will play 4 games in a week.
With such a dense competition, even the Manchester City players can’t handle it even if they are iron men.
So they have to make a choice. If they can withstand the opponent's three-pronged attack, then Sunderland may have a chance to win the cup . After hearing the coach's call, the Black Cats' players also perked up.
Their defense became tougher and more decisive, and their movements became larger.
This year is the World Cup year. There are not many international players in Sunderland's team, but every player on Manchester City's team is an international player.
This made the Black Cats players feel that they had an opportunity. If they used rough fouls to intimidate the opponent and make the opponent hesitate when attacking, then their offensive power would inevitably be greatly reduced.
They quickly took action and Manchester City players, especially those in the frontcourt, were frequently violated.
The most serious foul occurred in the 12th minute of the game. David Silva dribbled the ball inside and Sunderland defender Bardsley rushed up fiercely and kicked him to the ground.
The Manchester City players were very angry and rushed up to argue with Bardsley.
Under the protection of his teammates, Bardsley looked down on them and sneered, "This is a game for the brave. Cowards and wimps are not suitable to stay here. If you're afraid of getting hurt, go home and feed your kids! Hahaha!"
After taunting the Manchester City players, Bardsley was looking forward to it: Come on, fight with me, and hit me! Once your mentality is messed up, you may even be sent off for hitting someone, then the victory of this game will belong to us! Lin Quan saw through his plan, he stopped his angry teammates, and discussed with several teammates in a low voice, and looked at Bardsley frequently while discussing.
Bardsley was a little irritated by the Manchester City players. He threatened Lin Quan: "Boy, be careful with your legs. Don't let them break and you miss the World Cup!"
"Thank you for your concern. I also advise you to buy a wheelchair as soon as possible, otherwise you may have to be carried out later!"
Lin Quan looked at him as if he were a dead man and spoke calmly.
"Referee, this kid is threatening me!"
Badsley was frightened by Lin Quan's fierce eyes and did not dare to continue looking at Lin Quan. Instead, he chose to complain to the referee.
The referee ignored Bardsley's complaint and gave him a yellow card to punish him for his foul.
The game restarts, free kick for Manchester City.
Lin Quan took a look at the penalty spot and the distance to the goal, and planned to use the newly learned S-shaped free kick to take this free kick!
Seeing Lin Quan standing at the penalty spot, all the Manchester City fans at the scene perked up.
"Lin has scored at least four or five free kicks this season. Can he score this one?"
"It's a bit difficult. The free throw position is not very good!"
"It's a little too far from the goal, and it's on the left side of the court. I can only take a penalty kick with my right foot from this position!"
"This place is about 35 meters from the goal. Is it within the range of Lin's free kick?"
"I don't think I've ever seen him take a free kick from such a long distance!"
Although Manchester City fans were very much looking forward to it, they were not very optimistic about this goal.
If it is the position that Lin Quan is most familiar with, with the power of his elevator ball, the possibility of scoring directly is very high.
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But at this position, there are too few free kick options, and the hope of scoring is slim! Standing at the penalty spot, Lin Quan estimated the distance.
Then he retreated step by step, and after retreating seven or eight steps, he stopped.
Here we come!
This move must be an elevator ball! Sunderland's goalkeeper also thought so. He had studied Lin Quan's elevator ball before the game.
The characteristic of the elevator ball is that it seems to be hit high, making you relax your vigilance, but when it gets close to the goal, it suddenly falls, catching you off guard.
As long as he didn't make such a mistake, didn't get trapped by experience, kept his eyes open and alert, and paid attention to the sudden drop at the end, he would be very sure to save the opponent's shot! However, just when he was full of confidence and ready to save Lin Quan's elevator ball.
But he was surprised to find that what Lin Quan kicked out was not an elevator ball, but an ordinary curve ball.
Was it a mistake?
Sunderland's goalkeeper was very surprised. In his impression, Lin Quan rarely made mistakes.
It’s not to say that there are absolutely no mistakes, but the number of mistakes is very small.
It is also because of this that Lin Quan is called a ruthless robot by many people.
Forget it, don’t worry about it. This kind of curve ball with an easy-to-judge trajectory is best saved.
As long as you predict its flight trajectory in advance and then make standard rescue moves, you can easily stop it.
Just like this, and like this again!
However, when he made the save, he was shocked to find that the football, which was originally flying to his right, suddenly turned and flew to the left.
This is!
S-shaped free kick!
The Sunderland goalkeeper's eyes widened, but he was already in the air and there was nothing he could do about the ball.
He could only watch the football fly past him and then go into the goal with a swish!
"Oh my god, what did I see? Juninho's famous skill - the S-shaped free kick!"
In the commentary booth, Andy Gray was stunned and spoke in a trembling voice.
Martin Taylor on the side was not as surprised as his companions: "Haha, I have a piece of news to share with the audience. Two days ago, in the warm-up match between Spain and Italy, facing the goal guarded by the world's number one goalkeeper Buffon, Lin Quan used a wonderful S-shaped free kick to break through the Italian goal. So I am not surprised that he can take such a high-quality free kick today!"
Andy Gray looked at his partner in surprise. This guy even watched the friendly match between Spain and Italy?
How much he likes Lin Quan!
“A few months ago, it seemed that Lin only had the elevator ball and the falling leaf ball in his arsenal. From now on, he has a new killer weapon.
I think other teams should consider strictly limiting the number of fouls they commit when facing Manchester City, and not give Lin Quan such comfortable scoring opportunities.
Although his free kick direct scoring rate is not as high as the top free kick masters, don't forget that his progress is very fast, and no one knows how high he can reach in free kicks! "
Martin Taylor is appreciating this player more and more. It seems that every time he sees him again a few months, he brings different surprises!
"Emperor Lin is awesome!"
“It’s amazing that they can score this goal!”
"Haha, the goalkeeper's look is so funny. He thought he jumped in the right direction, but he was fooled by Emperor Lin!"
"Manchester City is ahead, is this game over?"
"Eighty percent of them have it. Sunderland must attack next, and once they launch an attack, they will have too many loopholes!"
The situation was just as the fans expected. After falling behind in the score, Sunderland players, unwilling to accept defeat, began to attack.
However, the tactics they formulated before the game were defensive counterattacks, and there were relatively few arrangements for positional warfare.
This made their attack look non-threatening, and it was even difficult to break into Manchester City's 30-meter danger zone.
On the contrary, Manchester City, after the opponent attacked, took advantage of Sunderland's weak backcourt defense and their quick counterattack was very effective.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Manchester City's attack once again reached the frontcourt.
De Bruyne passed the ball to David Silva in a quick counterattack, and the opponent's full-back chose to intercept it immediately.
In the fierce competition, David Silva made a mistake and passed the ball in a dangerous way.
After the mistake, he immediately made an apologetic gesture and prepared to retreat.
Sunderland defender Bardsley saw a chance to get the ball and rushed over immediately.
Lin Quan originally planned to give up this opportunity, but after seeing Badsley rushing up, he immediately changed his plan.
Bads saw Lin Quan rushing over from the corner of his eye, and he quickly made a plan in his mind:
If it was a direct foul on Lin Quan, the referee would definitely blow the whistle or even give him a card.
If you are unable to get the opponent off the field, giving them a free kick opportunity will be a huge threat to your own goal.
But if he could get his opponent off the field when fighting for this half-ball, not only would he not get a card, he would also be able to cripple the opponent's top star!
Thinking of this, Bardsley swung his leg heavily and kicked the football hard with all his strength.
Lin Quan showed no fear and kicked almost at the same time.
With a loud bang, the two men completed a kick.
"ah!"
In an instant, Basdeli felt a huge force transmitted along the football to his ankle, and a piercing pain drilled from his ankle into his heart. The huge pain made him unable to help but let out a scream.
Sunderland's defender fell to the ground almost immediately, holding his feet and rolling on the ground.
The two men's kicks were so powerful that Lin Quan lost his balance and fell to the ground under the huge reaction force.
The referee rushed over immediately and gestured to the benches of both teams, signaling the team doctor and stretcher to come up to treat the injured.
He first glanced at the Sunderland defender who was screaming like a pig being slaughtered, and then looked at Lin Quan. Basdeli's ankle had been deformed and his injury was obviously serious.
Lin Quan collided with him, and under the reaction force, he was probably injured too, right?
If his injury is more serious than Bardsley's, he might be out for the second half of the season and may not even be able to go to the World Cup.
It's a pity that with such good talent and such strong ability, if he can't show himself on the World Cup stage, it will be a pity for the majority of fans.
Countless thoughts flashed through the referee's mind in an instant, and before he could walk over to Lin Quan to check on the situation, Lin Quan got up from the ground, patted the grass clippings stuck on his butt, as if nothing had happened.
The Manchester City team doctor was stunned when he was halfway through the run, and the referee was also stunned.
"Lin, if you are injured, it's best not to move!"
The referee was worried that he was just forcing himself, so he kindly gave him a reminder.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine!"
Lin Quan moved his feet and felt good.
If he didn't have the talent of immunity to injuries, he would definitely not dare to risk getting injured by fighting against the opponent.
Bardsley thought he could use this opportunity to destroy Lin Quan, but he didn't know that Lin Quan was equipped with a trick!
To be on the safe side, the referee asked Manchester City's team doctor to examine Lin Quan.
After checking, Manchester City's team doctor confirmed that Lin Quan was not injured, so he left the field with a medical bag and a stretcher.
Bardsley on the other side was not so lucky. He was put on a stretcher and carried off the field wailing all the way.
The team was behind in the score and some of their own players were injured in the physical confrontation.
The continuous blows caused Sunderland's morale to plummet. On the other hand, Manchester City, under the leadership of Lin Quan, were in high spirits and launched wave after wave of fierce attacks.
In the 55th minute, Lin Quan assisted De Bruyne to score another goal.
Manchester City secured the victory with a score of 2:0.
In the end, with goals from Lin Quan and De Bruyne, Manchester City defeated Sunderland in the League Cup final and successfully won their first trophy of the season! (End of this chapter)