Chapter 262 Damn VAR technology!

Manchester United's kick-off, Chu Feng passes the ball back to Matic.

As expected.

Atletico Madrid launched a fierce high-pressure defense at the start of the game, with the midfield line mentioned before the overall formation.

Matic did not stick to traditional tactics and directly made a long pass to the space behind Atletico's defense.

"Beautiful! Xiao Chu's sudden change of direction prevented Jimenez from reacting in time, so he had space to kick the ball directly!"

"Wow, Atletico Madrid captain Godin was highly focused and stretched his legs in time to block Xiaochu's shot!"

"At the beginning of the game, Manchester United took advantage of Atletico's pressing and planned a threatening and brilliant attack!"

Simeone wiped his cold sweat on the sidelines of the court. He wanted to take advantage of the home advantage to get a good start, but he failed to kill the snake and almost got bitten by it.

If Manchester United really let one of their players score, and then they park the bus to defend, Atletico Madrid will be in trouble.

Mourinho next door kicked the grass regretfully. This trick would only be used once at best, and Atletico Madrid would definitely take precautions next time.

Then he turned his eyes to the green field again. Manchester United's corner kick from the right side was sent to the front point. Godin ignored the ball and blocked Chu Feng, resulting in both of them failing to get the ball.

Jimenez made up for his mistake by heading the ball out of the penalty area.

Atletico Madrid still has the advantage in controlling the two points, after all, there are four people in the midfield.

Rodri used the outside of his foot to the left side, and Koke stopped and dribbled along the sideline.

His technical characteristics are just like his name, simple and neat! Without any extra touches, he passed the ball to the middle before Herrera pressed him, and Rodri followed up to meet the ball and kicked it.

The football was immediately moved to the right side.

"Simeone and Mourinho are both masters of defensive counterattacks. In terms of transitioning from back to front, the two teams have similarities!"

"Griezmann!"

"As the dual core of Atletico Madrid and France, he is a typical player who plays with his brain!"

His top-notch positioning awareness and excellent basic skills allow him to adapt to most frontcourt positions.

Griezmann looked up at his teammates, slightly shifted his center of gravity to break through to the right, and after creating space, he kicked the ball directly into the middle.

Bang! The football flew towards the penalty spot, splashing dirt.

"I'll do it!"

Maguire loudly reminded his teammates and rushed over.

But he suddenly felt a pain in his waist.

Diego Costa is using dirty tricks again! In the UEFA Super Cup final, Maguire felt firsthand how difficult Diego Costa was. His endless tricks made it seem as if he was the defensive player.

Maguire suppressed his anger, calmly determined the ball's path and position, used his physical advantage to squeeze Diego Costa away, and after a slight jump, headed the ball out of the penalty area.

The football was shot by Thomas who came over, and eventually went wide of the goal.

"Boy, why don't you speak today?"

Diego Costa, with his "glorious beauty", said sarcastically: "Are you scared?"

If we say he is the second trouble maker in football, I am afraid no one in Europe dares to say he is the first.

Pepe, Ramos, Koscielny and others have all been provoked by him and even received yellow cards.

Maguire didn't want to pay attention at first, but he couldn't stand the flies buzzing in his ears, so he retorted sarcastically: "I don't know who looks so powerful, but was kicked by Chu and couldn't get up for a long time."

Matic, who was returning to defense, heard the conversation between the two and looked at Diego Costa with disdain: "When the boss left Chelsea, you were the one who jumped the most, and what happened?"

"You were out of action for half a season because of a text message from Conte. I remember that at that time, you even approached him, hoping that he would keep a place for you at Manchester United, right?"

"Do you think we need you? You are an outdated center forward with no skills or physique. How can you compare to Chu?" Matic showed his sarcasm in his eyes. "Oh, you are more shameless than Chu."

It has to be said that Matic is usually gentle and kind, but when he taunts people, he can be very fierce.

Diego Costa almost couldn't hold it in. His expression instantly became ferocious and he glared at the two of them fiercely.

The key point is that what Matic said were all facts, and he couldn't find any reason to refute it.

"Let's wait and see!"

Diego Costa could only leave with one harsh word.

"Let's wait and see." Matic shrugged indifferently.

When he was at Chelsea, the person he disliked the most was Diego Costa. Not only was he not serious in training on weekdays, but he also always liked to lead others to engage in palace fighting.

After the game was restarted, it seemed very calm until twenty minutes ago.

But everyone knows that this is just the calm before the storm, and the competition will only become more intense.

Because Atletico Madrid will never accept a draw at home.

And according to Atletico Madrid's habit over the years, they would test the referee's standards in the early stages of the game and then make targeted adjustments.

During the match, Saul pushed Rashford and Thomas tripped Pogba, but the referee Zwaye did not make any comments and only gave verbal warnings.

"Intensify the confrontation, the third set of tactics!" Simeone shouted to Koke who was near the sidelines.

As Simeone's instructions were given, the tension on the field rose at a rate visible to the naked eye.

36th minute of the first half.

Atletico Madrid's sudden change caught Manchester United off guard. Mahrez was deliberately knocked down by Felipe and reached out to the referee to ask for a foul but to no avail.

Fortunately, he stretched out his leg and kicked the football before falling to the ground, and the football quickly rolled to the front of the penalty area.

"Watch out for that kid!"

Jimenez saw Chu Feng rushing towards the football quickly and reminded Godin anxiously.

Godin had already started to move forward. Judging from the distance, he was one and a half body lengths closer to Chu Feng, so he should be able to clear the ball easily.

But he soon changed his mind, because every step Chu Feng took put him three points ahead of him.

"What the hell is this monster!"

Godin gritted his teeth and complained in his heart, forcing himself to increase his speed and raising his left leg high.

If you don't dodge, I'll hit you! He wanted to use this method to force Chu Feng to retreat.

When Chu Feng saw this, he did not dodge or evade. After estimating that the distance was about the same, he also swung his right leg.

Right foot!

When pressing head-on, keep your muscles tense to avoid getting injured easily.

To put it simply, whoever holds back will get hurt!

Bang! A teeth-grinding collision sound was heard. The football did not fly out under the two forces, but slowly rolled towards the penalty area.

As for Godin, he felt like he was kicked in the stomach and almost fell flat on his face.

Chu Feng's body shook slightly and then recovered. His calf muscles bulged and he suddenly exerted force to kick. He shot out like an arrow from a bow! "Single Blade!"

The atmosphere at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium suddenly became tense.

Everyone stared at Manchester United's No. 7, and some even forgot to breathe.

The whole world knows Chu Feng's ability to seize opportunities.

Especially when facing a one-on-one goalkeeper, the goal rate is maintained at 95%.

Godin fell to the ground with a ruthless heart, grabbing Chu Feng's clothes at the same time.

Sizzle!

The Adidas jersey was torn. Chu Feng was trying to speed up, so he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Beep!!!!!!!

The referee did not turn a blind eye and pointed to the penalty spot! Atletico Madrid fans felt as if they were falling into an icy cave when they heard the shrill whistle.

Manchester United fans cheered loudly.

"Penalty!"

"And Godin's bad behavior of blocking the attack deserves a red card!"

"It's just up to the referee—eh?"

Zhan Jun looked at Zwaye covering his headphones and had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Video Assistant Referees (VAR) have been used in the Champions League knockout rounds this season. When there is a problem with the referee's decision, the VAR will promptly notify the referee and ask him to go to the monitor on the sidelines to view the replay video in order to ultimately reach a fair decision."

"Although VAR technology can effectively avoid misjudgments and missed calls, it will have a great impact on the rhythm of the game and is not very popular among fans."

"But it really is an indispensable tool in the development of modern football."

Chu Feng and his teammates stood outside Atletico's penalty area, nervously waiting for the final result.

"Chu, when he pulled you down, were you outside or inside the restricted area?"

Rashford couldn't help but ask.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"My attention was focused on the ball at the time, and I didn't notice whether it crossed the line or not." Chu Feng shook his head, "We'll know in a while."

The short period of time was a torment for everyone, until finally the referee returned to the field, made a TV shape with his hands, and then indicated that the penalty was cancelled and replaced with a free kick.

"Fuck!" Chu Feng shook his hands unhappily.

Although we know that VAR basically never makes mistakes, we certainly can't be happy about losing the penalty we had.

Moreover, the VAR video assistant referee is somewhat biased. It was obvious that Atletico Madrid players had committed multiple malicious fouls before, but VAR did not choose to intervene.

Originally, this technology could be used against Atletico Madrid, whose style of play is relatively "dirty", forcing them to restrain themselves and use their real skills in a fair duel on the green field.

But now…

Atletico Madrid players and fans breathed a sigh of relief and were extremely grateful for the "fairness and justice" of VAR.

Godin felt relieved. Although he couldn't escape the yellow card, at least he didn't get a red card.

"What a crap VAR, it's not even mature yet and they're using it."

Mahrez complained.

"Marcus, you take this position." Chu Feng waved towards Rashford.

Rashford's free kick technique has improved rapidly recently, and he already has the same level of Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid.

He ran up, kicked the ball, and shot it. It was a beautiful elevator ball, but because it was too close to the goal, the difficulty increased by more than one level, and the football still went over the crossbar.

Chu Feng changed into a new jersey and returned to the court to continue the game.

Manchester United's attack failed to produce any results, so they began to shrink their formation and focus on defense in order to overcome the sluggish period after the attack.

Atletico Madrid was much bolder, advancing from both wings and coordinating passes through the middle, constantly tearing apart Manchester United's defense.

"Simeone's intention is very clear. He wants to get a chance for a set-piece through attacking in the midfield and frontcourt."

"His strategy is very correct. When two teams that are both good at defending meet, the most likely way to open up the situation is through set pieces!"

"Besides, without Kante, Manchester United's clearance range in the midfield and backcourt was insufficient, and Matic was unable to provide timely support to the two wings."

“Here it comes!”

The ball was transferred to Saul's feet.

An excellent midfielder from Spain who is good at washing the ball under high-intensity pressure and has good physical fitness.

The spiritual attributes are also very good.

Pogba wanted to use physical confrontation to interfere with Saul, but after colliding with him, he found that he was unable to shake the opponent.

Instead, Saul took the opportunity to pass the ball and break through.

Luke Shaw had no choice but to step forward to defend, but Juanfran had already moved to the side.

Saul passed the ball accurately.

"Atletico's wing attack is very fierce!"

"This is also their usual tactic, the most important of which is the two knife-wielding defenders Juanfran and Felipe."

"It's just that as they get older, the intensity of their offense will inevitably decline."

When Diego Costa went straight to the back of the penalty area, Maguire quickly followed up to defend, resulting in a large gap in the middle.

Juanfran seized the opportunity and made a triangle pass to the front of the penalty area.

Griezmann rushed in like lightning, ignoring the greetings coming towards him, and swung his right foot at an angle.

Bang! The football blasted toward the right side of the goal like a cannonball.

At the critical moment, De Gea jumped slightly on the spot and rushed to the left side of the goal! His fingertips just touched the ball and changed its trajectory. The ball hit the post and bounced back into the penalty area.

Bailly, still in shock, kicked the ball forward.

"Atletico's counterattack almost scored a goal, but unfortunately they ran into peak De Gea, a goalkeeper who is one of the top three in Europe in terms of goal-line skills!"

"But Manchester United must be careful about Atletico's attack on the right, because Pogba's defensive enthusiasm and ability are not enough to support the strength of one-sided defense."

"It is foreseeable that Atletico will definitely seize Manchester United's weaknesses and attack fiercely."

Chu Feng also clearly noticed Atletico's intention, so he signaled his teammates to stabilize the defense first, and then looked at Luke Shaw and said: "Don't go forward to participate in the attack for the time being, pay attention to protecting the space behind Paul."

"Well, don't worry!" Although Luke Shaw was dissatisfied, he would not get angry with Chu Feng.

“I’ll lean to the left, too.”

Matic added.

Chu Feng nodded, turned and walked forward.

He must suppress Atletico's defense, and even some midfielders, to greatly relieve the defensive pressure on his teammates.

But it is easier said than done.

After more than half a season, Atletico Madrid's players have already worked together to a very good understanding, especially the two central defenders Jimenez and Godin.

Although he is not as physically fit as Van Dijk, De Ligt and others, he is more experienced and has a good defensive position, so he did not give Chu Feng too many opportunities.

"When we attack later, move closer to the middle and see if you can distract their attention." Chu Feng said to Rashford and Mahrez.

No matter how strong he is, his own strength is limited, and football is a team sport.

If you only fight alone, you will never win the championship.

Soon, Manchester United's attack pushed up from the wing, which was also what Mourinho meant.

Use the flanks to suppress Atletico's flanks, so that when they lose the ball and are counterattacked, they will have more time to adjust.

Wan Bissaka's assist ability is very weak, so when he crossed the half-court line, he passed the ball to Mahrez in front of him.

Atletico Madrid immediately launched a fierce physical confrontation, and to put it bluntly, they didn't go for the ball at all.

Felipe and Koke double-teamed Mahrez, and even though he tried his best to control the ball and break through, he was still stepped on the instep by Felipe and fell.

Moreover, Felipe's movements were very covert. With the help of Koke's body shape, he blocked the referee's sight.

So when Mahrez angrily argued with the referee, it didn't have any effect.

Fortunately, Wan-Bissaka decisively chose to head forward to steal the ball, and during the scramble, he knocked the ball out of the sideline, preventing Atletico from launching a quick counterattack.

Beep-beep!!! "The first half is over, the score is temporarily 0:0. Although both teams had good chances, neither of them converted them into goals."

"And the first half was a bit dull. Manchester United would be happy to leave with a draw, but Atletico Madrid probably wouldn't agree. So I think the second half will be even more exciting!"

(End of this chapter)