Chapter 65
The first half of the final ended with the Red Devils having eleven frequent shots, two of which went through Millwall's goal, while Millwall had zero shots on target.
During the half-time break, Millwall's guerrillas somehow started arguing with Manchester United fans in the stands, and the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed as if a big war was about to break out.
The security guards arranged at the stadium rushed in quickly, and everyone was fully armed and wearing complete equipment.
All the players on the field have entered the locker room, and Ferguson is calling an emergency meeting. Scoring two goals in the first half has almost secured half of the trophy for Manchester United, but it is not enough.
"Damn Weiss, if he was a few centimeters taller, he would be a first-class central defender! But he wasn't, and even so, he still pinned your teammates to the ground. Where were you looking?! Your reactions are as slow as sloths! Even the referee reacts much faster than you!"
"I'll say it one last time. In the second half, cheer up! I'll make those sleepwalkers who haven't woken up sleep to get enough sleep on the bench when they go back!"
Neville and his teammates exchanged glances. They actually played well in the first half, but it was obviously not the score that made Sir Alex Ferguson furious but the performance on the field - to be precise, it was the foul on Cristiano.
Both the red and blue teams rushed forward at the beginning of the conflict. With so many people, everyone seemed ready to open fire. As the captain, Keane had to rush to the front to separate the opposing players, and the others had to admit that they had indeed forgotten about Cristiano for a short time.
Who got Cristiano trapped between Millwall players! None of the teammates who caught up later were able to find him in the first place!
After the Red Devils reviewed the game and saw the slow-motion replay of the conflict, Ferdinand, who did not start the game due to injury, also joined the roaring camp - the damn blue lion actually secretly stepped on Ronnie's knee! ?
Even though Cristiano explained again that the kick was not very hard, Ferguson and Keane insisted that he go for a thorough check-up immediately.
The other Red Devils main players who participated in the review were both angry and annoyed, and they deeply realized a central idea - no matter what happened, Cristiano must be pulled away from the center of the battlefield at the first time!
Under Ferguson's fire, the halftime of the game ended and the two teams met again in the player tunnel.
Cristiano noticed that there were several guards armed with riot shields and batons at the four corners of the stadium.
"Welcome back, the second half of the game has begun. We can see that the current score is Manchester United leading Millwall 2-0." The two commentators in the broadcast room continued to comment on the official game.
"The two goals exchanged positions, and Millwall attacked from the right side of the screen to the left side!"
At the beginning of the second half, Millwall's attack increased significantly. The zero shots in the first half and the dense defense did not bring any advantages to their team, and Cristiano still scored two goals.
The blue team's desire to attack has become much stronger, and similarly, their movements have become more intense!
In the 48th minute of the game, Giggs raised his knee to block the ball. Wise took a step forward, raised his right foot sharply, showing his studs, and stepped on Giggs' knee!
Giggs screamed and rolled to the ground, and the team doctor immediately came on the field.
Wise and Millwall's main players surrounded the referee trying to explain something. Cristiano rushed to the referee and was about to say something, but was stopped by Neville behind him the next second.
"This is not your place, Fletcher, take Ronnie to the side!" Neville shouted.
Even as he was speaking, Keane had already bumped into Weiss's chest, and the two were almost coming to blows!
Neville quickly joined the crowd and separated the two teams together with the referee.
Weiss tilted his head and twisted his nose, but did not take any more action. He just looked at Keane solemnly, and then the referee showed him the first yellow sapphire card of the game.
Seeing this, Cristiano returned to Giggs. He bent down to check on Giggs' condition. Giggs patted his arm to indicate that he was fine.
Cristiano nodded.
Giggs handled the emergency situation on the field and quickly returned to the game.
With a yellow card in hand, Wise had to restrain his defensive actions, and Millwall still failed to launch several threatening shots at Manchester United's goal.
The fans' boos of dissatisfaction became louder.
Cristiano received Scholes's straight pass from the left. He dribbled the ball flexibly to the left and right in a flashy way that made people dizzy. An unexpected left move knocked down the Millwall defender in front of him.
The opposing defender quickly got up and tried to catch up, but all he could see was a pair of slender and flexible ankles wrapped in black socks, which passed the ball to Giggs who was waiting on the side.
Giggs dribbled the ball through the defense and rushed into the penalty area!
"Millwall's defender left a gap!" Commentator Joel Joel exclaimed, "The defender tripped Giggs with a back-tackling move! In the penalty area! Penalty!!"
"This penalty is taken by Ruud van Nistelrooy," said his partner Maddison. He looked at the screen where Millwall players were arguing with the referee before the game started, and said, "There should be no problem with the referee's decision. Let's take a look at the replay."
"Ronaldo used a bicycle kick to knock down defender Ward and passed the ball to Giggs, who dribbled into the penalty area. It was a very obvious body movement! No problem!" Maddison said, "The referee also made a statement! Millwall should not continue to pester, otherwise they will get another gem card."
Joel nodded: "But this penalty is worse for Millwall. Let's see Van Nistelrooy... Van Nistelrooy starts, changes speed, and shoots! He fools the Millwall goalkeeper! The score is three to zero!!"
Cristiano cheered and ran towards Van Nistelrooy to celebrate, while the lifeless atmosphere at Millwall was in stark contrast to the fans behind him who were waving their arms and roaring angrily.
In the last twenty minutes of the game, Millwall's coach replaced two players, but this could not stop the Red Devils.
Manchester United created a corner kick and Cristiano came to the corner area on the right.
Behind him stood three guards holding riot shields and batons, with their backs to him and facing the audience.
The stands on the right side are almost the base camp of Millwall Guerrillas. The roars and foul language of the fans are the most common weapons on the field, used to destroy the mentality and performance of the players.
But apparently this is just the appetizer for the guerrillas.
When Cristiano picked up the ball and stood in the corner area, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded behind him, and then the next second something fell from the sky and hit the transparent riot shield, with more than one crackling sound.
There was a commotion on the field.
"The screen was cut to the stands. It looks like something happened on the field. We can still hear the commotion in our earphones!" said Joelke. He hummed. "The right stand is the Millwall fans' area. Ronaldo contributed two very exciting goals and assists in this game..."
Yorke didn't say anything else. If he said any more, he might have to wear a motorcycle helmet when he went to the studio after get off work.
Cristiano was startled by the sudden movement behind him. He turned around and saw the crazy fans in the stands throwing lighters, bottle caps and drink bottles from their pockets at him, but they were all blocked by the shield wall erected behind him.
He had no choice but to hold the ball for a short while while the madness died down by the guards.
Neville was standing beside him. Seeing this, he stretched out his arm and put it around Cristiano's shoulders. He covered his mouth and asked in a low voice: "Is this the first time you have seen this scene? Are you scared?"
Cristiano rolled his eyes slightly. This was just some violence, just enough to scare the newcomers. He had seen far scarier things. Those personal insults and rumors that came like a tsunami in front of him would really destroy a player. But he still survived, so this was nothing.
He also covered his mouth - there are always lip-reading experts who love to turn over the game recordings to dig out some gossip on the field - and laughed and answered Neville: "Scared? I'm not that easily scared."
Neville raised his eyebrows when he heard this and patted the boy who was trying to be stubborn.
Before he could say anything, the referee blew a whistle, indicating that Cristiano should kick off.
Neville took two steps to the side, Cristiano bent down slightly, his back arched in a smooth and explosive beautiful arc, he kicked a corner kick, and the ball landed accurately in front of the penalty area!
"Van Nistelrooy shoots! The ball goes in! The score is now 4-0!" the commentator Jolke exclaimed, "4-0! Manchester United has almost secured the victory!"
Maddison also said incredulously: "The score difference in the final was 4-0! Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo scored twice! This day is a harvest day for the Red Devils!"
Van Nistelrooy rushed straight from the front of the penalty area to the right corner where garbage was flying all over the place.
Cristiano jumped high with excitement, and just hugged Neville, but was bumped by Van Nistelrooy who rushed over the next second. Van Nistelrooy grabbed him by the waist and carried him up the tree!
Cristiano cheered and grinned widely. His newly dyed blond hair was blown up by the wind. The cameramen on the sidelines flashed their lights continuously, creating a white light.
Cristiano heard the shutter sound on the sidelines. He looked towards the camera, hooked one hand around Van Nistelrooy's neck to keep his balance, raised the other hand high, and cheered towards the camera!
The championship must belong to the Red Devils!
"There have been frequent reports recently that Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo are not getting along, and that conflicts in the locker room may cause him to leave Manchester United in the summer window to seek another stage. Now Van Nistelrooy has personally dispelled the rumors!" Jolk in the broadcast room noticed the Red Devils' main players on the field who were clearly in harmony, and immediately said.
Manchester United's victory was already a foregone conclusion, so Ferguson replaced Giggs and Cristiano.
Cristiano and Giggs walked off the field and sat on the bench to continue watching the game.
Pique immediately took two bottles of water and handed them to Cristiano and Giggs.
Giggs' knees ached slightly, and he was in a bad mood. Seeing Pique's action, he pulled the corner of his mouth, but did not take the water. He just laughed and said sarcastically: "Is the water dispenser brother's self-awareness?"
Pique didn't understand what Giggs said, but he was left aside with two bottles of water in his hand, and Giggs' tone was not very good, so he could guess that the other party did not have good intentions.
He stood there awkwardly. Seeing this, Cristiano took two bottles of water from Pique and said, "Great. I'm thirsty."
Chris said, handing another bottle of water to Giggs: "Would you like some?"
Giggs glanced at Cristiano, then looked at the silly-looking big golden-haired Spaniard next to Cristiano, and rolled his eyes helplessly. He knew that the big golden-haired Spaniard had cunningly captured the soft-hearted Ronnie first!
He had no choice but to take the water from Cristiano, and then nodded slightly to Pique as a thank you.
Pique looked at Cristiano with gratitude for helping him out of the predicament. He had heard before that there was a very clear system in Manchester United's locker room, and a newcomer like him would definitely be excluded and suffer a lot.
In fact, he was indeed excluded. His jerseys, shoes and socks would always disappear inexplicably or be soaked in the pool. Then there were some verbal ridicules from teammates in the locker room, especially when he performed mediocrely after coming on the court - Pique knew very well that this was a part of him that he had to learn to endure, but it was undeniable how difficult it was.
But fortunately he met Cristiano, his first friend at Manchester United and his only friend at present.
Cristiano always stood up for him, stopped those boring pranks, and took the initiative to team up with him during training, otherwise he would definitely be left alone.
Pique was extremely grateful to Cristiano for this, but more than that, he developed a curiosity about Cristiano that was much greater than gratitude.
He wanted to know, since he was also so young and even took over the legendary No. 7 jersey as soon as he joined the main team, had Cristiano never been excluded?
Yes. Pique found the answer. He found many reports from one or two years ago, in which he was kicked by his teammates during extra training and cried secretly. He was ridiculed that the legendary No. 7 would come back to take over his wardrobe at any time...
Compared to what he had encountered, it was just a minor prank.
But Cristiano has now become the darling of the entire Manchester United team and the absolute top star.
Pique had no doubt that if anyone dared to provoke Chris in the locker room, that person would be packed into a pile of garbage and thrown out of the locker room by Keane and his big brothers in the next second!
He had heard a lot of rumors about Cristiano, about how bad this handsome and flamboyant boy was, how bad his temper was, how difficult he was to get along with, how arrogant he was, and how self-important he was…
Before he met Cristiano, he believed most of it - he was so young and had the starting position in a top club and achieved such good results. If it were him, he would also be arrogant. Cristiano had the qualifications!
But now, Pique has completely overturned those impressions. The Cristiano he knows is obviously as good as it can be. He can get along with everyone and never has a different attitude or face towards those second-tier and third-tier players.
As for arrogance? Pique thinks Cristiano is even humble. Perhaps Cristiano's arrogance is only directed at those who can't beat him at all but always like to provoke him maliciously?
"Thank you, Chris!" Pique whispered to Cristiano.
Cristiano was still a little uncomfortable with Pique, who always looked at him with a dog's eye. He smiled, unscrewed the bottle cap, bit the water outlet, and said vaguely: "I didn't do anything."
Pique thought in his heart that Cristiano had done too much. He would always regard Cristiano as his friend and would never hurt him.
The sincerity, enthusiasm and purity of youth are the most precious and most cherished.
Cristiano was concentrating on watching the game on the field and ignored his overly emotional younger friend.
Millwall fans wished time would go slower, but time is always fair, and Manchester United maintained this big score until the end of the game.
"The game is over! Manchester United won the FA Cup with a score of 4-0! Congratulations to Manchester United! Congratulations to the Red Devils!" commentators Jolk and Maddison shouted excitedly.
Cristiano and Giggs, who were sitting on the bench, jumped up from their seats the moment the referee blew the whistle and ran towards their teammates on the field like flying: "We won!!"
Carnival, salutes, streamers, singing, Cardiff Millennium Stadium witnessed the Red Devils’ rise to the top!
Keane took the shiny silver trophy from the awarding official and handed it to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson stood in the center of the team, grinning widely. After leaving enough photos for the media, he stuffed the trophy into Cristiano's arms: "Enjoy your first championship glory since coming to Manchester United, my child, there will be more in the future!"
Cristiano laughed, and his teammates around him gently pushed him and laughed in good faith: "Ronnie, go around the field and show our trophy, go!"
Cristiano was pushed to the sidelines. He pulled up Van Nistelrooy, and each of them grabbed the two "ears" of the huge silver cup, grinning and holding it high: "Bravo! Manchester United!"
They grabbed the Champions League trophy and ran around the field wildly. The surging adrenaline made Cristiano hear his own heartbeat strong and steady. He screamed and cheered, and even the wind couldn't catch the corner of his clothes.
Ferguson watched with a smile on his face, and said softly in his heart:
Run, Cristiano, run.
The photographer at the scene took a photo of Cristiano and Van Nistelrooy running. Chris looked carefully at the photo that was published in the newspaper and expressed his satisfaction.
"It's a good photo," the boy commented. "At least it makes me look half as handsome as I am."
Ruud laughed and put the photo away: "Are all you Portuguese people so vain?"
"We Portuguese people are all incredibly good-looking and we're proud to admit it, if that's what you mean." Cristiano raised his eyebrows at Van Nistelrooy.
Fanny surrendered, he kept the photo and planned to hang it on his wall of honor at home.
In his previous life, this photo was also hung in his home, in the most conspicuous position. And in an interview after Van Nistelrooy retired, the host came to his villa and visited the wall of honor of the king of the small penalty area. This is the only photo of Van Nistelrooy with his partner hung on the wall of honor.
"Who do you think is better, Messi or Ronaldo?" This is an eternal question.
"I can answer your question without even thinking. I choose Ronnie," Ruud van Nistelrooy replied in his previous life. "Anyone who has played with him will realize that he is the best. There is no other answer, ever."
"We still keep in touch now. Yes, we have had arguments and competition, which is normal, but I admire him and he admires me. It is a two-way positive emotional bond, which is good. The time at Manchester United will always be with us and he will always be our Ronnie."
In his previous life, Cristiano did not know the content of this interview, just as he would never know that at the grand black-and-white funeral of the century, the Dutchman silently and expressionlessly placed this color photo in front of his tombstone and whispered his last farewell:
“Time is gone.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
