Chapter 94
In this Champions League semi-final, when Manchester United played against Chelsea in the first leg, Giggs took the lead in the first half, but the Blues tenaciously scored a goal at Manchester United's home ground, Old Trafford, to equalize the score.
The Red Devils failed to maintain their absolute advantage at home, and the anger of the home fans almost blew the sky off the Theatre of Dreams.
There is no doubt that this time all the pressure will be placed on the away game in the second round.
Neville had to miss the game due to injury and could only sit on the bench and watch anxiously.
It's raining in Chelsea tonight.
The rain was not heavy at first, but as the game became more intense, the rain seemed to pick up momentum, from the drizzle at the beginning to denser and denser, hitting the players like beads.
The field was slippery and muddy, and all the players' pants and clothes were mud-colored.
In the first half, the two teams remained in a stalemate with no one scoring a goal. However, in the second half, in the 25th minute, Chelsea's Lampard broke the deadlock by scoring a goal in the penalty area.
The score was one to zero.
Chelsea leads the game by a narrow one-point margin!
Everyone became nervous - there were only fifteen minutes left and the whistle to end the second leg of the semi-final would be blown. Was there still any hope of equalizing the score?
This is Chelsea. Under Mourinho's coaching, the Blues have clear tactics. Their offense based on defense makes Chelsea's goal as airtight as a tin barrel.
The Blues, led by the Portuguese coach, are one of the most threatening teams to win the championship this season.
Instead of hoping that the beautiful scenario of winning the game at the last minute will happen in this game, it is better to pray to God for a miracle.
The power of the combination of Cristiano and Alan has begun to show. Cristiano has scored nine goals in this Champions League season, topping the season's goal list. Alan has scored five goals, tied for third with the Chelsea striker. Juventus is second in the scorer list.
Such outstanding results are enough for Mourinho to prepare a luxurious welcome dinner for Cristiano.
Right on the field, it was obvious that he had put enough effort into Cristiano.
The audience in the stands were staring at the field nervously. Every time they saw a team attack the opponent's penalty area, the fans on both sides tensed up.
As soon as Cristiano got the ball, Chelsea's two full-backs immediately came over from the left and right.
Mourinho stood on the sidelines with his eyes slightly narrowed, staring at the field.
Cristiano took two steps forward with the ball and then had to stop. The full-back's forward approach restricted his turning, and Chelsea's midfielder quickly returned to Chris.
"Chelsea quickly formed a three-man stranglehold formation! Ronaldo!"
"Ronaldo dribbled the ball sideways while being double-teamed! He got past the midfielder's stranglehold!"
"Lampard made up for the position! He successfully stole the ball from Ronaldo's feet!"
Cristiano waved his hands in frustration, pursed his lips and looked towards Lampard. After Lampard intercepted the ball, he was quickly surrounded by Keane and Ferdinand's defense, and there was a melee in the midfield and backcourt to grab the ball.
The fans in the stands cheered loudly, and the attack that had been full of hope was interrupted.
Cristiano took a deep breath and turned to Alan. The two looked at each other not far away, and Cristiano knew that the other party had not given up either.
The Red Devils reorganized their attack.
"There are still ten minutes left in the game. These are completely different ten minutes for Chelsea and Manchester United!" said the commentator in the broadcast room. "For Chelsea, hopefully these ten minutes can end ten times faster, but for Manchester United and Ferguson, these ten minutes should be split in half!"
"But the game has already reached this stage, and the players' physical strength is almost exhausted, not to mention how bad the weather is today," the partner added.
Playing in the rain is more physically demanding and more prone to injury than playing in a regular game.
In the first half of the game, Ferguson had to make a substitution because of an injury. After Lampard scored a goal in the second half, Ferguson made another lineup adjustment and strengthened the ball possession in the midfield.
There are still ten minutes left in the game, and he signaled to the linesman again to replace two players!
"Ferguson has used up his quota of substitutions. The Red Devils are determined to win this game!"
"But there are only ten minutes left in the game. With a one-to-zero lead, there is enough time, but Chelsea's defense is too solid. Can the Red Devils really seize the opportunity to break through?!"
The two commentators in the broadcast room were analyzing the situation on the field and chatting in a pessimistic tone.
Chelsea's defense was impregnable, and the physical exhaustion caused by the rain also greatly affected the condition of the players on both sides.
Ferguson stood on the sidelines, yelling at the players to run and press forward. He put his hands in his coat pockets, chewed gum and looked at the field with a stern face.
"Oh! Ronaldo tackled Lampard's ball!" The commentator suddenly became excited and joked, "Just now Lampard stole the ball from Ronaldo's feet, and now he returns the ball. Ronaldo really has a grudge."
"Look at this attack! Alan and Rooney are pressing forward! Ferdinand and Fletcher are also pressing forward. In the final moments of the game, the Red Devils are pressing forward all the way!"
After Cristiano took the ball from the midfield, he immediately started running as fast as he could, leaving the Chelsea defenders behind him several meters away.
He passed the ball diagonally to Rooney, who took the ball from the middle and headed straight for the small penalty area.
Cristiano suddenly increased his speed without the ball and inserted from the left!
"Ronaldo is still accelerating! The game entered the injury time, and Cristiano Ronaldo was still accelerating! He can run so fast, my God!"
"Rooney passed the ball to Alan Smith on the right back, and Alan Smith kicked it high!"
The commentators in the broadcast room leaned forward involuntarily and stared at the big screen, and saw on the screen that Cristiano quickly and cunningly inserted himself into the gap and jumped high!
"Oh my god?! Ronaldo!! Headed the ball into the net! Alan Smith assisted from outside the penalty area!! Manchester United equalized the score again in the final moments of the game!!!"
"Champions League semi-final second leg!! Ronaldo drags Manchester United back to the brink of elimination!! Manchester United! Advance into overtime!"
The two commentators spoke very quickly and jumped up from their chairs with excitement.
His partner slammed the table, and with an incredible lung capacity, he roared -
“GOOOOOO—OOOAALLL!”
Equalized!
The Manchester United Red Devils once again showed incredible tenacity and kept a game that was almost over going on at Stamford Bridge.
At the end of the second half, Cristiano and his teammates hugged each other tightly. No one celebrated or cheered, but just held each other's arms tightly. The only sound they could hear was each other's rapid and heavy breathing.
They still had an even tougher overtime game to play, and everyone's physical strength was almost exhausted.
So are they, and so are the Blues.
Ferdinand rubbed Cristiano's head, kissed the top of the boy's head hard, and shouted to his teammates: "The last half hour, hold on! This is the ultimate value of why we have to be here in the heavy rain for a hundred minutes!"
"A ticket to the finals? Or get out with your backpack? We only want one!"
"Tickets to the finals!"
The roar of the Red Devils was drowned out in the noisy stadium. After hugging each other, they slowly walked back from the stadium.
After his teammates left, Cristiano couldn't help showing a painful expression. He grinned, gnashing his teeth slightly and gasping for air, then fell to the ground.
——He had been in a tense state for too long, so when the game was over, his muscles suddenly relaxed, causing cramps in his calves and soles of his feet.
He lay on his back on the court, breathing deeply and shallowly, his arms tightly covering his eyes, and he couldn't help but curl up his legs slightly because of the pain of cramps.
Every muscle in his body was clamoring for him to rest.
"Cristiano?!" Alan walked forward and felt the rare silence in his ears. He turned his head to look for Cristiano, who always liked to chatter around him, and then he noticed that Cristiano did not follow him.
He immediately turned around and saw Cristiano lying on the ground. His eyelids jumped and he quickly turned back, "Chris?! Where are you injured? Team doctor!"
Keane and Rooney heard Alan's shout. Rooney immediately ran to call the team doctor, while Keane trotted over: "What's going on?"
Cristiano propped himself up and sat up, exhaling, pinching his calf and shaking his head: "No, it's just a cramp."
He tilted his neck back, the rain hitting his face. He pursed his lips uncomfortably, groaned and said no more.
Upon hearing this, Alan immediately grabbed Cristiano's calf and asked Chris to lie back. He stood up and used his thigh to press against Cristiano's sole, asking Cristiano to straighten the cramped leg.
He pressed his calves and soles with a little force: "Is this better?"
Cristiano nodded, he supported himself on his elbows and raised his upper body, grinned at Alan, nodded and said: "Thank you."
Soon the team doctor and Ferguson also strode over. The grass on the field was so slippery that the team doctor didn't dare to speed up. Their sneakers and Ferguson's leather shoes were not non-slip at all.
"How is it?" Ferguson asked, frowning slightly as he looked at Cristiano. His No. 7 jersey and shorts were covered in mud, and the original color was almost unrecognizable.
Cristiano played the biggest role in Mourinho's defensive system. In this game, he was the one who was marked the most closely and was tackled the most times, rolling on the ground several times.
Ferguson bent down and gently patted Cristiano's knee, staring into Cristiano's eyes: "Are you okay?"
"No problem, it's just cramps." The team doctor finished the examination quickly and answered immediately after hearing this.
Cristiano nodded. After effectively relieving the pain, he was pulled up by Keane and Alan on each side. He said to Ferguson: "I'm fine, Boss."
Ferguson looked at Cristiano, who nodded slightly and said nothing more.
The arrow is on the string, they must strike.
…
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