Their passion has been completely ignited by Coach Carter's pre-match speech.

The "cheerleader" drummer next to the visiting team's bench was also beating the drums hard to cheer.

The drummer was not on the match roster, but as an assistant for the team, he could also be on the bench.

The positions of the home and visiting team's substitute benches are fixed and do not need to be changed with the selection or change of sides.

Next to the home team's bench, there was a large red pirate flag hanging.

The seats on the home team's bench are also sponge seats, and there are roofs above the seats to provide shade and shelter from the rain.

The sponge on the seats of the visiting team's substitutes' bench had long been torn apart by the knife, leaving only the creaking hard bench board.

As for the ceiling above, there was no glass anymore.

But for the Milwaukee Bucks, these are no longer important. Instead, they have further stimulated their fighting spirit.

The Manchester Pirates are indeed very strong, so getting even one point from them would be a huge victory! "Gu——"

Coach Carter, who was already sitting on the visiting team's bench, waved to Gu Ran, "Come here and sit next to me."

"Yes, coach." Gu Ran sat down next to Carter without any hesitation.

Carter asked calmly, "In the locker room, you looked like you had something to say?"

Gu Ran quickly said, "No, coach."

At times like this, you absolutely cannot question your head coach's deployment of troops.

Although Gu Ran has 12 years of experience ahead of him, it does not mean that Gu Ran can coach the school team coach who has more than 40 years of football experience.

What's more, if it really was about "guidance" on tactics, Carter would definitely doubt how Gu Ran could know so much.

Carter said calmly, "The first half of this game is crucial. I want you to carefully read our opponent's formation movements and key runs during each attack."

"Yes, coach." Gu Ran nodded quickly.

At this time, the starting players of both teams all entered the court.

The home team Manchester Pirates lined up in a row and stood on the left side of the three referees, and the visiting team Bucks Steelers also lined up in a row and stood on the right side of the three referees.

According to the rules, the away team will take the initiative to shake hands with the referee team and the home team.

The players of the Corsairs were arrogant, while the players of the Bucks Steelhorns were full of murderous intent! Neither side was willing to give in! After the two sides shook hands, the captains of the two teams walked up to the referee and started to pick sides by tossing a coin.

Bucks Steelhorns captain Bread guessed the front and back correctly and got the priority to choose the side.

The Pirates naturally got the priority to kick off in the first half.

After choosing their positions, players from both teams stood in their respective half of the field.

At 3 o'clock, with the referee's whistle, the National High School Football Championship Group E, Southampton Stags Steelhorns away challenge Manchester Corsair, officially began! First, the home team Corsair kicked off.

The formation used by the Pirates today was the classic 442 formation.

At the beginning of the game, the two wingers of the Corsairs pressed forward very close, creating a lot of pressure on the Bucks Steelhorns.

Five minutes into the game, midfielder Albert passed the ball to the right side with a broad vision - the left side corresponding to the Bucks Steel Horns team.

The temporary left-back ran desperately to grab the ball.

Bread came over urgently from the middle lane to form a local advantage of two against one with the temporary worker.

However, when the right winger of the Pirates was physically confronting the temporary worker, he directly hugged the temporary worker's neck and knocked him to the ground! The temporary worker quickly got up and raised his hand to appeal to the referee.

But the referee ignored it!

The opposing winger judged the temporary worker's intention in advance and passed the ball diagonally to the middle.

This kick was a beautiful one! The Bucks Steelhorns' midfield defense was instantly penetrated!

Seeing the opposing No. 10 core player Albert accelerating, Boll, who was responsible for "staring", forcibly grabbed Albert's body and pulled Albert's jersey with his hand.

The referee was right there but he didn't blow the whistle.

The British style of football is very rough. In amateur and lower-level leagues, fouls of this level are not considered fouls at all.

While Boll was suppressing Albert's speed, Bread made an urgent turn and sprinted back. Before Albert touched the ball, he kicked the ball to the front court with a big kick.

...It's so tense and exciting right from the start!

Gu Ran sat on the bench, his heart beating violently.

It can be said that the Bucks Steelers played very good defense in this wave.

Although the temporary workers were a bit off, the double defensive midfielders were still very stable in defense.

But the problem is, if we continue to defend like this, I'm afraid that after halftime, Boll, who is marking the man, and the temporary left-back will run out of energy...

Could it be that you want to...

Hiss! Gu Ran suddenly understood Coach Carter's final tactical intention!

Gu Ran couldn't help but secretly glance at Coach Carter who was sitting upright, and then quickly looked away.

The game on the field continues.

The offense and defense transition rhythm of both sides was very fast.

The Bucks Steelers focused on defense, especially the presence of Ball, which was like a dog-skin plaster, making it very difficult for the opponent's No. 10 core Albert to play.

However, as the game progressed, the shortcomings of the Bucks Steelhorns were gradually exposed.

The first is the problem of disconnection between the midfield and frontcourt.

The Bucks Steelhorns' double defensive midfielders, one was defending Albert throughout the game, and the other was assisting the left back in defense, so they had no chance to send a good ball to the frontcourt.

In the first 30 minutes of the first half, the Bucks Steelhorns got the ball in the midfield and frontcourt a total of 7 times, most of which were cleared in the backcourt by their own efforts.

The midfield and frontcourt players of the Bucks Steelhorns played very depressingly.

Minato kept pulling back to get the ball, but he had almost no chance.

Secondly, there were a lot of close combat between the two sides, with confrontation occurring almost every time the ball was passed, and the Bucks Steel Horns could not gain any advantage.

Finally, after more than a dozen thrilling confrontations, the problem of the Bucks Steelhorns' lack of left-back ability was completely exposed to the eyes of the Pirates.

Especially the "dog-skin plaster" Boll. After following Albert for half an hour, Boll's physical strength declined significantly.

The Corsair's suit-wearing head coach put one hand in his trouser pocket and elegantly directed his players on the sidelines to press toward the opposing left wing.

For the Corsair coach, the Stag Steelhorns are just a fourth-tier team in Group E, a team that can be easily defeated by just a kick, so there is no need for the Corsair players to play too hard. They should save their physical strength and energy for the match against the real strong team, Rugby School, three days later.

Under the on-the-spot command of the Corsair head coach, the Corsair team repeatedly took advantage on the left side, attacked the penalty area more and more often, and took more and more shots.

The Bucks Steelhorns were in danger in front of the goal! At the 37th minute of the first half, …

(End of this chapter)