Chapter 475: Dream Dance, Back to the Arena
In this precarious situation, Arsenal became increasingly passive.
In Arsenal's coaching booth, Wenger covered his cheeks with his hands, as if he didn't want to watch the game. Now Arsenal is using this tortoise shell tactic to delay the game time. Wenger certainly hopes to drag it to the end of the game. The score of 2:2 is too favorable for Arsenal.
However, the current situation is not optimistic.
Although Wang Li was trapped in the penalty area by several players, his performance was still eye-catching. As long as Real Madrid's pass fell nearby, he would always grab the ball again and again. Arsenal was just using manpower to fill the penalty area to defend the goal.
"It's Allen again!!... A brilliant performance, he actually knocked down Campbell and Henry at the same time... Oh my God!! This is clearly a legitimate collision... The referee blew the whistle to indicate that it was a foul..."
Because there were too many Arsenal players in the penalty area, bumps and collisions were inevitable when fighting for the ball. In order to get rid of the entanglement, Wang Li directly knocked the opponent to the ground in several fights. This kind of collision is generally a reasonable collision, but it is also related to the referee's standards. In the Premier League, the penalty standards are more lenient, while in La Liga, they are more severe.
This situation made Wang Li frown, but he still believed that there would definitely be a chance to score. Arsenal could be lucky once, but they would not always be lucky. He did not like this offensive method that relied on luck, but it was the only way to play for the time being.
Maybe he was right, and Real Madrid's good luck finally came.
In the 76th minute of the game, after half-time efforts, Real Madrid finally broke through Arsenal's goal again.
The goal was scored by Wang Li, with a precise header.
In the middle, Beckham got the ball and, like before, kicked a long, curved ball into the penalty area.
However, this time Beckham's kick was very comfortable and the football landed right on Wang Li's head, and Arsenal's defensive players failed to restrict Wang Li, so Wang Li headed for the goal after jumping up, and this time he had time to pay attention to the angle in the air.
The speed of the ball was not fast, but the angle was too tricky, and the football went straight to the left corner of the goal.
Although Lehmann tried his best to protect the goal, he still needed some luck. After all, his reaction speed was not fast enough and the angle of the ball was too tricky, so the football flew past his fingers and into the goal line.
After such a long period of effort, Real Madrid finally broke through Arsenal's "hard shell vest" in the second half.
The score became 3:2, and for the first time in the game, Real Madrid took the lead.
"Alan!! He scored twice and finally helped Real Madrid take the lead. This header was very beautiful. It can be seen that Beckham and Wang Li have become very skilled in their cooperation."
"Alan's performance in this game was outstanding. He was the most dazzling star of the game. So far, he has taken 15 shots and scored two goals. This shooting efficiency is not very high, but looking at the fact that he was alone on the court facing the defense of several Arsenal defenders, he was able to have 15 shots, which in itself is a reflection of his strength."
"...Arsenal was completely suppressed. They couldn't even launch a counterattack. It can be seen that Real Madrid seemed to be holding back. The team's defenders did not join in. Even Carlos, who always likes to attack, stayed in the backcourt honestly. It can be seen that Real Madrid still has spare strength..."
Seeing the team score a goal, the fans at the scene went crazy!!!
They had been waiting for this moment for more than half an hour. At the start of the second half, they were expecting the team to score against Arsenal, but the field was still in a state where they had the upper hand but could not pass the ball, which made them secretly anxious.
And now this moment has finally arrived!!
The fans' cheers, which had been suppressed for half the game, burst out from the audience at the same time!!
Many fans have stood up from their seats, celebrating the team's attack loudly, causing the entire Bernabeu Stadium to be submerged in this sudden wave.
This was a goal that helped Real Madrid to overtake the opponent, and it was of great significance. Fans felt that after scoring this goal, Real Madrid might be able to score more goals.
This idea is not extravagant. The score is only 3:2. Although Real Madrid is leading, you have to know that this is the Bernabeu Stadium and it is a two-round knockout match of the Champions League. This score almost foreshadows Real Madrid's failure! !
If the game ends with 3:2, then Arsenal should be said to be the winner of this game, because they only need to simply win 1:0 at home, and with the advantage of away goals, they will be able to eliminate Real Madrid and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
And if they can score one more goal, it will be a victory for Real Madrid.
If Real Madrid can achieve a 4:2 score at home, it will be much easier for them in the second round. It is not easy for Arsenal to win Real Madrid by two goals at home.
Therefore, 3:2 is not safe, and the fans are looking forward to the next goal.
Henry and Van Persie stood in the center circle, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle to start the game.
In this game, except for a wonderful pass, Van Persie had almost no performance. Arsenal chose a defensive tactic, and as a standard striker, Van Persie had little room to play.
As a young player, Van Persie's experience is still immature, but his strength is recognized by the whole team.
Seeing the opponent's black-haired boy perform so well, he was very envious, but "...maybe my chance has come", he thought so, because Coach Wenger said during the halftime break that if Real Madrid scored a goal, they would immediately counterattack.
Now, there are still more than ten minutes left in the game, which means they still have a chance.
"If I can score a goal, maybe I will be the main player of the team."
Now the competition in Arsenal's forward line is very fierce. Arsenal's tactics are generally 442. Henry will definitely have a place as the main striker. Reyes' performance is also good, but he can also play as a midfielder, so the competition is not very strong. In the team, the competition between Van Persie and Adebayor is the most intense.
Adebayor has just joined Arsenal. Although he still needs to adapt to the Premier League environment, his strength should not be underestimated. Van Persie came from Arsenal's youth training camp and is completely marked with the Arsenal logo. But in fact, Van Persie's advantage is just adapting to the team's tactics.
If he doesn't perform well in a few games, his position is likely to be replaced by Adebayor, which is what Van Persie is worried about.
At this time, Van Persie was keeping a close eye on Real Madrid's formation. He is a man who plays football with his brain and will carefully analyze the situation on the field during the game.
In Van Persie's view, Real Madrid players don't know that Arsenal are going to counterattack, so they will definitely launch a large-scale attack. That will be Arsenal's chance. All he needs to do is cooperate with the team's offense. As a player at the front of the formation, he prefers to assist or shoot directly.
So, when the referee blew the whistle, Van Persie passed the ball to Henry and rushed towards Real Madrid's half alone.
Arsenal will play fast breaks and Van Persie will want to be the one to score the goal.
However, what Van Persie didn't know was that Carlo had already guessed Wenger's intention during the halftime break. Real Madrid players were mentally prepared for Arsenal's counterattack, and Van Persie's sudden effort made the players alert! !
Arsenal has been defending with all their might. If they continue with this tactic, the forwards will not rush so hard even in a counterattack or fast break, which makes the Real Madrid players feel that Arsenal is about to attack.
So even Wang Li did not run to the frontcourt, but stood near the center line and was responsible for defense.
Seeing that none of the Real Madrid players came forward, Wenger, who was sitting on the sidelines, was stunned. He turned his head and looked at Carlo on the Real Madrid coaching bench. He thought that the level of this rookie coach was really impressive, as he could actually guess that Arsenal would counterattack.
Carlo has zero experience coaching a top team, but the importance he attaches to this game is far beyond what Wenger can compare to.
He was very clear about the gap between himself and these world-class coaches, so he had been thinking about this game long before Christmas. He did a lot of work before the game and was very well prepared.
If you don’t have coaching experience, you have to make up for it with hard work. Carlo knows his shortcomings, but he also knows the direction of his efforts.
These are the manager's struggles, while on the pitch Arsenal's attack has already started.
Arsenal's attack was very fierce.
This fierceness does not refer to the fast speed of their attack, but to the very smooth cooperation between their players in the attack. Although none of the Real Madrid players stood in the frontcourt, but all chose to defend, after a period of entanglement in the midfield, the football was passed to Pires' feet on the wing.
Arsenal players seemed to be holding back their energy in the game. Apart from scoring two goals in the opening minutes, they were constantly being suppressed by Real Madrid in this game, especially in the last half an hour or so. They were completely passive. For the sake of the head coach's tactical layout and the team's victory, they had to stay in their own half and endure repeated destruction from Real Madrid players, especially the black-haired boy.
Now, they finally have the chance to counterattack.
After getting the ball, Pires dribbled to the left, dribbled past Cicinho who came to defend, and then kicked it to Fabregas who came from behind.
As Arsenal's offensive commander, although Fabregas is young, he already has the demeanor of a great general. When he got the ball outside the penalty area and faced dense defense, he was very calm.
Zidane came over to grab the ball, Fabregas calmly pushed it to Henry next to him, and then Henry passed it to Van Persie. Seeing that there was no chance, Van Persie passed it back to Fabregas.
After getting the ball again, Fabregas had a clear idea of the situation in the frontcourt. Arsenal's sudden attack did not cause chaos in Real Madrid's defense. It was unrealistic to seek a sudden goal opportunity in this situation. So he knocked the ball back to Campbell who was behind and told his teammates: "Hold on!!"
After the ball was passed between the feet of Arsenal players several times, Arsenal's formation was also opened up. They all took up their positions and prepared to launch a steady attack.
Fabregas' words still have some effect on Arsenal. At Christmas, Wenger said in an interview with the media: "He (Fabregas) will be the pillar of Arsenal in the next ten years. I have seen many geniuses, but none of them have his talent and hard work."
This sentence defines Fabregas' position in the team. He will be the future of Arsenal, and now his performance has surpassed most of the team.
After a few passes, the ball finally landed at Fabregas' feet.
He dribbled past Zidane steadily, and in a flash he found an opportunity to pass the ball to the empty space at the front of the penalty area. There was Pires! !
No one noticed that Pires on the left actually ran to the middle penalty area line, and Real Madrid missed a man. Pires got the chance and kicked the ball to the front of the players in the penalty area, and Henry started instantly! !
As Arsenal's signature shooter, Henry's ability is unquestionable. His starting speed and dribbling speed are very fast, which is incomparable to ordinary players.
After seeing the opportunity, Henry left Ramos behind as soon as he started, then he met the ball and shot directly! !
"Oh my god... Beautiful!!! It's Igor Casillas, he made a great contribution to Real Madrid!!!"
The commentator of the Madrid Sports Channel was completely immersed in watching the game. He almost shouted this sentence. Just a moment ago, he thought the ball would definitely go in, but now the ball was already in Casillas' arms! !
Henry's powerful shot about seven meters in front of the goal was saved by Casillas. This performance made all the fans in the stadium, even some Arsenal fans, applaud.
"Casillas!! He once again made a great contribution to Real Madrid, he saved Henry's shot, he was just outstanding!! Mygod, sorry... I don't know how to describe it, maybe he was possessed by God just now, his performance won the applause of the whole audience..."
The commentator was suddenly stuck when he said this because the football had already flown into Arsenal's half.
"Counterattack, Real Madrid's quick counterattack!!"
Casillas's wonderful performance not only saved Henry's goal, which saved Real Madrid a goal, but also gave Real Madrid a very good counterattack opportunity. At the moment of saving the ball, Casillas was also happy with his performance, but the next moment, he thought that he was still in the game, so he immediately stood up and looked forward to find the figure of the black-haired boy in the team. What is Wang Li best at?
Long shot? Dribbling? Free kick?
No, none of these. Chelsea fans and Wolverhampton fans can tell you clearly that Wang Li is good at quick counterattacks, extremely fast counterattacks.
Last season, many goals were scored by Wang Li through quick counterattacks. If there were only two or three players facing him in the opponent's half, it almost meant a goal.
No one can deny this, because many teams have been 'injured' in this regard.
Seeing Wang Li getting the ball near the center circle, Arsenal head coach Wenger stared at his team's half with his eyes wide open. When he found that two defenders had been sent into action for Arsenal's attack, leaving only three defensive players in the backcourt, Wenger's heart sank. Perhaps he had guessed what was going to happen next.
In almost two seconds, Wang Li completed the process from receiving the ball to shaking off Toure.
After passing Toure, Wang Li began to dribble the ball with his big feet, and then he rushed towards Arsenal's almost empty half with big strides leaving no trace on the snow.
At this time, in Arsenal's half, only the full-back Ebray had the chance to intercept Wang Li.
This is exactly what Ebray did. He took big strides and ran towards the penalty area. After reaching the penalty area, he turned to face Wang Li. At the same time, Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann also attacked.
Facing the black-haired boy's dribbling, Eboue was a little nervous. Although he didn't want to admit it, he already knew the result of this attack. Last season, Eboue experienced two games between Arsenal and Chelsea. In these two games, Eboue confronted Wang Li many times, but failed every time. This made Eboue not sure about defending Wang Li at all.
But the next moment, the football was in front of Eboue...
Faced with this excellent opportunity, Wang Li was a little excited, so when he ran forward without leaving any trace in the snow, his speed was extremely fast and the force of his kick was a little too strong.
After reacting, Wang Li was startled and suddenly exerted force with his heels. His body almost completed an instantaneous dive in the air and immediately arrived in front of the ball and in front of Eboue.
Ebrahimovic was startled by this sudden scene. When he saw the football coming in front of him, he was stunned and a little bit unbelieving, so he didn't have time to clear it at the first time. But the next moment, the black-haired boy on the opposite side also came in front of him, which startled him again, and he wondered if he was dazzled.
But Wang Li had no time to pay attention to Eboue's thoughts. When he stepped in front of Eboue with his left foot, the Arsenal goalkeeper was not far away from him.
In the rhythm, his right leg followed up and directly brushed the left side of the ball, and the football rolled to the right. Then he slammed the grass hard with his left toe, and then he stopped his body. After reacting, he immediately turned and rushed to the left.
Football was out of his control.
However, Wang Li got the ball before Ebraiker with his reaction speed and explosiveness, but goalkeeper Lehmann also pounced at his feet at the same time.
It is not difficult to dribble past a player, but it is not easy to dribble past a goalkeeper because the goalkeeper can use both hands.
At this moment, with the goalkeeper's save in front and Eboue's steal behind, Wang Li was in a dilemma. Since Lehmann was very close to him and had his arms outstretched, he had no way to kick to the sides.
It happened in a flash, it was just a moment.
After reacting, Wang Li's heart moved, and he made a small shock to the inside with his left foot. The football rolled to the right side during this contact. Then he completed a half turn, and his right foot also made a small shock. The football rolled to the left side again, and at the same time he completed a 360-degree turn.
During the whole process, the football was always between his legs, which made Lehmann's dive miss the ball, and Ebrahimovic behind him couldn't find any opportunity to grab the ball.
After that, Lehmann lay on the ground, Ebray was still behind him, but Wang Li was left unguarded.
So he easily brought the ball into the goal.
After the referee blew the whistle to signal a goal, five seconds later, the Bernabeu commentator exclaimed in surprise: "This is... a dream... dance!?"