There is a dream called football

Chapter 516 Meeting the Cup King Again
Manchester United's opponent in the FA Cup final is the cup king Liverpool, which Manchester United feels very used to.

Liverpool's league games in recent years have been really mediocre, but their performances in cup games have been particularly good, and Benitez's title as the king of cup games has become more and more resounding.

After several seasons and slowly buying people to fill up their lineup, Liverpool is actually getting stronger and stronger at this time. Among other things, the golden boy Torres on the forward line is one of the best forwards in football today.

This is also Benitez's most proud acquisition in recent years. The Spanish Holy Eagle is already the strongest leg on Liverpool's offensive line.

Benitez also said before the game that Liverpool is the more advantageous side.

"It's the only honor Liverpool can compete for this season and I think we'll give it our all."

Before the game, public opinion was more optimistic about Liverpool. The reason is self-evident, that is, Benitez's cup record is indeed too fierce.

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Wembley Stadium.

The venue of the FA Cup final is also the holy land of English football, and the national team matches are also held here.

Martin Taylor is again partnering with Alan Smith to call the game.

"Let me introduce some Liverpool starters."

"Goalkeeper Reina."

"Defence, Riise, Carragher, Hyypia, Arbeloa."

"The single midfielder is Mascherano, the two wings are Kewell and Babel, and the midfielder is Gerrard."

"Double forwards are Dirk Drivet and Torres."

"Liverpool sent all the strongest players in their hands. Benitez has nothing to keep. An FA Cup championship will make Liverpool's record this season look much better."

Manchester United's starting lineup is still the strongest. Although Manchester United still has the Champions League final to play, it seems that Ferguson is not conservative at all.

After the start of the game, the two sides did not make the slightest attempt, but directly cut to the topic. The meeting between the two teams in the Premier League is called the double red meeting, which is the biggest attraction of the Premier League every season. In this season, the double red meeting, both teams overturned their opponents at their own home courts. Coincidentally, the FA Cup final was held at a third-party venue.

Gerrard went straight into the penalty area, and Torres got the ball. At this time, Torres can be said to be the best Torres, but it was not Toniu who was a little soft later. He took the ball in the penalty area and dunked Ferdinand.

But the angle was not widened when the shot was made, and Van der Sar sideways threw the ball down.

This is Liverpool's first shot in this game, and also the first shot of the two teams. It seems that there will be many shots from both sides in this game.

Soon, Gerrard found a good opportunity in front of the penalty area. At a distance of about 25 meters, Gerrard slid past the door with a heavy artillery.

There was a bang in the audience. Looking at the slow motion, the ball was only half a meter away from the goal. With such a long range, what does such a small distance mean?The fans know it all.

After the opening, Liverpool was really strong. The king of the cup is definitely not in vain, but Manchester United did not give the opponent the chance to really score goals.

And Manchester United is mainly looking for opportunities to counterattack. Ronaldo's header in the penalty area is considered a very good opportunity.

The second is a shot from Rooney.

The two sides understand very well, which is not a good thing for the game. Because of the understanding, they lack passion. Both sides understand the opponent's ability very well.

The first half ended 0-0.

The two sides played more conservatively in the second half. As time went by, the fans were already preparing for overtime and even penalty shootouts.

"This is likely to be a game going into overtime." Martin Taylor laughed.

"It seems quite possible."

Just at the 80th minute of the game, Manchester United got a chance to kill the game. Li Qiao passed Riise after getting the ball in the frontcourt. At this time, Liverpool's central defender Hyypia had a short-circuited brain and he was a little slower to fill up. In this way, Liverpool's defense rarely had a [-]-meter hole.

It was basically a godsend.

Li Qiao ran forward with the ball quickly, but Hypia's speed was very slow. Li Qiao formed a one-handed shot. In the PK against Reina, Li Qiao didn't think about anyone. At this time, he only had the goal in his mind.

Although he has experienced many battles, Li Qiao is still a little nervous at this time.

Pushing the arch of the foot to the far corner is the safest way to shoot. After the ball went out, Li Qiao sat on the ground and watched the ball slowly, slowly roll out of the baseline.

Ferguson smiled wryly.

The goal was missed.

Li Qiao also looked regretful.

"China Joe missed his chance to kill the game."

Smith said: "This shot is okay, but the angle is not well grasped, and it is a little bit close."

"This should be said to be Manchester United's best chance in this game."

"Yes."

After that, neither side created any better chances, and the FA Cup Double Reds had to go into overtime.

"The difference in strength between the two sides is not that big. In addition, Liverpool is really good at playing cup games. They did a good job offensively and defensively today. Manchester United didn't score many goals."

Alan said: "I think the final outcome of this game may depend on a lucky ball, and it depends on who has better luck."

"I see it that way, too."

However, with the decline in physical fitness, the offensive firepower of both sides has also declined, especially Manchester United. With so many games recently, the physical condition of the players is already very bad.

Ferguson waved and called Queiroz.

"We have to prepare for a penalty shootout."

"Maybe the final lore."

"It's very difficult. The physical problem is very serious. I don't think it is possible."

Benitez also thinks so, because he can't play a fast break after his physical fitness declines, and the long pass has no good effect against Manchester United, so he does not replace Crouch, but replaces Kewell with Benayoun.

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After 2 minutes stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle of the game, and the two sides will use penalty kicks to decide the final champion.

This is the first time Manchester United has faced a penalty shootout in recent seasons. At least Ronaldo and Rooney have never played a penalty shootout.

And Ferguson also understands that the technical requirements for penalty shootouts are secondary, and the key lies in mentality.

In this regard, the two sides can be said to be similar. Liverpool is also a team that has seen the world, and Manchester United is the most successful British club in the Premier League era.

Ferguson took the little notebook, and he wrote down his first name in the little notebook—Li Qiao.

Then there is Ronaldo.

He didn't write the next one, but skipped to the last one, which was the finale of Scholes.

Then Ferguson added two names, Rooney and Giggs.

(End of this chapter)