long live football

There is a 5-minute break before extra time begins.

In such a short time, it was impossible to leave the field and go back to the locker room. The players chose their most comfortable positions and slumped near the coach's bench. Some were sitting with mineral water in their hands, and some were wearing hot towels on their faces, only showing their eyes and looking up. Sitting on the seat, some people simply lay face down on the ground and asked the team doctor to give them a massage to relax their muscles.

Karl stroked his hair, swept all the broken hair on his forehead and cheeks to the back of his head, and then raced against time to use the 5 minutes to explain the tactical changes in overtime to the team.

He speaks fast and talks a lot. Explaining tactics is not just an order to the players, "Give me a higher possession rate", "Add a few more shots", "Speed ​​up the rhythm of offensive and defensive transitions." "Such general words, but to be refined until each player is clear about what their tasks are.

For example, when Manchester United is attacking, which players are responsible for defending and which are responsible for running and intercepting. For example, when Portillo and Lewandowski take the ball separately, the players who mainly cooperate with them are so-and-so.

But just a few words at the beginning, Karl found that his players were a little bit distracted at the moment?

He coughed heavily.

All the players—including those who were lying on the ground being beaten by the masseur—like police dogs who heard a change, raised their heads quickly and neatly to look at him, but after a second, they quickly looked away .

Karl didn't know why, so he frowned, and was about to reprimand him, when his shoulders suddenly sank, and an extra piece of clothing appeared on his body.

He looked down and saw that it was the suit jacket that he had left in the locker room because he was soaked during the intermission.

"The jersey administrator found a place to dry it for you during the second half of the game." The assistant coach endured thousands of gazes and said very firmly: "The temperature is getting lower and lower. To prevent colds, put on your clothes quickly. Bar."

"It's still raining. What are you doing to dry my clothes? Isn't it going to get wet again after I wear them outside for a while? And the shirt inside is still wet." The wet clothes feel cold and clammy against the body It was so uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the time limit, Karl really wanted to rush back to the locker room to change into a new one. If he didn't feel that it was too shameful to change clothes in front of tens of thousands of fans and hundreds of cameras, he would have put his clothes on He unbuttoned it and threw it out.

"Put on a coat, it's warm." The assistant coach was about to burst into tears: Are you a little self-conscious about your current see-through clothing, if you don't cover it up, no one will listen carefully! "The administrator has already gone to the hotel to pick up everyone's luggage. Once the game is over, you will definitely be able to change into a new set of clothes as soon as possible."

With a dry and crisp coat on his body, the coolness felt by the skin is indeed much smaller.Unable to refuse the assistant coach's kindness, Karl nodded to the other side, stretched his arms behind the sleeves and continued to talk while buttoning the buttons.

Around the Luzhniki Stadium, there were countless sighs of fans.

"Although after 90 minutes of the main game, everyone's physical strength has dropped significantly, but what is certain is that after entering overtime, Manchester United will definitely be the first to provoke the attack and try to take the initiative in their hands."

Glancing at the coaching bench next door, and seeing the Manchester United coach muttering in two circles, Carl ticked his mouth: "Manchester United absolutely don't want to drag the game to a penalty shootout, because they are better than set kicks. And goalkeeper, their advantage is not as obvious as ours."

Munich 1860 striker Owen, Portillo, Dzeko, Lewandowski and others, as well as retired free kick master Beckham in European football, and known as "Saint Koch" At the same time, the goalkeeper of the Lions team showed a confident smile shining brightly after being praised.

"The more Manchester United want to end the game in extra time, the more we cannot let them do so. Once their original plan fails, the overall morale and self-confidence of the Manchester United team will be hit to the greatest extent. At the same time It also increases our chances of winning the penalty shootout... The specific method is to control the ball, control the rhythm in your own hands, use fast to control slow, and use slow to control fast..."

"David, you have a better understanding of Manchester United's player tactics. After the start of the game, you and Sami try to harass their wide players as much as possible. Don't let them hit the high ball. Matz and Russ, you need to focus on Ronaldo. If Ryan Giggs is on the field, then watch one more Ryan Giggs. When we are in an offensive state, these two people don't have to care too much, but if it is Manchester United's attack, we must always pay attention to the two people Position, because more than half of Manchester United's offense was initiated by these two people...Dante, you are the last line of defense in front of the goal line, everyone else can press forward, only you two can't, you must defend Take your own position..."

……

After the start of overtime, Manchester United really put on a full attack posture.

It seems that Ferguson's plan was right. The opponent wanted to win the game as soon as possible and was not going to be dragged into a penalty shootout. From the beginning of extra time, Manchester United replaced Ryan Giggs with a better offensive player Coles, with Nani replaced Tevez, who is almost unable to run, can be seen.

Manchester United wants to add firepower to the last fight.

Famous coaches can always put their own distinctive marks on the team, and Ferguson is naturally on the list. The Red Devils' offense under his coaching mainly has several routines: one is to break through from two sides, and then pass from the bottom. The second is to let the Portuguese star Ronaldo run the ball to Rooney after a long-distance attack, and Rooney will break the goal. Players shoot in ambush.

For these offensive tactics of Manchester United, Munich 1860 also has a way to deal with it. Simply put, it is to keep two or three defenders in the backcourt unwaveringly, and then strictly guard the wings, absolutely not giving Manchester United a chance to cross.

Originally, if Ferguson didn't replace Scholes, Karl was going to let the players pull Scholes, so that the opponent's physical strength would be seriously exhausted, so as to reduce the threat of Scholes in the attack.

But now Scholes has been replaced by Giggs. Although Giggs is 35 years old and his physical strength is not as good as when he was young, it is by no means exhausted in just 30 minutes of overtime. When the core of the opponent's midfield cannot launch an attack, this method cannot be used by Munich 1860.

But that's okay, Giggs or Scholes are the initiators of Manchester United's offense, but the attack in the frontcourt is mainly done by strikers such as Rooney and Ronaldo. Carl sent two defensive players to focus on tracking Ronaldo, when encountering the opponent holding the ball, he will press close to him and never leave the opponent a chance to shoot in front of the goal. Long-range shots are fine. The Portuguese's long-range shooting percentage is not very high, and Koch's blockade gives the opponent a chance to shoot. The Lions goal will not be too much of a threat.

After launching the mad attack, although Manchester United failed to open the goal of Munich 1860, the latter also had nothing to do with the former.

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is a very experienced veteran. He once played for the Serie A giants Juventus. His saving ability is very comprehensive. He can handle single-handed long-range shots or short-range shots very well. He has a mature and steady personality. , was selected to the Premier League's best team last season, and briefly served as Manchester United captain.

Such a world-class goalkeeper is not easy to deal with, plus Van der Sar had received Ferguson's earmarks before the game, and he has a full understanding of almost every striker in Munich 1860-Van der Sar himself is also very good. I was surprised by the head coach's analysis of the shooting characteristics of the 1860 forwards. They must have looked for scouts for a long time to inquire and analyze the appearance of the [-] forwards in advance-but because of this, they have more confidence in defending their own goals.

In the 18th minute of overtime, the situation on the field was still stalemate.

Ronaldo took a long-range shot from 35 meters in front of the goal. Thiago jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball to the top to seal the flying football out of the bottom line.

Manchester United win a corner.The football kicked out by Giggs flew forward quickly. Ronaldo stretched out his foot and sent the ball to the middle of the penalty area. Rooney responded to Ronaldo's cross with a header. The football directly hit Koch's palm and bounced back.

Munich 1860 immediately launched a counterattack. Thiago sent the ball into the midfield with a big kick from the backcourt. Beckham broke through with the ball and made a pass with Lars. Lewandowski crossed the penalty area. Lewandowski missed this excellent shot and the football landed near the penalty spot.

At this moment, a figure suddenly rushed to the football landing point at high speed, swung his right foot and shot!

"Owen—!"

The German narrator shouted in a drawn out voice.

"Owen is too good at capturing opportunities! As long as the ball can hit the goal, it will be very difficult for Van der Sar to save it!"

As soon as the commentator finished speaking, the palm of the Manchester United goalkeeper's right hand collided violently with the football!

Van der Sar predicted the direction of Owen's shot, and saved the almost inevitable shot in the blink of an eye!

The German commentator was a little embarrassed, and after a long silence, he sighed: "Van der Sar has played really well tonight."

Seeing this scene, the entire Manchester United breathed a sigh of relief.

Although there was always a subtle feeling in his heart warning him that "it would be bad for Manchester United to delay the decision until a penalty kick", the game was not something that Ferguson could just control and do whatever he wanted, van der Sar was doing well at the moment , the Red Devils coach also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking in his heart: If a penalty kick is really going to be taken, Manchester United is not at an absolute disadvantage. As long as there is a chance of winning by four or five points, it is not in vain that I sent the ball two seasons ago. Scouts keep an eye on Carl's team and collect player profiles...

The commentators from various countries also have their own understanding of the scene in front of them: "Manchester United just made a new arrangement in overtime, and 1860 Munich followed up with targeted changes, and when it was 1860's turn to attack, Manchester United can always resolve the crisis in front of the goal...Should it be said that Ferguson and Auston really deserve to be mentors? Although the two teams are not in the same league, they know each other very well."

……

Finally came this moment.

Penalty shootout.

Just after the 30 minutes of overtime, the referee couldn't wait to blow the final whistle, and he didn't even give 1 minute of stoppage time.

This move of the referee has been welcomed by the whole world - whether it is Carl Ferguson or the fans in the media, they all think that according to the situation where Manchester United and Munich 1860 are now evenly matched on the court, even if there is a 5-minute stoppage time, it is difficult. To stage a one-party lore, why not just serve the main dish of penalty kicks, and let's have a good fight.

Penalty shootouts have always been a heart-pounding game. In addition to the set-piece strength of the players on both sides, the competition also includes the psychological quality of the players and the IQ of the head coaches (how to arrange the order of penalty kicks is more beneficial to one’s side is also a profound knowledge) .

After overtime, before the start of the penalty shootout, the players have a few minutes of rest, and the coaches of the two teams will use this time to decide the players and order of appearance for the first five rounds of penalty kicks, and submit the list to the head coach.

Not everyone can participate in the penalty shootout, at least not those who are on the bench. The list includes, and can only include, the names of the 11 players on the field at the end of overtime.

And this list cannot be changed. Once it is decided, it can only be kicked in this order, so it must be carefully considered when drawing up.

The last 1860 people left on the field in Munich 11 are: Koch, Mertesacker, Silva, Dante, Hummels, Ozil, Lars, Khedira, Beckham, Polti Slightly, Irving, Lewandowski.

The three strikers must be on the list of penalty kicks in the first five rounds, and of course Beckham is also there, but the only remaining spot is not so easy to decide.

There are many head coaches in Europe who let their defenders play penalty shootouts because they value their maturity and stability. However, these defenders of the Lions are excellent in interception, but when it comes to set-piece skills, they are a bit scumbag.

So Carl's plan is to pick one of the three midfielders from Ozil, Lars, and Khedira to make up the number.

In terms of mental quality, Russ is the best, but because of the fierce fighting in the overtime game, Russ' ankle was already swollen, because the team's substitution quota had been used up at that time, so Russ also gritted his teeth and held on until the end of the game. , Karl has now let people sit on the bench to rest, and he is not going to be used in the first five rounds of penalty kicks.

As for Ozil and Khedira, the former has a slightly soft style of play, while the latter likes to attack in normal games, and occasionally competes for opportunities to shoot, but the shooting rate is so low that it is appalling... All kinds of thoughts turned in my mind , Karl still chose Ozil.

Unexpectedly, when Karl announced the list of penalty kicks to the players, Ozil showed an expression that was almost shocked to the point of death.

Carl waved the other players away and asked him, "You don't want to take a penalty?"

Ozil didn't dare to look directly at Carl, and shook his head stiffly, but his expression was weak.

Although the opponent did not bluntly say that he does not want to be punished, Karl has decided to make a substitution at this moment. Instead of letting a player with a high shooting percentage but who is resistant to free throws force him to waste opportunities, it is better to directly replace him with a good mental quality but If the shooting technique is not superb, the latter still has a chance to gamble.

However, for whom?

Carl mentally compared the shooting percentages of the team's defenders in normal training.

Koch poured a whole bottle of water on top of his head, wiped his face, stepped forward and said, "Let me go."

The Lions players around them almost exploded because of this sentence. The players who had just transferred to the team for a season or so all showed "scared and stupid" expressions, but there were many old players, especially those who came from the club's youth training. , eyes lit up and said: "Lambert can definitely do it!"

It was only at this time that Karl suddenly remembered that besides being a natural goalkeeper, his blond disciple was also a man who had won nicknames such as "Midfield Meat Grinder" and "Make the Goalkeeper Tremble". Almost fixed in the goalkeeper position, it made everyone forget for a moment how good he had performed in other positions.

After crossing out Ozil's name, Karl didn't even have a question. He filled in Koch's name in the back, and then gave the list to the assistant coach, who then handed it over to the referee.

Koch felt a strong trust from the behavior of the head coach. He has already practiced the skill of not showing his emotions and anger. He seldom shows his true feelings in the game, so he can't help but show his white teeth at this time.

Before being called by the referee to guess the coin, Beckham stood beside Karl and asked hesitantly: "Koch is good at shooting?" The heartthrob who only joined the Lions last season knew that Koch was a natural Goalkeeper, it is not clear how his teammates perform in other positions.

Carl smiled: "Lambert used to practice almost all the positions on the field in the youth training camp. He tried all the forwards, wingers, center backs, midfielders and even defenders. When he was a forward, he was in the youth team. He even got a very prestigious nickname."

Beckham became curious: "What nickname?"

"Well, it's a bit long, do you really want to listen?" After seeing the other party nodding, Carl smiled and said, "Shen Feng with a broken leg."

Beckham's eyes were full of question marks.Broken leg?Is it possible to shoot and break the legs of many people before?

Carl: "This leg refers to the man's third leg."

Beckham: "..." Can he ask why Koch got such a weird nickname?

Although Beckham didn't ask, Carl replied very "understanding" and said: "Don't worry, Lambert doesn't have a hobby of intentionally shooting people in the lower part of the body. It was too big, and he would tremble for a long time when he hit the goal post, and even pierced the net once, so at that time, almost no one in the youth academy dared to help him keep the goal when he practiced shooting, even if he was pulled Now, I will subconsciously cover my crotch when Lambert lifts his foot. Everyone said that if he kicks the third leg, the third leg will definitely be broken..."

Beckham listened quietly, and suddenly felt a little pain in his third leg.

Carl, however, interpreted his tangled expression as worrying for others, and explained: "Don't be afraid, Lambert's shooting skills are much better now, he won't do that to Van der Sar on purpose——Fan Desa has no grudge against him again."

Then, Karl turned his head again, and said to Koch, who was standing behind the two of them at some point, "Am I right, Lambert?"

Koch smiled at his coach with extremely white and dazzling teeth.

Beckham didn't feel much warmth from that bright smile...

He bowed his head and said "Amen" in his heart, and then silently lit a candle for the Manchester United goalkeeper.

……

Beckham won the coin toss, choosing 1860 Munich to shoot first.

Most football people believe that in the penalty shootout, the team that shoots the penalty kick first has an advantage and a higher winning percentage. Some football experts have counted the data of penalty shootouts in major competitions over the years, and the conclusions they draw also support this. View.

After guessing the coin, Beckham went to the penalty spot. He was the penalty kicker in the first round of Munich 1860.

Beckham knows that as the team's first free thrower, he bears heavy pressure and responsibility on his shoulders. His performance can not only affect the team's subsequent free throwers, but also affect his opponents. The experienced and battle-hardened man did not change color because of this little pressure, but was very mature and confident from the beginning to the end.

But the relaxed self-confidence on the face of the "heartbeater" brought double the pressure on the other person.

This person is Manchester United's first-round penalty shooter, Cristiano Ronaldo.