Chapter 115 The Last 3 Minutes (Merry Christmas!)
Simeone's tit-for-tat substitution adjustments had an immediate effect. Real Madrid's offense, which had just improved, returned to silence. Close-up shots of the on-site director took care of Ancelotti in the visiting team's coach's command area many times.
Obviously, the on-site director knows football, and he hopes to see Ancelotti make immediate adjustments.
Real Madrid's lineup is star-studded, and there are many players who have the ability to change the situation of the game. However, Atletico Madrid's targeted defensive tactics are extremely effective. Players including Tang Zheng, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Di Maria and others are helpless.
A few more minutes passed and the game reached 60 minutes, which meant that there was still half an hour left in the game, and Real Madrid's offense still didn't make much progress. Ancelotti decided to make the second substitution adjustment of the game. The on-site director gave a panoramic shot, allowing the fans in front of the TV to see the scene outside of the game that had not been interrupted.
Marcelo, wearing jersey No. 12, stood on the sidelines, waiting for a dead ball opportunity.
Immediately, Cristiano Ronaldo received Tang Zheng's long pass from the attacking right rib on the left rib of the penalty area and completed a header. However, under Godin's personal interference, he exerted sufficient force, but his aim was not enough.
The referee on duty, Kuppers, blew his whistle and pointed his finger to the sidelines, indicating that a competing team was requesting a substitution.
Marcelo replaced Portuguese left back Coentrao, who was not in good condition in this game, to strengthen the left attack.
In fact, this substitution adjustment is very targeted. Cristiano Ronaldo's attack on the left will fall into the strong defense of Juanfran, Godin and Koke, and it will be difficult to achieve great results. And national team teammate Coentrao The state is not good, so Real Madrid's offensive from the left has been unable to create a threat.
Real Madrid's attack on the right was okay. Carvajal and Di Maria were in hot form. Although they did not directly help Real Madrid break through Atletico Madrid's defense, they created a lot of space. It was just Benzema who followed up and outflanked him in the middle. There was no shooting boot to be found under Ding's marking.
Marcelo performed very well in the first half of the 2013-2014 season. However, with the continuous injuries in the second half, his condition was greatly affected. Portugal international Coentrao relied on his tacit understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo and His stunning performance in the two legs of the Champions League semi-finals won him a starting position in the Champions League final.
Marcelo's performance as a substitute was not good enough, but considering that he still needs to find his form when coming off the bench in a top competition like the Champions League final, no one thought Ancelotti's substitution adjustment was inappropriate.
As the game slowly progressed, Marcelo gradually found his form.
As a player with a big heart, Marcelo is born for big scenes. His attacks on the left can often share the offensive pressure of Cristiano Ronaldo or Di Maria.
Despite this, Atletico Madrid's defensive quality is still very good, and they protect each other very well, link by link.
In particular, the connection restrictions for Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo were very severe, and they were not given any chance to connect directly.
Want to connect?
Can!
You have to walk through the air, and you are absolutely not allowed to pass through on the ground.
This is also the fundamental reason why most of the connections between Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo were through long passes for more than an hour of the game, because Atletico Madrid defensive players cut off the passing routes of the two through movement and assisting defense.
During this period, Tang Zheng thought of many ways, but he was worried about Atletico Madrid's quick counterattack, so the forward penetration was never very deep, which brought very limited help to the team.
However, Simeone paid close attention to Tang Zheng's activities without any neglect, and his substitution of Sousa for Raul Garcia also had something to do with Tang Zheng.
Sosa has a balanced offense and defense, has a strong sense of position, and has his own way of offensive organization at critical moments. Simeone even gave relevant instructions before Sosa came on as a substitute, asking Sosa to provide defense and protection nearby when Tang Zheng pressed forward and participated in the attack. .
This protection not only refers to Atletico Madrid's defense, but also to the transition from defense to offense.
The fanatical atmosphere at the Stadium of Light did not decrease because the score remained unchanged. On the contrary, it became more fanatical as time became shorter and shorter, and the cheers became louder and louder.
Taking advantage of a dead ball opportunity, the on-site director's close-up shot once again showed Ancelotti meaningfully. Central 5 commentator He Wei took the opportunity to say: "Real Madrid's two substitutions have obvious effects, but Atletico Madrid's defense is very good. , a quick counterattack can also threaten Real Madrid's goal when fully retreating to half-time. The game time is getting less and less. Real Madrid is still lagging behind Atletico Madrid. Ancelotti still has the last card left in his hand. Should he be more How about using it early?"
In fact, Ancelotti has also thought about this problem, but the last substitution adjustment cannot be used casually. There are almost thirty minutes left in the game including injury time. Unpredictable situations may occur within half an hour. The last one The quota should be reserved for emergencies.
Moreover, there are no suitable personnel options on the bench.
Goalkeepers Diego Lopez, Arbeloa and Pepe can be completely thrown away, leaving only Illarramendi, Casemiro and Morata.
Illarramendi is not as useful as Modric and Tang Zheng. Casemiro is a purely defensive midfielder and cannot be used now. Morata has the ability, but whether he can be a hitter in a top-level competition like the Champions League final Still an unknown.
After all, Ancelotti has Italian conservative blood flowing in his body, and he knows that he should not take risks at this time.
After all, there is still time.
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Atletico Madrid coach Simeone looked very calm after making a substitution adjustment. In fact, the psychological fluctuations were very large. The team's score was only one goal ahead, and a one-goal lead can be said to be the most unsafe score in the world.
If you are not careful, Real Madrid will equalize the score.
Therefore, Simeone stands in the home team coach's command area from time to time and makes provocative tactical gestures towards the players on the field, directing the team's game while releasing pressure on himself.
Especially when the game came to the 70th minute, because the running distance of Atletico Madrid players was perfect to suppress Real Madrid, even Tang Zheng, who ran the longest distance in Real Madrid, was not among the top three in the game. It can be imagined that the Atletico Madrid players What a long distance to run.
From the running distance, it is not difficult to see that the quality of Atletico Madrid's defense is made up by the quantity of every Atletico Madrid player who spares no effort to run. However, as time goes by, the players' physical fitness is limited after all, and when their physical fitness declines, it will affect the players. Concentration on the game.
Tang Zheng is keenly aware that Atletico players' physical fitness has declined significantly, especially in the midfield, where their mobility is slowly declining.
Although the decline is not very obvious, Tang Zheng believes that the decline will become more obvious as time goes by.
Therefore, Tang Zheng was even more keen on planning the direction of attack.
Simeone stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and a deep frown on his face. He knew his team well and was very observant. He also saw the problems that Tang Zheng could see.
Physical fitness can be said to be a team advantage, but also a disadvantage.
Atletico Madrid's victory in La Liga this season was extremely thrilling, with two consecutive defeats at critical moments.
The outside world thinks that Atletico Madrid is careless, but in fact it is not. The real reason is that Atletico Madrid consciously rotated for the Champions League final, but the gap between the main team and the substitutes was obvious, so at the critical moment they lost to Levante and Malaga one after another.
Turkey international Turan is a fighter, but he has just recovered from injury and has not returned yet. He dare not put him on easily. Now he is very tight and cannot relax.
Christian Rodriguez is strong and weak on offense, and now needs to defend rather than attack, and cannot adjust.
Alderweireld is a good choice, but I haven't decided who to replace him yet, and Diego Costa is injured and uses up one of his places. Sosa comes on and uses up the second place. The third one should be more cautious. .
At this moment, left back Felipe suddenly sat on the ground. Center backs Godin and Gabi raised their hands. Modric, who was in possession of the ball, hesitated and then kicked the ball out of the sideline.
"Pah, pah, pah—"
Modric's approach won applause from Atletico Madrid fans, but Real Madrid fans were unhappy. They thought it was a trick by Atletico Madrid players to delay the game.
Facts have proved that Felipe sat on the ground without physical confrontation not to delay the game, but because he realized that his body could no longer continue to play, otherwise the hidden dangers to the team would be absolutely catastrophic.
At the same time, Simeone's heart trembled. Diego Costa was unable to persist in the game and used one substitution early. Sosa came on and used the second one. Now Felipe cannot persist in the game, which is equivalent to the third substitution. Human adjustments are most likely used here.
About half a minute later, the team doctor shook his head at Simeone and made a gesture indicating that a substitution was needed.
It was clear that Felipe could no longer keep playing.
Felipe is one of the few Atletico Madrid players who has maintained full attendance this season. Fighting on the third line requires too much physical energy and muscle problems will inevitably occur.
Central 5 commentator He Wei sighed: "Atletico Madrid's luck is really bad. Diego Costa's forced comeback failed and he used up a heat exchange quota early. Now Felipe can't persist in the game. The third crucial substitution is The quota will have to be used up again, and the remaining games will be a long way for Atletico Madrid, and the only good news for them is that they are ahead in the score. As long as there are no problems in defense, they can have the last laugh."
Felipe was unable to persist in the game, which had a great impact on Atletico Madrid's offense and defense on the left. However, Atletico Madrid's top priority is to keep the left defense solid. Belgian international Alderweireld is a good choice.
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Seventy-five minutes into the game, Atletico Madrid had used all three substitution adjustments, and Real Madrid had one more substitution adjustment. However, Ancelotti did not dare to fight Atletico Madrid too early. After all, there was still time.
Just to be sure, we have to wait.
Ancelotti waited for eighty minutes.
The frontcourt players Tang Zheng, Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria were in good condition and could not be replaced. Isco came on as a substitute in the second half. Modric played a great role and could not be replaced, so Ancelotti finally chose to adjust the matchups. .
Morata replaces Benzema.
Many commentators were puzzled by this substitution.
They believe that when Real Madrid falls behind, they should pile up forwards regardless of the consequences and trade quantity for quality.
In fact, in Ancelotti's view, Real Madrid still needs organization to score goals. Benzema spent all his physical energy on Godin and Miranda in the first 80 minutes. Now the physical confrontation is very tight, and his ability to grab points has been greatly reduced. With fresh blood, Morata is a good choice.
Of course, the bigger reason is that there is no one to replace.
Morata is a forward with a wide range of activities. Like most Spanish players, he does not like physical confrontation. However, head coach Ancelotti and assistant coach Clement gave him full tasks before playing.
Morata, who came on as a substitute, was very conscious. He knew that this was one of the few Champions League finals in his life, and if he could play, he should shed his blood for the team.
Because he just came on the field, Morata is full of energy. Miranda and Godin spent a lot of energy in the battle of wits with Benzema in the past 80 minutes. Now they encounter Morata, who is not in particularly good physical condition but has a good attitude. There is nothing they can do. .
Morata is taller than Benzema, has better header skills, and also has good technical skills at his feet.
In this way, as long as Real Madrid's two wingers have the opportunity to kick the ball, they can often pose a huge threat to Atletico Madrid's defense.
Simeone looked very anxious standing on the sidelines, making colorful body movements, causing the on-site director to frequently switch to close-ups of him.
As the game time passed, Atletico Madrid began to set up the bus and all players returned to the 30-meter defensive zone.
In this situation, Tang Zheng can rest assured to move forward, and Tang Zheng's forward pressure to the 30-meter offensive zone also brings a huge bonus to Real Madrid's offense.
Real Madrid's offense, organized by Tang Zheng and Modric, crushed Atletico Madrid's defense. The ball came from the right to the middle. Isco turned his back to the goal and handed the ball to Modric. The latter kept passing the ball to Modric. Tang Zheng.
After receiving the ball, Tang Zheng moved the ball forward with his right foot, stepped forward with his left foot, and raised his right foot.
A very obvious long-range shooting posture, and Tang Zheng's long-range shooting skills are world-class. Gabi, who is defending frontally, and David Villa, who is assisting in defense, do not dare to neglect.
However, Tang Zheng's swung right foot did not directly shoot from a long distance, but handed the ball to Marcelo on the left.
Tang Zheng assumed that the true pass attracted the attention of many Atletico Madrid defenders, leaving Marcelo unmarked.
Marcelo kept the ball and swept the ball towards the penalty area with his left foot. Cristiano Ronaldo and Morata fired both arrows, one after the other.
In Milan, he fell to the ground and blocked the football, but he swayed to Cristiano Ronaldo. Morata picked up his left foot while running and completed a stab shot.
"Oh oh oh——"
Atletico Madrid fans subconsciously burst out and exclaimed.
However, the next moment, the exclamations were replaced by loud shouts: "Ouch-ouch-"
Godin was in a poor position and put a shovel on the side and behind, and his right foot happened to block the rolling path of Morata's left-footed shot.
The intercepted football changed its trajectory and went out of the left baseline, resulting in a corner kick.
"What a pity!" Central 5 commentator He Wei lamented: "Tang Zheng assumed that the true pass made this attack suddenly clear, and Marcelo's cross was also very accurate. It is a pity that Godin, who has performed in this game with experience, Appear in the key position at the critical moment!”
As soon as he finished speaking, He Wei looked at the game time displayed on the scoreboard and added: "There are only three minutes left in the game. Can Real Madrid equalize the score?"