Chapter 558: Volume 4: Storm Confrontation

It doesn't matter whether the Nottingham Forest players protest or beg. The referee stood by the decision he had just made: handball by Leighton Barnes, awarding Chelsea a penalty.

Not only that, he also took out a yellow card from his pocket and gave Barnes a warning.

"Damn it, should I thank him for not directly sending off Barnes with a red card?" Tang En, who saw this scene from the sidelines, said dissatisfiedly.

Tang Ke next to him didn't answer him, he still had his own affairs to attend to. Taking advantage of the current chaos, Tang called back Eastwood, who was closest to the coach's bench, and handed him a note for him to hand over to goalkeeper Van der Sar.

Eastwood was a little strange, but he did it anyway. He ran back to the pitch, skirting the rowdy crowd, and made his way to Van der Sar.

"Assistant Tang asked me to give it to you." Eastwood handed the note to Van der Sar.

"What is this?" Van der Sar was puzzled.

"You will know if you open it and have a look?"

After Eastwood finished his task, he stood by and watched his teammates plead with the referee. He didn't get involved because he knew that even if he talked dry, the referee would not change the penalty he made before, especially a penalty as important as a penalty. He wouldn't do such meaningless things, and he wasn't the captain, so he had to bite the bullet even though he knew it couldn't be done.

Van der Sar next to him suddenly let out an exclamation, which instead attracted his attention. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, it's nothing." Van der Sar smiled and put the note away, bending over and putting it in the socks.

Eastwood looked at Van der Sar suspiciously, but did not continue to ask.

Seeing that his teammates were still tangling with the referee, Van der Sar patted Eastwood on the shoulder: "You don't seem to be worried about this penalty, Freddie?"

Eastwood looked at the men and said: "It's all over, it's no use worrying. If you don't defend, I'll go and score another goal. Ribery can equalize forty-five seconds after we conceded the goal." , I think I can too."

Van der Sar smiled. "Then don't stray too far from me. If I catch the ball, I'll just throw it to you."

"It's a deal."

※ ※ ※

The penalty cannot be changed, and it is meaningless to continue to entangle. The players of the Forest team dispersed and exited the penalty area.

After the Chelsea players celebrated briefly, Lampard walked up holding the football. He is the number one penalty shooter in the Chelsea team.

Van der Sar stands in front of the goal line, slightly lowered and arms outstretched.

Looking at Lampard who was placing the football, he thought of the note he had just read.

Like last season's Champions League semi-final, it was a piece of information filled with the penalty kick habits of all Chelsea penalty shooters, and Lampard was ranked first.

Van der Sar was not originally a goalkeeper who was good at saving penalty kicks, but with these detailed information, he was confident to save Lampard's ball.

What's more, since the World Cup, the level of Lampard's penalty kick seems to have dropped suddenly. There have been several situations where he missed a penalty kick. This game is a battle of life and death. This penalty is more related to whether Chelsea can finally qualify. So Can Lampard bear the great pressure? These are things Van der Sar can seize and use.

He stood in front of the goal with open arms, trying to expand his defensive area, while creating a sense of psychological oppression for Lampard.

Lampard placed the penalty on the penalty spot, and he repeated it three times before getting up and backing away satisfied.

The hustle and bustle in the stands of the stadium gradually disappeared, and everyone was looking at the small area in front of the Forest team with breathless concentration.

A fateful moment...

It is no exaggeration to say that. If Chelsea can score this goal, the impact on the situation of the game will be very far-reaching. Chelsea can take the opportunity to stabilize their defense and deal with the Forest team. It will be difficult for the Forest team to fight back, because the space they can use is greatly reduced later.

And what if Chelsea don't score? I believe it is not only a Chelsea fan, but also a heavy blow to Chelsea players and coaching staff. After finally looking forward to an opportunity to make a decision, but not grasping it... It is no exaggeration to describe it as "heartbroken". There will be a period of time after that when the Chelsea players will be in a state of confusion and morale will be low. If something happens against them during this period, it is normal. On the contrary, the forest team's morale will be high.

There is another point.

It is now 70 minutes, and many Chelsea players who have run for so long have actually reached the critical point of physical strength. This is when they are at their weakest, and they have to rely on willpower to support their legs if they want to lift their legs, not everyone's willpower is so strong.

Of course, if they can survive this critical point, they will continue to entangle with Nottingham Forest in the next ten minutes of the game. If you can't make it through... the result is self-evident.

Dunn said he was a gambler, so why not Mourinho?

Lampard stood three paces away from the ball, waiting for the referee to blow his whistle.

The urban stadium, which can accommodate up to 30,000 people, was completely silent in this one. Whether it was the benches of both sides, the coach's bench, or the VIP box, everyone was staring at the two people in the middle of the stage.

Tang En didn't speak, but bit his lips firmly. He said he wanted to give Albertini the most perfect farewell game, he said he wanted George to step into the European Champions Cup final again, and he promised Ribery a year ago that it would not be the only time they broke through Into the Champions League final...

How could he have made so many promises and watched them dissipate?

"beep--"

Just when Tang En was in a mess, the referee's whistle sounded, which was very clear in this quiet stadium.

※ ※ ※

After hearing the whistle, Lampard started to run. The distance of three steps was very short, and the run-up was completed in an instant. He leaned to the left, swung his right foot... volleyed!

At the same time as his kick, Van der Sar flew out. He noticed Lampard's approach and the swing of his feet, and thought that although Lampard's body was leaning to the left, he would not push the football to the left. The leaning of his body was just a fake move to trick him into jumping in that direction. .

So Van der Sar chose to pounce on the right side of Lampard, the left side of his body.

I just threw it out, but found that Lampard didn't push to any side, and the football flew straight to the middle!

What an unexpected situation!

Mid lane, fast and powerful, looks unstoppable!

Can't beat it?

This idea was thrown out as soon as it rose in Van der Sar's mind.

The ball is fast, the half-high ball, the middle...

Fast ball? !

Thank God!

Van der Sar flew across the air with his legs stretched out, which looked awkward and funny, but he knew it was his only chance.

If Lampard's shot is powerful enough and fast enough, then before Van der Sar's body flies out...his feet may still touch the football flying towards the middle!

At this moment, Van der Sar really hopes that he can have a strong ability to stay in the air for a long time like Michael Jordan, let him hover here, and then wait for the football to hit him...

"Boom!"

There was a pounding pain in his foot that made him ecstatic - I blocked it!

"Unbelievable! Lampard's penalty kick missed!" The commentator couldn't hide his disappointment—Twain's shit luck was too good!

Lampard looked up at the football flying over his head, a little dazed.

Penalty nightmare, penalty nightmare... Ever since the World Cup, he has been bothering him, and he is unwilling to let him go.

He seems to have returned to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and the person wearing the red Nottingham Forest jersey next to him suddenly became a Portuguese player also wearing red...

On that night of agony and despair, he played first in the penalty shoot-out. He knew very well what "first man" meant, but he failed everyone's expectations and sent the penalty directly to Ricardo's arms.

After he missed the penalty, his bad mood also spread to his teammates. Gerrard, who was the second to take the penalty, was on the verge of collapse after seeing Lampard miss the ball. With the tears in my eyes, I went up to kick the second ball, the consequences can be imagined...

England's two most consistent players in penalty kicks both missed penalties, England once again fell in front of the Portuguese, and once again lost to the penalty nightmare.

The loud cheers dragged him back from his trance, and he looked back to see that his teammates were desperately returning to the defense, and there was only one goal - Eastwood, No. 11 of Nottingham Forest, who was dribbling with the ball!

Didn't become a dead ball?

"Come on, Freddie!!" Van der Sar roared loudly behind him, waving his fists. He didn't care that he didn't have time to appear in the close-up shots to celebrate saving a penalty. Now is the forest team's great chance to counterattack!

Chelsea fought for 70 minutes to get a penalty. Nottingham Forest stood guard for 70 minutes in embarrassment, wasn't it also waiting for such an opportunity?

"Charge! Our Gypsy Rooney!!" The Forest fans in the stands cheered together with Van der Sar.

※ ※ ※

Mourinho saw one of his favorites miss another penalty, but he didn't have the time to chafe or rage. He has to worry about his own goal now, because of the penalty kick just now, most people rushed up, and now there are only two central defenders besides the goalkeeper Petr Cech.

He cursed a curse in a low voice, but he didn't know whether he was cursing the missed penalty or the forest team's quick counterattack.

※ ※ ※

Tang patted Tang En on the shoulder: "I said that things are not that bad."

Tang En didn't bother to praise his foresight, he murmured excitedly: "Come_on! Freddie, give them a fatal blow!"

※ ※ ※

"Jose, maybe the situation is not so bad..." Grant, the technical director, stood aside and said, "We still have Terry and Carvalho."

Mourinho scolded: "I'm fucking worried about this!"

Grant's face changed, and he didn't speak anymore.

Terry has a yellow card, and now he is the first to meet the enemy.

"Paste it, don't step out!" Mourinho rushed to the sidelines and shouted.

※ ※ ※

There was a lot of noise in the stadium, and Terry didn't hear what Mourinho was yelling on the sidelines at all, and he didn't have time to turn his head to see the anxious expression of the coach. Now there is only one person in his eyes-Eastwood who came rushing with the ball.

"It's really like a large-scale hunt on the African savannah. Groups of lions are chasing a lone zebra... and the lion king is blocking the front of the prey and staring at it." The narrator's comment The metaphor is very vivid.

A large number of Chelsea players are trying to catch up, and they are now counting on Terry in front to force Eastwood to slow down. As long as he slows down, he can form an encirclement immediately. Then the Forest team's quick counterattack will also die prematurely.

"The zebra looks like there's nowhere to go..."

Eastwood originally planned to turn around when the distance between the two sides was not close, and made a big circle around Terry. Suddenly, he thought that Terry had received a yellow card in the first half.

The scene that happened to Wood in the first place flashed before his eyes.

The gypsy changed his mind, picked up speed again, and charged straight at Terry.

In the Nottingham Forest team, Eastwood's speed is not as fast as the four wing assaulters, but it is definitely not slow. The short-distance sprint should not be underestimated.

Running from the backcourt to the opponent's 30-meter area, it was nearly 40 meters. Eastwood knew that he had reached his limit. He could even feel the painful groan from his knee that had undergone surgery three times, and he couldn't run any faster. . In this way, he will be quickly chased by the pursuers behind him, and then a fast break of the Forest team will end. How could Van der Sar's gift be so easily wasted?

If it is destined to end, it is better to pull a back!

John Terry saw Eastwood coming straight towards him, and he went forward without showing any weakness.

Of course he knew he had a yellow card on his back.

But just like what he said to Mourinho at halftime, if he encounters a particularly urgent situation, he will not hesitate to do what he should do.

Stopping the other party is what he should do now.

The distance between the two is rapidly shrinking.

Ten meters, eight meters, six meters, five meters...

Eastwood shook his upper body and made a fake move to break through, but Terry was unmoved. He waited for the moment the football left Eastwood's control, that was the prime time to grab the ball.

Sudden!

A black shadow shot out from the slanting stab, and knocked Eastwood out of Terry's eyes!

This time it happened so suddenly that Terry didn't react at all. He froze in place, watching the football roll past him, and then heard the referee's harsh whistle sound again.

Deafening boos erupted from the stands. Of course, the dissatisfied anger of the Forest fans did not vent to Terry. Their goal was the "criminal" who knocked Eastwood out, and the one who fell with Eastwood-Carvalho!

After seeing the fouler clearly, Terry was a little surprised.

The referee ran to the two people who fell on the ground. He beckoned the fouled Carvalho to stand up, and held a yellow card in the other hand.

※ ※ ※

"He—damn it!" Tang En couldn't restrain the anger in his heart, and cursed, "It's just a yellow card?! This son of a bitch referee!"

The fourth official twitched his ears and walked towards him. Tang En caught a glimpse of the other party and immediately shut up obediently.

Instead, Chris Rack stepped in from one side and pointed to the scene on the court to appeal to the fourth official: "Sir, is this a yellow card foul? Shouldn't it be sent off with a red card? Carvalho ruined our one Counterattack quickly, and in such a brutal way!"

He successfully attracted the attention of the fourth official, and Tang En escaped unharmed.

※ ※ ※

On the other side, Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Terry was safe and sound. He was really scared just now. He could tell off the court that Eastwood wanted to find trouble with Terry on purpose, otherwise why would he take the initiative to find Terry with so many blank areas in the backcourt?

Fortunately, Carvalho stepped forward at a critical moment and helped Terry block the crisis.

At the cost of a yellow card, Terry stayed on the field.

Forest players rushed up to trouble Carvalho, and Terry stepped in to separate the two sides.

"It's a foul, but your teammates don't seem to be serious." He pointed to Eastwood, who was slowly getting up, and said to the excited Forest players.

After hearing what he said, everyone realized that Eastwood stood up by himself. He moved his body and found that there was no serious problem except for a little pain in his knocked arm.

"Hey, Freddie! Are you okay?" Seeing Eastwood, the Forest players immediately shifted their attention. Carvalho was freed.

Terry looked at his centre-back partner and said, "Thank you."

"Thank you?" Carvalho grinned, "This is a game that requires hard work to win, and I'm just working hard."

Hearing what he said, Terry laughed: "But now we both have a yellow card."

"What are you afraid of? I don't have any on me yet." Makelele who was beside him said suddenly.

The other two froze for a moment, and then the three looked at each other and smiled.

※ ※ ※

All the teammates surrounded Eastwood to greet him, for fear that his fragile knee would be hit hard again. But Eastwood kept annoyed: "Damn! Damn Carvalho! If it weren't for him, Terry would have been red carded now!"

Seeing this, Ribery shrugged his shoulders: "Well, it seems that Freddie is all right, let's leave!"

Eastwood's striker partner Van Nistelrooy patted him on the shoulder: "Don't think about yellow cards and red cards, just try to score another goal."

George Wood walked away quietly after seeing that Eastwood was all right outside the crowd.

He looked up at the score on the big screen. He didn't move, it was still 1:1.

Chelsea missed the penalty and our counter-attack was unsuccessful.

No one has seized this decisive opportunity...

it's a pity.