Chapter 684 Psychological Warfare
At this moment, the only player standing in front of Bruno was Shelvey, who had just come off the bench.
Facing the approaching Bruno, the former Liverpool midfielder kept retreating.
The distance between the two is getting closer and closer. Behind Shelvey is the penalty area, and he has no way to retreat.
In desperation, Shelvey could only stop himself and press towards Bruno.
He is already the last defensive player and there is no way to retreat.
Bruno carried the ball with skillful steps, and every step he took seemed to come from his instinct.
He clearly saw the changes in Shelvey, and he also clearly knew the situation he was facing, but he had no intention of giving his opponent time to react. He needed to rush forward.
Shelvey saw that Bruno had rushed into his defense zone. When he was about to step forward, he saw Bruno's left shoulder suddenly sank, and he immediately realized that this guy's left foot was no worse than his right foot.
Damn it!
This guy is going to cut inside and hit the goal!
We must not let this guy succeed!
Almost instantly, Shelvey instinctively made a defensive move to block Bruno's inward cut. Unexpectedly, Bruno suddenly swayed and quickly turned to the outside.
Shelvey was shocked. He reacted almost immediately, but his body had already made a move, causing him to take a step slower. When he turned around again, Bruno had passed by him, and he almost turned over and stretched out his hand. , firmly grabbed the jersey behind Bruno and pulled hard.
This pull caused Bruno, who was rushing forward, to completely lose his balance and fall down.
Shelvey took the opportunity to rush forward and kicked the ball out of bounds.
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At the moment Shelvey completed the clearance, the referee's whistle sounded.
Foul ball?
Almost as soon as the whistle sounded, the entire Sports Direct Stadium was completely boiling, and the 50,000 Newcastle fans made a roar.
After the referee Martin Atkinson blew the whistle, he quickly ran into Newcastle's penalty area, ran in front of Shelvey, reached into his breast pocket, and held up a scarlet card. Card.
In an instant, Newcastle fans went crazy.
"The referee Martin Atkinson showed Shelvey a red card! This was a foul on the Newcastle midfielder and he pointed to the penalty spot."
"When Bruno took the ball in the last step, he had already rushed into the penalty area. This was an undisputed penalty."
"Judging from the slow-motion replay, the actions of the Shelvey man are very obvious, and from different angles, Bruno has indeed rushed into the penalty area. As the last defensive player, Shelvey must pay the price for his foul. ”
"In other words, in the last nearly half an hour, Newcastle will have to accept a situation where there is one less player than the opponent and two goals behind."
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Newcastle's players seemed very angry. Captain Lascelles and another central defender Scheer quickly rushed to the referee, apparently signaling that the penalty of a red card and a penalty kick was too harsh.
However, referee Martin Atkinson kept pointing to his eyes to show that he could see very clearly. Shelvey definitely committed a foul, and there was nothing wrong with his penalty.
Lascelles and Scheer still wanted to fight for it, but the referee Martin Atkinson was very determined and completely unmoved.
"There is no doubt that this was a very clear foul and the referee's decision is undisputed."
"Newcastle's players should stay calm now. They should try to control their emotions, otherwise they will still get another card."
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Harry Kane came over, stretched out his right hand, and pulled Bruno up, who was still lying on the ground.
"here you go."
"Well done." Kanter also rushed over and smiled.
He sent off an opponent's player and also scored a penalty kick. This was definitely a change that could change the situation in the second half.
Bruno's performance in the first half was not as eye-catching as the previous two games, but at the critical moment, when he got the opportunity, he unceremoniously gave his opponent a fatal blow.
It can be said that the counterattack just now was very crucial and reflected Bruno's calmness at the critical moment.
After Bruno got up from the ground, he straightened his jersey and was pulled a little off the line. It can be seen that Shelvey did intend to foul just now, but he probably did not expect that Bruno had already rushed into the penalty area.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye, and Shelvey didn't have time to react.
In front of the coaching bench of the home and away teams, the reactions of the two coaches, Benitez and Mourinho, were completely opposite. Benitez was roaring angrily, obviously thinking that the referee deliberately favored Manchester United and should not give Newcastle such treatment. Severe capital punishment.
"You're just killing the game, understand?" the Newcastle coach roared.
Mourinho was cheering and celebrating. This red card and this penalty were too critical for Manchester United.
"The referee stabilized the emotions of the Newcastle players. He did not let the home team players and fans affect his decision. He was obviously very sure that this was a foul and it should also be a penalty kick."
"Shelvey walked off the pitch with his head down. The former Liverpool midfielder should be held accountable for his reckless foul."
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Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who will be 30 years old in two weeks, is 1.9 meters tall and weighs 82 kilograms. Newcastle United signed him on loan from Sparta Prague in January last year. At the same time, Newcastle can activate his permanent buyout clause.
On May 31, Newcastle United announced the completion of Dubravka's permanent transfer. The club activated his buyout clause and signed him until June 2022.
After the start of the new season, Newcastle's performance was very bad and was once deep in the relegation zone. However, Dubravka is Newcastle's best player, and his save success rate is relatively high among all Premier League goalkeepers.
Moreover, the Slovak goalkeeper is very good at saving penalties and is one of the Premier League goalkeepers known for his ability to save penalties.
Bruno looked deeply at the tall and burly Slovak goalkeeper, who was also looking at him.
Bruno's name Dubravka was naturally the most familiar to him, and he also knew that this world's No. 1 football player was also the best at taking penalties. Bruno had never missed a penalty kick in his career.
Facing such a person, Dubravka felt a lot of pressure.
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Suddenly, Bruno thought of a way. He immediately looked at Harry Kane not far behind him and waved at him.
Harry Kane ran over quickly and asked in confusion: "What's the matter?"
"Does Dubravka have any habit of saving penalties?" Bruno asked with concern, but his eyes were fixed on Dubravka in the distance.
The Slovak goalkeeper really noticed the actions of Bruno and Harry Kane, guessing what the two were going to do.
Harry Kane also looked at Dubravka. He was not familiar with him, but England had played against Slovakia twice in the qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia, so he knew him well. He said, "He doesn't have any special habits, but he is a right-footed player and seems to prefer to dive to the left."
Bruno nodded vigorously, patted Harry Kane on the shoulder, and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Harry Kane quickly returned to his position.
Bruno took a deep breath, looked directly at Martin Dubravka, walked into the penalty area calmly, placed the ball at the penalty spot, stepped on the grass behind the ball, and slowly stepped back.
He kept an eye on Dubravka's actions throughout the process, with a slight smile on his face.
Did Harry Kane reveal any secrets to Bruno? Dubravka was suspicious. But he couldn't figure out what Harry Kane could tell Bruno after racking his brains.
But the referee did not give him time to think. After Bruno set the ball and retreated to his position, he quickly blew the whistle for the penalty kick.
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In an instant, the 50,000 fans in the Sports Direct Stadium almost held their breath.
Even countless Manchester United fans who were squatting in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast of the game also held their breath, and their eyes were all on Bruno wearing the No. 8 jersey.
After Bruno took a few quick breaths, he took a deep breath and rushed forward quickly.
Dubravka was also quickly predicting his penalty line based on Bruno's movements. When he saw Bruno pretending to kick to the right side of the goal, Dubravka flew to make a save almost in an instant.
He knew very well that it would be too late to react after Bruno kicked the ball.
But Bruno suddenly paused and quickly kicked a penalty kick.
"Oh my god, straight to the middle!"
"Oh my god, Bruno easily kicked the ball to the middle!"
"Bruno used a change of rhythm to easily deceive Dubravka, inducing the opponent to move first, and then pushed the ball to the middle!"
"2:0!"
"The current situation is quite favorable for Manchester United. Bruno's personal performance in the 64th minute of the game, after passing two opposing defenders in a row, caused Shelvey's red card, and calmly scored a penalty kick."
Bruno rushed out of the court excitedly at the moment of scoring the penalty kick.
It's so exciting!
This is not only a psychological battle between the striker and the goalkeeper, but also a gamble!
Of course, he paused deliberately because he clearly saw Dubravka's reaction.
The Slovak goalkeeper must have guessed that Bruno must have got some secrets from Harry Kane, but in fact, Harry Kane did not give any useful information at all.
But this move before the penalty kick left Dubravka with a seed of doubt, allowing him to make a judgment in advance.
This feeling is so satisfying!