Chapter 574 Death's Smile

This is a free kick about 20 meters away from the goal and a 45-degree angle on the left side.

By convention, this ball is more favorable for right-footed players.

But the difficulty is not small, especially if you want to take a direct free kick, the optional angles will be much less than the center.

Under normal circumstances, the ball should be taken by Gerrard. Whether it is to attack the goal directly or choose to assist a teammate, he will discuss it with his teammates, which was not a problem at all in the past.

But today's situation is markedly different.

...

Referee Styles' penalty tonight was terrible.

Whether it was the unwarranted penalty kick or the subsequent two yellow cards given to Essien without sending the Ghanaian off the field, these are obviously very low-level mistakes, and according to the negotiation between Captain Gerrard and him, the referee seems to mean that Said he did not intend to give Essien a second yellow card.

"He said he just wanted to give Terry a yellow card, but then he forgot to put the yellow card back in his pocket and pointed it directly at Essien." Gerrard smiled bitterly. He didn't know if this was a reasonable explanation. Feel very perfunctory.

Of course, even so, it was definitely a very stupid low-level mistake.

"Let's not talk about anything else, what about the free kick this time?" When Gerrard asked, his eyes clearly turned to Yang Yang.

After the free-kick matchup at the beginning of the season, everyone knows that Yang Yang has the same free-kick skills as Gerrard and other players, but so far, he has not shown his sword.

In the three games played so far this season, Yang Yang has stood next to cover for Gerrard several times, but he has never done it himself.

"What do you mean?" Yang Yang asked strangely.

"Mourinho's preparations have always been meticulous. I guess he must have arranged for my free kick, or...you try?" Gerrard suggested.

It’s only over 70 minutes now. If this free kick is scored, it’s a good thing, but if it doesn’t score, it doesn’t matter. The team still has about 20 minutes to look for opportunities to score goals.

Moreover, Gerrard feels that Yang Yang's state is okay tonight.

The reason why they didn't perform better was related to Chelsea's subsequent adjustment of its defensive strategy, focusing on letting Essien and Lampard watch Yang Yang, and Chelsea also retreated across the board. Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for anyone to get a chance.

After Yang Yang heard this, he looked at the teammates around him and found that whether it was Aurelio or Xavi Alonso, there was encouragement in his eyes, and they obviously agreed with him to give it a try.

In the last free-kick duel, he also scored a penalty from this position.

"Then give it a try!" Yang Yang said eagerly.

...

After the division of labor was clarified, Gerrard went over to set the ball in a similar manner, stood at the penalty spot with Yang Yang, and then slowly stepped back three steps each, in order to make the Chelsea players unclear. Who will take the penalty.

Yang Yang was almost parallel to the penalty area line and retreated to the left, while Gerrard faced the goal.

Chelsea also placed a wall of five players inside the penalty area line, with Ashley Cole assigned to the far left position, apparently bullying the shortest England left-back.

Behind the wall of five players near the goal, Kuyt and Terry stood there, and then there was Lampard.

Cech, the Czech goalkeeper wearing an anti-collision helmet, kept instructing his teammates to place the wall and move their positions in front of the left post of the goal.

He needs to adjust some angles in order to be more confident to save the free-kick.

Yang Yang and Gerald each stepped back, but they were not far away.

"Since Cech was injured, I don't know if it was because of the impact of the crash helmet, or because of the injury, or because of his psychological shadow. He always made mistakes in his judgment of golf." said.

Yang Yang understood that this was the Liverpool captain reminding him.

Yang Yang is not unfamiliar with Cech's question, because there is this one in the materials provided by the coaching staff.

Golf, which has become a big problem after Cech's return from injury.

If it is said that the Czech goalkeeper before the injury is almost a perfect goalkeeper, known as the super goalkeeper who will challenge Buffon's position as the world's top goalkeeper in the short term, then Cech after the injury has completely fallen from god to people.

Frequent mistakes have made everyone give up their confidence in Cech.

Of course, even so, Cech is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

...

The wall is set up.

Five players stand in a one-plus-four format from left to right, with Ashley Cole hanging over the wall.

I don't know if it was affected by the yellow card incident just now, but the referee Stiles was very meticulous this time. He specially entered the penalty area to make arrangements, and then exited the penalty area after being properly done.

With the whistle of the referee Styles, Gerrard quickly rushed to the penalty spot.

At this time, Crouch, who had been ambush on the right side of the penalty area, suddenly rushed to the point in front of the goal, while Chelsea's human wall moved to the right in unison.

It was obvious that everyone was watching out for Gerrard.

But when Gerrard rushed to the football, he stepped directly over without touching the football.

That is to say, at this moment, all the talents on and off the pitch suddenly realized that Gerrard was not the kicker this time at all. The player who took the free kick from Liverpool was Yang Yang.

"Yang Yang!" Andy Gray exclaimed.

After Gerald ran past, Yang Yang also jumped out quickly.

In the past few years, he has been practicing basic skills every day, and he has formed a set of rhythm and pace of his own.

The same goes for his approach when he takes the free-kick.

Every step, from the length of the stride, from the speed of the stride, from the distance of the step point, he is very familiar with, because it is his instinct, a conditioned reflex that is integrated into his blood and soul.

When he rushed in front of the ball, his left foot stood still, supporting his entire body, and after leaning into an angle, his right foot quickly kicked out.

Yang Yang wants to hit an arc with an obvious drop!

Because he knows, Cech's judgment on the high ball has a problem.

...

As a goalkeeper with many years of career and once hailed as the top goalkeeper in Europe, Cech has a lot of experience and has faced countless free kicks.

He made a lot of saves, but he also got kicked in.

But there is one thing, it is very difficult for anyone to take a free kick into Cech's goal.

Because he is Peter Cech!

He was once known as the best and best goalkeeper in the world!

From the moment Yang Yang and Gerrard stood at the penalty spot, Cech was already guessing, could it be Yang Yang?

He had obtained a lot of information before the game. He knew that Yang Yang had screened for Gerrard before, but the fact that he screened before did not mean that he was still screened this time.

There are times when players adapt on the pitch.

It's as if Cech also had a different wall depending on the type of player.

Could it be Yang Yang?

Cech kept an eye.

So, when Gerrard stepped quickly across the football, the Chelsea wall was duped and there was some loosening.

Terry and Lampard were also duped by Kuyt and Crouch, who both ran out of position.

But Cech was not deceived, he was always on guard against Yang Yang.

It was his habit, a habit he had formed before the injury.

There is only one question left, which point will Yang Yang fined?

The front point of the left near post? Or the back point of the far post on the right?

Cech noticed that Yang Yang's approach line was almost level with the penalty area line, so he quickly made a judgment.

Right far post, back!

After hearing the bang, Cech moved quickly to the right, while his eyes were fixed on the top of the human wall.

He really hoped that the ball would not fly out, because it meant that Yang Yang's free kick hit the wall directly.

To his disappointment, the ball flew out.

The whole process sounds very long, but it actually happened in the blink of an eye. At this moment, the row of people wearing blue jerseys just jumped up, and the ball went over their heads and headed towards the goal. fly in the direction.

Cech was judging the path of the ball. He watched the football flying fast in mid-air. He couldn't see it clearly, he could only rely on instinct.

Although many said that after Cech was injured, there was a serious problem with the prediction of golf, but only Cech himself knew that the so-called serious, it was just because he made mistakes.

As a goalkeeper, a mistake means a goal, which will always be magnified infinitely.

But in fact, Cech is very clear that his ability to predict is still there.

The Czech goalkeeper flew towards the right side of the goal, stretched his body as much as possible, and stretched his left hand as far as possible.

He has already judged the trajectory of the free kick.

Moreover, he is very sure!

But just as Cech flew out, just as the ball in mid-air was getting closer, Cech suddenly felt it moving and moving down.

That feeling is as if there is a hand somewhere, pressing the ball down hard to make it fall, but the speed of the ball does not slow down at all, but suddenly falls a bit.

But it was this sudden fall that shocked Cech.

His body and his hands were already moving, but the ball's path suddenly changed.

The Czech goalkeeper wanted to make up for it, but he was in mid-air and had no ability to stop the ball from slipping through his hands.

At that moment, Cech suddenly thought of a person, thought of something.

On February 22, 2003, in the twenty-eighth round of Ligue 1, Rennes challenged Lyon away from home.

In the 16th minute of the game, Rennes fouled at the front of the penalty area and gave the Lyon team a free kick in the frontcourt. The core of Lyon's midfield, Juninho, took it in one fell swoop and sent the ball with a wonderful fallen leaf ball. Entering the lower right corner of Rennes' goal, the ball almost rubbed the right column and hit the bottom of the net in the lower right corner.

Rennes goalkeeper Eric Durand didn't even react, standing there dumbfounded.

After the game, the 37-year-old French goalkeeper told his teammates in the dressing room that it was not that he did not want to react, but that he did not know how to do it, because not only was the ball fast, but it would suddenly come in the area close to the goal. fall.

"That's like a smile of death!"

Cech still remembers the slightly frightened eyes of the old goalkeeper Durand at that time, and in that game, he was scored four goals by Lyon.

That season, Cech was the starting goalkeeper for the Rennes team. He played 37 games throughout the season, and he survived in that one.

Unexpectedly, the god of death, who passed by four years ago, came four years later!

Let me explain to you that the things written in the last chapter are all real, and sometimes reality is more exaggerated than fiction.