Chapter 1005: Regretful Corner Kick

During the halftime break, Ferguson didn't make too many adjustments to the lineup or playing style. He just corrected some of the details that the players had in the first half and asked them to attack first at the beginning of the second half to see if they could sneak up on one. If Chelsea are prepared, they will continue to defend and counterattack.

Ancelotti also did not make any changes to his lineup or playing style. Although he did not achieve his goal in the first half and scored a goal, his offense in the second half was still very threatening and he was very close to the goal. Ancelotti believes that the lack of goals was not a problem with his tactics, but a bit of bad luck.

After the start of the second half, Chelsea wanted to use the momentum of the first half to continue their attack, but unexpectedly Manchester United reversed their conservative approach in the first half and suddenly launched a full-court press.

Chelsea is not a technically sophisticated team. They are also the masters of hard bridges and hard horses. Chelsea was caught off guard by Manchester United's sudden press and immediately made a mistake. Alex passed the ball directly to Carrick under Rooney's press. feet.

This is terrible. Among Chelsea's midfielders, only Gao Xiaodong and Carrick have the ability and vision to pass the ball. It is easy for them to directly create a threat if they get the ball. Others may have to pass the ball. Then pass it to Gao Xiaodong to organize.

Carrick's vision was very wide. He saw Hernandez's position when he received the ball, and immediately found Hernandez with a direct pass.

Hernandez's position was between Terry and full-back Ivanovic. When he received the ball, Terry and Ivanovic quickly moved towards him, trying to prevent Hernandez from entering. restricted area.

But Hernandez has always been known for his speed and flexibility. Before Terry and Ivanovic could get over, Hernandez dribbled the ball into the penalty area and directly faced goalkeeper Cech.

This is a one-on-one goal, the best chance besides an empty goal, even better than a penalty kick.

Hernandez was very excited, very excited. He knew that the time to become a hero had come. As long as he scored this goal, it would block Chelsea's path to promotion and send Manchester United to the final.

In his excitement, Hernandez even forgot to fake. He glanced at the goal, pushed with the arch of his foot, and shot the ball toward the lower right corner of the goal.

Hernandez shot very decisively, but Cech was a very experienced goalkeeper and judged Hernandez's shooting intention when he subconsciously aimed at the goal. When Hernandez shot, At that moment, he stretched out his foot to block the ball, just in time to block the ball out of the baseline.

The Manchester United fans at the scene were looking forward to it. When they saw the ball saved by Cech, they all sighed with regret.

Hernandez saw the ball roll off the baseline.

Just as he woke up from a dream, he patted his head in annoyance, hating himself for wasting an excellent opportunity. If he had made a fake move or passed Cech, the goal would definitely have been scored.

"I missed the opportunity to become a hero!" Hernandez lamented. He now admires Gao Xiaodong even more. He is one year older than him and is still a midfielder, but he is so calm when shooting.

Hernandez's single goal failed to score, but he also won a corner kick opportunity for Manchester United.

Manchester United will play defensive counterattack today, and they also attach great importance to corner kicks.

Manchester United had no advantage over Chelsea in high-altitude balls, so when designing corner kick tactics before the game, in addition to direct crosses, they also designed long-range shots from outside the penalty area for Gao Xiaodong.

Of course, this tactical design is still relatively complicated. Because of Gao Xiaodong's current fame and status, he will be marked wherever he stands. If you want to create a shooting opportunity for Gao Xiaodong, you must create an illusion and cannot directly pass it to Gao Xiaodong.

It was Carrick who took the corner kick. Among Manchester United's starting lineup, Carrick's footwork is still very reliable.

Gao Xiaodong stood in front of the top of the penalty area, seemingly preparing to receive a header from his teammate.

Essien followed Gao Xiaodong. This was specially arranged by Ancelotti. He believed that except for the African buffalo, no one else could watch Gao Xiaodong, who had excellent strength and speed.

Ancelotti can be considered a good judge of people. In the Chelsea team, only Essien can compete with Gao Xiaodong in terms of physical fitness. But what Ancelotti doesn't know is that although Essien has better physical fitness than Gao Xiaodong, he has Not as cunning as Gao Xiaodong.

Before Carrick's run-up could reach the ball, Gao Xiaodong suddenly ran towards the corner of the penalty area close to Carrick.

Essien thought Gao Xiaodong was going to cooperate with Carrick, so he quickly followed up to prevent Gao Xiaodong's next move.

However, Gao Xiaodong suddenly stopped after running two steps and pushed Essien on the back. Then with this force, he quickly ran in the opposite direction to the corner of the penalty area on the other side.

Essien was chasing after him when he was pushed by Gao Xiaodong and rushed directly to the sideline. When he stopped and turned around again, he was already several meters away from Gao Xiaodong.

Carrick's pass was aimed at the point at the far end of the penalty area. Because they had rehearsed it many times before the game, the cooperation was very tacit and there was no mistake. Gao Xiaodong arrived and the ball happened to be passed over.

The ball passed by Carrick is very difficult for ordinary players to hit directly, but Gao Xiaodong has level 2 volley skills, so it is not difficult for him to handle such a ball.

The ball flew quickly, Gao Xiaodong stepped back slightly, adjusted his pace, and calmly swept the ball sideways.

The ball flew in quickly and flew back even faster. Like lightning, it passed over the crowd in the penalty area and flew straight to the upper left of the goal.

When Gao Xiaodong shot, Chelsea players blocked it, but they jumped up and failed to touch the ball.

Cech's initial attention was not on Gao Xiaodong. After all, the threat outside the penalty area cannot be greater than the threat inside the penalty area.

But when he saw that the ball was not flying towards the penalty area, Cech immediately realized that the ultimate goal of Manchester United's corner kick strategy was to find Gao Xiaodong.

Although Cech was mentally prepared, Gao Xiaodong's violent shot could not be defended without being prepared.

When the ball left Gao Xiaodong's feet, Cech used his rich experience to judge the direction of the shot. He jumped, then jumped sideways, clenching his fists to hit the ball out.

The ball was too fast and powerful. Cech was worried that he could not block it with his palms, so he used his fists. However, when he jumped up, he saw that the ball was a little far away from him and his fists might not be able to touch it. Cech immediately stretched out his fingers and stabbed it. ball.

Cech's experience and reaction were absolutely top-notch. He stretched out his palms to touch the ball. Gao Xiaodong's shooting power was really great. Cech touched the ball and his fingers felt as painful as if they were about to be broken. Fortunately, the ball hit the goal post and bounced out after being touched by Cech.

However, Cech also paid a heavy price for saving Gao Xiaodong's shot. His middle finger was swollen after being hit by the ball, and it hurt so much that he could not straighten it.

Now is the most critical moment of the game. Without an experienced goalkeeper like Cech, Chelsea would have no chance at all. Therefore, Cech did not end the game. After he closed the game, he continued to stand in front of the goal to guard Chelsea's last line of defense.