章 42: Chapter 244 Winning the first championship trophy!
March 8, Wembley Stadium, London, England.
The first championship of the five major leagues this season will be decided here, against Manchester City and Sunderland.
Due to the conflict between the League Cup final match time and the league, the 29th round of Manchester City's match against Aston Villa was postponed to May 8.
Relying on their deep bench and excellent luck, Manchester City made it all the way through the League Cup and finally reached the final.
Although their opponent today, Sunderland, is just a civilian team, their record in the League Cup this season cannot be underestimated.
Sunderland faced Chelsea and Manchester United in the knockout stages.
With their outstanding performance at home, they defeated Chelsea first and then the Red Devils, miraculously reaching the final.
If they can defeat Manchester City in the final, they will break the team's record and win the League Cup for the first time.
Sunderland's last significant championship was the FA Cup in the 1972-1973 season, more than 40 years ago.
Therefore, their entire team is extremely eager to win this trophy.
Coincidentally, so is Manchester City opposite!
"Hear the cheers at Wembley Stadium?"
Before the game, in the locker room, Pellegrini gave a rare pre-match pep talk.
In Lin Quan's impression, Pellegrini is not a person who is good at words.
But today, he said a lot.
"That was the sound of more than 90,000 fans at the scene!"
"Tell me, do you want to win the championship in this football mecca in England and enjoy the cheers and applause of the fans?"
The players nodded, although the League Cup championship content is not high.
But no matter how small a mosquito is, it is still flesh. If they gain nothing on other fronts this season, the League Cup trophy can at least bring them some comfort.
Moreover, now that they have reached the finals, how can they give up the championship?
"Very good, then go to the arena and use your actual actions to prove your desire for the championship!"
Kompany took the lead and stretched out his hands, and the players all extended their hands.
"Manchester City!"
"Go, go, go!"
…
Stepping onto the lawn of Wembley Stadium, Lin Quan took a deep breath, raised his head and looked around.
Compared with Manchester City's home stadium, the Etihad Stadium, Wembley Stadium is obviously much larger, and it can accommodate up to 90,000 people to watch the game at the same time.
And this is the new Wembley after renovation, not the old Wembley that could accommodate 120,000 fans.
The most impressive thing about the new Wembley is a 133-meter-high arch with a total length of 315 meters. Dozens of steel cables are used to fix the roofs of the north and south sides of Wembley Stadium.
This is different from Camp Nou, which Lin Quan often went to when he was a child. Although Camp Nou is large, only one side has a roof.
On rainy days, more than half of the area is exposed to the rain, making the viewing experience quite bad.
The huge Wembley Stadium was packed today, with fans from both teams and some neutral fans filling the stadium to capacity.
At a glance, the light blue fans representing Manchester City occupy most areas of the stadium.
According to a rough estimate, the number of Manchester City fans who came to the scene may exceed 50,000.
There are only about 20,000 fans wearing Sunderland's yellow jersey, and the remaining 20,000 or so are neutral fans.
Before the game even started, the fans of the two teams had already started their contest.
Black Cats Sunderland fans sang the team anthem "I'm On My Way".
Compared with Manchester City's soothing team song, the Black Cats' team song is obviously more exciting.
The momentum created by more than 20,000 people singing the team song in unison cannot be underestimated!
If Manchester City fans also sing the team anthem at this time, they may not be able to suppress them.
However, Manchester City fans were not fooled at all. More than 50,000 Manchester City fans shouted the names of the players, and they shouted every time a player came on the field.
The Sunderland fans who were singing felt very uncomfortable. Every time they sang a few words, they would be interrupted by the other party.
Moreover, the Manchester City players whose names were chanted by more than 50,000 fans in unison looked like they had been buffed with chicken blood. They looked energetic and had high morale.
On the other hand, the Sunderland players all entered the stadium at the same time, and the opponents next to them shouted their names to cheer, but they got nothing.
This makes them feel a little depressed, and they have a sense of powerlessness that they are against the whole world.
Before the game even started, there was already a difference in morale between the two teams.
At 19:00 in the evening, with the referee's whistle, the game officially started.
After the game started, Manchester City did not show politeness to their opponents and directly started to launch an onslaught.
The two teams had just met in the league not long ago. They knew each other well and there was nothing to test.
Today, Manchester City's formation is 433. When attacking, the three forward players will launch the first wave of attacks. If it is unsuccessful, there will be three midfielders to launch the second round of attacks.
The two full-backs will assist when attacking, increasing the offensive numbers and contact points in the frontcourt to maximize control of the ball.
Manchester City's tactics are not complicated. It is clear that they rely on the strength of the lineup to bully others.
Sunderland is just a civilian team, but Manchester City opposite has a lot of stars.
If these stars are really allowed to bring out their full potential, Sunderland will definitely be in trouble.
Ten minutes before the game, the situation on the field was almost one-sided.
Manchester City completed four shots around Sunderland's goal in ten minutes, two of which posed a threat.
If it weren't for the heroic performance of their goalkeeper, Sunderland would have fallen behind.
We can't continue to be passive like this. If we defend for a long time, we will lose. Maybe Manchester City can change the score in the next attack.
Sunderland coach Steve Bruce frowned, thinking hard about how to resolve the unfavorable situation on the field.
It is definitely not possible to passively take a beating. An effective counterattack must be launched to contain the opponent's attack.
The final is different from the semi-final. The final is a game that determines the outcome.
This kind of game is very contingency, and even the underdogs have the possibility of being upset.
Therefore, unlike the Premier League championship, in competitions such as the FA Cup and League Cup, which are highly accidental, many of the champions are small and medium-sized teams.
Sunderland's players are so eager for this championship. They have not won the championship trophy for too long.
This desire will greatly stimulate their fighting spirit. Of course, it may also increase their pressure and make them unable to let go.
On the other hand, Manchester City still has to compete for the league championship, and the promotion situation of the Champions League is also very good. They may not devote all their energy to competing for this rather tasteless trophy.
So as long as you grit your teeth and persevere and withstand the opponent's offensive, the next game may be easier to play.
Thinking of this, Steve shouted loudly to the players on the field to encourage them to grit their teeth and hold on for a while longer.
Steve's guess was correct. Manchester City's tactic was to attack at the beginning.
Once the attack is successful, they will control the situation on the field to attract the opponent to take the initiative to attack, and then use the speed of the two wings to counterattack the opponent, and win the game with the minimum consumption.
As long as the strong team can lay down their body and play defensive counterattack, it will be difficult for the weak team to defeat them.
Manchester City still has 3 games to play in the next few days, namely: the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on March 10, the second round of the Champions League knockout round on March 13, and 3 more games. The 30th round of the Premier League started on March 15th.
Counting this game, they have to play 4 games in a week.
In such an intensive game, even if Manchester City's players are iron men, they can't handle it.
So they have to make a choice. If they can withstand the opponent's three attacks, then Sunderland may not have a chance to win the cup.
After hearing the coach's words, the Black Cat players also cheered up.
Their defense has become tougher and more decisive, and their range of actions has also become larger.
This year is the year of the World Cup. There are not many international players in Sunderland's team, but everyone in Manchester City's team is international.
This gives the Black Cat players an opportunity. If they use rough fouls to intimidate the opponent and make the opponent hesitate when attacking, their offensive power will be greatly reduced.
They quickly began to take action, and Manchester City's players, especially those in the frontcourt, were frequently violated.
The most serious foul occurred in the 12th minute of the game. David Silva dribbled the ball inward. Sunderland defender Bardsley rushed up fiercely and tackled him to the ground.
The Manchester City players were very angry and rushed to argue with Bardsley.
Under the protection of his teammates, Bardsley looked disdainfully and sneered:
"This is a fucking game for the brave. Cowards and cowards are not suitable to stay here. If you are afraid of getting hurt, just go home and nurse your child! Hahaha!"
After mocking the Manchester City players, Bardsley was looking forward to it:
Come on, quarrel with me, or better yet, hit me!
Once your mentality is messed up, and you may even be sent off for hitting someone, then the victory of this game belongs to us!
Lin Quan saw through his plan. He stopped his angry teammates and had a low-key discussion with several teammates. While discussing, he kept looking at Bardsley.
Bardsley was a little annoyed by the Manchester City players, and he said harsh words to Lin Quan:
"Boy, be careful with your legs, don't break them and make you unable to go to the World Cup!"
"Thank you for your concern. I also advise you to buy a wheelchair quickly, otherwise you may have to be carried out of the hospital later!"
Lin Quan looked at him as if he were a dead person and said flatly.
"Referee, this guy is threatening me!"
Bardsley was frightened by Lin Quan's fierce eyes and did not dare to continue to look at Lin Quan. Instead, he chose to complain to the referee.
The referee ignored Bardsley's complaint and gave him a yellow card to punish Bardsley for the foul he just committed.
The game restarts with a free kick from Manchester City.
Lin Quan took a look at the distance between the penalty spot and the goal, and planned to use his newly learned S-shaped free kick to take this free kick!
Seeing Lin Quan standing at the penalty spot, all the Manchester City fans at the scene cheered up.
"Lin has scored at least four or five free kicks this season. Can he score this one?"
"It's a bit difficult, the position of the free throw is not very good!"
"It's a little too far from the goal, and it's still on the left side of the court. From this position, you can only use your right foot to take a free throw!"
"This is about 35 meters away from the goal. Is it within the range of Lin's free kick?"
"I've never seen him take such a long free kick!"
Although Manchester City fans are looking forward to it, they are not very optimistic about this goal.
If it is Lin Quan's most familiar position, with the power of his elevator ball, the possibility of scoring directly is very high.
But in this position, there are too few free kick options, so the hope of scoring is slim!
Standing at the penalty spot, Lin Quan estimated the distance.
Then he stepped back step by step. After taking seven or eight steps, he stopped.
coming!
This move must be the elevator ball!
Sunderland's goalkeeper thought so too. He studied Lin Quan's elevator ball before the game.
The characteristic of the elevator ball is that it seems to be hit high, allowing you to relax your vigilance, but when it is close to the goal, it suddenly drops, catching you off guard.
As long as you don't make such mistakes, don't be trapped by experience, keep your eyes wide open and be vigilant, and pay attention to the sudden drop at the end, you are still very confident in saving the opponent's shot!
However, just when he was full of ambition and ready to throw Lin Quan's elevator ball.
But he was surprised to find that Lin Quan's free throw was not an elevator kick, but an ordinary curve kick.
Was it a mistake?
Sunderland's goalkeeper was very surprised. In his impression, Lin Quan rarely made mistakes.
That's not to say there are absolutely none, but the number of mistakes is very small.
Because of this, Lin Quan is called a heartless robot by many people.
Forget it, it doesn't matter so much, this kind of curve ball with a very easy to judge trajectory is the best to save.
As long as you predict its flight trajectory in advance and then make standard saving actions, you can easily stop it.
Just like this, again!
However, when he made the save, he was shocked to find that the football that was originally going to fly to his right suddenly turned and flew to the left.
This is!
S-shaped free kick!
The Sunderland goalkeeper's eyes widened, but he was already in the air and could do nothing about the ball.
He could only watch the football fly past him and dive into the goal with a whoosh!
"Oh my God, what did I see? Juninho's famous stunt - S-shaped free kick!"
In the commentary box, Andy Gray was stunned and said in a trembling tone.
Martin Taylor on the side was not as surprised as his companion:
"Haha, there is news that I have to share with the audience. In the warm-up match between Spain and Italy 2 days ago, facing the goal guarded by the world's number one goalkeeper Buffon, Lin Quan took a wonderful S-shaped free kick. He broke through Italy's goal, so I'm not surprised that he was able to take such a high-quality free kick today!"
Andy Gray looked at his partner in surprise. This guy even watched the friendly match between Spain and Italy?
How much he likes Lin Quan!
"A few months ago, it seemed that Lin only had the elevator shot and the drop shot in his arsenal. From now on, he has another weapon in his arsenal.
I think that when other teams encounter Manchester City, they should consider strictly limiting the number of fouls they can commit and no longer give Lin Quan such a comfortable scoring opportunity.
Although his direct free kick scoring rate is not as high as that of the top free kick masters, don't forget that his progress is extremely rapid. No one knows what heights he has reached in free kicks! "
Martin Taylor appreciates this player more and more. It seems that every few months when he sees him, he brings different surprises to people!
"Emperor Lin is so awesome!"
"You can score this goal, it's amazing!"
"Haha, the goalkeeper looked so funny. He thought he was jumping in the right direction, but he didn't expect to be teased by Emperor Lin!"
"Man City is ahead, is this game a success?"
"Eighty percent of it is there. Sunderland must attack next, and once they attack, they will have too many loopholes!"
The situation was exactly as the fans expected. After falling behind, the Sunderland players, who were not willing to fail, began to attack.
However, the tactics they formulated before the game were defensive counterattacks, and there were relatively few arrangements for positional warfare.
This makes their offense look non-threatening, and it is difficult to even break into Manchester City's thirty-meter dangerous area.
On the contrary, Manchester City, after the opponent attacked, took advantage of Sunderland's defensive weakness in the backcourt, and their quick counterattack was really impressive.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Manchester City's offense once again hit the frontcourt.
De Bruyne passed the ball to David Silva during a quick counterattack, and the opponent's full-back immediately chose to step forward to intercept.
Under fierce fighting, David Silva made a mistake and passed a ball.
After making a mistake, he immediately made an apology gesture and was ready to retreat.
Sunderland defender Bardsley saw the opportunity to get the ball and immediately rushed over.
Lin Quan originally planned to give up this opportunity, but after seeing Bardsley rushing up, he immediately changed his plan.
Bardes used his peripheral vision to see Lin Quan rushing over, and he quickly made a small calculation in his mind:
If it was a direct foul against Lin Quan, the referee would definitely blow the whistle and even take a card from him.
If you can't get the opponent off the field, giving the opponent a free kick is actually a huge threat to your own goal.
But if he knocks the opponent off the field when competing for such a half-goal, then not only will he not get a card, he will also be able to destroy the opponent's number one star!
Thinking of this, Bardsley swung his legs heavily and kicked the football with all his strength.
Lin Quan showed no fear and took action almost simultaneously.
There was a loud bang, and the two completed a foot-to-foot confrontation.
"ah!"
In an instant, Pastelli felt a huge force transmitted along the football to his ankle. A heartbreaking pain penetrated from the ankle into his heart. The huge pain made him couldn't help but let out a scream.
Sunderland's defender fell down onto the lawn almost immediately, rolling on the ground holding his feet.
The two exerted great force on their feet. Under the huge reaction force, Lin Quan could not stand firmly and fell to the lawn.
The referee rushed over immediately and gestured to the benches of both sides, signaling the team doctors and stretchers to come up to handle the injured.
He first glanced at the Sunderland defender who was squealing like a slaughtering pig, and then looked at Lin Quan. Pastelli's ankle was deformed, and the injury was obviously not serious.
Lin Quan and his feet were also injured due to the reaction force, right?
If his injury is more serious than Bardsley's, he may be directly reimbursed for the second half of the season, and he may not even be able to go to the World Cup.
It's a pity that with such good talent and such strong strength, it would be a pity for the fans if they can't show themselves on the World Cup stage.
Numerous thoughts flashed through the referee's mind for a moment, and before he could walk over to Lin Quan to check the situation, Lin Quan got up from the ground and patted the grass clippings on his butt as if nothing was wrong.
The Manchester City team doctor who was halfway through the game was stunned, and the referee was also stunned.
"Lin, if you're injured, you'd better not move!"
The referee was worried that he was trying to hold on, so he kindly reminded him.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine!"
Lin Quan moved his feet and felt good.
If the talent of injury immunity did not exist, he would definitely not dare to take the risk of injury and compete with the opponent.
Bardsley thought he could use this opportunity to destroy Lin Quan, but he didn't know that Lin Quan was in trouble!
To be on the safe side, the referee asked Manchester City's team doctor to examine Lin Quan.
After checking, Manchester City's team doctor determined that Lin Quan was not injured, so he left the game with a medical kit and a stretcher.
Bardsley on the other side was not so lucky. He sat on a stretcher and was carried off the field wailing all the way.
The score was behind, and one of our own players was injured in the physical confrontation.
The continuous blows caused Sunderland's morale to plummet. On the other hand, Manchester City, under the leadership of Lin Quan, was full of momentum and launched wave after wave of fierce offensives.
In the 55th minute, Lin Quan assisted De Bruyne and scored another goal.
Manchester City sealed the victory with a score of 2:0.
In the end, with the goals of Lin Quan and De Bruyne, Manchester City defeated Sunderland in the League Cup final and successfully won their first trophy of the season!
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