章 300: The Heaven and Hell
The score of 1:0 may not seem like a big difference, but in the two-round knockout round, a 1:0 win at home is of great significance.
First and most importantly, they held their opponents scoreless on the road. In the second leg of the away game, Millwall can play defensive counterattack; as long as one goal is scored in the away game, Juventus needs to score three goals at home!
This is where Aldrich finds himself hesitating.
He is satisfied with the 1:0 scoreline, but with another 45 minutes to play, should they switch to a defensive counter-attack from the very start of the second half?
Benitez and Jansen both voiced their opinions.
They believed that 45 minutes was a long time and that if they switched to a defensive strategy right away, and Juventus scored an away goal, Millwall might struggle to mount an attack afterwards.
After careful consideration, Aldrich felt they had a point.
Just like in the League Cup against Chelsea, where Chelsea came out strongly and took the lead, their performance waned in the second half, making it hard for them to regain momentum once they fell behind.
The players got into a state of excitement in the first half. A sudden slowdown from a high pace may "cool" their form, making it difficult to recover quickly. If Juventus equalizes the score, psychological pressure and anxiety can easily lead to collapse.
As Aldrich walked into the locker room, the team doctor was treating Nedved's wound. After asking a few questions and receiving reassuring answers, he began to motivate the whole team while implementing some tactical changes.
As the two teams began the second half, Millwall maintained their high-tempo playing style. Each player was in excellent form today, with precise passing, quick ball transitions, and a clear understanding of movement and positioning.
Juventus, having adjusted to the first half's pace, began to ramp up their efforts in the second half, but their approach was clearly more controlled, progressing steadily over time.
Their players' movement and involvement in attack indicated a shift—Zidane's distribution was less forward and more about horizontally stretching the play to create opportunities on the wings.
As the match heated up, both teams set up tight defensive lines starting from midfield. Compared to many teams that recklessly pressed individually, both sides exhibited top-tier defensive tactics. Serie A teams excel in chain defense, and under Aldrich's guidance, Millwall's defense emphasized coordinated collective positioning rather than one-on-one aggression, leaving no opportunity for the opponent to exploit.
During open play, neither side could create better chances, and both began to utilize set pieces to generate threats.
Juventus missed two corner-kick opportunities by the narrowest of margins, sending waves of concern through the stands.
Souness shouted to his teammates to stay alert; they had struggled to defend set plays due to their height disadvantage, requiring precise anticipation and positioning to curb the opponent's attempts.
As the match reached the seventieth minute, Aldrich paced nervously along the sideline. By this time, he could tell that Millwall's stamina was wearing thin.
From merely observing, Aldrich realized that his players had already covered the distance of a typical 90-minute match in just 70 minutes, likely averaging over ten kilometers each.
With Juventus having conserved energy in the first half before ramping up, the balance was shifting; the gap between the two sides had begun to narrow, and if this continued, it was likely that Juventus would take control.
The experienced Lippi had probably planned this from the beginning, focusing on defense first before mounting attacks. If Millwall hadn't scored with an early surprise goal, they might have been pushing forward out of necessity, which would have presented Juventus with even more attacking opportunities.
Now it's time to drop back and defend.
1:0
This was a result they could accept!
Just as Aldrich was preparing to substitute Trezeguet for Ballack, the tide of the game shifted dramatically.
Millwall launched an offensive.
Trezeguet and Larsson switched positions, and from the left outside the penalty area, Trezeguet delivered a rare overhead ball to the right flank.
Shevchenko charged forward without stopping the ball, using his strength to fend off Pesotto before taking a long shot!
The ball rocketed towards the Juventus goal like a cannonball. Peruzzi dove and managed to deflect it with one hand, but the speed of the ball was too much; he couldn't control where it rebounded. It bounced towards the edge of the six-yard box.
Ferrara and Montero reacted quickly, wanting to clear the ball, but Larsson leapt high between them, heading the ball towards the far side of the goal!
Peruzzi was powerless as he watched the ball go in!
Ferrara and the other Juventus players immediately raised their hands, signaling for Larsson's rebound to be offside, but the assistant referee's flag remained down.
Larson made a successful supplementary shot! Millwall leads Juventus 2:0! This is a golden goal; if they can beat Juventus at home, Millwall's chances of advancing will be very good! Who can doubt Larson's determination? He silenced all his critics with a crucial goal in a crucial game. He is one of the players that cannot be ignored in Millwall's front line. This attack was a perfect collaboration between Millwall's attacking trio of Trezeguet, Shevchenko, and Larsson. The three of them worked together to expand the score!
The stands at Wembley erupted; The Lions' fans were jumping for joy. With a two-goal lead, their chances of advancing increased significantly!
On the sidelines, Aldrich was similarly ecstatic, pumping his fist in celebration. He quickly turned to bring on Ballack for Trezeguet while also instructing Gattuso to warm up—there was no time to hesitate; they were determined to hold onto the 2:0 lead!
With that scoreline, even in the second leg away in Turin, if Millwall could score just one goal against Juventus, the opponent would then need to score four!
Ballack came on for Trezeguet.
Three minutes later, Gattuso came on for Shevchenko.
Millwall switched to a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Lippi, with a grave expression, strolled to the sidelines to make tactical adjustments, though not personnel changes.
He understood well that a two-goal deficit was precarious. Given Millwall's performance in the group stages, even back on home turf, it would be challenging for Juventus to score three goals against them.
After Millwall's formation adjustment, Juventus adapted in response; both full-backs pushed forward to assist the attack, and their three midfielders progressed with layered support. In the last ten minutes, Juventus shifted into an aggressive counter, fighting back decisively!
By this point, while Millwall's players could still run, they were beginning to lag in pace compared to Juventus. The tireless effort over the first 80 minutes placed them in a vulnerable position in the final ten minutes.
Aldrich continuously signaled for his players to hold their composure, urging them to take opportunities to rest and regulate their breathing, even prolonging play whenever possible.
But Juventus wouldn't grant them any respite. With their superior fitness, they unleashed a relentless full-court press like a basketball tactic, viciously pressing for possession.
Zidane took a long shot, Inzaghi sought a deflection, Davis broke through for another long range, Conte sent a brilliant pass, and Del Piero shimmied before sending a shot wide. Torricelli served a high cross, and Conte aimed a header...
Juventus's attacks came in waves, putting Millwall under immense pressure defensively, but fortunately, they managed to deny the opponent any clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities; otherwise, Butt might not have held up.
Even when Millwall attempted to utilize short passes to waste time, they couldn't resist the aggression from Juventus's midfield beasts.
Deschamps intercepted a ball from Pirlo, launching a direct pass; Del Piero, meeting the ball outside the area, took a long shot that Souness blocked with his body, forcing the ball out for a corner.
As the match entered stoppage time, Juventus pressed forward, and Millwall withdrew into a compact defense.
Juventus quickly took a corner; the ball reached Pesotto's feet, and Schneider faced him head-on. Unexpectedly, Pesotto cut inside rather than passing, and from a forty-five-degree angle outside the box, he opted for a long shot!
No one anticipated that he would choose to shoot from that position and distance.
The ball skidded along the grass, a half-height shot flying swiftly toward the goal.
Inside the congested box, the ball deflected off Makélélé's calf as it rolled forward, changing direction as it passed through, still maintaining high speed. Just as it approached the goal line, someone else in the small area made an unintentional touch, and the ball slowly rolled into the net.
Butt was completely caught off guard, having been deceived by two deflections that shifted his center of balance, leaving him with no time to react at all.
"The ball is in! Juventus pulls one back in stoppage time! This goal will allow Lippi to leave London with satisfaction; it's now 2:1. Millwall has conceded an away goal, somewhat diminishing the importance of their second goal. In fact, a score of 2:1 is far less favorable than 1:0! So whose goal was that? In the slow-motion replay, we see Pesotto's shot deflected by Makélélé. At that moment, Butt had already lost his balance, diving toward the near post. If Makélélé hadn't deflected the ball, he would have likely saved it. However, that intervention turned the ball, and Helguera behind him was caught off-guard, hastily attempting to clear but mis-hitting it, allowing it to roll into their own goal! After conceding, Helguera covered his face and fell to the ground, consumed by self-reproach!"
As the Juventus players celebrated wildly, Lippi smiled from the sidelines, cheerfully discussing the goal with his coaching staff.
Aldrich and the fans in the stands wore similar expressions, faces drained of color.
Their spirits had plummeted from heaven to hell!
Indeed, 2:1 is far less favorable than 1:0.
The most straightforward interpretation was this: with a score of 2:1, Juventus could advance with just a 1:0 victory at home, while a scoreline of 1:0 would mean even if Juventus won at home, they would still face extra time.
Souness pulled Helguera up, whispering something encouragingly in his ear before gently pushing his head, urging him to shake off the disappointment quickly.
Stoppage time had begun; after Millwall restarted, they quickly pushed for an attack, but Pirlo's long-range shot went wide, signaling the end of the match.
The fans in the stands began to rally, adopting a more optimistic mindset.
At least they had won, heading into the second leg with a lead, rather than a draw or trailing on aggregate.
Today's match didn't showcase the breathtaking offensive showdown like the one against Barcelona in the group stage; the first ten minutes and the last ten minutes showed both teams dominating, while the middle seventy minutes was a tug-of-war with limited opportunities, though there were plenty of exciting moments in the battle between offense and defense.
Aldrich walked over to shake hands with Lippi, not saying much, before turning back to console his dejected players.
The last goal was officially deemed an own goal, and Aldrich was the first to approach Helguera, embracing him tightly while softly encouraging him to forget the mistake.
"Don't blame yourself; look forward! That's how you can continue on the path to becoming a world-class center-back. I believe in you; no one will blame you. On the contrary, you performed excellently today, successfully limiting Piero. I'm very pleased with your performance!"
With Aldrich's comforting words, Helguera was able to shed the psychological burden.
Aldrich knew that he had to rush to help Helguera immediately; otherwise, that feeling of guilt would take root in his heart and grow.
After the final whistle, the Millwall players exchanged jerseys with their Juventus counterparts and then gathered by the sideline to thank the fans for their support.
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