章 477: A Gift for Lazio’s Centenary
Milwall's success brings the kind of glory and joy that is most direct to the fans, and for those enjoying it, the last thing they want to hear is negative comments.
So, the Lions' fans are fed up with the media undermining Millwall's achievements. They are already kings of London and England, but once in a while, they hear things like: "Millwall could never be this glorious in La Liga or Serie A."
Such remarks make the fans uncomfortable, yet they often respond with sarcastic laughter.
When Nedvěd scored against Lazio, the Lions' fans erupted into the chant they'd agreed upon before the game:
"Lazio, come to the Premier League! Lazio, come to the Premier League!"
Aldrich, hearing the fans' chants, couldn't help but smile wryly.
If there were no European competitions—no Champions League, no UEFA Cup—then there would be no direct comparison, just hypothetical arguments. It would be a case of "each to their own."
But with European competitions in place, anyone who thinks Millwall would crash in Serie A or La Liga is just plain naïve.
Such comments are usually the work of journalists trying to grab attention, and you would never hear a football expert make such absurd, laughable statements.
If you're good, you're good. If you're not, no matter where you go, you won't succeed.
Millwall's record against league champions and runners-up from various countries in European competitions speaks for itself. Do we really need to go to Serie A and play 34 rounds to see the difference in quality?
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Millwall have all faced each other—and not a single loss to speak of, 5 wins and 1 draw!
Lazio, while they've been thriving in Serie A in recent years, still can't compare to the northern giants in terms of both strength and influence.
That's why Aldrich couldn't be bothered to respond to Eriksen before the match. He didn't even bother to learn what Eriksen had said.
Aldrich remained calm throughout—both before and during the match, exuding a relaxed demeanor from the sidelines.
Eriksson's contrast was glaringly obvious. Full of confidence before the match, after Lazio conceded a goal, he visibly tensed up, and even his facial expressions betrayed his discomfort.
Before the fourth round of matches, Lazio was in first place in the group, and advancing seemed almost guaranteed.
But with that goal conceded, Lazio's position shifted dramatically!
If Bordeaux beat Feyenoord and Lazio lost this match, they would be tied with Bordeaux, and the final round would become a life-or-death battle!
This is the Champions League—sometimes, those who laugh early end up in tears. As long as the strong don't fall behind early, they can dominate when it matters most.
No one knows what Eriksen is thinking at this moment. Perhaps he's still kicking himself for Salas's missed one-on-one in the dying moments of the last match, a missed opportunity that left them heartbroken and without the victory.
Now, with Lazio needing a goal, they simply can't muster the strength. They've lost control of the midfield.
Verón, hailed as a masterful playmaker, looked nothing like his usual self today.
Defensively, he couldn't position himself right; offensively, he couldn't hold onto the ball; in duels, he was being knocked all over the place.
Millwall completely shut down Lazio at the most critical point of their attack. When Lazio switched to the flanks, their wide players were quickly isolated, significantly reducing the effectiveness of Winter and Conceicao's runs forward.
Aldrich had worried before the match that Verón might put in a stellar performance, but in London, playing as the away team, Verón had a poor showing. Pirlo and Nedvěd kept him in check, and Makelele had a comparatively easy job.
In the 38th minute, Aldrich stood up and walked to the sidelines, signaling to his players.
In the following minutes, Millwall noticeably adjusted their tactics.
Right-back Schneider boldly pushed forward to assist. Winter on that side was being tightly pressed and could only struggle to defend.
Schneider and Larsson had excellent chemistry; both could control the ball and break through when needed. Lazio's left-wing defense was increasingly under pressure.
Schneider's three successive crosses from the byline were all dangerous, but unfortunately, Henry couldn't find a way past Nesta.
As the first half neared injury time, Ronaldinho launched an attack down the left, sending a 45-degree cross to the far post.
Larsson had the ball near the byline, but there was no way to get a shot off. With no angle for a direct strike, he had no choice but to head it, or Favalli would have been right on him for a steal.
Nesta and Mihajlović tightly marked Henry. As soon as Larsson headed the ball, they would have cleared it.
But to everyone's surprise, Larsson opted to head the ball backward.
It looked more like a defender's clearance header.
As Lazio's defense retreated, no one expected Larsson to head the ball outward. Following the ball's trajectory, it became clear that Larsson had actually passed it to Schneider!
Schneider controlled the ball and prepared for a long-range shot. When Simeone saw this, he rushed to block, but Schneider, after touching the ball, unexpectedly passed it sideways.
Nedvěd, noticing Mihajlović approaching him before he even controlled the ball, gently passed it backward.
Pirlo surged forward and unleashed a thunderous long-range shot that flew past Marchegiani's fingertips and into the net.
Millwall's second goal! Pirlo, a powerful long-range shot, another brilliant strike. With the first half nearing its end, Millwall extends their lead, and Lazio's situation couldn't be worse.
Eriksson's face turned pale. Being one goal behind was one thing, but two goals down, especially with halftime approaching, made the situation drastically different. Lazio's hopes of a comeback seemed slim.
Before the second half began, Eriksson replaced Winter with Stanković, the same Stanković who would go on to join Inter Milan and eventually win the historic treble under Mourinho.
Aldrich made no changes to his lineup but adjusted his tactics.
The second half began with both teams switching sides.
Eriksson, standing on the sideline, glanced at Aldrich, who was sitting on the bench, his expression calm. Eriksson thought to himself: "Millwall's got a two-goal lead, they'll likely try to protect it now."
In the Swedish coach's eyes, Millwall might relax mentally in the second half.
The second half began with Lazio pushing forward aggressively.
Aldrich wasn't surprised at all—what else would they do? It was completely expected.
Lazio's situation had taken a turn for the worse. Two goals down—if they didn't attack now, when would they?
Then, Sarri was dispossessed by Southgate just outside the box, and Millwall hit them with a rapid, lethal counterattack.
Ronaldinho quickly got past both Consicão and Pancaro, and inside the box, Simeone fouled him from behind. The referee awarded a penalty.
Eriksson was furious on the sideline, accusing the referee of a mistake, while the Millwall fans began chanting, demanding that Simeone be shown a yellow card.
If the Argentine had received a yellow, his defensive role as a holding midfielder would have been restricted. But the referee awarded the penalty and didn't issue the yellow card—after all, Millwall was two goals up. A penalty was justified, but giving a yellow card might have seemed excessive, especially as Ronaldinho wasn't injured.
Larsson took the penalty but missed it, with Marchegiani saving the shot. Luckily, Henry was there to follow up and score the rebound, or Ronaldinho might have been frustrated.
"47th minute, Millwall leads by three goals. Does Lazio still have a chance? Perhaps."
The Millwall fans in the stands were ecstatic.
They weren't chanting "Lazio, come to the Premier League" anymore. They'd changed the words.
"Lazio! Do you dare come to London now?"
Yes, Millwall couldn't win Serie A, but if Italian teams dared to come to our turf, we'd make them take nightmares back home!
The Premier League may not be the top league in the world, but our Premier League champion will defeat all challengers!
Our king: Aldrich-Hall. He will lead the team to crush all the heroes of the world!
Eriksson?
You may be famous in Serie A, but to us, you're just a self-proclaimed top coach!
Eriksen expected Millwall to play more conservatively after the break, relying on defense and quick counters.
If that happened, Verón might start to show his best form, as the intense pressure on him would be eased. With space to work, the wizard could cast his spell.
But Eriksson was wrong—dead wrong!
In the second half, Millwall didn't just continue their high-pressing tactics from the first half. Their full-backs pushed forward relentlessly, switching positions to support the attack!
Even with a three-goal lead, Millwall's attacking intensity didn't diminish; if anything, it increased, wave after wave.
Zambrotta and Schneider became the key players on the wings. While Ronaldinho, Larsson, Nedvěd, and other attacking players were closely marked, their runs created unexpected threats. The more attacking points they had, the more chances they created.
The scene on the pitch left Lazio's fans with their heads hung low. Yes, heads bowed in shame.
Apart from Salas and Inzaghi, who were leisurely strolling near the center circle, the rest of the Lazio players were all retreating into defense. But after successfully holding off the pressure, they clustered together, only to face Millwall's immediate counter-pressing. They couldn't organize any effective offensive moves.
The besieged Lazio team looked like trapped beasts, helpless as Millwall, the mighty lions, ran rampant.
In the 64th minute, after relentless pressure, Millwall scored again.
Zambrotta raced down the line and sent a cross into the box. Nedvěd was first to it at the near post but his header went awry, turning into an unexpected assist. The ball sailed to the far post, where Larsson, with his knee, managed to nudge it over the line.
Aldrich stood up and began making substitutions—two at once.
Klose came on, Larsson went off.
Ferreira replaced Schneider.
After these changes, Millwall focused on one flank, with Zambrotta providing the attack and Ferreira dedicating all his efforts to defense.
Millwall's attacks came primarily down the left, targeting Konczak and Pancaro's side.
In the 78th minute, Ronaldinho and Klose played a quick one-two, then broke through the left side. After evading Mihajlović, Ronaldinho slotted the ball into the near corner of the net.
"5-0, Millwall Lazio—this scoreline turned Fleet Street into a laughingstock. They had hyped up the 'war' between Hall and Eriksen, building this match as a clash between two heavyweight teams. But whether in terms of the game itself or the result, Fleet Street made a huge blunder, and it's laughable. Millwall and Lazio shouldn't even be considered in the same tier of teams. The real question now is: why did Millwall nearly lose in Rome, settling for a draw?"
If Aldridge faced this question directly and chose to answer sincerely, he would answer without hesitation: "We deliberately controlled the players' rhythm at that time, it was an away game, and except for the final goal, Lazio did not actually have the upper hand."
As the match ended amid loud cheers from the Lions' supporters, the scoreboard read 5-0.
Aldrich stood up, ready to walk over to Eriksson, but seeing the dazed look on his face, he stopped in his tracks. After a brief hesitation, he turned and headed straight into the players' tunnel.
Before the match, Aldrich had briefly considered exchanging a few words with Eriksson—not out of friendship, but as a simple gesture of respect for Lazio's hundred-year milestone.
But well, the gift has been delivered.
Lazio, a hundred years of history, and Millwall hands you a crushing defeat on a silver platter ,You're welcome.
Until we meet again!
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