章 129: Fast Break in Counterattack
Millwall focused on offense while Aston Villa concentrated on defense, making the situation clear.
The roar from the stands was deafening, and the final at Wembley Stadium seemed a bit one-sided.
However, Aldrich couldn't afford to be optimistic. Millwall's attacks yielded no results, so he instructed the two full-backs to return and secure the defense, hoping to draw Aston Villa out and see if they would commit more players to offense with less pressure on their defense.
Unfortunately, Brian Little's tactical setup left Aldrich disappointed. Aston Villa played in perfect unison, even when opportunities arose for their three midfielders to push forward, they maintained a long-ball strategy. The midfielders barely ventured beyond the center circle, and the full-backs stayed aligned with the defensive line.
As a result, it was Millwall who became increasingly impatient. Attacking with just five players against eight was a recipe for frustration.
The players were constantly double-teamed and unable to create any threatening offenses. So Thuram and Neil surged forward again, but they couldn't make a significant impact on the wings.
Aldrich felt anxious. Aston Villa's targeted defense felt like a match of wits. Even when they allowed Millwall's attacking players the space to cut into the wing, their defense effectively shut down any internal passing lanes.
After combining with Thuram, Schneider got the ball down to the byline, dazzling with his footwork to get past Stoughton. However, just as he slipped by Stoughton, Wright was ready and cleared the ball with a powerful kick.
Three minutes later, Pirès teamed up with Neil on the opposite side, and Neil drew Nelson away. Pirès made a cut inside, but just as he took a step, Draper pressured him. Pirès feigned a dribble and sent a cross to Nedvěd in the center, yet Nedvěd, eager to make the play, found himself thwarted as Tyler lunged in to clear the ball away.
A minute and a half later, Pirès tried the same trick, but this time he passed to Neil, who opted not to dribble but swung in a cross, which Nelson blocked with his body.
Schneider attempted a lob into the box, and Larsen stylishly controlled the ball to evade Wright, only to lose it again to the retreating center-back Simeka.
Attack, disruption, attack, disruption...
The main theme of the match was unmistakable. Millwall stopped trying to penetrate. Larsen withdrew, and with Pirès, Schneider, and Nedvěd, they began to attempt long-range shots from the outskirts to piercing through the dense defense. They played with confidence.
However, most of their long-range efforts were less than impressive, either blocked by Aston Villa's defenders or straying off-target.
With thirty-seven minutes gone in the first half, Millwall had only one shot on target.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa hadn't managed a single shot on goal.
Aldrich paced back and forth on the sidelines. He had analyzed Aston Villa's tactics for half a month and never anticipated Brian Little's clever maneuver.
In reality, if he could have entered Aston Villa's tactical meeting room, he would have learned that Brian Little drew inspiration from Millwall's match against Newcastle United earlier in the season. He fortified their three midfielders to protect the area just outside the box, ensuring the backline was layered and coordinated, with reasonable responsibilities for intercepting and disrupting play. Moreover, Little didn't change the duties of the two center-backs; he simply added a retreating center-back to disrupt the opponent's penetrative plays.
Newcastle United had appeared invincible in the first half of the season but left the Lion's Den in humiliation. This gave Little an insight, as Millwall's attacking firepower was no less formidable than Newcastle's.
Aldrich's strategy faltered; he had set up a 4-4-2 formation for a balance between attack and defense, yet Aston Villa seemed to defend comfortably.
He recognized the central issue was the retreating center-back Simeka. Larsen and Trezeguet were marked closely by the two center-backs, and even if they excelled or attempted to link up, Simeka's role effectively snuffed out any threatening attacks at the last moment.
Despite Millwall's successful resolution of several counterattacks by Aston Villa that involved high balls, this wasn't a promising sign.
While Aldrich pondered changes, Kostić intercepted a pass intended for Pirès. Pirès attempted a personal breakthrough to tear apart the defense but, in tight confines, he deceived Nelson yet was successfully dispossessed by Kostić.
Kostić glanced up and played a ground pass out to the right flank.
Neil had just sprinted up, now tracking back. During Millwall's offensive plays, the biggest gaps in their defense were on both wings.
Milošević was leading the charge, pinning down the backline of Southgate and Stam, while York roamed freely. This time, he was waiting on the right wing to receive the ball.
Makélélé didn't rush forward recklessly; instead, he retreated to assess the situation. Noticing Aston Villa's defenders weren't pushing forward to join the attack, he strategically moved to assist on the wing, limiting York's dribbling space.
Milošević first charged ahead, then suddenly halted, and York, who worked perfectly with him, didn't aim to break directly through Makélélé. Instead, he awaited the signal to exploit the space, and at that moment, he saw his opportunity and executed a ground pass.
About forty yards from the edge of the box, Milošević received the ball, sidestepped to adjust his angle and position, denying Southgate any chance to apply immediate pressure, then unleashed a powerful shot.
Seeing that strike, Aldrich was left dumbfounded, shocked to the core: damn it, was Aston Villa in cahoots with Lady Luck?
The shot was beautiful, and its trajectory was aimed straight for the top right corner of the goal, zipping through the air.
Keller made a phenomenal save!
Due to the distance and open view, he had ample time to prepare. This flawless long-range shot didn't throw him off balance. As the ball soared toward the upper corner, he leaped, palming it away for a corner.
"Wow! Milošević's long-range effort almost put Aston Villa ahead! This was their first shot on target since kickoff, and Keller made a world-class save. Yet if Milošević had taken his shot from 25 to 30 yards out, Keller might have been helpless. Aston Villa earned a corner kick."
When the corner kick opportunity arose, Aldrich noticed that Aston Villa's central and defensive players had finally started moving forward with speed, as if on a sprint.
This sent a chill down Aldrich's spine, and he immediately shouted from the sidelines, "Quick, fall back to defend!"
Millwall's players dashed back at full speed. It was a strange scene; normally at this point in a corner situation, one team should be preparing for defense while the other gets ready to attack. However, this opportunity came from a counter-attack, and York dashed towards the corner flag, seemingly set to take the corner quickly.
The trio of midfielders—Draper, Tyler, and Kostić—also charged forward the moment the ball crossed the goal line, leaving Millwall's players startled.
In their frantic defense setup, the gaps were too numerous.
Aldrich couldn't help but shout, "Foul! Delay them with a foul!"
But the players failed to respond correctly, behaving more like obedient children on the pitch. Instead of protecting crucial areas, they hurried back to defend without any strategical thought, granting Aston Villa a golden opportunity.
York placed the ball at the corner position, bent down, and delivered it to Draper, who had made a run from the edge. Neil hurried back in a bid to mark Draper, while York smartly receded ahead of the defensive line. Draper then played a direct pass back to York, who carried the ball down to the byline, getting ahead of the entire Millwall defense.
With a near-scorcher of a cross, he swiftly drove the ball towards the goal. Millwall's defenders tried to block it with their bodies; Southgate lunged but failed to touch the ball. Stam was engaged in a tussle with Milošević, both missing the ball entirely, while Makélélé pulled Tyler down outside the box. Yet someone was lurking at the back post.
Kostić!
Before the corner kick was taken, he sprinted all the way from the backfield. Inside the box, Thuram bumped into him, causing Kostić to stumble and seemingly about to fall. Thuram immediately raised his hand to indicate that he didn't commit a foul, but this also created distance between him and Kostić.
Stumbling nearly as if about to fall, Kostić charged into the ball at the back post, heading it from just half a meter above the ground.
Keller lunged, but it was already too late.
The ball sailed into Millwall's net, and Kostić seemed to slide into his celebration seamlessly, coming to a stop with his chest pressed to the ground right on the goal line.
The noise at Wembley Stadium instantly dropped a notch, with Millwall fans left stunned, struggling to comprehend the scene unfolding before them.
We're losing?
Aston Villa fans erupted in jubilant cheers.
This goal felt like a taste of the championship trophy.
"The goal is in! Aston Villa tore through Millwall's defense with a stunningly quick counterattack. This wasn't just an offensive play; York received the ball on the wing and passed it to Milošević, whose long-range shot resulted in a corner kick. Following that, Aston Villa's corner was also a swift counter, and replays clearly showed that two of their three midfielders sprinted toward the box. Draper then positioned himself to receive York's quickly taken corner, executing a simple one-two pass. York, having gotten behind the defense, reached the byline and delivered a powerful cross. The ball traveled between the goalkeeper and the defenders, making it a nightmarish delivery. Aston Villa had three players creating pressure in the box, and ultimately, Kostić stormed in from the back post to score. If Kostić hadn't found the back of the net, it's possible the referee might have awarded a penalty, as we saw the referee had already put the whistle to his mouth after Thuram collided with Kostić. Now, Aston Villa has taken the lead, and the upcoming stages of the match promise to be even more thrilling!"
This goal left Millwall's players a bit dazed.
While Aldrich, who had previously been animated, now stood calmly on the sidelines, signaling with a wave for his players to take the kick-off at the center circle.
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