章 355: Pressure and growth
As the first half came to a close, the score remained unchanged, with Internazionale holding a two-goal lead. Aldrich calmly turned and walked into the player tunnel. In the locker room, once all the players had returned, he opened his palms and quietly asked, "Who here believes that Internazionale cannot be beaten?"
The players exchanged glances. They had faced immense attacking pressure today, and the numerous factors behind conceding three goals in the first half were evident. The most straightforward was the decline in strength on both the attacking and defensive fronts, and any excuse would fall flat.
Larsson posed a bigger threat on the field than Gronkjaer, and Pirlo's ability to control the game allowed Millwall to find a perfect balance in their offensive and defensive rhythm rather than rushing back and forth.
No one responded, and Aldrich continued calmly, "You need games like this, you really do. I'm actually glad our opponent today is Internazionale. To be honest, I'd prefer to draw a 'group of death' in the Champions League. What does facing more strong opponents mean? It means tougher group stage qualification, right? No, I don't care about that. What I care about is your growth and progress at this stage. Only by facing more strong teams can you accelerate the development of your team's strength."
The current phase for the team was about training and improvement, rapid growth, rather than being burdened by the pressure of achievements. Especially in the context of the Champions League, this is entirely different from the league. The league is about endurance and stability, while the Champions League is filled with top-level players. Millwall must lower their profile, forget the identity of defending champions, and focus on gaining experience from the matches. It's far more important for the young players to withstand pressure and grow than to worry about wins or losses.
"As long as you don't show fear, we can still fight in this match. The score from the first half doesn't truly reflect the strength of both teams. We have enough time in the second half to close that gap. But this requires you to bring out a stronger fighting spirit and a greater commitment to the game!"
Aldrich scanned each player, their sweat dripping onto the floor, but all eyes were on him, especially Lampard. He knew the injury status of Pirlo presented him with a golden opportunity. Although he was aware he was not yet ready to challenge for a starting position, getting more playing time, especially against a strong team like Internazionale, was essential for him.
The locker room was relatively calm during the halftime break as the players listened attentively to Aldrich's tactical adjustments, taking note of the tasks he assigned.
Once halftime ran out, both teams returned to the pitch, and the Internazionale players appeared relaxed.
Having scored three goals against the defending champions in the first half gave them immense confidence.
Juventus had taken 180 minutes to score two goals against Millwall, and one of those was an own goal.
Real Madrid took an entire minute to score three against Millwall.
Internazionale achieved that in just 45 minutes.
Aldridge has been coaching the team for more than four years and is experienced. He is used to observing the changes of the opponent between the first and second half. When he saw the Inter Milan players joking, a smile appeared on his face. Did they really think that Inter Milan would win easily today?
As the second half began, Millwall kicked off. Nedved passed the ball back to Lampard, and Internazionale's formation began to push forward. Lampard distributed the ball to Makelele, who sent it to Zambrotta surging in from the left.
The Italian broke through from the left wing at great speed and was unguarded.
As he rushed into the danger zone, Zanetti tried to intercept him. Zambrotta passed the ball directly to Ronaldinho, who received the ball and Zambrotta continued his run forward. Zanetti immediately turned and chased Zambrotta, preventing him from receiving Ronaldinho's pass in the penalty area.
However, Ronaldinho, after receiving the ball, moved inward toward the center.
This threw Inter Milan's defense into chaos. Caouette stepped forward to intercept Ronaldinho, but Ronaldinho suddenly stopped and turned around to get rid of his opponent. Simeone was forced to step forward to stop Ronaldinho's advancement, otherwise the opponent would directly rush into the penalty area with the ball, which was very dangerous.
But as soon as Simeone moved, Ronaldinho sent a through ball into the box.
Ruud van Nistelrooy attracted West's attention. Nedved pushed forward, using his body to shield Bergomi. When Ronaldinho's pass came through, Nedved managed to keep Bergomi on his other side, receiving the ball as it rolled toward him. He then moved past Internazionale's entire defense in a clean breakaway!
Faced with Pagliuca, Nedved didn't hesitate and unleashed a powerful shot!
It flew like a shooting star, and Pagliuca broke into a cold sweat as he realized he had no reaction time. The ball zipped right past his head and into the net.
"Nedved's close-range powerful shot sends the ball into Internazionale's goal! Less than a minute into the second half, Millwall has narrowed the score to 3-2, reducing Internazionale's lead!"
Nedved's celebration mirrored van Nistelrooy's, as he picked up the ball and ran back to the center circle while gesturing for his teammates to hurry back as well.
Hodgson's expression darkened slightly. Although Internazionale had relaxed somewhat, a larger factor was Millwall's momentum and tactical changes in the second half.
Ronaldinho had become a variable; he was no longer sticking to the wing but roamed the center, transforming from a winger to an attacking midfielder as Nedved burst into the box. This shift left the Internazionale defense struggling to keep up, leading to gaps being exposed.
Hodgson was curious to see what role Ronaldinho would take on.
This was understandable. Before the world fully recognized Ronaldinho's abilities, no one knew the limits of his talents or what he could achieve on the field.
When he excelled on the wing, people saw him as a winger, whether as a wide midfielder or a forward.
But when he showcased his skills in the attacking midfield, people began to believe he could play that position as well.
Eventually, as his capabilities became more apparent, people understood that Ronaldinho could do it all in the forward position!
Organizing plays, connecting passes, breaking through defenses, assisting, and scoring; he excelled in every aspect.
But this was during Ronaldinho's peak, not the current version. Aldrich knew he couldn't afford to give him too much freedom at the beginning; otherwise, he risked him performing poorly in the match.
He needed to establish Ronaldinho's role and position first, gradually adjust and stimulate his abilities, just like leveling up—gaining enough experience at a certain stage before progressing to the next level.
He was pleased that although Ronaldinho occasionally displayed personal emotions during the match, such as his tussle with Zanetti, his competitive spirit and desire to win shone through at this high level of competition. Each time he touched the ball, he aimed to improve his performance little by little, striving to do better and better... and it was this continuous self-motivation that made his contributions to the team even more apparent.
As Internazionale tried to regroup after conceding a goal, Millwall immediately resumed attacking with their powerful attacking combination. They didn't believe that Millwall could withstand their offensive capabilities.
Ronaldo once successfully dribbled past Materazzi! Materazzi's situation is similar to Lampard's. Although both of them have participated in many competitions, they have rarely encountered such a high-level opponent. Facing Ronaldo, a dribbling master recognized as the best striker in the world, Materazzi was under great pressure today.
However, as Ronaldo broke through, Schneider swiftly cut in from the side to intercept the ball.
In the second half, Millwall's two full-backs had to apply more pressure in protecting the penalty area to prevent the opposition from breaking through their defensive line repeatedly.
After Schneider intercepted the ball, he passed back to goalkeeper Butt inside the penalty area. Returning the ball to the goalkeeper with opposing players nearby was a risky move!
But Butt calmly received the ball and distributed it to Schneider, who had made a run to the wing.
They had been playing together for quite some time now. Ever since Butt became the starting goalkeeper, the coordination he needed to practice in training matched the team's standards. The goalkeeper was not just the last line of defense but also the starting point for attacks and the outlet for passing. Although it might not be entirely accurate to say they could both attack and defend, the role of Millwall's goalkeeper was certainly far more complex than merely guarding the goal.
This was also the reason why Aldrich hesitated to splurge in the transfer market for a better goalkeeper. It wasn't just that world-class keepers were hard to find; even if clubs reached an agreement, the players might not be willing to come. And even if they were willing, Aldrich's demands for a goalkeeper might not align with their capabilities.
With Butt in place, Aldrich had little desire to make significant changes at goalkeeper. Stability was crucial for that position. While Butt may not be a superstar, the fact that he ranked as the third-choice keeper for the German national team spoke volumes about his ability. His compatibility with Millwall's tactical system and Aldrich's requirements meant he consistently performed to the best of his abilities. Therefore, Aldrich saw no need to consider a change in goalkeeper.
Schneider drove the ball up the wing and passed it to Nedvěd, who had dropped back to receive it just inside the center circle.
Without hesitation, Nedved quickly passed the ball to Gronkjaer, who was cutting in from the right wing and Simeone was about to steal it.
The Danish "Golden Wing" burst into action, using his speed to advantage as Nedvěd and Ronaldinho drew away two defensive midfielders. Now, he was just left facing the last line of defense in front of Internazionale's goal.
Gronkjaer took a diagonal inward route but suddenly came to a halt before West, executing a sharp change of direction. His explosive acceleration and speed were on full display at that moment.
He moved like a razor-sharp knife, glimmering as it cut through to the target!
As Gronkjaer shifted the ball and made his way into the penalty area, West struggled to turn quickly. In a rushed attempt to block, he inadvertently tripped Gronkjaer, sending him crashing to the ground. The referee wasted no time in awarding a penalty!
"Millwall has been awarded a penalty! Gronkjaer was brought down by West after penetrating the box, and there's no dispute here. Gronkjaer's pace was too much for the defense; they simply couldn't intercept such a fast winger before the goal! If Gronkjaer had faced the defenders head-on, he could have easily sprinted past them. But for Internazionale to strengthen their defense, they will have to sacrifice offense. If Millwall converts this penalty, they'll find themselves in a very tricky situation."
As Gronkjaer got up from the ground, his teammates rushed over to embrace him, thanking him for earning the penalty.
Nedvěd stood at the penalty spot, facing off against Pagliuca. When the referee signaled that he could take the kick, Nedvěd approached calmly and struck the ball. With great power and precision, the shot flew low and fast; Pagliuca dove to his right, but soon regretted that decision.
Nedvěd aimed for the middle.
Pagliuca misjudged the placement and could only watch as the ball flew past him into the net.
"Nedvěd scores from the penalty spot! With his second goal of the match, he helps Millwall equalize just eight minutes into the second half! It's 3-3, 3-3! What a thrilling back-and-forth battle this has been, with both teams' stars showcasing spectacular individual feats. There's still over half an hour left, and who knows how this one will end?"
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