章 323: The situation was reversed
Aldrich certainly remembered his birthday, but he never went looking for excuses to throw a celebration. He wouldn't make a big deal out of it, as if he'd be miserable if no one acknowledged it.
Furthermore, May 18 was the date of the Champions League final. If the head coach suddenly declared, "Today is my birthday," wouldn't that be just a distraction for the players?
When the head coach speaks, what should the players and staff think? Should they care or not?
If they didn't care, would that mean a quick drop in the coach's opinion of them?
But if they did take it to heart, how should they express that?
Truth be told, Aldrich even preferred that no one outside knew it was his birthday.
He received birthday wishes from friends and family over the phone, and that was enough. Three hours before the match, he pushed all thoughts of it aside. It wasn't until Nedved lifted his jersey and the whole team congratulated him that he realized: the birthday he just forgot was back in his mind again.
Touched by his players' thoughtfulness, Aldrich was overwhelmed with emotion, not knowing what to say. He could only embrace each player.
In the stands, Brady crossed his arms and smiled widely, attracting the broadcast cameras' attention.
The Lions' fan group had unveiled a large banner in their traditional style.
A few rows of fans turned, revealing massive letters that formed a message:
Aldrich Hall
Legendary Young Coach
Having you is having happiness
To you we pay tribute: Happy Birthday!
On May 18, 1994, Aldridge returned to East London to celebrate his 18th birthday and received a birthday gift from his brother: Millwall Football Club.
Four years later, on May 18, 1998, Millwall was leading Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League final!
"Today is Millwall's coach Hall's birthday! What a special moment! After scoring, the Millwall players congratulated him, and the Lions' fans displayed a banner of best wishes! This is truly a classic moment in Champions League history. At just 22 years old, Aldrich has been in charge of the team for four years. Give anyone else four years—what could they accomplish? Yet Aldrich has taken a second-tier English team step by step to the Champions League final. Over those four years, he has collected eight trophies. Even if we exclude the Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup, he still boasts six shiny trophies. He may be young, but his coaching ability shouldn't be underestimated. No one has the right to doubt that. On this special day, let us send our best wishes: Happy Birthday, Aldrich Hall!"
Aldrich felt a bit shy, caught off guard by the players' affection, revealing a rarely seen shy side of him while directing from the sidelines.
Once the celebration ended, the players encouraged one another. Scoring just one goal was only a temporary lead; their tactics remained unchanged—a point Aldrich had reiterated time and again before the match, unless they could stretch the lead to three goals!
Even a two-goal cushion felt insecure.
After conceding a goal, Real Madrid attempted to counterattack, but they found that Millwall had no intention of pulling back, maintaining their aggressive offensive style, threatening Real Madrid's goal repeatedly with slick teamwork.
On the sidelines, Heynckes furrowed his brow in concern.
Many teams tend to become a bit timid when facing Real Madrid, employing a more defensive strategy.
This approach isn't inherently wrong, but it indirectly helps Real Madrid, whose weak point is their defense. If the pressure isn't on their backline, their attacks can demolish the opponent like a mountain crashing down—a tactical blunder.
In a twist, Millwall chose the opposite approach, pressing forward. If Real Madrid wanted to defend, it meant committing more players to their defense, thus weakening their own attack.
From the opening whistle, Seedorf and Carlos barely made any impact in attack. Due to the lack of absolute speed, when Real Madrid switches from defense to offense, their position is often too close to their own penalty area. If they don't play the ball out quickly and instead choose to drive forward, Millwall's defense may recover faster than they can move forward, creating a relentless press that stifles their attempts.
Once they did pass, stretching the formation lowered their passing accuracy, allowing Millwall's defense to intercept the ball easily.
With the attack dampened and their defense shaky, Real Madrid immediately withdrew, trying to stabilize the situation, avoiding a breakdown within a short timeframe. If they conceded a second goal, they might not even be compelled to play the second half!
As Real Madrid recoiled, Millwall kept pushing. Pirlo's long-range effort struck the crossbar, prompting a collective sigh from the fans.
If only that shot had gone in!
At that moment, none could have guessed that Pirlo hitting the bar in the 31st minute would mark the beginning of Millwall's frustrating streak of bad luck in this match!
Just before halftime, Millwall took a corner that sailed into the box. Amid the chaos, Trezeguet's close-range shot was blocked by Hierro, the ball deflecting off him and hitting the crossbar once more before bouncing down, where Ilgner caught it.
The goalpost have rejected them twice.
During halftime, Aldrich entered the locker room to check on the players' conditions. They had been playing all-out attack, which demanded a significant energy output, striving to resolve the match in 90 minutes. Real Madrid had seen no chances; they were blinded by Millwall's aggressive opening. Without timely adjustments, they fell deeper into turmoil. However, Heynckes would surely make changes at halftime; in the second half, Millwall wouldn't face that shaken Real Madrid again.
At the beginning of the second half, both teams returned to the field, and Millwall's spirit was more active than before. Continuing the rhythm set in the first half, they continued to attack Real Madrid. Their initial attack bore fruit: Larsson and Shevchenko paired up on the same side, using quick one-twos to find space and break free. Larsson shot towards the far corner. Ilgner had no time to save and could only watch helplessly. But to everyone's disbelief, the ball bounced off the goal post!
At this moment, the fans in the stands realized just how unfortunate that was!
What a terrible stroke of luck! With less than 50 minutes gone, there had already been two crossbars and one post. Millwall didn't ask for much; just one goal would have changed the score to 2-0.
Aldrich stood on the sidelines, hands on his hips, shaking his head slightly.
It's hard to say this was just a case of bad luck; the question of whether the ball goes in or not relates to whether it's within the goal's frame—a scientific matter. Even if a strong wind blew the ball out of bounds, that wind was not summoned by Real Madrid.
Real Madrid could only play defensively, making a clear tactical shift in the second half. They stopped advancing via the midfield altogether and focused on the flanks.
Three minutes in, Nedved surged into the box to meet Schneider's cross from the wing with a header aimed at the goal. Ilgner confidently caught it and then hurled a throw to the left side.
Schneider had already sprinted back, but someone was even faster: Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos!
There's no doubt he's faster, especially when attacking. He didn't need to stop to keep going; Ilgner's throw-in was aimed at the space behind Schneider. Carlos rushed down the wing and sped up. Schneider changed his route mid-chase; instead of chasing Carlos, he ran towards the defensive zone of his own penalty area. His plan was to have Makelele slow down Carlos and disrupt his opponent's rhythm, while he prepared to make up the difference.
Makelele read Schneider's movement and glanced at the situation around him. Pirlo had dropped back to mark Raúl, giving Millwall an extra man defensively.
Moving to the right flank, Makelele couldn't commit too strongly, fearful of a Carlos cross directed at the unmarked Seedorf.
But Carlos, instead, drove toward the baseline. From near the 45-degree angle, he unexpectedly chose to shoot from distance!
Yes, at least it seemed that way—his shot was directed toward the goal.
Yes, it sure looks like it hit the target! That thunderous blow was simply shocking. Although Bart was prepared, he was still shocked when he saw this scene. The ball came towards him like a missile! He could only hit the ball with both fists. Pirlo was caught off guard after grabbing the spot outside the penalty area. Before he could turn around, Raul stepped forward to steal the ball. Raul takes another long shot from outside the penalty area!
Bart quickly fell to the ground and made a desperate save. He knocked the ball out again and there was chaos in the penalty area.
Mijatovic seized the opportunity and dribbled the ball forward, but Southgate stretched his leg to block it and failed to make contact. Mijatovic suddenly collapsed and the referee paused the game and pointed to the penalty spot.
"I didn't even touch him!" Southgate roared at the referee, clearly fuming. "What a ridiculous decision!"
Aldrich, sensing the urgency, immediately raised his hand in anger, shaking his finger while shouting at the fourth official, "That's absolutely not a penalty! No way! Mijatović fell on purpose; he just wanted the penalty! If the referee doesn't want to be mocked after the match, he needs to call that a dive! It was a dive!"
But the fourth official didn't pay any mind to Aldrich. In Europe, Millwall held little weight.
Even with his acclaim in England, Aldrich felt minuscule compared to the colossal UEFA.
"Uh, this decision is certainly questionable. Slow-motion shots reveal that Southgate did extend his leg, but he didn't contact Mijatović at all; it was Mijatović who tumbled when he collided with Southgate. In the heat of the moment, it's understandable that the referee couldn't see clearly, but this will surely spark debate after the match."
The referee stood by the call, and Aldrich could only offer a wry smile while shaking his head.
Though there was a potential dive involved, the chance for that dive still arose from Real Madrid's second-phase attack. Their initial forward assault, whether in sequence or in counterattack, entirely failed to threaten Millwall's goal. Face-to-face defending isn't particularly hard against any elite team. The challenge lies in defending against unpredictable second and third-phase attacks.
Raúl stood at the penalty spot. With the referee's whistle, he took a step, kicking the ball into a theoretical dead zone. Butt guessed wrong, watching the ball slip past him.
"Real Madrid has equalized with the penalty! 1-1. Although they aren't dominating the match, at least they aren't trailing in score, which will keep their mindset from becoming frazzled as time goes on."
Aldrich kept applauding from the sidelines, urging his players to shake off the frustration from conceding while rallying the fans to cheer louder.
"Forget about the penalty, keep your focus entirely on the game. Don't think about anything else; we have plenty of time to win this!"
Had it been a reasonable penalty, Aldrich wouldn't have felt the need to shout such things at his players.
But a dubious penalty could stir dissatisfaction among the players, and Aldrich had to ensure they concentrated on what truly mattered!
If they felt wronged, if their focus shifted to arguing with the referee or fussing with their opponents, there was no doubt that they would lose this match!
Southgate looked determined as he shouted to his teammates, "Come on, let's score again!"
Nedved, who rarely spoke but always led by action, sprinted forward as the ball was played, energizing the attack. Millwall regained their momentum, keeping up their high level of performance.
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