บท 261: Crucial First Match
As the second half kicked off, Aldrich remained vigilant despite his team's lead. Standing on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and a serious expression, he continued to encourage his players.
With only a goal behind, PSV was determined to chase the game; they had plenty of time.
After the match resumed, PSV accelerated their counter-attacks following defensive plays. However, this led to a decrease in their pass success rate, particularly for penetrating through balls.
Zambrotta received resounding cheers after successfully intercepting two direct passes from the opposing team down the left flank. While he might not match Capdevila's attacking capabilities, his defensive prowess was undeniably impressive.
Seeing the opposing defense tighten, Advocaat furrowed his brow. PSV's strongest winger, Zenden, was completely neutralized today, contributing nothing to the attack. Cocu was also tightly marked by Makelele, and though Millwall's players might not be household names, they were proving their worth on the pitch.
Schneider and Ballack were only called up to the national team for friendlies and sat on the bench, while Makelele had no chances at all with the French national team, and Zambrotta couldn't even secure a spot, playing for lower-tier national squads instead. Yet, this group of players had come together and formed a formidable force.
As the game approached the seventy-minute mark, Advocaat could no longer remain seated. If they were going to lose, they would score zero points. If it came down to head-to-head rankings, drawing or scoring a goal would be better than losing 1-0.
Under the coach's live adjustments, PSV began to commit more resources to their attack, rotating midfielders to push forward and switching roles during transitions.
Aldrich saw a glimpse of the total football philosophy that Dutch football is renowned for.
The center forward drifted to the wing, wingers cut inside to pressurize the goal, a defensive midfielder pushed forward to become an attacking midfielder, and during counter-attacks, the central midfielder would retreat to serve as the defensive anchor...
The short-range coordination between players was certainly there, and executing such dazzling positional exchanges wasn't difficult for a Dutch team.
Millwall was no stranger to this, as they had practiced it in training.
In response to PSV's deceptive threat following positional changes, Millwall stood firm like a mountain, unyielding against the gusts of wind from every direction.
Just as PSV launched another attack that was thwarted by Southgate outside the penalty area, Millwall initiated a ruthless counter.
During this defensive moment, aside from Trezeguet lurking near midfield, the rest of the players compacted back into their half. After successfully defending, Southgate directly passed the ball to the left winger, Larsson.
Larsson took the ball and played a horizontal pass to Nedved, then began to make a forward run to draw the attention of PSV's left-back.
Nedved, without stopping the ball, played a direct pass down the left flank. It appeared the ball was too far ahead; neither Larsson nor the opposing left-back would reach it, yet just as it was about to cross the sideline, the explosive Zambrotta nudged the ball forward and sprinted ahead.
This simple pass caught PSV's defense off guard, and what began as a direct ball turned into a damaging counterattack that completely tore through their line.
Zambrotta surged down the left flank, seemingly headed straight for the goal without any intention of cutting inside, driving the ball toward the baseline.
As the PSV defenders retreated, the distance between them and Millwall's two forwards widened. Although Trezeguet was the highest stationed forward during the counterattack, he drew the center-back's attention and faced pressure while pushing forward. However, he did slow down the defenders' momentum, allowing Larsson and Shevchenko to gallop like unbridled horses into the opposing penalty area.
With a distance of about forty yards from the goal, Zambrotta had already gained a two-meter lead over the entire PSV backline. When he reached the thirty-yard mark, the crowd rose in anticipation, fully focused on this attack.
Millwall, including Zambrotta, had three players rushing toward the opponent's goal—all unmarked!
This scene was even more exhilarating than a one-on-one shot.
From the penalty area's edge, Zambrotta delivered a powerful grounded cross.
Larsson, leaping at the near post, aimed to poke the ball into the net but was a second too late; he had hesitated momentarily, worrying about offside, as he was quicker without the ball than Zambrotta carrying it.
A collective sigh erupted from the crowd, but before it fully faded, the ball Larsson missed rolled directly to Shevchenko, positioned further away. The timing and pace were perfectly set as the cross arrived.
The Ukrainian dynamo wasted no time and chose to shoot directly. To ensure accuracy, he opted for a curved shot with his instep.
Even using his instep, the ball shot off at great speed, rivaling the power of a strike taken from a stationary position, rocketing into the net, while the PSV goalkeeper was drawn in by Larsson's attempt to volley, leaving no interference for Shevchenko's strike.
"2-0! Millwall leads by two! Shevchenko, Shevchenko, Shevchenko! The Ukrainian scores his first Champions League goal, and this counterattack completely dismantles the opponent. The audience must be thrilled; simple, efficient, and deadly—Dutch football excels at speed, but today they met a faster opponent. The attack took barely around ten seconds from start to finish. Millwall has shown extraordinary performance today, quick when necessary and slowing when needed, giving PSV no clear chance, dominating the match!"
After Shevchenko scored, he stood smiling, looking as youthful and shy as he ever did. Had this match been in the Lion's Den, he would celebrate wildly, but with over eighty thousand eyes on him, he felt a little bashful.
Larsson was the first to rush to Shevchenko after getting up from the ground, congratulating him on his goal, aware that he would have regretted missing that chance at the near post.
The crowd of Lions' fans cheered, feeling secure in the two-goal lead.
With a two-goal cushion, winning seemed assured.
This would lay down an excellent foundation for advancing from the group stage.
While Aldrich was excited, he quickly motioned for the players to calm down. With twenty minutes left, including stoppage time, they couldn't afford to let their guard down and give the opposition a chance to come back.
This game was too important!
The outcome would directly impact the next five matches; Aldrich needed to secure this victory.
In the event that the Champions League expanded to 32 teams in the group stages, theoretically, securing just 12 points would guarantee advancement. But over the last fifteen years of expansion, only Napoli had ever exited a group stage after accumulating 12 points.
Under the current group qualification rules, could 12 points still guarantee advancement? The question loomed large!
This meant securing four wins was still not enough for advancement.
If Millwall lost or only drew this match, the pressure would only grow, forcing them to push harder for qualification and leading opponents to adapt more strategically.
Conversely, Millwall winning their first match would put the other teams in the group on the backfoot—advantageous for Millwall in terms of both tactics and mentality moving forward.
Seeing his team concede a second goal, Advocaat felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.
PSV had no opportunities at all! Millwall's composed control over the game was chilling!
The players on the pitch were frustrated, understanding that to advance from the group, every point counted. There was still time left, and a two-goal deficit wasn't inexorable!
After the match resumed, PSV kept attacking, and their intensity increased. There were moments when Millwall was forced to compress their shape in their own half. Even when Millwall initiated counter-attacks, PSV intercepted ferociously and precisely, regaining possession.
Aldrich felt anxious on the sidelines as he watched. The players were too calm, bordering on rigid; during a counterattack, they needed to make a few passes to break through the opponent's defense.
Aldrich continually gestured from the sidelines, urging the players to look further while passing.
Once the players realized, PSV was on the attack again. Zenden cut inside from the left and, after creating an angle, launched a shot that was blocked by Elgalla's body, the ball bouncing to Ballack. He took a touch sideways before sending a seemingly routine clearance into opposition territory.
The crowd erupted in cheers as they watched the ball land perfectly.
Shevchenko outpaced the entire PSV backline. The PSV defenders had been tightly marked, trying to cut off Millwall's counter.
However, this time, Ballack played a ball behind the defenders instead, ditching the passing sequence. Shevchenko disregarded his marker, using his speed to surge toward goal!
The PSV goalkeeper rushed out, and Shevchenko, in order to evade him, pushed the ball wide. However, the heavy touch nearly took him beyond the baseline. The keeper, having lost his balance, frantically pursued.
As Shevchenko reached the ball, he was almost at the baseline with little angle to shoot, so he crossed the ball toward the goal.
Larson arrived at this time. Under pressure from the defender, he dropped to the ground to make a tackle, sending himself and the ball into the net.
"Larsson scores again! Millwall absolutely dominates their opponent! They are headed for their first-ever Champions League victory, with PSV unable to respond. They shouldn't have allowed that much space behind them, but without stacking their front lines, their tight three-line structure led to no meaningful attacking opportunities—undeniably highlighting the disparity in strength between the two teams!"
After getting up from inside the goal, Larsson jogged over to find Shevchenko, grinning widely and pointing at him.
Aldrich sighed with relief.
Exactly! In such scenarios, a straightforward approach solves the problem; no need for finesse.
He feared that these players might forget Millwall's explosive counter-attacking style, the one built from scratch.
That so-called "Millwall Athletic Team" sprinting offense had worked wonders under the right circumstances.
They were faster than the defenders, and even after thirty meters, they could still take a breath before passing—who could argue with that? Challenge them to outrun them!
Aldrich chuckled to himself, realizing that the previous season, Millwall had primarily played one-dimensional build-up play; opponents in their second Premier League season mostly didn't provide them with more than thirty meters of sprinting space. Perhaps the players had forgotten: As long as there was open space upfront, attacks could be straightforward and brutal—a long ball, the striker outpacing the defenders and scoring, leading to Millwall celebrating a goal.
Advocaat quietly returned to his coaching seat amid the roaring cheers at Wembley.
PSV had suffered a complete defeat in this match.
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