host must win

Chapter 301 Half a foot into the semi-finals

In the middle of the week, the quarter-finals of the Champions League start.

At 7:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday night in the UK, Manchester United sat at Old Trafford and ushered in the Ligue [-] overlord Lyon.

It can be said that these two teams are the current overlords of their respective leagues.Although Manchester United has recently lost the top position in the standings, the Red Devils are still strong. They continue to dominate England. Although Arsenal have remained unbeaten this season, it is difficult for them to shake Manchester United's dominance in the Premier League.Lyon has won Ligue [-] for two consecutive years.

As the well-deserved standard-bearers of the two leagues, the duel between Manchester United and Lyon is, in a sense, also a duel between Ligue [-] and the Premier League.

In the eyes of many people, it is difficult for Lyon to be the opponent of the powerful Red Devils, just like Ligue [-] wants to wrestle with the Premier League.

But Lyon, which has won the Ligue 8 championship for two consecutive years, is not a fish to be slaughtered. The club chairman Aulas made it clear early on that entering the top [-] is not the ultimate goal of Lyon, and his team will enter the final!
Out of the emphasis on this game, Aulas had hoped to play the 29th round of Ligue [-] with Nantes one day in advance, but this request was ruthlessly rejected by the French Football Professional League.

And Manchester United's luck is not much better. They just played a fierce battle with Tottenham on the weekend, and the rest time between the two games is only 72 hours.

………………

Although Scholes, Ferdinand and other generals were unable to play due to suspension, the Red Devils still showed the strength of the "Triple Crown". At the beginning of the game, they put strong pressure on Lyon under the leadership of Yin Jun.

In the 14th minute, Yin Jun made a direct pass from the midfielder, and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy succeeded in offside. Unfortunately, he was eager for success and wanted to shoot in the air. Unfortunately, his footsteps were not adjusted properly and he lost an excellent opportunity.

In the 26th minute, it was Ruud van Nistelrooy, who received a cross from the left from Phil Neville in front of the small penalty area, and his right-footed volley shot went high!

Lyon coach Le Guin said before the game: "Our goal in this game is to score goals."

Therefore, he sent a very attacking lineup. The Brazilian star Elber, who scored in Lyon's 1-0 victory over Nantes last weekend in the league, regained his starting chance. La and Govou's frontcourt 4-man team has high hopes from Le Guin.

Elber, who had regained his trust, was eager to express himself. In the 24th minute, he received a direct pass from Gewu in the middle and turned around to shoot. Unfortunately, he did not adjust his center of gravity and the shot was powerless and was easily blocked by Howard.

Lyon's best chance came in the 38th minute. After a series of wide cooperation, Govou received a return pass from Essien in front of the penalty area and shot directly. As a result, the ball hit the defender and missed.

………………

Manchester United basically controlled the situation throughout the first half, and Yin Jun was very active. Almost every threatening attack by Manchester United was related to him, but this also forced the Lyon players to frequently use foul tactics to contain Manchester United's No. 8.

Yin Jun, who was repeatedly violated, was obviously a little annoyed, and there was a small tidbit in it.

In the 19th minute, Yin Jun dribbled the ball at the front of Lyon's penalty area. Diarra pressed close to him. Suddenly a whistle sounded in the field. Yin Jun thought it was the referee calling for a foul and stopped. But the referee signaled the game to continue. A prank by fans.

Even though he was violated many times and his thighs were "ravaged", Yin Jun still couldn't restrain his brilliance.

In the 44th minute, Manchester United counterattacked. Cristiano Ronaldo made a cross from the right. Ruud van Nistelrooy volleyed with his left foot from the post. As a result, it hit the thigh of Yin Jun, who was outflanking the center, and bounced into the net.

1: 0!

This is Yin Jun's ninth goal in the Champions League this season, leading the Champions League scorer list alone!
After the intermission, Le Guon replaced Juninho, who was not performing well, with Dorazo, but this did not change the situation on the field.However, in the face of Lyon's tough defense and almost rough style of play, Manchester United did not have any good solutions for a while, and it was too late to score a second goal. The game went on to 69 minutes, and the score on the field was still the same. 1:0.

………………

"Foul!" shouted from the stands at Old Trafford.

Ferguson also jumped on the sidelines and shouted in protest.

Ronaldo took the ball on the wing, trying to overwhelm his opponent with his speed.

This trick really worked, and the Lyon left back was passed.However, Lyon's central defender Patrick Muller rushed up and hit someone directly. Ronaldo, who was accelerating, was knocked to the ground.

The referee seemed to take into account that Patrick Muller already had a yellow card, and this time he only verbally warned the Swiss international,
This naturally made Ferguson very angry.If Müller receives another yellow card and is sent off, it will be a turning point in the game.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Le Guon yelled at Ferguson. "What are you calling? Your players are like macaroni. They fall down when you touch them."

"Blind boy, what are you talking about?" Ferguson's face changed with anger, and he was about to start scolding, when assistant coach Mike Phelan jumped out first.

"You guys, please control your emotions." The fourth official pointed to a few people with a dark face. "Otherwise, I will notify the referee to come and talk to you."

Several people stared resentfully and dispersed.

"Thank you." Ferguson thanked his old partner. If Mike Phelan hadn't jumped out at the first time just now, the irritated Ferguson just got into trouble with Legon just now.

The two coaches fight directly, which is much more serious than the assistant coach and the opponent. If it is not done well, the referee will directly send the two head coaches to the stands.

I didn't realize that this kid, Legon, was still a ruthless character, and this was his plan to die with Ferguson.

"You are the soul of the team, the captain of this battleship, and the most important one." Mike Phelan said, "It doesn't matter to sacrifice me, the important thing is to protect you."

Ferguson looked at Mike Phelan's almost 50 years old face and was a little moved.

"Calm down next time, if you are sent off, I will lose a good partner." Ferguson said moved and relieved.

"It's okay, I know what I'm doing." Mike Phelan said.

While Ferguson and Mike Phelan spoke, United's corner had been delivered.

Yin Jun took the penalty, and Manchester United's No. 8 kicked the ball very well. Sylvester, who was guarding in front of the goal, once again opened the goal of Kupe with a powerful header.

2: 0!

Afterwards, Manchester United continued to control the situation on the field under the leadership of Yin Jun. It was a pity that Ruud van Nistelrooy was not good at the ball. Although he got several opportunities and caused a certain threat, he still failed to score and the score was finally fixed at 2. :0.

Failed to win an away goal, but swallowed two goals in a row. Lyon left all hopes in 2 weeks.

(End of this chapter)