Football: A late bloomer, starting with Leicester City

Chapter 348 An unsuspicious tragedy! Who said breaking records is just a single?

"In just the past 26 minutes, Leicester City has taken a 2-0 lead. This group of players' debut in the Champions League knockout rounds went surprisingly smoothly!"

There was a smile on He Wei's face. The situation on the field was similar to what he initially predicted. "This is definitely not the last goal in this game. After Leicester City gained momentum, they definitely wanted to take advantage of the victory." Chase and get more of a lead!”

"In this way, when they go to the King Power Stadium, their home stadium, they will gain a greater advantage! They have a greater chance of entering the quarterfinals!"

"Let us give all the praise to Ashraf who scored the goal, and also to Chen Yufeng who assisted him. So far, Chen Yufeng's Champions League data has reached 15 goals and 3 assists! This is simply shocking!"

"..."

He Wei has spoken about Sevilla's difficult situation and wrong starting point many times, and now he does not want to waste his words on this team and Sampaoli.

This is Sevilla's game, not his game. It's useless for him to express so many opinions.

If the leader Sampaoli himself cannot wake up, no one can save this team.

If you don’t pay attention to your own game and are blindly confident, then be prepared to bear the consequences.

In the stadium at this moment, after Achraf passed by Correa and made a shut-up gesture, there was a burst of neat boos in the stadium.

This is the boo from Sevilla fans. They may be expressing dissatisfaction with Ashraf, but more likely, they are expressing dissatisfaction with their home team.

Looking at the VIP area, Sevilla president Pepe Castro was expressing his dissatisfaction to the people around him.

"Is this what he said? Huh?"

"The promises he made to us are just farts! Except for that sentence, you give me your trust and I will give you an explanation, all the rest are just farts!"

"If we are eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League! Then inform him that he can leave Sevilla directly after the end of the season!"

"I don't think this idiot has the quality to coach a Champions League team! He should go back to his hometown to lead those teams!"

For someone like Pepe Castro, who has long been devoted to this club, the Champions League every season is undoubtedly very important.

Sevilla is not a club like Real Madrid. If Sevilla wants to gain fame and influence, it must rely on its results in the Champions League!

They have no way out, no one is willing to give them time!

On the side, other club staff adjusted their sitting postures at this moment, and then lowered their breathing sounds.

They didn't dare to speak.

They can understand Castro's anger, but they can also understand Sampaoli's radicalism.

After the Champions League group stage, the whole team had great trust in Sampaoli and believed that it was a great miracle that he led Sevilla to qualify in the group of death.

The expectation threshold is raised, trust is more abundant, trust is sufficient, and expectations become more. These two points complement each other to form a virtuous cycle, which gradually expands to the point of being unbearable.

Then... everything fell apart when he touched Leicester City and golden ball winner Chen Yufeng.

The emotions brought about by the contrast made them hate Sampaoli as much as they loved him before.

There is not so much understanding and nostalgia in the fiercely competitive football world, and even if the fans do, the club's top brass won't.

Time flies, each year passes, and new challenges are ahead of us. Who gives the head coach so much patience?

"This team is incredibly stable. They don't seem to be in bad shape."

The people next to Castro chatted quietly, "To be honest, I have never seen this kind of cohesion and stability from other teams. They are like wearing ropes, inseparable."

"This whole group is too difficult to defeat, and once your attack fails to achieve results in a short period of time, they will quickly hit you back with a hammer, making you dizzy and cutting off your retreat."

This person's summary was still very insightful, but someone next to him added something, "Yes, they really seem to be a whole. They have achieved the state that other teams have been pursuing."

"In this situation, with a super shooter, I really can't imagine how you can beat them."

"Perhaps only clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern and Juventus have a chance to compete with them."

They spoke quietly, but Castro heard them.

Castro soon cast a vicious look at them, scaring the two of them into sitting upright and never daring to look up again.

"Bang!!"

At this moment, there was another muffled sound in the venue.

I saw the Blue Fox killer Vardy, after receiving a pass from Drinkwater, he passed Lenglet and shot a blast.

Although the first kick did not score the ball, Shinji Okazaki followed up and poked the ball into the net.

Three to zero...

"Yeah————!!"

Accompanying the sound of the Leicester City Expeditionary Force was the silence of the entire VIP box.

Castro glanced at the time and saw that there were eight minutes left in the first half, so he got up early and walked towards the locker room.

He was going to give Sampaoli a heads up, and he was going to say something to the players.

At a certain moment, Castro actually didn't know what to say. So far in the game, Sevilla is indeed in a dilemma.

…………

"Beep--!"

When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the Leicester City players looked confused.

Chen Yufeng quickly ran up and argued with the referee: "Our chance to counterattack is not up yet. This attack should be completed, right?"

"I'm not protesting, I'm not condemning, but I hope we can get an explanation."

As the captain, Chen Yufeng has this responsibility. He needs to speak on behalf of the team at some times.

The Leicester City players quickly gathered around, chattering away, and the annoyed referee quickly ran back to the tunnel.

Chen Yufeng and others did not push the envelope, just put enough pressure on them.

As long as the referee admits his mistakes in his heart, he will favor Leicester City on certain penalties in the second half to find his own inner balance.

And their move also put a lot of pressure on the Sevilla players not far away.

When Leicester City players were not satisfied after taking a 3-0 lead at half-time and even went to the referee for not playing enough, you can imagine how devastated these boys were.

Is this going to kill us?

The Sevilla players walked towards the locker room with dark faces.

Many people didn't even shake hands with Sampaoli, but walked directly past Sampaoli and went back to the locker room first.

Soon, players entered the locker room one after another, and they also saw Castro sitting aside with a pale face.

"We can't play like this. Leicester City is much better than expected. I even see the shadow of Real Madrid in them. I feel like Real Madrid wearing blue clothes, a team that doesn't like to have the ball." , but Real Madrid counterattacked sharper."

After Sevilla defender Lenglet greeted President Castro who was sitting next to him, he started talking to the players. He was really anxious, otherwise he would not openly question the team's performance in front of the chairman. Law.

"Mr. Sampaoli didn't tell us the truth. He told us that Chen Yufeng was at most a Torres-level striker, and he didn't have the level of suppressive power of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi."

Full-back Escudero spread his hands and said: "I often watch his game videos, and I have always had doubts about this."

"But the more he said it, the more his subconscious believed it." Castro said this sentence for him beside him.

"Yes, Mr. President, we played like clowns in this half. We have embarrassed the whole world in such an important game."

Escudero pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, very helpless: "If I had known this earlier, it would not have been me, but the other two defensive full-backs."

"Chen Yufeng's problem is the biggest problem, but don't ignore the others. Vardy, Mahrez, Morgan, and Kante. These people have put a lot of pressure on us on both ends of the offense and defense. Even those who have been ignored before Drinkwater, in their system, is like a god of war." Another defender Lamy complained.

"We didn't know this before. We thought Leicester City was a team like Athletic Bilbao." Lenglet said again.

Whether they are shirking their responsibilities or making excuses for their collapse, at this moment, everything has been pushed to a point - Sampaoli lost the trust of the top management in these 45 minutes. He also lost control of the locker room.

The players and the club president are sitting in the locker room talking about your mistakes. How do you want to control others after this?

"Creak." The door to the locker room was pushed open, and Sampaoli seemed to be ready outside the door, ready to get straight to the point as soon as he entered.

He clapped his hands and walked into the locker room and went directly to the tactical board to explain technical and tactical issues. He did not notice that club president Castro was sitting not far away.

"Okay, we had a lot of problems and we have to solve them in the second half."

"Again, believe in yourselves no matter what. They scored three goals with five shots on target in the first half. They may not be as efficient in the second half, so this may be your 45 minutes!"

"Correa, Nasri..."

It wasn't until he ordered people to arrange tactics that Sampaoli discovered something was wrong.

He saw that the expressions of Correa and Nasri were not quite right, and other people in the locker room were sitting there with their heads lowered, not wanting to listen to what he said.

"Okay, since you guys..." Sampaoli dropped the tactical pen on the ground, and was about to roar to wake up the players who seemed to have fallen asleep, but was pushed by the assistant coach behind him.

The assistant coach pointed to a spot, and Sampaoli turned his head and saw Castro.

"Mr. Castro." His chest suddenly calmed down, as if a balloon had been deflated.

"I think both the players and I need an explanation." Castro said this word for word with a gloomy expression: "Why did this 45 minutes show more like the defeat we had established from the beginning? "

"Uh..." Sampaoli was stunned for a moment, and the logic in his mind had completely disappeared.

When Castro said that and the players needed an explanation, he knew the president had reached some kind of agreement with the players.

He lost all control and initiative.

"Actually, I have saved a lot of things to say to you, but after thinking about it for a long time, I realized that it is all in vain. I will not interfere in technical and tactical aspects, and I don't understand it as you do."

Castro stood up, walked a few steps and then turned around and continued: "After the draw, the whole team was in jubilation. Everyone felt that we would be in the top eight from the start this year."

"If you become the 16th player in the Champions League, you know what the consequences will be."

After saying this, Castro left the locker room, leaving only Sampaoli and the team's players who bowed their heads in silence.

…………

"Beep!"

"Okay, with the referee's whistle, the second half of the game begins, and the two sides exchange attack directions."

"Let's see if Sampaoli will make some adjustments after the short halftime break."

He Wei was lying on the commentary seat, already enjoying explaining this game. In any case, the score of 3-0 and three away goals had almost put Leicester City in danger of entering the quarterfinals.

Watching the players and teams you support advance to the quarterfinals, how can this not be a beautiful thing?

"Looking at the opening period, Sevilla's basic tactical tone should have remained unchanged. They only made some local personnel adjustments and very few tactical changes."

"This is actually normal. Sevilla and the Tigers are in trouble. They don't have a good way to deal with Leicester City now. They can only hope that these adjustments made by Sampaoli will work."

Off the court, Leicester City was conducting slow transmission in the midfield and backcourt. Although the Sevilla players pressed hard, it was not too big and did not put a lot of pressure on Leicester City.

"Oh oh oh oh... great Estadio Pizjuan... great Sevilla, we put our hearts in our flag and we will be champions...!!"

It can be heard that at this time, Sevilla fans began to sing the team's anthem again and cheer for the team with shouts.

It seems that this halftime is not only a time for players from both sides to rest and adjust, but also a time for fans to adjust their mood. They can use these fifteen minutes to self-strategize and build their own psychology, so that they can have a better mental outlook. Appears in the second half. "No rush! No rush! You don't have to press too high, just in the middle and high positions. They are not used to controlling the ball!"

In Sevilla's backcourt, when he discovered that the midfielder and frontcourt player were about to press forward again, center back Lenglet quickly waved his hand to remind him.

After saying this, he also cursed secretly: "These guys just don't consider the pressure from the backcourt at all when they make noises. The opponents come back every time they counterattack."

After his reminder, Sevilla indeed stabilized its position and did not advance with any urgency.

But they are not in a hurry, and neither is Leicester City.

I'm not used to conducting, but if you're three goals behind and you don't come up to press me, I'm not in a hurry.

It was passed back and forth so easily. Could it be possible that someone could miss the ball?

After a while, Sevilla had no choice but to press forward. Otherwise, it would be a negative game and would be criticized by the Spanish media and fans.

"Oh!"

As soon as they pressed forward, Leicester City made a long pass from the backcourt to Chen Yufeng in the frontcourt.

Chen Yufeng made an old move on the wing. He is now very familiar with the emperor's ball protection. Facing a full-back with average defensive ability, he can stop the ball and turn around without fighting for the top.

When fighting for the top, teammates may not be able to catch it. If you stop the ball and turn around, there is basically an 80% success rate.

Escudero, who was facing him, felt the beast-like power from Chen Yufeng again, which made him helpless and aggrieved.

When he realized that Chen Yufeng was about to complete his turn, Escudero had no choice but to knock Chen Yufeng down with his foot.

"Beep!"

The referee's whistle sounded, and he ran over and gave Escudero a yellow card.

Escudero, who was clenching his upper and lower teeth, had already had an idea in his mind, Sampaoli, really don’t think about attacking anymore, just replace me with a defensive back...

However, Sampaoli remained indifferent.

After Chen Yufeng got up from the ground, he gave a thumbs up to the referee.

As an offensive player, it is very important to let the opposing defensive players take cards.

As long as he eats it once, he won't make much defensive action next time.

Moreover, free kicks from this position are very threatening...

Although you can't hit the goal directly, you can waste two players on the opponent's wall, giving teammates in the penalty area a numerical advantage to compete for the top.

When his teammates all stood up, Chen Yufeng raised his left arm.

His eyes were constantly searching the penalty area, looking for the Leicester City players whose eyes were full of desire.

In the battle for the top in the small penalty area, let alone any gaps, there will be no gaps.

Find someone who is good at heading the ball, tall, has a strong desire to score, and is focused enough, and just aim and hit.

Generally speaking, many clubs have a variety of tactical drills for this kind of free kick attack. They will use dazzling coordination at this time to create shooting opportunities.

Leicester City also had similar training, but later found that everything was redundant.

Chen Yufeng and Mahrez can both pass precise guided passes, and there are many headers in the team. Why is rehearsal so complicated?

Just keep it simple and crude!

"Oh!"

Chen Yufeng made an inswinging kick and the ball went out. The ball was very fast and had a full arc. He aimed the pass at Morgan's position. The former captain of the Blue Fox had been looking forward to his first appearance in the Champions League knockout rounds. Where is the ball...

With this kind of ball, the players competing for the top do not need to use force. The speed and internal rotation of the ball are enough for them to catch it!

Morgan lived up to Chen Yufeng's pass. He crushed Lenglet with an overwhelming advantage and touched the football.

After the football changed its trajectory, it flew directly into the far corner of the goal.

Leicester City's sixth shot on target today, their fourth goal, has arrived!

The Sevilla goalkeeper was shot dead!

“Yeah————!!!”

Morgan rushed to the sideline under the cheers of the fans. Chen Yufeng also showed his performance with one goal and two assists, and rushed to the sideline with his head held high.

Four to zero!

How can Sevilla talk about a comeback? !

Impossible!

After this goal, Sevilla completely collapsed.

Sampaoli sat on the sidelines and stopped talking, and the players no longer had any fighting spirit to resist.

They allowed the Leicester City players to dance elegant tango dances and frenetic samba steps in their own half, threatening their goal with sharp attacks that went straight to Longtan again and again.

"Bang!!"

When Mahrez scored his first goal of the Champions League knockout rounds in the 87th minute, it was all over.

At the Pizjuan Stadium, in their home stadium, in front of 40,000 Sevilla fans, they swallowed five eggs alive and lost to Leicester City in a disastrous way!

Zero to five!

Fans of the home team began to leave early. They had completely given up any hope for the team's Champions League.

"Beep! Beep! Beep--!"

After the game passed 90 minutes, the referee did not give any more stoppage time. He blew the whistle three times, ending the pain of the Sevilla players.

The Leicester City players hugged each other excitedly, and even members of the coaching staff ran onto the pitch to celebrate.

The fans stood up and applauded uniformly, and everyone's face was full of smiles.

"We are going to the quarterfinals! There is no suspense anymore!"

"Yes, now we can say there is no suspense!"

"In March, when we return to the King Power Stadium, on our own turf, even if we rotate the lineup, we cannot lose five goals!"

"Sevilla have no energy left, we defeated them at the Pizjuan Stadium!"

"Just look at the draw for the quarterfinals!"

As these fans shouted, they are already looking forward to the draw for the quarterfinals.

So what if we didn’t fight in the second round?

How can we reverse a five-goal disadvantage?

Where do so many miracles come from in this world?

A three-goal or four-goal reversal is considered a shocking reversal that will go down in history. Five goals, this is simply impossible.

You must know that home and away games are still very important for the players. If Sevilla loses five at the King Power Stadium and plays at the Pizjuan Stadium in the second round, then they may still have a few percentage points of hope.

But if you suffer a tragedy at home, then go to the away game...

"I can only say that we should try not to lose even numbers in two rounds and try to score a goal at the King Power Stadium."

This was He Wei's comment at the end: "Judging from the current state, Sevilla is obviously not ready to face the top spot in the Premier League. If Sampaoli doesn't solve the problem, Sevilla won't solve it either." Sampaoli, then they have no hope."

Such sharp speeches are rare in He Wei's commentary career.

It seems that he really lamented deeply about Sevilla's performance today.

A few minutes later, the post-game thank-you session was over, and Chen Yufeng was invited to the side of the court for an interview, and at the same time received his best crystal cup.

This is already a routine activity that he is accustomed to, but it is the first time in the Champions League knockout round. This can give Chen Yufeng a little motivation to answer some questions.

To sum up, there is nothing wrong with it. Life is not just about games, and the work of players is not just on the court. Facing the media is also a required course.

Of course, Chen Yufeng has never been a submissive person. He will only say what he wants to say. He will be more humble when he is in a good mood and sharper when he is in a bad mood.

"I'm in a good mood today, so..."

After receiving the best player trophy, Chen Yufeng smiled and shrugged, "Just ask."

Then, as if he remembered something, he started searching among the reporters.

Soon, he saw the first reporter who asked him questions before the game, a reporter from a Spanish media.

"Everyone, wait a moment, I have something to say with this brother."

"Excuse me, what is the unknown nervousness you mentioned before the game?"

Chen Yufeng felt a little vindictive this time. He did not give the reporter a chance to answer this question. Why bother to embarrass others? If you want to embarrass others, you can just say it yourself. "I am indeed very nervous. I am full of nervousness about everything unknown."

"But as you can see, I may be a weirdo. As soon as I stand on the court, I like to use goals and assists to cover up my nervousness and embarrassment. If the opponent makes me feel nervous, then he may be in trouble."

"It is also because of this trait that I perform exceptionally well every time a new milestone arrives."

"Premier League debut, Champions League debut, Champions League knockout debut, etc."

"Believe me, if I have the opportunity to make my debut in the Champions League final in this competition, I will perform very well, even if the opponents are Real Madrid and Barcelona in your league."

After Chen Yufeng said this, he leaned back and laughed, as if he had made a joke.

However, for a Spanish journalist with a very clear stance, his move did not seem like a joke, but rather a sarcasm.

The reporter immediately lowered his head in shame and stood back.

"You scored your 15th goal in the Champions League today, one step away from the record. Will Cristiano Ronaldo's record be your first target next?" A reporter asked after watching Chen Yufeng finish.

"It is the first goal, but I also have another first goal, which is to break the Premier League single-season scoring record of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole."

Chen Yufeng answered truthfully: "Both are equally important. The long-term league can better reflect the stability of the players, while the Champions League is more about the upper limit of the players."

"There seems to be a lot of criticism from the outside world that you are close to the record. Their view is that you scored 14 goals in the group stage, which is incomparable to Ronaldo. In response to this..." A reporter sent out He asked a question, but before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chen Yufeng with a wave of his hand.

"This question will be the last one I answer."

Chen Yufeng looked directly into the reporter's eyes, his eyes sharp, "To break the record, does it have to be 18 or 19 goals? What if I score 20+?"

"How many goals did he score in the knockout rounds of the Champions League?"

"8 pills..." The reporter pursed his lips and replied. He already felt a lot of bad looks from around him. It seemed that his colleagues had a lot of opinions on him.

"This is strong."

Chen Yufeng smiled, "But I've made a good start, haven't I?"

After saying this, he raised the best player trophy in his hand and left the scene.

…………

At this moment, outside the stadium, Sevilla fans were being stopped by reporters for questions and answers.

An old Spanish man was so excited that he shouted his heart out loudly to a microphone: "I feel really uncomfortable. Damn it, please get out of class!"

(End of this chapter)