Fox in the Penalty Area

Chapter 2012 The ruins of the dynasty

"Damn it! UEFA just doesn't like us!"

"It's over, we're done, this time it's really over..."

"Oh, I really didn't expect that our dynasty would end in this way..."

…

When Joaquin Vela's handball led to the execution of the Madrid Pirates, the Pirates fans in the stands booed and sighed pessimistically.

When Kabangka assisted Lima to score the leading goal, the Madrid Pirates fans were actually very frustrated and in a very low mood.

The total score is three goals behind, how can we still play this game?

They thought that the Madrid Pirates, who had been in poor form recently, had hit rock bottom, but they didn't expect that reality would give them a blow - they were awarded a penalty kick with five minutes left before the end of the first half!

God knows that the Madrid Pirates team has performed miracles many times and is extremely tenacious. Do you want to add another shot for fear that it cannot be beaten with a stick?

During the three consecutive Champions League seasons, every victory was accompanied by a desperate counterattack.

This team always has a tenacious temperament that "can't be beaten".

It seems that no matter what kind of difficulties they face, they can solve them.

For example, the first champion in the three consecutive championships was forced to a dead end by Blue and White Munich in the second round of the semi-finals. As a result, Hu Lai chased three goals in six minutes to help the team eliminate their opponents and advance to the finals.

In the finals, they also fell behind several times and equalized several times.

In particular, Hu Lai scored directly from the center circle, which is even more miraculous. It has become an eternal classic in the history of the Champions League final.

The second championship was also in the semi-finals. In the first round, Madrid Pirates lost to Ruerrhein 0:2. With the captain injured and absent and the team's overall state in sluggish condition, they reversed their opponents in the second round and reached the final. And finally defeated Catalonia United in the final, becoming the first team to successfully defend the Champions League since its restructuring.

During the third championship period, Ramirez missed half the season because he aggravated his injury during the World Cup. No one is optimistic that this team can achieve any good results in the Champions League. They even believe that Madrid Pirates can be considered a success if they can finally finish in the top four of the league and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Who would have thought that such an underappreciated team would make it all the way to the finals of the Champions League and eventually win the championship. Became the first team to win three consecutive Champions League titles since its restructuring.

Of course, due to their heavy bets on the Champions League, their performance in the league was not good, and they only finished fourth in the league. But so what? As the defending champions, they have become the seeded team in next season's Champions League.

The process of these three championships was not a "crushing game". There were always problems and troubles of one kind or another. However, the Madrid Pirates team was able to stumble to win the championship. This is difficult to explain with "good luck".

After the Madrid Pirates won three consecutive championships, many experts, famous journalists and fans have analyzed why this team has been able to achieve three consecutive championships in more than 30 years.

They drew a lot of conclusions, and some said it was because Hulay, a super-efficient shooter, was in the best period of his career.

Some people also say that the tactics of the Madrid Pirates team are very suitable for the performance of each player. When everyone can maximize their own level, then it is not inconceivable to have three consecutive Champions League games.

Others say this is because Parotti, a head coach with a tolerant personality, can unite the locker room around him without causing all kinds of messy scandals to cause the team to split, and the split will definitely affect the team's performance. combat effectiveness.

Some people also start from the objective laws of football development and analyze from the perspective that opponents are changing generations or declining.

These views are all correct, but taken individually they are too one-sided.

Such a high degree of success certainly cannot be the result of one single factor.

If we must make a simple summary, it is that this team is particularly good at fighting tough battles. In narrow encounters with powerful enemies, it is often the "brave" who laughs in the end.

But this was Madrid Pirates in their prime.

The current Madrid Pirates do not have that ability.

So even Pirates fans lost confidence when the team was forced into a desperate situation.

All the factors that once made the team successful are now almost gone, and if they are still there, the effectiveness must be discounted.

For example, the unity and harmonious atmosphere in the locker room is gone, the struggle for interests between old players and new players, the differences between the club and the coaching staff brought about by Farias...division and conflict have become the main theme.

Parotti's charisma was greatly damaged as a result. "Good old man" at this time is not a complimentary word praising him for being able to get along well with the players, but mocking him for being indecisive and overindulging those veterans who are sleeping on their laurels.

He even made a starting lineup with an average age of 32.5 in the game. Among the eleven players, only Kamara was under 30 years old:

Thirty-seven-year-old center back Riva Moreno, thirty-six-year-old captain Juan Ramirez, thirty-four-year-old Cardoso Toni, thirty-four-year-old Jonathan Hewel, Thirty-three-year-old Jose Errazusta and Ion Martinez, thirty-two-year-old Milos Vukovic and Joaquín Vela, and thirty-year-old Danny De Lu and Hu Lai.

Twenty-seven-year-old Ismail Kamara is the youngest player in this lineup...

Players are getting older, the lineup is aging, and injuries are increasing. No matter what tactics they use, they can no longer perform to their full potential as before.

Hulay is still efficient. He has scored a total of 50 goals in various competitions this season, including 30 goals in the league, nine goals in the Champions League, two goals in the Copa del Rey, three goals in the pre-season warm-up match, and the national team Match six balls.

This data looks pretty good, right? But it can't be compared.

Compared with his craziest period, his efficiency has inevitably declined - Hu Lai's most efficient 202 in the same period was 71 goals...

Although the media praised Hulay's performance, saying that if it weren't for his 30 goals in the league and nine goals in the Champions League, it would be impossible for the Madrid Pirates to still be ranked third in the league, and the Champions League would have been eliminated long ago. Out.

However, some people have calculated that if Hulay can maintain the efficiency of his peak period, then the Madrid Pirates are now ranked first in the league, and there is no need to return to the home court for a last-ditch battle in the Champions League quarter-finals-even if there was a last-ditch battle before, After all, it is still in the semi-finals, not the quarter-finals...

But to be fair and objective, Hulay is like the "barometer" of the Madrid Pirates. His data ultimately reflects not his performance, but the performance of the entire team.

If Hulay can really score goals as crazy as 202, it means that the Madrid Pirates team cannot have so much nonsense.

All Pirates fans no longer have any hope for Champions League results this season.

Many of them have even begun to comfort themselves:

No matter if we are eliminated from the Champions League, at least we can focus on the league... There is definitely no hope of the league championship, but as long as we can keep the top four in the league, we can comfort ourselves. No matter what, we have to keep our Champions League qualification for next season.

Just when everyone began to lower their expectations, they saw Hewel leaping in front of the goal and saving Kabangka's penalty kick!

At that moment, the thoughts of "It doesn't matter if we are eliminated from the Champions League" or "We just need to keep the top four in the league" were all thrown out of the window!

The Pirates fans in the stands jumped to their feet and cheered.

Huge cheers quickly swept through the entire stadium, as if turning into a physical storm, driving the previously arrogant Catalan United fans to pieces.

Even if the penalty kick is scored or not, it may not really affect the final result, but the Pirates fans just want to cheer and vent their pent-up emotions through this save. They just can't stand the way the Catalan United fans get carried away!

"Well done! Jonathan!!"

"Daddy loves me again!"

"This is a pirate park, this is the territory of pirates! Don't even think about showing off your power on our territory!"

After everyone cheered, they turned to the stands of Catalan United fans, waved their fists at them, and roared loudly.

※※※

In front of the coaching bench, Parotti, who was standing blankly, was hugged by his assistants from left to right.

They roared loudly in his ears like two-channel stereo.

"Great! Ettore!"

"Jonathan did it! He deserves to be trusted!"

"Maybe this is a revelation! An omen!"

Parotti came back to his senses, turned to look at Enzo Nacher who said this, and then nodded: "You are right, Enzo. This is a good sign. Jonathan's save saved the team's morale !”

Also saved me...

The old man added in his mind.

"In the second half we will give everything we have to fight Catalonia!" Enzo Nacher continued to roar in agreement.

※※※

Everyone in the Madrid Pirates' coaching bench and bench was cheering and going crazy for Jonathan Highwell's save.

This is especially true for the Madrid Pirates players on the field.

After Hywell saved the football from the bottom line, the Pirates players who rushed into the penalty area to defend did not stop. Instead, they continued to rush to the goal line, pulled Hywell up from the ground, and hugged him hard. Him, slap him on the back, head and shoulders.

The pressure and emotions accumulated in their hearts finally found a breakthrough, and erupted violently like a volcano erupting.

Even Farias, who did not rush to hug the hero, waved his fist vigorously outside the penalty area and celebrated the penalty save alone.

"Haywell saved the penalty! He withstood the pressure at the critical moment! Look at the reaction of the Pirates players, they are inspired! This may be the turning point in this game and let the Pirates who performed poorly in the first half The players have regained their feeling and confidence!"

Chinese commentator He Feng was excited.

He really hopes that this save can help the team reverse the unfavorable situation.

He really doesn't want Hu Lai to say goodbye to the Champions League like this.

Although there will be a World Cup match after the end of this season, if he wants to participate in the Champions League final, it will shorten the time for Hulay to gather with the team for training.

But he didn't expect Hu Lai to win the Champions League.

He just felt that even if he had to bid farewell to the Champions League, he could not be eliminated in such an almost humiliating way - being completely defeated by his opponents at his home court, he could not emotionally accept the collapse of the Pirates dynasty.

After the initial panic, the commentator of Radio Catalonia loudly comforted the Catalan fans: "It doesn't matter! It's not a big problem! Even if the penalty kick was missed, we are still three goals ahead of them. Oh! The three-goal lead is a chasm for the current Pirates! Even if their morale has recovered a little, it will be difficult to cross the chasm! The Catalan United's defense of the title is to step on the Pirates Dynasty. On top of the ruins!"

If we can end the Pirates dynasty and become the second team after the Pirates to successfully defend the Champions League after the Champions League was restructured, that would be the best arrangement of fate.