Chapter 469: The Second Peak of Europe

When the referee blew the whistle for the goal, the fourth Atletico Madrid player, Antoine Griezmann, the core of the current French national team, stepped out of the queue lined up at the halfway line to cheer on his teammates, strolled into the box under the watchful eye and picked up the ball thrown by his goalkeeper before leaving.

I saw that he first wiped the whole ball with the jersey on his body, and then kissed this guy who will affect the fate of countless people, and finally carefully placed it on the penalty spot closest to the front, and in the whole process, the face that was rated as one of the most handsome in world football today by the outside world maintained an extremely serious state, without a trace of the smile of the past.

Griezmann still has a lot of theoretical knowledge, and knows that making eye contact with the opposing goalkeeper before the penalty is very bad for him, so in the process of getting up and retreating a certain distance from the run, his eyes have always been aimed at the referee Kujpels, who is on the left, trying to keep his psychological condition stable.

And it was because of this move that Atletico Madrid's star did not notice that Casillas was not standing in the middle of the goal, but slightly deflected to the right of the penalty taker. With the help of Real Madrid, the Torino coaching staff has been able to tally his preferred penalty habits by carefully watching the footage of all 17 penalties Griezmann has taken in the last five years. Six kicks to the left, two in the middle and nine on the right side with a probability of more than 50 per cent, including six in the bottom right corner, is the French striker's favourite direction.

Of course, every penalty kick is a single one. It is closely related to the player's thoughts at the moment, but the influence of personal habits or subconscious is still very large, and people always involuntarily make their most habitual choices in times of crisis. In the previous three rounds of saves, Cassie referred to the direction provided by the coaching staff that the penalty taker liked to choose when taking a penalty, but because the law was not too obvious, coupled with the interference of his own temporary judgment, he failed to block once. But this fourth time, he obviously thinks it's worth betting some money.

The end result turned out to be a risky gamble on his part this time. Beau couldn't be more than right.

Griezmann scurried forward when he heard the referee's whistle to allow the penalty, and fired the ball into his lower right with his left foot, the power was controlled, but the angle he chose was extremely tricky, and according to his trajectory, he should have crossed the goal line and crashed into the side-netting from less than 10 centimeters inside the post.

This shot could be considered a theoretical penalty kick, but in practice, as long as the penalty taker can play a quality shot, there is little chance that the goalkeeper will avoid conceding points. According to the scientific conclusions drawn from professional research, the average speed of a professional player to take a penalty is 112 kilometers per hour, and the goalkeeper needs to spend at least 100 milliseconds to react to the incoming ball after seeing the penalty is issued, and then spend another 100 milliseconds to decide which direction to move, and finally it takes 700 milliseconds to jump up and extend the body out.

Therefore, as long as the speed of the penalty is not lower than the above average speed, and the angle is wide enough, the goalkeeper will not be able to make a successful save, so the latter must make an advance prediction. Casillas not only determined the direction in advance, but also accurately judged the specific position (because the top and bottom corners have different saves, it is very difficult to make changes in the air once the ground is pushed with his feet), plus the initial position is closer to this side of the post. Together, these factors helped him to stick out his palm to block the ball tightly before the goal line, and sealed it out of the frame very steadily.

"Coax ......!" There were huge cheers in the stands at the scene, and the camera also swept over the respective gathering areas of the fans of both sides in due time, and their performance perfectly illustrated what it means to be sad and happy.

Every Torino fan was smiling, and while the current situation on the pitch did not prove that the title was in hand, it was clear that everyone could not contain their deep feelings after seeing Cassie's heroic performance, and after almost an hour and a half of fear (since the score was tied at 1-1), they were finally able to explode.

In the live broadcast signals of the BBC and other countries, the data of the commentators to popularize science to everyone also proves that the supporters of the Red Bull are indeed qualified to celebrate, because according to statistics, the side that saves the opponent's penalty first has a probability of winning the game more than 70%, and once they are close to the player who can hit the penalty, then the probability of winning will increase to more than 90% in an instant.

As a result, all eyes were firmly on Turin's No.10 Immobile, the fourth to leave the team from midfield, and his imminent penalty could almost be considered the most crucial factor in determining the fate of both sides, so the noise that had always existed in the stadium turned out to be silent at this stage. But then the more numerically dominant Atletico fans let out loud boos in unison, hoping to interfere with the psychology of the opposing players in turn, which is the only contribution they can make for their beloved team at the moment.

Under intense pressure, the striker, who currently leads the Serie A scorers' charts, stood behind the penalty spot, and after signaling to the referee to be ready, his eyes did not try to make contact with Oblak 12 yards in front of him, but instead looked at the goalline, but his eyes were fixed on his opponent's feet. He will also continue the strategy he has developed before, trying to find out the direction of the opponent's prediction by observing the early movement of the Atletico goalkeeper.

This time, Oblak couldn't restrain his habitual movements, and when Immobile swung his leg, he poked out his right foot, which was spotted by the latter, and then changed his original intention and kicked the ball in the direction of his right. It was a low-quality half-high ball and it didn't have a good angle, but it was still in the back of the net without any incidents as the goalkeeper's centre of gravity had shifted to the other side and he couldn't turn back to make a save.

At 3-4, Torino took the lead after four rounds and were one step away from victory.

As soon as the goal was scored, Li Mudi, who was standing on the sidelines and his heart was about to jump out of his throat, immediately made a gesture of raising his arms and shouting, and it was only at this moment that he was convinced that the previous hard work of the coaching staff members for many days to study tactics, watch videos, and summarize the characteristics of the opponent was not in vain, and they now really have a chance to win the honor of the first continental championship in the history of the team.

The last player to appear in the Torino team was Belotti, the centre-forward who has worked this technique since missing the equaliser penalty in the opening game against AC Milan last season, although the value given by the FM system has only increased from 13 to 14, but with high mental attributes such as composure and big game performance, he has a very good penalty performance in actual combat, and can be said to be the most stable penalty taker in the team. Placing Red Beibei last in the regular round is enough to show how much people trust him. Considering that the Atletico goalkeeper is not known for being good at saving penalty kicks, and has his own deadly bad habits, Li Mudi feels that this last round of penalties is still relatively stable.

Even if Torres scores the ball on the opposite side, the Red Bulls have a good chance of winning the game 5-4, which is a result that the entire Torino team has always believed.

But the script didn't go as planned, because the great St. Cassie reappeared on the pitch and snatched the team's championship head into his own hands.

Facing the familiar and unfamiliar former national team teammate and Atletico Madrid's standard-bearer Fernando Torres, the former Real Madrid captain can be said to stand on the goal line with confidence. Although the two have never met in a 12-yard duel in a formal match in the more than ten years of their careers that can be called longevity, it is indispensable to practice this aspect when the national team is training that year, and Casey is naturally very familiar with T9's penalty habits. Moreover, with the relevant information provided by the coaching staff before the game as an auxiliary, it can be said that in the confrontation between the two sides at this time, the Torino goalkeeper still occupies a great psychological advantage.

As a result, T9, who had a cold expression on his face throughout the whole process, saw that the ball that deliberately shot to the middle after using various feints was easily hugged by Cassie, who originally seemed to be intentionally pounced on the right side but did not move in the end, his previous calm state collapsed instantly, and he involuntarily lowered his head and let his hands cover his face. But before his gaze was completely sealed, he saw his compatriot and friend, who had fallen into a frenzy, slam the ball to the ground and rush to the stands behind the goal.

At this moment, the entire Parc Olimpico stadium in Lyon has become a sea of joy for the whole team of Torino and its supporters, and at the same time that Atletico Madrid's side has become deadly quiet, the glory and cruelty of competitive sports are vividly reflected in this moment.

In the stadium, the Torino players, who had been cheering for the team at the halfway line, pulled off the hands that had always been on the shoulders of the players on both sides of the goal the moment they saw Cassie's position and Torres' choice of attack angle, and then ran like a wild horse off the reins to Casillas, who was trying to interact passionately with the fans in the stands. The substitutes from the sidelines jumped into the pitch, and then the players who were not in the squad and came down from the stands when the game went to the penalty shoot-out also rushed over, and finally everyone converged on the bottom line and started a warm and even crazy celebration around the Spanish goalkeeper.

As for Li Mudi, he was excited to leave a line of tears when he saw the T9 penalty saved, but after venting a little, he immediately returned to a state of restraint, and after hugging his colleagues one by one, he avoided the media reporters who entered the field for the first time, and found Atletico Madrid's assistant coach Boggs not far away, expressed his blessings to him, and also received courtesy congratulations from the other party.

And just as the Torino coach finished shaking hands with the referee and was discussing the upcoming award process with a UEFA official in a noisy noise, he was suddenly pulled off the ground by a powerful force, which surprised him in a panic. But then he saw the group of people who appeared next to him, and he understood, but before he could stop it, he was thrown into the air by a number of players.

Fortunately, the reporters who usually don't invite Li Mudi to see came to the "rescue" at this time, and before the award ceremony began, they all wanted to get some latest impressions from the mouths of the members of the championship team, which made the Torino coach who seemed to be playing a game of trampoline return to the arms of Mother Earth.

After sending away the reporters of the official UEFA media and Italian national television with a meal of chicken soup for the soul, Li Mudi ushered in his compatriot, Zhu Xiaoyu, an old acquaintance who works for CCTV Sports Channel, who appeared in the final of this European League as the plenipotentiary representative of the people of the motherland, and because of the strong strength of the motherland behind him and the personal relationship with the Torino coach, he became one of the people who could enter the venue for interviews at the first time.

In the face of the interview with his family, Li Mudi of course had to say something heart-wrenching, at this time he could not suppress his excitement, changed his previous calm posture, and expressed his deep gratitude to the strong support of the people of the motherland in a somewhat choked voice.

When Zhu Xiaoyu pointed to the players next to him who were holding cute babies to celebrate and interact in the stadium, Li Mudi said: "This is a routine on the stadium, everyone is used to it, but unfortunately I don't have children yet, otherwise I would definitely join them." But today my parents and girlfriend were there to watch the game, but they were all placed in the front stands, sitting with my good friend Raul and others, and I really ...... to win this trophy in the presence of these friends and family It's really so happy and so lucky......" With that, tears flowed down his eyes again.

Fortunately, after adjusting his emotions in time, he was not embarrassed in front of fans across the country.

At this time, the staff has begun to inform the media that they are leaving, the stage in the venue has been set up, and the award ceremony is about to begin. Zhu Xiaoyu hurriedly sent his final congratulations, and followed the team to the sidelines with the photographer, leaving space for the official competition participants.

The award ceremony was no different from other tournaments, with a number of award presenters, led by UEFA President Alexander Cheferin, lined up on the stage, and the assistants behind him ready to prepare the medals, and the referee team was ushered in.

Björn Kujpels and others were able to score seven to eight points (on a 10-point scale) today, with no obvious misjudgments and a very uniform game. First, it can be regarded as a good end to this year's European League, which indirectly eliminated some of the previous doubts about the referee's ability to enforce the law.

Runners-up Atletico Madrid followed, and in the middle of the Torino team, captain Gabi led the players and coaching staff to the stage with either lost or calm expressions.

In the end, the new Europa League title was finally on the spot, with captain Iker Casillas starting the game, and the team's first captain Moretti, who was not in the squad, finishing the game, and after the players wore the gold medals presented by Ceferin in turn, the members of the coaching staff followed onto the stage. At just 34 and a half years old, Moody has naturally become the centre of attention, becoming the third-youngest European champion coach in history, behind former Porto boss Villas-Boas at 33 years and 213 days and former Chelsea boss Vialli at 33 years and 308 days.

In particular, the media also captured the UEFA president exchanging several words with a smile on his face before bringing the gold medal to the Torino coach, which became a hot topic in the post-match reports of the Celestial Empire and even East Asian media.

Final high. When the 37-year-old became the first man in history to lift the Champions League, Europa League (including the previous UEFA Cup), European Cup and World Cup trophies as captain, the stage erupted from the edge of the stage, and crimson pieces of paper drifted from the stadium, transforming the entire stadium into a celebration for the red bulls.

The Europa League is the second most popular club continental competition in world football after the Champions League, so Torino's victory can be the second highest in Europe, which is undoubtedly one of the brightest moments in their team history in more than 100 years.