135. The heart of a champion
Football is like that, sometimes the change of the situation is in the time that has passed.
In the face of Janku's furious advance, AC Milan were prepared but still took risks, just like the Czech's final decisive turn to the middle of the long-range shot, Mex's defense at night may not be able to block the football flight line even for a second, but this is the charm of this sport.
Sometimes, missing a chance can really turn into a turning point in the game.
Lucio's move was not precise in the rush, but Van Persie was prepared to make up for it with his pace, calmly controlling the ball at his feet almost in front of Kroldrup, and then closing in on the Dane.
Although the transition was too simple, the Dane quickly calmed down and did not pounce, but carefully held his position, facing Van Persie sideways, not only to ensure that he could keep up with the Dutchman's lateral dribbling and avoid being overtaken by the opponent when he resolutely went down.
It's just that he can't guard against another way of handling the ball after all, swinging his calves on the spot and making a quick cross!
Because of the rapid transition between attack and defense, Udinese's defensive system has a slight dislocation at the moment when Van Persie counterattacks, just like the chessboard will be out of its original position after being grabbed and moved back and forth quickly at both ends, and the same is true for Sencini, when Van Persie saw it, he shook his ankle and the ball was delivered!
Toney's stature ensured that the Italian was really unstoppable when he was on the spurs, not to mention Sencini, who moved his position, and the football went into the net, and the goalkeeper of Udinese Chimenti didn't even have time to react!
1:0!
Although there was only a one-goal lead, the dominance of the situation completely changed the object.
0:0, AC Milan is the side that must score, although it has the dominance of the attack most of the time, but the situation is passive, Udinese's players are very calm in both defense and reaction, but after the score changes, Udinese will face a choice, attack or not attack...... In fact, there are many questions waiting for them behind how to choose.
However, it was clear that Spalletti was not a manager accustomed to compromising on unfavourable situations, so the final score of the game was 2-0, and AC Milan scored another goal to take the third point from the Friuli Stadium by taking advantage of the flaws caught in Udinese's counter-attack.
The gap in the table has reverted to the four-point baseline, which has allowed the entire Milan squad to really take a break and focus on the next game.
London, Highbury Stadium, Arsenal vs AC Milan!
The match attracted the attention of almost all the fans in Europe, and countless media flocked to it, as if they wanted to fill the city of London with their cameras.
The day before the game, Sky Sports England broadcast a special program, which edited many interview clips, including coaches, players, and fans from different countries outside the circle, and there is only one question, that is, how to view this upcoming Champions League summit battle.
Because Sky Sports had also interviewed Lao Jiang before, the rookie coach who received the broadcast time notice was quite interested in taking a group of coaches, players and various staff members to watch it in the conference room rented in the hotel.
Of course, at the same time, Mr. Professor was doing the same thing.
The host of this special is Andy Gray and Martin Taylor.
"Hey man, how's it going?" said Martin Taylor, winking his eyes at Andy Gray.
"Awesome! Just won ten pounds on a bet with a neighbour this morning! ”
"So, Miss Nancy, you also bet a hundred pounds on Arsenal from William Hill?"
Andy Gray shook his head solemnly, "No, it's two hundred pounds!" ”
"Oh, old man, who gave you so much confidence?" Martin Taylor was slightly surprised.
"Have you ever heard of such a saying?" Andy Grey said matter-of-factly, "The people who know you best are often your enemies......"
"Sounds a bit awk......ward," Martin Taylor wondered, "What are you talking about?" ”
Mr. Andy snapped his fingers, the camera changed, and a classic image of a red-nosed old man appeared on the screen, which was none other than Lord Fu!
"Q: Which team do I prefer to win in the semi-finals? There is no doubt that it will be Arsenal! …… Why did I choose Arsenal, you ask? I'm just picking someone to store the trophy for me, so naturally I have to choose one that is closer to me! …… Why don't I like Lyon or Porto, you ask? You know, the whole world is not optimistic about them now! ”
Lao Jiang didn't know what Wenger's expression would be when he saw this interview video at the moment, but he knew that with the friendliness of the old gentleman to himself in exchange for the small theater, this old man would not choose to be optimistic about himself.
Martin Taylor was a little dissatisfied, "You chose Mr. Wenger's opponent, it doesn't mean that you know Jiang very well, the manager I found has been the opponent of both teams at the same time this season!" ”
As soon as the camera turned, the person who appeared in everyone's sight was actually Inter Milan coach Zaccheroni.
"Q: Which team do I prefer to win in the semi-finals of the Champions League? That's a really hard question to answer. We've played both teams this season and both of them have put a lot of pressure on our team. If there is a difference, it is probably that Arsenal's style of play is very mature, while AC Milan is a tactical framework that can constantly change, you have to know that you will have a lot of headaches when facing such opponents. If I had to choose, although it would be difficult for the two teams to be separated, I would be more optimistic about Milan because they are younger, more energetic, and have more unexpected tactical changes......"
In this way, the tendencies of the interviewees were sorted out into two factions by Sky Sports, and then displayed in turn in the two commentators taking turns to give examples, but it can be roughly seen that the supporters of the two teams are roughly half apart, and it is indeed difficult to distinguish between the two teams, and at the end is the interview video of Wenger and Jiang Qi.
'At least for this game I'm confident because it's in London, we have home advantage and I'm sure the fans will add extra energy to us!' , the professor said, more like a fan of the Gunners.
Jiang Qi finally saw his image on the screen, which was stopped by a Sky Sports reporter after the match against Siena.
"Since the beginning of this season, I have accompanied these players step by step to the present, and it is every game before this that has given me more confidence little by little. If someone had asked me at the beginning of the season, why did you get into the Schalke Stadium, I might have come up with a thick stat sheet to prove how good my players are, good enough to stand on the highest stage in Europe, but now I won't, I'll just pat myself on the chest and answer that we are qualified, because now I don't need to use the stats to support myself and abandon the hesitation in my heart, because we now have the heart of a champion! ”