Now the Forest team had to make a quick adjustment. Albertini alone in the middle would not be able to withstand Sporting Lisbon’s bombardment. José Peseiro’s reaction was so fast that Twain even thought Rochemback and George Wood’s clash was his plan. If not, why had Sporting Lisbon adjusted its tactics right after Wood had come off the field?
The visiting team, Sporting Lisbon, put the focus of its offense in the middle of the field. They intended to use the strength of their numbers to storm the Forest team’s defense in the middle. The middle was different from the flanks. It was the most dangerous and the hardest area to break through. Almost all teams would amass their forces in the middle during defense and push their opponents’ offense to the flanks.
Compared with the long and narrow flanks, the wide middle section was more difficult to defend. Once a problem emerged, the opposing party’s offense would directly face the goal from the best angle and position. The flanks, meanwhile, were different in that the attacking side required one more step: passing the ball from the flank to the middle.
That was why the role of a defensive midfielder in a team was so important. The defensive midfielder was the last line of defense in front of the center back and was the key to increasing the strategic depth of the defense. If the defensive midfielder was not competent, it would cause their goal to be exposed to their opponents’ long shots for a long time. It would also nullify the center back’s defense. If there was no depth to the defense, it could always be penetrated by a volley. One example was how the loss of Claude Makelele had led to Real Madrid’s pathetic performance in a game. That made clear the function of a good defensive midfielder.
George Wood’s function on the field was the same. With him on his side, Albertini could feel assured that he could do his assists. Even if he needed to defend, the Italian veteran would not be under too much pressure.
Now that there was no tireless George Wood, always actively running and able to appear in any position at any moment, Albertini’s pressure increased sharply. He needed to face the impact from Sporting Lisbon in a very short time. No matter how experienced he was, gaps would inevitably surface.
On the brink of danger, Gunnarsson was brought on to replace Ashley Young, strengthen the defense, and stabilize the defensive line in the middle. And Ribéry moved to the attacking midfielder position.
Twain intended to defend to the last until the end of the game when he would make adjustments.
On Sporting Lisbon’s side, Peseiro also made a substitution after adjusting the main direction of the offense. Rochemback confirmed that he could not continue playing. According to the team doctor’s preliminary diagnosis, his ankle was probably sprained. At the same time that Wood had stamped on it, Rochemback had just turned around. The two forces twisted together, and that was how Rochemback had ended up that way.
If Rochemback had not wanted to take Wood down in the first place, he could have only suffered injuries like scrapes or bruises by swiftly jumping up to avoid him. Instead, he wanted to play dirty but Wood turned the table on him. It really was a case of him trying to gain an advantage only to end up worse off and suffer a loss.
Sporting Lisbon did not immediately replace Rochemback after he was brought off. They waited for about three minutes. During those three minutes, they sacrificed the advantage of their numbers to wait for one player.
When that man took off his vest and stood on the sidelines to wait to play, Twain saw clearly who he was.
He thought this man looked a little familiar, but could not recall who he was immediately.
The alternating green-and-white jersey was printed with the player’s name: Nani.
Nani.
Nani?!
Tang En was shocked.
How is he here? How could he be here now?
It was unlikely that any FM gamer would not know the name “Nani.” But his recollection was that Nani did not appear in the Sporting Lisbon First Team so early. Was it because of his arrival that Nani’s debut had happened earlier?
The Sporting Lisbon manager, Peseiro, had sent Nani for lack of better option. The departure of Rochemback due to his injury, combined with the fact that they were behind by two goals, made him simply decide to stake it all and go all-out. Nani had performed extremely well in the youth team, but he did not have experience with representing the First Team. He had hoped that by bringing him on at this time, his momentum would bring unexpected surprises to the team.
The Forest team had now given up the flanks and intended to hold their ground in the middle. And Sporting Lisbon had dispatched a young lad who could carry out attacks on both sides of the flanks. His skills were outstanding. Even if he was entrapped, he would still find ways to break through.
When Nani first came into contact with the ball, Tang En was sure that this person was indeed Nani. His stunning dribble caused the Forest team’s defensive line to be full of mistakes. Without George Wood, it did not seem like just one player was missing. It felt more like the Forest team was missing two players.
Peseiro gave Nani a very simple task, which was to go wherever there were opportunities or gaps in either the left or right flank. After he had possession of the ball, he had to break through, disrupt the Forest team’s defense, and wait for an opportunity to pass the ball or shoot.
This arrangement posed a great threat to Nottingham Forest and was highly targeted.
Even when Gunnarsson was brought on, the defense did not improve much. On one hand, Gunnarsson had too few opportunities for appearances; he was unable to maintain his condition, and he was now rushed to play. On the other hand, his ability was far different from the standard of the current game. Bringing him on, too, was for lack of better option.
The first half had not ended yet, and two substitutions had already been used. There was nothing that Twain could do in his situation. He could only sit and watch where the game would go.
He could not use all three substitutions now. He should keep at least one just in case.
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The shouts of the Sporting Lisbon fans grew louder in the stands. Whenever Nani took possession of the ball, the visiting fans who came from afar would get very excited. Nani did not disappoint them. His continuous sharp breakthroughs made the Forest team’s defense particularly pathetic.
Albertini watched Nani being active on the two flanks but had no way to stop him.
The Forest team’s defensive line was in a constant state of emergency.
Twain looked at the game time. The first half would be over in seven minutes. He believed that he would find a way to deal with the situation as long as they could endure into halftime.
But the question was, would Sporting Lisbon, who was desperate to close the gap in the score, give him a chance to wait until halftime to adjust?
Time passed, minute by minute. Twain stood on the sidelines and waited with apprehension for the whistle.
Once again, Nani received the ball from his teammate.
Nani appeared confident as he faced Leighton Baines’ defense. He was a player who seemed to be born for the big leagues. Currently, his team was two goals behind in the away game. Not only he did not feel disheartened, it actually inspired his fighting spirit.
His upper body swung to the left and Leighton Baines followed. At the same time, Nani moved the ball to the right. He was going to break through!
How can I give you what you wanted?
Baines struggled to change his center of gravity. He turned back to tackle Nani. When he saw Nani’s leg swing with the intention to cross, he recklessly leaped to block the path of the ball’s crossing. This time, he had no way of stopping Nani’s escape.
Nani saw Baines fly out to block his pass, so he immediately changed his tactic and kicked the football into the penalty area!
“Nani! He broke through!”
The effect of a single point being breached was now extended to the entire surface.
Baines, this single point, was breached. The Forest team’s defense had a chain reaction. Hierro must fill Baines’ position, and Matthew Upson would fill Hierro’s position. Chimbonda retreated to the penalty area to act as a center back, and Albertini also had to retreat to the penalty area to help defend.
Hierro and Gunnarsson rushed up from two different directions to defend against Nani. Nani passed the football within the encirclement. His target was not the Brazilian striker, Liédson, who waited for the pass by the goalkeeper. He suddenly passed the ball to the empty area behind the crowd; it was within the penalty area, near the spot for penalty kicks.
Everyone’s attention was drawn by Nani’s breakthrough. They only focused on the front of the goal, so no one noticed what was happening behind them. Now, Nani took hold of the loophole and included Hugo Viana, who interjected.
“Hugo Viana! Not at all surprisingly, the ball is in the goal!!”
Viana’s powerful volley pierced through the crowd. When Edwin van der Sar, whose view was obstructed by those players, caught sight of the football, it was too late to save it. He watched as the football flew past him into the goal, and the visiting team fans behind him in the stands burst into loud cheers!
“Sporting Lisbon turns the score to 1:2! The first half is not over yet. It looks like the outcome of this game is not decided. They still have a chance! Nani! This 18-year-old is brilliant. His breakthrough created a chance for Viana to score. The Forest team’s defensive line is powerless against him! He had never played a game for the First Team. His debut is in such an important 16th round game for the UEFA Europa League. His performance was flawless! Another star winger has emerged in this Portuguese powerhouse that once nurtured Luís Figo, Simão Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma, and Cristiano Ronaldo!
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When some people were happy, naturally there would be some people who were worried.
The cheers from Sporting Lisbon’s substitutes’ bench and technical area reached the Forest team’s side. Twain swore in anger. He turned back to the technical area and sat down. Now his heart was not in his throat and he no longer felt perturbed. Either way, Sporting Lisbon had scored a goal. It was too late to say anything now.
Nani! Nani… If I had known today would happen, I would have brought you from Portugal to England last summer!
You son of a gun! Now that you’re famous, I’m out of luck.
The first half of the game ended a few minutes after Sporting Lisbon pulled the advantage closer. Nani was in a good mood despite the fact that his team was still behind. He did not expect his debut performance to be so good. Twain scowled as he looked at the elated Portuguese kid and turned to walk towards the locker room.