ps, Sorry, my home internet was down yesterday, so I couldn't upload the automatic update. I could only manually update it after getting up today. I didn't sleep well taking care of the kids, and I got up a little late. Please forgive me...

Chapter 152 Too Cautious

When Martin O'Neill realized his team was in grave danger, his back was instantly soaked with sweat.

The chill that crept up his spine calmed him down a little.

The most important thing now was to remain calm and absolutely not panic. Don't easily believe even your own analysis.

Think things through before making a decision. Anyway, there are still more than twenty minutes left in the game, and more than fifty minutes until the penalty shootout, almost an hour.

There's still enough time.

He fell back into thought.

Was his speculation really correct?

Was Mourinho really planning to drag the game into a penalty shootout?

But for a powerhouse like Real Madrid to disregard their image just to drag the game into a penalty shootout was a bit too absurd...

Listen to the boos from the Real Madrid fans in the stands. If Mourinho really did that, he would be going against all the Real Madrid fans... Although Real Madrid fans like Mourinho, at the end of the day, what they really like is beautiful football, that's the tradition of Real Madrid.

Before, it was because Real Madrid had been suppressed by Barcelona and couldn't win the championship. So they admired Mourinho, for no other reason than that Mourinho could win them the championship.

And Mourinho did it.

But when he personally ended Barcelona's dynasty, he also personally ended his honeymoon with Real Madrid—whether with the club's management, or with the fans and the media.

The fans had more and higher demands on Mourinho. If he couldn't do it, criticism would arise.

Those sensationalizing media outlets were most happy to see these stories.

So Martin O'Neill couldn't imagine the consequences of Mourinho going against the Real Madrid fans like this. Unless he didn't want to stay at Real Madrid anymore!

Secondly, it was also doubtful whether the superstars of Real Madrid, with their tempers and personalities, would be willing to be cowards like this. Although Mourinho had absolute control over this team, there were always exceptions. Like the situation in the first half, wasn't that something Mourinho didn't control?

So Martin O'Neill couldn't immediately confirm whether Mourinho really intended to drag the game into a penalty shootout.

He turned his head to look next door.

Mourinho sat on the coach's bench, with a calm and indifferent expression. As if the game had nothing to do with him.

Seeing him like this, Martin O'Neill became even more suspicious.

If he wanted Liverpool to fall into his trap, shouldn't he be showing more anxiety, as if he wanted to win the game in ninety minutes?

The way he was acting now was clearly telling everyone, "I don't have much hope for the outcome of this game," right?

Such an obvious flaw, could it be a double trap?

By nature cautious, Martin O'Neill couldn't help but overthink things.

In his opinion, there was still a possibility that Mourinho wanted him to think that they wanted to drag the game into a penalty shootout. In that way, in order to avoid the game sliding into a penalty shootout, he would have to make the team attack and attack again. In doing so, many gaps would appear behind the defense, which would be perfect for Real Madrid's defensive counterattack.

The more Martin O'Neill thought about it, the more he felt that this was the most likely scenario. Because everyone at Real Madrid couldn't accept a victory in an ugly game, and Mourinho was well aware of this.

Since this path was impassable, then only one possibility remained!

Martin O'Neill had an idea in his mind.

He was convinced that Real Madrid had carefully designed a trap, using multiple layers of deception to lure him to walk right into it.

Since that was the case, then he would absolutely not fall for it.

He walked to the sideline and, taking advantage of a dead ball, conveyed the latest instructions to the team.

He demanded that the team be more patient, and no matter what the opponent did, they should not easily send a large number of troops to attack.

※※※

Mourinho sat on the coach's bench and watched Martin O'Neill walk to the sideline, watched him call over captain Gerrard and whisper a few words, and then saw the adjustments of the entire Liverpool team.

Then a smile appeared on his face.

People who are too cautious often lose the best opportunities because they are always looking ahead and behind, afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind.

And opportunities are so precious, if you lose them once or twice, there may not be a third time.

The game was developing in the way Mourinho had hoped.

※※※

Both sides were determined to strengthen their defense, and the game became even less watchable.

The television cameras even began to capture the expressions of the fans in the stands.

This was a very rare scene in the history of the Champions League final broadcast!

In the television footage, some fans were even yawning.

In fact, if they could, the commentators would also like to yawn, but they couldn't, so they had to find some topics to amuse the television audience, otherwise the audience would think their television speakers were broken.

For a long time, there was nothing worth commenting on in the game.

In this situation, Platini was shot while lying down.

"This is really ironic. Yesterday, before the Champions League final started, Platini said in an interview that the current Champions League has surpassed the World Cup and become the world's number one football event... As a model project, the Champions League final is naturally heavily promoted by him. But look at this game... If this is the promotional material for the Champions League, then everyone will laugh at Platini's arrogance..."

The television broadcast very appropriately cut to a close-up shot of Platini on the podium.

Platini's face was indeed not very good.

He was now cursing Chen Hero, Mourinho, Real Madrid, and Liverpool in his heart.

This game was indeed a heavy blow to his ambitious plan to promote his Champions League. He had originally intended to promote the Champions League as the most influential football event in the world, in order to help him run for the position of FIFA president—first establish a powerful enemy for the World Cup, and then run for the position of FIFA president with the slogan of helping the World Cup regain its former glory. At the same time, the success of the Champions League would also prove his ability.

Who would have thought that when he ambitiously launched this plan, he would encounter such a bizarre game...

Liverpool and Real Madrid were supposed to be a peak showdown. Before this game, the UEFA official also made every effort to promote it. In particular, Liverpool's 6-0 victory over Barcelona at home was used as a model, giving Platini a lot of confidence.

Now he regretted that he would choose to believe in a team like Liverpool...

After this game, his Champions League promotion plan and himself would become a laughing stock!

So many laughing stocks were born before and after this game, which was really not easy.

※※※

The time of the game passed by not slowly, even with both sides consciously slowing down the pace. Soon it was the eightieth minute of the game.

Although Martin O'Neill believed that what Real Madrid was showing was a disguise for a trap.

But there was always a thought in his heart that he was unwilling to let go.

That thought was—Real Madrid really wanted to drag the game into a penalty shootout! You idiot!

As time passed, the voice of this thought in his mind became louder and louder.

By the eightieth minute, the sound in his mind was almost as loud as the roar of Niagara Falls.

He could no longer ignore it.

And even he himself began to doubt his previous judgment.

If Mourinho's Real Madrid was really trying to lure him, then they were still unwilling to attack now, which meant that they really didn't plan to end the battle in ninety minutes, or in regular time.

Because very few people would think about ending the battle in extra time. If the game was dragged into extra time, it was basically heading for a penalty shootout.

In other words, as long as Real Madrid didn't want to end the battle in ninety minutes, then it was definitely for the penalty shootout!

Having figured this out, Martin O'Neill suddenly raised his head.

He felt that he had been tricked.

Tricked by that damn Mourinho!

The other party really wanted to take penalties!

※※※

Martin O'Neill had originally planned to jump out of the coach's bench and convey the latest instructions to the team again.

But his butt had just lifted up when he suddenly remembered something. Then he put it back down.

He didn't want Mourinho to realize that he had seen through it.

If Mourinho thought that the game was under his control, then let him continue to believe in this beautiful wish.

What he had to do was to hold his breath.

First of all, there were still a few minutes left until the end of the ninety minutes of the game. If he let the team press forward with all their strength at this time, it would be too hasty, and there wouldn't be enough time. He also had to bear the risk of being countered by the opponent—although the other party's arrangement was to decide the outcome in a penalty shootout, if there really was a great opportunity to end the battle in regular time, they wouldn't be so stubborn.

He couldn't provide them with such an opportunity.

You had to know that Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil and others were all good at seizing opportunities.

If the team conceded a goal in the final moments due to his impatience, giving up the championship, it would be too foolish.

He had been foolish once, and he couldn't be foolish a second time.

So after thinking it through, he sat back down on the coach's bench, and even crossed his legs, looking leisurely.

He was doing this specifically for Mourinho to see, to let Mourinho believe that he hadn't woken up from his trap. Mourinho had calculated him before, and now it was his turn to calculate Mourinho!

If the ninety minutes ended in a draw, then so be it.

Since no one would think about deciding the outcome in extra time, then he would be that person!