Lin Hai Ting Tao
Chapter 1101 The Old Ginger is Spicier (Third Update Seeking Monthly Tickets)
This was the goal that tied the score for Liverpool.
It prevented Liverpool from suffering a defeat at home. Even losing the first goal would be a loss!
So after Chen Hero scored, all the commentators were very excited.
Old Hatson even stood up, waving his arms vigorously, shouting loudly.
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After scoring, Chen Hero didn't celebrate. He rushed into the goal, snatched the football from Casillas, hugged it in his arms, and ran back to the center circle.
His action reminded everyone.
Everyone realized that even if Chen Hero scored a goal, Liverpool was still tied at home by Real Madrid. A draw for them wasn't much better than a defeat...
Liverpool had nothing to be happy about.
Thinking of this, the cheers at Anfield Stadium diminished a lot.
Liverpool players were going to celebrate the goal with Chen Hero, but seeing him like that, they lost the mood to celebrate.
Yes, a draw was almost a defeat for Liverpool.
If they couldn't score another goal in the next ten minutes or so...
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You could see it from the Real Madrid players' reactions as well. They weren't too frustrated after conceding the goal. Except for Casillas, who was a little unwilling to concede, everyone else calmly accepted the result. For them, having an away goal was already a completed mission, and a draw wasn't bad either.
If the game ended here, it wouldn't affect their mood at all.
Even Mourinho didn't show any reaction to the conceded goal.
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But can it be said that this goal was meaningless?
No.
Without this goal, Liverpool's second leg would be even more difficult. Because of this goal, in the second leg, as long as Liverpool scored first, they would lead Real Madrid on aggregate.
And it may seem useless now, but who knows, in the end, whether Chen Hero's header will play a crucial role?
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In the following game, Liverpool tried their best to attack, while Mourinho began to make substitutions. He replaced three midfielders and defenders, and his intention to strengthen defense was obvious.
In his opinion, a 1-1 result was already very satisfactory to him.
Liverpool bombarded Real Madrid's penalty area for more than ten minutes, but failed to break through Real Madrid's goal in the end. Now, under the leadership of Mourinho, this Real Madrid team has made great progress in defense. Compared with other Spanish teams, they are more disciplined and calmer when defending.
When the whistle blew to end the game, the Real Madrid players raised their arms and cheered for the result, while the Liverpool players lowered their heads, feeling frustrated with the result.
Real Madrid fans were also cheering in the stands. They had reason to do so. An away goal and a draw. Judging from the strength comparison between Real Madrid and Liverpool, the result of this first leg almost guaranteed their promotion to the semi-finals.
But Liverpool fans were also singing loudly in the stands, not showing much frustration. They sang Liverpool's team song, "You'll Never Walk Alone."
This made Real Madrid fans a little incomprehensible—if this game was played at the Bernabeu, and the result was exactly the same, Real Madrid fans would be giving Real Madrid face if they didn't wave white handkerchiefs. They might have already booed—performing so badly, and you still have the nerve to ask us to cheer for you?!
But in England, the situation seemed to be different.
Liverpool's performance wasn't outstanding, but Liverpool fans didn't blame them.
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"Damn it!" Until the end of the game, Chen Hero didn't score another goal. He spat on the ground unhappily.
Gerrard walked up to comfort him: "Don't take it to heart, Hero. When the game is over, don't think about the game that's over. Go thank the fans." He pointed to the stands.
Liverpool's performance in this game was average, but the performance of Liverpool fans was world-class. It was right to thank them. Without the support of these fans, Liverpool might not even have gotten a draw, and would have lost directly at home...
Looking at those lovely fans, Chen Hero swore in his heart.
Next leg, even if it's a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, I'll break through it for you!
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Liverpool was forced to a draw by Real Madrid at home, and there were many people who gloated after the game.
Ferguson was the first to express his opinion: "I think Martin O'Neill is planning to deliberately give up the game against Real Madrid, so as to focus on the league. He knows that it is impossible for Liverpool to eliminate Real Madrid..."
Ferguson's performance now is completely different from his previous low-key image of "not arguing back when scolded and not retaliating when hit."
In the past, what happened to Liverpool had nothing to do with him. Even if the media ran to ask him, he would have a look of "I'm not Liverpool's father, why are you asking me?"
For a long time, he almost disappeared from the media, and it was rare to hear his voice. It was as if he really no longer missed this football world and planned to leave after the end of the season.
But now he has become uncharacteristically high-profile. As long as it is something related to Liverpool, he will jump out and point fingers. Reminding everyone that he and Liverpool are real deadly enemies, the kind that will never die.
In fact, this situation is normal...
Moreover, Ferguson's targeting of Liverpool always makes Martin O'Neill very uncomfortable.
Take the incident of Liverpool being forced to a draw by Real Madrid at home this time. He jumped out and told everyone that the reason why Liverpool could be forced to a draw by Real Madrid at home was mainly because Liverpool had already planned to give up the Champions League and focus on the league.
It seems that there is nothing wrong with this sentence, and maybe it is helping Martin O'Neill to speak, reducing the pressure on him, even if the team is really eliminated, he can tell everyone that he was prepared for it...
But the problem lies precisely in this. This is not reducing pressure, this is putting pressure on Martin O'Neill.
Why doesn't Martin O'Neill dare to publicly give up the Champions League? What he is worried about is nothing more than the impact on morale and the difficulty of explaining to the fans.
Now, Ferguson has put a bucket of shit on him.
Making him unable to defend himself, no matter what he says, everyone will be prejudiced and believe Ferguson's words, thinking that O'Neill is just explaining and perfunctory.
So he can only use actions to show it.
What action?
Try hard in the Champions League to defeat Real Madrid, eliminate them, and enter the Champions League semi-finals. Only in this way can he prove to everyone that Martin O'Neill is not joking about Liverpool's Champions League honor, and that Ferguson, that bastard, is talking nonsense!
Admittedly, doing so can slap Ferguson in the face. But at the same time, Liverpool is also forced into a dead end.
Apart from trying their best to defeat Real Madrid, they have no other way to go. The problem is, people's energy is limited. If Liverpool tries their best in the Champions League, they will naturally not be able to go all out in the domestic league. In this way, it will provide Manchester United with an opportunity to overtake them in the league.
Ferguson's purpose is here. Using the power of public opinion to force Liverpool to choose one between the Champions League and the league, and can only choose the Champions League, giving up the league. In this way, Ferguson can defeat Liverpool, complete a great reversal, and once again be crowned the Premier League champion.
And being overtaken by Manchester United in the league will inevitably distract Liverpool, unable to give up the Champions League, and unwilling to give up the league. The result of trying to work hard on both sides is that neither side can exert its strength. When the time comes, the league title will be gone, and the Champions League title will not be won. It will truly be a waste of effort.
If Liverpool's strong performance this season ends up with nothing, it will definitely be a heavy blow to the entire Liverpool team.
The cunning thing about Ferguson's move is that even if Martin O'Neill sees through his plan, he has no way to deal with it, except to act according to Ferguson's script. This is precisely Ferguson's shrewdness. He doesn't play tricks, he plays fair and square with you, letting you guess and confirm it, but it's still useless.
In the end, he can only walk on the road that people want you to walk on.
Old ginger is still spicier!
Ferguson is an old ginger!
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In addition to Ferguson, there were others who were happy about Liverpool's draw. It seems that with the rise of Liverpool, their popularity in English football is gradually becoming worse...
In Spain, there are also many people who are very happy to see that Liverpool did not win.
They were all angered by Chen Hero's pre-match statement that "winning championships in teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona can be effortless."
Now that they see Liverpool suffering setbacks and Chen Hero unlucky, they are especially happy, and all kinds of gloating voices are pouring towards Chen Hero, one after another.
Even the Barcelona media this time stood on the side of Real Madrid, helping the Real Madrid people to ridicule Chen Hero together.
They are not because of the boring reason that "everyone comes from the same country, so we should be united against the enemy." They are purely because they were also shot—in Chen Hero's words, it was not just Real Madrid that he named...
Being chased closely by Manchester United in the league, and finally having a home advantage opportunity in the Champions League, they still let Real Madrid get an away goal and forced a draw.
The only advantage was thus buried. In the second leg, they will go to Real Madrid's home ground. Will there still be a chance to turn the tables?
That is almost no suspense. Liverpool will definitely be out!
No team has been able to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this season.