Chapter 168 The King's Despair

"Hilo, Norwich's offense has really become much smoother since he's been willing to pass the ball. If this were before, he would have gone solo so close to the penalty area." Shen Jian watched Hilo pass the ball to Brian, who attracted the defense with a cutback pass and then sent in a cross, which Ospina headed into the goal.

This kind of choice is definitely rare for Hilo.

"He does seem to prefer sharing the ball now. If he can keep it up, he might attract the attention of the big clubs. He was Norwich's top scorer last season. You'd think with that kind of performance, and the team being relegated to the Championship, some Premier League club would be interested in him, but his style was too individualistic, so those teams that paid attention to him eventually backed away."

On the field, the Norwich players celebrated wildly, while the AEK Athens players were crestfallen.

The momentum and confidence they had at the start of the second half had vanished.

They thought they could hold off Norwich's attack with their iron defense.

But a small lapse allowed Zhao Gang to find an opportunity, delivering a precision-guided assist for Mendy to score.

As Norwich attacked more boldly, the two flanks exhausted the AEK Athens players, and finally, defensive loopholes appeared.

Zhao Gang's coordination, Hilo's passing, Brian's breakthrough, and then the final pass.

Hilo's cross after receiving the ball was seamless, everything flowing smoothly.

Finally, Ospina, as the finisher, seized the position and cleanly slotted the ball in!

"Oh...the AEK Athens players are having fitness problems and can't get into the right positions as quickly as they did in the first half, and their defense is suffering.

Zhao attracted two defenders, Hilo and Brian, Philip and Ferman, both running down the flanks to stretch the defense, even Ospina and Mendy in the center were constantly pulling defenders. He had three passing options, and ultimately chose Hilo, who was in a better position.

This goal was a classic team effort, everyone looking for opportunities, attracting defenders, everyone doing what they should be doing! Everyone has absolute confidence in their teammates!

Norwich, being able to break into the top eight and eliminate Arsenal and Manchester United, is really not just a coincidence.

Their attacking front line works together very well!

And the defense in the back is rock solid. I think they will definitely reach the final, and maybe even win the Europa League!" Henry watched the wonderful goal. Unlike the last game, where Zhao Gang single-handedly overwhelmed Arsenal, Norwich also has a very sophisticated frontcourt coordination and attacking ability.

If they were solely dependent on Zhao Gang, it would be difficult to truly compete against a strong team.

But Zhao Gang has teammates around him.

"Yes, we can clearly see that Zhao's desire to attack is not very strong. He only chooses to go solo when the team really has no other option. He never chooses to be a hero alone. He wants to make his teammates better, to make the team better!

It's really hard to imagine that at his age, he's not thinking about showing off or breaking records, but always selflessly thinking about his teammates. It's really rare!"

Auli listened to the two men's praise for Zhao Gang. These two are well-known veterans in the football world.

One is an Arsenal legend, a major figure in football history, and the other is the top reporter and host of the BBC, with excellent relationships with top Premier League players, agents, coaches, and even management.

The status and connections of these two are among the best in the English football scene.

They value a young man so much, and they are generous with their praise.

Then this young man must have a limitless future, right?

"King, you must be panicking now??"

Henry touched his head and smiled. "Why would I be panicking? It's only two goals. I might panic a little if they score another one! Besides, what if AEK Athens manages to launch a counterattack and score one?"

"King, are you lying to yourself now that you're not playing football anymore??"

"Haha..." Henry's face turned red with laughter. With AEK Athens in the state they're in, a counterattack? Keep dreaming!

Kick-off in the center circle.

Finally, the AEK Athens forwards ran to the edge of Norwich's penalty area!

This is the first time in the whole game!

The AEK Athens players couldn't hold back any longer.

They trust the coach, they trust his tactics.

But now, they are two goals behind, playing miserably for the whole game. If they continue like this, Norwich will only become more unscrupulous!

If they can launch a counterattack, at least the other team won't just leave one defender and a goalkeeper in the back, right?

Two full-backs and one center-back have all run back into their own penalty area. How can they play like this? Don't they have any pride?

After the kick-off, not only the two forwards but also the midfielders pressed forward.

And goalkeeper Hull, who was almost catching a cold, finally perked up.

Excellent!!

It's finally my turn to perform, come on!!

He stared intently ahead, his center of gravity lowered, extremely focused, waiting for AEK Athens' first attack.

Eh...eh??

Hull's face twitched a little. The AEK Athens players seemed to have forgotten how to attack.

Under the strong pressure from Norwich players, the ball was intercepted before it even reached a dangerous area.

In an instant, the Norwich players charged forward like arrows, all three lines advancing!!

"Here it comes, here it comes, the classic Norwich counterattack!!" Brooke shouted.

The entire stadium stood up to cheer.

Instantly, Carrow Road erupted!

After intercepting the ball, Ferman made a direct pass, then sprinted forward.

Zhao Gang controlled the ball. A defender beside him slid in, trying to disrupt him.

He didn't expect Zhao Gang to hook the ball with his right foot, as if it was glued to his foot, easily dodging the defender.

"Here it comes!!!!!!"

Then a powerful arcing shot.

Five against three in the frontcourt!

"AEK Athens, who have always been good at defending, only have three defenders left! Norwich has five attackers charging up, it's not offside! Philip passes the defender, dribbles horizontally, and passes to Hilo in the middle! Hilo only has the goalkeeper in front of him!!!"

The AEK Athens players chased back frantically, but couldn't reach Hilo, who was already sprinting.

"One-on-one, Hilo!!" Brooke stood up and shouted.

Hilo charged into the penalty area and, facing the tense goalkeeper, fired a shot that hit the back of the net. He then ran quickly to the sidelines, jumping high to celebrate.

"Yeah!!!" The stands erupted in an earthquake-like cheer.

The AEK Athens defender who was chasing back lay on the ground, panting heavily, with not much strength left.

The goalkeeper knelt on the ground, pounding the ground in frustration.

First attack!

The first attack was countered.

Two passes!

Two passes and a one-on-one against the goalkeeper!

Five people, five people rushed over like they were robbing a bank!

Did they really believe that the guy could pass the ball accurately before his teammates went offside?

"Wow!!! Haha... Norwich! All three lines charging forward, all rushing up!" James watched the counterattack and the reactions of the teammates when Zhao Gang got the ball.

Without worrying about whether they were offside, they charged straight up!

This scene had been seen once before, but seeing it again was still exhilarating.

"It's really pleasing to the eye, this kind of counterattack is really... this is football! Zhao's accurate long pass, Philip's selfless pass, Hilo's decisive shot! No hesitation! A perfect counterattack, with top-notch viewing and top-notch practicality!

Perfect! AEK Athens' loss is not unjust. This kind of grasp of timing is hard to defend against, even for the top Premier League teams!"

Henry clapped his hands in praise, truly a flowing movement.

From Zhao Gang receiving the ball to Hilo scoring, seven seconds!

Two goals in one minute!

AEK Athens has completely collapsed!

"King, there's only one goal left. Are you panicking now?" Suddenly, Auli asked.

James covered his face and laughed, tears streaming down his face.

Henry scratched his head, this was too incredible.

They couldn't score in the first half, scored one at the beginning of the second half, and then scored two in a row in the seventieth minute!

How was AEK Athens playing?

Why were they so reckless to attack?

The key is that AEK Athens didn't have a single decent attack the entire game, and suddenly prepared to attack, but before they could stabilize their position, they were intercepted and countered.

At this rate, it's not a matter of whether AEK Athens wants to defend and protect the score, but whether Norwich wants to score more goals at home to ensure they have a big enough advantage in the first leg.

Bad, bad.

"Now, except for the fans of Arsenal and AEK Athens, everyone probably wants Norwich to score another goal! To see the King's wonderful speech!"

The AEK Athens players were visibly agitated.

Losing two goals in a row was a huge blow to them.

The passing and receiving on the field started to have problems.

Even more frightening was that the forwards wanted to score a goal, while the defense didn't want to concede any more goals.

All for the sake of face.

As a result, the defenders couldn't connect with the forwards at all.

The midfielders were also finding it difficult to break through due to the decline in physical fitness and unstable mentality.

This led to a series of offensive mistakes by AEK Athens.

Norwich seized the opportunity and continued to attack.

Fortunately, the AEK Athens defenders were no longer pressing forward and stayed in the back, which prevented Norwich from having the sharp counterattack opportunities they had before.

Under Zhao Gang's back-and-forth connection, Norwich's attack continued.

Every touch in the dangerous area made Henry grit his teeth, widen his eyes, and tense his body.

Hiss...

Auli laughed loudly at the side.

"Don't attack anymore, it's almost eighty-five minutes, and you still have to deal with the next Championship game. Norwich wants to compete for second place! The players should save some energy." Henry shrank his shoulders and gave Norwich advice.

"Does the King really want Norwich to save energy, or is it for some personal reasons??" James didn't say anything, but Auli took the initiative to tease him.

"You! I didn't even hold you accountable for cheating last time. You really don't appreciate my good intentions. We two are on the same side, understand?"

Henry pretended to be angry and frustrated. The show effect was indeed very good.

The remaining two laughed constantly.

Soon, Norwich organized another attack.

Zhao Gang, who had run to the middle, took on the role of a center forward, charged into the penalty area after passing the ball.

Henry stared at the broadcast screen, tapping the table with his left hand.

"Hey, hey, hey! I am Thierry Henry. The King of Highbury, the Light of France, the Best Player in the Premier League, the Premier League Champion, the Grand Slam winner of the Champions League and Club World Cup!

European Cup, World Cup, I've won them all in the national team!

I am a football legend from England and France!

Zhao, I can take you to any team you want to go to!

If you hear my call, give me some face... Zhao... Zhao, Zhao! Zhao!!! Holy**!"

Henry kicked the table leg, stood up abruptly, and threw the materials on the table all over the place.

"Hahaha...!!!" James clutched his stomach, laughing until tears streamed down his face, and fell to the ground. Auli buried her face on the table, her body trembling.

Henry stood there, covering his head, taking a few deep breaths.

At the last moment of this live broadcast, the fans reached the peak of discussion!

Zhao Gang kicked the King of Highbury into hell.

On the field, the Norwich players celebrated and then returned to their defensive positions.

Kick-off in the center circle, the full-time whistle blew!

The AEK Athens players had solemn expressions. After shaking hands and hugging the Norwich players, they left dejectedly.

The Norwich players applauded and thanked the audience in the stands, and Carrow Road cheered again.

Henry sat upright, with the two guests far away.

The camera focused only on the well-dressed King of Highbury.

All the fans were waiting for Henry to say that sentence.

"I am Thierry Henry. I am sorry, Arsenal fans. As your role model, today I have to do something that will hurt you. Please don't blame me, and don't learn from what I did today..." Henry had a solemn expression, and the Arsenal fans' hearts were in their throats.

Henry suddenly shouted loudly, "Arsenal will always be the best club in the Premier League, and also the best club in the world!!!

I am no longer worthy to be your idol. I went back on my word! I am a coward!!"

James covered his face and laughed so hard he was almost convulsing.

This guy...