269: First unfavorable match
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, Inter Milan marched to Emirates Stadium in north London to challenge Arsenal. This schedule has a slight advantage for the Nerazzurri as they can return to Meazza to adjust the second half strategy based on the first half results. .
Inter Milan is not under pressure from the tournament and has almost pegged itself in 3rd place on the rankings. The same thing happened with Arsenal. They soon withdrew from championship competition. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, who top the table, are engaged in a fierce competition. Third-placed Arsenal, ahead of Liverpool, scored 15 points.
However, it won't matter if the Gunners get four points in the league, so they are putting all their effort into the Champions League. The main composition of the team is as follows:
Goalkeeper Lehmann, defenders Eboué, Touré, Campbell and Ashley Cole. Midfielders Pires, Gilberto, Fabregas and Hleb.
The attackers were Henry and Ljungberg.
In addition to the core All-Star players, Arsenal's reserve squad is not inferior at all. Bergkamp, Rosicky, Van Persie, Adebayor, Denilson and other excellent players are also eager to test their strength on the bench.
Along the way, Arsenal won 5 wins and 1 draw in the group stage, then eliminated Real Madrid 1:0 in two matches and Werder Bremen 3:0 in two matches. They have only conceded one goal in eight matches. They are very good and have become one of the championship contenders.
This is also the top 4 in the Champions League and also has to face a team in the Premier League. It's hard for Inter Milan not to think about last year's failure, but the difference from last year is that everyone doesn't have pressure from the tournament and can try without fear.
In the dressing room before the match, Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger was giving his final tactical explanation. He knows that on the offensive side, Arsenal can compete for possession with Inter Milan. After connecting the front and back yards, Ljungberg was able to move back to the front midfield position, putting Henry in the main role, enough to cause fatal damage.
As for the defense, Wenger glanced at Touré and Campbell, who immediately raised their heads and looked at the head coach majestically. The Frenchman revealed a satisfied smile: "I need you two to restrain Vuong Phong, don't be afraid of him." , because you can face Drogba and Ruud van Nistelrooy alone, and now you can both freeze the Chinese."
Touré and Campbell nodded heavily. Both are the core of the Premier League defense. From now on, we will unite to defend Vuong Phong, regardless of whether it is for the sake of our team or for our own dignity, we will never allow him to wreak havoc at will.
.....
After the match started, home team Arsenal rushed towards Inter Milan's defense amid the cheers of the fans. Hleb broke through from the wing and passed into the penalty area. Henry brushed aside Samuel's defenses and advanced at close range. The ball hits the goal.
Luckily, the ball's head was relatively straight, right in Toldo's arms. The powerful ball forced him to lie down and press the ball under his body to avoid hand errors. This makes the French player who is preparing to carry out his next plan quite depressed. . Before long, Arsenal made a comeback. Gilberto's pass took Henry almost single-handedly into the penalty area. Unfortunately, after making some adjustments, he shot on goal and was saved by Cordoba from the baseline.
Inter Milan are not always defeated passively. In the 17th minute, they took advantage of the opportunity to defend and counterattack. After Zanetti skewered the defense, Wang Feng struggled to catch the ball and chose to cross the ball. Adriano, who followed in the middle, failed. Even when he reached the ball, the ball still missed the goal.
Adriano in front of the goal shook his head, the speed was indeed not fast enough, Vuong Phong in the distance also sighed, the common defense formed by Touré and Campbell put a lot of pressure on him, he could only pass the field. team. Rush forward, otherwise you will have to rush back and fall into battle if you fall into a double team.
"You won't stand a chance in this match!" Campbell near Vuong Phong cursed, while Touré not far away looked at him kindly, ready to defend himself at any moment. Vuong Phong smiled harmlessly at people and animals. It seemed that he could only lead them for a short walk, then wait for an opportunity to find an opportunity.
.....
Arsenal took the lead again in the 41st minute of the first half. Henry suddenly took a shot from in front of the penalty area. The ball entered the net from the top right corner of the goal with great force. This is an absurd goal from a superstar!
Falling behind caused Inter Milan to suddenly increase their attack speed. Before halftime, Wang Feng received the ball with his back in the front court, endured Campbell's confrontation, turned and dribbled the ball into the penalty area. Against Touré's double team, he always firmly protected the ball at his feet.
Seeing this, another guard, Ai Buai, was very worried. According to data, Vuong Phong in the penalty area was very threatening, it was not safe for two people to pass, so he could not help but go to his side.
At this moment, Vuong Phong suddenly saw the right moment and pushed the ball to Adriano's feet. Aibo was shocked. His attention was attracted by the Chinese striker and he completely lost his defensive position.
He desperately returned to his position and prayed that his opponent's attack would not be favorable. It seemed like God heard his voice. The Brazilian undercover player kicked with an anti-aircraft gun, sending the ball straight to the Arsenal fans in the stands.
After missing the opportunity, Adriano angrily shook his head. His mood is really bad today. When passing by Vuong Phong, he bowed his head and apologized. Vuong Phong patted him on the shoulder: "Brother, don't be discouraged, we still have a chance!"
.....
After switching sides for the rematch, Inter Milan increased their confrontation in midfield, Vuong Phong often retreated to respond. In the 52nd minute, Wang Feng, who held the ball in the middle of the field, dribbled the ball and attacked himself. When he reached the 35m area, he suddenly slowed down and waited for his teammates. connect. Campbell, who was following on defense, stretched out his legs at the right time, but Vuong Phong guessed his intention through his body movements, so he suddenly sped up and avoided the robbery ~www.mtlnovel.com~ By the way, he received the removal of Arsen, who lost his balance after the flight of defender Na failed.
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He accelerated and took two steps to enter the penalty area. Facing Aibuai standing in front of him, Vuong Phong's left shoulder sagged slightly, swinging his left leg to go down. The foot rotates the ball to the right, creating an opening for the shot!
He lifted his right foot and made a lob. The ball bounced up, hit the crossbar and went into the net. "goooooooooooooooooooo! Goal! Vuong Phong scored an important goal for Inter Milan. It was a valuable away goal!"
"Let's see Wang Feng's great performance in the penalty area. After being blocked by Aibo, he successfully took the ball at the crucial moment. We couldn't see where he was going."
"Aibo's defensive choice was right. Toure was also on the defensive side at first, but Vuong Phong was able to seize this opportunity in less than a second and send the ball flying into the opponent's goal!"
"Like Henry's long shot, it's a real giant planet!"
..... If with this score they could advance to the second round, Inter Milan would definitely have an advantage, but at the last minute of the match, Pires crossed into Makelele's hand and the referee gave Arsenal a point. ball.
The goal was somewhere between a foul and no foul, and the Gunners at home were favored in terms of penalties. Henry helped the team achieve another victory by just one fall.
1:2! Inter Milan lost the match and still has hope of promotion.