Chapter 512: Shocking change! The monk gets a red card! Martin becomes the only hope!

Chapter 512: Shocking Change! The monk gets a red card! Martin becomes the only hope!

"aoaoaooaoaoooo——"

The atmosphere at the Bay Stadium was fanatical, with huge cheers growing louder and louder as the game progressed to the second half and nearing its end, and the mighty momentum continued for a long time.

The on-site director took advantage of the stalemate and quickly broadcast the screen to the key players on the field.

Portugal gave it to Martin and France gave it to Mbappe.

Martin was given the longest time.

Obviously, it is known that Martin is the only player who can truly change the situation on his own!
Both sides made adjustments to their respective lineups.

But perhaps because the time was approaching eighty minutes and the score returned to a balanced stage, no one put too much energy into the attack, which resulted in the score shown on the scoreboard never changing.

Portugal, which equalized the score, still had possession of the ball.

France head coach Didier Deschamps stood in the coaching and technical area on the sidelines, his eyes fixed on the field.

His attention was more focused on Martin, the most difficult player to defend on the Portuguese team.

Judging from the experience of many past games, if Portugal wants to complete a score reversal, there is a 90% chance that Martin will create it.

Everyone knows his superb creative scoring ability.

Time passed by second by second, and soon came to the eighty-minute mark of the game.

The atmosphere at the Bay Stadium was still frenetic, but the French fans were no longer as calm as when they were leading.

It seemed like the ball could be lost at any time.

Portugal's No. 10 player Martin is getting better and better as time goes by.

Those who often watch live games know that the decline in physical fitness of their defensive players has led to a decline in their running and covering abilities.

On the other hand, Martin was not affected at all and continued to walk briskly.

The Portuguese fans and neutral fans in the audience were extremely excited, and their cheers were getting louder and louder.

Deschamps really wanted to change something by making substitutions, but after looking for a long time he couldn't find a suitable candidate.

Camavinga, known as 'Little Martin', has comprehensive abilities, but... it is precisely because of his comprehensive abilities that he does not know how to make adjustments.

After all, Martin is truly versatile, while Camavinga is a mini version of him.

"Deschamps should consider bringing in some fresh blood."

CCTV 5 commentator He Wei clearly felt that the running coverage of the French team's midfield and backcourt defensive players had decreased.

"It would have been nice if Kante hadn't been injured in the group stage."

Commentator Xu Yang agreed with He Wei's point of view and sighed.

If France had a Kante in this game, the effect on the defensive end would be more obvious.

Although the 31-year-old Kante is no longer in the peak state he was in when he played for Arsenal, his rich match experience can make up for the decline in physical function and bring great pressure to Portugal's central attack.

At this moment.

France head coach Didier Deschamps also misses Kante very much.

It's a pity that a ligament injury in the group stage forced him to end his Qatar World Cup early.

Fortunately, the scoreboard still showed 1:1.

Deschamps, who had no better solution, was prepared for overtime and even a penalty shootout.

Facing Portugal led by Martin, no team can resolve the battle within 90 minutes.

Even a draw is difficult.

Taking advantage of the dead ball opportunity, Portugal made the third substitution of the game.

In the 84th minute, B Fee replaced Ruben Neves.

Countless commentators were surprised by this substitution.

Ruben Neves is good at both offense and defense. Not only can he effectively help Martin organize the offense on the offensive end, but he can also play a certain role as a metronome, and he can also share the pressure of Palinha on the defensive end.

At the end of the game, Santos replaced B2B midfielder Ruben Neves with the more offensive B Fee, which puzzled many people.

But while it's puzzling, it's also admirable.

The French team has been maintaining stability on the defensive end, but Portugal stepped up its offense in the final stages of the game, obviously intending to strengthen its offense at the last moment and overtake the score in one fell swoop.

In other words, Portugal doesn't want to play overtime!
Many Portuguese fans were excited about the substitution, but many were also worried.

There is a saying in the world of football that is very true.

Defense wins championships, offense wins fans.

Moreover, the French team not only has extremely strong defensive capabilities, but also has superb counterattack and scoring capabilities.

Dalot threw the ball out of bounds on the right side of the frontcourt, and Portugal's attack was transferred through Martin and soon came to the feet of Felix on the left.

His excellent dribbling ability can bring different content to Portugal's left-wing attack.

With the help of Bruno Fernandes and left-back Cancelo who came on as substitutes, the French team's right-wing defense was under great pressure.

Portugal had consecutive offensive opportunities, which was like a half-court offensive drill.

The French fans at the Bay Stadium were terrified, fearing that the Portuguese team's pass would score at any moment.

In this context, in the 88th minute, France's attack ended hastily. Mouani got the ball in front of the penalty area, made a slight adjustment and shot directly. Under the pressure of Pepe, the ball was soft and powerful, and Diogo Costa easily got it.

There were not many French players involved in the attack, and they retreated very quickly, so they had no chance to counterattack.

Through continuous passes from the midfield to the backcourt, the ball crossed the half court and landed at Martin's feet in front of the center circle.

Facing France, whose formation remained stable, Martin was also looking for an opportunity to score.

Time passed second by second, and soon it was the last minute of regular time.

"aoaooaoaoaoooo——"

The atmosphere at the Bay Stadium became more fanatical, with huge cheers rising one wave higher than the other.

Both Portuguese and French fans relieved their tension by releasing sound waves.

They all know that if they lose the ball during this period, it will mean trying again in four years.

We might not have been able to make it to the current semi-finals at that time.

As time passed, the tense atmosphere slowly spread to the entire stadium.

In the coaching seats, substitute benches, and warm-up areas of both teams, every team member was concentrating and holding their breath.

After several passes, the fourth official came to the sidelines, ready to hold up the electronic injury time board when the time came.

After receiving the pass from Martin, B Fee took the initiative to approach Felix on the left to seek cooperation.

France's pressure in the midfield and backcourt was very timely, and the players did not give B too much time to think.

He could only spike the ball and turn around, intending to pass the ball to Martin or Palinha.

Unexpectedly, Muani came from the side and behind, and it was too late for him to pull the ball and turn around again.

Muani intercepted the ball and passed it in one go, then used the arch of his left foot to kick the ball directly to Griezmann on the ribs.

Martin realized that something was wrong, but he was too far away from Griezmann, so he could only hand over the responsibility of defending Griezmann to the closer Palinha, and then retreat to the half court.

The French team is already very skilled at quick counterattacks from defense to offense. Griezmann made a slight adjustment and sent a long pass directly with his left foot.

The target... was none other than the French superstar Mbappé who was running diagonally between the two central defenders! Ruben Dias quickly retreated to the arc of his own center circle and leaped up, intending to head the ball away. Unexpectedly, he misjudged and did not jump high enough, so the ball brushed his hair and fell to the ground, then bounced off the ground and rolled towards Mbappé who was running at full speed.

At this time, the electronic card held up by the fourth official showed the Arabic numeral [5].

This means there are only five minutes left in the game!

"wowowowowooo——"

The Portuguese fans in the audience exclaimed.

Pepe, who was defending deep behind, had no choice but to sacrifice himself as the distance between them was getting closer and closer. He sped up at the moment when Mbappe dribbled the ball, stepped forward with his right foot, and threw his entire center of gravity directly in the direction of Mbappe's movement. His right foot just blocked Mbappe's left thigh.

Mbappe never expected Pepe to play like this, and immediately fell to the ground as if he was tripped.

The assistant referee who was running towards the baseline at high speed stopped and waved the flag frantically, indicating that the Portuguese player Pepe had committed a foul.

The referee Cesar Ramos, who was running at full speed, blew his whistle quickly, ran to the scene of the incident, and showed Pepe a red card directly.

"Oh no? Pepe was sent off!"

CCTV5 commentator He Wei raised his voice eight octaves higher: "In the first minute of injury time, Portugal is one man short!"

After committing the foul, Pepe stood up, patted the shoulder of Mbappe, who was covering his right leg but was actually not seriously injured, and apologized.

After all, it ruined a chance for France to score.

He didn't argue with the referee. He had thought about the consequences before he made the move.

As the last defensive player, even if the foul is not a direct red card, two yellow cards will turn into one red card.

He had already received a yellow card.

Pepe was walking out of the field when he suddenly thought of something. He turned a corner, walked towards Martin, took off the captain's armband on his left arm, and handed it to him.

Martin took the captain's armband and patted Pepe on the shoulder.

In the situation just now, fouling is the most accurate method.

It would be an absolute disaster if Mbappe were to catch up with the ball.

Portugal coach Santos was about to call on Danilo Pereira to come on as a substitute.

But on second thought, he made a tactical gesture to Martin and prepared to send on veteran midfielder William Carvalho.

Pepe walked towards the player tunnel, and head coach Santos took the initiative to walk over and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo also gave Pepe a hug.

Judging from the situation just now, Pepe took the safest approach.

To the team, he is a hero.

"papappaaaa——"

The Portuguese fans in the audience also applauded Pepe with thunderous applause.

……

Based on the positioning of the Portuguese players on the field, CCTV 5 commentator He Wei immediately understood: "Santos put Martin in Pepe's position."

"Compared to other players, Martin may be more stable. His game experience and defensive ability can effectively help Portugal overcome difficulties at the end of the game."

Guest commentator Xu Yang said solemnly.

Mbappe stood up with the help of Muani and seemed to have no problems, which made the French fans in the audience breathe a sigh of relief.

In their view, Mbappe was the biggest battering ram that defeated Portugal in the semi-finals.

Wearing the captain's armband, Martin retreated to the defense line and partnered with Ruben Dias as a double center back.

Griezmann took a direct free kick from the center about 45 meters away from the goal. The ball flying towards the penalty area was headed out of the penalty area by Martin who was in a very good position, overcoming Varane and Chuameni.

In order to prevent Portugal from counterattacking, Theo took a direct kick of the ball, but under the pressure of Felix, he failed to keep the ball high and it flew directly to the second-level stands.

Portugal, with one man less, was in no hurry to kick the ball out.

Referee Cesar Ramos blew the whistle towards the substitution technical area and Portugal made another personnel adjustment.

William Carvalho replaced B Silva to strengthen the central defense.

In Santos' opinion, the French team, with one more player, will definitely step up their attack and try to kill the game in injury time!
Indeed, Deschamps has exactly this idea.

He originally wanted to drag the game into overtime, but as Martin retreated, the team had one more player, and it was finally time to intensify the attack!
B Silva was hesitant and wanted to leave the field from a farther place, but the referee Cesar Ramos seriously asked him to leave the field from a nearby place.

Although he failed to delay time, by the time Diogo Costa kicked the ball out, one and a half minutes of injury time had already passed.

William Carvalho, who came on as a substitute, also brought Santos' latest tactical system.

Keep the score!

There is a chance to fight back.

Playing with one less player will be disadvantageous in overtime.

The French players did not adopt a high-position defense, but waited until the ball was passed to Bruno Fernandes' feet before suddenly speeding up the pace, trying to make Bruno Fernandes make another mistake.

B Fee, who was in a relatively backward position, knew that he could not lose the ball again, and Pepe's red card was directly related to him. He knew that he could not continue to make mistakes at this time, otherwise he would become the sinner of the entire country.

B Fee passed the ball directly to Martin in front of the left penalty area line.

Little Thuram pounced.

Martin casually accelerated on the spot and rushed forward. Facing Muani who was rushing to steal the ball, he quickly passed the ball to Cancelo on the left and then moved forward.

The French defensive players gradually pushed forward, trying to launch a high defense in the left flank and left wing of the Portuguese defense.

Thuram followed Martin in retreating, Muani pounced on Cancelo, Chuameni guarded the flank, while taking care of Felix and B Fee.

It seemed that all the routes that Cancelo could pass the ball encountered French defenders, but he was used to being pressed in the backcourt when he played for Manchester City. He was not in a hurry and directly passed the ball to goalkeeper Diogo Costa who came to the bottom line and the edge of the penalty area to receive the ball.

Thuram, who had been guarding Martin, had to force the goalkeeper and gave the task of marking Martin to Muani who was heading forward.

Mbappe, who was on the left side of France's attack, called on Theo to push forward and keep a close eye on Dalot and Ruben Dias respectively.

Griezmann also followed Fofana who moved to the middle and looked forward at Palinha and William Carvalho.

Diogo Costa stopped the ball after receiving it, and without hesitation passed it to Martin, who reached out for the ball and attracted the defensive attention of Muani.

Martin, who was facing his own goal, had an easy time facing Muani who was following him. The moment he met the ball, he lowered his left shoulder, as if he was going to take the ball and turn around.

How could Muani, a forward, have as many thoughts as the players at the back?
By the time he realized Martin's move was a fake, it was too late to react.

Martin stopped the ball to the right rear with the outside of his right foot, and then he turned 90 degrees to the right.

"aooaoaoaoooo——"

"Martin!"

"Martin!!"

"Martin!!!"

The Portuguese fans at the Bay Stadium subconsciously cheered and shouted Martin's name.

At this time, Martin has become the hope of the whole of Portugal.

If it were an ordinary player, he would really kick the ball directly to the front court, but... he felt that this was an opportunity.

The French team launched a high defense at the end of the game, with a large distance between the players...

(End of this chapter)