Chapter 195: Barcelona's shocking comeback week
在塞维利亚率先晋级国王杯决赛的第二天，2007年5月10日晚上21时，06/07赛季西班牙国王杯半决赛次回合再赛一场，由目前联赛的领头羊客场出击联赛排名第8的赫塔菲队。
Before the game, most people thought that this game was just a formality, just like another Copa del Rey semi-final yesterday. After all, Barcelona still had a huge advantage of 5 goals with a 2-3 lead in the first leg. Messi even copied Maradona's classic goal of passing several players from midfield. Barcelona had an overwhelming advantage on paper.
Moreover, Barcelona has achieved a good record of 3 wins and 2 draw in the last 1 visits to Getafe's home stadium, Perez Stadium, and has full confidence in its historical record.
Therefore, even the bookmakers have given Getafe an exaggerated comeback odds of 1 to 299.
But despite this, Rijkaard was not as arrogant as Sevilla and sent out almost all substitutes. With Deco and Marcos still absent due to injuries, only Valdes, Messi and Thuram were arranged to rest, and among the three resting players, Thuram was not an absolute main force.
In addition, Xavi, who was delayed due to personal matters, also arrived on time before the game, and powerful players such as Jorquera, Oleguer, Sylvinho and Giuly replaced them in the starting lineup. The starting lineup also included Zambrotta, Puyol, Iniesta, Edmilson, Ronaldinho and Eto'o.
At least on the surface, the Barcelona team did not have any arrogant attitude, or was obviously careless. They had already sent out the theoretically strongest starting lineup, with strong players such as Belletti, Gudjohnsen and Saviola sitting on the bench in case of emergency.
However, the trend of this game was different from what everyone expected. When Ricardo learned the result after the league, he immediately suspected that he had heard it wrong...
However, Getafe, who played with all their main players, suppressed Barcelona through active high-pressure defense from the beginning, trying to reverse the disadvantage at home and achieve a miraculous comeback! However, Barcelona seemed to be in a state of disarray, and had no way to deal with Getafe's high-pressure defense. They were beaten up in the away field from the first second of the game!
In the first five minutes of the game, the home team's forwards Guiza and Dorado had already had two chances in the penalty area, but unfortunately both shots went wide. Getafe almost broke the deadlock in the 5th minute, with Guiza passing the ball to the right side of the penalty area, but Maris's powerful shot from 16 yards in front of the goal went wide of the near corner...
Incredibly, Barcelona's first attack came in the 35th minute, when Getafe goalkeeper Luis Garcia kicked the ball directly to Iniesta, who passed it straight to Ronaldinho, who passed the ball past the defender and broke into the left side of the penalty area, but Eto'o's half-volley shot with his left foot from 15 yards in the middle actually hit the air!
It is conceivable how bad Barcelona's overall condition is. Not only was it suppressed by Getafe, but it was also beaten without any ability to fight back.
The audience who watched the game questioned whether the two teams wore the wrong uniforms, and some even made bold guesses from well-informed sources that the game was controlled by the farmers. But if the game was really controlled, would it be necessary to act so bluntly? Would it be so unabashed?
Getafe, which had already fired 10 shots since the start, finally took the lead in the 38th minute of the game. After a quick tactical corner kick from the right, Celestini made a cross and Cascro volleyed from the edge of the penalty area. The ball bounced off the ground and went into the far corner.
It can be seen that Getafe's level is still not good enough. If they were replaced by a more reliable one, Barcelona's second goalkeeper Jorquera would have been shot to the point of getting pregnant with his second child...
Even Barcelona's players might have been fed up with Getafe's rough shooter; so before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute of the game, Barcelona actually found a way to help Getafe rewrite the score again.
Contra made a cross from the right, but Zambrotta did not clear the ball immediately. Instead, he stopped the ball in a shocking way without any pressure, and directly stopped the ball to the opponent's striker Guiza 10 yards in front of the goal! The latter easily pushed the ball into the net without any defense.
Zambrotta's own goal assist left the defenseless Holkera dumbfounded, and also stunned the fans around the world. Even Guiza, who subconsciously shot the ball into the empty goal, forgot to celebrate for a moment...
At the end of the first half, Getafe led the game 2-0 and the total score of the two rounds was 4-5. Barcelona did not have a single shot in the first half, and their attacks were very few; on the contrary, Getafe had more than 15 shots, 8 of which were on target. Fortunately, Jorquera had a conscience and made many great saves. Unless it was a pit dug by his own people, it was because he had not practiced enough...
In the second half, Getafe, seeing hope of a comeback, attacked more vigorously, but missed a golden opportunity again in the 55th minute; Cotello made a cross from the right, and Guiza's header from 7 yards was once again saved by Holkera.
Barcelona's first shot of the game came belatedly in the 60th minute, when Giuly dribbled into the right side of the penalty area and shot from a small angle, but his shot was blocked out of the bottom line. Then Getafe missed another chance in the 63rd minute, when Cotello passed the ball and Guiza's shot from 8 yards on the right side of the penalty area was again saved by Jorquera...
However, the two sides did not let the anxious fans wait too long. When the game came to the 71st minute, Getafe finally scored the crucial third goal. Contra made a free kick from the left, and Dorado headed the ball from 3 yards. This time, Holkera was unable to prevent the ball from breaking into the goal, after all, the shot was too close.
As a result, the total score of the two rounds was tied at 5-5, but Getafe had the advantage of away goals. If the score ended at this level, Barcelona would be eliminated.
However, the performance of Getafe and Barcelona did not intend to end there. Barcelona had not yet lost enough, and Getafe had not yet enjoyed enough. So in the 74th minute of the game, Getafe continued to score and rewrite the score again.
De Moura, who came on as a substitute, headed the ball after receiving a long pass, and Guiza volleyed the ball into the far corner from 12 yards on the right side of the penalty area to score his second goal. This goal basically killed the game. If Barcelona wanted to turn the result around, they had to score at least two more goals.
When everyone thought the game was over, when Rijkaard replaced Zambrotta who was only concerned with kicking people instead of playing football, Barcelona actually started to counterattack after the 80th minute!
However, it seemed that the team had not recovered completely enough, or that they were completely confused by the home team in the previous 80 minutes, or that they were infected with the habit of wasting opportunities by Getafe's forwards. Barcelona's luxurious forwards actually missed scoring opportunities one after another.
In the 83rd minute, Ronaldinho headed the ball to Eto'o, who dribbled past the last defender 12 yards in front of the goal and shot. The ball hit the crossbar and flew into the stands.
In the 85th minute, Ronaldinho made a continuous breakthrough and shot from 7 yards in front of the goal on the left side of the penalty area. Unfortunately, the ball was blocked by Luis Garcia again, and Saviola, who followed up, shot twice in a row from the edge of the small penalty area, but both were intercepted by the defender in front of the goal line...
Finally, this magical game came to an end. Barcelona lost to Getafe 0-4 away. Getafe also reversed the two-round total score of 6-5 and entered the final. They will compete with Sevilla for the final King's Cup in half a month. But Getafe's home stadium has fallen into a crazy mood. Being there will be like being in a sea of joy that is inverted, which is even more exaggerated than the celebration of winning the championship...
Barcelona, which has won the most King's Cup titles, has missed the championship in the past nine years. It is hard to believe that Barcelona, which was leading 9-5 in the first leg, was unexpectedly eliminated in such an incredible process and result.
At the press conference after the game, Rijkaard used two "very" in a row to describe the game: "Tonight was a blow, a very, very big blow. We must ask the fans for forgiveness for everything that happened on the court today... When the score of 0-4 appeared, no one could believe it. This was the most enjoyable game I have ever experienced... As the head coach of the team, I am responsible for this result."
"The only message that can be conveyed is that the only positive meaning of this game is that it provides us with an opportunity to prove that we can fight back in difficult circumstances and become more united as a result." Obviously, the introverted Rijkaard has set his sights on the league championship.
Captain Puyol also vowed in the post-match interview that Barcelona will go all out in the league: "It's all our fault. I feel angry. This is a disastrous game. I hope to be forgiven by the fans. I hope this game will not have an impact on the league, so we must fight to the death... This will never be the end of the cycle, we still have confidence."
Even Samuel Eto'o, the actor whom Ricardo has always admired, launched a melodramatic and sensational appeal after returning to Barcelona: "I felt so humiliated on the court that I really wanted to bury myself in the ground. After the game, I cried for my incompetence... We are not worthy of the Barcelona jersey... This is a heavy, huge and painful blow. I even question why I joined football. I just hope to close my eyes and open them again when the game against Betis starts. We have to make up for it in the league... Barcelona must now cheer up and win the remaining five finals."
However, after the entire Barcelona team vowed to win the league, something even more embarrassing for the entire Barcelona club, something that made the fans even more angry, and something that made the media even crazier soon happened during this desperate weekend.
At 2007:5 on the evening of May 13, 19, three days after Barcelona was eliminated from the Copa del Rey semi-finals, the defending league champions Barcelona faced the challenge of Real Betis at their home stadium, Camp Nou.
巴萨近7个联赛主场对阵贝蒂斯取得6胜1平，后者上次在诺坎普取胜还是1998年5月。双方联赛历史交锋87场，巴萨51胜17平19负占据上风，其中主场33胜6平4负，优势十分明显。
It can be said that this match is not only a battle for Barcelona to avenge the King's Cup in the middle of the week, but also a must-win battle that will never consider failure! Rijkaard fielded the strongest lineup he could send out. Valdés, Thuram, Van Bronckhorst, Deco and Messi who were absent in the midweek game were replaced in the starting lineup. In addition, Zambrotta, Puyol, Xavi, Ronaldinho and Eto'o, it is definitely an all-star lineup that is more luxurious on paper than last season!
There is not much to say about Betis. They are currently ranked 16th in the league and are on the verge of relegation. They are still fighting for relegation, so they must be fully focused and send out all their main players.
After the start of this game, Barcelona really learned from their mistakes and showed courage at home, showing a completely different momentum from the King's Cup match in week, as if they wanted to feed all the shit they had pulled out in the middle of the week to Betis who happened to be at their doorstep!
Under Barcelona's fierce attack at the beginning of the game, Betis's gate was breached in the 5th minute of the game.
Deco broke into the penalty area from the left side and was tripped by Ilic. The referee decisively awarded a penalty kick. Ronaldinho scored the penalty kick and scored his 18th league goal of the season. He also helped Barcelona to open the scoring in this game and get off to a dream start.
The deadlock was broken in the first 5 minutes. In the following games, the morale-boosted Barcelona seemed to eat up the visiting team alive and constantly besieged the gates of Betis. The fans and spectators were also prepared to witness an epic massacre with peace of mind...
In the 16th minute, Xavi passed the ball and Iniesta's shot from the upper left corner of the penalty area was blocked by Juanito at the near corner.
In the 24th minute, Iniesta made a straight pass, Deco made a cross from the bottom of the left side, and Eto'o headed the ball from 6 yards away, but it went wide of the far corner.
In the 29th minute, Ronaldinho and Eto'o passed the ball consecutively, and Xavi's powerful shot from 25 yards in the middle went wide.
In the 32nd minute, Ronaldinho made a cross from the left, and Eto'o made a difficult sideways hook shot, but unfortunately the angle was too straight and the ball was blocked by Betis goalkeeper Contreras with both hands.
In the 35th minute, Zambrotta made a cross from the right, Contreras missed, but Eto'o's header from 6 yards was cleared by the defender in front of the goal line...
It seemed as if the goddess of fate was playing a joke on Barcelona, giving them a glimmer of hope but not letting the anxious Barcelona hit the second arrow; and Betis gradually gained a foothold in Barcelona's turbulent offensive wave and launched a certain counterattack.
Unfortunately, Betis missed the most rare opportunity of the game in the 44th minute. Fernando suddenly made a forward run, successfully beat the offside and shot diagonally from 15 yards on the right side of the penalty area. The ball hit the left post and went out of the bottom line...
So Barcelona entered the halftime break with a huge advantage of over 70% ball possession and 12 shots.
However, for some unknown reason, after returning in the second half, Rijkaard replaced Zambrotta with Belletti and began to slow down the offensive rhythm, and Barcelona turned to focus more on defense.
But even so, Barcelona still firmly controlled the situation of the game and continued to have good scoring opportunities.
In the 47th minute, Xavi passed the ball, Messi dribbled past several players and shot with his left foot from 20 yards, but the ball went slightly over the crossbar.
In the 59th minute, Messi passed the ball directly to the right side of the penalty area, and Belletti's shot slipped past the goal.
In the 68th minute, Xavi passed the ball and Eto'o's right-foot shot from the left edge of the penalty area was confiscated by Contreras.
In the 73rd minute, Eto'o passed the ball and Belletti's shot from 18 yards on the right side of the penalty area was blocked by defender Isidoro and went out of the baseline...
However, just when Barcelona continued to squander scoring opportunities and thought that the second goal of the game would come sooner or later, Betis helped Barcelona achieve the second goal of the game when the game was about to end!
When the game came to the 89th minute, Assuncao took advantage of the Barcelona defenders' unpreparedness and suddenly took a free kick. Sobis, who came on as a substitute in the second half, broke into the right side of the penalty area and decisively shot a low shot into the near corner from 12 yards in front of the goal. The ball passed Valdes' feet and went straight into the net!
This was only Betis' third shot on target in the game, and they scored a valuable goal. So Betis was lucky to equalize Barcelona away from home!
Messi and Ronaldinho, who were substituted in the 70th minute, stared at the final score of 1-1 on the sidelines, unable to believe it for a long time...
