Chapter 316: UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Round 2

In the second half, neither side made any substitutions. However, during the halftime break, Li Qi learned from Sir Alex that he could probably play for another 15 minutes before being substituted.

The Sir also specifically instructed three things: Don’t get hurt, don’t get hurt, and don’t get hurt!

Li Qi also understood that it seemed that Sir Alex was very satisfied with his performance and there was a high probability that he would start in the Champions League in midweek.

So after the kick-off of the second half, Manchester United began to pay attention, slowing down the pace of the game, passing the ball more in the midfield and backcourt instead of actively launching attacks.

Li Qi, who had already scored a goal and assisted, naturally would not take any risks. He basically did not attack with the ball, but focused on receiving and transitioning. However, he did not give Fulham defenders a chance to get close, and only passed the ball to the safe side...

As a result, the home team got some threatening attacks. For example, in the 50th minute, McBride received a long pass from Manchester United's right defense line into the penalty area, and then shot low into the net. Fortunately, Brad was offside at the moment of his forward advance, and the goal was ruled invalid.

Then the game went on without any incident for about another ten minutes. In the 61st minute of the game, Sir Alex Ferguson replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney at the same time to let them stretch their muscles. He withdrew Ligue and Saha. The former should save his strength for the Champions League, and the latter had just recovered from an old injury and was not in good physical condition.

After the Manchester United twin stars came on the court, they formed a new trident combination with Tevez and quickly entered the game state.

In the 67th minute, C. Ronaldo broke through on the right and made an acrobatic cross. Park Ji-sung headed the ball back to the middle at the far end of the penalty area. Rooney was in position in the center of the penalty area, but unfortunately he was a little slow in stopping the ball and turning around, and was blocked by the Fulham defender, missing the opportunity.

However, Manchester United's attack borne fruit again five minutes later.

In the 72nd minute, Park Ji-sung received a long pass from Scholes on the left and passed the ball directly to the right side of Fulham's penalty area.

Tevez made a diagonal run with the help of Rooney's cover, but Fulham, who had learned their lesson, chose to defend in a low position, with a dense defensive layout of 6 people in the penalty area.

Tevez pretended to go down the line and deceived Starteri who was defending behind him, but he turned half way back and passed the ball back to the middle of the penalty area.

However, the pass of the ball was a little difficult to describe. Scholes, who was at the first point, was half a step slower, and Ronaldo, who was at the second point, ran half a step further, until the ball was caught by another Red Devils player at the corner of the penalty area on the other side of Fulham.

It was O'Shea who rarely got into the attack. The latter didn't care about anything else and shot the ball back in front of Fulham's goal. After all, missing the ball was much better than losing the ball in his position and being counterattacked.

But unexpectedly, O'Shea's obviously off target shot led to a miraculous turn of events.

Simon Davis tried to intercept O'Shea's powerful shot at the ribs at the front point, but the former was obviously careless and actually used the defender's taboo and tried to clear the ball with his thigh!

As expected, a mistake occurred. Davis's left-foot clearance from 8 meters in front of the goal also missed. The ball was not kicked far away, but changed direction, turning and rushing into the net through the gap between the near post and goalkeeper Niemi...

Manchester United secured the victory 4-0.

Although this was a lucky goal, Manchester United did put tremendous pressure on Fulham's defense, and even caused the home team's mentality to collapse in the first half.

Then Sir Alex used his last substitution in the 75th minute, with young player Anderson replacing veteran Scholes, maintaining the vitality and movement in the midfield and frontcourt, helping Manchester United to easily maintain their lead until the end of the game.

However, after the game, the result of another game that kicked off at the same time came: Arsenal equalized with Aston Villa at home through Bendtner's goal in the last minute of stoppage time!

Although the lead was only 1 point, the Gunners, who had drawn two consecutive league games, did not allow the Red Devils to overtake and top the league as they wished.

@

The post-match press conference... didn't say much. One side had nothing much to say as they lost so completely, while the other side was rushing to catch the train and return to Manchester overnight to prepare for the second round of the Champions League knockout match three days later.

As for what Sir Alex wants to say? He can also say it at the pre-match press conference of the Champions League knockout match: "We are in great form! And... we will surprise Lyon in the game! Let's wait and see!"

2008年3月4日晚上19时45分，07/08赛季欧洲冠军联赛1/8决赛次回合，红衣白裤的曼联在老特拉福德迎战一身黑的客军里昂。

In the first leg, Manchester United defeated Lyon 2-1 away from home, and not only won the game, but also had two valuable goals. So this time when they return to their home court, as long as Manchester United does not allow Lyon to score more than one goal, they will qualify for the next round. Therefore, the focus of Manchester United in this game is on defense and control.

In addition, in the 04/05 Champions League group stage, Manchester United had a successful experience of defeating Lyon 2-1 at home.

Sir Alex made six personnel adjustments in this game, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that the focus was on stability and defense: Vidic, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, C-Ronaldo and Rooney all started.

而且爵爷变阵了，不再是惯用的平行4-4-2，而是一个4-3-3阵型，或者叫4-5-1阵型，中路密集的堆积了三名防守悍将：

The goalkeeper is No. 1 Van der Sar;

The back line from right to left is No. 6 Wes Brown, No. 15 Vidic, No. 5 Ferdinand and No. 3 Evra;

The iron triangle in the midfield is No. 24 Fletcher, No. 16 Carrick and No. 8 Anderson;

Separated on the two wings are No. 7 Cristiano Ronaldo and No. 17 Li Qi;

The single arrow is No. 10 Rooney.

Tevez was on the bench as a backup. I don't know if Wyscout's report really convinced Sir Alex Ferguson, who began to try to change the formation and consciously dismantle the use of the four little swans...

The injured Giggs continued to miss the game.

Compared to Manchester United's big adjustments, Lyon's moves were much smaller. Compared with the first round, the formation did not change, it was also a 4-3-3, and there were only two positions adjusted:

Chris rotated Boumsong and Squillaci as central defenders, Ben Arfa also replaced Reveille in the starting lineup, and Clark returned to right back.

After all, Lyon needs to attack strongly in this game. It is useless to score one goal. They must score two goals or more to turn the tide.

However, after the game started, both sides played cautiously.

Yes, although Lyon's goal is to score more than two goals, the premise is that they cannot be defeated by Manchester United's counterattack. Otherwise, every time Manchester United scores a goal, Lyon, which is already at a disadvantage, will become more passive.

Lyon coach Perrin is worthy of being the man who can sit in that position in the future! He still knows the game very well. He knows that if he wants to turn the tables, he must be stable first!

As for Manchester United, they had a goal difference and two away goals, so there was no need to rush. If Lyon didn't attack, Manchester United would control the ball steadily and pass it back without revealing any flaws...

After wasting time for about 10 minutes, Perrin knew that it would be useless to continue wasting time. Seeing that the players had gradually become active at the Theatre of Dreams and would not be ambushed due to insufficient warm-up or unstable footing, he waved his hand and ordered the team to collectively press forward and launch an attack.

If we can achieve something in the first half, it will definitely be a lot easier in the second half.

In the 11th minute, Castren passed the ball directly to Ben Arfa, who received the ball and cut inside to 25 yards in front of the goal and made a long shot!

Although this long shot went over the crossbar, it seemed to have sounded the bell for the real start of the game; the first ten minutes of the game seemed to be just a warm-up.

In the 14th minute, Lyon came back again. This time, Grosso made a long pass after advancing forward. Benzema received the ball in the middle and tried a long shot from more than 30 yards away, but it also went over the crossbar.

But then, after two tries from Lyon, United took over the game.

In the 16th minute, Manchester United launched a quick counterattack. After Fletcher intercepted Juninho's pass, Carrick made a long pass to find Li Qi on the left wing.

Li Qi carried the ball forward, made a wall-like cooperation with Rooney who retreated in the middle, and then decisively sent a straight pass, which immediately broke through Lyon's defense.

Ronaldo made a quick run and took the ball from the junction between Grosso and Cris and broke into Lyon's penalty area. Unfortunately, his last step was too long. After Ronaldo cut into the left side of Lyon's penalty area, he shot from a small angle 10 yards away from the goal!

Unfortunately, the ball was blocked by Kupet in the near corner and hit out of the baseline...

In the 19th minute, Anderson tried to break through with the ball in the middle but was blocked. Fortunately, he kicked the ball before losing it and passed it to Li Qi who was waiting not far away.

The latter immediately stopped the bouncing ball, then pretended to send a straight line to Rooney who was cutting into the penalty area. After deceiving Toulalan's center of gravity, he shook his ankle and used the outside of his right foot to push the ball horizontally to the middle...

Fletcher followed up with a big stride and fired a powerful shot from the top of the penalty area! Unfortunately, the ball hit the post and went out of the bottom line.

In the subsequent games, Lyon seemed to be just trying to provoke Manchester United. They attacked for two rounds, and when they saw Manchester United really start to attack, they quickly retreated to low defense, waiting for Manchester United's counterattack...

It is estimated that this is also one of Perrin's pre-match arrangements. If Manchester United does not attack, Lyon will press forward to launch a fast break and take long shots if there is a chance, but they must not lose their defensive position; however, once Manchester United attacks, Lyon will shrink their defense, wear down Manchester United's spirit and seize the opportunity to counterattack!

Originally, Sir Alex was thinking, if you retreat, I can retreat and continue to waste time, just go back to the situation in the first 10 minutes of the game where both sides did not interfere with each other, and then wait for you to attack...

But Sir Alex Ferguson thought: No! This is the Theatre of Dreams, and I have the advantage. Why should I be afraid of you? Wouldn't it be nice to get you in the first half? Besides, it's just a matter of breaking through the dense defense. I have other tricks!

So Sir Alex Ferguson made gestures on the field, mainly to Leeds and Carrick, to give them new tactical tasks; of course, this was also a tactic that had been practiced in training - it was derived from Wyscout's report, with high pressure in the frontcourt with Leeds as the main support.

As a result, Manchester United's midfield and frontcourt positions changed slightly. Rooney and Ronaldo almost got to the front of Lyon's goal, blocking the space for Lyon's central defender to pass the ball, while Fletcher and Anderson were also very fierce, chasing after the ball.

If the ball is snatched away, it will be passed directly to Rooney and Ronaldo in the penalty area, and they can shoot as soon as they get close to the goal!

If they fail to snatch the ball, Lyon will be forced to pass the ball to the wing or kick the ball blindly. Li Qi and Carrick will guard each side. Li Qi has better mobility and prediction, and he can also take on the possibility of supporting in the middle and clearing away any fish that slip through the net.

As for long passes, Manchester United has four defenders, three of whom are good at aerial defense, so the remaining one, who is small and agile, just needs to be flexible and maneuverable to fill in the position.

Manchester United's collective forward pressure and chaotic scramble immediately produced amazing results, because Manchester United had never played like this before, or there are not many teams that play like this in football at present, at least Lyon has not encountered it yet, so they became flustered.

Even though Lyon had originally retreated in defense, they couldn't clear the ball at all. The ball would be intercepted by Manchester United as soon as it was kicked out, and then sent directly to the vicinity of Lyon's penalty area, starting a chaotic battle in front of the goal.

Lyon simply couldn't control the ball, because Manchester United's attack and defense rhythm was pulled to the extreme. As soon as the ball was kicked out, Manchester United pressed on the spot...

Lyon could only kick the ball frequently, and then Li Qi and Carrick passed the ball directly to Rooney and Ronaldo near the penalty area. Manchester United was not afraid of losing the ball at all. If they lost the ball, they would immediately counterattack. If they did, they would take advantage of the chaos to launch a quick counterattack.

Foul? Yes, Lyon could only rely on frequent fouls to stop Manchester United's offensive. But the problem was that the fouls were all within Lyon's defensive third zone, and Ronaldo's two consecutive free kicks within 30 yards just brushed the post and flew out of the bottom line...

In the future, there will be a very mature system to break this kind of high-pressure defense with good organization and division of labor, but Lyon has never practiced it, so they can't use it; in addition, there is also a simple solution, which is to rely on the personal abilities of Ben Alfa and Benzema!

But Manchester United deliberately blocked their passing route, so Lyon's midfield and backcourt had no way to get the ball to the two players.

Of course, Benzema also thought of retreating deep to support the opponent, but Li Qi was waiting for him to do just that!

In the 29th minute, when Rooney's cannon was hastily shot into the stands by Anderson, Lyon got a chance to take a goal kick. Benzema tried to retreat deep to increase the passing points in the midfield, trying to break Manchester United's high pressure.

After all, Manchester United’s formation almost extended beyond the half court, and with just a successful counterattack, there was a chance to change the score!

Coupet's long kick was headed back to the front of Lyon's penalty area by Carrick, and then Manchester United began to siege the ball like crazy; but this time Lyon had an extra point in the middle, and there was no Manchester United defender guarding closely, which was a rare opportunity.

Without much time to think, Clark lowered his head and sent the ball diagonally to the middle...

But this is the opportunity Li Qi has been waiting for for a long time! Breaking the high-pressure defense does not mean that the ball cannot be passed to the middle, and first splitting the sides and then transitioning through the middle is also a fixed routine for positional defensive counterattacks, but there are two prerequisites.

The first is that the ball from the wing must be fast and sudden, otherwise once the opponent determines the route, the middle will become a trap surrounded on all sides.

The second is that the ball must be passed cleanly from the receiving point in the middle. It is best to retreat while protecting the ball with your back and passing the ball at the same time. Otherwise, when invisible danger comes from behind and the ball is intercepted in the middle, your team may face an irreparable crisis!

Lyon did not do well in these two aspects. After all, they had never practiced before and the head coach had not explained how to deal with it.

Perrin had never thought that Manchester United would play so aggressively when they had the advantage, as if it was Manchester United that was behind, and there were less than ten minutes left in the game, leaving no room for retreat...

When Clark looked up and met the retreating Benzema, Li Qi also met their gazes. Before Clark lowered his head to pass the ball, Li Qi had already started to prepare to rob from behind!

And Kleck's ground pass can only be described as average, after all, it should be easy for Benzema to receive it, right?

Similarly, Benzema was thinking about retreating deep into the half court to support him. The annoying black man in red shirt No. 5 couldn't follow him, right? So Benzema was thinking about turning half way to stop the ball, and after getting the ball, he could immediately observe the position of Manchester United's defense behind him and then launch a counterattack immediately.

But before Benzema turned around to observe, he felt a huge force coming from behind and knocked him down. The ball that had just landed under his feet was naturally gone. Benzema, who was lying on the grass, happened to see the referee not far away with a dazed look:

Black whistle, oh no, the man in black crossed his arms and waved them, indicating that there was no foul and the game continued? !

……