Chapter 438: Arsenal’s King

“Now, it’s Nottingham Forest on the attack. Since the beginning of the second half of the match, they’ve been showing incredible initiative. They’re beginning to threaten Arsenal’s goal more frequently!”

Wood did not participate much in the attack. He was placed by Tang En in a position requiring defense. His function was to prevent their opponents from attacking. So, there was nothing requiring him now. He stood at the back as if watching a show.

Arteta crossed the midfield with the ball. Following that, he cooperated with Ribéry in a positional swap. Ribéry moved into the center while Arteta ran into the wings. But whose foot was the ball under?

Neither of theirs.

While Arteta and Ribéry were switching positions, the ball was passed to Ribéry. Then, as they ran into position, Ribéry directly passed the football towards the right wing of the field, Ashley Young’s, domain.

“Ashley Young, he kills the ball beautifully!”

Ashley Cole moved forward to defend against this small champion bearing the same name as him. He did not dare to slight him.

Meanwhile, Chimbonda was moving forward from behind, readying to cross over from behind Young. Ashley Cole saw it, and so did Ashley Young; he dribbled the ball inwards, creating space for Chimbonda to come in from the back. Ashley Cole hesitated briefly, but still followed beside Young. As for Chimbonda, he would leave him to his other teammates to take care of.

Ashley Young continued dribbling the ball as Chimbonda whizzed by him. Young had neither the intention of passing the ball nor of making use of a directional change to breakthrough into the penalty area. He continued dribbling the ball towards the middle. Arsenal’s rear-guards formed a wall in the penalty area; on one hand, they could prevent him from suddenly doing a direct pass; on the other, they could prevent him from taking a shot at the goal.

Ribéry was in proximity to him. The two again exchanged their positions. This time, it was Ashley Young who switched into the middle while Ribéry went into the right wing. While exchanging their positions, the ball got under Ribéry’s foot instead. Then, just as everyone thought Ribéry would continue dribbling into the wings, he suddenly lifted his right foot and passed the ball center!

Viduka jumped up high and attacked the goal with a header! Lehmann performed admirably, managing to hold off such a powerful shot from the goal. It went out and over the crossbars.

Forest Team was awarded the first corner ball in the second half of the match. This was also their second corner kick in the entire match.

Piqué and Pepe had both run up, ready to compete for the header. Meanwhile, George Wood and Leighton Baines stayed at the back, preventing any counterattacks from their opponents.

“Watch them!” Lehmann shouted as he raised both his hands high. It was a scene of chaos in front of the goal.

“Push out!”

Arteta stood at the corner flag, preparing to kick the ball into play.

“This is Nottingham Forest’s corner kick and their opportunity.”

The main referee whistled, indicating his approval for the corner kick.

Arteta ran up, took a swing, and passed center!

The ball took off speedily and flatly. There was only a low arc to it as it flew directly to the front.

While the defenders in Arsenal’s penalty area were focusing their attention on all the taller and bigger players, like Pepe, Piqué, and Viduka, Ribéry suddenly dashed in from the diagonal, rushing forward. Then, he swiped the ball with his head.

“GOOOOOOOAL!!”

City Ground erupted. The home team scored!

“Franck Ribéry! A sudden dash up with nobody guarding him. He executed a powerful header! Nottingham Forest takes the lead on their home ground!”

Tang En shot up from his seat, throwing both his arms into the air. They had scored a goal just as they needed it, right on schedule. What could be more perfect than that?

Corner kicks, free kicks… all set pieces were repeatedly rehearsed during their usual training. Especially before an important match, they would practice it even more. Today, they finally reaped their rewards.

It was as if he was seeing the gates of Paris’ Stade de France already slowly opening, right before his very eyes.

“2:1! Nottingham Forest takes the lead in their overall score. And, they still have an away goal. They are getting closer and closer to the finals!”

Deafening cheers rang through the spectators’ stands. Nottingham Forest fans were enveloped in a great cloud of bliss.

Ribéry sprinted towards the corner flag and launched into a tight hug with Arteta, who had passed the ball to him. Scoring in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League was not something Ribéry had even dared to think about two years ago.

On the other side, Wenger sat on his manager’s seat, waving his hands vigorously when he saw the loss of the ball. He was tremendously upset. However, he did not become anxious. The second half had only been going for five minutes; they still had at least 40 minutes to equalize the score. In Highbury, Nottingham Forest had only scored one goal. That was now considered good news to Arsenal. In this way, so long as Arsenal makes another goal, they would not only equalize the overall score, they could even neutralize the advantage Forest Team got from the away goal they scored. Both parties could again return to a true, level starting line.

But right now, all those things only existed within Wenger’s mind and his predictions.

He needed the players to realize them.

Wenger stood up from his seat. There was no need to shout anything. The Arsenal players on the field already knew what to do. Everything had been arranged during halftime.

It was just a single ball loss. They were not yet at their wits’ end.

Nottingham Forest’s players were heartily celebrating the goal. Ribéry and everyone else were huddled in a circle, and then Ribéry ran back again to hug their manager, Tony Twain.

Tang En smiled and congratulated him. He then got the players to return to the field so the match could resume.

“Well-done, everyone. Go back into the field and defend! Remember, defend! Our next mission is to defend. We must not let Arsenal get any chances. Don’t let them score. Hold on to the final second!”

Even Tang En felt he was getting to be a bit of a nag. But he could not help it. The nearer they got to success, the more nervous he got. If he could, he really wanted to light up a cigarette and relieve some pressure. But the place prohibited smoking.

※※※

The players obediently returned to the field. Arsenal’s players had already set the ball in the center circle, ready to kick off.

“If Arsenal wants to advance to the final match, they need to go all out in their offense and try to equalize the overall score as soon as possible. It is their only option. I believe… Wenger would already have a solution.”

Indeed, he did have a solution. After the match resumed, Arsenal’s players unexpectedly gave up on attacking from the wings. Instead, they switched to trying to forcefully attack through the center. That was a seemingly irrational method. Even the commentator felt incredulous about it. Yet, the one sitting on the manager’s seat of the home team, Tang En, was thoroughly cursing Wenger for being so sly.

Wenger knew of Wood’s current situation and what Tang En was most worried about in his heart.

By forcefully attacking through the middle and making Wood the target, the concentrated firepower would cause Wood to attend to one thing and lose sight of the other. By increasing the defensive pressure on him, it also increased the chances of Wood committing a foul.

Wenger must believe that Wood would be worried about getting a card and start playing more reservedly in his defense, not daring to use all his power. That way, Wenger’s team would gain more opportunities to break through the defensive line and equalize the score.

Perhaps, Tang En would feel the same if the exchange in the final moments of their halftime did not occur.

But… Arsenal’s strategy worried Tang En precisely because he knew Wood would not change his own style of playing in fear of a yellow card.

Wenger hoped that Wood would become their point of breakthrough, where they could score a goal and equalize the score. On the other hand, Tang En was only worried that Wood would end up eating yellow cards from facing the constant stream of attacks.

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Arsenal’s players intentionally leaned toward Wood, trying to seek opportunities to break through from his spot. In fact, they even showed some intent in baiting him.

Wood did not retreat. He received all of them, dealing with them as was appropriate.

Off the field, Tang En could only watch this all happen while biting his lip anxiously.

“That bastard…” Tang En gnashed out.

Beside him, David Kerslake was unsure who Tang En was cursing. Was it Wenger, Arsenal’s manager? Or was it George Wood, who did not heed his advice?

※※※

When Wood fouled yet again to stop Arsenal’s attack, Wenger stood at the sidelines gesturing unhappily into the field. He was extremely displeased that the main referee held back so long from giving out a card. Wenger was also using that method to pressure the referee, hoping for him to penalize Wood with a card.

Arsenal’s players were, at the same time, attempting to pressure the referee. However, the referee only verbally warned Wood without any intention of giving him a card.

“George!” Edwin van der Sar called out from the back. “Don’t forget what the coach said…”

Wood ignored Edwin van der Sar. Keeping his back to the goalkeeper, he said nothing.

The next time, when Arsenal’s army pressed in on them, Arteta took to tripping Henry first, without waiting for Wood to move up and defend.

The referee’s whistle blasted again. Recently, his whistle had been blown much too frequently. With Arsenal’s fiery attacks, Forest’s defense in the middle was facing tremendous stress.

Wood looked at Arteta with some surprise.

“Don’t think I can’t defend, George. I’m a defensive midfielder too. Don’t look down on me.” Arteta turned to smile at Wood.

Then, taking the chance while they were assembling the human wall, Arteta turned to shout at his teammates around him. “George needs support, everyone. Defense is not just for him! Those without cards should be more conscious of that!”

Pepe laughed from behind. “George alone has locked down the door. Even if we wanted to perform, we can only head some balls, that’s all.”

“Then, move up a little, Pepe. Arsenal’s goal is obvious. They want to make use of George’s yellow cards to pressure us and create problems in our defense. Don’t give them that opportunity! If they want to play, we’ll play with them!”

George Wood stared at Arteta as he said that.

After instructing them, Arteta suddenly realized Wood was looking at him. He laughed and said, “In the past, it was always you who protected me. For once, it’s my turn to protect you.”

Henry’s free kick landed on the human wall and posed no threat to Edwin van der Sar’s goal.

After that, Arsenal made a clear discovery of Nottingham’s change. Whenever they wanted to break through Wood, they would end up meeting with others like Arteta, Ribéry, or Pepe. In other words, they could not make Wood directly face the opponent’s firepower. Arsenal’s attacks, once again, entered a stalemate. Wenger’s calculations did not turn out to be sound.

Tang En, who watched the scene from outside the field, laughed. This was his team. This time it was his Nottingham Forest.

※※※

The time in the match passed swiftly amid the entanglement of the two teams. While people were still immersed in the possibility of whether Arsenal could equalize the scores, no one noticed that there were only ten minutes left until the end of the match.

George Wood fouled less now. The defensive pressure on him was shared with the rest of his teammates. Faced with Forest, who had already set their hearts on playing defensive counterattacking, Arsenal did not have any good solutions. They could pass around their players in the outer circle and play out beautiful give-and-go combinations, but Nottingham Forest remained unmoved. They simply defended from within their own camp without leaving. They allowed Arsenal to pass around on the outside, occasionally trying long shots.

Wenger chose a forceful attack through the middle to make Wood feel the pressure of the yellow cards. But, in football, such forceful attacks through the center were unwise. It would only cause all the other attack routes to get jammed. If this went on, there was no point in talking about equalizing the score; there was a real possibility of Arsenal losing the match entirely.

Wenger knew that this could not go on. Although he was a little regretful of not being able to use this against Wood and make some news, what was urgent now was to even the score. They needed to change this terrible situation and get the match back on track.

Wenger stood up and made a hand signal towards the field.

※※※

Tang En changed out Viduka, who had performed averagely, and put in Eastwood. In contrast to the first round of the match, that switch was not for wasting match time.

As Arteta needed to help Wood with defending, Forest’s midfield had lost some control. Tang En wanted to regain control over the midfield by sending in Eastwood. By pushing Anelka right to the front, Eastwood’s responsibility was to connect the mid and front fields.

Without having time to regain control over the midfield with Eastwood only just entering, Forest suffered a severe blow.

Henry suddenly burst into action near the center circle, stealing the ball from under Ashley Young’s foot. Going with the momentum, Arsenal immediately counterattacked from the front field. Forest’s defense was taken by surprise and failed to defend. Faced with Henry’s breakthrough, they appeared helpless.

To protect George Wood, Arteta was the first to rush up to stop him. But Arteta was, after all, not a player that specialized in this; Henry easily passed him.

George Wood then tackled Henry from the side. This time, Henry had no intention of trying to bait him into a foul. He simply moved the football gently to the side before jumping up to avoid the side tackle from Wood.

“A beautiful dodge! This is Henry’s level of play!”

Wood did not give up. He scrambled up from the ground and quickly chased after him.

It was as if Henry had suppressed it for nearly an entire match; the despondency within his chest was finally being vented.

Before the match, news of issues concerning his contract renewal with the club was publicized worldwide by the media. Arsenal’s fans even began doubting his loyalty. He, as well, was starting to feel sick of his time in Arsenal. On one hand, they were being suppressed by Manchester United in the EPL. On the other, they were also unable to become champions in the UEFA Champions League… was it the time for him to change a place? However, he was Arsenal’s captain at the same time, Highbury’s King. He was not someone who could leave just because he said so.

He told his agent to continue discussion of the contract renewal after the Champions League ended. The results of the Champions League would decide if he stayed or left.

This was Arsenal’s best result. It’s our first time getting into the semi-finals. We absolutely cannot stop here!

Henry dribbled the ball forward at maximum speed. He hurtled towards Nottingham Forest’s penalty area. George Wood was chasing behind him while Pepe and Piqué formed a two-man defensive line before him.

He lifted his foot, faking a shot. After deceiving Piqué and causing him to go off balance, Henry passed him with a nudge of the ball! At the same time, George Wood, who had caught up, stuck close behind him. They entered the penalty area!

“Alone, Henry has surpassed Nottingham Forest’s entire defensive line! He’s entered the penalty area. George Wood does not dare to foul!”

Pepe dashed out from behind Piqué and blocked Henry’s path forward. Switching up his directions, Henry easily changed the angle of his shot. Under Wood’s disruptions, the French forward lifted his foot to shoot at the goal!

His shot was extremely difficult to defend. Edwin van der Sar used all his might to leap towards the far corner but did not even manage to touch the ball. He could only watch as the ball flew right into the goal behind him.

“Oh, oh, oh! Thierry Henry! An incomparably brilliant breakthrough and goal!! With Arsenal stuck in that stalemate, he alone managed to pull his team back from the abyss of elimination!”

Regardless of the numerous exaggerated words used by the commentator to compliment the goal, they were not at all an overstatement. This was indeed a goal that had people dumbstruck with admiration.

It was not difficult for Arsenal’s Henry to get past four people in one go. However, this was a scene happening right at the most crucial point of the Champions League semi-finals; in that, it became something of a legend.

“He is Arsenal’s King, he saved the team! He is Thierry Henry!”