Chapter 371: Chapter 370: No Wine, No Changing Room
In the 45th minute, as halftime approached,
both sides accelerated the pace of the game.
Sporting Lisbon, the team with poorer physical fitness, was clearly at a disadvantage.
Liverpool’s left winger Babel passed the ball to Gary McAllister in the middle, who then forwarded it to Heskey.
After passing, McAllister did not continue to advance, but his central midfield partner Gerard began to push forward.
This was also a routine coordination between the two.
While McAllister focused more on defense during routine passing, the young Gerard was primarily responsible for movement and handling both offense and defense.
Heskey didn’t stop the ball, returning it immediately, then turned and made a run toward the right front.
Gerard rushed up to receive the football and looked towards Owen to the left front.
Owen faked to the right, shaking off Feng Te, and then accelerated toward the left front.
Feng Te gave chase in an ungainly fashion.
The next moment, Schmeichel’s instincts kicked in and he shouted, "Get back!"
Bang!
Before Feng Te could react, Gerard, who had been looking for a passing option while dribbling, flicked the ball and unleashed a powerful long-range shot that stunned everyone.
The young player had no other strong points; he was brash.
Forceful long shots are very damaging to the kicking leg, and most players who like to shoot from distance suffer leg problems in their later years.
However, long-range shots are also the quickest way for young players without speed to rise to prominence.
Valverde, who later played for Real Madrid, had been quiet for several years but burst onto the scene with eight goals in the first half of the 2022-2023 season, earning his place as a qualified successor in the midfield ceremony, all thanks to his powerful long-range shooting.
Whoosh!
Schmeichel made every effort to save it, but Gerard’s shot had a tricky angle and some irregular movement, beyond human reach.
"GOAL! It’s secure! Liverpool’s treble is secure!"
"Gerard has been on the pitch for five minutes and has already contributed with a brilliant world-class goal!"
"He has made everyone completely forget about Schmeichel!"
"Kevin Keegan’s decision is absolutely correct, Gerard definitely has the potential to become the cornerstone of England’s midfield in the future!"
"With a three-nil score at halftime, there’s never been a scenario in the history of the UEFA Cup Final where a team with a three-goal lead doesn’t win the championship!"
"We can congratulate Liverpool in advance; they have had a great season! They are the first of the big five leagues to become a cup treble winner!"
"Sporting Lisbon is fortunate: they have had a miraculous season and once had the chance to become a ’Minor Treble’ winner with a higher gold content than the cup treble. But unfortunately, their depth is still lacking."
"Of course, these young players should not be discouraged because they have performed well enough. I believe they have all caught the attention of the major elite clubs, and starting from this summer, they will receive offers from these giants, marking another significant breakthrough in their careers!"
The commentator had already started the wrap-up, as if the referee had blown not the whistle for halftime, but for the end of the match.
As the players disappeared into the tunnel, the cameras swept over the various heavyweight fans in the stands.
Hathaway and the Beckhams, Matthaus’s girlfriend Marlene, and others had rather grim expressions.
England’s coach Kevin Keegan, Barcelona’s new coach Rijkaard, and Inter Milan chairman Moratti, among other football giants, each paid attention to their targeted players, their expressions varied.
...
In the player’s tunnel, Deng Kai walked at the back; he wasn’t eager to enter the changing room just yet. The atmosphere inside would be very gloomy, which would hinder his thought process.
He needed to sort out his thoughts before he could contribute to the team’s changes for the second half.
On the other side, Liverpool’s dressing room was buzzing.
Coach Huo Lier arrived early at the locker room door, enthusiastically high-fiving each player, sending them encouragement.
"Well done, Heskey!"
"My dear Owen, you should win the Golden Ball!"
"Bogarde, that pass in the first half was absolutely brilliant!"
"Murphy, your charge left Sporting Lisbon in disarray!"
"Babel, this time you finally get to have your revenge against Schmeichel!"
"Happia, your defense was very beautiful!"
Huo Lier’s face flushed red, and his voice grew more and more hurried, but the assistant next to him thought he was just too excited.
"Gerard! You will wear England’s number ten jersey! I swear! I..." Huo Lier paused, his feet gave way, and he toppled forward.
Fortunately, Gerard was quick to react, catching Huo Lier, "Boss, what’s wrong with you? Someone help! Help, we need a doctor..."
Huo Lier’s assistant was the first to rush out, giving Huo Lier a nitroglycerin pill and signaled Gerard not to panic: "It’s a heart attack, as long as the medication is taken in time, there shouldn’t be a big issue."
"Relax, we can handle this. Of course, if we had a little red wine, that would be even better. A bit of red wine could help Huo Lier recover faster."
Gerard was somewhat relieved, but still very anxious; his experiences made him highly respectful of every life.
If possible, he was willing to exert a thousand percent effort to save anyone’s life.
Gerard’s cousin, Jon-Paul, became a victim of the Hillsborough disaster on April 15, 1989, which propelled Gerard to choose a career in football and to join Liverpool’s youth team.
This event left him with certain psychological shadows but also acted as psychological motivation.
"Does anyone have red wine... excuse me, is there red wine here?" Gerard asked the staff around and even went to the players’ tunnel.
Maxa happened to be looking for Deng Kai on this side and, upon hearing Gerard’s request, flew into a rage and turned back to the locker room.
It was Deng Kai, calm and composed, who after talking to Gerard learned about Huo Lier’s condition and immediately called Matthaus from the locker room. With Matthaus’ contact, the sports director of Dortmund fetched a bottle of fine red wine from the Westfalen box and delivered it to Liverpool’s locker room.
Only after handing the red wine to Huo Lier’s assistant did Gerard remember to thank that kid from Sporting Lisbon.
However, when he turned around, he discovered that the person named Deng Kai had left without leaving his name.
But when Deng Kai entered his own locker room, what he saw was not a group of teammates but a pack of humiliated, furious wolves!
Their eyes were blood-red, as if they were ready to devour someone.
Deng Kai: "This..."
Before Deng Kai could ask, he heard Maxa’s speech, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Disgrace! This is the biggest disgrace any of us has faced in our lives!"
"So what if it’s three to zero? Has UEFA handed them the trophy already?"
"They’re starting on the champagne at halftime! No, no, no, red wine is even worse than champagne!"
"If I were you, I would rather die on the field than be humiliated like this by them!"
"Now, tell me, what are you going to do in the second half!"
Maxa swung the clothes hanger in his hand as if it were a Damascus scimitar.
"Kill them! Tear them apart! Send them to hell along with the red wine!"
The entire Sporting Lisbon locker room was filled with a murderous aura.
The impassioned emotions made everyone feel no exhaustion.
Extreme emotion’s effect on the body surpassed normal biology at this moment.
Ronaldo, whose anger reached its limit but whose physical strength, particularly in his upper limbs, was not particularly impressive, suddenly punched through the locker room’s cabinet door. Following that, his already ferocious expression grew even more so.
