Chapter 376: Chapter 375 You’ll Never Walk Alone
Liverpool’s team anthem infected their dispirited players on the field.
If "Midfield Wine" stirred Lisbon’s heated blood, empowering them to overcome their physical crises and unleash strength beyond the ordinary,
Then at this moment, the melody of "You’ll Never Walk Alone" was like an ancient battle hymn, allowing Liverpool’s players to feel the strength of all the players and stars in their team’s history.
They were not alone!
They were not by themselves!
The camera panned over the stands, where the current England coach and former Liverpool legend, Kevin Keegan, stood up, singing "You’ll Never Walk Alone".
In this moment, the souls of superstars like Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, and Kenny Dalglish seemed to embody the Liverpool players, who quickly formed up, ready to kick off with heavy hearts, facing the most important last few minutes of the season for them!
The drizzle gradually stopped, and the clouds dispersed, as if signifying Liverpool’s gloom had passed.
With a whistle, the match restarted.
Lisbon, including Ibrahimovic, had all players fall back to their own half.
Deng Kai commanded every teammate to defend, giving Liverpool no chance.
Such behavior should have been met with boos from the fans.
But there were no boos.
Around them, only Liverpool’s team song could be heard, unceasing and trembling.
Regular playtime soon ended.
The fourth official raised the board showing five minutes of added time.
Because there were more goals in the second half, hence the lengthy added time.
Trigella immediately complained to the fourth official, thinking the added time was too long, but obviously in vain.
In the second minute of added time, Owen charged back to receive the ball and was brought down by Bento after going past him directly.
Bento got a yellow card.
The gaze of Deng Kai and Gerard met on Bento simultaneously, then fell on each other.
Alarms bells went off in Deng Kai’s mind.
Bento’s mobility was even worse than Deschamps’, and his defensive anticipation, positional sense, and football IQ were not as good as Deschamps’. Liverpool targeting Bento could easily create opportunities.
"Matthaus, lean towards Bento’s side, I’ll take care of this side," Deng Kai adjusted his position, strengthening the protection behind Bento.
But likewise, Gerard was also communicating with his teammates.
In the fourth minute of added time, Liverpool was drifting away from their first Treble in club history.
However, Gerard, not known for his dribbling, took it upon himself to challenge Portugal’s defensive midfielder, Paolo Bento, with the ball at his feet.
Bang!
Gerard’s feint didn’t fool Bento, but he didn’t expect it to.
He pushed the ball forward and then sprinted, relying on pure speed to beat Bento.
Bento, clutching and grabbing, ended up being dragged down by Gerard instead.
Bang!
Gerard, having just beaten Bento, didn’t even get a chance to make another move before he was sent flying into the air.
Beep beep beep!
The head referee blew the whistle frantically.
He pointed at Matthaus, who had made the sliding tackle.
The Liverpool players, charged with emotion, swarmed around.
"Matthaus! That was a crucial piece of defense, Matthaus has taken down Gerard, who could have gone for a long shot or found Owen and Fowler up front... but Matthaus is definitely in for a card now."
"The head referee has quelled the conflict between the sides, and he’s calling Matthaus over; this is going to be a card!"
"Red card! As expected! That was indeed a red card offense by Matthaus! The head referee’s decision is spot on!"
"Matthaus’s decision-making ability is really strong; he had no hesitation whatsoever. Had he been half a second slower, Gerard would truly have been unstoppable."
"The cost of a red card is heavy, but considering the time left in the match, Matthaus might have contributed a textbook example of a foul play defense!"
"Fans of Lisbon Athletics applauded for the Golden Ball gentleman."
"Liverpool fans, on the other hand, were cursing. It seems they also knew that Liverpool was the bigger loser."
"Liverpool have earned a free kick in a decent position, though it’s a bit far out... Who will take this free kick?"
"Gerard! Unexpectedly, it’s Gerard!"
Lisbon Athletics is setting up the wall.
They know nothing about Gerard’s free-kick habits since he isn’t one of Liverpool’s top three designated free-kick takers.
This was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
But soon, Owen also stood behind the football.
It was a two-man free-kick tactic, with Gerard most likely acting as a decoy.
Everyone thought so.
Peep!
A whistle sounded.
Bang!
As soon as the whistle blew, Gerard, who was closer to the football, swung his leg on the spot and kicked the ball toward the right side of the wall.
The shot was so sudden!
Owen, ranked among the top ten football players in the world, had not yet moved, and little Gerard took the free kick directly, this...
Bang!
On the right side of the wall, Ronaldo, quick with eyes and hands, lunged for the football.
Gerard’s kick wasn’t aimed at the goal; it was a pass.
Bang!
Alas, Fowler’s left foot was even quicker, sending the football shooting out.
Whoosh!
Blocked by the vision of the defenders, Schmeichel couldn’t see the football at all.
The football charged straight into the net.
The Liverpool players, like madmen, rushed towards the corner flag area.
"It’s in! It’s in, it’s in, it’s in! Liverpool! Liverpool, You’ll Never Walk Alone!"
"It’s really in! Oh my cake!"
"Divine! This match is truly divine!"
"In the fourth minute of added time, Liverpool equalized the match with a free-kick opportunity! The score is tied at four-all!"
"If Deng Kai’s direct corner goal is the most direct expression of Lisbon Athletics’ youthful storm, then Gerard’s handling of this free kick is equally a stroke of genius!"
"Gerard, with one pass and one shot, he’s Liverpool’s Beckham!"
"Of course, the most important is Fowler! Fowler’s shot was both steady and fast! It’s hard to imagine what the story would have been like if Heskey was the one shooting!"
"Robbie Fowler! This is the genius striker from above! He reminds one of Manchester United’s substitute killer Babyface Solskjaer, but he’s much stronger than that Babyface!"
"Huo Li’er’s strategy is simply flawless, bringing in Gerard and Fowler was the best decision he’s made! This is the work of a legendary manager!"
"With that, the match is very likely heading into extra time."
"This is bad news for Lisbon Athletics because they will have to face the challenge with only ten men in extra time, even though they still have one last substitution. However, the physical exhaustion of most of their players is irreversible."
"The Lisbon Athletics players put forth a perfect second half using their willpower, but it’s impossible for them to play a high-quality overtime period."
"In contrast, Liverpool’s squad is complete, and the players are in slightly better physical condition. Once it goes into extra time, UEFA might as well hand them the Championship Trophy directly!"
