Chapter 522: Chapter 133: An Unfinished Goal! The English League Cup Final Is Coming! Showdown at Wembley Stadium! (3)
"Beep!"
In the 39th minute of the match, the hotshot Robinho used his dribbling skills to cause Sagna’s foul, and the referee awarded a penalty.
Ibrahimovic then took the penalty and scored, reciprocating Robinho’s assist with a favor.
Three to two!
The star players of both teams were in excellent form, putting a lot of pressure on the defense lines.
"Bang!!"
Just before the end of the first half, Sneijder, amidst the chaos of a corner kick, bypassed Kyle Walker and stabbed the ball into the goal.
Four to two!
A first-half showdown with 6 goals!
"Aaaaght...!!" The San Siro Stadium went crazy, with countless AC Milan flags waving wildly in the stands, and fans quickly unfurling a banner saying "Target the Championship".
Sneijder and Robinho slid on the sidelines together, and Ibrahimovic rushed over, knocking the two down as they continued to write their own story.
At the midfield, Ma’el looked around the vast stadium, glancing at the scoreboard with the UEFA Champions League logo and star emblem.
He understood that he might have to say goodbye to this place this season, but he also knew very well that one day he would return to this arena, which symbolizes the highest level.
"Beep! Beep—!"
The first half of the match then ended, and the players from both teams headed towards the player tunnel.
Alexander Song and Ramsey, wearing substitute vests, awaited Ma’el on the sidelines with water and towels.
After leaving the field, Ma’el wiped the sweat off his body and immediately put on his jacket, ready for a break.
"Beep beep!"
Before the second half, Henry replaced him on the field, Benayoun replaced Van Persie, and Chamberlain also came in for Arteta, allowing three main players to rest.
In the 73rd minute of the match, the opposing midfielder Kevin Boateng advanced to the penalty area and received a through pass from a teammate to push the score further.
Five to two!
This was also the final score of the match. In the latter half, Arsenal couldn’t push forward and was stuck in intensive defense.
"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
"Yeah...!"
When the referee blew the three long whistles, the cheers from the San Siro fans seemed to pierce through the clouds, with tens of thousands of people on-site rejoicing collectively.
Before leaving the field, Ma’el took one last look at the beautiful stadium, or rather, one last admiration of the UEFA Champions League stage.
goals and 4 assists were his outstanding achievements on this field this season, and he was only behind Messi and Ronaldo and Bayern’s Mario Gomez on the scorer list.
He very much wanted to keep going, to continue climbing on this stage... But now was clearly not the best time; it was time to say goodbye.
Next year, he would be back!
He would return to the field with a better, stronger posture!
At that time, he hoped he could be crowned on this stage and become the King of Europe.
"Haha....."
"Yes, that opportunity was too good."
Returning to the dressing room, Ma’el heard everyone chatting and laughing, even Wenger was pretending to be relaxed, chatting with Philip.
But it was obvious, a heavy atmosphere lingered there, and the players were under considerable pressure after knowing they had essentially bid farewell to the Champions League stage.
Now, only 4 days remained for the English League Cup final, and the still-undefeated Premier League journey.
Whether they can successfully achieve their goals on these two fronts will determine whether they can enjoy a happy summer off-season after this season.
For some, it will also determine whether they can enter the European Cup stage with confidence and pride.
"Now, everyone’s focus is on our English League Cup final and Premier League journey."
After the match, Wenger gathered everyone together to give a speech, "This will bring us a lot of pressure, but I hope we won’t be crushed by it, won’t give others a chance to mock us.
"Don’t relax, absolutely don’t relax, and don’t fall into a crisis of confidence!
"We are the best team in English football this season, believe it, then strike towards those two fronts!
"Arsennal...!!"
"Come on!!" A burst of encouragement sounded, and the players cheered each other on. They had to do this every so often, tightening the screws on themselves, so they were always clear on what state to bring out.
Ma’el clapped his hands; he knew the real final stage of the competition had arrived.
...
In the following days, the Korni Training Base was calm, everything seemed as usual.
"Pass well!"
"Here it comes!"
"Van Persie! Here!"
Arsenal’s players wore different color vests for dividing teams and carried out various preparatory training, each player’s face calm.
However, beneath this calm, there seemed to be an intense desire, that was everyone’s longing to end the team’s 7-year championship drought!
If you took the perspective away, you’d find the outside world had already heated up, with all sorts of news about this game flooding everywhere, as everyone hyped up the pre-finals atmosphere.
"Latest from the BBC! Wenger’s team reached the English League Cup final for two consecutive years, and they are about to face the Championship team Cardiff City on February 28th!"
In a BBC program, the host’s voice was full of passion, "Another dark horse! We must be aware that such teams are hard to deal with; they made it to the end by challenging up, their desire to win and morale are beyond imagination!
"Last year, Arsenal lost to the dark horse team Birmingham City, missing out on the closest championship in 6 years!
"With the addition of Ma’el, Mertesacker, Arteta, Kyle Walker this year, who knows if they can break the curse and reclaim the long-awaited championship!"
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