The 71st minute of the game.
Ulloa, the player who saved Leicester City in the last game, finally went into battle.
He replaced Shinji Okazaki and took the center position of the team.
As soon as he came up, he exchanged glances with Chen Yufeng, and his meaning was very obvious.
Hit me on the head!
This is actually a well-known attack. Manchester City's positional defense is very difficult to penetrate through conduction alone.
After they made up their mind and started to set up the bus, Leicester City would hardly get a chance to counterattack.
A high ball cross seems to be the only way to break the game.
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang!"
In the following period, high-altitude balls continued to hit Manchester City's penalty area.
All Manchester City's defensive players suddenly felt very obvious pressure.
While doing a good job of defending in the middle, they also began to increase the priority of Chen Yufeng and Mahrez.
These two players were obviously targeted by Manchester City players next.
"Kolarov! Kolarov!"
Pellegrini on the sidelines shouted towards the team's left back, which was the full back facing Chen Yufeng.
It can be said that his current defensive task is very heavy.
"Be smart and force him to the back foot. Do you understand? He is a right-footed player and jams the baseline!"
Pellegrini wisely told Kolarov: "If he wants to cut inside, your teammates will help you."
"Prevent the cross from his right foot, and then guard the outer instep of his right foot. Do you understand?"
After seeing Kolarov nod, Pellegrini glanced at his watch.
It was already the 74th minute of the game.
If this score can be maintained, Manchester City will undoubtedly gain the absolute initiative to advance to the finals!
Two away goals!
The next round will be at Manchester City’s home court!
They will definitely be able to win Leicester City firmly and advance to the League Cup final!
Pellegrini glanced at Ranieri next to him, thinking of Leicester City's recent rapid progress in the league, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's the use of playing well in the league? It's all for nothing until you win the championship."
"If you don't have a championship, you will still be the tinker, nothing will change."
Last time, when I saw Leicester City defeat them and win the half-way championship, I had nothing.
Pellegrini's mood was very bad for a time.
Now, this game finally comes to a head.
He wants to step on this team, which is called a miracle, all the way to the final League Cup championship!
When this game is over and we return to the home court with a leading advantage, the wait won't be long!
Time passed like this, and Kolarov did follow Pellegrini's instructions. Every time he saw Chen Yufeng take the ball, he forced him towards his non-dominant foot.
"Bang!"
In the 84th minute of the game, Chen Yufeng once again received the football on the wing.
He did not add any points during this period, and his physical fitness was completely sufficient.
He is a little tired now and is weak compared to others, but passing two good balls is not a big problem.
Seeing Kolarov's old routine, Chen Yufeng pretended to be a trick and took the ball two steps back, and then took a look at the situation in the middle.
After seeing Ulloa's eagerness to try, Chen Yufeng moved the ball to the outside with his left foot.
Kolarov was at a loss when he saw this scene. Was he going to try to pass the ball with his left foot?
He stretched out his right leg symbolically and blocked it.
"Bang!"
Then, he watched Chen Yufeng pass the ball in front of him without any pressure.
Kolarov's eyes immediately looked towards the flight path of the football. After seeing the backward pass, which still followed a violent rotating arc, his heart skipped a beat.
This fucking pass was made with the left foot?
Kolarov was dumbfounded and continued to follow the football.
In the center, Ulloa faces Otamendi's defense.
Otamendi's elbow quickly pushed towards Ulloa's chest, and Ulloa quickly retaliated, hitting Otamendi with his left arm, and then took off.
"mine!"
He roared, leaped high, looked back at the moon, and swung the ball toward the back post.
Ulloa's body is definitely not weak. In the case of active confrontation, Otamendi is certainly not that easy to defend.
For this ball, Otamendi took off too late and looked behind him after landing.
"Uh-huh!"
The football hit the net so quickly that Joe Hart, who was standing in the center, had no time to react.
"Beep!" The referee's whistle sounded quickly, indicating that the goal was valid, and pointed his finger to the center circle.
The Leicester City fans at the scene were immersed for most of the game, and finally roared again at this moment. Everyone stood up from the stands and burst into cheers.
"Good goal! Yufeng!" Ulloa gave a thumbs up to Chen Yufeng on the wing, and then ran toward the center circle with the football in his arms.
The lagging side does not have much time to celebrate, they must seize the time.
This is a sign of wanting to win, and a sign of unwillingness to give up!
"This is a goal! Ulloa Ren scored consecutive goals! Keeping hope for Leicester City!"
Zhan Jun's commentary sounded: "Another assist from Chen Yufeng! And it's an assist from the wrong foot!"
"One to two, the game is still in suspense!"
Coach Zhang Lu on the side added: "Recently I saw that Chen Yufeng's inverse foot seems to be playing more smoothly, and this kick shows it. The level is very high."
"I don't know when it was practiced. Pellegrini and Kolarov may be confused now. Damn, I didn't know this when I investigated before the game..."
"When did you practice it? This is really weird, hehe..."
Finally, he also showed his magical laughter.
And his teasing was actually based on his position.
Another thing I didn't guess is that Pellegrini actually told Kolarov just now to put Chen Yufeng on his left foot.
As a result, I suddenly suffered a big loss...
At this time, as Kolarov walked towards the front, he was ready to tee off again.
He also came to Pellegrini's side.
Pellegrini somehow pretended to be busy, turned around quickly, scratched his hair, and then waved to the bench.
I don’t know what he is commanding, but he seems to be commanding.
Kolarov: "..."
He was very helpless.
I can only swallow this breath and continue to invest in the game.
In the last few minutes of the game, Leicester City really tried their best to launch a fierce attack on Manchester City, but because Manchester City's defense was too dense, they did not find any good opportunities.
"Beep! Beep! Beep--!"
When the game time came, the referee blew the whistle to end the game in a timely manner without giving more time.
Leicester City finally suffered a 1-2 defeat at home.
This means that they have to go to Manchester City's home court in February as a laggard to compete with them in the second round.
The game ended, and the Leicester City players who followed were a little frustrated.
This was the first time in a long time that they felt defeated.
To be honest, it’s not a good feeling and no one wants to lose.
"but……"
After the game, Ranieri called all the players together and said, "Losing is not entirely a bad thing, do you understand?"
"We have been winning for so long that we have forgotten this feeling of losing. This will make your expectations and bottom line for each game very high, and you will inevitably feel elated."
"I hope everyone will remember this defeat, just like after losing to Arsenal, find your best form and continue to advance in the second half of the league."
"Okay kids?"
"come on!"
The Leicester City players finally gathered around to cheer each other up, and then returned to the locker room, changed their equipment, took a shower, and prepared to go home to offset the negative emotions.
Perhaps, as Mr. Ranieri said, losing a game at the right time is not a bad thing.
No team will win all the time, and everyone must learn to face failure.
There is still a second leg in the League Cup, so it will be good to come back then.
After the game.
Pellegrini was interviewed by reporters in the media room at the King Power Stadium.
Although a goal was lost at the end of the game due to defensive issues.
However, in this two-round format, a 2-1 lead in the away game is actually a relatively safe score.
"Yes, I know Leicester are in good form in the league, they are playing very well and have top-class players."
Pellegrini's character is actually quite calm, especially when facing media reporters. He does not say anything arrogant or provocative.
"In this game, I think my players performed well. Aguero, David Silva, De Bruyne, etc. They started the game very well and executed the tactics very well."
"Although there are some shortcomings, the flaws cannot be concealed. We will win the second round well,"
"What is the team's winning percentage at home? Do you have absolute confidence in advancing to the finals?" A reporter asked Pellegrini.
"Of course I have confidence in my players, but football is round and anything can happen. It's hard to say absolute confidence yet."
Pellegrini originally planned to end the press conference in this safe way, but suddenly, his eyes noticed the reporter who had just asked the question. The microphone seemed to have the logo of 'Leicester' printed on it.
This is supposed to be pro-Leicester local media.
Seemingly thinking of the Leicester City players who celebrated crazily in front of him not long ago, he couldn't hold it back in the end: "As for the winning rate, it's 80%."
As soon as these words fell, the reporters at the scene were in an uproar.
What is the difference between this and saying a sure win?
However, Manchester City, which took a 2-1 lead in the away game in the first round, is indeed qualified to say this.
(End of chapter)
