After defeating Manchester United, Arsenal didn't have much time to celebrate. In fact, there was nothing to celebrate. After all, they had become the champions, and their side had only consolidated third place.
Now they only have the Champions League in their eyes!
Up to now, Arsenal's imperial appearance has become more and more explicit, and everyone believes that they are only one yellow robe away from ascending to the throne.
Except for a few people who still firmly believe that the La Liga duo can make a comeback, most people believe that Arsenal will meet Dortmund in the final, and then the Gunners will win the first Champions League trophy in the club's history at home.
The Times couldn't wait to publish an article called "If Arsenal win the Champions League this season...".
"If Arsenal wins the Champions League this season, what kind of chain reaction will it cause?
First of all, Arsenal will end the embarrassing situation of eight years without a championship. The status of the new Champions League champion will further strengthen their attraction to big-name stars. The generous Champions League bonuses will also give them more funds to recruit more outstanding players. , in short, the Gunners' competitiveness will be greatly enhanced and they will once again become one of the most powerful forces in today's football;
Secondly, Wenger will become the second current Premier League coach to win the Champions League. He will become the totem of this century-old club and one of the greatest coaches in Premier League history;
Finally, 17-year-old Lin Yun will become a favorite for the Golden Globe Award. He may even break the record set by Ronaldo and Irving at the age of 21 and become the youngest winner in the history of the Golden Globe Award. Well, at that time he Will be only 18 years old. "
"The Sun" has also begun to help Arsenal calculate how much revenue they will receive.
According to their estimates, if the Gunners can really lift the Big Ear Cup at home, the most direct bonus income will be as high as 75.25 million U.S. dollars, not counting other improvements in influence, commercial value, player value, etc.
In short, the entire Fleet Street has successfully created an atmosphere: Arsenal would be committing a crime if they did not win the championship!
Before leaving for the expedition, Wenger collected all these newspapers and trampled them under his feet in front of the team members.
“Before the season started, they said that qualifying for the group stage was our limit, and now they say that we are the favorites to win the championship…
Although I agree with this statement, it is not based on these nonsense reports, but based on my trust in you.
Now, let us forget these newspapers, forget the 4-1 scoreline, and go to Barcelona to play our penultimate Champions League game of the season with a brave but cautious heart. "
Ferguson's departure left Wenger full of a sense of crisis.
He didn't know that one day he would suddenly get tired of it, or even be kicked out.
He didn't want the biggest regret, the Champions League, to still exist in the honor book until the day he left.
With the ardent expectations of gun fans all over the world, the Arsenal team set off for Barcelona.
Before them, the game between Real Madrid and Dortmund started first.
Arsenal's players watched the match live from their hotel in Barcelona.
I thought that as long as Dortmund, who had a three-goal lead in the first round, played more cautiously in this game, promotion would be a sure thing. Unexpectedly, the Hornets played an extremely thrilling game, and even almost capsized in the gutter.
Lewandowski's shot hit the lintel, and Gundogan's inevitable goal was saved by Diego Lopez. Although Dortmund missed two consecutive opportunities, Real Madrid has not been able to knock on Dortmund's door.
Just when everyone thought Dortmund would advance smoothly to the Champions League final, things suddenly changed at the end of the game.
Benzema and Ramos scored consecutively, changing the total score between the two sides to 3-4.
As long as one more goal is scored, Real Madrid will be able to counterattack strongly with the advantage of away goals!
Fortunately, the Yellow and Black Legion successfully defended the victory in the end and advanced to the finals without any danger.
This game also served as a wake-up call for the entire Arsenal team.
4-1, not safe...
The next day, the game begins.
After experiencing the Allianz Stadium and Juventus home court, Lin Yun originally thought that he could step into the Nou Camp calmly, but when he actually walked into this stadium, he was completely surrounded by red and blue. He was still deeply shocked.
There were cheers, boos, and unintelligible Spanish in my ears. Looking around, it seemed like everyone was waving red and blue scarves, and everyone seemed eager to swallow them in one gulp.
"You are the third one, along with the Bernabeu, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Anfield, San Siro, San Siro, Westminster..."
"Players from both sides have entered the field!
In the first round, thanks to Lin Yun's hat trick and Walcott's goal, Arsenal temporarily led Barcelona 4-1. The La Liga giants have been forced to the edge of life and death. For them, the worse news is that Messi's old injury has relapsed. , will miss this crucial game. "
"Arsenal is fully staffed. They just defeated the Premier League champions Manchester United four days ago. They are currently in full swing and in a hot state. Their main striker Lin Yun is even more hot-footed and scoring constantly. With a 3-goal lead, it can be said that the Gunners have One foot has already entered the Champions League final!
But they can't be careless, because this is Camp Nou after all. Barcelona just completed a shocking 4-0 home bloodbath of AC Milan here, and they have been unbeaten at home for 21 consecutive rounds. The last time they lost at Camp Nou was On October 20, 2009, they lost 1-2 to Rubin Kazan, so everyone generally thinks that Wenger should play more conservatively today..."
"Today, 96,636 fans poured into Camp Nou, and the atmosphere was quite lively! We also saw many familiar faces in the stands, including Guardiola, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp, etc. Arrive at the scene!”
“Look at both starters.
Compared with the first round, Barcelona's starting personnel has 4 changes.
Adriano replaced Alba, who had accumulated yellow cards and was suspended, as the left back. Alexander Song replaced Busquets, who had injured his pubic bone, in the center. Messi, who had a recurrence of the injury, entered the bench. Fabregas replaced him, while Villa He replaced Alexis Sanchez on the front line.
Goalkeeper: 1-Valdes;
Defenders: 2-Alves, 15-Bartra, 3-Pique, 21-Adriano;
Midfielder: 25-Alexander Song, 6-Xavi, 8-Iniesta;
Forwards: 4-Fàbregas, 7-Villa, 17-Pedro.
Arsenal almost completely used the first round lineup, only replacing Giroud with veteran Rosicky. Wenger obviously still hopes to strengthen defense and consolidate the three-goal lead.
Goalkeeper: 21-Fabianski;
Defenders: 25-Jenkinson, 4-Pertesacker, 5-Vermaelen, 17-Monreal;
Midfielder: 7-Rosicki, 8-Arteta, 19-Cazorla, 10-Wilshere, 14-Walcott;
Forward: 11-Lin Yun. "
Even Cesc Fabregas was forced to the front line, which shows what the core of Barcelona's tactics is.
Put on the bayonet and fight for a future!
Wenger did not set up a mutual stabbing formation like in the first round, but instead set up two defensive midfielders in a low-key and pragmatic manner. Although Wilshere still sits in the middle and controls the dispatching power today, the defensive tasks given to him by the professor are actually Not light.
As a result, they have almost no frontcourt pressure. The only offensive routine is that Cazorla and Walcott cooperate with Lin Yun and let him use his personal ability to eat raw.
Facts have proved that this set is very popular.
Just over two months after his debut, Lin Yun's style has already undergone a transformation.
At the beginning, he could shoot with just raising his foot, and he could shoot almost no matter how he hit. He rarely missed the target, but after returning from the experience of the national team, everyone found that this ancestor had evolved again.
The shooting accuracy has not changed, but the style has.
He can dribble the ball, adjust, and even learned to beat defenders and goalkeepers before hitting an empty goal.
Of course, he has not forgotten the ancestral skill of catching the ball and kicking it, and his ability to charge with a defender has become more and more perfect.
Virtual and real, soft and hard, which defender can withstand it?
"Beep!"
"Okay, after the whistle blows, the game begins!"
"Barcelona kicks off first!"
Barcelona launched a fierce attack from the beginning.
The styles of the two teams are quite similar, both focusing on passing and controlling. The difference is that Barcelona always feels a bit slow and clearly connected, while Arsenal is fast and sharp, without any sloppiness.
But this game was completely reversed.
Barcelona seemed to have pressed the fast forward button and was never ambiguous in advancing the attack. With three passes and two passes, the ball was hit into the heart of Arsenal.
Iniesta took the ball and pretended to break through, but after shaking off Jenkinson's center of gravity, he suddenly passed the ball over the top and sent the ball to the center of Arsenal's penalty area.
Villa successfully countered the offside, inserted a single-handedly to remove the ball comfortably, and then raised his foot to hit the goal.
Faced with this kind of dead corner, the goalkeeper had basically nothing to do. Fabianski had already accepted the penalty. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, Mertesacker was like a magic weapon descending from the sky, coming from the side and behind. The sliding tackle came over and hit the ball just out of the baseline.
Villa covered his face with his hands, and then punched the air hatefully.
"...Iniesta passes the ball to Villa! One-on-one! Oops, Mertesacker made a clean tackle and destroyed the ball out of the baseline! A god-level clearance!"
"Barcelona is in excellent form, Arsenal should be careful!"
The corner kick came to the goal, but Fabianski single-handedly pushed him out of the penalty area.
Wilshere grabbed the first point and tipped the ball to Walcott. Before the little tiger could take a step, Alves used a fierce flying shovel to shovel him out of bounds.
The referee hesitated and did not blow the whistle...
"Ouch, this tackle was very fierce, but the referee did not call a foul and only gave Arsenal a throw-in."
Wenger didn't yell, he just spread his hands on the spot and made a helpless expression facing the camera. The meaning was quite obvious: You don't want to brag about this? !
Arteta threw the ball, but after several scrambles, the football fell to Barcelona again...
In the first ten minutes, Arsenal was basically beaten like this, but fortunately the midfield and backcourt were strong enough to survive these difficult ten minutes.
Arsenal didn't usher in its first real threatening attack until the 12th minute.
Monreal stepped forward with an assist from the wing, received Arteta's diagonal pass from the center, and without hesitation lifted the ball into Barcelona's penalty area.
Pique and Bartra did not dare to commit offside, but turned around to chase the ball in a tacit understanding.
Lin Yun was only half a step behind. He broke in between the two of them, jumped high and stopped the ball with his chest.
Pique and Bartra were moving behind him. He was actually very reluctant to stop the ball. After the football landed, it jumped forward. He himself staggered forward and was about to fall to the ground at any time.
In a hurry, he could only kick the football in front of him casually before falling to the ground and send the ball into the stands.
"Shh~~"
Wenger couldn't stand it anymore this time and ran to the fourth official, "Isn't this a foul?! Everyone fell in the penalty area!"
The fourth official shook his head helplessly, indicating that he couldn't make the decision.
"Lin Yun fell in the penalty area. The referee did not blow the whistle. Let's see if Pique and Bartra pushed people from behind... Well, Lin Yun rushed forward very hard and almost pushed him away. Two defenders received the ball, but Pique did seem to have some movement in his hands. It's hard to say, hard to say..."
Pique was about to squat next to Lin Yun and ask him to stop performing, but Lin Yun himself stood up with his hands.
This one was indeed caused by him charging too hard and being unable to hold back, but the hand movements of Pique and Bartra also played a role in fueling the situation. Since the referee didn't blow the whistle, there was nothing he could do, but the beep was still there. It's going to be a few beeps.
"Mr. Referee, I'm sorry, can you help me check if there are two big claw marks on my back? Because I felt like something pushed me hard just now, ah no, it was two times, or I'll take it off and see for myself, you won't give me a yellow card, right?"
Referee: "I will blow the whistle if they foul. If you take off your clothes, I will give you a yellow card. It's that simple."
"Well, it seems you can only believe half of what you say."
"..."
When the game started again, Barcelona consciously slowed down the pace, but unexpectedly it had an immediate effect.
Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas patiently passed each other around and played the iconic tiki taka.
When Arsenal's midfielder was confused by their dazzling passing, Xavi suddenly sent the ball away with a through ball.
Villa once again came out smartly, pushed the ball forward with the inside of his left foot, ran past Mertesacker with the ball, and then calmly pushed the ball with his right foot.
Fabianski made the first save, but failed to touch the football.
"GOAL!!! In the 14th minute of the game, Villa opened the scoring! 1-0, total score 2-4, Barcelona is now only two goals behind, they see hope again!"
"This is a typical Barcelona-style goal, relying on quick short passes to disrupt the opponent's defensive deployment, and then suddenly speeding up, and the final word! Of course, the tacit understanding and ability of Xavi and Villa are also key. This is the world's top midfielder and Top striker!"
Villa ran into the goal, picked up the ball and ran back to the midfield, while Xavi came to the sidelines and kept raising his hands to signal the home fans to be louder.
Arsenal began to feel a little bad, and fell into worrying about gains and losses.
Lin Yun returned to the midfield one step ahead of Villa and stood in the middle circle.
When the game started again, Lin Yun passed the ball back. Villa, Pedro, and Fabregas immediately rushed past him and pounced on Arsenal's midfielder.
Wilshere quickly passed the ball back, and Rosicky calmly controlled the ball at his feet, looked in the direction of Cazorla, and made a passing motion.
Fabregas arrived in a hurry and immediately stretched out his feet to intercept.
Rosicky calmly pulled the ball back, and then suddenly released the ball to Walcott on the other side.
Walcott didn't stop the ball, directly pushed the ball forward, and then rushed past Alves with the ball.
"Walcott's speed has increased! He is running along the wing with the ball. Lin Yun has already moved ahead and is responding from the center. Let's see if Arsenal's attack can be successful!"
Pique and Bartra set up a net in the penalty area and waited for Lin Yun to drill through it. Alexander Song was guarding outside the penalty area. When Lin Yun was about to run past him, he hit him hard, but he hit him hard. Fall to the ground.
Walcott took a look at the situation in the penalty area, and instead of walking toward the baseline, he quickly moved inside and flew past Alexander Song, who fell to the ground.
Lin Yun took the initiative to walk aside and took Pique away.
Adriano on the other side quickly entered the penalty area and guarded Lin Yun with Pique.
Bartra was preparing to face Walcott. Unexpectedly, Walcott had quickly drawn his bow and arrow, and fired a powerful volley from about two meters inside the penalty area.
The football flew past Baltra's ear, and before Valdez even had time to react, the football hit the crossbar with a "bang" and bounced out.
Lin Yun started at this moment and rushed towards the football.
Pique and Adriano immediately followed up, attacking from both sides.
The football fell, Lin Yun flicked the ball with his left foot, and the football immediately flew upward obediently, and flew behind him.
Pique and Adriano were caught off guard and turned around quickly, but Lin Yun was one step faster than them. As he turned around, he jumped high and hung the golden hook upside down!
"GOAL!!!! Walcott's shot hit the crossbar, and Lin Yun made the extra kick with a hook!"
"Less than two minutes after Villa scored, Lin Yun penetrated Barcelona's goal again, with a total score of 5-2! The gap between the two sides became 3 goals again! And this is a precious away game. Goal! Even if Barcelona equalizes the total score, it will just drag the game into overtime..."
"Lin Yun's 11th goal in the Champions League! He is only three goals away from Messi's single-season scoring record in the Champions League set last year."
"The first half of the game has not even passed, and the main centers of both sides have made their own achievements. This is a war between centers! There is still suspense in the game. Who is the sharpest player on the court today, Villa or Lin Yun?" Sword, let’s wait and see!”
(End of chapter)
