The city of Swansea is located on the coast of Bristol Bay in southern Wales and has a relatively dense population.
Swansea is also one of the few cities in Wales that truly has "city status". They received a charter from the royal family in 1969. To commemorate this, Swansea Town Football Club also changed its name to "Swansea City" in the same year. And it is still used today.
Nicknamed the "Swans", their greatest achievement was in the 2012-13 season, when they successively eliminated giants such as Liverpool and Chelsea, becoming the only Welsh team to win the English League Cup.
In fact, Wales has its own top league, the Welsh Premier League, with a total of 12 teams, but Swansea, Cardiff City, and five Welsh teams, including Wrexham, participate in It is a game in the English league system.
The reason for this is also very simple, because when these teams were first established, Wales did not have a unified league system, which led them to choose to participate in the English League.
Although the Welsh League was officially established in 1992, many strong Welsh teams, including Swansea, still chose to remain in the English League system, which resulted in today's situation.
Nowadays, Cardiff City has been in the English Championship for many years, and the only Welsh representative still in the Premier League is Swansea.
This season, Swansea's life in the Premier League is not easy either.
After 28 rounds, the "Swans" have only achieved 8 wins, 3 draws and 17 losses, ranking 16th among all 20 teams with 27 points, and are still at risk of being relegated.
Behind them, 17th-placed Middlesbrough has 25 points, 18th-placed Crystal Palace also has 25 points, then 19th-placed Hull City with 24 points, and 20th-placed Sunderland with 19 points.
Except for Sunderland, who are at the bottom and seem to have a hard time getting back, several other teams have to fight desperately to stay in the Premier League next season.
The so-called ice and fire, here are several teams fighting for relegation, while the BIG6 above are fighting for the championship and Champions League seats.
Of course, the suspense of the Premier League championship is actually not too great now.
Chelsea had another winning streak after losing to Tottenham. Now it has 22 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses, ranking first with 69 points, while Tottenham, which is ranked second, only has 59 points, and has been opened up by 10 points. distance.
Followed by Manchester City with 57 points, Arsenal with 56 points, Liverpool with 55 points, and Manchester United with 51 points.
With only ten games left in the league, as long as Chelsea doesn't waste time and maintains its current form, it will be difficult for the following teams to catch up.
So competing for fourth place is the focus of the other five teams this season!
For Swansea, although relegation is important, they are not willing to give up the FA Cup easily.
They finally made it all the way to the quarter-finals, and now the opponents they encountered were teams from League One. How could they be willing to give up their spot in the top four just like this?
Therefore, head coach Clement still arranged a full lineup, striving to defeat York City and then enter Wembley Stadium! ——
The Liberty Stadium, which can accommodate more than 20,000 fans, is already full. At the same time, local Swansea and Yorkshire TV stations have paid great attention to this game and broadcast the four-point FA Cup live. one final.
Sky Sports also used Lineker and Alan Shearer, a pair of England stars, to commentate on the game as usual.
But no one would have thought that this originally supposed to be a fierce game would turn into such a situation from the beginning.
Less than 10 minutes into the game, De Ligt made an unnecessary mistake at the edge of the penalty area. When he was about to shoot after being brushed by his opponent, he stretched out his hand to foul someone. Swansea forward Llorente followed suit. After falling into the penalty area, the referee who caught up from behind showed De Ligt a yellow card and awarded a penalty kick without even thinking!
Then Swansea's top set-piece expert, "Iceland's Great Sniper" Sigurdsson, who served as the left winger today, calmly scored the penalty, and the home team led York City 1:0!
Such an opening made "Pan Yi's biggest fan" Lineker and Alan Shearer feel that York City today is probably in danger.
In this game, Swansea and York City coincidentally formed a 4-3-3 formation. It seemed that they were going to attack, but they didn't expect the goal to come so quickly.
York City's starting lineup is Baker as the center, Amon and Kulusevski are separated on the wings, Alonso, Rice and Karlstrom partner in the midfield, and the defense is Alfonso Day. Weiss, Westerman, De Ligt and Fiyasu Jianyang, the goalkeeper is Isaacson.
Lin Liangming was hidden from view in this game. In fact, this was due to Pan Yi's selfishness.
That's because not long after this game, a new round of national team competition days will arrive, and March 23 will be the key game between the Dragon Kingdom and South Korea.
In order to prevent Lin Liangming from being too tired from traveling long distances, and because he had been starting frequently recently and really needed a break, Pan Yi suggested that Scaloni put him on the bench first.
Of course, it is actually very good to use Lin Liangming as a back-up player. After all, he is getting better and better at the wing and attacking midfielder positions.
In addition, Karlström's return from injury has given Scaloni more options in the midfield. Today's 4-3-3 is at least worthy of the opponent in terms of strength, so Scaloni had no reason to reject such a suggestion.
But I just didn't expect that something went wrong in the backcourt.
De Ligt's performance feels a bit irritable recently. He was passed by so easily, and in the end he had no choice but to commit a foul.
"Ah, wait a minute. Judging from the slow-motion replay, although De Ligt's foul was unnecessary, it seems that his foul was outside the penalty area..." Suddenly, Lineker pointed at the broadcast screen and said loudly.
Alan Shearer also came over and looked at it carefully, and then nodded: "Yes. This looks like a misjudgment, this should be a free kick!"
Lineker shook his head: "If it was a free kick, it might not be so easy to score. Now Scaloni seems to be protesting something to the fourth official on the sidelines. He should also have seen the replay of the camera, so it seems He was very excited."
"It's no wonder he is in such an important game in the FA Cup quarter-finals. He definitely doesn't want to lose. Compared with being at the top of English League One, defeating strong Premier League opponents in the FA Cup can further prove his Strength!"
"Huh? The referee came to the sidelines...ah, he actually showed a red card directly to Scaloni and sent him off the field!"
Alan Shearer was shocked: "It's really a penalty! Scaloni was sent off again in the FA Cup! In the third round, he was twice sent off for a conflict with Arsenal's Xhaka The end..."
Lineker said with a wry smile: "But he made a profit at the time, trading a coach for a player of the other team. But now he comes out directly, and is one goal behind on the field. The main central defender De Ligt has already suffered a loss. With a yellow card, the situation is really not good for York City."
On the live broadcast screen, Scaloni frequently turned around and said something to the linesman and referee, then walked to the coaching bench, explained a few words to his assistants, and then walked into the player tunnel.
"It seems that he can only watch football in the stands with Pan Yi today."
"But fortunately, York City also has an assistant coach named De Zerbi. This Italian coach was personally invited by Pan Yi, and he also did a good job when Scaloni was sent off last time. Directed the team to defeat the opponent.”
"It can be said that Pan Yi has no mediocre soldiers! Even if he is an assistant coach, his level is extremely high!"
At this time, strong boos came from the stadium stands, obviously the York City fans who followed the team to the away game were dissatisfied with the penalty decision.
Although they were at a numerical disadvantage, the momentum they created was huge.
Some people were booing the referee, while others were singing the York City anthem to support the team. The singing was high-pitched and passionate.
On the court, Westerman looked at De Ligt, who was slightly nervous next to him, and said loudly: "Hey, kid! Don't be nervous, pay attention, stare in front, and check the position of your teammates, just like you usually do in training. , understand?”
Due to Karlström's comeback today, the captain's armband was again put on the arm of the old Swedish international, but Westermann still stood up to remind his young defense members.
This is the role of veteran players!
However, although De Ligt nodded vigorously, the fingers of his hands were still clasped together, his body was trembling slightly, and he still felt unable to relax.
"Sometimes I may be deceived by his mature appearance. After all, he is just a child under 18 years old!"
Westerman thought to himself, sighed, walked up to De Ligt, and shouted loudly: "Cheer up right now! You can't be defeated by a penalty kick or a yellow card!"
"Oh." De Ligt replied without looking at the big brother.
"You're too nervous, man!" Westerman stretched out his hand and held De Ligt's head firmly. The voices of the Swansea fans at the scene made him have to speak with a loud voice. People who don't know can still say that. Thought they were quarreling.
In fact, Westerman, who also came from Ajax, also understands that little brother De Ligt wants to win this game too much.
Maybe even more than Scaloni, more than the rest of the team!
He wants to use the team's continuous progress in the FA Cup to attract the attention of the Dutch side, the parent team Ajax, and then prove to them that selling him off was the wrong choice!
They kept De Jong, Van de Beek and Onana, but only sold De Ligt!
This makes the young De Ligt always feel suffocated in his heart.
And how do you let Ajax see your performance and how do you prove yourself?
Again, even winning the championship in a third-level competition like English League One doesn't mean much, but being able to go further in the FA Cup, or even enter the final and win the championship, will cause a stir across Europe. Attention!
So De Ligt especially wants to perform well in this game.
But it was precisely because of this psychological baggage that he acted a little abnormally.
He was awarded a penalty kick and received a yellow card in 10 minutes, which put him under unbearable psychological pressure.
The more afraid you are of losing, the more likely you are to lose!
"I understand. I will adjust." De Ligt breathed out and assured Westerman.
Westerman nodded, turned back and got back into the game.
The kick-off is about to begin again, but there is no way to keep talking. It still depends on the young players' ability to adjust themselves!
Ten minutes later, De Zerbi on the sidelines frowned a little.
He could feel that De Ligt was really out of shape today. His defense just now was easily escaped by the opponent's Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yung. If Westerman hadn't made up for it in time, the ball might have happened again. Will result in a Swansea shot.
what to do?
It's only about twenty minutes now, so it's impossible to replace him, right? This will be a huge blow to the self-confidence of young players.
"Hey, the boss and the head coach have something to say!" At this time, another assistant coach Caskey came over and whispered a few words into De Zerbi's ear.
De Zerbi looked up into the stands and saw Pan Yi shaking his cell phone at him, while Scaloni was sitting next to him, nodding at him.
"This is indeed a good plan." De Zerbi nodded and immediately stood up to prepare to adjust the lineup.
It turned out to be Pan Yi who called.
Of course, he also saw something was wrong with De Ligt, so after discussing with Scaloni, he decided to move De Ligt up to a midfield position.
Rice dropped deep to play as a centre-back.
In this case, De Ligt can be allowed to use his offensive talents more instead of participating in defense under the current psychological pressure.
The defense of the midfield can be left to two veterans, Alonso and Karlström.
And being next to the two of them may also help De Ligt break free from the shadow of the penalty foul just now faster and better.
As for offense, don't forget that De Ligt has even been promoted to play center. Now playing as an offensive midfielder, it is not a big problem.
However, changes off the field are never as fast as changes on the field.
When the Swansea team took a corner kick, when Qi Chengyong had just taken the corner kick, the referee blew the whistle immediately.
Everyone at the scene was stunned. They saw Swansea's main forward Llorente lying near the near post. Next to him, De Ligt stood stupidly, his eyes scanning his eyes with a blank look. teammate.
He felt as if he was isolated from the world, his mind was buzzing, but it was blank.
The only thing he saw in front of him was another yellow card held high, which soon turned into a shocking red card!
Moreover, the referee pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation. Another penalty!
All the York City players swarmed up and questioned why the referee had given De Ligt another foul and another yellow card.
The referee kept signaling that just now De Ligt hit the opponent's player in the face with his elbow!
"The slow motion shows that De Ligt's actions were just a habitual reaction after being entangled by the opponent. However, due to his height, he accidentally hit the opponent's face. This is another yellow spot. No, It’s a red dot set meal, it’s really hard to convince people!”
Lineker once again complained about York City. He felt that the referee's bias towards the home team in this game was too obvious.
Alan Shearer also kept shaking his head: "It's so unfair. It's so unfair to York City and this young man!"
De Ligt walked off the field in a daze, and teammates continued to comfort him along the way.
The pressure he was under was so great that he couldn't bear it. The live camera even captured the tears rolling in his eyes, which was very sad.
When they got to the sidelines, De Zerbi, Caskey, including Lin Liangming on the bench and other players came over and patted De Ligt on the shoulder to comfort him.
Everyone knows that De Ligt did not perform well today, but these two yellow cards and two penalty kicks were all unwarranted, and this young defender cannot be entirely blamed.
When De Ligt returned to the locker room depressed, he found Pan Yi already waiting for him there.
"Remember, this is a hurdle you must encounter as you grow up." Pan Yi said earnestly, "Only if you can truly overcome this hurdle can you become a real star and step onto the highest level of competition. , prove your strength to the world!”
Pan Yi didn't say much, then touched De Ligt's head, then turned and walked towards the locker room door.
He understands that a player like De Ligt can definitely survive on his own strength, otherwise he will not grow into a star worth 70 to 80 million in the future.
At this time, just give him a certain amount of encouragement so that he doesn't think that the team's disadvantages on the field are all his fault.
Obviously, Pan Yi's judgment was correct.
After returning to the locker room, De Ligt, who was out of the game atmosphere, began to regain his clarity.
The words of all the players, coaches, especially the boss Pan Yi, also relieved a lot of the pressure that De Ligt had been accumulating on him.
No one blames him!
Everyone is encouraging him!
He should be lucky that he came to such a team.
This is a team with love from top to bottom!
He must go out, continue to stand with this team, and fight to the end!
Thinking about it, De Ligt shouted to Pan Yi: "Boss, take me with you, and I will go to the stands with you to watch the game!"
Pan Yi turned around and smiled happily.
This is his good boy!
——
The game continues.
As the goalkeeper of York City, Isakson will face the opponent's penalty kick again.
This time, it was Swansea's top penalty taker Sigurdsson who took the penalty.
The Icelandic international is good at long-range shots, which is why he is nicknamed "Iceland's Great Sniper". His free kick skills are also great, and his penalty kicks are almost perfect.
Sigurdsson doesn't have much of a run-up when taking penalty kicks, but he can take very tricky angles, which makes it difficult for goalkeepers to guard against him.
Now, he placed the ball on the penalty spot, took a step back, and turned to look at the referee.
When Isaacson came to the goal, he first looked up at the height of the goal, then looked around, bent his legs, and clapped his hands hard.
In the European Cup, he once saved two penalty kicks in the penalty shootout with the German team. Today he wants to try again!
At this moment, Isaacson also found that behind Sigurdsson, Alonso pointed to his left side.
This means that there is a high probability that Sigurdsson will play on the left-hand side?
No matter what, just listen to him.
Wasn't it because he listened to Pan Yi's "strategy" when he saved penalty kicks in the European Cup?
These world's top coaches and top players always have a database in their minds, which is definitely more reliable than guessing and betting on their own.
At this time, the referee's whistle sounded.
Sigurdsson took another step back, then suddenly moved forward and shot!
Although his movements may seem simple, there is actually a small fake movement at the moment he takes off, making people think that he is going to shoot in a certain direction.
But Isaacson remained unmoved. When Sigurdsson threw the ball away, he pounced directly in the direction Alonso pointed without hesitation.
Then...he really pounced! ! !
"Oh my God, I saved it, Isaacson saved the penalty!" Lineker shouted loudly.
The York City fans at the scene gave the most enthusiastic cheers since the game.
I believe that at this time, all York City fans watching the live broadcast in front of the TV and listening to the comments in front of the radio will burst into cheers immediately.
Isaacson has made a great contribution!
He saved Swansea's penalty! And he held the ball firmly to his chest, not even giving the Swansea team any chance to make a supplementary shot!
This is not over yet.
As soon as Isakson fell to the ground, he immediately got up from the ground, like a vigorous cheetah, grabbing the ball with one hand and throwing it forward with all his strength.
The York City players also reacted immediately. They did not surround Isakson to celebrate the save, but rushed towards Swansea in a swarm.
At this time, the Swansea team suddenly came to their senses and realized that they had to return to defense.
At this time, center Baker, who was already near the center circle, used his body to hold the opponent's full-back Olsen who was staying behind to defend - well, the one who plays for the Swedish national team. He just returned from Norwich this season. A move to Swansea - and then Baker offloaded the ball with his chest and handed it to the onrushing Alonso.
Alonso passed back to Karlström. Karlström passed the ball directly to Rice without stopping. The latter raised his head and passed the ball long.
At this time, Kulusevski was like a flash of lightning, tearing through the opponent's defense. He raised his foot to remove the ball at the front of the penalty area, twisted his body flexibly, and passed the opponent's goalkeeper Fabians. Ji, he pushed and shot directly into the empty goal!
1:1!
Kulusevski opened his arms wildly and kept running, even running directly from the opponent's half back to his own half. In front of the York City fans' stands, he knelt down and raised his arms high to celebrate the goal. ball.
The York City fans in the visiting team's stands were like an erupting volcano, and they gave the Swedish teenager the most enthusiastic and enthusiastic cheers without hesitation.
Westerman immediately turned around and rushed toward Isaacson.
"That's great! That's great!" Westerman was so excited that he couldn't even speak and could only repeat this sentence.
From a possible 0:2 to the current 1:1, it is really a huge reversal!
And the biggest contributor who saved the team from the brink of elimination is, of course, Isaacson!
Isaacson rushed towards Alonso: "I made the right move, I made the right move!"
"Isakson saved the penalty kick and launched a fast break. Rice assisted Kulusevski to score a goal and equalized the score! This dramatic turn of events was really unexpected."
In the commentary box, Lineker and Alan Shearer were equally excited.
This is not only such a dramatic reversal, but mainly because York City has suffered continuous unfair penalties, which also makes the commentators more inclined now. They do not want York City to lose and be eliminated because of this. .
But now, instead of being expanded, York City evened the score in an instant, which of course made all neutral fans excited!
At this time, De Zerbi on the sidelines was also hugging the coaching staff tightly, and Pan Yi, Scaloni, and De Ligt in the stands also jumped up.
De Ligt, in particular, yelled at Pan Yi excitedly, as if he was on the court now and it was he who scored the equalizing goal.
"Although it's a draw now, we still have one less player to play." Scaloni remained calm, "We must make adjustments, otherwise we may not be able to withstand the next seventy minutes."
"Yeah." Pan Yi agreed, but still looked confident, "Don't worry, I know this team can do it!"
