Because he was afraid of Romedal's pass, Roma's Brazilian goalkeeper Doni stood a little forward, standing on the line of the small penalty area, preparing to block Romedal's passing route.
But who knew that Romedal would cross the ball to the center in advance, and Smith in the center would shoot.
This shot was different from Smith's previous shot. Smith paid attention to Donny's position when he took off his foot, so he raised his foot when he shot.
The ball flew over Doni's head, then dropped quickly after passing him and fell directly into the Roma goal.
1 to 0.
Leeds United quickly penetrated Roma's defense through a textbook quick counterattack.
Smith used this shot to tell the Romans what shot quality is. You didn't score a goal with three shots, but I only needed one shot to score a goal.
After scoring the goal, Smith ran to the corner and kicked the corner flag, almost knocking it away.
The Leeds United fans in the stands burst into loud cheers.
After the players and fans celebrated, the coaching staff here at Leeds United also dispersed and returned to their seats. Then Brian Kidd, who was sitting on the stool, asked Lee George what happened after the Manchester League game that day.
"You really asked Ferguson how to play against an Italian team."
"Yes, I went, but the old man didn't say anything important. It was all nonsense."
"Nothing useful?"
"Just a little bit."
George Li could only say that in Ferguson's long speech, he only mentioned using speed to create space, which was a little inspiration.
That's why he arranged this starting lineup today, determined to fight Roma's counterattack and use speed to end the battle. He even prepared to give Roma coach Luciano Spalletti a big gift in the second half.
After the goal, Leeds United did not take the lead. Instead, they continued to prioritize defense and then wait for opportunities to counterattack. From this point of view, Leeds United looks more like an Italian team than Roma today.
"Go up, go up."
After the restart, Spalletti signaled his back midfielders to come forward, otherwise the connection between his two back midfielders and the frontcourt players would be completely severed.
"Daniele, protect Simeone's back." Spalletti asked De Rossi to step forward to protect his team's attacking midfielder Perrotta, because he found that the three players in the Leeds United midfield were very capable of grabbing. , including the forward who retreated, has been harassing his midfielder, preventing them from successfully passing the ball.
However, it backfired.
Roma's defensive midfielder got ahead of the game, but they suffered from behind.
In the 33rd minute of the game, Leeds United counterattacked again. Baines cooperated with Parker and snatched the ball from Tadei on the right side of Roma. This steal directly started Leeds United's counterattack mode.
Today, the Leeds United players discovered that after two seasons of pressure and control, it turns out that counterattacking is just as enjoyable.
After Baines grabbed the ball, he found Glenchard on the wing as requested by Lee George.
Grenjaer started his performance, first with a fake move to the left, deceiving Roma's right back Christian Panucci, and then facing Aquilani's overhand, he stepped on his bicycle and swayed away the opponent. , kill directly to the middle.
At this time, as usual, Aquilani went up to grab the ball, and De Rossi should come from behind to fill in and help defend.
But De Rossi had also gone up just now, and when Grenchar counterattacked, he had not yet retreated.
So after Grenciar passed Aquilani, it was all smooth sailing, leaving only Roma's entire defense line.
After advancing for a certain distance, Glenchard distributed the ball to the right.
Now, Romedal is almost running along the sideline in order to create space.
So when he got the ball, Chivu could only give up his original position and run over to defend.
This leaves a certain distance between Chivu and the central defender.
Smith, who had already scored a goal, would not let go of this opportunity and tried desperately to get in through this gap.
Romedal also discovered this gap and directly pushed the ball in front of Smith.
Smith entered the penalty area from this rib, and then made a cross pass.
This time Dhoni learned his lesson and did not stand up. But it was because of his position that Roma once again conceded a goal.
A very fast cross pass, and when it reached the front post, Kevin Davis quickly appeared, got ahead of the Roma defender and goalkeeper, and shoveled the ball into the goal.
2 to 0.
Another quick and sharp counterattack penetrated Roma's defense.
Today's Leeds United is a bit open on the offensive end.
The wing has crazy impact, the forward can retreat to defend and then attack again, and the frontcourt players can find gaps in the opponent's defense through space passing and running.
The most important thing is that Leeds United counterattacked very decisively today, and of course it was an organized advance. There is a division of labor, a hierarchy, and a rhythm.
Everyone's movement was like a knife, reaching the weakest point of the Roma team. Or through movement, Roma's weakest point is exposed.
"When you counterattack, don't hold back, you must rush forward, so that you can tear apart Roma's defense."
"Scott and Thomas, please pay attention when you advance forward. You can selectively stand in your position. This can not only support the separation of sides, but also attract Roma's defensive focus."
"I will make substitutions early in the second half, so don't be afraid of getting tired."
"You have to be decisive when playing the ball from the backcourt. Don't pass it today. If you have the opportunity, go directly to the two wings."
"You can play like Arsenal, with a little more touch on the ball."
"In a word."
"Run! Charge!"
Before the game, George Li made full preparations in the locker room and asked the players to rush up, dare to run, and dare to rush.
When Roma kicked off again, George Lee, who had already led by two goals, still kept shouting from the sidelines.
It's okay when I'm on defense. I usually make gestures and say a few requirements and key points when the ball is dead.
But when Leeds United counterattacked.
"Go, Go, Go! Run, Run, Run!"
"Tear them apart!"
After shouting, he even pulled off his tie and loosened two holes in his collar.
Under the influence of Lee George, the entire Leeds United team picked up the rhythm crazily, leaving the Roma players on the field breathless. They had never played such a game before.
I can't help but ask in my heart, are the pace of Premier League games so fast?
Romedal went a little crazy today. While dribbling the ball together, he was viciously tackled to the ground by Mancini.
When the referee stopped the game, Romedal seemed to have not heard it. He got up desperately and continued to take the ball forward until he realized that no one was moving.
Finally, I found that my calf was scratched, and the blood was flowing onto the white socks.
After simple treatment, he returned to the court and continued playing.
"Dudu~"
The referee blew the halftime whistle, and Leeds United led Roma 2-0 at home.
George Li looked at Romedal who was walking down the court, but was already limping a little.
I realized that I couldn’t do it without changing people.
