May 27, 2009, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy.
Leeds United is competing with Barcelona for the Champions League title this season, and the competition has entered a fierce stage.
In the 53rd minute of the game, Barcelona got a free kick opportunity at the top of the arc. The angle of Harvey's free kick was very tricky. The ball did not hit very high, but chose to bypass Leeds United's players. wall.
The ball hit the right post of the goal and bounced out.
"Huh~" George Li on the sidelines was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat.
He looked up at the scoreboard and saw Leeds United trailing 0-1.
Ten minutes into the first half, Barcelona relied on midfielder Iniesta's dribbling and through pass to pass the ball to Eto'o, who entered the penalty area from the right.
After the African "Cheetah" got the ball on the right side, facing Leeds United's left back Baines, he dunked after pretending to shoot, and then cut inside to grab the ball before Woodgate arrived with the tackle and used his outside instep to break through Fan. The gate guarded by Desa.
After that, the two teams exchanged offense and defense, but the score of 1-0 has been maintained until now.
There is really not much time left for George Lee and Leeds United.
A year has passed. A year ago, George Lee was present at the Champions League final; a year later, George Lee was also present at the Champions League final. The difference is that at this time last year, George Li was actually watching the game from the stands, but a year later he was standing on the court directing his team to participate in the finals.
During this year, Leeds United led by George Lee still performed well and defended the League Cup and FA Cup.
But in the league, they were still under pressure by Manchester United, trailing Manchester United by 4 points and losing to their opponents to win the championship one round ahead of schedule.
There is no way. In the Premier League this season, the man named "Cristiano Ronaldo" can simply be described as being at the top of his game.
Played 33 league games and scored 18 goals; played 8 domestic cup games and scored 8 goals; played 12 European games and scored 4 goals.
This kind of offensive firepower is a feat that is difficult for a forward to achieve, but it was actually accomplished by a winger.
Fortunately, Leeds United, who lost in the Premier League, completed their revenge in the Champions League.
The team led by George Lee defeated Manchester United with a total score of 3-2 in two rounds of the Champions League semi-finals.
However, they met another team in the final that was almost flawless this season, Barcelona led by Guardiola.
First, comparing with last season, Leeds United this season still insists on youth transformation.
First, Lee Bowyer retired due to injury, and then Joey Barton moved to Newcastle. After the two players in the midfield left, the team only added two young players, Daley Blind and Aaron Gunnarsson.
Under the leadership of main players Alan Smith, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and others, the team has achieved certain results in multi-line operations.
The young players on the team are also gradually growing up. First of all, the famous wide players such as Gareth Bale, Jan Arnesen, and Charlotte Black began to gradually grow into the team's main force, while Danny Rose, Fabrice Muamba, Gilvi Sigurdsson can also provide some help to the team in a timely manner.
Otherwise, Leeds United would not be able to achieve such results in multi-line operations. Because competitions such as the FA Cup and League Cup are played by the team's substitutes and young players, the main players focus on the league and the Champions League. But even this "boy scout" still overturned strong teams such as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in the domestic cup and won the championship.
If the substitutes are so good, then the main players cannot lag behind either. After Leeds United entered the knockout rounds of the Champions League, they successively eliminated Villarreal, Arsenal, and Manchester United before joining the Catalans in Rome.
But it seems that reaching the Champions League final has exhausted all the strength and luck of Leeds United. Leeds United, who were already exhausted, could only parry when facing Barcelona and did not have the strength to fight back.
Injuries to Robben, Parker and Woodgate, suspensions to Smith and Milner.
All Leeds United fans remember the helpless expression and confused eyes when team captain Alan Smith received a yellow card after a defensive foul during the second leg of the Champions League match against Manchester United.
The rain in Yorkshire was particularly heavy that night, and it fell on Smith, who was wearing the captain's armband, and looked so cold.
But football is football.
No one will back down at the last minute.
The game continued, and in the 67th minute of the game, Leeds United got an excellent offensive opportunity.
Leeds United got a set kick opportunity on the right side of the penalty area.
Baines took the initiative to stand in front of the football, preparing to take the set kick.
After taking a few steps back, Baines kicked the ball in the same way as Xavi just now. The ball flew around the Barcelona wall and towards the Barcelona goal guarded by Valdes.
The ball dropped rapidly when it flew in front of the Barcelona goalkeeper. It bounced on the ground and was blocked by Valdez.
When the ball rolled to the line of the small penalty area, Kuyt had a good chance to make a supplementary shot.
But when he just stretched out his legs to reach the football, Pique, who came from the side, made a tackle and destroyed the ball out of the baseline.
"What a shame."
Ferguson in the stands complained, and then he looked at Helen, who was not far away from him.
Helen, who was wearing a Leeds United jersey, was speechless at this time. She felt that she had never been so excited in her life, not even when she was defending her thesis.
As the game progressed and the end time came closer, Helen felt breathless several times. This was not because of her physical condition, but because the atmosphere of the competition was too tense.
Whether it was Leeds United's offense or Barcelona's offense, she could clearly feel every beat of her heart.
"Huh~"
Another Barcelona attack failed, and a burst of exclamations broke out from the Leeds United fans in the stands.
The ball was cleared by Matteisen, but the ball did not fly far and flew to the right side of the penalty area.
Barcelona's midfielder Xavi stopped the ball firmly with his feet. The Leeds United players, who were already a little tired, did not rush around to press for the first time, giving Xavi a chance to advance.
After making a slight adjustment, I discovered Messi who was still in the penalty area just now.
When the Argentine teenager retreated to the line of the penalty area, he saw that the attention of the entire Leeds United defense was attracted by Xavi.
The two central defenders Matteisen and Granqvist, full-back Baines, and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar are all staring at Harvey.
Only Blake on the right saw Messi advancing.
"There!"
By the time Blake yelled it was already over.
Harvey's cross from a 45-degree angle was passed to the back of Leeds United's goal, and Granqvist missed Messi completely.
Messi, who is less than 1.7 meters tall, jumped high and headed the ball towards the back of the goal without being marked.
Van der Sar reached out and touched the ball, but it didn't touch the ball at all.
The ball fell firmly into the Leeds United goal.
2 to 0.
Leeds United are getting closer and closer to their first Champions League title.
In the 72nd minute of the game, Kuyt took the ball from the right and broke into the penalty area to cross the ball. Sneijder touched his heel in the middle, and Arnesen's shot from behind was saved by Valdez.
In the 75th minute of the game, Harvey sent a free kick near the baseline into the penalty area. Puyol's header was confiscated by Van der Sar.
In the 79th minute of the game, Arneson knocked Puyol to the ground during the fight, and the referee showed him a yellow card.
In the 80th minute of the game, Iniesta cut in from the ribs and shot the ball after Keita separated the ball. The ball was confiscated by Van der Sar.
In the 84th minute of the game, Eto'o took the ball back and Xavi sent a through ball. Puyol stepped in and faced Van der Sar and tried to pick a shot but was blocked.
Seeing that the game is coming to an end, Leeds United not only has no tendency to score, but is constantly in danger in front of its own team's goal.
Helen herself also felt that Leeds United might miss out on the championship this time.
Looking back not far away, Ferguson did not leave this time. Instead, he stretched his neck and watched the game, chewing the gum in his mouth faster and faster.
Continue to look into the field.
She saw George Li standing upright on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets.
Only she knew that there was a small box in the pocket of that coat.
