Soon, the second half began, and the lineups of both sides remained unchanged.
Because Arsenal has fielded the strongest lineup in the ball, head coach Wenger has also done enough pre-match work. Whether they can win against Paris depends on the performance of the players on the field and their luck today.
However, who knows that once the game starts,
Paris Saint-Germain suddenly shrank its formation, and the pressing intensity was not as intense as in the first half.
In the second half, Arsenal took the kick-off, and everyone was a little surprised when their opponent suddenly retreated.
It turned out that they were in the locker room anticipating the rhythm of the game in the second half.
Who knew that Paris would actually make such an unexpected choice.
However, Arsenal passed the football past halftime, and Paris' formation came forward to overtake it.
When Henry saw this scene in the studio, he was also surprised and said: "This situation is really rare. Coach Pochettino did not let the team maintain the intensity of pressing in the first half."
"Instead, they rarely chose a retreat strategy."
"It's hard to imagine this is PSG's style of play."
Ron thought for a while and then said: "It is indeed rare. However, I think the head coach Pochettino should really want to win this game, so he chose this tactic. Maybe they are hiding a secret." A trick that will win the game.”
At this time, Fang Fang felt that there were few passing routes in front of him.
The space in the half court becomes very narrow.
The people of Paris Saint-Germain made active runs, so that they were almost everywhere.
This is a familiar bus tactic.
I didn't expect that such a luxurious lineup as Paris could choose such pragmatic tactics.
In an important cup competition like the Champions League, defensive counterattack is the wisest decision. If a team cannot defend well, it will have no chance of reaching the cup finals.
This is a recognized fact in recent years.
Especially after the Paris national team won the World Cup in 2018 by relying on defense, many teams that won the cup relied on defense to get to the end.
Of course, this is also related to Barcelona's passing football falling from the altar. If you want to win the cup now, only efficiency is the key. Ball possession alone cannot win the championship trophy.
When coach Wenger saw this scene, his face fell into thinking. In important cup matches, in fact, we are not afraid of weak teams showing up, but we are afraid of strong teams bending their noble posture and pragmatically choosing to defend and counterattack.
This is definitely a big problem for Arsenal's passing and cutting cooperation. If it cannot be solved, it will be difficult for them to find a way out of the subsequent knockout rounds.
Assistant coach Arteta also frowned, realizing the problem they were about to encounter.
"However, Paris Saint-Germain hasn't scored a goal yet, why are they choosing to defend now?" Arteta smelled something wrong.
Wenger nodded and said: "Yes, so we have to be careful. We must pay attention to the opponent's quick counterattack."
After saying that, Professor Wenger immediately shouted to the court, signaling the team not to rush into a full-scale attack and to be careful of the gaps behind them.
And the whole Arsenal team naturally knows this, because when things go wrong, there will be monsters.
Paris Saint-Germain had obviously fought against them before, but now it suddenly shrank, it must have another agenda.
Therefore, Arsenal did not press forward with all their strength, but chose to invest a small number of offensive players, trying to let the excellent frontcourt players score goals with a flash of inspiration.
But as a result, Arsenal received less support in the frontcourt. Facing Paris' bus tactics, they couldn't help but feel a little tricky.
It is difficult for a few people to pose a threat to the penalty area of Paris.
As a result, the football slipped around the perimeter with great difficulty. It is very difficult for Fang Fang, Martinelli, Lacazette, and Saka just to control the ball without making mistakes.
Because it feels like they are surrounded by people from Paris. The most important thing is that the opponent made a lot of small moves today, which caused serious interference to them.
In the 60th minute, Saka tried to make a pass from the right, but the opponent had two defenders and the football was accidentally blocked from the sideline.
Then, Saka threw the ball in, and Fang Fang turned around to catch the ball. The black and hard Gueye stuck closely behind him, pulling and tugging to prevent him from turning around and dribbling the ball.
Gueye's actions were so subtle and sophisticated that the referee didn't even notice.
However, it was as if Equation had a camera behind him. He didn't turn around, he just stayed stuck in his position and turned his back to resist Gueye's defensive harassment.
Then, the football that fell from his feet sent a precise pass to the center of the penalty area.
The football flew out in a parabola that was neither high nor short,
Lacazette's eyes lit up. He was still thinking about running to receive the ball, but he didn't expect that Fangfang sent such a crucial pass.
Lacazette then turned around and volleyed the ball back before his opponent came up to defend.
There was a loud bang.
The kick was solid and the football flew straight to the upper right corner of the goal.
However, Navas performed extremely well, and with one flying dive, he blocked this inevitable goal with one hand.
The whole place was in an uproar, and everyone was in disbelief.
Including the two central defenders of Paris Saint-Germain, they were shocked. They didn't expect their teammate Navas to fly so high and block the ball with one hand.
This is simply a door god!
The teammates quickly pulled Navas up from the ground, shouting excitedly that it was awesome, and the momentum of the defense suddenly increased.
When Fang Fang saw that his goal was blocked, he couldn't help but put his head in his hands.
"It's awesome, this is still the same wall of sighs."
When Navas was still in Real Madrid, his nickname was Nadu Wall, and he contributed many superb saves, which can make everyone feel at ease.
After all, Navas is the main goalkeeper of the Champions League treble.
However, the ball was still on Arsenal's side. Fang Fang received the ball and tried to attack again.
but,
After Navas made a superb save, Paris Saint-Germain's momentum suddenly lifted, the defense became more focused, and the defense became more solid.
Ron watched the live replay and couldn't help but sigh: "Navas was still in excellent form today and ruthlessly rejected Arsenal's goal. It's a pity. Fang Fang's pass was full of spirituality. I didn't even know it." How did he do such an accurate pick-up pass! He is a ruthless passing machine. Please forgive me for being blunt! Because until now, it is difficult for me to find another midfielder as good as him."
Henry listened to his compliments and couldn't help but wonder if he had come a little too much today.
This guy looks more like an Arsenal legend than he does. If he continues to praise him like this, Henry will almost wonder if this guy is stealing the show.
Henry was almost amused by this idea. After watching the replay of the previous goal, he said: "It is true that Paris Saint-Germain introduced Navas this season, which is obviously a wise decision. This is also why they chose to shrink their formation in the second half. One of the reasons is that with Navas’s strength, he can indeed ensure that no goals will be conceded.”
.
Head coach Pochettino also exclaimed after seeing this magical save.
He quickly applauded the players on the sidelines, then looked at the time and prepared to give the order.
Suddenly, Arsenal's offense made a mistake and Martinelli's dribbling was interrupted.
Pochettino's eyes moved and he felt that this was the moment. He quickly waved his hand towards the field, indicating that it was time to launch an offensive, thus catching Arsenal off guard.
This is Pochettino's adjustment in the midfield, trying to break the deadlock with changes in rhythm.
Immediately, Paris' formation surged out like a tide, instantly causing strong pressure on Arsenal's half.
The Arsenal defense obviously did not realize the sudden increase in speed of Paris in advance, and was really caught off guard for a while.
However, goalkeeper Leno also reacted quickly.
He quickly fell to the ground, intercepted Mbappe's powerful low shot from the outside, and held the football firmly in his arms.
When coach Wenger saw this scene, he immediately became anxious and quickly directed his disciples from the sidelines to stabilize the defense.
Although the score is still 0:0 now,
But the time has already passed half,
If the ball is conceded at this time, the game will probably be lost.
In the next four minutes, Paris' defense did not retreat any further. They kept pressing Arsenal's half-court attack.
Two consecutive passes almost resulted in a goal.
Equation cooperated with his teammates who were always tired of defending, but he did not lose defense because he was chasing the pass.
Fang Fang was still awake and still paying attention to the gap behind his opponent.
This time, Paris got a chance for a corner kick. Verratti took the corner kick and then accurately found Icardi at the back point.
However, goalkeeper Leno moved quickly and slapped the football away before Icardi could reach it.
The football drew an arc and fell into the penalty area.
At this time, Lacazette and Fang Fang are on the outside, and Lacazette is the forward. It is reasonable to stay on the outside and wait for opportunities to counterattack. Fang Fang simply doesn't want to fight for the top spot. Staying in the penalty area will only add confusion to his teammates. It's better to stay outside and wait for opportunities.
After Leno took the ball out, it fell to the feet of Saka at the top of the arc. Before he was interfered with, he stabbed Lacazette not far away.
The latter was being hugged tightly by Kimpembe and had no chance to turn around with the ball.
Just when Lacazette gritted his teeth and felt helpless, Kimpembe was about to poke the ball with his foot.
Seeing that Arsenal's quick counterattack was about to be blocked.
Between the electric light and flint,
Two pink figures suddenly sprinted out quickly!
One is Martinelli on the left, and the other is Equation in the middle.
As fast as red lightning, the two sprinted towards the hinterland of Paris!
Lacazette had no time to surprise and quickly hit Kimpembe with his back. After knocking out the space, he passed the football to the nearest Martinelli.
And the equation is faster, forming a straight red line, straight into the hinterland of Paris!
Martinelli received the pass, and before the opponent had time to catch up, he decisively sent a pass to the frontcourt.
He used all his strength to pass the ball.
The football rolled quickly against the turf, constantly rubbing, and suddenly in the final stage it slid out in a beautiful diagonal arc, chasing the No. 10 jersey.
At the same time, because the football drew an arc, it perfectly avoided the two defensive players.
Arsenal formed a 1v2 situation in the frontcourt.
Fang Fang turned his head and glanced behind him. He gritted his teeth. It was not enough. His own speed was not enough.
This ball is still a little short of catching.
We must try our best again!
His breathing was almost burning, and he was exerting all his strength.
The next second, in everyone's surprised eyes,
I saw Arsenal No. 10 suddenly speeding up again.
With an astonishing frequency of footsteps, he suddenly ran out of the afterimage, leaving Meunier and Silva behind in an instant.
He was as fast as an arrow, piercing the most deadly part of Paris Saint-Germain!
then,
Equation grabbed the pass first.
Under the desperate gazes of Meunier and Silva, he stabbed the football a second faster, but Navas' attack was a step slower, and the football passed through his wicket without losing speed, rolling towards the white line of the goal. go.
While Fang Fang was running at high speed, he was tripped by Navas and fell to the ground.
This time, he fell so hard that he felt like his whole body was about to fall apart, but his eyes still did not leave the direction of the goal.
"Go in, you must go in."
The teammates endured unfair penalties for most of the game and finally created such an excellent opportunity.
People live just for that breath, and they must let their opponents get the ending they deserve!
But Meunier and Silva still did not give up. They quickly jumped over the fallen Navas and Equation, and quickly chased the football, trying to catch the football at the last second.
But, it's too late.
This position has reached the middle of the penalty area. They failed to catch up and the football rolled steadily into the goal.
The Emirates Stadium instantly erupted, almost like an earthquake.
People celebrated and shouted wildly, Arsenal finally broke the deadlock and led 1:0!
Meunier chased until the last second and hit the net.
When Navas saw the goal, he lowered his head and then slowly squatted down.
Fang Fang breathed a long sigh of relief. This time he finally didn't waste another chance to score.
It wasn't until his teammates rushed over in surprise that he smiled and sat up.
Immediately, Martinelli and Saka quickly picked up their captain from the ground, and everyone happily ran to the sidelines to celebrate the goal.
And in the Sky Sports studio,
The expression on Ron's face has become extremely exciting, and he almost jumped up due to the live broadcast replay.
Henry next to him was also very surprised, but after seeing the reaction of his commentary partner, he felt that he couldn't find a word to describe it. The other person's expression was really too rich and exaggerated.
"33.31km/h! Equation's top speed just reached 33.31km/h."
Ron finally couldn't help but exclaimed. He pointed at the screen excitedly and said loudly,
"This is the data just measured by UEFA, omg, viewers, this speed is too exaggerated."
"This is almost the same as Sun Xingmin's fastest speed in the first half against Burnley not long ago. Sun reached 33.41km/h, and the equation is a little slower. But you must know that Fang did not start as a winger, and his position has always been midfielder. His final speed increase directly surpassed the two opponents. This speed increase is really incredible!"
"New viewers, you heard it right. Yes, I believe your hearing, the core of Arsenal is to play as an attacking midfielder."
(End of chapter)
