One Step Further
One Step Further
Fàbregas remembered that before coming on the game, Hierro had specially instructed the team:
"There's one piece of intelligence that may be in your favor - George Wood has a yellow card on him..."
Hierro did not go on, but many people, including Fàbregas, fully understood.
As England's captain and core, Wood would be disqualified from playing in the final if he were to receive another yellow card in the game. This had happened to him once. During Nottingham Forest's return to the English Premier League in the 05-06 season, Nottingham Forest had reached the UEFA Champions League final game, playing against the opponent, Barcelona, which had trained Fàbregas. In the semifinals before that game, they competed against Arsenal, which Fàbregas played for. George Wood missed the final game as he received a yellow card at the last minute, which resulted in the accumulation of two yellow cards. Had it not been for his absence, Nottingham Forest might have lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy a season earlier.
Since the incident, Wood had been rather disgusted by having to be in the stands while his team competed. So even with a serious injury, he strongly urged Twain to take him to Spain so that he could be ready to play at any time.
The news was indeed beneficial to Fàbregas.
George Wood, who had a yellow card on him, was certain to have some misgivings in the second half. He would not be able to play to his full ability. As long as he remembered the possibility of getting another yellow card and kissing the UEFA European Championship goodbye, he could not be nonchalant about it.
It was well worth taking advantage of.
At the thought of it, Fàbregas raised his hand for the ball and ran forward at the same time. He wanted to get closer to Wood and force him to foul.
Iniesta passed the ball to Fàbregas as he knew what Cesc was going to do. In fact, he also had the same intention. However, he was entangled with Michael Johnson. He would be walking right into a trap if he went up to Wood.
When Fàbregas received the ball, he dribbled it straight toward Wood.
Wood did not shy away. He waited for Fàbregas to come up. As the last line of defense before the center backs, he would hold his ground at all costs.
Fàbregas suddenly flicked the ball to the left as he approached Wood. Then he turned around and waited for Wood to lean forward.
Wood did not disappoint him. He stepped to the right and stuck closer while he extended his leg to tackle the ball at the same time. Fàbregas was faster on his feet. He knocked the ball away and hit against Wood's leg. Next, he lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground. He did not forget to cry in pain!
The sound struck Twain's heart with fear – if Wood fouled, how would the referee decide? A verbal warning or a card?
He stood up nervously, staring unblinkingly at the black-clad referee who ran to the spot of the incident.
Fortunately, the referee just put his hand forward and did not mean to take a card out of his breast pocket. In the end, there was not even a verbal warning. He only gave a free-kick to Spain.
Twain breathed a sigh of relief and sat down again.
Four minutes later, the Spanish team made a comeback. It was Fàbregas again. He had come to Wood once more. However, this time after Fàbregas fell to the ground, Wood raised both his hands to show that he had no involvement. The referee did not pay any heed to the protesting Cesc Fàbregas lying on the ground and signaled that the game would go on.
The third time, Wood faced Silva's sudden cut to the inside. He used his body to knock the thin opponent away and a whistle was blown for the foul. Silva, Fàbregas, and Iniesta were all around the referee, making gestures to him to pull out the card.
Twain, who saw the scene, cursed, "D**n your motherf**king card!"
Luckily, the referee was not moved by the Spanish players this time. However, because Wood did not receive a card for his supposed fouls, it had caused the Spanish fans in the stands to boo with displeasure.
Twain could see that the Spaniards had planned this in advance. They knew Wood had a yellow card and deliberately wanted Wood to hold back during the defense. He had to remind Wood to be careful.
Thinking of it, Twain got up and walked to the sidelines. He yelled Wood's name toward the field. After attracting Wood's attention, he shouted, "Watch your movements, George! Don't foul easily! Don't give them a chance!"
In fact, even without Twain shouting, Wood was aware of what the other side wanted to do. He admitted he was currently at a loss – he was not willing to give in, but he did not want to miss the final by getting another yellow card either. For an England player, it was not common to reach the final. He did not want to miss such an opportunity, not to mention he wanted to lift the championship trophy with his own hands. How could he become a mere spectator on the bench?
※※※
After the England team fought back once, the Spaniards launched an attack again. The target was still George Wood, but this time it was Iniesta who came up. After a series of short passes and switching positions with Fàbregas, Iniesta came up to Wood. This time I must take you back down, he thought!
Wood saw that Iniesta was getting closer and closer. He finally made up his mind not to let the other side pass. However, just as he was about to make a move, someone charged out from the side and knocked Iniesta out along with the ball. Iniesta, who flew out, heard the referee's whistle. However, to his surprise, when he glimpsed from the corner of his eye, George Wood was still standing in front of him...
Still on the ground, Wayne Rooney played along and held up his right hand, indicating that he had committed the foul.
Wood looked with a little surprise at Rooney, who was sitting on the ground without a care.
After Rooney got up from the ground, he patted Wood on the shoulder and said, "Defense is not your job alone."
The Spanish players deemed Rooney's foul as a provocation. They angrily surrounded the referee and motioned to the referee to give the card. This time, however, the referee only verbally warned Rooney and did not take out a card. The Spaniards' booing in the stands grew louder.
Twain decided to make an adjustment, and a bold adjustment at that. He decided to move Gerrard to the back and let Wood play as the attacking midfielder. It might send Wood to the front of Camacho in that way, but at the very least it would reduce the likelihood that he would get a card for defensive fouls. Anyway, the England team was a goal ahead. Even if they eventually won with one goal, Twain would not think that there was anything to be embarrassed about. It would still be a win. Moreover, Wood's long-shot ability could be put to more important use in the attacking midfielder position.
Twain's adjustment this time surprised the Spanish team...
Hierro turned his head around several times to look at Twain, trying to guess what he had in mind - it was clear that the England team had largely abandoned the sidelines amid Spain's aggressive attacks. Their few attacks were all launched by Wood from the backfield, using his ability to assess the general situation and long passes to create chances for Mitchell and Vaughan in the front. Now he was pushing Wood to the front field to face Spain's defensive midfielder, Camacho, directly. Would it not be risky?
Camacho turned his head and looked at Hierro, who gestured to him to go mark Wood. They could only use this method at the moment. However, it was also an indirect way to achieve their own goal – anyway, George Wood was no longer in the position of a defensive midfielder. The 36-year-old Gerrard's contribution to the defense was certainly not comparable to Wood. In a way, it could be considered that Spain had cleared the way for its offense.
Now they could ignore Wood and fully press ahead to attack!
The Spaniards wanted to blow the bugle-horn toward the counterattack, but they did not expect that the England team would be the one to take the lead.
After Gerrard was placed in the backfield, he could also organize the attack as Wood did. When the ball reached Wood, he took advantage of his strong body and explosive force to squeeze in front of Camacho. Following which, after he did a one-two pass combination with Mitchell who came back to assist, he directly made his shot!
Asenjo basically did not react to the sudden shot. It was a pity that the football deflected off the goalpost.
Although he did not score, he stunned the Spaniards. who broke out in a cold sweat.
Hierro only realized at this point that in terms of long shots, the England team had more than just Steven Gerrard alone...
He walked to the sidelines and nervously instructed Camacho to step up the marking of Wood. Now he could only think of such a countermeasure. He was at a loss on how to adjust his team better.
After Hierro gave the instructions, he went back. He suddenly felt a little reluctant: in the end, he was still in a disadvantageous position and led by the nose by Twain all this time, in competition with the manager who had coached him before. He had never once mastered the initiative ... Including the adjustment he made during the halftime interval, he now found that the other party had long expected it.
He instructed his players to try to get as much place kicks as possible, which was an effective way to break the impenetrable defense. However, the England team was sly and always tried to foul in the non-dangerous areas, far away from the penalty area. He asked the team to try and suppress the England team's sidelines. As a result, the England team gave up the sidelines on its own accord. George Wood became active in the middle and was now the England team's main point of attack.
Moreover, while the England team did not have the upper hand since the start of the second half, their goal did not face too much danger. That was what Hierro was most worried about – from the way the game was going, it would only be better for the defense. They must score, and the sooner, the better. To achieve the aim, even if they... even if they temporarily ignored the defense, it was worth it!
Hierro had been thinking for a while and decided to bring on two full-backs to strengthen Spain's offense to put pressure on England's rear defensive line. From there, they could force Wood and the others to retreat to defend and achieve the aim of reducing pressure on their own defense.
England's defense was very tight, and the Spaniards' attack was hard to penetrate. Furthermore, when England counter pressed, they also encountered the Spanish team's besiegement in the front field, making it very difficult for them to send the ball to the front field. Michael Johnson did not have a superb long pass ability either. It was all down to Gerrard alone and he was vulnerable to being targeted.
For a time, the two sides were caught in a deadlock, with neither able to cope with the other.
※※※
Both managers got up from their seats in succession and stood on the sidelines to inspect the game. The players of both teams on the pitch fought bitterly and refused to give in at all. Wood had another foul, while Agbonlahor was shown another yellow card. The Spaniards had a very good chance once during the period while the England team's three defenders made a minor error between them, allowing Bojan to slip in between the three of them, which meant they would only have to face Joe Hart. However, the opportunity seemed too easy, and Bojan kicked the ball straight into the stands.
This shot made Hierro mumble to himself for a long time. He certainly had reason to complain. He had seen Bojan charge in and watched Fàbregas pass the ball in, only to eventually see Bojan kick the ball in a skewed way. He jumped up as if he was the one being kicked and not the ball.
"This was almost Spain's best chance in the second half, and Bojan kicked the ball too high! What a shame," The Spanish commentator said with annoyance.
John Motson breathed a sigh of relief. "It looks like Heaven is on our side today..."
Hierro made a mistake during the halftime interval. He could see it now. He had asked the team to strengthen the offensive on the sidelines and passes from the sides were naturally part of it. However, Bojan was short and thin. He could not get the upper hand in the contest for headers against England's center backs. The side pass had become a useless set-up.
Hierro could not agree to such a waste of offensive resources.
In the 20th minute of the second half, Hierro gritted his teeth and replaced Bojan with the more impactful Torres. Even if Torres was injured, he had to play. If they lost the game, it would become meaningless even if he recovered from his injury. Who would want to play in the finals for the third or fourth place?
Torres ran energetically on the pitch. He hoped to be the one who could become the hero to save Spain.
The 32-year-old Torres was not as fast as he was when he was young. However, his experience and awareness, as well as his footwork used to kick the ball toward the goal, were a step up from his youth. Now he was considered "a veteran."
Seeing him on the pitch, the England defenders got collectively nervous. As someone who also played in the English Premier League, everyone knew what a masterful striker Torres was. A player who had been hovering in the top three of the English Premier League's goal scorer list all year round could not be underestimated.
Sure enough, Torres gave England an initial show of strength as soon as he came on the pitch. His shot from outside the penalty area was deflected by Joe Hart after much difficulty. His long-shot also rekindled the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans. Having not seen a goal scored for a long time, the Spanish fans in Nou Mestalla stadium were a little deflated, but the English fans' singing became more resonant.
George Wood returned to the defensive midfielder's position in the end. After all, once the Spanish team gave it all to attack ferociously, the England team's rear defensive line became hard-pressed. Naturally, he also became the target of the Spanish team's breakthrough point once again. Even Torres, who had just come on, would look for opportunities to have a face-off one on one with Wood. This time Wood stopped the ball without a foul.
Twain applauded Wood's defense off the field. His move at this time was a good blow to Torres's arrogance and showed him who was in charge in front of the penalty area! The results were pretty good. They just had to look at the England fans in the stands who clapped so hard and cheered loudly to know it.
Saint George was a big mountain in front of England's goal. Any storm that came to him had to stop, and the goal behind the mountain was always sunny.
It was just that this mountain did not just keep out the elements...
※※※
The game went on to the 75th minute. After Torres's shot was blocked by Hart, the goalkeeper from Manchester City did not kick the ball out but used his hand to throw the ball to Gerrard outside the penalty area.
As soon as Gerrard received the football, Iniesta rushed up. The Spanish players still remembered the manager asking them to actively surround and grab in the front field.
Gerrard also naturally remembered Twain instructing them to send out the ball fast.
He turned around and passed the football to Michael Johnson next to him. Gerrard ran forward and pretended to be involved in the attack when in fact he only wanted to attract the attention of the Spanish midfielders.
As expected, instead of passing the ball to him, Johnson gave it to Agbonlahor on the right. Once Agbonlahor received the ball, he directly knocked it forward without a second's delay and started to accelerate to pursue the ball.
It was the form of attack that the Spaniards feared most. If they did not stop him right then, it would have been big trouble. Upon seeing the situation, Camacho also dropped Wood and sprinted toward Agbonlahor. The player from Nottingham Forest was not a fool who only knew how to play with brute force. Seeing Camacho pounce toward him, Agbonlahor passed the ball cleanly to George Wood, who plugged in from the middle. It was a ploy to lure the enemy away from his territory!
Wood picked up the ball, and Camacho was not there. Only the center back rushed up.
Piqué motioned to Albiol to wait at the back. He wanted to meet his former captain in person.
Wood never used fancy footwork when he dribbled the ball. He had the advantage of his explosive force. Indeed, he just needed to pull the ball away and accelerate to overtake. Piqué understood this point, so he did not suddenly pounce on him. He kept a certain distance and followed Wood to retreat. At the same time, he slowly pushed him toward the sideline. As long as he made Wood go to the side, it would be counted as a success. That was because Wood did not know how to do a cross pass. His cross passes were terrible in quality.
Piqué thought so, but Wood would not give him the chance to do that. After seeing Piqué's attempt, Wood passed the ball straight to Vaughan in front of him.
Piqué gave pause and immediately turned around to pounce on Vaughan. That was when Vaughan sent the ball back to Wood, who passed the ball directly without stopping to Mitchell who was waiting in front.
Mitchell returned the ball. Albiol knew that the front of the penalty area was where Wood was good at launching, so he hurriedly dropped Mitchell to pounce on Wood. At the same time, Piqué also turned and pounced on him. The two men rushed toward Wood one after the other, and they had the same idea - even if they were sent off with a red card, they could not allow Wood to shoot the ball!
Wood knocked the back pass to the left and appeared to try to evade Albiol, who was coming directly at him so as to take advantage of an opportunity to shoot and score. It was exactly what Albiol and Piqué thought, and the two men slightly changed their direction to continue to press on Wood.
In fact, what Wood did happened to be in their favor. The idea of the two men was to force Wood to the sideline in time so that he would not pose a threat at all. However, just as the encirclement from the two was about to close, the football sprang out of the gap between the two of them!
No one thought that Wood would actually knock the football behind him with his heel...
Mitchell was already in an offside position and he was unconcerned with Wood's pass.
However, another person was in an exceptionally good shape today...
James Vaughan had scored a goal in his first appearance in the starting lineup for the UEFA European Championship and was still actively looking for a chance to score again.
Now, the opportunity was right in front of his eyes!
George Wood had attracted two of Spain's center backs for him and sent another pass of reasonable strength to get him facing the goal head-on. Could there be a better chance in the world?
Of course not!
Vaughan fired straight into the ball coming at him and the ball drew an obvious arc. If it was viewed from Vaughan's position, perhaps it could be thought that the ball would fly straight out of the end line because the radian was too wide...
But just as it approached the goal, the football suddenly began to spin!
Even though Asenjo tried to make a save early, the football turned in a wide arc...and bypassed Asenjo's hands to spin straight into the top corner of the goal!
"James Vaughan... YES! YES! YES!!" Motson was thrilled and shouted, "England is two goals ahead!"
The football flew into the goal from a dead corner. Asenjo could only look at the ball and sigh. Then he fell heavily to the ground, even forgetting to do the action of rolling over to reduce the impact. It was no wonder, as the blow was too heavy for the Spaniards.
2:0! England was in the lead!