After scoring, West Ham’s offense remained strong, but Cambridge United’s effective defense often prevented their attacks from reaching the penalty area smoothly.
Cambridge United’s defensive Zone 14 seemed to have become a forbidden area. West Ham, who occasionally managed to break through to the goal, still had to face the divinely assisted Oblak; even point-blank shots were miraculously saved by him!
Ultimately, at the end of the first half, both teams were tied 1-1, and could only decide the winner after 15 minutes.
After some quick thought, Zola still concluded that Cambridge United could not maintain such high-intensity defense indefinitely, and West Ham’s players, whose individual abilities were not inferior, could not be completely marked by their opponents.
So Zola generously admitted to his players that there was a gap between his pre-match strategy and the actual situation, which also relieved the psychological burden on the players.
“Bring out all your confidence, suppress the opponent with offense, and play West Ham’s own style!”
Since he couldn’t make targeted deployments, Zola simply focused on his own team, attempting to overpower Cambridge United by leveraging the difference in player strength.
However, just two minutes into the second half, Van Dijk, under the cover of Golonas, stole the ball from Corry’s front and quickly passed it to Lewandowski upfront.
Lewandowski, after receiving the ball with his back to the goal, did not attempt to turn but instead sent the ball directly into the middle! Ayu had run to the attacking midfielder position at this time, and after receiving the ball, he passed it again to Mahrez on the left wing!
At this moment, Mahrez seemed to have become Cambridge United’s forward, directly dribbling the ball into West Ham’s penalty area!
Tomkins was tightly marking Mahrez on the inside, forcing him to continuously reduce his shooting angle!
Ultimately, thanks to Tomkins’ successful defending, although Mahrez attempted a shot from a tight angle, Green had completely sealed off the near post and successfully blocked the shot!
Zola scratched his head in confusion, wondering why Cambridge United, who were always so consistent, suddenly started playing so erratically! On the other side, Huang Hao nodded with satisfaction; although it only took a day and a half, Cambridge United’s players clearly found these small-scale adjustments not difficult to accept.
However, what Huang Hao didn’t expect was that the team was like the black bear in childhood stories that picked up one corn but dropped another.
The deadlock continued until the 59th minute of the second half, when West Ham United once again earned a corner kick opportunity on the left side of the goal, with Noble still taking it.
Noble still lofted the ball towards the goal!
Cole once again charged towards the goal from the edge of the penalty area! Having learned from the previous mistake, this time Lovren and Golonas simultaneously rushed towards Cole!
And just as Lovren started to move, Tomkins also stuck close!
The three players who collided all returned empty-handed!
But then Diamanti behind them leaped into the air!
The ball went over Oblak’s fingertips and once again nestled into the top left corner of Cambridge United’s goal!
2:1!
West Ham United used two corner kick opportunities to change the score to 2:1!
Cambridge United’s renowned set-piece offense was twice exploited by West Ham this time!
Seeing Huang Hao raging on the sidelines, the players knew that after the match, they would likely be chewed out again!
However, now was not the time to worry, as the League Cup is a single-elimination competition, and Cambridge United had to fully chase the score!
West Ham was not a soft target to be easily manipulated; even without targeted defense, they did not allow Cambridge United to easily launch their attacks. In the 62nd minute of the second half, Parker received a pass from Diamanti in the middle and directly tore through Cambridge United’s entire defense with a sharp through ball!
Di Michele suddenly appeared like a phantom behind Van Dijk!
Following up with a volley that soared like an arrow through the clouds!
The powerful shot directly hit the advertising board on the right side of the goal, letting out a muffled thud!
Cambridge United, after taking the goal kick, quickly advanced the ball to midfield.
Vardy once again dropped back to receive the ball, and Kante, seeing this, immediately passed the ball to him.
After Ayu was replaced by Gotze, Vardy had clearly become Cambridge United’s offensive pivot.
Vardy, after receiving the ball, immediately leaned on Tomkins, who was defending him, glanced at the unmarked Lewandowski on the right, and immediately sent the ball!
Lewandowski did not hesitate, directly chipped the ball, lofting it towards the edge of West Ham’s penalty area!
Because Tomkins was drawn to the midfield by Vardy, a wide-open space appeared behind Tomkins!
Gotze seized the opportunity to dribble into the penalty area!
However, the goal guarded by Green was impregnable, and Gotze’s shot was once again blocked out of bounds by Green!
Huang Hao shook his head, somewhat disbelieving. Could it be that national goalkeepers really have a buff?
Huang Hao didn’t know at this time that today at the London Stadium, 30-year-old Green and 16-year-old Oblak would stage an unforgettable divine duel!
West Ham United’s players, at the start of the match, found that Cambridge United’s players were not pressing high, feeling that they hadn’t received enough respect.
But as the match progressed into the second half, they realized that Cambridge United, who weren’t pressing high, had become even more difficult to deal with.
Their wingers seemed tireless, constantly shuttling between the front and back, their presence visible in both attack and defense.
Green directly kicked the goal kick to Daprela on the right. Daprela, who initially thought no Cambridge United player would immediately rush up, had just stopped the ball when he saw Lewandowski rapidly closing in on him!
Daprela immediately passed the ball to Parker in the middle. Gotze again closed in!
So, the ball was again transferred to Diamanti on the left.
But before Diamanti could even get to the ball, he saw Tadić once again fiercely rushing towards him!
A somewhat distracted Diamanti misjudged the touch when stopping the ball, and the ball bounced a short distance after hitting his instep.
And just as Diamanti rose to chase the ball, Kante burst out from beside him, directly kicking the ball into West Ham’s attacking half!
Using the same two-triangle formation, Cambridge United players, through relentless running, successfully intercepted the opponent’s ball!
This time Vardy finally appeared on the frontline!
While running, Vardy successfully brought down Kante’s pass, then continued to advance into the penalty area!
Upson stuck close to Vardy, trying to force him back to the byline again!
Seeing this, Vardy accelerated and dribbled the ball towards the left side of the goal, while Green constantly adjusted his steps to block Vardy’s shooting angle as much as possible.
Just as Vardy was about to slide past the goal, while running, he suddenly used the outside of his left foot to kick the ball towards the goal!
Although Green dropped to the ground extremely quickly, the ball still rolled from Green’s hands into West Ham’s goal!
2:2!
The butterfingers returned.
In the 70th minute of the second half, Cambridge United equalized the score with Vardy’s goal!
Cambridge United’s players, who did not cover the entire field with their defensive zone as usual, had exceptionally abundant stamina today.
After equalizing, they took advantage of the momentum to threaten West Ham United’s goal several times.
Fortunately, Green made high and low saves, ensuring the goal remained safe!
Seeing his 30-year-old opponent so heroic, Oblak was equally unwilling to show weakness.
In the 93rd minute, after two consecutive shots were directly blocked by Cambridge United’s players, Cole received the ball outside the penalty area.
Seeing that time was running out, Cole directly swung his right leg from outside the box, powerfully blasting the ball towards the goal! Obscured by players in front of the goal, by the time Oblak saw clearly, the ball was already at close range!
Oblak immediately dived towards the right side of the goal, simultaneously raising his right hand high, and finally, before the ball crossed the goal line, he knocked the ball out of bounds!
Cole, who missed the winning goal, covered his head with both hands, unable to believe that Oblak had actually saved his shot!
After a full 5 minutes of injury time, referee Pawson blew the whistle for the end of regular time, and both teams went directly into a penalty shootout!
Huang Hao, who hadn't experienced a penalty shootout in a long time, couldn't help but feel a little excited about today's penalty shootout, thinking of Green's butterfingers on the opposite side.
After a brief discussion, the players from both teams, having determined the shooting order, successively walked onto the field.
The Cambridge United players stood together, arms around their teammates' shoulders, waiting for the penalty shootout to begin.
As the team's main striker, Cole was the first to walk to the penalty spot.
Cole didn't engage in much mind games with Oblak; after stepping back two paces, he waited for the referee's whistle and then shot the ball directly into the bottom left corner of the goal!
Although Oblak judged the direction correctly, his reaction time was still half a beat too slow! The ball also successfully went into the goal over his head!
1:0!
Cambridge United's first penalty taker was Lewandowski.
Lewandowski likewise wasted no time, opting to shoot directly into the top corner of the goal!
Facing such a shot, Green was helpless!
1:1!
Subsequently, Parker and Vardy both chose to deceive the two excellent goalkeepers, sending the ball into the opposite direction of the goalkeeper!
2:2!
West Ham's third taker was the outstanding Noble.
Oblak moved back and forth on the goal line, trying to disrupt Noble's judgment.
Finally, at the moment Noble touched the ball, Oblak chose to dive to the right!
At this point, Noble no longer had time to change his decision, and the ball went straight for the bottom right corner of the goal!
The well-prepared Oblak directly punched the ball out of bounds with a single fist! Noble shook his head in frustration and slowly walked towards his West Ham teammates.
And Cambridge United's third taker was the young German Gotze.
Although Green judged the direction correctly, Gotze's shot was extremely tricky! The ball flew into the net, hugging the left post!
2:3!
When Diamanti and Golonas both scored, the penalty shootout also reached the crucial fifth round!
If West Ham failed to score this penalty, the game would end immediately!
Under immense pressure, Upson stepped forward.
Huang Hao's gaze was fixed on the center-back, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
After glancing at Oblak, Upson bent down to reposition the ball in front of him, then calmly stepped back a few paces.
Run-up, accelerate, low shot to the bottom left corner of the goal!
Upson's calf swing was very small, and the ball went into the goal quickly and steadily!
4:4!
The pressure was back on Cambridge United!
Tadić took a deep breath and slowly walked out from the team.
Green clapped his hands hard and roared, trying to make himself more excited!
Tadić chose to retreat to the left-rear of the ball; as a right-footed player, Tadić seemed to be aiming for the right side of the goal.
After a run-up, Tadić made a brief pause in front of the ball, then chose to shoot directly into the center!
However, the experienced Green was not affected by the feint, standing still and calmly blocking the incoming ball with both hands!
After five rounds, both sides were back on the same starting line!
Thus, the game entered the more thrilling sudden death phase!
Dimichel, who was sixth to take, noticed that Oblak was clearly leaning towards the left side of the goal when moving left and right on the goal line.
Was it unintentional? Or a trap?
For a moment, Dimichel was in a dilemma.
After quick thought, Dimichel still decided to shoot to the right; regardless of whether the opponent intentionally leaned to the left, as long as his angle was tricky enough, it would be foolproof!
So, after a quick run-up, Dimichel chose a half-volley shot!
Just as Dimichel touched the ball, Oblak first feinted to the left, then immediately dived to the right!
At the moment the ball flew over the goal line, Oblak, who had flown to the scene, directly pushed the ball out with his right hand!
Oblak, having succeeded, pumped his fist and roared! The pressure was once again on Green!
This time, Green was exceptionally calm, not making any gestures to motivate himself, but quickly stood firm in front of the goal, slowly bent down, and stared at Lovren in front of him.
Lovren did not choose to make eye contact with the goalkeeper; after placing the ball, Lovren slowly retreated to the right-rear of the ball.
As Lovren ran up, Green directly chose to dive to the right side of the goal!
Seeing this, Lovren directly chose the center!
And at this point, Green, whose body was fully extended, directly used his raised right foot to block Lovren's shot!
West Ham United fans once again gave their goal-god a super-decibel roar!
As West Ham's Collison and Spector both scored, Cambridge United's Kante and Mahrez also successfully sent the ball into the goal.
After the eighth round of penalties, the score between the two sides had reached a somewhat exaggerated 6:6!
Daprela walked out of the crowd, without any extra movements, choosing to kick the ball directly into the top right corner of the goal!
At this moment, to have such a big heart is truly admirable!
7:6!
And at this point, Cambridge United's next player was the young Van Dijk, only 20 years old!
This made Huang Hao nervous; this round was beyond his expectations.
Retreat, run-up, shoot!
Van Dijk powerfully kicked the ball to the left side of the goal!
Green also dived to the left!
Although under the interference of Green's fingertips, the ball hit the left post, it still bounced into the goal without much trouble!
7:7!
At this point, the penalty shootout had entered the 10th round!
West Ham United's next player was also their own youth academy player, 20-year-old Tomkins.
Tomkins chose a half-volley to the center-right!
Oblak, who was originally preparing to dive to the right, braked in time, quickly swung his right hand, and directly batted the ball out!
Cambridge United once again had a chance to end the game!
This time, Oblak personally came to the ball; the two excellent goalkeepers also had their first direct confrontation!
Green looked at Oblak, a slight smile on his lips, then clapped his hands hard and bent down, ready!
After a run-up, Oblak shot low to the left side of the goal!
However, the angle of the shot was not tricky enough!
Green made a standard side-dive and directly blocked the ball!
Then, the two directly swapped positions for their 11th round showdown!
Green deceived Oblak, who dived to the right, and easily pushed the ball to the left side of the goal!
The direct confrontation between the two goalkeepers ended in a complete victory for Green! Fortunately, Sun Jihai, who came next, withstood the pressure and also calmly scored the penalty!
8:8!
And all 11 players on the field from both sides had already completed one round of penalties, entering the second cycle!
This was the longest penalty shootout Huang Hao had personally experienced; from the initial tension, to the rapid acceleration of his heartbeat later, to now, he was somewhat numb.
When Kante scored the penalty again, the score on the field had already become 12:12!
This penalty shootout had lasted a full 15 rounds!!!
Diamanti walked out again, looking somewhat tired.
After some thought, Diamanti chose to shoot low to the center!
And Oblak, who was not interfered with by the feint, quickly dropped to the ground and successfully blocked the ball!
This was Cambridge United's fourth match point!
It was Mario Gotze again!
Gotze took a deep breath, then shot the ball directly into the top right corner of the goal!
This was a position Green could not reach!
As the ball fell into the net, the Cambridge United players rushed forward!
12:13!
Cambridge United finally had the last laugh in this penalty shootout, entering the third round of the English League Cup in an almost tragic manner!
Zola was relieved!
Although losing was somewhat frustrating, this damn game was finally over!