After 15 minutes, Aston Villa was awarded another free kick in the attacking half.
This free kick was midway between the center circle and the edge of the penalty area, clearly out of shooting range from Cambridge United’s goal.
For some reason, seeing Downing standing in front of the ball made Huang Hao feel uneasy.
Except for Captain Lewandowski and two players forming the wall, all Cambridge United players retreated into the penalty area.
The rain showed no signs of letting up, and players constantly wiped the rain from their eyes to prevent their vision from being obscured.
Inside the penalty area, Oblak was nervously organizing the defense.
Lovren was tasked with marking Haskey, Sun Jihai with Petrov, and the remaining 3 players were also assigned to Cambridge United’s 4 defenders.
Once everything was in order, Oblak retreated to the center of the goal, keeping his eyes fixed on Downing.
Atkinson blew the whistle for the kick!
Downing delivered a precise pass, lofting the ball directly towards the left side of the goal!
All of Aston Villa’s players rushed towards the left side of the goal!
Ayu, who was not good at defending, directly lost his target, Delph, in the heavy rain!
Sun Jihai, who was originally marking Petrov, was startled when he saw Delph running towards him!
After a slight hesitation, Sun Jihai chose to cover!
However, Delph had already jumped first!!!
The best defensive opportunity vanished in an instant! Sun Jihai, who jumped half a beat late, once again lost in the aerial challenge!
Delph, who got to the first ball, headed it directly into the top left corner of the goal!
0:2!
Oblak angrily kicked the ball out of the goal! Ayu’s defensive mistake this time was too amateurish! Even a god couldn’t have saved that.
Ayu, knowing he was at fault, apologized to Oblak with a hand gesture, then quickly ran out of the penalty area.
Huang Hao on the sidelines also frowned deeply; set pieces were originally Cambridge United’s strength, but after entering the Premier League, their effectiveness was greatly reduced, and today they even became Aston Villa’s scoring weapon.
Could it be that the players only remember to concentrate when it’s the 80th minute?
It seems training needs to be increased!
Conceding two goals to the opponent in less than 20 minutes, the Cambridge United players knew what such a result at home meant.
Lewandowski clapped his hands forcefully at his teammates!
“Cheer up! This is our home! Otherwise, we’re dead at halftime!”
If the score remained like this, what Huang Hao would do at halftime—the Cambridge United players shivered at the thought of that scene!
Just then, Aston Villa was awarded another free kick in the attacking half.
Downing passed the ball directly to Petrov in the middle, attempting a one-two with him.
However, as soon as the ball reached Petrov’s feet, Lewandowski directly intercepted it! As Cambridge United’s captain, he would never allow any team to run wild at Selhurst Park!
Bang!!!
The immense force of the ball made Taylor’s palms tingle, but fortunately, Vardy’s powerful shot was successfully parried out for a corner.
Selhurst Park Stadium once again erupted in a huge sigh.
Captain Lewandowski’s brilliant interception in front of the penalty area ultimately failed to help Cambridge United change the score on the field.
At their home ground, Cambridge United was currently trailing visiting Aston Villa 0:2.
The rain was getting heavier, and although he had an umbrella, Zhang Lei’s shoulders were still soaked.
Looking at the gloomy sky, in the last match, he stood with Arsenal and ended up being thrashed by the inconspicuous Cambridge United.
In this match, he finally managed to become a proper Cambridge United fan, and as a result, he was thrashed again by someone else.
His luck was truly unparalleled. Could he be the chosen one with special luck?
He wondered if that Head Coach compatriot, who didn't seem much older than him, still had a chance to turn the game around in this match.
Cambridge United won four consecutive corners on both sides of Aston Villa, but unfortunately, none resulted in a goal.
However, as Cambridge United’s offense improved, Aston Villa, despite being the stronger side, found themselves at a disadvantage on the field for a while, being pressed so hard by Cambridge United that they appeared quite disheveled.
In the 27th minute of the first half, Luke Young successfully blocked Ayu’s attack on the left wing, and the ball touched Ayu’s calf before flying out of bounds, giving Aston Villa a throw-in. This was a very perfect tackle by Luke Young.
Fortunately, Ayu made amends; as soon as Aston Villa took the throw-in, he immediately got in front of Haskey and kicked the ball to Sun Jihai.
Although the rain was pouring and visibility was poor, Sun Jihai vaguely saw a yellow figure in the attacking half.
Without any hesitation, Sun Jihai immediately launched a long pass to initiate a counterattack, sending the ball to the edge of the penalty area!
Seeing the incoming ball, Lewandowski first firmly held off Dunn, and as the ball was about to drop onto his head, he directly turned and went around him, successfully shaking off Dunn!
Cambridge United’s sharp through-ball tactic succeeded!
Lewandowski quickly dribbled the ball into the six-yard box, and facing Taylor’s block, Lewandowski directly shot with his left foot towards the near post!
Before Taylor could make a save, the ball had already hit the near post and rebounded!
At this point, Dunn, unable to stop, collided with Lewandowski, and the unbalanced Dunn directly hit the rebounding ball! The ball bounced and rolled towards the goal.
Taylor didn’t have time to think; he immediately dove into the goal, reaching out and scooping the ball just before it crossed the goal line!
After being blocked by Taylor, the ball slid directly along the goal line towards the far post!
Vardy and Davis rushed up simultaneously!
Davis gave his all, using his left hand to block Vardy, and at the same time, lifted his left foot, attempting to kick the ball out of the penalty area!
Just as the ball left Davis’s toe, Delph arrived on the scene!
And so, the ball, after hitting Delph’s thigh, once again bounced towards the goal!
Taylor, who had just gotten up, watched in despair as the ball found the back of the net!
1:2!
With the “united efforts” of the defenders, Aston Villa’s third opening blow directly struck themselves! And Cambridge United finally, fortunately, pulled a goal back!
The unlucky Delph successfully scored an own goal! Nevertheless, Cambridge United’s fans finally got a chance to vent!
They directly threw away their umbrellas, took off their shirts, and wildly waved their hands in the heavy rain, fully releasing their emotions!
Huang Hao and the players on the bench also rushed directly into the heavy rain, celebrating this hard-won goal!
Delph and Davis said nothing, walking out of the penalty area with their heads down.
For them, they just wanted to quickly forget everything that had just happened.
In the heavy rain, both teams concluded the first half, with Aston Villa scoring all three goals of the first half, still maintaining a one-goal lead away from home.
Surprisingly, Huang Hao did not scold them as the players had expected.
He simply told everyone to dry themselves as quickly as possible, change into new jerseys, and drink two sips of warm water to make themselves more comfortable.
Once everyone was ready and sitting back in their seats in a more comfortable state, Huang Hao walked to the center of the group, ready to brief them on the second half’s strategy.
“Listen, today’s heavy rain has indeed had a great impact on everyone, but for us, it’s also a very good opportunity.”
Facing the limited time remaining, Huang Hao did not elaborate but went straight to the point.
“Our passing and control are probably only at the lower end of the Premier League, but this heavy rain puts us and Villa on the same starting line.”
“However, it doesn't have much impact on our best through balls. So, in the second half, we must continue to play this way. As long as you can hold on, scoring is only a matter of time.”
“However.”
Ayu, who thought the pep talk was over, felt a jolt in his heart! “Your two conceded goals today will be included as negative examples in next week’s most important tactical analysis class.”
“How this will be accounted for, the next 45 minutes are crucial, I won’t say anything else.”
The faint smile on Huang Hao’s lips slowly disappeared with these words.
The players took a deep breath, keenly realizing that the 45 minutes of the second half would be their last chance for redemption.
When the players stepped onto the field again, the raindrops that had just been forming lines suddenly vanished without a trace! Although the ground was still very slippery, the perceived temperature was quite comfortable.
The Cambridge United players, having changed into dry kits, also began their journey of redemption.
Especially Ayu, who frequently moved between the attacking and defending halves, playing very hard.
As soon as Davis brought the ball into Cambridge United’s attacking half, Ayu executed a clean slide tackle, sending the ball directly out of bounds.
Luke Young threw the ball directly to Haskey, who received it with his back to goal, shielded Ayu, and then passed the ball back to Luke Young.
Luke Young, unopposed, directly crossed the ball!
This cross was a bit too close to the goal, and Oblak immediately came forward to gather the ball into his arms.
While Aston Villa players were still in their own half, Oblak quickly launched a high kick, sending the ball directly to Aston Villa’s front right side!
This high, floating pass, almost on the right sideline of the attacking half, was directly brought down by the arriving Tadić!
Seeing the ball instantly lose momentum and obediently stop at Tadić’s feet, the Cambridge United fans at Selhurst Park Stadium immediately gave Tadić an encouraging round of applause!
For some reason, Huang Hao suddenly thought of his national team, the one that could make him fall over just by faking a move; if it were them, this ball would probably go out of bounds 100 times.
Facing the sudden mental distraction, Huang Hao quickly shook his head to clear his mind.
Darren, standing beside him, looked at Huang Hao shaking his head with a puzzled expression.
“Huang, I think Tadić’s touch was pretty good.”
Realizing that his action had caused Darren to misunderstand, Huang Hao was about to explain when he saw Darren suddenly tense up!
Huang Hao quickly turned his attention to the field!
Tadić, having stopped the ball, faced Warnock’s defense and directly sent the ball to the edge of the penalty area!
Lewandowski at the near post jumped and feigned a touch, and the ball went directly over him and Davis!
And behind both of them were Cambridge United’s Vardy and Ayu!!!
Under Vardy’s cover, Ayu, after controlling the ball, directly chipped it into the top left corner of the goal!
Taylor was unable to save, watching as the ball found the net again!
2:2!
After scoring, Ayu frantically ran to Huang Hao, performing a famous African dance, which amused Huang Hao, who quickly waved him away.
Five minutes into the second half, Ayu completed his redemption, and Cambridge United successfully equalized the score!
After cheering and celebrating with everyone, Zhang Lei sat back down, visibly relieved.
Just before Cambridge United equalized, Zhang Lei had briefly wondered if he was somehow incompatible with the team.
Otherwise, why would the team be crushed at home just as he became a Cambridge United fan?
Fortunately, Ayu’s goal put both teams back on equal footing, and Zhang Lei stopped his wild thoughts.
Aston Villa’s players were unwilling to let Cambridge United wipe out their advantage like this, but the heavily waterlogged pitch became the biggest obstacle to their offense.
Unable to play their passing game, Aston Villa resorted to the long-ball tactics inherent in their English football DNA, relying on Haskey’s headers and Agbonlahor’s speed to threaten Cambridge United’s goal.
Cambridge United also became more cautious in defending set pieces; if the opponent completed a hat-trick through set pieces in this match, Cambridge United’s training next week would likely become a nightmare for the players.
As a result, in the remainder of the match, the ball frequently flew through the air, and the level of excitement was greatly diminished.
The match quickly reached the 77th minute, and Mikel’s The U's army was also preparing to pull out their TIFO, further reinforcing Huang Hao’s emphasis on concentration.
At this moment, Aston Villa was awarded another corner kick on the left side.
Downing sent the ball in front of the goal, and Lovren solidly headed the ball out of the penalty area!
Milner squeezed in front of Sun Jihai, catching up to the ball in the byline area.
Milner, being marked by two players, quickly abandoned the idea of breaking through and passed the ball to Delph at the edge of the penalty area, who then quickly distributed the ball to Luke Young on the left.
Although Kante and Van Dijk were defending him, Downing still managed to pass the ball through the gap between them, sending it in front of the goal!
Beep!!!
A sharp whistle suddenly sounded at Selhurst Park Stadium!
Then, referee Atkinson immediately pointed to the penalty spot!
Agbonlahor had just been bumped by Ayu during an aerial challenge in the penalty area!
Again!
Huang Hao immediately covered his head with both hands in agony!