Ayu was injured and came off, and now Kante is about to be sent off with a red card. It's like adding insult to injury!"
Kante walked off the field helplessly; he was somewhat resigned.
Huang Hao's expression was solemn. He turned and called May and Jordan Ayew over. It was a forced substitution at halftime, but now to fill the midfield void, he had to make a proactive substitution.
After Birmingham's direct free-kick went wide, Cambridge United made a substitution.
"May comes on to replace Tadić, who started today. Tadić's performance on the right flank today was completely stifled by the opponent. Also, Kante's foul that led to his red card was out of helplessness because Tadić losing the ball allowed Birmingham to launch a counter-attack!
At the same time, Lewandowski was substituted, replaced by the young striker Jordan Ayew."
Tadić's performance today was quite ordinary, but this is the Premier League after all. Cambridge United's current level means the challenge for young players to develop and grow will be significant!
There will no longer be the League One, League Two, or League Three environments for young players to train!
Unless it's a domestic cup match against a lower League opponent, but how many such games can there be in a year?
Huang Hao didn't think too much more. He watched as May and Ayu went directly to the midfield position after coming on, and he felt a slight sense of relief.
Cambridge United had now weakened their forward line, with Vardy and Ayu dropping back to midfield, switching to a false nine formation.
Birmingham, with their numerical advantage and Cambridge United needing to regain their footing, took the opportunity to launch a fierce offensive.
In the 65th minute, Clapham assisted from the left flank, combining with Dunn and striker McFadden in a series of one-twos to successfully cut to the byline. Then, as the Cambridge United defense dropped back, he laid the ball back to the edge of the box. Dunn was marked tightly, but Clements was left open.
Clements' long-range shot from outside the box tested Oblak, who made a heroic save, pushing the ball out for a corner.
Oblak got up after the save, no longer complaining about the team's defense; he seemed to have become numb!
Birmingham's corner kick attack nearly scored, with defender Casley heading the ball towards goal from inside the box, but unfortunately, it went wide.
The Cambridge United penalty area was in turmoil, and their defense was on the verge of collapsing.
McLeish constantly urged his players from the sidelines to speed up the tempo. Playing with a man advantage, they naturally had an edge in controlling the pace of play!
In the 69th minute, Gotze received the ball on the left flank in the attacking third and quickly advanced the attack, but with too few teammates to link up with, he had to fight alone.
Just as he was about to cut into the box, he was jointly blocked by Casley and Savage. Casley initially stuck out a leg but was evaded by Gotze's agile footwork and change of direction, but Savage's subsequent tackle was successful.
Gotze lost control of the ball and fell to the ground. He helplessly protested to the referee but received no attention from Dune.
In the 73rd minute, Birmingham launched a dangerous attack down the wing, again on the left. Clapham, after assisting, delivered a cross from 45 degrees on the flank. Inside the box, Lovren jumped ahead of Žigić to head the ball clear, successfully blocking the opponent's cross.
However, the cleared ball still fell to Clements' feet. Clements controlled the ball and immediately passed it back to the right flank.
Johnson received the ball on the right flank and feigned a cross. Golonas stepped forward to block, but Johnson deftly pushed the ball forward, dribbling past Golonas and cutting into the penalty area.
De Vrij and Ayu both came to block, and May returned to the goal line to act as a defender to prevent a cross.
However, Johnson played the ball diagonally back to Dunn, who had surged into the box from outside, and he met the ball with a powerful shot that rocketed into the top right corner of the goal!
It was clean and precise, giving Oblak no chance to save.
"Bang," the ball struck the right post and bounced out for a goal kick. Cambridge United escaped a scare.
Due to being a man down, Cambridge United had not been playing well themselves for a while, and they were somewhat suppressed.
"McLeish has replaced striker McFadden with young midfielder Danny Carter, keeping Žigić on the field to continue pressuring the opponent."
Seeing McLeish's substitution, Huang Hao immediately adjusted the defense. He signaled to Lovren, then ordered the entire team to press high!
Lovren played as a sweeper, guarding against the opponent's through balls, goalkeeper Oblak expanded his defensive area, and then the team's defensive line pushed higher.
Cambridge United's midfield play was actually very disjointed because they lacked a playmaker. It would be fine if the numbers were even, but now being a man down, Golonas probably couldn't drive the team's offense, and Mahrez, after being completely suppressed by Savage in the first half, became even less visible as the game went on!
With the momentum shifting, Cambridge United had to clarify their attacking strategy.
Under Huang Hao's command, the team's offense focused on attacking down the wings! However, it was Birmingham who first created a threat!
In the 73rd minute, Ayu played a ball from midfield to the overlapping De Vrij on the right flank. The pass was a bit awkward; Clements slid in first, getting in front of the ball. De Vrij rushed forward, wanting to control the ball, but he misstepped and could only dodge away.
Clements passed the ball to Dunn, who, seeing the huge space behind the Cambridge United defensive line, immediately sent a long through ball over the top.
Lovren jumped to head the ball clear while retreating, but the ball flew over his head!
Misjudged!
Žigić, who was sprinting past, had a chance to go one-on-one!
The Birmingham fans in the stands were ecstatic, while the Cambridge United fans were almost afraid to watch!
Fortunately, the tall and large Žigić wasn't fast enough. Oblak rushed out of the box and, just before Žigić could control the ball after its second bounce, he charged forward and headed the ball away. Huang Hao then breathed a sigh of relief.
The ball flew to midfield, where Van Dijk headed it on to the left flank, and Mahrez controlled the ball, averting the danger.
Huang Hao constantly reminded his players on the sideline not to panic at this moment! The more chaotic they were, the easier it would be for the opponent to seize an opportunity and break through their defense again.
Both he and McLeish knew well: if Cambridge United conceded another goal at this point, the game would be over!
Fortunately, Gotze and Mahrez began to control the midfield in the last ten minutes of the game, and with May assisting, Cambridge United gradually regained their footing.
Then they constantly created opportunities down the wings, but a goal still seemed a long way off!
In the 82nd minute, Mahrez delivered a cross from 45 degrees on the wing. Perth headed the ball clear inside the box, and Birmingham's counter-attack was cut short in midfield, with Dunn being successfully tackled by Van Dijk and May.
Two minutes later, May pulled wide to support. Golonas, whose stamina was almost completely depleted, went to the byline to receive Gotze's pass and then swept the ball across the face of the goal. Vardy got to the ball and shot, but it was too close to goalkeeper Hart, and the ball was blocked directly by Hart's body.
Birmingham's penalty area began to show some dangerous signs.
McLeish also couldn't help but become nervous.
At this moment, he constantly reminded his players to strengthen their defense!
The Birmingham players also began to drop back to ensure their defense in the box, compressing the space within the penalty area.
Their retreat allowed Cambridge United to completely dominate the midfield, but breaking through the opponent's compact defense was still somewhat difficult.
Golonas and May attempted two long-range shots from outside the box, but neither posed a threat, either going wide or being blocked by opposing players.
Huang Hao's eyes were calm as he gazed at Birmingham's half. Cambridge United still maintained possession, passing the ball quickly and continuously outside the box, searching for gaps in the opponent's defense.
In the second minute of injury time, Golonas again actively pulled wide to the right to receive a pass from Ayu. On this side, De Vrij also pushed forward to the very front, forcing Birmingham's defenders to shift towards that side.
De Vrij made a forward run. Gotze calmly observed the situation, then kicked the ball, passing it diagonally back! No one would have expected Lovren to charge forward. He received Gotze's pass in the center and then made another diagonal pass, and the ball reached Vardy, who had run into a position slightly to the left of the penalty spot.
Savage had previously moved towards Gotze's side. At this moment, although Vardy had a defender near him, the young Danny Carter clearly couldn't pose a threat to him. Vardy quickly shifted the ball with his left foot and moved horizontally to evade Carter's defense. When fullback Casley also rushed up to aggressively press Vardy, Vardy used the inside of his left foot to slide the ball diagonally into the box near the byline.
The Birmingham players turned their heads and were shocked! Gotze went wide and then cut inside, successfully receiving the ball near the byline!
The linesman did not raise his flag!
Gotze dribbled the ball towards the goal along the byline. Center-back Upson immediately rushed back to press. As he closed in, Gotze intentionally sped up, and Upson cut across Gotze's path.
However, Gotze's acceleration meant he had almost gotten past Upson. The latter's outstretched leg, however, blocked Gotze's progress. Gotze accelerated again, looking to burst past Upson, when Upson hooked Gotze's body with his left arm, and then Gotze fell inside the penalty area!
Everyone in the stadium was stunned. Referee Dune blew his whistle, and all eyes focused on him. After blowing the whistle, he pointed to the penalty spot in Birmingham's box!
"Penalty! OMG! Gotze has won a penalty for Cambridge United inside the box!
The Birmingham players couldn't accept this result. They surrounded the referee, and Upson, who was penalized for the foul, even shouted furiously at Gotze, who was on the ground, clearly accusing him of diving!
McLeish was also furious on the sidelines!
"From the slow-motion replay, Upson did indeed impede Gotze, and he also had a hidden movement with his hand, but it cannot be denied that Gotze's fall was somewhat exaggerated."
Huang Hao stood on the sideline with his hands on his hips. When the referee blew the whistle and awarded the penalty, he knew that no matter how Birmingham protested, it would be futile.
After the referee showed Upson a yellow card for his agitated protests, Cambridge United prepared to take the penalty.
Vardy stood in front of the penalty spot inside the box. He needed to withstand the pressure and convert this kick. His moment of truth had arrived.
St. Andrews Stadium erupted in unprecedented boos, which were meant to distract Vardy.
The England striker's eyes were calm, and his expression was cold. After the referee blew his whistle, he began his run-up and then unleashed a powerful shot, sending the ball into the top left corner of the goal!
Goalkeeper Hart dived the wrong way, and the ball flew into the net.
After scoring, Vardy rushed to the sideline. He knew Birmingham would no longer have any attacking opportunities because injury time had run out. Now Cambridge United needed to run down the clock a bit more, leaving Birmingham no time to attack after the restart.
"Vardy converts the penalty with ease! 10-man Cambridge United snatch a last-gasp victory at St. Andrews Stadium!
2:1!
Referee Dune did not give Birmingham a chance to restart the game. He blew the final whistle.
At St. Andrews Stadium, Birmingham fans were extremely disappointed.
As the battle concluded, Huang Hao walked over to shake hands with McLeish after the game. After their hands met, McLeish, with a grim expression, said to Huang Hao, "If it weren't for that German boy's dive, Birmingham would be going home happy today!"
After saying that, he released Huang Hao's hand and left, not giving Huang Hao a chance to refute or retaliate, clearly using this opportunity to humiliate Huang Hao directly.
Huang Hao was stunned. Looking at McLeish's retreating figure, he murmured, "Alex, did you forget that Birmingham still has an away game at Sheikhs Park in the second half of the season?"
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Huang Hao couldn't say he was satisfied with the match. Apart from the victory, the rest of the process left him dissatisfied.
However, objectively speaking, Cambridge United's performance in this match couldn't be called good, but it wasn't bad either.
If you're not in a giant club, it's best not to have a giant club mentality.
McLeish, in his post-match interview, spoke at length about the penalty in the final moments of the game. He repeatedly emphasized that Gotze had dived and that Cambridge United's full 3 points were achieved through deceitful and despicable means.
And when Huang Hao came for his post-match interview, Brian Horton immediately asked about Gotze's penalty.
Huang Hao shook his head and said, "That was a penalty. I won't discuss it. Gotze was fouled by Upson, and referee Dune made the correct call. That's the whole story. Any baseless accusations, in my opinion, are unfair to Cambridge United. Dune's officiating today was fine, just as we calmly accepted it when he sent off Kante."
After the post-match interview, Huang Hao led his team back to Cambridge.
He didn't say too much to the players on the bus. The post-match summary meeting would be held tomorrow, and he hoped the players would prioritize rest and recovery, without adding any further pressure.