Juninho immediately tried to steal the ball back, but Konchesky immediately passed it diagonally to the wing, giving the ball to the full-back Pantsil. After dribbling forward a couple of steps, Pantsil diagonally passed the ball to the central midfield. Zamora controlled the ball, turned, and charged solo towards the Cambridge United penalty area.
After Kante stepped up to press and force Zamora to change direction, M'Vila decisively stepped forward and intercepted the ball.
Although Cambridge United won the ball, M'Vila felt a sense of powerlessness looking at Fulham's composed and well-prepared setup in the attacking third. He could only pass the ball to De Vrij on the wing. On the sideline, Hodgson stood with his hands in his pockets, head held high. He wasn't intentionally targeting Huang Hao; he would approach any other top-6 team with the same humility!
Furthermore, while Fulham appeared very conservative, Hodgson believed that such a Fulham might not be without a chance against Cambridge United!
Zamora's solo effort seemed a bit overambitious, and the attack posed no threat.
But what about as the game progressed?
What about after Fulham's ironclad defense repeatedly frustrated Cambridge United?
Would Cambridge United's desire for victory change?
Testing a team's strength is far more complex than just technical ability and tactical systems; it also crucially involves mental and psychological aspects.
Cambridge United had previously broken the mentality of many teams.
They relied on offense!
But today, Hodgson was going to use defense to destroy Cambridge United's mentality!
Impatience after failing to achieve a desired outcome is the most normal reaction.
The game progressed with one team attacking and the other defending. Cambridge United controlled the midfield and seemingly had the upper hand, but they found it incredibly difficult to create threatening attacks!
Huang Hao also stood on the sideline, observing the match, trying to find a way to break through Fulham's defense.
If Fulham were simply piling up defensive players, Cambridge United wouldn't be in such a difficult situation. But Fulham's defense was clearly highly coordinated, with frequent rotations and cover between the wings and defensive midfielders. It was evident that Hodgson's coaching had allowed Fulham to improve, and this was inseparable from the team's enhanced understanding and mutual trust.
For the first 25 minutes of the match, neither team managed a single shot!
Cambridge United didn't want to take hasty shots and waste attacking opportunities, while Fulham simply couldn't get their offense within thirty yards of Cambridge United's goal.
It wasn't until the 27th minute that Murphy, in a combination with Zamora, finally reached the edge of Cambridge United's penalty area. Facing pressure from both De Vrij and M'Vila, he hastily took a shot, sending a long-range effort into the stands, wildly off target.
Regardless, a shot on goal finally occurred!
It seemed Murphy's long-range shot reminded Cambridge United, prompting them to frequently adopt a long-range shooting strategy in the subsequent play.
Vardy withdrew from the penalty area, starting to create long-range shooting opportunities for his teammates making late runs. In the 31st minute, when Juninho and Vardy together attracted Fulham's central defenders in the central area outside the box, Kante's late run created a long-range shooting opportunity.
Vardy laid the ball back to him, and Kante took a shot from 28 yards out.
His long-range shot was Cambridge United's first of the match, and its quality was exceptionally high, truly stunning!
Everyone watched as the ball, struck by Kante from the right side of the penalty area, lifted off the ground with intense spin, tracing a clear, beautiful, and unpredictable arc through the air, and it was incredibly fast!
After soaring over the heads of the Fulham defenders, the ball began to spin downwards, descending towards the top right corner of Fulham's goal – what appeared to be an impossible angle!
The Fulham players and the home fans in the stands felt their hearts sink, sensing an ominous outcome.
Hodgson stood dumbfounded on the sideline, muttering to himself, "Damn it, no way?"
If Cambridge United broke the deadlock with a world-class goal, Hodgson would undoubtedly be extremely frustrated.
At that critical moment, just when 99% of people thought the ball would find the top corner of Fulham's goal, right as it was about to fly in, a hand blocked the ball's path!
"OMG! Schwarzer saved Kante's nearly perfect curling shot! Australian international goalkeeper Schwarzer made a world-class save, denying Cambridge United a world-class goal!"
When the Cambridge United players saw Schwarzer's left palm push the ball out for a corner, they looked incredibly bewildered. Kante gritted his teeth, full of unwillingness, thinking, 'Is it easy for me to get a shot off?'
Fulham fans and players on the field, however, were greatly encouraged. They cheered and rushed towards Schwarzer, high-fiving him. Schwarzer, after high-fiving his teammates, shouted instructions to them for corner kick defense and marking.
Hodgson took a deep breath. To say he felt no pressure would be impossible.
If they played such a passive game at home and ultimately lost, he would certainly become a target for media criticism.
But knowing that a strong attack or balanced offense and defense would likely be defeated by Cambridge United, he preferred to take a gamble, adopting a defensive, attritional tactic, waiting for Cambridge United to make a mistake.
Huang Hao witnessed Kante's long-range shot fail to score. Although his expression didn't change much, his right hand, tucked in his pocket, was already clenched tightly into a fist.
Cambridge United's corner kick attack posed no threat, and even when Fulham gained possession, they didn't adopt a strong attacking posture, merely adding one more player to their offense: Duff!
After a series of passes, Duff advanced past midfield, but seeing Cambridge United defenders intercepting both Zamora and Murphy ahead, he abandoned further attack. He sent a long pass to Zamora, then turned and returned to his defensive zone.
Zamora headed the ball back in front of De Vrij, trying to create an opportunity for a late-running Murphy, but Lovren anticipated it and took the ball away directly from Murphy.
After winning the ball, Lovren immediately tried to launch an attack, but when he looked up at the attacking third, Fulham's defenders had already set up their defensive line. Cambridge United had no chance for a counter-attack, not even a quick break!
Lovren, eager to save time, knew that the longer they delayed, the more disadvantageous it would be for Cambridge United's attack. They had been playing continuously, their condition was more severely affected by fatigue, and being an away game, they might not be able to sustain their performance as well as Fulham.
So, he sent a long ball into Fulham's penalty area.
Inside the box, Hughes physically challenged Lewandowski behind him, easily nudging Lewandowski aside, then headed the ball clear as it dropped.
However, the cleared ball was intercepted by Juninho, who jumped before Etuhu and headed it back into the penalty area!
This caught Fulham's defense somewhat off guard.
The alert Lewandowski and the cutting-in Vardy both rushed towards where the ball would land. Juninho had headed the ball behind the defensive line, like an over-the-top through ball.
But just as Lewandowski and Vardy arrived, Schwarzer, tall and imposing, charged forward from in front of them, jumped, and plucked the ball out of the air before it could drop!
Lewandowski and Vardy both looked up, eyes closed, with expressions of disappointment. Huang Hao on the sideline truly felt like he was crushing his fist this time.
Australian international goalkeeper, Schwarzer, was he on something today?!
Huang Hao watched from the sideline as his players on the field tried every possible way to threaten Fulham's goal. Vardy's solo dribbles stopped at the dangerous fan-shaped area in front of the goal, their passing combinations were swallowed by Fulham's dense defense, and long-range shots were like trying to kiss the feet of the goddess of fate, hoping she'd be in a good mood and acknowledge them.
His clenched fist in his pocket slowly relaxed.
Under immense pressure, he no longer felt his heart pound as easily as before, as if he could hear its drum-like beat.
But the greater the pressure, the more likely it is for one's mind to go blank, forgetting what to do, and simply watching the game involuntarily.
Whenever Huang Hao realized this was happening to him, he would immediately remind himself to stay calm and to think!
How exactly should they break through Fulham's defense?
There were two options.
The first was to use more patient passing and possession to slowly wear them down, like boiling a frog in warm water, gradually exhausting Fulham and creating gaps in their defense as they moved back and forth frequently.
Cambridge United had the foundation to play this way, but in today's match, first, O'Connor wasn't playing, and second, the players' physical condition wasn't ideal. Huang Hao had originally wanted a quick victory; as soon as they scored the first goal, they could immediately switch to a defensive counter-attacking strategy.
Moreover, before the match, Huang Hao had misjudged Fulham, thinking they would play a tough, direct game. Now, it was like Cambridge United had five defenders watching Fulham's two attackers, an extreme waste of personnel. If Cambridge United were to play possession football now, they had already expended a lot of energy in the first half. Nearing the end of the first half, the team's physical condition could no longer support a possession-based tactic, nor could they substitute in players more suited for possession.
Possession football, of course, also requires immense physical stamina. For example, the Barcelona 'Dream Team' not only had significantly higher possession percentages than their opponents, but their total team running distance sometimes also greatly exceeded their opponents'. This is because the opponent's defense is passive, while constant passing and movement on the perimeter are fluid. The premise for ensuring the ball remains under one's control and constantly moving is active off-the-ball movement, so that receiving players are not marked out of the game by opponents!
Cambridge United didn't have the stamina to play such a tactic, and even in the second half, they wouldn't have the foundation for it.
Because the first half's exertion would put Cambridge United at an even greater disadvantage in the second half.
Fulham had fielded a group of hardworking players today, guys who could run and fight.
If Cambridge United were at a normal physical level, unaffected by February's brutal schedule, then even away from home, Huang Hao would have absolute confidence that the team could gradually dismantle the opponent's defense with possession. But now, it was better to use another tactic.
That was simple, direct long balls and set pieces.
Due to their exceptional technical ability, Cambridge United's crossing tactics would first have a lead over other teams in terms of crossing accuracy, and the team also had players suitable for this style of play. Juninho's free kicks could easily tear open the opponent's goal.
When the largely uneventful first half ended, Huang Hao, before heading into the player tunnel, told Gotze and Kane, who had stood up, "Stay on the pitch and warm up." Gotze and Kane said nothing and walked onto the pitch to begin their warm-up.
Hodgson, meanwhile, walked towards the player tunnel with his head held high and a natural expression.
Cambridge United was more composed than he had imagined; at least the situation of having the upper hand but not scoring in the first 45 minutes hadn't caused them to panic.
Now it was up to both teams' performance in the second half.
After returning to the locker room, Huang Hao immediately began to meticulously plan the tactics for the second half.
Cambridge United couldn't afford to play a slow, methodical offensive game against their opponent. He needed to create some straightforward problems for Fulham; otherwise, the sight of Fulham's goalkeeper being too idle in the first half would only make Fulham more confident, and the momentum and initiative of the game would shift to Fulham's side.
Huang Hao returned to the pitch five minutes early for the second half. While having his assistant coach submit the substitution list, he called Gotze and Kane over and assigned them their tasks for when they entered the game.
Gotze and Kane listened patiently, and only when the game was about to restart did Huang Hao pat them on the shoulders and send them onto the field.
"Swansea made substitutions at halftime, and it was a double change.
M'Vila was replaced by Gotze, and De Vrij was replaced by Kane.
Huang Hao removed two defensive players at once, bringing on an attacking player. This is clearly a signal to strengthen the attack, but isn't such a substitution a bit too aggressive?
After all, this way, Cambridge United's backline will only have two defenders left. Who else can play defense? Kante? Or Tadić?"
Seeing Huang Hao's substitutions, Hodgson's heart, instead of being surprised, was filled with joy.
Huang Hao, Huang Hao, are you finally starting to get anxious?