After the match, all members of Leeds United visited Sager, the captain, at the Royal Stoke University Hospital to wish him a speedy recovery.
Three days later, Cambridge United played their first round match in the English League Cup, hosting Mansfield.
Two League One matches showed Huang Hao the gap, so he decided to play as many substitutes as possible in the League Cup to train the team and reduce the disparity between starters and reserves. Stevens, a National League starter, made his first appearance in Cambridge United's starting lineup. Tutanda, Hawkins, and Warren played together in the defense.
The young African player, who had become Mark Bola's substitute this season, cherished this starting opportunity.
In midfield, Cork, Clark, and Kate controlled the center, while May and Bennett played on the flanks.
Upfront, Lewandowski and Hill played on the left and right, respectively.
Tutanda's luck was indeed good. Six minutes into the game, after Cambridge United's corner kick was headed out of the box, it landed perfectly at Tutanda's feet. Seeing that his teammates didn't have a good opportunity, Tutanda decided to shoot himself!
Goalkeeper Phillips reacted too slowly to this surprise shot, and the ball found its way into Mansfield's goal! 1:0!
Fifteen minutes into the match, after Mansfield's attack was fruitless, Hawkins controlled the ball in the center of the backfield. After looking up to observe the positions of the players on the field, he sent a low long pass to Hill. Hill stopped the ball and turned, just about to break away, when Mansfield's defender Pierce made a sliding tackle to clear the ball. Bennett chased the ball with big strides along the sideline, controlling it just as it was about to go out of bounds. He then sent a diagonal pass to Clark, who was making a high-speed run into the middle. Clark dribbled the ball into the box, and Vox fell to the ground, leaving the ball. Cork got to the ball before Mansfield's defender and dribbled it out. The ball bounced around and came to Lewandowski's feet, who swept it into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Mansfield kicked off from the center circle. Piqué received the ball and habitually passed it back, but the pass was too weak, and the ball landed between the center-back and the midfielder. Lewandowski quickly intercepted the ball, stopped it with his left foot, and swept it with his right foot, the ball going into the net right next to the post.
3:0!!!
Mansfield kicked off from the center circle again. This time, Piqué didn't dare to pass back and directly passed it to Cook on the right flank, but the pass was too strong and was intercepted by Tutanda. Tutanda passed it back to Warren, but the pass was too shallow, and Warren, who was retreating, slipped before he could react. Hawkins got to the ball before Hamil and passed it back to the goalkeeper. Mansfield's two forwards quickly pressed Stevens. Stevens had no choice but to kick the ball to Tutanda, who had run to the byline to receive it. Mansfield, sensing an opportunity, pressed forward with their entire team. Tutanda was forced to pass it back to the goalkeeper. Stevens then sent a long ball directly to May. May, Cork, Kate, and Hawkins, under Mansfield's tight pressure, made a series of quick one-touch passes, finally breaking free from Mansfield's encirclement. Cork made the final through pass to Hill. Suddenly, Lewandowski was on the left and Bennett on the right, making it a 3-on-2 situation. Hill ran into the box and unselfishly passed to Lewandowski on the left. Lewandowski was also not polite; facing the goalkeeper, he took a low shot with his left foot, but it was blocked by the post. Lewandowski then followed up with a right-footed shot into the empty net.
4:0!!! The Abe Stadium immediately erupted! A hat-trick in 4 minutes, can you imagine that?
Two minutes later, Cork intercepted the ball in the middle and passed it to Tutanda on the left. Tutanda dribbled the ball and broke through along the left flank. Two Mansfield players quickly came over to block him, and May made a high-speed overlap. Tutanda passed the ball to May. Mansfield's defenders all raised their hands to signal May was offside, and May himself noticed it and stopped running. Tutanda did not give up; the referee had not blown his whistle. While everyone was momentarily stunned, he passed the ball to himself 10 seconds in the future. He reached the byline and sent a cross. Pierce, who was hastily defending, failed to intercept the ball. The ball bounced and rolled towards the center of the penalty area. It was Lewandowski again, who volleyed it with the instep of his right foot.
5:0
Three minutes later, Cambridge United attacked along the right flank. Bennett crossed the ball from the edge of the box, and the ball flew over Pierce's head. Lewandowski turned his body in mid-air and struck the ball with his right foot.
6:0
Huang Hao looked at Lewandowski from the coaching bench in disbelief. Had that famous scene of 5 goals in 9 minutes appeared early?
Only half of the first half had passed, and the score was already 6:0. Cambridge United fans were going wild as if they had won the League title.
Cambridge United ultimately defeated Mansfield 12:0 at home, advancing to the second round of the League Cup. They set a new record for the most goals scored in a single League Cup match.
"Cambridge United Massacres Mansfield"
"5 Goals in 9 Minutes, Lewandowski Makes History"
"First Dzeko, Now Lewandowski, Cambridge United's Terrifying Strikers"
Cambridge United, who had not lost a match in the opening, would face Leeds United, who had won three consecutive matches in the opening, in the fourth League match. 25,000 fans flocked to Eland Road Stadium to cheer on the young squad.
Leeds United can be described as a Premier League giant. Stars like Viduka, Smith, and Woodgate have all played for this team. They have won the League title 3 times and the FA Cup once! However, in recent years, Leeds United has been relegated due to financial problems, and last year they even dropped to League One.
Although they sold Eland Road Stadium and the training ground at a low price, and sold off various well-known stars from the team, they were still insolvent. They started the season with a 15-point deduction, which was truly a disastrous start. But a dying camel is still bigger than a horse; their three consecutive wins at the start showed the depth of a giant.
Eland Road Stadium was almost completely covered by visiting fans. Looking out, it was like a white ocean! It shocked everyone who was present at the match! The South Stand, known as "Eland Road End," is the gathering place for Leeds United's die-hard fans. At this moment, the cheering song "Side by side, we'll conquer the world" was echoing. This is a cheering song that has been heard at every Leeds United match since 1972.
As the first half neared its end, veteran David Healy struck first! His shot from the left side of the box was deflected into his own goal by Cambridge United defender Suxi! Leeds United successfully took a one-goal lead!
Immediately, the cheering song "Marching On Together" from Leeds United in the stands increased by more than ten decibels!
In the 53rd minute, Cambridge United's free-kick from the front was blocked! Healy, after getting the ball, quickly carried it to midfield with his speed. After just 2 short passes, the ball had already reached the front of Cambridge United's penalty area! Robbie Blake delivered a decisive blow from outside the box!
2:0!!!
After conceding the goal, Cambridge United intensified their offense! But today, it seemed that several of the team's killers had lost their shooting boots. Whether it was Dzeko or Vardy, their shots either went high or were blocked by the opponent.
In the 74th minute, Cambridge United, who had been attacking for a long time without success, conceded another goal to a long-range shot from Leeds United. Lewis's powerful shot gave Leeds United a 3:0 lead!
Eland Road Stadium became a joyful white ocean, while the increasingly anxious Cambridge United had no solution. It wasn't until the 94th minute that Leeds United won another corner kick!
This time, the ball did not go into Cambridge United's goal as expected, but was directly caught by goalkeeper Pantilimon. He then immediately sent a long ball to the front! Leeds United, who were hastily defending, had not yet organized their defensive formation when Tadić scored from the left side of the box! 3:1!
Thus, Cambridge United became the backdrop for the celebration at Eland Road in this match. Huang Hao's team was still paying its dues for being young.
Cambridge United did not lose heart because of a crushing defeat, after all, the long season had just begun. Moreover, the match did not give the team any chance to breathe.
Three days later, Cambridge United hosted Oldham.
The match kicked off with the cheers of 4,100 home fans.
Because of the loss in the previous match, the young players, full of pent-up anger, immediately launched an assault on Oldham's territory at the start of the game!
In the 29th minute of the match, it was Dzeko again, who, after receiving a corner kick from Grove, immediately took a powerful shot! Although goalkeeper Sakic bravely parried the ball, it fell to the feet of young Bennett. Bennett gratefully accepted the gift, scoring his first goal in the League One!
In the 42nd minute, Bennett's pass from midfield once again accurately found Dzeko! The Bosnian boy took a powerful shot, extending Cambridge United's lead to two goals!
In the 73rd minute, Oldham capitalized on their only shot of the entire match, with Hamilton scoring from the left side of the penalty area, pulling one goal back! But it could not prevent Cambridge United from winning this match.
Thanks to the excellent performance of the young Bosnian, Cambridge United successfully defeated their opponent 2:1 at home, earning a crucial 3 points!
Four days later, Cambridge United hosted their old rivals Swindon in the League. After Dzeko and Vardy kicked off, Vardy passed the ball back to Cork.
Two Swindon forwards immediately came to press. Cork passed the ball diagonally to the wing. Tadić, after receiving the ball, initially dribbled slowly, and then immediately accelerated his dribble as he approached Swindon's winger!
With this acceleration, Swindon's winger was caught off guard, clearly unable to keep up with the speed and rhythm. Tadić easily broke through and then cut inside!
Tadić dribbled along the inside channel and quickly reached the front of the penalty area. As the opposing defensive midfielder, full-back, and center-back came to press, Tadić, who was already surrounded, kicked the ball through a gap to Dzeko at the edge of the box.
Dzeko stopped the ball, half-turned, and nudged the ball diagonally into the empty space on the right side of the penalty area.
Vardy, with his speed advantage, burst into the penalty area. A very simple passing and moving combination was executed, and Swindon's defense had already surrendered. Vardy met the ball and directly pushed it, using the instep of his left foot to kick the ball towards the far corner of the goal.
The ball speed was not fast, but the angle was tricky.
Swindon's goalkeeper was at least two beats slow in his save. By the time he dived, the ball had already left his saving range. He made a symbolic save, then turned his head to see the ball roll into the goal just inside the post!
The referee was somewhat dazed and blew his whistle to signal a valid goal about two seconds later.
This goal by Cambridge United took 7 seconds!
1:0!
In the 12th minute of the match, Tadić suddenly accelerated and cut inside from the left wing. Cork, who had advanced to the attacking third, sent a diagonal through ball into the empty space on the right side of the box. Vardy went to the byline and sent a low cross in front of the goal.
Dzeko provided a screen in the middle, and Tadić scored into the half-open goal at the far post!
2:0!!
In the 58th minute of the second half, Cole's cross from the right wing accurately found Dzeko's head. Dzeko headed the ball down to Vardy, who had cut into the box. Vardy did not waste the opportunity and directly volleyed the ball into the net.
3:0!!
In the 73rd minute of the match, Cork's long-range shot from outside the box, although on target, was blocked by the goalkeeper. The rebounding ball was collected by Dzeko outside the box. Dzeko then laid the ball off to the wing. Tadić, from the wing outside the box, sent a direct wide cross into the penalty area. Vardy, unmarked at the far post of the six-yard box, headed the ball in again!
The score had already become 4:0, and Cambridge United successfully defeated their opponent, taking all 3 points.