After breaking into the penalty area, Vardy had become the player closest to the goalkeeper, and he passed the ball sideways again as the goalkeeper Clark abandoned his goal and rushed out!
Clark immediately stopped, turned his head, and saw that the center of the goal was completely open and empty!
The center-back Popović failed to block the cross in time, and Dzeko, who was behind him, received the ball in the middle and pushed it into the empty net! The cheers at Abe Stadium reverberated through the sky!
After scoring this incredibly easy goal, Dzeko pointed at Vardy, and the two walked towards each other and embraced.
After the kick-off, Nottingham Forest immediately launched an attack from the right wing. The 30-year-old veteran Michael Hughes maintained stable ball control on the wing, even though he was not fast.
But at least he could pass the ball to the front line.
In the 11th minute of the match, Hughes passed the ball from the right wing to Andy Johnson, who came over to receive it. Johnson stopped the ball and turned, intending to use his speed advantage to break through, but as soon as he took a step with the ball, Cork's interception arrived, destroying the ball at his feet, and Tadić stepped forward to take the ball and advance.
Cambridge United switched from defense to offense, and their attack erupted fiercely!
Bennett stopped the ball on the left, turned, and then accelerated.
When he dribbled to increase his speed, Nottingham Forest's full-back Jamie Smith, being a bit overconfident, immediately stepped forward to press him.
Bennett performed a step-over in front of him, which interfered with Jamie Smith's defensive judgment. Then, Bennett finished the step-over, followed by a flick and change of direction to cut inside. Jamie Smith clearly could not keep up with Bennett's rhythm and was directly beaten!
The fans in the stands became excited.
Bennett took a direct shot from thirty yards out!
Unfortunately, the shot went wide.
Nottingham Forest's offense became increasingly subdued.
In the 16th minute of the match, young midfield star Ben Watson had just shaken off Cole with his movement. He received a pass from Granville and tried to dribble past Cork directly in the front field with a flick and change of direction. His choice was not wrong, but the flick was a bit too powerful.
Cork failed to intercept, but Grove easily dispossessed the ball.
At this moment, Calderwood narrowed his eyes slightly on the sidelines.
He was deep in thought. Cambridge United's midfield setup felt both unfamiliar and familiar.
It was unfamiliar because in English football, very few teams would deploy three central midfielders.
Taking Premier League powerhouses as examples.
Manchester United played 4-4-2. Although Bergkamp had a large range of activity and responsibilities for linking up attacks, Arsenal generally switched between 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1. Liverpool also played 4-4-2, and Chelsea switched between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3.
But for the most successful Manchester United, the 4-4-2 was more deeply ingrained.
That is to say, the midfield setup was a traditional two central midfielders, one more defensive, one more offensive.
Cambridge United's 3-5-2 formation today was a typical double defensive midfielder setup.
Cork specialized in defense, and Cole's main task was also defense.
But the key role was Grove!
If it were a classic attacking midfielder role, the attacking midfielder would not participate in defense!
Then, when the opponent attacked, at most they would only have to face two defensive midfielders.
However, Grove had a large range of activity, and he also participated in defense! Ben Watson, on one hand, had to shake off Grove with his movement, and on the other hand, he had to break through two defensive midfielders in his forward attacks. Sorry, he couldn't do it, whether in terms of physical condition or technical ability!
Nottingham Forest's midfield star was, for a time, like a trapped beast, completely suppressed by Cambridge United's midfield!
Calderwood was searching for a way to break the deadlock, racking his brains but unable to come up with any solution!
Of course, this was a clash between advanced and outdated tactical philosophies. If a coach's coaching mindset was already deeply entrenched, then he would be eliminated by the times.
Just as England's performance on the world stage became increasingly dim, and outsiders criticized them for lacking distinct characteristics. This was because their previously pioneered 4-4-2 could no longer keep up with the trends of the times.
In the 19th minute of the match, Cole felt less defensive pressure in the midfield. The opposing defensive midfielder Granville did not push forward to assist, and Julian Gray and Michael Hughes stuck to the wings. The threat of midfield star Ben Watson sharply declined, and Cork alone could completely shut him down.
So he pushed forward along the middle, first completing a one-two with Tadić to shake off Michael Hughes, and then immediately combining with Grove in a wall pass as they advanced together, getting past Granville.
Upon reaching the area to the left of the penalty box, Cole noticed that because he was controlling the ball in this area, Bennett posed a threat with his inside cut from the wing, and Dzeko also moved towards this side, causing Nottingham Forest's defense to instinctively concentrate their forces on this side to strengthen their defense.
Grove also made a threatening forward run. Cole, from a standstill, crossed the ball with the outside of his foot, chipping it towards the right side of the penalty area.
Nottingham Forest's defenders turned their heads to look, only to see Vardy had already set up his firing platform in the wide open right side of the box, ready to unleash a shot where the ball was falling!
Vardy had no intention of trapping the ball. As the ball dropped in front of him, he directly took a volley shot!
When the ball was shot, it was like a launched cannonball, carrying explosive power as it blasted into the top right corner of Nottingham Forest's goal!
Goalkeeper Clark had no reaction and fell to his knees in front of the goal line.
2-0!!
That was a fantastic goal!
In the 27th minute, Warren pushed forward from the left wing. After Bennett attracted the defensive attention of Jamie Smith and Michael Hughes on the wing, he chipped the ball into the open space behind the full-back.
Warren, as if wearing rocket boots, sped around the outside and stopped the ball before the byline, then dribbled horizontally into the penalty area. After center-back Sean Daley came to defend, Warren laid the ball back diagonally to the edge of the penalty area.
Cole burst into the penalty area ahead of Granville, took a touch to control and adjust, and then unleashed a powerful shot.
Goalkeeper Clark again had no reaction, but the ball hit the crossbar and rebounded!
The crossbar vibrated from the impact.
A huge sigh was heard at Abe Stadium.
Cole did not feel any regret.
Three minutes later, Cork distributed the ball from midfield to the wing, and Bola, pushing forward from the right, passed the ball directly forward to Vardy. After Granville rushed over, Vardy passed the ball to Cole.
Cole dribbled diagonally, seemingly about to burst into the penalty area. The defenders immediately sprang into action, fiercely charging to intercept him. Cole, just before entering the penalty area, passed the ball diagonally across to the other side of the box.
Young Tadić rushed up and directly took a shot.
The shot was fairly accurate, but unfortunately, goalkeeper Clark performed heroically this time, making a horizontal dive and blocking the ball out for a corner with one hand.
Grove's corner kick was met by Dzeko at the near post in the penalty area, but his header failed to hit the target.
Nottingham Forest's players were exhausted and overwhelmed in a short period, feeling dizzy and helpless.
Ben Watson was lost in the midfield, the wing attackers could only play individually, and the striker was isolated upfront.
In the 34th minute of the match, Vardy received a pass from Cole on the right wing and played a one-two with Dzeko. He cut into the penalty area and produced a dangerous shot, but it was sensationally blocked by Clark.
Two minutes later, Cork pulled wide and received the ball on the right side of the midfield. He played an overhead through ball, creating an opportunity for Vardy to get to the byline on the right.
Vardy powerfully swept the ball across into the penalty area before it went out of bounds. Dzeko made a diagonal run to the near post and flicked the ball towards the goal, but it just went wide.
Cambridge United frequently launched dangerous attacks from the right wing in the front field, and Nottingham Forest's defense naturally began to shift its focus to that side. The continuous attacks created a favorable attacking environment for the left wing in the front field.
In the 41st minute of the match, Grove received the ball in the center of the front field. Dzeko and Vardy were restless on the front line, making Nottingham Forest's defense somewhat jumpy. Even before Cole passed the ball, they were frantically rushing to close down Dzeko and Vardy.
Cole, however, passed the ball to the left front.
Bennett charged forward like lightning, and in the instant he dribbled and cut inside, he surged past defensive midfielder Granville, then with long strides, he dribbled directly into the penalty area!
Because he was too fast, Nottingham Forest's defense had all their attention on Dzeko and Vardy.
After Bennett broke into the penalty area, he observed goalkeeper Clark's positioning diagonally to the goal. Clark was moving towards the near post, so Bennett cleanly struck the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal!
The ball flew rapidly along the grass into the bottom right corner of the goal. Cambridge United fans in the Abe Stadium stands immediately rose to their feet, cheering and applauding Bennett's goal!
In the second half, Calderwood proved to be a decisive man. He immediately substituted Friedman, who had only a pathetic four touches in the first half, replacing him with midfielder Danny Butterfield. The intention to strengthen the defense was obvious.
In the 58th minute, Nottingham Forest, by strengthening their defense in the penalty area and compressing space, seemed to be protecting their box well, but they exposed more open space in the area in front of the box.
After some passing around the outside, Dzeko's back pass inside the penalty area set up Cole, who arrived late. Cole rushed up and unleashed a powerful shot.
The ball found the back of the net!
In the 69th minute of the match, Tadić crossed from the wing at a 45-degree angle. The ball dropped into the penalty area, and near the penalty spot, Dzeko leaped high and headed the ball towards the goal.
The ball took a deflection and flew towards the bottom right corner of the goal, grazing the inside of the post before entering the net.
5-0! Cambridge United decisively defeated Nottingham Forest at home, astonishing many fans.
Cambridge United, having secured five consecutive victories, will continue their journey to the Bescot Stadium to challenge their next opponent in English League One, the formidable Walsall! Little did Huang Hao know that this match would bring him an extraordinary significance!