At 3 PM, referee Flander's whistle signaled the official start of this FA Cup knockout match!
Cambridge United immediately began with aggressive pressing against Manchester City!
Manchester City had just kicked off from the center circle, and after only two passes, Bennett charged forward and dispossessed Ireland of the ball!
Unfortunately, at the moment of the pass, Dzeko was offside, and Cambridge United's attack ended prematurely.
Manchester City players quickly gained control of the field with their synchronized teamwork and skillful footwork; even when Cambridge United tried to press, they found it difficult to win the ball!
However, Manchester City's desire to attack seemed not strong; instead, they kept passing the ball around in their own half, only distributing it when Cambridge United pressed them aggressively!
"Manchester City hasn't shown the strength of a Premier League team from the start today. Is this a deliberate arrangement by Sven-Göran Eriksson?" Andy also sensed something was off.
At 10 minutes, Manchester City finally had their first attack in the attacking third. Defender Garrido passed the ball to Petrov up front. After receiving the ball, Petrov attempted a solo run, but his aging legs no longer possessed the speed of his youth. As soon as he advanced to the left side of the attacking third, he was once again dispossessed by a flying tackle from Bennett, who passed the ball to Lansbury!
Lansbury immediately kicked the ball towards the right side of Manchester City's penalty area, where Dzeko was quickly running towards the ball's landing spot!
Manchester City's defensive recovery was quite fast! By the time Dzeko received the ball and entered the penalty area, Dunne and Richards had already returned to position, blocking him!
With no shooting angle or passing lane, Dzeko could only kick the ball against Richards, earning Cambridge United a corner kick.
Bennett's corner kick went to the far post. Zhu Lu was outmatched in the aerial challenge with Dunne, and the ball was headed out of the box by Dunne.
Fortunately, Cambridge United's midfielder Lansbury got the ball outside the box. Lansbury prepared to shoot, and Manchester City's German midfielder Dietmar Hamann flew in to block. Lansbury deftly dribbled with his left foot, evading Dietmar Hamann's interception. Ireland, seeing Dietmar Hamann out of position, rushed over to cover, but Lansbury passed the ball back to Bennett.
Bennett, seeing Bola following behind, tapped the ball backward and then immediately sprinted forward!
Bola understood instantly. After receiving the ball, he immediately sent a half-volley, lofting it behind Garrido!
Garrido, standing between the two, was annoyed to find that he had been tricked by Cambridge United's players!
By the time he strenuously caught up with Bennett, Bennett had already reached the right side of the penalty area near the byline! He immediately crossed the ball!
Garrido turned to look at the ball that had been crossed into the box and was surprised to see three Cambridge United players in front of the box at that moment!!!
At this moment, Dunne, Koller and Richards were all behind the Cambridge United players, and Dietmar Hamann was still lying on the ground, looking at him with a somewhat resentful expression!!! It was an offside trap!!! Garrido's realization came a bit late.
Although Manchester City's goalkeeper Schmeichel stretched his body as much as possible, diving to the left, he could only serve as a backdrop for Wilshere's goal! With less than 1 meter of distance, Wilshere clearly wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity!!!
Cambridge United scored first in just under 12 minutes of the opening whistle!!! 1:0!!!
"Oh no!!! Manchester City's players were too careless! Garrido alone destroyed Manchester City's entire defense. It seems their coordination still lacks a bit of understanding!" At this moment, the director's camera suddenly cut to Cambridge United's coaching bench!
Cambridge United's Head Coach Huang Hao seemed to have run in the wrong direction to celebrate. Instead of rushing to celebrate with his players, he ran to the stands behind the substitute bench!!!
"Ah ha! Let's see, what new celebration trick has Huang Hao come up with now!"
"We see Huang Hao standing on the advertising board! With his hands, he made a heart shape in front of his chest!!!"
"Oh!!! My God! Is Huang Hao proposing to someone in the stands!!!"
Andy exploded! He never expected Huang Hao to make such a gesture at this moment!!!
The director quickly searched through the crowd! Soon, he locked onto a Chinese girl! It was Lin Kexin!
Lin Kexin was also very surprised at this moment, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with a happy smile! And this scene was precisely captured by the director's camera!
"Alright, this magical Oriental man has once again given me a surprise. Not only did Cambridge United score first, but I think Huang Hao should also be the first Head Coach to propose to his beloved woman on the field!" At this moment, Andy's words clearly had a hint of sourness.
The players who had finished celebrating the goal also witnessed their Head Coach's astonishing act and immediately burst into laughter! The captain on the field, Koller, gathered everyone and loudly encouraged his teammates:
"Guys! For our boss! Maintain the lead!!!"
Sven-Göran Eriksson and the Manchester City players clearly didn't expect Cambridge United to score so quickly. Their pride wouldn't allow such an insult, so they immediately launched a wave of attacks against Cambridge United! However, their players' coordination always lacked that little bit of understanding. As for Cambridge United, they countered with equally strong defense against Manchester City!
A few minutes later, Bennett, on a counter-attack, was tripped by Koller! Koller received the first yellow card of the match!
Bennett quickly lofted the free-kick into the penalty area! Richards at the far post inexplicably missed the header, and Dzeko chested the ball down, then immediately swung his foot and shot!!!
The ball flew like a cannonball towards Manchester City's goal!!!
Schmeichel instinctively blocked it! He parried the ball out for a goal kick!!! Sven-Göran Eriksson was furious!!! He quickly rushed from the substitute bench to the sidelines, yelling at his players!
"Are you sleepwalking!!! Being pressured like this by a third-tier team!!!"
These words were also fully heard by the Cambridge United players, and the stimulated Cambridge United players were filled with even more strength!
Soon, Manchester City brought the battle to the front of Cambridge United's penalty area again!
Ireland and Elano continuously exchanged passes, then distributed the ball to Petrov on the side. Petrov feigned a breakthrough to the right side of the penalty area, but then back-heeled the ball to Dietmar Hamann! At this moment, Dietmar Hamann was near the edge of the penalty arc! After receiving the ball, he didn't even make any adjustments and shot directly!!!
Pantilimon punched the ball out for a goal kick!!!
Johnson took the corner kick, sending it to the far post! Garrido held off Suxi and headed the ball directly towards the goal!!!
Pantilimon once again parried the ball away, and Zhu Lu immediately kicked it out of bounds!
A few minutes later, Manchester City was awarded a free-kick in the attacking third. Ireland lofted the ball into the penalty area. Bianchi, despite his height, lacked physical presence and gained no advantage at all in his aerial duel with Zhu Lu!
At 22 minutes, Johnson received a pass from Dietmar Hamann and, after faking out Lansbury on the edge of the box, unleashed a curling shot that grazed the right post and flew out for a goal kick!
At 26 minutes, Ireland took a free-kick, passing directly to Elano. After receiving the ball, Elano played a through ball to Bianchi on the edge of the box. Bianchi held off Zhu Lu, turned, and shot from a standstill!
The ball was blocked out for a goal kick by Zhu Lu's outstretched leg!
At 30 minutes, Manchester City had a free-kick about 35 meters out, near the center of the big penalty area. Dietmar Hamann took a running start and unleashed a powerful shot! Pantilimon leaped into the air but couldn't reach the ball, though the ball also missed the goal and flew out for a goal kick.
Thus, the first half of the match almost became a Manchester City half-field attacking and defending drill, but it was all bark and no bite. The only shots on goal were from outside the box. And Cambridge United's rare two opportunities also failed to threaten Manchester City's goal!
But Cambridge United, relying on their united defense, managed to hold onto their 1:0 lead until halftime.
When Flander blew the whistle for halftime, the Cambridge United players immediately sat on the grass, breathing heavily! Clearly, the high-intensity defending had taken a heavy toll on their physical strength!
When Huang Hao entered the locker room, whistles immediately erupted inside! This made him feel very embarrassed. After high-fiving each player to encourage them, he highly praised their excellent performance in the first half!
"Remember, you must control the extent of your fouls! For Manchester City, once their attack is frequently interrupted, the rhythm of the game will definitely be disrupted!"
"As time progresses, our one-goal lead will make them even more frustrated! As long as we hold on until the end, victory will surely be ours!"
"If anyone gets a yellow card, the nearest teammate should immediately provide defensive support to relieve his pressure! Today, we must teach Manchester City a good lesson!"
"For the boss's girlfriend!"
"Victory!!!"
"Who told you to change the lyrics!!!"
The players burst into laughter, ignoring Huang Hao's roar, and ran towards the field.
Meanwhile, in Manchester City's locker room, the atmosphere was somewhat subdued. Sven-Göran Eriksson was tapping on the whiteboard, explaining tactics, but the players seemed somewhat distracted.
"Everyone, focus! Our opponent is 'just' a third-tier team."
At this point, Manchester City captain Dunne spoke, "Head Coach, is it true that the club's funds have been frozen?"
Sven-Göran Eriksson fell silent.
After a short 15-minute break, the second half began on time.
At 53 minutes, Wilshere's through ball accurately found Dzeko in front of Manchester City's penalty area, but Dzeko's shot went over the crossbar!
At 55 minutes, Manchester City had a rare counter-attack, creating a 4-on-4 situation in the attacking third, but Dietmar Hamann chose to shoot from long range outside the box. Pantilimon, seemingly divinely assisted, calmly caught the ball! At 60 minutes, Tadić played a one-two on the wing, but Koller chose to let the ball pass but not the man, earning him a yellow card. Flander showed the second yellow card of the match.
At 66 minutes, Manchester City substituted Vassell for the ineffective Bianchi, and Huang Hao also substituted Kante for Lansbury, and Mahrez for the limping Tadić.
As time progressed, after Manchester City's prolonged but unsuccessful attacks, they indeed gradually became agitated! Their tackles also began to grow more aggressive! The tension on the field intensified.
Flander had lost count of how many times he had blown his whistle in this match: foul, free-kick, foul, yellow card.
If he could, Flander would never want to referee a Cambridge United match again; it was too exhausting!
On the field, scenes of players falling over could be seen every few minutes! Although Flander constantly reminded both teams' players to remain calm, he still couldn't prevent fouls from happening!
At 77 minutes, Bennett, on the attack, was directly tackled from the side by Garrido! Bennett rolled on the ground clutching his leg, but the referee made no call!
Dunne gained possession and immediately passed it to Elano. Elano looked at the short, dark-skinned player in front of him, and after several feints failed to shake him off, he played a diagonal pass directly to Vassell. Vassell accelerated, dribbling past Zhu Lu, and facing the onrushing Pantilimon, he subtly chipped the ball with his toe, sending it over the goalkeeper towards the net.
Pantilimon turned to look back, and Vassell already had his hands on his jersey, ready to take it off and celebrate, when a dark figure, just as the ball was about to enter the net, powerfully hooked it with his toe, kicking it out for a goal kick.
"Wow, Manchester City's best chance was thwarted, Kante saved Cambridge United," Andy said, standing up to commentate.
Pantilimon quickly ran back to the goal and gave Kante a firm pat. "Pantilimon's gratitude like that, Kante probably can't bear it!" Andy couldn't help but tease.
At 89 minutes, Manchester City pushed high. Ireland passed from midfield to Dietmar Hamann at the edge of Cambridge United's penalty area. Dietmar Hamann looked up, surrounded by players in yellow and black jerseys. Just as he was thinking how to pass, Kante made a sliding tackle, dispossessing him. Koller, without looking up after getting the ball, immediately launched a long ball towards Manchester City's left flank, which was Cambridge United's right flank.
At this moment, Manchester City's backline only consisted of left-back Koller and center-back Dunne. Seeing this, Koller immediately ran towards the landing spot. On Cambridge United's side, Mahrez also quickly ran towards the ball. Koller attempted a sliding tackle to clear the ball and buy Manchester City time to recover defensively. Just as Koller was about to kick the ball, Mahrez subtly poked it with his toe, then leaped, evading Koller, and continued running towards the ball.
"Koller's reckless tackle resulted in him missing the ball and losing his position. Manchester City now only has Dunne and Schmeichel in defense, while Cambridge United, besides Mahrez with the ball, also has Vardy and Kante… Didn't Kante just win the ball in his own penalty area? Cambridge United has a 3-on-1 situation. Let's see how Mahrez handles this ball."
Mahrez took the ball and charged straight into the penalty area. Seeing this, Dunne had no choice but to abandon marking Vardy and come to defend Mahrez!!!
Mahrez, seeing this, passed horizontally to the middle. Vardy ran past without getting the ball, and Kante, after trapping the ball, faced the onrushing Schmeichel, gently pushing it with his right foot. The ball hit the post and bounced out for a goal kick!!!
"Wow, Kante missed a chance to kill the game."
When Flander finally blew the whistle to end the match, the Cambridge United players could no longer support their bodies and lay on the grass, while in the stands, Lin Kexin, like all the fans, stood up, singing and dancing, celebrating this epic victory!
Andy used the word "incredible" five times to summarize the match.
Manchester City had 9 shots throughout the match, with 4 on target! They also earned 7 corner kicks! And boasted a high possession rate of 63%! However, the number of times they penetrated dangerous areas was not many, with most of their passes being ineffective in their own half!
Perhaps one can only say that football truly is round, and anything can happen on the field. As for Cambridge United, what was most striking was not their 5 shots, but their high of 35 fouls! Truly deserving of the title 'Kings of Fouls'!
Huang Hao high-fived his players in celebration, then glanced at the stands. Seeing Lin Kexin embracing other fans, he smiled happily. Then, Huang Hao pulled up the players lying on the ground, and they walked around the field to thank their supporting fans. At each section, they were met with thunderous applause from the fans!
When they reached the stands where Lin Kexin was, the players suddenly changed from clapping to making heart shapes with their hands above their heads! An embarrassed Huang Hao immediately covered his forehead with his hand!