The room Cambridge United used for the press conference was not large, but at this moment, it was packed with reporters from various major media outlets, a bustling crowd in the cramped space! The host had to stand up several times to maintain order!
When Sven-Göran Eriksson and Huang Hao walked into the press conference, the camera flashes flickered rapidly at an extremely high frequency!
Subsequently, reporters scrambled to ask their questions!
When asked why Manchester City lost this match, and if it was due to not taking Cambridge United seriously enough, Sven-Göran Eriksson's face darkened, and he said coldly:
"What more can I say? This was an ugly match, countless fouls, which broke the game apart! This is not real football! And the referee kept saying: play on, play on, that's not a foul! Perhaps, it's just because this isn't the Manchester City stadium!"
"Huang Hao: Glad we won this entertaining match!"
"Sven-Göran Eriksson: This shameless victory might be worth a small team writing into their history!"
The war of words between Huang Hao and Sven-Göran Eriksson lasted for two or three days before its heat was overshadowed by other news!
Domestically, the explosive news of Cambridge United eliminating Manchester City also caused a stir among fans!
Manchester City fans expressed deep disdain for Cambridge United's endless fouling tactics. Meanwhile, Cambridge United fans felt that Manchester City was being petty and a sore loser!
Regardless, Cambridge United has become famous in China! The official account's followers have increased from hundreds of thousands to millions! Some forward-thinking companies have even begun to contact Cambridge United, preparing to offer sponsorship contracts!
Huang Hao's good mood was not affected by the war of words; an epic victory greatly boosted the morale of these young players, and he also gained a gentle and lovely girlfriend—he made a fortune!
Lin Kexin graciously accepted her loss on the bet and officially became Huang Hao's girlfriend. After several years in England, Huang Hao finally shed his single status!
This victory indeed greatly boosted the players' confidence! Facing Premier League team Manchester City, despite some instability, as Mourinho would say, even Chelsea's second team could win the League One! So this victory made the lads believe even more in what Huang Hao said: our goal is definitely not just the League One!
Next, in the League One, Cambridge United went on a rampage! They achieved six consecutive wins in one go! They surpassed Swansea to take the top spot in the League table! They even gradually widened the gap with Swansea! Since losing to Northampton, the team actually achieved twenty-two consecutive wins!
This terrifying record directly broke the League One's winning streak record and also once again refreshed Cambridge United's team history!
Seeing the team's excellent performance, Huang Hao decided to make appropriate rotations to the starting lineup. Firstly, everyone's skill level was actually not very different, and secondly, Zhu Lu and Wilshere were, after all, not their own players.
On January 9th, in the semi-finals of the English League Trophy, Cambridge United once again met their old rival, Milton Keynes, whose Head Coach was Barella, who had previously declared that Cambridge United would be relegated from League Two.
The original Crazy Gang Wimbledon team was founded in 1889 and was one of the founding clubs of the Premier League! Many notorious pitch hooligans were born from it, but unfortunately, after being relegated from the Premier League in 2002, due to the high operating costs in London, this club, despite the opposition of all fans, moved to Milton Keynes.
Facing angry fans, the club did something even more extreme! They directly changed the club's badge and renamed it Milton Keynes Dons Football Club! Thus, the century-old Crazy Gang Wimbledon died in 2004.
This action completely enraged the original Wimbledon fans! People began to set about forming their own club. With the support of the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association, the fans' club was born, named AFC Wimbledon! Southwest London once again had a football club called Wimbledon, inheriting the mantle of the Crazy Gang!
This time, Barella did not utter harsh words but instead deployed five defenders, parking the bus in front of the goal!
Even so, witnessed by over 6,000 fans at Abbey Stadium, Cambridge United defeated their opponent 2-0 with a header from Zhu Lu and a powerful shot from Dzeko, entering the final!
On January 30th, in the 29th round of the English League One, Cambridge United once again welcomed their old rival Doncaster at home. This was also Cambridge United's ninth match in January, averaging one match every three days!
For Cambridge United, whose bench depth was already somewhat weak, this schedule was more hellish than hell itself!
And the greatest contributor to keeping the players healthy and quickly recovering their physical strength was none other than Huang Hao's girlfriend, Lin Kexin!
Lin Kexin taught Cambridge United's physiotherapy team basic acupuncture techniques in the shortest possible time and dedicated almost all of her free time to Cambridge United's physiotherapy room.
Acupuncture, which once terrified Hawkins, has now become a favorite among Cambridge United players! Especially with a beauty like Lin Kexin guiding them on site! Almost every day after training, Cambridge United's physiotherapy room would have a long queue!
Despite some past grievances with Doncaster, Huang Hao didn't care, as it wasn't a deep-seated hatred. Therefore, Cambridge United also made extensive rotations for this match.
At this time, Doncaster was ranked 6th, in the promotion zone. Cambridge United, on the other hand, was already 6 points ahead of Swansea, leading the League One!
Just 10 minutes into the game, Mahrez received a pass from Cole. Facing Doncaster defender Meller, Mahrez looked up at the penalty area. Vardy and Dzeko were both marked tightly. Meller knew this young man from Cambridge United was good at breaking through, so his focus was on defending wide breakthroughs. Mahrez tapped the ball to his right with his left foot, feigning a move to break through down the wing, and Meller quickly tilted his body to the right. Unexpectedly, Mahrez immediately kicked the ball back to his left foot with his right, and just as Meller was preparing to defend an inside cut, Mahrez, that old trickster, kicked the ball back to his right foot, completely freezing Meller's body. Mahrez nudged the ball with his right foot, slipping past Meller and quickly breaking to the byline. Upon reaching the byline, he passed it back to the center of the penalty area. At this point, Doncaster's defenders had been compressed into the six-yard box by Dzeko and Vardy, leaving the center empty.
Cambridge United's No. 6 sprinted forward, met the ball with an instep push, and the ball rolled into the bottom right corner of the goal.
1:0!!!
17 minutes later, Mahrez returned! After faking out Meller, he once again passed to the center of the penalty area. Same recipe, same position, but this time it was Wilshere who appeared in that spot. Wilshere struck a powerful shot, and the ball flew into the top right corner of the goal,
2:0!!!
The more than 300 Doncaster fans who had traveled a long way eventually left Abbey Stadium disappointed. Even against a Cambridge United team with only half its starters, they were unable to score, and the 0:3 score left their promotion path full of unknowns.
Three days later, facing Luton, a team in the middle to lower ranks, Cambridge United fully displayed their strength as the League leader. In the 30th minute, Vardy created a penalty, and Cole converted it.
In the second half, at 60, 62, and 65 minutes, Cambridge United, suddenly changing their rhythm, scored three consecutive goals through Cole and Lewandowski, ultimately defeating their opponent 4-0 and continuing to lead the League table.
In the FA Cup fourth round, Cambridge United was fortunate to draw League One team Millwall. Huang Hao naturally wouldn't miss out on the 90,000 pounds prize money. With a penalty from the returning captain Sager and a long-range shot from midfielder MacKenzie, Cambridge United defeated their opponent 2-1! They advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup!
Soon, the FA Cup fifth-round draw results were announced.
Cambridge United's opponent was Wolverhampton Wanderers, known as Wolves!
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club was founded in the spring of 1877 by a group of devout religious believers.
Wolves are the only team to have won the championship in all three tiers of English League football, and they have won the FA Cup four times and the League Cup twice. Last season, after Mick McCarthy took over, through promoting young players and low-cost signings, Wolves created a youth storm in the EFL Championship, becoming a model for small club management.
This season, Wolves have performed excellently, consistently holding a top-ten spot in the League table, with hopes of challenging for the playoffs.
In stark contrast to their steady performance in the League, McCarthy's Wolves have had a poor record in cup competitions this season! They were eliminated by Morecambe in the second round of the League Cup! And although they reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, their opponents in the first two rounds were relatively weak: Barnet and Watford!
McCarthy, aiming to challenge for the playoffs, used cup competitions as a stage to develop young players.
At the Molineux Stadium press conference room, McCarthy attended the FA Cup fifth-round pre-match press conference with captain Craddock.
Having drawn Cambridge United, McCarthy was in high spirits and seemed to be in a very good mood. A reporter from “442” magazine asked McCarthy a rather routine question:
"In the fifth round, the team drew League One's Cambridge United. How do you view this result?"
"Hahaha! I am very satisfied with this result! Wolves are very fortunate! The team has taken another step towards the FA Cup championship!"
McCarthy's eyes brimmed with immense joy as he answered the question.
"As the only surviving League One team in the fifth round, and having defeated Sven-Göran Eriksson's Manchester City in the third round, do you think Cambridge United will pose a challenge to the team?"
McCarthy raised an eyebrow, feeling that the reporter lacked discernment and didn't know how to read the room. He then replied with an almost undeniable tone:
"With all due respect, Cambridge United has played very well this season, and the young players in their squad have good individual abilities, but their FA Cup journey ends here. They must recognize the huge gap in strength between them and us!"
"That's right, I will personally send Cambridge United home in the match."
Craddock, who had been silent, confidently added to the reporters.
Soon, McCarthy's words reached Huang Hao's ears. Reporters, ever eager for a story, naturally hoped Huang Hao would clash with McCarthy again. "Wolves are indeed a very good team."
Huang Hao's praise made the reporters' expectant eyes gradually dim. It seemed there was nothing worth reporting.
"I hope that when the match ends, McCarthy won't become the second Sven-Göran Eriksson."
Upon hearing this sentence, the reporters' eyes lit up once again!