Cambridge United once again canceled their post-match holiday, as the team was set to challenge Cardiff City in the English League Cup Third Round at Abbey Stadium in three days.
The players were quite surprised; for several years, except after two consecutive losses, Huang Hao would always give the team a holiday. This time, however, the team had just defeated Wolves but did not receive the anticipated holiday.
They knew that the Head Coach must be very eager to win this match. With home advantage, Cambridge United launched an attack on Cardiff City from the start.
In the 4th minute of the first half, Dzeko received the ball in midfield and immediately passed it to Ayu up front!
Ayu skillfully weaved between defenders Purse and Johnson, driving all the way into the penalty area!
Despite Purse's interference, Ayu still successfully shot the ball towards the goal!
After passing goalkeeper Enckelman, the ball once again struck the goalpost.
In the 13th minute, Robise threw in from the right side of the attacking third, playing a one-two with Dzeko!
Dzeko, having regained possession, dribbled horizontally along the edge of the penalty area!
Just when everyone thought he was going to pass, Dzeko suddenly swung his left foot and shot powerfully! The ball, like a cannonball, flew straight into the top left corner of the goal!
Enckelman, who was initially positioned near the post, failed to save the shot! The ball went straight into the net!!!
1:0! Cambridge United successfully took the lead!
Cardiff City did not lose their composure after conceding.
In particular, McPhail, signed by the team, performed exceptionally well in midfield!
In the 17th minute, McPhail received a pass from a teammate in midfield and delivered a long pass that accurately found Whittingham, who was surging down the left flank!
Whittingham, before Lovren could track back, directly passed the ball into Cambridge United's penalty area!
The tall striker, Aidy Boothroyd, leaped high at the near post, heading the ball directly towards the goal!
Pantilimon leaped across the goal line! The ball struck the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick!
In the 21st minute, Cardiff City won a free-kick in the attacking third.
Whittingham directly lobbed the ball behind Cambridge United's defenders!
The quickly surging Aidy Boothroyd jumped first, heading the ball powerfully towards the far corner!
The ball, after passing Pantilimon, bounced again upon landing, struck the right post, and went into the net!!!
Cardiff City equalized eight minutes later!
In the 26th minute, Sun Jihai took a free-kick in the defensive third, passing the ball directly to Mahrez on the left wing!
Mahrez dribbled along the left touchline, all the way to the corner flag area, and delivered a cross!
Dzeko in the center, like a divine presence, leaped high again!
With a beautiful diving header, he blasted the ball directly into Cardiff City's goal!!!
Soon, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half. The Cambridge United lads did not disappoint Huang Hao, leading the opponent 2:1 at home.
The match had progressed to the 63rd minute of the second half. Whittingham ran to the right side of midfield, and his nearby teammate, Gavin Rae, successfully intercepted Cambridge United's pass, confidently giving it to him.
Whittingham's seemingly casual pass landed perfectly between Sun Jihai and Lovren.
Chopra forcibly overtook, pushing Sun Jihai behind him!
Facing Lovren's pressing, Chopra suddenly flicked the ball with his heel, then skillfully turned his body, changing from a forward breakthrough to a horizontal dribble along the penalty area!
After catching up to the ball, Chopra used the outside of his right foot to push the ball into the penalty area, then immediately took a shot!
The ball zipped past Pantilimon!
It struck the left post!!!
The fans at Abbey Stadium gasped, relieved that their team had escaped a scare!
The second half had reached the 75th minute, and Cambridge United's defense, apart from that one instance, had not shown any major lapses.
Cardiff City also had not found a particularly good way to score.
If they could just hold on for another 15 minutes, Cambridge United would advance to the next round. Morrison vigorously headed Cambridge United's forward pass to Whittingham, defusing Cambridge United's attack.
Whittingham quickly swung his lower leg, lofting a half-volley!
Chopra understood perfectly, quickly initiating a run from Cambridge United's defensive line, successfully beating the offside trap!
Chopra, having surged into the penalty spot area, took a shot!
Pantilimon once again heroically saved this certain goal!
Abbey Stadium immediately erupted in enthusiastic applause, with fans rhythmically chanting Pantilimon's name!
In the 77th minute, O'Connor fouled Lars in a challenge at the edge of the penalty area!
Cardiff City won a very well-positioned free-kick on the left side of the penalty area!
Whittingham chose to take the kick himself.
Cambridge United set up a five-man wall, and for extra caution, O'Connor lay directly behind the wall, employing the 'lying down' tactic!
Whittingham took a run-up and curled a beautiful arc with his left foot!
The ball, after curving around the left side of the wall, rapidly dipped!
Pantilimon anticipated the direction early, quickly diving to block the ball! Just as Pantilimon was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly found someone in a blue jersey standing in front of him!
Oh no!!!
Chopra surged to the goalmouth, calmly chipped the ball over Pantilimon's body, and into the net!!!
In the 78th minute, thanks to Pantilimon's goal, Cardiff City equalized!
In the 89th minute, Cambridge United got a corner kick opportunity.
O'Connor chose to play a short corner with Ayu!
Ayu, receiving the ball at the edge of the penalty area, quickly passed it back to O'Connor!
O'Connor dribbled to the bottom corner of the penalty area, with McNaughton and Carrillo simultaneously closing in!
O'Connor, whose passing lanes were completely blocked, tried to kick the ball off an opponent to win another corner kick!
However, the ball struck Carrillo's arm!
“Whistle!” The referee, Cunningham, decisively awarded a penalty kick.
Tadić took the ball and placed it on the penalty spot, stepped back, took a run-up, and swung his right foot quickly. Enckelman decisively dived to the right side of the goal, but Tadić flicked his ankle, and the ball floated softly into the middle of the goal—a Panenka penalty!
All 6,600 fans at Abbey Stadium stood up, loudly chanting Tadić's name.
The match ended with Cambridge United ultimately defeating Cardiff City 3:2, advancing to the next round of the League Cup.
Cambridge United then packed their bags and, four days later, traveled to Portman Road to challenge Ipswich away from home. Facing this team that had previously won the England top-flight League title and the Europa League title, the Cambridge United lads were equally fearless, still adhering to their high-pressing, highly aggressive tactical style.
Just six minutes into the match, O'Connor took a corner kick from the left side of the penalty area. Dzeko, positioned at the top of the penalty arc, received the ball, immediately dribbled into the penalty area, and then took a seemingly weak chip shot that went straight into the top right corner of the goal! 1:0! Cambridge United broke the deadlock first!
Ipswich then retaliated!
Walters received a pass from Iván Campo in midfield, surged down Cambridge United's right flank, all the way to the byline! Facing Bola, who was a meter away, he delivered a high cross!
Within the penalty area, N’Doye leaped high, overpowering O'Connor, and with a beautiful diving header, he accurately smashed the ball against the post!
Vida at the goalmouth dared not be negligent in the slightest, immediately kicking the ball out for a throw-in!
In the 35th minute, Cambridge United won a free-kick on the right side of the penalty area.
O'Connor's pass, with a beautiful curve, fell towards the far post, and Longolo headed the ball towards the goal!
Goalkeeper Richard Wright gave his all, finally tipping the ball over the crossbar on the goal line!
Subsequently, both sides had attacks and defenses, but the score remained unchanged.
Until the 73rd minute, Ipswich won a free-kick on the right side of the attacking third.
McAuley kicked the ball to Gavin in the middle. Gavin, after receiving the ball, did not have a good passing lane and intended to dribble horizontally along the penalty area himself, looking for an attacking opportunity.
Robise shrewdly anticipated Gavin's intention, and the moment the ball left Gavin's feet, he stretched out a foot and poked it away! He intercepted the ball!
Without waiting for Ipswich players to track back, Robise made an accurate pass, kicking the ball directly to Vardy in the attacking third!
At this moment, Manchester United legend Bruce's son, Alex Bruce, and McAuley were positioned to Vardy's right and behind, accelerating to chase back!
Vardy took a push shot, but the ball was blocked by Wright for a goal kick!
After O'Connor passed the corner to Robise, Robise again passed the ball back to Ayu at the bottom corner!
Ayu passed the ball to the far post, and Dzeko headed it back!
Sun Jihai at the edge of the penalty area blocked the ball into Ipswich's goal! 2:0! Cambridge United led by two goals away from home!
With a two-goal lead, Huang Hao waved his hand, and Ayu Jr., Gotze, and Kante came on to gain practical experience. The Ayu brothers played together for the first time.
After the match entered injury time, Ipswich finally scored through Kevin Phillips, pulling a goal back for their team.
Ultimately, Cambridge United defeated Ipswich 2:1 away from home, achieving four consecutive wins in all competitions!
Huang Hao walked into the press conference smiling, clearly in a good mood after winning the match.
This time, even his answers to questions were not as difficult for the media reporters as before.
When asked how he felt about Cambridge United's four consecutive wins, which had lifted them to 4th place and into the promotion play-off zone, Huang Hao repeatedly waved his hands, then pretended to be particularly flattered and said:
“Please rest assured, other big teams, we are just a relegation team, please don't pay too much attention to us!”
Ipswich's Head Coach, Mick McCarthy, who heard this, almost twisted his face into a knot!
Relegation team? Relegate your sister!!!
Cambridge United, having achieved four consecutive wins, did not stop their momentum.
Four days later, Huang Hao and the Cambridge United players boarded the team bus, heading to Loftus Road in London to challenge Queens Park Rangers.
In 2007, Italian Flavio Briatore, as the former manager of Benetton and Renault F1 teams, brought in his colleague, Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, to jointly acquire QPR. Due to personal superstition, Briatore replaced the club's traditional mascot, “Jude The Cat,” which caused dissatisfaction among fans.
Briatore, deeply familiar with market operations and accustomed to a star-driven approach, immediately upon taking office, poached Martin Rowlands from Brentford, Patrick Agyemang from Preston, Fitz Hall from Wigan Athletic, loaned Parejo from Real Madrid, Dexter Blackstock from Southampton, loaned Matthew Connolly from Arsenal, and appointed Iain Dowie as Head Coach.
Frequent player transfers did not lead to rapid improvement in results. Dowie was dismissed less than five months after taking office, and currently, Queens Park Rangers are temporarily led by assistant coach Gareth Ainsworth.
Cambridge United's bus quickly arrived at its destination. Today, Loftus Road had also put up 'Sold Out' signs early on.
As Cambridge United's performance improved, more and more people paid attention to this team led by a Chinese person.
With the big match imminent, Queens Park Rangers fans did not sit quietly in their seats; instead, they all stood up, rhythmically bouncing and singing the Rangers' team anthem, “Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag.”
Although Middlesbrough fans always mocked this team anthem as being plagiarized by Rangers, they didn't care at all; they just sang!
It must be said that, accompanied by the echoing sound system, the atmosphere at the not-so-large Loftus Road, when full, was quite good.