When Ad Cork blew the final whistle, Huang Hao sat on the bench, hands in his pockets, without getting up.
Reading's Head Coach, Steve Coppell, seeing no sign of an handshake from the opponent, shrugged his shoulders helplessly and returned to the locker room with his players.
The 0:0 score on the Abbey Stadium scoreboard meant that neither side gained an advantage in this match.
What worried Huang Hao today was the team's condition; rather than saying the match ended in a draw, it was more accurate to say Cambridge United barely stole 1 point at home.
Throughout the match, Reading had far more scoring opportunities than Cambridge United. If not for their forwards' poor finishing, Cambridge United would have been lucky to even get a point in this match.
A day later, Birmingham easily defeated Wigan Athletic 2:0 away, and Cambridge United, who had barely settled into second place in the League, dropped back to third.
After 41 rounds, Wolves led comfortably with 79 points, followed by Birmingham with 75 points, and Cambridge United in third with 73 points. Reading, in fourth place, only had 69 points.
If Birmingham and Cambridge United didn't falter, the second promotion spot for the Premier League this season would most likely come from these two teams.
If neither side dropped out in other matches, April 18th at St. Andrews Park would directly decide their fate.
The tactical analysis room at Cambridge United Training Base was once again filled with players preparing for tomorrow's match.
"Does anyone know how many matches we've played this season?" Huang Hao looked at everyone, and clearly no one could answer the question immediately.
"Let me tell you, it's 51 matches."
"In 8 months, we've played 51 matches."
Everyone remained silent, lost in their memories.
"I want to tell everyone that this season, we've done very well, extremely well."
"We, as always, once again thoroughly humiliated those so-called experts."
Upon hearing this, Cambridge United's players all showed a hint of pride.
"Do you know how many matches we still have this season?"
"5 matches, boss!" Pasquel was the first to answer.
"Perhaps everyone has different opinions when looking at Cambridge United. Some might say we are rough, others might say we are tenacious."
"Resilient, united, fearless."
Huang Hao uttered each word deliberately, his gaze firm.
"Every word here is a testament to your sweat and effort on the field."
"To reach this point, tactics are no longer the most important aspect. Many of our players have been together for four seasons. I believe you remember every passing route and every attacking method more clearly than I do."
"At the end of this season, we will be second in the EFL Championship and directly promoted to the Premier League."
"These are all firsts for Cambridge United Football Club in over 90 years!"
"And all of you here, you will not only personally witness this historic moment but also be the creators of this club's legend!"
Huang Hao was indeed a born orator. After his passionate speech, every Cambridge United player was fired up, eager to step onto the field immediately and make everything Huang Hao said a reality!
"From now on, forget the past 51 matches."
"Treat the remaining 5 matches as the last 5 matches of your football career, and conquer them one by one."
"Defeat every opponent until we achieve ultimate victory!!!"
With that, Huang Hao vigorously raised his hands, like a king surveying his domain!
"Cambridge United!!!"
Pantilimon and his teammates all stood up!
"Must win!!!"
A firm and resounding echo reverberated through every corner of the Cambridge United Training Base!
On April 10th, Vicarage Road Stadium was brightly lit.
Watford's 54-year-old Head Coach, Aidy Boothroyd, was red-faced, arguing loudly with the fourth official on the sidelines, disregarding the staff's attempts to calm him.
The referee, Marriner, had not come over at this point; he was also surrounded by Watford's captain DeMerit and his players.
Huang Hao stood not far away, arms crossed over his chest, quietly watching everything unfold on the field.
This 32-year-old Chinese young coach appeared very calm, but in reality, he was incredibly nervous inside!
The match had already reached the 89th minute, and the score on the field was still 1:1.
Although Cambridge United had scored first in the 7th minute of the opening.
However, in the 36th minute, a resilient Watford equalized.
In the subsequent play, despite Cambridge United having numerous good scoring opportunities, no one could step up and seize the chance to rescue Cambridge United from their predicament.
Watford was currently ranked 22nd in the EFL Championship, and in the remaining 5 League rounds, they had to fight with all their might to secure their spot in the EFL Championship. In another match played simultaneously, Birmingham had already easily defeated Plymouth 2:0 at home. If Cambridge United could not win this match, the gap between the two teams would directly widen to 4 points!
And just moments ago, Mahrez delivered a cross from the left wing, and Mariappa pushed Lewandowski down in the penalty area!
The referee, Marriner, decisively whistled Mariappa for a foul, awarding Cambridge United a golden penalty kick!
Seeing their team about to force a draw against Cambridge United at home and gain valuable points, Aidy Boothroyd and the Watford players completely rejected this decision!
Angry fans, Watford players constantly arguing with the referee, and a red-faced Aidy Boothroyd – Vicarage Road Stadium at this moment resembled a bustling, noisy night market.
The match was interrupted for nearly 3 minutes. Marriner finally appeased all parties' anger, and Cambridge United still got the penalty opportunity.
Although Lewandowski's fall was a bit exaggerated, there was indeed physical contact between the two, so the penalty was justifiable.
As for why the referee would favor a small team like Cambridge United, it was unknown.
Perhaps, the suspenseful race for second place in the League would generate more discussion topics for the EFL Championship.
Cambridge United's penalty was ultimately given to midfielder Tadić.
Clearly, Cambridge United's forwards had not performed well in this match, so perhaps Tadić was a good choice.
Tadić stood before the ball, calmly looking at Watford's goalkeeper. Both seemed to try to guess each other's thoughts through their eyes.
Marriner blew the whistle for the penalty kick, Tadić stepped back slightly, exhaled softly, took a run-up, and shot!
Goalkeeper Ben Foster dived in the right direction!
But Tadić chipped the ball directly into the top right corner of the goal!
1:2!!! Cambridge United scored a decisive penalty against Watford at the last moment!
Then the fourth official held up the 5-minute additional time board. The match entered its final 5 minutes.
A severely hit Watford showed clear emotional fluctuations and, under Cambridge United's tight defense, did not get too many good opportunities in the final moments, ultimately having to swallow the bitter pill of defeat at home.
After a thrilling 3-point victory, Cambridge United remained in third place in the standings with a 2-point deficit, retaining hope of winning the EFL Championship runner-up title.
As one of the universally recognized best Leagues in the world, a dense schedule is the most prominent characteristic of the England League. The packed fixtures thrill fans, but for the teams, it's a bitter experience.
If a team was safe from relegation and had no hope of promotion at this point, they could certainly take it easy.
However, the battle for the runner-up spot between Cambridge United and Birmingham had reached a heated stage, and it was unlikely that either side's strained nerves would relax until the very last round.
On April 13th, Cambridge United hosted Barnsley. Meanwhile, Birmingham traveled away to challenge Ipswich, who were in the middle of the table.
Both matches were still scheduled to kick off at the same time, showing English Football Association's thoughtful arrangements.
After the kickoff, Cambridge United's players, instead, became the targets of high-pressing.
Under the opponent's tight pressing, Cambridge United players seemed somewhat unaccustomed and failed to organize good attacking opportunities.
However, Barnsley also seemed to have focused their main energy on pressing, and they also had no effective methods in attack.
After a somewhat dull 45 minutes, Huang Hao gradually saw the clues.
Barnsley was trying to become a team whose primary playing style was possession-based. Even goalkeeper Steele participated in the build-up play from the back several times in the first half!
In response to Barnsley's changes, Huang Hao also made corresponding adjustments.
He substituted out the striker Hill and brought in Ayu, who had better passing and receiving skills.
At the same time, he instructed all Cambridge United defenders not to hold the ball for more than 30 seconds, and for the wingers and midfielders to drop back slightly to better support their teammates.
With the adjustments, Cambridge United's offense was noticeably smoother than in the first half.
Cambridge United's quick ball distribution from the back also invisibly increased the running range and distance for Barnsley players!
In a flash, half of the second half had passed, and the long-term tireless running caused a clear decline in Barnsley players' stamina.
When Huang Hao saw that Barnsley's left winger could no longer keep up with Tadić's pace, he sat back on the bench with relief.
For Cambridge United, maintaining this rhythm, a goal was only a matter of time.
In the 76th minute of the second half, Cambridge United won a free kick on the right side of the attacking third.
O'Connor lofted the ball towards the far post, and defender Foster won the first header, but Suxi effectively interfered with his header! The ball, after being headed by Foster, did not leave the dangerous area!
Tadić, who was originally rushing towards the goal, immediately stopped and quickly retreated!
Knowing that two players were marking him from behind, Tadić, upon receiving the ball with his back to goal, immediately sent a horizontal pass!
Lewandowski, standing in the middle of the penalty area, received the ball and shot!
The ball flew directly into the top left corner of the goal!
After 77 minutes of tough battle, Cambridge United finally broke the deadlock at home!
In the 78th minute, Barnsley, who had just restarted the game, quickly lost possession in attack! Král's through ball was too powerful, directly bypassing striker McKee and falling to Cambridge United defender Suxi.
As soon as Suxi touched the ball, he immediately kicked it towards the center!
O'Connor had already dropped back to near Cambridge United's penalty arc and received Suxi's pass.
Barnsley, lacking stamina, was clearly unable to put enough pressure on the skillful dribbler O'Connor. After O'Connor carried the ball past the halfway line, he immediately passed it to Tadić on the right wing!
Strike while the iron is hot! Tadić dribbled as if unopposed, weaving through Barnsley's right flank, shaking off three Barnsley defenders in a row! Unfortunately, Tadić's final cross was directly blocked by a Barnsley defender!
But at this moment, right-back Sun Jihai had already followed up!
Sun Jihai dribbled horizontally along the edge of the penalty area, then passed the ball to Kante on the outside. Kante immediately slipped the ball to Lewandowski at the edge of the box!
Lewandowski had a flash of inspiration, suddenly nutmegging the pressing Moore!
Facing goalkeeper Steele, Lewandowski pulled back and blasted the shot, the ball quickly whizzing past Steele's ear and directly into the goal!!!
Cambridge United scored two goals in three minutes, ending the match amidst thunderous cheers at Abbey Stadium!