“I can read lips. De Gea said, ‘Don’t be such a sissy!’”
“It’s not Nübel’s fault either. He handled that dangerous shot so well!”
“Whether it’s his fault or not isn’t up to you. Conceding two goals, he deserves to be criticized.”
“Oh, come on. De Gea must have been yelling at Torres. What kind of defense is that?”
“Exactly! Exactly! I’ve never heard of a goalkeeper getting yelled at for not saving a penalty!”
“Gao Nuo is so handsome. Look at his face. So masculine.”
On the live broadcast, bullet comments floated above Gao Nuo’s head.
His eyes were firm as he stood at the center circle, waiting for the kickoff.
As a forward, the only way he could help the team was through offense.
In the 30th minute, Bruno Fernandes and Gao Nuo played a wall pass.
As the pivot, Gao Nuo did an excellent job of distributing the ball.
Bruno received the ball at the edge of the box.
Facing Anel Ahmedhodžić who rushed up to him, Bruno shot directly from long range.
“Oh—!”
Amidst a chorus of disappointment, the ball went just wide of the goal.
In the 33rd minute, Manchester United earned a free-kick opportunity in the attacking third.
Bruno Fernandes stood over the ball, 32 meters from the goal, making a direct shot somewhat difficult.
After carefully observing the situation in the box, Bruno chose to cross the ball towards the goal.
The scramble in the box was intense, with Anel Ahmedhodžić single-handedly blocking two of Manchester United’s tall center-backs.
Gao Nuo broke free from Antony Katchi’s pull and headed the ball towards the goal before anyone else.
He jumped very high, and the header had plenty of power, but unfortunately, the angle was too central, and the goalkeeper collected it.
In the 38th minute, Manchester United won the ball in the attacking third, and Bruno Fernandes passed it to the left wing.
Rashford dribbled forward, evaded Jayden Bogle’s defense, and cut inside towards the box.
Antony Katchi blocked his path, so he didn’t pass to Gao Nuo in the middle.
From the left edge of the box, Rashford curled a shot towards the far corner of the goal, fending off the defender.
The ball hit the post and went out for a goal kick.
“Manchester United still holds absolute dominance, relentlessly attacking the opponent’s penalty area for over 10 minutes.”
“Haha, what a pity. Several shots just now were so close to going in. For Manchester United, having dominance but not scoring is not a good thing.”
“Manchester United seems a bit impatient. If they could pass the ball a few more times, perhaps they would get even better opportunities.”
“Exactly. Rashford’s shot just now was like that. Gao Nuo wasn’t under much defensive pressure. He could have passed the ball; shooting directly was a bit forced.”
Before the two commentators finished speaking, a new situation emerged on the field.
In the 42nd minute, Sheffield United attacked, with right winger Gonzalo Plata dribbling forward.
Malacia actively pressed him.
Although he didn't have a physical advantage, his nimble footwork successfully prevented the opponent from advancing.
Rice and Bruno Fernandes blocked the passing lanes.
Gao Nuo roamed in front of the center-backs.
Gonzalo Plata found himself in a stalemate.
Attempting to break through again, Malacia collided with him fiercely.
Pushing Malacia away again, he barely managed to keep the ball under control.
Gonzalo Plata hadn't found an opportunity when Rashford came up from behind him.
With his teammate caught in a double-team, Sheffield United’s right-back Jayden Bogle rushed over to support.
“Here! Behind you!”
Plata could only shield the ball near the sideline at this point. Hearing his teammate’s shout, an idea sparked in his mind.
He backheeled the ball behind him, envisioning a spectacular trick pass.
“Jayden will definitely pass the ball back. I just need to sprint forward.”
The spectacular scene he imagined did not materialize.
The passed ball went too far off target, rolling towards the center circle.
Plata, who had turned to sprint forward, froze in place.
Jayden Bogle reacted quickly, stopping abruptly and turning to chase the ball.
Even faster than him was Rashford.
After breaking his goal drought, Rashford was excited from head to toe.
His competitive state was at its peak.
He poked the ball forward ahead of his opponent, and the two began a speed contest.
Sheffield United’s defense did not push up.
Antony Katchi held his position firmly, waiting for the outcome of the contest from the flank.
Anel Ahmedhodžić, on the other hand, stuck tightly to Gao Nuo, not giving him a chance to beat the offside trap.
After a 20-meter sprint, Rashford took possession of the ball with a half-body lead.
He dribbled inside, quickly gained position, and used Jayden Bogle’s collision to accelerate even further.
Gao Nuo stopped at the edge of the box; his teammate had already broken through, with only one defender left in front of him.
At this moment, the smartest decision was to draw the defense away.
“Come on! Getting past you will be easy!”
Rashford only had shooting on his mind. His feet never stopped, and he was about to engage Antony Katchi in a close encounter.
“Gao Nuo has already drawn the other defender to the middle.”
“Rashford enters the box! Elastico!”
“Shot!”
“Beautiful! The ball went straight into the top corner! Rashford once again pulls off a solo run down the wing!”
“Manchester United equalizes again! Rashford scores a brace!”
Zhan Jun spoke rapidly, broadcasting the situation on the field in a matter of seconds.
The bullet comments once again erupted.
“Hoo hoo hoo! Rashford, possessed by Ronaldo!”
“Beautiful! That Elastico was so skillful.”
“Is this copy and paste? Both goals are identical.”
“I just want to ask, is it okay not to pass to Gao Nuo?”
“There are still people trying to stir things up. Are they elementary school students?”
“Attack beautiful like a painting! Defense a total mess!”
“No teamwork at all. If they keep playing like this, the Champions League will be a handout.”
“The goal went in, and you guys are still complaining!”
Erik ten Hag’s expression was calm on the sidelines, but he felt both joy and worry.
“Phew, this kid is really fierce today. He single-handedly ran the left wing flat.”
“Gao Nuo’s overall vision is good. He didn’t fight for opportunities and is showing more and more leadership.”
“It’s just this defense. It seems I’ll have to make some adjustments later.”
Being equalized twice by the opponent affected Sheffield United’s mentality, and they no longer dared to push forward in attack.
In the final few minutes of the first half, Manchester United continued to attack with full force, but unfortunately, the opponent had completely retreated and offered no further opportunities.
The 2-2 score remained until halftime, and both teams returned to the locker rooms.
During halftime of a final, what coaches do most is boost morale.
A coach who scolds his players at this time is either a madman or a genius.
Clearly, Erik ten Hag was not among them.
“Lads, we are Manchester United! We are the glorious Manchester United!”
“The game is under our control. No problem, just keep playing like this. No need to feel pressure.”
“Now, you all rest well. In 10 minutes, we’ll go back out there and win this match!”
Facing the poor performance of the defense, Erik ten Hag avoided mentioning it.
However, he already had a plan in mind.
Adjustments to the defense were inevitable.