Chapter 788: Missed out on a Golden Opportunity
“Ricardo Quaresma! What a wonderful goal!”
The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium was like a volcano that had just erupted. The lava and flames of the volcano were personified by the fans dressed in blue who were cheering fervently at the stands.
“Quaresma’s outside of the foot pass has made a name for itself, and Quaresma has just demonstrated that very stunt to us in this Champions League game! The goal leaves all the Nottingham Forest players stunned!”
All the Nottingham Forest players were indeed stunned.
Quaresma’s goal shows how imaginative he was as a player…
There were certain Forest players who knew beforehand how Quaresma liked to use the outside of his right foot to make such shots down the right flank, but no one expected him to succeed on his very first try!
Tiago was Quaresma’s team mate on the Portugese national team. He had reminded his Forest’s team mates not to underestimate Quaresma’s individual skills and abilities prior to the start of the match.
He had said those words out of good intentions, but he did not expect Quaresma to perform as he did, and neither did he expect his passing remark to come true.
George Wood stood rooted at the spot. Quaresma had already run away from him to celebrate his goal with a dance.
Wood suddenly felt humiliated, and so he clenched his fists tightly. It was not because he saw Quaresma to be a terrific player who made him feel helpless all over, but rather, it was because he had overly relied on his experience, which resulted in him not stopping Quaresma’s shot.
If only he had not waited in front of him and had just pounced at him earlier, perhaps he would have had a way to stick close to Quaresma and not give him a chance to shoot for goal.
Everyone else was heaping praises on Quaresma for his brilliant techniques. George Wood was the only one who saw Quaresma’s goal as nothing more than a result of his own personal mistakes.
He is the one to be blamed for the goal. He has to come up with a way to amend.
※※※
Mourinho celebrated the goal without restraint by the side of the pitch, whereas Tony Twain swore profusely, “F*ck! F*ck this! F*ck it all!”
He did not know who he should blame and scold for Quaresma’s goal, because his goal was impeccable.
He was not abnormal like Wood. He does not set high standards on himself, and thus, he would not pin the blame for the goal on Wood’s hesitance. He would definitely not pin the blame on his tactics either. Quaresma’s goal had nothing to do with his tactics.
He just felt really upset because the score had been levelled when his team had barely gone into the lead for five minutes. It was a blow to the team.
The players’ morale and confidence would both be affected. They might also lose their concentration in the game temporarily here and there. All these effects could lead to dire consequences in the match.
Twain sat on the chair and vented his unhappiness through the use of swear words. Thereafter, he got to his feet and walked to the side of the pitch.
He might be upset right now, but he needed to cheer his team on. He can’t let the goal undermine his army’s morale.
The Nottingham Forest players looked preoccupied, as though their souls had left their bodies. They were only able to lead their opponents for five minutes before the score was levelled…
It was quite the blow to their morale.
Wood was not the kind of captain who could encourage and boost his team mates’ morale by giving them a loud and impassioned speech. However, someone definitely needs to come out and say a few words to calm everyone down with the situation that they are currently in.
Where could he find such a person?
That person is right by the side of the pitch.
“Bastard! You bunch of wusses! It’s just a draw! Don’t forget that we have an away goal! What are you guys so depressed about?” Tony Twain stood by the side of the pitch and yelled at the players while gesticulating about. “Score another f*cking goal now that the score is tied! If one away goal is not enough then for f*ck’s sake score two away goals! Three away goals! Four away goals!”
Twain did Wood’s job for him. The only thing he did not do was to point his middle finger at the dejected players who had their heads drooped.
Frankly, given the cacophonous environment within the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, several of the players who were situated a distance away from Twain could not hear what he was yelling about at all. However, the moment they saw their boss standing by the pitch and making a few gestures at them, their unsettled hearts were able to settle down.
How is he not the emotional pillar of the team?
How is he not a natural born leader?
It was such a pity that Twain could not get on the pitch and play in the game.
Mourinho noticed Twain jumping up at down by the side of the pitch, and he snorted at the sight.
He also heard everything that Twain said earlier. He was a multilingual Portuguese who could speak many other languages, and his familiarity with English was perhaps second only to his mother tongue, Portuguese.
I didn’t think this guy’s temper would still be as fiery as before. I thought he would act with more restraint after suffering from a heart attack. That string of swear words that he just spewed really tested the masses’ tolerance towards him. Isn’t he afraid that his heart attack might relapse someday due to him being overly agitated?
But…
A feeling of nostalgia surged up from within.
You rarely get to hear such fiery swear words being used this profusely by the side of the pitch during an Italian game, and it is also very rare that you get to see such a great pitchside performance. In England however, such scenes are not uncommon. Things were worse at the games between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
※※※
Inter Milan had originally intended to attack Forest’s half ferociously after the match restarted. They wanted to take advantage of the momentum of the game that had swung in their favor after they scored the goal. However, Nottingham Forest shifted their entire formation backwards and made themselves more compact defense-wise, and they started employing the tactic of defending and going on the counterattack. It made it difficult for Inter Milan to gain any sort of progress.
This time, it was Mourinho’s turn to stand up from his seat and make adjustments to his tactics.
Mourinho gestured for his players to move backwards as well. He wanted them to pay attention to the empty space behind them. His team must never charge ahead mindlessly during matches against Nottingham Forest. The more his team gains an upper hand in the match, the more dangerous it gets for his team.
As a manager who has faced off with Twain numerous times, Mourinho knows Twain’s tactical ideologies and habits like the back of his hand. It might seem as though Forest is intent on playing an attacking style football with their 4-2-3-1 formation that Twain even called as ‘his own Christmas tree’, but in actuality, Twain was a utilitarian at heart. If going on the offense doesn’t bring success to his team, then he has no qualms about throwing that tactic out the window and reverting back to his previous tactic of defending and going on the counterattack.
Inter Milan’s fans were singing and dancing at the stands to celebrate the fact that their team has the upper hand in the game right now.
Even the players started to get ahead of themselves. Maicon Sisenando rushed up the pitch and never returned. Do those players have a death wish?
Mourinho could now allow his players to behave like that any longer. He needed to eliminate any possible risks before they became a threat to his team.
Perhaps Mourinho was not persuasive enough.
Nottingham Forest went on the offense once and all the Inter Milan fans at the stands went silent.
Zlatan Ibrahimović displayed his ball handling techniques before Forest’s penalty box. He made several feints, but he was not able to cause George Wood to lose his balance. Left with no other choice, he then passed the ball over to Quaresma who was on the right flank.
Quaresma’s goal at the start of the match has allowed everyone to recognize that he was in a brilliant form today. His team mates started passing the ball over to him more often, especially after Forest started to make its defense more compact, because they hoped that he would be able to make use of his personal skills and abilities to break through Nottingham Forest’s airtight defense.
The ball from Ibrahimović was snatched away by Tiago before it reached Quaresma’s feet.
Almost all of Inter Milan’s players had moved up the pitch when they attacked Nottingham Forest’s goalpost earlier. Even their two center backs had moved towards the center circle to try and see if they could contribute to their team’s offense.
What a good chance this is!
Nottingham Forest fans habitually cheered at the top of their voices after seeing Tiago snatch the ball from Quaresma. They were cheering as though their team had just scored a goal.
Inter Milan fans were puzzled by their cheers. They thought that Nottingham Forest fans were all unambitious people who would get excited over a simple thing such as snatching the ball away.
The Inter Milan fans began cheering their players on even louder, hoping to drown out Nottingham Forest fans’ cheers with their voices.
Tiago passed the ball over to George Wood without hesitation. Wood was positioned closest to him and was also the easiest to pass to.
Ibrahimović was situated right before Wood. He stuck out a leg to try and snatch the ball away, but unlike his offensive abilities, his defensive abilities were amateurish. All he was doing was to ‘put on a show’ that he was trying to defend.
Wood was able to get past the Swedish effortlessly.
Thereafter, Wood brought the ball forward. He had already passed the ball over to Şahin while Esteban Cambiasso tried to chase after him.
Şahin turned around and began darting towards the flank. Ibišević was also running towards the same place as him. The two of them attracted both of Inter Milan’s center backs, Walter Samuel and Nicolás Burdisso, over to them. However, when the center backs were closing in on them, Şahin suddenly turned around and passed the ball in the opposite direction to the one that he was running in!
The one who received his pass was Matías Fernández, who had also run to the front of the pitch.
The runs from both Şahin and Ibišević had caused the Inter Milan’s defense to be scattered, which is why when Fernández picked up the ball, there was no one before him…
Inter Milan fans finally understood why the Nottingham Forest fans were so pumped up earlier…
Because those fans have gotten even more stoked now.
“Fernández has received the ball! There’s no one ahead of him, he can make his way straight into the penalty box!”
“F*ck!” Mourinho could not help but swear in exasperation. He did not need to turn his head to look at Tony Twain. He could already imagine the smile that would be on his face.
Nottingham Forest have been acting as though they are on the losing end all this while, but this was the moment they have been waiting for!
Mourinho’s heart was in his mouth the moment he saw Fernández make his way into Inter Milan’s penalty box. He felt that Forest would definitely score, because there was no way that Forest’s players, who were well known for their abilities to defend and counterattack, would miss on such a chance.
“Charge! Chilean!” Twain urged his player on excitedly by the other side of the pitch.
Inter Milan’s Brazilian goalkeeper Júlio César chose to rush out of his goalpost after seeing that Fernández had made his way into the penalty box. However, he did not pounce for the ball at the Chilean’s feet straight away, because that would only allow Fernández to go past him easily.
He had chosen to rush out of his goalpost so as to try and minimize the angle in which Fernández could shoot. At the same time, he was also able to maintain a considerable distance from both Fernández and the goalpost, which enabled him to stop the other party from shooting. He could also avoid getting too close to his target and being left aside.
Júlio César made the correct decision at the most critical time.
Fernández had initially intended to get past César when the latter pounced at him, but when he looked up, he realized that César did not get close to him and had instead laid down horizontally on the ground. Fernández was at a loss since things did not go according to his plan.
He could not just leave the ball there while he thought about how to deal with the unexpected situation. Both Walter Samuel and Nicolás Burdisso had turned around and were rushing for him after realizing that they had walked into a trap. There were also other Inter Milan players who were charging for him as well. The chance that he had to score was beginning to slip away from him.
Fernández was in a state of panic, and he chose to raise his leg and shoot for goal straight away.
The ball rolled towards the goalpost.
César pounced towards the ball, but he made an error in his judgement!
Unfortunately, Fernández’s shot was too straight and did not have an angle to it. César was not able to get the ball with his hands, but his legs were able to get the ball away!
All the Inter Milan fans held their breaths when Fernández shot at the goalpost.
When César kept the ball away however, the ones who could not breathe were the Nottingham Forest fans.
The fans of both teams experienced an emotional rollercoaster at the same time.
They should really give each other a hug for going through the same experience…
“Fernández shoots! Ah! Júlio César! He has saved the hearts of all the Inter Milan fans!”
In truth, the ball had not gone out of play after being blocked by César. However, Fernández’s heart had been dealt a heavy blow by then, and all he could do was stand rooted at the spot. Instead of rushing forward to attempt another shot at goal, Fernández hugged his head with both hands and watched in disbelief as the ball rolled towards the edge of the end line. Nicolás Burdisso was the player who eventually sent the ball away from their goalpost.
Ibišević, who had also rushed into the penalty box, was very upset with Fernández’s performance. He yelled at the Chilean who had his hands around his head, “What were you doing just now? You should have gone and retrieved the ball and tried a second time, not stand there and stare into space!”
Fortunately, Şahin was able to pull him away from Fernández before things escalated.
Fernández did not appear to have heard Ibišević’s words. All he did was to continue to stand at the spot and hug his head like a fool.
※※※
Mourinho felt as though he had just experienced a heart attack, and there was a lingering feeling of fear within him after going through the calamity. He wanted to sit down and rest for a little, so he turned around and looked for his seat.
Tony Twain, on the other hand, was gritting his teeth tightly as he stared at the pitch. He was unable to say a single word.
Both Kerslake and Dunn who were behind him were thinking about how Fernández would not be able to escape a dressing-down from Twain during half-time later.
Even though Forest was not able to score a goal, but their attack was enough to scare the Inter Milan fans speechless.
The commentator was worried for Inter Milan after witnessing the prowess of Nottingham Forest’s tactic of defending and going on the counterattack.
“If Inter Milan is very desperate to get a goal, then they have to be mentally prepared that there is a chance that Nottingham Forest might go on the counterattack and score when they move forward to attack. I bet this is definitely not the situation that Mourinho wishes to see. Thus, changes need to be made to the team right now. It’s suicidal to keep playing the way they are now!”
Fortunately, Inter Milan did not continue playing the way they were.
Just like Tony Twain, Mourinho also made use of his rich body language and yells to remind his players to pay attention to their defense and not move forward too much. His players were also clearly frightened after Forest’s previous counterattack, and they have all retreated backwards.
The two sides then engaged in a battle in the midfield.
Twain wants to obtain away goals, but one goal was far from enough. Nottingham Forest has to keep going on the offense.
For the remainder of the first half, Nottingham Forest became the team on the offense, and Inter Milan became the team who seemed to be playing defend and counterattack.
The 4-2-3-1 formation was truly a formation that allowed the team to be much more powerful in their attacks. Having five players in the midfield allowed Forest’s defense in the midfield to be very solid.
On the other hand, Inter Milan did not dare to commit too many players to its offense, and so they were not able to find many ways to attack.
The matched continued to be in a stalemate. Both sides were able to get a few good chances, but neither side grasped at those chances. Just like this, the first half ended with the score being 1:1. Nottingham Forest has an away goal and also has the upper hand in the match so far. However, no one knew what would happen in the second half, because both managers were capable of making tweaks to their teams that could completely change the situation on the pitch.
Moreover, this was a match between those two very managers. There was no way they would not make changes to their teams.
The commentator was content with how both teams had each scored a goal in the first half. “The match has not been boring so far, and both teams have scored brilliant goals. Both teams also had good chances in the first half. I believe that the match will never be boring with these two managers in charge. The first half has proven my point…”
There was a reason why he said those words. The faces on both managers were not very pleasant when they walked towards their respective locker rooms, and it meant that they were not happy with how things had progressed in the first half. Since they are not happy, they would definitely make some adjustments to their teams, and that would make the second half even more exciting than the first…
How great would it be if all football matches were like this one, and only involved a battle between strong teams!
That was the thought on the minds of all the football fans watching the match who were not fans of either team.