Chapter 893 There is only one way to go
Even Xie Lan saw the hidden dangers in Leeds City, so it was not a secret at all.
After Leeds City took the lead, they could not relax because they still faced a very severe situation - how to maintain the lead until the end?
If the team that takes the lead at this time is a team that is extremely good at defense like London Bridge, they will definitely shrink their defense without saying a word and wait for the final whistle.
But Leeds City is not London Bridge. They are not good at defense and have not made targeted arrangements.
Although during the game, they once shrank to their own defensive third zone to defend because Tramed's offense was too fierce.
But that was only temporary, and Leeds City did not hold on for long before they found ways to break out.
And still relied on offense to regain the upper hand.
That kind of performance of holding on for a few minutes cannot be used as evidence to conclude that Leeds City could not hold on for more than 30 minutes of the game.
Clark really didn't think about holding on to the bus after leading by one goal.
He kept the team at its normal pace and continued to deal with Tramed.
When attacking, the two full-backs actively moved forward to increase the number of attackers and create a greater threat to suppress Tramed's counterattack.
When defending, including Hu Lai, he must retreat to his own half to defend, even if he is not good at defense.
Everyone tried their best.
Even with Leeds City's excellent physical strength, at this point in the season, no matter how good their physical fitness is, they are close to running out of gas. Not to mention that their style of play inherently requires more physical support.
The huge pressure from the front runners seemed to materialize, buckling on their shoulders and making them breathless.
After the initial excitement of a goal lead wore off, Leeds' players began to decline.
Although they continue to pursue goals - after all, if they want to be completely safe, they still have to lead by at least two goals to be safe.
However, Tramed, who was well prepared, responded calmly and not only withstood their offensive, but also used counterattacks to make Leeds City's defense frightened.
Here, Ricardo Barea, a young Portuguese player, made full use of his fast speed and good skills to become a sharp knife in Tramed's counterattack, frequently stabbing Leeds City's vital parts!
"Balia cuts inside! Beautiful! He shoots! Oh - so dangerous! It slides out!"
"Balia is so fast! He used his speed to overtake and sent a cross from the wing! The football was pushed out by Grist, but he didn't push it far! Vandelft's long shot——! Played under interference High!”
……
Seeing the dangerous situation in front of Leeds City's goal on the sidelines, Randall was a little anxious: "During this period, it is obvious that Tramed's offense is more threatening and more efficient. Tony, you must make changes, shrink your defense. No matter whether we are good at it or not, there is only one way to go now..."
Clark did not respond to the assistant coach's suggestion. He just looked at the court with a solemn expression, not knowing what he was thinking.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Clark, Randhir had no choice but to step aside and follow the game with Clark.
He is only an assistant coach and cannot overstep his authority at any time, bypassing the head coach and giving orders directly to the players. Since the head coach has not made a decision, he will be on standby.
Anyway, if we really lose in the end, it will be the head coach's responsibility. But if he gives orders at will and causes the team to lose, then the big pot will be put on his head without any suspense...
Clark was indeed hesitating, wondering whether he should make up his mind to shrink the defense.
In the situation at hand, it is obvious that Tramed is gradually gaining the upper hand. If Leeds City does not shrink, there is a real possibility of conceding goals.
But if the defense shrinks, Clark doesn't know how long his team can withstand it.
He always wants to score before the opponent loses the ball.
As long as he can score another goal, he will immediately order the defense to be recovered without hesitation. This time he will never think that a two-goal lead is not safe...
But his reason told him that if he continued playing like this, he might concede the goal before Leeds City scored.
After thinking about it, Clark finally made a decision that went against his heart. He turned to Randall and said: "Sam..."
Randhir seemed to have his listening target firmly locked on him, and he immediately turned his head and looked over as soon as Clark opened his mouth.
Clark opened his mouth to speak. But at this moment, his eyes saw the very active Portuguese genius Barea using his speed to break through at the edge of Leeds City's penalty area, driving the football towards the baseline and chasing after him. He tried to make a pass, but it was just a feint, and he got the ball back before it rolled out of the baseline. The Leeds City right back Josh Lawler, who was guarding him, lost his balance and slid out of the baseline in order to prevent him from passing...
Clark immediately shut up.
Randhir also looked back towards the direction of Leeds City's penalty area amid huge cheers from the red-top stadium.
After Barea saved the football again, he didn't make any more adjustments. Instead, before Leeds City's defense could react, he directly passed the football to the goal with a trick kick!
Papp Bonnet was competing for the top of the ball at the front point. He and Grist were entangled, and neither one could top the ball.
The football flew towards the center.
Tramed's captain Connor Kirk came out of the air and scored with a header!
"Kirk!!!"
The football was hit hard by Kirk and flew straight towards the goal.
For this very close header, Leeds City goalkeeper Van der Ven could only raise his hand reflexively, which was not an effective save at all...
The football hit the edge of his hand and, despite a line change, dived into the goal!
Randhir stared in the direction of the goal dumbfounded, and Clark's voice sounded next to him: "Sam, it seems we have no other choice but to continue attacking..."
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"Beautiful——!! Beautiful goal! Tramed equalized the score! In the 66th minute of the game, Connor Kirk scored with a header!! Sure enough! This is what we want to see Fight for the championship! Come on! Use whatever tricks you have!”
Neutral commentator Matthew Cox, who did not take it too seriously to watch the excitement, laughed with excitement.
When Leeds City gradually became overwhelmed, Tramed's goal was like a shot in the arm. If Leeds City still want to compete for the league title, then they must cheer up again and go all out.
Although this is a bit torturous for Leeds City, it is indeed the key to full of expectations for all those who hope to see an exciting championship battle.
If Leeds City is hit too hard after conceding the goal, it will be fatally hit and will never be able to make waves again. That means they are not qualified to win the championship, so just accept the league runner-up status with a smile. For their team, which was still "preventing relegation" in the first half of the season, the runner-up place is actually a very good result...
But if Leeds City is unwilling to give in, then try its best to fight with Tramed until the last second in this game, and fight with Stan Park Rangers until the last round in the entire league.
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Hearing the cheers of Stan Park Rangers players, Brooks finally showed a smile on his face this time.
He was not just because Tramed equalized the score, but also because before Tramed equalized the score, he saw Leeds City's incompetent performance in the game.
This made him realize that Leeds City may have run out of gas and reached an unsustainable point.
Thirty-seven rounds of the league have been played so far, and they are fighting with high intensity. In every game, they are the team that runs the most distance.
In this way, they can continue to fight until the end, which is actually amazing.
But the people who make up the Leeds City team are, after all, humans, not machines, so they will be physically tired and mentally relaxed.
If this continues, it will collapse.
After seeing the possibility of his opponent collapsing, Scott Brooks' heart, which had been hanging, could finally relax a little.
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In the bar, David Miller and his friends put their heads in their hands and looked up at the picture on the TV screen.
Tramed's players, who were celebrating happily, felt like their hearts were being pulled, making them unable to breathe.
They don't have any thoughts in their minds at this moment, and they don't know what to say.
So I could only stay silent and look at the TV, but in fact I couldn’t see clearly what was on the screen...
Tears welled up from their eyes unconsciously, blurring their eyes.
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"Oops!" Lilith Raza sighed and lay back on the sofa. "It's over, now it's really troublesome!"
After saying that, she sat up from the sofa again and turned her eyes to Li Qingqing, wanting to see how the girl would react.
She saw Li Qingqing stand up.
"Hey, what are you going to do?"
"Go to the bathroom."
As Lilith watched, Li Qingqing actually walked into the toilet, then closed the door, and heard the sound of being locked from inside.
I really need to go to the toilet...
Are you so calm?
Lilith frowned and looked in the direction of the bathroom.
Li Qingqing stood in front of the bathroom sink, looking at herself in the mirror, frowning and biting her teeth lightly.
She was worried about Hu Lai, but there was nothing she could do.
If she was the only one watching the game in the apartment like usual, she would definitely yell to vent her depressed mood.
But now she didn't want to do that in front of Lilith.
Even though Lilith was already her best friend in Paris Eger, she didn't want to.
So she could only lock herself in the toilet and try to calm herself down.
She didn't know how long passed until she heard a knock on the door outside: "Qingqing, are you okay?"
Li Qingqing woke up with a start, then looked in the mirror again to confirm that there was nothing wrong with her appearance. She pressed the toilet flush button and pretended that she had really gone to the toilet just now.
Then he opened the door and came out: "It's okay. Why do you ask, Lilith?"
"Well, I see you haven't come out for a while..." Lilith said while looking at Li Qingqing carefully, as if she wanted to find some clues on her face.
Li Qingqing quickly glanced at the TV screen and found that the game had restarted and three minutes had passed.
"It doesn't take long, I just don't want to see Tramed celebrate."
"Are you worried about Hu?"
Li Qingqing nodded and hummed softly.
Lilith patted her shoulder and comforted her: "Be patient, Qingqing. In fact, it's not bad to be the runner-up!"
Li Qingqing didn't answer because she didn't think it was a good thing to be the runner-up. (End of chapter)