It doesn't matter if the Nottingham Forest players protest or plead. The referee insisted on the decision he had just made: Leighton. Barnes was fouled for handball and a penalty was awarded to Chelsea.

Not only that, but he also pulled a yellow card out of his pocket and gave Barnes a warning.

"Damn, should I thank him for not sending Barnes off directly?" Don, who saw this scene on the sidelines, said dissatisfiedly.

Tang Ke next to him didn't answer his words, he still had his own things to do. Taking advantage of the chaos, Don called Eastwood, who was closest to the dugout, back and handed him a note for him to pass on to goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

Eastwood was a little strange, but he did it. He ran back to the pitch, bypassed the noisy crowd and came to Van der Sar.

"Assistant Teacher Tang asked me to give it to you." Eastwood handed Van der Sar the note in his hand.

"What is this?" Van der Sar was puzzled.

"Can't you just open it and see it?"

Eastwood stood by and watched his team-mate plead with the referee as he finished his mission. He didn't get involved because he knew that even if he said his saliva dry, the referee would not change the decision he had made before, especially a major decision like a penalty. He didn't do this kind of meaningless thing, and he wasn't the captain, so he knew he couldn't do it.

Van der Sar, who was next to him, suddenly let out an exclamation, which instead attracted his attention. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, nothing." Van der Sar smiled and put the note away and bent over in his socks.

Eastwood looked at Van der Sar suspiciously, and did not continue to ask.

Seeing that his teammates were still pestering with the referee, Van der Sar patted Eastwood on the shoulder: "You don't seem to be worried about this penalty, Freddy?" ”

Eastwood looked at the men and said, "It's all sentenced, what's the use of worrying." If you don't hold it, I'll go score another goal. Franck Franck Ribery could have equalised 45 seconds after we conceded and I think I could too. ”

Van der Sar smiled. "Then don't get too far away from me. If I catch the ball, I'll just throw it at you. ”

"It's a deal."

※※※

The decision could not be changed, and there was no point in continuing to dwell on it, and the Forest players scattered and exited the box.

After a brief celebration between the Chelsea players, Frank Lampard, Chelsea's number one penalty taker, walked up with a football in his arms.

Van der Sar stood in front of the goal line, lowered his center of gravity slightly and spread his arms.

Looking at Frank Lampard, who was setting up the football, he thought of the note he had just read.

As in last season's Champions League semi-final, it was a piece of information about the penalty-taking habits of all Chelsea's penalty takers, with Frank Lampard coming first.

Van der Sar wasn't originally a goalkeeper who was good at saving penalties, but with these details, he was confident he could save Frank Lampard.

What's more, since the World Cup, Lampard's level of penalty kicks seems to have dropped suddenly, there have been several cases of penalty not scored, this game is a battle of life and death, this penalty is more related to whether Chelsea can finally qualify, such a big pressure, can Lampard withstand it? These are all things that Van der Sar can grasp and exploit.

He stood in front of goal with his arms outstretched, trying to expand his defensive area while creating a psychological pressure on Lampard.

Frank Lampard placed the penalty on the spot, and he swung it three times before he got up and stepped back satisfied.

The noise in the stands of the stadium faded away, and everyone was watching the small area in front of the Forest with bated breath.

The fateful moment......

That's no exaggeration. If Chelsea can score that goal, the impact on the situation of the game will be very far-reaching. Chelsea can take advantage of the opportunity to defend and play with Forest, who will have a hard time counter-attacking because they will have much less space to exploit later.

And what if Chelsea don't score? I believe it was a heavy blow not only for Chelsea fans, but also for the players and coaching staff at Chelsea. I finally looked forward to a decisive opportunity, but I didn't grasp it...... It is never an exaggeration to describe it as "heartbreaking". There will be a period of confusion and demoralisation for the Chelsea players and it is normal for something to happen in the meantime that goes against them. On the contrary, the morale of the Forest team will be boosted as a result.

One more point.

It's 70 minutes now, and many Chelsea players who have been running for so long have actually reached a tipping point in their physical strength. This is when they are the most powerless, and if they want to lift their legs, they have to rely on willpower to support them, not everyone's willpower is so awesome.

Of course, if they can survive this critical point, it is better to say that they will continue to entangle with Nottingham Forest in the next ten minutes. What if you can't get through it...... The results speak for themselves.

Don says he's a gambler, but why not Jose Mourinho?

Frank Lampard stood three steps away from the ball and waited for the referee to blow the whistle.

The city stadium, which can accommodate up to 30,000 people, is silent in this room, whether it is the benches of the two sides, the coach's box, or the VIP box, everyone is staring at the two people in the middle of the stage.

Don didn't speak, just bit his lip. He said he wanted to give Albertini the perfect farewell match, he said he wanted George to play in the final of the European Champions League again, and a year ago he promised Ribery that it would not be the only time they reached the Champions League final......

He made so many promises, how could he watch them disappear?

"Toot-"

Just when Donne's heart was in chaos, the referee's whistle sounded, which was exceptionally clear in this quiet stadium.

※※※

Frank Lampard heard the whistle and began to run, three steps close, and the run was completed in the blink of an eye, with his body leaning to the left and his right foot up...... Volley!

As he got to his feet, Van der Sar flew out. He noticed Frank Lampard's run-up and foot swing and thought that although Lampard was leaning to the left, he was not going to push the ball to the left, and that the leaning was just a feint to trick him into lunging in that direction.

So Van der Sar opted to pounce on Frank Lampard's right side, on the left side of his body.

Just pounced and found that Frank Lampard didn't push to either side and the ball flew straight down the middle!

This is an unexpected situation!

In the middle lane, the speed is fast and powerful, and it looks unstoppable!

Can't hold on?

The thought had just risen in Van der Sar's mind when he was thrown out.

The ball is fast, half-high, and the middle is ......

The ball is fast?!

Thank God!

Van der Sar flew across the air, his legs straight, and it looked awkward and funny, but he knew it was his only chance.

If Frank Lampard's shot is powerful enough and fast enough, then Van der Sar's body hasn't fully flown out...... There is a chance that his foot will touch the soccer ball flying into the middle!

Van der Sar at this moment would love to be like Michael. Jordan has the ability to stay in the air for long periods of time, allowing him to hover here and wait for the ball to crash into it......

"Bang!"

There was a thumping pain in his foot, and it made him ecstatic - I blocked it!

"Unbelievable! Frank Lampard's penalty is not conceded! The narrator couldn't hide his disappointment - Donn's shit luck was too good!

Frank Lampard looked up and watched the ball fly over his head, in a bit of a trance.

Penalty Nightmare, Penalty Nightmare...... Since the World Cup, it has been bothering him and unwilling to let him go.

He suddenly returned to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and the man wearing the red Nottingham Forest shirt next to him suddenly became the same Portuguese player wearing the red shirt......

He was the first to come on that painful and desperate night, in the penalty shoot-out. He knew exactly what "first man" meant, but he lived up to everyone's expectations and sent the penalty straight into Ricardo's arms.

After he missed the penalty, the bad mood was also contagious to his team-mates, and Gerrard, the second penalty taker, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown after seeing Frank Lampard miss the ball, and he held back tears in his eyes and walked up to kick the second goal, the consequences of which can be imagined......

England's two of the most consistent penalties were both spot-kicks off the spot-kick as England were once again planted in front of the Portuguese and lost to the penalty nightmare once again.

The loud cheers dragged him back from his trance, and he looked back to see his teammates desperately returning to the defense, all with one target - Nottingham Forest 11, Eastwood, who was running wild with the ball!

Didn't become a dead ball?

"Rush, Freddy!!" Van der Sar behind him shouted with his fist waving his fist, he didn't care if he didn't have time to show himself up in close-up to celebrate the penalty saved, now was the perfect opportunity for Forest to counter-attack!

Chelsea fought for 70 minutes to get a penalty. Nottingham Woods were embarrassed for 70 minutes, weren't they also waiting for such an opportunity?

"Charge! Our Gypsy Rooney!! Forest fans in the stands raised their arms and chanted with Edwin van der Sar.

※※※

Jose Mourinho saw his henchman miss the penalty again, but he didn't have the time to be upset or furious. He now has to worry about his goal because most of the people rushed to the penalty and now there are only two centre-backs in the back of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

He cursed under his breath, but didn't know whether to scold the penalty that didn't go in, or the quick counter-attack of the Forest team.

※※※

Don patted Don on the shoulder: "I said things aren't that bad. ”

Don didn't care about praising his foresight, and he muttered excitedly, "e_on! Freddy, give them a fatal blow! ”

※※※

"Jose, maybe it's not that bad...... "Technical Director Grant said, standing next to him, "and we've got Terry and Carvalho." ”

Mourinho scolded: "I'm worried about this! ”

Grant's face changed and he didn't speak again.

John Terry has a yellow card and he is the first to take on the attack.

"Stick it up, don't kick it!" Jose Mourinho rushed to the sidelines and yelled.

※※※

There was an uproar on the pitch, and Terry didn't even hear Mourinho yelling on the sidelines, and he didn't have time to turn his head to look at the manager's anxious expression. Now he has only one man in his eyes - Eastwood who is running wild with the ball.

"It's like a massive hunt on the African savannah. Herds of lions chasing a lone zebra...... The lion king was blocked in front of his prey, staring at it. The narrator's analogy is very vivid.

A large number of Chelsea players are struggling to chase back and they are now counting on John Terry up front to force Eastwood to slow down. As long as he slows down, he can form a circle in no time. Then this quick comeback of the Forest team will also be aborted.

"Zebras look like there's no way to escape......"

Eastwood had planned to turn while the two sides were still not close and make a big circle around Terry. Suddenly, it occurred to him that John Terry had received a yellow card in the first half.

What had happened to Wood flashed before his eyes.

The gypsy changed his mind, picked up speed again, and rushed straight for Terry.

In the Nottingham Forest squad, Eastwood is not as fast as the four wide attackers, but it is by no means slow. Short-distance sprints are not to be underestimated.

Running from the back to the opponent's 30-meter area, about 40 meters, Eastwood knew that he had reached his limit, and he could even feel the pain of his knee after three surgeries, and he could no longer run fast. He would soon be caught up by his pursuers, and a fast attack by the Forest would come to an end. How could Van der Sar's gift be wasted so easily?

If it's destined to end, it's better to pull on a cushion!

John. Terry saw Eastwood coming straight for him, and he didn't hesitate to greet him.

Of course he knew he was carrying a yellow card.

But as he said to Mourinho at half-time, he would not hesitate to do what he had to do if there was a particularly urgent situation.

Stopping the other party is what he should do now.

The distance between the two is rapidly shrinking.

10 meters, 8 meters, 6 meters, 5 meters......

Eastwood's upper body shook and he made a feint to break through, but Terry was unmoved. He just waited for the moment when the ball was out of Eastwood's control, and that was the prime time to grab the ball.

Suddenly!

A black shadow emerges from the stabbing and knocks Eastwood out of Terry's eyes!

This time it happened so suddenly that Terry didn't react at all, he froze in place, watching the ball roll past him, and then heard the referee's shrill whistle again.

Deafening boos erupted in the stands. Of course, the frustrated anger of the Forest fans was not vented on Terry, they targeted the "criminal" who knocked Eastwood out, and fell with Eastwood - Carvalho!

After seeing the foul man clearly, Terry was a little surprised.

The referee ran to the two who had fallen to the ground, and he beckoned the foul Carvalho to stand up, with a yellow card in his other hand.

※※※

"He-!" Tang En couldn't suppress the anger in his heart, and scolded, "It's just a yellow card?!" This son of a bitch is a referee! ”

The fourth officer's ears twitched and he walked towards him. Don caught a glimpse of the other party and immediately shut up obediently.

Instead, Chrislak interjected from the side, pointing to a scene on the field and complaining to the fourth official: "Sir, is this a yellow card foul?" Shouldn't a red card be sent off? Carvalho ruined one of our quick counterattacks, and in such a savage way! ”

He managed to attract the attention of the Fourth Officer, and Donn escaped.

※※※

On the other side, Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Terry was safe and sound. He was really scared just now. He could see off the field that Eastwood was deliberately trying to find trouble with Terry, otherwise there were so many blank areas in the backfield, why did he take the initiative to find Terry?

Thankfully, Carvalho stepped up at a crucial moment to help Terry save the crisis.

At the cost of a yellow card, Terry was offered to stay on the pitch.

The Forest players rushed up to trouble Carvalho, and Terry stepped in to separate the two.

"It was a foul, but your teammates didn't look like a big deal." He pointed to Eastwood, who was slowly getting up, and said to the excited Forest players.

When everyone heard him say this, they realized that Eastwood had really stood up on his own, and he moved his body to find that there was nothing serious except for a little pain in the arm that had been knocked down.

"Hey, Freddie! Are you okay? 'Seeing Eastwood, the Forest players immediately diverted their attention. Carvalho was able to get out of trouble.

John Terry looked at his centre-back partner and said: "Thank you. ”

"Thanks for what?" Carvalho grinned, "It's a game that takes hard work to win, I'm just trying hard." ”

Terry laughed when he said this, "But now we both have a yellow card." ”

"Afraid of what? I don't have one on me. Makelele, who was next to him, said suddenly.

The other two were stunned for a moment, and then the three looked at each other and smiled.

※※※

His teammates gathered around Eastwood for fear that his fragile knee would suffer another blow to his knee. Eastwood was annoyed: "Damn it! Damn Carvalho! If it weren't for him, Terry would have been red carded by now! ”

Ribery shrugged when he saw this: "Okay, it looks like Freddy is all right, let's disperse!" ”

Eastwood's striker partner Ruud van Nistelrooy patted him on the shoulder: "Don't think about yellow or red cards, it's the right thing to do to score another goal." ”

George. After seeing that Eastwood was all right outside the crowd, Wood quietly walked away.

He looked up at the score on the big screen, it hadn't moved, it was still 1:1.

Chelsea's penalty was denied and our counter-attack was unsuccessful.

No one took advantage of this opportunity......

What a pity.

(To be continued)