20demayo Chapter 58: Snatching and passing, head held high and eyebrows raised!
Chapter 58: Snatching and passing, head held high and eyebrows raised!
"Beep~"
The referee, Paolo Mazzoleni, immediately blew his whistle to indicate a foul, without even giving Hamsik a verbal warning for not pulling his foot back.
"Waaaaahh ...
Loud boos erupted from the home fans at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Di Francisco grumbled and cursed in the home team's technical area, venting his frustration that the referee hadn't shown him a card.
De Rossi sprinted up to Mazzoleni like a 100-meter dash man, his thick beard and large arm tattoos giving him a menacing look: "Not giving a verbal warning for a foul where the foot doesn't retract is tantamount to condoning crime!"
The live broadcast director cut the camera to Chang Huan, who was sitting on the ground, baring his teeth and clutching his left ankle.
CCTV-5 commentator Liu Jiayuan said in a deep voice, "Napoli is clearly trying to limit Chang Huan's performance by committing fouls."
These words also became a microcosm of the competition that would follow.
To limit Chang Huan's performance, Napoli would deliberately foul him whenever he had the ball.
The movements aren't large, but they make it difficult for you to handle the ball comfortably.
Chang Huan intentionally increased the area he ran.
The away team clearly had a detailed and targeted strategy in place before the match.
In zone defense, there will always be players who have to take on the responsibility of committing fouls.
You can ignore link-up play without stopping the ball, but once someone tries to get the ball, then... you should definitely foul them.
Chang Huan, as Roma's most threatening player in attack, has always been the core player that Napoli's defense focuses on the most.
This means the home team can only create threats through set pieces.
Despite the fact that Napoli's attacking trident has an average height of just over 1.7 meters, their overall aerial defense is quite good.
They didn't give Roma's tall player a comfortable header in their own penalty area.
They also have a lot of ideas on the offensive end, and Mertens, who plays the number nine, is more like a pseudo-9.
He drops back into midfield to receive the ball, linking up with the forwards and making breakthroughs on the wings.
Rome's lack of Strootman's support has become increasingly apparent over time.
Dzeko was completely locked down by Koulibaly throughout the game and couldn't make any significant contributions.
Lorenzo Pellegrini's soft playing style became a weakness that Napoli exploited in their attack.
Before we knew it, twenty minutes had passed in the first half.
Roma's attack failed to find a way through, and Napoli quickly released the ball against the home team's high press.
A few quick and precise passes evaded the encirclement.
Hamsik received a through ball from Jorginho in the middle of the attacking third, forcefully changed direction to get past Lorenzo Pellegrini, and then sent a diagonal through ball to the left.
Mertens, positioned on the left side of the penalty area, faced Florenzi's defense. He calmly drew other players before delivering a subtle cutback pass with his left foot.
De Rossi, who had retreated to the left side of the penalty area, miskicked the ball while attempting a clearance under pressure from Insigne!
The football rolled right in front of Insigne.
This famous Italian dwarf tiger reacted extremely quickly, shooting as soon as he kicked.
Alisson was a little slow to block the near post, and the ball, rolling at high speed close to the ground, grazed the inside of the near post and went into the net.
Napoli take a 1-0 lead away from home!
The home fans in the stands instinctively booed, directed at the referee, Mazzoleni.
In their view, Insigne had fouled De Rossi.
The referee did not blow the whistle.
The Roma players had no choice but to accept it.
Despite conceding the first goal, the home team maintained a good mentality and did not blindly increase the number of players involved in the attack.
They continued to execute the tactics devised by Di Francisco before the game, as planned.
Taking advantage of the dead ball situation, the live broadcast director gave Chang Huan a close-up shot.
CCTV-5 commentator Liu Jiayuan sighed, "Napoli's defense against Chang Huan was very successful, and the referee's whistle was too soft..."
Dzeko was locked down by Koulibaly, rendering him unable to act as a fulcrum.
Chang Huan's performance was limited due to Napoli's fouling tactics, and Roma's attack remained ineffective.
De Rossi was distracted by defense, Lorenzo Pellegrini's defense was too poor, and Nainggolan had to clean up his messes, leaving him no time to focus on attacking from midfield and forward.
Chang Huan, who rarely got a comfortable touch on the ball, had to frequently drop back to receive the pass.
Napoli players executed tactics well, committing 100% to defending Chang Huan and giving him no chance to turn around.
After being fouled three times in a row while attempting a turn, the usually composed man couldn't help but swear, "Fuck you! What can you do besides foul?"
The away team's midfielder Alan devised a plan.
He approached Chang Huan, winking and making faces at her, then covered his mouth in a provocative manner: "You really want to hit me, don't you? Go ahead and hit me then!"
Chang Huan, with his back to the referee and facing the camera, covered his mouth and said in Portuguese, "This is the first time I've heard such a shameless request."
"Then what are you waiting for? Coward!"
Alan thought he had a chance and continued to verbally provoke.
Chang Huan, who liked to report things on the field, turned around, grabbed Alan's thick left arm, and faced the approaching referee: "Referee, this guy wants me to hit him, or I'll be a coward. What should I do?"
Alan and Paul Mazzoleni were both taken aback upon hearing this.
The two of them had clearly never encountered such a situation before; their mouths were half-open, as if a flock of crows were flying overhead.
"puff……"
"Cough cough~"
Paul Mazzoleni is professionally trained to not laugh out loud no matter how funny something is, but he really couldn't hold back when he met Chang Huan this time.
At this moment, he also understood the amusing story shared by his referee colleagues, Giacomo and Rocchi, about how they almost got their defenses broken by Chang Huan.
He forced a smile, remembering the unpleasant things, and said to Chang Huan, "Focus on the competition!"
"OK."
Chang Huan nodded obediently, then casually lectured Alan, "Don't mention hitting you again next time. We're here to play football, not a boxing match, understand?"
Alan: "..."
Referee: "..."
The nearby Roma and Napoli players: "..."
The Roma attack ended with Nainggolan's long-range shot going over the crossbar.
Taking advantage of Reina's dawdling as he took the goal kick, Di Francesco called Chang Huan, who had retreated, to the sidelines: "Don't be confined to the right wing. Switch positions with Perotti more often, move around freely, and when pressing high up the pitch, pay attention to Jorginho. I feel like he's prone to problems there."
At the end, he patted Chang Huan on the shoulder and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself, take care of yourself, and don't get hurt."
Napoli's attacking lineup consists of short players, and Reina's goal kicks are all short-range.
Dzeko waved his hand, signaling Chang Huan, Perotti, and Lorenzo Pellegrini to press forward with their small group.
After a few quick passes, Albiot, who received the ball, paused for a moment and chose to pass it to Jorginho, who had made a run into space in the middle.
The Italian international had anticipated this and noticed Lorenzo Pellegrini rushing towards him from his right rear.
With a graceful drop of his right shoulder, he connects the ball and turns it to the left.
Just then.
A loud cheer suddenly rang out in the air above the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
"Um?"
Jorginho's pupils contracted as he caught a glimpse of a red figure emerging from behind the stunned Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Almost as a conditioned reflex, he stretched out his right foot to try and poke the ball away for a free kick.
However, the most crucial point has been overlooked.
My movement speed is notoriously slow!
"often--"
With a shout from the commentator in the audience, Chang Huan, with his explosive power and speed, stepped out and used the inside of his right foot to steal the ball.
Realizing what was happening too late, Jorginho swung his right foot, turning what was meant to draw a foul into an intentional one.
But... it was a whole beat too late.
I only kicked at the splashing water droplets and grass clippings!
Jorginho, the deep-lying midfielder, lost possession. Sarri, who was secretly smoking next to the away team's bench, narrowed his eyes. He accidentally inhaled the cigarette he was smoking and immediately started coughing violently: "Cough cough~"
Albiol had no choice but to push forward.
Chang Huan's movements were very quick, giving him no chance to foul, and he caught up with the ball that had been spiked out in a few quick steps.
From the center, about 35 meters from the goal, use the instep of your left foot to send out a straight through pass.
After being suppressed by Koulibaly for more than half an hour, Dzeko turned and made a forward run in one smooth motion, taking a big step out with his right foot, first blocking the position, and then letting the ball roll between his legs across the penalty area line in front of him.
Koulibaly, who was blocked behind him, slowed down for fear of rear-ending someone and raised his hand to complain about being offside.
The assistant referee did not stop and raise his flag, which meant... no offside!
Goalkeeper Reina rushed out of his goal to intercept the ball!
After adjusting his footwork, Dzeko swung his left foot and struck.
The ball, close to the ground, darted past Reina as he made a sudden stop and dived to his right, crossed the goal line, and nestled into the snow-white net...