After the goal, the fans in the stands became more and more excited. The cheers, shouts, and scolding at the visiting players were deafening, which also made the Roma players on the field excited.
Although Matic is no longer at his peak age, he has played for Chelsea and Manchester United for many years, won two Premier League titles and one Premier League team of the season. He has begun to remind and direct his teammates' positions and running routes in offense and defense.
Even the three new players who had just joined the team knew the importance of this game.
If they win, the road to maintaining a top-four position will be bright;
If they lose, they will not be able to overturn any of the remaining games, whether they are against the remaining strong teams such as Inter Milan and Napoli, or the mid-table teams such as Lazio, Bologna and Atalanta;
Not to mention that in the first half of the season the team lost points to bottom teams like Verona and Venice.
So at this time, Matic didn't care about who was new.
His assistance reduced a lot of defensive burdens for Chen Xiaoliang, who was in a more forward position, even though he had been covering and running in a large area in the midfield from the opening to now.
Roma's best offensive and defensive performance so far this season firmly suppressed Juventus, and their offensive wave was higher and higher.
Although Juventus had a slight advantage in ball possession, every time they reached the 30-meter area in the front court, it became very difficult to advance.
In the 12th minute, Roma won a free kick in the frontcourt. Cristante received a cross from Mkhitaryan and kicked a long shot that hit the stands directly.
In the 15th minute, Dybala's lateral pass on the right side was too weak and was intercepted by Chen Xiaoliang in the middle and passed to Matic who came from behind. Matic's long volley was saved by Szczesny.
In the 20th minute, Cristante made a long pass from the backcourt, Cesco headed the ball back, and Zalewski shot, but was blocked by Szczesny again.
After unremitting and continuous attacks, Rome finally achieved results!
In the 23rd minute, Roma quickly counterattacked. Chen Xiaoliang received the pass from Matic, dribbled the ball to get rid of Locatelli, and then passed it to Mkhitaryan who was moving inward from the right in front of the penalty area.
The Armenian veteran shot the ball under the defense of De Sciglio . The ball changed direction drastically in the air and hit Szczesny's head. The Polish goalkeeper who blocked the ball in this game did not react at all!
Roma leads 2-0!
Slow motion showed that the ball was originally a low shot, and Szczesny was ready to save the ball, but when De Sciglio rushed forward and turned his back to block it, the ball hit his back and bounced high in an instant, and somehow turned into an elevator ball!
Chen Xiaoliang was so "lucky" to get another assist!
However, Roma seemed to have "hit the jackpot" today, all the players were in great shape, and their amazing performance has not stopped yet!
Ten minutes later, in the 34th minute, Zalewski was tripped by Locatelli in the frontcourt. The referee showed the latter a yellow card and awarded Roma a free kick in a good position.
Since Veretout and Pellegrini did not play, the team's two main free throw takers were not there. At the unanimous request of his teammates, Chen Xiaoliang had to stand on the free throw spot.
Free kick attribute 4...
If this kick can be caught by Szczesny, it will be good enough...
However, he had already made arrangements during the extra training, using the old routine, calling Zalewski to gently pass the ball to him.
Although simple, the movements required big moves. In front of the Juventus wall, the two men gestured with their hands and discussed the route with each other.
This made Szczesny feel like he was facing a formidable enemy!
Who hasn't seen Chen Xiaoliang's super free kick against AC Milan? !
He quickly directed the human wall to move and asked Chiesa to lie under the human wall to prevent him from shooting close to the ground.
“Beep!”
The referee whistled, signaling that a free throw could be taken.
Zalewski ran from right to left, and after running a few steps, Chen Xiaoliang also started to move towards the ball from left to right!
Zalewski pushed with his right foot, but unexpectedly the force was a little too strong and the foot rolled away from the direction of Chen Xiaoliang's step.
The teammates had already started, and when the Juventus wall saw that the two did not shoot directly, they rushed over to block it. Chen Xiaoliang, who originally wanted to pass the ball directly, had to dribble the ball and pass it to Matic in the middle.
Who knew that by some strange coincidence, this in and out movement actually put the focus of Juventus' defense on the high point in the penalty area and Chen Xiaoliang, while missing out on Matic in the middle.
The Serbian drew his bow and shot an arrow through the clouds with his left foot!
The ball flew straight to the upper left corner of the goal!
Szczesny, who was standing on the right and preparing to defend against Chen Xiaoliang's direct free kick, was caught off guard by this "accident" and it was too late for him to jump to save the ball.
Zhan Jun: “3 to 0!”
"Today's Rome is in full bloom! We will win no matter how we fight!"
"This is also Matic's first goal since joining Roma!"
"The scene kept cutting to Landucci and Allegri. Compared to Landucci's loud shouting on the sidelines, Allegri in the stands frowned, but he could do nothing!"
General Fan: "Roma was in really good shape today. Apart from the first corner kick, Juventus didn't make any obvious defensive mistakes in the last two goals. For example, the distance of Matic's shot just now was about 30 meters. It was reasonable not to block the opponent's gaps at this distance. It was impossible to block all the gaps on the field. Football is a game of finding gaps through passing."
"But a situation like Roma's today, although rare, is normal to encounter a few times in a career and does not reflect the real level gap between the two teams. It's just that they are in good form and can win no matter how they play."
At this time, the following comments appeared in the barrage:
【Guoan 9 to 1】
[Does Lao Fan still remember 9 to 1? ]
【Guoan is the champion! 】
There is a PAD on the table in front of the two commentators, which is specifically used to display the fans' comments. This is also prepared to enhance the interaction between the commentators and the fans in the live broadcast room.
Zhan Jun quickly changed the subject when he saw this: "For example, Manchester United once beat Roma 7-1 and Arsenal 8-2 at home! But they also lost 1-6 to Manchester City and Tottenham."
"Let's see if Roma can continue this super performance today and bring us a goal frenzy!"
On the field, Roma players gathered together excitedly to celebrate Matic's groundbreaking long-range shot.
The fans were celebrating like it was a holiday, with a few guys even taking off their coats in excitement. In the freezing weather, they patted their thick chest hair and shouted loudly at the cameras.
This is Juventus. Although it has not been doing well in the past two years, it is also the number one giant in the history of Serie A, having won 36 championships. The fans never dreamed that Roma could not only win, but also win so beautifully.
However, Mourinho on the sidelines acted out of character and kept waving his hands, asking the players to stop celebrating and quickly return to their own half. At the same time, he kept pointing to his temple, emphasizing the need to stay focused on the game.
Juventus still played their established tactics at a leisurely pace.
The ball was constantly passed back and forth in the midfield and backcourt, patiently looking for space in Roma's defense.
Compared to the players on the field who didn't seem to be in a hurry, Juventus fans were cursing in the live broadcast room:
【A-Jong, get out of here soon! 】
[TMD, if he doesn't leave, I will never watch any Juventus game again! ]
[Is Wen unable to find a coach? Why does the board trust Allegri so much? ]
[They were already three goals behind, but they were still passing the ball back and forth in the backcourt, showing no ambition]
[get out of class is over, get out of class is over, get out of class is over, get out of class is over! ]
…
However, Mourinho's "uncharacteristic" behavior is not without reason.
The sudden big lead did make several Roma players lower their guard against the old giants in front of them.
And several defenders seemed to have forgotten that the attacking trident they were facing was one of the best offensive players in the entire Serie A.
Although the Juventus players were also anxious, Allegri's return to the team allowed them to return to their old style of play.
The famous Italian coach rejected Real Madrid's invitation to coach twice and chose the Zebras both times. He always believed that his approach was right.
As long as we can hold on, there is hope for the competition.
Faced with Chen Xiaoliang's repeated high-pressure defense, Juventus' midfield and backcourt always chose the safest way to pass the ball, from left to right and from right to left.
The two wingers also played in different styles. Chiesa always stayed close to the left side, constantly retreating to help the players in the midfield and backcourt to transfer the ball. He made very few forced breakthroughs and hardly caused much trouble to the wing defense that Matic and Celik were responsible for.
Dybala, on the other hand, played like an attacking midfielder. He did not choose to fight with Malaysia, who played with a tough style of play. Instead, he kept moving inwards, serving as the receiving point in front of Locatelli, and tried hard to connect the midfield and backcourt with Vlahovic.
Just as the first half was coming to an end, Juventus' trident, which had been dormant for half the game, suddenly came into play.
In the 46th minute, Cuadrado transferred the ball horizontally to the left. Chiesa retreated to the middle to receive the ball. De Sciglio made a high-speed run and Vlahovic also moved towards the penalty area.
Just when Roma's defense thought Juventus was going to make a cross from the wing, Chiesa cut diagonally into the middle and made a series of fake changes of direction in front of Matic.
Matic stepped back sideways, keeping a safe distance to prevent Chiesa from breaking into the penalty area.
Just when the two were fighting 2 meters outside the penalty area, Chiesa suddenly cut inside sideways and raised his foot!
Matic quickly went up and tried to stick to him to prevent him from shooting. However, Chiesa did not shoot, but instead passed the ball to Dybala at the top of the penalty area!
Dybala took a step forward and shot the ball with the arch of his left foot!
Ibanez tried his best to slide forward to block the ball, but the ball had already flown out.
The ball drew a beautiful arc in the air and went straight to the left corner of the goal, almost flying in along the post. Patricio flew to the right to save the ball, but to no avail.
3 to 1!
Juventus used the support and cover of the players and the personal abilities of the two wingers to score a goal!
The referee then blew the whistle to end the first half.
Back in the locker room, Mourinho stood beside the tactical board with a serious face, loudly asking the excited players to quiet down.
"If it was 90 minutes now, the end of the whole game, then I would definitely let you celebrate wildly!"
“But the game is only halfway done!”
"And before the end of the first half, we gave them a goal!"
"Yes, we scored three goals in the first half, but except for the first corner kick, the next two were not in our regular tactical routine!"
"Even if Mkhitaryan kicks the ball 100 times, it won't refract like that a second time!"
"And what about them? Where did our back three go?!"
Mourinho slides the player magnets on the tactical board.
"Cristante, when Dybala moved inwards, you were still on the wing and didn't return to the middle position immediately! Just give him an open space so that he can receive the ball and shoot!"
"A player like Dybala, if you give him a chance, he will punish you!"
"And Vlahovic! Chiesa! Locatelli! De Ligt! As long as you give them a chance, they will punish you! Don't forget, this is Juventus!"
"Cheer up! You can't say you've won until the game is over! If you relax, your opponent won't!"
"They play so slowly. In the second half, don't think about how many goals you can score. Just focus on defending! You have to pass the ball quickly to mobilize them."
After saying this, Mourinho gave a few more words of encouragement, hoping that the players could maintain their excitement.
Soon, the second half of the game began.
Roma still maintained its resolute fast break style of play and there was no change.
When Juventus returned to the field from the locker room, they seemed like a different team, and their defensive actions suddenly increased.
In the 47th minute, after Mkhitaryan received the pass from Chen Xiaoliang, Locatelli tackled from behind and was shown a yellow card by the referee.
Then in the 49th minute, Zalewski was tackled by Cuadrado when he tried to break through on the wing, and the referee gave him another yellow card.
Two consecutive serious fouls ignited the anger of the Roma players.
In the 50th minute, Dybala got the ball in the middle and Ibanez kicked him over and also received a yellow card.
Two minutes later, Cristante was given a yellow card for elbowing Dybala.
In just 5 minutes, 4 yellow cards were issued, forcing the referee to stop the game. He called the captains of both teams, Chen Xiaoliang and Dybala, together and gave them a strict warning. If such big fouls continued, he would definitely use more severe penalties to curb the rising tension.
However, not long after, De Ligt received a yellow card for tackling Cesco outside the penalty area. The Roma players finally couldn't hold back and surrounded the Juventus players and had an argument with them.
Juventus also "fought back", with several players using provocative language to ridicule the Roma players.
Zhan Jun: "At the beginning of the second half, the situation suddenly changed! Juventus turned into Kung Fu football! Despite being warned many times by the referee, they still used tough moves to block Roma's quick counterattack."
General Fan: "The continuous goals conceded in the first half must have prompted the coach to ask us to strengthen our defense during the halftime break, but if we continue to get cards at this rate, we may get a red card soon."
Zhan Jun: "Yes, it seems that the yellow card can no longer have a deterrent effect."
However, no one expected that this wave of yellow cards would be the prelude to a fundamental change in the game!
Several young and energetic Roma players were completely enraged, and like impulsive young people, they wanted to use more forceful actions to regain their ground in their home court.
In the 59th minute, Cuadrado and Dybala made a short pass on the right, and Dybala dribbled the ball inside again. This time Cristante followed him all the way and stuck to him very closely.
Vlahovic in the middle made an abnormal run to the right outside the penalty area. Dybala couldn't get rid of Cristante, so he could only pass the ball to him and then enter the penalty area.
Ibanez followed Vlahovic all the way, and Malaysia also came over to assist.
"Vlahovic suddenly started at high speed and walked towards the baseline!"
"Ibanez slides!"
"Dunked by Vlahovic!"
"Ibanez and Malacia collided and fell to the ground!"
"Vlahovic crosses!"
“Middle!”
"Locatelli!"
"Neither Smalling at the front nor Celik at the back could stick to him!"
“It’s coming in!”
"Locatelli! The score became 3-2 in the 59th minute!"
"Wow! This game is really crazy! 5 yellow cards, 5 goals! It's so exciting to watch it in the middle of the night. Friends who stay up late should be careful, or you may not be able to sleep after the game!"
General Fan: "Smalling's sight was attracted by Dybala, Celik was looking at Chiesa, and Matic did not return to the penalty area, completely ignoring Locatelli. This is a big defensive problem."
Zhan Jun: "It was so easy. There was no defensive pressure at all. Locatelli headed the ball with ease! Vlahovic's cross was also very accurate. I didn't expect that the first contribution of the 80 million striker after joining the team would be a cross assist."
General Fan: "Ibanez also had a big problem with this ball. As a central defender, you shouldn't follow the opponent's center forward who runs out of the penalty area. It seems like he was too excited."
Zhan Jun: "My temper is coming! I can't stop it."
General Fan: "Obviously there was a left-back defending that position, so he should have handed it over to his teammates, and then blocked the penalty area to increase the defensive density. This is a very low-level mistake, a typical example of watching the ball instead of the player."
Zhan Jun: "The suspense of the game is back. There are still more than 30 minutes left. In the first half, I thought Roma was going to win a big victory against the visiting Old Lady. I didn't expect the Old Lady was just trying to scam me!"
General Fan: “Haha.”
As the two were talking, Smalling and Ibanez had an argument.
One accused the other of following blindly, while the other accused the other of missing someone in the penalty area.
Chen Xiaoliang ran back and pulled the two apart together with Patricio and Matic.
Mourinho watched from the sidelines and shook his head.
He only has one card left in his hand, but although Kumbulla has a good height, his turning speed and burst speed are obviously slower than the two players on the field. He will have a hard time facing two fast horses, Chiesa and Dybala.
Looking at De Ligt, who was bought by Juventus for 75 million euros, Mourinho could only swallow his bitterness.
According to Roma's current revenue level, only the last two months of 2021 showed significant revenue growth. It will take at least another full fiscal year to make up for previous losses.
Although several big sponsors have been signed, the fees are not paid in installments over the years. Therefore, even if the team wins all three championships this season, it will not be able to start the lavish shopping mode in the summer like last year. The team can only strengthen the team with cheap players like Kvaratskhelia, whose performance is unknown, and free players like Matic.
Thinking of this, Mourinho called Forti.
Forti is very smart. He sees all the "losses" that Joao suffers, so during the game, unless Mourinho looks for him, he will never go up and offer suggestions. He will just concentrate on observing and recording in the coaching booth.
"Jose, I'm here."
"Does Dybala only have half a year left on his contract? Is there a contract extension?"
"Let me check..."
Futi quickly opened the PAD and searched the database.
"Yes, Jose, his contract expires on June 30 this year."
“Can you find out the reason for not renewing the contract?”
Forti searched: "It seems that there is a clear difference between the expected salary and the conditions that Juventus is willing to offer."
"How much does he want?"
"12 million euros a year."
"How much will Juve give?"
"Tuttosport says 7 million euros."
12 million is a bit high, but 7 million euros... is about 135,000 euros a week.
Without asking for a transfer fee, signing a player like Dybala at this price is definitely a good deal!
"Tell Pinto to keep an eye on Dybala. If we can get a player like him, it will definitely greatly improve our offense."
"Okay, Jose, I'll talk to him after the game."
"Also... you can also talk to Reese. He has a lot of tricks, maybe he can find a solution."
"Okay, I've got that!"
Mourinho was very satisfied with Forti's attitude.
This is what an assistant should be like. Give suggestions when they are necessary and never interfere when they are not necessary.
However, he may have forgotten that when he was young, it was because he always inserted a few words of his own opinions and understanding when translating for the old coach Robson that he was able to transform from a translator to an assistant coach.
However, Dybala's matter is still far away, and the situation on the field is becoming increasingly unfavorable.
Seeing hope of turning defeat into victory, Juventus obviously increased the frequency of attacking completions, instead of just passing the ball back and forth.
In other words, at the instruction of Landucci, they deliberately gave Roma more opportunities to counterattack.
While this does increase the pressure on Juventus' backline, it will also create more obvious opportunities for them in attack.
Even Allegri in the stands had to admit that after the introduction of Celik and Malasia, Roma's wing defense has indeed improved significantly compared to the first half of the season.
But overall, the entire defense line is still quite far from the level of top clubs.
Or to put it more bluntly , this defense line does not have a leader like Chiellini, Ramos and Skriniar.
Although goalkeeper Patricio has rich competition experience, he is generally dull in character and is not good at commanding the defense.
Although Matic would give reminders, he could not always see what was going on in the penalty area as he was standing in front of the central defender and had a wider range of movement.
On his own team, although Vlahovic has not yet integrated into the team, his running and presence in the penalty area are indeed stronger than Morata and Keane. The cross assist after diverting the defense's attention just now is the best proof of this.
There's hope! We can tie the game!
Although Allegri still had an embarrassed expression, his inner expectations were constantly increasing.
It’s also a draw, but compared to a boring 0-0 draw, tying the game to 3-3 after falling behind by 3 goals away from home is more encouraging for the team!
If they can really do that, then they will crush Rome in terms of morale!
As his inner drama continued to escalate, Chiesa cut inside against Celik and made a cross that was slightly higher and Vlahovic failed to head the ball.
When Celik was blocking Chiesa, their legs collided with each other.
Chiesa fell to the ground in pain. The team doctor rushed into the field and quickly turned around and gestured to Landucci that Chiesa could not continue the game.
Allegri was excited for only a few minutes before he felt a chill in his heart.
There is one less explosive point on the wing.
Mourinho's tense nerves relaxed a little.
Landucci sent on Kulusevski.
But Mourinho's relaxed nerves did not last long, as they were entangled again and tortured each other!
In the 66th minute, Lokalit took the ball from the middle and passed it to the right. Cuadrado broke through the young Zalewski and after attracting Malacia to come forward for defense, he passed the ball directly to Dybala who was on the side.
The Argentine striker kicked the ball directly into the goal with a powerful low cross, and Vlahovic immediately rushed in front of the goal and shot!
Smalling followed closely, fell to the ground and blocked the ball with his foot, but unexpectedly the ball rolled right to Kulusevski's feet behind him!
The Swedish striker, who had just come on the pitch and hadn't warmed up yet, would not miss such a great gift, and he kicked the ball for a follow-up shot!
The Roma defense, which was thrown into disarray by Vlahovic's shot, had no time to move forward to block the shot, and Patricio, who fell to the ground to save the ball, had just stood up on one leg.
The ball was shot into the goal with great force without any hindrance!
Zhan Jun: “3 to 3!”
“Incredible match!”
"Just 21 minutes into the second half, Juventus equalized the score away from home!"
"Their players rushed to the sidelines to celebrate like they had scored a buzzer beater!"
"Incredible! This may be the most exciting game in Serie A so far this season!"
General Fan: "It's still the defensive midfielder position. Cristante missed another player. His focus was on Dybala on the wing. This should have been arranged before the game."
Zhan Jun: "Yes, in this game, another defensive midfielder Matic also often went to the right to help his teammates block Chiesa."
General Fan: "The defenders did shrink back, and Celik also returned to the penalty area to help defend, but the defensive midfielder was still watching on the penalty area line. The other players rushed into the penalty area to make up the shot, but the defensive midfielder was still watching on the penalty area. He was either waiting for the ball to come out, thinking about counterattacking as soon as possible and passing the ball forward, or his defensive awareness was poor.
According to my understanding, this kind of positional awareness is not capable of playing well as a defensive midfielder."
Zhan Jun: "Before Mourinho's assistant Joao resigned, some Italian media reported that the two disagreed on the on-the-spot lineup, and Paris Saint-Germain offered a high salary to poach him, so the assistant coach left the team midway through the season.
Recently, there are rumors that the disagreement between the two was caused by the use of Chen Xiaoliang. "
General Fan: “I don’t know the details, but sometimes it is easier to see clearly than to be a bystander. According to Cristante’s performance today, it was totally unsatisfactory. If you play like this, you might as well let Xiaoliang retreat to the defensive midfielder position.
You can't attack now, and you can't defend. I feel that after a few fouls in the second half, Roma's mentality was completely messed up. Counterattacks are all long passes, always thinking that one pass can penetrate the opponent. Defense is only looking at the ball and not the players. Just now, when Vlahovic scored the goal, four people went up to block him. It looked very desperate and lively, but in fact, all the other opposing players around were left open. "
In contrast to the lively Juventus fans and players, the Roma fans and players, who seemed to be celebrating in the first half but were now dead silent...
Mourinho replaced Zalewski, whose physical strength was obviously declining, with young player Gian, and replaced Cristante with Veretout.
Mourinho ignored Cristante as he walked off the pitch.
This happened during the game, in full view of everyone. If it was at the training ground or back in the locker room, he would have wanted to hang the Italian up and scold him for an hour.
Although Weiletu's injuries in key parts of his body had not yet healed, he had no choice but to accept the task.
After all, apart from him, the only players who can play in midfield on the bench are young players Darbo and Bove. At this critical moment, Mourinho cannot count on two young players with little practical experience to save the team.
At the same time, he also did what João had suggested to him, but he had not accepted it at the time:
Let Chen Xiaoliang retreat and play as a single defensive midfielder, and push Matic and Veretout forward to form a double midfield.
The battle-hardened Portuguese madman is also praying in his heart at this moment, praying that this magical boy from the Red Country, the new Kokopa Award winner who has saved the team time and time again, can once again awaken the team's spirit of reversal tonight.