70 minutes, 3-0.
Stamina recovery card 3→2
Chen Xiaoliang, whose breathing began to become heavy, almost forgot about the stamina recovery card.
It’s because there are too many elements in this game.
And now we have come to a watershed.
One more goal for one side would mean the end of the game, while one more goal for the other side would pull them back from that difficult situation.
The game was far from over, and the remaining 20 minutes seemed too long for .
Unlike the players on the field, they could only watch from the sidelines, both wanting to end this torment as soon as possible, even though they had completely opposite desires for the outcome of the game.
The head coach's uneasy and anxious mentality seemed to affect the players on the field, and both sides played more and more anxiously.
In the 73rd minute, Fiorentina's right winger Ikone and forward Sottil, who had just come on the field, double-teamed Zalewski who was holding the ball and tackled the Pole from behind. They were shown a yellow card warning by the referee.
Afterwards, Ibanez took a free kick in the backcourt and kicked the ball directly to Zaniolo in front of him. Zaniolo, whose jersey was pulled by Venuti and caused the ball to go out of bounds, was so angry that he hit Venuti in the face with his elbow when he landed.
Although Zaniolo argued that it was an "unintentional act", he still received the referee's gold war card.
He Wei: "This is already the 8th yellow card in this game, which is already the 1st in the Italian Cup this season. It would also rank in the top 3 in Serie A."
Zhu Xiaoyu: "Just now during the halftime, Sky Sports had an interesting analysis. The commentators they invited today were Italian legend Nesta and Portuguese legend Maniche. They both said that today's game reminded them of their trip to the 2002 World Cup."
He Wei couldn't help but laugh a few times.
Zhu Xiaoyu: "Mr. He Wei, like many fans and spectators, probably first thought of the quarter-final match between South Korea and Italy. However, Nesta said that the referee of this match just made mistakes in controlling the game and lacked experience. He did not realize at the beginning that Fiorentina's intention was only to target Chen Xiaoliang . Maniche thought that this match was more like the knockout match between the Netherlands and Portugal in the 2006 World Cup."
"That match was also the quarter-finals. The coach of Portugal at the time was the famous Brazilian coach Scolari, while the coach of the Netherlands was Van Basten, one of the three musketeers, and the referee was Ivanov from Russia.
Ivanov was originally an experienced referee that FIFA was very optimistic about, so they sent him to referee this key match. However, like the referee today, he did not control the game in time after the start. By the time he started to strengthen the penalty, the tension between the two sides was already very strong and difficult to end. In the end, a total of 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards were issued throughout the game. "
"What made Maniche feel similar was that after the start of that game, the Dutch team targeted Cristiano Ronaldo, who was still known as Ronaldinho at the time, just like Fiorentina is targeting Chen Xiaoliang today."
"In the first minute of the game, Van Bommel tackled Ronaldo from behind. In the seventh minute, defender Braluz, nicknamed 'Piranha', stepped on the inside of Ronaldo's right thigh with his studs while trying to grab the ball. Ronaldo almost left the field and received treatment on the sidelines for a long time before returning to the field."
"Later, in order to intimidate the opponent, Maniche took the initiative to knock down Van Bommel from behind during a midfield fight, and Costinha made a flying tackle on Cocu."
"But in the end, Ronaldo couldn't hold on in the 33rd minute and was forced to leave the field. He sat on the bench and cried bitterly. In addition to the two fouls that resulted in him getting cards, he was also fouled four times."
"And Ronaldo's departure completely ignited the emotions of both sides, and the game got out of control. Costinha, Deco, Van Bronckhorst and Braruz were sent off with red cards one after another."
"Maniche also said that the most important turning point for Roma today was Xiaoliang's return, and that mask was like a totem, causing great psychological shock to the players on both sides, as if telling everyone, you will never be able to defeat me."
"At the same time, the referee strengthened his control of the game in the second half, issuing stern warnings for even the smallest fouls, which also prevented the game from going into complete chaos."
The commentator was introducing the game in the studio while the game was going on on the field.
Mourinho knew that Italiano would make one last attempt, and deliberately angering the Roma players and making them make mistakes was naturally one of the ways.
He kept making the hand-pressing gesture on the sidelines, reminding the players to stay calm and rational, especially Zaniolo, and reminding him not to get carried away after scoring a goal.
In the 76th minute, Zaniolo moved to the left, broke through Venuti's defense one-on-one, and made a cross from the edge of the penalty area and the bottom line. Sesco headed the ball hard, and the ball bounced off the ground and was caught by Terraciano.
In the 78th minute, Roma formed a siege again. After Volpato and Pellegrini made two consecutive crosses at 45 degrees to the left and right, which were headed out by the opponent's defenders, Zalewski's long shot went over the crossbar and went straight into the stands.
The time entered the 80th minute, and just when Roma fans had begun to cheer for advancing to the final, the indomitable Fiorentina was still looking for opportunities to counterattack.
In the 83rd minute, Fiorentina got the ball. Except for the two central defenders and midfielder Torreira, everyone else pressed forward to participate in the attack. Callejon controlled the ball on the left, and after his teammates had basically entered the penalty area, he directly made a long pass into the penalty area.
Cabral competed with Volpato for the header, knocked the young Roma player away, turned around and shot the ball into the goal.
The penalty area was packed with people. Cabral's shot hit his teammate Duncan and refracted, and fell right into the feet of Sottil, who had just come on the field and was lying in ambush on the side. The Italian striker pushed the ball into the goal with the fastest speed and the smallest swing. Ibanez stretched out his legs to intercept the ball, but the ball bounced off his legs and was held tightly by Fuzato who rushed over!
But at this moment, all the Fiorentina players wearing white jerseys with purple arrow stripes in the penalty area raised their hands!
"Handball!"
"Referee! It's handball!"
There was an immediate burst of boos at the scene; the performance of the visiting team players in this game really disgusted the home team fans.
The referee did not respond immediately to the Fiorentina players who surrounded him. There were so many people in the penalty area, and the ball was deflected and rebounded, so he himself could not see the subtle movements in an instant.
Just like the two head coaches, the referee also felt that refereeing such a game was a torment. It seemed as if the game could not go on smoothly for more than 5 minutes. Every once in a while, someone would come to test his professional level and adaptability.
Colleagues in the headphones were talking incoherently. They were constantly selecting appropriate camera positions in the video room and repeatedly reviewing what happened at that time.
Finally, at their suggestion, the referee ran to the VAR on the sidelines to watch it himself.
He Wei: "This ball really hit my hand."
Zhu Xiaoyu: "When Ibanez stretched out his left leg to intercept the ball like a tackle, his left arm was in front of him to protect it. Judging from the way he turned his head away, it should be a subconscious protective action, but his right arm had a natural upward swing, which should be to maintain his body balance."
He Wei: "The video replayed this part repeatedly. After the ball hit Ibanez's leg, it refracted upwards and touched his arm."
Zhu Xiaoyu: "According to the new rules announced by the National Football Council in July 2021, there is one sentence in the changes to handball judgment that is currently the most controversial, which is whether the position of the arm during handball causes the body to expand unnaturally. The judgment standard states that if the player's current arm position is not a legitimate result or reasonable position formed by his body movement in this situation, it will be judged as a handball."
"But in many cases, it is difficult to have a unified standard for how to judge whether my hand is reasonable. For example, some players have a large arm swing when running, while some players have a small arm swing. Some players are used to using the upward swing of their arms when jumping, while some players have a very small upward swing. It is indeed difficult to have a unified standard."
"Fortunately, we now have VAR, which can give the referee enough time to review and consider the situation. Unlike before, when he couldn't see the situation, he could only ask the linesman. After all, the linesman was far away and couldn't even make an objective judgment if he couldn't see the situation clearly."
He Wei: "There is no doubt that the ball hit the arm. It depends on how the referee defines whether it is a natural action. Since VAR came out, there has been constant controversy about it, especially this year is the World Cup year, many topics about refereeing standards and fairness continue to emerge. From what Xiaoyu said just now, it seems that you support VAR?"
Zhu Xiaoyu: "Of course I personally support it. In fact, the mainstream opinion of the players and clubs is also supportive. After all, it is an inevitable trend to introduce high-tech auxiliary means in such an important project as football. Some people oppose it and think that misjudgment is also a kind of charm of football. I personally cannot accept this."
"Especially when Mr. He Wei mentioned the World Cup just now, how many players have made countless efforts for the World Cup held every four years, and even missed the qualification and honor for several consecutive World Cups. If it is because of inferior skills, then they can only go home and practice again. But if it is because of misjudgment, especially serious misjudgment, it may even cause lifelong regrets for the player, the team, and even the people of this country and their fans."
"Like the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Lampard's goal line tragedy was a complete and undoubted misjudgment. It was this painful lesson that accelerated the widespread use of goal-line technology and Hawkeye technology. Now in the five major leagues, especially the Premier League, such technology has long been accepted by players and fans and has indeed guaranteed fairness."
He Wei: "But there are also many voices that believe that adding high-tech elements will only allow the referee to better control the game."
Zhu Xiaoyu: "When I hear this kind of voice, I just want to ask, isn't it more conducive to manipulating the game without high-tech elements, or even without replay footage? Just like Maradona's Hand of God, with the technical conditions and camera equipment at the time, even after watching the slow-motion footage repeatedly, it was impossible to confirm whether it was a handball."
"Take the goal line tragedy of Lampard as an example. Outside the stadium, the audience around the world all use the broadcast camera replay to confirm whether the ball has crossed the goal line. The goal line technology and Hawkeye technology are enhanced versions of this camera replay, because apart from the ball that obviously crossed the goal line like Lampard, there are many cases where it is difficult to see whether the whole ball has crossed the goal line."
"If someone really wants to manipulate the game, he doesn't have to go to all that trouble to do it. He can just refuse all high-tech means to enter the field under the pretext of preserving football traditions and not letting high-tech destroy the charm of football. When no one can see clearly, he can let the referee make a penalty in favor of one side. After the game, there will be no match. Even if someone films it, he can just say 'misjudgment is part of the charm of football'. Wouldn't it be better?"
He Wei: "I personally agree with Xiaoyu's point of view. FIFA has problems of various kinds, and football itself has problems of various kinds, but fairness will always be the most important foundation for the survival of this sport."
As the two were chatting, the referee turned around and showed Italiano a red card, sending him to the stands!
The replay showed that the Fiorentina coach kept shouting at the referee who was watching VAR. After being driven away by the referee and warned by the fourth official, he came over and shouted again when he saw the referee was still hesitating. The referee gave him a red card and sent him off quickly.
After showing the red card, the referee turned around, ran back into the field, drew a TV shape with his hands, then blew the whistle and awarded a penalty!
After this penalty was made, Sky Sports' broadcast shared a small screen on the live screen. It was one of the five classic cases cited by the International Football Association's Board when changing the penalty penalty standards in 2021. In the 2018 Russia World Cup group match where Mexico beat South Korea 2-1, Mexico's No. 18 Guardado made a left-foot cross in the penalty area, which hit the arm of No. 20 Jang Hyun-soo of the South Korean team who was sliding to block it, and a penalty was awarded.
Mourinho did not argue because he also felt the pressure the referee was under in this game.
More than two minutes of VAR time allowed the clock to jump to the 86th minute. Giving the opponent a penalty at this moment might undoubtedly ruin the efforts of the entire game.
Since there is no overtime in the Italian Cup semi-finals this season, once it goes into a penalty shootout, it will not have much to do with the difference in the overall strength of the teams. This is also an outcome that Fiorentina is very happy to see.
Fuzzato's heart sank and he couldn't help but get nervous.
Everyone in the stadium knew the impact this penalty would have, but the pressure on Roma was focused on him alone.
After communicating with captain Biraghi, the 24-year-old Brazilian striker Cabral picked up the ball and walked to the penalty spot.
When Fuzzato saw him coming, he realized he didn't know where to jump.
He quickly trotted over to Chen Xiaoliang and asked in a low voice.
The Fiorentina players were all stunned.
If the captain has to discuss who will take the penalty kick, how come the goalkeeper also has to discuss with the captain? Does it mean that who will save the penalty kick also needs to be discussed? If you are the goalkeeper, who will save the penalty kick if you don't?
"Boss...Boss, where should I jump?" Fuzzato asked sincerely.
Chen Xiaoliang almost fainted from anger. You ask me, who should I ask? !
But at this point, he had to cheer up this crucial teammate:
"It's okay. Just go in the direction that's convenient for you and give it your all. Don't feel any pressure."
Fuzato asked noncommittally: "Then I jump to the left?"
Chen Xiaoliang nodded and remembered something: "If you decide to dive to the left, remember to make more fake moves to confuse him." Then he patted Fuzato on the shoulder and shouted "venha", which means come on in Portuguese.
Fuzzato, his confidence growing, walked back to the goal line.
After all other players from both teams left the penalty area, the referee confirmed that everything was correct and blew the whistle, "Beep!", indicating that a free throw could be taken!
Players from both teams outside the penalty area line bent down slightly, ready to rush into the field at any time for a secondary attack or defense.
Many coaches and players on the bench pointed their index fingers to the sky and prayed silently.
Fuzzato waved his arms up and down and twisted his body back and forth.
He Wei: "This is the noodle dance that Dudek used before!"
"Cabral run-up!"
"Right foot shot!"
“Wrong direction!”
"oops!"
"Fozzato totally misjudged the direction! He dived to the left side of the goal!"
"But Cabral's shot from the top right corner went over the crossbar! It flew straight into the stands!"
"Oh my God!"
"Roma's players rushed into the penalty area, hugged Fuzzato and shouted excitedly!"
"Mourinho was walking aimlessly back and forth on the sidelines with his head down! It was obvious that a huge burden had just been lifted from his shoulders!"
"After a demanding and difficult match, it looks like luck is on Roma's side!"
"The fans in the stadium cheered, jumped, and kept shouting Fuzzato's name!"
"At this moment he became the hero of the team!"
"Although he didn't save the ball, his weird dance seemed to confuse Cabral's judgment!"
Live comment area:
【Penalty kick to hit the plane】
[Florence, evil deeds will be punished! ]
[God will punish you, and no one will be spared! The fact that such rough football can advance is the biggest insult to football! ]
[Those upstairs, be careful of sticks smashing your windows]
…
Zhu Xiaoyu: "Generally, a penalty kick in the upper corner requires a very strong mentality and penalty kick technique, otherwise it is easy to miss. So you will usually see players choose to shoot in the lower corner. On the basis of pursuing a tricky angle and a certain speed, and try not to let the goalkeeper see your foot shape before shooting, it is basically a sure thing."
"Cabral is just a daring person with a low level of skills. He has completely messed up."
The time had come to the 88th minute, and the fourth official awarded 7 minutes of extra time. Although Biraghi was still shouting to encourage his teammates, everyone knew that their morale was difficult to restore.
Some players, like the local Fiorentina fans, couldn't help but ask:
Is the head coach's arrangement too outrageous?
This doubt is not only about this game, but also about a series of transfers in the winter window.
They sold the powerful Vlahovic, brought in two cheap players, and loaned Piatek. However, they played no role at all in the second half of the league season, their goal efficiency was very low, and the team's record did not improve at all.
I thought a penalty kick would inspire the new player to score a goal, but unexpectedly it was a direct anti-aircraft cannon.
Having lost the game, lost players, morale and confidence, the Fiorentina fans at the scene started to boo and cheer along with the Roma fans, while on the club's social media, many fans from other places came to leave messages, some gloating, some loudly denouncing, and some making moral attacks.
Seeing that the game was about to end, the Roma players, who had escaped death and did not want any more accidents to happen, controlled the ball very attentively. Facing Fiorentina's dying press, they patiently passed the ball, transferred the ball, and pressed forward at the right time to force the opponent to retreat. With the full support of the fans, they firmly controlled the course of the game.
In the 96th minute, Sesco knocked down Milenkovic while competing for a header in the center circle, and the referee awarded Fiorentina a free kick.
Except for captain Biraghi who was about to take the penalty kick, all other Fiorentina players, including goalkeeper Terraciano, rushed into the Roma penalty area.
On the Roma side, everyone including center forward Cesco returned to the penalty area to defend.
Biraghi kicked the ball long, and as Roma expected, the ball flew to the right side of the penalty spot of the team's top aerial master Milenkovic.
In the first round of the league, Milenkovic scored a goal, and Chen Xiaoliang will not let the same thing happen again.
He didn't even look for a landing point, but just stuck to Milenkovic, constantly harassing him with his skill [Close Combat].
Near the landing point, Cesco, Smalling and Mancini had already stood like guards. When the ball was about to fall, the three of them jumped together. Although Milenkovic, who was leaning on by Chen Xiaoliang's body, also jumped up, he was obviously half a head shorter.
Mancini pushed the ball outside, heading to the left side outside the penalty area. Several figures including Chen Xiaoliang immediately flew out like arrows!
Chen Xiaoliang! Volpato! Zaniolo!
Terraciano was also trying to run towards his own goal, but the goalkeeper who was so far away from the goal was like an invisible man.
Chen Xiaoliang caught up with the player on the left, and with a kick of his left foot, the ball immediately rolled about 10 meters away. He sprinted forward with all his strength.
Venuti, Ikone, Torreira and others are also chasing desperately, but at this time they still have to compete in a long-distance sprint. Which of these people has the physical strength to match Chen Xiaoliang who has been "refueled"?
Seeing that the counterattacking team was about to cross the midfield line, Chen Xiaoliang rubbed the ball with the outside of his right foot. The ball was slightly above the ground and flew towards the center in an arc!
There were Volpato and Zaniolo!
Behind Zaniolo in the middle, on the left was Terraciano running with his long legs. He also found that the ball from Chen Xiaoliang was not passed to him, but he did not stop. Instead, he ran to the left front. Without touching Terraciano, he deliberately interfered with Terraciano's speed of returning to defense like a driver who was trying to cut off another car on the highway.
Volpato received the ball a little to the right of the center. In order to avoid making mistakes, he slowed down a little and then restarted and moved forward a few meters.
Because of this slowness, Ikone behind him was about to catch up, and he also caught a glimpse of Terraciano in front of him on the left who had already run ahead.
“Shoot!”
The players sitting on the bench shouted together!
Volpato swung his left foot back and kicked the ball with all his strength in the lower middle part, and the ball flew out instantly!
Slowly rise and then slowly fall.
Terraciano reluctantly slowed down, and the other Fiorentina players chasing him also slowly stopped.
The ball was hoisted into the goal in the most helpless way in front of their eyes.
"Beep!" The referee took a look at the timing bracelet and, not wanting to wait a moment longer, directly blew the whistle for this extremely torturous game!
4 to 0!
Roma completely killed the game, and Fiorentina had no chance of scoring two goals in the remaining seconds.
"yeah!!!!!!"
The players on the field and on the bench roared and rushed towards Volpato excitedly, throwing him to the ground and celebrating passionately!
After the 18-year-old player scored his first goal for Roma in the league, he came on as a substitute in tonight's cup match and scored his first cup goal for the team!
He Wei: "The 18-year-old Volpato won Mourinho's trust in such a crucial game, and he also repaid the coach's trust with outstanding performance!"
"Another new star is about to rise in Rome, and Mourinho's youth storm seems to be gathering momentum!"
" The spring breeze is blowing, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day!"
After the celebration, the players began to celebrate around the field and thank the fans.
On the first-floor stands in the northwest area, Chen Xiaoliang saw a group of Red Country students holding up national flags and posters. He ran over and took a photo with them.
Before posing, he asked the group of international students whether he needed to take off his mask. The students told him that they didn't, because it was not only extremely cool, but also the best footnote to the magnificent and indomitable fighting spirit of this game.
The still photos were posted online after the game and quickly went viral. Chen Xiaoliang even clicked on the “like” button when he returned home and surfed the Internet at night.
However, some sharp-eyed netizens noticed a sentence printed on the T-shirt of an international student.
The people of the Red Country are invincible!