Team Spirit

Chapter 169: Invincibility belongs to Red Gun, but victory belongs to Green Gun; the final Bat Legion.
In the 48th minute, the two sides battled in the center circle.

After Arsenal intercepted the ball, Gaspar made a long pass to Henry on the left. Henry controlled the ball with his chest and cut inside to attack Williams.

Williams had a yellow card and dared not commit a foul.

Henry cut inside, cut outside, cut inside again, a series of feints followed by a burst of speed into the penalty area.

Despite Williams' quick turn and Duff's quick cover, Henry still managed to get there first with a low shot.

Kasper was young and reacted quickly, managing to catch the ball, but it slipped from his grasp.

Bergkamp and Lescott rushed toward the ball in front of the goal, ready to shoot on the rebound.

Kasper executed a "Wang Duoyu ground double swing" move, arching forward and punching the ball out of the penalty area.

Vieira received the ball and chipped it deep into the penalty area, but Ljungberg couldn't stop it even with his leg raised, and the ball rolled out of bounds.

Henry's improvement in the quality of Arsenal's attack was almost immediate.

In the 54th minute, Pires received a pass from Vieira on the left flank, and Cole made an overlapping run down the left wing.

Pires, however, dribbled the ball slowly forward on his own.

Fowler attempted a half-sliding tackle, but Pires dodged the ball with a quick jump, then accelerated and charged along the left flank from the inside line.

Williams was pulled away by Cole.

Duff fills in.

Pires angled slightly outwards and used his speed to sweep across the penalty area from the byline.

Lescott touched the football.

Unfortunately, the football continued to roll towards the goal.

Henry fired a shot before Ashley Young could react.

Kasper failed to touch the ball.

The football hit the far post and bounced into the goal.

"GOAL!"

"Two to three! That's Henry for you!"

He helped Arsenal pull one back!

"He lost more often than he won against Lu Kai, but in terms of individual performance, Henry was definitely not inferior!"

Arsenal: ???

France: Does that mean we're in the CBA?

In the 62nd minute, Cole's run down the left flank was blocked, and he turned and passed the ball back to Vieira.

Facing Toure's close challenge, Vieira backheeled the ball back to Gallas.

Gallas dribbled forward, feigning a pass to Ljungberg, but actually took two steps forward and then unleashed a long-range shot.

Fortunately, Essien noticed his little trick and rushed in to intercept, blocking part of the shooting angle.

The football grazed the post and went wide.

If Essien hadn't blocked the angle, he might have actually gotten in.

Henry's introduction clearly improved the overall performance of the Arsenal team.

Dartford made an adjustment, replacing Valbuena with Ribery, who continued to play as a left winger.

The two players have similar playing styles, but they are not entirely the same.

Valbuena is more agile in turning, and can easily perform various 90-degree changes of direction.

Ribery is faster and more explosive, and has a better sense of rhythm when dribbling past opponents.

In the 68th minute, Dartford pressed and won the ball in the middle.

Lu Kai passed the ball to Ribery and then made a forward run himself.

Ribery dribbles forward and passes the ball to Lu Kai.

Lu Kai first flicked the ball forward to make a breakthrough posture, and when Kolo Toure accelerated, he suddenly slowed down and flicked the ball, cutting inside behind Kolo Toure.

Kolo Toure quickly slowed down and turned around, but the football shot out in an instant.

Lu Kai exploded!

Three-speed transmission!
Eating Toure raw creates a single-edged sword.

Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann is 35 years old this year. He transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal this season for £2.5 million, and he is also prepared to gradually fade away.

Who would have thought he would thrive at Arsenal, seemingly ready to play for another three to five years?

In contrast to England's goalkeepers who are not good at coming out of their goal, Lehmann has done extensive research on this.

For Lu Kai's shot, rushing out to attack is definitely not an option, attacking too much is also not an option, and not attacking at all is also not an option.

Lyman opted for a "half-attack" strategy.

The main purpose was to block all of Lu Kai's shooting angles.

Furthermore, Lehmann won't go down to the ground; he won't even give Lu Kai any aerial scoring opportunities.

boom!
Lu Kai on the right side of the goal indeed had no shooting angle.

He was facing the goal from the side, and his right foot was the only foot he could use to shoot, but his speed and angle of movement made it impossible for him to unleash a powerful shot with extremely high ball speed.

This is also why Lyman didn't rush to the ground; he had ample time to react.

Therefore, Lu Kai could only...

The football flew over Lehmann's head.

This is clearly not a lob shot, because the curve of the football would obviously be much higher than the rim.

But what if the football isn't flying towards the goal?

The football flew towards the far corner, missing by at least a meter.

However, the next moment, a giant who was 1.7 meters tall flew over and clumsily headed the ball into the goal.

"GOAL!"

"Four to two!"

"Lu Kai delivered a lobbed pass, and Ribery, despite his best efforts, managed to get there and head the ball into the net."

"This is the reward for his hard work."

"Oh, Wenger can't sit still anymore."

On the sidelines, Arsenal made two substitutions.

The young Reyes replaced Pires.

Center forward Kanu replaced midfielder Gaspar.

Arsenal have formed a diamond midfield structure of 4-1-3-2.

Vieira as the sole defensive midfielder, Bergkamp as the sole attacking midfielder, and two center forwards.

In the 74th minute, Reyes made a long pass from the left wing in an attempt to find Kanu in the penalty area.

However, before he could get into position, the pass was too far into the penalty area and was caught by Caspar in mid-air.

Kasper seemed unhurried with the ball in his arms, but as Kanu turned and ran back, he immediately launched a long kick.

Ribery in the attacking third suddenly went on a scoring spree.

Lauren just participated in the attack and hasn't returned yet.

Lauren is actually quite fast, and when Cole goes up, he usually stays in the backfield. But now that Arsenal is behind, they naturally need to attack from both wings.

Kolo Toure ran back desperately, but he was nowhere near as fast as Ribery.
Kolo Toure made a sliding tackle, getting to the ball first, but failed to clear it far enough.

The football bounced slightly.

Ribery jumped over and regained control of the ball, then charged into the penalty area alone.

Lyman made his move early.

Ribery dribbled the ball to the right, giving Lehmann no chance to make a save, and after three consecutive steps, he swung his right leg and fired a powerful shot with the inside of his foot, hitting a diagonal angle.

Lehmann spread his legs and arms to maximize his defensive coverage.

The football, however, slipped between his legs.

Piercing through the crotch and breaking down the door!

"Oh, what a beautiful shot! That's a testament to football intelligence!"

"Ribery, he scored a heroic goal."

"He came on as a substitute for only twelve minutes and scored twice, delivering the fatal blow to Arsenal's defense!"

"Five to two! Dartford have killed the game!"

As it turned out, the gunman did not give up.

In the 77th minute, Arsenal took a free kick from their own half, and Reyes dribbled down the left flank and surged into the penalty area.

However, he had no passing options and could only attempt shots from tight angles.

Kasper tackled him.

Dartford then made a substitution.

Barton replaced Yaya Touré, whose stamina was declining. Touré has not yet learned to allocate his stamina perfectly. He is deeply involved in coverage, attack, defense and confrontation, and his speed is not slow, so his stamina is naturally insufficient.

The truly top-tier physical strength monsters all possess the ability to "variable frequency".

Adapting to different speeds for different tasks is essential for long-term sustainability.

Doing everything in a single, monotonous way is sometimes like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

In addition, Vidic replaced Fowler.

Switch to a five-defender formation, 5-4-1.

Wenger's vision went black... Oh, it turned out that Yaya Touré, who had been substituted, was blocking his way.

Wenger felt a pang of regret when recalling the young man's unremarkable performance during his trial with Arsenal.

If it weren't for UK work permit restrictions, this player would be playing for Arsenal right now.

With Gilbert Silva sidelined due to injury, the combination of Yaya Toure and Vieira could definitely be another perfect option.

Instead of something as flawed as Gaspar.

Arsenal lost today because of Gaspar.

In other aspects, the red gun is actually just as good as the green gun.

and many more.

Not losing?

Wenger was startled by his own thoughts.

Since when did we start using this kind of terminology when comparing ourselves to Dartford?
With Dartford's season effectively over, Arsenal had no further chances.

Five to two!
Arsenal Green defeated Dart Reds to reach the FA Cup final for the second consecutive year!

In the post-match interview, Wenger seemed rather disheartened.

The Premier League title is already in their grasp.

This Arsenal team has inexhaustible energy, yet they have been eliminated from the EFL Cup, Champions League, and FA Cup one after another.

The remainder of the season has lost its meaning for them.

The so-called undefeated championship is just something that sounds good, but it doesn't mean much to a coach.

If Wenger could exchange an unbeaten title or even an unbeaten season for a regular Premier League title plus some other trophies, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.

However, Lu Kai's post-match interview gave Wenger a shock: "It's incredible, we beat Arsenal."

"This is the real Arsenal, not some reserve squad or youth academy squad."

"You can't understand how excited I am right now. After all, they are not only the top team in the Premier League, but also the only undefeated team in the top five leagues."

"The FA Cup exit is not entirely a bad thing for Arsenal; at least they can focus all their efforts on securing the remaining league matches."

"I hope they can become the Premier League champions this season with an unbeaten record."

"If some teams' success is reflected in their league title, then the value of some league titles is reflected in their undefeated record."

"If Arsenal can accomplish this feat, it will be even more impressive than winning the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, the Premier League, or even the Champions League!"

"This will become a record that will still be talked about many years from now."

"Thinking about all this makes me excited for Arsenal's players and fans."

"Never overestimate the significance of a championship trophy. But never underestimate the importance of an undefeated record for a team!"

Finally, Lu Kai declared: "I hope that in the days to come, the Red Gun will remain undefeated, the Green Gun will be the champion, and we will all have a bright future!"

Wow!
The reporters at the scene applauded Lu Kai.

Dartford has always been a well-mannered winner, never arrogant or discouraged.

Listen to his blessing to his opponent, who has won almost everything except the championship!
……

Sky Sports: "Arsenal suffer their fifth defeat of the season across four competitions! Dartford reach the FA Cup final once again!"

"The Voice of Green Guns": "Analysis of Arsenal's defeats: once in Serie A, once in the Russian Premier League, once in the Premier League, and twice in League One! It's quite clear which league has the highest prestige!"

BBC: "Unbeaten in the league, but eliminated from all cup competitions! The intensity of the Premier League has severely hampered the big clubs' progress in cup competitions. We suggest the Premier League consider superstar refereeing!"

Les Echos: "Lucado and Drogba each scored one goal and provided two assists, the two left wingers of Green Gunners combined for three goals!"

Manchester Evening News: "The Arsenal derby hinges on the strikers! Aliadière is unreliable; his goal-scoring ability is inferior to the two French strikers!"

Kicker: "A clash of ultimate left-wing attacks! Arsenal's strongest left flank is depleted, resulting in a heartbreaking defeat against Dartford's grassroots left-wing trio – Lukay, Valbuena, and Drogba!"

BBC Self-Funded Edition: "Ashley Young should not be ignored; he is the key figure in the Green Gun's left-wing storm!"

"The Voice of Green Guns (Self-Funded Edition)": "Now it's time to discuss who is the real world's best left-back! Cole, who lost to Young, is not allowed to call himself Ashley for the next year!"

The Times: "Datford are called Gunners again this year, Arsenal miss out on the title of King of London once more!"

After the Arsenal derby, Dartford players are really starting to make their way into the summer transfer lists of various clubs.

It's not about paying attention to anything, but rather considering specific recruitment measures and prices.

That's why everyone tries to avoid talking about specific player names as much as possible.

Otherwise, if that player becomes more and more popular, wouldn't it be a huge loss to give them extra money for nothing?
In fact, to cool down the hype surrounding the players they want to buy, they might even deliberately spread rumors about other players.

Therefore, players who make headlines frequently during this period are not necessarily the most skilled.

But I stubbornly persisted in buying headlines.

It used to be common in the news, so it didn't seem strange, but now it's suddenly taken the lead.

Even local fans are hesitant to acknowledge the gap between him and Ashley Cole, making it even more baffling for outside fans.

You can praise Dartford players like Lukay, Valbuena, Drogba, and Gilardino, but can you really praise a player like Ashley Young who played from striker to defender?
Isn't that a bit too arrogant?

Renowned commentator Gary Lineker bluntly stated, "Ashley Young is a qualified player. He won so many championships with Lu Kai, so to say he is not qualified is obviously too harsh."

"But he is absolutely not qualified to compete with Ashley Cole for the world's best left-back."

"There are too many left-backs who are better than him, whether in defense or attack, whether in speed or football intelligence, he is not among the best."

This comment hurt Ashley Young deeply.

While helping tidy up the cash register, he discovered Reinkel's information in Green Gun Tea Princess's membership system, and then clicked... delete!
The next time Lineker invites his friends for bubble tea, he'll face the awkward situation of "Sir, we don't have your membership here, please don't pretend!"
Dartford's rescheduled League One match of Round 34 on April 12th.

They lost 0-1 to Ipswich Town away from home.

Lu Kai, the key player who plays in all three of the team's lineups, is suspended for this round due to too many yellow cards.

Several other players in the squad were not included in the roster, as they are preparing for European competitions.

April 15, Mestalla Stadium, Valencia, Spain.

More than 40,000 fans will soon witness the team take another glorious step forward in the UEFA Cup.

Both sides have undergone changes since their last encounter.

Dartford are making great strides in the FA Cup, defeating Premier League leaders Arsenal and riding high on form.

There's already a saying that "Arsenal crushed all the English teams, but Dartford crushed Arsenal!"
After Valencia's 1-0 victory over Dartford at the Penguin Stadium, they returned to La Liga with even greater momentum, winning two key matches and surpassing Real Madrid and Barcelona to take the top spot in the La Liga standings!

Adding to Roma's previous encounter, Dartford now faces the top team from one of the three major leagues in the UEFA Cup this season!
This is a scenario that even UEFA wouldn't dare to script.

The whole thing looks so fake.

But that's exactly what happened in reality.

Of course, both teams have also paid a price for their progress during this period.

For Dartford, Drogba felt unwell before the match due to consecutive games and withdrew from the squad.

Jiang Mengyun felt sorry about this... another plane ticket wasted.

I wish I hadn't bought Drogba's ticket.

Drogba: ? ? ?

Valencia also suffered player losses.

Mista, the starting center who has been in superhuman form this season, was injured in a previous game and will miss this game.

After the game, the team's offensive core, "The Joker" Aimar, was also feeling unwell and was on the bench today.

The team's key center-back, Ayala, is suspended for this match due to accumulated yellow cards.

Of course, this is not a major blow to Valencia.

Their squad depth this season is more than enough to support three competitions at the Champions League level, let alone the UEFA Cup.
Their current situation is that they are a strong team with perfect chemistry, and players in every position are at their best.

Therefore, losing two or three people will not cause any major damage.

With this squad, even without a head coach, and even if they have to sell some players from time to time, they will still be strong contenders for the Champions League spots in La Liga for the next four or five years.

This is the role of an excellent system.

As long as you don't mess things up, once this team matures, autonomous driving will be possible for the next five years.

This is the Bats team built by three renowned managers: Ranieri, Cooper, and Benitez!

Of course, Benitez is not yet considered a great manager, at least not by Valencia's management.

They believe that 43-year-old Benitez is too young, inexperienced, unreliable, and his playing style is neither flashy nor sophisticated.

Therefore, they ignored Benitez's request for a pay rise.

Of course, Benitez is saying you won't give me a raise, but at least you should offer some support, right? Buy me a few superstars, and I'll give you a few Champions League titles in return!
Valencia's management treated it as a joke and had no plans to make any major signings.

Therefore, this will also be Benitez's last season at Valencia.

He has already reached a preliminary agreement with Liverpool that if Valencia doesn't want the Champions League, he will bring the possibility of the Champions League to Liverpool!
The possibility of Benitez leaving is not a concern for Valencia's management, nor are the Valencia players.

In an interview, team captain and key defensive midfielder Albelda even expressed a sentiment similar to "the team can function normally without anyone."

Of course, this is indeed the case.

After a brief period of turmoil following the departure of Benitez, Valencia maintained a high level of performance for a considerable period. Although they no longer had the championship aspirations, they remained a formidable team.

But Benitez went a step further.

This should have been a win-win situation, but ultimately failed to achieve a powerful alliance.

The away team's locker room.

"This is our specific strategy for this game." After Alfred finished speaking, the players nodded in agreement.

Two years ago, when Benitez led Valencia to the title, they were the team that conceded the fewest goals in La Liga, but at the same time, they scored very few goals.

They have also been excellent defensively this year, and their goal tally has improved due to the improvement in individual player abilities.

But in essence, Valencia is still using the strategy of reducing one striker and the number of goals scored to gain midfield dominance and thus gain the upper hand in the game.

This idea is not heretical; on the contrary, it is the mainstream at this stage.

Arsenal and Manchester United have both achieved success along this path.

The weakness of this tactic is right on the surface... it lacks scoring ability, so it needs superstars with outstanding individual skills to make up for this.

Manchester United and Arsenal are examples of this.

Benitez's demand for the club to bring in a superstar attacker was also a factor.

Are Valencia's current five or six attackers any good enough?
It works.

With the support of tactics, substitutions can be made indiscriminately, making the concept of an absolute mainstay virtually nonexistent. Doesn't this also mean that these five or six players don't actually have an absolute super attacker?
Mista has had a breakout season, currently ranking third in La Liga's bronze boot category.

But he relies more on the system, which is his strongest point, and he can't go any further to become a superstar.

Other forwards are not as good as Mista.

The only player with superstar potential is left winger Vincent, but he is not yet fully consistent and needs more time.

With Aimar sidelined due to injury, Valencia's attacking prowess will be further weakened.

Therefore, Dartford's strategy for this game is simple... attack!
Attack with all your might!

And that is precisely their greatest strength!
Especially the left flank attack!
By attacking only down the left flank, they can create a numerical advantage in that area and counter Valencia's midfield numerical advantage.

Green Gunners, who were able to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal on the left flank and even have a slight advantage, can bring their experience from the previous FA Cup match to this game.

For them, they played two identical games, so they would naturally perform better in the second one.

……

In the player tunnel, Lu Kai received the skills he had recently acquired.

[Perpetual Motion Machine - Gold: Your stamina is greatly improved. Your acceleration, sliding tackle, interception, and blocking actions consume 20% less energy.]

Physical fitness: 6+1

Physical fitness has reached the maximum level of 7.

Many people actually overlook the fact that the physical exertion of specific offensive and defensive actions is not linear.

In other words, running alongside someone doesn't require much physical exertion, but actually making a run for the ball, accelerating, and so on, does consume a lot of energy.

Touré's lack of stamina during the match was due to excessive exertion in this area.

The old Akinfenwa and the current Drogba both wear down the opponent's defenders' stamina, which means forcing the opponent to exert more effort, thus increasing the wear and tear.

Now that Lu Kai has strengthened this aspect, he can fight for longer as a "fighter".

With a whistle, the game officially began.

Dartford's starting lineup is relatively fixed when facing strong opponents.

Lu Kai, Gilardino, Valbuena
Patton, Essien, Touré

Ashley Young, Lescott, Duff, Williams
Casper

-

Valencia's starting lineup is as follows:
Muñoz, Angulo, Ferut
Albelda, Baraja, Sissoko
Navarro, Pellegrino, Marchena, Torres
Canizares

-

Both sides have strong substitutes of the same caliber, and both are capable of adjusting their lineups according to the situation of the game.

Valencia's formation appears to be 433, but it's actually 4231.

The only difference is that their defensive midfield pairing changed from Albelda and Baraja to Albelda and Sissoko.

Baraja, who plays defensive midfielder, was actually playing the role of Aimarna's attacking midfielder today.

Baraja started his career as an attacking midfielder, and only moved to the defensive midfield position due to competition, so Benitez believes he is capable of playing in today's match.

Sissoko, known as the "new Vieira," needs no introduction regarding his physique and abilities.

At present, he is a player for Biaja Touré and Vieira.

In the third minute, Dartford's attack was caught by Valencia goalkeeper Canizares.

Canizares looked towards the attacking third, observing his teammates' runs and preparing for a long pass.

While most goalkeepers still lacked technical skill, Canizares's footwork was actually quite good, and his track record speaks for itself.

In 2002, as Spain's first-choice goalkeeper, he kept the young Casillas firmly on the bench.

On the eve of the World Cup, Canizares dropped a perfume bottle while taking a shower, and he caught it with skillful footwork, which resulted in the bottle hitting and fracturing his instep.

Casillas used this opportunity to rise to power and never stepped down.

And coincidentally, Dartford's goalkeeper, Kasper, is known for his bold tackles and excellent passing.

Before the match, some media outlets compared the two goalkeepers, believing that a rising star like Kasper would eventually surpass Canizares and become a goalkeeper as great as his father Schmeichel. Their rivals would be Kahn, Buffon, and Casillas.

That last name clearly provoked Canizares.

boom!
Canizares launched a long ball to prove that he, like Kasper, possesses outstanding passing ability, far surpassing that of the younger Casillas.

boom!
The football hit Marchena directly in the head; his positioning was bizarre.

Valencia was completely stunned.

Putting aside ability, Marchena's positioning choices were completely different from Ayala's at this moment.

Ten Hagh exclaimed incredulously, "What's going on?"

To prevent Ten Hag from disturbing Mr. Alfred's rest, Modric explained, "It's a low pass that allows the ball to reach the attacking third more quickly."

"Caniceres must have seen Ferut's run; this pass could very well create a threat."

"Unfortunately, the downside of low passes is that the first half is too low and easily blocked."

The football bounced directly to Valbuena's feet.

Pellegrino launched a fierce attack.

Valbuena's pace was too fast, and he made the first cross.

Lu Kai unleashed a powerful shot at the ball from just outside the penalty arc.

Straight to the goal, no explanation needed!
Swish!
Canizares's save was a fraction of a second too late.

After scoring, Lu Kai put his hands on his hips, looked around, and exuded domineering aura.

"GOAL!"

"One to zero!"

"Lu Kai's long-range shots are just too powerful! He's had a Batistuta-esque goal in several matches in a row!"

"I've said it many times, don't give him a chance to kick!"

"This means the aggregate score is now tied! Valencia built up a 90-minute lead at the Penguin Stadium, but lost it in just three minutes at home."

The camera focused on Benitez, who was clearly still in shock.

On the field, Marchena did not fall to the ground after being hit in the back of the head by the ball, but instead immediately joined the defense, though to no avail.

After the opponent scored, he sat down on the ground, clutching the back of his head.

Valencia's team doctor came on.

A blow to the back of the head can be a potentially fatal injury.

Young center-back Albiol, a product of the youth academy, was sent out to warm up.

However, Marchena ultimately pulled through and continued the game, so it seems the ball ultimately hit the part of his skull that was covered by the skull, meaning he was essentially uninjured.

But during the team doctor's treatment, Gilardino suspected he was hallucinating and asked Valbuena and Lu Kai, "Was what the team doctor said just now true?"

"Marchena said he had a slight pain in the back of his head. The team doctor said he wasn't injured, so the pain was just psychological. He suggested that Marchena see a psychologist after the game."

Valbuena nodded: "Exactly the same. Spanish medicine is still ahead of French medicine."

Lu Kai smiled but said nothing.

This is why, even when Dartford was in the ninth level and lacked a team doctor, they still appointed Jiang Mengyun, who had some knowledge of sprains and bruises, as their team doctor, instead of hiring a psychologist or a church pastor.

Because of the illness, it really needs treatment.

Valencia's team doctor is a typical example.

Over the next two or three years, they told key players like Baraja and Vincent that their injuries were fine and had healed long ago. They told them that if they still felt pain or their injuries worsened, they should see a psychologist instead of coming to them.

Thus, two top players were plagued by injuries, one rapidly declining and the other becoming completely ruined.

In the eighth minute, Baraja made a long pass to Ferut to launch an attack.

He is indeed capable of playing as an attacking midfielder.

After a series of collisions between Ferut and Ashley Young, Ferut deliberately bounced away, and the football bounced in the same direction after landing.

Ashley Young held his position, but the opponent caught the ball, so it was actually a 50/50 situation.

Ferut made a cutback pass.

Ashley Young stretched out his leg to block.

But the ball bounced into the penalty area.

Angulo received the ball and took a low shot.

Duff went down to block, and the ball continued to bounce to the left.

Muñoz volleyed a shot from just outside the six-yard box.

Unfortunately, Duff's fall allowed Kasper to remain standing, and this time he made a perfect save, keeping the ball out of the net.

The camera pans to Kasper, as if comparing the two goalkeepers.

Canizares always ends up as a stepping stone for his successors.

In the 15th minute, Muñoz made a run down the left flank and passed the ball back.

Baraja delivered a low cross, finding Angulo perfectly.

The latter turned and stopped the ball, then passed it to his teammate.

Ferut scored with a powerful shot.

One to one!

Valencia equalized, regaining their advantage in the qualification round.

Ashley Young was completely outpaced by Ferut.

On the offensive end, he has actually played at a top-notch level.

But he still has a lot to learn on the defensive end.

Both of these attacks by the opponent were considered breakthroughs against him.

In the 22nd minute, Torres intercepted Lu Kai and passed the ball to Ferut.

Ashley Young was about to make a run down the wing when Ferut attacked, forcing Ashley Young to quickly chase back.

Fortunately, he had plenty of energy and managed to catch up with Ferut, who had taken a little longer to control the ball.

The two moved forward at the same speed.

Ferut is near the sideline.

Ashley Young seized the opportunity and launched a flying tackle directly at Ferute.

Ferut suddenly flicked the ball, sending it rolling away, but he was tackled to the ground by Ashley Young.

Ten Hajj covered his forehead.

Ashley Young's timing wasn't right either.

The referee showed Ashley Young a yellow card.

With both players moving at high speed, Ashley Young's move was somewhat dangerous.

Ashley Young pleaded guilty.

But Ferut kept rambling on, seemingly trying to provoke Ashley Young.

Both sides had been fighting for a while and were getting heated.

Ashley Young, enraged, retorted: "The referee has already given me a yellow card, what more do you want? Are you going to sentence me to death?"

Ferut's expression changed drastically: "What do you mean? You're so smug? This is Valencia, this is Mestalla Stadium!"

Ashley Young, as the vice GOAT, was not one to back down: "So what? I'm shoveling you, so what can you do about it?"

Players from both sides swarmed around and began a standoff.

The referee blew his whistle repeatedly and finally managed to bring the situation under control.

In the 31st minute, Ashley Young, clearly angry, went to Lu Kai and asked for a chance to bang his head against the wall.

Lu Kai knew he was furious at that moment, so he sent a long through ball ahead of him.

An enraged Ashley Young unleashed his speed, successfully outmaneuvering Torres and reaching the byline.

boom!
Ashley Young makes a cutback pass.

Unfortunately, it was intercepted by Marchena, who had anticipated this.

Ashley Young's eyes were red as he rushed straight to Marchena.

Gilardino also began pressing the ball.

As soon as Marchena stepped out of the penalty area, he knew he couldn't continue controlling the ball, but he didn't dare to pass it.

So he launched a long ball out of the penalty area, intending to launch a counter-attack.

As a result, Yaya Touré controlled the ball with his chest five meters outside the penalty area, flicked it to the basket, and then unleashed a powerful shot.

This long-range shot was of slightly lower quality than Lu Kai's [Batistuta Goal].

However, Marchena and Sissoko's positioning completely blocked Canizares's view.

Canizares's short stature of only 1.83 meters was exposed, limiting his vision and preventing him from even making a save.

In fact, at this moment, there are seven Valencia players in the penalty area.

As a result, no one took any action.

"GOAL! Two to one!"

"Ashley Young stirs up the storm, Marchena makes a passing error, Yaya Toure scores a world-class goal!"

"As a result, Dartford are now ahead of Valencia on aggregate thanks to away goals!"

"It is well known that some superstars perform better when they are angry. When facing such opponents, you should not provoke them."

"Valencia made that mistake today."

"Look at Lu Kai's pass just now, it was absolutely deadly!"

Ashley Young: ???
In the 32nd minute, Muñoz was dispossessed by Williams while making a breakthrough on the wing.

The two then collided.

Williams rolled around for a while before being pulled up by his teammates.

Muñoz was eventually helped out by the team doctor.

Retired due to injury.

Valencia's star striker, Vincent, came on as a substitute.

Benitez originally planned to focus on defense today, doing what Valencia does best, so he could field any striker in front of him, and therefore didn't bring on Vincent.

Let's conserve his energy so he can carry two games in La Liga and wait for Mista to return.

This also helps prevent Vincent from getting injured.

The plan ultimately failed.

Whether it's due to the needs of the game or a player's injury, Vincent needs to come on.

In the 36th minute, Gilardino dropped back to the left wing to support his teammates.

Lu Kai passed the ball to him.

Ashley Young made a run down the left flank, Gilardino feigned a pass but actually dribbled the ball inside, completely fooling Albelda.

The latter, with his extensive defensive experience, knew that letting Gilardino get away would be disastrous, so he tackled Gilardino to the ground.

The referee came over to prepare to show a yellow card.

Out of his duty as captain, Lu Kai negotiated with the referee, hoping to receive a red card.

This kind of pressure is normal; both sides are doing it, it's just a formality.

However, Marchena, who was involved in both of the team's conceded goals, has a short temper. As soon as he saw Lu Kai nagging, he came up to argue with Lu Kai and even prepared to push him.

The next moment, Patton rushed out and knocked Marchena to the ground.

Marchena flipped himself up and charged at Patton.

The scene got a little out of control.

The two sides are in a full-blown standoff.

Sissoko and Touré, the two new Vieiras, have also put up a fight.

Even on the bench, Aimar and Albiol were facing off against Crouch, Vidic, Amorin, Modric, and others from their respective teams.

Under the shadow of their height difference, Valencia's bench gradually quieted down.

On the field, the referee also took control of the situation, showing yellow cards to Albelda, Barton, and Marchena respectively.

This is disadvantageous for Valencia.

Because today they are mainly on defense.

Of course, they failed to hold their ground in the first place, so now they need to attack.

In short, starting from the third minute, the game began to slip out of Benitez's control.

In the 42nd minute, Baraja continued his long pass and found Vincent.

Vincent was indeed more ruthless than Munoz, using a combination of swaying and explosive speed to overpower Williams.

After penetrating the penalty area, he made a diagonal pass to Ferute.

However, Lescott held off Ferut inside the penalty area, and the ball eventually rolled out of bounds.

In the 44th minute, Lu Kai received a pass from Barton, feigned cutting inside, but actually dribbled down the wing.

However, Torres caught up during the acceleration and poked the ball out of bounds.

Corner kick.

Lu Kai glanced at the penalty area, and suddenly, he made a gesture.

The Dartford players inside the penalty area immediately received the message.

Lescott immediately turned around and complained to Marchena as if Marchena had fouled him.

But in reality, Marchena did nothing.

The referee blew his whistle to take control of the situation.

After the control was completed, Gilardino suddenly drilled forward.

The Dartford players were all crowding towards the near post.

The Valencia players, of course, had to keep up.

For a moment, most people were concentrated at the edge of the small penalty area.

At that moment, Lu Kai made his move.

boom!
With a swift, curved kick, he precisely found... the far corner!
The football headed straight for the far corner.

Lu Kai's kick wasn't a pass at all.

Canizares quickly retreated, and since both sides were at the near post, his position was also pulled forward.

Now, with continuous retreat, it's already getting too late.

In addition, he is a short goalkeeper, so once the ball is curled up, it is very difficult for him to make a save.

Swish!
The football nestled into the far corner of the goal.

It produced special effects such as "scoring from zero angle", "greater arc", and "ten-point angle".

Canizares not only failed to reach the ball, but also crashed into the side netting and couldn't climb out for a while, looking quite disheveled.

“GOAL!!!”

"Three to one!"

"Lu Kai was too calm. He saw the flaw in Canizares's positioning and seized it precisely."

“I even think Dartford’s deliberate provocation was part of the tactics!”

"In contrast, Valencia's players were not calm enough; they failed to see through the true purpose hidden beneath their opponents' provocations!"

(End of this chapter)