Team Spirit

Chapter 276 Seven consecutive years, the semi-finals of the English League

In the first half, Dartford took a 2-1 lead.

Liverpool made adjustments at halftime.

Hyypia, who had performed poorly, was substituted, and he also seemed to be feeling unwell.

Davis came on as a substitute.

Dartford made no adjustments.

In the second half, Dartford pressed hard from the start, denying Liverpool any chance to score.

Liverpool kept passing the ball back, trying to create space for their attack, but the Green Gun striker was truly giving it his all.

Ultimately, Paletta had to clear the ball with a long kick.

Pepe then surged forward and kicked the ball back before Gerrard could react.

Giroud held off Davies in the attacking third, controlling the ball with his chest to the side.

Inside the penalty arc, Lu Kai unleashed a powerful shot at the ball!

Dudek didn't even have time to react.

"GOAL! Three to one!"

Dartford scored another goal right at the start of the second half.

"Lu Kai scores a powerful goal, unleashing a world-class strike!"

"Giroud's assist was very good."

"Davis is a bit wronged. He hadn't even gotten used to the situation on the field before the team conceded another goal."

This goal conceded really can't be blamed on Davis; the blame lies with Paletta for his inaccurate clearance and Gerrard for his lack of aggressiveness in receiving the ball.

In the 49th minute, Aurelio made a strong overtake on the wing and delivered a cross.

However, under Vidic's pressure, Crouch struggled to win headers.

Although the Eastern European giants were 10 centimeters shorter, their strength far surpassed that of the stick-pole man.

Without the green gun and Chinese food, Crouch's weight gradually decreased, and his fighting ability went from above average to below average.

This is the tragedy of being thin.

Overweight people will experience weight regain after losing weight, and thin people will also experience weight regain after gaining weight.

In the 54th minute, Vardy also showed off his skills, taking on Pertil one-on-one on the left side of the penalty area.

He feinted left and right repeatedly, then flicked the ball to the right and spun it in a wide arc.

Unfortunately, it wasn't covered; it was clearly going to miss the far corner.

Giroud stretched out his leg midway through the shot, correcting the trajectory, but it wasn't enough; the ball ultimately grazed the post and went wide.

In the 58th minute, Ashley Young crossed the ball from the byline.

Vardy attempted a bicycle kick during his second header attempt at the far post.

The ball missed, but instead, it hit Pertil.

The referee showed Vardy a yellow card.

Anfield was filled with boos; they wanted Vardy to get a red card.

Although Pertil was not injured, Benitez wanted to make changes to the defense, so he took the opportunity to replace Pertil with Carragher.

In addition, he was also talking to Luis Garcia on the bench.

This "demon sword" is also expected to make an appearance.

This means Liverpool essentially has no rotation options.

It's really a waste for them to put so much effort into a League Cup match.

In the 65th minute, Kompany made a long pass from the backfield in an attempt to connect with Ashley Young.

Carragher immediately showed Ashley Young what was what by kicking the ball back first.

Thiago Silva tapped the ball forward from the center circle.

The original intention was to pass the ball to Modric in midfield.

However, Modric let the ball slip by, causing Gerrard, who was defending behind him, to also fall behind.

Neither of them touched the ball.

A simple forward pass turned into a through ball.

The ball wasn't moving fast, but Lu Kai had a wide-open space on the left side of the penalty area.

Lu Kai held off Alonso, letting the ball pass him, and then turned to chase after it.

Alonso positioned himself slightly behind Lu Kai on the inside, which allowed him to disrupt Lu Kai's shot.

Inside the penalty area, Davis successfully covered for Lu Kai, delivering a sliding tackle to block him.

boom!
Lu Kai caught up with the ball and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, before being knocked down by Alonso.

Violent aesthetics + Batistuta GOAL!

The football soared straight up from the ground, flying right over Davis.

when!
It bounced into the net after hitting the underside of the crossbeam.

Dudek reached out and almost touched the sky, but only hit the crossbar after the ball had entered the net.

He's too slow!
"GOAL! Lu Kai was in even better form in the second half, scoring twice in a short period of time!"

"Four to one! Lu Kai led the team to a commanding lead with two powerful, high-level shots."

"As expected of the world's first player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award for three consecutive years, once Lu Kai gets going, no one else can compete in this game."

After scoring, Lu Kai first gave Modric a wink, meaning it was good that he let the ball through.

Then they found their "sister-in-law" to celebrate together.

Despite having almost retired due to tuberculosis, Thiago Silva improved rapidly after being "rescued" by Green Gun.

Especially in terms of passing.

The Green Gunners' defense is already stronger than other teams' defenders in terms of passing and long passing, but Thiago Silva is considered to be one of the best long passers in the Green Gunners' defense.

The reason he was able to change the pass from a short pass to a through ball was because he saw an opening on Lu Kai's side. However, he believed that Modric could also see this, and a ground combination would be more threatening.

For receiving players, long passes are more difficult to control, require more physical contact, and put them under greater overall pressure.

Modric handled the situation even better than his sister-in-law had imagined. His sister-in-law thought Modric would take a step after receiving the ball before passing it to Lu Kai.

But Modric didn't touch it at all.

This approach gave Lu Kai the most relaxed environment to handle the ball.

Otherwise, Lu Kai wouldn't be carrying Alonso, but Davis and Paletta.

Two minutes later, Dartford made substitutions.

Mertens replaced Ribery.

Liverpool couldn't sit still any longer, and Luis Garcia came on.

In the 72nd minute, Luis Garcia won a free kick in the attacking third.

Alonso took a short free kick, Davies had a chance, and headed the ball towards goal at the far post.

Unfortunately, it went slightly off target.

In the 76th minute, Gerrard delivered a diagonal pass.

Luis Garcia made several feints before unleashing a powerful cross from the byline.

The "sister-in-law" was a step too slow and failed to block it.

Kompany also failed to destroy the football.

Fowler, behind him, slid in and shot towards the goal.

Neuer was powerless to help.

"Two to four! Luis Garcia's effect is immediate."

Liverpool have pulled one back.

"They did not give up; the spirit of Liverpool was embodied in them."

Liverpool's morale soared as they retrieved the ball from the goal.

In the 79th minute, Neuer passed the goal kick to Pepe, who was not far away.

Pepe knew Gerrard was closing in from behind, but he boldly feinted to the left, then received the ball and turned to the right, preparing to shake off the defender, quickly turn around, and organize an attack.

As a result, his feint was not convincing enough, Gerrard didn't fall for it, and accelerated directly to the right to steal the ball.

Pepe quickly lowered the shovel, and the two of them fell to the ground together.

If this foul were to be investigated thoroughly, it would definitely warrant a yellow card for Pepe.

But the referee did not blow the whistle because the attack was in the favor.

Crouch, positioned at the edge of the penalty area, retrieved the ball and dribbled into the box.

The Green Guns' guards didn't have time to collapse.

Neuer launched a fierce attack, leaping onto a lotus and doing everything he could.

But Crouch chipped the ball over Neuer's head and into the goal. "GOAL! Three to four!"

Crouch's shot was so perfect that Neuer was fooled.

"Pepe is still young and not consistent enough. This mistake may be the key to Liverpool's comeback."

"Let's see how Dartford responds?"

On the field, Pepe was somewhat frustrated and even tried to argue with the referee, saying that Gerrard had knocked him down and should have received a card.

This kind of sophistry is a normal way to shift blame, but Lu Kai quickly pulled Peipei back: "It's okay, just stay focused from now on. The lead isn't that big right now, so don't try anything risky for the time being, it's unnecessary."

Seeing that Lu Kai didn't blame her, Pepe didn't insist on going to find the referee.

After all, the main reason for shifting blame is to avoid being blamed.

Now it's a one-step solution.

Modric breathed a sigh of relief. With his emotional intelligence, he could easily see that if Pepe really went to the head coach, he would definitely get a yellow card.

Having managed to escape with a card, it's already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

This is also an unwritten rule.

The team that scored the goal was busy celebrating and did not hold Pepe accountable.

After conceding the ball, the Green Gunners made adjustments.

Mandzukic replaced Giroud.

Cattermole replaced Vardy.

The first substitution was normal, while the second substitution was to strengthen the defense.

Because Cattermole is a defensive midfielder.

Green Gunner has essentially switched to a 4-4-2 formation.

Anfield erupted in boos.

Liverpool's substitutions made it more difficult for them to catch up, but they are confident of equalizing.

In the 81st minute, Liverpool launched a long ball attack.

Crouch and Fowler contested for the ball repeatedly, but ultimately failed to get a shot on goal.

In the 82nd minute, Neuer caught Aurelio's cross and launched a counter-attack with a powerful throw.

Warnock pulled Mertens down and received a yellow card.

Mertens complained a few times, and the two confronted each other, the tension escalating.

After playing the entire match, neither side wanted to lose.

In the 85th minute, Luis Garcia crossed the ball from the wing.

Crouch headed the ball across at the near post, showcasing his signature 68-degree header.

Gerrard made a run to the far post and attempted a shot, but it was deflected by Kompany and he didn't fully connect with the ball, resulting in an ankle shot.

The ball sailed past Neuer's outstretched fingers, but still went wide of the far post.

"Oh! What a pity! Gerrard almost equalized for the team!"

"There are still five minutes left in the game. I wonder if they can pull off a miracle, considering they were once down by three goals against Dartford!"

"Is this really an EFL Cup match? It feels like I'm watching Dartford's comeback against AC Milan in the Champions League final two years ago!"

"Unfortunately, this time it might be Green Gun himself who gets reversed!"

Liverpool are on fire.

In the 88th minute, Modric, playing as a right winger, and Ashley Young combined perfectly.

The two passed the ball back and forth.

The people who are most at odds with each other off the court are the most compatible on the court.

The person who truly understands you best is often your enemy.

boom!
Ashley Young delivered a high-quality cross after making a run down the wing.

Mandzukic headed the ball across the goal.

Lu Kai was positioned between the edge of the penalty arc and the penalty spot, with his back to the goal. The only way he could score was by bicycle kick.

But the ball came too quickly, and he didn't have enough time to complete the move.

So he could only manage to complete one side-lying ball-lifting maneuver while hanging upside down.

The direction couldn't be adjusted in time, so instead of a shot, the ball flew towards the far post, which counts as a pass.

Mertens tried to head the ball, but with Davis blocking his way, he couldn't even jump as high as the latter.

The football passed both players.

It seems no one is there to help.

At a crucial moment, Thiago Silva broke into the depths of the left side of the penalty area and, facing the ball that bounced off the ground, unleashed a low shot with his left foot, which he is not particularly skilled with.

The football bounced up from the ground, passed over Davies's blocking thigh, and nestled into Liverpool's goal.

“GOAL!!!”

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

"The goal was scored by Thiago Silva! This center-back, playing out of position as a left-back, actually charged into the penalty area. Who taught him to play like that?"

"His passing and shooting with Lu Kai, what an unusual chemistry!"

"The key is that this goal is too similar to the one Gerrard missed just now; both were consecutive aerial attacks from both sides."

"Gerrard, Gerrard, in crucial moments, why are you less reliable than a backup center-back!"

In today's match, Liverpool almost used Thiago Silva as a center-back.

But at the crucial moment, he actually transformed into "Ashley Young"—can you believe it?

That powerful shot with the weaker foot was of such high quality; it's simply outrageous.

The sister-in-law's goal shattered Liverpool's hopes.

Even if they don't admit it, everyone knows they're going to lose.

This unavoidable defeat drove Liverpool's players to hysteria.

In the 90th minute, Modric made several quick moves before being brought down by two defenders.

He immediately tucked the football under his body as he fell to the ground.

Warnock, caught off guard by the pressure, lost his temper and slammed the ball into the air.

A large-scale standoff ensued between the two sides.

Warnock received another yellow card, making it a red card and he was sent off.

Dartford have one more player to fight.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Mandzukic returned to the center circle to help with the defense and deliberately knocked Paletta over during a header challenge.

The two sides once again engaged in a large-scale standoff.

Mandzukic received a yellow card.

Compared to some irrational players, Mandzukic's cards are often tactical.

For example, if they had done it even more discreetly this time, they might have created an excellent opportunity for the team.

In the fifth and final minute of stoppage time, Modric created a throw-in near midfield while dribbling down the wing.

First, he held up the soccer ball as if to throw it, but after a short delay, Ashley Young leisurely came over and threw it.

Enraged, they threw banana peels onto the Anfield pitch.

Lu Kai couldn't help but shake his head.

Banana peels are useless; you should throw away bird droppings.

Yang: ? ? ?

Finally, Ashley Young threw the ball forward, looking for Modric who had run out of position.

However, Modric once again showed flashes of brilliance and did not head the ball.

The football bounced off the ground and continued rolling forward.

Mertens, who had been relatively low-profile, suddenly sprinted towards the ball and unleashed a powerful shot with the outside of his right foot from just outside the left side of the penalty area, scoring a world-class goal.

The football went straight into the top corner of the goal!

"GOAL! Six to three! Dartford delivered the final blow to Liverpool!"

"They've brought the score difference back to three goals!"

"If they had known the outcome would be like this, Liverpool might have preferred the referee to end the game when it was 4-1, so as not to give them hope only to let them despair!"

"Mertens' shot was simply divine, so fluid and so tricky."

"That means Dartford will have reached the EFL Cup semi-finals for a record seven consecutive years!"

Let's congratulate them!

"At the same time, congratulations to our World Footballer of the Year Lu Kai. The day after winning the award, he continued to lead the team forward with two goals and two assists, truly deserving of the title of World Football King!"

(End of this chapter)