Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

The second half begins.

After Lyon kicked off, their formation clearly pushed forward. Claude Pierre obviously made adjustments at halftime – switching from a full-court press to a high press, attempting to cut off Auxerre's passing lanes in their own half.

But more importantly, he made new arrangements for his aggressive defense.

It wasn't just two people.

There are three people.

Toulalan was the primary defender, Makon provided support, and Sissoko was ready to cover – the three of them formed a triangular encirclement. No matter which direction Zhang Kuang moved, there was at least one defender in front of him, one behind him, and one lurking on the side.

Forty-seventh minute.

Pedretti received the ball in midfield and looked up to find Zhang Kuang.

Zhang Kuang was standing near the center circle, with Toulalan close behind him, Macon standing three steps to his left, and Sissoko hovering five steps to his right.

three people.

Pedretti hesitated for a moment, but still passed the ball over.

Arrogantly receiving the ball with his back to goal, Toulalan tightly marked him from behind, preventing him from turning. Makoto rushed in from the left, stretching out his leg to poke the ball. Sissoko blocked his possible passing lane from the right.

Zhang Kuang didn't resort to force.

He flicked the ball with his left foot and turned his body to the right—attempting a turn. But Toulalan's hand was on his waist, giving him a forceful push, causing the arrogant man's center of gravity to shift. In that instant, Mákon's foot poked the ball.

The ball was poked away.

Lyon's counterattack.

"Zhang Kuang got the ball—and it's been dispossessed!" Butt shouted. "Lyon's defense against Zhang Kuang is very targeted! Three men are pressing him, giving him no space to turn!"

Dugarry frowned: "This is Claude Pierre's solution—three men guarding one arrogant person. One man stays close, one provides backup, and one covers. The three form a moving encirclement, so no matter which direction Zhang Kuang moves, he'll run into someone."

"What about the other Auxerre players?" Barthe asked.

"That's the problem," Dugarry said. "Lyon using three men to defend against Arrogance means they're outnumbered in the rest of their positions. If the other Auxerre players can exploit that space, Lyon's defense will collapse. But the other Auxerre players—"

He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was already quite clear.

The other Auxerre players are not in form today.

Fifty-second minute.

Auxerre intercepted the ball in their own half, and Grihidin launched a long pass to Zhang Kuang.

Zhang Kuang received the ball with his back to goal near the center circle, Toulalan closed in from behind, Makoto pressed him from the left, and Sissoko double-teamed him from the right.

The three people formed an encirclement once again.

Zhang Kuang controlled the ball with his chest, and as it hit the ground, he flicked it with his left foot and turned his body to the right—this time he wasn't pushed over. His body was too strong; Toulalan's shove was like a tickle to him.

He turned around.

But Macon had already blocked his way.

Zhang Kuang pushed the ball forward and to the right with his right foot, attempting to break through on Makone's right side.

Márquez stretched out his foot to block, but his arrogant left foot snapped the ball back—Márquez's center of gravity shifted, and his body leaned slightly to the left.

It was in that very moment.

With a flamboyant right foot, he flicked the ball past the outside of Macon, then overtook the opponent from the outside.

Macon reached out to pull, but couldn't.

But Sissoko stepped in.

He shoved from the side, revealing his cleats.

Zhang jumped up and dodged the tackle, but Sissoko cleared the ball out of bounds.

Out of bounds.

No threat was posed.

"Three men again!" Butt shouted. "Lyon used three men to defend Zhang Kuang. Although they couldn't completely stop him, they at least limited his speed! Every time Zhang Kuang gets the ball, he faces at least two defenders, sometimes as many as three! Every touch of the ball is like a physical battle!"

Dugarry glanced at the statistics: "In the first half, he had 23 touches, 5 shots, and scored two goals. So far in the second half, he's had 7 touches and 0 shots. Lyon's three-man marking tactic is definitely working."

"But what is the price?" Bart asked.

"The cost is that Lyon will be playing with fewer players in other positions," Dugarry said. "If Auxerre's other players can utilize that space—"

Before he finished speaking, Auxerre launched an attack.

Fifty-eighth minute.

Pedretti received the ball in midfield, and all three Lyon defenders surrounded him, leaving the central area as vast as an uninhabited zone.

Pedretti did not pass the ball to Zhang Kuang.

He dribbled forward, charging all the way to the edge of the penalty area.

Then he took a long-range shot—

Lloris saved the ball.

"Pedretti's long-range shot!" Barthe shouted. "Lyon's three-man marking tactic has given the other Auxerre players a lot of space! If Pedretti, Yellen, Olic, and Birsa can capitalize on these opportunities, Lyon's defense will collapse!"

"But they couldn't capitalize on it," Dugarry shook his head. "The other Auxerre players were in terrible form today. Yellen wasted two chances, Olic's crosses were poor, and Birsa's breakthroughs were constantly being intercepted. If they were in form, the score would have been changed long ago."

Sixty-fifth minute.

Fernandez made the first substitution.

他用防守型中场阿马杜·西迪贝换下了左边锋奥利奇，阵型从4-4-1-1变成了4-5-1。五中场一字排开，目的只有一个——加强中场的拦截能力，切断里昂的传球线路。

However, at the same time, Auxerre's attack was essentially paralyzed.

All five midfielders were defensive players, and none of them could provide Zhang Kuang with any threatening passes. Zhang Kuang was even more isolated in the attacking third, facing three Lyon defenders every time he received the ball.

Seventy-second minute.

Zhang Kuang received the ball on the left flank.

This time, he was defended by four people.

Toulalan marked closely, Makon provided cover, Sissoko covered, and Revere also moved from right-back to a more central position, ready to intercept at any time.

Four people.

Zhang Kuang was surrounded in the middle, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

He didn't force it.

He passed the ball back to Berto, who had made a run down the wing, and then quickly moved forward himself.

Berto didn't stop the ball, but instead sent a through pass into the space on the left side of the penalty area.

Zhang Kuang received the ball at the corner of the six-yard box.

Boumsong lunged forward from the front, blocking the shooting angle. Chris covered from the side, blocking his passing lane. Lloris also rushed out of his goal to block the near post.

There are three people, plus the goalkeeper, making four.

Zhang Kuang did not take a shot.

He passed the ball across to Yellen in the center of the penalty area with his left foot.

An empty door.

Yellen met the ball and shot –

The ball was blocked by Sissoko's body as he chased back.

"Yellen! It's Yellen again!" Butt shouted. "Zhang Kuang delivered the ball into the empty net, and Yellen missed! Sissoko's recovery was just in time! But Yellen's shot was too weak!"

Dugarry shook his head: "That's Auxerre's problem. Zhang Kuang can win a fight by himself, but he can't win every fight alone. He needs the support of his teammates. Today, apart from Zhang Kuang, no one else at Auxerre is in form."

Seventy-eighth minute.

Lyon's substitutions have paid off.

克劳德·皮埃尔用前锋西德尼·戈武换下了中场球员马孔，阵型从4-5-1变回了4-3-3。他的意图很明确——最后一搏，全力进攻。

After Márquez left the field, the three defenders who were double-teaming the arrogant player were now one player short.

They became two people.

Toulalan marks closely, with Sissoko providing cover. Makon's position is taken by Govou, but Govou is a striker and doesn't participate in defense.

Zhang Kuang's pressure has eased.

But time is running out.

Eighty-first minute.

Lyon has scored.

Left-back Ali Sissoko intercepted the ball in his own half and dribbled it towards midfield. Auxerre midfielder Sidibé rushed to press, but Sissoko didn't try to contest it and instead passed the ball to Toulalan in the center.

After receiving the ball, Toulalan did not stop it, but instead sent a long diagonal pass into the space behind the Auxerre defense.

This is not a pass to the striker.

This is a pass to the left-back.

Sissoko had already started his run the moment Toulalan passed the ball. He was incredibly fast, making a high-speed run down the left flank and receiving the ball behind Auxerre's right-back, Migno.

Then, he didn't cross from the byline.

He crossed the ball directly from a position nearly 30 meters from the goal.

This was not a typical cross.

It was a cross with a very high arc, spinning directly from the left flank towards the far post of the goal.

The ball arced beautifully through the air, soaring over the entire Auxerre defense and landing on the right side of the six-yard box.

Sidney Govou arrived on horseback.

He didn't stop the ball and headed it directly at the goal.

The ball bounced off the grass in front of the goal, then nestled into the bottom left corner of the net.

2: 2.

The Gerland Stadium erupted in cheers.

The cheers of over 40,000 home fans swept across the stadium like a tsunami. Lyon's players rushed to the corner flag and embraced each other in celebration.

Claude Pierre pumped his fist on the sidelines, then turned and high-fived his assistant coach.

The score is 2-2, with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.

Barthes: "I told you, you can't be too reckless in Auxerre, or you'll get your comeuppance! And now the comeuppance is here!"