The end of the first half felt abrupt, with the final score settled on the awkward mark of 1:2.
At this moment, AC Milan must have been the most desperate, as the late equalizer came just as the first half was drawing to a close. Everyone on their team, practically, had already envisioned what they would chat about and joke about during the halftime break. Yet, at such a moment, their hopes were crushed by the opponent.
This goal was incredibly crucial. Going into halftime with a draw and going in with a deficit were two completely different mindsets.
The players’ expressions perfectly confirmed this sentiment. The head coach, watching his players walk off the pitch, could see everything in their faces.
There was a sense of helplessness, tinged with a hint of anger.
It was the anger that stemmed from an inability to change their current situation, and also the anger of being so close to the desired outcome, only to fall at the final hurdle.
As a veteran from the pitch himself, the head coach of AC Milan naturally understood his players' feelings. He had experienced it before as a professional footballer.
The Champions League final stage was different. Even during the halftime break, the fans' enthusiasm remained high. They shouted loudly, waved their jerseys, and continued to passionately chant their team’s name, even singing their team anthem together.
Even back in the locker room, the cheers from outside could still be heard. The Arsenal players were accustomed to it. Conversely, the AC Milan players, upon returning to their locker room and hearing their own fans singing their team’s anthem, felt their moods become even more complicated.
They surely still hoped their team could actually win this Champions League title. Their journey here had been arduous, and the fans' feelings were completely understandable.
But could they really still win? The opponent was too strong. They had given their all, only to find themselves trailing 1:2. What was the point?
Instead of continuing this futile struggle, it might be better to accept defeat early and completely tank. That way, the fall wouldn’t be too hard, as the higher you stand, the harder you fall.
The players' conversations became increasingly despondent. The head coach, hearing everything, remained silent for the moment, his mind consumed by anger. He needed an outlet, not to complain, and certainly not to listen to his teammates’ grievances.
Finally, Ibrahimović couldn’t hold back. He suddenly stood up from his seat, throwing his water bottle forcefully to the side.
His tall frame and fearsome expression instantly startled everyone around him, almost to a standstill. After standing up, Ibrahimović voiced his thoughts directly. He wasn’t one for beating around the bush; he was straightforward, a fact everyone knew.
“Is this it? You’re just going to surrender? Do you know why we ended up in this situation in the first half? It’s because you gave up in the second half! If we had played properly, our strength would have at least been on par with theirs!”
Upon reflection, everyone thought there was some truth to that. However, caught in this mood of helplessness and dejection, people found it difficult to actively consider positive outcomes unless someone pulled them through.
Earlier in the first half, when their mentality was better, they had indeed put considerable pressure on the opponent with the tactics devised by the coach. Even if it was a fifty-fifty match, the first half, or even the early part of it, felt more than just fifty-fifty; it seemed like their team even had the upper hand.
Everyone began to reflect. To be able to keep pace with the current Arsenal team at fifty-fifty was no easy feat and was already something to be proud of.
“Listen, listen to what’s outside. That’s the sound of the fans. They’re supporting us, even at this point. We’ve overcome so many difficulties. Are we going to give up now? If we surrender and give up now, do we deserve their support?”
Ibrahimović continued. Listening to his impassioned speech, even the team’s head coach had no room to interject. He could only watch silently, his heart stirring with emotion.
“That’s right, play your best everyone! Being on par with them at fifty-fifty is absolutely fine. We can even surpass them. It’s just a one-goal difference. We’ll turn it around in the second half!”
At this moment, although they had played half a match and were exhausted, even lacking in stamina compared to the opponent, after this impassioned exchange, their hormones surged, unlocking more potential.
“It’s just 1:2, what’s there to be sad about? We’ve seen 1:2 scorelines countless times, and we’ve come back every time! As long as we are united, whether it’s 1:2 or 0:3, it’s no problem!”
Meanwhile, in the Arsenal locker room, the players were joking among themselves. However, unlike their opponents, they were quite satisfied with the current result, as they were leading.
But as the team’s head coach, Arteta seemed somewhat displeased. He took advantage of the break to address some of the issues exposed in the first half to everyone, and his tone was far from amicable.
His focus was on the passive twenty-odd minutes at the beginning of the first half.
To be pushed to such a state by this team was unacceptable, in his view, completely unacceptable. After all, AC Milan's strength should have been below that of Bayern Munich, and such a situation hadn't occurred in their previous match.
Cao Baiming patiently listened to his words. Just by listening, he could tell that these were not the root of the problem, or at least not the key issues.
However, fortunately, he had found the real problem. So, from now on, it didn’t matter. Regardless of what the players thought, they were determined to win the second half.