"With a perfect header, Crystal Palace pulls one back!"
"Wait, the ball seems to have deflected. It hit White's back, it's an own goal!"
White got up, looking bewildered. He only felt a dull sensation on his back, below his neck, but when he turned his head again, the ball was already in the net!
And his own goalkeeper was staring at him in a peculiar way!
You can guard against everything, but you can't guard against your own teammate scoring!
He had no choice but to sigh helplessly, hands on his hips, staring at the confused world, feeling for a moment that everything was unreal.
With this equalizer, and only two minutes of stoppage time remaining, Crystal Palace's entire team was greatly motivated, determined to score another goal!
However, scoring another goal in the final two minutes was rather unrealistic. Everyone strengthened their defense, resisting Crystal Palace's almost frantic offensive surge.
Finally, the first half ended. Arsenal, who were temporarily leading 2-1 on aggregate, had no hint of happiness on any of their players' faces; instead, they were very solemn and even indignant.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace's young players, trailing in the score, seemed very relaxed and cheerful.
The barefoot are not afraid of those with shoes. They knew the opponent was very strong, so scoring this goal before halftime was already great news for them!
This was against Arsenal, who were more than ten points ahead of Manchester City, who were second in the league!
The entire coaching staff of Crystal Palace on the sidelines also appeared very happy. Perhaps it was a deliberate act, aimed at irritating Mikel Arteta and his team, who were not far away.
They shook hands and embraced the players one by one, without any sign of urgency, as if they were the winners.
Indeed, in the final few minutes, as the opponent's momentum surged, even Arsenal's defense seemed somewhat powerless. The strength of the two teams seemed to have reversed in an instant.
Cao Baiming's expression became slightly solemn. If this continued, the outcome could not be decided too early!
Then, he also stood up from the substitute's bench and prepared to return to the locker room, following Nelson, who was beside him. He opened his bottle of mineral water, gulped down two large mouthfuls, and then threw it aside.
All the players had left the field, which became clean and silent. The spectators on the sidelines also began to attend to their own matters.
During the halftime break, Cao Baiming explained some of the things he had observed from the sidelines to the players, and Arteta listened patiently.
There was a collective sense of frustration, but no one knew how to channel it.
This feeling was very uncomfortable, and yet very uncomfortable.
The race for the Golden Ball was still ongoing. Although it was now awarded at the beginning of the season, Cao Baiming's competitiveness was not easily overlooked.
If he couldn't play for a long time, it would undoubtedly be a serious blow to his competitiveness!
The halftime break ended, and the players returned to the field.
Seeing the happy and cheerful expressions on the faces of the young players in the Crystal Palace squad was truly annoying.
However, were they getting too complacent!
In the second half, they couldn't continue like this!
Henry shouted to everyone on the field. He and Messi were undoubtedly their backbone.
Their eyes gleamed. They needed to show a different attitude in the second half, something the coach had repeatedly emphasized.
In the forty-eighth minute of the match, Gabriel, dribbling too much, was dispossessed. This time, the entire Crystal Palace team charged forward with wicked smiles.
They took a long-range shot from outside the box. The area around was empty!
The goalkeeper displayed a divine performance, reacting instantly and pushing the ball away, holding it securely in his arms, thus averting the crisis!
However, this was just the beginning. Continuous errors from the backline, as if they were possessed today.
Even Cao Baiming, sitting quietly on the substitute bench, felt nervous. These guys reminded him of the Tang national team's backline in the World Cup.
They were just not reassuring!
Arteta also saw it. Cao Baiming was indeed indispensable to the team's defense. Crystal Palace could easily weave and penetrate the defensive line like this. If it were a team with stronger players, this would surely not be acceptable!
Strengthen the signings! This was what needed to be done after the winter transfer window opened, at least in defense. If they could get a Kante in defensive midfield, that would be even better.
Under continuous pressure, defensive errors increased. This forced Arteta to substitute the repeatedly erroneous Gabriel in advance at the fifty-minute mark.
There was no other way; once a player's form dipped, it would likely continue for the entire match.
And the consequences, or rather, the repercussions, of this would be very severe.
After the substitution, this time, Messi personally initiated a forward attack with a pass from the flank. Without the coach's guidance, Messi personally spotted a way to break the deadlock, sending a lofted ball directly to the front.
This was much better than midfield passes and controls that might lead to errors. His teammates in the backline were not in good form today; this was no secret, and he had naturally noticed it.
The opponent had also noticed, of course. However, they perhaps leaned more towards believing it was their own brilliance, and this result was entirely expected and as it should be.
The fans on the sidelines became increasingly excited. Finally, after the third attempt, Messi personally received a cut-back pass and scored!
As an Arsenal fan, at this moment, they finally breathed a sigh of relief!
The score widened again, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers and enthusiastic celebrations.
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!!"
The excitement was not over yet!
Smiles adorned Messi's face, as if this goal was his redemption.
Giving Messi the chance to shoot from this position, what were the opponents thinking? Had they truly become so complacent?
However, just a few seconds later, the referee on the field blew his whistle again. He pointed to the center circle, and his hand gestures formed a symbol that everyone could understand.
Goal disallowed!!!
Messi looked bewildered. The referee pointed to his ear.
After confirmation from the video assistant referee (VAR) team, the player who made the pass was offside, so his subsequent pass was naturally invalid!
A moment of false joy! Nothing was more cruel than this. They had already celebrated, only to receive such news now.
It felt as if their hearts had been crushed by a sharp, massive rock.