<h4>Chapter 88: Blitzkrieg</h4>


    Despite Nedvěd''s repeated attempts to exin to the referee Paul what had transpired in the penalty area, Paul merely shook his head in refusal. While there were instances where a referee could change their call, it was certainly a cautious matter, as it undermined their professional integrity. To overturn one''s own decision? That would only lower their authority.


    Perhaps it was just the inherent conservatism and stubbornness of the English, but Paul ultimately signaled for Millwall to take the penalty.


    The Arsenal yers were livid, yet they had no ce to voice their grievances. They did not despise Millwall, their derby rivals; instead, they found themselves angry at the referee.


    Helplessly, aside from Seaman guarding the goal, the other yers had exited the box, but the Millwall yers still turned to nce at Aldrich along the sidelines.


    What to do about this penalty kick?


    The primary penalty taker on the team was Larson, but Aldrich pointed to Nedvěd from the sidelines, indicating that he would take the penalty.


    Larson had no objections, and the Millwall yers didn''t even position themselves on the penalty line to prepare for a follow-up shot; everyone stood back at a distance.


    Paul blew his whistle, and Nedvěd walked slowly to the penalty spot, gently touching the ball with his toe before turning and jogging back.


    Seaman stepped forward to pick up the ball, clearly moved by Nedvěd''s action, and began to apud.


    The stands erupted with warm apuse once more.


    As Nedvěd ran back, he passed Adams, who sincerely said, "Sorry."


    He had just hurled a series of curses, but Nedvěd chose to ignore him.


    ncing over at Adams, Nedvěd continued running, unfazed.


    "Andy, this isn''t going to be a great moment on the pitch, but it will surely be a ssic example of fair y. Nedvěd is showing everyone that on the football field, you should beat your opponent honorably. If W?rl sees this, he should feel ashamed. Even if he brought Germany to the pinnacle of the world, beyond the German fans, no one admires his dive in the ''90 World Cup final."


    "The crowd is apuding Nedvěd''s conduct. This is the kind of behavior we should endorse. Not every yer who falls in the penalty area is fouled or diving. The referee''s decisions can sometimes be unjust; that''s part of football. But I''m d to see yers like Nedvěd standing up to uphold the integrity of the game. There are far too many negative examples in football, yet Nedvěd exemplifies what it means topete fairly. Aldrich, the coach of Millwall, also aligned himself with Nedvěd''s actions; reys show his strong agreement. I think tomorrow, there will be even more neutral fans who appreciate Aldrich."


    Having suffered from Maradona''s ''Hand of God'', English fans are most contemptuous of deceitful actions on the field. Even when Owen dived while representing his national team, he didn''t receive understanding only scorn and mockery, In the ''90 World Cup final, the Emperor of Football, Beckenbauer, led a dominant German team against the defending champions Argentina, who scraped into the final. Germany was at an advantage but failed to score. The referee overlooked a penalty for Germany, and W?rl deceived the referee with a divete in the match to earn a penalty. With that penalty, Germany stood at the top of the world again, but W?rl faced severe condemnation afterwards.


    The first half ended quickly, and both teams retreated to their locker rooms.


    Aldrich waited for his yers to take their seats before giving them two minutes to clean their boots, tidy their jerseys, or have a sip of water to calm down.


    "Pavel, you did the right thing."


    Aldrich said calmly, addressing Nedvěd. Nedvěd looked up at him, nodded, and said nothing.


    Turning his gaze to the other yers, Aldrich continued, "I''m a coach who craves victory, and you are yers who desire victory too. But we must not allow the lure of sess to corrupt our spirits. If our talents don''t match the opponent''s, then let''spensate with hard work and sweat. If our strength iscking, we will improve our abilities through determination and unity. However, we must never tarnish the word ''victory''. We shouldn''t reduce the value of winning by resorting to deceitful tactics. Yes, that might help us win an important match and im a crucial trophy, but in the process, we would lose even more. Some mistakes, once made, have no chance for redemption."


    Many yers listened attentively and nodded solemnly.


    After a moment of silence, Aldrich walked to the tactical board and began articting the ns for the second half. There weren''t significant changes; rather, it was a shift in rhythm and slightly more detailed tactics.


    Before the start of the second half, Aldrich took special note of the Arsenal yers'' expressions on the sidelines. He could see theirpetitive spirit had returned, their eyes gleaming with renewed determination.


    Rioch is not an ipetent coach; at least after a demoralizing first half for Arsenal, their momentum picked up again following the break in the dressing room at halftime.


    This was good.


    The atmosphere in the stands remained electric, and amidst the cheers and shouts of encouragement, the second halfmenced.


    Arsenal aligned their thoughts, and Rioch made some adjustments to the defense, strengthening their backline by utilizing Adams as a sweeper in a three-man defense. This resembled the early chain defense of the great international era, but it''s uncertain whether this temporary change would bring any remarkable results.


    Winterburn and Dixon boldly pushed forward to assist in attacking, while Bergkamp dropped back to y a false nine, sharing ymaking duties. Arsenal''s formation had transformed into something quite irregr, as adjustments to the 5-3-2yout were somewhat unavoidably bizarre.


    Arsenalunched an offensive, with Bergkamp retreating tobine with the oing tt, who then found Wright at the edge of the penalty area. Wright took a shot without an angle, forcing Keller tofortably collect the ball.


    Aldrich lifted his chin and gestured towards Arsenal''s half, signaling for Millwall to initiate their swift counterattack!


    The counterattackmenced from the goal kick. Keller threw the ball to Thuram on the nk, who began to surge forward. Arsenal hadn''t anticipated Thuram''s offensive involvement, causing a moment of panic. What further caught them off guard was that aside from the two center-backs and defensive midfielder Makelele, every other Millwall yer surged forward like a blue whirlwind, pressing forward relentlessly.


    Thuram made a direct pass to Schneider, whoid it off to Nedvěd. Following a one-two, Schneider pushed it wide and received the ball again. In the attack''s culmination, Trezeguet drove into the box, Larson close behind, just on the edge of the six-yard box. Schneider''s return pass rolled right to him, and he unleashed a powerful shot as Arsenal''s defense continued to backpedal. The ball zipped quickly through, and Powell, realizing toote, attempted to block Larson''s shot but was clearly slow. The ball streaked past him, a whisper of wind in its wake.


    Seaman dived toward the top left corner of the, but by the time he made it, the ball had already nestled into the corner.


    Millwall led 2-0!


    "Larson! Red-hot Larson! He fired a fierce shot from the edge of the box into the corner! Millwall''s counterattack, starting from the goalkeeper, was astonishingly fast! In League One, they consistently tore apart opponents'' defenses. Just look at the rey: from Keller throwing the ball to Thuram, to the final goal, Millwall executed this rapid counterattack in just 13 seconds! How fast can they be?!"


    Seeing the goal, Aldrich closed his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and he pumped his fist in front of him in a small gesture of tion.


    In the second half, Arsenal would undoubtedly enhance their offensive efforts. Millwall''s goal was not to retreat defensively; they intended to unleash a blitz!


    As long as Arsenal pressed forward, the space behind them would be Millwall''s counterattack stage. If their strikes couldn''tnd on Millwall, then Millwall''s swift counters would ring the death knell for the Gunners!


    Larson, who had scored twice, raced along the sideline, one hand to his ear, soaking in the roaring cheers from the crowd.


    From the South Stand, a chant erupted.


    "Nobody likes us, we don''t care! We''ve got Larson!"


    Rioch appeared somewhat frustrated; Arsenal, going through a period of reform, faced the stable Millwall. The sharp edge that Arsenal had lost over recent years could not be quickly regained, while Millwall resembled a newly born lion, hungry for victory, eager to taste the blood of their enemies!


    The motivation ignited at halftime dissipated almost instantaneously, leaving Arsenal''s yers standing with their hands on their hips, looking lost and defeated.


    After a loss to Millwall''s second-string teamst season, they mightfort themselves with the idea that Graham''s job was shaky and the team''s performance had plunged, resulting in not being able to unite as one. But today?


    Facing Millwall''s first-choice lineup, their attack was utterly disastrous, and their formerly proud defense appeared riddled with holes.


    Where was the dawn of victory?


    Following Arsenal''s kick-off, Aldrich noticed something that almost made him chuckle.


    Arsenal began to y their usual defensive game again.


    They resembled ostriches, huddling together. They would poke their heads up to check the outside world, and upon sensing danger, they quickly withdrew, burying their heads to ensure their safety from harm.


    Rioch walked back to the coaching area and sat down. There were still forty minutes to y, but he didn''t have any expectations for aeback.


    After all, it was a derby; they couldn''t afford to lose by too much, even though Millwall was not Arsenal''s primary rival—Tottenham was.


    Arsenal''s attacking system could be considered starting over. Just because Bergkamp and tt had arrived didn''t mean they would immediately be sharp. Loco relied heavily on his best yers on the pitch; avoiding further counterattacks was the correct choice against the rising threat of Millwall.


    Millwall remained relentless, and just ten minutes before the match''s conclusion, Trezeguet and Larson executed a surprising swap; Larson charged into the penalty area to meet a cross from Pires. His header once again pierced the guarded by Seaman.


    Completing a hat trick, Larson was named yer of the Match as Arsenal left the Lion''s Den with a three-goal defeat!