<h4>Chapter 129: Fast Break in Counterattack</h4>


    Millwall focused on offense while Aston Vi concentrated on defense, making the situation clear.


    The roar from the stands was deafening, and the final at Wembley Stadium seemed a bit one-sided.


    However, Aldrich couldn''t afford to be optimistic. Millwall''s attacks yielded no results, so he instructed the two full-backs to return and secure the defense, hoping to draw Aston Vi out and see if they wouldmit more yers to offense with less pressure on their defense.


    Unfortunately, Brian Little''s tactical setup left Aldrich disappointed. Aston Vi yed in perfect unison, even when opportunities arose for their three midfielders to push forward, they maintained a long-ball strategy. The midfielders barely ventured beyond the center circle, and the full-backs stayed aligned with the defensive line.


    As a result, it was Millwall who became increasingly impatient. Attacking with just five yers against eight was a recipe for frustration.


    The yers were constantly double-teamed and unable to create any threatening offenses. So Thuram and Neil surged forward again, but they couldn''t make a significant impact on the wings.


    Aldrich felt anxious. Aston Vi''s targeted defense felt like a match of wits. Even when they allowed Millwall''s attacking yers the space to cut into the wing, their defense effectively shut down any internal passingnes.


    Afterbining with Thuram, Schneider got the ball down to the byline, dazzling with his footwork to get past Stoughton. However, just as he slipped by Stoughton, Wright was ready and cleared the ball with a powerful kick.


    Three minutester, Pirès teamed up with Neil on the opposite side, and Neil drew Nelson away. Pirès made a cut inside, but just as he took a step, Draper pressured him. Pirès feigned a dribble and sent a cross to Nedvěd in the center, yet Nedvěd, eager to make the y, found himself thwarted as Tyler lunged in to clear the ball away.


    A minute and a halfter, Pirès tried the same trick, but this time he passed to Neil, who opted not to dribble but swung in a cross, which Nelson blocked with his body.


    Schneider attempted a lob into the box, and Larsen stylishly controlled the ball to evade Wright, only to lose it again to the retreating center-back Simeka.


    Attack, disruption, attack, disruption...


    The main theme of the match was unmistakable. Millwall stopped trying to prate. Larsen withdrew, and with Pirès, Schneider, and Nedvěd, they began to attempt long-range shots from the outskirts to piercing through the dense defense. They yed with confidence.


    However, most of their long-range efforts were less than impressive, either blocked by Aston Vi''s defenders or straying off-target.


    With thirty-seven minutes gone in the first half, Millwall had only one shot on target.


    Meanwhile, Aston Vi hadn''t managed a single shot on goal.


    Aldrich paced back and forth on the sidelines. He had analyzed Aston Vi''s tactics for half a month and never anticipated Brian Little''s clever maneuver.


    In reality, if he could have entered Aston Vi''s tactical meeting room, he would have learned that Brian Little drew inspiration from Millwall''s match against Newcastle United earlier in the season. He fortified their three midfielders to protect the area just outside the box, ensuring the backline wasyered and coordinated, with reasonable responsibilities for intercepting and disrupting y. Moreover, Little didn''t change the duties of the two center-backs; he simply added a retreating center-back to disrupt the opponent''s prative ys.


    Newcastle United had appeared invincible in the first half of the season but left the Lion''s Den in humiliation. This gave Little an insight, as Millwall''s attacking firepower was no less formidable than Newcastle''s.


    Aldrich''s strategy faltered; he had set up a 4-4-2 formation for a bnce between attack and defense, yet Aston Vi seemed to defendfortably.


    He recognized the central issue was the retreating center-back Simeka. Larsen and Trezeguet were marked closely by the two center-backs, and even if they excelled or attempted to link up, Simeka''s role effectively snuffed out any threatening attacks at thest moment.


    Despite Millwall''s sessful resolution of several counterattacks by Aston Vi that involved high balls, this wasn''t a promising sign.


    While Aldrich pondered changes, Kosti? intercepted a pass intended for Pirès. Pirès attempted a personal breakthrough to tear apart the defense but, in tight confines, he deceived Nelson yet was sessfully dispossessed by Kosti?.


    Kosti? nced up and yed a ground pass out to the right nk.


    Neil had just sprinted up, now tracking back. During Millwall''s offensive ys, the biggest gaps in their defense were on both wings.


    Milo?evi? was leading the charge, pinning down the backline of Southgate and Stam, while York roamed freely. This time, he was waiting on the right wing to receive the ball.


    Makélélé didn''t rush forward recklessly; instead, he retreated to assess the situation. Noticing Aston Vi''s defenders weren''t pushing forward to join the attack, he strategically moved to assist on the wing, limiting York''s dribbling space.


    Milo?evi? first charged ahead, then suddenly halted, and York, who worked perfectly with him, didn''t aim to break directly through Makélélé. Instead, he awaited the signal to exploit the space, and at that moment, he saw his opportunity and executed a ground pass.


    About forty yards from the edge of the box, Milo?evi? received the ball, sidestepped to adjust his angle and position, denying Southgate any chance to apply immediate pressure, then unleashed a powerful shot.


    Seeing that strike, Aldrich was left dumbfounded, shocked to the core: damn it, was Aston Vi in cahoots with Lady Luck?


    The shot was beautiful, and its trajectory was aimed straight for the top right corner of the goal, zipping through the air.


    Keller made a phenomenal save!


    Due to the distance and open view, he had ample time to prepare. This wless long-range shot didn''t throw him off bnce. As the ball soared toward the upper corner, he leaped, palming it away for a corner.


    "Wow! Milo?evi?''s long-range effort almost put Aston Vi ahead! This was their first shot on target since kickoff, and Keller made a world-ss save. Yet if Milo?evi? had taken his shot from 25 to 30 yards out, Keller might have been helpless. Aston Vi earned a corner kick."


    When the corner kick opportunity arose, Aldrich noticed that Aston Vi''s central and defensive yers had finally started moving forward with speed, as if on a sprint.


    This sent a chill down Aldrich''s spine, and he immediately shouted from the sidelines, "Quick, fall back to defend!"


    Millwall''s yers dashed back at full speed. It was a strange scene; normally at this point in a corner situation, one team should be preparing for defense while the other gets ready to attack. However, this opportunity came from a counter-attack, and York dashed towards the corner g, seemingly set to take the corner quickly.


    The trio of midfielders—Draper, Tyler, and Kosti?—also charged forward the moment the ball crossed the goal line, leaving Millwall''s yers startled.


    In their frantic defense setup, the gaps were too numerous.


    Aldrich couldn''t help but shout, "Foul! Dy them with a foul!"


    But the yers failed to respond correctly, behaving more like obedient children on the pitch. Instead of protecting crucial areas, they hurried back to defend without any strategical thought, granting Aston Vi a golden opportunity.


    York ced the ball at the corner position, bent down, and delivered it to Draper, who had made a run from the edge. Neil hurried back in a bid to mark Draper, while York smartly receded ahead of the defensive line. Draper then yed a direct pass back to York, who carried the ball down to the byline, getting ahead of the entire Millwall defense.


    With a near-scorcher of a cross, he swiftly drove the ball towards the goal. Millwall''s defenders tried to block it with their bodies; Southgate lunged but failed to touch the ball. Stam was engaged in a tussle with Milo?evi?, both missing the ball entirely, while Makélélé pulled Tyler down outside the box. Yet someone was lurking at the back post.


    Kosti?!


    <i>Before the corner kick was taken, he sprinted all the way from the backfield. Inside the box, Thuram bumped into him, causing Kosti? to stumble and seemingly about to fall. Thuram immediately raised his hand to indicate that he didn''tmit a foul, but this also created distance between him and Kosti?.</i>


    Stumbling nearly as if about to fall, Kosti? charged into the ball at the back post, heading it from just half a meter above the ground.


    Keller lunged, but it was already toote.


    The ball sailed into Millwall''s, and Kosti? seemed to slide into his celebration seamlessly,ing to a stop with his chest pressed to the ground right on the goal line.


    The noise at Wembley Stadium instantly dropped a notch, with Millwall fans left stunned, struggling toprehend the scene unfolding before them.


    We''re losing?


    Aston Vi fans erupted in jubnt cheers.


    This goal felt like a taste of the championship trophy.


    "The goal is in! Aston Vi tore through Millwall''s defense with a stunningly quick counterattack. This wasn''t just an offensive y; York received the ball on the wing and passed it to Milo?evi?, whose long-range shot resulted in a corner kick. Following that, Aston Vi''s corner was also a swift counter, and reys clearly showed that two of their three midfielders sprinted toward the box. Draper then positioned himself to receive York''s quickly taken corner, executing a simple one-two pass. York, having gotten behind the defense, reached the byline and delivered a powerful cross. The ball traveled between the goalkeeper and the defenders, making it a nightmarish delivery. Aston Vi had three yers creating pressure in the box, and ultimately, Kosti? stormed in from the back post to score. If Kosti? hadn''t found the back of the, it''s possible the referee might have awarded a penalty, as we saw the referee had already put the whistle to his mouth after Thuram collided with Kosti?. Now, Aston Vi has taken the lead, and the uing stages of the match promise to be even more thrilling!"


    This goal left Millwall''s yers a bit dazed.


    While Aldrich, who had previously been animated, now stood calmly on the sidelines, signaling with a wave for his yers to take the kick-off at the center circle.