<h4>Chapter 194: A Night in Bergen</h4>


    On Thursday night, at Brann Stadion in Bergen, Norway.


    Having experienced the luxury of Manchester United''s Old Trafford and the elegance of Anfield and St. James'' Park, the Millwall yers felt that this Brann Stadion—smaller in capacity than The Den—was clearly unworthy of its Europeanpetition status. Although the stands appeared full at first nce, with very few empty seats, the actual attendance was less than 15,000, including nearly 2,000 die-hard Brann fans who had traveled a long distance.


    Most of the Nordic countries have vast expanses ofnd with sparse poptions. Given Bergen''s poption of around 280,000, the number of people attending the match was, in fact, quite substantial, thanks to Brann''s football fever.


    Millwall fielded their strongest lineup today. Aldrich made a tactical change, substituting Back for Pirlo in midfield, shifting their conservative 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1 set-up focused on counterattacking.


    Brann, on the other hand, adopted a 4-3-3 formation, utilizing three forwards, three parallel midfielders, and four defenders. It''smon for Nordic teams to use speedy wingers, and their two-wing attack strategy is typical, even extending to their national team.


    Aldrich took his ce on the coaching bench as the matchmenced, the crowd erupting in cheers. The atmosphere was electric, yet there were no altercations between the two sets of fans. Fans of Brann believed Millwall was not as strong as it imed, while Millwall supporters looked down on Brann fans as unsophisticated, unable to grasp the beauty of real football.


    If they were facing a prestigious rival, they would need to match momentum with strength, but against Brann? Competing with them seemed beneath their dignity.


    Aldrich couldn''t figure out why Calvinis, the opposition''s coach, looked down on Millwall.


    Was he trying to engage in psychological warfare?


    Yet, He hadn''t seen this kind of arrogant tactic of belittling the opponent before the match. Typically, psychological strategies involve underying oneself and adopting a modest demeanor, hoping the opponent underestimates you.


    Perhaps it was rted to Millwall''s previous rounds of advancement; they had fielded mostly substitutes in earlier cup matches. In thest round, facing the Swiss powerhouse sion, they managed only a narrow victory, and the games were rather dull.


    Now Aldrich had the chance to unleash his first team, and he brought everyone along. The yers who wouldn''t take the field were there just out of habit, adjusting to the rhythm of midweek travel. It wasn''t necessary for everyone to y, but physically adapting was essential.


    The European Cup Winners'' Cup, although the second most prestigious clubpetition in Europe,cks significant value. Labelled as the king of cups, its exclusivity feels diminished when only one cup champion from each country participates. Unless a reigning champion fails to secure a spot in the Champions League, they''ll continue topete in the Cup Winners'' Cup. Domestic cuppetitions are often fraught with unpredictability,pounded by the intensepetition in mainstream leagues. It''s not umon to see lower-tier clubs winning cup titles. Just imagine, if two or three cup winners are mid-tier teams in any of the top five leagues in one season, the following season''s Cup Winners'' Cup might feature few familiar traditional powers.


    This contrasts greatly with the Champions League, where traditional clubs dominate their leagues firmly. While each league sends one club for participation in the Champions League, non-powerhouses rarely capture league titles each season. Thus, the Champions League maintains its high prestige. This phenomenon only began to shift in the years following tini''s attempts at bncing power in European football, implemented with "poverty alleviation" strategies.


    Hence, with Millwall making it to the quarter-finals, they found themselves up against the rtively unknown Brann. Naturally, the opponent likely thought the same way; this was Millwall''s first foray into Europeanpetition, and their reputation was not particrly ster.


    At the start, Millwall yed cautiously, setting a slower pace while yers adhered to Aldrich''s mantra: defend first, then attack!


    Brann came out fierce, with yers confidently trustful of their technical skills. Wing yers consistently attempted to dribble past defenders, hardly respecting Millwall.


    Seeing the boldness of his opponents, Aldrich momentarily dismissed his earlier spections.


    This was not a smokescreen.


    It was a genuine disy of disdain!


    A left-wing yer from Brann plowed forward, intent on getting past Schneider. Though Schneider might have been overwhelmed by McManaman''s tricky y, McManaman''s ability to link up with the ball made him hard to mark. Once a defendermitted, he could easily shift direction and go past them. Schneider was not like Thuram, who could simply outmuscle his way to effective defending. Even if he couldn''t win the ball, he''d ensure that the opponent couldn''t pass.


    However, Schneider felt unafraid against the visible opening as the Brann yer advanced. Anticipating the opponent''s intent to go down the line, he swiftly spun and established his position. Making a half-turn to shield the ball, he shed the challenger effortlessly. Then he took a couple of dribbling strides beforeunching a precise long pass.


    With Brann''s formation pushed up, Shevchenko took off from the midfield as Schneider was about to pass. As the ball crossed the halfway line, Shevchenko dashed between the full-back and center-back gap. The ball bounced, and as Shevchenko caught up, he advanced a step, leaving Brann''s entire defense in his wake.


    He opted not to dribble further but instead yed a low pass across to the center.


    The ball rolled ahead of the recovering center-back and calmly found Trezeguet, who arrived on the scene between two defenders. Without taking a touch, he executed a smooth shot toward the far corner of the.


    The goalkeeper dove to block, but the shot''s angle was too tricky. Despite his full stretch, he could only watch as the ball grazed the post and rolled into the back of the.


    Trezeguet celebrated by pointing at Shevchenko, running toward him as Millwall''s fans erupted into joyful celebration.


    "Millwall has scored... uh, they broke through Brann''s defense with just two passes and one shot! Right-back Schneiderunched a long ball, and right-winger Shevchenko, after receiving it, squared it to center-forward Trezeguet for a direct finish. It seems Millwall is indeed formidable. But is this strategy a bit too cautious? This looks a lot like English long ball football."


    The Norwegianmentator awkwardly admitted the surprise. For the first ten minutes of the match, he had been praising Brann''s attacking prowess while disparaging Millwall''s conservatism. The sudden goal not only stunned Brann fans, but it left thementator momentarily speechless.


    After conceding at home, Brannunched a fierce counter-attack. Millwall''s lead brought about a calmness among their yers, who became even more rxed in their performance. The on-field athletes quickly found their rhythm.


    A prating pass from Brann''s midfield was urately intercepted by Makelele, who swiftly distributed the ball to Back, who then sent a through ball to Trezeguet, receiving it while turning away from goal, directing it to a speeding Nedved who was charging into the center.


    The tenacious Czech sprinted forward, easily outpacing Brann''s midfielders. As Nedved received the ball, he maintained his speed, breaking through Brann''s defense on a clear run.


    A powerful shot sent the ball crashing into Brann''s. In the 27th minute, Millwall led 2-0!


    Brann yers seemed utterly dumbfounded. Millwall switched effortlessly between attack and defense!


    This left Brann''s yers struggling to keep up. From establishing a sessful defense to quickly scoring on the counter-attack, Millwall''s teamwork was simply unbelievable, especially the speed at which they transitioned without pausing on any yer.


    Brann''s coach, Calvinus, was livid on the sidelines, unleashing his frustrations upon his yers. Having conceded two goals at home meant that if they couldn''t score back, their European journey would be all but over.


    Aldrich remained seated on the bench. Truth be told, he hadn''t studied Brann''s match footage beforehand; he didn''t regard it as looking down on his opponent. He simply felt it unnecessary, as Millwall''s strength clearly surpassed that of Brann. He believed that as long as he was cautious tactically, he wouldn''t encounter a catastrophe.


    Had he ordered his yers to go on the offensive from the start, things could have beplicated. No matter what, ying away in Europe required a defend-first, attackter approach.


    Every time Bran''s yers pushed forward aggressively, it seemed like their defensive weaknesses widened. Their attacking moves typically ended just outside the Millwall penalty area, and once they turned around, Millwall''s swift counterattacks left their defense on the brink of copse.


    Larsson seemed to forget his shooting boots today, missing an open shot and sending another over the bar from the left side of the box.


    "Is he intentionally underperforming?"


    Aldrich turned to joke with Benitez.


    It was rare for Benitez to show humor, but he replied, "Could be. Norway''s right next to Sweden, and they were one back a century ago."


    Perhaps it was due to the excessive scoring in the league, but while Millwall had been consistently winning or drawing, Larsson, always starting, had maintained an average of one goal per match, aided by the fact that all penalties were awarded to him. His league tally had reached an impressive number, making him a frontrunner for the Premier League golden boot. The only challenge remaining was to aim for the European golden boot. This year, the European golden boot adopted a points-based assessment which benefitted the mainstream league strikers somewhatpared to previous years. After all, prior to this system, strikers in smaller European leagues could achieve such staggering goal tallies that those in mainstream leagues could only envy.


    Brann''s yers were scrambling between attack and defense, while Millwall appeared far moreposed. Control of the match gradually shifted towards Millwall.


    As the first half progressed, Millwall yers noticed Brann faltering in their attacks, prompting the two full-backs to alternate pushing forward to support. Schneider received the ball on the right and breezed past Brann''s left-back. Instead of crossing to the front, he sent it back to the edge of the penalty area. Nedved deftly flicked the ball with the top of his foot, causing defenders rushing toward him to brake suddenly. The ball was easily redirected to the side, where Back, finding the perfect opportunity, unleashed a long-range shot.


    The quality of the long-range shot was exceptionally high, not just in speed but also in angle.


    With a resounding thud, the ball struck the inner side of the goalpost and ricocheted into the.


    Back raised his fists in excitement. This was his first goal in Europeanpetition, and he was understandably thrilled.


    "Millwall has scored a third goal! The first half isn''t even over yet, but the suspense of progression seems to have dissipated. Brann and Millwall are clearly in different leagues. How did this English team emerge? I''ve never heard of such a strong team from Ennd! Their yers look like they''re all top-tier talents, and Brann simply can''t match them..."


    The Norwegianmentator was feeling utterly defeated and frustrated. If it weren''t for his respect for the hometown team, he might have slipped in ament during the broadcast.


    "Coach Calvinis, your pre-game bravado has onlye halfway to fruition. Sure, in the first leg of the European Cup Winners'' Cup quarter-finals, Bran did put the suspense to rest at home, but going to London for the second leg, your team has no chance of turning it around."


    Bran''s coach Calvinis had slumped down in his seat, his team trailing by three goals with no strategy left. They couldn''t break through, couldn''t defend—should he just give up? Damn it, there''s still a second half to y!


    Damn those Millwall yers—they''re not the same crew that faced Sionst round!