"GOAL!!!!!!!"
"GRIEZMANN!!!!!!!"
The stands erupted, and Wrightkinson also leaped to his feet.
"Griezmann helps Luton equalize!!! One-one!!!!! This is a crucial goal!!!"
"Gao bo's gamble paid off, Luton's continuous attack finally broke through Roma's defense!!!"
"Ranieri's team has been pegged back!! Now both sides are back on equal footing!!!"
The stands were still cheering, the fans' passion like erupting lava. Amidst this scorching blaze, there was still a cold area in the Kenilworth Road Stadium.
Ranieri stood rooted to the spot, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
He hadn't expected such a fierce offensive from the opponent. After the substitution, the impact of their attack even made Ranieri raise an eyebrow.
Even some Serie A teams couldn't generate this kind of attacking force, could they?
The sudden burst caught Roma off guard. Now that the opponent had equalized, what should they do?
Ranieri tried hard to put himself in Gao bo's shoes.
Perhaps they would start to drop back a little?
After all, the gaps in the defense were obvious; a three-man defense is simply less comprehensive than a four-man defense.
As an old-school coach, Ranieri thought according to conventional wisdom.
But Gao bo didn't think that way at all.
In his view, Luton still had energy to attack!
Why not continue pushing forward while the momentum was strong? Pin Roma back, making it difficult for them even to counterattack?
Gao bo looked at the time on the big screen.
Attack for five more minutes!!
Gao bo made up his mind. He walked to the touchline and continued to make gestures for a full-scale attack!
Roma's defense was pushed back again.
In fact, Roma wasn't lacking in strength, but after taking the lead, they had retreated to defend. It's easy to fall back and defend, but it's much harder to push forward and attack again.
On the football field, there is also inertia in thinking.
And Luton's attack continued!
In the sixty-eighth minute, Adam received the ball on the flank, suddenly changed direction to create space for a cross, and then, without hesitation, kicked the ball directly towards the back post again.
Matt was already waiting in that area!
He didn't even jump, but while using his body to hold off Mexes who was marking him tightly, he headed the ball towards the goal!
Lobont leaped up, arching backward in the air to swat the ball away. The ball changed direction and went out for a goal kick.
Ranieri was almost startled by that header. He looked at the ball that bounced back after hitting the advertising board, and only felt a little relieved after confirming that Lobont had saved it.
"Oh, Matt's header almost helped Luton take the lead!!"
"But if this continues,
Luton will eventually score. However, they also need to be extremely careful about Roma's counterattack!"
The sound from the stands crashed onto the pitch like waves. At Roma's end of the goal, the Roma players had to resist the pressure created by over twenty thousand fans while also concentrating on defending Luton's attack.
In this away environment, the Roma players seemed completely submerged within this stadium.
Ranieri clenched his teeth. He wanted to make a substitution, but he was also a bit unwilling.
This intensity of attack can't last too long!
This was Ranieri's somewhat wishful thinking.
Their physical exertion must be huge!!
Ranieri thought.
And as long as Roma held out for these few minutes, in the time that followed, Roma could slowly gain the advantage through their overall strength!
Ranieri was already thinking about how to make adjustments when Luton's attack started to lose steam!
And the only problem now was how to withstand
this frantic onslaught from Luton!
Ranieri had just been momentarily distracted, but a sudden burst of even more enthusiastic cheers immediately refocused his attention on the field!
"Griezmann has beaten Cassetti!!!"
Griezmann had drifted to the flank at some point, while Luton's captain, Kevin Keane, had moved into the center!
Griezmann used a feint on the flank to get past Cassetti, then pushed the ball forward with a touch to gain a positional advantage. Cassetti didn't dare to reach out, because Griezmann was too close to the penalty area. If Griezmann entered the box and went down, and the referee awarded a penalty, it would be too costly.
At this moment, De Rossi came over to cover. During this period, Roma's two defensive midfielders seemed to have become defenders, constantly covering and defending in the penalty area.
And by now, Griezmann had already chipped the ball up.
Matt came into the center!
He jumped!
Mexes and Juan, the two center-backs, were defending him, but Matt jumped before them. The 198cm tall Matt possessed incredible physical strength.
Mexes and Juan were both defeated in the head-to-head challenge!
Matt headed the ball directly, and it flew straight towards the goal.
Lobont had no chance this time!
The ball flew directly into the goal! Hitting the back of the net!!
"GOAL!!!!!!!! MATT SCHMIDT!!!!!!!!" Wrightkinson leaped up from the commentary box again.
And at this moment, the fans, who could no longer contain themselves, roared with all their might!!
A volcano was no longer enough to describe the atmosphere at Kenilworth Road Stadium!
It was like an asteroid had directly impacted the crust, and the lava from deep underground had directly erupted dozens of kilometers into space!!
Matt Schmidt roared as he ran towards the corner flag area, then performed a diving celebration!!
B-52 has dropped its bombs!!
The players also rushed forward, piling on top of each other in the corner flag area!
"This guy is truly the white Drogba!!"
Gao bo was also celebrating with his arms raised. He turned to John and others who had rushed to the touchline and praised.
The recent goal completely demonstrated Matt's exceptional physical ability!
Ranieri turned around angrily and walked back to the bench, then slumped into his seat.
Ranieri didn't make any overly dramatic gestures; he was a typical Italian coach who focused on tactical research and wasn't particularly adept at player psychology or dressing room management. This was already considered his most intense way of expressing anger.
Now Luton had taken the lead, and there was only one path open to Roma, attack!
Ranieri's brow furrowed as he thought about the consequences of losing this match.
It was possible that Roma might actually be eliminated from the Europa League group stage. This would be a very embarrassing situation for a Serie A giant!
Ranieri would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
Okaka was warming up on the sideline!
Ranieri was going to bring on a striker!
Roma was also going to attack.
Gao bo saw Okaka warming up on the sideline. This player, whose name was similar to Kaka, was not a handsome young man like Kaka, but a dark-skinned man with a shiny face!
This 20-year-old young Italian striker had excellent physical attributes and was very impactful!
Ranieri bringing him on now was clearly to strengthen the attack!
"Should we drop back a bit?" John asked.
Gao bo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not dropping back yet?!" John was a little surprised. "That last wave of attack consumed a lot of energy. I'm worried the players won't be able to keep up."
Gao bo shook his head: "If we hadn't scored that goal, maybe in two more minutes I would have told them to retreat first."
"But now!!" Gao bo chuckled, "Do you see any signs of fatigue in these lads?"
John looked at the celebrating Luton players. Stimulated by the goal that put them ahead, the players' faces were flushed. Now they looked
completely unlike they had just finished a high-intensity anaerobic run.
Gao bo had considered this aspect as well. Football is a sport that requires passion.
Should he tell the Luton players to fall back and defend when they were most excited?
That would only extinguish his players' passion!
Gao bo now wanted to capitalize on this surge of passion! To launch another wave of attack!