On the football field, it's an undeniable truth that missed opportunities lead to punishment.
Ajax quickly proved the correctness of this statement.
In the 41st minute, Salzburg Red Bull once again attacked the front field.
Mane received a pass inside the penalty area.
However, with Van der Hoorn blocking him, Mane had no chance to cut inside and could only dribble towards the byline.
Van der Hoorn followed closely, strictly guarding against Mane's cross.
Mane seized the opportunity to pull the ball back and turn, passing it diagonally to Ulm outside the big penalty area.
Ulm crossed the ball.
Mane dropped back to receive the ball.
Blind tracked back into position, kicking the ball before Mane could get to it.
He didn't hit it cleanly!
The ball indeed deflected, and Mane couldn't control it, but it still went towards the center.
Soriano was waiting, stopping the ball and shooting in one smooth motion.
The ball pierced the Ajax goal.
The score on the field was 1-1!
No further goals were scored in the remaining time of the first half, and both teams went into halftime with a draw.
The atmosphere in the Ajax locker room was somewhat subdued.
Sean, however, seemed completely unaffected, even whistling.
Bojan frowned, "Hey, Sean, what's wrong with you? Is this really a time to be happy?"
With an aggregate score of 3-4, if this score holds, Ajax will be eliminated!
Sean remained relaxed, "Of course, it's worth being happy! Think about it: in the last game, I missed an open goal; in this game, you miskicked; Klaassen squandered a free opportunity; and Blind made a poor clearance.
Everyone made mistakes, so we're all even. No one can blame anyone else. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"Ah~" Blind finally recovered from his silence, but he irritably ran his hands through his hair, "That's not it, Sean.
Mistakes are inevitable in a game, even the most basic ones.
We all know that, but the problem is the current situation; we're in big trouble!"
"I don't think it's a big problem," Sean remained unconcerned, "I think we played very well today.
There's an old saying in China: 'When brothers are of one heart, they can cut through metal.'
I believe we achieved that today.
Everyone can think about how many chances we created through mutual cooperation in the first half?
How many dangers did we eliminate by helping each other?
Everyone is desperately playing their part within the overall framework. If we keep playing like this, I don't think we'll have any problems.
It's just one goal; can it really stump us?"
"Clap clap clap~"
Frank de Boer applauded, "Sean spoke very well; our performance in the first half was indeed very good.
In the second half, all we can do is maintain that, and of course, the most important thing is to keep a steady mindset!
We don't need to rush. The first half of the game is enough to show that our form is much better than our opponents. As long as we keep a steady mindset, the final victory will definitely be ours…"
...In the second half, Salzburg Red Bull played much more cautiously.
Their overall formation dropped back significantly, no longer insisting on constant high pressing in the front field.
The effect was very significant; Ajax found it much harder to create chances.
More than ten minutes passed, and although they had two shots, neither was a good opportunity.
Frank de Boer immediately started calling out to Sean.
In the next few minutes, Sean once again began his individual performance mode.
The effect was equally obvious; even Mane of Red Bull had no time to launch attacks and had to frequently retreat to his own half to assist in defense.
Sean frequently received the ball on the wing and forcefully cut inside. Although he hadn't scored yet, each time he attracted heavy encirclement from Red Bull players.
As long as Sean could distribute the ball in time, and Ajax could shift the ball to the other side where Red Bull's forces were weaker, a goal was basically guaranteed.
Both sides were basically aware of this and engaged in fierce competition around this point.
In the 67th minute, Ajax once again advanced past the midfield line.
Blind had the ball on the left wing.
Salzburg Red Bull players had basically all tracked back. Their first task was to confirm Sean's position.
Upon seeing Sean sprinting from the center towards the penalty area, Red Bull players instinctively converged towards Sean, but immediately reacted and switched to marking their respective targets.
Blind had ample space and decisively crossed the ball.
The ball flew through the air towards the center.
Christian charged towards the ball, but stopped in time, watching the ball fly past him before accelerating again towards the penalty area.
"Oh no!"
Christian inwardly cursed, as he had intended to let the ball through for Sean, but now it seemed the ball was heading behind Sean.
However, that was Sean; he should be able to handle it, right?
Thinking this, Christian continued to resolutely drive into the penalty area along the left flank.
Sean feigned a run towards the goal, attracting the opponents' attention, then retreated out of the penalty area and ran directly towards where the ball would land.
He could receive the ball, but the opponents were also closing in!
Sean ran back into position, facing the ball dropping from his front right. He neither stopped the ball nor turned, but instead flew his right foot, cushioning the ball with the top of his right foot before turning and running past the defender to continue his charge forward.
The ball flew directly towards the edge of the big penalty area.
Sigthórsson was perfectly positioned, turning his body and cushioning the ball with his chest towards the arc of the big penalty area.
Sean arrived just in time, and instead of stopping the ball, he pushed it forward with the momentum.
The ball veered towards the right flank near the big penalty area.
Klaassen sprinted forward, meeting the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
However, Red Bull players also actively shifted over, and were about to encircle him.
Klaassen also didn't stop the ball, directly pushing it with his right foot.
The ball flew up into the air, gliding over Red Bull's six-yard box.
Christian charged into position, desperately jumping to head the ball.
F*ck!
He didn't head it!!
Before he even landed, Christian couldn't help but look back to check. Fortunately, Bojan was already at the far post!
At this moment, the far post was completely open.
Bojan stopped the ball with the top of his right foot, adjusted slightly, and only then did the Red Bull center-backs, who had just turned again, rush over.
As Bojan struck the ball with his left foot, several Red Bull players desperately tried to block, some diving, some raising their legs.
Red Bull goalkeeper Gulacsi even sprinted desperately towards the left post.
However,
Bojan twisted his ankle, and the ball went in a reverse triangle towards the penalty spot.
Sean calmly adjusted his steps and struck the ball firmly with his left foot.
"Bang!"
A crisp sound.
"Whoosh~"
A white streak penetrated the Red Bull defense and plunged into the Red Bull goal!
Gulacsi reacted quickly, turning and diving to save, but only grasped at air.
The ball had already surged into the net before him!
"Beep!"
The referee decisively blew his whistle and pointed to the kickoff spot; the goal was valid!
"Wow~~~~~"
Cruyff Arena erupted in a roar; everyone jumped up and cheered loudly, with scarves twirling in the stands.
On the sidelines, Ajax staff members rushed to the touchline to celebrate wildly.
On the field, Sean spread his arms, welcoming his charging teammates.
Bojan was the first to jump onto Sean's back, and Duarte was the first to rush into Sean's embrace.
After that, only a dense crowd of red backs could be seen, as Sean was buried in the pile of people...
...
If you want to read chapters ahead with daily uploads and to support me subscribe to my P*tr+-n below
p*tr+-n.com/Not_Thor
( *=a ; -=o ; +=e )
Also join my D!sc0rd
Invite code: BcnJNygFc9
...