Perfect Center

Chapter 18: A lob shot equalizes!

Time passed by minute by minute.

After N'Yaqi got a good chance and shot directly into the stands, neither side had any chances to shoot.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Van Dijk cleared the ball with a long kick.

Beep! Beep! Beep!
The referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

"The Celtics had a one-goal lead in the first half! I wonder what changes coach Deira will make in the second half!"

"Before the end of the first half, Zalgiris scored a goal with Xia Han's super free kick! This will change their tactical arrangement in the second half!"

"Let's look forward to the second half of the game!"

Inside Zalgiris's dressing room.

Dambruskas began fiddling with the tactical blackboard.

"We didn't do well enough in the first half! We need to make changes in the second half!"

"We can play more short passes on the ground and try to play fewer high balls. The opponent's midfielder is very good at competing for headers!"

"Another thing, pay attention to your physical strength and don't consume it too quickly!"

"You can try more long shots from the outside! They focus more on defense in the penalty area!"

"That's what I said, take a good rest the rest of the time! We can win the game!"

The Zalgiris players looked at the tactical blackboard and nodded.

The Celtics locker room on the other side.

Dai La smiled and pulled over the tactical blackboard.

"In the second half of the game, control the ball as much as possible! Create opportunities through vertical football!"

"I hope there will be more cross passes! This can disrupt Zalgiris' rhythm and let us better control the situation!"

"I'd rather win 5-4 than 1-0!"

"But the principle of away goals makes me feel that 1-0 is not bad!"

"In the second half of the game, my request to you is to think about scoring goals only if you don't lose the ball!"

Some of the Celtics players nodded, while others looked distracted and didn't listen.

The fifteen-minute break was over quickly.

Players from both teams walked out of the tunnel again and started the battle in the second half.

"Good evening, viewers! Welcome back! Now we are broadcasting the second half of the first leg of the Champions League qualifying play-offs, Celtic vs. Zalgiris!"

"Neither side has made any substitutions yet!"

Accompanied by the referee's whistle!
The second half of the game officially begins!
Celtics possession of the ball.

Johnson's kick-off hit Griffiths.

Griffiths didn't stop for a moment and passed the ball directly to Armstrong on the wing.

Armstrong received the ball and started to advance with the ball!
A clever pull of the ball to get rid of the defense!
Armstrong passed the ball to Izaguirre who came from behind and started to run wildly on the wing!

Izaguirre passes the ball without stopping!
The football rolled not far in front of Armstrong!
Armström passed through in one go! He passed Kerla who couldn't turn around in time!
Armstrong looked up and glanced after breaking through!
Fake dunk, cut inside with the ball!
A long shot after creating an angle!
A powerful shot!
The football flies towards the goal!

Unfortunately, the angle of this long shot was too straight, and Witkauskas chose a good position.

He stretched out his arms and held the ball in his arms!
As Armstrong hammered the turf in frustration.

Vitkauskas made a through ball to Vitkunas on the left.

Vitkunas took a few steps forward into the empty space and kicked the football!

The football took off from the ground and flew towards the center circle with the sound of the wind!
Xia Han broke free from Brown's entanglement, pushed the ball forward with his chest!

Take a big step! Start to explode!
An emergency stop under high-speed propulsion!

Shake away the unstable Boyata and speed up instantly!
Gordon's heart skipped a beat again!

The only defensive player in front of him was Van Dijk!

Facing Xia Han's advancement, Van Dijk maintained a certain distance, observed the changes in Xia Han's dribbling rhythm, and began to retreat to defend!

Although Van Dijk was called "Fan Tuitui" during this period, his defensive awareness was still very strong.

Xia Han took steps with his left and right feet and made fake moves, trying to shake Van Dijk's center of gravity, but found that the opponent was not easily fooled.

"Just charge!" Xia Han looked at Van Dyke who was retreating and began to speed up his pace!
Now! Van Dijk's eyes are like torches!

Kick quickly!

I intercepted the football? Why can't I feel it?

Van Dijk looked at the empty grass in front of him with a hint of confusion in his expression!
Turning around, Xia Han already had the chance to face the goalkeeper with the ball!

Face the attacking Gordon!
Xia Han didn't give him any chance!

With a light flick, the football flew over Gordon's head!
After a bounce, the football slowly rolled into the Celtics' goal!
2-2! ! !

Zalgiris equalized the score!

"Good shot! Not long after the second half started, Xia Han scored the second goal of the game!"

"A brace! A great goal!"

"Let's take a look at Xia Han's breakthrough before the goal!"

"Facing Van Dijk's defense, Xia Han increased his pace and tricked Van Dijk into kicking!"

"In the split second before Van Dijk kicked the ball, Xia Han flicked it lightly just like he was shooting! The ball went over Van Dijk's head!"

"Xia Han got the chance to face the goalkeeper directly! He seized the opportunity and scored with a lob shot!"

“This goal is so beautiful!”
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[So smart, so calm in handling the situation! Is this basketball IQ? ]
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[This lob is so elegant! It's a bit like a killer! ]
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[At such a young age, he has such sophisticated shooting skills! There is a lot to look forward to in the future! ]
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[Great! I like this kind of game where we don't hold back and attack crazily! Order an extra chicken today!]

Xia Han did not choose to celebrate, but ran to the net and picked up the football!
Running towards the center circle while waving!

"It can be seen that Xia Han's goal is not just to equalize the score! The advantage of two goals away from home is not enough for him!"

On the sidelines, Deila and Dambruaskas made almost identical moves.

"Intensify the attack! Push forward!"

When both sides are fighting against each other, mistakes are inevitable.

Sveryuga's header allowed Griffiths at the back post to get hold of the ball!

Fortunately, Griffiths' heading ability was really poor, and the football floated softly towards the goal and was easily caught by Witkauskas.

Forest committed a foul and Zalgiris quickly took a free kick.

Xia Han squeezed out of the crowd, received the ball and ran forward. Due to the interference of Van Dijk, his shot was slightly higher!

The two sides kicked back and forth, creating many threatening opportunities for each other!
In the 70th minute of the game, the Celtics used two substitutions at once.

"Steven replaces Armstrong, Chiftich replaces Griffiths!"

"Steven's ability to protect the ball is worse than Armstrong's, but his ability to dribble and pass the ball is not as good as Armstrong's!"

"Griffiths's heading ability is indeed a little weak! Replace him with Chiftchi who is slightly better at heading! He is also a substitute surprise weapon!"

"Zalgris also chose to use two substitutions!"

"Gaucho, who is more capable of breaking through, replaces Shemberas, and Cernás, who is more experienced in blocking, replaces Enyazi! Two substitutions!"

"Let's see what kind of performance the two teams will bring us after the substitutions!"

(End of this chapter)