If Hull City's aggressive play earlier was to seize the initiative, then after this goal, they had no choice but to go all out.
Being scored on so early in such an important match wouldn't crush them, but it would create a strong sense of urgency.
Center forward Simpson placed the ball on the center circle, waiting for the restart.
"Clap clap!"
Captain Hapa clapped his hands, encouraging his teammates to rally, "It's still early, come on, don't disappoint the fans who came to Sheffield right after Christmas!"
The Hull City players looked towards the South Stand, where thousands of fans showed no signs of blame. They stood shoulder to shoulder, arms around each other, jumping and singing the team's anthem.
This gave them a strong fighting spirit. Each player clenched their fists, vowing to play their best.
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle to restart the game. Hull City's center forward Simpson kicked the ball back and ran forward.
The Sheffield United players entered the opponent's half, applying pressure.
The Hull City players were motivated by their fans, but Sheffield United had their own fans, and the momentum of that goal! Psychologically, they had the advantage, and they wouldn't be intimidated by the opponent's resilience.
Thus, the two highly motivated teams collided again, with fierce battles breaking out in multiple areas of the field.
"Bang!" First, Maël knocked over defender Gerrard in an attack, then accelerated past midfielder Colen, drawing a foul.
Then, in the center, the two teams' midfielders tangled, their movements extremely fierce, neither side giving an inch.
"Shred!" The impetuous Gilbert slid in, kicking the ball away and tripping the opposing player.
The ball flew to the side, creating a fifty-fifty ball between Janu Hans and an opposing midfielder. With uncanny understanding, they both slid in at the same time, trying to reach the ball first.
Consecutive slides!
They kicked the ball away, their legs colliding, and they both cried out in pain, lying on the ground.
But surprisingly, they weren't even the main characters on the field at that moment.
"I'll take it!"
As the ball flew to the other side, Lotton positioned himself to shield the ball with his body.
"Shred!" Another sliding tackle came, and Simpson, the opposing center forward behind him, brought him down along with the ball, the tense atmosphere reaching its peak.
Four players had slid in, and four players were now lying on the ground!
"Beep!" The referee finally blew the whistle, calling a foul on Hull City to cool things down.
"Ugh!!"
Unexpectedly, this action only fueled the Hull City players' and fans' anger, with countless people raising their hands in protest.
The referee didn't give them a chance to argue, turning and running away, a smart move. It wasn't easy for anyone to referee such a game, and he had to protect himself at all times.
"Jay Simpson! Receives the ball on the flank, he's taking it towards the baseline!
"Jay! Cuts inside! Lotton chases back to defend him, Jay!! Falls down!!"
In the 39th minute, a change occurred. Hull City's center forward Simpson fell in the penalty area, and countless Hull City players surrounded the referee.
"F*ck!"
"Sh*t referee, blow the whistle!"
"I'll find out where you live!"
"Do you have a mother?"
Being close to the Hull City away fans section, many Hull City fans quickly stood up to pressure the referee, shouting dirty words and spitting as they pointed at him.
The referee paused for two seconds, then slowly raised the whistle to his lips.
He was still hesitant, not having seen any clear foul by Lotton, but having raised the whistle, he couldn't put it down. He gritted his teeth and pointed to the penalty spot with his right hand: "Beep!!"
"What are you doing!"
Gareth Speed rushed out of the coaching area, pointing at the referee's back and roaring, "Dive! Are you blind?!"
Under the pressure of the Boxing Day battle, it's hard to guarantee a rational state, and opening your mouth is bound to be somewhat aggressive.
Thinking that it would be chaotic and the referee might not hear, he ran to the fourth official on the sidelines. He's done this more than once or twice this season, "Look at him, look at what he's calling?"
He was indignant, "It's not the first time, just because the team is always penalized with penalties, you can't think that our team plays dirty!"
The fourth official took two steps back, avoiding him. He had actually vaguely noticed that Simpson's fall was a bit exaggerated.
But it had already been called, and he couldn't say that to Gareth Speed's face, so he could only pretend he didn't see it.
"Penalty! The referee has awarded a penalty!!"
In the commentary booth, the Sky Sports commentator sat back in his seat, taking a closer look at the replay on the broadcast, "Hull City has a chance to change the score, which has caused dissatisfaction among everyone at Sheffield United..."
Speaking of this, his voice stopped abruptly, and when he spoke again, he changed his tone, "Lotton didn't touch Simpson. Let's take another look. The foot goes out, and he falls! This is undoubtedly a dive, and Hull City is lucky to get a penalty!" He didn't want to say too much, as there might be Hull City fans watching the live broadcast, but his position was already very clear.
On the field, Simpson gritted his teeth, trying not to show any expression. He avoided all the Sheffield United players confronting him and stood firmly in front of the penalty spot.
Hearing the referee's whistle, he quickly ran forward, flicking his wrist to send the ball to the lower left corner.
"Swish!" Robert judged the position correctly, but the ball was too fast and he couldn't reach it.
The ball went in, and Hull City equalized the score with a penalty, finally avoiding a worse situation.
"Yeah!" This time it was their fans' turn to cheer. The shouts of thousands of people occupied Bramall Lane Stadium, also stirring up an extremely stifled emotion in the home fans.
No matter how Simpson got the penalty, at this moment he has become the team's hero, sprinting to the sidelines and roaring as he slid on his knees.
The Sheffield United players watched their celebration, holding their breath in their hearts.
The first half ended like this, one to one, and the two sides returned to the same starting line.
"Beep!"
As soon as the second half started, Hull City, who kicked off from the center circle, played a kickoff tactic they had discussed during the halftime break.
They simply passed the ball back twice, and the center-back sent a long pass to the left wing.
The tall center forward, Stuart, had already stood in that position, leaping high to head the ball back, flicking the ball into the Sheffield United penalty area. The captain, Hapa, who had been prepared for a long time, sprinted into the danger zone and received the ball.
"Oh," the situation opened up. They completed the first step of this kickoff tactic, and also completed the most difficult step. The fans stood up from their seats.
"Bang!"
With Hapa's sweeping cross in front of the goal, Simpson, the center forward who had circled from the back post to the front post, poked a foot out and poked the ball into the net! The ball went in again!
Two to one!
Hull City, after careful planning and excellent execution, also delivered an opening kill in the second half!
"Yeah!"
Hearing the passionate sound from the South Stand, Maël closed his eyes deeply, exhaled a long breath, and walked towards his own half.
In competitive sports, sometimes moral deficiencies and unscrupulous behavior do not necessarily bring negative effects and misfortune to a team.
Look at Hull City, after getting a penalty through a dive, they almost instantly reversed the situation on the road.
Also be that kind of person? Maël hesitated. He thought, if he could win a highly valuable championship trophy in an important game just by diving, would he do it?
At this time, should he still stick to that possibly worthless professional ethics?
Is it to choose his own nobility, to sacrifice the team's efforts for the entire season, and crush the hopes of countless fans?
Or is it to destroy the opponent, so that he and his closer teammates can achieve success, and let the team and fans get a happy result?
He couldn't give an answer to this question, perhaps he needed more time to think.
Or maybe... he doesn't have to make this choice!
With the proficiency panel, he represents unlimited potential. In the future, he is very likely to reach a new height and walk a new path!
The career he is going to experience is different from others.
"Yes, there is no need to question your heart on this kind of issue."
Maël's mind became broader, and he was gradually firming his will and Dao heart, "Improve your ability and strive to use your own strength to help the team solve all problems!"
He jogged up, and when he looked up, he saw Simpson rushing to the vicinity of his own fan area, making an arrogant dart-throwing motion.
This was undoubtedly a provocative action, comparing Sheffield United to a dartboard, meaning he had thrown a dart and hit the bullseye, hurting Sheffield United.
Maël noted this, he would try to return the favor.
"The communication on the field has decreased for Sheffield United, but it's clear that they haven't lowered their intensity. It's almost as if they're holding their breath, fighting for every ball.
"Lotton's overlapping run, Maël passes the ball to him, and runs towards the half-space!
"Lotton sends a through ball, the ball returns to Maël's feet, Maël, a ground cross! The ball is fast!!
"A clearance, not far enough!! Evans is going for a follow-up shot, a push shot!!"
On the field, as Evans's push shot nailed the ball into the side netting, the Sheffield United fans, who had been in a state of suppressed excitement, celebrated wildly again.
"Yeah!" Snowflakes swirled and fell in the air, landing on their heads, unable to cool their passion.
Dozens of team flags waved in unison, appearing particularly imposing in the falling snow, covered with a layer of murderous aura.
"Beautiful!! Goal!!!"
The Sky Sports commentator also seemed much more excited than before. He was a neutral fan, but he had witnessed the injustice Sheffield United had suffered, so he naturally leaned towards them emotionally.
"Two-two! Sheffield United equalizes in the 73rd minute! Both teams have shown resilience today."
Evans, who scored the goal, didn't celebrate. He ran straight to the goal, preparing to pick up the ball and return to the center circle.
A draw is not enough! They must strive for victory in the final moments and crush their opponents!
Only in this way can they eliminate the anger still pent up in their hearts.
And his behavior was quickly defined by the opposing players and fans as provocation and disrespect.
Taking the ball after a draw?
Are they treating us like pushovers?
Hull City goalkeeper Mannone blocked him, preventing him from taking the ball, and the two pushed each other in the goal.
"Still want to score?"
Mannone looked at him with a sneer, mocking, "I guarantee this is the last one, don't fantasize, I will catch all your shots."
"Okay."
A voice rang out from the side, it was Maël who had come to support Evans. He used his strong body to directly push the goalkeeper away, picked up the ball and ran towards the center circle, "I hope you do as you say."
"Beep!"
After the restart, Maël's expression changed, his anger value had reached the critical point.
ps: Don't worry, there won't be any more matches of this length.
It's mainly to give this season an explanation, otherwise it would be too dry. With my burst updates and the subsequent speed of advancement, the EFL Championship plot will be gone in a few days.
In the process of having a beginning and an end, it can also be regarded as laying the groundwork for future plots, making this book more beautiful and more exciting in the later stages.
Give me some time, and believe that I will give these plots an explanation later.
Today, there may be 500 monthly tickets, and there will be an extra update tomorrow (this ps word count has not reached 1 point of charge, I will not cheat my brothers).
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