Chapter 105 Winning like a forest

"George Wood!!yes! Beautiful counterattack cooperation! Wood's attack launched, he ended the attack again! England led Argentina 1:0! Beautiful job!"

The goal in the friendly match may not have made the English commentator so excited, but the meaning of the goal in Argentina is different.

Seeing Wood scored, a huge cheer burst out from the Crimson Field, rolling rumbling over the field, stimulating everyone's heart.

After Donn and his colleagues around him hugged him, he turned around and applauded Wood.

Wood's offensive talent has been fully revealed today. He can not only become the initiator of the offense, but also the completion of the offense. He is completely different from the reckless boy who only knows defense ten years ago.

After becoming the captain of England, he has scored multiple goals, some of which are still very important. This is of course related to Donn's familiarity with him and knowing how to use him well, but more importantly, Wood himself has that belief - he wants to use his best performance to prove that he deserves the captain's armband of the Three Lions.

After scoring the goal, Wood no longer looked cold like before. He waved his fists hard to welcome his teammates' hugs.

Tang En hoped that he would not look stern and difficult to get close, so he did as he did.  After the goal, it was a good opportunity.

It seems that the period since Donn left the Forest team has made Wood mature a lot.

He should have matured long ago... He is thirty years old, not young anymore.

Looking at George Wood who was celebrating the goal, Messi clenched his fists. Although the two did not have a direct conversation, he still believed that Wood's goal was a challenge to him.

He took it.

After the game started again, Messi became active and tried to force a breakthrough many times, but unfortunately he didn't have much time left... The first half was over!

Hearing the referee blew the whistle to the end of the first half. Messi's face collapsed. He remembered that before he set off, Guardiola reminded him that he could only play half of this friendly match...

The English players walked into the player passage excitedly, while he stood outside for a while before bowing his head and walking back. In this short minute, he made a decision.

In the locker room in Argentina, Maradona is making adjustments to the second half. First of all, he needs to replace the players who were clearly told that they cannot play all over the game. Fortunately, there are not many players with such special treatment. Otherwise, he will be troubled - although this is a friendly match, there are still three substitutions.

"Messi." Although Maradona was very upset by one goal, he still had to abide by the agreement between himself and Guardiola and replace the treasures shared by the two teams to rest. The La Liga has entered the final sprint stage, and Barcelona Club does not want Messi to waste physical fitness in such a friendly match.

Messi shook his head: "I want to continue playing, coach."

All eyes in the locker room were shot at him, and this sentence was really beyond everyone's expectations.

Maradona didn't expect that he looked up at Messi.

"We have an agreement with Barcelona." Maradona said looking at him.

"I know." Messi nodded. His eyes were unyielding. "I will call Mr. Guardiola after the game to explain."

Maradona knew why Messi was so persistent - his performance in the first half was average. Although he was Argentina's offensive core, he did not help Argentina score goals, nor did he create several threatening opportunities. England's defense was too successful.

He wanted to prove himself, at least he proved that he was not bad when Wood scored a goal.

Maradona was a rebellious figure in his player age. After retiring, he even showed his unique personality even more. After becoming the head coach, he was restrained, but he no longer threatened to kill the reporter with a shotgun.

Although we have an agreement with Barcelona, ​​since the players themselves have insisted, it is hard for me to stop them, right?

"Okay.  " Maradona finally nodded.   "But you only have fifteen minutes.   I don't have to break up my relationship with Barcelona for the sake of your personal grudge with Wood..."

His last sentence was really redundant. He didn't care about those things at all.

Messi laughed and sat down again.

Since Messi doesn't have to be replaced, there is nothing to adjust, everything will be the same.

In the locker room in England, Don did not praise England's performance in the first half, but asked the team to continue doing so.

Of course, he also made adjustments. He knew that Messi would not be able to enter the second half. After the biggest threat was lifted, England's defense would not have to be as tight as it was. More often than not, England could invest a large amount of troops in the offense.

But in the second half, he and the English players were stunned.

The 10th in Argentina was standing on the court...

"Didn't Guardiola only allow him to play halftime?" Donn asked Walker next to him, "Is it a smoke bomb that Argentina cast? He also colluded with Barcelona to play this game in a friendly match?"

Walker didn't know why this happened. A few days before the game, the media reported that Barcelona Club did not want Messi to play the whole game in this friendly match, and Guardiola further shortened the time to forty-five minutes of the half.

So when they saw Messi starting in the first half, they didn't take the second half seriously. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly...

Wood was stunned when he saw Messi on the opposite side. At the same time, he found Messi staring at him. As an old opponent, he obviously knew what that look meant.

He was just surprised. But he was not afraid.

Come on. Boy.

After the second half of the game started, Messi became the focus of attention. The commentator was also wondering why Messi was still on the court. It is estimated that at this time, Guardiola wanted to fly to Nottingham to drag him off the court...

Messi faced England's two defenders with the ball. He quickly knocked the ball and twisted his body, drilled through the two of them and broke through!

"He's so beautiful! He's the elf on the football field!" the Argentine narrator exclaimed.

Unfortunately, the next second, Messi's elf-like figure stopped.

Because Wood hit him mercilessly and staggered, Messi was knocked off the track, and the threat to the goal was greatly reduced.

Facing Wood's close defense, Messi tried several times but couldn't get rid of it. Moreover, seeing that the English player who had just been thrown away by him was about to surround him, he had no choice but to pass the football to the wing.

"Aha! Don't think that Wood, who scores frequently, will not defend! "St. George's both offense and defense, must be a nightmare for every opponent!" The English commentator was very proud of the result.

Messi was indomitable. He made a comeback soon.

This time he did not meet Wood head-on, but was forced to the outside of the penalty area by three English players and could only cross. The result of the cross was without any suspense, and was pushed out by England's tall central defenders.

But it doesn't matter, the football fell at the feet of Argentine player Higuain.

Seeing Messi still in the penalty area, Higuain passed the ball directly with a straight pass!

Terry raised his arm high to signal Messi to offside, but the lineman did not raise the flag.

"Offside!" the English commentator shouted in anger.

"Beautiful! No offside! Beautiful straight pass!" The Argentine commentator stood up from his seat excitedly. Six minutes into the second half, Argentina finally ushered in their best chance of the game so far!

Messi received the ball from the side. England's right back Glen Johnson dragged in the back, and he really did not offside!

Now Messi has no defensive player around him, and he is completely unmarked!

Terry, who found himself making a mistake in judgment, quickly turned his body and rushed towards Messi.

Messi could shoot directly with just swing his feet, but he glanced at Terry from the corner of his eyes. He decided to choose a safer way - he faked the real button. He easily changed Terry who rushed up. Then he swung his feet again, it was real!

Although Terry did not stop Messi from shooting, he bought precious time for the people behind him.

When Messi's support foot was a little far away from the football and his shot leg was swung up, the football was completely out of control. At this moment, George Wood took advantage of the opportunity and flew into the game like a tiger going down the mountain. He shoveled the football out of the baseline before Messi hit the football, and Messi's powerful shot hit the outside of his thigh.

Messi felt as if he had kicked a plate, and his inertia made him fall forward and pressed against Wood.

"Punishment!!" The Argentine commentator, who stood up, stretched out his body, wishing he could reach out and grab the referee's collar. He spitted his saliva.

The English commentator was a little hesitant. He couldn't watch it in the high stands, and the scene just now had not been played on the small TV screen in front of him. "Messi fell in the penalty area, maybe Wood had tackled the ball first?"

It was not that the TV broadcast deliberately did not give replays, but that there was no time for the audience to watch what had just happened again. Messi fell in the penalty area, the Argentine players raised their hands to ask for a penalty kick, while the English players waved their hands desperately saying that it was definitely not a foul just now, and they even thought it was Messi's fake fall.

The referee made the final penalty the next moment, and he stretched out his index finger with his right hand. He swung in front of the Argentine players. The meaning was obvious - George Wood did not foul!

Then he made a corner kick gesture, completely breaking the Argentinian's thoughts.

Messi has not yet gotten up. If Guardiola was watching TV broadcasts at this time, he would have scolded Maradona, George Wood, the referee, and Tony Don in his heart - "Do you know what Messi means to Barcelona! If he is injured, our season will be over! Who can take responsibility for this!"

Fortunately, Messi quickly got up from Wood, and his expression was as normal as he looked, and he looked unharmed.

At this time, the TV broadcast finally got the opportunity to replay the moment. Everyone could see from the TV screen that Wood's tackle was fierce, but it was clean. He shoveled over to Messi's toes and shoveled the ball away, not even brought to anyone. If Messi was really injured, it must be because he kicked the outside of Wood's thigh himself.

Guardiola and Maradona are both worried about whether Messi is injured, and Don is also worried about whether Wood will be injured. Messi's kick is really fierce... It is a powerful volley, and he kicks hard on the outside of Wood's thigh. How can it not hurt?

Wood stood up from the ground with Messi, and it looked nothing was wrong.

Terry also came over to care: "How is it?"

Wood knew what he was asking: "It's okay." He rubbed his hands with his hands and was kicked to the ground, which was a little sore, but it didn't affect his kick.

When tackled, his thigh muscles were naturally tight. That's why Messi felt like he had hit a plate.

Wood looked at Messi around him, he was lowering his head and rubbing his toes.

Aguero came up to ask Spanish for a few questions. Messi shook his head, probably the content was similar to the conversation between Terry and Wood.

Although Messi shook his head and indicated that he was fine, the arch still hurt a little. He glanced at Wood beside him, and the other party was rubbing his legs.

He suddenly felt that this scene was a little funny and no one got it.

The first time I saw Wood suffer a loss in front of me, but was injured - although it was just an external injury - Messi was in a good mood. The previous tense atmosphere dissipated at this moment.

He stretched out his hand to Wood and shook it in front of him.

Wood was rubbing his thighs, and he looked down and saw a hand entering his own field of vision and shaking, so he looked up at the master of his hand.

Messi is having fun with him.

Wood put down his shorts and handed over his hand.

The two of them gently patted their hands and separated.

This may be the only physical contact they have had in so many years of fighting without gunpowder... You know, even when they were shaking hands before the game, they were secretly competing.

Messi finally failed to help Argentina equalize the score within a fifteen-minute period. He did not score goals himself, nor did he create too good opportunities for his teammates. Perhaps it was because of the recent continuous battles that made him tired, and he always staggered after barely passing two people. He was a little weak.

In the fifteenth minute of the second half, Maradona replaced Messi on time. Seeing him walking out healthy, Sweet Potéona breathed a sigh of relief in front of the TV.
To be continued...