Football: I can see player entries.

Chapter 234 Interlude

"It might not necessarily go to penalties."

"There are five minutes left..."

For the first time, Neville began to doubt his own words.

He simply couldn't think of a way to score in those few minutes.

Look at the players on the field; they've basically played to the point of complete exhaustion.

Chelsea are in a better position than them, so they are spending most of the time in their own half.

If it weren't for Sun Yan's outstanding defensive performance in stoppage time, they would have conceded countless goals long ago.

That's why Li Yanqing only just now had the idea of ​​replacing Ibrahimovic.

He is currently the tallest player on the team, capable of aerial defense, and only when he is on the court can the "offensive inspiration" effect be realized.

Seeing that he was really unsteady on his feet, they thought they should let Murphy go up and try, just in case he managed to get in.

However, Joe Hart's unexpected injury has forced them to use their last substitution.

"Damn it, I'll definitely buy Giroud if I get the chance."

"He can not only be a substitute striker, but also fill in as a goalkeeper!"

Li Yanqing was grumbling a bit, remembering that Giroud seemed to have a built-in skill called "Abandoning the Goal to Combat".

Arsenal is also undergoing a squad overhaul, so buying them would be a good option.

This was the first time he questioned whether buying Karius was the right decision.

In short, we can only accept the outcome of the penalty shootout now.

On the other side, Chelsea manager Sarri also made a substitution gesture from the sidelines.

They also have one last substitution left, but unlike Burton, he seems to be really looking forward to it.

Who is Karius?

He knew this even before he came to the Premier League.

This player's performance in his limited appearances this season has been mostly a mess.

He specifically trained backup goalkeeper Caballero's penalty-saving ability.

Although he didn't think Burton could hold on until the penalty kick before the match, as a highly competent manager, he still left one substitution just in case.

And here it is, being used right now!

However, when the fourth official raised the substitution sign, Kepa on the field firmly waved his hand.

Then he walked back to the front door.

It's as if to say, "Don't you even know who the opposing goalkeeper is? What's there to be afraid of?"

"What are you doing?"

Sarri stumbled and almost fell onto the grass.

He never expected that Kepa, whom he had always entrusted with important tasks, would refuse his orders at such a crucial moment.

Cavaliero, standing to the side, also looked at Kepa with a depressed expression as he refused to leave the field.

As a backup goalkeeper, he doesn't get many playing opportunities throughout the season, and this kid is still defying orders?

"It seems like something's wrong on the field!"

"Chelsea's goalkeeper seems to refuse to be substituted; let's see how Sarri handles this."

"A great opportunity!"

"Unfortunately, Hart was substituted, poor Burton..."

The commentator on site had an expression of watching the spectacle with amusement.

Since the 80th minute, he has been praising the fighting spirit and resilience shown by Burton.

No one has scored yet, and there's not much else to talk about.

Kepa's actions certainly generated a lot of buzz for the match.

Surprisingly, Sarri on the sidelines simply threw some things in frustration and did nothing else.

The player was determined not to leave the field, and there was nothing he could do.

Not to mention he has less than a month left before he has to step down and leave...

This little incident greatly affected the mood of the opposing coaching staff, but to be honest, it didn't help Burton at all.

Li Yanqing is already arranging the players for the penalty kicks.

The game continued, and after a few more minutes of sluggish play, the referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the penalty shootout.

"Zlatan!"

"Do you still have the strength?"

"Should we take the first penalty kick?"

Without a doubt, the first person Li Yanqing thought of was Ibrahimovic.

But by this time the player had completely collapsed on the grass, and Matias, who still had a little strength left, was helping him stretch.

"I'm afraid it's not possible. I feel like I can't even stand up right now."

Ibrahimovic shook his head; heaven knows how long it's been since he played a full 120 minutes.

This was far too difficult for a veteran who was nearly 38 years old.

Seeing that he already had an 80% chance of being injured, Li Yanqing didn't say anything more.

What if he gets injured while taking a penalty kick...?

"How about I go first?"

"I'm still very confident when it comes to shooting."

Kui, who was behind him, spoke up at this moment.

He was substituted on in the 70th minute and has only been playing for less than an hour. He is one of the few players on the field who is still active and energetic.

"Okay, you go first, David second."

"Anderson is third, Matthias is fourth, who's going to be the last one?"

These people were easy to arrange, and none of them had any objections.

As for the fifth player, that remains to be discussed, since the rest are all midfielders and defenders.

"Let me do it."

"Physically, I'm fine; I can manage."

The speaker was Enzo, although he was also lying on the ground at this moment.

“Hmm…” Li Yanqing looked at the other players, none of whom volunteered.

If Justin were still able to run, I believe he would be very interested, but his shooting skills were never that great to begin with, and now that he's in this state, it's even more hard to say.

So he simply shut his mouth and lay down peacefully.

"Then it's decided."

Finally, Li Yanqing glanced at Karius in front of the goal and noticed that the player was also staring at him.

But he suddenly realized that he had nothing to say to him.

Klopp must have given him plenty of motivational speeches, but looking at the players' performance, their careers ultimately plummeted.

"come on."

Let's not say anything else, since any player can be easily motivated to fight back now.

Even when you're in a bad state, it's the same.

Their own captain, Bradford, was injured and forced to leave the field early. The captain's armband was then placed on Ibrahimovic's arm, but the latter is now unable to move.

Therefore, the coin toss to decide who would be penalized first was conducted by Matthias, who was more senior.

"Good news, we'll penalize them first, boss."

He was in top form today, and he had good luck when guessing the coin.

If the team that takes the penalty first scores, it will undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on the opposing team.

But if they miss the free throw and the opponent scores first, then the pressure on them will be even greater.

Therefore, the first player to take the penalty kick is crucial.

"Quinn..."

"Didn't you want to be the best player?"

"But in the end, they didn't even get a starting spot."

"This is an opportunity to make amends."

"If you score, I'll grant your request..."