668 Enough Face Has Been Given

The few days of commercial activities exhausted the players, but they would soon be free. They just needed to finish today's game.

The Chinese Olympic team's challenge against Nottingham Forest had been publicized to the point of being known to the world. Although Chinese football continued to be low, the Chinese fans looked forward to the game.

Some might just come to watch the Nottingham Forest players perform, while some came to watch the Chinese Olympic team play. China would never lack those people. No matter how many people cursed, sneered, and showed contempt towards Chinese football, there would always be people who consistently paid attention. The standards of the Chinese Super League were low, as was the attendance rate, but there was still attendance, which meant people did watch. The national team's games were almost full.There was a patriotic element involved; it was not entirely due to football.

As the world's number one sport, football had an extensive base in China, but no organization could integrate and effectively manage the mass. The base was only the foundation, and there would never be a superstructure built on the base.

The Chinese Football Association hoped to use the game to rekindle people's enthusiasm for football and ride on the wave of the Olympics to take Chinese football up a level. Twain understood the idea of the covert operation, because the Chinese Football Association leaders were such single-celled organisms with such wishful thinking, but he was very dismissive of such a practice.

It put the cart before the horse. The fans' enthusiasm for football would never ignite because of a commercial game. The level of Chinese football would never change because of what the China Olympic team could achieve in the Olympic Games. These should have been the logical and natural results of continuous developments in football, but the heads of the Chinese Football Association treated them as part of the process.

When Twain was younger, he had the dream that many fans dreamt of — a group of talented players who rose up and a talented manager who led them to the World Cup. Later, as he grew older and had experience, he thought that it would remain only as a dream. The system would not reform, and Chinese football would never be the first.

FIFA's regulation clearly stipulated that all countries' national football federations had to be private organizations. The governments could not interfere with the Football Association or they would be severely punished. But the Chinese Football Association stated that "we are a private organization." Would anyone buy that? The General Administration of Sport of China above them was the first to say no. Every Chinese was clear about the nature of the General Administration of Sport as an institution. How could FIFA not know? They could not help it either.

The only consolation for the Chinese fans was that occasionally one or two good players would play abroad and represent China in another stadium. If they did well, it would excite the Chinese fans.

The Chinese fans' demands were that simple. But even with such simple requirements, it was difficult to implement.

Most of the Chinese fans could only vent their frustrations through ridicule and admonishment. Twain was luckier than them because he had the opportunity to express his emotions in person and show enormous face to the Chinese Football Association leaders who specially came to watch the "command of the war."

※※※

It rained every day for the four days in Ningbo. The weather forecast the day before stated that there would be light rain, and as expected, it rained continuously until the afternoon.

"Fortunately, we are from England." Twain looked at the drenched world outside the window. "This is normal weather for us. How's the turf?"

"A little slippery," Dunn replied.

Twain frowned slightly. When the field was slippery, it was not easy to control movements and unexpected circumstances might arise when bodies collided, greatly increasing the possibility of an injury.

When he was a fan, Twain was displeased with the European powerhouse clubs who came to China to play and did not put in much effort on top of their players acting lethargically due to the fear of injury. This time he would arrange it as such. Even if Allan did not come to him, he would keep his team's strength. He would be the world's biggest fool if he let his main players be injured in a commercial game in the faraway China.

The Forest team's bus drove slowly. The road near the stadium was blocked due to the game. Ningbo mobilized a large number of traffic police to maintain order, and the speed limit was reduced.

Fortunately, the CITIC Ningbo International Hotel was very close to Fubang Stadium. They did not have to worry about being late as long as there was no traffic jam.

The experience of personally bringing the players to a game on the subway while they were still in League One was rare for Twain.

The fans could be seen taking taxis, cars, or on foot to the stadium. When they saw the Nottingham Forest bus, fans inside cars excitedly leaned out to wave and shout. China's flag and the posters of the Nottingham Forest star players combined together, which complemented well — all the colors were red.

"If I hadn't... I would probably be one of them now." Twain said to Dunn in Mandarin.

"Travel from Sichuan to Ningbo?"

"That's not impossible... I had quit my job before just to stay up late to watch the UEFA European Championship." Twain said it with a very proud expression. He was not afraid of Dunn finding out about when he transmigrated. He only said that it was the "UEFA European Championship." There was the UEFA European Championship in 2000. As for his true age, he was still in school in 2002, but he never told Dunn, who also never asked about the very personal things. "Never underestimate the enthusiasm of fans... Of course, never underestimate their anger."

At the time of the game, the Forest players regained their professional player status and acted like they were going to play in an away league game. Only a handful of the young ones who were brought from the youth team curiously took out their cameras to capture the spectacular "yellow tide" outside the window.

The team's coaching unit for this game did not make any arrangements. The training was mainly based on physical recovery and simple tactical exercises. There was no special training held to deal with the China Olympic team. The team's overall training plan was to prepare for the new season of the league tournament and European competition. Twain did not even gather the players for a tactical meeting before the game. There was enough time to speak in the locker room.

Due to the proximity, Nottingham Forest set out right on time. By the time they arrived at Fubang Stadium, the players of the China Olympic team had already left the locker room to warm up.

"They're in high fighting spirit." Twain looked at the men and whistled.

"Because we are the strongest out of all their friendlies," Dunn said. "For them, this game is more valuable."

"It will be even more valuable to them if they defeat us by accident." Twain winked at Dunn.

"Impossible." Dunn poured cold water on Twain.

"Allan will be very angry if he hears you say that." Twain laughed. He was in a good mood. "But you're right. Even if we don't work hard, it's not hard to beat them. Fourteen years ago, Chinese football might have defeated the opponents that underestimated them. But now this team won't be able to. Everything develops, but it's strange that the rule doesn't apply to Chinese football." He shook his head.

"Don't let them dawdle. Better hurry and go warm up." He turned and said to Kerslake, and the assistant manager's loud voice rang out in the locker room.

"Don't think you can relax just because it's a friendly match! You will suffer from lack of warm-up! Does anyone want the new season to be over before it has started?"

His bark was effective. The players who took their sweet time to while away the time immediately dashed out.

Twain did not stay in the locker room to prepare as there was not much to prepare. There was no need to study the Chinese Olympic team. As long as they played according to their tackles and usual habits, the game would be in their hands.

He felt like he had returned in glory. Deep down, he wanted to go out and show off. Although no one would recognize him as a Chinese man and the Chinese people would not be envious of his achievements, it did not stop him from fantasizing. To think that I was just an ordinary young fan. Now I have brought a two-time Champions League Double Winner team back to China!

As it rained for several days, the organizers were worried that the fans who had bought tickets would not come to the game. But what Twain saw gave the organizers a sigh of relief. Half of the forty thousand seats were occupied, and it was forty minutes away from the start of the game.

The drizzle did not dampen the fans' enthusiasm at all. When the players from came out to warm up, they were happily shouting in the stands.

Looking at them, he thought about the all kinds of fans he had met in England. Suddenly, Twain lost the interest to show off. He turned back to the locker room.

As he walked into the tunnel, he was stopped by a group of Chinese reporters. They wanted to interview the legendary manager, who was full of personality. The person who came to ask the question was Tang Jing, an old acquaintance of Twain.

"I can meet you anywhere, Miss Tang." Twain greeted her in Mandarin.

"I'm the reporter in charge of covering you and your team. It would be strange if you didn't see me." Tang Jing shook her head and then threw out her question. "Before the game, the fans were worried that such a commercial game would greatly discount the value of the competition. In terms of the viewing pleasure or the competitive nature, it is not as good as the usual game. What do you think?" "

"This game is definitely not the same as the league cups, but I don't agree with the remarks that it would be unexciting. Excitement can be divided into several kinds. A massive victory of 7:0 against the opponent can also be wonderful to watch." Twain winked at Tang Jing.

"Oh? Are you saying your team will score a lot of goals in the game?"

"I didn't say that. It's just an analogy. Don't try to manipulate my words." Twain was well aware of the reporter's antics. "I don't know how the game is going to be played out. I can only promise that we will try our best to let the Chinese fans enjoy a wonderful game. We are different from those European teams which come here just to make money. Don't forget that we are also the cultural ambassador for Nottingham. This game is a great opportunity to showcase the English football culture. And, you know, Miss Tang, I never surrender before a game."

Tang Jing smiled. Having said so much useless officialese mumbo jumbo earlier, his last sentence held the real truth. It was really hard to get Twain to give up before the game even started.

"So, this means the Chinese fans and television viewers can enjoy a great game with confidence?"

"That's the way it looks."

Twain and Tang Jing had a happy exchange and the other Chinese reporters were not willing to be left out, so they stepped forward to ask their own questions. The biggest advantage of interviewing Twain was that they could communicate in Mandarin, which made it less troublesome.

"What do you think of the strength of the Chinese Olympic team, Mr. Twain?"

"I don't know much about this team..." I know a lot, but I won't tell you!

"There are rumors that you guys are interested in Zheng Zhi. Can you please confirm if that's true?"

"If Zheng Zhi can accept to be George Wood's substitute, I don't mind." Twain grinned. They just needed to understand George Wood to know that it was the same as a denial of the rumor.

"Do you have any expectations for the Beijing Olympics?"

"I'm sorry I can't come to Beijing to watch the Olympics in person because the English Premier League will have already started. But I believe the Beijing Olympics will be unforgettable." Twain answered the question with a smile. He was polite, gracious, humorous, and gave off a good impression. It was hard for the Chinese reporters to believe that he had a bad reputation in Europe.

Only Tang Jing knew that the outer appearance of this man was completely untrustworthy.

The group of Chinese reporters soon saw Tony Twain's other side.

An attractive television female reporter squeezed in and asked, "Beckham is in the starting lineup. I would like to know if he will be playing in the entire game?"

"It depends on the situation. Generally, we will make a large-scale adjustment." As it was not a regular game, the substitutions was discussed and agreed between the two sides. Because the Chinese Olympic team wanted to train its players, so everyone decided that they could replace eleven players.

"In other words, it mean Beckham will be replaced?"

Twain began to find this female reporter very annoying for asking questions that lacked standards. His warm tone quickly cooled. "I can't answer you now."

The female reporter did not sense any dissatisfaction in Twain's tone and continued to throw out her prepared questions. "Do you think David Beckham's role in the team is very important?"

Twain finally could not help himself. He asked the reporter in a stern tone, "Lady, I'm not happy with the way you give your interviewees presupposed questions and answers. I can only answer 'yes' or 'no.' Or do you want me to give you answers that you want to hear? I'm sorry, but I refuse to answer the question. Besides, you're an entertainment reporter, aren't you?"

Twain's sudden outburst left the reporters stunned, including the female reporter. She had covered many events in China and always asked such questions. No one had ever said that she asked the wrong questions and badly.

For example: "Do you feel glorious and proud to win the gold medal? Do the coach and the team help you a lot? Are you so excited that you want to cry?"

"Do you feel sorry that you only won a silver medal? Do you feel you have let down the country for your training over the years?"

"Congratulations on running your best time for this year. Liu Xiang won the championship title. Do you feel very happy? What do you think of Liu Xiang's performance today?"

But today, this man was merciless in refuting her. She could not wrap her head around it.

"I'm... I'm not an entertainment reporter." It took her a long time to answer the inexplicable question.

"You should be an entertainment reporter. You are very talented in that area." Having said that, Twain walked away and left an awkward silence in his wake.

Tang Jing saw this scene in the back of the crowd and shrugged. She knew things would develop that way.

The displeased Twain quickly walked through the tunnel. When he passed by the Chinese Olympic team's locker room door, the door closed. The action caught his eye and he turned his head. He caught a glimpse of a familiar figure through the door — the Chinese Football Association President, Xie Yalong.

Dujković was head coach by name only for a long time. The Chinese coaching team was just a puppet, only responsible for conveying instructions and spirit from above. It seemed like the rumor was not false.

The glimpse made Twain laugh. Chinese football was a joke. With a track and field background, Xie Yalong put on an act to arrange tactics and command the team's game. Then a group of professional coaches bowed their heads and listened, while continuously nodding in agreement. On top of that, they would fawn on and flatter that "the president is really an expert", "President Xie's words are correct." He felt it was very funny.

Fortunately, he did not have to suffer in such an environment.

The interlude suddenly improved his mood.

※※※

The players returned to the locker room after the warm-up. They dried their perspiration and changed into clean clothes.

Twain saw that they were all done before he spoke up. "With regards to this game... there's nothing much to say. We will play as we usually play."

Eastwood stood up. "Chief, is it still defensive counterattack?"

"We don't just know how to play defensive counterattack!" Twain glared at him. "We are going to practice and train with the offense from the middle routine today. We're not going from the wings, only in the middle. If the Chinese team comes out punching, we will need to defend more fiercely. Take the opportunity to score against them and start practicing offense again."

The players nodded. The middle was an area that all the teams paid more attention to. Whether offensively or defensively, there had to be more players there. The Forest team had little chance to practice during normal games because they had to win, and it was more effective to play in the wings. Now, in the face of an opponent like the Chinese Olympic team, it would be a waste of an opportunity not to use it as practice for tactics and play the flank attack they were best at.

"But I want to remind you." Twain held out his left index finger. "Everyone must be aware of the weather and the field conditions. The Chinese team will fight fiercely. You have to be careful not to let yourselves get hurt. Don't intercept the more difficult balls. When they have bigger movements, just avoid them. Protect yourselves."

Everyone on the starting list bobbed their heads. Twain gave face to everyone with the starting list for today's game — almost all of the main force was in the lineup.

The goalkeeper was van der Sar. The center-backs were the partners Piqué and Ayala. The left-back was Gareth Bale, and the right-back was Rafinha. The defensive midfielder was Sun Jihai, and the attacking midfielder was van der Vaart. The left midfielder was Ribéry, and the right midfielder was David Beckham. The strikers were van Nistelrooy and Eastwood.

The center-back, Pepe had been sidelined due to a minor injury because Twain wanted to be careful. Even though George Wood did not have any injuries, Twain put him on the bench. Twain had his own plans for the arrangement.

※※※

At the same time, in the Chinese Olympic team's locker room, Xie Yalong had just guest performed as a manager and arranged the tactics for the players. Truthfully, his tactics were very simple, nothing but terms even a fake fan would know —"must have a solid defense and quick counterattack. The front field will then begin to force an interception, attack from both sides. The ball is heavier on rainy days, so strengthen the long shots..."

After he gave the seemingly professional instructions which amounted to perfunctory nonsense, he began his favorite ideological mobilization: the motivation of the players before a game.

"Players! It's a rare opportunity to be able to play against the UEFA Champions League champion. The Chinese Football Association has worked hard to obtain this opportunity for everyone, so I hope you will cherish it." He put one hand on the hip and brandished the other, looking every inch like a leader. "We're definitely not as good as our opponents, but I hope you don't give up. You're going to play your own style! Firstly, we must have momentum! Our strength is weaker than the opponent, but if our momentum is worse, then we cannot play this game! We have to scare them! We must show tenacious fighting spirit, ferociously tackle, and have bigger movements. As long as the opponent is afraid, the game will be to our advantage!"

He spoke energetically while the manager, Dujković, sat in the corner, looking indifferent. It was as if everything that happened had nothing to do with him. In effect, it did not really matter. He was just a figurehead and could not do anything since he had no power. To put it nicely, he was just a spectator who was able to sit in the technical area.

"Secondly, we must not give up! Don't give up the game under any circumstances! The style of Chinese football is we never give up until the last second!" Xie Yalong was high-spirited, as if his team had won the game. However, did he not blush when he said the words? "If the other side scores a goal, we will try our best to mess up their rhythm! Then we will strive to equalize the score. You must be fierce during the defense. We use our fighting spirit and tenacity, as well as proactivity, to make up for our technical disadvantage!"

"Finally, I hope you can give the fans in the entire country a wonderful game and let them see the spirit in you! The Party and the people are watching hope you can deliver a satisfactory result!"

After he irresponsibly threw the heavy burden of 1.3 billion people's expectations on the shoulders of the regular players, Xie Yalong left the locker room, accompanied by the other officials, with ease and confidence. He felt extremely good thinking about the result and the impassioned speech he gav.

Back on the podium, after he shook hands with the Nottingham Forest's chairman, Evan Doughty, and Marketing Manager, Allan Adams, he sat next to the two men and got ready to watch the game.

In the stands opposite the podium, there were fans who displayed a banner "Xie * Long should be fired!" Give Dujković back!" However, he swept his gaze across and pretended not to see it.

※※※

The players from both sides came out in a line and the atmosphere at the stadium began to heat up. The live broadcast announced the players from both sides one by one. All the Chinese Olympic team and Nottingham Forest star players received enthusiastic applause and cheers from the spectators. Beckham was the most popular.

Because George Wood was not there, it should have been the second captain, van der Sar, who came up for the coin toss. Since it was a commercial game, Twain gave Beckham the captain's armband. The move proved to be welcomed. When Beckham with the captain's armband was spotted in the center circle doing the coin toss with the Chinese Olympic team captain, Li Weifeng, the fans in the stadium broke out with loud cheers.

Beckham lost to Li Weifeng during the coin toss and won the right to kick off.

After a group photo of the starting lineup, the players on both sides returned to their respective positions. The main referee from China whistled, and the game began.

Once the game started, the fans in the stands gave their energy to rally. The majority of them cheered on the Chinese Olympic team. Twain heard what they shouted, "China team, come on! China team, keep fighting!"

Any fan who often watched the Chinese team play on television would be familiar with the sound, and Twain was no exception. It looked like no matter how popular Nottingham Forest was in China, no matter how big Beckham's appeal was, as long as the opponent was the Chinese Olympic team, it would be almost impossible for the fans to cheer for the Forest team.

It was as Twain had stated when the game started. The morale of the Chinese Olympic team was very strong. Although they did not control the ball, they were aggressive with tackles. Any successful defense would gain cheers from the stands. However, in Twain's view, the performance was bold but not very astute. The "head coach" who made such an arrangement was very incompetent.

The Chinese Olympic team would inevitably consume a lot of physical strength with such fierce interception. Moreover, they could not take care of every corner of the field, especially in the rear defensive line where a lot of gaps could be taken advantage of. The Nottingham Forest team was just waiting for a suitable opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

Nottingham Forest did not have to wait long for the opportunity. Nottingham Forest, with most of its main force deployed, easily controlled the pace of the game. The Chinese Olympic team began to follow the pace of the Forest team. They ran vigorously but also used up a lot of physical strength, which opened up gaps for the Forest team.

In the sixth minute, Beckham spotted the right timing to suddenly kick off a cross pass to the penalty area. Van Nistelrooy and Eastwood attracted the attention of the Chinese Olympic team defenders. Van der Vaart, who was left unmarked, plugged into the penalty area from the back and volleyed a shot in the air without stopping the ball.

If it were a more important game, he might steady and stop the ball before he made a move. But the China Olympic team did not give him any pressure, so he had the mind to execute a difficult move that was not commonly used. And it worked very well.

"The ball's in! Alas, a gap that shouldn't have been there appeared in the defense of the Chinese Olympic team..." The commentator of China's national television station appeared frustrated. It was known that the strength of the two teams was not on the same level, but the China Olympic team represented China. It was embarrassing for them to concede a goal so soon.

When they saw that the goal was in, the Forest players celebrated minimally. Twain and the others in the technical area did not even get up and clap. For them, it was normal to score a goal against the Chinese team. It was not worth celebrating.

※※※

After taking the lead, Nottingham Forest deliberately slowed down the pace and began to follow the guidelines that Twain had set up before the game. When there were opportunities to attack, they would attack in the middle, even if the China Olympic team put all defensive forces in the middle. Even if it led to a sharp decline in the success rate of the offense, they did not intend to try the flanks.

While the trailing China Olympic team strengthened its tackles amid the fans' cheers. As they were overexcited, their movements got bigger and bigger, forcing the Nottingham Forest players to give up the ball several times to avoid ferocious shovels.

It made the Forest players a little disgruntled. The commercial game was increasingly becoming explosive.

Finally, in the twenty-first minute, the Chinese Olympic team's striker, Gao Lin, received Zheng Zhi's pass in the penalty area when he suddenly fell to the ground. The referee decided to award a penalty. The Nottingham Forest players felt very wronged. Even though Piqué and Gao Lin had physical contact, it was an exaggeration to rule it as a foul. He could not always whistle for a penalty if the opposing striker had physical contact with the defender in the penalty area and fell, could he?

The referee ignored the Forest players' protests and insisted on the verdict.

Twain smiled when he saw the scene off the field. Did the Chinese Football Association also double up on insurance?

Unsurprisingly, Zheng Zhi scored with the penalty shot. The score became a 1:1 tie.

Gongs and drums thundered in the stands, and fans were extremely happy to be able to equalize the scores. The players of the Chinese Olympic team were also affected, becoming more excited and aggressive with their actions.

The Forest players soon found a problem. The two teams fought hard and when the Chinese team players fell after any physical contact, the referee would penalize the Forest team for fouls. The Chinese Olympic team led by a wide margin of the number of free kicks in the first half.

When Ayala skirted around from the back to defend and took the ball off the feet of Zheng Zhi who was glancing around, Zheng Zhi fell to the ground and the referee whistled that he fouled again. The Argentinian veteran shook his head helplessly as he stood on the spot with his hands on his hips.

As a result, the Nottingham Forest players played more and more passively. When they attacked the Chinese team's defense and bordered on fouling, they played nervously. During their defense, they dared not to make a move lightly because they were afraid of being penalized for a foul. The Chinese team regained the initiative on the field.

When the Forest team controlled the ball, they preferred to pass the ball back and forth in the center and back field, rather than pass the ball forward. The move upset the fans who came to watch the game. They wanted to see the teams pit themselves against each other in attacks, not a passive game. As a result, boos against Nottingham Forest began to emerge in the stands. As soon as they started passing the ball to each other laterally, the hissing would erupt.

And the Chinese Olympic team, who strove to compete, naturally got the one-sided enthusiastic support.

Everyone's thinking was this — since Nottingham Forest is not willing to give their best and doesn't want to play seriously with a team like us, then we will defeat and embarrass you!

In the second part of the first half, the Chinese Olympic team began to gain the upper hand. There was even a siege on the Forest goal, leading to a dangerous situation in the goal guarded by van der Sar. The grandstand naturally broke out in thunderous cheers. In the podium, Xie Yalong was full of smiles.

In the technical area, Kerslake could not sit still. It was strange that Twain, who was a fussy person, stayed calm in the tense situation, crossed his legs, and did not seem worried about the team's plight.

Nottingham Forest paid the price for their passive play before the end of the first half. Zheng Zhi unexpectedly made a long shot. The football hit Sun Jihai on the thigh, which deflected the shot and caused it to fly into the net. Van der Sar could only sigh as he watched the ball.

In that instant, the volume in the Fubang Stadium reached the highest level ever.

Xie Yalong even stood up and clapped. The players of the Chinese Olympic team hugged excitedly. They completely suppressed Nottingham Forest in the second part of the first half. And now they were ahead of the European champions! It would be hard to tell the young people not to get excited.

As for Twain? He just turned his head to the restless Kerslake. "You should be happy. The first half is about to end, and we don't have anyone hurt."

※※※

During halftime, the Chinese Olympic team players ran off the field with their heads held high and their chests puffed up as they received cheers from the fans along the way. While the Nottingham Forest players went off the field with their heads bowed. They could occasionally hear boos from the stands.

It was no wonder the attitude of the fans who were still pursuing the Forest players before the game had turned one hundred and eighty degrees. People had high hopes for Nottingham Forest, who had the titles of the Champions League champion and Double Winner, in the first half but did not play at the level everyone wanted to see. How could it not be disappointing? Since they were disappointed, they naturally had to fully express it for the English team to see.

The director of the television broadcast was clearly aware of Twain's position. When the players came off the field, the camera turned to Twain, but was surprised to find that Twain was not dissatisfied with the result or the team's performance at all, which was puzzling. Was it not a rumor that he could accept a loss, but could not accept a loss that was cowardly and had no fighting spirit?

What about now...

How would these people know how Twain's mind worked?

On the podium, Xie Yalong left his seat with a smile on his face as he went to the locker room to inspect the team. He was delighted by the team's performance in the first half and the reaction of the fans in the stadium made him even happier.

※※※

Everyone was already in the locker room when Twain came in and closed the door.

He did not criticize the players at all. Instead, he smiled. "You've done a good job, and no one was hurt. I'm relieved."

But his players disagreed. Eastwood stood up in frustration. "Chief, I can't accept this result at all."

His comments were quickly echoed by most of his teammates.

"Oh? Why?" Twain pretended to be surprised. "Not getting hurt in a friendly match is most important. I think there is no reason to fight for such a game."

"You're right, Chief. But I just can't accept this result and the awkward situation. Every time I heard the boos in the stands, I don't feel good." Eastwood, who was usually smiling, looked serious. "We're the European champions, aren't we? We're the Double Winner, right? If we played a little more seriously, the first half would be 3-0. To be honest..." Eastwood hesitated slightly and decided to speak his mind. "I don't like this kind of competition. It's like being on a show and giving the results the spectators want to see. I prefer the real Champions League final to this kind of commercial game!"

He looked up and waited for the chief's criticism, but Twain smiled and did not intend to scold him at all.

"But I think the outcome and situation of a commercial game is insignificant. Compared to that little bit of dignity, I value your health more. We can't choose whether or not to play in this kind of competition. As our reputation grows, there will be more similar games. But we can choose the way we play..."

Eastwood was set to vent his frustrations suffered from the first half today. He knew the chief liked him, so he was a little unchecked. "I remember, Chief, that you said to us before that the way to finish the game early was to completely wipe out the opponent at the start of the game. Why can't we be like that in this game? I think this kind of game is an insult to my work ethic."

He was a little heavy handed with his remarks, but Twain was still not angry. He looked at the players with a smile.

"I think, chief... I can guess what the Chinese newspapers will say about us the next day, and it will not be good, that's for sure." A second man stood up; Pepe, who did not play because of his injury. He shrugged and grimaced. "I don't want other people to look down on us."

"Boss, we know what a commercial game is, but there is no rule in the commercial game that we have to lose to the hosts."

"The referee kept blowing the whistle and every situation was against us. I want to teach them a lesson!"

"It was hard to play in the first half. Football is not meant to be played like this!"

More and more people bravely stood up against their king, but the smile on Twain's face widened.

"So, you don't want to lose this game?"

"Who was the one who told us that Nottingham Forest's football is to never die and admit defeat. Chief?" Eastwood looked at Twain.

Twain finally laughed. "I knew you wouldn't take it lying down. Actually, I think... Of course, I don't want to lose, but I don't really want you to get hurt. You all saw the opponent's actions. I do not want to wait for someone to get hurt before I start regretting. You must also think about your own bodies."

"At the start of the second half, I'll make big adjustments in the players. I will replace all eleven players. But!" He raised his voice. "You're right, Nottingham Forest's football is to never die and admit defeat. I will never accept failure, let alone this kind of failure! We are clearly able to beat them, so let's beat them!"

Among the crowd of excited people, Sun Jihai began to pray for his fellow countrymen.

Twain bared his lips and grinned happily as he looked at the confidence and fighting spirit that everyone had to win the game.

The only regret was that he could not see the change of expression on the faces of the Chinese Football Association heads in the second half. You had a good laugh in the first half, didn't you?

Allan, I have given you enough face. In the first half, they were one goal ahead of the main lineup. Such a good thing is not easy even for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and other big teams to encounter.