Chapter 66: A Do-or-Die Situation

As the game reached the 80th minute, the situation on the field took a dramatic turn!

Just when Arsenal was preparing to conserve energy and launch a counterattack in the final moments, Mallorca made a sudden shift, breaking away from their defensive shell of the past 80 minutes, like a spring that had been compressed for too long, suddenly snapping back into action!

After a failed Arsenal attack, Mallorca unexpectedly launched a fierce offensive, starting with a goal kick after a failed clearance.

Rather than clearing the ball with a long kick, N'Gonga controlled it and passed to Mota, initiating a series of quick passes before sending the ball to the right flank, where Ibagasa was waiting!

Ibagasa, who had been silent for most of the match, finally had a chance to receive the ball. His small frame darted forward into Arsenal's half, and as he moved forward, the rest of Mallorca's players surged with him, charging into Arsenal's half.

Although the four defenders remained deep, Mallorca's midfielders had already pushed into Arsenal's territory, ready to press the attack.

It was another sudden assault.

But this time, Arsenal had prepared for it. Despite their relatively slower defensive line, they managed to use their experience to delay Mallorca's advance, forcing their quick counterattack into a more structured offensive.

Seeing this, José sighed internally. Wenger was cautious as always, not underestimating Mallorca's offensive threat. It was clear that scoring before Arsenal could respond was going to be difficult. But shifting to a more controlled attack wasn't a problem; at least it kept Arsenal from mounting a counterattack in the remaining time.

José took two steps forward, put two fingers to his mouth, and blew a loud whistle.

After seeing his teammates look his way, he made two quick gestures.

The first was a signal for the forwards to play patiently, controlling the ball and not rushing.

The second was a directive to the defenders: if Arsenal launched a counterattack, foul immediately, even if it meant a card. The priority was to stop any potential breakaways from Arsenal!

José still had a deep respect for Henry's technical skill and speed.

All of this had been covered in the pre-match tactical briefing, so when José made those two gestures, Mallorca's players were immediately clear on the upcoming plan.

Slowly, they began pushing forward, with the attackers expertly maintaining possession and control. After Mota's introduction, the midfield options increased from just N'Gonga to two capable ball carriers. Though Mota and his teammates weren't perfectly synced, his skill on the ball was exceptional, and even without being the central organizer, he played a vital role in maintaining possession.

For the next few minutes, the ball moved back and forth in Arsenal's half. Mallorca's approach was cautious, focusing on passing and waiting for a safe opening. They weren't trying to force anything—better to wait for the right opportunity than take a risky shot.

At this point, Arsenal's stamina was starting to show signs of fatigue.

Their running had significantly reduced. Outside their defensive efforts, their interceptions beyond the 30-meter line were becoming purely symbolic, making Mallorca's passing game more effective.

The fans watched in stunned silence as the roles on the field shifted. The situation seemed almost identical to the first half, except now Mallorca was the one attacking, and Arsenal was left defending...

Although Mallorca's passing wasn't as sharp as Arsenal's attack, the overall game felt the same. For ten full minutes, Arsenal barely touched the ball, while Mallorca managed just one shot—Eto'o's effort that went wide after a run into the box.

Just as Arsenal was about to make one last attempt, the referee looked at the clock and blew the whistle to end regular time!

0-0! After a 15-minute break, the match would head into extra time—two 15-minute halves!

When the final whistle of normal time blew, José felt a sense of relief. Although they hadn't scored in the final moments, taking the game to extra time clearly favored Mallorca, who had the advantage in fitness!

As the referee blew his whistle, Mallorca's medical team and masseurs rushed onto the field. They immediately began massaging and relaxing the players, a preparation José had insisted on earlier. Every little bit of energy could make a difference.

The players gathered on the pitch in a large circle while José stood in the center. He didn't want them to go back to the locker room to rest. Instead, they would relax right there on the field. And he wasn't worried about Arsenal overhearing; by this point in the game, there were few surprises left.

"Guys, keep pushing. The longer we go, the better our advantage. Don't forget, we have the upper hand in stamina! Arsenal knows this, and they'll try to use their rest time to gather strength for the opening of extra time. We need to be ready. Focus on denying them any opportunities, and then slowly use our fitness to take control. If we score a golden goal, that's great, but if not, don't give them any chances. Even if it goes to penalties, we've got the advantage."

Hearing José's words, Mallorca's players were aware that the next 30 minutes would be even more crucial than the last 90.

This year's Cup competition had the golden goal rule, meaning that as soon as one team scored, the match would be over.

The 15-minute break passed quickly, and both teams took the field again, a little more refreshed but still physically drained. Just as José predicted, Arsenal, knowing their physical disadvantage, started extra time with a fierce attack, hoping to score before their stamina ran out and potentially end the game with a last-ditch effort.

It was a do-or-die situation for Arsenal, but despite their efforts, Mallorca was prepared. They still sat back in their defensive block, waiting for Arsenal's energy to fade before taking control of the game.

In extra time, the pattern was clear: in the first half, one team would attack, only for the roles to reverse in the second half. One team would be under pressure, while the other would push forward.

Arsenal's players were visibly fatigued, and their earlier sharpness was gone. You could see it in their movements. Henry had created a great opportunity for Overmars after a dribble, but Overmars kicked the ball straight out of play, an example of how tired legs were leading to poor decisions.

As the end of the first half of extra time drew nearer, José couldn't help but smile more and more. The second half was going to be Mallorca's time to shine, and even if they didn't score the golden goal, they would tire out Arsenal even more—fitness would be a factor in a penalty shootout too...

However, just before the end of the first half of extra time, a sudden turn of events nearly disrupted all of José's plans!

N'Gonga, in the back, was controlling the ball and moving it forward when Adams intercepted it with a perfectly timed challenge. The two captains clashed, and Adams took possession, sprinting forward. N'Gonga chased him down but, in the heat of the moment, raised his arm and struck Adams in the face.

The referee blew his whistle immediately, and after a quick decision, handed N'Gonga a yellow card. Having already received one earlier, this meant a red card for N'Gonga, and he was sent off!

"Oh no, what have we seen? Mallorca's captain, N'Gonga, has been sent off! How will they hold on with only ten men?"

In the uproar of the stadium, N'Gonga couldn't believe his eyes. He protested vehemently, but it was clear he knew it was pointless.

José slammed his hand on the pitch in frustration, a stream of curses pouring out from his mouth. "Damn it, that Adams guy's a cheat! He barely got touched, and he acted like he was hit by a hammer! Damn it, I thought English players were supposed to be tough!"

"Sir, please mind your language…"

The fourth official tried to intervene, but José wouldn't stop, arguing passionately. By the time the fourth official processed it all, José had already returned to his position and embraced the disheartened N'Gonga, offering words of encouragement.

"It's fine, Vicente. Go to the tunnel and watch how we win this game!" José raised his voice, casting a provocative look toward Wenger as he added, "Let's see who's going to score the golden goal first!"

Wenger didn't respond. He was too focused on his own substitutions—bringing on striker Davor Šuker and winger Freddie Ljungberg.

José watched it all carefully. Wenger was clearly trying to capitalize on his numerical advantage, aiming to settle the game in extra time.

"Can you really get away with it?" José thought with a grin, calling up Armando and Luke from the bench.

When the first half of extra time ended, Wenger made his changes, and José used his final substitutions.

Wenger replaced Petit with Šuker and Parlour with Ljungberg, while José sent Armando on for Olejnik and Luke for Ibagasa.

Armando took over at left back, and Luke moved to left wing. Stankovic dropped to a defensive midfield role, and Eto'o shifted to right wing.

"We're not changing our forwards. Let's see if you can break through with your full force, Arsenal!" José thought to himself.

Seeing José's substitutions, Wenger's eyebrows twitched in surprise—he hadn't expected José to make such bold changes while down a man. Did José still want to attack?

"You want to attack us? Fine, let's see who scores the golden goal first!" José thought, gritting his teeth.