This is the third battle between Espanyol and Levante.
Fans have long been tired of aesthetics.
The number of spectators at the scene was no more than 20,000, but these 20,000 were die-hard fans of the Spaniard. After Zhao Yang scored, the momentum they created was not much worse than when the house was full.
"Applause! Shout!"
The on-site DJ constantly guided the fans to make more noise.
The Spanish players were not that excited, including Zhao Yang who scored the goal.
After three games and so many games, we have scored 6 goals. This is the 7th one. I am still excited.
In addition, this goal did not seal the victory, and Levante also had a chance. As long as Levante scored another goal, the two sides would have to play overtime.
This goal only ensured that the Spaniard would not be defeated by Levante.
The game started again. Neither the home nor the away team changed their playing style or tactics because of this goal. It was still Levante's tepid attack and the Espanyol team's defensive counterattack.
Levante's strength is actually not enough for them to continue attacking Espanyol, but the situation forces them to attack.
Fortunately, both sides knew the basics, and head coach Ruby was very familiar with the 433 formation. Several of the Spaniard's counterattacks were resolved by Levante.
The two sides were in a stalemate for 40 minutes of the first half. Levante finally failed to block the Spaniard's counterattacks. Zhao Yang broke through from the center, attracted all the defensive players, and passed diagonally from the side.
Caicedo came over, Caicedo pushed the shot into the far corner and rewritten the score to 2:0.
Caicedo was very happy after the goal. He rushed out of the stadium, rushed to the stands, shook his fist and roared at the stands.
This is a goal that seals the promotion spot!
The fans in the stands cheered and applauded along with Caicedo.
After the fans reluctantly finished the show, Caicedo did not hug his teammates who came over. Instead, he ran to Zhao Yang and gave Zhao Yang a bear hug.
"Zhao! You are still a good friend!"
Caicedo patted Zhao Yang on the back and thanked him.
Zhao Yang smiled and said, "This is obvious. You are more confident in shooting. Of course I will pass it to you."
Caicedo smiled and said nothing more, but he felt even more grateful in his heart.
Just now, Caicedo and Moreno both cut inside. Zhao Yang could pass the ball to anyone. He chose Caicedo. This is his trust and support for Caicedo.
After Caicedo scored, Levante's players did not fight back as hard as expected. Instead, they suddenly relaxed and played more relaxedly.
Offensive players like Reuven and Davis actually showed off their personal skills in the frontcourt.
On the sidelines, Levante's new coach Rubi didn't say much after losing the ball. He just stood on the sidelines and watched, and from time to time he had to write something down in his tactical book.
During the halftime break, Ruby made substitution adjustments, and replaced three people at once. It was obvious that she wanted to give up the game and experiment with new players.
After the second half of the game started, Levante's players also understood the new coach's intentions and played more relaxedly, just like a training match.
Instead, the Spanish players were confused by Levante and didn't know how to play.
Is this too relaxing? Can we actually play like this in the fourth round of the Copa del Rey?
Although such a relaxed attack is not rigorous and rational enough, it is more creative and unexpected.
In the 60th minute of the game, 22-year-old Spanish national youth player Ruben Garcia, the core of Levante's midfield, showed off his skills in the frontcourt. He passed three Espanyol players in a row and suddenly made a diagonal pass to the midfielder.
Navarro came in from behind and fired an angry shot into the penalty area to tie the score at 1:2.
This is a dangerous score!
Because in the first round, the Spaniard drew with Levante 1:1 away from home.
If Levante scores another goal, they will eliminate Espanyol with more away goals.
The Espanyol team is waking up from a dream. They feel that they cannot relax their vigilance because they think their opponent has given up. The opponent is a La Liga team. As long as they continue to attack, they can create danger. The opponent must be completely beaten to death like in the previous round.
I hope I won't leave anything behind for my opponents.
The Spaniards did not dare to be careless anymore, tightened their nerves, and launched an attack on Levante.
Levante was actually misunderstood. As the vice-president of the league, they really didn't focus on the Copa del Rey. Scoring goals was just a by-product of a relaxed mentality.
A relaxed mentality helps offense, but not defense.
Less than 5 minutes after Levante's goal, the Espanyol team scored again.
The goal this time was midfielder Perez.
This was a counterattack by the Espanyol team. Zhao Yang broke through with the ball in the center circle. Levante did not knock down Zhao Yang immediately. After being intercepted by Zhao Yang, he successfully moved the ball to the side.
Perez and Moreno continued to cooperate on the wing, breaking through the defense, and Perez broke through Levante's goal with a tricky banana ball in the corner of the penalty area.
The score became 3:1.
Having learned the lesson just now, the Spaniards did not stop and continued to attack.
After the 75th minute, Zhao Yang broke into the penalty area and was pulled down by a defender. The referee awarded a penalty kick.
Zhao Yang personally took charge of the penalty.
The relaxed mentality allowed Zhao Yang to kick a spoon penalty.
Goalkeeper Martinez made a misjudgment and pounced to the left, and the ball flew lightly into the goal.
The score became 4:1
This time the victory was completely sealed.
Then head coach Sergio made substitution adjustments, and the three main players Zhao Yang, Caicedo, and Diop were replaced. The Spaniard also began to use substitutes to practice the 433 formation.
At this moment, both sides were very relaxed, and the substitutes all wanted to show off in front of the coach. The game became very interesting to watch, and the fans in the stands had a great time watching it, with deafening applause and cheers erupting from time to time.
The last fifteen minutes were considered an exhibition match. Each side scored a goal. The final score was fixed at 5:2. The Spaniard advanced to the fifth round of the Copa del Rey with a total score of 6:3.
In the next two days, the top 16 of the Copa del Rey were decided one by one, and then a draw was held. The Spaniards were unlucky. Their opponent in the top 16 was the extremely powerful city rival Barcelona.
Of course, you can also consider this lottery as a good lottery, because if you lose to Barcelona, the Spaniard can concentrate on playing in the league, and maybe hope to reach the top four and play in the Champions League in history.
If they eliminate their city rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid are eliminated by Cadiz in the fourth round, the Spaniards may even hope to win the Copa del Rey.
Both situations are acceptable to the Spaniards.
Of course, there may also be a worst-case scenario where the Copa del Rey is eliminated by a rival in the same city and the league fails to enter the Champions League.
Although the goal set by the Spaniard before the game was to avoid relegation, the goals and expectations of the fans have been continuously pushed up due to this. Now relegation can no longer satisfy them. They must at least enter the Europa League to meet the fans' psychological expectations.