No one expected that less than two minutes into the game, the opponent actually got a penalty kick!
The goal rate for penalty kicks is as high as 80%, which is almost equivalent to falling behind.
In the commentary box, Chinese commentator He Wei sighed repeatedly, "This is due to lack of experience! I was caught off guard at the beginning! If this goal is scored, it will be difficult for the Spaniards to beat!"
Another commentator, Liu Jia, also looked sad, "This is a fatal away goal! Even if it is zero to zero, it is better than the opponent getting an away goal."
On the coaching bench, Sergio was so angry that he stamped his feet. He was very dissatisfied with Gonzalez's stupid foul.
Captain Xavi Lopez shook his head and said to Sergio: "Don't be angry. It's the first time we play this kind of game. Everyone is a little panicked. It will be fine if we play for a while."
Sergio said unhappily: "I'm afraid if we fight for a while, our opponents will be two or three ahead."
Xavi Lopez was speechless.
On the field
Fabinho, who took the penalty kick of Monaco, walked towards the penalty spot with the ball in his arms.
Standing in front of the goal, Espanyol goalkeeper Diego Lopez was very calm. He stretched his body and looked at Fabinho with a smile, as if to say, "Come on, young man, let us see your shooting skills."
"
Fabinho did not look at Diego Lopez, but silently placed the ball, took a few steps back, and waited for the referee's whistle.
In the stands, no Espanyol fans spoke. Everyone prayed silently, hoping that Diego Lopez would perform a miracle and save Fabinho's penalty kick.
When the referee's whistle blew, Fabinho ran up to the ball, without making any fake moves, and shot directly into the lower right corner of the goal.
Diego Lopez jumped to the right when Fabinho shot.
The angle of the ball was not tricky enough, so Diego Lopez bet on the right direction and flew to save the ball.
"Ah! I jumped out!"
"Pounced out!"
"Diego! Diego!"
"Great Squidward!"
…
Earth-shattering cheers and applause erupted from the stands.
Almost all Espanyol fans jumped to their feet to cheer for Diego Lopez.
Head coach Sergio was so excited that he clenched his fists and shouted as he rushed out of the coaching bench.
"Beautiful! Well done! Diego! You are my god!"
Sergio was so excited! This was the starting lineup he arranged against all odds. Diego Lopez deserves credit for his performance.
The most important thing is that this penalty kick was saved and the Spaniard's military morale was stabilized, which is of great significance to the progress of the subsequent game.
Monaco head coach Jardim couldn't help but shake his head. He didn't expect that the penalty kick was missed.
The opponent is a rookie in the Champions League, with a low level and no experience. Jardim believes that if this penalty kick is scored, the opponent's psychology will almost collapse.
But now, the situation has been completely reversed, the opponent's morale has been greatly improved, and the confidence of the old goalkeeper Diego has probably also increased. The following games will be quite unfavorable to Monaco.
Commentators He Wei and Liu Jia cheered loudly almost at the same time:
"Awesome! I jumped out!"
"Squidward is so fierce!"
"This is a manifestation of luck and strength!"
"The Espanyol team has great hope of winning this game!"
…
Outside the stadium, there was laughter and applause everywhere.
On the court, the ball did not go out of bounds, and the game was still going on fiercely.
The moment the ball was saved, the players on both sides were in a daze. They did not expect that the ball was actually saved.
When it was discovered that the ball did not fly out of the sideline, players from both sides immediately rushed over to grab the ball.
Full-back Alvarez got the ball before his opponent, but the frightened Alvarez did not organize a counterattack and kicked the ball out of the sideline.
Taking advantage of Monaco's throw-in, the Spaniard's teammates came over to pay tribute to Diego Lopez.
In the first three minutes of the game, Diego Lopez, who had only played two minutes of official football, easily won the trust of his teammates.
Monaco takes a throw-in.
Mendy did not throw the ball to Lemar, who was being focused on, but to Bakayoko who was further away.
Bakayoko is not good at organization. After receiving the ball, he immediately passed it to Silva, allowing Silva to organize the attack from the right.
After saving the penalty kick, the Spaniard's morale was boosted, and the players were particularly active in running and pressing.
As soon as Silva got the ball, two players quickly surrounded him.
Silva passed the ball across to Fabinho.
Fabinho dribbled the ball forward, and Diop quickly went over to press.
Fabinho was a little impatient when he failed to score a penalty kick, so he passed the ball straight to striker Gilman and moved forward himself.
Fabinho hoped that Gilman would give the ball to him again, but after Gilman got the ball with his back, he turned around and shot.
The Spanish center back Oscar raised his foot to intercept and blocked the ball.
Bakayoko and Diop got in position to grab the ball, but Zhao Yang, who came back to defend, snatched the ball away.
Zhao Yang took the ball and glanced at the forward. Moreno saw that he had started to take the ball. Zhao Yang immediately passed the ball behind the Monaco full-back.
This is tacit understanding and trust. With the new forward transferred in the summer, the timing of passing and running may not be so accurate.
Moreno is very capable of sprinting in short distances. Monaco full-back Raggi turned around and chased but failed to catch up. Moreno caught up with the ball near the baseline and passed it directly to the goal.
Zhao Yang's pass was a little too big. Moreno caught up with the ball and had no time to adjust. The pass was a bit reluctant. The ball was passed too close to the goal and goalkeeper Subasic jumped up to get it.
Although Caicedo could not touch the outflanking player, he still gave Moreno a thumbs up to indicate that the pass was good.
This was the Spaniard's first attack. Although he failed to form a shot, he still broke through the opponent's defense and posed a certain threat.
The fans in the stands could see clearly and applauded to encourage the attack.
Commentator He Wei praised: "Zhao Yang's pass is really good! He has a little bit of Beckham's style."
Liu Jia smiled and said: "Zhao Yang is just like in the national team in Spain, he has to score goals and assists."
He Weidao: "If the national team can give Zhao Yang the configuration of a Spaniard, Zhao Yang will laugh out of his dreams."
Liu Jiadao: "The top 12 matches of the World Cup qualifiers are about to begin. I hope Zhao Yang can adjust his condition and never get injured. The national team depends entirely on him."
On the field
After Subasic got the ball, he quickly threw the ball to full-back Mendy.
Mendy took the ball and saw that the opponent's midfielder Piatti was not coming up, so he immediately dribbled the ball forward and pressed forward.
Piatti saw that Mendy didn't pass the ball and hurried over to press for it.
Mendy made a cross pass, suddenly accelerated, and used his speed and body to beat Piatti.
Mendy had both speed and strength. Piatti followed a few steps but failed to catch up. He tried to pull but didn't hold back. He could only watch Mendy go away.
Midfielder Diop moved to the sideline, and Zhao Yang also ran diagonally to the sideline, ready to double-team the ball carrier with his teammates on the sideline.