"The ball... the ball went in!?"
Not to mention the Bulgarians, even Wright Atkinson was stunned for a moment. He instinctively checked the time.
"Fifty-four seconds?"
Wright Atkinson said the number with some shock.
"Because I checked the time after the goal, the actual time of the goal was a few seconds earlier, around fifty seconds!!"
Indeed, the TV screen began to show a replay of the goal.
"Fifty seconds!! Fifty seconds after kickoff!! Luton has scored!! This is a truly dreamlike start! Before this match began, everyone was wondering what Luton's first Europa League match would be like, but no one expected that the moment the game started, Luton would give their fans a huge surprise!! Griezmann scored the goal! This is the first goal of this match, and also Luton's first goal in European competition history!!" Wright Atkinson's speaking speed was quite fast. He paused briefly, then continued: "This goal fully embodies the characteristics of Gao Bo's team. They are very good at seizing opportunities during transitions between attack and defense, with continuous vertical passes. Adam's cross wasn't actually that good, but Kevin Keane's handling on the right and Griezmann's flexible and agile run created this beautiful goal!"
"The moment Griezmann shot, the CSKA Sofia goalkeeper had almost no reaction. He could only watch the ball enter the net! Beautiful!! One-nil!!! Luton has taken the lead!!"
As an English commentator, Wright Atkinson naturally supported Luton at this point.
Griezmann was also very excited after scoring. This was the Europa League, a goal in European competition!
Griezmann spread his arms and ran towards the touchline.
Gao Bo was still applauding.
He was applauding the team for this goal. It was a typical Luton-style goal: concise, fast, and deadly in one strike!
When he saw Griezmann running towards him, Gao Bo also laughed and opened his arms.
Griezmann crashed into Gao Bo's embrace.
"Thank you! Boss!!!" Griezmann roared in Gao Bo's ear, "This is the Europa League!!!! I love the feeling of scoring on this stage!!"
"You are the best player on this stage!!"
Gao Bo patted Griezmann's back and said. This wasn't just words of encouragement; Gao Bo genuinely believed it.
Griezmann was already a very talented player, and now under Gao Bo, if Griezmann continued to follow Gao Bo, Gao Bo was even confident he could mold Griezmann into the best player on this planet!
His inherent ability combined with the boost from the cards – just thinking about this improvement was exciting enough!
The other Luton players also rushed over, huddling together by the touchline.
On the other side, CSKA Sofia's head coach, Mr. Penev, was frowning tightly.
Did they underestimate the opponent?
Or was it just luck?
Penev wasn't sure, because the teams had only played for just over fifty seconds in total. What could he tell from fifty seconds?
Nothing could be seen. The only thing certain was that the opponent's ability to seize opportunities was too strong! They got a goal from just this one chance!
Penev rubbed his chin and thought for a while. Losing a goal now might not be a bad thing for CSKA Sofia, at least it would make the players abandon their dismissive attitude!
Even now, Penev still didn't think his team was weaker than Luton. Regardless, the opponent was just a third-division team. As long as CSKA Sofia took it seriously, winning at home would not be a problem.
"Wake up!! Did you see that!! Don't underestimate the opponent just because they are a third-division team!! They are the FA Cup champions!!!"
Penev roared towards the field. He roared very loudly, loud enough for all the CSKA Sofia players to hear him.
Anyway, no one in the current Luton squad understood Bulgarian, so Penev didn't bother pretending to cover his mouth or calling players over for quiet conversations.
There was no need for that!
"Attack!!! Overwhelm them with offense!!"
Penev roared.
The CSKA Sofia players seemed very annoyed by this goal as well. This was related to their pre-match mindset; they had been dismissive, but the result had slapped them hard. This made the players feel a bit embarrassed and angry.
And the reaction on the field was that CSKA Sofia immediately launched an attack after the kickoff.
But their attack quickly came to an end.
Jeffrey cleared the ball with a long kick from the penalty area, sending it forward.
And the moment the clearance was completed, Luton's formation collectively pressed forward.
As soon as CSKA Sofia's center-back controlled the ball, Luton's spearhead, Vardy, had already rushed up!
It was clear from his touch that this tall center-back wasn't very skillful with his feet. He had no choice but to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper, who then cleared it in a hurry, kicking it out of bounds!
The ensuing game made CSKA Sofia's head coach, Penev, on the touchline wrinkle his entire face. The situation on the field was completely beyond his expectations.
CSKA Sofia was completely suppressed!
They couldn't keep possession and could only clear the ball in a hurry, giving possession back to Luton.
And Luton didn't seem to like possession either. Their attacks were very concise, reaching the final third in three or five passes, and quickly finding opportunities to shoot or cross.
Possession changed hands frequently, but this wasn't a good thing for CSKA Sofia, because Luton's formation was pressing right outside their penalty area. Luton's high press in the final third completely prevented them from effectively organizing attacks, while the long-ball tactic to find the forwards ran into Luton's two center-backs who were very strong in one-on-one defense.
Even more crucial was that Luton's ability to win second balls was also very strong. The balls headed out by the center-backs were often won by Kante or Drinkwater, leading to another Luton attack.
Luton's attacking style was very concise, basically creating a shot opportunity with just a few passes.
CSKA Sofia's situation was quite passive at times.
When Vardy's shot was saved by the goalkeeper, Penev knew they couldn't continue like this. CSKA Sofia had to make a change!
Luton's corner kick was taken, and the goalkeeper rushed out of the six-yard box to punch the ball away from the penalty area. The left-back Sandro, who was outside the box, took a shot from distance, and the ball grazed the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.
"Well done!! Alex!!"
Gao Bo praised Sandro's performance from the touchline. At this time, CSKA Sofia's head coach, Penev, used the dead ball situation to call his captain over!
"Defend!! From now on, we'll play counter-attacking football!!! Tell the players to retreat into the penalty area to defend, give up possession!!!"
Since Luton wasn't particularly good at keeping possession either, CSKA Sofia simply gave up possession as well. They piled up defensive numbers on the edge of the penalty area, letting Luton attack their compact defense!
Gao Bo quickly noticed the opponent's change.
A parked bus?
He looked at CSKA Sofia's performance. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to equalize now. On the edge of the penalty area, CSKA Sofia formed two defensive lines.
Gao Bo didn't mind. After all, Luton was leading at the moment. Compared to counter-attacking after winning the ball through high pressing, breaking down a parked bus wasn't Luton's specialty, but since Luton was leading, the side that should be anxious was the opponent!
Subsequently, CSKA Sofia's situation remained passive, but with Penev's adjustment, at least the previous state of panic was significantly reduced.
Luton was still frequently looking for shooting opportunities. As soon as there was space to shoot, the Luton players didn't hesitate at all!
However, CSKA Sofia's defense was decent, and they were also lucky. After their goalkeeper saved several dangerous shots from Luton, the first half was quickly coming to an end.
One-nil!
After Luton's dream start, there were no more goals in the remainder of the first half. Both teams walked into the dressing rooms after the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
After the halftime break, both teams would continue to compete on this stadium!