There was some commotion in the stands at MK Stadium. When Milton Keynes pushed forward earlier, their fans certainly weren't imagining this scenario.
Luton's counter-attack was simply too fast. In the blink of an eye, the Milton Keynes players could only watch as the Luton players embraced each other, celebrating the goal.
Luton committed only three players to the counter-attack, but these three were incredibly fast, worked together seamlessly, and had clear roles.
When Vardy headed the ball into the net, the Milton Keynes defenders hadn't even gotten back into the penalty area yet!
Ince was also stunned. He had just been preparing to use the opportunity of Luton being forced into a substitution to launch an attack, but Luton's counter-attack taught him a lesson.
However, he quickly calmed down.
"Should we continue to attack?" Ince's assistant coach walked over.
"Pull back, continue with defense and counter-attack!!"
Ince had no other thoughts now. Luton's counter-attack was frightening. Now that the opponent had just scored, they absolutely couldn't be allowed to launch continuous attacks on the back of that momentum.
If they conceded goals consecutively, Milton Keynes could pretty much concede defeat early.
It's only one goal down... there's still time to catch up in the second half!!
Young coach Ince perked up. He walked to the sideline and called a few Milton Keynes players over for a private tactical briefing.
Defense, huh... it's time to show them a bit of color!
A hint of ruthlessness appeared in the corner of Ince's eye...
...
When the match restarted,
Gao Bo sat in the dugout chatting and laughing with John and others. For Gao Bo, his team taking the lead basically meant that 70 to 80 percent of the match was already won.
The sun above the stadium was just right, gentle and warm. The somewhat annoying jeers from the Milton Keynes stands were now temporarily inaudible. Everything looked beautiful. Gao Bo stretched in his seat.
After this match... his team would be topping the league table. Although it was only League One, that was enough to be happy about.
However, three minutes later, Gao Bo couldn't smile anymore.
During these three minutes, the Milton Keynes players played very aggressively.
"Oh... Griezmann!! He's been knocked down again!!!"
The commentator's voice came from the television. In a pub in Luton, the fans were already furious.
"This team may have changed its name, but it can't change its dirty nature!!"
"A leopard can't change its spots!!!"
All sorts of trash talk poured out of the fans' mouths for a while.
Milton Keynes' predecessor, Wimbledon, was famous for its rough and tough playing style. The most famous match was probably when the Wimbledon players collectively spat at the Liverpool players in the players' tunnel during an FA Cup away game against Liverpool...
Griezmann was being targeted.
In these three minutes, three of Milton Keynes' five fouls were committed against Griezmann. Their actions were very aggressive, causing players to fall over all over the pitch.
Gao Bo watched anxiously from the sideline. The situation was still alright for now, but his biggest worry was that if Milton Keynes injured a few players with their tackles in this match, the blow to Luton would be huge, even if they won.
Ince on the sideline looked very excited. The Englishman had taken off his jacket and even pulled off his tie.
"Tackle him!!!! Tackle his legs!!"
Ince roared from the sideline.
Gao Bo heard it clearly from not far away.
"Bastard!!!!!!"
Gao Bo looked towards the pitch. The manager's intention was clear: to use such words to make the Luton players on the field feel intimidated.
Gao Bo was certain that the players had heard that sentence.
This kind of barbaric playing style is indeed very difficult to break. What can you do against them?
Gao Bo could only hope that the referee's officiating was stricter and that he would ideally send off a few players. But in the lower leagues of England, referees were already used to these kinds of actions and would only issue cards for particularly serious incidents.
Facing this situation, Gao Bo had no choice but to instruct the team to slowly retreat. Anyway, the team was leading, and if they pushed up to press for the ball, Luton's counter-attack was not to be trifled with.
The Milton Keynes players were very pleased. In their opinion, Luton was afraid of them.
So when the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, Milton Keynes' morale was surprisingly still very high.
It was just that they were still trailing at the moment.
...
In the locker room, Ince didn't criticize his team for conceding the goal. Instead, he praised them for Milton Keynes' performance in the latter part of the first half.
"That's how we play!! We need to make these kids scared!! Make them cry as they leave this stadium!!!" Ince said excitedly in the locker room, his face contorted.
The Milton Keynes players cheered loudly, as if defeating Luton was just around the corner.
Meanwhile, in the other locker room, Gao Bo was emphasizing to the players how to deal with the opponent's fouling tactics.
"Run!! Keep running!!! Don't let them get close!!"
"Speed up the passing!! Minimize dribbling!!"
Gao Bo said to the few players in the attacking third. Gao Bo's biggest concern now was injuries. The Milton Keynes players' actions were very rough, which could easily lead to injuries – for both Luton and Milton Keynes players.
Of course, Gao Bo could actually retaliate with blood for blood and tooth for tooth, because Joseph Ander, who was sitting on the bench, was also a fouling expert. However, Gao Bo didn't plan to bring Joseph on just yet.
After all, there was still a long time left in the second half, and Milton Keynes' killing tactics like this couldn't last the entire match – even if the referee was lenient, they already had three players on yellow cards.
...
However, after the second half began, Gao Bo noticed that Ince, not far away, was indeed quite daring... He substituted the two midfielders who were on yellow cards and then brought on a tall center forward.
Milton Keynes' killing tactics continued to maintain their intensity...
This was truly unexpected for Gao Bo.
And Milton Keynes' attack in the second half was also very simple: they resorted to the long ball and aerial play that Englishmen are best at.
The football was constantly sent into Luton's penalty area via long balls from the back. Although the success rate wasn't high, it created a lot of chaos.
Ten minutes into the second half, Milton Keynes was pushing further and further up.
They pressed frantically in front of Luton's penalty area. For a while, it was difficult for Luton to get the ball past the halfway line.
Any team that fights desperately should not be underestimated.
Ultimately, Luton's defense was breached. In the sixtieth minute of the match, Milton Keynes created a cross from the right wing. At this point, Luton's penalty area was packed with players, and several Milton Keynes midfielders had also surged into the box.
Finally, amidst such chaos, Milton Keynes midfielder Peterlee circled from the far post to the center and headed the ball into the net!
The cheers from the stands, which had been silent for a while, once again echoed throughout the sky.
Ince raised both arms, roaring and running back and forth along the sideline. Finally, he deliberately ran past Gao Bo.
The Milton Keynes players on the pitch were also celebrating their goal wildly.
Gao Bo mumbled to himself. When he saw the rotund Ince run past him, he became even more displeased.
The stands were cheering. For Milton Keynes, Luton was also an annoying neighbor.
They definitely didn't want to lose to Luton at home!!...