Goal!"
"It's Defoe again, scoring the opening goal for Sunderland!"
"Sunderland's counterattack this time was incredibly decisive. From the ball being cleared to Cattermole's feet, then Januzaj's breakthrough and through pass, and finally Defoe's shot, it only involved three players and took about seven or eight seconds!"
"Previously, many fans might have been worried because Sunderland was at a disadvantage. But now, it seems this was Coach Zhao's opening strategy."
"He first adopted a defensive stance, luring the opponent to attack. Karanka indeed got carried away, even pushing his midfielders into the penalty area to contest headers, which left their own midfield and defense very exposed."
"And Sunderland's players clearly implemented Coach Zhao's tactical intentions resolutely. They defended very solidly and attacked with incredible sharpness!"
"Now Sunderland leads their arch-rival Middlesbrough 1-0 at home. Karanka is really going to have a headache."
Amidst James Jun's analysis, the Stadium of Light was already boiling!
Fans in the stands jumped and cheered with their arms raised, embracing each other to celebrate the goal.
After scoring, Defoe ran along the byline towards the corner flag, and wherever he went, he ignited a wave among the nearby stands!
Behind Defoe were almost all the Sunderland players, chasing him, cheering and celebrating with him!
After running half a lap along the stands, Defoe also rushed towards the home team's dugout. He wanted to dedicate this goal to Coach Zhao!
Coach Zhao also took the opportunity to make a few boxing-style celebration gestures towards Defoe, showcasing his "passionate" demeanor.
On one hand, this was because it was Coach Zhao's first home goal since he started coaching Sunderland, which was very much worth celebrating.
On the other hand, Defoe's run happened to pass by the away team's dugout.
Coach Zhao's punching gestures towards that direction were intentionally or unintentionally aimed at Karanka, clearly sending a message!
However, because these actions appeared to be directed only at Defoe, even if the referee saw them, he couldn't find any fault.
Karanka's face was ashen, but he couldn't say anything, only able to vent his anger at the referee:
"Januzaj pushed Chambers just now, that was definitely a foul! If you had called it, there wouldn't have been a goal after! This is favoritism!"
But the referee didn't tolerate him and immediately showed him a yellow card, telling him to shut up!
Karanka could only retreat sullenly to his seat, not daring to say anything more.
Meanwhile, on the other side, once all the players followed Defoe to the dugout, Coach Zhao also shouted at them, "Don't get carried away! Remember what I said before, keep playing the way you're playing! More importantly, score as many as you can against them!"
The players all laughed, but they clearly took Coach Zhao's words to heart.
After this week of training and matches, Coach Zhao's image in the minds of everyone at Sunderland had grown even more impressive.
This 25-year-old Coach, similar in age to the players, allowed for unhindered communication between them, even letting them be like good friends who could joke around together.
During training, Coach Zhao could let them experience the most advanced training methods and provide personalized guidance based on their technical characteristics, helping the players improve.
In matches, he could repeatedly give very effective tactical instructions, leading them to score goals and achieve victory!
Of course, Coach Zhao was also very satisfied with the performance of his disciples; it was a mutual effort.
Especially the veteran Defoe, even though he was 34 years old, his physical condition and technical skills had not declined much.
Although he wasn't tall or particularly strong, and not good at headers, his speed, explosiveness, and shooting skills were first-class.
His acceleration was extremely fast, making it difficult for defenders to mark him when he broke through the defensive line, often leading to one-on-one shooting opportunities, with the recent goal being the best proof.
Additionally, Defoe's awareness in the penalty area was excellent. Despite his lack of physical advantage, he often appeared in dangerous areas due to his keen sense.
His hat-trick against Manchester United also perfectly showcased these technical characteristics.
"It seems Defoe can still maintain good form. Even if we need to strengthen the team next season, we don't really need to touch his position," Coach Zhao thought, looking at Defoe's back.
That was indeed the case.
In the normal timeline, he was also Sunderland's top scorer, and the third highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League, only behind Kane and Vardy. He was also voted the player of the season by fans.
After Sunderland was relegated, Defoe transferred to another Premier League team, Bournemouth, and at the age of 35, he was still able to be selected for the England National Team based on his performance.
In 2019, Defoe went to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and helped the team regain the Scottish Premiership title with an unbeaten record!
Later, he even returned to Sunderland, which had been relegated to League One, and only announced his retirement in March 2022, ending a 22-year professional career.
In other words, at least for the next few years, Defoe still had gas in his tank.
Furthermore, as an experienced England international, he would also have a mentoring role for the younger players in the team in the future, which was also very significant!
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Back on the field.
Naturally, the entire Middlesbrough team was very frustrated after conceding the goal.
In their view, for the first thirty-plus minutes of the match, Sunderland had posed almost no threat to their goal, yet they scored from just one counterattack.
Such a blow was undoubtedly significant.
Karanka was even more exasperated, shouting from the sidelines for his players to launch a more fierce attack.
Even if he had doubts, he couldn't afford to consider them now. They were behind, and defending was meaningless!
Sunderland, under Coach Zhao's command, appeared calmer, still playing at a leisurely pace.
This resulted in Middlesbrough, eager to attack, achieving no significant results. Instead, Sunderland's offense became increasingly effective and impressive.
During injury time in the first half, another Sunderland counterattack reached the opponent's penalty area. Chambers of Middlesbrough, fearing another through ball, simply slid tackled Januzaj, who was dribbling!
As a result, he received a yellow card, and Sunderland also earned a free kick in a good position.
Januzaj took the free kick himself, and several tall Sunderland players also rushed into the opponent's penalty area.
Over the past week, set pieces had also been a key focus of Coach Zhao's training.
As a team whose overall strength was not particularly strong, if they couldn't break through in open play, then capitalizing on set-piece opportunities became crucial.
It could be said that any weaker team would definitely put effort into this!
Januzaj stood over the ball, raising his hand and extending a fist.
Seeing his gesture, the Sunderland attacking players in the penalty area understood implicitly and began to run to their pre-set positions.
The moment the ball flew out, the Sunderland attacking players, without exception, pressed towards the center, causing the Middlesbrough defenders marking them to instinctively follow closely.
At this moment, a Sunderland player broke out of the crowd, quickly circled from the outside, and rushed to the near post!
Januzaj's free kick was fast but not very high. After just barely clearing the heads of Middlesbrough's front-post defenders, it began to dip, landing precisely in the near-post area of the goal!
Then, this Sunderland player, wearing a red and white striped jersey and the captain's armband on his left shoulder, met the dipping ball with a powerful diving header!
Less than two meters from the goal, the ball changed direction and flew directly into Middlesbrough's net. The opposing goalkeeper, Valdés, didn't even make a save attempt and simply fell backward into the goal!
The Stadium of Light erupted once again!
The goal scorer was none other than the team captain, the veteran O'Shea!