Chapter 77

In the 04-05 UEFA Champions League, after five rounds of group stage matches, the ranking in Group H was extremely delicate. Apart from Chelsea, who had secured the top spot with five wins and 15 points, the points of Porto, CSKA Moscow, and Paris Saint-Germain were very close.

Among them, Paris Saint-Germain was second with 6 points from 2 wins, 0 draws, and 3 losses; Porto was third with 5 points from 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses; and CSKA Moscow was fourth with 2 points from 0 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses.

The final round of matches saw Chelsea vs. Porto and Paris Saint-Germain vs. CSKA Moscow. The entire European football community understood that Porto had no chance of winning against Chelsea, meaning that the match between Paris Saint-Germain and CSKA Moscow was crucial. If Paris Saint-Germain won, they would secure the second place and advance to the round of 16! Even a draw would see Paris Saint-Germain advance with 6 points.

The ranking situation in Group H shocked all football experts; no one expected the defending champions to be on the brink of elimination!

Porto was the UEFA Champions League winner last season and the UEFA Cup winner the season before. The club had lofty ambitions and would not be satisfied with just a UEFA Cup. Therefore, the Porto board gave their head coach, the Spaniard Fernando, a strict order: win and advance!

The club's management did not say what would happen next, but Fernando understood that if the team performed poorly in the league and was eliminated from European competition, the result would be only one thing—dismissal!

The match took place on December 7th, while Chelsea's match against Arsenal was scheduled for December 13th at midnight. Apart from resting the less physically fit players, Joe Cole and Kaka, Jowan Xian fielded most of the first team.

Porto's head coach Fernando also fielded his strongest lineup, deploying a 4-3-3 attacking formation to strive for victory.

The goalkeeper was Vitor Baia, and the defenders from right to left were Costinha, Jorge Costa, Pedro Emanuel, and Ricardo Costa. The midfielders were Costinha, Maniche, and Diego. The forwards were Fabiano, McCarthy, and Delley.

Porto's lineup was not weak, even though they had lost players like Carvalho, Ferreira, Deco, and Tiago. They still had several strong players, with Costinha and Maniche forming a solid double pivot in midfield, and the attacking Diego was also skilled. On the bench were notable players like Pepe, Andrade, and Nuno Valente, as well as the technical wizard Quaresma!

However, could the relatively unknown Spanish coach Victor Fernandez defeat the hottest coach in Europe, Jowan Xian? Clearly, the entire European media did not believe it!

Even Portugal's O Jogo published an article titled "Mourning the Second Porto Coach to Be Fired This Season—Victor Fernandez!"

The reason it was the second was that Porto's appointed coach Del Neri was fired in August before the league started, reportedly because he kept returning to Italy to see his family, angering the club's leadership.

While Fernandez's reputation did not match the thunderous fame of Jowan Xian, he was not an insignificant coach. At 43, he had led Zaragoza to the European Cup Winners' Cup title 10 years ago and had experience with Celta Vigo, Zaragoza, and Real Betis. In fact, he was a strong contender for the Real Madrid head coach position this season, but he could not compete with the newly crowned champion Mourinho.

In the Dragao Stadium, over 48,000 Porto fans were present to cheer for their team, while Chelsea had only 2,000 supporters. However, wherever Jowan Xian was, there were always passionate Chelsea fans. Despite their small numbers, they cheered with all their might as the players entered the field, especially when Jowan Xian entered last. The traveling Chelsea fans unfurled a huge banner in both Chinese and English: "Legend, Jowan Xian!"

A simple wave from Jowan Xian sent the atmosphere to its first peak! Even though they were opponents, the Porto fans could not deny the young coach's charisma! The 2,000 Chelsea fans were even more dramatic, bowing deeply from the stands like devout pilgrims!

"Whistle!"

Amidst the loud noise, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the final round of Group H in the 04-05 UEFA Champions League, Chelsea vs. Porto!

In this match, Jowan Xian again did not use the precious Player 1.

From the start, Chelsea launched a relentless attack!

In the 3rd minute, Porto's goalkeeper Vitor Baia rashly came out to punch away Duff's cross before Gudjohnsen and his own defenders, but he misjudged the direction, and the ball landed at the feet of "Lampard the Eternal Lamp"! Lampard seized the opportunity, not waiting for the ball to hit the ground, and attempted a lob shot before Maniche could interfere. Unfortunately, the ball just missed the crossbar by a few inches.

The dangerous situation made Porto's coach Fernandez break out in a cold sweat, and he could not help but rush to the sidelines to yell at Baia in a fit of hysteria!

With Mourinho gone, this season's Porto lacked the disciplined style of last season. The match was chaotic, and repeated mistakes gave Chelsea several scoring opportunities. The Dragao Stadium was filled with boos, and Fernandez was nervous and sweating, looking at Gudjohnsen with gratitude: "Thankfully, this guy is not in form recently..."

Jowan Xian, on the bench, looked calm, tapping his foot and chewing gum. But Boas could see through the corner of his eye that the seemingly calm Jowan Xian was extremely frustrated! After all, in the first 15 minutes, Gudjohnsen had already had four shooting opportunities, three of which were excellent chances! Yet the score remained 0-0.

Boas sighed and looked at Gudjohnsen helplessly. In his opinion, Gudjohnsen should be benched for a while to reflect, which might bring back his form. But Jowan Xian believed that good players only perform when given opportunities.

"Hopefully, what Wanjian said is right..." Boas's face darkened as he saw Gudjohnsen miss another pass.

Unlike Joe Cole, Duff on the right wing did not favor cutting inside and preferred to cross the ball. In the 25th minute, he sent another cross, and the ball traced an elegant arc. Gudjohnsen's eyes were red, and he silently encouraged himself: "I must seize this opportunity! I must score this goal!"

However, he was sandwiched between Porto's defenders Jorge Costa and Pedro Emanuel, making it difficult to jump. Gudjohnsen did not want to miss this chance again. Seeing Emanuel's strong body and determination to win the header, Gudjohnsen swung his arm and elbowed Emanuel in the nose!

"Ah!"

A scream, and two streams of blood splattered the green pitch!

"Buzz!"

The Dragao Stadium erupted in a deafening roar. Gudjohnsen was stunned to see Emanuel fall to the ground and even more stunned to see the referee!

Red card! A bright red card!

Boas was shocked and jumped up from the bench! Jowan Xian... his face was cold and stern!

"Duff has the ball, a fast and skillful winger. Indeed, he chose to pass... Oh God, what is Gudjohnsen doing?" The commentator from London TV was clearly puzzled by the Icelandic player's actions and exclaimed, "Mr. Wanjian trusted you so much, even after your 600-minute goal drought, he still chose you to start. Is this how you repay the coach's trust?"

At this moment, the Porto commentator was gleeful: "Porto's opportunity has come. With over 70 minutes left, if they play normally, Mr. Fernandez can successfully lead the team to the round of 16! For Chelsea, their 24-match winning streak in all competitions will likely end here. Perhaps God thinks it's time for Chelsea to lose... As for Gudjohnsen, I wish him luck... Now, let's look at our Mr. Wanjian... his face is cold and blue, oh! We all know that Gudjohnsen's form has not been good recently, and the young coach will have to pay the price for his stubbornness..."

Gudjohnsen left the field amid boos, applause, laughter, and jeers. Boas patted his shoulder and sent him to the tunnel, while Jowan Xian remained coldly seated on the bench, not even glancing at Gudjohnsen!

This was the first time Jowan Xian had made a mistake in player selection as a head coach. Clearly, Jowan Xian would not take the blame for the error.

"You've embarrassed me, so I'll only give you a shoe insert!" Jowan Xian squinted, walked to the sidelines, and frowned.

"This is the first time we've seen Mr. Wanjian with such a serious expression. Could it be... that Chelsea's unbeaten record will end before the Arsenal match? Mr. Jowan, we need your magic, we need you to save the team, we want to see the team invincible and unbeatable!"

The commentator from London TV was visibly excited, his voice rising.