Chapter 24

The English League One match between Millwall and Sunderland had unknowingly progressed to the 40th minute of the second half, and almost everyone believed that the two teams would end in a draw.

Even Audrich thought that a draw would be a fair outcome, as Millwall was not capable of producing a smooth and impressive attack.

But surprises come when you least expect them.

Schneider received the ball on the right flank. In the previous 80 minutes, he would either cross the ball at a 45-degree angle or pass it through the gap between the opposing full-back and center-back. This time, however, he feinted to deceive the defender, moved the ball horizontally, and found a passing lane closer to the center. He then kicked the ball towards the right side of the penalty arc.

A Millwall player, who had retreated from the penalty area, was seen by the Sunderland central midfielder on Schneider's passing route.

Solskjaer!

After taking Trezeguet's position, he did not venture deep into the penalty area but moved around inside it, causing trouble for Sunderland's defenders without creating any significant threats.

At this moment, he appeared almost magically at the top of the penalty arc, with no defenders marking him closely.

Solskjaer, facing the goal at an angle, felt a sense of calm as Schneider passed the ball. He had been observing the game from the bench, and appearing in this position to receive the ball was no coincidence!

If he had better chemistry with his teammates, he believed he wouldn't have had to wait until the 15th minute of his appearance to get such a good opportunity.

The penalty area was crowded, and Solskjaer knew he had no space to dribble, not even time to control the ball and turn. So, before receiving the ball, he had already decided what to do next.

Shoot!

And it was a difficult and skillful shot!

He used the inside of his right foot to chip the rolling ball, aiming for the top right corner of Sunderland's goal!

After shooting, Solskjaer looked up with bright eyes at the ball, which rose like a rainbow.

The next second, Solskjaer was stunned.

The ball bounced out of the penalty area!

Solskjaer immediately raised his right hand and hit his right arm with his left, turning to shout at the referee, "Handball! Handball!"

The other Millwall players also raised their arms and shouted at the referee.

Almost simultaneously, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot in the Sunderland penalty area with a stern look.

Penalty!

Seeing the referee decisively award a penalty, the Sunderland players immediately surrounded him...

Audrich, on the sidelines, was still in shock. He was too far away to determine if it was a handball or if the opponent's arm had extended to increase the defensive area. He instinctively shouted, "That was a handball!" and then, seeing the referee award the penalty, he clapped instead of arguing.

The fans in the stands booed the referee, and the Sunderland players' protests were in vain.

Millwall's designated first-choice penalty taker, Larsson, stood at the penalty spot. Under the pressure of the crowd's boos, Larsson calmly shot the ball into the corner.

Millwall led 1-0 away from home!

Audrich let out a long sigh of relief after the penalty was scored.

Regardless, winning the match and securing a victory was more satisfying than a draw.

He clapped for the players and then put on a serious face, instructing them to focus on defense.

There were three minutes left in the game, plus about five minutes of added time.

Sunderland, unwilling to lose at home, launched a fierce counterattack in the final five minutes but failed to break through Millwall's defense.

Instead, in the last minute of stoppage time, Stam's header deflected the ball to the right, and Thuram's clearance turned into a counterattack. Larsson headed the ball back to the midfield, and Solskjaer, sprinting at full speed, broke into the opposition's half. With Sunderland pushing forward, Solskjaer successfully broke the offside trap and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one!

Facing the advancing goalkeeper, Solskjaer confidently pushed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal from outside the penalty area.

2-0.

Solskjaer, who had been on the field for less than 20 minutes, made a miraculous debut in his first professional match.

Creating a penalty and scoring a goal, he helped Millwall secure three points away from home, boosting the team's confidence and cohesion.

After the match, Audrich hurriedly shook hands with Sunderland's manager and walked into the players' tunnel. In the mixed zone, he gave a brief interview.

"Sunderland performed steadily. We won the match thanks to our team's consistent performance and a bit of luck. I hope this good fortune will continue to favor us."

Millwall's two consecutive wins kept them at the top of the league table, but this was not what Audrich was most concerned about.

In the following period, Millwall began a series of matches with two games per week.

After a three-day break, Millwall faced Plymouth, a fourth-tier team, in the first round of the League Cup at home.

In this match, Audrich rotated the entire team, fielding a full reserve lineup.

Goalkeeper: Butt, Defenders: Phil Neville, Dean Richards, Marco Materazzi, Zambrotta.

Midfielders: Beckham, Vieira, Ballack, Glenoar.

Forwards: Kevin Phillips, Solskjaer.

The average age of this lineup was 19.

Although Audrich had no particular ambitions for the cup, it didn't mean he would give up the match easily. Even if they lost, he wanted it to be meaningful.

He directed the game from the sidelines, shouting loudly to instruct the players on positioning and covering.

The attack was initiated from the center and right flank. Compared to the first team, where Audrich suppressed Nedved's attacking flair, he gave Ballack more freedom to push forward. On the right flank, Beckham, like a precision-guided weapon, had not yet made his name with the Beckham curve, but if his long passes could create a few threatening attacks, it would meet Audrich's expectations.

Glenoar on the left flank was very fast, with a sprinting speed comparable to a track athlete. Audrich also instructed him to focus on creating threats on the left flank.

The first round of the League Cup against Plymouth was not a particularly exciting match. The ball was mostly in the air, but Millwall's players demonstrated the qualities Audrich wanted to see.

In the end, the standout players were Kevin Phillips and Beckham. The former scored a hat-trick, and the latter's precise long passes were impressive.

The final score was 4-3.

After Ballack's relentless attacks, the defensive line was left with only Vieira, who, despite not performing poorly, exposed many weaknesses, allowing Plymouth's attack to easily face Millwall's young and inexperienced defense.

Plymouth had more clear-cut scoring opportunities than Millwall throughout the match. If not for Butt's excellent saves, Millwall's League Cup journey might have ended in the first match.

After the match, Audrich praised the entire team. For many players without professional match experience, winning their debut was a satisfactory performance.

Four days later, Audrich would face a team that Millwall fans disliked: Derby County.

The promotion playoff three months ago was still fresh in everyone's memory. Derby County had won 5-1 on aggregate, blocking Millwall's path to the Premier League.

After the match, there was a small-scale conflict between the fans of both teams.

For the tactical setup of this match, Audrich followed the previous two matches but needed to boost the team's morale in the pre-match meeting.

The team was in high spirits after three consecutive wins at the start of the season, and their confidence was high.

They were also increasingly convinced of Audrich's leadership.

In the team meeting, after analyzing Derby County, Audrich paused without dismissing the team, remaining silent for a while.

The players looked at each other, unsure why the boss had suddenly stopped.

Audrich frowned, looked around the team, and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Do you know what Derby County means to us?"

Most of the players, who had been in England for less than three months, looked puzzled, not particularly interested in the team's history.

Even Beckham and Neville were confused.

Derby County was a team from Derby, with no direct connection to Millwall and no deep-seated grudge in history.

Only Southgate, who was in London, seemed to understand.

"It seems Gareth knows. Tell them, Gareth."

Pointed out by Audrich, Southgate shrugged and said, "Derby County was our enemy last season. Tomorrow's match is a revenge game for us."

After hearing Southgate, some players still looked puzzled.

Audrich, with a serious face, said, "That's right, tomorrow is revenge. To be honest, if Millwall had beaten Derby County last season, we might be in the top league now. But because we lost to that damn, unambitious Derby County, we stayed in the second tier. Look at Derby County's performance in the past half month. They lost to Barnsley and drew with Luton. It's a joke. How did last season's Millwall lose to such garbage? Because they only got one point in their first two matches, they will definitely want to take three points from us when they come to The Den. After all, three months ago, they stepped on Millwall's corpse to go to Wembley. Although they lost to Leicester City in the end, in their eyes, we are just a bunch of softies. They can slaughter us, regain their confidence, and relive the feeling of victory. What should we do? Should we politely tell them that the Millwall from three months ago has nothing to do with us? Who the hell would listen to that? I just want to see them cry and go home after the match."