At 2 PM, with the cheers of over 6,000 fans, the match officially kicked off.
Zhu Lu and Lansbury started for Cambridge United, while Kante, Mahrez, and Wilshere were on the roster awaiting their chance.
In the 23rd minute, Cambridge United won a free kick on the right side of the attacking half, and Grove took it again.
Grove's free kick went directly towards the far corner of Huddersfield's goal!
Lewandowski, while watching the direction of the incoming ball, ran towards the far post! Just as the ball was dropping, Lewandowski leaped high, with a noticeable hang time in the air!
Lewandowski met the ball with a beautiful header! The ball flew straight towards the top right corner of the goal!
Goalkeeper Amos almost threw his entire body out but still couldn't touch the ball! However, the ball hit the outside of the crossbar with a clang and flew out of bounds!!!
After a huge sigh from the fans, waves of applause erupted for Lewandowski!
In the 29th minute, Cambridge United won another corner kick. Grove quickly took a tactical corner, passing it to Lansbury's feet nearby. Lansbury, with a cut, evaded Baningham's defense, took a step horizontally with his right foot, and directly curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area! The ball drew a beautiful arc, bypassing three defenders inside the box. "Clang" The ball hit the left post of the goal and settled steadily into Amos's arms. Although Cambridge United had the advantage on the field, both teams remained scoreless, ending the first half 0-0.
Huang Hao didn't say much at halftime; after all, the team was only a bit of luck away from scoring. He simply encouraged everyone and let the players rest in peace.
After changing sides, Cambridge United continued to besiege Huddersfield's goal but struggled to find a breakthrough.
George Thomas, Huddersfield's left winger, joined Huddersfield from Premier League Everton this season and has achieved 5 goals and 3 assists. The 23-year-old has clearly become the core of the team. Today, under Sterri's defense, Thomas didn't have many good opportunities, and he was feeling a bit frustrated.
Cambridge United won the first corner kick of the second half. Thomas chose not to stay in the attacking half waiting for an opportunity but actively ran back into the penalty area to participate in defense.
Grove's corner kick still went to the far post. This time, center-back Suxi, under interference from Huddersfield players, barely headed the ball towards the goal!
Vardy, quick-witted, made a second touch in front of the goal, heading the ball directly towards the bottom right corner! Amos reacted quickly, diving towards the bottom right corner, but he didn't manage to save the ball cleanly. It was blocked midway by Huddersfield center-back Baningham's thigh, and the ball rebounded in front of Vardy. Vardy was about to follow up with a shot when another center-back, Haim, instinctively hugged Vardy and pushed him to the ground. Unable to exert force, Vardy barely hooked the ball with his toe, and the ball floated lightly towards the left side of the goal. Referee Griffiths had the whistle to his mouth when Thomas, in front of the goal, instinctively headed the ball away, but inexplicably misjudged the landing point. The ball hit the back of his head, rebounded, was blocked by the goal frame, and then fell into the net. 1-0!
"Oh oh oh! George Thomas scored first!!! But this poor kid, he scored into his own goal! Thomas, who didn't have many opportunities in this match, ultimately chose an own goal!"
The commentator's mockery was simply heart-piercing!
Thomas couldn't quite believe it and remained frozen in place. It wasn't until center-back Bifos patted his shoulder that he came to his senses.
"It's okay, brother! Cheer up, the match isn't over yet!"
Bifos confidently encouraged his teammate!
Five minutes later, Lewandowski's shot was again blocked out of bounds by a Huddersfield player, and Cambridge United won another corner kick.
This time, Thomas obediently gave up his position in the penalty area, and Bifos stood in the center of the box to defend this corner kick.
Grove still chose the far post! Cambridge United defender Warren headed the ball back to the middle!
A temporary vacuum appeared next to Bennett, and he directly volleyed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal!
Bifos stretched out his leg to intercept! The ball deflected again and bounced into the left side of the goal! At this point, Amos had completely moved to the right side of the goal!
2-0! Cambridge United scored two goals in 8 minutes! No, two own goals!
This time, Bifos was stunned. Six minutes ago, he had just comforted his teammate, and in the blink of an eye, he also scored an own goal. Even novels wouldn't dare to write something like this!!!
Abbey Stadium was completely engulfed in immense joy. No one expected that Cambridge United, after a long period of attacking without success, would receive two great gifts from Huddersfield within six minutes, scoring two goals!
In the 70th minute of the second half, Cambridge United made a long pass down Huddersfield's right flank. Bifos, before Bennett, slid the ball out of bounds. Bifos hadn't even gotten up from the ground when Bennett threw the ball in front of the goal. Vardy burst out again and stabbed a shot! 3-0! Cambridge United scored another goal!!!
Three goals down, Huddersfield woke up as if from a dream and intensified their offensive!
It wasn't until the 81st minute, in the Cambridge United penalty area, after three consecutive shots from Huddersfield, that 33-year-old forward Angelo finally put the ball into Cambridge United's net! 3-1!
In the 93rd minute, as the match neared its end, Huddersfield still hadn't given up.
Newville dribbled past substitute Robinson, broke through to the left byline area, and then powerfully crossed the ball to the middle!
Cambridge United center-back Zhu Lu leaped high in front of Angelo, heading the ball back to midfield!
Substitute Mahrez took the ball in the center circle, glanced at Amos outside the penalty area, and chipped a shot. Amos turned and chased back but still couldn't stop the ball from falling into the net.
"Goalllllll, No. 20, Mahrez, a chip shot from midfield! Amos chased back desperately but still couldn't save the ball. Mahrez's goal is comparable to Beckham's chip shot back in the day; they are both equally young. Will Mahrez become the next Beckham?"
4-1, Cambridge United successfully secured three points.
Although his team had just slaughtered Tranmere 4-1 away, Hawkins twisted his ankle during the match. The team doctor's opinion was that he would need an estimated two weeks to recover.
Including Warren, who was on loan, the team had six center-backs. Now, two were injured, and one was suspended due to a red card. Moreover, as many as eight players had minor injuries, and a minor injury could easily turn into a major one. The English League One schedule was also quite dense, typically three matches every two weeks. Five days later, Cambridge United would face Yeovil away.
Huang Hao's face was solemn as he walked out of the team doctor's office. Cambridge United would ultimately pay the price for their thin bench and overly young bodies. It was necessary to strengthen the players' physical training; their tender bodies needed scientific guidance. Just then, Huang Hao suddenly thought of someone, and he quickly dialed her number.
"Hello, Coach!"
Lin Kexin couldn't help but smile when she saw the incoming call on her phone.
"Hi, hello! Lin Kexin, I might need your help."
Huang Hao didn't waste time with pleasantries but went straight to the point.
Upon hearing Huang Hao's request, Lin Kexin happily accepted the invitation and soon arrived at the Cambridge United Training Base.
Although Cambridge United had been promoted two levels and became a member of English League One, the old training base remained as it was. Huang Hao, who had never felt there was any problem, actually felt a bit embarrassed after Lin Kexin got out of the car! When the team had money, they definitely needed to renovate! Damn this pride!
Lin Kexin clearly didn't mind. It was her first time entering a football club, and she looked around curiously, while Huang Hao took on the role of a tour guide, introducing Cambridge United to her, telling her about his difficulties when he first arrived, which made Lin Kexin giggle non-stop along the way.
Soon, the two arrived at the physical therapy room, where Hawkins was receiving rehabilitation treatment for his injured left foot with the help of the team doctor.
When Lin Kexin took out her medical kit, revealing silver needles of varying lengths, Hawkins was so scared that he sat up straight!
"Boss! What, what, what are you going to do?!"
Hawkins looked at Huang Hao with pitiful eyes, like a lamb awaiting slaughter!
"Lie down obediently! This is the miracle doctor I hired for you at a great cost!"
Lin Kexin had never seen Huang Hao shout like that. Remembering his dullness when they first met at the hospital, she chuckled again.
Hawkins, reprimanded, was forced to lie down, his eyes still fixed on the silver needles, fearing he would be pricked to death the next second!
Lin Kexin briefly examined Hawkins' injury, then confidently gave Huang Hao an OK gesture, which immediately put Huang Hao at ease.
When he realized that the silver needles didn't cause him great pain, but rather, as they were inserted into his leg, greatly relieved the pain, Hawkins finally let down his guard and looked at Lin Kexin with gratitude.
Soon, Lin Kexin finished her treatment, meticulously instructing the team doctor on what to pay attention to, and then casually told Huang Hao that Hawkins should be largely recovered in about 3-4 days.
If so, Hawkins could completely make it to the next match! This made Huang Hao overjoyed, and the team doctor also looked incredulous.
After the consultation, Huang Hao took Lin Kexin to the office and also called Li Jianqin and Ouyang Bing.
"This is Li Jianqin, the club's vice chairman, in charge of business development and external relations. This is Ouyang Bing, in charge of finance. And this is Lin Kexin, from Cambridge University Medical School. I've invited her to provide rehabilitation treatment for our players," Huang Hao introduced everyone.
"Oh, wow, everyone is from Cambridge, so you're all alumni then," Li Jianqin, being a shrewd person, had already gotten wind of the news from Longolo. With a little inquiry, he found that Lin Kexin's parents were quite influential in the British Chinese community. If they could help...
"Jianqin, Ouyang, the reason I called you here today is to discuss something. As you've all seen recently, our team has a lot of injuries. This is partly related to the tough style of English League One, and on the other hand, it also indicates that we have areas for improvement in training and rehabilitation. I've also asked Lin Kexin, and since she specializes in rehabilitation, she is very willing to join our medical team."
"Does this require purchasing a lot of facilities? I'm telling you, there's not much money in the account," Ouyang Bing said in a businesslike manner.
"This mainly requires some monitoring equipment and computers to collect player physical information and provide targeted suggestions. The cost isn't very high; about 1 million pounds should cover it," Lin Kexin said professionally.
"1 million? The club only has 800,000 in the account, which is reserved for player and staff salaries and cannot be touched," Ouyang Bing immediately raised an objection.
"Uh..." Being rejected in front of the goddess made Huang Hao feel a bit awkward.
"How about I go back and discuss it with my parents to see if they can sponsor us?" Lin Kexin offered a solution.
"If that's the case, we'd be extremely grateful. I suggest the main front-of-jersey advertisement goes to the Lin Group," Li Jianqin decided.
