Football Card System

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began!

Luton immediately launched an attack, seizing the opportunity from the kickoff!

Vardy passed the ball to Drinkwater and turned to run forward, while the two central midfielders also dropped back. The two full-backs pushed up to fill the gaps left by the midfielders.

Are they going for an early assault?

Ranieri glanced at Gao Bo, who was not far away.

If Ranieri hadn't been fully aware of Luton's physical condition before, he now judged that there was an 80-90% chance that Luton's physical condition was problematic!

Otherwise, they wouldn't choose to attack so fiercely right from the start!

Ranieri had guessed Gao Bo's intentions.

A match lasts ninety minutes. Even if Luton's players were fatigued, their physical condition wouldn't be an issue at the very beginning of the match. That's why Gao Bo had his team attack fiercely at the start!

If it worked, that would be great, and Luton could then approach the rest of the match with relative ease.

If Roma could withstand this initial period, Luton would surrender!

Ranieri became optimistic!

However, for Roma right now, the most important thing was to first defend against Luton's opening assault!

"Defend!! Pay attention to defense!!!"

Ranieri waved his arms, loudly reminding the Roma players.

Drinkwater had the ball at his feet. He waited for a moment, and then Roma's striker, Vucinic, came up to challenge for the ball.

Only then did Drinkwater pass the ball out.

The targeted long pass was incredibly accurate, the ball flying like a cruise missile over midfield and towards the left flank.

Adam White comfortably controlled the ball while on the run.

"A beautiful first touch!!!" Wright Atkinson couldn't help but exclaim.

Facing that long pass from the backfield, Adam almost seemed to stick the ball to his foot in the air. After landing, the ball didn't bounce at all and continued to roll forward, allowing Adam to accelerate further.

For an attack to succeed, the first touch is crucial.

When Gao Bo signed Adam, what he valued most wasn't his speed, but his feel for the ball with that first touch.

This left a deep impression on Gao Bo. A player with such ball control would achieve twice the results with half the effort, whether practicing shooting or passing.

This was the player's talent!

After Adam controlled the ball, his eyes were fixed on the penalty area. Vardy had already surged into the box, but he didn't see Griezmann.

Where was Griezmann?

Adam quickly spotted Griezmann, who had also moved to the left, right on the edge of the penalty area.

Without Griezmann needing to remind him, Adam back-heeled the ball, passing it back!

After nearly half a season of playing together, the two now had a considerable degree of understanding.

Griezmann moved to the left side of the big penalty area, and Adam's unexpected back-heel pass also caught the Roma players off guard.

Griezmann pushed the ball into the box, and before the Roma defenders could close him down, he lifted his right foot and curled a shot with the inside of his foot towards the far post!

"Griezmann!!!!!!"

Wright Atkinson became excited.

And in the stadium, the Roma fans couldn't even bother to boo; they collectively gasped in surprise.

Ranieri was also startled, but Griezmann had aimed too precisely for the angle. The ball hit the post... and then went out of bounds!

Griezmann clutched his head in regret. If he had pulled the ball slightly more inwards, it would have been a guaranteed goal.

Gao Bo leaned back, then clapped his hands helplessly.

That shot almost gave Luton the lead away from home!

"That was truly dangerous!! Griezmann's shot in the box!! You must be careful of this killer player for Luton. He is the focal point of Luton's attack, and you can never relax your guard against Griezmann!" The Italian commentator in the commentary box was also startled.

Ranieri was very dissatisfied with Roma's defending this time.

"Mark him tightly!!!"

Ranieri walked to the sideline, bent over, and yelled, pointing forcefully at Griezmann.

"Griezmann!! Roma must never relax their vigilance against him. If Griezmann is allowed to shoot like that in the penalty area, then a goal is a foregone conclusion!"

After the Roma fans recovered, they immediately started booing wildly.

All sorts of Italian curses echoed from the stands, combined with the gestures of the Italian fans, making the entire stadium seem full of hostility.

Gao Bo ignored the middle fingers behind him and the coins occasionally thrown onto the track beside the field—at least they couldn't throw coins far enough to clear the track, which was perhaps one of the few advantages of stadiums with tracks. However, after this match, the stadium cleanup crew would have their hands full.

The match continued. After completing an attack, Luton didn't linger in the attacking third. Gao Bo didn't intend to have his players press high up the field in this match, as it was too physically demanding. If the players were in peak condition, Gao Bo wouldn't mind, but not for this match.

Ammonia was essentially an irritant, which would temporarily make the players forget their fatigue, but the fatigue was real. If the players expended their energy too early, let alone winning, it might not even be possible to escape unscathed from this match!

Roma's attack also quickly pushed past midfield.

Menez dropped wide to receive the ball; the left flank was the focus of Roma's attack.

Menez played a one-two with Pizarro, then dribbled inwards.

The French player's footwork was excellent; he dribbled continuously without losing the ball.

At this point, Kante came over, and Menez, knowing Kante's prowess, immediately passed the ball away.

Perrotta received the ball on the other side, and then he directly passed it into the penalty area!

Jeffrey cleared the ball from the center of the box, and then Briggi, under pressure, won the second ball and passed it to the flank.

Perrotta crossed again!

Sol Campbell and Vucinic contested the header. Campbell, to be safe, headed the ball out for a corner!

Roma's corner kick!

Several tall Roma players pushed into Luton's penalty area; they were very serious about corner kick attacks!

Menez took the corner, and Schmeichel came out very quickly. He leaped high, taking the ball from above Andreolli's head.

The danger in Luton's penalty area was temporarily averted.

From the very beginning of the match, both sides launched major attacks!

"Both teams are not conservative in attack in this match; such an open game is truly exciting! This might even be a goal-fest!"

Commentators from various channels said in the commentary box.

Many neutral fans watching the match also cheered with delight!