"Oh oh oh oh oh! What a beautiful direct free kick! Yvan Stankovic! Mallorca has equalized! After five pretty good free kicks, Mallorca finally equalized with Stankovic's beautiful curved ball! Their tactic of forcing fouls paid off, and the goal just before halftime is crucial for Mallorca!" shouted the ESPN commentator.
The stands erupted in deafening cheers from Mallorca's fans as they celebrated the equalizing goal. Even though they conceded an early goal, Mallorca's dominance in the game afterwards had given their fans confidence, and this equalizer was the release they needed!
Stankovic jumped towards the stands, letting out a loud roar, and his teammates rushed to join him, all of them raising their fists in front of the crowd!
José nodded heavily. Being able to equalize before halftime would make the second half much easier.
Meanwhile, Puel frowned as he watched everything unfold, thinking about how to play the second half—clearly, his previous judgment had been wrong.
Two minutes after the match restarted, the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half. 1-1, both sides entered halftime with the score level.
Clearly, this score was not favorable to Mallorca, who were playing at home, but it was a good result for Monaco. However, the expressions of both coaches didn't show this—José wore a faint smile, while Puel frowned with a look of concern...
"Great job in the first half, everyone! Although we conceded an away goal, I can guarantee that this goal won't cause us much trouble if we continue like this… In the second half, Monaco has two choices. First, they can continue with a defensive counterattack, and we can continue to apply pressure. Second, if they push forward, it'll make our attack easier. If they attack, our main offensive weapon will be Samuel, using his dribbling to create opportunities! Don't forget, four of their five defenders already have yellow cards, so we can exploit this. Whether they defend or attack, we need to use our dribbling to create chances. Don't worry about scoring; Barthez's performances in world tournaments and club matches have been like two different people. It's not that hard to break his defense," José said confidently.
His words brought laughter from the entire locker room. Honestly, Barthez's performance in the first half had not been impressive—he fumbled a few long shots and was slow in reacting to Stankovic's free kick...
"Anyway, the score is 1-1, which isn't favorable for us right now, but we still have plenty of advantages. If we take advantage of a few chances in the second half, victory will smile upon us... Every match in the UEFA Cup is difficult, but as long as we play to our strengths and stay focused, we will get the result we want. Don't forget, we were third in La Liga last season, and our strength hasn't decreased this season... We have to believe in ourselves to seize all opportunities."
After finishing, José waved his hand. "Now, take a good rest. The next 45 minutes will be the decisive moment for us to reach the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Guys, recharge your energy before the battle begins."
The locker room fell quiet, with the veterans resting their eyes while the younger players discussed the first half.
Almost every player congratulated Stankovic—his free kick had been Mallorca's first direct free kick goal of the season, which was worth celebrating...
"Samuel, make more breakthroughs in the second half. Monaco's central defenders aren't very fast, and your dribbles will make a big impact," Ibagasa patted Eto'o's shoulder and said with a smile.
The Argentine was a good-natured person. Even though he had made several breakthroughs in the middle during the first half, he could tell that Eto'o's dribbles seemed more dangerous.
"No problem, just watch me!" Perhaps because he had spent so much time with Tristan, the usually quiet Eto'o had started to become more talkative, occasionally making bold statements like Tristan.
Seeing the players' enthusiasm, José smiled faintly. Eto'o would indeed be a key player in the second half. Whether Monaco continued with their defensive counterattack or came forward, his speed would be a huge threat to Monaco's defenders, who were already on yellow cards...
With the tactical plan in place, now it was up to the players!
As soon as the second half started, José watched intently, analyzing Monaco's tactics. The way Monaco played the second half would determine how Mallorca might win.
It wasn't arrogance on José's part—after the first half, he was certain that Mallorca had victory within their grasp. Now, it was just a matter of how many goals they would score. Winning big in the home leg was important!
The second half began with Mallorca attacking amidst the cheers of their fans, and Monaco immediately abandoned their previous tactic of sitting back near their penalty area. They came forward and began to battle Mallorca in midfield.
Seeing this, José felt a sense of joy instead of surprise. Monaco's decision to push forward increased the pressure on Mallorca's defense, but it also left more space for them to exploit. Plus, with Monaco's defenders already on yellow cards, Eto'o's speed alone would be enough to make life difficult for them...
His judgment wasn't wrong.
After one of Mallorca's attacks was repelled by Monaco's defense, Monaco launched their own counterattack. Galardo and Julliard combined with a series of passes, and Mallorca's defense began to retreat.
Puel kept a close eye on the game. At halftime, he had opted to put more pressure on Mallorca with an attacking strategy. While risky, it could be beneficial for Monaco—after all, if they scored another goal, their advantage would be even bigger...
But José wanted them to play exactly this way. The only adjustment José made at halftime was to allow the defense to drop slightly and increase counterattacking opportunities—this was one of Mallorca's strengths.
As Monaco pushed forward, Eto'o's position moved forward too. The Cameroonian leopard had positioned himself right behind Tristan and was now ready to strike!
Ibagasa and Soler both dropped back, securing Mallorca's defense in front of their penalty box. After some quick passes, when Monaco had no good options, Galardo passed to Julliard, hoping he could create something down the wing.
Julliard didn't let his teammates down. With his outstanding speed, he broke through Olésora, but the veteran Mallorca defender didn't lose his position completely. He kept tight to Julliard's inside route—this had become one of Mallorca's key defensive tactics: no interference on the crosses from the wings, but always blocking inside cuts!
With no space to cut inside, Julliard decisively took a step and delivered a cross!
The ball flew into the Mallorca penalty area, and both Pusiau and Simone jumped up!
Pusiau was about to head the ball into the net when suddenly...
A red figure soared through the air, just in time to head the ball out of the penalty area, preventing the shot!
It was Mallorca's veteran defender Nadal who saved the day! The most famous and decorated player in Mallorca's lineup showed his fighting spirit at that moment!
"Well done, Miguel!" José shouted, raising his arm, while on the other side, Puel slammed his fist in frustration!
The broadcast cameras quickly zoomed in on the two coaches, capturing their fleeting expressions of emotion.
Puel's face showed a brief look of astonishment, while José's face was filled with ecstatic joy!
The camera quickly returned to the field, where Nadal had cleared the ball, and another veteran, N'Gonga, gathered the ball and immediately made a long pass!
The ball flew toward the center circle, and both Tristan and Marques jumped for it. Despite having the upper hand in the aerial duel, Marques found himself completely overwhelmed, unable to leap!
Tristan, however, paid no attention to the fact that his marker was struggling—he focused on the ball's landing spot, stepped forward, and knocked it past the defenders to the other half of the field!
A long pass, a header, and a fast counterattack—this move by Mallorca resembled both Italian and English football, but damn, it certainly didn't resemble La Liga football...
However, Mallorca's fans didn't care. They weren't cheering for Barcelona or Real Madrid. They didn't need their team to play pretty football. As long as they scored, they didn't care what style Mallorca played!
Cristianval's response was quick. Seeing Tristan overpower Marques, he started running back, thinking he could reach the ball and clear it.
But as he sprinted towards the ball, the deafening cheer from the crowd made it clear—something amazing was happening!