The second half begins.
After Lyon kicked off, the formation obviously pressed forward. Claude Puel obviously made adjustments during the halftime break - from shrinking across the board to pressing high, trying to block Auxerre's ball route in the half.
But more importantly, he made new arrangements for Zhang Kuang's defense.
Not two people.
It's three people.
Toulalan mainly defends, Makoun assists in defense, and Cissokho is always ready to defend - the three of them form a triangular encirclement. No matter which direction Zhang Kuang moves, there will be at least one defensive player in front of him, one behind him, and one watching eagerly from the side.
Forty-seven minutes.
Pedretti takes the ball in the midfield and looks up to find Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang is standing near the middle circle, Toulalan is behind him, Makoun is standing three steps to the left of him, and Cissokho is cruising five steps to the right.
three people.
Pedretti hesitated for a moment and passed the ball.
Zhang Kuang picked up the ball with his back, and Toulalan blocked him from behind, preventing him from turning around. Makoun rushed up from the left and stretched his foot to poke the ball. Cissokho blocked his possible ball route on the right side.
Zhang Kuang didn't force it.
He flicked the ball with his left foot and turned his body to the right - trying to turn around. But Toulalan put his hand on his waist and pushed hard, causing Zhang Kuang's body center of gravity to shake. At this moment, Makoun's foot hit the ball.
The ball was knocked away.
Lyon's counterattack.
"Zhang Kuang got the ball - it was intercepted!" Bart shouted, "Lyon's defense against Zhang Kuang was very targeted! Three people surrounded him and didn't give him any room to turn around!"
Dugarry frowned. "This is Claude Puel's response plan - three people guard Zhang Kuang alone. One person is close to the body, one person is assisting in defense, and one person is filling in. The three people form a moving encirclement. No matter which direction Zhang Kuang moves, they will hit people."
"What about Auxerre's other players?" Bart asked.
"That's the problem." Dugarry said, "Lyon uses three men to defend Zhang Kuang, which means that they play less and more in other positions. If Auxerre's other players can take advantage of this space, Lyon's defense will collapse. But Auxerre's other players--"
He didn't finish what he said, but the meaning was already obvious.
Auxerre's other players are not in good condition today.
Fifty-two minutes.
Auxerre steals the ball in the backcourt, Grichting makes a long pass to Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang picked up the ball with his back near the center circle, Toulalan came up from behind, Makoun pressed from the left, and Cissokho double-teamed from the right.
The three people once again formed a circle of encirclement.
Zhang Kuang used his chest to remove the ball. The moment the ball hit the ground, he flicked the ball with his left foot and turned his body to the right - this time he was not pushed down. His body was too strong, and Toulalan's push felt like a tickle to him.
He turned around.
But Makoun was already standing in front of him.
Zhang Kuang moved the ball forward to the right with his right foot, trying to break through from the right side of Makoun.
Makoun stretched out his foot to block, and Zhang Kuang dunked the ball back with his left foot - Makoun's center of gravity was shaken, and his body tilted slightly to the left.
It's this moment.
Zhang Kuang's right foot passed the ball from the outside of Makoun, and then he overtook the ball from the outside.
Makoun stretched out his hand to pull, but couldn't hold it.
But Cissokho made up for it.
He shoveled over from the side and showed off his spikes.
Zhang Kuang jumped up to avoid the tackle, but the ball was shoveled out of the sideline by Cissokho.
Throw-in ball.
No threat posed.
"Three people again!" Bart shouted, "Lyon used three people to defend Zhang Kuang. Although it couldn't completely prevent him, it at least limited his advancement speed! Zhang Kuang had to face at least two defensive players every time he got the ball, and sometimes three people! Every time he touched the ball, it was like a physical fight!"
Dugarry looked at the statistics. "In the first half, Zhang Kuang touched the ball twenty-three times, shot five times, and scored two goals. So far in the second half, he has touched the ball seven times and shot zero times. Lyon's three-man double-team tactic really worked."
"But at what cost?" Bart asked.
"The cost is that Lyon plays less and more in other positions." Dugarry said, "If Auxerre's other players can take advantage of this space--"
Before he finished speaking, Auxerre launched an attack.
Fifty-eight minutes.
Pedretti takes the ball in the midfield. Lyon's three defensive players all surround Zhang Kuang. The space in the middle is as big as no man's land.
Pedretti did not pass the ball to Zhang Kuang.
He dribbled the ball forward and rushed to the top of the penalty area.
Then he took a long shot--
The ball was saved by Lloris.
"Pedretti's long shot!" Bart shouted, "Lyon's three-man double-team tactic gave Auxerre other players a lot of space! If If Pedretti, Jelen, Oliech, and Birsa can seize these opportunities, Lyon's defense will collapse!"
"But they can't grasp it." Dugarry shook his head, "Auxerre's other players are in too bad shape today. Jelen has wasted two opportunities, Oliech's crosses are of poor quality, and Birsa's breakthroughs are always interrupted. If they were in shape, the score would have been rewritten long ago."
Sixty-five minutes.
Fernandez made the first substitution adjustment.
He replaced left winger Oliech with defensive midfielder Amadou Sidibé, and the formation changed from 4-4-1-1 to 4-5-1. The five midfielders lined up with only one purpose - to strengthen the midfielder's interception ability and cut off Lyon's passing line.
But at the same time, Auxerre's offense was basically paralyzed.
The five midfielders are all defensive, and no one can send threatening passes to Zhang Kuang. Zhang Kuang is even more isolated and helpless in the frontcourt, and has to face the encirclement and suppression of Lyon's three defensive players every time he gets the ball.
Seventy-two minutes.
Zhang Kuang takes the ball on the left wing.
This time, there were four people guarding him.
Toulalan stays close, Makoun assists in defense, Cissokho fills in, and Réveillère also moves in from the right back position, ready to intercept at any time from a more peripheral position.
Four people.
Zhang Kuang was surrounded in the middle, like a beast trapped in a cage.
He didn't force it.
He passed the ball back to Berthod who was on the wing, and then quickly moved forward himself.
Berthod did not stop the ball and sent the ball through the ball into the space on the left side of the penalty area.
Zhang Kuang got the ball in the corner of the small penalty area.
Boumsong rushed up from the front and blocked the shooting angle. Cris defended from the side and blocked his passing route. Lloris also abandoned the goal and blocked the near corner.
There are three people, plus the goalkeeper, there are four people.
Zhang Kuang didn't shoot.
He knocked the ball across with his left foot to Jelen in the center of the penalty area.
Empty gate.
Jelen hits the ball and shoots--
The ball was blocked by Cissokho who was chasing back with his body.
"Jelen! It's Jelen again!" Bart shouted, "Zhang Kuang sent the ball to the empty goal, but Jelen didn't score! Cissokho's pursuit was too timely! But Jelen's shot was too soft!"
Dugarry shook his head. "This is the problem with Auxerre. Zhang Kuang can solve the battle alone, but he cannot solve all battles by himself. He needs the support of his teammates. Today's Auxerre, apart from Zhang Kuang, no other person is in good condition."
Seventy-eight minutes.
Lyon's substitution adjustment has taken effect.
Claude Puel replaced midfielder Makoun with forward Sidney Govou, and the formation changed from 4-5-1 back to 4-3-3. His intention was clear - to make a last ditch effort and attack with all his strength.
After Makoun left the field, there was one less person in the three-man double-team on Zhang Kuang.
Became two people.
Toulalan is close to the team and Cissokho is assisting in defense. Makoun's position is replaced by Govou, but Govou is a forward and does not participate in defense.
Zhang Kuang's pressure is relieved.
But time is running out.
Eighty-one minutes.
Lyon's goal came.
Left back Ali Cissokho stole the ball in his own half and dribbled the ball near the midfield. Auxerre's midfielder Sidibé rushed to press, but Cissokho did not force the ball and gave the ball to Toulalan in the center.
Toulalan did not stop the ball after taking it, and sent the ball to the space behind the Auxerre defense with a long diagonal pass.
This is not a pass to the forward.
This is a pass to the left back.
Cissokho had already started the ball the moment Toulalan passed the ball. He was extremely fast, inserted at high speed from the left wing, and received the ball behind Auxerre's right back Mignot.
Then, he didn't make the pass.
He made a direct pass from a position nearly thirty meters away from the goal.
This is no ordinary cross.
It was a cross with a huge arc that spiraled directly from the left wing to the back of the goal.
The ball drew a wonderful arc from the air, passed over the heads of Auxerre's entire defense line, and landed on the right side of the small penalty area.
Sidney Govou rushed over.
He didn't stop the ball and headed directly towards the goal.
The ball hit the grass in front of the goal, bounced a little, and then went into the lower left corner of the goal.
2:2.
Gerland Stadium is boiling.
The cheers of more than 40,000 home fans swept through the entire stadium like a tsunami. The Lyon players rushed to the corner flag area and hugged each other to celebrate.
Claude Puel shook his fist fiercely on the sidelines, then turned around and high-fived the assistant coach.
2 to 2, less than ten minutes left in the game.
Bart: "I just said, Auxerre can't be too wasteful, there will be retribution, and now retribution is coming!"