The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 605: The Lions Strike First

Millwall were fully rested and ready to go, while Valencia made the long trip, all geared up for the challenge. But as soon as the whistle blew, Millwall wasn't about to give them any time to adjust or get comfortable on the pitch.

The tempo from the first second was absolutely relentless.

A feeling-out period?

Forget about it!

The first leg kicked off with both teams playing it safe, cautious of letting in an early goal. It was a game of cat and mouse, each side probing the other's defenses, knowing full well how costly an early mistake could be.

But in this 90-minute match, Millwall was only trailing 0-1 on aggregate, so theoretically, they still had time to test things out.

However, after countless high-level match experiences, Millwall knew that if they held on to the hope that they could simply reverse the 0-1 deficit in 90 minutes, they might end up weeping with regret, powerless to turn things around.

The idea of trying to outplay the opposition was discarded. With the aggregate deficit, the only choice was to fight with everything they had.

After this match, one team would rise with pride, the other would fall in bitterness, lamenting their defeat in the quarter-finals. From the very first second, it was life or death — either you perish, or I do!

Valencia clearly took longer to get into their rhythm than Millwall. Millwall's skilled short passes and coordinated play forced Valencia to work hard defensively.

In the 38th second, Larsson took the first shot of the game, but his powerful attempt went high over the goal.

Aldrich clapped from the sidelines, watching his team's performance. From the early exchanges, it was clear how well they were playing — as long as there were no issues with their form, he believed Millwall could win this match on home turf.

Even though Larsson's shot missed the target entirely, the crowd cheered loudly in support. Millwall fans continued chanting "Millwall! The Lions!" to rally the team.

When Canizares took the goal kick, he signaled for his teammates to stay calm!

Millwall's high pressing was relentless. Valencia's defenders were forced to send the ball forward hurriedly, with Aimar having learned from the previous match. He was quick to pass the ball whenever a gap appeared, not hesitating or trying to show off his skills in front of Gattuso.

Mendieta, under immense pressure from Zambrotta's tight marking, passed the ball forward. Almost instantly, he realized his mistake. "Damn it," he muttered to himself.

Sánchez had chosen a diagonal run to avoid the offside trap, but Mendieta's pass lacked precision, finding Southgate instead. Southgate moved it on with a quick lateral pass to Materazzi, who, staying true to the tempo, sent a crisp ball to the right flank without a touch.

Schneider, picking up the ball, dashed down the touchline. When he met Gonzalez, he combined with Pirlo in a one-two, speeding forward without hesitation. By the time he had the ball again, he had crossed midfield and was approaching the 40-yard mark. He faced a double team from Caboni and Gonzalez but chose to pass to Pirlo. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In front of Baraja, Pirlo played a perfectly timed ball, sending it to Nedved, who was making a run into the space between Albertda and Baraja. Pirlo's pass arrived just as expected.

Ronaldinho cut inside from the left, heading straight for the gap between Albertda and Baraja. Pirlo's pass arrived perfectly, and Ronaldinho touched the ball, preparing to play a through ball for Nedved, who was making a forward run. However, Albertda made a fierce challenge, knocking Ronaldinho to the ground.

The referee blew the whistle, awarding Millwall a free kick.

Pirlo came up to the ball and carefully set it in place, taking his time. Meanwhile, Ronaldinho suddenly broke into the box, sprinting past Baraja. Without even standing fully upright, Pirlo delivered a sharp, calculated pass forward.

Ronaldinho's sudden run caused chaos in Valencia's defensive setup. While he drew their attention, it was all a clever ruse. Ronaldinho was merely the decoy, setting the stage for his teammate.

Nedvěd, completely unmarked near the edge of the penalty area, received Pirlo's pass, turned to face the goal, and unleashed a thunderous strike without hesitation.

Caught out of position and utterly unprepared, Cañizares could only watch in despair as Millwall's powerful shot left him rooted to the spot, unable to react in time.

The ball flew like a cannonball toward the Valencia goal, its flight straight and steady, as if it were a roaring lion.

Bang!

The fans in the Lion King Stadium were on edge, the sound of the ball hitting the crossbar or post sending their nerves into a frenzy.

This time, Nedved's shot hit the inside of the post and bounced into the net!

"Three minutes! Three minutes! Millwall has leveled the aggregate score just three minutes into the game, with Nedved scoring! This is the goal of Millwall's flag-bearer, proudly called the 'Lion God' by the fans. Since his return at the end of January, Nedved's form has steadily improved, and recently, he's been back to his peak form, just when Millwall needed him most. He's back! The Lion God has sounded the horn for Millwall's counterattack. Now, the aggregate score is 1-1, and all of Valencia's hard work in the previous match has been instantly shattered!"

The atmosphere in Lion King Stadium escalated quickly, with fans on the stands roaring, howling, their expressions ranging from fierce to ecstatic, wildly waving their fists, hugging each other, and then chanting Nedved's name in unison.

With his flowing golden hair, Nedved shook his fists in front of him, roaring as he sprinted toward the sideline. Once surrounded by his teammates, they faced each other and let out loud roars.

Aldrich's heart skipped a beat when he saw Nedved's shot hit the post.

Damn, not again!

Fortunately, this was London, Milwall's home ground, the Lions' den!

The post, the post that was bought and placed there by Milwall, with their own label on it!

It must be said, hitting the post like that really scared a lot of people.

If the ball had been denied by the post, many Lions fans might have thought Valencia had brought the Bat Guardian to London.

Cooper remained expressionless when he saw the team concede a goal.

A week ago, when they defeated Milwall at home, Spanish media had hyped up Valencia's "epic victory."

They had been talking about it for a whole week.

But in just three minutes, this "epic victory" could be thrown into the trash.

Before the team could restart the match, Cooper made a calming gesture at the sidelines. He shouted a few words, telling the players to focus on defense and not panic!

The entire Valencia team hadn't expected to be equalized so quickly, bringing both teams back to square one.

They hadn't even found their rhythm yet!

Listen to the coach—focus on defense, get your momentum back, and then face off with the Lions.

Having experienced last year's heartbreaking Champions League final loss and making it to the top eight this year, Valencia's mental strength had at least been tested. While Milwall had found their rhythm faster, Valencia wouldn't collapse easily.

Milwall wasn't going to ease up. After Valencia kicked off, they immediately deployed a tight defense, blocking key points and applying high-pressure pressing. Valencia struggled with their standard attacking play. Against smaller teams, individual brilliance could shine, but against Milwall, they were outclassed in one-on-one situations. Milwall's layered defensive positioning quickly broke up their attack, and Gonzalez couldn't find a passing lane, forced to try a solo run only to be stopped by Schneider, who intercepted him inside.

Schneider immediately passed the ball to the wing, where it landed at Larsson's feet. Larsson slid the ball to Nedved, who quickly pushed forward. Nedved didn't hesitate, passing the ball back to Larsson, who had made a run into the space. Larsson controlled the ball in front of Caboni, pulling it to the inside and passing it back to Pirlo, who was arriving. Just as he passed the ball, he was fouled by Baraja.

The referee called a foul on Valencia.

Aldrich, on the sidelines, raised his right hand in protest with a furious look on his face.

This was a golden counter-attack opportunity for Milwall. Pirlo had passed to Henry, who was positioned with his back to goal just outside the penalty area. As Henry was about to receive the ball, Nedved and Larsson had made runs into the box, and Ronaldinho had also moved up. Henry had three possible options: he could pass left or right, or lay it back to Ronaldinho. Any of these could have been a dangerous play.

However, this perfect opportunity was disrupted by the opponent's foul.

Moreover, the referee didn't issue a card, possibly considering Baraja's challenge as a clean defensive move, not too extreme, especially since the match had just begun.

This time, Baraja had learned his lesson. He remained in front of the ball, his foot only about 20 centimeters from it. If Milwall attempted a quick free kick, he would definitely step in to block it.

Valencia's earlier goal concession had something to do with their own mistakes.

Perhaps due to the early moments of the match and the immense pressure, they had focused too much on setting up the wall for the free kick, following the usual procedure but neglecting man-marking. Especially after Ronaldinho made his run, Nedved had been left completely unmarked, which gave Pirlo the chance to assist directly.

Having learned from their earlier mistake, Valencia was quick to adjust. They not only disrupted Millwall's attempt to take a quick free kick but also made sure to mark their players tightly. With Baraja standing right in front of the ball, there was no chance for Millwall to attempt a direct shot.

Valencia's forwards retreated to defensive positions, allowing the team to properly organize a wall and focus on man-marking responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Pirlo protested to the referee, complaining that Baraja was deliberately blocking the ball to prevent him from restarting play. Baraja, however, pointed to the ball and insisted to the referee that it hadn't been placed at the spot of the foul.

This sort of argument is all too common on the football pitch.

Once the referee managed to calm the verbal dispute between both sides, the defending team completed their preparations.

The chance for a quick free-kick was gone.

Pirlo took the free-kick, opting for a direct shot, aiming to curl it around the wall or squeeze it through a gap. After all, shooting toward the goalkeeper's heavily defended side didn't yield much success.

His shot was met by Valencia's wall jumping up, with someone's shoulder deflecting the ball, and the free-kick ended in failure.

The fans in the stands still applauded Pirlo, as long as there was a shot on goal, they cheered, the applause swelling like a tide.

The match had returned to the state it was in during the first leg.

Millwall attacked fiercely, while Valencia waited for an opportunity to counter.

With the aggregate score tied at 1-1, most spectators believed Millwall's advancement was just a matter of time.

Valencia had upped their aggression in challenges, especially Aimar, Mendieta, and González, who were often fouling when coming back to defend.

They had no choice—while conceding free-kicks wasn't ideal, it was still better than allowing Millwall to push their attack into the penalty box and take a shot.

Aldrich had figured it out. This was Cooper's targeted strategy: Mendieta and the other two were essentially cannon fodder. Even if they received cards, it didn't matter as long as it wasn't a red card. Valencia could accept it. However, Baraja and Albelda had to avoid yellow cards. If both holding midfielders were booked, the defensive strategy would need to be adjusted.

Valencia's approach was understandable.

What Aldrich was more concerned about was how Valencia planned to counter-attack.

In the first leg at home, they had four chances to shoot. Would Cooper really overlook that?