The first half was incredibly difficult for the Watford players.
One could even say that only conceding two goals to Sunderland was fortunate for Watford.
For 45 minutes, Sunderland played as if it were a half-field offensive and defensive drill, constantly pressing Watford's goal.
Watford, on the other hand, had no opportunities for counterattacks and zero shots on goal.
Sunderland's offense captivated the fans in the stands, who cheered repeatedly with every Sunderland player's breakthrough and shot.
Fans naturally love to see such exhilarating attacking performances, and it's even better if the team playing such beautiful football is the one they support.
When the referee finally blew the whistle for halftime, the Watford players, relieved, rushed off the field like a flash.
Even though they knew there was still a second half to endure, at that moment, they didn't want to stay on the field for another second!
Zhao Zhao also followed everyone towards the player tunnel.
Then he heard shouts coming from the stands:
"Zhao Zhao!"
"Zhao Zhao!"
"Coach Zhao!"
Unlike the foreign accents, these voices were clear and authentic Chinese!
Zhao Zhao looked in the direction of the sound and, sure enough, there were rows of fans from China.
They were also holding signs with Chinese characters, declaring themselves fans of Zhao Zhao.
What caught Zhao Zhao's eye even more were the brightly dressed female fans.
They seemed even more enthusiastic than the male fans!
Seeing Zhao Zhao look at them, the female fans frantically waved at him, some even screaming:
"Zhao Zhao, look this way!"
"Handsome, give me an autograph!"
"Husband, I'm here!"
Zhao Zhao could only wave back at them, smiling and greeting, "Hello, everyone!"
Then he walked over and began taking pens from the fans and signing various items they handed him.
Cardboard, jerseys, scarves...
However, Zhao Zhao treated everyone equally, signing for each one.
The situation quickly attracted the attention of nearby fans, and more fans surged towards them.
This time, it wasn't just fans from China; many blonde, blue-eyed female fans also rushed over.
The items for signing became even more varied, including underwear and bras...
One tall, well-endowed female fan, wearing a midriff-baring Sunderland jersey, even took advantage of Zhao Zhao's distraction and kissed him directly on the cheek!
Zhao Zhao was startled at first, then still displayed his charming smile:
"Alright, I still need to prepare for the second half, so that's all for today."
Then he waved to everyone and walked towards the player tunnel.
Only then did he realize that a slip of paper had been slipped into his palm at some point.
Opening it, he saw it was clearly a phone number.
A heart shape was drawn next to the number, along with a message: "You're welcome to find me anytime."
It seemed it was from the female fan just now.
These foreign women are really open...
How could I, Coach Zhao, be such a casual person?
Zhao Zhao lightly coughed, carefully folded the note, tucked it into his pocket, and continued forward.
Behind him, he could faintly hear Chinese female fans cursing in Chinese:
"Damn, these British vixens! How dare they openly flirt with our Zhao Zhao!"
"Maybe it's because Zhao Zhao is even more handsome than he looks on TV, so they couldn't resist? Why are these foreigners so shameless?"
"Exactly! I wish I had rushed up and kissed him too..."
"..."
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In fact, Zhao Zhao made no adjustments to the lineup or tactics during halftime.
He merely encouraged everyone to keep up the good work, and then they went straight into the second half.
This was because he could tell that Watford had lost all their fighting spirit.
As long as Sunderland continued to play as they did in the first half, winning the match would be no problem.
Meanwhile, on another field, the match between Swansea and West Bromwich Albion was making the Watford side even more restless.
The visiting West Bromwich Albion team, thanks to a connection between two former Manchester United players, led 1-0 at halftime!
In the 33rd minute, Fletcher assisted Evans, who scored with a header!
This meant that if Swansea lost, the match here would become completely irrelevant.
This made their Coach Mazzarri even more confident that no matter how they played today, they would successfully avoid relegation!
And this mindset, reflected on the field, made the match even more one-sided.
On one side, there was no fighting spirit, while on the other, there was a relentless attack to play a beautiful final match in front of the home fans!
And the goals came as expected.
In the 69th minute, Sunderland launched an attack from midfield.
Januzaj passed the ball to the wing, and Borini used his speed to get past the opposing full-back's defense; just as the opposing center-back Britos was about to close him down, he used a clever outside-of-the-foot pass to give the ball to the surging striker Defoe in the center.
Defoe first shielded the ball, while observing his teammates' runs.
Just then, Januzaj had quietly surged forward from the back, his position unmarked.
Defoe understood perfectly, delivering a precise through ball that pierced the opponent's defense.
Januzaj met the ball, and facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he calmly chipped it with the top of his foot; the ball arced beautifully over the goalkeeper's head and nestled into the net.
3-0!
This beautiful goal made the Stadium of Light erupt once again!
However, what made the Watford players more anxious was not this goal.
Because just three minutes later, a goal was scored on another field.
It was the Swansea players who scored!
Llorente assisted, and Jordan Ayew scored, leveling the score!
It could be said that at this point, whether it was Watford's players, Coach, or fans, their minds were completely off the Stadium of Light.
The 0-3 score had made them completely give up on this match, and they had entrusted their fate entirely to the other match being played in Wales!
But unfortunately, the world is so cruel; if you don't seize opportunities yourself, those opportunities often go to those who are better prepared.
In the 86th minute, Swansea scored again!
This time, substitute Narsingh delivered a pass, assisting the tall striker Llorente, who scored with a header.
Swansea led West Bromwich Albion 2-1!
At this point, Coach Mazzarri truly became anxious.
He made three consecutive substitutions, bringing on three strikers, hoping to make one last push in the final few minutes.
Not to mention the huge score difference of 0-3, the situation on the field at this point was already beyond his control.
As a result, because Watford was too eager to push forward, their defense became even more exposed.
In the 90th minute, O'Shea received a pass from Januzaj and headed the ball into Watford's goal again, sealing the score at 4-0.
The final whistle blew.
The entire Stadium of Light, filled with Sunderland fans, erupted in jubilation.
Watford, on the other hand, was utterly dejected and lost.
They had actually been relegated!