Chapter 270 Referee Down

The Napoli commentators and fans were happy with the draw because it was enough to guarantee them first place in the group.

But the Lyon players and fans all looked gloomy because they knew that a draw would not guarantee them a place in the group.

They now had nine points. Just one more point would make it ten. And if Zenit St. Petersburg beat Liverpool, they would also have ten points. In the event of a tie, the head-to-head record is compared first. The two teams also had the same head-to-head record, with one win and one loss each. If the head-to-head record is the same, then the goal difference between the two sides is compared. If the goal difference is also the same, then the side with the away goals takes precedence over the other.

Lyon beat Zenit St. Petersburg 1:0 at home. But back at their home stadium, Zenit St. Petersburg returned the favor with a 2:0 victory. This way, Zenit St. Petersburg would lead in goal difference. Their ranking would surpass Zenit St. Petersburg, giving them second place in the group and a place in the Champions League Round of Sixteen. And Lyon? They could only go to the UEFA Cup!

This fact made many Lyon fans sweat…

Now, at Anfield, there was no news yet. No one knew how that game was going.

They could only play their own game well.

If Zenit lost to Liverpool, then even if Lyon lost, it wouldn't matter. They would enter the Round of Sixteen, but as the second-place team in the group. They might draw a strong team in the draw…

In order to keep their destiny firmly in their own hands, they had to win!

But looking at Napoli's current momentum… Lyon's fans couldn't help but mutter.

Can we win?

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Napoli, who had equalized, were particularly energetic. They seemed to have already seen victory. Their offensive was unrelenting, launching wave after wave of attacks on Lyon's half.

Napoli's defense might be mediocre, but in terms of offensive ability, they were confident that they could occupy a place in Europe.

The trident alone was already very fierce, and Hamsik was in the back to command.

In addition, Maggio was a defender who combined offense and defense, and Sanchez on the bench was also very powerful, a genius.

With such a lineup, if Napoli really went crazy, even a defensively stable team like Inter Milan would have to admit defeat.

Could anyone stop them?

Yes, the referee!

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When De Jong competed with Pjanic for a high ball, he headed the ball away, but at the same time, Pjanic lost his balance and fell to the ground due to the physical contact. Referee Svensson's whistle blew.

"De Jong fouled in the header duel! But he looks very aggrieved…"

When Arshavin was defending, he got entangled with Bastos, who was dribbling the ball. Both of them had moves with their hands. In the end, Arshavin stole the ball, while Bastos fell to the ground.

The referee's whistle blew decisively again.

Arshavin fouled! He was judged to have pulled someone.

Arshavin shook his head helplessly.

Not long after, Hamsik was controlling the ball in midfield when Toulalan squeezed him from behind and lost possession. The referee signaled for the game to continue…

In fact, referee Svensson was doing it very discreetly. Judging from the results, he wasn't only biased towards Lyon. He would still judge Lyon for fouls, and there were quite a few times.

But only the players on the field could feel the difference—at those critical moments, such as when a great offensive opportunity might arise, Lyon lost the ball, and the referee would call a foul on Napoli, returning possession to Lyon. Although Lyon lost the initiative of the attack, at least they wouldn't be immediately hit with a counterattack, greatly increasing the safety factor.

And on Napoli's side, it was the opposite. Many unimportant physical collisions were judged as fouls by Lyon, but Napoli did not benefit from this. And once it came to a critical moment, Lyon used a suspected foul to intercept the ball, and the referee immediately showed no expression.

"This damned thing is here again!" After being judged for a pulling foul, Cassano spat.

The Napoli players were very clear that seeing Napoli tie the score, that big shot in the stands couldn't sit still…

Chen Yingxiong was not angry, but grinned.

"Isn't this great? This shows that he doesn't like us tying the score. I like to do things that others don't want to see. The more he doesn't like it, the more I want to do it!" He patted Cassano on the shoulder. "Score another goal and kill that son of a bitch!"

He said the last sentence in his hometown dialect. Cassano didn't understand, but it didn't matter. He knew that Chen Yingxiong was now high-spirited and murderous.

That was enough.

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Because the referee always favored Lyon on some key calls, Napoli's counterattack momentum was curbed…

The support Chen Yingxiong received in the front line declined sharply.

Chen Yingxiong realized that the referee was an obstacle they couldn't get around. If this wasn't resolved, this game would be a dark one to the end…

But what could he do? He couldn't just punch him and knock him down, right? If he did, he wouldn't be able to play anymore. A five-game ban would be considered light…

Struggle requires strategy.

What strategy…

Looking at the referee's back, Chen Yingxiong's eyes suddenly lit up.

Since no one can get you, you son of a bitch, sent off, then I'll act on behalf of Heaven and use my own way to get you sent off!

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"Chris fouled by pulling Chen Yingxiong in the header duel… Svensson awarded Napoli a free kick in midfield…"

This was a typical "irrelevant" foul and penalty. So far from the goal, even if Napoli got a free kick, they would have to reorganize their attack, while Lyon's players had returned to their defensive positions.

Svensson seemed selfless, impartial, and unbiased… But in reality? Everyone knew what was going on.

Hamsik was originally planning to run up and take the free kick, reorganize the attack…

Who would have thought that Chen Yingxiong, who had landed, would get up from the ground, quickly grab the ball, place it on the ground, and make a gesture to take a quick free kick!

At this time, referee Svensson was walking forward, with his back to Chen Yingxiong. He didn't see that behind him, a cannon was ready to fire!

"Napoli is taking a quick free kick? … Wait!"

In the commentator's incredibly surprised tone, Chen Yingxiong swung his right leg and kicked the ball hard.

The football roared away like a cannonball, and then… it hit Svensson in the back of the head!

The loud noise could be heard clearly even in the stands!

Svensson, who was hit in the back of the head, fell forward like a wooden man…

The whole place was in an uproar!

Yingxiong also showed a surprised look.

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When Napoli's goalkeeper, Iezzo, saw Chen Yingxiong kick the referee in the back of the head with a powerful shot, his heart tightened, and he suddenly sympathized with the referee… As a goalkeeper, he knew how terrifying a full-strength kick from Chen Yingxiong could be. In training, the last thing he wanted to save was Chen Yingxiong's long shot.

Not to mention how accurate his long shots were, just the power he shot out was almost a goalkeeper's nightmare.

Now, this ball hit the referee in the back of the head, that taste… tsk tsk.

When Cassano saw Chen Yingxiong kick the referee, he secretly praised: "That's dark enough! But I like it!"

Chen Yingxiong, who had hit someone, ran towards the referee in a panic, as if he was careless.

He wasn't going to comfort the referee. He ran over just to confirm the results of his kick. But he was pushed away by Lyon player Chris.

"You attacked the referee! You did it on purpose!" he roared at Chen Yingxiong.

Chen Yingxiong was stunned for a moment, and then defended himself loudly: "Purpose your sister! If you have the ability, kick someone in the back of the head on purpose and show me! This was just an accident! I'm also very sorry… but this was just an accident!"

This was indeed an accident. The surprised expression on Chen Yingxiong's face after hitting the referee was not fake. Because at first, he just wanted to hit Svensson to give him a warning. He was very confident in his full-strength kick, thinking that even if it hit his body, it would be enough to let Svensson rest for a while. He didn't expect his foot to be so accurate that it hit Svensson in the back of the head… So he was very surprised—damn it, Heaven has eyes! Even God can't stand it anymore!

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Chen Yingxiong's self-defense was very beneficial. In fact, Chris could only talk nonsense. He had no evidence to prove that Chen Yingxiong deliberately kicked Svensson in the back of the head. Not only him, but no one in the stadium would think that Chen Yingxiong could kick so accurately.

And there was also evidence to prove that Chen Yingxiong's quick free kick was reasonable, because at that time, Lyon's goalkeeper, Lloris, was standing relatively forward. Chen Yingxiong could completely explain that he was planning to directly lob the goal, which was why he took a quick free kick. It was common for a quick free kick to be taken at this position. There was nothing to be surprised about.

And it also happened from time to time that referees were hit by players on the field, and referees were accidentally injured. Just because the referee's penalty in this game was always against Napoli, it couldn't be said that Chen Yingxiong's kick was a wanton retaliation. If that was the case, it would be equivalent to admitting that they had a guilty conscience—if you were impartial, what would the other party retaliate against you for?

So this was an accident, but the Napoli fans and players were secretly cheering in their hearts.

We've been putting up with you for a long time! Now you've finally been punished! It's so satisfying!

So, regardless of whether Chen Yingxiong did it on purpose, Chen Yingxiong had become a hero in their minds who eliminated evil and maintained justice and world peace!

"Hey, Yingxiong!" Arshavin shouted. When Chen Yingxiong looked over, he winked at Chen Yingxiong.

Because there were many cameras filming the game from different angles in modern football games, every move you made in the game could be captured. So, in order to prevent Chen Yingxiong from being criticized after the game, although everyone was very happy, no one gave Chen Yingxiong a thumbs up.

Those old foxes had no expression on their faces, but they were secretly delighted. It could be seen from their excited clenched fists…

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The poor referee, Svensson, didn't get up. He was knocked unconscious by Chen Yingxiong…

When the stretcher ran up and carried him down, he was still delirious and confused… Chen Yingxiong's kick had no less impact on him than a car accident.

It could be seen how angry Chen Yingxiong was.

After the stadium's medical officer checked the referee's condition, he shook his head and said to the fourth official standing next to him, "You'd better find a replacement…"

The fourth official was stunned. That kick was so powerful?

He suddenly thought of something… and frowned.

But at this time, he was the only one who could step up. He couldn't refuse this.

In the end, the fourth official bit the bullet and ran onto the field, temporarily filling in as the referee, replacing Svensson, who was accidentally kicked unconscious by Chen Yingxiong's powerful kick…

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Watching Svensson being carried down on a stretcher, and then the fourth official asking for equipment and running onto the field.

Platini's face in the stands was so gloomy that water could drip out of it…

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ps, Monthly tickets! I want monthly tickets!!!