The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 194: A Night in Bergen

On Thursday night, at Brann Stadion in Bergen, Norway.

Having experienced the luxury of Manchester United's Old Trafford and the elegance of Anfield and St. James' Park, the Millwall players felt that this Brann Stadion—smaller in capacity than The Den—was clearly unworthy of its European competition status. Although the stands appeared full at first glance, with very few empty seats, the actual attendance was less than 15,000, including nearly 2,000 die-hard Brann fans who had traveled a long distance.

Most of the Nordic countries have vast expanses of land with sparse populations. Given Bergen's population of around 280,000, the number of people attending the match was, in fact, quite substantial, thanks to Brann's football fever.

Millwall fielded their strongest lineup today. Aldrich made a tactical change, substituting Ballack for Pirlo in midfield, shifting their conservative 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1 set-up focused on counterattacking.

Brann, on the other hand, adopted a 4-3-3 formation, utilizing three forwards, three parallel midfielders, and four defenders. It's common for Nordic teams to use speedy wingers, and their two-wing attack strategy is typical, even extending to their national team.

Aldrich took his place on the coaching bench as the match commenced, the crowd erupting in cheers. The atmosphere was electric, yet there were no altercations between the two sets of fans. Fans of Brann believed Millwall was not as strong as it claimed, while Millwall supporters looked down on Brann fans as unsophisticated, unable to grasp the beauty of real football.

If they were facing a prestigious rival, they would need to match momentum with strength, but against Brann? Competing with them seemed beneath their dignity.

Aldrich couldn't figure out why Calvinis, the opposition's coach, looked down on Millwall.

Was he trying to engage in psychological warfare?

Yet, He hadn't seen this kind of arrogant tactic of belittling the opponent before the match. Typically, psychological strategies involve underplaying oneself and adopting a modest demeanor, hoping the opponent underestimates you.

Perhaps it was related to Millwall's previous rounds of advancement; they had fielded mostly substitutes in earlier cup matches. In the last round, facing the Swiss powerhouse sion, they managed only a narrow victory, and the games were rather dull.

Now Aldrich had the chance to unleash his first team, and he brought everyone along. The players who wouldn't take the field were there just out of habit, adjusting to the rhythm of midweek travel. It wasn't necessary for everyone to play, but physically adapting was essential.

The European Cup Winners' Cup, although the second most prestigious club competition in Europe, lacks significant value. Labelled as the king of cups, its exclusivity feels diminished when only one cup champion from each country participates. Unless a reigning champion fails to secure a spot in the Champions League, they'll continue to compete in the Cup Winners' Cup. Domestic cup competitions are often fraught with unpredictability, compounded by the intense competition in mainstream leagues. It's not uncommon to see lower-tier clubs winning cup titles. Just imagine, if two or three cup winners are mid-tier teams in any of the top five leagues in one season, the following season's Cup Winners' Cup might feature few familiar traditional powers.

This contrasts greatly with the Champions League, where traditional clubs dominate their leagues firmly. While each league sends one club for participation in the Champions League, non-powerhouses rarely capture league titles each season. Thus, the Champions League maintains its high prestige. This phenomenon only began to shift in the years following Platini's attempts at balancing power in European football, implemented with "poverty alleviation" strategies.

Hence, with Millwall making it to the quarter-finals, they found themselves up against the relatively unknown Brann. Naturally, the opponent likely thought the same way; this was Millwall's first foray into European competition, and their reputation was not particularly stellar.

At the start, Millwall played cautiously, setting a slower pace while players adhered to Aldrich's mantra: defend first, then attack!

Brann came out fierce, with players confidently trustful of their technical skills. Wing players consistently attempted to dribble past defenders, hardly respecting Millwall.

Seeing the boldness of his opponents, Aldrich momentarily dismissed his earlier speculations.

This was not a smokescreen.

It was a genuine display of disdain!

A left-wing player from Brann plowed forward, intent on getting past Schneider. Though Schneider might have been overwhelmed by McManaman's tricky play, McManaman's ability to link up with the ball made him hard to mark. Once a defender committed, he could easily shift direction and go past them. Schneider was not like Thuram, who could simply outmuscle his way to effective defending. Even if he couldn't win the ball, he'd ensure that the opponent couldn't pass.

However, Schneider felt unafraid against the visible opening as the Brann player advanced. Anticipating the opponent's intent to go down the line, he swiftly spun and established his position. Making a half-turn to shield the ball, he shed the challenger effortlessly. Then he took a couple of dribbling strides before launching a precise long pass.

With Brann's formation pushed up, Shevchenko took off from the midfield as Schneider was about to pass. As the ball crossed the halfway line, Shevchenko dashed between the full-back and center-back gap. The ball bounced, and as Shevchenko caught up, he advanced a step, leaving Brann's entire defense in his wake.

He opted not to dribble further but instead played a low pass across to the center.

The ball rolled ahead of the recovering center-back and calmly found Trezeguet, who arrived on the scene between two defenders. Without taking a touch, he executed a smooth shot toward the far corner of the net.

The goalkeeper dove to block, but the shot's angle was too tricky. Despite his full stretch, he could only watch as the ball grazed the post and rolled into the back of the net.

Trezeguet celebrated by pointing at Shevchenko, running toward him as Millwall's fans erupted into joyful celebration.

"Millwall has scored... uh, they broke through Brann's defense with just two passes and one shot! Right-back Schneider launched a long ball, and right-winger Shevchenko, after receiving it, squared it to center-forward Trezeguet for a direct finish. It seems Millwall is indeed formidable. But is this strategy a bit too cautious? This looks a lot like English long ball football."

The Norwegian commentator awkwardly admitted the surprise. For the first ten minutes of the match, he had been praising Brann's attacking prowess while disparaging Millwall's conservatism. The sudden goal not only stunned Brann fans, but it left the commentator momentarily speechless.

After conceding at home, Brann launched a fierce counter-attack. Millwall's lead brought about a calmness among their players, who became even more relaxed in their performance. The on-field athletes quickly found their rhythm.

A penetrating pass from Brann's midfield was accurately intercepted by Makelele, who swiftly distributed the ball to Ballack, who then sent a through ball to Trezeguet, receiving it while turning away from goal, directing it to a speeding Nedved who was charging into the center.

The tenacious Czech sprinted forward, easily outpacing Brann's midfielders. As Nedved received the ball, he maintained his speed, breaking through Brann's defense on a clear run.

A powerful shot sent the ball crashing into Brann's net. In the 27th minute, Millwall led 2-0!

Brann players seemed utterly dumbfounded. Millwall switched effortlessly between attack and defense!

This left Brann's players struggling to keep up. From establishing a successful defense to quickly scoring on the counter-attack, Millwall's teamwork was simply unbelievable, especially the speed at which they transitioned without pausing on any player.

Brann's coach, Calvinus, was livid on the sidelines, unleashing his frustrations upon his players. Having conceded two goals at home meant that if they couldn't score back, their European journey would be all but over.

Aldrich remained seated on the bench. Truth be told, he hadn't studied Brann's match footage beforehand; he didn't regard it as looking down on his opponent. He simply felt it unnecessary, as Millwall's strength clearly surpassed that of Brann. He believed that as long as he was cautious tactically, he wouldn't encounter a catastrophe.

Had he ordered his players to go on the offensive from the start, things could have become complicated. No matter what, playing away in Europe required a defend-first, attack-later approach.

Every time Bran's players pushed forward aggressively, it seemed like their defensive weaknesses widened. Their attacking moves typically ended just outside the Millwall penalty area, and once they turned around, Millwall's swift counterattacks left their defense on the brink of collapse.

Larsson seemed to forget his shooting boots today, missing an open shot and sending another over the bar from the left side of the box.

"Is he intentionally underperforming?"

Aldrich turned to joke with Benitez.

It was rare for Benitez to show humor, but he replied, "Could be. Norway's right next to Sweden, and they were one back a century ago."

Perhaps it was due to the excessive scoring in the league, but while Millwall had been consistently winning or drawing, Larsson, always starting, had maintained an average of one goal per match, aided by the fact that all penalties were awarded to him. His league tally had reached an impressive number, making him a frontrunner for the Premier League golden boot. The only challenge remaining was to aim for the European golden boot. This year, the European golden boot adopted a points-based assessment which benefitted the mainstream league strikers somewhat compared to previous years. After all, prior to this system, strikers in smaller European leagues could achieve such staggering goal tallies that those in mainstream leagues could only envy.

Brann's players were scrambling between attack and defense, while Millwall appeared far more composed. Control of the match gradually shifted towards Millwall.

As the first half progressed, Millwall players noticed Brann faltering in their attacks, prompting the two full-backs to alternate pushing forward to support. Schneider received the ball on the right and breezed past Brann's left-back. Instead of crossing to the front, he sent it back to the edge of the penalty area. Nedved deftly flicked the ball with the top of his foot, causing defenders rushing toward him to brake suddenly. The ball was easily redirected to the side, where Ballack, finding the perfect opportunity, unleashed a long-range shot.

The quality of the long-range shot was exceptionally high, not just in speed but also in angle.

With a resounding thud, the ball struck the inner side of the goalpost and ricocheted into the net.

Ballack raised his fists in excitement. This was his first goal in European competition, and he was understandably thrilled.

"Millwall has scored a third goal! The first half isn't even over yet, but the suspense of progression seems to have dissipated. Brann and Millwall are clearly in different leagues. How did this English team emerge? I've never heard of such a strong team from England! Their players look like they're all top-tier talents, and Brann simply can't match them..."

The Norwegian commentator was feeling utterly defeated and frustrated. If it weren't for his respect for the hometown team, he might have slipped in a comment during the broadcast.

"Coach Calvinis, your pre-game bravado has only come halfway to fruition. Sure, in the first leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, Bran did put the suspense to rest at home, but going to London for the second leg, your team has no chance of turning it around."

Bran's coach Calvinis had slumped down in his seat, his team trailing by three goals with no strategy left. They couldn't break through, couldn't defend—should he just give up? Damn it, there's still a second half to play!

Damn those Millwall players—they're not the same crew that faced Sion last round!