The truth about Maresca s rage: VAR missed judgment + physical collapse, Blues road to promotion hidden opportunity to kill

When the electronic timing card jumped to 120 minutes, the cold air of London's winter night was steaming on the turf of Stamford Bridge. The moment Palmer knelt on the ground and kissed the team logo, the broadcast camera suddenly tangled to the sidelines - Chelsea coach Maresca was gaunting fiercely at the fourth official, and the Italian's iconic short silver-gray hair shook violently in the spotlight. Behind this 3-2 overtime win, the score was far more thrilling. The controversial penalty in the 87th minute of the game became a turning point. Benfica winger Dias dribbled into the penalty area and fell after having physical contact with Cucurella. The referee Maziniak refused to award a penalty, and VAR still maintained the original judgment after intervening. Slow motion shows that the Spanish defender's right hand does push and shoved. Premier League legend Carragher said bluntly in the live broadcast room: "It's like throwing a coin into the air, and the whole of Europe is waiting for the landing result. "

overtime changes suddenly, and Chelsea showed the depth of the terrifying bench. In the 112th minute, Chukvimeka, who had just appeared on the bench for 7 minutes, gave a precise pass, and Palmer's final score in a hat-trick ignited the whole audience. But the broadcast camera captured a strange scene: instead of celebrating, Maresca angrily kicked the mineral water bottle and competed "pause" gesture at the assistant team. Sky Sports commentator exclaimed: "The Italian coach seems to be not satisfied with the final goal! "

At the post-match press conference, Maresca was furious: "We played stupid football for 120 minutes! " His spearhead was directed at the players' tactical execution mistakes. Data shows that the Blues' running distance in the whole game is 8 kilometers less than their opponents, and the success rate of key passes plummeted to 63%. What's even more fatal is that the main players such as Rees James and Enzo Fernandez had extreme data with a heart rate of more than 190 times per minute, and their physical collapse directly led to the loss of two goals in stoppage time.

This miserable victory exposed three major hidden dangers of the Blues: the turning speed of the elderly defense line was repeatedly broken by Dias, and the 35-year-old Thiago Silva lost seven times in a single game to a season high; the midfield control declined, and Kesedo's interceptions plummeted 40% from the season average; the most fatal thing was set-piece defense, and Benfica's expected goal value created by using corner kicks was as high as 1.7. If goalkeeper Peterlovic had not saved the game bravely, the Blues would have already swallowed the bitter fruit.

It is interesting to note that UEFA technical report shows that Maresca has used the "3-2-5" life-threatening formation in overtime, which is very different from its usual 4-3-3 system. Football tactical analyst Wenger pointed out: "The Italians may be experimenting with new play, but the cost is too expensive." Although the Blues advanced to the semi-finals, dissatisfaction has been heard in the locker room. Palmer was photographed with a subtle picture of refusing to quiver the coach after the game.

Technical statistics highlights:

possession rate: Chelsea 52% vs Benfica 48%

positive shots: 9-8 (Chelsea is in the front)

Corner kick: 5-7

Fouls: 14-19

Yellow card: 3-4