68: The Red Devil's Awakening

The fifteen-minute halftime break felt like a brief respite in a long war.

In the away team's locker room, Ferguson spat out his chewing gum and used his famous "hairdryer" treatment to blow away the players' first-half carelessness.

Meanwhile, in the home team's locker room, Old John stammered as he relayed Lin Feng's encouragement. The players' taut nerves relaxed slightly, but the fire in their eyes burned even brighter.

The second half began with teams switching sides.

The fourth official held up the substitution board on the sidelines.

A red number—7—lit up on the small electronic board.

Cristiano Ronaldo took off his training top. As he stretched his wrists, he scanned the field with the corner of his eye, an undisguised arrogance and focus on his sharply defined face.

The atmosphere at Victoria Park instantly changed.

A hint of awe and fear mingled with the home fans' shouts.

That name, in itself, represented a force.

Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance was like pouring an entire barrel of jet fuel onto an already scorching battlefield.

Manchester United's attack visibly became more Stereo and dangerous.

Cristiano Ronaldo received the ball on the right wing. His every touch seemed to announce his presence, and Danny Simpson had to stick close to him just to keep up with his rhythm.

In the fifty-fifth minute, Manchester United's patience paid off.

Paul Scholes received the ball in the center. He didn't even look up, just glanced with the corner of his eye, and then gently pushed it with the inside of his right foot.

The ball skimmed the grass, precisely cutting through Hartlepool United's midfield defense.

Wayne Rooney burst into action.

His tank-like strong body muscled away Chris Smalling, who was relentlessly chasing him. Smalling gave his all, almost hanging on Rooney, his arms and shoulders tightly intertwined, but still couldn't stop the latter from charging into the penalty area.

From an almost impossible angle on the right side of the box, Rooney didn't even adjust his steps, directly twisting his body and unleashing a powerful shot!

The ball, like a white meteor, whistled over Schmeichel's head, smashing into the near post!

Zero to one!

Manchester United finally broke the deadlock.

The singing at Victoria Park paused for a moment, then was replaced by a collective sigh of helplessness. But only a few seconds later, the fans started singing again, with a hint of tragedy in their voices, but still cheering for their team.

In the VIP box, Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. He simply picked up the intercom and calmly told Old John on the other end: "John, put Gylfi on, replace Gary."

A few minutes later, Hartlepool United also made a substitution. Gylfi Sigurdsson replaced the defensive midfielder Gary Liddle, who was almost cramping from exhaustion.

The team needed to attack, needed someone who could create a miracle.

Hartlepool United's players were not defeated by the goal conceded; instead, their fighting spirit was ignited, a madness born from being pushed to the brink.

In the sixty-fifth minute, Jordan Henderson, with a fierce but clean tackle in midfield, dispossessed Michael Carrick.

He sprang up from the grass, without a moment's hesitation, looked up, and unleashed a long pass with his right foot!

The ball arced high through the air, crossing more than half the field, flying towards the attacking third!

Jamie Vardy burst into action!

He instantly shook off the defender beside him. His raw explosiveness left even world-class center-back Nemanja Vidić behind!

Vardy sprinted into the penalty area with the ball. Only the onrushing goalkeeper Kuszczak and the desperately backtracking Rio Ferdinand remained in front of him.

Vardy didn't attempt a dribble, nor did he slow down at all. Instead, he calmly picked his spot and unleashed a powerful shot!

The ball skimmed the grass, slipped under Kuszczak's armpit, and rolled fiercely into the net!

One to one!

The entire Victoria Park Stadium exploded at that moment!

Fans leaped from their seats, wildly embracing, screaming, waving their scarves. The whole stadium seemed to be shaking violently!

In the commentary box, Martin Tyler excitedly shouted: "Unbelievable! Jamie Vardy! He's scored again! Hartlepool United have equalized!"

"Victoria Park has completely turned into an ocean of joy! Sir Alex Ferguson's face is grim!"

Roy Keane couldn't help but exclaim: "This kid is a natural-born scorer! His speed and desire to shoot are too strong!"

Sir Alex Ferguson on the sidelines indeed roared at his defense, his face flushed red, his chewing gum clattering loudly.

However, the balance of the match lasted for less than ten minutes.

In the seventy-third minute, Cristiano Ronaldo received a pass from Giggs on the right wing.

He used his signature, dazzling step-over move to completely throw Matty Robson off balance.

Robson had given his all, but he was like a child chasing his own shadow, every tackle missing its mark.

Cristiano Ronaldo cut inside, entering shooting range. From the edge of the penalty area, he suddenly unleashed a powerful long-range shot!

The ball carried a strong dipping curve through the air, unpredictable, like a precision-guided Tomahawk missile, heading straight for the goal!

Kasper Schmeichel made a diving save, his body stretching to its limit in the air, his fingertips even touching the ball, but the immense power still caused the ball to change direction and bounce into the net!

One to two! Manchester United took the lead again!

This goal virtually sealed Hartlepool United's fate. Although Lin Feng sent on target man Kevin Kyle at the last minute, attempting to create a miracle with aerial balls, Manchester United's experienced defense gave their opponents no further chances.

At the final whistle, Hartlepool United lost at home to Manchester United by a score of one to two, unfortunately stopping at the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The players collapsed on the grass, their faces etched with disappointment and unwillingness, sweat and tears mingling.

But not a single fan at Victoria Park left.

They all stood up, giving their heroes a thunderous ovation that lasted for several minutes.

Hartlepool United's players stood up, heads held high, walking towards the stands, tapping their chest badges, accepting the fans' tribute. They were defeated but glorious.

After the match, Sir Alex Ferguson voluntarily walked to Hartlepool United's dugout, shook hands with Old John, and uncharacteristically told the unknown coach: "You played very well, very resilient. Your team has a lot of potential."

He also specifically walked among the players, patting Vardy and Schmeichel on the shoulders, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Lin Feng watched all of this calmly from the VIP box.

Although this defeat was regrettable, it also made him more clearly aware of the true gap between his team and top giants.

He was not discouraged; instead, he became even more determined to build Hartlepool United into a world-class powerhouse.