Time ticked away, minute by minute, and the score remained unchanged.
"Luton is completely suppressing Coventry, not something you often see in their matches," Letkinson commented. But his words weren't exactly accurate. In Epl Two, this is actually typical for Luton games. Most teams in the division have no choice but to play ultra-defensive against them. It's only in the FA Cup that Luton can show their attacking style comfortably.
Gao Bo remained calm on the sidelines as he glanced up at the big screen in the stadium.
Ten minutes left!!
Luton had pinned Coventry back for over ten minutes now. During this period, they had created multiple chances, but unfortunately, none had been converted.
Coventry, however, didn't panic. They knew that with Luton's aggressive push, opportunities to counter would arise. Both teams still had the ability to threaten the opponent's goal.
The stalemate continued, right up until the 90th minute.
"Should we call them back now?" John asked, visibly worried.
Luton had been pressing with no result for a long time, and the game was nearing stoppage time.
A 1-1 draw wouldn't be the worst outcome for Luton, they could always go back home and take care of business in a replay.
"No!! Keep attacking!!" Gao Bo's tone was resolute. Three minutes of added time!
As he looked at the fourth official's board, Gao Bo clenched his teeth. Time was running out, if he could avoid a rematch, he would!
The match entered injury time.
Charlie Austin fired a shot in the box, blocked. Coventry immediately launched a counterattack!
But it was quickly intercepted by Kante in midfield. Kante had been outstanding this match, snuffing out several of Coventry's fast breaks.
Kante quickly passed the ball to Drinkwater, who was orchestrating the attack.
Drinkwater wasn't the most creative midfielder, but he was reliable, his passing solid and consistent.
He swung the ball wide to the feet of Kevin Keane.
The captain scanned the penalty area, then whipped in a cross.
By this point, Matt Schmidt had come onto the pitch, Luton's tall center forward. With him there, their aerial threat was greatly enhanced.
Matt didn't get to the ball, though, Coventry's center-back headed it away for a corner!
Corner kick!!
It was the 92nd minute, with barely a minute left in the game.
This could be Luton's last chance! On the sidelines, Gao Bo raised his right hand and pointed one finger to the sky.
That was the sign for a specific corner-kick routine they had practiced in training. He wanted them to execute it now!
Kevin Keane saw the signal and mimicked it.
Luton's center-backs came forward, while the full-backs stayed around midfield to cover.
"It's Luton's final attack, a corner!! The box is crowded, and Coventry can't afford to risk a counter now. Even their strikers have dropped back into the box to help defend!" Letkinson shouted, standing with the rest of the fans.
The broadcast zoomed in on Matt Schmidt, who was being tightly marked by two Coventry center-backs.
"Standing at 198 cm, Matt Schmidt is Gao Bo's go-to aerial weapon. He's a classic target man, and Coventry needs to keep a close eye on him, especially in set-pieces!"
Kevin Keane lowered his hands, took a deep breath, and looked ready to deliver the ball.
But before he could, a tussle broke out in the penalty area.
The referee ran in, blowing his whistle, and warned both Matt and Coventry's defender Dane, who were practically wrestling each other.
"Watch your hands! I'm keeping an eye on you!" the referee snapped.
"He pulled my shirt! Look!" Matt protested, pointing at the stretched fabric.
"You're no angel either!" Dane countered.
"No tricks in front of me!" the ref barked, then backed out of the box and blew his whistle again.
Gao Bo stood on the sideline, tense, eyes locked on the goal.
The box was a sea of bodies, but he wasn't looking at Matt now. He was watching Jeffrey, hidden just behind him.
With Matt on the pitch, defenders naturally focused on him. But Jeffrey, the Dutch center-back, was equally strong in the air, and arguably had better heading technique than Matt. Gao Bo was betting on that.
Kevin Keane began his run-up.
Matt ran back.
Jeffrey followed… then suddenly cut forward!
Kevin Keane whipped in a low, fast corner!
"The delivery is low… Jeffrey!!!! Brilliant!!!!" Letkinson exploded.
Jeffrey's unexpected forward movement caught the Coventry defense flat-footed. As they reacted too late, he rose and smashed a powerful header toward goal!
A textbook "backward header"! He didn't even need to jump, Kevin Keane's cross was perfectly timed and placed!
"Jeffrey!!!!! Brilliant!!! What a goal!! Luton snatches it at the death!!!" Letkinson screamed, leaping from his seat.
"It's the 92nd-minute goal!! Coventry 1 – 2 Luton!!!!!!"
As Jeffrey's header hit the back of the net, the Ricoh Arena was stunned into silence.
Jeffrey was buried under a pile of ecstatic teammates. Even the goalkeeper, Claude, ran all the way up the field to join the celebration!
They were through to the FA Cup semifinals! What a moment!!
Gao Bo jumped into the air and pumped his fist, his face contorted with joy, yelling with everything he had.
As he landed, he turned and saw the chaos behind the bench, assistant coaches Lin Sen and Mel hugging, John down on his knees, crying.
And Haruko running toward him.
Gao Bo grabbed Haruko in a hug before being swarmed by his staff and players.
This, this was the thrill of victory!!
He had done it!! He had led his team to the FA Cup semi-finals!!
Just one more win…
One more win to reach the final!!
Gao Bo was over the moon!