It turned out that Gao Bo's choice was absolutely correct!
When Vardy sent the ball into Roma's net inside the penalty area, the stadium erupted.
Gao Bo rushed to the sideline, and the coaching staff members also rushed out.
The substitutes' bench was also in an uproar!
The players on the field also rushed out.
Vardy led the charge, crashing into Gao Bo's arms, knocking him to the ground, and then piling on top of him.
Griezmann and Adam followed closely...
The players from the bench also joined in the fun.
A group of people piled on top of each other on the sidelines, nearly suffocating Gao Bo at the bottom.
The dejected figures of the Roma players served as their backdrop!
...
"Great goal!!!"
Old Man Chen, far away in China, also stood up. He wanted to pick up his cane and wave it, but after seeing Old Mrs. Chen's gaze, he immediately composed himself, straightened his loose pajamas, and sat down.
Having taught and nurtured people his whole life, he had to maintain the image of a teacher.
"Go ahead and shout if you want, your daughter isn't here anyway," Old Mrs. Chen said, crossing her legs.
"Hehe... I've already shouted, no need to shout again..." The old man suddenly missed Li Yuanshan. Watching games with Yuanshan in the past, the old and the young were always more invested.
At this moment, the TV screen was replaying Luton's recent goal.
Adam first crossed from the left wing. After the ball was cleared, Griezmann dribbled directly into the penalty area and then passed it across!
Vardy, inside the box, got in front of the defender and poked the ball, which flew past the goalkeeper's defense and into the dead corner!
Three to one!!
"Beautiful!! Luton has completely exploded in the second half!"
The commentator's voice also came from the TV.
"The match has reached the seventy-fifth minute! Luton is already leading Roma by two goals!"
"Ranieri's team has suffered a brutal comeback on the road, but they still have fifteen minutes to prove themselves, to prove the strength of their Serie A giants!!"
However, does Roma really still have a chance?
Ranieri continued to send on a forward, Baptista came on!
Now Roma had three forwards just in the central area. It was time for Roma to go all out.
Even if Ranieri was conservative, at this moment he knew that for Roma, there was only one path left!
After all, losing by one goal was a loss, and losing by two goals was also a loss. It was better to push forward and gamble!
However, Luton was about to make a substitution!
With a two-goal lead, Gao Bo was very confident in preparing to withdraw his troops and defend in the backfield!
Hassan Ali came on, replacing Adam White!
However, Hassan was not playing in midfield this time, but at right-back.
Anyway, when defense needed to be strengthened, Gao Bo always liked to use Hassan, the versatile player.
As a result, the team's formation changed to 4-3-1-2, with three midfielders helping to defend in the center, while Vardy, Matt, and Griezmann also came back to press Roma's ball-holding players in midfield.
Facing Luton's compact defense, Roma also adopted the simplest long passes and crosses to attack.
Roma was no longer considering attacking efficiency; they needed attempts, enough attempts, and then they would rely on luck.
When Okaka headed a ball out of the goal in the penalty area, Gao Bo used his third substitution.
Joseph Ander!
He came on to replace Griezmann!
The team's formation reverted to 4-4-2.
Changing formations multiple times in a single match and using them skillfully is something that only high-level teams can achieve after solid training and cohesion.
By the time Luton completed their third substitution, the match had already reached the eighty-sixth minute.
Roma's desperate attacks in the final stages ultimately failed to score.
In the ninety-third minute of the match,
De Rossi's long-range shot from outside went over the bar.
The referee then blew the final whistle!
"Match over!! The match is over!!"
Accompanying the voice of Light Atkinson were thunderous cheers.
Luton fans were celebrating their victory once again against a powerhouse team.
"Another powerhouse team has fallen at Luton's feet! This team always gets fired up when facing those big teams!"
Luton's players raised their arms in celebration the moment the whistle blew.
Meanwhile, the Roma players, dejected, immediately left the field and returned to the locker room.
Every second spent in that stadium, tons of shame made the Roma players feel utterly humiliated!
The score of three to one left Roma speechless...
...
"The missed penalty put us on the back foot. Luton had good luck in the second half; their continuous attacks led to goals, and we were negligent in defense!"
Ranieri attended the post-match press conference with a cold expression.
"Luton is very close to qualifying from the group stage. They have won three consecutive matches and only need another three points to secure their qualification. For Roma, if they want to qualify from the Europa League group stage, then the next match will be absolutely crucial!" Ranieri's expression was very serious.
"I don't think we've qualified yet. There are still three rounds left in the group stage, and we need to take them seriously!"
"Do you think three consecutive losses are possible?"
"Of course, that's certainly possible. Three consecutive wins followed by three consecutive losses, that's certainly possible."
Gao Bo said at the post-match press conference.
"So we won't let go of any three points in the future. If possible, we don't want to lose any match!"
Gao Bo said.
...
Luton defeated Roma three to one. This ignited the enthusiasm of both sides' media.
In England, the media wasn't too surprised by Luton's home win against Roma, because Luton had already given everyone enough surprises last season.
"...Luton qualifying from the Europa League group stage? This isn't too surprising to me, actually. They have the strength. To be honest, I wouldn't even be surprised if they went further in the knockout stages!" The Daily Telegraph stated in its news.
Meanwhile, in Italy, the news of this match had already caused an uproar.
"...Losing away to Basel, losing away to a third-tier team Luton!! This Roma feels very unfamiliar to us, very, very unfamiliar! This should not be Roma's strength!! Do you remember what people said when the draw results came out? Back then, fans thought Roma had a good draw, that no team in this group could threaten them, but now after three group stage matches, the group standings are astonishing!! Luton with three consecutive wins and nine points in first place, Basel with six points in second, Roma with three points in third! If Roma continues in this form in the latter half, group qualification is simply impossible! And at that point, perhaps Roma's management should reconsider Ranieri's position as coach!" La Gazzetta dello Sport heavily criticized Roma's performance in its report.
And media from other parts of Italy mostly adopted a mocking tone; media from Milan and Turin have always been at odds with Roma.
Amidst all this commotion, everyone was quietly awaiting the next encounter between the two sides.
In the fourth round of the Europa League group stage, Roma will host Luton!