"Are we really letting them back into this?" Yves muttered as AEK pressed forward.
Stone stood beside him on the touchline, both men watching as three blue shirts surrounded Plašil near the halfway line. The Czech midfielder spun left and right, desperately seeking escape routes that seemed to vanish before he could exploit them.
AEK's formation had transformed entirely since the interval. Where five defenders had once protected their penalty area, now only three remained. The additional players hunted Monaco's possession like wolves, coordinated and ruthless in ways absent during the first forty-five minutes.
Plašil's escape came from quick thinking rather than skill. His pass found Bernardi ten yards away, the Italian midfielder already pivoting before the ball arrived. But Katsouranis was closing in fast, his boots thundering against the turf as he approached from behind.
