The new League One season will officially kick off on August 11th. Cambridge United’s first match will be an away game at Kenilworth Road, against Luton, a team that has been in League One for many years. Cambridge United fans will have to wait until the second round of the League to see Cambridge United at Abbey Stadium.
In July, Cambridge United arranged 5 friendly matches, basically maintaining a rhythm of one match per week, to help the new teammates integrate into the team's overall tactics as quickly as possible.
The team's performance was decent, with wins and losses against various teams. Tadić continued his good performance from last season, making Huang Hao full of expectations for him in the new season.
On August 11th, Cambridge United still maintained its habit of arriving at the stadium on the day of the match, and this did not change just because they were promoted to English League One. After all, a car ride of just over an hour is not a burden for professional players.
Kenilworth Road, located in the residential area of Luton, has 10,356 seats, 2,000 more than Abbey Stadium. The stadium is composed of 5 stands, including the Kenilworth Road Stand, the Oak Road Stand, and the Main Stand. The stadium is surrounded by residential areas, and one needs to enter the stands via a suspended staircase through private houses, leading fans to jokingly say, “Henry has to go through a backyard to get in.”
The 87-88 season was Luton’s most glorious period. They won the only trophy in the team's history by defeating Arsenal 3-2 in the League Cup final.
Unfortunately, good times did not last long. Luton soon began a cliff-edge decline due to poor management, being relegated in the 1991-1992 season, missing out on being a Premier League founding member, falling into the third-tier League in 1996, and even being relegated to the fourth-tier League in 2001!
Although Cambridge United had a dreamlike performance in League Two last season, the media still favored Luton to secure a smooth first win of the season.
Huang Hao and his players were used to this. Huang Hao only told the players one thing: play freely and express yourselves!
British summer is Huang Hao's favorite season. Today, it was only 16 degrees in Luton, with no summer mugginess at all. The gentle breeze on his face made Huang Hao feel quite good.
At 3:00 PM, the match officially began. Over 8,300 fans poured into the stadium today, most of whom were Luton supporters. However, Cambridge United’s first League One match in over 15 years also attracted about 500 fans who drove from Cambridge to watch.
Luton fans were very optimistic about the outcome of this match, as the team had been struggling in League One for several seasons, and their first match was against a newly promoted team. It seemed like a good opportunity to get off to a winning start.
Just one minute into the game, Luton began to attack Cambridge United's territory. Boyd received the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Since he was unmarked, he did not rush to pass, but chose to break forward. Just as he adjusted and was about to cross, Sterri quickly arrived and directly tackled him to the ground!
After getting up, Boyd immediately waved his hands, indicating it was a foul, but Sterri had already firmly intercepted the ball, clearly a very good tackle.
Sterri had no time to argue and immediately kicked the ball long to the front! At this point, most of Luton's players were still pressing in Cambridge United's half!
After Tadić caught up with the ball, he immediately kicked it to the center! Dzeko was lurking in front of the penalty area! And at this moment, all the retreating Luton players were left behind!
At this moment, Dzeko only had the goalkeeper in front of him! After catching up with the ball, he took a powerful shot!!!
Luton's goalkeeper, Boenham, leaped into the air, fully stretched his body, and tipped the ball out of bounds with his palm!!!
A huge groan instantly erupted in the stadium. Luton fans wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, not expecting Cambridge United's first attack to be so threatening.
Subsequently, Luton also returned a one-on-one chance to Cambridge United. Tyreese used his speed in the front field to shake off MacKenzie's defense! He drove the ball rapidly towards Cambridge United's penalty area! MacKenzie used all his strength but could only barely keep up with Tyreese's pace!
After entering the penalty area, Tyreese took a low shot, which Pantilimon, who quickly went to ground, blocked. Longolo, who arrived, immediately kicked the ball out of bounds!!!
This time, Luton fans gave their players loud applause to encourage them!
Two minutes later, Vardy received a corner kick from Grove and took a powerful shot! The ball was once again saved by goalkeeper Boenham. Sager's follow-up shot hit the outside of the goalpost and bounced out of bounds!
Fans gradually realized that this newly promoted team was not the pushover they imagined. After all, it seemed that Cambridge United was currently dominating the field...
Just as the fans were a bit doubtful, Luton won their first corner kick of the game.
White spotted his teammate's position in the penalty area and directly lofted the ball to the near post! Dalby understood perfectly and made a diving header! This time, the ball finally pierced through Pantilimon's grasp!!! 1-0!!!
Kenilworth Road instantly erupted in huge cheers! Luton shook off the frustration of being suppressed at the start and taught the newly promoted team a lesson!
Huang Hao stood with his hands in his pockets, not overly flustered. The team was not facing adversity for the first time. If he were to throw a fit just because they conceded a goal after 12 minutes, it would only make the players on the field at a loss.
At 37 minutes, Luton still maintained their lead. The team was organizing a new wave of attack, preparing to break through Cambridge United's defense again.
Luton's attack was still planned from the left wing. Just as White was about to pass the ball to Boyd, Bennett, a new addition to Cambridge United this summer, accurately judged the passing lane and intercepted the ball midway!
After the ball was intercepted, it stopped about a meter from Bennett. After catching up with the ball, Bennett directly took a powerful shot, kicking the ball forward!
Dzeko and Vardy started simultaneously, running towards Luton's penalty area, one on the left and one on the right! Luton's two center-backs were clearly unable to keep up with their speed!
Dzeko gently brought the ball down with his toe, once again facing Boenham one-on-one!
This time, Dzeko did not miss the opportunity. He took a low shot with his right foot towards the near post. Boenham stood still, and before he could make a move, the ball had quickly found its way into the net!!! 1-1!!!
Kenilworth Road was unusually quiet, except for the away team's fan section. Scattered curses then erupted, clearly some fans venting their dissatisfaction with Luton's defenders.
At halftime, the score remained 1-1. Everyone watching the match realized that it would likely not be easy for Luton to win their opening match today.
After a short break, both teams reappeared at Kenilworth Road. After Cambridge United kicked off, they immediately brought the battle into Luton's half. Left-back Mark Bola had already entered the half, and after receiving a pass from Grove, seeing no one marking him, he directly unleashed a powerful shot from 30 meters out!
This powerful shot went straight for the bottom left corner of Luton's goal. Boenham quickly went to ground, barely tipping the ball onto the post and out of bounds!!!
Boenham, who stood up, immediately waved his arms vigorously forward, reminding his teammates to concentrate and mark the opposing players! Clearly, he was the busiest person on the field today!
However, Boenham's reminder did not awaken his teammates. Just 9 minutes into the second half, Cambridge United began a series of passes in Luton's half! Although Luton's defenders numbered 7 at this point, the Cambridge United players involved in the attack also reached a terrifying 8!
Bola and Bennett integrated well into the team's system. After a series of clever combinations, Bennett pushed the ball to the center, and Vardy took a shot!!!
As Boenham's airborne body slid towards the right side of the goal, the ball was already resting quietly inside the net! Cambridge United took the lead! 1-2!
If they were to be trampled by a newly promoted team in the first round, everyone at Luton would surely lose face. So, the players intensified their offense and launched a counterattack against Cambridge United! Cambridge United also used sharp counter-attacking tactics, causing Luton much suffering! Especially Boenham, who made high and low saves, becoming the busiest person on the field!
The match, with both sides trading blows, had reached the 70th minute. What no one expected was that the final 20 minutes would turn into a goal-scoring frenzy!
White was one of Luton's best-performing players in this match. When Luton once again launched an attack on Cambridge United's goal, White charged forward and quickly received a pass from his teammate!
White, without stopping, headed straight for the edge of Cambridge United's penalty area! Longolo and Bola quickly moved towards White simultaneously, forming a pincer movement around him!
White suddenly pulled the ball back and began to dribble horizontally, attempting to move into his most comfortable area to cross! Longolo and Bola immediately got up and chased after him!
Suddenly, White flicked the ball in the opposite direction with his heel! He deceived both Longolo and Bola! And chasing from behind them at that moment was Luton's forward Dalby!!!
White, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, precisely passed the ball to Dalby. Facing the rapidly retreating Bola, Dalby was not greedy and immediately played the ball to the right wing. Then Brangna crossed the ball! Suxi jumped high and headed the ball out of bounds!
Luton fans immediately gave White enthusiastic applause and began singing a song modified for him!
“We have a great left winger, his name is White ~ He has a golden left foot, bringing us the light of victory! Ole ole!”
Amidst the fans' cheers, White once again stood over the ball, taking the corner kick. He glanced at the crowd, quickly took the kick, and sent the ball to the far post!
The ball, like a precise cannonball, accurately landed on the head of Luton defender Hansen. Hansen, who barely jumped, headed the ball directly into the top corner of the goal!! 2-2!!! Luton equalized!
The excited Hansen ran towards White, putting his hand to his ear, tilting his head, wanting to hear the fans' cheers! And Luton fans responded to Hansen by shouting his name at an extremely high decibel!
White, who seemed to be divinely assisted, left Huang Hao somewhat helpless. Although the team had consistently dominated the field, conceding two goals from set pieces was not part of his plan.
At 75 minutes, Luton's long pass was a bit too strong, and Sterri stopped the ball, then made a through pass to Bennett. The 18-year-old Bennett showed no fear in his first official match.
After a quick assessment of the situation, he directly lofted the ball into Luton's penalty area! Vardy instinctively charged into the box, extended his left foot to bring the ball down, and followed up with a powerful right-footed shot! The ball once again slammed hard against the goalpost!!!
However, the rebounding ball happened to land at the feet of Lewandowski, who had been substituted on 38 seconds earlier! Lewandowski took a half-turn and curled a shot. Boenham, who was still on the ground from the previous save, once again watched helplessly as the ball found its way into his net! 2-3! Just 5 minutes later, Cambridge United took the lead again!
This time, Huang Hao could not contain his excitement and performed a boxing combination on the sidelines to celebrate this golden goal! He paid no attention to the Luton Head Coach's strange look!
Luton, who was also somewhat enraged at this point, secretly held their breath and did not give up because of this conceded goal!
Just 4 minutes later, Hansen received the ball in his own half and quickly passed it to the front. Lann, who had come on as a substitute, used his excellent stamina to quickly shake off Longolo's defense! Facing Pantilimon, the young Lann quickly dribbled past the goalkeeper!
Kenilworth Road once again erupted in madness! After Lann scored into an empty net, he equalized the score at 3-3! The pace of the game changed so rapidly that it exceeded Huang Hao's imagination! The contest between the two teams had entered a white-hot phase!
In the 80th minute of the match, within a short 10-minute span, both teams scored 3 goals! In the previous 70 minutes, there had only been a total of 3 goals!
In the 85th minute, Cambridge United earned a corner kick. Luton's White had scored two goals against Cambridge United from set pieces, and Grove was clearly not convinced, as Cambridge United was the team that scored the most from set pieces (last season). Facing Luton's tall and strong center-backs, Grove directly kicked the ball into the big penalty area!
It was Cole again, with a powerful volley, the ball soaring into the top corner of the goal! 3-4! Cambridge United took the lead again!
Kenilworth Road had fallen silent for the fourth time, but this time, the match had reached the 85th minute, with only 5 minutes remaining until the end. Could Luton still equalize?
Time was ticking by, and the match had entered its final injury time. All of Luton's fans were now standing to watch the game, and Cambridge United fans' hearts were in their throats. Fifteen years, only the final few seconds separated Cambridge United from their first victory since returning to League One after 15 years!
Huang Hao on the sidelines was equally nervous and excited. The last time he felt this way was during the EFL Trophy final.
Just then, Luton got another corner kick, and this should be Luton's last chance!
Some timid Cambridge United fans even covered their eyes, daring not to watch anymore!
White was still taking the corner kick! At this moment, Cambridge United's penalty area was filled with tension, and players from both sides were constantly pulling at each other! Luton's tall center-back Nelson was using his body to block MacKenzie! MacKenzie, who was inferior in both height and weight to his opponent, was desperately trying to squeeze in front of Nelson!
Just then, White's ball came whistling in from the corner flag! MacKenzie, whose position was blocked by Nelson, was completely unable to jump!
Nelson leaped high into the air! Like a mountain, he soared in front of MacKenzie!
Pantilimon gave his all but could not stop Nelson's attempt on goal! 4-4!!!
After a brief silence, Kenilworth Road erupted in a roar like an earthquake, with cheers like mountains and seas! Huang Hao finally slumped into the dugout, shaking his head helplessly.
Nelson, like a hero who had saved the entire city, stood on the sidelines, receiving celebrations from fans and teammates!
Cambridge United's players, as if they had lost an important match, all hung their heads, especially MacKenzie, who had been out of position at the end, tears almost welling up in his eyes.
Referee Tim blew the final whistle immediately after Luton finished celebrating. Cambridge United failed to secure the 3 points they desired, engaging in a goal-fest with Luton at Kenilworth Road, and ultimately shaking hands with their opponent.
Huang Hao patted MacKenzie's head and told him it wasn't his fault. He then encouraged the players to lift their heads, as the team had already shown everyone through this match that Cambridge United should not be underestimated, and besides, a draw was not unacceptable!