Unlike his previous guidance to Pickford on saving a penalty, Zhao Zhao calling Defoe over this time was purely a psychological tactic.
In his many previous simulated matches, Ibrahimović had several penalty opportunities, and each time he shot towards the bottom right corner.
So, in the last simulation, Zhao Zhao tried to instruct Pickford to dive to that side, and it indeed succeeded!
Thus, Zhao Zhao replicated this in reality.
As for Defoe's penalties, they appeared three times in the simulation.
Well, in fact, Sunderland only scored three goals in the first nine simulations, and all three goals came from Defoe's penalties!
Defoe is indeed a very stable penalty taker; he easily scored all three times when facing De Gea, so Zhao Zhao did not interfere with him in the final simulation.
Speaking of De Gea, his reaction speed and goal-line saving ability are, of course, world-class, but saving penalties is not his forte.
In the 12th Europa League final, De Gea failed to save a single penalty, leading to Manchester United's loss in the penalty shootout.
During the 2018 World Cup, as Spain's starting goalkeeper, De Gea faced five penalties in the shootout against Russia, only diving in the correct direction once, with a save success rate as low as 8.3%...
It can be said that his performance in some key matches, especially in penalty shootouts, did not meet the standards of a top goalkeeper.
"You can shoot however you want; I believe you will definitely score. I called you over just to mess with their minds."
When Defoe came over, Zhao Zhao simply whispered these two sentences into his ear.
Defoe understood, but his face showed a serious expression, as if he was truly listening to Zhao Zhao's instructions, and then he ran back to Manchester United's penalty area.
Defoe was naturally clear about the situation on the field now.
From leading by two goals to being pulled back to one, and then both the Coach and the top scorer being sent off, all of this stemmed from Zhao Zhao's series of actions.
This caused subtle changes in the mindset of everyone at Manchester United, and it would also make all Manchester United players unconsciously focus their attention on Zhao Zhao.
They would always wonder, what new trick is this Chinese handsome guy thinking of now?
And De Gea, who was about to face the penalty test, felt a sudden tightening.
When Defoe placed the ball on the penalty spot and the referee's whistle blew, De Gea actually moved early, diving directly towards the bottom right corner of the goal!
This was also the direction in which Pickford had saved Ibrahimović's penalty earlier.
But the experienced Defoe had actually observed De Gea's save movement first, and then with a gentle push of his instep, he slowly kicked the ball into the center of Manchester United's goal.
"Defoe has scored the penalty! He has completed a brace!"
"And this goal has also helped Sunderland equalize the score!"
"Manchester United, at Old Trafford, after leading bottom-placed Sunderland 2-0, has actually conceded two consecutive goals!"
"Could you have imagined such a progression before the start of the second half?!"
"There are still over twenty minutes left in the match, and Manchester United's Coach Mourinho and Swedish Tower Ibrahimović have both been sent off. In the remaining time, Sunderland actually has the advantage!"
"Sunderland, under Zhao Zhao's leadership, seems to be creating a miracle! Such a miracle might help Zhao Zhao regain the trust of the club's senior management and allow him to remain in his position!"
Amidst James Jun's excited commentary, Defoe, who had just scored the penalty, jogged all the way to Sunderland's fan stand, picked up a small jersey from somewhere, and displayed it to the camera.
"Ah, the small jersey Defoe is holding has the name Bradley Lowery written on it."
"Some fans may not have heard this name, but he is probably the most famous young fan in the Premier League right now."
"He is only 5 years old this year, but he was diagnosed with an almost incurable disease when he was 18 months old, so little Bradley has been fighting against the cruel disease ever since."
"Despite being seriously ill, little Bradley has never lost faith in life. No matter how uncomfortable or painful the treatment was, he always faced it with a smile."
"He has been a Sunderland fan since childhood, and his favorite player is Defoe. And Defoe and Sunderland also love this little boy who always faces difficulties with a smile!"
"Sunderland Football Club once invited little Bradley to visit the club, and Defoe even frequently visited little Bradley, becoming his best friend."
"So, Defoe should also be dedicating this goal to little Bradley now, hoping he can continue to bravely fight the illness!"
"At this moment, football is not about life or death; football is beyond life and death!"
In the camera, Defoe's eyes were faintly sparkling with tears.
He had actually wanted to do this after scoring his first goal.
However, at that time, the entire stadium's attention was drawn to Zhao Zhao, who ran to the Manchester United dugout and celebrated with a knee slide...
So Defoe could only wait.
Fortunately, such an opportunity did not take too long to arrive!
In fact, this was also a promise Defoe had made to little Bradley before.
That is to score a goal at Old Trafford, in front of Manchester United, and then dedicate it to this child fighting against illness!
And at this moment, Zhao Zhao also rushed over.
He and Defoe together raised the jersey with little Bradley's name high, and then shouted to the approaching camera:
"Kid, I want to make a bet with you."
"We will overturn Manchester United away today, and your Uncle Defoe will score a hat-trick!"
"If we do it, then I also ask you to do one thing, and that is to defeat that damned disease, and then come to the Stadium of Light, and celebrate the victory with us!"
Zhao Zhao was, of course, very familiar with the story of Defoe and little Bradley in his previous life, and he had been deeply moved by it.
But the real world is always cruel and ruthless.
In the original timeline, Defoe failed to score, Sunderland of course did not defeat Manchester United, and the team was relegated to the EFL Championship at the end of the season.
Even in the EFL Championship, Sunderland did not dominate, but instead suffered two consecutive relegations, dropping directly into League One.
This dark experience was also widely known after Netflix made it into the documentary "sunderland 'til i die."
As for little Bradley, he passed away shortly after Sunderland's relegation due to his worsening condition.
At his funeral, over three thousand people came to bid him farewell, including, of course, Defoe, and several Sunderland players, such as O'Shea and Cattermole, the Captain and Vice-Captain...
Now, Zhao Zhao has become Sunderland's Coach.
Although he does not have the ability to bring the dead back to life, he also hopes that this victory against Manchester United, and Defoe's goal, can to some extent inspire little Bradley and help the child through the most difficult time!
That's why he shouted those words in front of the camera.
Of course, when Defoe, who was beside Zhao Zhao, heard this, besides being moved, he was a little surprised.
Is our young Coach that confident?
Not only saying they would win Manchester United, but also saying he would score a hat-trick!
This bet is too precise...
But he didn't say anything either.
Zhao Zhao's words made Defoe unable to hold back any longer, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
They also held the small jersey in their hands even higher.
And many of the Sunderland fans in front of them were already moved to tears.
Their chant was no longer "sunderland 'til i die," but became:
"Forever Bradley!"
"Forever Bradley!"
"Forever Bradley!"