In truth, Karanka was already feeling a bit deflated.
When they were two goals down, he could still say they could fight to score one, quickly narrowing the gap to a single goal, and then with morale boosted, it would be easier to catch up.
But now…
They were three goals down right at the start of the second half!
It wouldn't be so easy to catch up now.
It's not like there's a Miracle of Istanbul every day; if it were that easy, it wouldn't be called a "miracle"!
Moreover, with Januzaj's goal, Karanka could clearly feel that the morale his players had so painstakingly built up at halftime was deflated again, like a balloon pricked by a needle—it withered!
This also made him realize that Sunderland's ability to reverse Manchester United on the road was truly not by luck.
Under Zhao Zhao's command, this team was balanced in attack and defense, with appropriate intensity and relaxation; every attack and set piece seemed meticulously designed, they truly had strength!
Especially in the second half, when Zhao Zhao no longer focused on defense but instead engaged Middlesbrough in an attacking duel, the gap between the two sides truly became apparent.
Sunderland's several attacking players in the front field all had good individual skills, and coupled with their ability to run, frequent positional interchanges, and numerous passing lanes, their passing and receiving progression and penetration were fast, and their success rate was also high.
Karanka had a feeling that if they continued to play like this, let alone ball possession, he wouldn't even be able to control his own game rhythm.
They could only passively respond to the opponent's waves of attacks, like a small boat adrift in the vast ocean, unable to control its own destiny.
"No wonder Mourinho couldn't handle him; this Zhao Zhao really has something!"
When Karanka thought of this, he even began to regret it internally.
"Did I go too far at the start?"
"If I had been polite when he greeted me, would he not have been so ruthless? He's clearly trying to finish me off!"
"It's over now. Actually, losing to Sunderland today wouldn't be a big deal, but if we lose too badly, then…"
In football matches, especially professional ones, under the premise that the outcome is already decided, many teams choose to hold back rather than completely crush their opponent.
Leave a line for others, and you'll meet again in the future!
Playing football isn't about fighting and killing; playing football is about human relations. People's wives and children are watching!
But if there's any animosity between the two sides, that's another matter.
And for Karanka, he could tolerate a loss now, but he absolutely could not withstand a crushing defeat.
If it was just losing three goals away, honestly, it would be barely acceptable, and he could have an excuse to defend himself back home, not to the point of being directly ousted.
But if they lost by six or seven goals, and it was still a derby opponent…
He probably wouldn't keep his coaching position until tonight!
After much deliberation, Karanka secretly made a decision.
That was, winning or anything, he didn't care anymore.
Being severely humiliated by Zhao Zhao, he didn't care about that either.
Now, he just wanted to lose as few goals as possible.
As long as they didn't lose too much, everything would be fine, and he would have an explanation for the Middlesbrough fans!
His job was the most important thing!
-----------------
Looking at Karanka, who was standing in the away team's technical area, anxiously ordering his players to strengthen their defense, Zhao Zhao couldn't help but want to laugh.
Weren't you very arrogant before? Why aren't you arrogant now?
Starting to defend after being three goals down is like surrendering; that's too spineless!
This also made Zhao Zhao look down on Karanka even more from the bottom of his heart.
However, Zhao Zhao had no intention of letting him off the hook.
What about leaving a line for others?
He would send him down to the EFL Championship, then get him fired, and it would be who knows when they would meet again!
If you're arrogant towards me, then you'll pay a heavy price!
Besides, Sunderland needs to avoid relegation, and in addition to points, goal difference is also very important.
Not to mention a crushing victory against a bitter rival can greatly boost the morale of the entire team!
So, Zhao Zhao decided to continue operating according to the previously simulated process.
Soon, he took advantage of a dead ball situation to issue the latest instructions, moving Larsson from midfield to the right wing, while Januzaj moved to the center.
This changed Sunderland's formation to a more aggressive 4-2-3-1, aiming to finish off Middlesbrough!
And because Middlesbrough began a full retreat in defense, this ironically entered the situation most frequently simulated in Sunderland's training this week, which was Sunderland attacking and Middlesbrough defending!
Sunderland's attack became even more fluid; they controlled the tempo and the game, establishing an overwhelming advantage over Middlesbrough.
In the 60th minute, Sunderland's front four executed a brilliant combination.
Larsson received the ball on the right and played a wall pass one-two with Januzaj in the middle, then drove to the byline and delivered a cross.
Defoe in the middle feigned a shot, running to the near post but then letting the ball through with an extended leg!
This confused the two Middlesbrough players defending him, leaving them momentarily frozen.
Meanwhile, Borini at the far post suddenly accelerated, shaking off the defending full-back, and charged directly to the left corner of the small box, unleashing a powerful shot!
The ball, like a bolt of lightning, swiftly drilled into the near post of the Middlesbrough goal in a straight line.
Middlesbrough goalkeeper Valdés only had time to instinctively raise his right hand before the ball was already in the net.
4:0!
The cheers of Sunderland fans once again echoed through the Stadium of Light, while the Middlesbrough fans in the away stands were already silent.
Some Boro fans even left their seats directly, exiting early…
This time, Zhao Zhao didn't seem as excited; instead, he gestured to his celebrating players: "Alright, alright, quickly get back to your positions, we've only scored four goals, don't relax!"
Karanka, hearing Zhao Zhao's words from the away team's technical area, nearly buckled and fell to the ground.
Only four goals?
Does he want people to live?
But looking at the passionate expressions of Zhao Zhao and his players, they really weren't joking!
It's truly over now; this Wil-Tees derby really has no human relations!
No human touch, all accidents!
And all of this was definitely due to his mockery at the start of the game.
His tanking skill was used so well, he firmly attracted the aggro of Zhao Zhao, this "boss," and now he couldn't escape the fight!
But there was nothing he could do now; he couldn't just stick out his neck and let the opponent chop it off, could he?
Karanka could only wave and wave again, telling his players to continue to solidify their defense and not concede any more goals!
But soon, loud boos erupted from the away stands.
At first, the Middlesbrough fans thought Karanka was just letting the team defend for a bit, waiting to stabilize before looking for counter-attacks.
But after more than ten minutes, and even after conceding another goal, they were still defending!
This showed that Karanka now only wanted to defend, only wanted to concede fewer goals, and had no intention of scoring even one goal against Sunderland!
This naturally made them dissatisfied.
They were unhappy to see their team falling behind, but the team's submissive posture after falling behind made them even more upset!
As a Northeast team like Sunderland, Boro's fans were also very combative and passionate.
They would rather their team die standing than live kneeling!
What Karanka was doing was too spineless!
So, the boos directed at Karanka grew louder and louder, then gradually turned into shouts:
"Karanka, OUT!"
"Karanka, fired!"
"Karanka, get lost!"