novelraw Chapter 534 - 363: Gundogan is stunned! The Premier League actually has players with such exquisite footwork skills!
Chapter 534 - 363: Gundogan is stunned! The Premier League actually has players with such exquisite footwork skills!
"Ahhhh!!!"
The moody and unhappy Gundogan was originally scrolling through videos of blonde women dancing on his phone.
Unexpectedly, a sudden cheer from the fans startled him, and his phone dropped to the ground with a "thud".
Picking up the phone with its cracked screen, he looked up and saw the score had changed to 1:2.
Just as Gundogan was wondering when the goal was scored, the stadium’s big screen began showing a replay.
The replay was of Tang Long’s first one-on-one encounter with Gualin.
Tang Long started with a step-over, then pulled the ball under his foot, performing a bicycle kick seamlessly.
"Oh, he’s got some skills under his feet."
However, Gundogan was still a bit puzzled.
The feint was indeed beautiful, but Gualin stood firm and was not beaten.
Moreover, this series of feints had nothing to do with the goal!
Is the director at Etihad Stadium out of sorts? I want to see the goal!
But immediately, the stadium’s big screen started the second replay.
This time, the replay felt very lengthy, seemingly intentional by the director.
After a full 30 seconds, the ball was passed long from Ranocchia to Tang Long.
Seeing Ranocchia pass like that, Gundogan frowned.
Is the Premier League played so directly?
If such a centre-back passed straight to an attacking midfielder in our Bundesliga, it would’ve been intercepted long ago.
What Tang Long did next took Gundogan by surprise, his mouth agape!
Tang Long appeared to recklessly dribble the ball towards Gualin. In the 0.3x slow-motion replay, it was clear that just as Gualin was about to reach the ball, Tang Long lightly tapped it with his toe, as if skipping on water, nutmegging Gualin smoothly!
The subsequent turn and continuation were exceptionally smooth, sweeping past Gualin like the wind with both man and ball.
Although the two were so close, there wasn’t the slightest physical contact.
"Ah, this this this..."
Before Gundogan could express his astonishment, he saw Tang Long expertly lob the ball into an entirely unguarded area.
At the moment the ball was about to land, a pale blue shadow dashed out, striking the ball with a powerful shot!
From the feint to the advance, from the lob to the final assist for Agüero’s goal, this whole sequence was completed in just three or four seconds.
Yet it left Gundogan in the stands breathless with excitement!
He slapped his thigh heavily, feeling regretful.
"Oh dear, if only I hadn’t been watching girls dance on my phone just now, this series of spectacular moves would have been even better to watch live!"
Gundogan hurriedly put his phone away and straightened his back.
He didn’t dare to get distracted anymore, focusing intently on the match.
"Never expected the Premier League to have a player with such exquisite footwork, Tang, I really underestimated you!"
In the stands, England’s national team coach Mancini was also full of admiration.
For that defense just now, Gualin had already done his best.
In the first one-on-one scenario, Mancini believed that whether it was Ali or Dale, they definitely would have been beaten.
But Gualin wasn’t!
He held on until the second encounter.
If Gualin were next to him, Mancini would surely want to console him: "Gualin, it’s not that you didn’t defend well this time, it’s just that Tang read you thoroughly!"
Gualin watched the video of himself being outplayed, head held high.
Over and over again, it was replayed on the two huge screens at Etihad Stadium.
Even Tottenham’s Kane had already kicked off, yet it was still being replayed.
Gualin was deflated!
It’s just a nutmeg, so what!
What’s so novel about it!
What, have Manchester City’s directors never seen someone get nutmegged before!
"Gualin, you can’t win the ball from Tang!"
During a touchline skirmish, a Manchester City fan in the front row, only four or five meters away, loudly mocked Gualin.
Gualin glared at him, thinking, I just don’t believe it. You all think I can’t win the ball from Tang, but I insist on giving it a try!
This is Gualin’s second weakness, and Tang Long is also well aware of this.
Gualin is a very emotional player.
When playing well, everything goes smoothly, and his form is explosive. Calling him the best midfielder in the world is not an exaggeration;
But once he plays poorly, he gets anxious and overreacts, making all sorts of inexplicable amateur moves, becoming completely detached from the team’s overall offensive and defensive systems.
In the 78th minute of the second half, Ali was clearly marking Tang Long closely, but Gualin came over from the left in a wide arc to confront this former teammate.
Ali was startled and shouted, pointing to the open space on the left side, "Where’s your man, Gualin? Stop running around blindly!"
But Gualin shouted back at him, "Let’s double-team and intercept the ball!"
Tang Long, with his back to Ali, saw Gualin getting anxious and recklessly leaving his defensive zone to come over from afar, realizing that this guy had fallen for it.
Supporting himself with a hand on Ali, he gently nudged the ball with his left foot, sending it flying over Gualin’s head in the opposite direction.
On that side, Kolarov, who was unmarked, had plenty of time to control the ball and immediately surged forward with large strides.
Gualin suddenly braked, like a car taking the wrong exit on a highway, backed up and chased in Kolarov’s direction.
Not following traffic rules can lead to accidents, and Gualin’s reckless departure from his zone came at a cost to the entire Tottenham team.
He dribbled down the flank at high speed, adjusted his angle slightly, and cut towards the center.
At that moment, Agüero deftly pulled out from the penalty area, and just before the central defenders could close in, received Kolarov’s pass.
Agüero took the pass, turned around in one smooth motion, and the moment Kolarov’s toe touched the offside line, his pass was like a sharp arrow, instantly piercing through Tottenham’s seemingly tight defense.
Kolarov charged down the flank, racing after the rolling soccer ball, and by the time he got there, he was already near the left edge of the penalty area.
At that moment, his mind raced, hesitating between a powerful shot and a cross.
But in the split second his gaze wavered, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure charging in like an arrow, reaching the arc of the penalty area in an instant—
Even though he couldn’t see who it was, Kolarov instinctively knew deep down that it must be Tang Long making a rapid advance.
The Serbian no longer hesitated, using his favored left foot, carrying years of polished skills and experience, he curved a precise and properly weighted ball.
The ball’s drop point was not at the top of the penalty arc but at the penalty spot!
This exquisite pass seemed tailor-made for Tang Long, giving him ample and perfect space to sprint and gather momentum.
As an advancing player from behind, his sudden appearance instantly disrupted Tottenham’s already torn-apart defense.
Central defender Vertonghen’s eyes widened, his body not even able to react with a jump, as he felt a shadow like a looming cloud pass over!
Looking up in astonishment, he saw Tang Long soaring like a falcon, arms outstretched like a falcon’s wings, meeting the whistling ball’s drop point, and his forehead smashed into the ball with tremendous force!
Long before Kolarov’s cross, French goalkeeper Lori had already tensed his nerves, ready for someone attempting a header at goal;
But he never expected that Tang Long’s header would bounce off the ground!
The powerful header attack saw the ball smack down hard at the edge of the small penalty area, and with this deflection, Lori’s timing on the fall was completely disrupted, instinctively waving his hand and only grabbing a handful of air.
2:2!
With Tang Long’s powerful header from a forward run, Manchester City finally equalized before the 80th minute!
As it was a leap from a sprint, Tang Long’s jump was incredibly high!
He watched the ball hit the ground and bounce into the net while still in mid-air;
And when he landed, he first felt a tingling sensation in the soles of his feet, then the cheer from the fans in all directions rang through his eardrums!
"Toot toot toot—"
"Toot toot toot toot—"
A loud bugle suddenly sounded from the stands!
Tang Long looked up, and with his sharp gaze, he actually spotted the middle-aged man blowing the bugle amongst tens of thousands of jubilant Manchester City fans.
It’s him again!
Standing on a chair, cheeks puffed, blowing the bugle!
This University of Manchester music professor once played a resounding bugle during Manchester City’s Champions League group stage match against Juventus, sparking the Blue Moon’s comeback in Turin, leaving a deep impression on Tang Long.
For the first match of the new year in 2016, he brought the bugle to the Etihad again.
Counterattack!
Charge!
Stimulated by the bugle sound, Tang Long suddenly pushed away teammates gathering to celebrate, retrieved the ball from Tottenham’s net, and sprinted back to the center circle with all the enthusiasm of a 100-meter dash, slamming the ball down hard.
Bang!
The slam was so forceful that the white center circle point got a small dent, grass clippings flying!
"Hurry up! I don’t want to start the new year with a draw!"
(One more Chapter, posting around 1 o’clock)