novelraw Chapter 576 - 393 Wenger: We didn’t lose to Manchester City, we only lost to Tang alone!
Chapter 576 - 393 Wenger: We didn’t lose to Manchester City, we only lost to Tang alone!
Wenger was stunned.
Manchester City’s players pinned Tang Long to the ground in a wild celebration, while on the sidelines, all of City’s substitute players surrounded Pellegrini, singing and dancing.
But Wenger had no interest in these noises around him.
His gaze was fixated on the giant replay screen at Wembley Stadium, showing Tang Long’s series of actions.
His hand covered his mouth, a wide palm hiding a mouth formed into a circle.
His whole body was frozen!
Tang Long actually dribbled the ball right into the goal!
He didn’t shoot; this time the goal was completed through dribbling.
A tremendous sense of humiliation surged over the French coach like a tide.
This feeling of humiliation made him want to vent his inner wrath, to roar, to scream, to curse at Pellegrini: you have no professional ethics, you do not respect your opponents!
Yet beneath his large hand, even though his mouth was open wide, not a single shout could come from his throat.
At this moment, the only sound Wenger could make was the intense beating of his heart within his chest.
On the screen, Tang Long’s goal replayed three times from three different angles.
At the first viewing, Wenger was filled with confusion.
The wide-angle shot didn’t clearly explain the technical details of Tang Long’s actions.
The second angle was zoomed in closer, allowing Wenger to clearly see how Tang Long managed to flick the ball over three Arsenal players attempting to block him and then flicked it over Cech, bringing the ball into the goal.
Although Wenger was utterly shocked, he was somewhat bewildered.
But still, his heart was full of confusion.
He waited for the final replay, hoping it would resolve his doubts.
The third replay on Wembley Stadium’s screen not only slowed the action down but had a camera focused directly on Tang Long, zoomed in so close you could see the hairs on his legs.
"Ah, this..."
This time, Wenger finally saw clearly, and his doubts were completely cleared!
So that’s how it was!
He finally realized when the ball flew towards Tang Long, his shooting action was merely a bluff.
When three of his own beloved players made their defensive moves, Tang Long pulled back the instep that was supposed to strike the ball and used a conventional instep technique to cushion the ball on the ground.
All professional players can perform such cushioning, some even better than Tang Long.
But in this position, at this moment, he managed to cushion the ball down, with just this withdrawal of the instep, turning all three Arsenal defenders’ blockings into futility!
This seemingly simple cushioning effortlessly dismantled Arsenal’s defense line!
As for the subsequent two flicks past players, though wonderful, it was Tang Long’s cushioning that shocked Wenger the most.
Calmness.
Why at the eye of the storm was Tang Long able to be so calm and composed?
This sense of calm made Wenger think of the past pupils he had coached.
Henry, Van Persie, Fabregas, Anelka, Arshavin...
The scenes of these talented attacking players during his coaching period flashed rapidly through Wenger’s mind like a movie.
But none of them, not even marksman Henry, had ever been so composed and calm in front of the goal.
In that moment, a sudden wave of frustration washed over Wenger.
This sense of frustration, like a cold flame enveloped him, instantly dispelling his inner resentment and anger.
Although there were still 4 minutes of injury-time left, the disheartened Wenger knew that with Manchester City having Tang Long on their side, no matter what tactical efforts he made, Arsenal couldn’t possibly defeat City.
Wenger let out a long sigh.
The frustration in his heart turned into acceptance.
He was certain he had encountered a once-in-a-century genius player.
In the face of such a uniquely gifted player, any effort and struggle were futile.
Some people are born for football.
He smiled slightly and then walked slowly towards the bench with his head down.
Under the watchful eyes of many substitutes, he sat down heavily.
Seeing Wenger with his eyes closed, no longer concerned about the game situation, the players instantly understood the match was over.
...
Oliver blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.
Finally, thanks to Tang Long’s decisive goal, Manchester City defeated their opponents 3-2 at Wembley Stadium, lifting this season’s English League Cup and their first trophy of the season!
All Manchester City players, whether on or off the field, were cheering with raised arms!
Only Tang Long walked alone toward his former Inter Milan teammate, Podolski, who seemed a bit lonely.
After exchanging jerseys, Tang Long gave the German a big hug.
"Thanks for not going all out. If you had gotten past Caballero, you would have been the champions." Tang Long said.
"Don’t say that, didn’t you also miss two certain goals? That’s football; until the last moment of the match, nobody knows what will happen, just like your stop that time."
Although Podolski was very disappointed, he still gave a thumbs-up to Tang Long’s brilliant performance.
"Tang, I have a premonition that you’ll become the world’s number one!"
"So I’ll win this year’s Golden Ball Award?"
"You might not get it this year, but next year, the year after, or the year after that, one day, you’ll beat Messi and C Luo for the Golden Ball Award. I guarantee it."
...
Captain Kompany walked with steady and proud steps toward the podium.
His solemn expression revealed his appreciation for this honor.
When he took the shimmering English League Cup with both hands, the team behind him erupted in deafening cheers!
Kompany raised the trophy high, fireworks and confetti danced behind the entire team!
The trophy shimmered in the sunlight, resembling a beacon of victory.
On the stands of Wembley Stadium, Manchester City’s fans were also in frenzied celebration;
They waved their flags, the sea of blue surging like waves, one after another.
Kompany vigorously raised the trophy like a weightlifter three times up and down, then immediately handed it to Tang Long beside him.
Tang Long mimicked Kompany’s movements, raising it up and down three times!
"We’ve won!"
Fireworks continued to bloom, golden flames illuminating the young and handsome face of Tang Long;
Confetti drifted from the sky, covering the shoulders of every Manchester City player!
We won!
We finally won our first trophy of the season at the end of March.
But we haven’t won enough!
The league, FA Cup, Champions League, three more trophies await the Blue Moon to fight for!
...
Post-match press conference.
As Wenger strode rapidly toward the speaking platform.
He noticed the London media reporters sitting below looked ashen-faced and silent.
A dejected atmosphere permeated the entire conference room.
The proud capital media naturally hoped the English League Cup would remain in London; they didn’t wish for this honor to reside in northern Manchester.
A reporter from The Times asked:
"Professor Wenger, can you share your thoughts on today’s match?"
Wenger said, "In this match, we scored two goals from corners, marking a new breakthrough in our set-piece tactics. Looking at the whole match, I’m very pleased with the team’s performance. Although we lost, I believe Arsenal can leave Wembley Stadium with heads held high."
The reporter seemed very unwilling to accept it, and his tone was sharp.
He countered, "Heads held high? Professor Wenger, did I hear that right? We at Arsenal were killed by Manchester City!"
This reporter was very young, seemingly just having entered the workforce, and appeared impulsive and emotional.
He noted that Arsenal twice took the lead, only to be twice equalized, a scenario that had never occurred in Premier League matches, asking whether it revealed weaknesses in Arsenal in certain areas. In future Premier League and Champions League matches, what methods should be adopted to remedy these weaknesses?
He fired a barrage of questions at Wenger, as if trying to judge the most illustrious manager in Arsenal’s history.
This blunt tone made other London media present sweat for this young reporter!
Professor Wenger, while polite and courteous, had a temper as well; they hoped he wouldn’t be provoked.
Perhaps realizing his tone was too aggressive, the reporter calmed down after his barrage and looked at Wenger somewhat guiltily, unsure of what his reaction would be.
Unexpectedly, Wenger was not angry but rather smiled lightly.
His smile displayed elegance.
"Young man, you must be twenty, younger than my son. Haven’t you grasped the essence of this match?"
"We didn’t lose to Manchester City; we just lost to Tang alone."