novelraw Chapter 636 - 441: Half a Minute of Terror at Wembley! The opponents and teammates didn’t see the ball clearly!
Chapter 636 - 441: Half a Minute of Terror at Wembley! The opponents and teammates didn’t see the ball clearly!
"What are you standing there for, Mauro? Go get him!"
Rooney saw Icardi standing motionless and shouted, rushing past him, not forgetting to give him a heavy slap on the back of the head.
But Rooney didn’t press the ball holder, Ranocchia, and instead dashed left towards Gundogan;
Then he waved to signal Icardi to close in on Ranocchia.
One pressing, one defending. Rooney, with his rich experience, did the right thing to prevent a reckless charge.
Icardi, shocked by Rooney’s slap, felt a burning sensation on the back of his head and instantly snapped out of his daze, quickly rushing toward Ranocchia.
He and Ranocchia were teammates at Inter Milan for two years and rivals in the Premier League for a whole year;
In his memory, Ranocchia has always played as a central defender, possessing some foot skills but never seen playing midfield!
So Icardi went in decisively this time, determined to snatch the ball from Ranocchia’s feet.
Ranocchia originally intended to pass the ball to Gundogan, but seeing Rooney had blocked the passing lane, he simply kept the ball at his feet, observing the situation;
Just as he hesitated for a moment, Icardi rushed at him like an arrow from the string, almost right under his nose!
"You can’t escape, Ranocchia!"
Icardi saw Ranocchia turned around, knowing from his body’s direction that he intended to pass the ball back to the central defender Kompany;
Rooney understood and abandoned his defense on Gundogan, pressing forward to close in on Kompany, who was about to receive the ball.
According to their predictions, Kompany would face pressure from two forwards once he received the ball.
The Manchester City captain’s footwork is average, and his defensive mindset is quite cautious and stable, so in an instant, he could only make a long kick!
If the opponent kicks the ball into the air, our side will have successfully pressured them.
"Whoosh—"
However, what Icardi never expected was, as Ranocchia turned and lifted his leg to pass back, although his movements seemed slow, just as Icardi was about to block him, Ranocchia suddenly pulled and tapped the ball with his foot, effortlessly half-turning past him.
Due to the inertia of rushing forward, Icardi suddenly braked, lost balance, and tripped himself!
Ranocchia glanced at the fallen Icardi, then leisurely strolled forward, advancing the ball with his long strides.
Guardiola on the sidelines applauded enthusiastically!
When faced with forward pressure, feigned a back pass, but at the opponent’s approach, pulled the ball with the foot to half-turn and bypass him.
Deceptive maneuver!
This very move was a signature trick of Guardiola’s protégé during Barça’s Dream Team era, midfielder Busquets!
To transform Ranocchia into the next Busquets, Guardiola had him watch many clips of Barça’s midfield play during summer training;
Especially focusing on how Busquets thought and played soccer.
Though Ranocchia was already 28, with exceptional talent, high game intelligence, and top-notch physical condition.
The key is his solid foot technique foundation, originally playing as a midfielder and forward during his youth, so imitating Busquets he progressed rapidly!
Mkhitaryan’s positioning was clever.
Originally restraining Pogba on the flank, he suddenly accelerated towards the center after Ranocchia’s breakthrough advance.
Pogba hesitated and failed to follow Mkhitaryan’s stride, allowing the opponent to receive Ranocchia’s pass in the middle.
After completing the task of bypassing the opponent and advancing ten meters with the ball, Ranocchia decisively retreated two steps, no longer pressing forward.
Next, it was the moment for his teammates in the front field to perform!
Agüero timely withdrew, moving out from the edge of the penalty area, and coordinated a one-two pass with Mkhitaryan, bypassing the assisting De Bruyne;
Subsequently, Mkhitaryan decisively passed the ball to Tang Long on the left flank.
Seeing the ball rapidly rolling along the grass toward him, Tang Long’s brain began to work quickly.
At this moment, Manchester United’s right-back, Valencia, who was defending him, had already pulled out, eyeing him intently;
In the middle, Smolin and Bailey firmly held the two central defender positions, without losing their spots, and neither Agüero nor Sane had found good openings.
Additionally, the opponent’s other defensive midfielder, Fellaini, had also arrived for support, moving towards Tang Long’s side.
Mkhitaryan called out to Tang Long, signaling that he could return the pass.
However, Tang Long felt that passing the ball back to Mkhitaryan was feasible, but it would waste Ranocchia’s initial breakthrough;
This slightly counterattack-like offense would then shift to a more stable positional battle.
The cheers of the Manchester City fans at Wembley Stadium echoed in Tang Long’s ears;
The August weather in London was quite hot, making Tang Long feel feverish after just a few steps!
Next, he quickly cut inside, like a sharp knife slicing through the gap created by Fellaini’s attempt to cover, maneuvering in front of him!
This move was extremely clever, rendering Fellaini’s role in defensive midfield support meaningless.
Because if Tang Long continued to hold the ball on the flank, Fellaini and Valencia would have ample space to double team him.
Valencia is incredibly fast, always Manchester United’s speedster on the wing.
Why do Manchester United fans always call him "Va-no-shot"?
Because Valencia’s breakthrough speed is indeed fast, often, with a simple move to the byline, he can always make a cross!
The quick Valencia, paired with the tall and wide-range defending Fellaini, when the two of them pin Tang Long, no matter how exquisite his footwork, getting past them wouldn’t be easy.
Fellaini saw Tang Long almost bypass him, brushing close to his chest, their jerseys even frictioned, he couldn’t help but be startled;
He quickly raised both hands to signal to the referee that he hadn’t touched him, fearing pushing over Tang Long from behind, which could create a free-kick opportunity in front of the box.
"Retreat quickly!"
Center back Smolin sternly called for Valencia on the wing to retreat.
Tang Long’s recent cut-in maneuver was extremely fast, with the ball sticking to his feet all the way.
Smolin felt that, alone, he could barely withstand Tang Long’s offensive.
Moreover, standing next to him was Agüero!
Therefore, he could only seek help from Valencia, continuing the two-man defense.
As Tang Long approached the top of the penalty arc, Valencia also sprinted over.
In an instant, Tang Long, Valencia, Smolin, Agüero, and Fellaini, who was chasing from behind, filled Manchester United’s small penalty arc with five players.
Guardiola was enthusiastically yet slightly tense, his eyes firmly glued to Tang Long.
He knew that performance in training was only a reference; the real test for Tang Long, the moment of truth, had finally arrived!
A winger, when delivering a cross from the wing, often only confronts one defender.
Such simple wing breakthroughs are a relatively effortless method for a winger; the task is complete once the ball is crossed into the box.
But Guardiola’s demands for Tang Long were even higher!
Playing him as the left winger was naturally not just for hitting the byline, but more importantly, for Tang Long to seek out the inside cut, then fire a shot, breaking through solo and scoring!
At this moment, in front of Tang Long were Valencia and Smolin, like a fortress, their legs tense, eyes burning, blocking the route ahead intensely;
Behind him, Fellaini, like a gust of wind, carrying intense aggression in his pursuit.
Though Agüero was nearby to help draw attention, this tight space meant for Tang Long was truly a difficult escape;
Just a small area of two meters was tightly encircled by these three Manchester United pillars.
"He’s got no chance, pin him down!"
Valencia shouted, and the three Manchester United players quickly closed in, aiming to trap Tang Long in the center.
This "lock and trap" tactic was a Manchester United defensive line’s well-honed secret weapon, specialized for players who prefer dribbling centrally, pinning them from left, center, and right simultaneously, leaving even the most skillful to lament helplessly!
Last season, Chelsea’s dribbling maestro Hazard faced this strategy and was left utterly lost on the pitch.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, the heads of Valencia, Smolin, and Fellaini collided together!
They lunged in vain!
All three saw stars dancing before their eyes, still unclear where their target Tang Long had disappeared, when they heard their behind’s goalkeeper De Gea shout a loud "Hey," abandoning the goal to charge forward!
Tang Long had long mastered Agüero’s skillful chip shot technique.
He swiftly nudged the underside of the ball with the tip of his shoe, keeping an eye on De Gea—
At the moment De Gea fell to the ground, he suddenly slowed his touch, gently flicked it, and the football just barely cleared De Gea’s arms, dutifully rolling into the goal.
"Ah, it’s in already?"
Guardiola glanced up in shock, noticing that the giant timer at Wembley Stadium had just shown 30 seconds!
With the match opening just half a minute, Tang Long ghosted past on the wing, solo, chipping it in, instantly changing the score to 1-0!
The audience at Wembley Stadium was stunned!
Due to London’s severely congested traffic, many fans were only just arriving.
Manchester City fans, still making their way inside, upon hearing the thunderous cheer, instantly understood—goal!
They became frantic and hurried, rushing from the entrance passageway like a wave, sprinting towards the stands...