Real Madrid's attacking ability was still there despite having one less player, but their defense had some significant holes.

Pepe played for twenty minutes, using his body and strong style to make Real Madrid's central area very stable.

A red card completely buried Zidane's tactical arrangements.

With Varane off the field, Pepe sent off, and Real Madrid trailing by another goal, Zidane couldn't substitute any more attacking players to supplement the defense.

Helpless, he could only forcibly play a three-defender system. Fortunately, Carvajal and Marcelo had outstanding individual abilities. If it were any other team, the defense would have collapsed long ago.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a little anxious," Perrin said, watching the situation on the field, his tone laced with schadenfreude.

It was simple. Pepe's foul on Zhao Gang had given Perrin a very poor impression of the entire Real Madrid team. Now that Real Madrid was stretched thin, he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart!

Moreover, Zhao Gang was retreating very deep, and most of the time, it was Zhao Gang defending Cristiano Ronaldo. Zhao Gang's defense against Cristiano Ronaldo was very successful!

This was also what Guardiola had specifically instructed while Zhao Gang was off the field receiving treatment for his injury.

Because Guardiola had realized immediately that Zhao Gang had a very big advantage in defending Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zhao Gang was fast and strong, and Cristiano Ronaldo's best breakthrough was his speed. This was simply a tailor-made attacking assignment for Zhao Gang!

Now Zhao Gang was more like a right-back!

Sterling was pushed to the front.

Mendes smiled, knowing what Perrin meant. This guy was showing off that Zhao Gang not only blew up Real Madrid's defense in attack, but could also limit Cristiano Ronaldo in defense.

"Zhao's ability combined with Guardiola's tactical thinking can indeed achieve a very perfect effect. No one would arrange Zhao in this position.

Although his defensive ability is not strong, he is fast, turns quickly, and has explosive power. Faced with a striker like Cristiano Ronaldo, he does have a particularly outstanding performance.

You know, when Zhao rose to fame in the English Championship, my assistant suggested that I snatch him up…"

"Oh... I can guarantee that you can't snatch him away no matter how much you pay." Perrin was full of confidence, not only because he had made many concessions in Zhao Gang's contract, nor only because he would protect the player's interests to the greatest extent, but also because he knew Zhao Gang too well and believed in him.

Zhao Gang would never do anything ungrateful.

"You know, from the beginning, he showed very strong confidence and great trust in the people around him.

He trusts his teammates, trusts his coaches, and trusts me, his agent. He entrusts all off-field matters to me, which is a quality that most players do not possess.

Trust and respect are mutual, so I will do everything I can to protect his interests.

Of course… sometimes I can't persuade him. On some sensitive issues, no one can persuade him." Perrin sighed.

One of Zhao Gang's advantages was that he never interfered in areas where he was not a professional. He never gave Perrin any advice, which meant that the two had almost no disagreements in their cooperation.

But when it came to matters concerning Long country, no one could stop him, or even influence him.

This was Perrin's biggest headache.

There would definitely be many controversial things happening because of this in the future.

On the field, Real Madrid's defense was unstable, and the midfielders had to be ready to support the defense at all times, while the entire left flank was restricted.

They could only use Gareth Bale on the right flank to revitalize the attack.

However, Bale's stamina was also a problem. He could no longer be as demanding as before, constantly attacking the defense.

With Zhao Gang's retreat and Sterling's forward insertion, Real Madrid also had to worry about through balls behind their defense.

After all, with Zhao Gang's current position, he could get the ball and make an accurate long pass to find the frontcourt.

The counterattack would be faster and more fierce.

But they couldn't not attack. Real Madrid was in a dilemma.

In the eighty-first minute of the match, Real Madrid finally couldn't wait any longer.

Gareth Bale, who had accumulated enough stamina, stood up once again.

After receiving the ball, Bale played it to Benzema, a common tactic for Real Madrid, using Benzema's ball protection and support ability, and then stretching the two flanks to find gaps.

Sure enough, the moment Bale passed the ball, he had already accelerated his pace and started sprinting!

But this tactic was used too frequently.

Stones had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Seeing this chance, he slid in instantly and directly intercepted the ball!

Bale sprinted two steps, and seeing the ball being intercepted, he roared in annoyance.

Stones quickly got up as soon as possible, faced the right flank, and made a short pass forward. Zhao Gang, taking the ball, didn't delay at all and quickly advanced forward.

He directly faced Modric.

After Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, this elegant Croatian began to have a more explosive performance, winning the Ballon d'Or and reaching the peak of his career.

He broke Messi and Ronaldo's ten-year monopoly on the Ballon d'Or.

His individual strength was evident.

Now, facing Zhao Gang's sprint, he was still diligently setting up a defense, hoping to intercept the ball. If he couldn't, he could at least delay enough time to allow his teammates more time to organize their defense.

A generation of midfield masters, but unfortunately not good at defense.

Facing Zhao Gang, before he could prepare, Zhao Gang kicked the ball out and then violently started along the left flank.

Passing the ball and then passing the man.

"Modric... didn't react!

Zhao's ball was almost exactly the same as Cristiano Ronaldo's passing the ball and then passing the man before, but Modric obviously didn't have Zhao's starting speed and explosiveness. He hardly reacted, and Zhao passed him!"

"Here it comes, here it comes. It's coming again!! Blue Flash! Charge!!"

After passing Modric in two steps, Zhao Gang was about to take off again. Casemiro saw the ball and quickly rushed over to intercept.

But Zhao Gang's speed was too fast, and his judgment and control of the ball speed were also extremely strong.

Casemiro ran all the way, but was still too slow. Zhao Gang had already advanced quickly to near the center circle with the ball!

"Casemiro... Varane's lesson is still vivid in his mind. Why did he still go to steal the ball? At this time, he should have retreated to organize the defense! Why did he still compete with Zhao for speed?? Failure, too much of a failure!"

Casemiro's displacement left a gap in front of Zhao Gang. By the time the others wanted to fill the gap, it was already too late.

Real Madrid's defense was already short of people, and Casemiro's pressing forward made it even more empty!

Sterling was lurking in the defense line and suddenly accelerated.

There was only Ramos left as the center back, and his speed couldn't keep up with Sterling at all!

Sterling was afraid of being offside and didn't dare to explode instantly, but he was overthinking it. Just as he was about to start, the ball had already crossed Real Madrid's defense line and landed in no man's land!

No attacking players, no defending players.

Seeing this opportunity, Sterling spread his legs and ran, his whole body as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

Against Real Madrid, in a Champions League match!

This was a great opportunity to perform!

Sterling, running with his big butt wiggling, had light shining in his eyes. Ramos was slightly slower than Sterling in terms of speed, and Ramos had just been observing, so he needed to half-turn before he could start accelerating again.

Sterling had already taken the lead, directly leading Ramos by two body lengths!

He kicked the ball and broke into Real Madrid's penalty area!

Sterling often performed happy football, but this season, his playing time had been severely reduced. Now, he was giving it his all and extremely focused.

Facing Navas, he took a powerful shot and seized this hard-won opportunity.

"Zhao Gang's long pass, Sterling is not offside, not offside!

Goal! Goal! 4:2! Sterling's goal almost killed the game. Real Madrid… Real Madrid doesn't have many chances left!"

Goal, sprint, slide.

A series of actions, without any stagnation.

Sterling opened his arms and welcomed the cheers of the Etihad Stadium.

"Sterling scored!!"

Wow...

"Beautiful!! Wonderful! A wonderful night!! Real Madrid lost the game and lost their composure!!"

"Go back to Madrid!"

"Pepe is trash... Real Madrid is garbage!!"

The cheers were mixed with curses. Manchester City fans, who didn't have much resentment towards Real Madrid, were roaring crazily. Pepe's flying tackle had filled these fans with hatred towards Real Madrid as well.

If Zhao Gang had been seriously injured by that tackle, some extreme fans might have done something terrible.

"A flash of genius sent Real Madrid away! I hope Real Madrid can continue to work hard and make it all the way to the final, and then meet Manchester City again!!"

"Sterling finally experienced Aguero's happiness. Zhao's pass was really wonderful. Under such a fast moving speed, he could still calmly pass a curved ball before being double-teamed, and the strength of this ball was just right, landing right in Sterling's path forward. Sterling didn't even need to do too much to slow down his attack. He just needed to follow the ball all the way and then lift his foot to shoot!

Sure enough, Zhao is a great threat in any position!

He was almost in the position of right back, defending Cristiano Ronaldo. When he got the ball, he was the most threatening person on the field!

Three goals and one assist. Real Madrid fell at the Etihad, and even more so, they fell at Zhao's feet!"

While the commentator was watching the replay and shouting madly, Real Madrid players were panting with their legs propped up.

Real Madrid fans were slumped in their seats. Originally, they still had a chance to tie the score, but Pepe's recklessness directly ruined most of their expectations.

Zhao Gang's long pass wiped out Real Madrid's last hope.

Cristiano Ronaldo, with his tenacious mind, lowered his head, sweat dripping non-stop. At this time, he could only shake his head helplessly.

Now that Real Madrid had one less player and was trailing by two goals in the eighty-fifth minute, there was no way they could tie the score.

"There's not much time left for Real Madrid!!" Poet He shouted, a sentence that often appeared in Long country team's matches, describing Long country team's sluggish games, where they could only struggle weakly and helplessly in the final moments.

Now, using it on Real Madrid was a bit strange.

But that was the fact. Although Real Madrid played back and forth at the Etihad, in reality, they actually lost both halves of the game!

Zhao Gang used a perfect hat-trick, and at the last moment, he used an incredible long pass to completely kill the game and defeat Real Madrid!

Now, a large number of fans have seen Zhao Gang's performance.

Two games, two games against Real Madrid, have made him the focus.

A new generation of world-class attacking midfielder was born at this moment, at the Etihad!

"Zhao, who has always been humble and restrained, has never said that he is the best player in the Premier League, but he keeps proving it with his performance. Everyone knows, except for himself, that he is the best in English football!

He can't compare to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's fame, but in this game, he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo! Manchester City's midfield may be comparable to Real Madrid, but Manchester City's forward line can't compare to Real Madrid at all.

Even so, Zhao alone defeated Real Madrid's trident!

After this game, everyone who questions Zhao is an outsider who doesn't understand football! Absolutely!"

"A pass like an elf, speed like lightning, a shot like an assassin! He is who he is, not the next Cristiano Ronaldo, not the next Messi! Manchester City has welcomed their own Zhao!"

The Long country fans were extremely excited.

Two games, two games against Real Madrid, Zhao Gang had delivered terrifying statistics.

After this goal, it basically declared that Real Madrid had lost at the Etihad.

"It's stable, it's stable. Real Madrid, who had been singing all the way this season, with the highest value, invincible in La Liga, BBC, the classic midfield, the world's top double center backs, it's all over!"

"I can't stand it, I'm not sleepy at all! Zhao Gang is too strong!"

"That's awesome. Real Madrid can't beat Manchester City with this kind of configuration. Manchester City has the look of a champion in the Champions League this season!"

"Group stage, don't be so excited yet..."

"They also beat Real Madrid in the group stage, and Real Madrid's defense can't do anything about Zhao Gang. Who else is there in Europe??"

"Daddy, Zhao Gang, give it to me!!"

Some of the dejected Real Madrid players couldn't muster up any energy. The trident had turned Manchester City's defense upside down, but in the end, this was the result?

Real Madrid had been in the advantage all the time, but they were kicked in six goals in two rounds!

So far, Real Madrid had only conceded five goals in ten league matches, but they were directly scored seven goals by Manchester City in two rounds, and Zhao Gang alone scored six!

Real Madrid's defense was outrageous!

Zidane stroked his chin, looking at Zhao Gang on the field. There was nothing wrong with his Real Madrid!

The problem was this kid from Long country.

Zidane could only think of two people who could get whatever they wanted from Real Madrid's defense at any time, Messi and Ronaldinho.

Zhao Gang would soon grow into a player like them.

Damn it, don't let Barcelona buy him!

After Ronaldinho, there was Messi, and after Messi, there must not be another one.

Florentino, who wasn't at the scene but had been watching the live broadcast, had already made up his mind that he must bring Zhao Gang to the Bernabeu.

Offer! Two hundred million, and if two hundred million wasn't enough, then three hundred million!

If three hundred million wasn't enough, then find every possible way to contact Zhao Gang's relatives and friends and do ideological work.

He had never seen a young player with this kind of talent and skill.

He was even more covetous than the young Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

Real Madrid restarted the ball, but this time Real Madrid was no longer in a hurry to attack.

They were completely taking their chances.

They were short one person, and their stamina was almost at its limit.

If they rushed up headlessly and were scored on again, it would be completely ruined.

The counterattack just now was still vivid in their minds. Zhao Gang, from the right-back position, receiving the ball, accelerating, a breakthrough, and they couldn't even surround him. Under that kind of speed, he could still pass a high-quality overhead ball.

Only those who really play football would understand how difficult this technique is.

Now, if they attacked again and Zhao Gang came up with another shot, the score wouldn't matter, but it would be a big blow to the Real Madrid players. They would be criticized by countless media outlets.

Zhao Gang's existence only required a forward with extremely strong impact to pose a very big threat to the backcourt.

There must be no gaps in the backcourt.

If there were no gaps in the backcourt, the team's position would need to be very far back, and the frontcourt would lose support, and passing and attacking would become very difficult.

"How can there be such a monster?" Zidane became more and more helpless as he looked at him. As a midfield master, a truly world-class player, he appreciated and craved Zhao Gang's existence.

When Zhao Gang stepped on the ball, the whistle for the end of the game sounded.

Manchester City fans were overjoyed, and Zidane and Guardiola shook hands and hugged.

On the field, the players from both sides also shook hands to greet and encourage each other.

Not long ago, the two sides almost fought each other, but at this moment, they seemed like friends.

That's football, each fighting for their own team, tense and drawing their swords, trying their best to defeat the other, but after everything is over, there is more admiration and blessing between the players.

Pure and beautiful.

Cristiano Ronaldo shook Zhao Gang's hand, and he wasn't as arrogant as Zhao Gang had imagined.

The two hadn't communicated much in the two games. In the previous draw, Cristiano Ronaldo's expression wasn't anything special. This time, Zhao Gang thought Cristiano Ronaldo might be a little annoyed, but he didn't expect Cristiano Ronaldo to smile at him.

"If we have a chance to play against each other again, I hope you can continue to defend me."

Cristiano Ronaldo's words made Zhao Gang slightly stunned. He was indeed someone who would never admit defeat.

The two hugged, "Then I will desperately practice defending. You are indeed the goal I am chasing."

Zhao Gang hesitated for a moment and took off his jersey on his own initiative. He was very introverted, but he also had a pride that was hard to compare to ordinary people.

Even with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he wouldn't take the initiative to ask to exchange jerseys.

It seemed inferior.

But this was Cristiano Ronaldo, his senior. Although it was said that Cristiano Ronaldo was arrogant and unrestrained, at least now, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't like what the media and fans said.

This was also the first time Zhao Gang had taken the initiative to exchange jerseys.

Cristiano Ronaldo didn't hesitate, and the two took each other's jerseys.

"This really seems like a kind of inheritance. Cristiano Ronaldo's era hasn't passed yet, but Zhao Gang's era is coming soon!" Poet He looked at the two communicating for a long time, and his heart was filled with emotion.

"For Zhao Gang, this is a perfect game. All our expectations and all our dreams have been found in Zhao Gang!

Next week, Manchester City will challenge Middlesbrough away. After that, he will return to the national team to report!!

This will be another journey to pursue his dream. We will see Zhao Gang wearing the national team jersey for the first time and fighting for the country!

Just thinking about it is a trembling and exciting picture!!"

The Long country fans, whose excitement hadn't completely faded, suddenly became completely excited.

In half a month, half a month later, they would be able to become Zhao Gang's home fans, the first time in the truest sense, cheering for Zhao Gang as Long country fans.

The only hope was that the Long country old men could do a good job of defending and concede fewer goals.

After the game, when Zidane was asked about Zhao Gang, he almost didn't think and blurted out, as if he had been prepared for a long time.

"Yes, Zhao is a player full of spirituality and talent.

He knows what position he should be in, when he should pass the ball and receive the ball, and he can almost cover the entire court.

Every choice he makes is very simple, but it's something that other players can't achieve even after careful consideration.

We lost to him in this game. Our defense did a good job, but he was able to break free.

Now he is a challenger. It won't be long before he becomes a challenged person. Countless players will take him as an example and as a goal to surpass!"

Manchester City fans were singing and dancing, celebrating this victory. Everywhere on the streets, you could see fans carrying wine bottles and singing songs belonging to Manchester City.

After celebrating with his teammates, Zhao Gang left the stadium without delay.

Outside the stadium, Ollie was waiting for him in the car.

The next day, the media in Manchester City, England, and even the whole of Europe reported on this match.

Zhao Gang's performance in the two rounds was really too amazing.

In the first game, some people thought it was just a high-profile and explosive performance. They thought that Real Madrid would find a way to limit him in the second game and that he wouldn't be able to put on a dazzling performance again.

As a result, this game was even more fierce than the last.

"Continuous hat-tricks, the powerful Real Madrid was defeated by one person!"

"Superstar shines, Long country teenager perfectly suppresses Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"Zhao, the battle to become a god, Manchester City wins Real Madrid!"

"Goal battle, Manchester City is better!"

Many people couldn't imagine that the young man had actually delivered a performance that surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo's.

One of the world's top superstars was actually suppressed by a young man in two rounds...

"Oh my god, Real Madrid, the BBC classic midfield, actually lost??"

"The first game could be explained by carelessness and unfamiliarity, but the second game was directly defeated??"

"Six goals in two games! And it's against Real Madrid, the team with the best defense in La Liga!! What kind of performance is this!!"

"Oh my god, there have been countless young people who wanted to challenge Messi and Ronaldo in the past, but they all disappeared. This time, the momentum..."

"Messi and Ronaldo are strong because of their stability and god-like performance day after day. This child still needs to look at his future performance, and I think he is speed-type, so there may be big problems in the future."

"Bullshit, you didn't watch the game, did you?? You didn't see his passing and his ball-handling skills..."

Zhao Gang got up in a daze. He had played a thrilling and extremely physically exhausting game, and he had to play another game when he got home. His body still couldn't take it.

After eating breakfast, Zhao Gang had to report to the team.

After Ollie arrived in Manchester, Zhao Gang's quality of life had greatly improved. She could not only help Zhao Gang relax his mind and body, but also ensure that he ate a very healthy breakfast.

The most important thing was that he didn't have to take a taxi to the training base every day. Ollie could drive him there.

…

Three days later, Manchester City had to play an away game.

It was also the last game of the national team match week.

Guardiola was worried. In the past, he was quite happy that Zhao Gang didn't need to go to the national team to play.

Now things were bad. Zhao Gang had also been called up.

The club couldn't stop the national team from calling up players to participate in matches. This was a condition that had been fought for after the game between FIFA and UEFA.

Otherwise, the national team might lose many excellent players, and in the end, FIFA's influence would become weaker and weaker.

In the away game against Middlesbrough, Guardiola once again placed Zhao Gang on the bench.

His stamina might not be a problem, but if there was no national team call-up, Zhao Gang would definitely start in this game.

But Guardiola understood Zhao Gang. This kid didn't choose Spain, didn't choose England, but chose Long country, even at the expense of his national team honor being zero.

This meant that Zhao Gang would most likely play like his life depended on it!

If he played in the Premier League and his stamina became a problem, and then he went to the national team and played like he didn't care about his life, his body would most likely have problems.

So Guardiola didn't plan to let Zhao Gang play at all. Being a substitute was just a formality.