Chapter 122 Super Long-Range Lob

Arsenal, right from the start, displayed the strength expected of a Premier League powerhouse.

Playing on their home turf, fueled by the passionate cheers of their fans, they repeatedly threatened the goal guarded by Hull.

In the first fifteen minutes, they achieved a possession rate of 84%, leaving Norwich struggling to breathe.

Far away in Norfolk, fans huddled in front of their televisions, anxiously watching their team get bombarded. Every dangerous attack by Arsenal made them clench their fists and tense their bodies.

When Arsenal players took shots, their hearts leaped into their throats.

Only when the shots missed did they slightly relax.

But within a minute, the tension returned.

These opening minutes felt like a heart attack in the making.

"Pass it, pass the ball to Zhao! He's wide open, why can't you pass it? Are you blind???" A fan sitting on the sofa constantly directed the players on the field, more anxious than they were.

Watching the game from a spectator's perspective, it seemed so simple, like playing a video game.

But in reality, the distances on the field and the players' positioning made it far more complex to accurately pass the ball to a specific location.

"Aiya, lost it again! Go! Press them!!"

Seeing Arsenal players aggressively press, intercepting the ball and quickly launching an attack, the fan roared with encouragement.

Why could Arsenal players immediately counter-press and regain possession, while when you lose the ball, you only think about retreating to defend?

"Aiya!!!" Seeing Giroud's header, narrowly missing the goal and bouncing off the post, the fan's heartbeat quickened, almost bringing him to tears.

At this rate, they were doomed!

Giroud clapped his hands, looking at the rebounded ball. A Norwich defender held his position, managing to head the ball to Mendy.

Mendy, with a header, relayed it to Phillip up ahead.

By this time, Phillip had drifted from the left flank to the right. Upon receiving the ball, he was quickly pressured by Gibbs.

He had no chance to look up and observe his teammates, only managing a quick glance from the corner of his eye, barely making out the color of his teammate's jersey before passing the ball.

Only then did he look up and see Hoolahan, who was supposed to be up front, had retreated to his own half to provide support.

His retreat meant that only Zhao Gang and Ospina remained up front.

"Hoolahan has retreated too far back, Phillip is also in the backfield, leaving only Ospina up front. It will be difficult to launch a counterattack. By the time Hoolahan rushes forward, Arsenal will have more defenders back than Norwich has attackers," Shen Jian observed, seeing Hoolahan receiving the ball and dribbling forward. Several Arsenal defenders began retreating at high speed, while the midfielders closed in on Hoolahan, preparing to continue the pressure.

Hoolahan's speed and dribbling had always been good. Even Arsenal players found it difficult to dispossess him one-on-one.

As he dribbled forward, two Arsenal players quickly approached, one closing in from the side, the other retreating while trying to find the right moment to intercept the ball.

Seeing that he couldn't break through, Hoolahan powerfully kicked the ball diagonally forward, then strode forward, looking for an attacking opportunity.

But at this moment, Arsenal already had three defenders in their backfield, and the remaining players were also retreating, leaving only Ospina up front. It was impossible for him to receive the pass under the pressure of two defenders.

Zhao Gang, who received the ball, had just settled it when Gibbs quickly closed in.

He recalled Wenger's targeted tactics, "Zhao is a player with extremely strong passing ability, displaying a maturity and vision that belies his age. But his weaknesses are also obvious. He needs teammates; he can't fight alone.

"To deal with him, you need to block the passes from his teammates in advance. If he receives the ball, then block his teammates. I've watched his matches; he has almost no ability to operate alone. Cutting off his passing lanes will almost certainly end the attack!

"When he gets the ball, all it takes is one player to pressure him, blocking his forward passes, while the others block his teammates. He will only be able to pass back!"

Gibbs closed in on Zhao Gang, glancing back at Ospina and Hoolahan. Arsenal players had completely squeezed Ospina behind them, and Hoolahan was also being closely marked, ready to disrupt Zhao Gang's passing route at any moment.

"He has almost no ability to operate alone!" Gibbs recalled Wenger's words once again.

Zhao Gang received the ball, stepping over the midfield line.

Gibbs sprinted towards him.

"Arsenal is making extremely targeted defensive moves. Ospina and Hoolahan both have two defenders around them!

"Clearly, they are preventing them from receiving the ball and launching a counterattack. Zhao Gang's only option may be to pass back," Shen Jian commented, observing the situation on the field. Norwich had too few attacking players; this counterattack had already failed!

Gibbs watched as Zhao Gang raised his left foot, crashing towards the ball, ready to pass!

Pass forward!

The Norwich players in front were already blocked, making it difficult to receive the ball, but Gibbs still threw himself into the air, trying to cut off the pass at its source.

"Aiya, Gibbs is being..." Shen Jian was amazed by Gibbs's actions.

Because this movement was clearly the action of a defender in the penalty area blocking a shot with his body. This was still at the midfield line, yet he was directly blocking the pass, risking losing his defensive position.

This kind of defense was like gambling. You had to be absolutely certain that the opponent was going to kick the ball to pass or shoot, or you had no better option. Otherwise, if the opponent just faked the action, you could easily be dribbled past!

"He has almost no ability to operate alone!" Gibbs believed in Wenger and in himself. Zhao Gang was definitely going to pass; Zhao Gang had no dribbling ability at all!

Gibbs flew out, stunning Wenger, who was standing on the sidelines.

Was this a normal defensive move?

Did he think the opponent was in kindergarten???

Even if he had no dribbling ability, he was still a professional player!

As expected!

Zhao Gang kicked out, then paused for half a second when he saw Gibbs's gambling-style defense.

Then, he released the power in his foot, watching as Gibbs flew out of bounds and slid far away.

Then, he dribbled forward.

No defenders within a ten-meter radius!

Wenger roared on the sidelines, waving his arms vigorously.

Gibbs, who had lost his position, reacted and quickly got up. Zhao Gang had already dribbled the ball forward by three or four meters.

He had completely crossed the midfield line.

Rosicky, seeing Gibbs's foolish defense, was already striding over to fill the gap.

Having crossed the midfield line, Zhao Gang raised his left foot once again.

Before him was a golden, arched path with an extreme curvature, like a purple-gold beam supporting the sky.

Bang!

The ball soared into the sky. Rosicky, about two meters away from Zhao Gang, leaped forward in a sliding tackle.

His entire body slid past Zhao Gang on the grass, and he couldn't help but turn his head to stare at the flying ball.

Zhao Gang withdrew his foot, looking up at the beautiful arc.

Ospina, squeezed between two people, desperately pushed and shoved, his face contorted as he looked up.

Hoolahan sprinted forward, watching intently.

In the entire Emirates Stadium, Arsenal fans and Norwich fans, almost in unison, craned their necks and stared at the ball.

Szczęsny stood near the penalty spot, blinking his innocent, wide eyes.

Oh, it's not a pass...

He could breathe a sigh of relief.

Huh?

Oh shit!!

Szczęsny's expression changed drastically. He didn't even have time to turn around. Extending his right arm and swinging his long legs, he retreated frantically.

He leaped high, reaching upwards with one hand, trying to push the rapidly descending ball over the crossbar.

The ball grazed his hand and the crossbar, spinning as it fell into the goal!

"Oh~oh~oh~oh~oh~mygod~" Oriole's beautiful blue eyes almost popped out, her voice rising higher and higher, as if something indescribable had happened.

"Oh~~" James's mouth formed an 'O' shape, "Good heavens!"

Henry kept touching his bald head. As a top striker, he knew just how magical, perverse, and beautiful this kind of kick was.

At this distance, from this angle, it wasn't a full-strength shot, but a super long-range lob.

Power, angle, trajectory, all required extremely precise control.

"This..." Henry could hardly believe his eyes. Even he, from this angle and distance, couldn't have produced such an effect.

In Norfolk, hundreds of fans in a shopping mall stared up at the giant screen.

"Yeah!...!..."

The moment the ball crossed the goal line, all the fans clenched their fists, raised them above their heads, and erupted in a thunderous cheer.

The mall shook like an earthquake.

"Oh!! Hoho..." The fans sitting on the sofa had already gotten up as soon as the ball was kicked, tensing their bodies, moving closer and closer to the TV screen.

When the ball cleared the crossbar, they were so excited that they danced and waved their arms.

In numerous bars, fans sat there, repeatedly slamming their hands on the tables in front of them, spilling beer all over the tables and floors.

"Goal!!" Shen Jian roared, "Beautiful! A super long-range lob!"

"A celestial flying immortal!!"

"In Norwich's extremely disadvantageous situation, Zhao Gang seized this opportunity that wasn't an opportunity! A lob shot! This goal..."

"Goal!!!" Brooke shouted with all his might, his face red and his neck thick.

"Wenger, the Arsenal players, the fans watching the game! Everyone, everyone has forgotten one thing: Zhao is never a midfielder; he is a striker! The most outstanding and greatest striker in the world!!!"

"Everyone was waiting for his pass, Szczęsny, Chambers, Cazorla, Ospina, Hoolahan, Wenger, Fark, you, me, everyone was waiting for his pass! He tricked everyone, perfectly sending the ball into the goal!!"

0:1!

Playing away, the Norwich team, in an extremely unfavorable situation, had taken the lead.

Arsenal fans stared in disbelief at the replay on the stadium screen.

How could such a shot exist?

In the away fans' section, fans cheered and waved their golden number 18 jerseys.

A grandmother fan, over 70 years old, sat there, her hair white, raising her arms and excitedly turning her head, cheering and celebrating with a group of young people.

Another elderly man stood next to her, holding her hand, tears welling up in his eyes.