Chi Meiya
Chapter 159 Swift as Shooting Stars
The two sides are back to square one. Aside from some refereeing issues, the excitement of this match is very high! Zhao Gang's defense has always been somewhat problematic, but he can use his incisive passes to tear through Tottenham's defense.
Free kicks have now become a huge weapon for Manchester City. I feel like this score won't be the final score!"
"Zhao not only has outstanding footwork, but his greatest strength in set pieces isn't even his ability to accurately find teammates, or even his perfectly powerful shots. It's his unparalleled consistency.
Almost every free kick he takes achieves its intended purpose, and even if there are some deviations, they're not too far off!
This is a very, very terrifying characteristic, and its terrifying stability becomes even more apparent in crucial moments.
Whether it's shooting or finding teammates, it's like a guided missile. He can pass and shoot without adjusting while in motion. With enough opportunity and time to adjust, it becomes even more precise and terrifying.
Everyone says that football is a team sport, and it's difficult for one person to change the course of a battle, but Zhao's free kicks really have a miraculous effect.
If you pay close attention to him, you'll find that his free-kick technique and the angle of his power are truly perfect! His free kicks can bring about a qualitative change in a team's offense!" Henry praised him to the skies. When it comes to influence and skill, Zhao Gang may still be more than a notch below the top superstars.
But when it comes to free kicks alone, Henry is certain that Zhao Gang is definitely the strongest in the world right now!
Even if Messi and Iniesta have heaven-defying footwork, they don't have the same consistent performance as Zhao Gang!
No matter how much his stamina is depleted, even in the final moments of a match, his consistent free kicks will make his opponents tremble and fill his teammates with hope!
At this moment, it's his free kick again, finding Gundogan. Gundogan scores in one fell swoop, saving Manchester City!
Tottenham had already seen the hope of winning, and to be tied again like this, how could they be willing?
Especially since they're playing at home, with sky-high morale!
With fans cheering them on in the open and the referee favoring them in secret, how could they miss such a good opportunity?
So Tottenham didn't give up on attacking. Kane, Son Heung-min, Eriksen, Lamela, and other attacking players once again launched an attack on Manchester City.
In a short period of time, they actually perfectly suppressed Manchester City!
This situation is rare. Manchester City is the behemoth of the Premier League, the team that controls the ball best.
In this match, Guardiola doesn't dare to make any substitutions at all!
Because once he makes a substitution, there may be loopholes. He can only watch Fernandinho, Otamendi, and Kolarov run around the entire field, constantly filling the defensive gaps left by their teammates.
Especially Fernandinho and Kolarov, the two of them haven't relaxed for a moment, sweating profusely!
Fernandinho is about to be broken down into paste by Kyle Walker and Son Heung-min.
Zhao Gang takes advantage of the opportunity when the ball is out of bounds to approach Fernandinho, constantly encouraging and praising him.
After all, it's Zhao Gang's defensive leaks that have made Fernandinho so tired.
Fernandinho is fortunate to have a dark face, otherwise, he would definitely be blushing right now. He grimaces, sweat dripping constantly, panting heavily, and can't even speak clearly, "I...you...you better score another goal, and screw those dirty Tottenham dogs...you kid, you haven't even broken a sweat, your sweat is all...I'm sweating for you..."
Fernandinho wipes his face, as if he's washing it.
When has he ever suffered like this in the national team?
I'm already 31. Other Brazilian players retire and chase girls at 31. I'm doing the work of two people. Is it easy for me?
"If we can't win today, I..." Fernandinho didn't even finish his sentence before he dashed out to continue defending.
His energy doesn't look like he's about to die from exhaustion.
Fernandinho seizes the opportunity and slides to block Kyle Walker's ball out of bounds.
Brazilian players' individual skills are indeed strong. Whether they're attacking players or defensive players, their grasp of timing is definitely unmatched.
"Fernandinho, standing behind Zhao Gang, is really...exhausted in this match! Son Heung-min and Kyle Walker are both speed-type players. Fernandinho's timing of pressing and his interception ability have really saved Manchester City. Once he's beaten, Manchester City's defenders will face enormous pressure.
In this match, he's hardly gone up to show off his long shots. Most of the time, he's stood in the backfield, protecting Zhao Gang!"
"Especially in the ten minutes after Manchester City tied the score, Tottenham launched a very strong attack. The defensive line formed by Fernandinho and Gundogan can be said to have made a great contribution!"
There are three minutes left before the match goes into injury time, and the players on the field are extremely exhausted.
During this time, Manchester City's counterattacks have also been very fierce. If it weren't for Kane and the other attacking players desperately retreating to defend, preventing Tottenham's defense from being too empty, Sterling would have scored a goal long ago.
Lloris and Bravo have become the busiest people on the field. The two of them are constantly diving to press the ball under their bodies, not moving until the opposing players walk away, and then slowly getting up.
"It seems that no one wants to end this match in a draw! But there's not much time left in the match. Let's see if either side has a chance to rewrite the score!
Tottenham's attack! Eriksen, Kane, still passing to Son Heung-min!
Sure enough, they're going to attack the right flank!"
"In the final moments, Kane still chooses Son Heung-min. You can see Son Heung-min's status in the team! This is definitely something Zhao Gang can't compare to! At the most crucial moment, Son Heung-min has gained the trust of the team's core members!" The Korean commentator is very excited.
Little does he know that while Son Heung-min has gained the trust of the core players in Tottenham, in Manchester City, the core player is Zhao Gang, whose status is even higher than Son Heung-min's.
"Son Heung-min breaks through and crosses! This ball is cleared by Fernandinho who rushed back! Fernandinho's range of activity is very large! You can see him anywhere on the field, except for off the field!"
"Tottenham's corner kick, Eriksen takes it!"
With little time left, Eriksen doesn't waste any time and quickly runs to the corner kick area.
Aguero and Sterling have all returned. They absolutely can't make any mistakes at this time!
They must defend with everyone!
"Lofted into the penalty area, near post! Directly cleared out by Kolarov!"
Zhao Gang quickly rushes towards the landing point of the ball. Son Heung-min, not far away, grits his teeth, a little out of breath, and rushes forward as well.
"Whoa! The same scene as Manchester City's corner kick attack in the first half has appeared. Zhao Gang and Son Heung-min are going to fight for this ball at the same time! Last time, Son Heung-min grabbed the ball and launched a counterattack..."
Last time, Kyle Walker headed the high ball, and it was difficult for Zhao Gang to receive it.
This time, Kolarov kicked the ball out from the near post, a low ball.
So Zhao Gang used his leg to stop the ball. He turned around and faced Son Heung-min.
"Damn...this ball control technique..."
"This ball control technique won't get him any sea cucumber, practicing this stuff is useless..."
"One on one!"
"Son Heung-min will intercept his ball!"
"Take it down, Son Heung-min, tell the world that you are the number one in Asia, completely dominating Zhao Gang on both ends of the field!!"
When Zhao Gang sees Son Heung-min, before Son Heung-min can come up to press, he kicks the ball behind Son Heung-min, and it continues to roll forward.
Behind Son Heung-min, there's a wide-open space like a plain.
When Son Heung-min realizes this, he quickly turns around, but Zhao Gang has already started, intending to bypass Son Heung-min and break through from the left flank.
"Ah? Zhao Gang is so bold, he wants to overtake Son Heung-min on the outside? In the first half, Son Heung-min overtook him on the outside. This guy can't even keep up with Son Heung-min in a straight line. Now, he's overestimating himself by trying to overtake on the outside??"
"Isn't this asking for trouble?"
"Is he a clown?"
Whether they're Tottenham fans or Korean fans, they all know Son Heung-min's speed. They feel that Zhao Gang has no choice and is just trying to clear the ball.
With Zhao Gang's ability, he probably knows that he can't break through Son Heung-min, so he can only go for broke and kick it out randomly.
But soon, these fans gasp.
"This..."
"What the hell??"
They can't believe it at all.
They can't believe what they're seeing.
Son Heung-min uses all his strength on the inside, his legs almost creating afterimages, gritting his teeth to sprint.
Zhao Gang is on the outside, circling a little, overtaking Son Heung-min!
Zhao Gang reaches the ball one step ahead and kicks it forward again. He also follows up swiftly. Son Heung-min feels like his legs won't obey him, but he still grits his teeth and desperately rushes forward, determined to stop him!
Son Heung-min knows that if he can't stop Zhao Gang, Zhao Gang will dribble the ball all the way from the Manchester City penalty area to the Tottenham penalty area!
This is the final moment. If this ball goes in, Tottenham is finished!
And he will become the backdrop for Zhao Gang's outside overtake!
Son Heung-min uses all his tricks and reaches out to pull Zhao Gang's shoulder.
Even if he gets a red card for this action, it's worth it!
However, his hand is directly thrown off by Zhao Gang. At the same time, his center of gravity is disrupted by Zhao Gang, and he falls directly to the ground, rolling three times before lying on the ground, covering his shoulder, his face full of pain.
It's definitely too late to get up and chase at this time. He has to do this to protect his face. Maybe the referee will turn a blind eye and call a foul!
"Ouch!!" When Zhan Lu sees Zhao Gang and Son Heung-min accelerating, two black and white figures rushing forward, Zhao Gang successfully overtaking on the outside, and Son Heung-min falling to the ground in a sorry state, his whole body trembles.
Son Heung-min is definitely the fastest player in Asia right now.
Zhao Gang actually shook off Son Heung-min with a few steps of acceleration.
When Son Heung-min is behind, thinking of stopping Zhao Gang, he reaches out and is directly sent to the ground by Zhao Gang's momentum!
Zhao Gang streaks down the left flank like lightning, heading towards the Tottenham half.
"Damn, he passed him!!"
"It's heating up, it's heating up!"
"He's taking off, he's taking off!!"
"It's already the 90th minute, and he still has so much stamina!!"
Countless fans sitting in front of the screen are stunned, subconsciously tensing their bodies and standing up.
That soaring figure carries their love and dreams for football.
At this moment, they seem to be connected to Zhao Gang by blood, running together on the field.
Their eyes, their passion, their faith, fall on Zhao Gang, charging forward without hesitation.
"Oh my God!!" Henry trembles all over when he sees this scene. When Henry was young, he had outstanding speed and often performed long-distance overtakes, using his speed to tear the defensive line to pieces.
Now he's older and can no longer feel the speed on the field like before, the wonderful feeling of the wind merging into his skin and blood.
But this figure makes him return to the field again.
His blood is surging, and at this moment, he feels full of energy, and he won't calm down until he runs a few kilometers.
At this moment, the only ones who can keep up with Zhao Gang's pace are Alli and Vertonghen, who are standing relatively far back.
Vertonghen rushes towards Zhao Gang with his head down, and Alli quickly rushes along the middle, trying to intercept Zhao Gang in the final stage of entering the penalty area.
Zhao Gang, who has already accelerated, catches up with the ball and takes another powerful touch, sending the ball flying a distance away.
Vertonghen feels like his throat is about to burst from running, using all his strength to chase the ball from the side. Now there's no chance to stop Zhao Gang.
He watches helplessly as the black figure gets closer and closer to the ball. Vertonghen is already a body length behind.
Zhao Gang leaves him with only a black figure.
That figure is like the dark night, making him more and more desperate.
When Zhao Gang catches up with the ball and accelerates again, Vertonghen stops directly and lies down on the grass.
Screw this, let it be destroyed.
It's not that he's not dedicated enough, but at this point in time, his stamina is no longer enough, and he's sprinted halfway across the field, so his body can't handle it at all, and he has no chance to catch up.
He's completely despaired when he sees Zhao Gang suddenly accelerating again in front of him.
"Vertonghen has fallen too!!"
Zhao Gang doesn't know the situation behind him at all, but he's sure that no one is following him. He only has Lloris in front of him and Alli rushing from the middle.
Alli is still quite a few body lengths behind him, but he's still pushing his chest out and gritting his teeth as he rushes into the penalty area.
Zhao Gang, dribbling at high speed, enters the penalty area ahead of time.
The fans at White Hart Lane stand up one after another, their hearts in their throats.
This time, this scene.
God, save Tottenham!
Some fans with fragile hearts have covered their eyes, despairing and about to cry.
Lloris is constantly shaking his feet, opening his arms, his mind is blank, and he can only subconsciously increase his defensive area, defending the near post!
Guardiola on the sidelines is craning his neck, his eyes not blinking for a moment!
None of the Manchester City players in the backfield followed up. They couldn't keep up, and there was no need to follow up. They all had almost the same expression, staying there like sculptures, their eyes following Zhao Gang.
Fernandinho's legs are almost cramping, staring eagerly, even afraid to wipe the sweat blocking his vision, for fear of missing this wonderful moment.
Alli rushes over, Zhao Gang doesn't stop, dribbling forward, and also raises his foot.
As always, the outside of his foot.
This is the deceptive thing about the outside of the foot. It looks like he's continuing to dribble, but he's actually already shooting.
Lloris wants to judge Zhao Gang's shooting timing through Zhao Gang's posture, but it's too late when he reacts.
The ball goes straight for the far corner!
"Oh Zhao...Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao..." Henry starts chanting softly from the moment Zhao Gang reaches the backfield, before he reaches the dangerous area, staring intently.
"Oh! Zhao!!!" Henry opens his mouth wide, raises his hands, and roars with all his might.
"oh...mygod..." James finally lets out a deep breath. Before, he didn't dare to breathe loudly, afraid that his breathing would affect Zhao Gang's speed and shot.
If that were the case, he would become a sinner for all time!
The ball is full of power and smashes into the upper right corner of the goal!
Lloris, sealing the near post, dives down and kneels there, then collapses limply to the ground.
Alli, who chased back all the way, has no strength left and collapses to the ground, covering his head in pain.
After shooting, Zhao Gang doesn't stop for half a moment. He takes off like he's flying, rushes out of bounds in a few steps, waving his fists and jumping up.
The Manchester City fans go crazy. The commentator in the commentary box shouts Zhao Gang's name several times, then there's only roaring left. He stands there with his mouth open, raising his face and waving his fists, not knowing how to express his excitement and excitement at this moment.
Guardiola on the sidelines instantly kneels on the ground, raising his hands high and shouting to the sky.
Arteta, the assistant coach, rushes over and pounces on Guardiola, knocking him to the ground and hammering the ground like crazy.
Fernandinho follows and falls to the ground with a thud.
Slamming the lawn hard.
This match has been too difficult for him.
It's been unusually difficult for Manchester City as well.
Playing away, lacking stamina.
Not only were they unfairly called, but Tottenham's offside goal was also ruled valid.
It seems like everyone except Manchester City themselves doesn't want them to win!
Fortunately, they never gave up.
Fernandinho has almost become an iron man, unleashing 200% of his energy, so that Manchester City's left flank didn't collapse.
Now, his suffering hasn't been in vain. The young man he's been protecting has completed the fatal blow at the last moment!
Making all of Tottenham's, the Tottenham fans', and the referee's efforts go down the drain!
"Zhao Gang!! In the 90th minute of the match, a long-distance raid from the backcourt after intercepting the ball!
Son Heung-min, Vertonghen, Alli!
They've all been thrown behind him, like a black lightning bolt, charging straight in, instantly shattering the hopes of everyone in Tottenham!
A handsome young man, swift as a shooting star!!
Zhao Gang!!" Zhan Lu almost jumps out of his chair.
It's been so long since he's seen such an exciting scene.
That's his compatriot, that's a Dragon Country youth!
"Perfect overtaking, perfect shot. This goal will be remembered by the Premier League, it will be remembered by the world football arena!
Too strong, Zhao! Manchester City completes the come-from-behind victory in the 90th minute!
3:2!
If the whole world is against us, if the whole Premier League wants us to lose, what should we do? Zhao gave us the answer! Win, the first match, the second match, the third match...the thirtieth match!! Keep winning! Fiercely crush those people's ugly plans!
Zhao...!!!"
Most of the Tottenham players have fallen on the field.
Kane covers his eyes, grimacing, not wanting to get up.
It's already like this, at this point.
He can still knock down Son Heung-min and Vertonghen all the way from his penalty area, break into the penalty area, and finally, without adjusting, heavily blast the ball into the far corner.
If you only knew this was the final moment of the match, you'd think the match had just started!
How can there be such a person in this world?
Everyone is almost exhausted from this huge expenditure of energy, but he's still like nothing happened?
The Tottenham fans are all confused.
It's as if the faith in their hearts has collapsed.
Like a nightmare.
One moment they were in heaven, the next they fell into hell.
Those fans finally vaguely remembered one thing. This guy who runs faster than the wind seems to have been a target for Tottenham for a while?
At that time, the rumors between him and Tottenham made many Tottenham fans very disgusted with him.
An eighteen-year-old kid with no Premier League experience, Pochettino actually wanted to buy him with all his heart, as if he was bewitched.
Why?
And this kid is from Dragon Country.
Who doesn't know the level of Dragon Country?
Pochettino is crazy!
Some extreme fans sprayed Zhao Gang and Pochettino.
They thought that Pochettino was not wholeheartedly looking for strong support for Tottenham, but had started to learn from their city rivals Wenger's set, scratching lottery tickets.
But now, it's him!
It was him who kicked Tottenham into hell with one foot!
Pochettino rubbed his face hard and squatted there.
Listening to Guardiola and the staff celebrating like crazy next to him, he felt mixed emotions in his heart.
He was the second coach to be interested in Zhao Gang, only one step behind Wenger.
His sincerity was full, and for a while, he could feel that he was about to win Zhao Gang over.
But Tottenham didn't have a Champions League spot, which made Zhao Gang hesitate.
With a hesitation and a delay, Zhao Gang's value became higher and higher.
Tottenham slowly lost their chance...
Seventy million, Levy wouldn't buy such a young Dragon Country even if he sold himself.
The two Korean commentators suddenly fell silent.
They had already stopped commentating from the moment they saw Son Heung-min fall.
They watched Zhao Gang rush into the Tottenham penalty area, praying in their hearts.
To God, to the Jade Emperor, to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
They thought of all the gods they could think of.
Please don't let him score!
Please don't let him score!
Let him fall!
If the heavens have a spirit, let him fall while dribbling in the penalty area!
It would be best if he could break his leg!
But it seems that God didn't hear their prayers.
Zhao Gang's last kick made their faces burn and their hearts break.
The silent Korean commentators, the silent Korean fans.
Zhao Gang not only killed Tottenham, but also overtook their pride, Korean speed!
"Zhao Gang's speed is not as good as Son Heung-min's, who is known for his speed, but this is near the end of the match, and Son Heung-min, who has been active all the time, has a lot less stamina. Son Heung-min needs to attack and defend, so he's already exhausted, but Zhao Gang has never defended, so...so this is what happened." The Korean commentator finally found a reason.
It's no longer that Zhao Gang can't defend against Son Heung-min, but that Zhao Gang has never participated in defense.
"Yes, Son Heung-min is too important. Tottenham needs him to attack and defend, but Zhao Gang doesn't need to defend. This is not fair."
Another commentator echoed, as if this was the only way to save face.