Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 156 Single Blade
The first half ended, the halftime break quickly passed, and the second half of the game resumed.

Juventus made no adjustments, sticking to their first-half counter-attacking strategy and heavily marking Shan Yongzhuo.

Even when they were behind, they did not change this strategy.

There's no other way; Shan Yongzhuo is just too good. If they launch a full-scale attack, they're very likely to concede another goal in their own half. This is the only option we can do.

Manchester City also established an advantage at the start of the second half, with more possession and more attacks than Juventus, and the feel of the game was not much different from the first half.

The only change was that Sissoko, who had a poor performance in the first half, was substituted off, and midfielder Melo came on as his replacement.

Juventus' adjustments have yielded some results.

Italian teams can all be considered defensive specialists; defense is ingrained in their very being. The only difference is how well they defend and how poorly they defend.

Moreover, Juventus' defense is different from the dense, parked defense of smaller clubs. Their defense is very organized. Even with a large number of players piled up in the backfield, three lines can still be clearly seen, and the whole formation is well-organized.

This allowed them to launch some counter-attacks, especially with Marchisio becoming more involved in the attack. He combined well with Martinez on the wing, and by utilizing Iaquinta's height in the attacking third, they also posed a threat to Manchester City's goal.

However, to everyone's surprise, Shan Yongzhuo, who performed exceptionally well in the first half, seemed to become even lazier in the second half.

Shan Yongzhuo stood almost motionless in Juventus' half of the field. Occasionally, when the camera cut to him, he would jog a couple of steps as a gesture, and then continue to stand there in a daze.

He acted like an outsider.

However, Juventus players don't see it that way, especially Chiellini.

"This is one of his old tactics, so we absolutely cannot let our guard down!"

Chiellini reminded his teammates that they needed to be extra careful of this guy, especially at this point. In his memory, this was Shan Yongzhuo's usual tactic, using this method to lull the opponent into a false sense of security. Once they relaxed, he was likely to score again.

As a result, Shan Yongzhuo was under even closer surveillance. Chiellini was almost always by his side, and Bonucci was also keeping a close eye on the situation, ready to come over and cover for him at any time.

This left Shan Yongzhu speechless.

It's not that he didn't want to score, but he simply had no other choice, because he had run out of skills to use.

The second half continued for another thirty minutes, and the score remained unchanged.

However, at this point, Juventus became restless and launched a major offensive.

After all, nobody wants to lose the game like this, so equalizing the score is a good thing.

Mancini also noticed this, and at this moment, Manchester City was being overwhelmed by Juventus's wave after wave of attacks.

Manchester City immediately made a substitution, with Mancini replacing Balotelli with Boateng, deploying a three-center-back formation.

Manchester City's three center-backs, Boateng, Kompany, and Kolo Toure, are all very physical players. Mancini's intention is clear: he hopes to use these three strong and tough players to limit Iaquinta's attacks.

The signal from this substitution is quite clear: the team is going to play defense.

On the field, Juventus posed a significant threat, and Manchester City was unable to mount any effective attacks. Bringing on defenders to increase defensive intensity was a good decision.

However, being substituted off the field clearly displeased Balotelli. His face was very grim, and after giving Mancini a perfunctory hug, he sat on the sidelines without saying a word.

The media also seized on this point, and naturally, the ever-curious English media began to interpret it.

"Balotelli seemed very unhappy about being substituted..." "In fact, Balotelli's performance today was quite commendable. Apart from one absurd one-on-one chance, he posed a considerable threat to Juventus' defense."

"However, compared to his partner Shan Yongzhuo, he pales in comparison."

"Perhaps, before he can get playing time, he should work on improving his skills and avoid making such poor performances as missing open goals."

However, Balotelli's dissatisfaction was just a minor incident, and no one paid much attention to it. After all, Balotelli is not a regular striker for Manchester City, and he probably wouldn't have started the game if Tevez hadn't been injured.

The game continued, and the time had now reached 86 minutes, with Juventus still trailing by one goal.

In the final moments, Juventus pressed forward with all their players, and even Chiellini stopped marking Shan Yongzhuo. During a corner kick, he rushed into the penalty area to contest for a header.

Marchisio took the corner kick, and chaos ensued in the penalty area.

In the end, Iaquinta won the ball, but his header was easily caught by Joe Hart.

Just then, Joe Hart noticed Shan Yongzhuo's position. He was in his own half near the center line, and there was no one in front of Shan Yongzhuo except for Juventus goalkeeper Manninger.

Without any hesitation, Joe Hart passed the ball before anyone could react, and the pass was made to Shan Yongzhuo.

The pass was quick and accurate. Shan Yongzhuo received the ball at the center circle of his own half, with a wide-open field in front of him and no defenders.

"Danger!"

The Juventus players immediately realized this and did their best to track back.

After getting the ball, Shan Yongzhuo started sprinting with it like crazy.

This is a good opportunity!

A great opportunity to score a goal without using any special skills, relying solely on one's own ability!

Dan Yongzhuo's speed is only 60 points, which is not fast, but it is not particularly slow either. Moreover, he takes very long strides when dribbling the ball, since there is no one in front of him. Furthermore, his technique and speed are not outstanding. If he doesn't do this, it's a foregone conclusion that he will be caught up.

This allowed Shan Yongzhuo to quickly break through the midfield and reach the edge of the penalty area.

Manninger had already made his move, blocking Shan Yongzhuo's path.

"Want to shoot directly?"

Shan Yongzhuo thought for a moment, but his touch was a bit too big, and the angle for a direct shot was completely blocked by Manninger.

"Get past him!"

After thinking for a moment, Shan Yongzhuo decided to skip Manninger, and he did just that.

Before Manninger could steal the ball, Shan Yongzhuo moved the ball to the side and pushed it forward, directly shaking off Manninger.

However, the next moment, Shan Yongzhuo realized that something was wrong.

He chased after the ball with all his might, but in the end, he was still a step too slow.

Although he touched the ball, it still gracefully went out of bounds.

The whole place was in an uproar!
(End of this chapter)