Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 163 The Boos at Old Trafford
in the afternoon.

Half an hour before the match started, Old Trafford Stadium was already packed with people.

The match is about to begin, and the players from both sides are holding their caddies in the player tunnel, waiting to enter the field.

The players all looked serious, awaiting the start of this derby match.

Dan Yongzhuo looked relaxed, but the caddy next to him tugged at his clothes.

"What's wrong?" Shan Yongzhuo asked curiously.

"He's looking at you," the caddie said to Shan Yongzhuo, pointing at Berbatov.

Following the caddie's hand, Shan Yongzhuo saw that Berbatov was indeed looking at him. After being noticed, Berbatov did not look away, but instead smiled and nodded to Shan Yongzhuo, giving him a very friendly greeting.

When the other party showed goodwill, Shan Yongzhuo naturally returned the gesture with a friendly smile.

However, Shan Yongzhuo couldn't understand Berbatov's actions.

Before the match, Shan Yongzhuo made some outrageous statements in the media, saying he would score 3-4 goals against Manchester United, which made the other players look at him with displeasure.

Especially the defense led by Vidic and Ferdinand, they were like gladiators waiting to enter the arena, their eyes filled with fighting spirit, wishing they could use this fighting spirit to directly crush Shan Yongzhuo.

Is this the normal behavior?
However, Berbatov's gaze puzzled Shan Yongzhuo. It was an expression of admiration and worship, even carrying a hint of finding a kindred spirit.

This sent a chill down Shan Yongzhuo's spine.

"Could it be... that my fatal allure has been upgraded? It works on men too?"

"Damn it, Britain is a notorious corrupt country, could he be...?"

The more Shan Yongzhuo thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. He immediately stopped looking at Berbatov and started to worry about his own incredibly good looks.

Berbatov was initially quite happy. He regarded Shan Yongzhuo as a confidant on the field and couldn't help but extend goodwill to him. He even thought that after the game, he might be able to talk to Shan Yongzhuo and exchange ideas about running.

Perhaps the two of them could become friends, and he could learn some scoring tips from Shan Yongzhuo.

Berbatov had high hopes, even envisioning the future. The two were hailed as the greatest footballers of all time, scoring the most goals with the least amount of running, thus revolutionizing the world of football.

At first, Shan Yongzhuo responded to his kindness, but afterwards he stopped looking at him and even became somewhat cold.

Berbatov was puzzled, but then he realized it was understandable.

This is the epitome of professional football!
In Berbatov's view, Shan Yongzhuo must know him. As two of the most notoriously lazy players, Shan Yongzhuo must also consider him a confidant, as evidenced by that kind smile.

However, the two are ultimately rivals, and this match must have a winner. Therefore, Shan Yongzhuo's subsequent performance demonstrated his fighting spirit.

Thinking about this, Berbatov also felt a surge of fighting spirit.

That's right, deciding the outcome on the court in a manly way won't affect our future friendship!

Scholes, who was standing nearby, was also very satisfied with Berbatov.

"Is Dimitri finally getting serious? That's great!"

……

The match is about to begin, and Manchester City is attacking first.

Balotelli passed the ball to Shan Yongzhuo, and then the whole stadium erupted in deafening boos.

These boos were naturally directed at Shan Yongzhuo. His pre-match boasts had angered Manchester United fans, who used this method to distract him. Shan Yongzhuo, however, was unfazed. He'd experienced boos many times before, even witnessing the fighting spirit of Greek fans in Greece. He wasn't intimidated by the trash-talking English fans.

After kicking the ball back to Barry, he was the first to rush over.

He wasn't running fast, and Balotelli even ran ahead of him, helping to draw Ferdinand's defense away.

Meanwhile, after receiving the ball, Barry passed it to Milner on the wing. Milner dribbled forward quickly, then passed it across to De Jong when he encountered a defender.

De Jong dribbled forward twice, but Carrick intercepted the ball.

Manchester United launched an attack.

In this Manchester United lineup, Carrick and Scholes partnered in the central midfield. As one of the 92 golden generation, Scholes has always been a very low-key player and doesn't seem as dazzling as Beckham, Giggs, and others.

But in reality, Scholes has always been the most important midfielder for Manchester United. He has always controlled the rhythm of Manchester United's attack and defense, and he always has a sharp mind.

Mancini was naturally aware of this as well.

In this match, he instructed De Jong to keep a close eye on Scholes throughout the game, and Mancini was willing to trade De Jong and Scholes for points.

By shutting down Scholes, Manchester United's attacking efficiency will be halved. In contrast, De Jong's importance to Manchester City is merely that of a midfield workhorse, who is not particularly important to the attack.

After losing possession, De Jong quickly tracked back and soon marked Scholes.

As a well-known figure in the football world, De Jong may not be considered particularly outstanding in terms of actual defensive ability, but his defense is extremely tough and fierce. After Scholes was marked by De Jong, he found it difficult to pass the ball out calmly.

Left with no other option, Scholes had to pass the ball to Nani on the wing.

After receiving the ball, the young cyclist Nani excitedly charged forward with his head down, showing no intention of passing it.

Sure enough, after a short run, Yaya Toure intercepted Nani's ball and then launched a long ball forward.

At this moment, in Manchester United's backfield, Ferdinand was marking Balotelli, Vidic was closely marking Shan Yongzhuo, and Carrick was also quickly tracking back and rushing towards Shan Yongzhuo.

Barry got the ball, and Park Ji-sung rushed towards him.

After taking a few steps, Barry saw Shan Yongzhuo raising his hand for the ball, and he immediately kicked the ball to him.

Dan Yongzhuo stood on the right, about 7 or 8 meters from the penalty area line. Vidic was standing behind him, and Carrick and Evra were also rushing towards him from both sides, forming a double-team around him.

Shan Yongzhuo received the ball, leaned against Vidic, looked around, and seemed to want to pass it.

The entire stadium erupted in deafening boos. In the eyes of Manchester United fans, with three Manchester United players surrounding him, Shan Yongzhuo had no chance of getting the ball to the net.

However, the next moment, they saw the ball at Shan Yongzhuo's feet rush out between Vidic's legs, and Shan Yongzhuo also rushed out from between the three, caught up with the ball, and directly entered the penalty area.

Ferdinand was shocked, but he still abandoned Balotelli in the penalty area and rushed over to try to cover for him.

However, just as Shan Yongzhuo rushed into the penalty area and caught up with the ball, before Ferdinand could come to cover, he slammed the ball down hard with his right foot.

The football hurtled towards the goal, arcing beautifully through the air.

Van der Sar's tendency to lose focus became apparent at this moment; he didn't have time to make a save, and the ball went straight into the corner of the net.

Old Trafford fell silent.

(End of this chapter)