Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 209 Taking the Lead
When the game resumed, the Dynamo Kyiv players discovered the problem.

The players' morale seems to have improved dramatically.

Dynamo Kyiv continued their fierce attack on Manchester City. Being tied at home is a bad feeling, and they were all eager to turn the score around again.

But now they find that attacking isn't so easy anymore, as Manchester City's defensive intensity seems to have increased considerably.

The Manchester City players have calmed down by now and are no longer worried about the opponent's excellent form.

So what if you're in good shape?
So what if there's one more person on your team?
They put together dazzling attacking plays, but the ultimate goal is nothing more than to score a goal.

With Shan Yongzhuo on the team, and Shan Yongzhuo scoring goals, what are we afraid of?
Thinking about it this way, the Manchester City players felt much more relaxed.

In fact, Manchester City's defense was very problematic in this match. Kompany's hand injury and Kolo Toure's drug test issues had a significant impact on Manchester City's defense.

The central defensive pairing of Boateng and Lescott lacks cohesion; the two players rarely get playing time, and their coordination is not very good.

Fortunately, Zabaleta was there. He dropped back and acted as a sweeper, creating a decent defensive wall in front of the two center-backs and making up for their shortcomings.

Zabaleta can be considered a versatile player in the backfield, capable of playing as a right-back, center-back, defensive midfielder, and other positions.

Excellent defense, abundant stamina, and tireless running are all his strengths.

His sweeping action somewhat compensated for the weaknesses of the two center-backs.

Although Kolarov was still being thoroughly outmaneuvered by Yarmolenko, Shevchenko and Milevsky were severely limited. Even when Yarmolenko got a chance to cross the ball, it wasn't so easy for him to pose a threat.

More importantly, Dynamo Kyiv dared not relax their vigilance against Shan Yongzhuo any longer.

Not to mention Da Silva, even Popov dared not advance too aggressively any further, and stayed behind to keep a close eye on Shan Yongzhuo's every move.

In other words, Shan Yongzhuo single-handedly tied down two of the opposing defenders, and with this shift in momentum, the situation on the field temporarily reached a stalemate.

Dynamo Kyiv launched several consecutive attacks but failed to find an opportunity, and even failed to penetrate the penalty area several times, instead simply passing the ball around on the perimeter.

They were playing with some frustration and becoming increasingly impatient.

In football, technique and teamwork are indeed very important, but against a solid defensive formation, even the most brilliant technique and teamwork will hardly result in a goal, because the opponent simply won't come out and set up a defensive wall. In this situation, technique and teamwork are not very meaningful in a crowd of people.

Dynamo Kyiv also simplified things and started playing the purest form of Russian football, with crosses from the wings.

They have Milevskiy, a tall player, in the penalty area, as well as Shevchenko, a veteran with a very strong ability to get into scoring positions.

Therefore, after several waves of attacks were thwarted, Dynamo Kyiv simply adopted a strategy of crossing from the byline and launching high balls into the box.

This strategy did have some effect, but it didn't actually create any real threat.

Boateng and Lescott are both tall and strong defenders. When defending ground balls, they may have problems such as slow turning and slow speed. However, they are no slouch when defending high balls.

For seven or eight minutes in a row, Dynamo Kyiv failed to create any significant offensive threats.

In contrast, Manchester City's counter-attacks were simple and effective. They directly targeted Milner, then had him lead the attack from the right flank to find Shan Yongzhuo.

This style of play is simple, but simplicity has its advantages.

In the 43rd minute, just before the end of the first half, Manchester City launched a decent attack.

Milner broke through on the right wing, dribbled all the way, and finally delivered a low cross to the edge of the penalty area.

In a scuffle with Da Silva, Shan Yongzhuo rushed toward the ball.

At the same time, the Ghostly Grappling Technique was activated.

Da Silva felt Shan Yongzhuo accelerate instantly, so fast that he couldn't even touch his shadow.

Then, he saw Shan Yongzhuo rush to the ball, not stop it, but turn and shoot directly at it.

The Ukrainian commentator cried out in alarm, "Danger!"

The English commentators were much more composed. They knew Shan Yongzhuo well and recognized this as one of his signature shots: a first-time, turn-and-volley shot.

The football traced a bizarre, wide arc, heading straight for the right corner of the goal. Dynamo Kyiv's goalkeeper made a save, but that was all.

The ball went straight into the goal from the corner, and Shan Yongzhuo scored directly.

1 is better than 2!

"A brilliant shot! Manchester City, playing with ten men, have completed the comeback!" the English commentator exclaimed. "Shan Yongzhuo shook off Da Silva and unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the net. The goalkeeper couldn't reach it, and Shan Yongzhuo has scored his second goal!"

The Manchester City players on the field also gathered around to celebrate.

"Dan, you did a fantastic job!"

"I knew you could get in; that position is your specialty."

"We've taken the lead!"

Manchester City's players are ecstatic. They had been playing a frustrating game, but now, playing with ten men, they have managed to turn the score around and even scored two away goals.

This is truly a wonderful surprise.

Shan Yongzhuo was also very happy to celebrate with his teammates. Although he scored many goals, he was still very happy every time he scored a goal.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian fans at the Nobalovsky Stadium were very frustrated. They looked at the Manchester City number 10 on the field with extremely mixed feelings.

Shan Yongzhuo.

He is the Premier League's top scorer and holds the record for most goals in a single Premier League season, and he continues to break it.

He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single Serie A season and the record for most goals scored in a single Europa League season.

He has many titles.

Before the match, he was the most talked-about player among Ukrainian fans, and now, seeing his performance, they have mixed feelings.

Yes, it's complicated.

They also have former world number one striker Shevchenko, but that was an aging Shevchenko.

However, in the eyes of these Ukrainian fans, even at his peak, Shevchenko seemed... seemingly not as good as this Manchester City number 10.

"This is truly the world's best striker!"

"Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, none of them can compare to him."

"Can we win? They only have 10 players, and we're all behind."

"We were so unlucky to run into Manchester City, it was so tough."

"Shan Yongzhuo is really amazing!"

Ukrainian fans were discussing the game, and their attitude towards it was becoming increasingly pessimistic.

And within this pessimism, something strange was inserted.

Those were Ukrainian female fans, their eyes somewhat unfocused as they looked at the number 10 on the field.

"He... is so handsome."

"I'm a Kyiv fan, but why... why do I want to support them?"

"If we have no hope of winning, then it should be okay for me to support him, right..."

(End of this chapter)