Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 210 The Signature Kickball

Shan Yongzhuo's second goal was the last goal of the first half.

With the referee's whistle, Manchester City went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

In the locker room, Dynamo Kyiv head coach Yuri Shomin repeatedly emphasized the need to defend against Shan Yongzhuo. He stressed it several times, and then Da Silva and Popov both volunteered to do so.

"Don't worry, sir! I'll definitely hold them off in the second half!"

"I will never give him another chance!"

"If he gets the ball again, I'll stop him even if it means breaking my leg..."

Xiao Ming naturally did not support breaking a leg with a tackle, but he could see that the player already valued Shan Yongzhuo enough, so he didn't emphasize it any further.

This is a very important thing.

Dynamo Kyiv, playing at home, is trailing by one goal, so they can't just focus on defense; offense is also very important.

Dynamo Kyiv also had many problems in their attack in the first half. Although they had a lot of attacking opportunities, there weren't many truly threatening attacks, and their attacks were a bit too flashy.

Xiao Ming emphasized to the players that the attack in the second half should be more concise, and they should take the initiative to find opportunities rather than relying on teamwork, waiting for the opponent to make mistakes, and then finding an opening to pass the ball.

Xiao Ming's assessment of the offensive and defensive issues was quite accurate. Regardless of his coaching ability, his insight is commendable.

After the start of the second half, Dynamo Kyiv noticed the problems from the first half and launched a more concise and effective attack.

Manchester City's goalkeeping has been hit by a series of crises in a short period of time.

Öremenko's long-range shot.

Milevskiy pounces on the opportunity and takes a shot.

Shevchenko takes a shot inside the penalty area.

Yarmolenko cuts inside and shoots.

Dynamo Kyiv's four-man attack was consistently effective, leaving Manchester City somewhat stretched thin. Zabaleta made desperate runs to cover and Boateng repeatedly blocked shots, but the goal still faced repeated crises.

However, it was Manchester City who scored the goal.

In the 64th minute, Manchester City launched a counter-attack.

After receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area, Shan Yongzhuo used a powerful ground kick to shake off Da Silva.

Enraged, Da Silva kept his promise and delivered a flying tackle from behind, slamming Shan Yongzhuo into the shin and knocking him heavily to the ground.

This was a tackle aimed directly at breaking Da Silva's leg, and Manchester City's players angrily surrounded him, bringing the tension to a fever pitch.

Mancini was also furious on the sidelines, and he unleashed a torrent of abuse on the fourth official and the referee.

This extremely malicious act was naturally not going to be overlooked by the referee, but the final decision was highly controversial. He only gave Da Silva a yellow card and awarded Manchester City a free kick just outside the penalty area.

Such a ruling is clearly unsatisfactory.

Manchester City fans also launched a tirade, especially the British female fans who had traveled with the team to Ukraine, who unleashed a torrent of angry shouts.

"Damn it, he actually dared to kick me out!"

"Damn it, we'll kill you!"

"You won't leave this stadium alive!"

"You just wait! You damn bastard!"

"..."

Manchester City's female fans were shouting and yelling, and what was even more speechless was that a lot of Ukrainian female fans had infiltrated the ranks of the British female fans, following behind and shouting as if Da Silva were the greatest sinner in the world.

For a time, Da Silva was universally condemned.

"That's an executioner, he should be sent off with a red card!" Mancini on the other side was also very dissatisfied, and he spat at the fourth official.

The fourth official was at a loss. "If you have any objections, you can appeal after the game." "I will!"

Mancini returned to the bench in a huff, looking at Shan Yongzhuo on the field with worry, feeling very distressed.

During this period, the league is entering its final sprint, and Shan Yongzhuo absolutely cannot afford to get injured. If he does, Manchester City will definitely fall behind.

However, Mancini was finally relieved when he saw Shan Yongzhuo stand up to take the free kick.

In fact, Shan Yongzhuo was only in pain for a short while before he was fine. If it were an ordinary person, he would probably need to recuperate for a long time after such an incident.

However, under the effect of the Golden Bell Iron Shirt skill, he only felt a slight pain and was fine afterward, which made Shan Yongzhu feel like he had survived a disaster.

The referee signaled that the penalty kick could be taken.

Dan Yongzhuo took a deep breath, glanced at the goal, took two or three steps back, jogged forward, and then cleverly poked the ball with his toe.

Mighty Vajra Leg activated.

"Oh!"

With a muffled groan, the football soared high over the wall of players and flew rapidly into the sky.

Was this a mistake?

Ukrainian fans who don't know much about Shan Yongzhuo raised this question, and even many Dynamo Kyiv players thought the same way.

But when the football reached its highest point, it suddenly slowed down, then became erratic, and finally, pulled by gravity, it plunged headfirst down.

"Oh no, it's a leaf ball!"

The Ukrainian commentator exclaimed in surprise, "Danger!"

The English commentator for Sky Sports looked relaxed. He knew Shan Yongzhuo very well, and upon seeing the goal, he almost immediately said, "A knuckleball, this is Shan Yongzhuo's best free-kick goal."

"We all know that Shan Yongzhuo is a free-kick master, but the knuckleball makes up the largest proportion of his free kicks, and it is his favorite way to take them."

"This ball is of very high quality..."

The ball hurtled towards the top left corner of the goal, but Dynamo Kyiv's goalkeeper stood still, as if the goal had nothing to do with him and he was just an innocent spectator.

This scene greatly disappointed everyone at Dynamo Kyiv.

The scoreline was even more disappointing for them, as they were down by two goals at home.

"3 to 1!"

"Manchester City are in the lead again!" the English commentator exclaimed excitedly. "Shan Yongzhuo, a signature knuckleball, Manchester City are two goals ahead away from home!"

Manchester City's players also gathered around Shan Yongzhuo to celebrate.

This score is truly surprising. Leading by two goals away from home and scoring three away goals is an incredibly huge advantage.

Mancini, standing on the sidelines, was extremely satisfied.

He was speechless with Shan Yongzhuo. Although he still didn't quite understand what kind of player Shan was, it didn't matter anymore.

"Geniuses are always so incredible!"

Mancini believes he has seen many football talents, but none like Shan Yongzhuo.

Take that dangerous sliding tackle, for example. Even someone as physically gifted as Balotelli would probably have had to leave the field.

However, Shan Yongzhuo's physical examination data was generally average, and his physical condition was not outstanding; he only had a very good injury rating.

He was completely unfazed at that moment and was still able to hit such a high-quality drop shot.

However, no matter what, this is ultimately a good thing.

Mancini nodded in satisfaction, but dared not take any more risks; he was ready to replace Shan Yongzhuo.

(End of this chapter)