Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 225 Saviola the Rabbit
In a two-legged knockout match, how significant is a single goal?
In fact, a single goal can often determine the outcome of a match and can significantly alter the mindset of the spectators.

That's the situation right now.

Previously, Benfica were leading Manchester City, and although they had only scored one goal, they still felt they had a huge advantage. Even though the game was quite ugly, they still appreciated Benfica's performance.

At the same time, they also looked down on the performance of the other side's star player, Shan Yongzhuo.

But now, Shan Yongzhuo has equalized the score with a free kick, and the situation has suddenly changed.

Benfica fans could no longer get excited, because not only were they at a huge disadvantage, but they were also playing at home and the opponent had scored an away goal.

This goal was equivalent to two goals for Manchester City. Benfica being tied at home is essentially the same as being behind.

At this moment, Benfica fans' thoughts have completely changed.

"What happened? They scored already?"

"Number 10, Shan Yongzhuo, there's nothing we can do about it."

"That's a bit unreasonable."

Can we win?

"damn it."

Benfica fans are extremely frustrated.

Manchester City, on the other hand, became much more relaxed, many people breathed a sigh of relief, and the players on the field became more active.

Balotelli was the most active.

Shan Yongzhuo didn't celebrate much, while Balotelli excitedly ran to the Manchester City fans' stand, lifted his jersey in front of the camera, revealing the shirt underneath, the words printed on it leaving Shan Yongzhuo speechless.

"Why away's single!"

As the team's number one admirer of Shan Yongzhuo, Balotelli revealed the short-sleeved shirt he had prepared before the match and struck a very flamboyant pose for the camera.

"Look, that's Balotelli, his shirt says..."

"Why away's single?"

"It's clear that Balotelli has great confidence in Shan Yongzhuo."

"He knew before the match that Shan Yongzhuo would score."

"In fact, he is right. Since joining the professional league, Shan Yongzhuo has never gone through a match without scoring a goal..."

The England commentator spoke eloquently, dispelling his previous frustration.

Shan Yongzhuo walked helplessly to Balotelli's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "It's just a goal."

After saying that, he left without a word.

However, he was still quite satisfied with this younger brother.

Shan Yongzhuo's composure was also captured by the camera, and the English media gave it a serious analysis: "We can see that Shan Yongzhuo's performance was very calm, and he was not very excited, probably because he felt that he did not perform well."

"In fact, that is indeed the case."

"One goal is nothing to Shan Yongzhuo. Manchester City has only just equalized the score."

The Portuguese commentator didn't analyze Shan Yongzhuo's expression; he was more concerned with Shan Yongzhuo's goal itself. At this moment, he could only change his previous opinion that "Benfica's defense was very successful" and praise Shan Yongzhuo.

"Javi Garcia was too careless; he shouldn't have fouled from that position."

"Even if Silva breaks into the penalty area, it will be difficult for him to score under the dense defense."

"But committing a foul in that position would be too dangerous."

"We can't underestimate Shan Yongzhuo just because he missed his first two free kicks. He is the world's, and perhaps the history's, greatest free kicker."

"Currently, Shan Yongzhuo's free-kick scoring rate is as high as 68%, which is an astonishing figure, meaning he scores a goal every two free kicks." "While other top free-kick takers are considered very successful if they achieve a direct free-kick scoring rate of 20%..."

The Portuguese commentator remarked with hindsight.

Meanwhile, Mancini on the sidelines also breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure of the Europa League semi-final is immense. Being behind in the score, even in an away game, brings a lot of pressure.

But now that the score has been tied, Manchester City can calmly control the pace of the game and even continue to score goals.

“We have the orders, so there’s nothing to worry about!” The assistant coach walked over and said to Mancini with a smile.

Mancini thought about it and realized that even with all his confidence in his coaching abilities, he had to admit that superstars can be just that unreasonable.

Fortunately, this superstar is a player on his own team.

On the field.

The game has restarted.

Shan Yongzhuo's goal frustrated Benfica's players. Despite having taken the lead and controlled the game, they still conceded a goal.

If the team playing on the counter-attack takes the lead and scores first, it has a huge advantage. However, if the opponent catches up quickly, it will be at a huge disadvantage.

A 1-1 scoreline is actually more disadvantageous for Benfica than a 0-0 draw.

Because after Manchester City scores, they become less anxious and can control the pace of the game more smoothly.

In fact, that's exactly what Manchester City is doing now.

They were no longer impatient, but organized their attacks methodically, creating set pieces when opportunities arose through breakthroughs.

With this kind of control over the pace, Benfica seems to have no chance at all.

Benfica's players now realize how great it is to have a top striker.

If Benfica also had a top striker, winning would be much easier.

Many people's attention has been focused on Benfica striker Saviola.

Saviola the Rabbit rose to fame at a young age, winning the South American Footballer of the Year award at 18, demonstrating astonishing talent.

In the summer of 2001, he joined La Liga giants Barcelona for a high price of 2500 million euros. Under Van Gaal, Saviola performed well, scoring 47 goals in 105 league games, a performance that was quite satisfactory.

Afterwards, Saviola played for Monaco, Sevilla, and Real Madrid, but his performances were not satisfactory.

Last season, after Saviola joined Benfica, he scored 11 goals in 27 league appearances, showing a resurgence in form.

This performance is the best of Benfica's strikers; it's truly outstanding.

Despite the team's unfavorable situation, Saviola's performance in this match was still commendable.

Although Saviola didn't score, he had a lot of opportunities to touch the ball.

Despite not being particularly tall or fast, and lacking in physical strength, Saviola still demonstrated remarkable skill in key areas through his passing, dribbling, and shooting.

This counterattack brought Benfica fans a huge surprise.

The match was in its 44th minute, near the end of the first half.

Manchester City's players relaxed a bit, and Benfica launched a quick counter-attack. Coentrao, the blond-haired winger, broke through on the wing and played a brilliant dribbling combination with Saviola in the attacking third.

Finally, the ball came to Saviola's feet in the penalty area. He dribbled past the unsteady Kompany and calmly scored a one-on-one goal against Joe Hart.

The stadium immediately erupted in cheers once again.

(End of this chapter)