Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 257 The Fastest Goal in the Premier League

At the Etihad Stadium, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.

Swansea kicked off first, with Sinclair passing the ball to Graham beside him. However, Graham seemed a little off, still focused on Shan Yongzhuo and his mind wandered, causing him to over-touch the ball when his teammate passed it to him.

Aguero reacted quickly, ran over and stole the ball, then immediately passed it to Silva behind him.

The opponent's reaction stunned Aguero; he never expected them to intercept the ball so easily.

At the same time, he and Shan Yongzhuo were both rushing forward, quickly reaching the danger zone in Swansea's half of the field.

Silva didn't care about anything else and made a long pass, finding Shan Yongzhuo in front.

Swansea kicked off just now, and the team moved their entire formation forward. Before most of the players even realized what was happening, they found themselves on the opposing team's attack.

It was too late for them to retreat.

Shan Yongzhuo successfully received the ball in front of him. There were no opposing defenders around when he received the ball. He glanced at the goal and continued running forward with the ball.

Swansea's defense immediately panicked.

Dan Yongzhuo seized the opportunity, aimed at a point and activated Ghostly Grappling Hand, using the effect of time flow to get past the opposing defender, broke into the penalty area, and then, seeing an opening, swung his right foot to shoot directly.

"Oh!"

The football flew directly towards the goal.

The Swansea goalkeeper felt suicidal. How did their own kickoff attack turn into a shot on goal?
Worm was panicked and frustrated.

He had barely finished adjusting his gloves when the opponent had already rushed over and was shooting.

Faced with a shot from an extremely tricky angle, Vorm stood still like a spectator, watching the ball go into the goal.

"They're in already?"

Everyone present was somewhat shocked.

"Goal! Goal!"

“gooooooooooal!”

The commentator was the first to react, letting out an excited shout and saying, "Shan Yongzhuo, it's Shan Yongzhuo! He received Silva's pass and accurately put the ball into the goal!"

"This attack started with Aguero's steal. Graham was a bit distracted and was directly dispossessed by Aguero."

"1 to 0!"

"After receiving the ball, Shan Yongzhuo moved with incredible speed. He shook off the opposing defender and took a shot!"

"Let's check the exact time... seven and a half seconds!"

"At this moment, I can announce that a new record for the fastest goal in the Premier League has been set!"

The commentator shouted excitedly, and the fans in the surrounding stands were also discussing it.

"Goal?"

"So fast?"

"I haven't even realized what's happening yet!"

"Shan Yongzhuo is indeed Shan Yongzhuo; he never disappoints!"

"That's right, coming to support Shan Yongzhuo was definitely the right decision!"

"Shan Yongzhuo!"

"Shan Yongzhuo!"

Many fans in the stands didn't even see the goal; some were still looking for their seats when they sensed something was off and realized Manchester City had scored.

They were both surprised and delighted, and began to discuss it animatedly.

Then, the stands became filled with unanimous support for Shan Yongzhuo.

Manchester City fans are thrilled. It's the first league game of the new season, and scoring a goal right from the start is a huge surprise.

They have higher expectations for Manchester City this season, but in the hearts of the fans, it seems that only Shan Yongzhuo can be trusted. Mancini?
Manchester City fans don't actually have much trust in Mancini.

After all, they didn't win the championship during Mancini's era; it was only after Shan Yongzhuo came that they won the treble.

This season, fans are hoping the team can perform well in the Champions League, but Mancini was notorious for being a Champions League underperformer when he was with Inter Milan, which is why he was replaced by Mourinho.

Therefore, the fans do not trust Mancini; they only trust Shan Yongzhuo.

The current match is proof of that. Less than 10 seconds into the game, Shan Yongzhuo scored a goal, and the fans quickly learned the exact time.

"Shan Yongzhuo has broken the record for the fastest goal!"

Everyone knew this, and the cheers grew even louder.

After the game restarted, the Swansea players were frustrated, having conceded a goal right at the start.

This is an extremely bad start.

Many of Graham's teammates started complaining about him.

"How come you always manage to control the ball too far?"

"Danny, are you still asleep?"

"This is a competition, not women's breasts!"

"Wake up, buddy!"

"..."

Graham was frustrated by his teammates' complaints, but it was indeed his mistake, and he had no way to defend himself.

“I will work hard!”

"I, Graham, am absolutely no worse than anyone else!"

Graham's idea was good, but reality was harsh.

Even the strongest forward like him needs support from the midfield and defense. Without support from the midfield and defense, even a superstar can't do anything.

Graham is currently facing this situation.

Swansea's strength was ultimately inferior, and their midfield was severely suppressed.

Swansea's tactics are mainly based on counter-attacking, emphasizing physicality, tackling, and defense. Although they are very aggressive in attack, their overall style of play is relatively rough.

Of course, this style is not Rodgers' true style; it's just that due to the level of Swansea's players, Rodgers' team's overall playing style still appears somewhat rough.

This style of play isn't necessarily bad, but it can be quite effective against strong teams.

This is the case right now.

Manchester City's midfield is significantly stronger than last season after a season of integration.

In this match, especially after a season of integration, Silva and Milner had a more thorough understanding of Mancini's tactics, and the entire Manchester City midfield performed much better.

Silva isn't exactly a midfield maestro, but he's a very good attacking midfielder.

He was a step behind in controlling the overall rhythm.

However, Silva is a very strong player in short bursts of attack and initiating short-range attacks.

Unlike those commander-type midfielders, Silva can use his attacking ability to break through the opponent's defense, and then either attack himself or create opportunities for his teammates. He can make the right choices at the right time.

In this way, although Manchester City's overall control of the rhythm is much less mature than other strong teams, their impact and attacking pressure are in no way inferior to other strong teams, and in some aspects even better.

This is also an important characteristic of Mancini's tactical philosophy. He does not like midfield commanders, but prefers attacking midfielders who combine play on the wings and in the center.

His 4-2-2-2 tactical concept places extremely high demands on the two wingers.

In the 25th minute, Silva and Aguero executed a brilliant combination play, tearing apart the opponent's defense. Aguero then received the ball, turned, and fired a shot that pierced the opponent's goal.

The score became 2-0.

(End of this chapter)