Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 265 First hat-trick in the Champions League

Aronica was taken aback by Shan Yongzhuo's actions and stood there stunned for a moment, completely unable to react.

He didn't see the opponent stop the ball; he merely touched the ball with his right foot, and then the opponent bypassed him. However, the ball took a detour and eventually returned to the opponent's feet.

Aronica was shocked; he hadn't expected to be left behind so easily.

As a veteran defender who has played in Serie A for many years, Aronica quickly regained his composure and turned around to chase after the ball.

But it is already late.

Dan Yongzhuo didn't need to control the ball at all; he just needed to sprint. His acceleration advantage was very obvious, and he quickly left Aronica behind.

At this moment, Shan Yongzhuo was about to break into the area about 15 meters in front of the penalty area.

Manchester City's counter-attack was very fast, and Napoli didn't even have time to get back to defend. At this moment, the only ones who could stop Shan Yongzhuo were Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper De Sanctis.

As Fabio Cannavaro ran towards Shan Yongzhuo, he knew he couldn't just stand still and wait. He had to restrict his opponent in advance. Even if he didn't necessarily intercept the ball, he could at least stick to his opponent and not give him an easy chance to shoot.

Although Fabio Cannavaro Jr. is not as outstanding as his brother, he is still an experienced defender. He knows that it is not easy to intercept the ball when the opposing striker is charging at high speed. Unless a foul is committed, a simple change of direction and pull from the opponent is enough to get rid of him.

However, he dared not commit a foul, because for Shan Yongzhuo, committing a foul in that position would be tantamount to scoring a goal.

After all, a free-kick conversion rate of over 50% is truly terrifying. The whole of Europe knows that Manchester City shouldn't be given free kicks lightly.

Cannavaro Jr.'s approach was to follow up, stick close to Shan Yongzhuo, and then use his subtle movements to constantly entangle the opponent, looking for opportunities to intercept the ball.

This is the safest approach.

However, Shan Yongzhuo didn't give Cannavaro any chance at all; the effects of his whirlwind kick hadn't worn off yet.

Shan Yongzhuo seemed to ignore the football, running in a strange direction, touching the ball once, and then bypassing Cannavaro.

He moves incredibly fast, almost like he's running without the ball.

Fabio Cannavaro had no idea that Shan Yongzhuo could dribble so fast. In the blink of an eye, before he could even get close enough to defend, Shan Yongzhuo had already bypassed him and headed straight for the goal.

Cannavaro could only watch as his opponent widened the distance between them and charged toward the goal.

Goalkeeper De Sanctis has come out of the box.

When Shan Yongzhuo shook off Fabio Cannavaro, he was already at the edge of the penalty area. De Sanctis thought that Cannavaro would be able to hold off his opponent, but he was not expected to be shaken off so easily.

By launching an attack at this moment, the optimal time for such an attack has already been missed.

His attack was ineffective.

For Shan Yongzhuo, this kind of one-on-one opportunity was practically a sure thing. He seized the moment, slowed down slightly, and then swung his right foot to shoot at the goal.

The ball sailed over De Sanctis's head and landed perfectly in the net behind him.

3 is better than 1!

Manchester City are now two goals ahead again.

The crowd erupted in uproar, followed by thunderous cheers from the Etihad Stadium.

The BBC commentator, Gary Lineker, couldn't help but excitedly shout repeatedly: "Shan Yongzhuo! Goal! It's Shan Yongzhuo again!"

"He completed a solo goal, from the halfway line all the way to the final shot, he successively shook off Aronica and Cannavaro, and calmly chipped the ball into the net past the onrushing goalkeeper De Sanctis."

"A hat-trick! He scored a hat-trick in his first Champions League match!"

"Unbelievable!" "I have a feeling he's aiming for the Champions League Golden Boot. In fact, after breaking the goalscoring records in Serie A, the Premier League, and the Europa League, he might be challenging the Champions League goalscoring record this time!"

"..."

Three goals!

hat trick!

The figure running and celebrating on the field attracted the attention of countless people. Many people recalled the goal just now and Shan Yongzhuo's hat-trick, and felt very shocked.

This is the Champions League, not a regular Premier League schedule or Europa League match.

Even though a hat-trick is quite common for Shan Yongzhuo, it is still quite impressive to be able to do so in his first Champions League match.

The Champions League is the most prestigious football competition on the planet. Many champions of major leagues struggle to achieve a dominant performance in the Champions League because none of the teams that qualify are pushovers.

Many star players perform well in their leagues, but struggle to achieve outstanding results in the Champions League.

Shan Yongzhuo is known for scoring a lot of goals, but most people believe that he lacks experience in the Champions League and will definitely need a period of adjustment.

Moreover, Manchester City's squad is actually hard to call top-tier; their midfield is quite weak.

Those who held this view were utterly shocked at that moment.

Napoli is not a team from a small league; they are a powerhouse in Serie A, and many consider them to be a team with the potential to reach the Champions League Round of 16.

Despite facing such a team, Shan Yongzhuo still managed to score three goals with ease.

That was an excellent performance.

Napoli coach Mazzarri was also impressed by Shan Yongzhuo's performance, but he couldn't just admire Shan Yongzhuo's outstanding play like other bystanders; he had to take appropriate measures.

"Attack with all your might!"

Mazzarri came to the sidelines and made a gesture to press forward.

In the current situation, this gesture clearly means, "Attack with all your might, regardless of the cost!"

Napoli have no way out. With only half an hour left in the game, they are two goals down, and it will be very difficult for them to equalize.

But they had no other choice.

The worst that can happen is that we lose; if we can catch up, then we've made a profit.

Next, Napoli launched an all-out attack on Manchester City, but in reality, their attack did not show an overwhelming advantage.

They are still stuck in a quagmire of midfield battles.

Mancini's strategy worked.

Manchester City placed Silva in the central position, packing the midfield with players to fight the opponent. This strategy completely plunged Napoli into a physical battle in midfield.

In such close combat, De Jong and Yaya Toure's skills were easily brought into play.

The two of them completely acted as midfield meat grinders, making it very difficult for Napoli to launch attacks from the middle.

Napoli could only launch attacks by having Cavani drop back repeatedly to combine with Lavezzi's breakthroughs on the wing.

And so, time slipped away, second by second.

(End of this chapter)