Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 322 The outcome of the match is no longer in doubt.

Everyone in Cardiff felt helpless.

Their initial fighting spirit was completely shattered by Shan Yongzhuo's brilliance in just ten minutes.

Now, they must face a real problem: how to stop the insane Shan Yongzhuo.

Cardiff City manager Marquis Mackay stared intently at the players on the field, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly.

Marki Makaay was born in 1972. During his playing career, he was a decent defender who played for well-known teams such as Celtic, Norwich, and West Ham United. He also made 5 appearances for the England national team, which shows he was quite capable.

After retiring, he became a head coach and served as Watford's interim manager in 2009. Due to his outstanding performance, he was subsequently promoted to the permanent position.

In 2011, he officially joined Cardiff City and became the city's manager.

Although Makaay is relatively young as a head coach, his team has achieved very good results. This season, Cardiff City still has hope of being promoted to the Premier League in the Championship, and they have made it all the way to the EFL Cup final.

Whether it was luck or something else, reaching the EFL Cup final is enough to prove that Makaay has something to offer.

Makaay is not satisfied with leading the team to the final. He hopes to lead Cardiff City to go further, defeat Manchester City to win the EFL Cup, and make the team its first championship trophy while also making himself famous.

However, the current situation is not optimistic.

Makaay made ample preparations for the EFL Cup final. After defeating Crystal Palace in the semi-finals, he and his assistant began studying Manchester City, watching over a dozen match videos and gaining in-depth knowledge of every key player in the Manchester City squad.

He felt that his preparations gave Cardiff City a chance to beat Manchester City.

Now, he discovers that the reality is far from what he thought.

Shan Yongzhuo.

To defeat Manchester City, they must face Shan Yongzhuo, a super striker who scored 106 goals last season and has already scored nearly 90 goals this season, which is enough to prove how difficult he is to deal with.

Makaay was somewhat prepared, but they didn't expect that in just ten minutes, the opponent would break through Cardiff City's goal twice, relying entirely on individual ability. The other Manchester City players simply passed the ball to him without any sophisticated teamwork.

If you score a goal, it means the opponent is in good form.

If you score two goals, it's not a matter of form anymore; it's a matter of skill.

How do you defend against such a talented shooter?

Ma Kai found himself helpless; even with his strength from his youth, he was simply no match for them.

"no way."

Ma Kai immediately came to a conclusion.

While Manchester City were celebrating, Makaay called Gunnarsson over to his side.

"You don't need to participate in the attack anymore. Stay with Ben and stick with him. It's best not to let him get the ball easily."

"do you understand?"

Ma Kai said a lot, and Gunnarsson said he understood, but he really didn't want to do this kind of work.

Because if he and Bendtner were to closely mark Shan Yongzhuo, and the opponent still managed to score, it would be extremely embarrassing.

Ma Kai's method is the same one that many coaches of weak teams choose to use to deal with Shan Yongzhuo: robbing Peter to pay Paul. Since one person can't defend against him, then two people can.

This was a last resort. And sacrificing Gunnarsson was also a reluctant choice.

Gunnarsson is a very important player in Cardiff City's midfield. He excels in both attack and defense and plays a vital role in Cardiff City's attack.

But now, there's no other way.

After the game restarted, Manchester City found that winning possession in midfield became much easier.

Because the opposing midfield has fewer players, it becomes much easier to pass the ball forward once control of the midfield is established.

In the following minutes, Manchester City's attacks easily penetrated into the penalty area. Although passing the ball to Shan Yongzhuo became difficult, his other performances were greatly enhanced.

In the 18th minute, Manchester City scored again.

This time, it wasn't Shan Yongzhuo who scored the goal.

Because two players were sacrificed to defend against Shan Yongzhuo, Silva easily advanced to the edge of Cardiff City's penalty area with the ball, then played a through ball to Aguero, who beat the offside trap and fired a low shot into the Cardiff City goal.

"3 to 0!"

"The ball is in!"

The commentator excitedly shouted, "This time it's Aguero who scored! Cardiff City heavily marked Shan Yongzhuo, but their actions gave other Manchester City players a great opportunity."

"Silva's through ball, Aguero's shot, Cardiff City's goal is breached again."

"Now, I can say that Cardiff City has no chance at all. They have no chance of winning, and the game is no longer in doubt!"

With Aguero's goal, the game completely turned into a one-sided affair.

Manchester City fans are ecstatic. In their view, the championship is a sure thing, and all that's left is to wait for the game to end, and perhaps Manchester City will be able to score more goals along the way.

The Welsh fans were deeply disappointed; they had traveled all the way to London not to see this result.

But the facts were undeniable, and they were powerless to change them.

As for the neutral fans, they didn't care about Cardiff City's opinion at all. They came to watch the game and were satisfied with seeing exciting goals.

At this moment, these neutral London fans also generously applauded.

Cardiff City manager Makaay sat on the bench, watching the game with a serious expression, feeling utterly hopeless. In less than 20 minutes, the team had conceded three goals. How could they possibly continue playing? There was absolutely no hope in sight, and he was completely at a loss.

Fortunately, Makaay had anticipated the possibility of defeat before the match began. Losing to the reigning Premier League champions in the final was not shameful. The only shameful thing was probably losing in such an ugly way.

Ma Kai sighed deeply. He felt that at this point in the game, the issue was no longer about how to win, but rather how to lose in a way that wouldn't be too embarrassing.

Mancini, on the other hand, had a completely different idea.

In his view, the game was basically won, which meant he could start considering how to make substitutions.

Although it is a final, Manchester City will still be able to win their first trophy of the season.

However, the most important matches are yet to come, and it is crucial to ensure the best form of the key players.

So he called over Balotelli from the bench, intending to substitute Shan Yongzhuo first.

(End of this chapter)