Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 352 A Smooth Header

Matteo certainly didn't intend to bring on Torres.

The game has resumed.

Chelsea continued to adopt a defensive posture in their own half, and Manchester City's players, naturally, didn't bother to argue with them and continued their attacking drills around Chelsea's half.

However, the results were not very good.

Chelsea's defense is certainly not just about parking the bus; it does have its own unique aspects.

The players' defensive coordination was very tight, and their movements were quite aggressive; in other words, they were very tough.

This clearly hampered Manchester City's attack, which has always been somewhat soft in terms of playing style.

In the following period, although they launched a fierce attack on Chelsea, they did not achieve much success.

Shan Yongzhuo simply stood there without moving.

He did not risk using his skills again.

With only 6 minutes left in the first half, Chelsea's morale actually improved after conceding a goal, and their defense became even stronger, which made Shan Yongzhuo somewhat wary.

If you don't find the right opportunity and rush to use your skills, it would be a waste if you don't score.

Therefore, Shan Yongzhuo, who considered himself to have a good understanding of game analysis, decided not to provoke Chelsea during this period.

He firmly believes that Chelsea's defense, like that, cannot last the entire game.

In fact, in a football match, the team that is constantly on the defensive puts immense pressure on their mental and physical strength, making it much more difficult than for the attacking team.

Thus, in this lukewarm situation, the first half of the game was consumed minute by minute.

Chelsea ultimately held on.

1:0.

Thanks to Shan Yongzhuo's goal, Manchester City led Chelsea at halftime.

The players from both sides returned to their respective locker rooms.

The 1-0 result was satisfactory for Chelsea.

Not only was Chelsea manager Mateo satisfied, but the media also thought Chelsea performed well.

At the end of the first half, BBC commentator Gary Lineker said: "Chelsea's strategy in the first half was successful. They only made one mistake that allowed Shan Yongzhuo to score a goal, which is undoubtedly very difficult to do."

"In fact, Shan Yongzhuo scored far more goals in the first half than in the second half."

"In other words, he usually shows his strength to his opponent without any mercy at the beginning of the game, and then chooses to stop when the outcome of the game is no longer in doubt."

"But Chelsea's defense was very successful in this game. Terry and Lampard worked together to stop Shan Yongzhuo."

"Yes, I have to say that, they only conceded one goal to Shan Yongzhuo, which is remarkable!"

Shan Yongzhuo only scored one goal, and that's a success.

What's even more disheartening is that many people, including Chelsea manager Mateo, feel the same way.

Matteo gave all the credit to Terry and Lampard, and upon returning to the locker room, he immediately praised these two senior figures in the Chelsea dressing room.

"Very good, keep up the defense in the second half!"

Then, Matteo decided to make a change.

He substituted Ramirez, giving Torres a chance.

Matteo also knew that continuing to defend like this would not yield good results.

We absolutely have to bring Torres on and give him a try. In the second half, Chelsea needs to step up their attack a bit. Even if they can only equalize, it will be extremely beneficial for Chelsea.

After all, this is Manchester City's home ground. If the score is 1-1, Chelsea will not only have a draw, but also an away goal.

On the other side, Mancini kept emphasizing the attack, which was different from his pre-match emphasis.

Before the match, he emphasized defense, but now that Chelsea is playing so defensively, Mancini feels that the situation in the second half will not change much.

A 1-0 lead is not a safe bet. If they score another goal or two, Manchester City will have nothing to fear, even if they go to Stamford Bridge.

……

Soon, the second half of the game began.

Chelsea substituted Torres for Ramires, while Manchester City did not make any substitutions.

The situation of the game remained largely unchanged compared to the first half.

Chelsea maintained a solid defense in their own half, occasionally launching a counter-attack, while Manchester City continued to focus their attacks on Chelsea for most of the time.

In this situation, Shan Yongzhuo's performance was somewhat lackluster.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

20 minutes.

Almost half of the second half has passed, and the game remains in the same state.

However, the outside world, and even Chelsea's players, felt that they had succeeded. They had successfully defended against Shan Yongzhuo, and their lack of performance was the best proof of that.

Therefore, in accordance with the game strategy, Chelsea intensified their attack.

One of the most obvious signs of this is that Lampard has started to make forward runs, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Matteo, standing on the sidelines, also wore a satisfied smile.

If Chelsea can successfully defend against Shan Yongzhuo, then there shouldn't be much of a problem. Then Chelsea can step up their attack and hopefully score a goal.

Returning to home ground would be a significant advantage.

At this point in the game, Chelsea's counter-attacks became more frequent and decisive.

once.

twice.

Manchester City's goal began to be threatened, with Chelsea's two attacks reaching the penalty area. The second attack in particular, with Drogba's header, was very dangerous. Had it not been for Joe Hart's quick reaction, the score would have been tied.

Shan Yongzhuo seemed to have been forgotten.

This situation has become rare; he only experienced this feeling of being forgotten during his early days with Kaffinburg and Roma.

But Shan Yongzhuo was very happy.

So, in the 71st minute of the game, the opportunity came.

This time, Chelsea's counter-attack failed, and Manchester City launched a quick attack, with Nasri pushing forward aggressively down the wing.

Then, a long kick was delivered to Shan Yongzhuo.

Shan Yongzhuo received the ball at a distance of 35 meters. Without stopping the ball, he used his light-footed skill to dribble towards the wing and quickly shook off Terry.

At this moment, Shan Yongzhuo was as swift as a cheetah, dribbling the ball directly along the sideline to the vicinity of the baseline, and even performed a great overtaking maneuver on the outside, completely outmaneuvering Ashley Cole.

Finally, Shan Yongzhuo broke into the penalty area from the right side.

Then, to the astonishment of everyone present.

Pinch the ball, step back, bend over, head the ball.

The movements were executed in one smooth, fluid motion, without any hesitation.

To everyone's astonishment, the football shot like a grenade, quickly finding its way into the near corner.

Cech made a save, but missed and crashed into the post instead.

The ball went in!
(End of this chapter)