Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 409 Indeed, that was just the beginning.

On the field, Dortmund launched an attack on Manchester City.

The reason why Borussia Dortmund has been able to consistently dominate Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga is that their attack is actually quite formidable.

Running is their winning secret.

Dortmund players' average running distance is among the highest in Europe. Although more running means more energy expenditure, it also creates more opportunities by stretching the field.

In addition, Dortmund's counter-pressing is also very effective.

Whether in the attacking or defensive third, once their players lose possession, they will use their active running to immediately form a situation where two or three players launch a fierce counter-pressing attack on the opposing player with the ball.

In particular, their immediate counter-pressing in the attacking third is Dortmund's most formidable weapon, and it's a point that many teams that face them struggle to adapt to.

Manchester City, relatively speaking, is lacking in many aspects.

Whether it was the Mancini era or the current Guardiola era, Manchester City has never been a team that excels at running; their average running distance per game ranks in the lower half of the Premier League.

Compared to a team like Borussia Dortmund that runs tirelessly, Manchester City is more like a leisurely, aging aristocratic gentleman, playing a somewhat rigid and methodical style.

This is evident from the very first ten minutes.

Although Manchester City were able to compete with Dortmund in midfield, they were easily dispossessed by Dortmund and launched quick counter-attacks.

Although it appeared that Manchester City was controlling the pace of the game, they actually played somewhat awkwardly.

Shan Yongzhuo, standing at the front, didn't get many opportunities, which made him seem somewhat inactive in the attacking third.

The midfield battles and contests between the two teams were so intense that while the game seemed fast-paced and thrilling, there weren't actually many truly threatening attacks from either team in the other's half.

Shan Yongzhuo really wanted to make a move, but the chances of the ball being passed to him were very rare. Even when it was passed to him once or twice, it was difficult to use his skills directly. This made it easy for Shan Yongzhuo to lose possession of the ball even when he received it.

However, Dortmund's almost all-out attacking and defensive style of play still cost them the first step.

In the 19th minute, Götze intercepted Javi Garcia near midfield and then passed the ball to Reus on the wing. Reus sprinted down the wing, getting past Nasri and Zabaleta before delivering a cross.

Inside the penalty area, Hummels rushed forward and leaped high to head the ball, but unfortunately, Joe Hart easily caught it.

While the Dortmund players were expressing their regret, Joe Hart didn't hesitate at all and immediately launched a long ball forward.

Dortmund's players all rushed forward, with only Subotic and Gundogan in the backfield not pushing too far ahead.

Joe Hart's shot found Shan Yongzhuo in midfield.

Dan Yongzhuo received the ball and immediately started sprinting, using his whirlwind ground kick to dribble the ball and running like the wind.

Dortmund panicked and immediately retreated across the board.

But it was too late for them; Shan Yongzhuo was too fast.

The BBC commentator also got excited, shouting, "Look at this goal! Manchester City's counter-attack! Joe Hart found Dan directly! Dan! He's charging forward with the ball..."

"With a single touch, Shan Yongzhuo completely outpaced Gundogan with his speed! My God, what incredible speed!"

"Single! He's broken into the penalty area!"

"Subotic got beaten too! He's too slow, he can't keep up with the laner's movements at all!"

"Weidenfeller has launched an attack, but Dan has already taken the shot!"

"Goal! Goal!"

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!”

“1比0！1比0！”“曼城在主场领先了多特蒙德，比分变成了1比0！”

The commentator seemed a bit excited. After shouting for a long time, he calmed down a bit before saying, "This is an amazing long-distance run. Joe Hart went straight to Shan Yongzhuo. Dortmund's defense hadn't even gotten back in time yet, and Shan had already received the ball. He used his explosive speed to rush into Dortmund's penalty area."

"And this is just the beginning!"

Al-Ittihad was in a frenzy at this moment. Shan Yongzhuo had actually completed many such long-distance runs, and even scored a goal with a solo run at the start of the game several times.

But seeing such a goal still made Manchester City fans completely excited, because it was a rare solo run completed at home.

Manchester City fans in the stands were celebrating wildly, chanting one name throughout the stadium: "Single!"

On the sidelines, Klopp was yelling at the players with a frustrated expression.

The main reason for the goal we just conceded was clearly that Dortmund pushed too far forward and failed to track back in time, allowing the opponent to score a simple and brutal counter-attack goal.

Klopp was also reminding the players on the sidelines not to push the whole team too far forward and to be sure to track back in time.

The game starts again.

With a goal in hand, Manchester City's morale soared, and they became more aggressive in their midfield battles.

This made Manchester City's passing and receiving combinations much smoother, and even reduced the number of mistakes.

In reality, the two teams are evenly matched, and their performance on the field often relies on this kind of spirit.

With their morale boosted, Manchester City played with even more ease and gradually gained the upper hand in the game.

Manchester City controlled the ball for most of the time, which pleased Guardiola on the sidelines; this was the situation he wanted to see.

Nine minutes later, Manchester City launched another attack.

This time it was Shan Yongzhuo again. He received the ball on the right side of the penalty area, and Sven Bender and Hummels immediately came to double-team him.

However, Shan Yongzhuo received the ball without any hesitation. Instead, before the two players could fully close in, he swung his right foot.

"This is... a cross?"

Hummels and Sven Bender were both puzzled.

Shan Yongzhuo was positioned on the right side of the penalty area. Although he was close to the penalty area line and not far from the goal, the angle was not good.

In particular, from this position, Shan Yongzhuo was almost facing away from the goal, and he kicked the ball backward with the outside of his right foot.

However, the result was completely unexpected.

The football traced a very strange arc and finally appeared in the right corner of the goal. Even with Weidenfeller's quick reaction, he was helpless against such a shot that went into the corner, and could only watch as the ball flew into the goal along the post.

The Etihad Stadium erupted in cheers once again.

Meanwhile, the BBC commentator excitedly shouted, "Goal! 2-0!"

"It's still Shan Yongzhuo!"

"As I just said, it was just the beginning."

"Shan Yongzhuo quickly scored another goal!"

"In the 28th minute, Manchester City took a 2-0 lead over Borussia Dortmund at home!"

(End of this chapter)