Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 497 Is this for real?

Phil Jones's defense is arguably better than Ferdinand's, but with Shan Yongzhuo having already used his grappling and ground kick techniques, scoring a goal won't be easy.

Next, Phil Jones came to stand next to Shan Yongzhuo.

Dan Yongzhuo felt it was pretty good; at least Phil Jones was friendlier than Ferdinand, and the two chatted about their shared hobby: World of Warcraft.

Dan Yongzhuo kindly advised Phil Jones: "I'm already at max level, but Monk is really not fun. I still prefer playing DPS..."

Phil Jones said regretfully, "I'm not even at max level yet, and the Pandaria questline is really tough."

"Don't you have time?" Shan Yongzhuo asked.

“Yes,” Phil Jones said with a wry smile. “I spend most of my time training, so I have very little time to play games.”

"That's a real shame," Shan Yongzhuo shook his head. "However, I haven't been playing World of Warcraft much lately. I've switched to Dota 2. It's not as time-consuming as World of Warcraft, is it?"

"DOTA2?"

"Yes, this game is good."

The two nerdy guys' casual conversation didn't affect the game.

Phil Jones was not affected by Shan Yongzhuo's idle chatter like Ferdinand was; he remained focused on defense, making it difficult for Shan Yongzhuo to find opportunities.

The first half was quickly coming to an end.

The scoreboard still showed 0-2.

This improved Ferguson's mood considerably. Manchester United's attack was very intense during this period, and although they still hadn't scored by the end of the first half, Manchester City also failed to score again.

Phil Jones' defense looks to be working.

“Phil, perhaps he is a young man worth nurturing.”

"He's two years younger than Shan Yongzhuo, so perhaps he can take over the responsibilities from Rio and Nemanja and become the core of the defense in the future..."

Phil Jones's defense against Shan Yongzhuo was considered very successful, not only by Ferguson, but also by the media and commentators.

During the first half commentary, the BBC commentator praised the defense of 20-year-old Phil Jones, saying, "Jones started his career at Blackburn, and it was Ferguson who personally came to recruit him."

"He's a talented English defender. In his two seasons at Manchester United, although he hasn't had any particularly spectacular performances, consistency is his defining characteristic. Just now, he marked Shan Yongzhuo very closely, not giving Shan Yongzhuo any opportunities..."

Shan Yongzhuo failed to find an opportunity, and that is success.

Everyone knows that the vast majority of Shan Yongzhuo's goals come in the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes of the first half, which is the period during which Shan Yongzhuo scores the most goals.

Ferguson's assessment of the defense was similar; he didn't know that Shan Yongzhuo had used up most of his skills, and Manchester United's tight defense made it difficult for him to find opportunities.

Regardless of the circumstances, everyone attributed the credit to Phil Jones.

During halftime, Ferguson rarely praised Phil Jones: "You defended very well. Keep up the defense in the second half."

Phil Jones was completely bewildered by the praise; he had no idea what he had done.

On the other hand, Ferdinand became a typical example of being blown away by the blower.

However, after Ferdinand and Ferguson had a private conversation outside the locker room, everyone at Manchester United noticed that Ferguson's expression became complicated.

Ferguson then steadied himself and emphasized the offensive and defensive strategies for the second half.

On the other side, Guardiola kept emphasizing control and defense. With a 2-0 lead at halftime, it was a good situation. In the following game, even Guardiola chose to play it safe.

He instructed the team to control the tempo of the game while maintaining a solid defense, and not to give Manchester United any chances.

The second half began quickly.

Ferguson emphasized the need to strengthen the attack, and Manchester United certainly did just that; they really couldn't afford to lose this game.

Manchester City, on the other hand, consciously retreated a bit, consolidating their defense while launching counter-attacks.

In this situation, although Shan Yongzhuo was at the very front, he still didn't get any opportunities. Five minutes.

ten minutes.

twenty minutes.

Soon, half of the second half had passed.

The score remained unchanged.

Manchester United players believe their defense was successful, at least Shan Yongzhuo still made no impact.

However, Manchester United are becoming increasingly impatient. After all, they are the ones who are behind, while Manchester City can remain calm and composed, but they cannot.

As the game progresses, Manchester United's attack has become much stronger.

again and again.

Manchester City's goal began to be threatened. Manchester United launched three consecutive attacks into the penalty area. If it weren't for Joe Hart's outstanding performance, Manchester United would probably have scored at least one goal.

Manchester United's players therefore became more proactive.

Van Persie, Rooney, and Kagawa, the three attacking linchpins, constantly attacked Manchester City's defense through the middle, while Ashley Young and Welbeck also made frequent runs down the flanks using their speed.

Shan Yongzhuo has been somewhat forgotten.

Although he is still the focus of attention on the field, his lack of performance over a long period of time will gradually reduce the number of times he appears on screen. However, Shan Yongzhuo is not in a hurry, as not performing for a long time is not a big deal.

He is still patiently looking for an opportunity.

Although Manchester United kept attacking, Manchester City still had opportunities to counter-attack; the key was to capitalize on those fewer chances.

In the 82nd minute, Shan Yongzhuo finally found an opportunity.

This time, Barry passed the ball from the middle to the wing, and Shan Yongzhuo was standing on the right side of the penalty area line.

Barry chipped the ball over, but Phil Jones didn't follow up immediately, allowing Shan Yongzhuo to head the ball smoothly.

He wanted to stop the ball.

But then they saw Phil Jones rushing over, and Rafael was also rushing over, the two of them trying to double-team him. In that situation, if they kept the ball at their feet, they would definitely lose possession.

Therefore, Shan Yongzhuo changed his strategy.

He headed the ball forward again, not to a teammate, but into the penalty area in front of him, and then he slipped through the gap between two players.

A very strange surge to the top.

Phil Jones and Raphael were both stunned.

Is it still possible to head the ball like that from this position?
However, the header inside the penalty area was delivered with a powerful headbutt, leaving De Gea with no chance. The ball seemed to be kicked by a foot, arcing wildly before disappearing into the corner of the net.

"..."

The whole audience was shocked.

The commentator was at a loss for words; his first words were, "My God!"

"what happened?"

After shouting "God!", the commentator immediately said, "Shan Yongzhuo headed the ball to himself the next second, and then unleashed a long-range header from the right side of the penalty area..."

"God!"

"is this real?"

"A header from that distance, not only did it go in, but it was a curling shot that went straight into the top corner?"

(End of this chapter)