[Football] Bad Boy Batty

The Blue Moon Army easily defeated Bayern in two rounds to enter the Champions League final, but before the final battle comes, they still have a final to play.

In mid-May, Wembley Stadium opened, half of the fans were seated, the stadium was bustling, and the 5-2020 FA Cup final was about to begin.

This is the third Manchester derby in the history of the FA Cup.

Yes, that's right, Manchester City's opponent is their city rivals, Manchester United.

"It's Manchester United again. Why is it always them? We have played against Manchester United several times this season." In the locker room, Batistuta complained while tying a bandage.

"It's better than 19." Walker passed by and patted Batty's butt and said, "Remember, there were three games in 10 days that year, all of which were derbies with Manchester United."

"Thank you, Kyle, for bringing back bad memories for me." Batty gave Walker a pair of middle fingers.

"I think we should worry about something else." Neymar came over in a substitute vest, his mask on his chin, his face couldn't hide the surprise, "Hey guys, I just came in from outside, it's hail, can you believe it?"

"real or fake?!"
"At this time? Isn't it already May?"
"Oh no! Not again!"

The players rushed outside to watch. Just as Neymar said, ice was crackling from the sky. The staff at Wembley Stadium didn't care much, as if they were used to it. They put on their raincoats skillfully and used shovels to clean the ice and snow particles on the grass.

"UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!" Batty's eyes widened and he held his head in his hands and exclaimed, "Oh my God, England! London! How many surprises do you have that I don't know about!"

De Bruyne reached out and patted Batistuta on the back. "Relax, this kind of weather is common in Western Europe."

"Really?" Batty turned to look at him in surprise. "I've been in the UK for five years and this is the first time I've seen hail in almost June. Is it common?!"

at this time--

"Make way, make way." Manu (Uncle Qingmei) pushed aside the players and came to Batistuta. "Don't get excited, captain, take your players back to the house, okay? We have to check the turf."

Batistuta pursed his lips, gave special instructions to De Bruyne, then waved his hand to let the others go back, while he stayed behind to cover the rest.

"Is it possible that the game could be postponed?" he asked when most people had gone back to the locker room.

"I can't guarantee it." Manu frowned and said, "We have to wait and see first."

"Come on." Batistuta spread his hands. "We're already here, and you want us to go back home. You know how much it affects morale. I'm sure Manchester United won't agree to postpone it."

"I know, I know, but I don't have the final say on this matter." Manu gestured to Batty to calm down. "Go home or play in the snow, get ready, I'll see what I can do later."

Indeed, due to the weather, there is a limit to what people can do.

Batty thanked Manu and went to the locker room.

I happened to run into Augustus on the way. The injury didn't seem to have much impact on him, and his red hair was still as eye-catching as ever. He also looked like he had just finished talking to his manager, and was adjusting his captain's armband as he walked around the interview area to the locker room.

Turning his head and seeing Batti, Augustus was like a plant that had been dry for a long time and finally encountered a heavy rain. He suddenly stood up from his lazy and listless state.

"Hi beauty, long time no see~"

"I would be very grateful if you could call me by my name normally." Batty rolled his eyes at him. Considering that the other party was also the captain and this was Wembley, he did not show too much disgust. "There is hail outside. Maybe the game will be postponed."

"Oh - I knew you missed me too, but the game probably won't be postponed for too long, baby, the sky is going to clear up." The French midfielder said unrelated words and moved towards Batistuta.

"You can stand there and share the information." Batty took a step back in disgust.

Augustus froze, then raised his hands to show his innocence.

"You and I are like the positive and negative poles of a magnet. You have a natural attraction to me," he said. "So you can't blame me."

Batty made a retching motion and then turned around to leave.

"Don't go, honey, it'll be a while before the sky clears up, I have a lot to tell you!" Augustus called Batistuta from behind, "I heard that you tried to tackle someone last month but ended up getting knocked over. Is that true?"

Batty paused, "None of your business."

"Yeah, it's really none of my business, but - that guy is a center, right?" Augustus was trying to irritate Batistuta. "What a coincidence, Kylian once complained to me that if we could have a strong center in front of him, our combat effectiveness would definitely double."

What does this mean?
Is Manchester United going to compete for Haaland Jr.?

"That has nothing to do with today's game. I don't give a shit." Batty turned and showed his canine teeth to Augustus, "FUCK OFF!"

"Oh, come on, I just like the way you look when you're angry, it's so sexy." The French midfielder winked at Batistuta and said in a flirtatious tone, "This is why I like football. In the end, either I beat you or you beat me. I always get what I want."

Batty: ...

Really.
The more I pay attention to him, the more excited he becomes.

"You should consider the team's situation first. We lost to Chelsea in the League Cup and the Champions League, and we are still 15 points behind us in the league." Batistuta sneered, "Compared to last season, your endurance is pitifully short."

After saying that, the King of Manchester City turned around, pinched his brows, shut his mouth and went back to the locker room. There were more important things to do right now, such as listening to Guardiola's tactics before the game started.

……

Augustus was annoying, sure, but he was right about the game.

20 minutes later, the weather in London cleared up and the staff on the field had almost cleared away the hail and snow particles, so the game was able to start normally.

Everything was normal except the field was a little slippery.

This is where the problem lies.

Just 201 seconds into the game, Rodri slipped while defending and accidentally blocked Rashford's shot with his arm, and Manchester City was sentenced to death.

"Oh my God! That's his supporting hand!" Batty rushed to the referee immediately, "When a person slips, the body will do that, subconsciously, you understand, he didn't intend to block it! And the ball didn't go towards the net at all!" But the referee didn't intend to listen to him.

Rodri's yellow card was avoided, but Manchester City could not avoid the penalty.

De Bruyne pulled away Batistuta who wanted to say something to the referee. This kind of situation which is not clearly written into the rules is the referee's responsibility. If Batistuta continued to talk too much and the referee took note of it, it would be counterproductive.

"Let me go, Kevin, I'm not that stupid." Batty shook off De Bruyne's arm and snorted unhappily. "You're so calm, why don't you let me talk?"

I still feel like teasing him, so it seems like everything is fine.

De Bruyne smiled and said, "Compared to you, I am relatively calm." He ruffled Batistuta's hair and said, "Trust Ederson, he can get out."

It’s best if you can jump out.
Batistuta responded to him with his eyes, and then they both looked towards the goal in the backcourt.

Unfortunately, the ball was not saved.

Mbappe took the penalty, he deceived Ederson and successfully shot into the bottom left corner.

Four minutes into the game, Manchester City had to play the rest of the game with a one-goal deficit, which was a very difficult start.

……

This season has undoubtedly been bad for Mourinho.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the turbulent locker room made his boss and players very unhappy with their two losses to Chelsea, not to mention the bald guy next door who came up with a weird tactic of letting the full-backs move in as defensive midfielders.

The Portuguese has a terrible headache. He believes that at this stage it is already a great achievement that he can keep Manchester United in second place in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final.

This is also thanks to the connection between Mbappe and Ashraf on the right.

To be honest, Mbappe is a talented kid, but he just doesn't want to defend. Mourinho admitted that he envied Guardiola very much in this regard. Although Batistuta is also a troublemaker, he is at least willing to listen to the head coach's advice and return to defense when he should.

And Paul Pogba, oh my god, he can’t stand him.

When the opening whistle sounded, Mourinho looked at the situation on the field and sighed. If Augustus still refused to give up and insisted on keeping Pogba, then he would have to consider whether to stay at the Theatre of Dreams.

However, what he didn't expect was that the goal came so quickly.

Less than 5 minutes into the game, the Manchester United coach hadn't even realized his team was leading. The live camera on the sidelines was aimed at Mourinho, clearly recording the entire process of the Portuguese's transformation from confusion to disbelief to ecstasy.

Oh, that's different.

Completely, totally different.

"Go back and defend! Defend! No, keep Kylian in front and let the rest go back!" Mourinho directed the team on the sidelines, not caring about his image, "Don't let them get into the ribs! Defend! I say it again, defend until the last minute of the game!"

……

The situation is quite unfavorable for Manchester City.

After leading 1-0, Manchester United started to defend as a whole team. It is no exaggeration to say that they defended from the beginning to the end.

So the field became very boring, and the pattern became fixed: Manchester City attacks - Manchester United defends - the ball returns to the midfield/goes out of the baseline/deviates from the goal.

If the live camera swept across the audience seats at this time, you would find that the audience in the stands were yawning, as if the ending was already doomed.

Of course, some die-hard Manchester City fans are still cheering for the team.

The game went to the last 10 minutes.

It is obvious that Manchester City is anxious.

To be precise, the players led by Batistuta were anxious.

In the 83rd minute, Batistuta ignored De Bruyne who raised his hand in the middle and tried to break into the dragon's den alone, but Augustus followed him closely from the midfield all the way to the baseline and did not give him a chance to get in.

In the end, the French midfielder cleanly shoveled the ball out of bounds. Because it hit Batistuta's leg first, Manchester City didn't even get a corner kick.

"Damn it!" Batty quickly got up and cursed, "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Augustus wanted to reach out and pull him, but the result was predictable. Batistuta, who was furious, ruthlessly knocked his hand away, for which he received a verbal warning from the referee.

"Is this interesting? Is this interesting?" Batistuta gritted his teeth and glared at Augustus. "We defended against every goal for 80 minutes! Is this still a football game?"

Augustus smiled.

"Why not?" He asked lightly, "As long as we can win, why can't we play?"

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you said.

But that didn't stop Batty from being angry.

Not only was he angry, the King of Manchester City was so angry that he was jumping up and down. If they were at Old Trafford at this moment, there is no doubt that he would grab a handful of grass and mud and throw it at the Frenchman.

There are 5 minutes left in the game.

Manchester City still trails.

Is it possible that the Blue Moon Army’s undefeated streak that lasted almost the entire season will end today?
(End of this chapter)