[Football] Bad Boy Batty

The game was scheduled for 8:30 pm the next day, and Manchester City players arrived at the Westfalen Stadium 2 hours in advance.

Snowflakes were floating in the sky, and the unheated locker room was even several degrees colder than outside. Batty took off his down jacket and put on his jersey. After 5 minutes, he could hardly feel his ears.

"What a damn weather," he complained, shivering.

De Bruyne noticed that Batistuta was shaking, so he rubbed his hands together to warm them and went forward to cover his ears.

"Is it better?" he asked.

Batty let out a comfortable sigh: "Much better."

The Belgian midfielder looked down at his eyelashes which were so close to him, not knowing what he was thinking.

This is not a solution. A few minutes later, Batistuta looked up and met De Bruyne's dark eyes. The pupils of those eyes were surprisingly large, and the surroundings were mostly dark, which often made people ignore the outermost blue circle.

Such eyes give people a feeling of calmness and mystery.

But Batty saw something in it that he understood but didn't want to understand.

"What's wrong?" De Bruyne asked.

"——Nothing, let's change positions." Batistuta slightly raised his head and drove all the nonsense out of his mind. The most important thing now was the game. "Keep this position. Come behind me. I'm going to look for Pep."

De Bruyne moved behind him and put on a pair of gloves, but still covered his ears. The two of them walked all the way to Guardiola like a cocktail-colored spider.

Guardiola, who was discussing tactics with his assistant coach, was stunned when he saw it for the first time.

"What are you—"

"It's too cold, Pep, I feel like my ears are not my own anymore." Batistuta pursed his lips and said, "I have to go out and warm up now, otherwise I will be frozen like popsicles and how can I play."

Guardiola agreed without hesitation, and in fact he was about to tell the players about it.

Batistuta and De Bruyne walked onto the field in the same linked posture, attracting a lot of onlookers along the way. Guardiola thought that neither of them was the type to care about the media, and after the game was over... no, it wouldn't even take until the game was over, their photos would be all over the world.

The tired head coach and Arteta looked at each other and smiled helplessly at the same time.

What else can they say when faced with a player with such personality?

……

At the same time, in Dortmund's locker room, players gathered in groups of three or five and chatted in low voices. The atmosphere was not as good as that in Manchester City's locker room.

However, there is one person who is not affected, and that is the young player who just joined this season, Christian Pulisic, who is an American.

"Hey! Friends, I just saw Batistuta in the corridor, that Batistuta!" He waved his phone excitedly, "His goal after dribbling past 6 players has been viewed 800 million times on YouTube! I swear, that is definitely the best goal I have seen in the past 10 years! Do you think I can go up and talk to him? He is even better looking in person than in the video, but I saw him with the Manchester City midfielder, the two of them were very sticky..."

Sven Bender slapped him lightly on the back of his head, successfully stopping the chattering mouth.

"Don't keep talking about the opponent's players. Focus on the game. After the game, you can chat up with him however you want. We can't control you even if you want to date him." He said, "Now go warm up and think about the tactics we told you. When the game starts, we will show them some color!"

Pulisic blushed a little, muttered a few words under his breath, then turned around and went to the court to warm up.

Obviously, he only heard the first half of what Bender said.

……

Before the game started, the snowflakes in the sky began to show signs of getting bigger. When the two teams walked onto the field and the UEFA Champions League theme song was played, heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

This was the first time that Batistuta encountered such heavy snow. Before the opening whistle, he looked up at the sky, and a few snowflakes got stuck on his eyelashes. This scene happened to be captured by the broadcast camera, and the photographer was very smart and immediately pushed a close-up.

Just like it was the first time for Batistuta to see such heavy snow, this match was also the first time the two teams met in European history.

多特蒙德在在欧冠淘汰赛阶段对上英超球队保持着3胜2平1负的成绩，而曼城遇上德甲球队则维持在了4胜1平1负上，从数据上来看，曼城在过去的几十年中占有优势地位。

There was not much change in Manchester City's starting lineup. Jesus replaced Aguero at the center position and the goalkeeper was replaced by Caballero. It was still a 4231 formation. Dortmund fielded three central defenders. Reus was absent, Dembele partnered with Guerrero on the front line, and Aubameyang was at the front.

"Remember later, when I retreat, you go to the middle, and then I will fill your position." Jesus put his arm around Batistuta's shoulder and whispered, "When we attack or defend next time, we'll find a chance to switch back."

Batistuta made a "hmm" sound to show that he understood, and Jesus patted his chest and ran back to his position.

The war is about to start.

After tightening his gloves with his teeth, Batty looked up and thought, it's time to test their new tactics.

As the referee blew the whistle, the game officially began.

……

Dortmund kicks off from the center circle.

The players from both sides gave up testing each other at the same time, like old friends with a tacit understanding for many years, and fought for every inch of land. Dortmund passed the ball back first, and after Manchester City's defensive players pressed forward, the defender made a long pass to transfer the ball. In less than 2 minutes, the players started a fierce fight in Manchester City's backcourt.

[3 central defenders, 4 midfielders, Tuchel is going to compete with Guardiola for the ball in the midfield today.] The commentator analyzed in the studio, [Dortmund's high pressure impacts Manchester City's aging defense, which will definitely cause some trouble for Manchester City, but for Dortmund, a large-scale attack also means that the defense is empty. Manchester City's frontcourt players, especially Batistuta, can break through and score goals with their personal abilities once they are given a chance.]

That's right.

Just 7 minutes into the game, Batistuta won a free kick for Manchester City in the frontcourt.

Dortmund's offensive line was too far forward, and once there was a mistake in the frontcourt, Manchester City immediately counterattacked after getting the ball. Batistuta received Silva's pass and moved forward from the ribs, but goalkeeper Burki attacked in time to destroy the ball.

It was still too cold. Batistuta stretched his shoulders and thought, if the weather was a little better, he would have waded past the goalkeeper and faced the empty goal.

De Bruyne hooked at him from the penalty spot.

"Try it. This distance isn't that far." He covered his mouth and said, "Just do it as you did in training."

Ever since Guardiola intended to train Batistuta to play as the No. 10, Batistuta has started his free kick practice. So far, his training results are quite impressive and he has the potential to become the next generation of free kick master.

But the fans knew nothing about it.

[Huh? Why did Batistuta end up at the penalty spot?] Obviously the commentator didn't know either, [Let's see if this was a tactical move.]

Batty walked forward and took a look.

"Okay, I'll try to shoot directly." He also covered his mouth and replied, "But let's do a fake move, you run first, and then I kick."

De Bruyne nodded.

The two men stood in front of the penalty spot.

……

Dortmund goalkeeper Burki was leaning against the goal post to direct his teammates to form a human wall. The distance was very dangerous, but he had made saves before. In the recent match against Bayern, he also blocked Robben's cut-in shot.

So, no matter whether it is the kid who can dribble past 6 players or the midfielder who once made big claims in the Bundesliga, he will keep the ball out.

"bring it on!"

Burki clapped his hands. He was ready for everything.

[beep——]
The whistle sounded, De Bruyne took a run-up, then made a feint and passed the ball over.

Several people in the wall had already jumped up, but whether they jumped on time or not, it could not have any impact on Batistuta who was following closely behind and taking the shot.

[It was unexpected that Batistuta took the free kick—oh! The ball went in! Seven minutes into the game, a set-piece goal! 7-1! Manchester City leads away from home!]

It was indeed unexpected.

The moment he kicked the ball, Batistuta knew he had missed the target.

Dortmund's wall was quite high, so he wanted to do a banana shot like Carlos to go around the wall and into the net, but he overlooked the weather. This wind mixed with snow flakes could easily change the course of the ball.

But it was precisely because he overlooked the strong wind that the ball, which should have deviated from the goal, miraculously went straight into the goal.

【Oh my god! Banana shot! Batistuta paid tribute to his national team veteran Carlos with a groundbreaking banana shot! 】

The fans in the south stand watched the ball pass by them and fall into the net. They greeted Batistuta frantically in German, but Batistuta didn't care about anything at this time. He rushed over and jumped on De Bruyne.

"See that, Kevin? I missed the ball, but it still went in!" Batty was so excited that he kissed De Bruyne on the forehead. "I can't believe it. Thanks to this blizzard!"

Manchester City players all gathered together and hugged each other to celebrate this precious away goal.

"I know you can do it." De Bruyne patted Batistuta on the back. He also wanted to thank the snow, because it kept the temperature on his forehead for a long time. "Are you interested in a few more?"

Batty's blue eyes were bright, and when he smiled, his eyes curved into crescents.

"OK."……

Facts have proved that Guardiola's control in the midfield is still slightly better. Although Dortmund's powerful attack played its due role, it seemed to be just a little bit short. After several sieges, Manchester City was able to escape danger.

In the 33rd minute of the first half, Stones passed the ball from the backcourt, Jesus retreated to get the ball near the center line, and Batistuta switched to the middle to respond.

De Bruyne also came up to support from the back point. Jesus took the ball and turned around, using the gap between Dortmund's central defenders to pass a ball behind his back. When the defender turned around, Batistuta had already received the ball and went straight into the penalty area.

【Here it comes! Manchester City's attack is coming again! 】

Burki focused his attention on Batty.

Where did he shoot back?
Near angle? Far angle? Or a light spoon kick?
At that moment, the Hornets' goalkeeper simulated dozens of possible shooting methods of Batistuta in his mind, and he was ready to block them.

But what he never expected was that Batistuta did not choose to shoot himself, but suddenly made a horizontal pass, and De Bruyne followed up and shot directly without stopping the ball.

[2-0! Manchester City used the exquisite cooperation in the frontcourt to break through the defense of the Hornets! They are 2-0 away from home! ]

Both sides attacked and defended each other, but no goals were scored until the end of the first half.

Manchester City entered the halftime break with a 2-goal advantage away from home.

……

After the Champions League enters the knockout stage, the two teams will play home and away games. The team with the higher total score of the two rounds will enter the next knockout round. If the number of goals is the same, the team with more away goals will advance.

Therefore, Manchester City, with two away goals, can basically secure victory.

Everyone in the locker room had a smile on their face, and Batistuta was no longer afraid of the cold. He took off his shirt and held it in his hands as an accessory for his samba dance, and soon Jesus joined in.

Heat surrounded him, and the tattoo around his collarbone turned a bright red, rising and falling with his breathing.

De Bruyne turned around, opened a bottle of water and drank it, forcing himself not to stare.

"Well done, guys! Everyone, it's awesome, you exceeded my expectations, keep it up! This is the team I want."

Guardiola stood up on his chair and announced loudly.

For a moment, applause and cheers filled the entire room, and some people even whistled.

After coming down, the head coach found Batistuta, he reached out and held the boy's face and touched his head with his.

"I know you can do it, whether it's implementing the requirements of the No. 10 position or something else." The Catalan was now very emotional, and he wanted to hold Batistuta's head and kiss him hard for a while, "We will win, keep it up, we will win this game, and win beautifully!"

Batty raised the corners of his mouth.

"You don't have to tell me." He patted Guardiola's bald head, "Of course we will win. Until the day of the final, we will be champions and legends!"

……

The second half started quickly.

Tuchel made some adjustments to Dortmund, with Sahin replacing Bender and Pulisic replacing Schmelzer.

Replacing two more defensive players with two more offensive players is extremely risky when the team is behind. If used well, it can turn the situation around and allow the team to overtake, but if used poorly, it is very likely that the opponent will widen the score.

Obviously, the result of this game was the latter.

In the 51st minute, Dortmund made a mistake in passing the ball in the frontcourt. Shinji Kagawa's pass was soft and weak, and was directly intercepted by Silva, who then passed the ball straight to the frontcourt with two feet. Sterling was also very active today. After getting the ball, he quickly pulled to the side and tried to use the width of the court to pass the ball in.

This position is very dangerous. Jesus in the middle is ready to start, and Batistuta at the back is also eyeing him. If he passes the ball, he will immediately pose a threat.

Dortmund center back Ginter had no choice but to foul.

[Fell down in the restricted area! 】

The referee decisively awarded a penalty kick.

There was booing in the stands, but that couldn't stop Manchester City from expanding their lead.

Without Aguero, Batistuta became the first penalty taker. The young man came to the penalty spot with the ball in his arms, wiped the stains off the ball with the snow, and kissed it devoutly.

When the opponent scores twice, the goalkeeper will experience subtle changes in his heart.

Facing Batistuta, Burki had lost the momentum he had at the beginning of the game. He could only cheer himself up over and over again in his heart and suggest that he could save the penalty.

But the competition is brutal.

Run-up and shoot.

[The ball went in! Batistuta scored a penalty kick in one fell swoop, and scored twice in the 53rd minute of the second half, giving Manchester City a 3-0 lead away from home! ]

……

It is said that Germans don't know what it means to quit while they are ahead. In fact, Brazilians don't know much about it either.

After this penalty, Batistuta seemed to have turned on some terrible mechanism. He scored two goals in 15 minutes and helped Sterling and Jesus score a goal each.

At the end of the game, Dortmund scored two goals, but it was too late to turn the tide.

5-2, Manchester City started the Champions League knockout process with a big win.

"Come on! Play my playlist!" Batty waved to the equipment manager, "What kind of weird heavy metal is this? We won the game, let's listen to some victory songs!"

"That's my playlist!" Sterling rushed towards Batty with his teeth bared. "Okay! Batty! How dare you say my heavy metal is bad!"

"It's not good in the first place! This damn song sounds like the roar of hell!" Batty dodged Sterling's tickle attack and grabbed his arms. "Listen to me, only Raiden deserves such a victory!"

"Bullshit!" Sterling refused to give up. He struggled to break free with his backhand, then hugged Batty's waist and threw him to the ground. This was a standard WWE move. Of course, he didn't use that much force. "Admit that my heavy metal sounds good, or I won't let you up!"

The two started fighting in the away locker room. Sterling was no match for Batistuta and was pinned to the ground in a few moves.

Batty shook his hair that had long been soaked with sweat and sat astride Sterling's back.

"What do you think? Do you admit defeat?"

Jesus was not afraid of trouble. He lay on the ground like a free-fighting referee and patted the ground three times.

"3, 2, 1 - Rahim couldn't get up!" He jumped up, grabbed Batistuta's arm and raised it high, "The winner is - Batistuta!"

Batty cooperated very well and raised his chin, looking down on everyone as if he had just won the gold belt.

"Hurry up, hurry up! It's so cold!" Sterling wailed and twisted his body. "Okay! I admit it! Reggaeton is the music with the best drum beats in the world, and it's the most suitable for victory! Please let me get up!"

"That's pretty much it."

Batistuta used Jesus' strength to get up from Sterling's back, then he reached out and pulled up the happy boy with a crying face.

"Don't challenge my authority." He said arrogantly, "No one can defeat me, no one!"

Sterling made a face at him, and at this moment, Guardiola and Arteta, who were attending the post-match interview, walked into the locker room, both with the same shock on their faces.

Obviously, this was not the expression one should have after their team won 5-2.

"What's wrong?" Batty leaned over and snapped his fingers twice in front of the coach's eyes. "Did you see a ghost?"

However, no matter how loud Batistuta made, Guardiola was still in a sleepwalking state.

"I know what happened." De Bruyne came out of the shower wrapped in a towel and checked his phone. "Barcelona finished the game, 4-0."

Barty blinked.

It's just 4-0, what's so strange about that?

Messi, Neymar, Suarez, aren't these three known as the most luxurious attacking line in Europe? Four goals are a bit too little, although the opponent is the French Ligue 4 giants Paris Saint-Germain, but -

"Paris 4, Barcelona 0."

Barty blinked again.

"What did you say?" he asked with a hint of disbelief, "Who's 4 and who's 0?"

"You heard it right," De Bruyne shrugged. "Barcelona lost 0-4 to Paris Saint-Germain away from home."

(End of this chapter)