Team Spirit

Chapter 193 Half-Marathon Slalom Shot, Fran: I'm Not a Counterfeit

In the 70th minute, both sides began making substitutions.

Eastwood, who had just recovered from injury, replaced Saha. Ferguson hoped that Eastwood could provide a pivotal role for the team and help Giggs and Ronaldo further expand their threat.

Although Eastwood is not a traditional pivot, he is still much stronger than Saha, who relies on speed, in terms of physical play.

The main problem is that Green Gunners' center-back pairing today has no weaknesses in terms of speed.

Additionally, Heinze replaced Silvestre.

Sylvester is injured!
Lu Kai's "right-angled fake body" was so outrageous that Sylvester became just another stepping stone for him.

Fortunately, his injuries were not serious and he will recover quickly.

For Green Gunners, Pepe replaced Barton.

"Old genius" Guardiola replaced Amorim.

With Carrick added, all three midfielders are defensive midfielders, the implication is self-evident.

In the 73rd minute, Ronaldo went on a rampage, sprinting down the right flank, outpacing Pepe, then using a backheel flick to change direction and successfully cut inside, approaching the penalty area.

Facing Ashley Young, Ronaldo started using a series of bicycle kicks.

Pepe returned just in time.

But when Ronaldo was double-teamed, his signature "cow tail" flick wasn't as smooth as Ronaldinho's, but it was just as swift as Lu Kai's.

Cristiano Ronaldo then forced his way between the two.

But Ashley Young and Pepe shut the door down.

The three of them fell together outside the penalty area.

Ashley Young let out a scream.

It turns out that Ronaldo fell and landed on his arm.

The team doctor entered the field and confirmed that Ashley Young had a shoulder injury.

Green Gunners used their last substitution, bringing on Ribery to play as Lu Kai's right winger.

Lu Kai moved to the left-back position, marking Cristiano Ronaldo, currently Manchester United's most active player.

Cristiano Ronaldo created a free kick in a good position, but slightly to the right.

Scholes didn't shoot directly, but instead lofted the ball into the penalty area, given Manchester United's considerable height.

As a result, Davis outjumped Lescott to head the ball away.

Commentators from all sides exclaimed in surprise that Green Gun had produced a "new Ferdinand".

English center-backs share a similar playing style, so it's understandable that they resemble each other.

In the 76th minute, Green Gun launched a high press in the attacking third.

Forlán and Keane exchanged a kick, and the ball bounced toward Ribery.

Ribery curls a left-footed shot from mid-air just outside the penalty area.

The ball bypassed Howard's outstretched fingers, but unfortunately slid just wide of the far corner, lacking a bit of precision.

At this stage, Ribery's finishing ability is still significantly worse than Arshavin's.

However, he already has his own core competitiveness in making breakthroughs, especially when facing tough opponents.

In the 81st minute, Giggs drew the defense down the left flank and then passed the ball across to Scholes.

Scholes chipped the ball to the far post of the penalty area.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lu Kai were locked in a fierce battle for the ball. Although Ronaldo managed to make a cross, Lu Kai interfered, and the ball ended up in Foster's arms.

Foster launched a counterattack with a long kick.

Ferdinand received a yellow card for a tactical foul.

Manchester United, seeing that time was running out and no longer concerned about the balance between attack and defense, substituted striker Rooney for midfielder Fortune.

A 4-2-4 formation was formed.

In the 84th minute, Giggs made a cutback pass to Eastwood.

Eastwood held off Carrick and passed the ball to Rooney.

Rooney, fearless like a newborn calf, dribbled the ball with a mix of roughness and finesse towards the penalty area, and at the edge of the box, used a croquet-style move to shake off Cannavaro.

However, Guardiola tracked back and applied pressure, putting Rooney under physical contact from the side, which caused Rooney to lose his footing and be unable to get a shot off.

Rooney backheeled the ball.

Scholes unleashed a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.

Foster made another incredible save, deflecting the ball towards the left side of the penalty area.

Lu Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo both rushed towards the ball, but Ronaldo was one step ahead again; his absolute speed and explosiveness were faster than Lu Kai's.

However, when Ronaldo caught up with the ball, it was about to go out of bounds. Instead of asking for a corner kick, he chose to pass it back without stopping, intending to pass it to Neville who was coming up.

The Green Gunners' defensive formation has collapsed, and the penalty area is full of Manchester United forwards.

Neville crossed into the penalty area; Manchester United are sure to score.

boom!
Lu Kai extended his leg to make the interception.

He saw through Ronaldo's disdain for scoring from corner kicks.

Having talented players with good footwork always gives you more confidence in your dribbling, passing, and shooting.

After receiving the ball, Lu Kai smoothly flicked it out.

Then he sped up, ready to eat Neville alive.

Neville was both shocked and furious.

He was two meters ahead of Lu Kai.

Lu Kai actually wanted to eat him alive? Did he really think Gary Neville wasn't a famous general?

It's worth noting that in recent years, while Neville has never been number one at right-back, he has always been in the top tier.

After winning the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, Lu Kai became extremely disdainful of all the heroes in the world!

For a time, the two sides raced each other.

On Lu Kai's side, since his absolute speed is slightly faster than Neville's, he activated the [Violent Motorcycle] effect, gaining an additional speed boost.

At the same time, this time the ball was pushed very far, activating the "illegal overtaking" skill.

Enter racing mode with Neville and activate the "Overload Madness" effect of the [Green Field Revival].

Located on the flank, activate the [Flanking Wing].

Neville was caught up after only a few steps.

Seeing that Lu Kai was about to overtake, Neville took over.

But Lu Kai was prepared, and with a fierce swing of his arm, the two of them fought back and forth, causing Neville to stumble.

Lu Kai broke through the encirclement.

However, the next moment, Ronaldo also whizzed past Neville, chasing after Lu Kai.

One green and one red, one in front and one behind, two lightning bolts raced across the field.

But Ronaldo was surprised to find that he couldn't close the gap with Lu Kai.

"How is this possible? He's faster than Ronaldo?" Saha on the bench was somewhat surprised.

Saha is also an extremely fast player. When he first arrived at Manchester United, his player value, match statistics, and individual ability were all superior to Ronaldo's.

However, Ronaldo happens to have a slight edge over Saha in terms of speed.

Lu Kai is not known for his speed, yet he still outperforms Cristiano Ronaldo when he has the ball.

No wonder he won the Golden Globe.

This kind of player is probably weakest in the same area as other players, right?
The two players born in 1985 raced down the wing, but Manchester United's defense remained intact.

Keane, Heinze, Lescott, and Ferdinand were all in the back.

This is also an advantage of the team's 4-2-4 formation being disconnected.

By completely eliminating the midfield, some defensive strength can be retained in the backfield, making it better at dealing with counter-attacks than other formations that go all out on offense.

Lu Kai proactively cut inside, moving towards the middle lane.

Amorin, who was being substituted, frowned: "This approach isn't very wise."

“Although there are more passing options in the center, Lu is already the most advanced player on our team, and he doesn’t have any forward passing options.”

"While the shooting angle from the center is greater, it is also more susceptible to interference from all directions."

“If Lu goes down the left flank, he only needs to face Ferdinand, with at most Lescott to cover.”

"But now, we need to face Manchester United's four defenders!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Kai encountered Keane, who was returning to defend.

Lu Kai flicked the ball to the right, slowing down to walk behind Keane.

Keane slammed on the brakes.

But Lu Kai had already started to accelerate by flicking the ball.

Before Keane could react, he was devoured by Lu Kaisheng.

It's simply because Lu Kai's acceleration ability is too strong.

This is precisely the boost brought about by the 9AT transmission.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who had followed, exclaimed in surprise, "Such rapid acceleration!"

Ronaldo chased back from Keane's left flank, saving him some distance.

The next moment, Lu Kai was already charging towards the penalty area.

“Judging from his route, he’s planning to go from the left through the middle, then switch to the right to find Heinze.”

"Heinze must defend against Lu Kai's long-range shots, both in the middle and on the flanks."

"Lu Kai will probably go down the right flank, break into the penalty area, and shoot from a tight angle. Or he can wait for his teammates to come up on the counter-attack and then pass the ball back in a triangular fashion."

Top coaches like Ferguson could easily see through Lu Kai's intentions.

Lu Kai's idea is bold, but if he has sufficient physical strength and strong control over the ball, the probability of it being realized is not small.

As expected, after passing the center, Lu Kai continued to move to the right, challenging Heinze, who was positioned slightly to the right in the three-center-back formation.

Lu Kai slowed down.

"He might shoot," Ferdinand reminded Lescott and Heinze, whose shot would inevitably pass through the boundary between their defensive zones.

The two immediately moved closer together.

Lu Kai slightly raised his right foot, preparing to shoot.

boom!
Lu Kai flicks the ball to the right.

[Step-frequency feint].

Heinze, however, had anticipated this.

A mediocre full-back can only focus on the inside and neglect the outside at this point.

But Heinze is no ordinary player. As a future Manchester United legend and Arsenal assistant coach, Heinze also guessed that Lu Kai was going to go down the right flank.

Previously, the focus had not been fully explained.

This was the perfect moment to move over and completely block Lu Kai.

The next moment, Lu Kai flicked the ball to the right, preparing to go down the outside of the goal, and raised his right foot.

"If they can't get to the byline, they're going to take a long-range shot."

"Lu Kai's long-range shot is known as the 'Batty goal' in the Premier League! His sprinting and powerful shot is exactly what he excels at, and we can't let him use it!"

Heinze leaped and blocked the attack.

boom!
Lu Kai stepped over the ball with his right foot, leading it to the left.

[Stride-based feint]!
The two types of fake shots each had their own unique uses, which Lu Kai utilized to the fullest extent.

But Manchester United's defense is not a makeshift team for the future.

Lescott was no pushover either; as soon as Heinze moved away, he immediately moved closer to Heinze, ensuring there was no gap between them.

Now, Lu Kai has bypassed Heinze, but he just happens to run into Lescott.

It's time for you, the former Green Guns guard, to end the Green Guns' offense!
Lescott stretched out his leg, getting incredibly close to the football.

However, "the football that was about to be eaten flew away!"
Lu Kai executed a horizontal Marseille turn, passing Lescott from right to left.

Although still outside the penalty area, they now have a shooting angle.

At a crucial moment, Rio Ferdinand, the Premier League's top center-back, came to cover.

The two had a brief one-on-one match.

Due to his continuous dribbling and changes of direction, Lu Kai's speed has decreased significantly, and he is now dribbling at a slower pace.

He jerked his right foot. [Dragon's Tail Swing!]
With a flick of his tail, the football went through Ferdinand's legs.

They entered the restricted area from right to left.

Lu Kai accelerated past Ferdinand on the outside, triggering the "Man-Ball Pass" speed boost effect.

Moreover, the continuous effect of the 9AT transmission allows Lu Kai to benefit from all his actions, truly giving his skills a systematic effect.

If he used techniques before, now he's using martial arts techniques!
The level of understanding has already changed.

Since Ferdinand moved from the left to this side, he couldn't immediately move from the right to the left.

Due to inertia, he couldn't catch up with Lu Kai.

Howard rushed out and dove towards the ball.

At the same time, Ronaldo broke into the penalty area, chased after him from the left rear, and made a sliding tackle.

In any case, this attack must not be thwarted by Lu Kai.

The Premier League shouldn't have such an awesome player!
The three were about to crash.

Lu Kai touched the ball first with his right foot, pulled the ball to the right with the sole of his foot, and spun counterclockwise, thus avoiding Howard's save.

It's the Marseille turn again.

But it wasn't Lu Kai who activated the skill.

Because the skill cannot be interrupted.

This was a Marseille turn performed by Lu Kai using his own personal skills.

There is only one goal...

After landing with his right foot, Lu Kai was already on the left side of the penalty area, near the six-yard box, with his back to the goal.

However, this was only half of the Marseille turn.

Because Lu Kai accelerated rapidly this time, his momentum was very strong.

Instead of continuing the momentum to turn the second half of the circle, Lu Kai stopped the technical maneuver.

He was thrown backward by inertia.

As Lu Kai fell to the ground, his right foot hooked towards the football.

He made an incredible move, hooking the ball diagonally to his left and behind.

The force of this shot, aimed diagonally backward, was also due to the inertia of a Marseille turn performed halfway through.

The Marseille turn involves first pulling the ball to the right front with the right foot, then taking the opportunity to step on the ball and turn 180 degrees to land in front of the ball, then pulling the ball behind with the left foot, and then rotating 180 degrees to catch up with the ball.

The reason this action is designed this way is because it has inertia.

He only managed to do half of it before it turned into James' signature 180-degree turn and slammed into someone with a heavy shoulder kick. The move was abstract, uncoordinated, and lacked aesthetic appeal because it didn't conform to the laws of nature.

Lu Kai had just used the momentum of his right foot to hook the ball out.

The next moment, Ronaldo's flying tackle arrived.

He first shoved Lu Kai's foot, then Howard's face.

The three of them were in complete chaos.

The scene was extremely tragic.

"what!"

Howard and Ronaldo both screamed in pain.

But nobody cares about that anymore.

Everyone's eyes were on the football.

The football was hooked up at a relatively slow speed and lobbed towards the goal.

Lescott and Ferdinand both rushed towards the goal, with Ferdinand jumping up at the near post to head the ball away.

Lescott cleared the ball with a flying bicycle kick at the far post.

Unfortunately, both of them were a tiny bit slower than the slow-moving football.

The football fell into the net.

Old Trafford was deathly silent.

The next moment, green surged forth.

“GOAL!!!”

"Four to two! Lu Kai scores!"

"This was an epic solo run across a thousand miles!"

"Speed, skill, football intelligence, shooting ability, courage... Lu Kai displayed so many incredible strengths in this attack!"

"This idea of ​​a backflip shot was a stroke of genius; even Ronaldinho probably couldn't have come up with such a beautiful shooting method!"

"Before Lu Kai, Zidane was the best at using the Marseille turn, and this move should have been called the Zidane turn."

"But now, I have to apologize to Zidane. In terms of the Marseille turn, Lu Kai is probably superior. His half-Marseille turn shot showed people the true value of the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards!"

"Top three in the world, truly deserved!"

On the sidelines, the Manchester United substitutes rushed out.

They clutched their heads, pulled their hair, and slapped their faces, as if telling themselves that this wasn't real.

Even street basketball doesn't have such an exaggerated way of dribbling past opponents, right?

Lu Kai dribbled from left to right and then from right to left in the attacking third, creating a ">" shape and beating five Manchester United players!

Maradona's dribbling skills back then were only comparable to Lu Kai's this time in terms of quantity; in all other aspects, they were inferior to Lu Kai's.

"Luuuuu!"

The Dartford players also rushed to the sidelines to celebrate excitedly.

But the next moment, stretchers from both teams rushed onto the field.

Because the three players are still down inside Manchester United's penalty area.

The camera also focused on the three of them.

Howard was the most conspicuous, as his face was covered in blood, clearly cut on the cheek by Ronaldo's studs.

I don't know if any vital parts like the eyes were injured.

Cristiano Ronaldo was holding his left leg.

He pulled his leg back after kicking the person, instead of straightening it, to avoid causing further injury to Lu Kai and Howard.

But this also led to a hard collision with Howard.

My left leg was bent forcefully, injuring my knee.

On the contrary, it was Lu Kai.

Although Ronaldo tackled him on the foot first, he was already flipped over by inertia and his feet were off the ground. Therefore, he did not bear the force of Ronaldo's tackle and neutralized the impact.

It's just some pain caused by the hard contact between the shoe spikes and the ankle and side of the foot; it's nothing serious.

As a result, the stretcher meant for Lu Kai wasn't used; instead, it was used for Cristiano Ronaldo.

This leaves Manchester United with two fewer players on the field, nine against eleven, one of whom is the goalkeeper.

Neville had to fill in as goalkeeper.

In the 88th minute, Dartford, with their superior numbers, won the ball in the attacking third.

Carrick dribbled forward and then played a through ball to Arshavin, who was cutting inside from off the ball.

Arshavin received the ball and passed it across the edge of the penalty area.

Fran followed up with a powerful shot, easily scoring a goal.

It has a style reminiscent of Eastwood back in the day.

No matter how you kick it, you'll get a goal.

Five to two!
In the second minute of stoppage time, Guardiola delivered a through ball down the right flank.

Maicon crosses from the wing.

After Ferdinand cleared the ball, Ribery volleyed a low shot on the rebound and scored.

Six to two.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle, relieving Manchester United of their predicament.

Dartford defeated Manchester United 7-2 on aggregate to reach the EFL Cup final for the fifth consecutive year.

The League myth continues!
……

Sky Sports: "The Green Rangers eliminate Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-final, avenging their FA Cup exit at the hands of the Red Devils!"

Mundo Deportivo: "Barcelona narrowly defeated nine-man Manchester United 6-2, an unfair victory! Barcelona thrashed ten-man Atletico Madrid 2-1, a display of sportsmanship!"

BBC: "Lu Kai's epic goal has captured the attention of all of Europe, with Pelé and Maradona both impressed! Zidane himself said he never even imagined a 'half-marathon turn'!"

Science: "A renowned European physics expert analyzed the terrifying aspect of Lu Kai's half-marathon spin shot, saying that Newton, after seeing this shot, could discover universal gravitation without an apple!"

Dongqiudi: "Lu Kai's half-marathon spin shot has been included in physics textbooks by professors from Tsinghua and Peking Universities!"

"The Voice of Green Guns": "Franchise scores four goals and wins Man of the Match! Lu Kai's solo run secures the Goal of the Year award!"

"The Voice of Green Gun - Self-Funded Edition": "Ashley Young couldn't defend against Ronaldo, and was even injured by his fake-out? Ridiculous, ridiculous, truly ridiculous! This allowed me, Young, to cripple both Ronaldo and Howard, deliberately provoking Ronaldo's madness, thus causing him and his teammate Howard to perish together, creating an eleven-on-nine advantage—I call him the Green Gun's brain! A brain, and a mastermind!"

It's clear that the interns at Green Gun Voice put their hearts into this project.

Delete all the content within parentheses for "self-funded".

However, the parentheses were not completely removed.

"Mundo Deportivo: Forlán was the best player of the match, while Lu Kai's one goal and two assists were just riding on the coattails of others! Eto'o had the highest rating, but Ronaldinho, with zero goals and zero assists, was the real hero behind the scenes!"

Lu Kai subscribed to the official news feeds of World Sports and MST because "Neihan Duanzi" (a humorous online humor platform) hasn't been released yet, so the jokes aren't funny.

So all you can do is read the Catalan newspapers; they're the only collection of jokes in the football world.

[Ding! You helped Diego Forlán complete the player mission "I'm Not a Flop," increasing his growth rate and abilities. You have received the reward "Assassin's Golden Hair."]

[I'm not a flop: Forlán is eager to shed the "flop" label and needs help to be Man of the Match against Manchester United]

[Assassin's Blonde Hair: Player Item. Your long-range shooting ability is greatly improved. You receive an overall boost in national team matches. You receive an additional boost to long-range shooting when playing against La Liga teams.]

Long-range shots: 84+3

Not bad.

It turns out to be a national team and the prestige of La Liga.

This is very useful in European competitions.

And coincidentally, Dartford's Champions League knockout stage opponent is a team from La Liga!

The Daily Sport published a report that meticulously argued that Dartford's victory over Manchester United was merely due to Manchester United's "tactical adjustments."

This does not mean that Dartford is truly a top team.

"Despite both reaching the Champions League knockout stage, Dartford were drawn against Real Madrid. How can the underdog Dartford, who have been dismantled twice, possibly cope with the Galacticos?"

"Even though Real Madrid is far inferior to Barcelona's dream team in La Liga, and despite Green Gunners' thrashing of Barcelona this season, as a traditional powerhouse, they are still more than capable of defeating Green Gunners."

"Therefore, Dartford can only pin their only hope of winning a trophy this season on the EFL Cup and do everything they can to stop Manchester United."

"Manchester United, on the other hand, drew AC Milan, a team of similar strength, and needed to prepare carefully. Their withdrawal from the EFL Cup was only natural."

"Although they fielded their strongest lineup, it doesn't mean they were really going all out. This was just a training exercise for Manchester United. You can tell that from Ronaldo's relatively relaxed performance."

It has to be said, these editors are truly mentally strong.

If there are obvious contradictions between a series of statements, they can still make sense of them and dare to publish them.

The main point is that you don't care what I'm saying, just say you're right.

However, it's understandable that they're talking nonsense, mainly because this series of matches is just too popular.

This is the first ever match between football's rising star, Green Gunner, and Real Madrid, the most successful club of the 20th century!
The two sides had never fought each other before.

This was a major battle between guns and horses that filled a historical gap!
This is a duel between the gunslinger and the knight.

It is a struggle between the new and the old.

It is a contest between two different types of kings.

It was also a contest between five Ballon d'Or winners.

The two teams have won the world's highest honors a total of fourteen times!

For Real Madrid, Ronaldo has five appearances, Zidane four, Figo twice, and Owen once.

For Dartford, Lu Kai appeared twice.

Whether it's players or clubs, the gap in honors is enormous.

But Dartford had one win – Lu Kai, the newly crowned double champion, brought a new generation of talent to the old!

(End of this chapter)