Team Spirit

Chapter 228 The Green Spear Never Falls, the Red Devil's Nemesis
"Hello everyone, you are watching the Champions League Group D fifth round match, which is being broadcast live by the radio sports channel. Manchester United will host Dartford..." Huang Jianxiang reported on the lineups of both sides, "Manchester United is using a 4-4-2 formation."

Van Nistelrooy, Rooney

"Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Smith, Carrick, Fletcher"

"Sylvester, Lescott, Ferdinand, O'Shea"

Foster

"In the past two years, the wingers' weak foot has made a comeback. Ferguson is desperate for change, and it is unknown whether moving Ronaldo to the left will bring any change."

"Lescott's return from injury will definitely be a boost to Manchester United's defense."

"Rumors of a rift between Keane and Ferguson have been circulating recently, and he failed to make the starting lineup again today. It's quite a pity to think back to the Red Devils' treble-winning season and three consecutive Premier League titles!"

"Datford's starting lineup has been slightly changed, with a 3-5-2 defensive formation. But it's more like a 5-3-2 than a 3-5-2."

"Lu Kai, Jiru"

"Ashley Young, Barton, Motta, Modric, Ribery"

"Kompany, Vidic, Li Weifeng"

"Van der Sar"

At Old Trafford, 68,000 fans gathered, their red coats obscuring the sky.

Manchester United are determined to finish first in their group.

Before the match, Ferguson repeatedly emphasized the need to keep an eye on Lu Kai.

Alan Smith is here today to do the job of close defense.

Manchester United will lose some attacking power as a result, but as long as they can contain Lu Kai, it will all be worth it.

Despite Alan Smith's background as a striker, Ferguson has officially converted him to a defensive midfield role this season.

This move is also in order to find a partner who is a better fit for Carrick.

With a whistle, the game officially begins.

After a brief exchange, Manchester United established their offensive dominance.

But Green Gunners did indeed set up a five-defender formation, with Barton, Modric, and Lu Kai pressing aggressively, giving Manchester United players no chance to pass the ball comfortably outside the penalty area.

For a moment, the situation became somewhat tense.

It wasn't until the 26th minute that Ronaldo, relying on his individual skill, sprinted past Ribery on the left flank, cut inside, and squeezed between Modric and Li Weifeng into the penalty area.

boom!
Cristiano Ronaldo entered the penalty area from the left and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot.

The threat is not small.

However, Van der Sar remained composed and made the save.

It's a bit unique, but the effect is great.

Ferguson on the sidelines was also impressed, never expecting Ronaldo to be so sharp as a winger with his weaker foot.

In fact, Manchester United's Lescott, O'Shea, and Carrick were not surprised.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been practicing playing on the left wing in private for some time now.

It's not that I want to replace Giggs, but the reputation of wingers having an unsteady foot is too great. Robben can do it, so why can't I, Ronaldo?
In the 29th minute, Carrick played a long pass to Rooney on the right.

Rooney broke through on the edge of the penalty area and swept the ball across the box.

The ball was deflected by Kompany's toe as he tracked back, slowing its speed and giving it a bounce.

Vidic's defensive position instantly lost its strategic importance.

Van Nistelrooy then had a chance to score.

Unfortunately, Van Nistelrooy's follow-up shot was not well executed, and Van der Sar came out to interfere, causing the ball to eventually slide out of the far corner.

In the 35th minute, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle in midfield.

The Green Gunners, with their superior numbers, won the ball, and Motta passed it back to Li Weifeng.

Instead of hastily retreating, Manchester United withdrew in an orderly fashion to avoid disrupting their formation.

Li Weifeng, however, passed the ball back to Modric, and Green Gun's pace suddenly quickened.

Unlike Motta, Modric is not being pressured by opponents at this moment.

Before Motta passed the ball back, Modric had already observed everyone's positioning.

Now, with a simple slip-in, he turns and catches up with the ball, delivering a through pass.

Before Giroud could even run forward, the ball came over, and he turned his back to the onrushing Silvestre and passed the ball to the wing.

Ribery accelerated with the ball on the right wing, cut inside in a half-one situation, and moved from the wing to the right corner of the penalty area.

Lu Kai, Barton, and Ashley Young launched a three-pronged attack down the left flank, positioned in a tiered fashion.

Lescott went out to greet him.

Ferdinand and Lu Kai fiercely battled for position.

If Ribery chips the ball to the far post, Ashley Young can shoot with no one marking him.

Dartford also has a long-standing tactical habit of finding the far post.

Unfortunately... it was Lu Kai who made the run into the penalty area.

boom!
Ribery swept the ball across the field from close range.

In this situation, if you try to stop the ball, it will inevitably bounce away, leaving you with no choice but to attack the goal without stopping it.

Lu Kai forcefully collided with Ferdinand, then extended his leg to block the shot.

He completed the shot with ball control technique almost at the level of the Chinese national football team.

The ball speed wasn't fast, but the Green Guns' counter-attacks were incredibly quick.

"GOAL! One to zero! Dartford have taken the lead away from home!"

"Lu Kai has scored the team's first goal again."

"He has played exceptionally well in his recent matches against Manchester United!"

However, Green Gun's happiness didn't last long.

In the 38th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo won a corner kick.

After Manchester United took a corner kick, Carrick made a surprise run from the second row, getting a chance to head the ball without much contact or jumping.

And he actually made it through.

"Oh! Carrick's goal came so quickly!"

"One to one, the Red Devils have equalized."

"Manchester United's tactic of having players attack the penalty area in shifts during this corner kick was very effective."

"Carrick is familiar with the Green Gunners' defensive runs and exploited their positioning weaknesses during corner kick defense."

Manchester United responded quickly.

In the 42nd minute, Lu Kai dropped back to receive the ball, and Ashley Young made a run down the wing.

He completed the cross despite O'Shea's interference.

Unfortunately, his left-footed cross was a bit too long, and Giroud couldn't get a head on it.

The football eventually bounced out of bounds.

In the 45th minute, Manchester United launched a siege on Green Gunners.

Ferdinand moves the ball to the left.

After receiving the ball, Ronaldo executed a series of stepovers, broke into the penalty area, faked a pass and then made a dribbling run, finally unleashing a shot-cross from just outside the six-yard box.

Li Weifeng's sliding tackle was a step too slow, and he failed to touch the ball.

Rooney finished off the attack at the far post with a tap-in.

However, the linesman raised his flag immediately.

Rooney was offside; the goal was disallowed.

The first half of the match then ended.

……

Green Gun Locker Room.

"Manchester United is more of a 4-3-3 than a 4-4-2, with Ronaldo playing entirely as a left winger," Guardiola commented.

Lu Kai nodded: "Ronaldo is even more of a threat on the left than on the right. Fortunately, he hasn't fully adapted to this style of play yet, so he can't unleash his full potential and benefit from his position."

"In the second half, Ashley Young and Ribery switched positions. Ashley, it's up to you to deal with Ronaldo. You must work with your teammates to contain him."

Ashley Young smiled slightly and gave an OK sign.

What is meant by "vanguard"?
What does it mean to entrust someone with an important task?
This is what a vice GOAT should do!
"Frank," Lu Kai said to Ribery, "Try to create as much damage as possible in the second half and get more free kicks in the attacking third."

“Fletcher is reckless, and O’Shea is not very good at defending strikers of your style.”

"But I'm going to make you suffer a bit."

Creating damage means being frequently knocked down by the opponent, which is actually a very tough style of play.

Lu Kai then looked at everyone and said, "Although the Red Devils' backline has been refined over a period of time, the midfield is almost a completely new combination."

"The teamwork on the offensive end is pretty good, but the defensive end is a bit lacking."

Chen Tao had the task of observing from the bench in the first half and did make some discoveries: "Their retreat is not about speed, but about keeping their defensive formation in order to prevent it from getting messed up."

"This also means that their defensive formation is not yet proficient."

"And this weakness will be further amplified in free-kick defense."

Lu Kai nodded.

That's why he asked Ribery to cause damage.

If they want to beat this Red Devils today, their performance from free kicks will be crucial.

Soon, the second half began.

In the 48th minute, Manchester United made a combination play in the attacking third.

Alan Smith intercepted the ball in the attacking third and passed it to Van Nistelrooy, who had his back to goal.

Van Nistelrooy passed the ball across to Rooney.

Rooney dribbled sideways for two steps, found an opportunity to shoot, and unleashed a long-range shot.

The football went just wide of the goal.

In the 53rd minute, Motta sent a long pass to Lu Kai.

His long passes aren't the kind that are too far back, making it easy for his own players to create a one-on-one opportunity.

These free kicks require intense competition between the forwards and the opposing defenders, and the success rate is not high.

Motta delivered a long pass that was some distance from the defensive line.

Lu Kai retreated slightly, and neither the defenders in front nor behind him had time to interfere, so he successfully gained possession of the ball.

However, receiving the ball in this position also means being vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

Therefore, Lu Kai immediately retreated to the side lane.

Meanwhile, Ribery, behind him, made a run down the wing.

Lu Kai dodged Fletcher's challenge with a V-shaped backheel and then passed the ball out.

Ribery receives the ball in front and goes one-on-one with O'Shea.

O'Shea pulled and dragged the opponent, and was called for a foul by the referee.

Free kick from the wing!
Modric came over to take the penalty, and Lu Kai exchanged a few words with him and Ribery.

boom!
Modric took a tactical free kick and passed it back to Ribery.

Ribery delivered a 45-degree cross into the penalty area.

Kompany successfully moved to the far post and headed the ball towards the goal.

Foster made a brilliant save to keep the goal intact.

Li Weifeng made a sliding tackle to score on the rebound.

As a result, Foster made two consecutive saves after getting up.

The ball was then cleared by O'Shea.

There was constant applause at the scene.

In the 55th minute, Ronaldo made a rare through pass.

Ashley Young and Li Weifeng were caught off guard and were indeed subjected to a surgical pass from Ronaldo.

However, Van Nistelrooy was also unprepared.

Despite outmaneuvering Vidic to catch up with the ball and manage a barely passable sliding shot.

But it looked more like a pass back to Van der Sar.

In the 57th minute, Lu Kai was kicked in the heel from behind by Alan Smith while dropping back to receive a pass in the middle. The referee blew his whistle.

A free kick from a distance in the attacking third.

This time, Modric sent the ball directly into the penalty area.

Motta headed the ball across the net at its landing point and passed it back to a teammate.

Vidic, a big man, won a volley opportunity, but kicked the ball into the stands.

In the 61st minute, Cristiano Ronaldo faced off against Ashley Young one-on-one on the left flank.

Modric also rushed over to defend.

Instead of forcing a breakthrough, Ronaldo dribbled past two defenders to create space and delivered a cutback pass.

Barton touched the ball in the middle, but did not completely intercept it.

The ball bounced towards the edge of the penalty area, and Carrick headed it to the right.

Fletcher unleashed a super long-range shot.

when!
The beam was about to collapse after being hit.

They almost changed the score.

Both sides had several opportunities.

In the 64th minute, Ribery played a one-two with Barton, successfully passing through midfield and advancing on the left flank.

Fletcher chased back frantically, "biting" back.

Ribery, with his back to goal, was shielded from the ball and was eventually pushed to the ground by Fletcher.

Another free kick down the wing.

Ribery and Modric kicked off together again.

This time, Ribery passed the ball forward to Modric, who adjusted his position on the left side of the penalty area before unleashing a low, long-range shot.

That kick was of very high quality and the angle was precise.

A low cross is also intended to make the ball easier for both teams to touch, thus changing its trajectory, creating more chaos, and even leading to a goal.

This time, however, the ball didn't touch anyone's leg and went straight for the goal.

Foster lunged at the football.

Another incredible save!

However, the ball could only be released from the hand and bounced towards the penalty area.

Kompany rushed forward to attempt a follow-up shot, but the ball bounced in the wrong direction, and his outstretched leg couldn't shoot. He could only deflect the ball to the left, essentially making a cross.

Giroud and Lescott both charged toward the ball.

Lescott leaped to the rescue.

But Giroud knew that shooting wouldn't be easy, so he didn't intend to shoot from the start. Instead, he secretly pushed his way into Lescott.

As a result, Lescott didn't even get to play football.

The attempt to extricate them failed!

The football continued to bounce laterally.

The next moment, Lu Kai, who had rushed over, unleashed a powerful shot.

The football went into the net decisively.

“GOAL!!!”

Lu Kai scores on the rebound!

"Two to one! Manchester United are on the back foot once again!"

"In a way, this could be considered half a mistake."

"Although Manchester United had more players in the penalty area, three out of the four players who actually rushed to the edge of the six-yard box to get a rebound shot were Green Gunners!"

"Manchester United players still lacked a lot in terms of initiative and adaptability in defense."

"Oh, this goal was assisted by Kompany."

"Lu Kai scored twice, and this was another game in which he carried the team forward."

"I wonder if anyone from Manchester United will step forward."

The camera focused on Van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Rooney.

These are the three most popular and prolific goal scorers in Manchester United's squad.

In the 67th minute, Green Gunners began making substitutions.

Guardiola replaced Modric.

Although both are technically gifted midfielders, Guardiola plays as a defensive midfielder, making him more defensively capable than Modric.

Pepe replaced Ashley Young, a versatile midfielder and center-back, in the position of right wing-back, further strengthening the defense.

Green Guns are determined to hold onto their 2-1 lead.

In the 73rd minute, Alan Smith was under pressure and dribbled laterally before passing the ball back to center-back Lescott.

Lescott played a through ball.

Although he's no longer good at passing the ball, he still occasionally makes a good pass if he passes it often enough.

This time it is.

The ball found Van Nistelrooy directly.

Van Nistelrooy dropped back to receive the ball.

Cristiano Ronaldo was positioned even further ahead than Rooney, and he suddenly darted forward.

The Green Gunners' backline suddenly moved forward, creating an offside situation for Ronaldo.

At the same time, he lunged at Van Nistelrooy.

After Van Nistelrooy turned around, his view was obstructed, and he could not observe Ronaldo's situation.

Although Ronaldo stepped back in time, Van Nistelrooy's pass came out before he was out of the offside position.

Cristiano Ronaldo caught up with the ball and had a one-on-one opportunity, then curled a shot into the net.

Goal.

But then the whistle blew.

"Oh! Ronaldo was offside too! Goal disallowed!"

"Green Gunners did a pretty good job of breaking the offside trap today."

"Otherwise, the Red Devils would be in the lead."

On the sidelines, Manchester United began making substitutions.

The infamous "master killer" Eastwood has been brought on; Ferguson clearly has high hopes for his master-killing tendencies.

However, Van Nistelrooy, who was substituted, was not happy.

He clearly hadn't kicked enough.

He clearly felt that he was now positioned further forward in Ferguson's substitution sequence.

In the past two seasons, Ronaldo and Rooney have been substituted more often.

In the 75th minute, Manchester United won a corner kick.

Ferdinand's header went over the crossbar.

In the 78th minute, Green Gunners used their last substitution.

Vardy replaced Giroud.

As a result, less than 30 seconds after Vardy came on, Kompany and Vidic combined to intercept Rooney's through ball outside the penalty area.

Vidic passed the ball directly to Guardiola.

Guardiola launched a counter-attack with a long pass, looking for Vardy.

Vardy was incredibly fast, and in an instant he left the two behind.

Seeing this, Lescott had no choice but to charge diagonally toward the ball and make a flying tackle.

The purpose of this tackle was, of course, the football.

However, Vardy managed to deflect the ball away first.

Lescott, driven by greed, followed the principle of getting past the ball but not the player, and brought Vardy down without pulling back his foot.

But he did not use scissor kicks.

After all, they were former teammates; he wouldn't stoop to such underhanded tactics against his younger brother.

"Red card!"

"The referee showed Lescott a red card!"

"This is very bad news for Manchester United!"

Can Manchester United, playing with one less player, still equalize?

"And even if they manage to equalize, the next match might be the most crucial Champions League group stage game. How will they cope with that?"

"This is very troublesome."

However, this is not the worst of all.

This free kick position is better than the previous ones; it's already within Lu Kai's direct shooting range.

The entire audience was on high alert.

Twenty seconds later, Old Trafford stadium came back to life.

Lu Kai's crescent-shaped blade was slightly higher than the crossbeam.

In the 82nd minute, Ronaldo crossed from the left, and Vidic headed the ball away.

In the 84th minute, Alan Smith took a long-range shot, which struck Kompany.

The latter lay on the ground for a while, stalling for time.

Rooney was too proud to urge Kompany on, but Ronaldo, eager to win, came over and urged Kompany to get up, leading to an argument and even a confrontation between the two.

Green Gunners weren't afraid of wasting time, so in the end Manchester United settled the matter peacefully.

In the 87th minute, Green Gun had another chance to counterattack.

Vardy won the ball with a burst of speed on the left wing, but Manchester United players took the opportunity to drop back into their defensive positions on the inside.

Vardy didn't insist on going his own way, but instead passed the ball back to Ribery who came up.

Ribery has better footwork and was brought down by Brown, who came on as a substitute for Manchester United, during his breakthrough.

Another free kick on the left.

This time, it was Guardiola and Ribery standing behind the ball.

Ribery feints.

Guardiola sent a long pass into the penalty area, looking for the far post.

Lu Kai and Brown were locked in a tug-of-war at the back post, with Brown in a slightly better position, ahead of Lu Kai.

He tried to make a sliding tackle on the football.

As it turned out, Lu Kai supported him from behind and even gave him a push, lifting him up.

At the same time, Lu Kai himself slipped and fell to the ground, resulting in a sliding shot.

The outstretched foot naturally reached the landing ball first.

boom!
Foster collided with the goalpost, but couldn't prevent the goal from going in.

The football still bounced into the net, albeit awkwardly.

“GOAL!!!”

"Three to one!"

"Another goal from a set piece!"

"It's Lu Kai again!"

"Another hat trick!"

"Green Gunners and Red Devils faced off twice in the Champions League group stage, and Green Gunners suffered two defeats!"

"The frail Green Gunners remain undefeated, while the dominant Red Devils of the Premier League are encountering trouble in the Champions League!"

"Lu Kai scored two hat-tricks in two matches, contributing to eight goals with six goals and two assists! He single-handedly defeated the Red Devils!"

"With this, Green Gunners have accumulated eleven points, advancing to the Champions League knockout stage one round early!"

Manchester United still have five points, their qualification is in doubt, and the final round will be a do-or-die match!

(End of this chapter)