Team Spirit

Chapter 234 A Dance with Two Guns, Detective Cristiano Ronaldo

"The first half ended 0-0, with neither side making any significant contributions."

"Although Arsenal fielded their strongest lineup, they played quite conservatively. With the Champions League knockout stage approaching, it seems Wenger doesn't want to suffer any losses."

"Despite Dartford playing very aggressively, Arsenal had more possession, and the Greens didn't have many effective attacks."

"Okay, now we'll take a short commercial break. You can use this opportunity to watch a recap of the first half and see the lineups for both teams."

Arsenal lineup:
Henry, Bergkamp

Hleb, Gilbert Silva, Diaby, Reyes
Lauren Campbell, Senderos, Corey Gilbert

Almunia
-

Dartford squad:

Lu Kai, Giroud, Ribery
Barton, Motta, Modric

Filho, Vidic, Kompany, Ashley Young
Joe Hart

-

Inside the Green Guns locker room, Lu Kai was writing and drawing on the tactics whiteboard: "The midfield duo of Diaby and Gilbert Silva is a real problem."

"Its height, toughness, and defensive capabilities are all top-notch."

"This means we can only try to find solutions on the flanks and should avoid risky through balls down the middle."

This was said to Modric.

In the first half, Modric had two through balls intercepted by the opponent, who then launched a deadly counterattack.

This caused Motta to turn yellow.

Modric nodded.

In a way, Green Gun was just unlucky, running into a healthy Diaby.

Vasiliki Abu Diaby, 20 years old, is a rising star in France.

It is known as the "New Vieira".

He is so much like Vieira in every way that he could completely make up for Vieira's departure to Juventus.

However, he had a fatal flaw: too many injuries, which led to him being called "born with a diseased body".

There's a saying that only fans who have watched Diaby play are true Arsenal die-hards!
But then, he recovered from his injury and returned to play in this match.

There is actually one player like that in Green Gunners, and that is Motta.

The new Vieira versus the new Rijkaard is practically a battle of equals between the strongest defensive midfielders.

Both players performed very well in this match.

Fortunately, Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole had previously suffered a serious injury and is still three months away from returning, otherwise this match would have been even more difficult.

"As for this player," Lu Kai said, pointing to Arsenal's number 13, Hleb, "Don't double-team him, defend him one-on-one, use your body."

"It's okay if you've been overtaken, you can just go back to pursue her."

"This player's shot selection is terrible; he can dribble but can't shoot. So as long as he doesn't disrupt the formation, even if he manages to dribble past someone, he won't cause too much trouble."

"Our defenders must keep a close eye on Henry and Bergkamp and shut down these two strikers."

The Green Gun generals nodded.

These were all learned from the reading competition in the first half.

But similarly, Arsenal are also reading Green Gun's profile.

Wenger: "Giroud can hold his own but can't shoot, so just defend him one-on-one. The key is to stop his role as a target man and cut off his passing lanes to the wingers."

"Ribery is very sharp and needs a zone defense."

"But we can take advantage of his weaker ability to fight back."

"Lauren's speed is fast enough, stick to him!"

“Diaby, leave the middle to Gilbert Silva. You are responsible for keeping a close eye on Lu Kai. The rest of you will cooperate with you.”

Wenger did not emphasize the attack because this Arsenal team's attack was not problematic.

He dared to boast that no team could keep a clean sheet against Arsenal.

Chelsea isn't good enough.

Soon, the second half began as scheduled.

In the 47th minute, Lu Kai received the ball on the left, and Diaby immediately pounced on him.

Kore assisted from the side.

Lu Kai could only pass the ball back to Barton.

Barton passed the ball across to Motta.

Motta took two steps forward and unleashed a high-quality long-range shot from outside the arc, heading straight for the far corner of the goal.

However, Almunia was in excellent form and made a diving save to push the ball away.

In the 49th minute, Ashley Young made a run forward and created a throw-in in the attacking third.

Lu Kai specifically ran over and threw a "grenade-shaped ball" along the sideline.

Senderos headed the ball away, sending it flying towards the edge of the penalty area.

Modric unleashed a spectacular long-range shot, but the ball went just wide.

Wenger smiled.

This level of attack is insufficient to break through their arsenal's defenses.

In the 52nd minute, Arsenal launched an attack after controlling the ball for two minutes.

Hleb made a detour on the left and then sent a long pass to the right.

Filhos overpowered Reyes to clear the ball with a header.

But the ball flew towards the center and was controlled by Diaby, who had made a run into the box.

Diaby took two steps forward and then passed the ball to Henry, who had made a cross-cutting run to the right.

Henry then passed the ball to Bergkamp on the right front.

Bergkamp received the ball, flicked it to his left, and then fired a shot from the edge of the box, aiming for the diagonal.

Joe Hart guessed the wrong direction, and the ball went into the net.

"GOAL! 1-0! Arsenal break the deadlock."

"With that, Red Gunners are now leading 2-0 on aggregate, and have one foot in the EFL Cup final."

"It's not easy. Dartford's five-year winning streak in the EFL Cup is about to end today."

"As expected of the Gunners derby, they really are rivals."

Arsenal players began to celebrate.

This goal was a result of three Arsenal players passing the ball in quick succession, all positioned within about two meters of each other, showcasing a combination of rapid, short-range passing and control, and the individual skill of a star player.

This is very Arsenal.

Dartford were able to produce this kind of attacking style in the previous two years as well.

But there's no way around it this year.

In the 57th minute, Lu Kai received the ball on the left, feigned a run down the wing, and then cut inside.

He forcefully pushed past Diaby and delivered a diagonal pass to the top of the penalty area.

After receiving the ball, Giroud tried to set it up for Lu Kai.

However, after passing the ball, Lu Kai was entangled by Diaby and was unable to make a forward run.

Giroud was unable to pass the ball to Ribery behind him, so he had no choice but to shoot with his left foot.

The football went wide of the goal.

In the 59th minute, Green Gunners combined long and short shots.

Kompany made a long pass from the backfield into the penalty area.

Lu Kai shook off Kore and shoved Senderos as he charged toward the ball.

The football bounced towards the goal after landing.

Almunia strikes.

Lu Kai performs a ballet-style jump, extending his leg to kick the ball.

Unfortunately, Almunia still managed to get his hands on the ball.

The football eventually stumbled and hit the post before bouncing away, and was then cleared by Campbell.

In the 63rd minute, Arsenal's substitutes warmed up on the sidelines, giving the impression that the game had entered garbage time, which could also be seen as putting psychological pressure on them.

Wenger has learned a lot about off-field tactics from Green Gunners in recent years.

Ribery made a run down the right flank and was nearly conceded a goal by Lauren.

He quickly passed the message back to Ashley Young, who had come up from behind.

Ashley Young feigned a cross, but actually delivered a cross-court pass.

Modric made several small touches of the ball on the right side of the penalty area, looking for a passing target.

Lu Kai and Giroud both charged into the penalty area.

Barton and Motta also rushed out of the penalty area.

Modric suddenly unleashed a right-footed outside-of-the-foot shot.

It was like a passing game, yet also like shooting.

Giroud leaped high in the middle, but couldn't head the ball.

Lu Kai was at the far post, but still some distance from the ball.

when!
The football hit the far post and bounced into the goal.

Almunia had no chance against him.

"GOAl!!!"

"One to one!"

"Young Modric is really clever! That fake pass followed by a shot was of incredibly high quality, like a world-class goal!"

"Are you saying this pass was for Giroud and Lu Kai, or was it actually intended to be a shot on goal?"

Most people think Modric was lucky; it should have been a pass.

But Lu Kai knew that Modric's goal was to shoot.

Because after he passes the ball, if he finds that his teammate cannot receive it, he will raise his hand to indicate that he did not pass well.

But this time he did not make a similar move.

Dartford didn't celebrate either, after all, they were still down by one goal on aggregate.

The game quickly restarted.

After Arsenal kicked off, the whole team pressed forward in an orderly fashion.

Reyes dribbled forward on the right, and Bergkamp came over to support him.

Reyes made a cross and then made a forward run, drawing Filho away.

Bergkamp held off Barton, letting the ball roll laterally to the left before dribbling towards the penalty area.

Bergkamp faked a shot against Vidic.

Vidic stumbled and stretched out his leg.

But with his long legs, he forcefully poked the ball away from Bergkamp's position. Bergkamp half-turned to catch up with the ball, blocked the pursuing Barton with his left hand, and preemptively delivered a cross.

Diaby, outside the penalty arc, unleashed a powerful shot at the ball.

Joe Hart's attempt to save the ball failed.

"Oh! Another one!"

"Arsenal responded quickly less than three minutes after conceding the goal, re-establishing their lead."

"The goal was scored by Diaby! He has made the Arsenal players forget about Vieira."

"World-class goals against world-class goals, Arsenal's attack is truly unstoppable."

It was another small-scale, continuous coordination.

In the 66th minute, Lu Kai initiated an attack from the left flank.

After hitting the wall, Giroud made a diagonal run into the penalty area.

Giroud leaned against Senderos and executed a wall tackle.

Lu Kai takes a half-chance shot from a tight angle.

Unfortunately, the ball couldn't get past the double defense of Almunia and Campbell and was blocked.

In the 68th minute, Green Gunners pressed in their own half, preventing Arsenal from pushing their attack into the vicinity of the penalty area.

Because Red Gunner's short passing combinations near the penalty area are too sharp.

Arsenal immediately passed the ball back to midfield, but they didn't continue passing it back. Instead, Reyes suddenly made a forward run.

Diaby played a through ball.

This counterattack could directly break through Green Gun's defense.

"Huh?" Diaby watched as Lu Kai extended his foot to intercept the attack.

The football bounced towards Motta.

Lu Kai took off running.

Giroud in the attacking third and Ribery on the right flank also started their runs simultaneously.

Motta passed the ball forward to Lu Kai, who dribbled forward.

Diaby wanted to make amends and came to block Lu Kai.

Full-back Kere also moved closer to Lu Kai, preparing to double-team him.

But Giroud was on fire. Although neither he nor Campbell were particularly fast, he was still young and had a quick start and acceleration.

He outran Campbell and created an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Senderos in front of him did not notice that Giroud had moved to the side slightly, avoiding his defensive range.

boom!
Lu Kai delivered the scalpel directly.

They accurately located Giroud.

Giroud caught up with the ball, took another step, and adjusted his footwork.

Senderos came over from the left.

Goalkeeper Almunia also came to the edge of the six-yard box, stretching out his arm to expand the defensive area.

Unfortunately, Giroud is a left-footed player.

He leaned to the right, shot with his left foot, and curled a wide C-shaped arc.

The original intention was to get the ball around the goalkeeper and into the far left corner.

However, Senderos, who was tracking back, stretched out his leg and kicked the ball.

A C-shaped curling shot would send the ball moving towards him and into his defensive range.

This was supposed to be a bad thing for Giroud.

But Senderos's kick changed the course of the ball.

The football, which was originally heading towards the far corner, flew straight towards the near corner of the goal.

Almunia, who lunged towards the far corner, could only watch helplessly as the ball went into his own net.

"GOAL! Two to two!"

Dartford have equalized again!

Was this an own goal?

"It wasn't an own goal, it's Giroud's goal, because his shot was on target."

"But it must be said that Senderos made a mistake in this defensive play. He didn't mark Giroud when he was getting back on defense, which led to the tragedy that followed."

The camera focuses on Senderos.

This goal, though not an own goal, is even worse than an own goal.

"It has to be said that Giroud is the lucky star of Green Gunners. Although he doesn't score many goals, they are mostly strange and unpredictable, making them impossible to defend against."

Even Wenger on the sidelines shrugged.

It means they've already gotten in, so what can we do?
But it's clear that Wenger isn't worried about the outcome of the match, since they are still in the lead.

And so, Arsenal launched another fluid attack.

In the 71st minute, Henry broke into the penalty area but did not rush to shoot.

Kompany didn't dare to step on the ground carelessly, lest he give away points.

Henry handed it to Heleb, who was standing nearby.

Hleb passed the ball back to the edge of the penalty area.

Gilbert Silva also came up and took a long-range shot.

Although he is a purely defensive player and not good at attacking, he had a good shooting opportunity and his shot was on target.

Fortunately, Joe Hart made a diving save, keeping the ball out of the net.

In the 74th minute, Hleb made a mistake while dribbling on the left side; he moved away but failed to keep up with the ball.

Ashley Young seized the opportunity to steal the ball and launch a counter-attack.

However, Lauren, who had previously fallen behind, now faced Ashley Young, and the two met.

Once Ashley Young gets past Lauren, the road ahead will be smooth sailing.

Unfortunately, Hleb actively pressed for the ball back after losing possession, and Ashley Young was caught in a pincer movement, with Lauren winning the ball back.

Lauren dribbled into the left side of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot.

Joe Hart made another save.

However, Green Gun was not so lucky this time.

Henry scored on a rebound.

Three to two!
Arsenal have once again extended their aggregate score to two goals.

Far ahead!

Arsenal players began to celebrate enthusiastically.

Henry reigned supreme.

In recent years, thanks to Lu Kai's presence, people have almost forgotten that Henry was also the King of London.

In the 76th minute, shortly after the restart of the game, Arsenal made a substitution.

Youngster Robin van Persie takes the field.

This season, with Bergkamp's impending retirement, Van Persie has had more playing time and has performed even better.

In particular, last November, he scored eight goals in eight matches across various competitions, a performance that rivaled that of Lu Kai.

However, he missed several games due to a toe injury, and today was only his second game since his return.

Henry returned to the bench amid boos from the Green Gunners fans.

In addition, Arsenal have three young substitutes warming up on the sidelines.

They'll probably have to make another substitution later.

This certainly also implies a waste of time.

Lu Kai shook his head.

Arsenal, you've gone too far!

Although Arsenal is undergoing a generational change and is currently in the late stages of the "Invincible Arsenal" era, it is still essentially a strong team.

As for me, Green Phase II, I am definitely a freshman.

Since you are bullying the weak, your victory is not honorable.

Then don't blame me, Kai, for being uncivilized!

Having found a reason, established the emotional tone and the righteousness of his cheat-like abilities, Lu Kai used the only two time cards he had without hesitation.

[Ding! You have used the Louis Figo Time Card, valid for twenty minutes.]

A sneeze!

Wenger watched as Lu Kai used his foot to pass the ball to the players in the center circle, preparing to kick off.

I always feel like something is wrong.

In the stands, several people, completely covered up, were talking amongst themselves.

Former Celtics players such as Lescott, Eastwood, and Foster came to watch the game with their teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

Manchester United will play Wigan Athletic in the EFL Cup semi-final tomorrow, and a victory is certain. This trip was permitted by Ferguson to scout the opponent.

Rooney said, "It seems our opponent in the final really is Arsenal."

Eastwood lamented: "Lord was dragged down by the team. When he played as a striker, no one could pass him the ball. When he played as a midfielder, no striker could afford to waste his brilliant passes."

Only Cristiano Ronaldo remained silent.

He frowned, sensing that something had changed about Lu Kai as he walked toward the center circle.

"His posture changed..."

"He's hunched over!"

Cristiano Ronaldo was surprised.

He had only ever seen this posture on one person: Luís Figo, the King of Portugal!

Before Cristiano Ronaldo became a star, he did not consider Figo as his role model because he thought it was unrealistic.

Simão and Quaresma were his points of reference.

But as he became a superstar at Manchester United, he began to focus his attention on Figo and studied him thoroughly.

One of Figo's most prominent features in his later years was his hunchback.

This hunchback is not a sign of old age, but rather the key to Figo's continued ability to break through defenses even in his later years.

Cristiano Ronaldo may not need this technique now, but he will inherit it when he gets older.

But how could this unique skill, exclusive to the Portuguese kings, appear on Lu Kai?

"Could it be that Lu Kai..." Cristiano Ronaldo boldly speculated, "has ankylosing spondylitis?"

"What a pitiful person!"

Lu Kai: 666, Sherlock Holmes!

(End of this chapter)