Team Spirit

Chapter 235 World's Number One Gun King
Dartford also took the opportunity to make substitutions.

Vardy replaced Giroud.

Chen Tao substituted Modric.

In the 78th minute, Arsenal launched a high-level attack.

Hleb dribbled back down the left flank, then turned and made a diagonal pass to Bergkamp, ​​who had dropped down from the front line.

The "Ice Prince" made a spectacular save, seemingly pointing forward, but actually stopping the ball behind him with a backheel flick.

He shook off Motta and Kompany in one go.

Bergkamp turned and chased after the ball, then half-turned and continued to pass it diagonally to the right front.

Reyes received the ball on the right wing and cut inside to face Firo one-on-one.

With just two diagonal passes, Arsenal had driven their attack into Greensport's danger zone.

Van Persie quickly ran to receive the pass.

Reyes passed the ball back to Diaby in a triangular pass.

After receiving the ball, "New Vieira" flicked it to the left and adjusted laterally, showing confidence in this match.

Just as he was about to unleash a powerful shot, Lu Kai returned to defend, putting psychological pressure on him.

Diaby was using his weaker foot again.

The ball was blasted towards the corner flag, an absurdly wide shot.

Wenger not only yelled at Diaby from the sidelines, calling him a "BYD".

"Oh! Diaby missed a golden opportunity."

"He also scored a stunning goal in this match, but the quality of that shot was far inferior to that goal."

"He's still young and lacks stability; he's clearly been influenced by Lu Kai."

In the 79th minute, Green Guns attempted to push their attacking line across the halfway line.

Chen Tao was pressed and passed the ball back to Motta.

Motta pulled the ball back, but used his body to withstand the aggressive pressing of Reyes, and then made a short lob pass to Lu Kai who came over to receive it.

Lu Kai received the ball on the left flank, where he was closely marked by Diaby.

Lu Kai flicked the ball up with his left foot.

Diaby's model is almost perfect, but his foot speed is the only flaw of such a big and tough player, so he cannot stop Lu Kai from lobbing the ball.

The football went over the top.

Diaby's turning speed was naturally not as fast as Lu Kai's straight-line acceleration.

Lu Kai completed the pass.

However, Kore had already retreated and was preparing to intercept the ball on the side where Lu Kai was bound to pass.

Senderos took the same position on the other side.

The two ghosts could close the door at any time.

Diaby was still chasing after Lu Kai.

For a moment, Lu Kai had no choice but to slow down and observe, seemingly powerless to do anything.

"Is it over?" Cristiano Ronaldo frowned in the stands. With his dribbling ability, this attack should be over by now.

Lu Kai, I'm afraid he's the same way, isn't he?

"Ok?"

The next moment, Lu Kai suddenly flicked the ball forward.

The football is high and far.

He managed to dodge the leg block that Corre had extended from a little ahead.

It then passed over the head of Senderos, who was further back.

At the same time, Lu Kai bent over, his shoulder blades protruding, his latissimus dorsi muscles like wings, and took off instantly thanks to Diaby's impact.

Lu Kai completed the super acceleration.

He raised his left hand, bypassing Corey and blocking him to his left rear.

He raised his right arm, passing Senderos and blocking him from his right rear.

Once he surpasses you, the other person will be unable to catch up and will only be left to suffer in his wake.

This is the culmination of the late-life expertise of all the Portuguese kings!
Lu Kai rushed into the penalty area and made a flying tackle on the falling football.

Almunia, who was halfway through the attack, never expected Lu Kai to be so decisive.

“GOAL!!!”

"The ball went in!!!"

"Three to three, Lu Kai has tied the score!"

"That was a beautiful double-lob pass, dribbling past three players; a sliding shot, and the ball broke through the goal!"

"In this situation, I can't help but think of someone."

"He was the king of Barcelona, ​​he once stood at the pinnacle of world football, yes, his name is... Luis Figo!"

Ronaldinho: ? ? ?
"Although Ronaldinho's lob is more famous for its silky smoothness and Lu Kai's lob is more abstract and sharp, Figo's lob has its own unique style, which can be short or long."

"It has both the skillful, light touch and the speedy, meteor-like motion."

"The players who were overtaken by Lu Kai could only admire his majestic back and could never see the other side of the mountain again!"

Lu Kai tried to rush into the goal to retrieve the ball.

But Campbell, being experienced, deliberately blocked Lu Kai.

To avoid a fight, Lu Kai turned and left, but then raised his arms high as if to rule the world.

"Lu Kai!"

"Lu Kai!"

"Lu Kai!"

The name of the champions echoed through the Green Penguin Stadium.

Campbell's expression was quite interesting.

In the stands, Ronaldo remained stunned for a long time before finally managing to utter, "Is that really Figo?!"

When Wenger saw that Green Gunners were gaining momentum, he dared not delay any longer.

They directly replaced Hleb and Reyes with Pires and Ljungberg.

His heart was slightly at ease when the two key veterans took to the field.

The aggregate score is now 4-3, and Green Gunners are just one goal away from leveling the score.

There is no home or away goals rule in the EFL Cup.

If the score is tied, it goes into extra time, and then a penalty shootout.

In the 81st minute, Arsenal launched an attack from the edge of the Greens' penalty area.

Ljungberg played a through ball.

Van Persie broke into the penalty area on a one-on-one opportunity.

A powerful shot was saved by Joe Hart.

At the same time, the linesman raised his flag.

Van Persie was offside.

In the 84th minute, Green Gun also attacked to the edge of Arsenal's penalty area.

Chen Tao dribbled laterally and passed the ball to center forward Vardy.

Vardy's attempt to dribble past him failed, and the ball was kicked by Campbell to the right side of the penalty area, where Ribery continued to control the ball.

With many defenders in front of him and no clear shooting route, he lobbed a pass to Lu Kai on the left side of the penalty area.

Lu Kai controlled the ball with his chest and followed up with a powerful shot with his left foot.

Shots from tight angles.

Unfortunately, the football hit the side netting.

He was just a hair's breadth away from scoring.

In the 86th minute, Arsenal launched an attack down the right flank.

Ljungberg used his dribbling skills to get past Barton and delivered a cross at a 45-degree angle.

Van Persie got to his position before Kompany and volleyed the bouncing ball with his left foot.

The main theme is casual.

But Van Persie's ability to shoot without stopping the ball is precisely what made him a top star.

He was able to completely control that shot, which is difficult for others to block.

"GOAL! Van Persie scores!"

"Many people were worried that his performance would decline after he recovered from his injury and that he would not be as good as before, but now it seems that these worries were unnecessary."

"The score is now 4-3, and the overall score is 5-3."

"Green Gun is out of the question!"

"Van Persie killed the game! In fact, Van Persie once said in an interview that he also wanted to join Chelsea, but Wenger's sincerity moved him in the end, so he joined Reds."

"Now he has personally eliminated the Green Gun, isn't this just another strange and bizarre story from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?"

"I suggest Arsenal develop Van Persie properly and make him the Red Gunners' version of Lu Kai!"

"Red Gun youth training Lu Kai becomes the king of Green Gun, and the troublemaker who yearns for Green Gun dominates Red Gun. Tell me, isn't that exciting!"

The few Arsenal away supporters in the stands celebrated wildly.

Over the years, I've carried a gun through wind and rain.

They have won the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

However, he suffered humiliating defeats repeatedly in his duels against Green Gun.

This year, they finally defeated their inner demons.

Even the usually refined and elegant Professor Wenger rushed to the sidelines to celebrate with the players.

Robin van Persie excitedly told the camera, "This is the invincible Arsenal!"

The Green Guns Stadium has been taken over by the Red Guns!

Of course, Henry's expression was somewhat subtle.

What does "this is what it means" mean?
So our unbeaten Arsenal of the past is no good?

In the 89th minute, Lu Kai dropped back from the center and moved forward to the left flank, where Vardy switched to the center forward position.

Barton sent a through ball to Lu Kai.

Senderos rushed out to defend and tackled Lu Kai with a flying tackle.

Senderos was therefore given a yellow card.

Then, the stoppage time for the match was announced on the sidelines.

It lasted for six minutes.

Wenger was very dissatisfied, believing that the game flowed smoothly and that two minutes of added time was reasonable.

Even three minutes is too long.

However, the referee stated that seven goals had already been scored in the second half, and as is customary, each goal would be given an additional 30 seconds of stoppage time, making it three and a half minutes.

Adding the original two or three minutes, the total of six minutes is not excessive at all.

This is definitely not some Ferguson time.

In the 91st minute, Arsenal took the initiative and launched a series of attacks.

Diaby's through ball down the middle was intercepted by Motta, but the ball still rolled to the feet of Red Gunners striker Bergkamp.

Bergkamp backheeled the ball to Van Persie.

Van Persie took a shot from just outside the penalty area.

Unfortunately, Vidic was right in front of him and stretched out his leg to block the ball.

The football bounced back.

Bergkamp, ​​positioned two meters behind Van Persie, unleashed another long-range shot.

But Barton also came over, touching the ball almost simultaneously with Bergkamp.

The football flew to the left and was controlled by Pires.

Pires crosses the ball.

Diaby bursts into the penalty area and heads the ball towards the goal.

But Kompany pushed him out to the far post.

Van Persie executed a diving header at the far post.

Unfortunately, the ball soared into the sky but didn't result in a shot on goal.

His first-time shots are incredibly powerful, but also very inconsistent.

If he had made a proper first touch and passed the ball back in a triangular fashion this time, he might have been able to completely defeat Green Gunners.

After all, Green Gun's defenses had been through many twists and turns, and were just one straw away from breaking the camel's back.

As Arsenal players retreated to their own half, and Van Persie was still figuring out how to adjust his shot to score, Joe Hart launched a long pass, initiating a quick counter-attack.

Vardy suddenly surged forward and accelerated from the left wing position.

Arsenal's right-back, Korey, was already exhausted from marking Lu Kai today, and now he's even more unable to keep up with Vardy.

He was instantly overtaken by Vardy.

Arsenal's defense is complete, and defensive midfielder Gilbert Silva has also returned.

But Green Gunners have a three-on-three advantage, giving them a good chance in the frontcourt.

Lu Kai, who was making a forward run, suddenly slowed down. Gilbert didn't mark Lu Kai, but instead rushed directly to the center-back position.

This way, Senderos can go to the wing, fill in for Kore, and keep an eye on Vardy.

There's nothing wrong with this defensive strategy.

The problem is that Vardy easily passed the ball to Lu Kai.

"Oh no, he's going to shoot from long range!"

Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia was more nervous than anyone else.

Gilbert had faced Lu Kai many times and remembered Lu Kai's long-range shooting ability, so he immediately turned around and stared at Lu Kai.

Lu Kai raised his right foot and made a feint shot.

Gilbert didn't falter; he quickly adjusted his footwork.

Lu Kai then flicks the ball to the right with his left foot.

He stepped over the soccer ball with his right foot, performed a bicycle kick, and charged straight at Gilbert.

Gilbert sensed something was wrong.

Although he secured his position and didn't suffer any setbacks, it was all just a facade.

His center of gravity had been shifted, and he was now unable to exert any force. When Lu Kaizhen crashed into him, he collapsed at the first touch.

Lu Kai broke through the stepover with his left foot, flicked the ball to the left, and completed the dribble past Gilbert with a crossover, entering the penalty area.

However, Senderos, who was in the full-back position, pulled back and made contact with Lu Kai from the left to challenge him.

Campbell also joined Lu Kai on the other side.

Almunia strikes.

Three people double team!

At the crucial moment, Lu Kai slightly turned to the side, using his hunched back to support Senderos.

He used the outside of his right foot to poke the ball first.

The main one is fast.

The ball flew toward the goalkeeper before Campbell could make the sliding tackle.

Piercing through the crotch and breaking down the door!

Almunia lost control of his legs.

"GOAL! Lu Kai scores his second goal!"

"Green Gun launched a sharp and swift counterattack!"

"Four to four in the single match! Four to five on aggregate! Dartford still seems to have a chance!"

"Lu Kai hasn't given up yet!"

"Arsenal might easily beat Dartford, but they definitely can't easily defeat the world's number one!"

Lu Kai rushed into the goal to retrieve the ball, racing against time.

Campbell resorted to his old tricks and tried to shove Lu Kai.

But Lu Kai was prepared. He raised his elbow while holding the football and delivered a sneaky elbow strike to Campbell.

But then he faked being knocked away by Campbell.

The referee didn't take it seriously.

Campbell, however, collapsed inside the penalty area, clutching his abdomen, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Modric, sitting on the bench, was well aware of Campbell's feelings at that moment.

Fortunately, Campbell possessed beast-like physical abilities and survived the special effects damage such as "not being able to breathe".

On the sidelines, Guardiola kept shaking his head.

It's so similar.

He and Figo were rivals and teammates.

Figo's greatest strength lies in his proactive breakthroughs.

It was a strategic breakthrough, seemingly effortless, but when Figo accelerated the ball, the opponent often had no chance left.

And the perfect match for this breakthrough was Figo's hunched back.

This skill made it impossible for anyone behind Figo to surpass him.

Lu Kai's two goals both had similar characteristics.

Is Lu Kai's idol Figo?

With four minutes left in stoppage time and Arsenal leading by one goal, they dared not attack at all.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Kompany played a through ball down the middle to Ribery.

Diaby and Gilbert previously teamed up to block the middle lane, and it worked very well.

However, as his physical fitness declined, his performance also dropped significantly.

Ultimately, it wasn't Vieira Benla.

Ribery passed the ball back to Motta without stopping it.

Motta played a through ball to the left.

Lu Kai charged into the penalty area, and the ball arrived just as he did.

Arsenal's defenders no longer held back, with three players surrounding Lu Kai, and the entire team's defensive focus shifting towards him.

Lu Kai made several dribbling moves inside the penalty area, but unfortunately there were no passing options, and he could only get a shot off from a tight angle.

The ball was saved by Almunia and went out of bounds.

Corner kick.

The Green Gunners players rushed forward, not daring to waste any time.

After Ribery took the free kick, Gilbert, as always, headed the ball away.

Chen Tao, watching the incoming football and Van Persie rushing towards him from the outside, suddenly had an idea.

He half-turned to let the ball pass, then stretched out his left leg and hooked the ball.

The next moment, his back slammed into Van Persie, who was rushing towards him.

Van Persie pushed Chen Tao down and rushed toward the football.

But then a whistle blew.

"The referee has called a foul on Van Persie! It's a free kick just one meter outside the arc, perfect for a direct shot!"

"Chen Tao handled this situation very cleverly."

"If he receives the ball head-on, it's difficult for him to stick the ball completely to the instep."

"If the ball bounces up at all, Van Persie, who is rushing over, could destroy it. Even if he knocks down Chen Tao at that moment, it might not be a foul."

"Positioning is extremely important in fouls. If you are the last to touch the ball, your foul will become the opponent's foul."

"This is most evident when forwards and goalkeepers are vying for the ball."

"Chen Tao turned his back to the ball, let it pass, and then hooked the ball with his leg to prevent Van Persie from touching the ball, thus creating a 100% chance of a free kick."

Chen Tao was seriously injured in the collision, and his expression showed great pain.

But he still struggled to his feet.

Van Persie was shown a yellow card by the referee.

However, none of that matters anymore.

Everyone looked at Lu Kai.

Lu Kai has the highest goal-scoring rate in the world for none of his free-kick techniques.

However, Lu Kai's goal-scoring rate for every free-kick technique ranks among the top five or even the top three in the world.

This makes him harder to defend against than the former.

Eastwood: "In Luh's style, at this crucial moment, he would definitely take the shot himself."

Foster: "This game has nothing to do with Almunia anymore, at least not with this shot. Whether it goes in or not depends entirely on Lu's touch."

Lescott: "The problem is, if Land chooses the elevator ball, then the wall will be in trouble."

That's why they say your mouth has been blessed.

On the field, Lu Kai found the valve core of the football and positioned it.

One step forward, one step back.

"Oh! This is Lu Kai's signature move, the elevator ball!"

"Lu Kai is very determined to attack the goal!"

"Datford needs him to score!"

"Arsenal's wall hesitated a bit because the knuckleball is a typical powerful shot, and it's highly likely to hit the upper body and head."

"If the ball gets over the wall, that's fine, but if it doesn't... the player who gets hit is very likely to get injured."

"No player wants to get injured in the second half of the season, otherwise their entire season could be over."

In the stands, a hint of suspicion flashed across Ronaldo's face.

This season, he has frequently attempted the knuckleball in training.

Although I haven't fully mastered the technology yet, I do have some unique insights of my own.

He felt that Lu Kai's preparations this time were a bit strange.

beep!

A whistle blew.

Lu Kai started to run.

For the first few steps, Ronaldo didn't even realize what was going on.

But as Lu Kai approached the ball, on the penultimate step, Ronaldo blurted out: "It's not a knuckleball!"

boom!
Lu Kai takes a shot at the goal.

They played with considerable restraint.

The key is to lift the ball up rather than to blast it.

The football rose from the ground, soared over the wall of players, and drew a wide arc.

This is a free kick with a curved trajectory.

However, the free-kick spot is in the center.

Lu Kai's knuckleball also originated behind the ball, accelerating in a straight line and striking the goal directly.

To achieve the maximum curve in a free kick, you need to stand diagonally behind the ball.

Lu Kai's free kick from directly behind had only half the arc, so it was far from being a true "crescent moon" free kick.

This free kick wasn't difficult to save.

but……

Almunia is preparing for the elevator ball!

The key to saving a free kick is actually quite simple: stand within the small area where the ball is hitting the goal, don't try to catch it, just dive freely.

If you occupy some space in advance, you have a chance to block the ball.

What I fear is that you hesitate to reach out because you want to see the ball clearly, which ultimately allows the ball to pass unimpeded.

Of course, this is on the premise that you have to stand in the small area where the football will appear.

The range of a knuckleball shot is very easy to predict.

Because his style is essentially a straight-line attack.

Lu Kai's positioning determined that the ball was aimed at the right side of the goal, behind the wall.

So Almunia immediately moved to the right, betting that Lu Kai's knuckleball would definitely get over the wall.

This is confidence in the world's number one.

And so it turned out.

But after the ball cleared the wall, it drifted toward the left side of the goal.

Half a scimitar strike is enough!
Before Beckham joined Real Madrid, Figo was Real Madrid's first-choice free-kick taker.

His sequence precedes Carlos and Zidane.

During his time at Barcelona, ​​he and Rivaldo were both free-kick takers of the same caliber.

Figo's free-kick ability is underestimated by many.

He was also a master.

Swish!
White waves surged.

“GOAL!!!”

"Lu Kai scores directly from a free kick!"

"This free kick wasn't fast, the curve wasn't great, and the angle wasn't tricky. If Almunia hadn't misjudged the direction, he definitely would have been able to save it."

"Even if he doesn't move towards the wall of men in advance, he can still pounce out."

"But he just..."

"Lu Kai deceived everyone. He actually managed to kick a curved shot from the position of a free kick!"

"Aside from a slight clue when he touched the ball directly at the last step, you couldn't tell his shot selection at all before that!"

"The final score is 5-5!"

"Thanks to Lu Kai's hat-trick, Dartford have forced the game into extra time!"

"Green Gun may not be the world's number one gun, but Lu Kai is definitely the world's number one gun king!"

"The outcome is still uncertain!"

(End of this chapter)