Team Spirit

Chapter 266 Red vs. Green: Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lu Kai
October 22, Manchester.

Dartford's arrival enlivened the entire city.

A dominant force like Manchester United dictates that once it rises to prominence, its top stars will immediately become some of the most competitive players on the planet.

Manchester United's momentum to return to the top this season is unstoppable.

Correspondingly, the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo, the team's star player, has also begun to soar.

For a time, many people compared Cristiano Ronaldo and Lu Kai.

The world of football is experiencing a surge in talent.

Although Rooney became famous earlier and delivered outstanding performances earlier.

But Van Nistelrooy's success stemmed from a variety of reasons, including Ronaldo's departure, Ronaldo's more eye-catching playing style, Ronaldo's better physical attributes, and Ronaldo's more aggressive competitive personality. These factors led Ronaldo to become Manchester United's global icon.

Before the match, Ronaldo said in an interview: "My team and I are at our best, and we are confident of beating any opponent."

“Lu is a respectable player. We have faced each other many times in the past, and he won more often at first. But our situation has improved in the last two years, and I am looking forward to our match in this game.”

Outside Old Tford Stadium, Lu Kai was also asked in an interview how he views challengers like Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi.

Lu Kai was very tolerant of this: "To be honest, being able to be challenged is a kind of recognition for myself."

"For a long time, I always appeared near the names of Ronaldo, Zidane, Vieira, Henry, and Ronaldinho as someone like them."

"Manchester United is absolutely the strongest team in the Premier League right now, without a doubt, but that doesn't mean we'll give up easily."

"Chelsea is one of the strongest teams in the Premier League. Before we beat them, who would have thought we could do this?"

Reporter: "We noticed that Dong Fangzhuo was included in Green Gun's roster for this match, but he had not appeared in many previous matches."

"Is this a show of defiance by Green Gunners against Manchester United? Is this a way for you to prove that you're better at utilizing players than Manchester United?"

So, will Dong Fangzhuo play in this match?

Lu Kai smiled slightly: "We definitely select players based on their ability and form. Dong Fangzhuo has been in very good form recently. He was included in the roster for tactical reasons, not for any other reason."

"As for whether they will play, I can only say that every player on the roster has a chance to play, and it depends on the situation on the field."

"But whether we play or not, we all contribute to the team because we are a team, we are a family!"

Old Trafford Stadium, players' tunnel.

The players from both sides lined up; the match was about to begin.

As is customary, Lu Kai greeted the players and England internationals he knew.

Wayne Rooney, a highly respected local successor within Manchester United, is nothing more than a "junior" in front of Lu Kai.

In this World Cup, Lu Kai doesn't let Rooney play, so Rooney can't play.

"Great, I'm Huang."

"Great, James."

Huang Jianxiang: ? ? ?

Zhan Jun: "Next, I will introduce the lineups of both sides to everyone."

"Manchester United are using a new 4-4-2 formation."

"The 4-4-2 formation is designed to accommodate the traditional positioning style of some veteran players and English players, ensuring their performance."

"The new style is because of its novel playing style, but it is actually very similar to Green Gunners' 433, Chelsea's and Arsenal's 4231."

"Two strikers: Eastwood and Rooney."

"The four midfielders from left to right are Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, and Ronaldo."

"The four defenders are Evra, Ferdinand, Brown, and Neville."

"Goalkeeper Foster."

"There were three former Celtics players. It's a pity Lescott left, otherwise there would have been Celtics players in every position."

"Manchester United have been struggling to find a suitable center-back. There are rumors that they've set their sights on Vidic, who is practically a carbon copy of Stam, but younger and stronger!"

"In fact, it's not just Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan... almost all the world's top clubs are paying attention to this Eastern European giant."

"Datford's squad has been relatively stable in the last two years, but their biggest task next summer and even this winter transfer window is to keep Vidic."

"In addition, Ribery also has many suitors."

Dartford's starting lineup saw minimal changes:
Vardy, Dzeko, Ribery
Lu Kai, Mota, Barton

Thiago Silva, Vidic, Kompany, Ashley Young
Neuer

-

Duff was forced to take a break.

If Motta's position weren't such a disruption to the team's defensive system, he should also be rested.

Filho was still injured, and Marcelo was available, but facing Ronaldo... In order to protect Marcelo's young mind, Lu Kai still chose Thiago Silva, who has stronger defensive capabilities, based on his initial nickname "Sister-in-law".

My sister-in-law is currently a versatile player in the backfield. She can play both left-back and center-back, and during her time training with Green Gunners, she has also been learning how to play as a defensive midfielder.

With the sound of a whistle, the battle between red and green began.

The Old Trafford stadium roared in victory.

Some players who have never been to this stadium before are probably scared out of their wits.

But the Green Gunners players were exceptionally excited, both on the court and on the bench.

【Dream Theater Blessed Land, Water Curtain Cave Heaven】 has been activated.

The team's morale has improved by two levels, with the worst result being "normal".

Those who were already in good form have now reached their peak.

In the third minute, Lu Kai challenged Ronaldo on the wing and knocked Ronaldo out of bounds as he was dribbling past him.

The referee called a foul on Lu Kai.

Lu Kai reached out and helped Ronaldo up.

Cristiano Ronaldo was relatively calm at the beginning of the match, and he helped Lu Kai up by the hand.

The audience applauded the two.

However, if the team is behind or there is not much time left, Ronaldo will definitely slap Lu Kai's hand away.

His focus was entirely on the court; he was extremely attentive to the game.

In the next few minutes, the two sides engaged in fierce fighting.

No one was willing to relinquish the initiative.

In the seventh minute, Manchester United launched their first attack of the day.

Cristiano Ronaldo advanced down the wing and then passed the ball directly to Eastwood in the middle.

Eastwood passed the ball across without stopping it, setting up Rooney.

But Rooney had no chance to shoot against Vidic, so he chipped the ball to the far post.

To make the ball fly over Vidic, the shot was lifted very high, thus losing its element of surprise.

Giggs challenged Ashley Young at the far post but failed to head the ball.

In the eleventh minute, Ronaldo cut inside early, dribbled past Lu Kai, and delivered a cross at a 45-degree angle, still looking for Eastwood.

Eastwood headed the ball through the middle, but Kompany interfered, and the ball missed the target.

In the 13th minute, Giggs broke through on the left wing and won a corner kick.

Scholes delivered a corner kick of exceptional quality.

Neither side's players managed to get a header at the near post.

Neville, on the edge of the six-yard box, met the ball with a powerful volley.

Fortunately, the penalty area was densely populated, and Motta blocked the shot at close range.

Otherwise, we'd definitely concede a goal.

Old Trafford erupted in cheers as Manchester United dominated the game despite not having scored yet.

In the sixteenth minute, Green Gun had the ball.

Manchester United set up a defensive formation, but did not allow the Green Gunner to easily cross the midfield, preparing to intercept a wave in front of the center circle.

Ashley Young anticipated Manchester United's plan and launched a long pass with his right foot from the midfield line, targeting Lu Kai, who was making a run down the left flank.

But Carrick followed up well, pinning Lu Kai down, and cleared the ball with a header.

However, the ball was cleared to Dzeko near the edge of the penalty area.

Dzeko jumped up, controlled the ball, and then unleashed a powerful shot.

He didn't have much time to adjust because Ferdinand and Brown had both arrived.

boom!
The football flew into the stands.

Manchester United fans immediately masked their earlier tension with laughter.

Dzeko's face turned bright red.

Giroud was all smiles on the bench.

Twenty-fourth minute.

Lu Kai and Barton switched positions, with Lu Kai moving to the right wing.

Manchester United judged that possession should shift to the right flank, so they moved in that direction. Vidic then passed the ball to Thiago Silva on the left.

My sister-in-law slowly advanced with the ball, but no one came to intercept it.

Clearly, this substitute center-back, playing out of position as a left-back, was not taken seriously.

And just like that, my sister-in-law actually led the team past the halfway line.

Zidane rubbed his forehead: "Manchester United are clearly taking advantage of this time to rest. Their previous attacks have taken a toll on their energy."

"Once they recover, there will probably be another ten minutes or so of continuous bombing."

boom!
Before Guardiola could chime in, his sister-in-law suddenly fired a shot from the left.

The long pass was transferred to the right flank.

The next moment, Lu Kai leaped high and, overpowering Scholes, chested the ball down to score.

Ferguson, standing on the sidelines, immediately stood up: "Damn it, Lu, the Chinese are too cunning!"

This was not an accidental pass, but a tactical pass.

Why did Lu Kai switch places with Barton?
It's because his body can completely overpower Scholes.

If he had been matched up against Carrick, he might not have been able to win the header.

Before the ball even touched the ground, Lu Kai flicked it on and turned, easily getting past Scholes.

Then he flicked the ball forward.

Scholes tried to pull and tug, but could only be pinned down by Lu Kai.

Carrick immediately came over to help defend.

Lu Kai was waiting for Carrick to come.

Because Carrick's movement speed is also not fast.

Lu Kai flicked the ball to the left with his right foot, cutting directly behind Carrick.

Carrick applied physical contact after braking.

Lu Kai was also prepared, and after surviving an impact, he dribbled the ball with his left foot and broke through.

At this moment, Lu Kai had already arrived outside the top of the arc.

He took small, quick steps to adjust his movements, as if he were about to shoot at a goal.

Brown, who was about to pounce, immediately put his hands behind his back, ready to block.

In reality, this gave Lu Kai time to adjust.

If it were a defender like Ferdinand, who is more confident in his one-on-one defensive abilities, he would definitely be forced to press the ball, and would most likely succeed.

Unfortunately, Dzeko used his positioning to draw Ferdinand away early on, and the two were locked in a one-two battle.

boom!
Lu Kai unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, combining the "Batistuta GOAL" and "Violent Aesthetics - Adriano" combo!
Although Carrick caught up again and attempted a sliding tackle to block the ball, it soared into the air and flew straight up into the top corner.

“GOAL!!!”

"One to zero!"

"That's Lu Kai. No matter the opponent, whether it's Chelsea, Manchester United, or Besiktas, he can always open the scoring for the team and help them take the lead in adversity."

"He's practically the bottle opener of football!"

In fact, Duff was also known as "the bottle opener" when he played for Chelsea.

But compared to Lu Kai, they are still insignificant.

The Manchester United players all shook their heads.

For the average fan, watching this kick alone, all they can feel is how invincible it is.

But the whole process was actually full of Lu Kai and Green Gun's ingenuity.

When Green Gunners are using the entire team to create scoring opportunities for Lu Kai, it's really hard to stop him.

Lu Kai's 69 goals in a single season last year proved this point.

Will this season become another one of Lu Kai's goal-scoring explosions?

At this moment, not only Manchester United players, but probably very few people in the entire Premier League can smile.

In the 29th minute, Scholes passed the ball to the right wing.

Cristiano Ronaldo then used a series of stepovers to get past his sister-in-law before delivering a cross.

Rooney made a run into the box and broke through the Green Gunners' goal.

But before the earthquake even started at Old Trafford, the linesman raised his flag.

Rooney was offside.

Cristiano Ronaldo shook his head repeatedly, secretly thinking that his luck was bad.

In the 35th minute, Rooney dropped back to receive the ball and passed it back to Carrick.

The latter's penetrating through ball pierced through Green's defense.

Cristiano Ronaldo cuts inside without the ball and creates a one-on-one opportunity.

However, Neuer had a wide range of control and came out early to kick the ball away, avoiding a goal conceded.

In the 38th minute, Ribery delivered a cross from the right side of the penalty area.

Vardy attempted a sliding shot at the far post, but the ball hit the side netting.

In the 42nd minute, Ashley Young's half-brother Evra made a run down the left flank.

This French black left-back joined the team during last season's winter transfer window and quickly secured a starting position, but unfortunately missed this year's World Cup due to injury.

Unfortunately, they missed out on the runner-up medal.

boom!
Evra crosses the ball.

Eastwood headed the ball past.

Rooney receives the ball on the left side of the penalty area; his position is flexible, and he can play from the left, center, or right. Eastwood's position, on the other hand, is more fixed and traditional.

boom!
Rooney completed a lob pass in a duel with Kompany.

The core strength of the little cannon is very strong, and Kompany is afraid of giving away points, so he can't fight it with all his might.

On the right, Ronaldo cut inside without the ball and entered the six-yard box, leaping high and sending the ball forward.

“GOAL!!!”

"One to one!"

"The goal scorer is Cristiano... Ronaldo!"

The Old Trafford stadium erupted in a frenzy, broadcast over the loudspeaker in a pure Manchester accent.

"The Red Devils have finally equalized."

"This is what I've always said about Evra's significance; this player has brought more variety to Manchester United's attack."

"Rooney's versatility is evident to the naked eye. Perhaps it is because he conserved his energy in the World Cup that he can be so fierce and excellent in every aspect at the club level."

"And Ronaldo truly deserves to be one of the most outstanding young strikers in the past two years, not letting Lu Kai steal the spotlight."

"This match is going to be interesting. Once Manchester United find their scoring touch, can Dartford withstand the Red Devils' onslaught?"

In the 44th minute, Ribery, with the help of Ashley Young, successfully broke into the penalty area on the right wing.

He then swept the ball across the bottom of the court.

Dzeko tackles someone at the near post.

Vardy slots the ball home at the far post.

However, Neville, who was marking him, shoved him from behind, causing Vardy to miss the ball.

Foster then cleared the ball with a long kick.

"Hey! Penalty! That's a clear foul!"

An enraged Zidane directly protested from the sidelines.

Vardy also sat in the penalty area to express his dissatisfaction.

But the fans at Old Trafford burst into laughter because, upon reviewing the replay of Vardy's shot, you could tell he was incredibly clumsy and delighted.

This made Kane, who was traveling with the team on the bus to watch the game, frown: "This kind of foul won't be called. Vardy was careless."

Sterling, standing nearby, chuckled, "Haha, but I love his expression in the replay, it's hilarious."

Kane: "Have you heard of the Law of Attraction?"

Sterling: ? ? ?

Kane: "The more you like it, the more likely it is to come true."

Sterling shook his head repeatedly: "Harry, you may have forgotten that the person sitting next to you is Dartford's top scorer in the 2005-2006 season!"

Kane shook his head: "When Coach George went to report the results, I heard Captain Lu say that it was just because no one was giving you any contact."

Sterling: "That's because nobody can catch me!"

Kane: "While there may not be U15, U17, or even U19 teams, there definitely will be in the Premier League!"

(End of this chapter)