The template of Madoka Kaname: I rose from adversity to the summit.

Chapter 72 Just One Step Ahead (2 words, please subscribe)

When strong teams play, once they take the lead, their opponents are likely to strategically concede the game to conserve their players' strength and avoid injuries.

However, once a team is deemed a weaker opponent, taking the lead can no longer evoke feelings of despair, but can only incite the opponent's anger.

Leicester City is a case in point.

At the start of the second half, Southampton began to speed up the pace. With Yuan Meng and Simpson guarding the left flank and unable to break through, they switched the strong side to the right flank.

They cannot accept losing to Leicester City at home.

Head coach Pierre favors a possession-based style of play, appearing to be a steady and methodical tactician, but he is also adept at quick crosses from the wings.

Right winger Raymond took on the responsibility of making vertical sprints, frequently attempting to break through on the right flank.

Ranieri countered by having Ndidira cover on the wing and Drinkwater anchor the midfield.

In the 62nd minute of the match, Southampton's high-pressing tactics proved highly effective.

Ndidi was marked by Højbjerg after a steal, which led to a passing error.

At this point, Leicester City was in a fast transition phase, with all their forwards pushing forward and unable to track back.

Højbjerg cleverly passed the ball to Ward-Prowse in left midfield.

Ward-Prowse turned his head and saw that Yuan Meng was positioned too far forward to provide cover, freeing up left winger Tadic!

A brilliant one-two pass, Simpson was beaten, and Leicester City's flank was breached.

Tadic delivered a low cross, and center forward Rodriguez attempted to get to the ball.

Bang bang bang!

Xie An slammed his fist on the table.

Table HP-3

"What kind of pass is that? How could you make a mistake like that?"

"Ndidi was steady the whole game, how come he's underperforming now?!"

"Sigh, I'm still too young."

"With the score tied, Leicester City is in a tough spot!"

The defensive midfield position is not as important as the attacking midfield; we still need veterans to play there.

I remember there was this guy named Mendy who was pretty good, right? I heard he's coming to replace Kanté.

I know that guy; it seems he got injured again during training.

[Haha, paid leave to recover from injury, huh?]

Yuan Meng's mentality is relatively stable. Recently, under Ranieri's guidance, he has watched many match videos.

Such goals conceded are common this season. It's not just midfielders who make mistakes in passing; several center-backs also have this problem, lacking finesse in their footwork.

Ranieri considered for a moment and substituted Mahrez with Shinji Okazaki.

Shinji Okazaki ran onto the field and relayed a message to Ndidi: "The boss has given instructions that if you are pressed when you pass the ball later, you should switch to the side as soon as possible, and the long pass task should be given to Drinkwater."

Ndidi nodded somewhat embarrassedly. He had thought he was going to be substituted, but Ranieri chose to believe in him.

Drinkwater was forced to retreat, and Leicester City adopted a long-ball rhythm, reducing passing combinations.

Leicester City's possession decreased further, but the benefit was that their defense became more solid, and Southampton couldn't find a way to capitalize on their momentum.

Just as the fans were starting to doze off, Ndidi redeemed himself by making another tackle on Højbjerg.

"Here it comes, the opportunity has arrived!"

"Brother Drinking Water is sending a long message to find Yuan Shen!"

"Yuan Shen is enraged and forces an inside cut!"

"Bertrand seems to be running out of energy; he can't keep up with Yuan Shen!"

Yuan Meng came to the attacking third, intending to finish the game with a curling shot, but Van Dijk rushed out from the top of the penalty area at top speed and blocked his way.

Yuan Meng suddenly felt that Van Dijk was very similar to herself: hardworking, ruthless, and blindly confident in his skills.

At this point, Southampton only had Maya Yoshida and a defensive midfielder left in the penalty area.

Yuan Meng made a decisive move, spiked the ball and broke through from the right side, ready to compete with Van Dijk in straight-line speed!

The two ran side by side, with Yuan Meng only slightly ahead. If she were to cross the ball at this moment, it would likely be intercepted or interfered with by Van Dijk's long legs.

Since we don't have much of an advantage in straight lines, let's focus on lateral movement!

As Yuan Meng drove at high speed, she suddenly slammed her knee down, and her knee was groaning in pain.

Yuan Meng didn't care about anything else and charged sideways into the penalty area. Van Dijk turned around to chase, but found he was a step too late.

With this one move, Yuan Meng has left Van Dijk far behind!

It wasn't over yet; Maya Yoshida rushed over to fill in.

Yuan Meng knew she absolutely couldn't force a shot; the guy opposite her was reckless, and if she got blocked, she'd lose a golden opportunity.

So, before Yoshida Maya could get into position, he quickly flicked the outside of his left foot!

Maya Yoshida's pupils constricted sharply, and she quickly fell to the ground to intercept him, but it was too late.

The ball went around his feet and rolled towards the left side of the penalty area!

Yuan Meng's view was blocked. He believed that someone would be able to spot the most dangerous spot if the ball was passed to a point rather than a person.

"Vardy grabs the point and explodes!"

"GOAL!!!!!"

"In the 74th minute, Yuan Shen delivered a cross from inside the penalty area, and Vardy pounced on the opportunity to score!"

"This is Leicester City's signature long-ball counter-attack!"

"Yuan Shen's arrival has given Leicester City a much-needed boost; this once-dominant team has finally found the breakthrough player they've been longing for!"

Leicester City take a 2-1 lead away from home!

Dude, I bet on the wrong horse!

[Oh dear, surely no one's betting on Southampton!]

[It's those other lousy commentators who said Southampton's center-backs are strong and they can definitely stop Yuan Meng.]

[Old Xie is still the most reliable; he makes the brothers trust Yuan Shen.]

Wait, isn't Lao Xie betting on the Sea of ​​the Dead?

[It's over, Lao Xie's house has collapsed.]

Xie An wasn't paying attention to the comments; he was busy kissing the Book of Answers.

This is a divine book!

That's so accurate!

Xie An's wife, watching from behind, suddenly felt a pang of envy for a book.

Vardy rushed towards the corner flag, one hand behind his ear, turning his face to face the fans, as if to say:

Where's the sound? Why aren't you shushing anymore?

St. Mary's Stadium was turned into a library, and many home fans covered their faces in disbelief.

They just couldn't understand why Leicester City, who had been in a slump, could dominate Southampton, who were in excellent form, away from home.

Yuan Meng shouted excitedly to her teammates, "Hold on! We must hold on! We have to get these three points!"

He checked the schedule and saw that none of the BIG6 teams were in these three games, making it the perfect opportunity to secure a three-game winning streak!

The game has restarted.

Southampton are on a fierce attack!

"With 10 minutes left in the game, Leicester City held on!"

"Yuan Shen is still the same as always. When he takes the lead, he switches from winger to midfielder and drops deep to defend."

"Who wouldn't like a player like that?"

"Ranielli had the foresight to personally go to Germany and invite Yuan Shen!"

In the 82nd minute, Ranieri made a decisive substitution, disrupting Southampton's rhythm.

Albrighton came on as a left winger, and Gray came off.

This means that both wings are protected, and Southampton's signature wing play is contained, leaving them only able to penetrate through midfield.

This was exactly what Ranieri had anticipated. This Leicester City team is afraid of attacks from behind, but not of head-on confrontations.

Leicester City's formation was pushed to its limit, with central players intercepting any possible through balls, while the flanks were protected by double-sided defenders and double-sided midfielders.

With this solid defensive wall in place, Southampton were helpless and could only try difficult long-range shots, watching the ball fly out of bounds.

The referee blew his whistle, and Leicester City secured three valuable points away from home.

Click, click!

Yuan Meng scored one goal and provided one assist in this match, making her undoubtedly the best player of the game.

"Yuan, you didn't perform well against Chelsea, but you delivered such a brilliant performance in this match. What made you change so much?"

Yuan Meng spread her hands, appearing quite frank.

"WeII, I admit that I was not yet accustomed to the intensity of the Premier League's Big Six when playing against Chelsea."

"I treat these setbacks as nourishment, which helps me improve quickly."

"Uh—" The reporter was a little shocked, "Isn't your progress a bit too fast?"

"Really?" Yuan Meng smiled slightly. "I think it could be even faster."