Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions

Now, during a corner kick for Everton, Ranocchia clears with a header, and Tang Long doesn't stop the ball, just takes a shot directly!

A simple offside trap, for a Premier League level striker like Bony, is as easy as pie. With a swift move, he seizes the ball ahead of Jiang Guangtai and Stones and charges toward the penalty area.

The "whoosh" of the wind whistles past his ears as Bony vigorously swings his arms!

Alongside the sound of the wind, he hears the roar of over fifty thousand Manchester City fans at the scene!

As he dribbles into a sprint, he lifts his head and sees the Manchester City fans facing the goal have collectively risen to their feet, all waving their hands as if shouting:

"Kick the ball into the net, Bony!"

Feeling the eyes of tens of thousands upon him, with all the spotlights focused solely on him, Bony suddenly has a rather unusual thought.

That is, he not only wants to score but to score beautifully, to show off in front of the audience, and also to remind the suspended Agüero: "Hey, don't think you're a guaranteed starter, don't forget there's me, Bony."

So facing the charging Handanovic, he only needed to either gently push to a far corner or shift strongly to the left, using his speed to get past the goalkeeper and score into an open goal.

But Bony stubbornly decided otherwise. When he was still five meters away from Handanovic, he lightly flicked the underside of the ball with his toe, lifting it up.

"Bony is one-on-one!"

"Handanovic rushes out to challenge!"

"What will Bony choose? Will he dribble past the keeper or shoot directly?"

"Ah? He attempts a chip shot!"

"Oh no, it's not high enough, Handanovic stands his ground, raises his arms above his head, and catches the ball steadily."

"It shouldn't be, such a simple one-on-one, why did he choose the hardest way to execute it? It's really not right."

A sure goal, yet he kicks the ball into Handanovic's hands. Bony is stunned on the spot, scratching his head in disbelief.

Seeing this, Agüero sitting in the stands slaps his thigh hard and complains to Hart beside him:

"Bony's forward technique isn't up to par. For a chip shot, he shouldn't have done it that way."

"Then how should he have done it?" Hart retorts.

Agüero explains: "Using a chip shot isn't impossible for that ball, but you must get close to the goalkeeper, pretending to push a ground shot to trick the keeper into diving. Then, just a light flick, lifting the ball a bit over a meter high, and it would roll into the net over the diving keeper."

Hearing Agüero's explanation, Hart, a top Premier League goalkeeper, nods in agreement.

"That's right, last year against Tottenham, Kane scored two goals against me that way. Like Bony, shooting a chip shot from such a distance isn't necessary, doesn't he know his own footwork?"

If Bony wasted Tang Long's assist this time by wanting to show off with a high-difficulty shot, then his subsequent attempt to clear from two meters in front of the goal highlighted his lack of awareness in the penalty area.

That was in the 69th minute of the match.

Substitute Kolarov used his formidable 1.87-meter frame on the left wing, bulldozing past Everton's right back, and delivered a low cross.

The ball, although intended as a low pass, was hit with such force by Kolarov that it became a half-height ball, which are least favored by strong strikers.

Tang Long, who had just finished a one-two with Kolarov, had already charged into the penalty area.

The ball flew directly toward him, an uncomfortable height to receive, but he had already anticipated Bony behind him. Simply leaping, he let the ball slip through his legs~

This misdirection fooled Everton's central defensive pair—Jiang Guangtai and Stones, both bemused.

After Tang Long's feint, the ball began to bounce.

At this point, Bony only needed a light push, as the distance was too close for Handanovic to possibly stop the ball.

But the problem was Bony's slow reaction in front of the goal, lacking a striker's instinct, as he didn't expect Tang Long's maneuver!

Only when the ball reached him did he suddenly realize, quickly stretching his leg to kick, yet in haste failed to hit the right part of the ball.

He originally intended to push with the instep but accidentally hit the ball with his shin.

As a result, from just two meters away, Bony managed to kick the ball straight into the stands.

The Manchester City fans behind the goal were all stunned.

"That...that ball didn't go in!?"

"No way, it was only two meters out, almost in the six-yard box, yet he managed to miss."

"I think even my grandmother could have scored that."

"Bony did a great job clearing it, it's like not scoring was harder than scoring!"

Tang Long couldn't help but laugh, turning to Ranocchia and saying, "Missing from two meters out, wow, I've really seen it all."

Ranocchia earnestly analyzed with Tang Long, "Bony's clearance here isn't simple, you know. At such a close range, with such a fast ball, to swiftly adjust his body position and kick the ball out of play, if it were me, it would definitely be an own goal!"

A team wasting opportunities consecutively is bound to be punished, and the experienced Pellegrini knew this well.

By now, the match had gone past the 70th-minute mark, with Everton's counterattack efforts still vigorous.

To suppress the opponent's momentum, they needed a third goal quickly, so Pellegrini decisively substituted Bony for the young Iheanacho.