Chapter 301: Manchester City cannot live without Tang Long, just as France cannot live without Voltaire!_3
"My range of movement will be big, Pellegrini wants me to organize the attack from the backfield too, so brother, I'm counting on you to help cover for me in the gaps!"
"No problem, brother, it's all on me!"
Toure was substituted, not Fernandinho, so he wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he was excited to partner with Tang Long for the first time.
He knew that once Tang Long got on the field, the team's organization would become smoother, and the performance would pick up. He himself would play more comfortably, something Toure couldn't achieve.
The Brazilian midfielder had great ambitions. He hoped the team would perform well so he could solidify his position as the main defensive midfielder, maybe even replace Toure. It wasn't impossible!
Juventus kicked off in the second half.
Without the steady play of Pirlo, Juventus' midfield didn't have the same patience in passing as before.
Pogba and Marchisio exchanged passes, Marchisio sent a long pass;
Pogba, driven by a strong forward desire, charged ahead with the ball!
Maybe the three-goal lead from the first half and scoring a world-class goal got the French star overly excited;
This was a bit excessive and was easily intercepted by Fernandinho, who quickly passed the ball to Tang Long.
"This is Tang's first touch of the ball in the match, let's see..."
Before Dilata could finish speaking, Pogba had already stretched out his foot and snatched the ball from under Tang Long's foot in a fifty-fifty challenge.
The scene brought cheers from the Juventus fans!
"Where is Tang?"
Thump thump—thump thump thump!
"Where is Tang?"
Thump thump—thump thump thump!
"Where is Tang?"
Thump thump...
Just when the third round of drumming was still cheering for Pogba's steal and continued advance, Tang Long quickly chased back, extending a foot from the side and back, first touching the ball and then tripping Pogba to the ground.
After being dispossessed, he didn't wait in place but quickly counter-stealed from Pogba!
As Pogba was still tumbling, the referee gestured to continue the match!
Bang!
Tang Long hesitated not a second, calculating his shot path and striking a ground strike!
The soccer ball shot across the field like a speeding bullet train!
Crossing mountains, bridges, tunnels, and fog!
Marchisio stretched out his foot to intercept, the ball brushed past his toes!
Left-back Evra and center-back Chiellini compressed the gap and simultaneously slid to tackle, but the ball sped away through the narrow one-meter space between them!
Buffon was rushing out!
Agüero was chasing the ball!
Roll roll~
Agüero targeted Buffon's right armpit, tapped the ball lightly with his left foot, the ball slipped past Buffon's armpit and rolled gently into the goal!
Thump thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump, thump thump thump—
It was only then that the shirtless Juventus fan stopped his drumming sequence.
He was drumming with his back to the field, unable to see what was happening.
In reality, from Pogba's dispossession of Tang Long, to Tang's counter-steal, then quickly assisting Agüero with a ground strike, all happened within mere seconds.
The drummer hadn't even reacted yet!
"Haha, did I play the drum well? I've practiced for days!"
The shirtless drummer was sweaty, panting, put down his drumstick, and looked expectantly around.
But he strangely found the Juventus fans who were shouting and cheering stopped, each with wide eyes staring at him.
Toot toot toot toot—
Toot toot toot toot—
A piercing sound blasted across the stadium, coming from the northeast corner, where Manchester City fans were gathered!
The shirtless drummer was stunned!
What kind of instrument is this?
The piercing power is too strong; it deafened me 100 meters away!
This was a professor from the University of Manchester's music department, who had specially brought this military bugle from the United Kingdom to Turin!
The moment Tang Long assisted Agüero to score, he jumped onto the chair and blew the bugle with puffed cheeks, looking upward!
Its battle cry echoed through Juventus Stadium!
The livestream exploded instantly!
-[Battle cry! It's the Liberation Army's charge bugle!]
-[The counterattack starts now!]
-[First touch, lost the ball; second touch, counter-steal; third touch, ground strike assist!]
-[It's Tang Long again, Agüero again!]
-[Only 46 minutes, we still have time!]
-[Everyone charge, seize the enemy's bridgehead!]
After scoring, Agüero hugged the ball from the net and raced back, giving Tang Long a hard slap on the butt as he passed him, without saying anything.
Even at this moment, Pogba was still persistently complaining to the referee that Tang Long's tackle was a foul, but that didn't change the new scoreline to 1:3.
"Be steady, everyone steady, don't rush!"
On the sidelines, Allegri pulled off his tie angrily, clearly dissatisfied with the team conceding a goal so early.
He had hoped that after Pirlo left, 22-year-old Pogba would inherit the mantle of this midfield maestro;
But unexpectedly, this young black player was still a bit impulsive, charging too aggressively forward.
Tang Long's broad vision, sharp foot skills, and precise forecasting of the striker's movements during the counterattack forced Allegri to change the aggressive, fast-paced play of the first half.
He instructed players to slow the ball down and control it underfoot.
And this slowdown gave Manchester City the opportunity to win space.
If it comes to physique and impact play, Manchester City couldn't match Juventus;
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