Chapter 671: Chapter 670: The Gentle and Cultured Desperado
Second half.
Chelsea strengthened their defense.
57th minute.
Deng Kai used a direct burst of speed to get past Melchiot on the flank, then faced Terry one-on-one.
Deng Kai continued stepping over the ball, with a feint and a pull, he got past Terry.
But Terry, quick on his feet, grabbed hold of Deng Kai’s shirt.
With a ripping sound, he pulled Deng Kai to the ground.
Whistle!
The referee stopped the game and showed Terry a yellow card.
Deng Kai lifted his left hand, the side of his shirt completely torn open.
Terry’s grip was really strong.
"Oh, Deng Kai is changing his shirt on the sideline... my goodness, eight-pack abs! An Adonis Belt! Isn’t his body too good?" Gao Yuanyuan’s face turned red, who knows what she was thinking.
Manchester City also got a well-placed free kick from Deng Kai’s breakthrough.
Deng Kai stood in front of the free kick but, in the end, he feinted, letting Ribery follow up and take the shot.
Unfortunately, the element of surprise did not pay off.
The football sailed easily over the wall but just a bit too high over the crossbar.
In the 62nd minute, taking advantage of the dead ball situation, Chelsea made a substitution.
Hasselbaink replaced Mutu, who had a mediocre performance today.
Mutu’s abilities are not in question, but today he didn’t get many opportunities.
The defensive line composed of Mascherano, Thiago Silva, and Kompany was very solid.
Additionally, the former France and Arsenal star Petit replaced Gallas, taking the position at left-back.
Gallas hadn’t been able to stop Sun Jihai, and Chelsea hoped the more experienced Petit could keep an eye on the Chinese player.
65th minute.
Lampard launched a sudden attack in the midfield, combining with the retreating Crespo to pass Mascherano.
Crespo faked a shot, drawing the attention of almost all the defenders, then slipped a diagonal pass.
The newly substituted Hasselbaink rediscovered his killer instinct, finishing from a tight angle.
Neuer, still somewhat inexperienced, had not anticipated such an extreme choice from Hasselbaink.
Three to two!
Chelsea were back in the game with another goal.
The outcome of the match could change at any moment.
This spurred Chelsea on.
71st minute.
Lampard passed the ball.
Duff broke through powerfully on the wing and left Ashley Young in his wake.
Bang!
Duff sent in the cross.
"Ha!"
Neuer let out a shout and decisively came off his line!
Many hearts skipped a beat.
Because Duff’s cross was not very close to the six-yard box.
Normally, goalkeepers don’t need to come out for crosses that are far from the goal.
It’s not necessary.
And far too risky.
If you fail to clear the ball or don’t catch it firmly, your opponents can easily knock it into the net.
Why bother?
But this is Neuer.
What others see as the penalty area, for him it’s just the six-yard box.
This is how Manchester City taught him.
And Neuer very much agreed with it.
His territory, his rules.
Neuer leapt high, perfectly timing a "Hand that Plucks the Stars" to pluck the football from above his head.
But the next moment, he was hit by a black truck.
Beep!
Beep beep beep!
The main referee blew his whistle repeatedly, rushing over.
Neuer, clutching the football, curled up on the ground, clearly in great pain.
The one who had run into him, Hasselbaink, seemed to be fine.
The main referee gave Hasselbaink a yellow card, and Hasselbaink didn’t argue.
He truly hadn’t managed to stop in time.
The way this Manchester City goalkeeper charged out was so decisive—who plays goal like that?
I just got to half my acceleration, and you’re already telling me to brake?
This isn’t just for fun.
Annoying!
"Good job, Neuer! If he hadn’t caught that ball, Hasselbaink, who had just shaken off Thiago Silva, would’ve had a high chance to perform a powerful header."
"Chelsea could very well have tied the score."
On the sidelines, Manchester City also displayed a substitution request.
They too sensed the shift in dynamics.
As Chelsea raised the intensity of the match, the mistakes made by Fabregas and David Silva started to pile up.
This is a phenomena all technical players face when they are confronted with a high-intensity game.
"Vidal replaces David Silva; this is a like-for-like substitution, huh... and Mandzukic for Fabregas?"
"They’re changing formation."
"Oh, yes. Mandzukic goes to the striker position, with Torres and Villa on the left and right."
"In the midfield, Vidal, Deng Kai, Mascherano. Deng Kai’s position is slightly forward, forming a triangular stance."
"Manchester City is going to stand up to Chelsea’s toughness! The players they’ve sent on play very physically and their physicality has moved up a notch."
Indeed, the following ten minutes turned the pitch into a battleground.
The two teams engaged in fierce combat in the midfield.
Don’t think just because Vidal on the Manchester City side is only eighteen—he’s tough when it comes to hard tackles and collisions.
And Mandzukic, often dropping back, also has good capability as a pivot point.
The match entered a stalemate.
In the eighty-first minute.
Vidal, running wildly all over the field, teamed up with Deng Kai, Mandzukic, Torres, and others to pull off a turnover in the frontcourt.
Mandzukic immediately got the ball and stuffed it forward.
Like a wild horse let loose, Deng Kai chased down the ball to go one-on-one.
Facing Cudicini, Deng Kai executed a simple stepover before nudging the ball past the excellent Italian goalkeeper, and then he slotted into the open net.
This exchange seemed straightforward.
But in fact, Deng Kai had played on Cudicini’s delayed reaction.
A standard stepover usually involves a right touch, left touch, and then breaking through as the right foot touches the ball a second time.
Typically, it’s a three-step move.
Sometimes it’s five or even seven.
Noticed the pattern yet?
They are generally an odd number of steps.
Deng Kai, on the other hand, directly pushed the ball away with his left foot after a single right-footed stepover, making it a two-step.
It’s just unscrupulously crafty.
"GOAL! A brace for Deng Kai! He helps the team extend their lead."
"In the last period, Manchester City’s defense seemed a bit shaky."
"At the critical moment, it’s all about Manchester City’s emperor!"
"Deng Kai’s goal after bypassing the goalkeeper was quite artistic!"
"Of course, the aggressive pressing from Vidal, Mandzukic, Torres was also very impressive!"
Huang Jianxiang admired Manchester City’s style of play: "In the Premier League, when you talk about technical teams, you have to mention Arsenal. But since last season, there’s been another team to consider."
"Not the Manchester United undergoing tactical continentalization, but Manchester City who introduced Deng Kai and Maxa!"
"Manchester City is like a refined scholar."
"But they’re far from being weak; they fight hard while being elegant. Such fierce scholars show strong dominance on both offensive and defensive fronts!"
"So far, Manchester City has scored the most goals in the Premier League."
"And their goals conceded are the third lowest in the league!"
