Chapter 690: Chapter 689: Next, Who Wants to Court Death?
The camera frequently focused on Deng Kai on the substitute bench.
As expected!
As soon as Deng Kai got to his seat, the team doctor came over to start icing his calf and thigh.
"Eh? Is Deng Kai injured?"
"If that’s the case, then Roma might still have a chance!"
"We can’t find another team and its core player whose relationship can compare to the importance of Deng Kai to Manchester City. He’s just too important; Manchester City can do without anyone, but not without him!"
"Even, Manchester City can do without Jerusalem, but they must have Deng Kai!"
Note: Someone once said that Manchester City without Maxa is like the West without Jerusalem.
And after Deng Kai left the field.
Emerson, Totti, and others began stirring once again.
This time, they targeted Fabregas.
And Fabregas, who performed splendidly in the English Football League Cup, seemed not quite as sharp in the European competition.
He seemed a bit... nervous!
Just ten minutes.
Roma kept launching attacks.
Manchester City was gradually pushed back into their own half.
The flanks were basically the same flanks.
The other players were more or less the same.
But Manchester City just couldn’t deliver the most threatening passes anymore.
Although they could maintain possession, possession without forward passes is meaningless.
In the eighty-eighth minute.
Emerson made a through pass, Totti dropped back to hold off Essien and, without stopping the ball, flicked it with the back of his foot, passing it behind him.
Cassano received the ball and burst into Manchester City’s box before finishing with a low shot.
Roma finally pulled one back.
Better than nothing.
However, in the first minute of stoppage time.
Cassano, out wide, received the ball from a teammate once more and made a cross to find Totti.
Totti, with the ball, confronted Kompany.
Then he suddenly shuffled it to the side.
Emerson, coming forward, made a motion to shoot from distance.
Feng Te stepped forward in frustration and anger, arms behind his back, ready to block the shot.
He just had to come up!
At that moment, how he wished Chiellini and Thiago Silva could recover.
Playing football was too painful.
It was more comfortable to just float along.
Bang!
There was no pain.
Emerson didn’t take the long shot.
Instead, he changed his mind at the last moment and made a through pass under Feng Te’s crotch.
Cassano, cutting in without the ball into the box, shot at the first touch.
It caught Cech off guard.
"GOAL! Four to two! Roma scores again!"
"Cassano is incredible! He also scores his second goal!"
"Two goals in five minutes! Cassano proves his worth!"
"He preserved Roma’s chance to turn the game around in the next leg at the Etihad!"
"He is a hero for Roma!"
Four to two!
In this UEFA Europa League Round of 16 match, Manchester City started strong but finished weak.
They exposed, once again, their noticeable fatigue.
It wasn’t just someone saying it; it was clear for everyone to see.
Deng Kai needed frequent physiotherapy, which meant his body was already on the edge of injury.
If that went wrong, then...
...
"Wohlfahrt: Deng Kai’s body has reached its limit, he must rest now!"
"Manchester City’s schedule is too tight, continued fighting on three fronts is impractical!"
"To explain, usually, teams face triple fronts later in the season. But Manchester City, by not giving up the English Football League Cup, has been fighting on three fronts for a while now!"
"Even if Manchester City gets past Roma, it would be very difficult for them to continue!"
On March 13th, in the 28th round of the Premier League.
Deng Kai sat on the bench this time and didn’t play at all.
In the end, Manchester City defeated Everton two to zero.
On March 21st, in the 29th round of the Premier League.
Deng Kai was rested!
Manchester City failed to score throughout the game, drawing zero to zero with Southampton.
Another draw.
Meanwhile, Arsenal continued to maintain their winning streak, closing the gap between the two teams to four points.
The pressure of the league was on Manchester City.
On March 25th, the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 kicked off at Etihad Stadium.
Deng Kai was back in the starting lineup.
But within thirty minutes of the game, the faces of the Manchester City fans clouded over.
Roma’s Dakota was off-form and got replaced by the young De Rossi in the starting lineup.
And it was the handsome-faced De Rossi who tackled Essien in the thirtieth minute.
Leading to Essien’s departure from the field!
Etihad Stadium fell silent.
Then the fans began furiously berating De Rossi.
That Essien is Manchester City’s main defensive midfielder!
This round of the series, Essien completely shut down Totti.
And now De Rossi has taken him out!
Not just Manchester City fans, but even the French national team’s coaching staff were cursing on social media.
They were worried Essien wouldn’t be able to participate in the summer’s European Championship.
This year, Essien’s performance was stellar and he had been picked early by France’s coaching staff.
Even though the French team has other top-tier defensive midfielders like Vieira and Makélélé, Essien’s competitiveness is no less than these two.
Having him as a substitute defensive midfielder is an utter luxury.
You couldn’t be more stable than that.
But now...
Throughout the first half, neither team managed to score a goal.
In the sixtieth minute of the second half, Manchester City’s left-back Lahm went on a solo run to score.
Delivering a deadly blow to Roma.
With an aggregate score of five to two, the Roma players had to score three goals at Etihad Stadium to turn things around.
That was going to be very difficult.
In the eighty-second minute.
Substitute Fabregas put an end to any uncertainty.
He took a pass from Adriano and scored with a long-range shot.
Changing the aggregate score to six to two!
Roma was completely out.
Fabregas once again illustrated what it means to be a homeground bully.
His performance was day and night compared to his earlier appearance at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
When the referee blew the final whistle.
Etihad Stadium erupted into the celebration of progression.
They were now in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League!
Next, their target was the semi-finals!
European media widely reported the news of Manchester City’s advancement.
Although they considered Manchester City weak, no one knew when exactly Manchester City would slump before they actually did.
Face Value is still Face Value after all.
"Football Emperor" even gave Manchester City the entire front page.
"Manchester City: Next, who’s coming to die?"
When Roma fans saw this headline, they felt quite upset.
But soon, a team even more upset than Roma emerged.
That was... Barcelona!
"UEFA Europa League Draw Unveiled! Barcelona Gets the Kiss of Death, To Face the Manchester City Juggernaut!"
"Here it comes! Deng Kai once again encounters Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League!"
"Deng Kai + Feng Te VS Ronaldinho + Quaresma! Former teammates reunite, who will emerge as the true winner?"
"Ronaldinho: This is not good news; the current Barcelona is not at its best."
"Quaresma: This is a terrible match-up, I know many will say Manchester City isn’t at its best either. But I know Kai’s ability, he can decide a game at any time!"
"Deng Kai: No, no, no! Barcelona may have been a bit dejected these two years, but signing Ronaldinho and Quaresma was one of their best decisions; they will pose a huge challenge for Manchester City’s defense!"
"Feng Te: Nope! We’re not up for it! I’m just a sub watching the water cooler!"
Feng Te really didn’t want to go back to those days at Sporting Lisbon in the training matches, where he was almost dribbled to breaking his ankles by Quaresma and Ronaldinho.
Playing football is too tough.
There are too many geniuses.
Man, one must learn to lie down and take it.
Should I go to the Turkish league or to the Saudi league, the MLS to make gold at the age of twenty-three?
No, no, no!
I can’t stray from the light of my lord.
Otherwise, what am I, Feng Te, even worth?
