Chapter 471: Chapter 471
"Through pass, through pass! Just make the through pass!" On the bench, Toure silently clenched his fist.
Sterling made a significant diagonal cut from the wing towards the center, finding an excellent gap;
Tang Long tapped the ball to the right, preparing to connect with Sterling—
It was then a gust of wind whistled past his ear!
Captain Kompany had stormed over!
Kompany intercepted Banega’s pass near the box and passed the ball to Tang Long.
Yet he did not stay back as a central defender typically would, but immediately charged forward!
As he swept past Tang Long like the wind, a thought flashed through Tang Long’s mind!
[Kompany’s competitive spirit boosted by 200%: The outcome of the match will be decided in the last ten minutes!]
This was a line Kompany mentioned in his autobiography.
Tang Long had just finished reading it and was deeply impressed by that line.
In the 2011-12 season, Manchester City clinched a dramatic victory over Queens Park Rangers in the final round, creating the miracle of winning the championship in 9320.
After the game, Kompany, through tears of an emotional hero, told reporters:
"Honestly, I’ve always believed we could win this match, even when trailing as the 90th minute approached, I was convinced we’d lift the Premier League trophy! Matches are decided in the last 10 minutes; it’s one of the invaluable experiences my career has taught me!"
At this moment, Kompany’s figure charging forward was so determined, he didn’t even glance back at Tang Long as he sprinted ahead!
Sterling was pulling towards the center, Iheanacho was still in the back and hadn’t caught up to them, leaving Kompany as the third option.
But there was a defender closely marking Kompany.
Pass to Sterling or Kompany?
Tang Long chose to trust the captain who had experienced the miracle championship, the defensive pillar, and spiritual leader of Manchester City, the Belgian, Kompany!
In the blink of an eye, he couldn’t pull back the right foot that was already striking the bottom of the football;
Using all his strength, Tang Long’s relaxed abdominal muscles tensed up, driving the calf to awkwardly flick the ball toward the route Kompany was overlapping on the left.
Even though he made the pass, due to the awkward stance, the ball was floating instead of fast~
The players on Manchester City’s bench shook their heads!
The pass was so poor!
Everything pointed to Tang Long intending to connect with Sterling, but for some reason, the final pass wasn’t executed well.
Such a counterattack opportunity was about to be wasted. Was this match really going to be lost to Seville?
However, just when everyone thought Tang Long’s errant pass presented a wonderful chance to the opponent, Kompany used his robust frame to physically knock away his marker, gaining control of the ball!
"Wow! Kompany’s challenge was incredible!"
"He first knocked away Banega, and now Rami!"
"Kompany broke into the box, it’s unbelievable!"
"How will he handle this one-on-one?"
"Beautiful! So decisive!"
"A textbook side-foot shot to the far corner!"
"Kompany equalized for Manchester City!"
"And it’s Tang Long assisting again!"
The cheers from Seville’s fans came to an abrupt halt!
They held their heads in disbelief at what had just transpired.
Wasn’t Manchester City a passing and possession team? Why did their attack suddenly become so direct?
Even Kompany managed to get a one-on-one opportunity...
- [It’s tied, it’s tied! I knew Manchester City wouldn’t lose!]
- [Kompany is like the reincarnation of Agüero, even more reliable than Sterling at finishing!]
- [Hahaha, maybe Tang Long didn’t pass to Sterling on purpose, knowing his finishing was poor.]
- [To be fair, Tang Long’s pass wasn’t great, it almost got misplaced, there’s a lot of luck in this assist!]
- [So what about luck? Tang Long is just Manchester City’s lucky charm, okay!]
The match ended in a 1:1 draw.
At the sound of the final whistle, Seville’s players were full of regret!
Manchester City’s players, on the other hand, were filled with relief, feeling like they had stolen a point.
After all, many felt that the quality of Tang Long’s pass to Kompany was not high, and this from-the-back sprint by Kompany, a central defender, wasn’t planned by the team and had an element of luck involved.
Yet, only two faces were filled with regret: one was Tang Long, the other was Kompany.
Kompany, named Man of the Match, accepted an interview.
"Tang’s final pass choice? Yes, I also think he should have passed to Sterling, but somehow the ball ended up at my feet."
"Did I think about scoring? No, my mind was blank in that moment; my instinct just pushed me forward!"
"... Well, you could say that. Tang made a poor choice, and with a bit of luck, I scored, but football is always full of chances, and that’s the beauty of the game!"
Back in the locker room.
Kompany specifically sought out Tang Long.
"Tang, I’m really puzzled, why didn’t you pass to Sterling during that counterattack? Clearly, he had more space and was faster. It would have been a clear chance, and I’m not skilled at dribbling and sprinting like a forward on a breakaway."
"I just had a feeling, Captain, I felt like at this moment, if you received the ball, you’d score!"
Pellegrini was relatively satisfied with taking a point away.
With 10 points from 4 matches in the group stage, qualifying was not a problem anymore.
However, compared to the Champions League, he was more worried about the team’s performance in the league.
In three days, they would head to Stanford Bridge to face Chelsea.
They found it so tough against Seville, and the final goal was almost accidental.
After the game, he specially asked Kompany, and Manchester City’s captain told him it was the first time in his 10-year career he faced a goalkeeper on a one-on-one in an official match!
Can the team withstand the pressure against the title-chasing Blue Army?
The Chilean had no confidence.
Inside the Chelsea club’s manager’s office in London.
Coach Mourinho glanced at the scouting report freshly delivered from Manchester City’s Champions League match last night, a confident smile appearing on his face.
"Pellegrini, oh Pellegrini, you’re getting old, stubborn, and unyielding!"
With the match footage and analysis in the scouting report, Mourinho believed Pellegrini’s rigidity in passing control tactics would make Manchester City an easy catch for Chelsea, gifting them victory.
As for the last-minute goal by Tang Long assisting Kompany?
Mourinho watched the replay three times, laughing heartily!
He thought Tang Long must have been overly exhausted, his brain lacking oxygen, leading to a lapse that allowed such a great chance to fall to Kompany instead of the better-positioned and quicker Sterling.
As for Kompany’s long-run single breakaway skill?
It wasn’t even within Mourinho’s plans for the upcoming match.
Such an occurrence, where a center-back faces a goalkeeper on a breakaway in the forward’s position, wouldn’t happen in 100 matches, a rare event not worth strategic planning, purely luck.
Mourinho was convinced that no team could win at Stanford Bridge based on luck.
Manchester City’s good fortune was over with the match against Seville. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵
In three days, I’ll kick you Manchester City right off the Premier League summit!