Chapter 491: Chapter 491
"Inter Milan! Shove all your championships up your ass!"
This was the slogan Buffon held high on the bus roof during the city parade in Turin after Juventus won the 2014–15 Serie A League title in May this year.
How arrogant and brash!
Even though Inter Milan also achieved great success that season, beating Juventus to win the Coppa Italia and triumphing in the UEFA Europa League finals, securing the double;
but in the invincible eyes of Juventus, compared to our Serie A championship, the rubbish titles you Inter Milan got are worth jack shit?
So go ahead and shove your titles up your ass!
There’s a scene Tang Long remembers well.
Chiellini, the center-back who Tang Long played tricks on twice in the Italian Derby, on a whim raised a banner given to him by a Juventus fan during the victory parade.
Tang Long’s portrait was stitched onto the head of a Labrador;
And the person walking the dog on the leash was Chiellini himself!
[Serie A Best Midfielder? Get the Serie A championship first then talk!]
Chiellini laughed hysterically upon seeing the banner, proudly waving it at the camera and cheering Juventus fans.
Tang Long, no matter how well you perform in the national derby,
in the end, the ones who laugh last are still us, Juventus!
Moving from Inter Milan to Manchester City was a huge leap in Tang Long’s career, and he would not refuse to take this step forward.
However, before leaving Inter, Tang Long felt a sense of regret, the biggest regret being not being able to fiercely knock Juventus off their throne as the Serie A champions!
But fortunately, fate had other plans.
This season, Juventus was placed in Group B of the Champions League with Manchester City, ensuring at least two encounters in the group stage.
In the first match, Manchester City humiliated the Juventus Corps by recovering from a three-goal deficit at Juventus’ home ground!
This time at home, with Juventus having a player sent off in 60 minutes, Tang Long would show no mercy in the remaining 30 minutes and was determined to beat the crap out of those old dogs on the other side!
Especially the two old dogs who love to bark, Buffon and Chiellini.
The numerical disadvantage of Juventus quickly manifested itself in the match’s situation.
Having only ten men, yet substituting a fullback for a forward, the frenzied Allegri was reveling in going all out, desperately defending a 1-0 lead after scoring first.
But the world is not as simple and naive as Allegri imagined!
This is Itihad, the home of the Premier League giant Manchester City; your petty plan rings loudly, but you have to ask Tang Long if he agrees?
In the 66th minute, City’s center-back Demichelis took a bold move!
At the top of the penalty arc, he didn’t choose to link with either Yaya Toure or Fernando, the midfielders;
Instead, he made a straightforward ground play with the back of the foot, sending the ball to Tang Long’s position at the attacking midfield!
After having a player sent off, Juventus’ midfield defensive intensity visibly declined.
This ground pass linking the center-back and attacking midfield slipped through a clear gap, rolling forward as if no one was around!
Sturora continued to strictly execute Allegri’s tactical trade.
But his defensive experience fell short of Marchisio, being just 0.5 seconds too slow, as Tang Long moved back swiftly to get the ball.
The quick movement of Tang Long not only secured the ball but also turned around, directly facing Sturora.
Tang Long didn’t even regard the little Sturora as an obstacle, his gaze surpassing him, focusing on the positions of Juventus’ veteran defenders, Barzagli, Chiellini, and Bonucci.
At this point, the trio had stationed excellently, pinning down Manchester City’s stalwart Bony in the center.
Meanwhile, Sterling was cutting in from the wing to the middle;
Navas hesitated on the right flank.
With the timing not right, Tang Long didn’t rush forward but pushed the ball to the oncoming Kolarov.
In football matches, defenders typically face the direction of the ball with their eyes tracking its movement.
So when Tang Long passed the ball to Kolarov on the wing, all eyes from Juventus’ defense focused to that side, causing a gradual shift in their formation.
At this moment, Sterling suddenly made a diagonal run fast and sharply into Juventus’ penalty area!
The experienced Kolarov knew the opportunity for Tang Long had arrived; he didn’t hesitate and immediately fed the ball back to Tang Long.
[An open space between Barzagli and Bonucci is about to form; lofting the ball in could lead to an 85.6% chance of a shot!]
Approaching the ball, Tang Long didn’t stop it, using the outer foot of his right foot sharply along the ball’s underside, like a blade cutting through, lifting the ball!
The ball traced a strange arc in the air, heading straight towards Bonucci’s and Barzagli’s heads following that trajectory.
"That ball went a bit rushed..."
Agüero slapped his thigh watching the match on TV.
In his view, Bonucci and Barzagli had positioned themselves accurately.
Both towering center-backs, Tang Long’s lofted pass seemed impossible to clear over their heads.
Yet in the next second, Agüero was proven wrong! Orıginal content can be found at novelFire.net
Sterling’s quick diagonal move was precise and fierce, diverting Bonucci’s attention, pulling him towards the penalty area, creating a gap with Barzagli.