Su Dong Is Coming On!

When the match reached the seventy-second minute, a dead-ball situation gave the referee, Chris Foy, a chance to blow his whistle and stop play.

Su Dong, who had been waiting on the touchline for some time, raised his hands and applauded the teammate who was about to come off.

The stadium announcer then broadcast the substitution.

Number nine, Su Dong, came on for number fourteen, Santa Cruz.

The decision immediately drew thunderous cheers from the Man City fans inside the Etihad Stadium. Applause swept through the entire stadium as they rallied behind Su Dong.

Santa Cruz walked off with a dejected look. Clearly, he was far from satisfied with his performance after playing more than seventy minutes.

When he reached the touchline, he exchanged a polite embrace with Su Dong.

Su Dong thanked him for his performance, while Santa Cruz wished him luck.

The two brushed past each other, much like their respective fates at Man City.

Anyone could see that, in the current Man City squad, Su Dong was the most irreplaceable player. Anyone forced to sit on the bench for Su Dong was doomed to tragedy, and Santa Cruz was the tragedy of tragedies.

That was because even head coach Guardiola did not particularly like him.

He had been Mark Hughes's favorite. When Mark Hughes coached Blackburn, he had successfully revived Santa Cruz's career and brought him to its peak, allowing the Paraguayan to earn his move to Man City.

But Guardiola did not like players of that type, so Santa Cruz had suffered through the last two seasons at Man City.

At this point, it seemed only a matter of time before the Paraguayan forward left.

He might even leave during the Winter Break transfer window.

Su Dong ran onto the pitch, raising both hands high