How Do You Beat Hart? Obviously, You Shoot Between His Legs!

What, a 3v3 tournament?

Or is it a competition between the team's new signings?

This approach was a refreshing surprise for the Manchester City fans who came to the stadium!

Manchester City rarely holds a grand signing ceremony at their home stadium for a new player, but fans have seen other teams' ceremonies without ever witnessing this spectacle. For example, there was no such ceremony when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, nor when Robinho joined Manchester City.

The fans still in their seats were captivated and sat up straight, filled with curiosity.

The fans returning to the aisle quickly went back to their seats.

This segment is interesting, don't miss it!

The Manchester City signings in the stands looked completely bewildered.

What's going on here?

They weren't informed about this part before the competition.

Iheanacho, Sterling, Delph, Otamendi, Ranocchia —these five new signings were all dumbfounded.

Even Tang Long was amused!

Well done, Berrada! No wonder you're the business director, you're such a go-getter! How come I didn't even know?

In fact, the business director Berrada, also took on this task at the last minute.

When planning Tang Long's signing ceremony, he referenced the practices of many other teams, trying to come up with something new.

I racked my brains for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

Just as Tang Long's introductory ceremony was about to end, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, slapped his forehead, and came up with this 3V3 format.

As for the reward being revealed after the competition, it's purely because Berrada herself hasn't figured out what the reward will be yet; she's thinking about it right now!

Head coach Pellegrini was quite displeased.

He hurried over and said to Berrada in a worried tone:

"This isn't a good idea. My players haven't warmed up; I'm afraid they'll get injured."

Berrada, with an air of worldly experience, waved her hand dismissively and said, "Give them ten minutes to stretch. Don't worry, it's just a performance, it's for entertainment, just have some fun."

The two talked for a full minute, but unable to persuade the stubborn Berrada, Pellegrini had no choice but to agree.

He immediately ordered the six new signings, namely Iheanacho, Sterling, Delph, Otamendi, Ranocchia, and Tang Long, to warm up.

Fortunately, all the players who came to the scene were wearing jerseys and shoes, so there was no need to change clothes. The ten minutes of stretching passed quickly.

The audience wasn't afraid to wait; they all sat and watched the show.

Even if you only warm up for 20 minutes, we'll sit and wait; this part is so much fun!

While the new signings were warming up, Berrada had the stadium manager drag out a small five-a-side goal and place it on the sideline closest to the spectators, facing the cameras.

"Joe Hart, get down here!"

Berrada called Joe Hart down to guard the goal.

Joe Hart pouted, grabbed his goalkeeper gloves, and stood up, thinking, "There's only one goal, so I'm bound to concede goals either way. I'm going to be the backdrop for these new signings again!"

As he stood up, his arm was grabbed, and Milner whispered in his ear in a serious tone, "Guard the goal well, don't let Don score!"

Yaya Toure, who was sitting nearby, overheard everything and had already seen through Milner's thoughts. He found it amusing; judging from Joe Hart's unwilling appearance, he probably wouldn't take the goalkeeping seriously. It would be good enough if he could just stand there. Rather than hoping that he would do a good job, Milner should do it himself. As long as Tang Long doesn't play seriously either, you might actually be able to keep a clean sheet against him.

After warming up, Pellegrini told them to form their own teams.

The six new recruits sat in a circle, looked at each other, and laughed.

Iheanacho, Sterling, Delph formed a team of three England.

Otamendi, Ranocchia, Tang Long form the first team.

Seeing the two groups split up and complete their respective assignments, the fans are full of anticipation, wondering if our team's three new England signings can outmaneuver three foreigners!

However, Berrada immediately called a halt.

"Ranocchia, you can't be in the same group as Tang. You two are old teammates, and this arrangement won't make for a good show. I'll group you up!"

So, under Berrada's scheduling, the groups were reorganized.

Sterling, Tang Long, Otamendi a group.

Iheanacho, Delph, Ranocchia form a group.

I must say, this grouping is indeed better.

On the one hand, both teams have one striker, one midfielder, and one defender.

On the other hand, Tang Long facing off against his teammate Ranocchia – this Inter Milan duo battling it out internally – wouldn't that create some entertaining moments?

Otamendi, with his outspoken personality, asked Berrada directly, "Mr. Director, what is this reward you're talking about?"

Berrada hadn't decided yet, and with a smile, she pretended to be mysterious, saying, "Haha, don't rush me, I said I'd tell you after the competition!"

Berrada was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so the rules weren't really followed. Anyway, England's first-choice goalkeeper, Joe Hart, would be in goal. The two teams would switch roles, and the game would end when one team scored three goals first. As for the field, you could decide for yourselves, just don't go too far.

The two teams' representatives, Tang Long and Ranocchia, played rock-paper-scissors to see who would attack first.

"I won't hold back, so be careful," Tang Long teased.

"I won't hold back in the first official game of the new season, just make sure you bring your shin guards," Ranocchia said with a grin.

Tang Long's team won possession and attacked first, Ranocchia's team defended first.

Tang Long walked to a spot about twenty meters away from the door, where Sterling and Otamendi stood beside him.

"How are you planning to play?" Tang Long asked for everyone's opinions.

Sterling and Otamendi shrugged at each other, indicating that they would just play however they wanted; what else could they do?

Tang Long looked towards the goal.

A five-a-side goal is approximately two meters high and three meters wide.

Standing at 194cm tall, Joe Hart was in front of the door, wearing sneakers, and with the height of his hair, his forehead was almost touching the door frame.

With his arms outstretched, his reach could cover the width of the goal.

"You two come here," Tang Long gestured for Sterling and Otamendi to come closer. "The door is too small, Hart is too big. We can only hit Hart in the groin."

Sterling nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, "That's right, I punched Hart in the Hart once when I was at Liverpool, and during national team training camps, everyone liked to punch his groin too!"

UK's goalkeeper Joe Hart is known for his goalkeeping skills, but he has two weaknesses: he often becomes the backdrop for spectacular long-range shots, and he is easily groined.

Although Tang Long hadn't specifically fed Hart any AI, he knew this because he regularly read football news.

Otamendi said he had no objection, explaining that he wouldn't shoot because he only knew how to unleash powerful shots, not groin shots, and that forcing a shot might damage Hart's groin.

Berrada, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, blew the whistle, and the 3V3 match began!

The fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers!

Although everyone knew it was just for the show, they were all looking forward to seeing how the six new recruits would perform.

Tang Long dribbled the ball forward two steps and arrived in front of the goal.

The opposing midfielder, Delph, came to defend.

Sterling and Ottmendi spread out to the sides, and Tang Long passed the ball to Sterling.

Sterling is young, only 21 years old, and has already made a name for himself at Liverpool. Speed and dribbling are his strengths.

He took a side step and feinted, Iheanacho played along, not extending his leg, allowing Sterling to easily get past him.

Ranocchia and Delph came to block, Sterling shot, the ball hit Ranocchia's leg, bounced off, and landed at Tang Long's feet.

Although neither player made any aggressive tackles, Ranocchia's tall stature made it difficult for Sterling to shoot, even if he didn't move.

Tang Long controlled the ball and then passed it to Otamendi. Otamendi didn't stop the ball either and passed it back to Tang Long, indicating that he should handle it himself.

Surprisingly, with that pull, Ranocchia and Delph also moved, revealing a gap. Tang Long easily slipped through, flicked the ball sideways past Ranocchia, and faced the goal directly.

Hart adopted a goalkeeper's stance, waving his arms, thinking to himself, "This goal is so small, even if I stand still, you can't score."

Tang Long paused for a moment, made a feint, and the ball suddenly shot out!

Hart was already momentarily distracted by Tang Long's shooting rhythm, and with his vision obstructed by Ranocchia, coupled with his self-proclaimed wide coverage and his immovable, unmoving stance like a giant Buddha, the ball swished right between his legs and into the goal.

"Uh..." Hart was stunned, then covered his face with his hands.

(Hart: Ugh, you hit my crotch again!)

Laughter erupted at the Etihad Stadium.

"Haha, Hart got nutmegged for the first time this season, that's interesting!" Agüero was overjoyed.

Tang Long quickly stepped forward and hugged Hart, apologizing. Hart nodded sheepishly and said it was alright.

After that, the teams switched sides, and both sides scored.

Ranocchia's performance not only impressed the fans, who cheered him on, but also attracted the attention of the Manchester City players in the stands.

He played as a striker until he was 12 years old, and his footwork was superb.

A few simple comparisons and criticisms were enough to surpass Otamendi and Tang Long.

Although the opponent didn't defend seriously, Ranocchia's few moves still showed his excellent footwork.

Kompany said, "That's Pique's style of play. We'll be playing together this season, I'll play deep and he'll play as a center-back. I really want to see his passing technique in a proper Premier League match."

Agüero said, "If we had a center-back like him who can distribute the ball in our backline, the pressure on the midfield would be much less, and the defense wouldn't be afraid of the forwards pressing us. The club's transfer strategy is very clear and it addresses the root of the problem."

In the blink of an eye, the score was tied at 2-2.

Tang Long scored one, Sterling scored one, and on the opposing side, it was Iheanacho who scored.

"Guys, the final Ballon d'Or is here! One ball decides the winner! Come on, come on! There's a prize for the winner!" Berrada transformed into the live DJ, using the microphone to guide the rhythm.