Matthews Feint: An Evolution! Tang Long Delivers the Decisive Blow!

Bony obediently lowered his head, wiped the Nike sneakers covered in grass clippings off his knees with his hands, then picked them up and kissed them deeply—this devout appearance moved Tang Long deeply.

Throughout his professional career, he has twice had his shoes wiped by teammates.

Aside from Bony, the last time was when Guarin shone his shoes at Inter Milan.

Both Guarin and Bony share a common trait: they both harbored resentment and hostility towards Tang Long because they faced the threat of having their positions taken away by Tang Long!

However, in the end, the two became the biggest beneficiaries of Tang Long's wonderful performance and were deeply impressed by his superb skills, which is why they performed the shoe-shining ceremony for him—the highest form of respect on the court.

Compared to Guarin, who wiped his own shoes after scoring a goal, Bony's act of wiping his shoes was even more commendable.

It's worth noting that he scored the goal, and Tang Long didn't provide the assist, yet he willingly knelt down to wipe Tang Long's shoes. This demonstrates just how highly regarded this 19-year-old China player is in the hearts of the people of Ivory Coast.

Tang Long recalled Chivu's words to him: to earn his respect on the football field, it had nothing to do with your nationality, race, skin color, or cultural background, only with your skills!

Seeing the Manchester City players' jubilant expressions, Everton's midfielders were extremely frustrated.

Barry, Casillas, and Barkley, the three midfielders who had been outmaneuvered by Tang Long earlier, huddled together during the brief period of dead ball possession.

"What happened? Weren't you clearly going to steal the ball? How did you get faked out?" Barry started berating his underling McCarthy.

McCarthy, looking aggrieved, said, "I don't know either. My foot was almost touching the ball, but he just flicked it and I was out of the game."

The two of them then turned their gazes to Barkley.

In the first attempt to surround and grab Barry and McCarthy, they failed. Then Barkley rushed in and directed the two of them to form a three-man encirclement.

"Barkley, the route of Don's final pass was exactly where you should have been blocking it. Why did you give him an opening?"

Seeing the artillery fire turn towards him, Barkley's face darkened. He thought to himself, "You two couldn't even surround him, and you have the nerve to blame me for letting him go?"

He said with dissatisfaction, "I thought he was going to keep dribbling past me, but as soon as I came up, he passed the ball out. If you ask me, this kid is too cowardly. Does he dare to dribble past three people? He doesn't have the ability, you know!"

Veteran Barry thought Barkley's statement was complete nonsense. "Why would Tang need to dribble past three? Do you think he's Lionel Messi? If you didn't block the pass, you didn't block it. Don't make excuses for yourself." He waved his hand dismissively and walked away.

At halftime, head coach Pellegrini was very satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

He especially praised two players in front of the whole team: Bony, who scored twice, and Tang Long.

"Guys, it's proven that as long as we focus on ourselves and play to our strengths, there's no opponent in the Premier League we can't beat. Stick to your style and keep playing well!"

At the start of the second half, Ivory Coast player Bony showed even more energy than in the first half.

He's already scored two goals; if he scores one more, it will be a hat-trick.

Let alone at Manchester City, he played for Swansea for almost two years and never scored a hat-trick!

This was his first goal of the new season for Manchester City, and to score a hat-trick right off the bat is an absolute huge achievement for Bony, giving him a lot of confidence!

Bony's ego was getting a little too high at this point.

He had already begun to imagine himself taking the match ball from the referee after scoring a hat-trick, and then inviting all his teammates to sign it in the locker room;

Not satisfied with that, they had to upload the photo of the football signed by the entire team to social media, enjoying countless likes and cheers from fans.

"Hehe, so what if Agüero isn't here? I, Bony, will prove with my abilities that I have the ability and the credentials to be Manchester City's number two striker, let alone the number two striker!"

Mindset.

Mindset is a factor that cannot be ignored.

In fact, given Bony's ability, with Tang Long feeding him the ball and facing a trailing Everton, scoring another goal shouldn't be a problem for him.

But the problem was that Bony's mindset was unstable; he was getting a little arrogant and carried away.

If Agüero had been on the field and scored twice, the world-class superstar's experience in countless big matches and his wealth of tournament experience would have allowed him to maintain a calm and composed mindset.

Often, the next goal comes naturally from this calm and collected mindset.

But Bony couldn't do it. As an African player who came to the big stage of Manchester City from a small team, Bony was eager to prove himself, but it was this strong desire to prove himself that made him a little dizzy.

In the 61st minute of the second half, Bony had a great one-on-one opportunity!

Tang Long's through ball wasn't particularly brilliant; it was simply a result of Everton being forced into a desperate situation, trailing by two goals, and pushing all their players forward in a do-or-die effort.

Both Jiang Guangtai and Stones are physically strong, but seeing their senior teammates pushing forward, the two young men got carried away and actually moved their defensive line up to the midfield.

Now look what happened! During an Everton corner kick, Ranocchia headed the ball away, and Tang Long, without stopping the ball, kicked it right in front of him!

A simple offside trap is commonplace for a Premier League striker like Bony; he swiftly intercepts the ball and rushes into the penalty area, getting ahead of Jiang Guangtai and Stones.

The wind howled past his ears as Bony vigorously swung his arms!

He could hear both the whistling wind and the roar of the more than 50,000 Manchester City fans in the stadium!

He sprinted with the ball, looked up, and saw that the Manchester City fans on the other side of the goal had all stood up, waving their hands as if to shout:

"Kick the ball into the goal, Bony!"

Feeling like he was the center of attention, with all the spotlights on him, Bony suddenly had a rather unusual thought.

That means I not only have to score this goal, but I also have to score it beautifully, to show off in front of all the spectators, and more importantly, to demonstrate to Agüero, who is currently suspended, that "Hey, don't think you're guaranteed a starting position. Don't forget about me Bony."

So, facing Handanovic's attack, he could have simply pushed the ball gently to the far corner or flicked it to the left, using his speed to get past the goalkeeper and score into an empty net.

But Bony refused to do that. When he was still five meters away from Handanović, he gently flicked the ball up with the tip of his toe.

"Bonnie Bonnie is one-on-one with the goalkeeper!"

"Handanovic abandoned the gate!"

"What will Bony choose? Will he dribble past the goalkeeper or shoot directly?"

"Huh? He lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper!"

"Oops, not high enough!" Handanović stood firmly in place, raising his hands high above his head to catch the ball.

"That shouldn't be happening. Why would he choose the most difficult way to attack a simple one-on-one situation? It's really inappropriate."

A sure goal, but the ball ended up in Handanović's hands. Bony stood there, scratching his head, and hissed.

Seeing this, Agüero, who was sitting in the stands, slapped his thigh hard and complained to Hart beside him:

"Bony's striker technique is lacking; even when he tries to chip the ball, he shouldn't have done it that way."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hart countered.

Agüero explained, "A chip shot wouldn't be impossible, but you have to get close to the goalkeeper, pretend to push the ball down, and trick the goalkeeper into falling. Then, with a gentle flick, you can send the ball more than a meter high, and it will roll over the fallen goalkeeper and into the net."

Upon hearing Agüero's explanation, Hart, a top Premier League goalkeeper, nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Kane scored both goals against me last year against Tottenham Hotspur using this technique. There's no need for someone like Bony to chip the ball over from so far away. Doesn't he know his own limitations?"

If Bony's wasted shot on Tang Long's assist was due to his eagerness to show off and his deliberate attempt at a difficult shot, then his subsequent clearance from two meters out highlighted his lack of goal-scoring instinct.

That was in the 69th minute of the match.

Kolarov, who came on as a substitute on the left wing, used his powerful 1.87-meter frame to bulldoze past Everton's right-back, and then delivered a low cross.

This ball was supposed to be a low, flat shot, but because Kolarov's shot was a bit too powerful, it became a half-high ball, a type of shot that strong players dislike the most.

Tang Long, who had just completed a one-two with Kolarov, had now charged into the penalty area.

The ball flew straight towards his groin. Tang Long felt it was going to be difficult to catch, but he had already anticipated Bony behind him. So he simply jumped up, letting the ball pass between his legs.

This blunder fooled two Everton center-backs in succession—the lovable duo of Jiang Guangtai and Stones— who were once again outwitted.

After Tang Long's slip-up, the ball started bouncing.

At this moment, Bony only needed to give a gentle push; the distance was too close, Handanović wouldn't be able to block the ball.

But the problem was that Bony was slow to react in front of the goal and lacked the instinct of a striker. He didn't anticipate that Tang Long would let the ball through like that!

He was startled when the ball flew right in front of him and hurriedly stretched out his leg to kick it, but he didn't expect to misjudge the ball in his haste.

I intended to push with the instep of my foot, but the ball accidentally hit my calf.

So, within two meters, Bony kicked the ball into the stands.

The Manchester City fans behind the stands were all stunned.

"This... this ball didn't go in!?"

"No way, it was only two meters, right inside the penalty area, and it still flew wide."

"I feel like even my grandma could score that."

"Bony made a really good clearance! That shot felt like it was harder to miss than to score!"

Tang Long couldn't help but laugh. He turned to Ranocchia and said, "Spitting out pancakes two meters in front of the door? Good heavens, this is truly eye-opening."

Ranocchia, however, began to analyze the situation with Tang Long in a serious tone. "Bony's clearance was no simple feat. At such close range and with such fast ball speed, he was able to quickly adjust his body posture and kick the ball out of bounds in front of the goal. If it had been me, that would definitely have been an own goal!"

Teams that squander chances will eventually be punished, a lesson veteran coach Pellegrini knows all too well.

With the match now past the 70th minute, Everton's counter-attack momentum remained fierce.

In order to suppress the opponent's momentum and score a third goal as soon as possible, Pellegrini decisively substituted Bony with young player Iheanacho.

This substitution demonstrates Pellegrini's determination to completely crush Everton!

Since Bony was not in good form in the second half, he brought on another striker to continue the pressure.

"Iheanacho, keep going! You have to score that third goal that will decide the game!"

Youngster Iheanacho, who received Pellegrini's instructions, immediately felt immense pressure.

Seriously?! I'm only 19! You want me to score the moment I step onto the field? Even Bony couldn't do that, and you want me to?

He ran nervously to Tang Long's side.

"Why don't you push forward a bit, try to get closer to the front line? We need you to score goals."

Tang Long immediately understood that Iheanacho was trying to shift the blame onto him.

It seems this England player lacks confidence in his own abilities.

So Tang Long simply pushed forward a bit.

Although his position still appears to be that of an attacking midfielder, he actively closed the distance between himself and Iheanacho, effectively making him more like a second striker.

This forward pressure worked quickly!

Just five minutes later, Kolarov on the left wing delivered another cross.

This time he changed his footwork, instead of hitting a powerful flat shot, he curled a ball into the air.

The ball dipped sharply after entering the penalty area. Iheanacho, who had just come on, was focused and full of energy. He outmuscled Jiang Guangtai, who was already exhausted from being outmaneuvered, and chested the ball back to Tang Long at the edge of the penalty area.

Handanovic roared and ordered center-back Stones to move up.

Stones, standing at 1.88 meters tall, quickly reached Tang Long with a few powerful leaps.

Tang Long, holding the ball, watched Stones rush over and realized that this guy was quite fast and agile, unlike the traditional tall England center-backs.

It won't be so easy to force your way through him.

Tang Long decided to use the specialized training skills that had just been activated in the AI Cloud Training Ground.

He first swung twice with a pendulum motion, but because Stones was pressing him so closely that there was no room for him to sprint, these two swings did not interfere with his center of gravity.

Tang Long then executed another bicycle kick, Stones remained as steady as a rock.

"It seems I have to move the ball to fool him," Tang Long thought.

Time is running out, and the defenders are closing in rapidly.

Tang Long used the inside of his right foot to flick the ball more than 30 centimeters to the left, then leaped to the left with his left foot, making Matthews Feint —flicking the ball to the left!

"Matthews? No way!"

Stones, being one of the best young center-backs in England, immediately realized that Tang Long was a little over a meter in front of him, was trying to use Matthews Feint' first dribbling step to shift his center of gravity.

While maintaining his balance, Stones strategically extended his leg to block Tang Long's advance in the path of his dribble.

Seeing that Stones hadn't been fooled and that the defenders had come up to cover, Tang Long decided to cut the ball back, pass it back, stabilize the rhythm, and keep the ball under his control.

But then a sudden inspiration struck me!

Why not give Matthews Feint moves?

Logically, after Matthews Feint dribbles past his opponent and flicks the ball to the left, he draws the defender's weight to that side, and then uses the outside of his right foot to flick the ball to the right in the opposite direction.

With each wave of movement, they created space for shooting and dribbling.

However, based on Stones' situation, Tang Long did not mechanically copy him. After pushing to the left, he pushed the ball straight, creating a change in rhythm at a vertical angle!

Although Stones is tall, has long legs, and a large field of vision, as the saying goes, when God closes a door, he opens a window.

With a "whoosh," the football swiftly passed between Stones' feet—he'd been groined by Tang Long!

This sudden change in pace caught all of Everton's defenders off guard.

Even Handanovic's view was obstructed.

When he saw Tang Long dribbling towards him, he was momentarily stunned, and the ball flew past his feet and into the near corner.

With a whoosh, the football collided violently with the net, and only then Handanovic instinctively extend his right foot to block it.

"Damn, I still couldn't stop this kid!" Handanović leaned back in disappointment and lay down inside the doorway.

3:0!

He scored the decisive goal for his team.

Tang Long raised his arms high, accepting the cheers of the entire stadium while embracing his teammates who rushed over!

Hart in the stands was shocked. Tang Long's movements were too fast; he hadn't even seen it clearly before he saw Tang Long and the goalkeeper one-on-one.

"Sergio, did you see clearly how he got there?"

Agüero's eyes were wide open.

"My God, he changed Matthews Feint's rhythm, he actually nutmegged Stones!"