Everyone Thought It Was a Mistake, but Tang Long Was Playing 4D Chess!

After the start of the second half, under pressure from Pellegrini's authority, the players continued to play their established passing and possession tactics methodically.

This was exactly what Sevilla wanted!

They're not afraid of your passing and ball control, they're afraid of your physical play.

Seeing that Manchester City was playing to their weaknesses and avoiding their strengths, Sevilla coach Meeri looked at Pellegrini with a mixture of delight and slight confusion.

"Are you out of your mind? If you can be Manchester City's manager, so can I!"

58th minute of the second half.

After Vitolo, Iwobi, and Krerechovia exchanged seven or eight passes, they suddenly accelerated and passed the ball to the advancing Banega.

Manchester City's two defensive midfielders quickly retreated, with Demichelis and Kompany also double-teaming Gameiro.

"Watch out for Banega's through balls; he loves to pull that tactic!"

Gameiro did indeed make a forward run, Banega also raised his right leg.

Just when everyone thought a connection was about to be formed between the two;

Banega gently lowered his foot and flicked the ball to the right wing with the outside of his foot.

He split up the sides!

Right-back Koke makes a high-speed run forward!

Gameiro rushed forward, drawing Kompany and Demichelis towards them, thus completing his mission.

That's right, Koke's target wasn't him, but Banega at the edge of the triangular penalty area!

Banega curled a shot into Caballero's goal, breaking the deadlock for Sevilla at home, making it 1-0!

Amidst the deafening cheers of the Sevilla fans, Pellegrini stood on the sidelines with a grim expression.

Sevilla's attack just now was fluid and brilliant.

However, this level of passing and control has been seen in almost every Manchester City match in the past, so it's not anything new.

However, with nearly 60 minutes of the game played, Manchester City, playing away, hadn't managed a single possession like this, let alone scored a goal.

"Kill you using the methods you're good at!"

A taunting voice came from behind Pellegrini from a Sevilla player.

Pellegrini found it extremely offensive; to kill you in the ways you're good at is an absolute humiliation to him.

He turned to look at the bench, his gaze sweeping over the players like a whip, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Who can be substituted?

The players on the field already possess the best footwork among the current depleted squad.

Tang Long had been waiting for the right opportunity.

His calm mind and advanced AI System algorithms allowed him to have a clear understanding of the weaknesses in Sevilla's defense.

He was waiting for the right opportunity to arise.

They waited for 80 minutes.

At this moment, Sevilla fans were singing and dancing, already celebrating their victory ahead of schedule!

Although there are still 10 minutes left in the game, based on the current form of the two teams, Sevilla is very likely to score another goal.

As for Manchester City equalizing?

They should focus on their defense first!

In the 82nd minute, during a corner kick defense, Tang Long noticed a change in captain Kompany's eyes.

Compared to the dejection in the eyes of his other teammates, Kompany's eyes burned with a fire.

The fire started burning about 70 minutes ago.

After 80 minutes, the fire intensified, and his eyes were practically spitting fire!

Banega took the corner kick, Kompany leaped high to head the ball away.

Sevilla immediately launched a high press, Iheanacho had just controlled the ball when it was dispossessed.

The game was going smoothly, and Sevilla's morale was high. They continued to press forward and attack Manchester City. After all, offense is the best defense. By pinning the opponent down in the penalty area, the pressure on the defense would be reduced.

However, Banega was a bit too overconfident this time.

He La Croqueta past two defensive midfielders, Delph and Demichelis, twice in quick succession just outside the penalty area;

Just as he was about to get past the third center-back Kompany, he was tackled to the ground by the Belgium's precise positioning.

"Tang, watch the game!"

Kompany immediately passed the ball to Tang Long.

Realizing that his opponent was pressing forward aggressively, Tang Long didn't hesitate this time. He turned and slipped past Iborra, the opponent's defensive midfielder.

This turn drew cheers from Yaya Toure on the bench!

"See? That's the right way to dribble past someone with your back to the basket. Delph needs to learn from Tang!"

However, after clapping and cheering, Toure seemed to realize something, his expression froze, and he immediately withdrew his hand.

Why should we cheer him on?

I even took Nasri Pellegrini's office to complain about him...

Sterling on the left wing was making a high-speed run, but after receiving a pass from Tang Long, he didn't choose to make a strong breakthrough. Instead, he cut the ball back and passed it to Tang Long in the middle.

Before the match, Pellegrini specifically emphasized that unless there was absolute certainty, one should not force a breakthrough on the flanks;

Try to get the ball to the midfield and advance the ball layer by layer through passing.

Sterling has taken Pellegrini's advice to heart.

"Stop standing there, charge forward!"

Tang Long frowned, feeling sorry for Sterling missing such a good one-on-one opportunity;

He didn't have time to criticize too much and immediately instructed Sterling to continue pushing forward and draw away the opponent's full-back.

Sterling's football IQ has improved considerably during his time playing with Tang Long.

Instead of heading straight to the side, he made a diagonal run, using his superior speed to pull ahead of his opponent by a body length.

"Through pass! Through pass! There it is!" Toure on the bench remained silent, but secretly clenched his fist.

Sterling made a sharp diagonal run from the wing towards the center, creating an excellent opening;

Tang Long flicked the ball to the right and swung his leg, seemingly about to connect with Sterling—

But at that moment, a whistling sound of wind rushed past my ears!

Captain Kompany actually charged over!

After intercepting Banega's pass in front of the penalty area, Kompany passed the ball to Tang Long.

However, he did not follow the requirement of staying in the backfield as a sweeper, but instead rushed forward from the back!

As he swept past Tang Long like a gust of wind, a thought flashed through Tang Long's mind!

[Kompany's fighting spirit boost detected: The outcome of the match hinges on the final ten minutes!]

This is a quote from Kompany's autobiography.

Tang Long had just finished reading this autobiography, and this sentence left a deep impression on him.

In the 2011-12 season, Manchester City defeated Queens Park Rangers in the final round of the league, creating a 93-20 title-winning miracle.

After that match, Kompany shed tears of triumph and uttered a powerful statement to reporters:

"To be honest, I always believed we could win this game, even when we were down by one goal in the 90th minute. I was convinced we would lift the Premier League trophy! The outcome of a match is often decided in the last 10 minutes. I've played countless games, and this is a valuable lesson from my career!"

At this moment, Kompany's back was so firm as he rushed forward. He didn't even look back at Tang Long before charging straight ahead!

Sterling is pulling towards the center, Iheanacho is still in the backfield and hasn't caught up with their pace, the third option is Kompany.

However, Kompany also had a close-marking defender on his side.

Should the pass go to Sterling or Kompany?

Tang Long chose to trust Kompany Belgium captain who had experienced the miraculous championship win, Manchester City's defensive pillar and spiritual leader!

In the blink of an eye, the right foot, already striking the bottom of the football, had no time to retract;

Tang Long used all his strength, his abdominal muscles suddenly contracting and his calves moving, and in an extremely awkward posture, he chopped the ball towards Kompany.

The ball was passed, but because the movement was awkward, the ball's speed was slow and it floated lightly.

"What's going on?!"

"It's over!"

The Manchester City substitutes on the bench all shook their heads!

That pass was terrible!

All signs pointed to Tang Long's intention to connect with Sterling, but for some reason, the final pass didn't go well.

This chance for a counter-attack is about to be wasted. Are we really going to lose this match to Sevilla?

However, just when everyone thought Tang Long's misplaced pass would give away a golden opportunity, Kompany used his powerful physique to knock away his close opponent and then used the momentum to dribble forward!

"Wow! Kompany's performance in this match was incredibly strong!"

"He first knocked Banega away, and now he's knocked Rami away!"

"Kompany has dribbled into the penalty area! Unbelievable!"

How did he handle this one-on-one opportunity?

"Excellent! Very decisive!"

"A classic instep shot into the far corner!"

"Kompany has helped Manchester City equalize!"

"Tang Long is still the one who provided the assist!"

The cheers of the Sevilla fans came to an abrupt halt!

They all covered their heads with their hands, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes.

Manchester City were supposed to be playing possession-based football, so why is their attacking pace suddenly so direct?

Even Kompany managed to get a one-on-one opportunity...

Live stream room.

- [It's a draw! I knew Manchester City wouldn't lose!]

-[Kompany is channeling Agüero! His shots are way more reliable than Sterling's!]

-[Haha, Tang Long probably knew Sterling's shooting was terrible, so he deliberately didn't give him the ball.]

To be fair, Tang Long's pass wasn't great; he almost lost possession. That assist had a huge element of luck!

-[So what if it's luck? Tang Long is Manchester City's lucky charm!]

The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The moment the whistle blew, the Sevilla players' eyes were filled with regret!

The Manchester City players, on the other hand, were filled with relief, feeling like they had gotten a point for free.

After all, many people felt that Tang Long's pass to Kompany was not of high quality, and that Kompany, who was originally a center-back, was able to rush from the backfield all the way to the frontfield and finally score a one-on-one goal. This was neither in the course of the game nor without an element of luck.

Only two people had regret written all over their faces: Tang Long and Kompany.

Kompany was named Man of the Match, gave an interview.

"Tang's final passing choice? Yes, I also felt he should have passed the ball to Sterling, but somehow the ball ended up at my feet."

"You ask me if I ever thought I'd break down the door? No, at that moment my mind went completely blank, my instincts just kept pushing me forward!"

"... You could say that. Tang made a wrong choice, and I scored a goal with a bit of luck. But football is always full of chance, and that's part of the charm of the game!"

After returning to the locker room.

Kompany specifically sought out Tang Long.

"Tang, I'm really confused. Why didn't you pass the ball to Sterling during that counter-attack? He had more space and was faster. He would have been one-on-one with the goalkeeper, while I'm not good at dribbling and I've never had a one-on-one chance like a striker."

"I just have a feeling, captain, that you can score as soon as you get the ball at this point!"

Pellegrini was fairly satisfied with securing a point away from home.

With 10 points from 4 group stage matches, qualifying for the next round is no longer a problem.

However, he is more worried about the team's performance in the league than in the UEFA Champions League.

Three days later they will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

The game against Sevilla was so difficult, and that last goal was a fluke.

After the match, he specifically asked Kompany, and the Manchester City captain told him that this was the first time in his more than 10-year professional career that he had a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper in an official match!

Can the team withstand a Chelsea the Blues aiming for the title?

Chile are uncertain.

The next day.

Inside the manager's office at Chelsea FC in London.

Manager Mourinho looked at the scouting report on Manchester City's UEFA Champions League match last night, freshly presented by the scouts, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"Pellegrini, you've really gotten old, stubborn and inflexible!"

Based on match footage and scouting reports, Mourinho believes that Pellegrini's rigidity in possession-based tactics will make Manchester City easy targets for Chelsea, handing them a victory.

As for Tang Long's assist to Kompany's goal in the final moments?

Mourinho watched the replay three times and burst into laughter!

He felt that Tang Long must have been exhausted, oxygen-deprived, and mentally short-circuited at that moment, which is why he gave such a good opportunity to Kompany instead of Sterling, who was in a better position and was faster.

As for Kompany's long-range solo attack technique?

This is not even on Mourinho's agenda for the next match.

A center-back in the center-forward position facing a goalkeeper one-on-one is a rare occurrence, happening less than once in 100 matches. It's an extremely low probability event, requiring no prior tactical planning; it's purely a matter of luck.

Mourinho firmly believes that no team can win at Stamford Bridge by luck.

Manchester City's good fortune came to an abrupt end after this match against Sevilla.

Three days from now, I'll kick Manchester City off their Premier League title!