The Magic Moment! Nasri Saves the Day with a Last-Gasp Winner, Giving Manchester City a New Year's Day Victory!
The moment Tang Long scored, Tottenham Hotspur manager Pochettino panicked!
No head coach wants to see a two-goal lead turned into a draw.
To be honest, losing to Manchester City away from home isn't shameful, but it's truly shameful to be up by two goals and then have them come back to score two or even three goals in a row!
It's okay if you don't get three points, but Pochettino feels immense pressure if he gets bombarded with criticism from the media and fans after the game.
He quickly consulted with his assistant coach and decided to bring on a center-back to form a five-defender formation.
"We have to hold onto at least one point, no matter what! We absolutely must get one point!"
However, when he saw Tang Long fiercely rush into Tottenham Hotspur's goal, push Lloris aside to snatch the ball back, and then sprint back to the center line at top speed, slamming the ball heavily onto the center circle, waiting for the kickoff...
This smash actually calmed Pochettino down.
Alderweirel, a center-back on the bench, had already gotten up.
Pochettino waved for him to sit down, but then called over Nasri, who was sitting in the corner of the bench.
"Nasri, you come on and replace Guarin!"
Nasri jumped up from his seat with a start; he couldn't believe it was real.
Having just been released by Manchester City and returned to the Etihad Stadium, I'm about to face my former club. Am I going to take the field?
The Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach looked at Pochettino with anticipation.
"Boss, didn't you just say we were going to defend to the death and only score one point? We've brought on Nasri, he's an attacking player, are we going to score another goal?"
Pochettino, however, was shrewd and composed, and calmly said to the assistant coach:
"No, I want to send in a technically gifted player like Nasri to control the tempo."
Tang Long's powerful smash made Pochettino realize Manchester City's determination to win the game.
Pochettino realized that at this moment, Manchester City's opponents were in high spirits at home, while his own team's morale was waning, and that a desperate defense would likely be unsustainable.
It would be better to take a risk and send in a technically gifted midfielder, Nasri, to control the midfield with his ball control and dribbling.
From Pochettino's perspective, Manchester City's passing and possession in this match were actually not very good. They played too fast a tempo and failed to keep the ball under their control, while Tottenham Hotspur also relied on a high-ball, long-ball approach.
To stabilize the game in the final 10 minutes and avoid conceding another goal, controlling the midfield is the only way.
Moreover, although Nasri played sluggishly for Manchester City, Pochettino is not worried about his fighting spirit in this match.
A player who has been dismissed from his team will definitely want to prove himself when facing his former club. Nasri will absolutely put all his effort into these last 10 minutes!
When Guarin was substituted and handed over to Nasri on the sidelines, Nasri's eyes darted around, but Guarin grabbed him by the collar.
"Nasri, look me in the eye! Play well, and better yet, score a goal, understand?"
At that moment, a deafening chorus of boos erupted from the Etihad Stadium, directed at Nasri.
Perhaps angered by the boos, Nasri nodded heavily to Guarin, even hugged him, and then ran onto the field.
"I understand. I won't let those Manchester City guys get away with this!"
Nasri's appearance also generated immense anticipation among fans in the live broadcast room.
- [Haha, the traitor Nasri has appeared! This is going to be interesting!]
- [What the heck? Pochettino is betting on Nasri in the last 10 minutes?]
-[I suspect Nasri didn't go up there to play football; he went to fight Tang Long!]
"Let's do it! Guarin couldn't even beat him, why would Tang Long be afraid of a mere France?"
-[You guys know what, he'll definitely be full of fighting spirit facing his former team. Who knows, Nasri might even score a game-winning shot, that would be the highlight of the show!]
-[Holy crap, I can't even imagine what that would look like!]
Like Guarin, Nasri is also an emotional player.
He looked at his former teammates, now his opponents, and the image of that day when Begiristain called him into his office and forced him to terminate his contract with a humiliating clause kept flashing through his mind!
Anger, frustration, resentment, jealousy...
All sorts of emotions gathered in his heart, and the pent-up volcano finally erupted at this moment!
The gushing lava was so thick that every wisp of smoke seemed to be inscribed with the word "revenge."
"I absolutely have to score a goal! Not only will I score, I'll take off my shirt to celebrate, and I'll do a knee slide in front of 60,000 spectators at the Etihad Stadium."
Nasri muttered something to himself, revealing his true feelings.
Tang Long overheard his words and glanced at him.
Nasri glared at him angrily.
"It's all because of you!"
Nasri first unleashed his anger on Tang Long.
Less than two minutes after entering the game, he kicked Tang Long from behind, knocking him to the ground and earning a yellow card.
However, Nasri has one advantage over Guarin: he's very cunning.
Seeing the other Manchester City players glaring at him and closing in, he nimbly scurried away like a mouse, dusting himself off and running back to his own half, hiding behind Alli and Dier.
This yellow card was part of his plan, and he just happened to use it on Tang Long. It was a win-win situation!
Believe it or not, Pochettino's substitutions this time really had a remarkable effect.
Nasri is, after all, a former Manchester City player who spent five years with the Blue Moon, so he knows these teammates very well.
He knew that the stronger Manchester City's desire to counterattack and the more eager they were to score, the more Tottenham Hotspur needed to slow down and wear them down. If both sides went to attack head-to-head, Tottenham would only be destined to be defeated by a last-minute goal.
Nasri's footwork is already quite good, and he only came on in the last 10 minutes, so there's no issue with his stamina.
Coupled with a strong desire for revenge, he was exceptionally enthusiastic about running.
He bounced around the backfield like a flea, frequently controlling the rhythm of the backfield with his passing and receiving, signaling his teammates to slow down.
Furthermore, Nasri pays great attention to utilizing the width of the pitch, which is one of the few genuine skills he learned from Tang Long during his time at Manchester City.
Under Nasri's leadership, Tottenham Hotspur gradually stabilized and even gained the upper hand in possession at one point.
With the clock ticking down to the 89th minute, the fourth official on the sidelines was preparing to raise the sign for added time, and Pochettino on the sidelines breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but go over and ask the referee how many minutes of extra time would be added.
The fourth official did not answer, but pressed a "4" and held it high.
"Hmm, four minutes, one goal per minute, that's fair enough," Pochettino nodded.
Nasri continued to control the tempo, keeping the ball at his feet, Pochettino gave Nasri a thumbs up.
However, while Pochettino may have used the right players tactically, he still needs to work harder on understanding the players' mentality.
Little did he know that Nasri had been playing with gusto for the past 10 minutes since he came on!
Aside from kicking Tang Long from behind right after he came on the field, which was a moment of catharsis, Nasri was suppressing his desire to score a game-winning goal against Manchester City – he was holding back a lot of energy!
With the match entering stoppage time, Nasri felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the next time he would face Manchester City would likely be next season. His contract with the team was only for six months; would Tottenham Hotspur renew it?
It's hard to say for sure.
We have to give it a shot!
In fact, Nasri had already planned out the spot where he would slide on his knees after scoring a goal—right on the Manchester City bench, hehe!
The third minute of stoppage time.
Manchester City pressed forward with almost their entire squad, attempting to Tottenham Hotspur pinned in their own half.
Full-back Walker was surrounded by three players and, in a moment of urgency, quickly passed the ball to the in-form Nasri.
As is customary, Nasri can distribute the ball to the other side of the pitch, effectively arranging Manchester City's players in a more compact manner.
In reality, although Manchester City's desire to win is growing stronger, many of Manchester City players are experiencing leg fatigue at this stage of the game.
After all, while others are on holiday for the entire Christmas season, they are playing football, which is a double blow both psychologically and physically.
Nasri, however, did the opposite, actually using a Cruyff Turn!
In the blink of an eye, Agüero, who had come to harass them, was gone.
With Manchester City players pushing forward aggressively, only Ranocchia and Kolarov remained in the backfield.
In the final minute of stoppage time, Nasri didn't hesitate and sprinted straight forward with the ball!
Thanks to his superior physical condition, Nasri charged forward quickly and managed to break through the defense of two players.
"Wow, Nasri's picking up speed!"
"He broke through the encirclement of Delph and Toure in succession and charged towards Manchester City's backfield!"
He's already past the center circle!
"Manchester City fans must be a little dazed seeing this!"
"Kolarov dribbled in and headed it over, wow, Nasri dribbled past him again with a single pass!"
"The last center- Ranocchia, didn't dare to press forward; he was calling for his teammates to get back on defense!"
"Nasri has already beaten three players in a row. Is he about to pull off a solo run?"
The entire Etihad Stadium fell silent; the tense Manchester City fans even forgot to boo the traitor.
They held their breath, their eyes glued to Nasri's skillful footwork. Many fans couldn't even imagine the humiliation of being defeated by Nasri at home with a last-minute goal...
At this moment, neither England manager Mancini in the stands nor Guardiola's trusted scout were paying attention to tactics anymore. All their eyes were focused on Nasri. They were like fans, wanting to see if Nasri could pull off this incredible solo run.
Whoosh--
"Ah!!!"
Nasri felt a gust of cold wind coming from behind, and before he could spike the ball to avoid it, he fell to the ground!
To his astonishment, Tang Long turned around and charged forward with the ball!
"Tang Long! It's Tang Long returning to defend!"
"He chased back all the way and then slid in from the side to steal the ball!"
"Nasri, who had only been on the field for a little over 10 minutes, couldn't even outrun Tang Long, who had played for over 90 minutes!"
"It's unbelievable that Tang Long still has such incredible stamina in the final moments of the match!"
"Tang Long turns and dribbles forward, haha, the pace is so fast, the game is entering its climax!"
The previously deathly silent Etihad Stadium erupted in thunderous applause!
Cheers erupted again, and screams shook the heavens!
The clarion call to arms rang out once more!
How could Tang Long, who had already played 90 minutes, possibly have the same stamina as Nasri had only been on the field for 10 minutes?
They are all professional athletes; it's impossible for them to have such incredible physical abilities.
But Nasri was determined to get revenge on Manchester City;
Tang Long, too, harbored a grudge and wanted to suppress Nasri.
This incredibly foolish and selfish France actually thought of becoming a mole and sending messages to the Sun!
Not only did it subject me to intense public criticism, but it also dragged two innocent people, Gracie and Diletta, into the gossip and rumors.
Could such a scumbag really be allowed to pull off a full-blown stunt with his former master?
Keep dreaming!
Tang Long's legs felt like they were filled with lead; every sprint to the limit carried the risk of cramps.
But with unwavering determination, he intercepted Nasri's pass and, without even breaking a sweat, launched another anaerobic sprint, dribbling past three players in Tottenham Hotspur's half.
He was just as good as Nasri had only been on the field for 10 minutes.
In the blink of an eye, Tang Long gritted his teeth and dribbled the ball as if it were nothing, already reaching the right side of Tottenham Hotspur's penalty area!
"Give it to me and I'll give it to you!"
Agüero, whose face was flushed from extreme blood rushing to his head, had already sprinted towards the penalty area at top speed. Only he could keep up with Tang Long's pace!
Just as Tang Long raised his leg, preparing to unleash a Low-trajectory Curve Shot towards Agüero's back post, a gust of cold wind swept in from his left.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw Nasri's ferocious face!
As Tang Long made his long run, Nasri, who had lost possession of the ball, gritted his teeth and kept following him, finally closing in on him the moment Tang Long passed the ball.
Nasri knew Tang Long's passing skills all too well; he knew that as long as Tang Long passed the ball to the far post, Agüero would be practically guaranteed an open goal!
He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen before his eyes, especially since the ball had been dispossessed of him from the start.
Nasri made a sliding tackle in advance to intercept Tang Long's pass into the penalty area!
Tang Long intended to dunk the ball, but his stamina was already exhausted. He wasn't sure if he would have the strength to pass it with his left foot after dunking it. Moreover, Agüero's run was fleeting, and he couldn't hesitate any longer. Tang Long simply accelerated the swing of his lower leg and used all his strength to deliver a rapid, Low-trajectory Curve Shot!
Bang!
The ball hit Nasri's toe!
"Still too slow!"
Tang Long was filled with resentment; he knew this was his last chance to attack.
When Agüero, positioned at the far post, saw Nasri clear the ball, he deflated like a punctured balloon.
Overwhelmed by extreme fatigue, the Argentina striker, who had only played half the game, collapsed to his knees, his legs giving way.
Nasri roared excitedly!
I did it!
We absolutely cannot let you win!!!
The other Tottenham Hotspur players in the penalty area also breathed a sigh of relief.
They all turned their attention to the referee of the match Clattenburg.
When they saw the referee already had the whistle in his mouth, they felt a sense of relief: it was finally going to end, and taking away a point would be a good result.
"Oh!"
Just when everyone thought the match was over with Manchester City's attack coming to a standstill.
A bizarre scene unfolded!
Tang Long's Low-trajectory Curve Shot on by Nasri's toe, soaring high into the air. Just as it was about to go out of bounds, the strong arc caused it to suddenly curve and fly towards the Tottenham Hotspur goal.
Goalkeeper Lloris could never have predicted that the ball would fly like that.
He was shocked and quickly stretched out his long arm to touch the ball, but the ball, as if it had been calculated, hit the upper right corner where the goalpost and the crossbar meet, and bounced down into the goal with a thud!
Tang Long:???
Agüero:???
Mancini:???
Guarin:!!!
Nasri "...