First Leg Over, Everyone Was Left Wondering: Who Was the Mole?

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Inter Milan will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.

One hour before the match.

Inter Milan coach Laino had no interest in strategizing or going onto the field to watch his players warm up.

He was extremely anxious, his body was burning with restlessness, and he was scratching his head and ears, just waiting for a result.

Why hasn't Manchester City's starting lineup been released yet?

Logically, it should have been announced long ago.

Every nerve in his body was on edge, gripped by the suspense surrounding the starting lineup.

With half an hour to go before kickoff, the assistant coach finally rushed over with the Manchester City starting lineup signed by the referee.

Laino snatched it away, his gaze sharp as he looked at the roster.

The Inter Milan players sitting in a circle all looked at him.

Finally, Laino crumpled the roster into a ball, slammed it to the ground, and jumped up in joy!

Applaud!

It went around in circles!

Applaud!

Keep spinning, and keep spinning!

He clapped and spun around three times!

Everyone found it utterly ridiculous; when did Laino become so deranged?

Captain Candreva rushed to the crumpled paper, picked it up, spread it out, glanced at it, and then raised his arms and shouted!

"Haha, Tang has been excluded from the starting lineup!"

The assistant coach laughed, "He's not just out of the starting lineup, he's not even on the final roster, and we won't see him on the bench either!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the locker room!

Many people were jumping and skipping, clapping and spinning around just like head coach Laino.

The entire locker room erupted in cheers, as if they had already won the game before it even started.

"That's fantastic! Without Tang, our chances of winning have increased dramatically!"

"Brothers, are you confident you can win this game at Etihad?"

"We have great confidence. Manchester City with Tang and Manchester City without Tang are completely different teams!"

"That mole at Manchester City is amazing! He did us a huge favor at this crucial moment!"

"Press high up the ball directly; without Tang, they definitely won't be able to control it!"

Everyone in the locker room was celebrating their victory.

Only the three Italy remained silent.

Bonazzoli, Dimarco, and Santon.

The three of them sat together in the locker room. They didn't cheer or dance; they just looked at each other in silence.

Bonazzoli and Tang Long have been roommates since their time in Inter Milan's youth team, and they also share the same agent Ronaldo.

Tang Long also frequently gave him guidance on football techniques, and their relationship was obvious.

Dimarco is no exception, needless to say.

Back when Tang Long formed a youth team of three within Inter Milan, Dimarco was one of them and received a lot of care from Tang Long.

Santon, born in 1990, is the only player in the team who was overlooked during Inter Milan's treble-winning season in 2010.

Having lost two menisci in his knees, he once considered retiring, and couldn't even secure a spot as a substitute in the team.

It was Tang's passing and positioning that gave Santon a new lease on life on Inter Milan's left flank!

Last season, with Tang Long's help, Santon's confidence was restored, and his form improved with each game.

In this match, he also started as the left-back.

These three men all had close relationships with Tang, some in life and others on the court, and had all received favors from him. Therefore, they were unwilling to join in the celebrations for Tang.

Moreover, does Santon really think that even if Manchester City loses Tang, we're guaranteed to win the game?

Opening champagne before the game even starts is incredibly unsportsmanlike!

"I hope nothing bad has happened to Tang. Has he been arrested?" Dimarco murmured softly.

"I don't know. Tang was on the 25-man roster when it was announced the day before. How come he's not even on the roster today?" Bonazzoli said worriedly.

"It seems Manchester City substituted him at the last minute due to pressure from the authorities."

Looking at Laino, who was cheering and jumping for joy in the locker room, and his teammates, who were all smiles, Santon sighed disdainfully.

Having experienced the grand spectacle of winning three world championships, his mindset is different from his teammates.

"Look at their gloating faces! Hey, you two, forget about that for now, just focus on playing well. Even without Tang at Manchester City, we're still facing a formidable opponent, so we absolutely cannot underestimate them!"

Under pressure from official intervention, Manchester City decided to remove Tang Long from the matchday squad at the last minute.

In a sense, this is also a form of protection for Tang Long by the club.

Manchester City has ample public relations funds and connections to weather this kind of storm, but it would be better to let Tang Long lay low while the storm is raging.

As for who leaked this secret?

CEO Begistein feels that it's no longer important.

Begistan had naturally heard about the intense factional struggles in the locker room over the years.

On the eve of a major battle, such a shameless traitor has emerged from within the organization. The person most furious is naturally Begiristain, the head of this club.

Next season, after Guardiola takes over Manchester City, he will work with the manager to launch a reform movement within the team and completely eradicate these factions.

Furthermore, Begistan felt that Tang Long the right thing by kicking Fernando so hard.

Fernando is nobody!

A mere rotation player on a team dares to bully Guardiola's handpicked star Gündoğan?

Do you think that just because you let Gündoğan crawl between your legs, he'll give you his starting defensive midfield position? Are you out of your mind?

As for Toure, Begiristain also intended to eliminate him.

Over the years, thanks to the fact that many black players were born in France colonies, coupled with the abundance of talented France players, the French-speaking Faction community has become deeply entrenched and its influence has continued to grow within the Manchester City dressing room.

It has even posed a constant threat to the Spanish-speaking Faction.

In Begiristain's mind, there are three players in the Manchester City team who cannot be touched!

Captain Kompany, striker Agüero, and midfield maestro Tang Long.

As long as these three can get along harmoniously, everyone else who disrupts the locker room atmosphere, including gangs, must be eliminated!

However, figuring out how to eliminate these people will require considerable effort, and Begiristain needs to consider this carefully.

Specifically, Begistan still needs to discuss with the next head coach, Guardiola, which players will leave and which can be selectively retained.

Just as Inter Milan captain Candreva, who was shouting the loudest in the locker room, had predicted.

Manchester City without Tang Long is a completely different team.

After losing Tang Long, Manchester City's possession-based style became extremely rigid, especially in handling certain details. Spain player Silva, who replaced Tang Long in the attacking midfield position, always seemed a step too slow.

In addition, perhaps influenced by the brawl, some Manchester City players seemed distracted and less focused than before.

Many previously skillful combinations often falter at the final pass, missing the mark by a hair's breadth!

In the 35th minute of the first half, Inter Milan took the lead with an away goal.

Candreva, on the right wing, stumbled and staggered past left-back Kolarov before unleashing his signature curving cross.

Bonazzoli sprinted forward, escaping the encirclement of Ranocchia and Kompany, and headed the ball into the net!

The entire Etihad Stadium fell silent instantly.

Immediately following, a deafening cheer erupted from the away fans' section where Inter Milan fans were located!

Candreva shouted excitedly and rushed forward, slapping Bonazzoli hard across the face.

"Haha, Grandpa, how was my assist? Not bad, right?"

Bonazzoli, clutching his slightly sore face, glared at Candreva.

The next time I assist you and you score, I'll happily slap you, okay?

Live stream room.

[This is bad news! Inter Milan has scored an away goal!]

This is the advantage of playing the second leg away from home; in the UEFA Champions League, the team that plays the second leg away from home has a psychological advantage.

-[I feel that without Tang Long, Manchester City's passing and possession game looks very deliberate. It's like passing and possession for the sake of passing and possession; it looks plausible, but it's not really.]

-[Silva's physique is still relatively weak; under pressure from Inter Milan's defensive midfielders and center-backs, it's difficult for him to deliver penetrating passes.]

If Tang Long is still unavailable for the next round, I actually favor Inter Milan to advance.

- [Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. This Inter Milan isn't the Inter Milan that Tang Long played for. Do you really think they can hold on for two legs?]

Icardi watched the match on his own television.

Manchester United's knockout match against Juventus is tomorrow, so he has plenty of time to see how his former club performs at the Etihad.

When Icardi saw Bonazzoli head the ball in, Icardi shouted excitedly, as if it were himself who had scored the goal, not Bonazzoli's.

"Haha, well done, Bonazzoli, that header was great! Looks like I taught you a lot back when I was at Inter Milan!"

She heard her husband shouting outside.

Wanda, whose sex life had been strained lately, came out in her pajamas, looking resentful.

"Hmph, all you do is watch. You can't score yourself, so what's so exciting about watching others score?"

After Inter Milan took a one-goal lead in the first half, Wanda actually pouted, looking rather unhappy.

"I really don't know what you're so excited about, Mauro, you idiot. Let me tell you, as we enter the final sprint of the league, the more UEFA Champions League matches Manchester City plays, the better. That way, they'll be distracted in the UEFA Champions League, and your Manchester United will have a much better chance of winning the league title."

Icardi was taken aback, scratched his head, and realized that what his wife said did make some sense.

But then his head started shaking like a rattle drum.

"I don't care about all that. I just don't want to see Manchester City win. I'll be happy if they lose!"

"And I'm even happier that Tang Long can't play!"

"I'd better suspend him until the end of the season. I want him to sit in front of the TV every day and watch me score goals, hahaha~"

Wanda shook her head, a wave of disdain washing over her husband's reaction.

I feel like my husband is such a fool. He just won't understand reasoning with me. Aside from showering him with gold coins, he seems pretty useless.

With a one-goal lead going into halftime, Inter Milan players were getting a little carried away, practically ready to pop champagne in the locker room.

Comparatively, as the team's most senior player, Santon constantly reminded his teammates to stay focused and not underestimate their opponents.

But Candreva, as captain, was arrogant and conceited, unable to act as a leader. Who would listen to Santon's words?

For a train to run fast, it all depends on the locomotive.

Santon saw Candreva's erratic, cat-like movements and wondered where was the captain's composure?

He couldn't help but think, "If Ranocchia were still the captain, he would definitely be able to lead us to stability."

In the second half, Santon's prediction indeed came true.

In the 71st minute, Delph, positioned in the defensive midfield position, suddenly launched a long pass.

Agüero beat the offside trap and chipped the ball into the net in a one-on-one situation!

The chip shot on a one-on-one situation has practically become this striker's signature move.

Manchester City have equalized, 1-1.

Icardi, watching on television, was furious. He ran over, pointed his finger at Inter Milan's goalkeeper on the screen, and yelled:

"Chop, choke, choke! The whole world knows Agüero loves to chip shots when he's in a one-on-one situation, how come you can't defend against that!"

The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match ended in a draw.

Neither side was satisfied with the score.

Manchester City felt that conceding an away goal to Inter Milan had created potential problems for the second leg.

The whole team hated this mole and wondered who it was. Right before the crucial battle, he stabbed the team in the back!

Inter Milan, on the other hand, felt it was a real pity that they missed the opportunity to defeat their opponent while Tang Long was absent.

The next morning.

Manchester City Football Club convened a press conference with numerous prominent UK media outlets to address the Tang Long situation...