Wenger: We Didn't Lose to Manchester City; We Only Lost to One Man-Tang!
Wenger was stunned.
Manchester City players pinned Tang Long to the ground in wild celebration, while on the substitutes' bench, all the Manchester City substitutes sang and danced around Pellegrini.
But Wenger paid no attention to the noise around him.
His gaze was fixed intently on Tang Long's series of actions on the huge replay screen at Wembley Stadium.
He covered his mouth with his hand, and beneath his large palm, a rounded mouth was hidden.
He froze completely!
Tang Long actually managed to dribble the ball into the goal!
He didn't shoot; the goal was scored through dribbling.
A tremendous feeling of humiliation surged through the France coach's mind.
This sense of humiliation made his anger erupt. He wanted to roar, to scream, to berate Pellegrini standing beside him: You have no professional ethics, you don't respect your opponents!
But even though his mouth was agape, covered by his large hand, he couldn't utter a single word.
At this moment, the only sound Wenger could make was the sound of his heart pounding violently in his chest.
On the big screen, the replay of Tang Long's goal was shown three times from three different angles.
When he watched it for the first time, Wenger was filled with confusion.
This wide-angle shot did not clearly show the details of some of Tang Long's action techniques.
The second shot zoomed in, allowing Wenger to clearly see how Tang Long, facing three Arsenal players blocking his path, chipped the ball over them, then over Cech, and brought it into the goal.
Although Wenger was completely shocked, he was somewhat bewildered.
But I was still filled with confusion.
He was waiting for the final replay, hoping it would answer the questions in his mind.
The third replay on the Wembley Stadium screen not only slowed down the playback, but also showed a camera pointing directly at Tang Long, zooming in so closely that even the hairs on Tang Long's legs could be clearly seen.
"Ah, this..."
This time, Wenger finally saw things clearly, and all his confusion vanished!
So that's how it is!
He finally realized that the moment the ball flew towards Tang Long, his shooting motion was just a deception.
As his three favorite players made defensive moves, Tang Long, who was about to strike the ball with the instep, pulled back and used a conventional instep control move to stop the ball on the ground.
All professional players can perform this kind of ball control, and some can even do it better than Tang Long.
But in that position and at that moment, he actually controlled the ball, and with just a slight pull of his instep, he rendered the attempts of three Arsenal defenders to block him futile!
This seemingly simple ball control easily dismantled Arsenal's defense!
While the subsequent two lobbed passes were certainly brilliant, Tang Long's first touch on the ball was what truly shocked Wenger.
Calm.
Why was Tang Long able to remain so calm and composed when he was in the eye of the storm?
This calmness reminded Wenger of the students he had taught in the past.
Henry, Van Persie, Fabregas, Anelka, Arshavin...
These talented attacking players, and images of them during his time as manager, flashed through Wenger's mind like scenes from a movie.
But no one, not even the sharpshooter Henry, has ever been so composed and calm in front of the goal.
In that instant, Wenger felt a sudden wave of frustration.
This sense of frustration enveloped him like a cold flame, instantly dispelling his resentment and anger.
Although there were still four minutes left in stoppage time, a disheartened Wenger knew that with Tang Long in charge of Manchester City, no matter what tactical efforts he made, Arsenal could not defeat Manchester City.
Wenger looked up at the sky and sighed.
The frustration in my heart turned into relief.
He was convinced that he had encountered a once-in-a-century talent.
Faced with such a gifted player, any effort or struggle is futile.
Some people are born for football.
He smiled, then lowered his head and slowly walked towards the substitutes' bench.
He plopped down in front of a bunch of substitute players.
Seeing Wenger with his eyes slightly closed, no longer concerned about the situation on the field, the players instantly understood that the game was over.
Oliver blew the final whistle.
Thanks to Tang Long's last-minute goal, Manchester City defeated their opponents 3-2, lifting the EFL Cup at Wembley Stadium and securing their first trophy of the season!
All the Manchester City players, both on and off the pitch, were raising their arms in celebration!
Tang Long, however, walked alone to his former Inter Milan teammate Podolski, who looked rather dejected.
After exchanging jerseys, Tang Long gave the Germany a big hug.
"Thank goodness you went easy on them! If you had gotten past Caballero, you would have won the championship," Tang Long said.
"Don't say that. Didn't you also miss two sure goals? That's football. Until the very last moment of the game, nobody knows what will happen, just like that time you miscontrolled the ball."
Although Podolski was very sad, he still gave Tang Long a thumbs up for his wonderful performance.
"Tang, I have a feeling you will become the world's number one!"
"So I'll win this year's Ballon d'Or?"
"You might not win it this year, but next year, the year after, or the year after that, one day you will beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or d'Or, I promise you."
Captain Kompany strode confidently and proudly toward the podium.
His solemn expression revealed how much he cherished this honor.
As he received the gleaming EFL Cup with both hands, the team behind him erupted in deafening cheers!
Kompany raised the trophy high, fireworks and ribbons flying behind the entire team!
The trophy gleamed in the sunlight, like a beacon of victory.
In the stands of Wembley Stadium, Manchester City fans also erupted in wild celebrations;
They waved their flags, and the blue ocean rose and fell like surging waves.
Kompany struggled to lift the trophy up and down three times, as if lifting weights, before immediately handing it to Tang Long beside him.
Tang Long also mimicked Kompany, raising his arms up three times!
"We won!"
Fireworks continued to bloom, their golden flames illuminating Tang Long's young and handsome face;
Confetti rained down from the sky, landing on the shoulders of every Manchester City player!
We won!
We finally won our first trophy of the season at the end of March.
But we haven't won enough yet!
The league, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and three more trophies await Blue Moon's pursuit!
Post-match press conference.
When Wenger strode confidently toward the podium with his long legs.
He noticed that the London media reporters in the audience were all ashen-faced and silent.
A sense of frustration permeated the entire release event.
The proud capital media naturally hope that the EFL Cup can stay in London; they don't want this honor to remain in Manchester to the north.
A reporter from the Times asked:
"Professor Wenger, could you share your thoughts on this match?"
Wenger said, "In this game, we scored two goals from two corner kicks, which marks a new breakthrough for the team in set-piece tactics. Overall, I am very satisfied with the team's performance. Although we lost the game, I believe Arsenal can leave Wembley Stadium with their heads held high."
The reporter appeared very unwilling, and his tone was quite aggressive.
He retorted, "Head held high? Professor Wenger, did I hear that right? We Arsenal got a last-minute defeat against Manchester City!"
The reporter was very young, looked like he had only recently started working, and seemed impulsive.
He said Arsenal twice took the lead and were pegged back twice, a scenario never seen before in the Premier League. Does this expose a weakness in Arsenal's game? How can this weakness be addressed in future Premier League and UEFA Champions League matches?
He bombarded Wenger with a series of questions, as if he were judging Arsenal's greatest manager in history.
Such a blunt tone made the other London media present hold their breath for the young reporter!
Professor Wenger is refined and polite, but he also has a temper, so don't piss him off.
Perhaps realizing her tone had been a bit agitated, the reporter calmed down after asking a series of questions, glancing somewhat nervously at Wenger, wondering what his reaction would be.
To everyone's surprise, Wenger not only didn't get angry, but instead smiled faintly.
His smile exuded elegance.
"Young man, you must be only twenty years old, younger than my son. Haven't you seen through the true nature of this match yet?"
"We didn't lose to Manchester City, we only lost to Tang."