Guardiola: Tang Long Had Everything It Took to Become a Top-Class Striker!

As the match entered stoppage time, Ronaldo was in his VIP box, smiling broadly as he began collecting money.

A heart-wrenching scene unfolded on the field!

Inter Milan's center forward Bonazzoli, still not giving up, once again used the pendulum technique during a dribble in the attacking third against Kompany.

This time, however, he failed to get past Kompany again;

With the final step, his supporting leg slipped and he fell to the ground, clutching his knee and groaning in pain!

The screams were so horrifying that Kompany quickly kicked the ball out of bounds, signaling for the referee to come over.

"Ah, Bonazzoli seems to be injured!"

Adriano exclaimed in surprise, and the Inter Milan legends, who had been silently watching Ronaldo receive the money, rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Where are you hurt?" Ronaldo's heart skipped a beat. He threw down the banknotes and rushed over.

He had been worried about Bonazzoli using the pendulum in such a terrible pitch, but he couldn't rush onto the field to call him; all he could do was pray silently.

So when I heard Ade say he was injured, an ominous premonition welled up in my heart like a dark cloud.

"I don't know," Ad frowned. "He was clutching his knee, like he injured it when the Pendulum Dribble."

Ronaldo's face was pressed tightly against the glass window, his features distorted by the pressure.

Materazzi, standing nearby, slapped his head hard and said to Ronaldo, "Hey, you fat guy, you're such a jinx! You were right!"

Bonazzoli was helped off the field on one leg by two team doctors.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

At that moment, all sorts of bad thoughts flashed through his mind; he even remembered his agent Ronaldo's experience at this stadium years ago.

Tang Long ran to his side, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but Bonazzoli turned to him and said:

"Tang, did I tear my cruciate ligament?"

"It's okay. If it were really torn, it would have been on a stretcher by now. Don't overthink it. Your mother is still in Manchester, waiting for you to visit her this weekend."

Dimarco also ran over, nodded to Tang Long, and comforted Bonazzoli.

At this moment, the former Inter Milan youth team trio finally appeared in the same frame.

Inter Milan lost their will to fight in the final minutes, and the match ended.

Thanks to Tang Long's hat-trick in the first half, Manchester City came from behind to defeat Inter Milan away from home, winning 4-3 on aggregate and advancing to the quarterfinals!

As the Inter Milan players thanked the stadium with dejected expressions, a huge chorus of boos erupted from the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza!

The boos were directed at the players, making them unable to lift their heads.

A torrent of insults followed!

No fan of a team can remain calm after seeing their team suffer a three-goal defeat, unless they don't love that team at all.

Manchester City's players had all gone into the locker room early to celebrate.

Only Tang Long remained on the field, all alone.

In the drizzle, he stood with his hands on his hips, gazing at the towering North Stand of the Meazza.

After the Inter Milan players finished their thank-you speech.

He quickly ran off the stage and thanked the fans alone.

Tang Long's sudden arrival elicited three different reactions from the fans.

Some people booed him just as loudly, feeling that he was being hypocritical and deliberately mocking us.

Some remained silent, their feelings complicated.

Another group gave him a thunderous round of applause!

"Tang! Welcome home!" The banner was waved again.

"Well done, Tang! You've shown our new owner just how badly the team has fallen apart!"

"Tang, we will always welcome you back here!"

"Hero of the Meazza, you've brought two trophies to this place!"

The applause grew louder and louder, the boos disappeared, and most of the fans stood up to applaud Tang Long.

Tang Long's eyes were a little red.

He recalled the days he spent on this very pitch, playing alongside Icardi, Guarin, Ranocchia, Handanovic, and others, battling against Juventus and AC Milan.

The cheers from fans for his goals seem like they happened just yesterday, never fading away...

A draw guarantees advancement? No! No miracles at the Meazza!

Manchester City don't need a draw, they just need a win!

He scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick in his career, breaching the Meazza!

He left from here, and returned as king once more!

<A man of honor and loyalty, Tang didn't celebrate his goal but went to the North Stand to thank the fans after the match.>

Bonazzoli's injury is not serious and he is expected to recover in three weeks.

Ronaldo gives an interview, strongly criticizing the Meazza stadium.

In England and Italy, almost all media outlets were giving extensive coverage to the match, generating considerable buzz and attention.

In Germany, Munich.

Inside Bayern's office.

In a knockout match that ended at the same time as Inter Milan, Bayern thrashed Porto 6-1 away from home, advancing smoothly to the quarterfinals.

There's not much to review in this match.

Whether comparing player strength or the interplay between the two coaches, Bayern emerged victorious.

Therefore, at the debriefing meeting the following day.

Guardiola sat in the main seat, listening to the coaching staff's remarks, pretending to look at his notebook, but actually looking at his phone hidden underneath.

The phone is playing a highlight reel of Tang Long's goals against Inter Milan.

"What a great shot... How did he get to that position... Decisive shot, perfect timing and technique... He didn't even look before shooting, was it just by instinct...?" Guardiola thought to himself.

I've watched this video at least thirty times from last night to this morning.

But the more Guardiola watched, the more he enjoyed it, and a novel idea began to emerge in his mind.

He barely listened to anything at the meeting that day, and several coaches seemed to notice something and glanced at him curiously.

However, Guardiola remained engrossed in his thoughts, his eyes shining and his lips curling into an uncontrollable smile.

The meeting ended.

Guardiola then called his trusted scout, Raymond, aside.

"I have a bold idea: next season, Tang will appear on the front line!"

Raymond has been with Guardiola for over a decade; you could say he knows him inside and out.

Seeing that Guardiola had been watching Tang Long's hat-trick highlights since last night, he knew that his boss must have some new ideas.

Sure enough, when Raymond heard Guardiola excitedly tell him that he wanted to revamp Manchester City's 4-3-3 formation and then push Tang Long to the front line, playing as a left or right forward, similar to Lionel Messi's position, he nodded knowingly.

"What, aren't you even a little surprised at why I made this decision?" Guardiola asked.

"I'm not surprised. You've forgotten I've been following him for months. I've seen far more material about Tang than you have," Raymond said with a laugh. "But there's one thing I don't understand!"

"Where? Tell me."

Raymond watched the entire 90-minute Inter Milan vs. Manchester City match at the Meazza.

Tang Long's second goal, the one that put Manchester City ahead 3-2 from 2-2, was a game-changer, and from that point on, the balance of power began to tip in Manchester City's favor.

"I just don't understand one thing. Knowing Tang as I do, he's a very composed and calm player. He could have easily controlled the ball and then calmly slotted it in with a low shot to the left or right! Why did he volley it without stopping the ball? You know, Ranocchia passed the ball to him from behind. When he swung his leg, he couldn't even see the ball. What if he missed? That was just too risky."

Guardiola was taken aback upon hearing this, then burst into laughter.

The laughter was so hearty that it left Raymond momentarily stunned.

What's so funny?

"Raymond, you're a good scout, but if I may say something offensive, you've spent your entire career in lower-level leagues, so you've never worked with top players. You don't understand their mentality, how fierce and powerful they are."

"Tang did this on purpose. He wanted to use a spectacular volley to completely destroy Inter Milan's mental defenses, break their spirit, and tell his former club that they simply couldn't win!"

Raymond was shocked; he hadn't expected this at all when he was watching the game live.

"If that's the case, Tang's volley was indeed terrifying. It reminded me of the quarter-final match of UEFA European Championship 2012, when Pirlo scored a Panenka penalty against Hart. After the match, he said, ' Hart looked very confident on the goal line. I just wanted to deflate his arrogance and destroy England's confidence.'"

Guardiola nodded solemnly.

"A ruthless killer like Tang should be on the front line."

"He has everything he needs to become a top striker!"