The "Run-Through Pass": Tang Long's Original Move, a Killer Blow That Brought Paris Saint-Germain Down!
Brazil full-back Maxwell was kneeling on the ground, pounding his fists in anger.
Thump, thump, thump, punch after punch, filled with resentment.
Even before his foul on Sagna, his physical abilities had already reached a plateau.
Maxwell finally managed to foul Sagna and get a chance to catch his breath, but then he saw the fourth official preparing to make a substitution. Seeing France full-back Kimpembe standing on the sidelines, Maxwell breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he was going to be replaced.
He thought he had accomplished his mission in this match, but before he could even celebrate, Sagna suddenly unleashed a quick serve!
Maxwell then watched helplessly as Tang Long and Agüero completed a one-two pass, with Tang Long easily chipping the ball into the net.
Maxwell was furious; it was so close, just a minute more...
Maxwell was substituted off and Kimpembe came on.
Compared to 35-year-old Maxwell, 21-year-old Kimpembe is stronger and has better running and fighting abilities.
He hopped and skipped onto the court, displaying the unique confidence and flamboyance of a Black player, and even charged directly at Tang Long.
"Hey, Asia! I'm way faster than Maxwell, so don't even think about attacking from behind!"
Tang Long squinted at the energetic young Black man before him, stroked his chin, and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Kimpembe originally intended to provoke Tang Long and exchange some trash talk, but he didn't expect Tang Long's response to be like this. Kimpembe was stunned for a moment and walked away.
Sixty minutes have passed.
Paris Saint-Germain's towering striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, gradually recovered after about ten minutes of breathing exercises.
His physical condition has temporarily recovered, and he has begun to selectively carry the ball instead of touching it with one foot.
Once Ibrahimovic returns to form, Paris's attack will be able to move forward.
However, with the overall physical condition of the players declining, they were unable to maintain the same frantic pressing as in the first half.
The only way to get Ibrahimovic to the ball is through long passes, after which the defenders can advance the ball.
However, Manchester City is very familiar with this style of play, having encountered it many times in the Premier League. As long as they prevent Ibrahimovic from getting the ball and turning, and at the same time guard against Ibrahimovic passing lanes, they can still contain Paris's counterattacks.
67th minute of the second half.
David Luiz received the ball just outside the penalty area, took two steps forward, and saw Ibrahimovic leaning against center- Ranocchia, reaching out for the ball.
Like Ranocchia, David Luiz is also a ball-playing center-back with outstanding footwork, and his long passes are particularly mesmerizing.
He made a quick decision, gently flicking the ball, which traced an arc in the air and landed steadily in Ibrahimovic's direction.
At this moment, Ibrahimovic was watching the ball flying from afar, his body already prepared.
His back felt like a massive mountain, and as he leaned back, the entire weight of his body pressed down on Ranocchia.
Just as Ibrahimovic was about to use his signature chest control move, his tailbone was suddenly hit hard, and he jerked.
In an instant, the ball was already in front of his head!
Ranocchia and Ibrahimovic jumped at the same time!
Both players are 195cm tall. When they jumped, their heads hit the ball at the same time. Neither of them hit it far. The ball went straight up and down, rising vertically more than 10 meters in the air.
"Again!"
Two people, four eyes, stared intently up at the football in the air.
When the ball landed less than a meter above their heads, they jumped again at the same time!
This time, Ranocchia overpowered Ibrahimovic from behind and headed the ball forward twenty meters!
Ibrahimovic clutched his throat and bent over.
During that jump, he was hit in the throat by Ranocchia's elbow and couldn't breathe.
"You bastard, you elbowed me?" He turned around and glared fiercely at his opponent.
Ranocchia laughed and retorted, "I even kneed you in the tailbone, what? You forgot I'm an Italy defender!" Then he ignored Ibrahimovic and moved forward with the ball.
The ball flew into the air, Toure gave Motta no chance, heading it forward again.
The ball flew to Tang Long's feet!
"Side attack him!"
With a shout, Matuidi, along with Rabiot, launched a pincer attack on Tang Long from the left and right rear directions.
However, Tang Long didn't hesitate after receiving the ball. He pulled back smoothly, slid through the gap between the two attackers on the side, and slipped right through them.
With a loud "bang," Rabiot and Matuidi failed to trap Tang Long; instead, they crashed head-on into each other!
Both of them were so dizzy from the collision that they spun around three times before wobbling and falling to the ground.
"Tang!"
Sterling made a high-speed run down the left flank.
It's obvious he's aiming to attack behind the opponent's full-back Kimpembe!
Kimpembe was equally fast, keeping up with Sterling and closing the gaps behind him.
He was very confident in his speed and his ability to anticipate openings, which is why he dared to provoke Tang Long when he first entered the arena, never even considering attacking from behind.
In fact, Kimpembe, the young full-back who is gradually making a name for himself in Ligue 1, is indeed the fastest player in the entire Paris Saint-Germain team, and he is rarely outmaneuvered by through balls from opponents.
Because he can always cover his own openings, and even if he doesn't, his extremely fast recovery speed can instantly disrupt the ball behind him.
Tang Long dribbled the ball toward the side where Sterling and Kimpembe were.
Sterling was sprinting desperately, Kimpembe was chasing desperately, and no matter how fast Sterling ran, he could never outrun Kimpembe.
Tang Long's pass remained unfulfilled, and just as Sterling was growing increasingly anxious, he suddenly saw Tang Long make a gesture to pass the ball back to him—
0.025 seconds later, Sterling immediately understood and stopped charging forward, instead pulling back towards the center.
"Haha, no one in this world can break through my back!" Kimpembe said smugly.
But a second later, he quickly became a true clown.
Instead of playing a through ball, Tang Long pushed the ball towards the space between Sterling and Kimpembe.
Kimpembe was taken aback. What kind of tactic was this?
He quickly stepped forward and blocked the ball.
One kick and you're dead!
Just as he stretched out his foot, Sterling, who had taken the lead, flicked the ball with his toe, bypassing Kimpembe's interception.
Kimpembe's defense missed!
Kimpembe is even faster than Sterling, making it difficult for him to penetrate behind Sterling with a through ball. The opponent was also prepared, so Tang Long did the opposite and attacked in front of him!
While Sterling's absolute speed is not as good as Kimpembe's, his stride frequency over a short period of time is higher than his opponent's.
With this ball in front of him, Sterling's pace was faster, and he stepped ahead of Kimpembe, luring Kimpembe to make a move—and with that move, Kimpembe lost his balance, and Kimpembe slipped past Sterling like an eel.
What a brilliant feint!
This is the "body ball" playing style that Tang Long tailored for Sterling. Although the two had practiced it in training, this was the first time they used it in a real game. Once the sword was drawn, it was a fatal blow!
After passing Kimpembe, Sterling went full throttle, his little motorcycle sputtering and revving, the throttle twisted to the floor.
First dial, then tap, then step and then buckle.
He unleashed a series of dazzling footwork in the middle, dribbling past David Luiz and Diego Silva before breaking into the penalty area.
Sterling is one-on-one with the goalkeeper!
Sterling was extremely nervous!
Everyone in the world knows that he is unbeatable at dribbling but terrible at shooting.
He knew it himself!
In a moment of haste, facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he attempted to push the ball into the far corner with his left foot;
The moment the ball left his foot, Sterling felt a chill run down his spine. Oh dear, he hadn't hit it properly; it was too straight...
Just as Sterling was feeling frustrated about wasting Tang Long's wonderful pass and his own brilliant dribble past three players, the ball went perfectly through Trapp's legs and into the goal.
Sterling was stunned!
After standing there in shock for a second, his eyes darted around, and then he confidently pressed his hands down, making a domineering celebration gesture in front of the Paris fans booing him, as if it were all expected.
"Impressive! That was a clean and decisive strike!" Tang Long rushed over to give him a thumbs up immediately.
"You can actually hit the crotch? You've improved, Sterling!" Agüero excitedly hugged Sterling's neck.
"Perfect dribbling, even more perfect shot!" Delph applauded Sterling.
The Manchester City players on the bench jumped up again and rushed to the sideline.
2-1, they've taken the lead!
Although Bony also stood up, it was clear from his eyes that his feelings this time were more complicated than when he witnessed Tang Long's one-on-one chip shot goal last time.
Bony rubbed his eyes, even thinking he was seeing things, and thought in surprise:
"What's going on? It seems like both Don and Sterling are better shooters than me!"
No sooner had one wave subsided than another arose, and Manchester City is making a comeback!
In an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent.
Despite Blanc making another substitution to maintain the players' stamina;
However, once Manchester City gets going, Paris simply can't stop them.
In the 76th minute of the second half, Tang Long delivered a stunning pass that silenced the entire Parc des Princes, causing the home fans to leave early, their expressions somber.
After a series of tentative passes in the middle, facing the ball rolling back, Tang Long suddenly turned sideways and unleashed a scimitar kick!
The football flies towards the goal!
Goalkeeper Trapp gestured for me to calm down and let him hold me.
Defender Thiago Silva gestured to everyone that no one was around and urged them to calm down.
At the very last moment, with the added speed of the ball, it suddenly made a sharp turn in the air, swerving past Trapp's hands. Originally heading towards the goal, it spun towards the far post, Trapp missed his chance to grab it!
At the critical moment, Sterling, who arrived late on his motorcycle, leaped off and charged towards the summit!
It wasn't until this moment that top center-backs Diego Silva and David Luiz realized what was happening.
It turns out that Tang Long's shot didn't fly towards the goal because of a mistake, but because he had anticipated Sterling's run at the far post and deliberately fired a high-arcing shot to lure Trapp into a mistake.
"We've all been fooled by him!"
Sterling, who is 172cm tall, scored a header in the Paris penalty area!
The match has ended.
In the end, Manchester City came from behind to defeat Paris 3-1 away from home, securing victory in the first leg of the two matches.
Just as the entire Manchester City team, led by Tang Long, Kompany, Agüero, and others, came to the stands to thank the Expeditionary Army fans.
In the players' tunnel at the Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint -Paris CEO Nasser -Khelaifi, however, stood angrily at a corner, waiting for someone to arrive...