Ibrahimovic Makes a Fool of Himself with a Scorpion Kick, and Cavani Gets His Head Busted!
"Higuita! Higuita!!!"
Manchester City goalkeeper Caballero let out a shout and sprinted from the penalty area to the front. Instead of rushing towards Agüero, who had scored, he ran towards Tang Long and lifted him high in the air.
Higuita was Caballero's childhood idol.
Standing at only 1.76 meters tall, this Mexico goalkeeper, like Caballero is 1.83 meters tall, is considered a short goalkeeper in the football world.
In 1995, Higuita executed a divine scorpion kick in a match against England!
Facing a chip shot from the opponent, Higuita, standing still in front of the goal, waited for the ball to fly over his head before jumping back and using the soles of his feet to deflect the ball away from the goal line!
At the age of 12, Caballero was playing as a midfielder. It was Higuita's incredible scorpion kick on the goal line that made the young Caballero fall in love with the goalkeeper position. The seed of becoming a goalkeeper was planted deep in his heart, and he changed his career path.
However, unlike Higuita, the former used both feet to deflect the ball that was about to cross the goal line;
Tang Long then delivered the ball into the penalty area with one foot, delivering a divine assist!
Tang Long's teammates were all deeply moved.
No one paid any attention to Agüero, who scored the goal. Instead, they all rushed towards Tang Long. Even Agüero himself, the hero of the goal, did not rush to the corner flag to celebrate with the fans as usual. Instead, he also ran towards Tang Long!
"How did they even pass that ball?! My God!"
"I thought you weren't going to be able to catch this ball!"
"Haha, to be honest, did you do it on purpose or by accident?"
Some of his teammates grabbed Tang Long's jersey, some patted his head, and others rushed up to him and roared. They all gave him high-fives and hugs, and everyone said a few words to him.
Pellegrini turned and smiled at assistant coach Rayne, saying:
"See that? That's a master-level flash of inspiration, and luckily we were all there to witness it!"
Neither Pellegrini, nor assistant coach Rayne, nor the other players on the field knew that Tang Long's pass, though seemingly magical, was not a flash of inspiration.
Opportunities always appear in a fleeting moment!
Two seconds before making the move, Tang Long had already anticipated that only by quickly getting the ball into the penalty area could he and Agüero form a pass-and-run understanding to beat the offside trap. And the fastest passing speed was not turning around, nor stopping the ball before passing, but a scorpion kick without turning around.
The key is to strike unexpectedly!
Meanwhile, the players from their opponents, Paris Saint-Germain, seemed to be still in shock.
When Tang Long flicked the ball back into the penalty area with a scorpion kick, the players were quite far from Tang Long and were pressing forward according to the established tactics, trying to push the Manchester City players out of the penalty area.
Therefore, they didn't see clearly how Tang Long passed the ball in.
Several people were wondering: the ball had clearly gone over Tang Long's head, so how did he manage to pass it back so quickly?
Only Ibrahimovic could see it clearly.
Because he was a forward, he was closer to Tang Long.
Ibrahimovic was secretly alarmed!
He never expected that Tang Long, who was not even 20 years old, would have such superb skills.
What surprised him even more was that most players only use the scorpion kick for short distances;
Tang Long's scorpion kick pass covered a distance of over 20 meters, comparable to a typical mid-range pass!
More importantly, the pass was incredibly precise, perfectly demonstrating his understanding with his teammate Agüero in beating the offside trap.
As a seasoned veteran with 35 years of experience, Ibrahimovic has a clear understanding of the situation.
Although he didn't say it, he understood perfectly well.
Only a surprise pass like Tang Long's could have created a steal. If he had stopped, turned around, and looked into the penalty area, Paris's offside line would have already been pushed out, Agüero would definitely have been offside.
However, how could Ibrahimovic, who considers himself God number one and God number two, simply admit defeat?
He muttered sourly to himself:
"Tch, what's so great about it? It's just a scorpion kick. Look how excited you guys are, you're obviously inexperienced. I used it in the 2004 UEFA European Championship against Italy, nothing strange about it!"
Seeing Tang Long use his signature move right in front of him, the Sweden was quite resentful.
He was determined to get his revenge!
Even if Paris Saint-Germain fails to advance in the end, I, Ibrahimovic, cannot lose face, especially not in front of this immature kid who is not even 20 years old.
After firing four or five shots high at the start of the game, Ibrahimovic gradually quieted down for a while amid boos from the Etihad Stadium.
However, he harbored a strong desire within him, waiting for the right moment to unleash his scorpion tail attack.
The opportunity will come soon!
In the 25th minute of the first half, Paris Saint-Germain was awarded a corner kick.
Di Maria's corner kick hurtled towards the near post, where the tall Rabiot headed it on before Toure could react.
The ball flew to Ibrahimovic's position in the middle.
"We're here! Now!"
Driven by a strong desire to perform, Ibrahimovic, instead of opting for a powerful header, turned to the side and unleashed a scorpion kick!
In the instant his massive body leaped high into the air, raising his legs and wagging his tail, Ibrahimovic's thoughts were transported back to 2004...
Exactly 12 years ago, Ibrahimovic was only 23 years old, in the prime of his life.
Back then, I was still tall, but much slimmer, and my whole body exuded youthful energy.
"Tang dares to call me old? Heh, let him see what a real scorpion's tail wag is!"
In Ibrahimovic's mind, his scorpion kick is stronger than anyone else's. Tang Long's shot, though brilliant, was at best an assist, while mine is going to score.
Thump!
Cavani clutched his head and collapsed to the ground!
"Aaaaaaah--"
A heart-wrenching scream pierced the night sky above the Etihad Stadium, leaving everyone who heard it horrified.
Ibrahimovic froze on the spot, then turned around to see the ball already firmly in Caballero's arms, and the referee immediately blew his whistle to stop the game.
It was only then that Ibrahimovic realized that his scorpion kick hadn't hit the ball, but instead had kicked his teammate Cavani in the head.
"Damn, I knew my foot hurt so much!" Ibrahimovic chuckled dismissively.
The viewers in the live stream burst out laughing!
-[Tang Long's Scorpion Tail targets the opponent; Ibrahimovic's Scorpion Tail targets the teammate!]
-[Is he crazy? I think he could have easily headed the ball, why is he dribbling like that?]
[They call that a scorpion wagging its tail? I think it's a sow whipping its tail!]
-[Look at that disdainful look on his face, and he's even touching his chin. He's probably still upset that Cavani interfered with his connection.]
-[Not surprising, that's just the kind of person Ibrahimovic is.]
I still prefer Ibrahimovic from Pokémon!
If I were Cavani, I'd definitely beat Ibrahimovic up!
It's just a pity for Cavani.
Ibrahimovic kicked him in the eyebrow bone, instantly staining the field with blood!
After being bandaged by the team doctor, he experienced dizziness and lightheadedness, and even mild concussion symptoms. He was unable to continue the game and was hastily substituted off the field.
When he was helped off the field by the team doctor, Ibrahimovic stood indifferently to the side, without offering a single word of concern.
On the other hand, Manchester City's old rival from Serie A Ranocchia, went up and patted Cavani on the shoulder, offering a few words of comfort that were better than nothing.
The entire Paris team was furious at Ibrahimovic's reckless kick, but dared not speak out.
"This guy is going to ruin us one day. He could have headed the ball, but he insisted on showing off his footwork, and what happened?" Di Maria said to Motta, covering his mouth.
"He actually laughed just now! That son of a bitch, no wonder he'll never win the UEFA Champions League, serves him right!" Motta muttered angrily.
Without Cavani's tireless running and stretching in the attacking third, Paris's attack completely stalled.
Ibrahimovic is still caught up in his own performance, completely absorbed in his individual act.
He proclaimed himself God, yet he behaved like a ridiculous clown at Etihad.
Right at the start of the second half, a bicycle kick was launched just outside Manchester City's penalty area!
As he soared into the air, his mind was filled with the image of that bicycle kick goal he scored from outside the penalty area against England in 2012.
All his Paris teammates moved away, keeping their distance, afraid of repeating Cavani's mistake.
Now Ibrahimovic is 35 years old, and his flexibility is far less than it was four years ago. His 200-pound weight can no longer support his takeoff.
This time, not only did he miss the target with his bicycle kick, but he also severely strained his thigh muscle!
Amidst a chorus of "friendly" boos from Manchester City fans, Ibrahimovic angrily threw his headband to the ground and stormed off the pitch, grumbling as he left.
Then.
Manchester City deliberately slowed down their attacking offensive.
The tactics were changed to keeping the ball firmly under control.
Tang Long, Delph, Toure, and others took turns passing the ball, completely wearing down their opponents' morale.
Manchester City ultimately secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Paris at home, winning 4-1 on aggregate and advancing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals!
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
Inside the away team's locker room.
Paris CEO Nasser was so angry he stomped his feet!
He kicked over the neatly stacked 20 million euros;
With a whoosh, the euros cascaded down like a waterfall, leaving all the Paris players in the locker room speechless.
"What are you looking at! Close your eyes, all of you! You are not worthy to see this wealth. All of you combined are not worth a single foot of Tang's!"
An enraged Nasser even reached for a lighter, intending to burn the pile of messy euros. Had the staff not intervened, saying the smoke alarm would go off, Nasser wouldn't have felt any remorse.
Watching this bizarre farce unfold, Paris Saint-Germain coach Blanc shook his head and sighed repeatedly.
He finally couldn't hold back any longer and snapped at Nasser:
"Mr. Nasser, if you really want the UEFA Champions League, keep this money and use it as Ibrahimovic's release clause!"