He Can Defy Fate! Faked Out Lionel Messi, Dribbled Past Five, Game-Winning Goal Against Barca!
-[All done! Time to sleep!]
-[Still couldn't hold on, Kolarov, you're too slow!]
- [It's not a speed issue, it's a lapse in concentration. Suarez has already started moving; who can catch him? In the entire Premier League, I guess only Walker can keep up?]
Iniesta's through ball was brilliant, and Suarez's run was beautiful too!
[Even playing 11 against 11 is difficult, let alone playing with one less player, this game is definitely going to be a loss.]
- [Kolarov is getting old; young Robertson should have been brought on. Guardiola made a poor personnel choice!]
-[What a pity! Tang Long's explosive opening shot made me think Manchester City would win, but alas, they fell short!]
Lionel Messi stepped up to take the penalty.
Bravo stepped forward, trying to distract him, and started speaking to him in Spain.
Lionel Messi remained silent, simply observing him calmly.
Suarez walked up to him and bared his buck teeth. Under the bright lights of Camp Nou, Bravo saw the sharp glint of Suarez's teeth and was so frightened that he trembled and quickly ran back to the goal line.
The referee blows the whistle!
Camp Nou fell silent instantly, the fans waiting for the moment the shot would find its mark.
Lionel Messi's penalty kick success rate is around 78%, meaning he scores eight out of ten, which is average and not particularly high.
However, his penalty kick form has been exceptionally good recently, having converted six penalties in a row across seasons. Many commentators believe this is the result of Lionel Messi's hard work practicing penalties in training!
Bravo was intently watching Lionel Messi's movements, especially his ankles.
Just as Lionel Messi's right foot was about 20 centimeters from the side of the ball, his dominant left foot had already swung in the air.
Bravo, positioned on the goal line, suddenly saw Tang Long raise a hand at the edge of the penalty area.
"Um?"
Bravo frowned.
He noticed that Tang Long was pointing to his left, and based on Lionel Messi's leg swing, he deduced that Lionel Messi would shoot the ball to his right.
This was a distraction for Bravo, causing his heart to flutter slightly.
But in that split second, he had no time to think too much!
He instinctively lunged in the direction Tang Long was pointing.
As soon as his center of gravity shifted, Bravo was filled with regret.
He clearly saw the part of Lionel Messi's left foot that made contact with the ball; it was obvious the ball should have been hit to his right!
"Lionel Messi shoots!"
"Ah!?"
"Bravo guessed the right direction!"
"He saved Lionel Messi's shot that was aimed at his left!"
Neymar rushes in for a follow-up shot!
"Tang Long was even faster, clearing the ball out of bounds with a single kick—that was close!"
"Call..."
"That was a perfect save!"
"Lionel Messi's penalty kick was a Low-trajectory Curve Shot; both the angle and the speed were perfect."
"Unfortunately, he ran into the goalkeeper Bravo!"
Bravo saved Lionel Messi's penalty, becoming a hero in the eyes of his teammates!
Kompany, Stones, Gündoğan, and others rushed to him immediately and gave him a high-five.
But Bravo pushed his teammates aside, rushed to Tang Long who was lying on the ground, pulled him up, and hugged him tightly.
"Haha, Tang, you're right!"
It turns out that at the moment Lionel Messi took the shot, Tang Long's AI System, based on Lionel Messi's penalty shooting habits and Lionel Messi body language, analyzed the situation and concluded that there was a 91% chance the ball would be shot towards Bravo's left side.
Such a comprehensive judgment, combining extensive data with specific on-site circumstances, far surpasses Bravo's judgment alone.
Even so, Bravo deserves much credit for making that save.
Even if many goalkeepers guess the right direction, they are still unable to save shots with tricky angles and great power due to their own limitations in saving ability—just like Lionel Messi's Low-trajectory Curve Shot the penalty area.
Manchester City players celebrated and cheered, having narrowly escaped death.
As Kolarov, who was anxiously waiting in the locker room after being sent off with a red card, heard a sigh coming from the Camp Nou stadium. Knowing that the penalty kick had missed, he was on the verge of tears.
Lionel Messi stood still, looking rather adorable, and scratched his face.
"Uh, did they see through me too?"
Although they escaped a penalty, Manchester City, playing with one less player, had to abandon their attack and focus entirely on defense.
Despite delivering an inspiring speech at halftime, Guardiola knew that this was all predicated on an equal number of players on both sides.
Playing 10 against 11 at Camp Nou, we're lucky if we don't concede a goal, let alone score!
Guardiola isn't that naive.
He substituted the exhausted Thiago with young Robertson, maintaining the four-defender formation.
At the same time, Tang Long was moved back from the forward line to the midfield.
After Manchester City withstood Barca's siege for a while, Guardiola, seeing the situation was turning against him, substituted Agüero with midfielder Delph.
Change the formation to 4-4-1, leaving only the fast Sane the front to slightly restrain Barca's defense and prevent them from pushing too high.
Guardiola's tactical adjustments did stabilize the situation somewhat.
Despite playing with one less player, Manchester City, with all their players back in defense, maintained a very compact formation, preventing Barca from creating any breakthroughs in the middle. Crossing from the wings was also not their forte.
So in the end, it was actually the home team, Barca, who got a little anxious.
In the 84th minute, Enrique replaced Rakitic with Paco, and Barca started with four forwards.
By overwhelming Manchester City's attacking line with sheer numbers, the penalty area was suddenly thrown into chaos and on the verge of collapse.
Until the 89th minute!
Iniesta attempted a through ball from midfield to find Suarez, aiming to break through Manchester City's defense.
But Gündoğan anticipated the move and successfully intercepted the ball, immediately passing it to Tang Long, who had dropped back into midfield!
The Barca players immediately surrounded Tang Long as they pressed him relentlessly!
Lionel Messi was the first to run over!
Tang Long slightly stretched his shoulder to the left, took a small step to the left with his left foot, causing Lionel Messi to move a step to his side. Then, he quickly moved his right foot to the right, flicked the ball forward, and used Messi's own method against him, making Lionel Messi fall to the ground with a Lionel Messi -style shoulder drop dribble!
A gasp rippled through the Camp Nou stadium!
Because Lionel Messi doesn't participate much in defense, they rarely see Lionel Messi about to be faked out.
The moment Tang Long dribbled past Lionel Messi, a fierce fighting spirit ignited within him!
He knew this might be one of Manchester City's few chances to counter-attack, and they had to seize it.
At this moment, Barca's three defenders, Iniesta, Busquets, and Depay, quickly surrounded them, attempting to thwart the counter-attack in midfield.
But this time, Tang Long, who had already pulled ahead in the sprint, suddenly exerted his strength. Like Ronaldo, he relied on his amazing explosive power to increase the range of his shoulder drop and accelerate sharply to the right!
This low shoulder pass from Ronaldo bypassed Busquets, who was closest to him.
Meanwhile, Iniesta and Depay, who were there to provide support, were completely outpaced by Tang Long's speed!
"Good shot, charge into the paint!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola and Chivu both jumped up simultaneously.
Tang Long was unstoppable, charging forward at lightning speed. Barca, pressing high up the pitch, only had one full-back Alba, left behind.
Alba's speed is not slow. This time, Tang Long and Alba moved one after the other to the vicinity of the penalty area. Tang Long used a combination of Lionel Messi's and Ronaldo's shoulder drops!
First, he quickly slid slightly to the left, causing Alba to shift his foot slightly, and then he continued to slid significantly to the left!
Alba, now thinking he was ready, judged that Tang Long was going to the lower left and quickly moved closer.
Tang Long's final step was a hook, a rightward dribble in the opposite direction, bypassing Alba laterally;
Before Ter Stegen could even come out of his goal, he unleashed a shot from inside the penalty area!
Ter Stegen had no idea Tang Long would be so direct.
The football arced through the air and nestled into the top right corner!