Substituted On for One Minute, Tang Long's Fierce Tiger Shot Shatters Barca's Defense!
Guardiola glanced at his watch and shook his head at Tang Long.
"It's still early, only 81 minutes. How about this, I'll let you go on the field for a couple of runs to warm up at 85 minutes."
Upon hearing this, Tang Long nodded and returned to his seat on the bench.
Before the match, Guardiola had planned to bring Tang Long back for this UEFA Champions League group stage game against Barca, giving him a few minutes to warm up.
After all, the next match is the derby against Manchester United, and Tang Long needs some warm-up activities for a formal game.
Guardiola's plan is to start Tang Long in the derby against Manchester United.
Although they are currently ahead of their city rivals in the standings, the next crucial match is essential if they want to win the Christmas title and completely shatter Manchester United's title hopes!
As for the outcome of this match against Barca?
Guardiola didn't care at all; they had already qualified as group winners, so what did it matter?
Moreover, the 0-2 scoreline seems acceptable, especially since his former club, Barca, deliberately slowed down the pace, controlling possession in their own half and showing no intention of launching a full-scale attack.
Wouldn't it be better if both sides took a step back?
Time passed by, second by second.
While Guardiola didn't seem to care, the Manchester City fans at home were certainly unhappy.
Even though they had already secured first place in their group and qualified for the knockout stage, the Etihad Stadium.
Many fans come here just to see Lionel Messi.
When Lionel Messi came on, fans in the rows near the players' tunnel raised their phones, and the flashes went off everywhere.
"Look, Lionel Messi!"
Wow, it really is Lionel Messi!
"Finally, I saw Lionel Messi in person!"
The fans gasped in amazement, finally getting to witness the Argentina football legend live – a truly rare opportunity.
However, many Manchester City home fans came to the stadium specifically to see a showdown between Tang Long and Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi is indeed very strong, but Manchester City's Tang Long is no slouch either. The Blue Moon's fans are eager to see a clash between these two stars.
Unexpectedly, Manchester City played with no fighting spirit in this match, and now they are down 0-2 with very few shots on goal. The rhythm of the game has been completely controlled by Barca.
Lionel Messi was playing like a fish in water, while Tang Long was still on the bench!
"Tang! Let Tang go on stage!"
"It's already 0-2, what is Guardiola waiting for!"
"What the hell? Didn't Tang already get up? Why is he sitting back down? Stand up, Tang!"
"Come on out, Tang! Defeat Barca! Defeat Lionel Messi!"
"No one can take three points away from the Etihad!"
"Tang, let's show Barca our strength!"
Finally, amidst the clamor, in the 85th minute of the match, Tang Long came on, replacing starting striker Agüero.
However, according to Guardiola's arrangement, Tang Long was not positioned in the forward line, but rather dropped back appropriately, allowing Sterling to move to the forward line.
Even Agüero struggled to break through Barca's defense, let alone a mere Sterling?
Guardiola's arrangement showed he wasn't trying to pull one back, so he didn't move Tang Long to the forward line, but instead placed him in the attacking midfield position.
The goal is to get him moving around more, especially to let him touch the ball more often and get a feel for it.
Guardiola turned to his assistant coach Chivu and said, "Christian, hurry up, I need to watch the video analysis of Manchester United's recent matches tonight." The Espanyol's mind was already on the Manchester Derby.
Barca, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much when Tang Long came on.
Especially when they saw that Tang Long didn't go to the forward line but instead stayed in midfield, everyone thought that Tang Long was just there to take a few laps around the field.
When Tang Long ran to Busquets' side, Busquets even took the initiative to talk to him and joke around.
"Hey! Coming on at this point, do you need to score a hat trick at the last minute?"
Tang Long waved his hand calmly and said, "No, I'm just running around and kicking around a bit."
However, Pique, who had suffered a lot of setbacks and been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Tang Long in the first leg of the group stage match, was actually a little worried and loudly called out to his teammates:
"Attention, Tang's on the field! Everyone, pay attention and play seriously!"
Suarez, however, was unimpressed. He received the ball with his back to goal, passed it to Busquets, and then turned to Neymar beside him, saying:
"Look at Pique, acting like a coward. What's wrong with him? It's been 86 minutes already. He's coming up alone. Does he think he can turn the world upside down?"
Neymar nodded in agreement, flashing a smile that revealed all eight teeth.
"Pique is getting old, that's just how he is, don't mind him. Besides, given the current situation, if we play seriously, a 3-0 victory shouldn't be a problem. It'll be Manchester City's turn to score..."
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "Ah!" was heard!
Neymar and Suarez turned their heads at the same time. Busquets stumbled and fell to the ground. Tang Long used his body to push him aside and intercepted the ball.
While the Barca players were still in a daze, Tang Long used the sole of his foot to push the ball forward a step, creating a distance of about one meter, and then stretched out his left foot!
When the supporting foot lands, it's like a heavy hammer slamming into the ground, and the whole person uses this powerful force to take a big step forward!
His left arm was raised high, like the claws of a tiger, while his right leg was raised even more dramatically, his toes almost pointing towards the night sky.
With a strike, his body surged forward along with the ball!
The football roared out of the crowd, a sound like the wind, but even more like the roar of a tiger!
"Boom--"
Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen felt a huge shockwave hit his face. Startled, he squinted and gripped the ground tightly, ready to make a save.
However, Tang Long's kick gathered all his strength, unleashing his full power without reservation, carrying an unstoppable momentum;
Ter Stegen was bewildered, unable to see the ball's location, when suddenly he heard a "whoosh" sound and felt a gust of wind behind him, making his neck feel cool. It was the wind that bounced up from the ball's violent impact on the net behind him!
Bang, bang, bang bang...
The football bounced slowly from the net and rolled to Ter Stegen's feet.
Only at this moment did the Barca goalkeeper, frozen in place, clearly see the football; before that, he had only heard a loud bang but had no sight of it.
Splash!!!!
A burst of thunderous applause echoed through the night sky above the Etihad Stadium!
This was the first time Manchester City fans had risen to their feet to cheer for their team's goal, with deafening shouts of "Tang! Tang!" echoing throughout the stadium.
"It's in! It's in! It's really in!"
"How did they get in? I didn't see clearly!"
"I don't know, but it got in, it belongs to Tang Jin!"
"Hahahaha, I knew it! I knew Tang would score as soon as he came on the field!"
"That's good, we've won back a point, I'm satisfied!"
"Yeah, a comeback is impossible, but we finally scored a goal, hahaha, the ticket was worth it!"
The Barca players stood frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.
They never imagined that Tang Long would score such an astonishing long-range shot just one minute after entering the game.
The ball must have been at least 36 or 37 meters away. How could he dare to shoot directly from that position?
The most surprised was Barca midfielder Busquets.
As a key player in the Dream Team III era, Busquets' significance in Barca's midfield was no less than that of his teammates Iniesta and Xavi.
Many professionals refer to Busquets as a "football blind filter," and even consider him the most important and indispensable part of Barca's midfield.
His ball control, dribbling, and judgment of the situation are all top-notch;
With eyes that can see in all directions and ears that can hear in all directions, the ball will not be lost when it comes to his feet; he is absolutely the safest person.
But even Busquets never dreamed that his skillful back-to-the-ball defense would be thwarted by Tang Long suddenly appearing from the side, hooking his foot and bumping into him with his shoulder, not only knocking him down but also stealing the ball.
Under normal circumstances, given Busquets' ball control skills, Tang Long would have a very difficult time stealing the ball from him.
However, with a two-goal lead and the game nearing its end, Busquets became careless. In addition, Tang Long's footwork was unusually light for some reason, and Busquets, who usually has a keen sense of hearing, did not notice that Tang Long had somehow circled around to his side and behind him.
And so, Busquets lay on the ground, looking up as Tang Long kicked the ball, and watched it fly into the goal.
He quickly ran off, angrily saying to Tang Long, "Didn't you say you could just kick it around casually?"
Tang Long spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said to Busquets, "That's right, I was just kicking it randomly, who knew it would go in?"
Busquets: "..."