Ball in, Tooth Flies! Lionel Messi Hints: Players of Your Level Should Come Play in La Liga!
Monchengladbach striker Rafael, through a close-up of Tang Long's eyes on the screen, predicted that the ball would go in.
At this moment, Rafael only saw Tang Long's reaction after the whistle blew; the ball hadn't even been kicked, and Tang Long hadn't even taken a running start.
This was a prediction made by a striker from one of Europe's Top Five Leagues, and also his intuition.
At this moment.
Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen, standing in front of the goal, also had his own prediction!
That means as long as you block the near corner and stand in the far corner, you'll be completely safe.
Suarez's foul on Tang Long occurred very close to the goal, just outside the penalty area on the left.
Ter Stegen estimated that the ball was about 20 meters away from him.
It's very difficult for the player taking the free kick to score from this position, because a closer distance isn't always better for a free kick!
According to data on direct free-kick goals in the Top Five Leagues over the past five years.
The distance range with the highest probability of scoring is around 23-25 meters.
If the ball is too close, it will have difficulty getting past the wall of players and will be blocked.
Or perhaps the ball cleared the wall, but didn't drop far enough, and before it could hit the goal area, it went out of bounds.
Even before Tang Long took the penalty, Ter Stegen was already actively setting up the defensive wall.
"Pique, Busquets, Rakitic, Gomes, Suarez, a five-man wall!"
"Make it tight, don't leave any gaps!"
"Move two steps to the left!"
"Suarez, you stand on the far side!"
These five players are the five tallest players on the Barca field.
They stood in a row, like five great mountains, displayed before Tang Long!
Pique is 194cm, Busquets is 189cm, Gomes is 188cm, and the shortest players, Rakitic and Suarez, are both 184cm.
Everyone was taller than Tang Long, with an average height of 187.8 meters!
"Barca's wall is incredibly tall; they've fielded their five tallest players on the field!"
"Especially Pique and Busquets, they firmly occupied the near corner on the left, which is the most suitable landing point for Tang Long's curveballs."
Ter Stegen positioned himself at the far corner of the goal, observing Tang Long through the gap.
"... It's too difficult!"
"The distance is too close, it's not easy to shoot. If you retreat three meters, the chances of scoring will be much higher."
"However, Tang Long probably doesn't feel any pressure. Whether this ball goes in or not has nothing to do with the team's top spot in the next round."
"On the contrary, Barca is incredibly nervous. Just look at Suarez's expression on the far side of the wall, haha, it looks like his heart is about to jump out of his mouth."
However, Tang Long also had his own predictions.
Although the human wall was very close together.
Although Barca's tall wall blocked the near post, which was the most likely point for a dipping goal.
Although the tall Ter Stegen, with his arms outstretched, looked exactly like an octopus, his fingertips could touch the bottom edge of the door frame.
[At a distance of 20 meters, the average height of the wall is 187.8cm, and the angle between the wall and the goalkeeper is 0.63dc. Historical data shows that the probability of scoring at the near post is 2.54%, and the probability of scoring at the far post is 5.21%.]
[Smash with more power, aiming for the far corner! The more powerful the shot, the higher the chance of a direct goal!]
Countless data points and analyses flashed through Tang Long's mind in milliseconds.
He glanced at the goalkeeper; Ter Stegen was standing in the far corner, watching him intently.
Clearly, leaving the near corner to the wall and guarding the far corner himself is the safest way for a goalkeeper to defend.
"Since he's guarding the far corner, then I'll shoot from the far corner!"
Sometimes, a tiger's battle with its prey doesn't require surprise.
When both sides can see each other, and they meet on a narrow path, the brave one will prevail.
In this free kick scenario, the one with the greater force wins!
"Call--"
A tiger's roar suddenly rang in Tang Long's ears, and behind him appeared a blur that only he could perceive— Tiger Descends the Mountain!
BOOM!!!
There were no tricks involved, and no attempt to conceal anything.
Tang Long charged forward and unleashed a powerful shot, sending the football soaring like a tiger towards the far corner!
"Bring it on!"
Ter Stegen shouted, accurately predicting from Tang Long's kicking posture that the ball was coming for him!
"Since you're going to come at me, then bring it on!"
Upon hearing Tang Long's violent lash, Suarez knew something was wrong, thinking that Ter Stegen might not be able to withstand it;
In a moment of desperation, risking being blown in the head, he disregarded Ter Stegen's instructions to stand still and instead leaped sideways towards the direction of the incoming ball!
Snap!
The football struck Suarez hard in the face, and as he jerked his head back, a tooth flew out!
"Ah..."
At this moment, Ter Stegen on the goal line had already made a save, but was unexpectedly blocked by Suarez halfway, and the trajectory of the ball suddenly changed!
Instead of flying towards the far corner as expected, the ball was deflected towards the near corner!
Ter Stegen groaned. "I've got Tang Long under control, but I can't keep up with Suarez! He tried to get up and pounce again, but he lost his balance. How could he possibly get back up so easily?"
Fortunately, the ball deflected and, while still carrying some spin, wasn't very fast. Ter Stegen only saw a Barca player standing on the goal line and hoped his teammate could head the ball away...
"It's in!"
The ball grazed the underside of the goalposts and bounced into the net!
"Umtiti leaped desperately on the goal line, but he was too short to reach the ball!"
"What a pity! If Suarez were here, he might have slapped the ball away with all his might, even if it meant a red card!"
Where is Suarez?
"Hey, why is he squatting on the ground, covering his teeth?"
"..."
The match is over!
"Manchester City came back from 0-2 down to beat their opponents 2-3!"
"Let's congratulate Manchester City on their sixth consecutive win in the group stage, racking up a whopping 18 points!"
"In the history of the UEFA Champions League, there are only a handful of teams that have won six consecutive group stage matches. Today, we've added Manchester City to that list!"
"Barca is out of the UEFA Champions League. It's unbelievable that the 2015 UEFA Champions League champions failed to advance this season. That's football for you!"
Tang Long also laughed at this shot.
As the saying goes, great effort can produce miracles.
"What's the point of this goal? If Suarez hadn't blocked it, it's hard to say what would have happened," Tang Long said to Sterling.
Sterling was overjoyed and slapped Tang Long on the shoulder, "Never mind how you got in, you've got a hat trick!"
On the other side.
Monchengladbach players cheered and jumped for joy on the pitch!
Rafael grabbed the iPad from his seat and slammed it against his knee. It snapped with a crack!
"Haha, I guessed right! Thanks, Tang, we've made it to the next round!"
"See you in the knockout stage, Manchester City!"
The Barca players all collapsed to the ground.
My mental defenses crumbled at the last moment!
From 2-0 to 2-1, to a 2-2 tie, and finally a last-minute stoppage time goal by Tang Long's free kick, everyone's emotions were like riding a rollercoaster.
That was a really humiliating play!
Being eliminated in the group stage like this is really hard to accept!
We don't want to play in the UEFA Europa League!
Neymar covered his face and cried on the sidelines!
Pique looked bewildered and buried his head in his knees!
Su Xing smashed the TV to pieces with one punch!
Busquets lay sprawled on the ground, silent for a long time.
Only Lionel Messi stood.
He first went over to check Suarez's mouth, found the tooth that Tang Long had kicked out on the ground, returned it to Suarez, and called Suarez team doctor to come onto the field to stop the bleeding.
Then, amidst a roar of cheers from the Etihad Stadium.
Messi walked up to Tang Long alone, reached out his hand to him, and Tang Long grasped Lionel Messi's hand firmly.
He first congratulated Tang Long on performing a hat trick, then said to him:
"Tang, you played a great game! A player of your caliber should be playing in La Liga!"