Sterling Uses Thousand-Pound Butt Technique to Help Tang Long Score! Lahm Sighs to the Heavens!

Lahm had just recovered from injury, and Ancelotti didn't want to field him too early.

Witnessing Alaba's clumsy, wooden-like performance in defending Tang Long, the team had no choice but to send in their captain Lahm.

At this time, Lahm's thigh muscles were still wrapped in thick bandages.

The Bayern Munich legend took a deep breath, feeling a bit apprehensive about facing Tang Long right off the bat, a stark contrast to his initial excitement about his comeback.

But then he thought again, "Lahm, what are you afraid of? You're the captain! If you're scared, what will happen to Bayern? Just go for it! Let me take on what Alaba can't do!"

He knew he was far from being at his best, but for the sake of the team, he had to give it his all.

It is precisely this mentality that has allowed Lahm, a 170cm tall man, to hold onto Bayern's starting position as a full-back for so long.

A man's greatness is not measured by his height, but by his ability to maintain a steadfast mindset when facing difficulties.

At the start of the second half, in the 50th minute, Lahm received the ball in midfield. With keen eyes, he accurately spotted Lewandowski's run and then launched a powerful long pass. The ball flew through the air in a beautiful arc, heading straight behind Manchester City's defense.

The moment the ball was kicked, Guardiola on the sidelines felt a sudden pang of anxiety.

He had known about Lahm for a long time; he was a top player in both passing and overall game awareness.

During his time coaching Bayern, he also recognized this and would occasionally pull Lahm from full-back to defensive midfield.

"Lahm is the smartest player I've ever played with." These are Guardiola's exact words.

Now, this intelligent player will use his experience and skill to help the team turn the tide at Etihad.

Lewandowski's timing was perfect. This time, Kompany and Stones made a mistake in their coordination. Stones was a step too slow when he pushed forward, leaving his back leg behind, which allowed Lewandowski to successfully beat the offside trap!

"Oh no!"

Lewandowski went one-on-one with Bravo as he launched his attack!

With unwavering focus, the Poland striker calmly adjusted his pace and slotted the ball into the far corner of the net!

"Lewandowski!"

"He received a long pass from Lahm and equalized the score!"

"The second half started with such intense competition!"

"Lewandowski has proven with his actions that he is still a world-class center forward!"

The entire Etihad Stadium was instantly filled with the cheers of Bayern fans, Bayern waved their flags excitedly and beamed with pride.

Manchester City fans fell into a brief silence, filled with anxiety. Some unconsciously clenched their fists, their eyes revealing disbelief—only five minutes had passed, and they'd been tied?

Cheers erupted from a small pub in Munich, as hops were splashed into the air;

Matthaus and others watching the match were also all smiles.

Matthaus asked Klinsmann, "Between Lewandowski and you, who's better?"

Klinsmann replied without hesitation, "I'm better than him in the World Cup, but at the club level, I'm far inferior to him!"

Guardiola was furious on the sidelines, waving his arms and yelling at the players on the field:

"Where are you guys protecting the middle lane? Lahm's long passes are as easy as a stroll, what are you all doing?!"

Then, he stared intently at Tang Long and shouted, "Tang, put more pressure on Lahm! Don't let him pass the ball easily! We can't let him move around so comfortably!"

Tang Long understood immediately and began to frequently drop back to midfield, actively engaging in close combat with Lahm.

Every time Lahm got the ball, Tang Long would stick close to him like a shadow, constantly interfering with Lahm's passing lanes by using his excellent physical condition and speed advantage.

Lahm is never afraid of pressing; if he were, his small frame would have been overpowered by the tall strikers in the Bundesliga long ago.

However, Tang Long's relentless pressing made Lahm extremely tired; beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

"Huh? Why isn't he responding to my shaking?"

"Strange, he always manages to block my passing lanes..."

"That was close! I almost lost the ball; my pass was too soft." Lahm rubbed his thigh, which was still a bit tight. This is a common situation after a month of recovery from injury, and it can affect a player's performance.

Bang!

Just as Lahm was about to make a long pass and repeat Lewandowski's old trick, Tang Long rushed forward and tackled the ball from the side, sending it flying into the stands, eliciting a gasp from the fans!

"How can this kid be so fast and strong?" Lahm thought to himself in surprise. He had to admit that the China striker in front of him did indeed have extraordinary strength, which made him begin to understand Alaba a little better.

In a subsequent confrontation, Tang Long even cleverly used his body to push Lahm aside, successfully intercepting his pass and eliciting a burst of enthusiastic cheers from the Manchester City fans.

Ancelotti was giving loud instructions to his team from the sidelines. He turned to Robben and shouted seriously, "Robben, cut inside less in the second half, cross from the outside more often, and use your speed to break through their defense! Hummels, keep an eye on Tang Long's runs from behind, and don't let him find an easy opportunity!"

Then he looked at Lewandowski and encouraged him, "Roberto, keep it up. We'll be playing more through balls. You need to get closer to the offside line and look for opportunities. Well done!"

The two sides then engaged in an even more intense offensive and defensive battle, and the match entered a heated phase.

In the 58th minute, Bayern won a free kick in the attacking third.

Robben in front of the ball, his eyes revealing a resolute determination, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

He took a run-up, kicked the ball, and after it bypassed the wall, it flew like a guided missile straight into the corner of the goal!

Bravo reacted quickly, diving to his feet and making another brilliant save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.

The audience was stunned by the exciting offensive and defensive duel, with cheers and exclamations mingling together.

Manchester City fans cheered for Bravo's brilliant save, while Bayern fans lamented Robben's narrow miss. The emotions of both sets of fans rose and fell with the rhythm of the game, sharing in the exciting Round of 16 match.

Matthaus remarked, "It's been a long time since I've seen a match with such a fast pace. The level of UEFA Champions League matches now is much higher than it was back then."

Klinsmann said, "You don't even look at who's playing whom. It wouldn't be surprising if either Manchester City or Bayern won the UEFA Champions League."

"But they just happened to meet in the round of 16," Matthaus said with a wry smile. "The big show has started a bit too early. No matter who wins in the end, it benefits the other teams."

It has to be the wing, the wing!

Manchester City's possession-based tactics involve passing the ball back and forth between the center and the wings for most of the time, creating gaps in the defense;

But the most threatening areas are still the flanks!

Tang Long was being watched by Lahm followed him like glue.

Tang Long suddenly stopped moving, Lahm immediately stopped moving as well.

"Slap!" Lahm felt a tap on his right shoulder. He instinctively turned his head, but there was no one to his right. When he came to his senses, he realized that Tang Long was gone.

"How dare they try to fool me with such childish tricks!"

Tang Long escaped Lahm's encirclement and successfully received a pass from defensive midfielder Ranocchia.

"Lahm, don't stand still, hurry up and go out with them!" Ancelotti shouted urgently.

But everyone had already broken through, how could Lahm keep up?

Fortunately, the experienced veteran Vidal held his position in the middle, preventing Tang Long from advancing further. Tang Long then passed the ball to Sterling on the right wing.

"They're here! They're here!"

Sterling watched the ball roll towards him, rubbed his hands excitedly, and then stepped forward to meet it.

Vidal's coverage is undeniable; he just finished defending Tang Long and now the ball has drawn his attention to Sterling.

Sterling looked at Vidal's mohawk and thought he looked like he could fight, and began to mused in his mind:

"The only way to get past him is through speed; otherwise, if he gets close, I definitely won't be able to beat him in a collision."

It happened in the blink of an eye. Before Vidal could get close, Sterling made a sudden, powerful run, dribbling the ball away from Vidal and charging towards the wing.

This played right into Vidal's hands. "Heh, you're still young after all. I'm going to push you to the wing!"

Vidal suddenly burst forth and charged forward as well.

This speed was indeed impressive, and Sterling was taken aback. In the blink of an eye, Vidal closed in, leaving Sterling with nowhere to run.

With a thud, Vidal's shoulder slammed into Sterling from the side, and Sterling struggled to maintain his balance to avoid being knocked over.

However, his unsteady steps caused him to stumble, and losing the ball was already in imminent danger.

What is Sterling doing?

Why didn't he push towards the middle lane? Why did he have to go to the side lane?

[We've narrowed the path! We could have teamed up with Tang Long for a one-on-one duel.]

- [Vidal is a seasoned veteran, how could he possibly fool him? Sterling is still too young!]

Tang Long shouldn't have given the team to Sterling; he should have just gone solo. There's no need to trust teammates in this situation!

-[Sterling is still protecting the ball, what's the point of protecting it? Look at Vidal, all muscle, even Li Yi couldn't protect him.]

Sterling stumbled and staggered all the way to Bayern's corner flag.

Vidal behind him kept nudging him, "Come on, kid, let's fight! You think you're so strong? Come on, let's fight!"

Chivu, watching from the sidelines, shook his head, thinking, "Sterling is too honest. Vidal had just nudged him, he would have fallen. The linesman was right there; he's not blind."

Indeed, the linesman was standing less than two meters away from the two players, and he tried to raise his flag several times, but seeing that Sterling didn't throw the ball and instead showed a strong desire to protect it, he didn't raise his flag.

In the current UEFA Champions League, physicality is encouraged to enhance the flow of the game. If the linesman standing nearby doesn't make a call, the referee won't blow the whistle.

Just as Sterling was at a loss, Tang Long's urgent call came through:

"Sterling, push back with your ass!"

Butt?

Sterling's mind went blank as he recalled Tang Long's advice to him a year ago, saying that his well-developed gluteal muscles could be fully utilized in dribbling;

I'm reminded of something Yaya Toure said when he was still with the team, "The hips are the most powerful part of a player's body, and players who are good at protecting the ball will use their hips."

Bang!

Just as Vidal charged in again, Sterling suddenly bent over and stuck out his buttocks. Vidal's hips seemed to hit a heavy sandbag, and the huge reaction force made him bounce backward instantly.

The force of that thrust from behind was equivalent to a thousand pounds. Sterling, who had kept his center of gravity low, only felt a slight jolt, while Vidal was sent flying and crashed backward to the ground!

This time, the fall, landing hard on the back of his head, was quite severe. Vidal clutched his head in pain, rolling on the ground and screaming repeatedly.

"Uh..." The linesman was dumbfounded!

Why the sudden shift in allegiance between the Heavenly Gang and the Heavenly Generals?

Sterling didn't dare to continue entangled with Vidal. Before he could get up, he quickly made a nimble turn and slipped along the baseline into the penalty area.

[Holy crap! Vidal actually got knocked away?!]

- [What the heck? Was Vidal faking it?]

[Haha, didn't you guys see that? Sterling knocked Vidal away with his butt!]

-[Sterling is a real talent, he can bite, he can ram his butt, he's a treasure from head to toe, a born footballer.]

[Go Sterling!]

[He's in the penalty area! Don't shoot, pass the ball to Sterling!]

Sterling surveyed the situation inside the penalty area, then decisively took a shot, sweeping the ball across the box instead of continuing to dribble.

The pass was incredibly fast and powerful, throwing Bayern's defenders into disarray.

Tang Long displayed his ghostly movement skills inside the penalty area.

He first pretended to rush forward, a move that successfully fooled Lahm, who was watching him closely.

Just when Lahm thought Tang Long was about to rush the front, Tang Long suddenly braked and his body jerked backward!

Lahm, who had just recovered from injury, was walking with a slightly heavy gait. In his panic, in order to stop Tang Long from receiving the ball, he subconsciously reached out and grabbed Tang Long's jersey.

Tang Long was pulled and lost his balance, falling to the ground.

Without hesitation, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot!

The Bayern players were stunned! They all swarmed around them.

"Is that a penalty? Tang didn't even touch the ball, referee!"

"Sterling's passes were all cleared by the goalkeeper!"

"There's no way he could have touched the ball!"

The referee was adamant, signaling for the Bayern players to leave.

"Lahm pulled Tang down; if he hadn't pulled him down, Tang would have had a very good chance of shooting."

The referee was also observing Tang Long throughout the match.

Through observation, he discovered that Tang Long was extremely fast, especially quick in his initial movements. Just now, with that ball, his final step was indeed in the direction the ball was rolling.

If it were any other player, the referee might not award a penalty for such an off-the-ball pull.

But it was Tang Long who rushed towards the ball. The referee believed that if it weren't for Lahm's pull, Tang Long could have had a shot on goal. That was the referee's logic.

Lahm pulled his jersey up to cover his head and let out a long sigh.

"Well!"

This sigh is also the helplessness of a hero in his twilight years.

He was 33 years old and had just recovered from a month-long thigh injury.

No matter how hard I tried to defend, I couldn't keep up with Tang Long's pace!

Time waits for no one.

Lahm in 1983 played more than one round than Tang Long in 1996.

Some people grow old, but there will always be people who are young!

The Etihad Stadium erupted in cheers, with Manchester City fans jumping for joy, confident that Tang Long would score the penalty.

Tang Long got up from the ground and gave Sterling a high-five. Sterling patted the grass clippings off Tang Long and said, "I'll remember everything you taught me!"

Tang Long stood in front of the penalty spot, took a deep breath, and stared intently at the goal, his mind quickly flashing through Neuer's goalkeeping habits and possible save directions.

Run-up, lift your foot, and unleash a powerful shot!

Middle lane!

They're targeting the mid lane!

Neuer thought Tang Long would kick into a tricky corner, never expecting it to be from the middle.

If he had stood still, he could have easily tipped the ball out with both hands, but he lunged towards the left flank and could only fall to the ground, helplessly watching the ball sail into the net.

Snap

The ball bounced back from the net and hit Neuer squarely on the head.

"Tang!"

"Tang!"

"Tang! CityTang!"

The entire stadium chanted his name as Tang Long's goal put Manchester City ahead again, 2-1!

The Etihad Stadium was once again a sea of joy.

Manchester City players rushed to Tang Long to hug and celebrate. Surrounded by his teammates, Tang Long beamed with a confident smile.

Under no circumstances can we let Bayern take three points!

Surrounded by his teammates, Tang Long looked up at the bench.

On Manchester City's side, Guardiola and Chivu embraced and cheered, while on Bayern's side, everyone looked dejected.

The one who was furious the most was Ancelotti, whose face was gloomy and whose body was trembling with anger!

Alaba won't do, so I'll replace him with Lahm, okay?

No, it still won't work!

In the Manchester sky, Tang Long is the brightest star, and no one can stop his radiance!

Both teams made substitutions, and the score remained unchanged.

Ultimately, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City defeated Bayern 2-1 at home, gaining an advantage in the two-legged tie.

At the post-match press conference, Ancelotti said with a hint of resentment:

"I'm very satisfied with the 1-2 scoreline. We secured an away goal, which gives us the confidence to turn things around back at the Allianz Arena!"

(I made a mistake earlier. I wrote two chapters, but I posted the second one first. VIP chapters can't be deleted, so I can only add the first chapter at the beginning of this chapter. Please reorganize it. The total word count should be 4775 words, starting with "Lahm just now...")