588: 3-0 Crushing Juventus! Overtaking Cristiano Ronaldo in Single-Season Champions League Goals, Approaching the Top 20!
Juventus Bonucci doesn't usually pay attention to personal hygiene and doesn't trim his nails frequently.
The large hand, like the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, scratched a large hole in Tang Long's sock with a single stroke, causing Tang Long to hiss in pain. He thought to himself:
"He needs to go to the hospital to get a rabies vaccine when he gets back."
Tang Long stood in front of the 12-yard spot, bent down and rubbed the spot where Bonucci had scratched him.
Bonucci felt a strange sense of relief, thinking to himself, "Although my foolish move conceded them a penalty, I tickled that kid's leg, which will definitely affect his penalty kick. Buffon, now it's up to you to save that shot."
The camera then turns to Juventus' legendary goalkeeper, Buffon.
At this moment, Buffon stood on the goal line that would decide his fate, his expression solemn yet tense.
His hands waved rapidly up and down like flags fluttering in the wind, while his feet bounced left and right as if they were on springs.
It jumps to the left one moment and to the right the next;
Not only that, he also twisted his muscular body, his movements exaggerated like those of a clown performing energetically in a circus.
In fact, this was a deceptive tactic that Buffon had prepared specifically for Tang Long after a long period of thought and research.
He was trying to distract Tang Long's vision and cause him to fluctuate psychologically during the free throw, thus affecting the quality of the free throw, by constantly swaying his posture.
As Buffon jumped around, he shouted at Tang Long in Italy, "Bring on your moves! I've figured you out completely, kid!"
However, behind this seemingly confident demeanor, Buffon's heart was actually filled with anxiety.
Despite having practiced countless penalty saves with star strikers like Higuain and Dybala before the match, rehearsing almost every possible penalty scenario, deep down he was genuinely reluctant to face Tang Long standing at the penalty spot.
The night before the match, he tossed and turned in bed, silently praying, "Please don't let the team concede a penalty, and please don't let Tang Long have the chance to stand in front of me to take the penalty."
He knew Tang Long's prowess at the penalty spot all too well, and past encounters with him cast a shadow over his mind.
But fate is so cruel!
Bonucci's reckless foul resulted in the situation he least wanted to see.
Buffon inwardly grumbled about Bonucci: "That incompetent teammate! He should have just let him shoot after he got past him. That angle was so tight, the shot was so difficult, and he had to reach out and grab his sock. Now look what happened, we're lucky the referee didn't give him a card."
At this moment, Tang Long stood with his hands on his hips, like a majestic mountain standing firmly in front of the penalty spot.
His gaze was firm and focused; he didn't even glance at Buffon, who was leaping and bounding across the goal line, but instead concentrated all his attention on the football in front of him.
Buffon stood on the goal line, his eyes fixed on Tang Long's every move.
Seeing that Tang Long completely ignored his interference, he became increasingly uneasy.
In his mind, scenes of his past clashes with Tang Long at the penalty spot flashed by rapidly, like a movie playing in his head.
Those unforgettable scenes, every detail is crystal clear: Tang Long's cunning eyes and perfect footwork during the Panenka penalty kick, Tang Long's feints and deceptive movements when his eyes deceived the goalkeeper, the unexpected change in rhythm when his supporting foot failed to find the target...
These unique and threatening penalty kicks, like a surging tide, constantly assaulted Buffon's mental defenses.
In order to counter Tang Long, Buffon has put in a lot of effort in his daily training.
He and his teammates simulated various possible penalty situations and practiced them again and again.
He even went so far as to find video clips of Tang Long taking penalty kicks and study them frame by frame, trying to find common patterns in Tang Long's penalty kick habits, run-up rhythm, and actions at the moment of contact with the ball, so that he could make the right judgment at crucial moments and successfully save Tang Long's penalty kicks.
Whistle!
Tang Long stood still for a full three seconds, but those three brief seconds seemed to stretch out infinitely.
For those three seconds, the entire Etihad Stadium seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath, afraid of making any noise that might disturb Tang Long.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the stands, the 2,000 or so Juventus fans were howling like wild boars, shouting incessantly in an attempt to distract Tang Long.
Even more extreme, someone took out a laser pointer and shone the green beam directly at Tang Long 'Tang Long face, causing his face to flash green light for a moment.
Just 0.5 seconds before Tang Long was about to touch the ball, Buffon suddenly launched his final interference.
With lightning speed, he leaped to his left, raising his arm high as if to block the left side.
However, almost at the same instant, he quickly twisted his body and opened his arms to the right.
All he did was to cause Tang Long's judgment to go astray at this critical moment!
With a loud "bang," Tang Long slammed his powerful instep into the soccer ball.
With such tremendous force, the football pierced the air and flew straight into the bottom left corner of the goal!
The score is now 2-0!
The Etihad Stadium was instantly ignited, with huge cheers erupting like surging waves, one after another!
The Manchester City fans who had been holding their breath finally released their excitement and joy.
They cheered and jumped, their faces beaming with the joy of victory. Their cheers, like a powerful sound wave, instantly drowned out the boos from the mere 2,000 away Juventus fans, completely engulfing them in the home team's sea of jubilation.
Buffon stood there blankly, his eyes empty and lost, as if his soul had left his body.
He stared at the ball that had already gone into the net, then at his opponents who were celebrating wildly, his heart filled with disbelief.
He muttered to himself, "Huh? That's it?"
When Tang Long took the penalty, Buffon made a series of dazzling and confusing moves, but he deliberately stood still at the last moment to prevent Tang Long from using a Panenka penalty to humiliate him again.
But he never expected that Tang Long's penalty kick would be so direct and decisive.
Without any feints or deception in his eyes, Tang Long's supporting foot and body posture at the moment of contact with the ball clearly indicated his intention to shoot towards the bottom left corner of the goal.
Buffon has been in the football world for many years, experiencing countless major matches and seeing all kinds of situations. He considers himself to be very experienced and has seen a lot of people.
He always believed that everything Tang Long did was just a prelude to mislead him, with the aim of deceiving him standing in front of the goal line at the crucial moment.
But he never expected that Tang Long would be so straightforward this time, using only obvious moves.
Your body reflects your thoughts, and the result will be exactly what you think!
At this moment, a sense of despair, as if a belief had been completely shattered, weighed heavily on Buffon's heart like a towering Mount Tai.
He felt his legs go weak, his knees buckled, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
His eyes were filled with loss and frustration; his whole world seemed to collapse at that moment.
Before the match, he and the team's top strikers spent countless hours and effort practicing penalty kicks.
Countless hours of sweat were poured into the penalty spot; every save, every analysis, was aimed at defeating the opponent in such crucial moments.
Buffon thought he knew Tang Long inside and out, and had studied him thoroughly.
Although he was reluctant to face Tang Long head-on at the penalty spot, once he stood in that position, he still firmly believed that he had enough ability and experience to defeat Tang Long and avenge his previous defeat.
To his surprise, Tang Long was so direct and straightforward this time, winning entirely through sheer power!
The angle of this shot wasn't particularly tricky, and there was no jumping or pausing during the penalty kick. Apart from the impressive power, it didn't seem to have any other special advantages.
But even with that one kick, Buffon watched helplessly as the ball flew past his hand and into the goal, and he was powerless to stop it.
Dybala, Higuain, and others on the field witnessed all of this and silently turned their gazes toward Buffon.
Dybala looked puzzled, his brow furrowed, and said, "What's wrong with him today? That was a half-high ball, and the angle wasn't tricky at all. With his ability, he had a perfect chance to save it!"
Higuain sighed helplessly, slowly placing his hand on his fellow Argentina's shoulder. "But in the end, he still couldn't save it, could he? On this penalty spot, he lost to Tang once again."
Surrounded by his teammates, Tang Long glanced at Buffon from afar and thought to himself:
"This time I'm not going to play any tricks on you, I'm just going to kick it straight at you, and you won't be able to defend against it!"
At this moment, Tang Long completely shattered Juventus's psychological defenses.
Tang Long scored twice in the first half, which practically sealed the victory or defeat of the match.
In the second half, Juventus' players seemed like soulless puppets, playing listlessly and completely lacking the fighting spirit they had in the first half.
They ran aimlessly on the field, their eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Some people, though standing on the field, clearly showed from their chaotic movements and empty eyes that they had no idea why they were standing there or where they should go next.
In the 71st minute of the second half, Tang Long received a precise pass from his teammate on the left wing.
He was agile and graceful, quickly started his run, and dribbled the ball down the left flank, breaking straight through!
After dribbling past several Juventus players, he delivered a beautiful cutback pass near the byline, accurately placing the ball at Agüero's feet inside the penalty area.
Agüero understood perfectly and easily slotted the ball into the net!
3-0!
After making that brilliant assist, Guardiola substituted Tang Long.
Amidst the thunderous cheers of 60,000 fans, Tang Long slowly walked off the field.
As he raised his hand and applauded the enthusiastic fans to express his heartfelt gratitude, he stared intently at the 2,000 Juventus Expeditionary Army in the corner with his sharp eyes.
Encountering Juventus fans at home?
This was a scene that Tang Long hadn't witnessed in a long time.
This is not an Italy stadium, and he no longer represents Inter Milan.
The only way for a Premier League team and a Serie A team to meet is in European competition.
Tang Long thought to himself, "Whether representing Inter Milan or Manchester City, crushing Juventus is my only option!"
With a brace and a 3-0 first-leg victory, Manchester City have one foot in the UEFA Champions League final!
<He defeated Buffon four times in penalties; his penalty kicks are a nightmare for Italy goalkeepers!>
<A completely one-sided match, Allegri utterly defeated Guardiola!>
<Another ripped shirt; Allegri truly deserves his nickname as the coach who wears out shirts the most!>
The entire football world was shaken as soon as the first leg of the match ended.
Everyone thought Juventus were beyond saving and had become the losers in this match.
They appeared so small and helpless in the face of Manchester City's overwhelming strength.
Juventus will ultimately be completely crushed by Manchester City, and they are destined to become a stepping stone for Manchester City on their road to the UEFA Champions League final.
Compared to Manchester City's victory over Juventus and the fierce clash between the Premier League newcomers and the Serie A veterans, what people are paying more attention to after the first leg of the UEFA Champions League is actually Tang Long's goal tally in the UEFA Champions League.
Before this round of UEFA Champions League matches, Tang Long had already scored 17 UEFA Champions League goals, while his rival Cristiano Ronaldo had 18.
After this match, thanks to his brace against Juventus, Tang Long's personal UEFA Champions League goal tally for the season jumped to 19, just one step away from the impressive 20-goal mark!
This news was like a bombshell, instantly causing a huge uproar on the internet.
There was a time when Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 UEFA Champions League goals in a single season, astonishing the entire football world. People marveled that this achievement was unprecedented and would likely never be repeated.
But no one could have imagined that just a few years later, a young man from China in the far East would suddenly emerge, with an amazing goal-scoring ability, seemingly showing a strong indication that he would break the 20-goal mark.
- [We've overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo! We've overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo by one goal!]
[My goodness, is Tang Long aiming for 20 goals in a single season?]
-[This is absolutely terrifying. Is this something a human being could do?]
If I remember correctly, Brazil football legend Ronaldo didn't score as many UEFA Champions League goals throughout his entire career as Tang Long!
- [Yes, Ronaldo's performance in the UEFA Champions League was mediocre.]
-[So what? Tang Long is Ronaldo's handpicked successor, and he has surpassed his master. There's nothing strange about Tang Long being a cut above Ronaldo.]
Now it's all about tomorrow's Real Madrid vs. Dortmund match.
The next evening.
Westfalenstadion, Germany.
This football stadium, renowned for its fervent home atmosphere, is about to host an equally anticipated UEFA Champions League match.
A tall, muscular the Portuguese strode confidently toward the Borussia Dortmund players' tunnel.
He is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo simply stood there, and his powerful aura spread rapidly in all directions like an invisible current.
His resolute gaze, stern face, and innate kingly aura commanded respect from all.
The moment Cristiano Ronaldo led his team onto the Borussia Dortmund pitch, Tang Long's image suddenly flashed into his mind without warning.
A flash of determination and defiance crossed Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes as he silently encouraged himself.
"We absolutely cannot lose to him, Cristiano! You're Ballon d'Or winner, you're the best in the world!"