Teammate chickened out, Tang Long: "Let me go up, I'll teach Manchester United how to behave."

A true man keeps his word, Tang Long was determined to fulfill his promise to score as many goals as he was supposed to shoot.

Therefore, he immediately promised Gracie that he would score a hat-trick in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Gracie was unaware of what had happened between Tang Long and Diletta the night before. He thought Tang Long's words were just a joke, so he didn't take them to heart and comforted him, telling him not to push himself too hard and not to get injured before the UEFA Champions League final.

However, since Tang Long has made his promise, he must keep it!

Therefore, the day before the FA Cup final against Manchester United, he righteously rejected Diletta's invitation.

"Don't do that, it's still not good. As a football player, I still need to be disciplined."

After all, too many of these kinds of things are not good, as they will more or less distract some players. Tang Long felt that scoring at least three goals against Manchester United would be enough.

He's already the top scorer in all those FA Cup rounds, there's no need to compare him to anyone.

The FA Cup trophy isn't that valuable; as long as we win the title, Tang Long has no objection to who wins the Golden Boot.

However, after promising to score three goals, Tang Long was worried about Guardiola's lineup and formation for this match.

The day before heading to Wembley Stadium, Guardiola called Tang Long aside to ask for his opinion.

Although the tone was one of inquiry, the implication was clear: Tang Long was not wanted to be in the starting lineup.

Although Tang Long hesitated for a moment, he still expressed his willingness to accept and respect the head coach's arrangements.

After all, they have a lot of experience playing against Manchester United; Manchester City have already achieved a double victory over Manchester United in the league this season.

Tang Long laughed and said, "Boss, we've already won the championship. Do you think Manchester United will give us a guard of honor at Wembley Stadium?"

The champions' welcome ceremony is a traditional etiquette in football. When a team has already secured the league title, the opposing team's players line up on both sides of the tunnel to applaud and welcome the champion team onto the field, expressing their respect for their competitive achievement.

In 2007, Chelsea gave a guard of honor to Ferguson's Manchester United.

For example, in 2013, Arsenal players lined up to applaud Manchester United players who had entered the stadium after securing the title early.

This tradition is not mandated by the Premier League and relies more on the spontaneous actions of opposing clubs.

Guardiola shook his head without hesitation, saying, "You're overthinking it. This isn't Premier League match; it's the FA Cup final. How could Manchester United possibly give us a guard of honor?"

"Besides, if Ferguson were still at Manchester United, perhaps it would be possible, but now the Manchester United is Pellegrini, and given his personality, he wouldn't do that."

The feud between Pellegrini and Guardiola dates back to their time in La Liga.

Asking him to give a guard of honor to Guardiola, who replaced him last season, would be an utter disgrace to him, akin to slapping himself in the face.

"I respect your decision, but please let me play at Wembley Stadium. I love this stadium!" Tang Long said.

Guardiola said, "Of course, such a grand event would definitely include you. Don't worry, kid, you'll have the chance to score in front of 90,000 fans, and you can definitely do it."

The next evening.

Wembley Stadium was ablaze with stars and teeming with people.

Even in London, a bustling global economic metropolis, Wembley is the most dazzling area in this city of millions tonight.

Contrary to popular belief, Manchester United had more than twice as many fans as Manchester City for this match!

Compared to Manchester City, Red Devils fans are clearly more eager for their team to win this trophy.

With a history spanning over a century, the FA Cup is the oldest trophy in Britain football history, and no team would refuse such an honor.

Manchester United are desperate for a title right now!

The team has been without a title since the Ferguson era ended.

Although the team brought in many talented players such as Pellegrini, Icardi, Ibrahimovic, and Bony at the beginning of the season, Red Devils fans and media began to look forward to a revival in the post -Ferguson era. They hoped that Pellegrini, the Chile manager who led Manchester City to two titles in three years, could lead the Premier League giants back to their peak after the change of ownership.

However, the outside world has clearly overestimated Pellegrini's ability and underestimated Manchester City's ambition.

With the season nearing its end, the FA Cup has become the only trophy the Red Devils can compete for, and it's the closest they've come to winning the title in recent years.

Before the match, some media outlets speculated that the FA Cup title was Pellegrini's lifeline to save his coaching career.

If Manchester United can't even win the FA Cup, they'll be empty-handed for the season, and the first thing they'll do is fire the veteran manager, followed by a major overhaul of the team.

After all, Manchester United has everything right now except for a championship;

Or rather, they lack everything except money!

In a desperate move, Pellegrini dispatched his full-strength squad to fight.

In fact, the team was given a break immediately after the game, so they had absolutely nothing to hold back.

The team fielded its strongest lineup, including Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Rashford, Pogba, De Bruyne, Blind, Rojo, Smalling, and Valencia.

However, Guardiola was clearly holding back. He thought, "The FA Cup final against Real Madrid is just a week after the UEFA Champions League Cup final. Real Madrid is much stronger than this Manchester United, so I have to make some rotations. Even if I lose to Manchester United, I still have to win the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid."

Compared to Pellegrini, Diola is a higher-ranking player, and he completely lacks that Chile mentality of revenge.

Therefore, people were surprised when they saw Manchester City's starting lineup on the field.

- [Oh dear, why isn't Tang Long in the starting lineup? This match isn't going to be interesting.]

-[It's not surprising that Tang Long didn't start, but it's a bit exaggerated that Agüero didn't start either.]

With Ranocchia out and Gündoğan sidelined, who will control the tempo in Manchester City's midfield?

-[None of that matters, the key issue is that the captain and mainstay of the defense probably won't start. That's a huge underestimation of Manchester United.]

-[That's right, apart from Kompany, no one on this Manchester City can physically withstand Ibrahimovic.]

It looks like Guardiola is going to throw this game away, essentially handing Manchester United a FA Cup title for free.

-[That's not necessarily true. Although there is player rotation, the team's style of play remains the same. Moreover, players like Bonazzoli, Sane, Delph, Mkhitaryan, Otamendi are all quite capable; they would be starters even at Manchester United.]

That being said, after the start of the game, although Manchester City maintained firm control of the attack, with the ball at their feet for most of the time and moving around in their rhythm.

However, without the passing and ball distribution of Stones and the tempo control of metronome Ranocchia, Manchester City's ability to evade Manchester United's early and intense pressing in their own half proved to be quite difficult.

In particular, Serbia Kolarov, who replaced Stones and played center-back for the first time this season, seemed quite awkward in that position.

Although he is left-footed like Stones, Kolarov has long been a winger who runs down the flanks and crosses the ball. The last time he played center-back was when he was just a temporary replacement for Manchester City in two games during his first season there.

Seven years have passed since then, making it seem quite unfamiliar.

"Keep an eye on him and deal with him!"

The astute Ibrahimovic naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Ten years ago, when Ibrahimovic was still playing for Inter Milan, he had many intense physical confrontations with Kolarov, who was playing for Lazio at the time.

The two even clashed several times over this, and each received many yellow cards.

Seeing Kolarov struggling in the center-back position and hesitating to pass the ball after receiving it, Ibrahimovic decisively rushed forward!

Perhaps this disappointing season caused Ibrahimovic's emotions to erupt, giving him an adrenaline rush.

So despite his bulky size and limited mobility, those first few steps he took actually gave him a speed that even Icardi couldn't match!

Kolarov didn't notice Ibrahimovic coming over until his foot, which he was trying to pass, stretched out and missed. Only then did he realize that Ibrahimovic had hooked the ball between his legs, and he couldn't help but yell "Ah!"

This steal seemed to invigorate Ibrahimovic, and his movements became much smoother than before;

After turning around, he dribbled the ball into the penalty area.

Facing another Otamendi, coming to cover, he immediately unleashed a powerful shot, blasting the ball into the net!

Just eight minutes into the game, Manchester United surprisingly took the lead, a start that no one could have predicted before the match began.

The roar of Manchester United fans at Wembley Stadium was like waves crashing against each other!

"Zlatan!!!"

While a one-goal lead at the start might not be enough to give Manchester United fans hope of winning, given Manchester City's current starting lineup and the form of starting center- Kolarov, at least half of Manchester United fans believe they have a very high chance of winning this match.

After all, Manchester City still has the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid to focus on.

"What is Kolarov doing? Is he sleepwalking?" Chivu asked anxiously.

"It's alright, he knows what to do." Guardiola clearly had a lot of trust in this veteran Eastern European player.

Fortunately, Kolarov did not disappoint his coach's trust, and quickly adjusted his form, becoming much more decisive in passing the ball out from the backfield.

His quick passing made Manchester City's backline movement much smoother.

Even so, without Ranocchia's support and Gündoğan's scheduling, Mkhitaryan and Thiago just didn't quite work together.

In addition, young player Bonazzoli missed a good chance to score with a header in front of the goal. Apart from Ibrahimovic's one-on-one chance at the beginning of the first half, both sides created very few opportunities.

Tang Long scratched his head at the sight, thinking, "Although Manchester City is strong now, at least one of us, Agüero and I, needs to be on the front line. Otherwise, without a good finisher, Manchester City will have a hard time scoring."

Sure enough, five minutes into the second half, Guardiola substituted Bonazzoli with Agüero.

Bonazzoli walked off the bench looking dejected, and without saying a word, he started drinking water.

This match was a great opportunity for him to showcase his abilities; not every player has the chance to play in a stadium packed with 90,000 people. However, he failed to capitalize on it and squandered a sure goal.

Tang Long patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying:

"Don't be discouraged. Take a good look at how Agüero plays and learn from him."

After Agüero came on, his range of movement was clearly greater than Bonazzoli's.

During an attack in the second half, Tang Long was instructing Bonazzoli on analyzing Agüero's movement, but his gaze inadvertently drifted to Gracie on the sidelines.

Tang Long subconsciously let out a soft "Eh," his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

When Gracie was on duty as the team doctor, she was a completely different person, usually sporting a neat ponytail. Her chestnut hair fell over her shoulders, and the gold hair clips tucked into her hair shimmered under the stadium spotlights.

Gracie turned to talk to her colleagues in the medical team, and Tang Long was surprised to find that Gracie had indeed changed her hairstyle today.

She actually styled her hair with wispy bangs!

Her carefully styled wispy bangs gently covered her smooth forehead, giving her originally sculpted European features a touch of Eastern elegance.

This hairstyle is rarely seen on European and American women, but it is very popular among young Asia girls.

Gracie noticed Tang Long staring at her. She blinked, smiled slightly, revealing two pretty dimples, and quickly turned her gaze back to her colleague, a blush creeping up her ears.

As the saying goes, a woman dresses up for the man she loves.

After that intimate encounter with the therapist, Gracie felt a sense of fulfillment she had never experienced before, and her tenderness towards Tang Long deepened with each passing day.

After much deliberation, she made a point of dressing up before the match at Wembley Stadium, getting a hairstyle reminiscent of an Asian girl.

I wonder if he likes me like this?

Gracie felt a little uneasy.

Now, noticing Tang Long staring at her, she was overjoyed. "Oh, it seems he noticed."

"Great shot! Look at Agüero's zigzag run!"

Tang Long's exclamation immediately drew Bonazzoli's attention to Agüero.

But in the blink of an eye, as Bonazzoli's gaze shifted, Agüero had already earned a one-on-one opportunity.

"Haha, is there a replay? How did he suddenly get a one-on-one attack?"

Bonazzoli, utterly astonished, even uttered the absurd statement of wanting to watch the replay.

In fact, when the ball was under the control of Thiago and Zabaleta, Bonazzoli's eyes followed the ball as it ran, but Tang Long did not.

He kept one eye on the ball, but the other was glancing at Agüero's runs on the front line—that's the difference between Bonazzoli and Tang Long.

When Tang Long noticed Agüero's serpentine run and how perfectly it matched Thiago's final pass, he immediately called Bonazzoli to come and take a look.

But Bonazzoli could only see the final result, not the intricate process of coordination involved.

"Haha, another lob! Sigh, how come he always manages to lob the ball? Is this goalkeeper stupid? Why do I always get fooled by him? I really don't understand!"

Agüero's chip shot out of De Gea's net earned Bonazzoli a rousing ovation.

Seeing his team score the equalizer, Bonazzoli, who had been substituted after a fruitless first half, was no longer frustrated and joined the players on the bench in their celebration.

After Bonazzoli sat down, Tang Long smiled helplessly, thinking, "I've watched him play for a whole season, and I still don't understand how he managed to deceive the goalkeeper with a chip shot. Sigh, it seems his talent is really limited. I wonder what heights he can reach at Manchester City in the future."

After Agüero scored the equalizer, Pellegrini became a little anxious.

He never expected that the Argentina striker, who had once dominated under his command, would immediately dismantle his meticulously planned defense as soon as he came on in the second half.

Pellegrini immediately made a change, replacing the physically weak Mata with the 21-year-old McTominay, aiming to strengthen the midfield attack!

"Give me a good fight!"

Manchester United, who were eliminated early in the UEFA Champions League, did not have to compete on three fronts like Manchester City, and their physical advantage was obvious.

In addition, McTominay is a typical Scotland tough guy. Compared to the technically gifted Spain Mata, he plays more unpredictably and is much more aggressive.

Upon entering the field, he immediately committed a wide-ranging interception and leg-extending foul, causing Thiago, who had just provided an assist, to fall flat on his face.

Although the referee warned him, this incident certainly gave Mkhitaryan, a jolt.

Mkhitaryan and Thiago exchanged a glance, neither speaking, but their eyes conveyed the same message: "The UEFA Champions League final is about to begin; we can't afford to let this hothead from Scotland get injured. It's not worth it."

Therefore, in the subsequent match, the two intentionally slowed down the pace, no longer passing the ball around McTominay, but instead making full use of the width of the field in an attempt to move Manchester United around.

However, Pellegrini had anticipated this, and Pogba and Rooney dropped back quite far into the middle. Both players are very strong in running and interception, so it wasn't easy for Manchester City to break through Manchester United's midfield.

When the crosses came from the wing, Agüero's height was not an advantage, and for a time, Manchester City's efforts amounted to much ado about nothing.

On the contrary, Manchester United capitalized on several counter-attacks, making full use of Pogba's long passes and creating exquisite combinations with Rooney and Ibrahimovic.

If it weren't for one or two incredible saves by goalkeeper Onana, Manchester United would have already taken the lead.

"Easy, easy, everyone calm down!"

Onana pressed his hands down, making his signature move.

In the 71st minute of the second half, young Robertson made a strong breakthrough on the left wing and delivered a cross with excellent placement and speed.

Agüero was about to jump, he felt a dark cloud pressing down on him.

The 193cm tall McTominay suddenly appeared and headed the ball powerfully out of bounds.

He was more than 20 centimeters taller than Agüero, and when he landed, he deliberately used his elbow to push Agüero to the ground.

On the sidelines, Bonazzoli slapped his thigh in anger, jumped up, pointed at McTominay, and began to hurl insults.

He then sullenly walked back to his seat and said to Tang Long, "That Scotland bully! If I were on the field, I would never let him bully people like that!" Tang Long immediately comforted him and told him to calm down.

At this moment, Guardiola glanced at Tang Long on the field and began to speak quietly with Chivu.

The live broadcast cameras then focused on Tang Long.

The director knows football well, and so do the fans in the stadium. Although there were fewer Manchester City fans than Manchester United fans, the 20,000 Manchester City supporters still began chanting Tang Long's name.

"Tang!"

"Let Tang go on stage!"

"Pep, what are you waiting for!"

"Send him to kill the game right away!"

Tang Long stood up and walked to Guardiola's side.

"It's my turn. I'll teach this McTominay a lesson."