Tang Long's Textbook Breakout, Manchester United's Three-Man Ambush Becomes a Joke! Zero Angle, Shot!

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

Tang Long's words sent a jolt through teaching assistant Chivu.

The Romania had a clear view of the situation. The young Scotland player, McTominay, was fearless and, after coming on, successfully used his physical advantages to limit Mkhitaryan and Thiago.

It's not that McTominay's technique is exceptionally good, nor is it that Mkhitaryan and Thiago, two top-class Premier League midfielders, are less skilled than him.

The UEFA Champions League final is set to kick off in a week.

Many Manchester City players are playing in UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their careers, and no one wants to risk injury by going head-to-head with McTominay.

This involves not only the player's physical concerns, but also the player's courage.

Clearly, neither Thiago nor Mkhitaryan has the guts right now!

Chivu was lost in thought. If Tang Long were substituted in at this moment, would he get entangled with McTominay and get injured?

But the thought vanished in an instant, like the broken ash from a cigarette butt being flicked away.

For a tall, somewhat clumsy midfielder like McTominay, Tang Long has 100 ways to outmaneuver him and still remain unscathed.

"Pep, hurry up and change Don into the shirt, and go change Thiago into the shirt too."

Compared to Mkhitaryan, Brazil midfielder Thiago is physically more fragile.

Guardiola, who coached both Bayern and Barca, knows this all too well.

Guardiola gave Tang Long an approving look and smiled, "You're right, but I'm sending you on the field not to teach McTominay a lesson, but to teach Manchester United how to behave."

Even so, Guardiola still gestured to Tang Long, indicating that he should sit back on the bench.

"Let's wait and see, there's still time, no rush."

Chivu was genuinely surprised to hear this. With only 20 minutes left, was there really plenty of time?

Even with stoppage time, it will only last a maximum of 25 minutes.

Is Guardiola really that confident he can beat Manchester United with his current reserve squad?

It's worth noting that although Manchester United suffered two ruthless defeats at the Manchester City in the league, they are still among the top teams in the Premier League in terms of both overall player strength and market value.

Moreover, Pellegrini's Manchester United have an even stronger desire for this FA Cup, as it is the only trophy they can win this season, and they will definitely fight tooth and nail for it.

Guardiola nodded slightly, but did not reply, turning his gaze back to the field.

Tang Long didn't really have much to say; he was looking forward to going on stage soon.

After all, he had promised Gracie a hat-trick. Even if he put him on the field now and he scored a hat-trick in about 20 minutes, it wouldn't be an easy task, even against a relegation-threatened team, let alone Manchester United.

But this bet was clearly a private, slightly romantic secret between Tang Long and Gracie; how could it be told to Guardiola?

Tang Long shrugged slightly and could only continue sitting on the bench.

Just then, Gracie happened to pass by carrying a medical kit.

Tang Long walked to her side, covered his mouth, and whispered to her:

"It's over, Guardiola said I'm not playing in this match." He deliberately exaggerated Guardiola's words and lied to Gracie.

He thought Gracie would be upset that he hadn't kept his promise, but to his surprise, Gracie winked at him and said softly:

"Then you should get some rest, so you can save your energy for the UEFA Champions League final."

Tang Long was taken aback, then chuckled mischievously in a low voice, "So, in that case, you were just taken advantage of by me in the therapy room that time?"

Even though Tang Long had lowered his voice so much that only Gracie could hear it, the female team doctor's face immediately turned red. She quickly turned her head around and made a shushing gesture at him.

"What are you thinking! That day with you... I didn't do it to let you score..." He then turned and ran away in small steps.

Gracie's shy demeanor stirred a gentle tenderness in Tang Long's heart.

The smell of disinfectant in the therapy room, her slightly furrowed brows, and their intertwined breaths from that day—all these now transformed into a soft, itchy sensation in my chest, a truly tingling itch.

He watched Gracie's graceful back as he thought to himself, "That's true, but I can't go back on my word. Sigh, Guardiola, hurry up and let me get on the field!"

The match on the field remained closely contested.

"Tang!"

The Manchester City fans behind the bench were still chanting Tang Long's name, hoping he would come on as soon as possible.

Tang Long suddenly had a brilliant idea. Instead of sitting on the bench, he started warming up on the sidelines, jogging and doing exaggerated waist twists and leg stretches, while intentionally or unintentionally moving closer to the sideline photographers' cameras.

During a brief pause between a throw-in and a dead ball, footage of Tang Long warming up alone on the sidelines began to appear on the big screen at the Etihad Stadium.

This scene deeply provoked the Manchester City fans at the scene, igniting the powder keg in their hearts!

The fans are no longer chanting for Tang Long to play; instead, they've started cursing Guardiola!

"Pep, what are you waiting for? Are you going to wait until Christmas to let Don make his appearance?!"

"She's so indecisive, like a woman, not decisive at all!"

"If we don't win this game, Guardiola is out!"

"We bought tickets from far away to see Tang score goals, not to watch you give nonsensical instructions and cause trouble!"

"Refund! I want my money back!!!"

A torrent of insults suddenly poured down, and Guardiola felt a buzzing in his head. He immediately widened his eyes and turned to look at the stands behind him.

He saw tens of thousands of eyes staring wide-eyed at him, as if his face were being shone by countless searchlights. His facial skin instantly burned, and he involuntarily took a step back, covering his cheeks with his hands.

In fact, Guardiola's plan for this match was to take advantage of Manchester United's anxious mentality, make them unable to break through his defense, drag the game out until after the 80th minute, and then bring on Tang Long to score a decisive goal.

The fans' frenzy made him somewhat irritable. He glanced at his watch; it was 76 minutes. He decided to make a decisive move and bring on Tang Long to replace Thiago.

"Fine, fine, why are you yelling at me? And telling me to get fired? What a joke! If I'm fired, who's going to lead you guys in the UEFA Champions League final? Sigh!" Guardiola gave a wry smile.

When the fourth official raised the number 9 substitution card on the stadium's big screen, thunderous applause erupted at Wembley Stadium.

"He's here! He's finally here!"

Tang Long replaced Thiago!

Manchester United manager Pellegrini on the sidelines looked horrified, as if he were seeing not a player, but the devil Satan.

Rooney, Pogba, and others on the field all looked fearful.

"Is he really going to play? Isn't he afraid of getting injured and affecting the UEFA Champions League final?" Rooney's heart was pounding.

"This is bad, Captain, I feel a little panicked..." Pogba said in a trembling voice.

"What are you afraid of? Don't be a coward," Ibrahimovic wiped the sweat from his face, feigning composure. "With McTominay there, just have him keep a close eye on Tang Long."

McTominay was an innocent and naive Scotland lad.

If he weren't a professional footballer, this tall and strong man might be busy carrying bricks on a construction site in Scotland right now.

After receiving instructions from his seniors, McTominay began to closely monitor Tang Long.

To be honest, he was quite excited at first. His role was that of a substitute for Manchester United. He hadn't played in the previous two Manchester Derby and had just sat on the bench. He had never faced Tang Long before.

This kid has a strong competitive spirit. Although he knows Tang Long is very strong and has even thrashed Manchester United, he still wants to see if he can stop this European Golden Shoe winner.

In the 78th minute of the second half, just two minutes after Tang Long came on as a substitute...

During a contest on the left flank, McTominay caught up from a distance and, taking advantage of Tang Long's momentary lapse in control, made a steal with a long leg!

This tactic is commonly used by professional players. It involves disrupting the opponent's footing when they receive the ball, much like the ancient China military strategy of attacking the opponent as soon as they cross a river, which often yields remarkable results.

But McTominay was surprised to find that his move, which had worked every time in training and matches, completely missed when he kicked Tang Long.

Just as he was about to touch the ball, at the very last moment his toes were about to make contact, with a whoosh, the ball vanished, and Tang Long disappeared as well.

"Hey, where's the ball?"

McTominay looked blankly to the left, then to the right, then up at the sky, and then spun around 180 degrees, but still couldn't see the ball anywhere.

That bewildered look seemed to be asking: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

Just as McTominay was wondering if Tang Long had accidentally fallen into the hole beneath Wembley Stadium, he suddenly heard the pitiful scream of center-back Smalling beside him—

"Don't leave me alone, everyone help me defend!!!"

Amidst a pig-like scream, Tang Long used a Matthews feint to connect with a bicycle kick, and then swayed his body, causing Smalling to extend his leg;

After Smalling created an opening, Tang Long immediately pushed the ball gently with his left foot, then sped off to the other side, executing a nutmeg to get past De Gea, who was rushing out to intercept. The ball slowly rolled into the goal, its slow speed a blatant mockery of Manchester United.

"Come on, defend against me!"

He scored a beautiful goal less than three minutes after coming on, which sent the Manchester City fans who had been chanting for Tang Long's return into the stands into a frenzy.

They jumped up and down like madmen, hugging even strangers. Some excitedly kicked the backs of the seats in front of them, while the fans being kicked didn't get angry; instead, they laughed loudly and gave each other thumbs up, as if to say, "What did I tell you? He can score as soon as he steps onto the field!"

When the ball went in, every Manchester United player on the field was terrified and dared not utter a sound.

Especially Manchester United captain Rooney.

With his extensive experience on the field, he could tell at a glance that although Tang Long had spent most of the game on the bench, he was actually in excellent physical condition. That's why he scored such a dazzling goal after only a few touches on the ball.

To be honest, even Rooney didn't see clearly how Tang Long chipped the ball past McTominay, then swiftly outmaneuvered top-class center-back Smalling, and finally scored against De Gea in a one-on-one situation.

"Oh no, what happened!"

McTominay, who had spun 180 degrees on the spot, could only stare blankly at Tang Long.

Although he was a firsthand witness, he still walked nervously to the captain's side and asked him what had just happened and why he had been so easily bypassed.

Faced with his younger teammate's question, Manchester United captain Rooney was at a loss for words.

He patted McTominay on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't ask anymore. How about this, I'll withdraw a little, and we'll go keep an eye on him together."

McTominay scratched his head, filled with doubt.

We're down 1-2 now. You're dropping back on the front line, and we're having two people marking Tang Long alone. Do we even need to attack and prepare to win the championship?

Tang Long quickly made a comeback.

In almost the same position and at the same angle, Tang Long received a long pass from center- Kolarov.

Although Kolarov hadn't played center-back for a long time and his familiarity with the position was far less than Stones', his accurate long passes became apparent as he gradually found his rhythm.

This shot traveled nearly 60 meters from the edge of their own penalty area to the flank outside Manchester United's box, yet the landing point was remarkably precise.

McTominay approached again, and this time, Rooney also came to assist.

-[Three opposing players detected approaching; with a stop-and-go maneuver, there is a 67.84% chance of breaking through their encirclement.]

There were clearly only McTominay and Rooney in front of Tang Long, so where did the third person come from?

However, the AI System's prediction was correct, because it had detected Smalling's movements in advance, right to the side where Tang Long couldn't see him.

Clearly, Manchester United used three players to surround Tang Long outside the penalty area like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

Especially Smalling, he was determined that if Tang Long managed to get past McTominay and Rooney in succession, he would do everything he could, even foul him, to prevent Tang Long from entering the penalty area again.

Otherwise, if they score another goal, Manchester United will be completely routed and lose all hope of victory!

"Smack!"

With a crisp sound of the ball being struck, before the three players could fully surround him, Tang Long didn't stop the ball. Instead, he used the outside of his foot to hook the ball to the side, changing its direction. The ball flew diagonally towards the baseline, and Tang Long chased after it.

This move is the most effective way to break through a three-man defense—stop and go!

McTominay thought Tang Long was going to stop the ball, which caught him off guard and instantly put him out of position;

Although Rooney was prepared, he didn't expect Tang Long to dribble such a high ball towards the byline with the outside of his foot. Moreover, Rooney was on the outside of the ball, so he naturally couldn't catch up.

The only one who could possibly hinder Tang Long is Smalling on the outside.

"Now is the time!"

Seeing Tang Long charging towards him with such ferocity, Smalling knew that conventional methods wouldn't work. So, he decided to launch a sliding tackle to intercept Tang Long just before he entered the penalty area, even if it meant getting a yellow card!

Bang!

Tang Long gave Smalling no chance. Just as Smalling stretched out his leg to slide tackle, Tang Long unexpectedly shot from a tight angle!

"Wow, he actually shot!"