In the stoppage time of the first half, Manchester United got a chance.
Nani took the ball on the left, broke through and passed the ball. Berbatov caught the ball in the penalty area and shot a shot that bounced off the defensive player's leg.
The ball fell towards the top of the penalty area.
Zhang Kuang rushed over, no one was faster than him.
The defender is still turning around, he's already there.
The ball bounces on the ground.
Zhang Kuang didn't stop the ball and hit the ball with a volley.
The ball was like a bolt of lightning, going straight to the lower right corner of the goal.
Begović dived, but the ball was too fast and he didn't touch the ball at all.
2:1.
He Wei: "It's in, it's in, it's in, the ball is in, Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang again! Stoppage time goal! In many recent games, he has received shots that were saved by the goalkeeper or scored after the ball bounced off the goalpost."
Xu Yang: "Yeah, I really don't understand how he can catch such an opportunity. It is difficult for ordinary people to catch the angle, speed and time at which the ball is saved or popped out. Even if they see it, they will not be able to get to the best place for a while."
He Wei: "Perhaps, this is the unique ability of Zhang Kuang."
"He always appears in the right place at the right time!" Martin·Tyler's voice was out of control, "This is not luck, this is talent!"
Zhang Kuang slipped and knelt down to the corner flag area, with his hands open and a smile on his face.
In the stands, Manchester United fans went crazy.
"Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang!"
Nani stood in the penalty area, looking at the figure sliding and kneeling, with complicated emotions in his heart.
That ball was shot by Berbatov. If Berbatov didn't shoot, if the ball didn't pop out... if...
But the reality is that Zhang Kuang scored a goal. He scored in stoppage time and scored twice.
After the restart, the referee immediately blew the whistle to end the first half.
Nani took a deep breath, turned around and walked back to the locker room.
At halftime, Manchester United led 2-1.
During halftime, Ferguson did one thing: replaced Gary·Neville.
"Wes, come on."
Gary·Neville sat in the corner of the locker room, head down, silent. He knew how bad his performance was today, and it was pure luck that he didn't get the red card.
"Gary," Ferguson walked up to him, "Don't think too much, come back for the next game. You haven't played for a long time and you still need to get used to it."
Neville nodded and said nothing else.
Ferguson looked at Pogba again. "Paul, played very well in the first half. That long pass was very beautiful."
Pogba's nervousness has subsided, replaced by a sense of confidence. "Thank you, boss!"
"Continue to play like this in the second half. If you are exhausted, raise your hands and I will replace you."
"Understood."
At the beginning of the second half, Stoke City stepped up their offensive. The home team obviously did not want to lose at home, and they invested a lot of troops in the frontcourt.
In the 60th minute, Pogba's physical strength did begin to decline. His running was not as active as in the first half, and the defensive coverage area was also shrinking.
Ferguson noticed.
He glanced at the bench and said, "Scholes, warm up."
Two minutes later, Scholes replaced Pogba.
When the France boy came off the field, the fans of Manchester United gave him a round of applause. It was not a warm applause, but it was sincere enough.
"You performed well today." Scholes patted his shoulder as he passed by.
"Thank you."
Pogba sat on the bench, opened a bottle of water, and drank heavily. He glanced at Zhang Kuang on the court, and saw that the man was still running, as if he would never get tired.
"His physical fitness is really good, but he is only two years older than me." Pogba muttered in a low voice.
Owen next to him heard it and laughed, "That's his talent, he's a pervert."
In the 69th minute, Stoke City replaced two players in a row. Pennant and Gudjohnsen came on the field, and the home team's attack became more intense.
"Stoke City is pressing the whole line," Martin·Tyler said, "Manchester United's back line is under great pressure."
In the next ten minutes, Stoke City almost pinned Manchester United to a half-court siege. This kind of scene is very rare - you must know that Manchester United is the first-ranked team, while Stoke City ranks 13th in points.
Zhang Kuang has a very ridiculous feeling, this damn Premier League, really strong teams will sometimes be beaten on the head by weak teams.
Van der Sar saved two shots in a row, and Vidić and Smalling tried their best to block it in the penalty area.
"This can't go on like this." Zhang Kuang thought to himself.
He started to drop deeper and join the midfield to win the ball.
But every time he gets the ball, Stoke City players will foul him immediately, such as directly holding his waist, or two people holding his arms, without giving him any chance to counterattack.
Although Zhang Kuang has a way to break free, he will have to use force. Now that Manchester United is in the lead, there is no need to use extreme methods.
In the 80th minute, the opportunity came.
Zhang Kuang took the ball on the right and faced two defensive players. He did not hesitate, changed direction and accelerated, squeezing between the two. Explosive power, confrontation, and balance were a perfect combination.
The two of them also wanted to stop him by hugging their waists and raising their arms, but Zhang Kuang gave them no chance to get closer.
He dribbled the ball along the right side, reached near the penalty area, and looked up.
Berbatov is in the middle, but its position is average.
Nani... It's actually at the back.
Zhang Kuang chose a low cross.
The ball rolled close to the ground toward the center of the penalty area, very fast, and the route was very tricky. Berbatov missed it at the front of the penalty area: it was not a mistake, but intentional. He knocked with his heel, changing the direction of the ball, and let the ball roll in the direction of Nani.
Nani rushed over, got in front of Stoke City's defender Collins, and poked him lightly with his toes.
The ball passed through the wicket of Begović and rolled into the net.
3:1.
"GOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Nani!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Manchester United seals the victory!!"
Nani was stunned for a moment after scoring the goal, then turned around and ran towards the corner flag area, jumped up and waved his fist.
But when he looked back to look for his celebrating teammates, he only saw Berbatov running over. Others... some were applauding, and some were standing still.
Zhang Kuang clapped his hands twice in the distance, then turned around and walked towards the center circle with an ugly expression.
The smile on Nani's face froze for a moment, and then returned to normal.
"... Forget it." He said in a low voice that only he could hear.
"Nani's goal is very crucial," Rob Hawthorn said, "It completely kills the suspense of the game. But when you look at his celebration, it seems that other teammates are not very excited, especially Chinese Zhang."
"Maybe... there are things in the locker room that we don't know?" Martin·Tyler said.
Rob: "Martin, have you noticed? Since Chinese Zhang joined Manchester United, Zhang and Nani seem to have never assisted each other, and rarely passed threatening balls to each other.
Moreover, if you recall carefully, it seems that every time Zhang celebrated a goal, Nani did it perfunctorily. But this time, you see, Zhang's cross was not intended for Nani, but Berbatov leaked to Nani, allowing Nani to score, which made Zhang a little unhappy."
Martin: "Hey, I have to say, what you said makes sense. It turns out that there is still this contradiction in Manchester United's locker room. Sure enough, there are many stories in the locker rooms of wealthy families."
Rob: "No, why do you think Nani and Zhang can't deal with each other? I'm very curious."
Martin:"Who knows, maybe..."
The score was 3:1, and the suspense was basically lost, so the commentators began to gossip. Now Manchester United fans all over the UK and even around the world knew about it. Zhang Kuang and Nani were not dealing with each other in the locker room.
In the 85th minute, Ferguson replaced Zhang Kuang with Owen. When Zhang Kuang came off the field, the Manchester United fans in the away stands still gave him applause, although it was not as warm as Old Trafford.
He sat on the bench and breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's a good kick." Phelan handed him the water.
"It's okay."
Zhang Kuang leaned on the seat and looked at the remaining garbage time on the court. Stoke City had no fighting spirit and only focused on defense. Manchester United steadily controlled the situation.
The final whistle sounded, 3:1, Manchester United scored three points in the away game.
After the game, Zhang Kuang won the best of the game and was interviewed by reporters in the mixed zone.
"You scored two more goals today, UEFA Champions League and the league have gained, how do you feel?"
"It feels good," Zhang Kuang said, "The team won, I scored, there's nothing better than this."
"What do you think of Pogba's performance today?"
"He is very talented and his long passes are beautiful. His vision and passing ability will help the team."
The reporter hesitated for a moment. "What do you think of Nani's performance today?"
Zhang Kuang paused. "He is our teammate. He scored and we won."
Reporter: "When Martin was commentating on this game, he said that you had a conflict with Nani in the locker room, so you two couldn't pass the ball to each other on the court. Is this true?"
Zhang Kuang: "This is a conjecture made out of nothing to undermine the internal unity of Manchester United. It's nothing. I maintain a good relationship with every team member of Manchester United because I know that winning is a matter for the entire team."
Then he left.
The reporter stood there, looking at the back of Zhang Kuang, thoughtfully.
The atmosphere in the locker room was a bit strange.
After winning the game, everyone should be happy, but everyone can feel a subtle sense of tension.
Rooney was sitting in the corner. From the beginning to the end of the game, he didn't even get a minute of playing time. His face was very ugly, it could even be said to be livid.
Only then did the teammates realize that Rooney was not on the field. It is estimated that many fans did not realize that Rooney was on the squad today and thought he was not on the squad.
"Rooney didn't attend the show today," Phelan whispered to Ferguson, "He seemed very unhappy."
"I know." Ferguson chewed gum with a calm expression, "He will understand. The schedule is too dense, I always have to rotate."
"But..."
"No buts." Ferguson interrupted him, "I am the head coach, I decide who plays."
Phelan stopped talking.
Zhang Kuang noticed Rooney's face, but he didn't say anything.
His current position at Manchester United is very delicate. He is the team's scoring core, a newcomer in the locker room, and a rising force. He cannot interfere too much, nor can he do nothing at all.
Then he took out his phone and checked social media.
Under his Twitter account, the number of fans has exceeded 13 million. In the comment area, both Chinese and English are flying:
"Zhang Kuang! 19 goals in the league! UEFA Champions League 8 goals! You are already invincible at Premier League, and you are also ahead at UEFA Champions League!"
"In the next game against Tottenham Hotspur, defeat Ber!"
"Pogba's pass today was so cool. You and he have a good connection."
"Nani scored a goal and you didn't celebrate it. Isn't it bad?"
"Is there something unpleasant between you that you can't let go of?"
"I think Nani is a good person, there is no need to be like this..."
Zhang Kuang chuckled when he saw this comment.
It's really funny. He didn't mean to ruin the relationship with Nani. It was Nani who did it first. Is it possible that he has to let Nani step down first? Why?
Whether it is competitive level, number of goals, or force value, or commercial value, he far exceeds Nani. From a strength position, he is stronger than Nani. From a rational point of view, he is the reason.
Co-author: He is young, and he is from China, so he has to bow his head first? Funny.
Look at that comment, 'I think Nani is a good person, there is no need to be like this...', Nani is a good person, does that mean it was Zhang Kuang who ruined his relationship with Zhang Kuang? Is Zhang Kuang a bad person?
Garbage man's trash talk!
"According to roadside information: There are many conflicts in Manchester United's locker room, and Chinese Zhang and Nani are full of hostility"
"Manchester United is in trouble in the locker room, Rooney's salary incident has just settled, and the team's strongest shooter in the locker room is eager to step on his old teammates"
"Since Chinese Zhang joined Manchester United, he has never passed a ball with Nani and is very hostile to Nani"
"China people are starting to dominate Manchester United locker room"
"Manchester United wants unity in the locker room, not vandals in the locker room, get rid of China people"
"..."
Just overnight, a large number of articles and content appeared in the media targeting Zhang Kuang and defending Nani.
Zhang Kuang also received a call from Jonathan, asking him if he wanted to find the media to write an article to fight back sharply? Or let him and Nani do an intimate show together to break the rumors.
But this was rejected by Zhang Kuang. In the words of Zhang Kuang:
"You think this will have a negative impact on me? No, it's none of my business. Anyone who has played football or been in a club knows that there are some factions and hostile people in the locker room?
It's normal in any team locker room that Nani and I don't get along. This is nothing to hype. However, some people want to use such public opinion to force me to bow to Nani, or force Manchester United to give up on me, and then Manchester United's performance plummeted.
So, if it is the first one, do you think I need to bow to Nani? Why? Who is he? Let me take the initiative to show friendly relations?
If it's the latter, we don't care. Club Manchester United is not a fool. They won't believe it and will not be fooled. If they really believe it and are fooled, it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter if they don't want to be treated by such a club, they have no future."
Jonathan: "Zhang, you are smarter than I imagined. You are right. We don't need to pay attention to it. I know how to deal with it."
Zhang Kuang: "Well, by the way, properly expose some people's methods, such as the people behind using these media methods to despise me and praise Nani. What is their purpose?"
Jonathan: "Okay, no problem, we will deal with it. Oh, Zhang, you have been reluctant to talk about the endorsements of several big brands before. Do you want to talk about it now? They have increased the price."
Zhang Kuang: "Price increase? What price has it been increased to?"
Jonathan: "Nike has given a basic endorsement fee of 4 million US dollars per year. If you add championship bonuses, golden boot bonuses, Ballon d'Or, etc., it can reach up to 6 million US dollars per year. Adidas is slightly lower..."
Zhang Kuang: "Forget it, I have no plans to change my endorsements. Anta pays 3 million euros per year. Isn't it good? Not only is it higher than the endorsement fee of these brands, it is also our China. Why should I change the endorsement fee to one with a high fee to accept one with a low fee?"
Jonathan: "Brand awareness is higher. Many people are proud to be affiliated with these big brands. It can bring you better exposure, and they can use their strength to get you Ballon d'Or."
Zhang Kuang: "It turns out that there are all these benefits. No wonder the top stars are monopolized by these two brands. Tell them that they can let me change the endorsement. There are two conditions. Either their overall quotation is higher than Anta, or their quotation is the same as Cristiano Ronaldo, 8 million US dollars a year."
Jonathan: "This is difficult."
Zhang Kuang:"Forget it."
Jonathan: "But they will hinder your Ballon d'Or selection."
Zhang Kuang: "It doesn't matter. If my goals lead everyone by a cliff, as long as FIFA dares to award Ballon d'Or to others in front of the whole world, then I will accept it, which means that the gold content of this award is just that."
Jonathan:"... Oh, you are a bit tough like this."
Zhang Kuang: "It's not that I'm tough, it's that I don't want to be manipulated. If I just want to break away from being manipulated, it's called tough, and that's confusing right and wrong.
This is like a slave throwing away the chaff and saying to the slave owner, "If you don't give me a rice ball, I won't do it, and I won't do it even if you beat me." At this time, the slave owner in turn accuses the slave, "Why are you so tough?" Isn't this confusing right and wrong?
What's the matter, the slave owners have become the weak party in front of the slaves? I refused their low price, how come I have become the unreasonable party? There is no such reason in the world."
Jonathan: "This... you are right, but why did I think that way before? I have to get used to China people's way of thinking. Maybe we Westerners have been brainwashed by capitalists for too long."
Zhang Kuang: "Then you can go to China's bookstore and buy a few China junior high school textbooks to read. This is a truth that even China's junior high school students understand."
Jonathan:"Really? What book?"
Zhang Kuang: ""Political Economics" will explain some of the simplest logic clearly. Well, this is too far off the mark. Maybe you can talk to the Manchester United club about my matter."
Jonathan: "I understand. Wait for my message."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Kuang continued his Qi and Blood Pack practice and ate a fleshy grape. It was salty, sweet, and oily. Today he added some cream.
"I like this flavor. I will make more new flavors next time. How does the sausage taste?"