The cold wind in early spring blew past the roof of the stands, rolling up a few red flags.
Seventy-five thousand three hundred and twenty-two people packed the stadium, and a sea of red occupied most of the stands.
A huge TIFO slowly unfolded from the top of the east stand. The silhouette of Zhang Kuang leaping over Xiongba to celebrate the goal occupied half of the stand. Below it was a line of large characters. "Your uncle is still your uncle."
In the small blue area in the northwest corner, Manchester City fans were also not to be outdone, holding a banner. "The new king of Jinyuan replaces the old dynasty."
The stands on both sides exchanged curses in the air, singing, booing, and whistles intertwined, and the security personnel tensed their nerves.
In the front row of Manchester United's core fan area, there were 100 fans who were particularly excited. They were the winning fans who gave away game tickets in the lottery on Zhang Kuang's social platform. They came from different places and it was their first time to watch Manchester United's home game.
I heard that after they watched the game, Zhang Kuang would come to meet them, which made them even more excited.
When Tevez's name came out from the radio for the first time, more than 70,000 Manchester United fans in the audience collectively let out deafening boos. The sound was like a wall coming down. Even Tevez himself paused slightly, but he quickly regained his expressionless expression and continued to stretch.
In the broadcast room of Sky Sports, Martin·Tyler and Rob·Hawthorn have already sat down in front of the camera.
Martin·Tyler opened the information. "Friends from the audience, welcome to the 27th round of the 2010-11 season Premier League, Manchester Derby, Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester United vs. the city rival Manchester City.
I don't need to say how important this game is: Manchester United ranks first in the standings with 23 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss and 71 points in 26 rounds.
Arsenal ranked second with 53 points from 26 games with 15 wins, 8 draws and 3 losses. Manchester City ranked third with 49 points from 26 games with 14 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses.
The score difference is 22 points. Even if Manchester City wins today and the score difference reaches 19 points, it is theoretically impossible to unseat Manchester United. However, sometimes the league is like this, slowly wearing down the opponent game by game. Only by fighting hard in every game can there be good results."
Rob·Hawthorn answered, "You're right, the standings look difficult, but it's even harder if you don't do anything to dismount your opponent. Let's look at the starting lineup of both sides first, Manchester United ranked 4-3-3..."
Martin·Tyler: "Manchester City here is 4-4-2, the goalkeeper..."
Rob·Hawthorne: "Manchester City's lineup has a hidden danger: De Jong is injured and has not made the roster. De Jong is Manchester City's midfielder with the strongest interception ability. Without him, Barry and Milner will have to take on more defensive tasks.
Mancini said before the game that he would focus on guarding Zhang Kuang. I heard that he deployed a three-way double-team defense: Barry plus Milner in the middle, and Milner plus a full-back on the same side as the fixed double-team on the side.
In addition, there is Yaya Toure as a mobile replacement and a universal double-teaming point."
Martin: "Oh, this really sets a dragnet for the boy China."
Rob: "But it's hard to say whether it's useful or not. Which team wouldn't set a dragnet for Zhang Kuang, but he still scores more than two goals every day very steadily."
Martin: "How can it give people the feeling that this is the result of Zhang Kuang's deliberate control? Otherwise, who could control it so well?"
Rob: "Who knows? Today's highlight is: China said, 'Your uncle is still your uncle,' so let's see if he can brag about it."
"..."
On CCTV-5's side, He Wei and Xu Yang are also giving pre-match explanations.
He Wei: "Friends from the audience, today's Premier League focus game, Manchester Derby. The big gap in the standings makes the outcome of this game seem to have little impact, but the significance of the derby has never had much to do with the standings.
Moreover, in the last round Manchester United lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in an away game, and public opinion was in an uproar. Today Zhang Kuang and Berbatov both returned to the starting lineup, and Manchester United has to prove himself at home."
Xu Yang: "The biggest headache for Manchester City today is how to defend against Zhang Kuang. De Jong is not here, and the midfield combination of Barry and Milner is not strong enough in defense. Although Yaya Toure can cover the defense, he alone cannot cover the entire midfield."
He Wei: "Players from both sides have already entered the stadium. Let's hand the screen to the front..."
In the players tunnel, the heating was turned on fully, but the cold wind seeping in through the cracks in the door still gave people goosebumps. Berbatov stood in the team, stamping his feet and moving his ankles, and the white air drifted away under the light.
Zhang Kuang was standing next to him wearing a thin jersey, looking very cool and comfortable. This gave people the impression that a hot-tempered young man was standing next to an old man who lacked yang energy, which seemed a bit funny.
Rooney squeezed in from behind and poked Zhang Kuang's waist with his elbow. "Manchester City's grandsons are definitely going to mess with you today, so be careful."
Zhang Kuang didn't look back. "Don't be afraid, which team doesn't want to mess with me? What's the result? Besides, De Jong is not here, so there is no need to worry. Even if Northern De Jong is here, I'm not afraid, as long as Northern De Jong and Southern Pepe are not standing on the court at the same time, then it won't be a problem."
Rooney grinned with white teeth. "I just like your arrogance."
Scholes stood at the front, staring at the light at the end of the passage with an expressionless face. Hearing Zhang Kuang's words, he smiled knowingly.
Vidić, as the captain, stood at the front of the team with a serious expression as if he was about to go to war, but Zhang Kuang's words also made his serious expression relax a bit.
On Manchester City's side, Kompany was walking in front, Tevez was following behind him, and Argentina's forward looked ugly.
David·Silva stood in the middle of the team with a calm expression. Next to him, Yaya Toure tilted her head slightly, as if listening to the deafening sound outside the passage.
They were silent as to what Zhang Kuang just said, as if they didn't hear it.
The referee Andre Marriner stood at the front, and after confirming that the two teams were in place, he nodded with his whistle in his mouth. The tunnel door opened, and the sound was like a solid wall hitting it.
Old Trafford The roar of 75,000 people broke out at the same time - the red stands were filled with flags and scarves, and the TIFO of Zhang Kuang leaping over Xiongba was clear and dazzling under the light.
Manchester United fans sang the team song at the highest volume, and the lyrics were changed. "Zhang Kuang, Zhang Kuang, he comes from the east, he makes us fly..."
Manchester City fans followed immediately with boos, but were quickly drowned out by the red wave.
Zhang Kuang stepped on the turf of Old Trafford.
The temperature in early spring is close to freezing, even colder than mid-winter. There is a thin layer of frost on the grass, but it is still smooth when stepped on.
He raised his head and glanced at the TIFO, and the corner of his mouth curled up: It looked like what the fans did.
Ferguson was sitting on the home team's coaching bench, with his hands folded on his knees and chewing gum in his mouth.
His expression showed no emotion or anger, but his eyes were always staring at the lineup of Manchester City, as if he was examining every detail on the paper.
Mancini stood in front of the visiting team's coach's bench, his coat buttoned tightly, his hands in his pockets, and the expression on his face was like a taut bowstring.
Van der Sar stood in front of the goal, patted the goal post with his gloves on, and made a dull "bang bang" sound.
He turned around and shouted something to Vidic, who gave him a thumbs up.
Joe Hart was doing the final stretch in front of the goal at the other end. He patted his face, took a deep breath of cold air, and then assumed a ready posture.
Marriner looked at his watch and put the whistle into his mouth.
"Beep--"
The game begins.
"China Central Television, China Central Television, viewers, welcome to watch..."
Manchester United kicks the ball, Berbatov dials the ball to Rooney, and Rooney knocks back to Scholes.
The sound of Old Trafford never dropped from the first second, and the chorus of 75,000 people shook the grass.
Manchester City's first wave of defense came very quickly.
Zhang Kuang had just moved less than five steps to the left, and Barry had already stuck up. It was not an ordinary close-up, but the whole body was stuck between him and the goal. His left hand was on his waist. He didn't use much force but never left.
Milner stood at a later position, about five steps away from him, staring at the ball at the feet of Scholes.
Zhang Kuang counted in his mind and realized that this defensive combination is Barry+Milner, which is exactly one of the three plans rumored to have been arranged by Mancini before the game: a fixed double-team partner on the wing.
Zhang Kuang took a step back and moved to the position between the midfield line and the left rib to raise his hand for the ball.
Scholes glanced at him, Barry immediately tightened his body and pushed forward, Milner pushed forward two steps, and the two people blocked the receiving line one after the other.
Scholes passed the ball to Fletcher.
Zhang Kuang frowned. He roughly understood Manchester City's strategy to defend against him today: one person would stay close to him, and the other would block the line to prevent him from catching the ball comfortably.
Many teams have used this strategy against him, but everyone can see the effect.
However, there is nothing these teams can do. Is there a better marking strategy? Do you really need to invest four people to follow them all the time? Then do you still need to play football?
He made a gesture towards Scholes: his index finger drew a circle in front of him.
Scholes saw it and nodded slightly.
In the 4th minute, Manchester City took the lead in attacking.
Yaya Toure received a cross pass from Kompany in the midfield. Ivory Coast has excellent foot skills. He used his body to withstand Anderson's pressing, moved sideways, and handed the ball to David·Silva on the left.
Spain didn't pause after taking the ball. He kicked off O'Shea's defensive angle with his left foot, then cut two steps inside and shot from the left rib of the penalty area.
The ball rolled against the turf towards the far corner of the goal, very fast and with a very tricky arc.
Vidić flew over from the side, and his toes almost touched the edge of the ball. It was this tiny deflection that caused the ball to rub the outside of the far post and roll out of the baseline.
Old Trafford There was a gasp of air.
Van der Sar got up from the ground, patted his gloves, and gave Vidić a thumbs up.
Vidić stood up from the turf, breathing heavily, with a serious expression on his face.
Manchester City fans in the blue area erupted into sighs of regret, which soon turned into applause of encouragement.
Zhang Kuang stood in the frontcourt and watched this scene. He squatted down to tie his shoelaces. When he stood up, he glanced at Manchester City's back line: Kompany and Lescott were standing very far forward, almost pressed to the center circle.
He made a mental note.
In the 6th minute, Van der Sar took a goal kick from the goalkeeper position and pushed it to Vidić on the left.
Vidić stopped the ball and raised his head, and Scholes had already retreated to the center circle to respond.
Captain Manchester United passed the ball to Scholes. Ginger Head didn't pause. He kicked the ball directly to Anderson in front of him.
When Anderson got the ball, Manchester City's midfield defense was pressing forward as a whole.
Brazil saw Rooney starting up on the right. Without saying a word, he passed the ball diagonally to Rooney's running route.
The ball rolled very fast and flew to the sideline against the turf.
Rooney catches the ball.
England The forward was like a wild bull being let out of a cage, clanging forward along the right sideline.
His strides were long, and the turf sunk slightly with each step.
Richards came up from the front, but Rooney did not slow down. He moved the ball forward with his right foot and squeezed past Richards sideways.
Richards stretched out his hand to pull him, but Rooney flicked his arm and broke free.
Rooney rushed close to the baseline, looked up at the penalty area, and swung his right foot out to pass.
The arc of the ball is very flat, the speed is very fast, and it flies towards the center of the penalty area.
Berbatov rushed forward and took off. The Bulgarian's body was fully extended in the air, his forehead pointed in the direction of the ball... but he ran past.
Ten centimeters away from the ball, the ball flew over his head.
Manchester City's defense breathed a sigh of relief. The ball was passed too big and there was no one in the back.
Is there really no one?
Scholes is plugged in.
He started from the top position of the penalty area. When everyone focused on Rooney and Berbatov, the veteran Manchester United quietly entered the penalty area.
Manchester City's defensive midfielders were all restrained, Barry and Milner were guarding Zhang Kuang, and Yaya Toure was blocked by Fletcher.
Scholes There was a wide open space in front of him, and no one even came up to press him.
The ball landed right in his running path.
Scholes stopped the ball, stepped on it, and glanced up.
His vision covers the entire penalty area.
The left side is empty.
Manchester City's defense line had cracks at that moment: all defensive players were compressed to the middle and right side of the penalty area, and there was no one in the left penalty area.
Scholes kicks up and passes forward.
The ball drew an arc and flew to the open space on the left side of the penalty area.
The arc is not high, the speed is very fast, and the landing point is about three meters to the left of the penalty spot.
Everyone, including the 75,000 fans in the stands, felt that no one could catch the ball.
That position is too far away from the goal and the angle is too small. Even if someone gets the ball, it cannot pose a threat.
But a red shadow rushed over.
Zhang Kuang.
He started the moment Scholes kicked off.
Barry's hand rested on his waist, but Zhang Kuang's shoulders sank and twisted, like a slippery loach that escaped from Barry's control.
Milner wanted to move laterally to block his running route, but his start was half a beat slow. By the time he turned around, Zhang Kuang had already rushed three meters away.
How fast is Zhang Kuang?
It only takes one step from standstill to full speed.
With his first step, a shallow pit was made in the turf, and grass clippings flew up.
When he took the second step, he had already thrown Barry away by two positions.
By the third step, he was already in the air.
The ball flew over from the left and was about at the height of his forehead.
Zhang Kuang's body was completely stretched in the air. He was like a cheetah rushing towards its prey. His head was slightly tilted back to accumulate strength, his waist and abdomen were tightened, and then he shook his head violently.
The ball hit the center of his forehead, and there was a muffled "bang" sound, so clear that the fans in the front row of the stands could hear it.
The ball changed direction.
Like a cannonball, the ball flew towards the goal against the inside of the near post.
The speed was so fast that Joe Hart only had time to make a save. As soon as his body flew halfway, the ball had already hit the net.
1:0.
Old Trafford exploded.
Seventy-five thousand people roared simultaneously, and the sound poured down from the stands like a solid wall, hitting the turf and the ears of the Manchester City players, causing everyone's heart to stop beating for half a beat.
The red flags were surging, Manchester United fans were jumping crazily, and the TIFO of "Your uncle is still your uncle" was buzzing behind them.
Zhang Kuang did not slow down after landing. He rushed towards the corner flag area, raised his fists with both hands above his head, and let out a roar towards the sky!!!
The voice was hoarse and rough, like a wild beast declaring its territory.
Rooney was the first one to rush over and jump on his back, put his arms around his neck and yelled, "Good shot! Damn good shot!"
Berbatov ran over and patted the back of his head. Scholes ran over slowly, with a calm smile that only veterans can have on his face, and patted Zhang Kuang on the shoulder.
Ferguson was sitting on the coaching bench, chewing gum at the same speed, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Mancini stood on the sidelines with his hands in his coat pockets and his jaw tensed. He turned around and said something to the assistant coach. He spoke very quickly and his expression was ugly.
Martin·Tyler's voice exploded in the broadcast room. "GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Zhang Kuang! Only 6 minutes into the game! Manchester United takes the lead!
Scholes's accurate cross found Zhang Kuang, who was being guarded on the left side of the penalty area. Zhang Kuang broke through the encirclement, rushed past like a red lightning, and scored with a flying header!
Manchester City's three-way double-team defensive system collapsed in 6 minutes! Barry and Milner were like two telegraph poles in front of him!"
Rob·Hawthorn answered from the side, "The key is the timing of Zhang Kuang's start. Before Scholes kicked off, Zhang Kuang was still sandwiched by Barry and Milner at the top of the penalty area, but after he saw the direction of Scholes's pass, he started at that moment.
Barry's hand was on his waist, but he didn't hold it at all. Milner couldn't keep up even if he wanted to. This combination of explosive power and anticipation can only be found by the top shooters."
He Wei took a deep breath at CCTV-5, with uncontrollable excitement in his voice. "The ball is in! Zhang Kuang! In the 6th minute of the opening, he scored with a flying header!"
Scholes's cross was aimed at the open space on the left side of the penalty area. Everyone thought there would be no response from that position, but Zhang Kuang rushed out.
He suddenly started under the attack of two defensive players, and his explosive power completely turned Barry and Milner into the background. 1 to 0, Manchester United took the lead!"
Xu Yang answered from the side, "Zhang Kuang's movement is so smart. He keeps wandering near the top of the penalty area, making Barry and Milner feel that he will catch the ball in the middle at any time.
But when Scholes took the ball and looked to the left, Zhang Kuang suddenly changed his running direction. This awareness of running without the ball is the biggest difference between top shooters and ordinary shooters.
And you pay attention to the last moment when he exerts force, tilts his head back to accumulate strength, tightens his waist and abdomen, and then shakes his head violently. This is not a trick, it is a result of practice."
Manchester City players stood on the court, as if they had not recovered yet.
Barry put his hands on his hips and gasped, Milner lowered his head and walked back, Kompany rushed to the defense line and shouted something, his voice was very urgent.
Joe·Hart got up from the ground, kicked the doorpost, and muttered.
Manchester City's counterattack came very quickly.
In the 9th minute, Yaya Toure received a pass from Kompany in the backcourt.
Ivory Coast has excellent foot skills. When Anderson and Fletcher were encircling him, he used a turn to get rid of the two people's press. His body rotated a full circle, and the ball always stuck to his feet, as if it was growing on his feet.
Then he looked up and sent a long pass over 40 meters directly to David·Silva on the left.
The ball drew a perfect arc from the air and landed on Silva's running route as accurately as if it had been measured by a ruler.
Spain stopped the ball with his chest. The ball landed half a meter in front of him. With almost no adjustment, his feet continuously changed direction and cut in from the sideline to the penalty area.
His direction changes very quickly. With a click of his left foot and a flick of his right foot, O'Shea's center of gravity was thrown away.
Silva flashed out of the shooting angle and then took a shot. The instep of his left foot rolled out a curved ball and flew towards the far corner of the goal. The line, arc, and strength were all perfect, and the ball went into the blind corner with internal spin.
Van der Sar is flying.
The forty-year-old Netherlands goalkeeper fully stretched his body in the air, stretched his left palm to the limit, and his fingertips accurately touched the lower edge of the ball. It was this little touch that caused the ball to rise slightly, grazing the crossbar and flying out of the baseline.
Old Trafford There was dead silence at first, and then thunderous applause broke out.
Van der Sar patted his gloves after landing. The expression on his face was as calm as if he had made an ordinary save on the training ground.
He shouted towards the defense line, "Keep an eye on the good guys!"
In the 10th minute, Manchester City's corner kick.
Yaya Toure stood in the corner flag area, placed the ball, and took three steps back.
He glanced at the position of his teammates in the penalty area, took a running approach, and took off!!
The ball drew an arc and flew to the center of the penalty area.
Kolarov rushed forward from outside the penalty area. He jumped high in the crowd, paused in the air for a moment, and then headed the ball back.
The ball changed direction and flew towards the back of the goal.
Tevez is waiting there.
Argentina The forward is like a dormant beast, jumping up the moment the ball flies.
His waist and abdomen were extremely strong, and his body stayed in the air for half a second. Then he swung his head and hit the goal. The ball was aimed at the upper right corner of the goal, with great power and a very tricky angle.
There was a muffled sound of "dong".
The ball hit the outside edge of the post and bounced off the baseline.
Old Trafford There was a gasping sound.
Tevez stood in front of the goal, holding his head in his hands. The expression on his face changed from anticipation to pain, and then to disbelief.
He stood there for two seconds, then kicked the goal post hard.
There was a "bang" and the doorpost trembled.
Van der Sar got up from the ground, patted the grass clippings on his gloves, and finally had a look of fear on his face.
Vidić ran over and patted him on the shoulder. The two veterans exchanged a look. "I almost died just now."
Van der Sar said something to Vidić, and Vidić nodded.
In the 16th minute, an interesting scene appeared on the court.
Richards tackled Vidić ferociously from the wing. His movements were too big and he couldn't stop his feet. His legs also tripped the linesman standing near the sideline.
The linesman got up from the ground, patted the grass clippings on his body and spread his hands helplessly. The expression on his face seemed to say, "I'm convinced too."
The whole audience burst into laughter, and even a few people on the Manchester United bench covered their mouths and laughed.
Richards was quite embarrassed. He stretched out his hand to pull the linesman, but the linesman waved his hand to indicate that it was okay.
Marriner ran over and gave Richards a verbal warning, but did not play any cards.