The screen cuts back to the interior of Old Trafford Stadium, and the camera scans the stands that are already 80% full.
A huge banner hangs in the north stand, with the words "Red Devils Eternal" written in white letters on a red background. It hangs from the top floor to the middle stand. The fonts are rough and powerful, and are particularly eye-catching under the light.
Manchester City fans in the east stand unfurled a "Blue Moon in the sky" flag, blue and white, like an abrupt reef in the sea of red.
Sings from both sides continued one after another. Manchester United fans sang "Glory Glory Manchester United", while Manchester City fans responded with the melody of "Blue Moon". The two waves of sound collided in the sky above the stadium, making people's eardrums numb.
In the locker room, Ferguson is doing the final mobilization.
He stood in front of the tactical board, without a pen in his hand, and just glanced at each player's face.
"Manchester City spent a lot of money this year and bought many good players. The media said they are here to grab the throne. But what is the name of this stadium?"
Ferguson paused and no one answered.
"Old Trafford! This is our home court, the home of Red Devils. After we go out, let those players who spent money to buy it see what Manchester United's pride is."
"Boys, show them how brave you are, go ahead!"
At 1:15 p. m., entrance to the players tunnel.
The chief referee Mark·Clattenburg stands at the front with the whistle hanging on his chest, flanked by the assistant referee and the fourth official.
Behind him, players from two teams lined up to wait.
The entrance music started, and Clattenburg turned around to signal the two teams to follow.
As soon as the two teams entered the stadium, the audience burst into warm applause and loud cheers.
During the handshake session, Zhang Kuang and captain Manchester City, Kompany, looked at each other for a moment.
Kompany's palms were broad and strong. He held it briefly and then released it. His eyes swept across Zhang Kuang's face like a blade, carrying an unspoken threat: I won't let you have an easy time today.
Zhang Kuang did not avoid it and nodded slightly.
After a series of rituals were completed, the two teams took their positions and waited.
Clattenburg looked at the watch and put the whistle into his mouth.
When the time came, Clattenburg took a breath and blew the whistle.
The game officially started. Old Trafford The sound of 75,000 people rose an octave higher the moment the whistle blew.
He Wei: "China Central Television, China Central Television, good evening, all viewers, what you are watching now is the focus of the ninth round of the 2011-12 season England Premier League: Manchester Derby, Manchester United vs. Manchester City..."
In the first five minutes of the game, both sides were testing. Manchester United's 433 formation pressed forward, while Zhang Kuang had a wide range of activities on the left. Sometimes he would pull to the side to support, and sometimes he would cut in to the middle to form a double forward position with Hernández.
Manchester City adopted a relatively compact 442 position. Silva frequently moved in at the left midfield position, forming a dual-core driver in the middle with Yaya Toure.
In the eighth minute, Manchester City created the first threatening attack.
Yaya Toure got the ball in the midfield, and Fletcher came up to press for it. Ivory Coast used a simple shoulder shake to trick Fletcher's center of gravity to the right, and then accelerated to break through from the left.
His physical resistance is so strong that Fletcher can't hold him back even if he wants to.
Yaya Toure advanced the ball nearly 20 meters and passed the ball to Silva on the left before Anderson defended.
Spain stopped the ball and looked up at the penalty area, then directly made a pass without stopping the ball.
The ball drew a precise arc, passed over Evans's head, and landed at the back of the penalty area.
Agüero came out from behind Smalling. His timing of the start was just right. Smalling turned around half a beat slower. Just in this half-beat gap, Agüero had already grabbed the landing point.
Argentina did not stop the ball, but directly hit the ball and shot it. The ball flew into the net close to the near post.
De Gea rushed toward the near corner, but the angle was too awkward, and his fingertips only touched a streak of air.
The ball went in.
0:1
Martin: "GOOOOOOOOOOOAL, the ball was scored. In the eighth minute of the game, unlike what everyone thought, Manchester City scored first, and it was Agüero who scored!
Yaya Toure got the ball in the midfield and advanced, then passed it to Silva, Silva passed the ball, and Agüero shot the goal from behind in the small penalty area..."
Neville: "This goal...Manchester United team's midfielder is out of position, and the defense against Yaya Toure has been relaxed. It shouldn't be allowed, and Yaya Toure cannot advance with the ball..."
Old Trafford was quiet for about half a second. It was an incredible silence. The throats of 75,000 people were stuck for a moment, and then the east stand where the Manchester City expeditionary force was located erupted into thundering cheers.
Agüero ran towards the corner flag area, spread his arms and knelt down, two white marks were drawn on the turf behind him.
Silva was the first to rush over and jump on his back, followed by Balotelli, Yaya Toure, and a group of blue figures gathered together.
Zhang Kuang stood near the center circle, hands on hips, watching the number on the scoreboard change from 0 to 0 to 0 to 1.
He licked his lips, turned around and walked towards the backcourt. When passing by Rooney, the two exchanged a brief look.
Nothing was said, but they both understood each other.
De Gea picked up the ball from the goal line and kicked it hard towards the center circle.
The game restarted, and Manchester United obviously sped up the pace.
Fletcher no longer makes too many cross passes after receiving the ball in the backcourt, but directly delivers it forward.
Fans on the MyScore website were in a quarrel:
"Haha, Manchester United's midfield finally collapsed. I said, how could the midfield combination of Anderson, Fletcher, and Ashley Young be able to stop the combination of Yaya Toure, Silva, Milner, and Barry?
Anderson is better at offense than defence. His defensive ability is amazing, so Carrick should be allowed to do it. Also, this Ashley Young is an offensive player on the wing, so let him defend in the middle? Are you crazy?
Ferguson's formation in this game was careless, and the midfield combination was wrong. This is Manchester City. No matter how much you call someone a 'noisy neighbor,' you still have to respect their ability to be second in the league, right?"
"Hey, I think you are right, because you type a lot and analyze clearly."
"Indeed, the midfield combination of Manchester United is like a midfield combination against a weak team. Against a strong team like Manchester City, this midfield combination is a little stretched."
"Don't worry, as long as Zhang Kuang scores enough, it's okay to let Manchester City score."
"Brother, you trust Zhang Kuang too much, right? No matter how much you trust Zhang Kuang, you still have to shut down the midfielder, okay?"
"Will this Manchester United overturn?"
"It's hard to say."
"..."
In the eleventh minute, Anderson got the ball in the midfield. He looked up and saw Zhang Kuang raising his hand for the ball near the left sideline. Brazil accurately found Zhang Kuang with a long diagonal pass.
Zhang Kuang stopped the ball with his chest and turned around to face Richards.
Manchester City The right back lowered his center of gravity, put his hands behind his back, and stared at the ball at Zhang Kuang's feet.
Zhang Kuang made two Stepoverss, his left foot crossed over the ball once, and his right foot crossed over the ball a second time. Richards's center of gravity swayed twice, but there was no shock.
Zhang Kuang knocked the ball horizontally to Rooney who was inserted in the middle, and then immediately accelerated and sprinted forward.
Rooney knocked the ball back without stopping, and the ball rolled along the left path toward the baseline. Zhang Kuang rushed over and swept the ball toward the goal just as it was about to go out of bounds.
Hernández took a shot from the front, but the ball was blocked by Joe Hart with his legs. Kompany made a big-footed clearance.
There was a sigh in the stands, which soon turned into applause.
Neville raised his voice in the commentary room. "Manchester United's attack was very clear. Zhang Kuang pulled away, Rooney knocked back, and Zhang Kuang sprinted and passed. The entire connection only used three legs to pass.
Manchester City's defense on the right side was a bit unable to keep up, and Richards's pursuit speed after pressing forward was obviously not fast enough."
In the 13th minute, Manchester United got another opportunity to attack.
This time, Ashley Young got the ball on the right. Facing Clichy's defense, he did not break through, but returned the ball to Smalling who came in behind.
Smalling passed the ball across to the center. Fletcher controlled the ball and distributed it to Zhang Kuang on the left.
Zhang Kuang took the ball near the left sideline, still some distance from the penalty area.
Richards did not rush forward this time, but kept a distance of two meters, blocking the incoming line.
Zhang Kuang looked up at the penalty area. Hernández was sandwiched between Kompany and Lescott. Rooney was marked by Barry at the top of the penalty area. Neither of them had a good position to catch the ball.
Zhang Kuang didn't hesitate. He dunked the ball back and passed it crosswise to Anderson who was retreating from the center to receive the ball. Then without the ball, he suddenly accelerated into the penalty area.
Richards followed, but his turning speed was half a beat slower than Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang inserted into the left side of the penalty area, Anderson's pass was sent at the same time, and the ball rolled along the ground towards the path of Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang stopped the ball, moved his left foot out of the way of Richards's tackle, and shot from a small angle.
Joe Hart blocked the near corner and hit the ball with both fists.
In the fourteenth minute, Kompany raised his arm too high when defending Hernández's high-altitude ball, and Clattenburg blew the whistle for a foul.
Manchester United gets a free kick on the left side of the frontcourt.
Zhang Kuang picked up the ball and walked to the foul spot, placed it on the turf, took three steps back, and took a deep breath.
Manchester City formed a human wall of five people, Kompany stood in the middle and directed, and Balotelli stood on the outermost side of the human wall.
Joe Hart took small steps on the goal line to adjust his center of gravity, raised his hands in front of his chest, and stared at Zhang Kuang's approach route through the gap in the wall.
He Wei: "The free kick Manchester United got was in a good position. It was within the range of Zhang Kuang. We saw that Zhang Kuang had already reached the goal..."
Xu Lu: "It seems that since this season, Zhang Kuang has been the number one free kicker in the Manchester United team. His success rate in free kicks has always been very high..."
Clattenburg whistle.
Zhang Kuang Take a run-up, two steps, three steps, the inner instep of your right foot rubs the bottom of the ball.
The ball soared into the air, passed over the head of Balotelli on the outermost side of the wall, and then fell rapidly.
The angle of the drop was so weird that the ball seemed to be pressed down from top by an invisible hand. With a strong external spin, it rubbed the lower edge of the crossbar and entered the upper left corner of the goal.
Joe Hart flew to the left, stretching his arms to the limit, but the trajectory of the ball was beyond his coverage, and his fingertips only touched the air.
He Wei: "Zhang Kuang took a run-up, three steps... the inner instep of his right foot rubbed, with external rotation... a sudden drop... Joe Hart saved... the ball went in, went in, went in, went in, Zhang Kuang, scored from a free kick, the score was 1:1..."
1:1.
Old Trafford exploded.
More than 75,000 fans jumped from their seats at the same time, and the red flags billowed like waves stirred by a storm.
Zhang Kuang ran towards the corner flag area, opened his arms, raised his head and closed his eyes. The emotions surging in his chest made him roar.
Behind him, Rooney was the first to pounce and jump on his back, followed by Hernández, Ashley Young, and Anderson. A group of people surrounded him in the middle, and everyone patted his head and shoulders.
Someone pulled up a makeshift banner in the north stand. It read "Zhang Kuang, our new king" in red letters on a white background. The letters were crooked, but the person holding the banner roared louder than anyone else.
Martin: "GOOOOOOOOOOOAL, Zhang Kuang! The free kick scored directly! He equalized the score! This is a very beautiful free kick goal.
The ball bypassed the wall, dropped rapidly, and hit the dead center! Joe Hart had absolutely nothing to do! Zhang Kuang used the most perfect footwork to tell Manchester City: If you score one, I will return one right away! This is the value of a superstar!"
Neville: "This ball is so beautiful. Look at the angle of his approach and the position where he touches the ball. He rubs it with the inside of his foot, not pumping it.
This type of kicking requires extremely high footwork, and the force must be controlled just right, so that the ball can fly over people's heads but not over the crossbar.
The delicateness of Zhang Kuang's footwork is top-notch among all Premier League. And you can see how he took a deep breath before shooting, adjusted his rhythm, and didn't panic at all. His mental quality is so strong."
Ferguson on the sidelines applauded calmly, and Manchester United's substitute players also rushed out to cheer.
MyScore platform:
"Haha, I just said, as long as Zhang Kuang is here, no matter how many Manchester City you enter, Zhang Kuang will come back."
"Tsk, tsk, is this the best shooter in the world? How terrifying."
"It's amazing. He is obviously a forward, but he has mastered the free kick skills that only a midfielder should have. He is so good!"
"Manchester United will still concede goals, not in the midfield. Zhang Kuang can score just one goal."
"..."
After the game restarted, Manchester City was clearly irritated by the free kick.
Their pressing intensity went to a higher level. Balotelli and Agüero in the frontcourt began to frequently drop back to receive the ball, and Yaya Toure's advancement in the midfield became more fierce.
In the 20th minute, Manchester City got a corner kick opportunity. Silva took the penalty and spun the ball towards the goal. Kompany beat Evans to header the ball, but the ball missed the right post.
Two minutes later, Manchester City made a comeback.
This time, Balotelli got the ball on the left side of the penalty area. He leaned against Jones with his back, blocked Jones behind him with his strong body, and then turned around and passed the ball back to Silva.
Silva stopped the ball at the top of the penalty area, made a slight adjustment, and shot low with his right foot.
De Gea rushed to the right side of the goal, but the trajectory of the ball had a slight arc, bypassed his fingertips, and rolled into the net against the inside of the far post.
The ball went in!
1:2!
Martin: "GOOOOOOOOAL, wow, Manchester City is so fierce. It's only been 20 minutes, and two Manchester Uniteds have scored. This is not a weak team in the back row. This is Manchester United, Manchester United, Manchester United."
Neville: "Yes, Manchester United lost the ball again. In the one-on-one process, Phil·Jones failed to withstand Balotelli, and Silva's movement caused Manchester United's defensive player to lose his position.
Everyone went to guard Agüero and Yaya Toure, but failed to watch Silva. This defense was really a big mistake. Manchester United had a big problem in the midfield and backcourt today..."
Silva did not celebrate loudly after scoring the goal. He just high-fived Agüero who ran over, and then quickly ran back to his own half.
Spain had no expression on his face, as if he was doing something ordinary.
Manchester City The cheers of the expeditionary force once again overwhelmed the home team stands, and blue smoke bombs rose from the crowd in the east stands, filling the air with a light blue mist.
Manchester United players began to have anxious looks on their faces.
Evans clapped his hands in the penalty area and shouted something to his teammates in the frontcourt, but his voice was drowned by the noise in the stands.
Fletcher squatted down near the center circle to tie his shoelaces. When he stood up, he patted his face hard, trying to focus himself again.
In the 28th minute, Fletcher made too big a move in the midfield tackle and directly knocked down Yaya Toure who was advancing with the ball.
Clattenburg ran over, holding the whistle in his mouth and reaching into his breast pocket.
The moment he took out the yellow card and raised it, Old Trafford booed.
Fletcher spread his hands, did not argue, turned around and retreated to defend.
This is his first yellow card in this game, and also the first for Manchester United team.
In the 33rd minute, Zhang Kuang received a pass from Evra in his own half.
He pushed forward along the left wing, and Richards came up to defend him, lowering his center of gravity and assuming a posture to prevent cutting inside.
Zhang Kuang didn't force the ball, but knocked the ball horizontally to Anderson in the middle, and then immediately accelerated and sprinted forward.
Anderson understood this and kicked the ball without stopping. The ball rolled along the ribs towards the gap behind Richards.
Zhang Kuang's speed was too fast. When Richards turned around to catch up again, he had already been thrown away by two positions.
Zhang Kuang got the ball on the left side of the penalty area, stopped the ball, and cut inside.
Then Joe Hart and Mancini shouted anxiously, "Don't let him cut inside, don't let him cut inside..."
But there is no use shouting.
Barry came up to defend, Zhang Kuang dunked the ball with his right foot, shaking Barry's center of gravity, and then opened his stance two steps outside the top of the arc in the penalty area.
His right leg swung back like a fully drawn bow, and then he hit the ball hard with the instep of his foot.
The ball flew out against the turf.
It was a low-flying cannonball, spinning violently with almost no movement in its trajectory, heading straight towards the lower right corner of the goal.
Joe Hart flew down to the ground, and his fingertips touched the ball. They just touched it, but the force was too great, and the ball still got into the net.
The ball went in!
2:2!
He Wei: "It's in, it's in, it's in, the ball is in, Zhang Kuang, using his most familiar and sharpest method of breaking through the wing and cutting inside and then shooting from long range.
Before he shot, both Joe Hart and Mancini shouted that Zhang Kuang could not be allowed to cut inside, but no one could prevent Zhang Kuang from cutting inside. This is his exclusive channel and no one can stop it."
Zhang Lu: "Scored twice! Zhang Kuang went crazy today! Manchester City scored one, and he scored another one, a ground-breaking world wave 28 meters away!
Joe Hart touched it but couldn't save it! You pay attention to the way he shoots: volleying from the instep, with full force, and the hitting point is lower, so the ball flies close to the ground.
This kind of shot requires extremely high control over your footwork. If it's a little too far, it's either too high or too far, but Zhang Kuang's kick is impeccable!"
Zhang Kuang did not run towards the corner flag area.
He turned around and ran slowly towards the center circle, his right index finger pointing to the sky, his expression calm and almost indifferent.
Rooney caught up from behind and hugged his neck, yelling something in his ear.
Hernández also ran over, and the three of them walked back to their own half side by side.
Old Trafford's singing came from all directions. "Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang!"
The voice was uniform, like an army shouting for their general.
Their king and general never let them down, Zhang Kuang once again pulled Manchester United back.
Neville's voice also exclaimed, "Zhang Kuang's ball is so smart. He first used his speed to get rid of Richards, and then used a spike to get rid of Barry, creating a stable starting space for himself.
You can see that when he shoots, he stands very firmly on his supporting feet and exerts full force. His body does not lean back, so the ball is very low. This kind of low ball is the most difficult for the goalkeeper to save, because it takes time to get to the ground, and the speed of the ball is too fast."