Chapitre 245: Chapter 245 No, Can This Be Turned Over? Gua Shuai Almost Choked To Death
Cough! Cough! Cough!
"Pep, are you okay?"
"I… cough, cough, cough!"
Guardiola was sipping water from his bottle when Su Luo suddenly made a breakthrough. The coach was caught off guard, not yet reacting to the play. The excited cheers from the stands snapped him back to attention.
He looked up and saw Su Luo outmaneuvering Navas with ease, driving the ball cleanly into the goal. The sight made Guardiola choke on his water, nearly coughing up a lung before finally regaining his composure.
"No way… how did he manage that? I thought we had this game in the bag!" Guardiola muttered to himself.
His mind raced back two years, to his early days as Bayern Munich's head coach. They were at home, up against the dark horse Union Berlin, comfortably leading 4-1. Everyone, including Guardiola, thought the game was in the bag—until Su Luo scored four goals, flipping the match to a 4-5 loss. That match had become a recurring nightmare for Guardiola.
His wife, Cristina Serra, later mentioned in an interview that Guardiola often woke up in the middle of the night, haunted by nightmares of losing a 4-goal lead. And everyone knew which game had etched itself into his psyche.
For the past two years, Guardiola had been doing well at Manchester City, steadily climbing to the top of the Premier League. But here came Su Luo, once again threatening to unravel it all.
With City leading 3-0, Su Luo had just pulled one back, making it 3-1 in the 77th minute. Suddenly, only two goals separated the teams, and everything seemed possible again.
Guardiola, still coughing, returned to the sidelines and barked instructions at his players.
"Stay tight! No chances! Mark your men, and don't lose focus! Keep your eyes on the ball!"
The Premier League broadcast director seemed to understand the tension, giving Guardiola several close-up shots as he gestured wildly on the sidelines. He looked like he was trying to play FIFA in real life, desperate to control every move on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Conte, trailing behind, stood coolly on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, looking more like a suave Italian model than a frantic football coach.
"Conte looks so calm, you'd think Chelsea were the ones leading," commented Martin Taylor, the commentator.
But those who knew Conte well understood that his composed exterior was just a facade. Inside, he was as rattled as anyone. Su Luo's goal had shocked him to the core, though he kept his cool on the outside.
"Damn, how did he score that? This guy, Su Luo, might just pull off a comeback!" Conte thought to himself, though he quickly reminded himself that even a draw would feel like a win in this situation.
Su Luo, not pausing to celebrate, quickly retrieved the ball and headed back to the center circle. The clock showed 78 minutes and 39 seconds—Chelsea had less than 15 minutes to pull off a miracle.
On the field, Manchester City seemed determined to defend their lead. They pressed high, trying to smother Chelsea's attempts to play out from the back.
City had lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Aguero, Grealish, and De Bruyne leading the attack. Their midfield trio consisted of David Silva, Fernandinho, and Gundogan. At the back were Keylor Navas, Stones, Kompany, and Clichy.
But now, Stones had moved up to play as a defensive midfielder, and David Silva had been subbed out for Delph, who brought more energy and a balance of offense and defense. City's formation morphed into a half-moon shape in the front, creating a tight four-man defensive block that made it nearly impossible for Chelsea to play out.
The first line of defense blocked the passing lanes out of Chelsea's defense, the second line in midfield, with Fernandinho tightly marking Su Luo. The final line kept an eye on Mount and Pedro. Chelsea couldn't get the ball forward, and Su Luo was surrounded at every turn.
Even when Chelsea attempted long balls to bypass the midfield, there was no one tall enough to challenge City's defenders, so the ball inevitably fell back into City's possession. Guardiola's men then slowed the pace, looking to run down the clock.
This was Guardiola's plan—maintain possession, waste time, and secure the lead. He knew that Lukaku and Ajar weren't the most threatening players, and even if Su Luo got the ball, there was no one to pass to. If Su Luo tried to dribble through, Delph and Fernandinho were ready to close him down. They marked him closely, ensuring he couldn't break free and make a run.
"Let's see how you handle this," Guardiola thought, watching Su Luo intently. He knew that Su Luo was the kind of player who could capitalize on the slightest mistake. In terms of seizing opportunities, Guardiola considered Su Luo one of the best—better even than Messi or Ronaldo in these situations.
But Chelsea needed someone like Messi now—someone who could break through City's defensive lines in tight spaces.
As the clock ticked on, Chelsea struggled to break through. Even when City's attacks failed, goalkeeper Courtois remained cautious under pressure. His only option was to send the ball long into the front, where Delph fouled Su Luo by pulling on his jersey, preventing him from jumping.
Next to him, Fernandinho won the header.
"Hey! How is that not a foul? He was clearly pulling him down!" protested Cesc Fabregas, signaling to the referee.
But referee Clattenburg shook his head. "No foul! Keep playing!"
Fabregas, already on a yellow card, could only back down.
As the game entered its final stages, the clock ticked past 85 minutes. Chelsea's brief glimmer of hope was quickly dimmed by Guardiola's tactical adjustments.
It's often said that Guardiola, though sometimes hesitant with in-game substitutions, has a masterful understanding of tactics. While he might not always turn around a losing situation, he is exceptional at maintaining an advantage once it's gained.
Conte, eager to make changes, glanced at his bench. The options were limited: Zouma, Chalobah, Moses—none fully recovered from their injuries—and Matic, who was also not at 100%. All of Chelsea's attacking players were already on the pitch, leaving Conte with few choices. He reluctantly sent in Matic, reasoning that even a half-fit Matic was better than nothing. Moses replaced Willian to add some fresh legs on the right flank, and Chalobah came in for the exhausted Marcos Alonso on the left. These substitutions, though necessary, felt more reactive than strategic.
With his options exhausted, Conte could do little more than step back and leave the outcome in the hands of his players.
Meanwhile, Su Luo had been lying in wait, conserving his energy for a crucial moment. He had already tried his luck with a long-range shot, which didn't pay off. But he could sense that his moment was coming—something in the air told him that the next opportunity could change everything.
Su Luo had noticed a fleeting moment of connection earlier during his rush toward the goal, a feeling that success was within reach. He knew he had to seize it.
Delph and Fernandinho were doing their best to stifle Su Luo's influence, making it difficult for him to control the ball. But Su Luo's advantage lay in his stamina; he knew that if he could get past Delph, he could overpower Fernandinho.
Mount and Pedro were relentless in their efforts as well, tirelessly pressing and probing for weaknesses in City's defense. Pedro, in particular, had managed to slip behind Kompany on a few occasions. The veteran defender, though experienced, was showing signs of fatigue, and Pedro sensed an opportunity.
Su Luo had a plan forming in his mind, waiting for just the right moment to execute it.
Finally, at the 87th minute, Su Luo saw his chance. Manchester City was still pressing hard, with Grealish wasting time on the left wing. When a cross from Grealish was lazily collected by Courtois, Su Luo immediately retreated, signaling for the ball. Courtois understood the urgency and quickly threw it to him.
The speed of the play caught Delph off guard—he didn't have time to react. Su Luo received the ball and, with a quick flick of his heel, passed it to Cesc Fàbregas, before spinning around and sprinting forward.
"Su Luo!! Chelsea's chance to counterattack!"
Su Luo pulled away from Delph, while Fernandinho kept a close watch on him. Gundogan marked Fàbregas, and Kompany, sensing the danger, was drawn out of position.
On the wings, Chalobah and Moses were already sprinting forward, bypassing City's fullbacks. Chelsea suddenly found themselves with a 6 vs 4 advantage in the final third.
Fàbregas, facing Gundogan, quickly shifted the ball to Chalobah on the left. Chalobah charged forward, but with Gundogan and Stones closing in, he decided to switch play with a cross-field pass to Moses.
It was slightly delayed, and by the time Moses controlled it, City's left-back Clichy had recovered.
With every second counting, Moses didn't hesitate. He spotted Su Luo calling for the ball and immediately passed it to him.
All eyes were on Su Luo—his earlier plays had left a strong impression, even causing Kompany to inch closer.
This was the moment.
Moses' pass bounced slightly on the grass, but Su Luo didn't bother to control it. With his back to goal and Fernandinho pressuring him, he instinctively played a no-look, over-the-top pass.
The ball soared over the heads of Fernandinho and Kompany, landing perfectly in the penalty area.
"What?"
"What's he doing?"
The Manchester City players hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected pass. Guardiola, watching from the sidelines, recognized the danger too late.
Pedro, anticipating Su Luo's move, darted into the penalty area, slipping past Kompany. Unmarked, he met the ball at a tight angle.
"Thank you for trusting me—I won't miss this time," Pedro thought as he took his shot.
With precision born from years of experience, Pedro curled the ball with the outside of his right foot, sending it into the far corner. The ball kissed the inside of the post and bounced into the net.
"It's in! Chelsea have scored!"
"Pedro! The finisher strikes again!"
"Chelsea are back in it—they're only one goal behind, and there's still time!"
The commentator's voice was filled with disbelief and excitement.
As Pedro celebrated with Su Luo, the replay showed Su Luo's brilliant, instinctive pass that had completely outfoxed City's defense.
"What an incredible pass! Su Luo's vision and awareness were extraordinary!"
The praise was echoed by fans and commentators alike. Director Zhang, watching from the stands, couldn't help but cheer, exclaiming, "That was genius! Pure genius!"
But with only two minutes left on the clock, time was running out.
Su Luo quickly retrieved the ball, urging his teammates to keep up the pressure.
Chelsea's spirits were high, but Manchester City's players were visibly rattled.
"Could we really turn this around?" they wondered.
Su Luo hadn't taken many shots during the game, but the two key moments he created were enough to strike fear into every Manchester City player.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 150+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new One piece fanfic!
[One Piece: Invincible Starting From The Fruit Of Words]
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone