Chương 346: Chapter 346: The Unstoppable De Gea, Even More Unstoppable Lin Quan!
Chapter 346: The Unstoppable De Gea, Even More Unstoppable Lin Quan!
After his musings, Van Gaal kept his eyes fixed on the pitch, trying hard to discern Manchester City's tactics to find any weaknesses. The sooner he could identify their weaknesses, the better it would be for Manchester United. If they delayed and City scored, the match would become much harder to play.
However, missing these two scoring opportunities did not dampen City's spirits. In the 18th minute, Lin Quan showed off his unstoppable dribbling skills, carrying the ball from the right flank to the edge of the penalty area. Manchester United's defender Rojo had no choice but to tackle him, bringing Lin Quan down just outside the box. The referee did not hesitate to show Rojo the first yellow card of the match, much to the relief of Manchester City's owner Mansour, who was watching from a box. The officiating was clearly better than in the previous game.
The free-kick position was good, and Lin Quan decided to take it himself. Unfortunately, De Gea, who had trained with him in the national team, anticipated the direction and narrowly saved the shot. Had it been any other goalkeeper, they might not have been so lucky.
City's attack continued. In the 20th minute, Fernandinho made a long pass from the back, and Lin Quan controlled the ball, facing off against Rojo. Already carrying a yellow card, Rojo dared not make another reckless challenge, reducing his threat significantly. Using his superb dribbling skills, Lin Quan changed direction twice, shaking off Rojo's defense, and made a tight-angle shot from the right side of the six-yard box.
De Gea was there again! His positioning was excellent, and he managed to make another incredible save to deny Lin Quan.
Seeing De Gea save the team again, Manchester United fans at the stadium and those watching at home couldn't help but shout out in their hearts, "De Gea, you're a lifesaver!"
Though De Gea wasn't great at coming off his line, his shot-stopping ability within the six-yard box was impeccable. A goalkeeper with such a glaring weakness still managing to hold the starting position at a club as prestigious as Manchester United spoke volumes about his abilities in other areas.
Seeing the opposing goalkeeper performing so well, City fans began to groan in frustration: "This guy is like a brick wall! It's impossible to get past him!" "It's ridiculous! Even Lin Quan's shots have been saved three times. There aren't many goalkeepers in the world who can do that!" "Lin Quan has faced the best goalkeepers out there—Buffon, Neuer, Cech, Casillas. None of them have ever given him this much trouble!" "De Gea is pretty incredible. When Casillas steps down, maybe he will secure the starting spot for Spain!"
While fans and pundits praised De Gea's brilliant performance, De Gea himself felt it was all just luck. Though he had anticipated Lin Quan's shots, each save was made with great difficulty, showing just how exceptional Lin Quan's shooting skills were. Knowing this, De Gea didn't dare let his guard down. One mistake could erase all his previous heroics and potentially make him the team's villain.
Realizing how hot the opposing goalkeeper was, Lin Quan quickly changed his approach. In the 21st minute, after a series of intricate passes, De Bruyne made a through ball into the box, and Lin Quan subtly chipped the ball over a defender while moving forward. The ball followed him into the box, giving him a direct shot at goal. Without hesitation, Lin Quan shot at the goal.
De Gea, who was having an outstanding game, managed to block the shot with his body. However, before United fans could celebrate, the rebound hit Lin Quan and went into the net. It was as if Lin Quan had anticipated his shot would be saved!
Boom!
The Etihad Stadium erupted with an unimaginable roar, as countless City fans jumped from their seats, waving their fists and shouting in joy. Finally, they had scored! Finally, they had gotten the ball past that damned goalkeeper!
Seeing De Gea block Lin Quan's shot again, their hearts had almost sunk. Fortunately, the ball still went in!
"Damn it!" Van Gaal's face turned pale as he cursed under his breath upon seeing United concede. The match was only 20 minutes in, and they were already trailing. This unexpected turn of events worried him about the rest of the game. City was performing much stronger than he had expected, especially their star player, Lin Quan, who was incredibly active in the attacking half and seemed to be involved in every attack.
Van Gaal had set up defensive strategies against Lin Quan, and United's players had tried hard to execute them. But all their efforts failed. One-on-one marking couldn't stop him, and when double-teamed, Lin Quan cleverly found spaces to pass the ball. His passes weren't just to relieve pressure; they were orchestrating attacks, creating new threats each time.
How could there be such an exceptional player in football?
City's roster was full of stars, and aside from Lin Quan, they had De Bruyne, David Silva, and Yaya Toure, all capable of making decisive plays. If they weren't defended properly, they could score just as easily. This was a weakened City side; without their injuries, their threat would be even greater and harder to defend against.
The more Van Gaal thought about it, the more he felt uncertain. Could his team defeat this City in such form?
After scoring, Lin Quan ran to the sideline, took off his shirt, and revealed a white undershirt. Displayed on the big screen was a message on his undershirt: "Get well soon, Coach!"
In the hospital room, Pellegrini, watching the match live against his family's wishes, felt a surge of emotion seeing this display.
"This kid always surprises me!"
Though he said this, Pellegrini was deeply touched. However, thinking about his illness, he couldn't help but sigh. According to the doctors, he wouldn't be able to return to coaching any time soon. He was reluctant to leave his players and didn't want to abandon their unfinished work halfway.
After taking the lead, City's attacks didn't slow down but intensified. In the 25th minute, Zabaleta dribbled down the flank and crossed with the outside of his left foot. Lin Quan cleverly let the ball pass to Jovetic, who calmly shot, aiming for the bottom left corner of the goal. However, De Gea, who rarely leaves his line, came out early and blocked the sure goal. Jovetic held his head in disbelief, unable to accept that his shot was saved. He finally understood what Lin Quan had been feeling after having his shots repeatedly stopped by De Gea.
The United fans applauded De Gea's brilliant performance but also started to worry. The better the goalkeeper performed, the worse the situation was for the team. They couldn't rely solely on De Gea; the rest of the team needed to step up. If they continued to struggle and fail to threaten City's goal, United was doomed to lose.
However, after De Gea passed the ball to his teammates, it was intercepted by City players after just a few passes. Di Maria fell on the pitch but didn't get up immediately, and City continued their attack. With the defense focused on Lin Quan and a few other forwards, Yaya Touré seized the opportunity, dribbling forward and aiming to enter the penalty area. Blind tackled him but fouled, earning United their second yellow card of the game.
The free kick was in a good position, but Lin Quan let Yaya Touré take it. Since Touré had earned the opportunity, Lin Quan decided to let him have it. Touré, determined, aimed for a difficult spot after seeing De Gea's previous saves. However, his execution didn't match his ambition, and he sent the ball flying over the bar, not even threatening United's goal.
After being under siege for half an hour, United finally mounted a decent attack. In the 30th minute, Luke Shaw broke through on the left, and Zabaleta fouled him. The referee issued a verbal warning and awarded United a free kick. Van Persie aimed for Fellaini in the box, but Van Dijk cleared the ball. United couldn't capitalize on this chance.
After holding off for 30 minutes, United's attack ended disappointingly, leaving their players visibly anxious. When Navas was about to kick the ball, Smalling tried to obstruct him, earning a yellow card from the referee. Smalling retreated to his half, cursing under his breath. Not only did he fail to gain an advantage, but he also got booked.
However, Smalling's troubles weren't over. In the 39th minute, City launched another attack. Lin Quan dribbled down the right, with Smalling stepping up to intercept. Lin Quan used simple body feints to easily bypass him, preparing to cut into the penalty area for a shot. Perhaps frustrated by previous referee decisions or embarrassed by being outplayed, Smalling rashly tackled Lin Quan from behind, earning his second yellow card and a red card, sending him off the field.
Generally, referees are cautious about giving a second yellow card, but Smalling's blatant foul left no choice. The pre-match emphasis on fair play meant the referee had to enforce the rules strictly, sending off United's defender.
"Stupid!" Van Gaal fumed as Smalling walked off. Previously, when United was trailing, Van Gaal wasn't too worried. But now, with a man down, his heart sank. Even though City wasn't at full strength, playing with ten men against them was too much. The numerical disadvantage would hinder his tactical plans, making it hard to exploit City's weaknesses even if he figured them out.
Lin Quan was helped up by his teammates, ignoring Smalling as he prepared to take the free kick. The position wasn't ideal, so he crossed into the box instead of shooting. Unfortunately, neither Van Dijk nor Demichelis could reach it, and United cleared the ball. United quickly made a substitution, bringing on Carrick to stabilize the defense and taking off Januzaj. With Carrick as a makeshift center-back, United's formation changed to 4-3-2.
With the numerical advantage, City dominated the game. In the 42nd minute, Yaya Touré sent a through ball into the box. Lin Quan controlled it and turned to shoot, but Fellaini brought him down. The referee awarded a penalty without hesitation.
Standing at the penalty spot, Lin Quan made De Gea incredibly nervous. Having seen Lin Quan's penalty training, De Gea knew he would aim for a corner. But which corner? De Gea had no choice but to wait and react. As expected, Lin Quan aimed for the top left corner. De Gea couldn't reach it, and the ball hit the net.
Just before halftime, City extended their lead to 2-0. With United down to ten men and City leading by two, the match seemed decided.
However, United wasn't ready to surrender. During the break, Van Gaal made adjustments. In the second half, United increased their offensive pressure and played more actively. After a sluggish first half, they finally seemed awake!
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