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Chapter 178: Elevating Immune Talent to Maximum Level!
After David Silva retired injured, Pellegrini substituted player number 7, James Milner. It was a positional change, as at that moment Milner wasn't a defender as he was at Liverpool, but a winger in the Manchester City team. Lin Quan paid no attention to the change on the field. With the ball in his hands, he positioned himself at the penalty spot, determined to take the penalty himself.
Manchester City's first penalty taker was Yaya Touré. When he saw Lin Quan standing at the penalty spot, he felt a bit annoyed. However, Pellegrini, from the bench, showed no reaction to Lin Quan's action, so Yaya Touré had to contain his displeasure. Newcastle's goalkeeper, Krul, closely observed every move Lin Quan made. He sensed that the other's mood seemed abnormal and began to formulate some ideas in his mind.
Compared to Lin Quan, he was nothing but an unknown goalkeeper. But if he could stop this penalty, he would surely become famous overnight. Next year would be the World Cup year. Krul, who could only be a substitute in the Dutch national team, desperately needed a moment of fame to boost his reputation.
And Lin Quan was obviously the stepping stone on his path to fame. So, taking advantage of the fact that the referee hadn't blown the whistle yet, he deliberately shouted to Lin Quan, "Kid, let me assess your skill and see how much you're really worth!" After saying that, he jumped in place, giving the feeling that everything was under his control. Lin Quan didn't even look at him, as if he had just heard barking dogs.
This act of ignoring him as if he were invisible enraged Krul. "Kid, wait and see. When I stop your penalty, you'll regret it!" He was eager to see the expression on Lin Quan's face after stopping his penalty. It would surely be very exciting! Krul wasn't very strong, but he had a talent for stopping penalties. Back when Lin Quan traveled to the past, in the penalty shootout between the Netherlands and Costa Rica in 2014, he came on as a substitute and consecutively stopped 2 penalties, helping the Netherlands advance to the semifinals.
It could be said that the Dutch team had him specifically in mind for stopping penalties. His secret to stopping penalties lay in his ability to judge the direction of the opponent's shot based on their muscle movements and then anticipate it. At that moment, Lin Quan retreated, stepping out of the penalty area, and began his run. One, two, three steps...
Krul mentally counted his opponent's steps, judging which leg he would ultimately use to shoot. The seventh step, the left one! If he used his left leg to shoot, then he would shoot to the right side of the goal, i.e., his left. With that idea in mind, Krul moved one step to his left, just as he saw Lin Quan touch the ball with his left foot on the seventh step.
"Kid, I've guessed all your moves. You're finished!" Krul felt extremely proud. He threw himself with all his might, imagining himself becoming the team's hero after stopping Lin Quan's penalty, being praised and admired by the media and newspapers. How wonderful it would be! The ball soared almost simultaneously, heading towards the goal. However, instead of heading to the right of the goal, the ball went straight to the center of the goal.
Krul opened his eyes in disbelief, showing a look of total surprise. How is this possible? Was it a penalty with a chip effect? The ball entered the net, and the Etihad Stadium erupted in applause. The fans stood up to applaud Lin Quan. Manchester City players ran towards him, ready to hug and celebrate. But Lin Quan refused to join the celebration.
After scoring the penalty, he quickly headed towards the Newcastle goal. While Krul was still on the ground, questioning his life after that goal, Lin Quan pulled the ball out of the net. In front of the astonished Manchester City and Newcastle players, Lin Quan ran towards the center circle and placed the ball behind the kick-off spot, waiting for the game to restart.
Both teams were puzzled. What was going on? Was this guy so eager to restart the game? This type of action was usually done by the losing team that wanted to equalize, to save time and make the most of the remaining time to attack and tie the score.
But aren't you, Manchester City, winning? Newcastle players looked at the scoreboard, where the score showed a bright 2-0 in favor of Manchester City. They were losing, right? So why were the players from the other team so eager to attack?
Did the other team think that two goals were not enough and wanted to score some more against them? Manchester City players and fans in the stadium realized Lin Quan's action. At first, they were puzzled, but then they reacted immediately. Once the fans understood the situation, they began to cheer Lin Quan on. "That's it! Attack them more!"
"Score more goals! Let them know the consequences of facing the Blue Sheriff!"
"Create a disaster for them and make them forever remember the pain at the Etihad Stadium!"
A thousand words were summarized in one:
"Blood in Newcastle!"
Nearly fifty thousand Manchester City fans shouted this slogan, filling the stadium with an intense atmosphere of battle and revenge.
Influenced by this, the Manchester City players felt excited. They quickly ended the celebration and swiftly returned to their positions, ready to continue attacking the enemy. Was winning by two goals enough? If you're going to win, then win more. Let them know that the Blue Sheriff is not someone to mess with!
The expression of the Newcastle players began to turn serious. They felt the burning determination in the opposing team's players. Many players were scared by the atmosphere in the stadium. The atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium now resembled that of those famous infernal fields in Europe. They felt that something was wrong. Today it would be difficult to leave the Etihad Stadium unscathed.
Then, something strange happened on the field. The Manchester City, leading in the score, decided not to celebrate and quickly returned to their positions to restart the game. Meanwhile, Newcastle, who was losing, dragged and delayed, but finally, after being urged by the referee, returned to their positions, not without showing their displeasure.
Whistle!
As soon as the referee's main whistle sounded, Manchester City launched an attack against the opponent. Lin Quan passed the ball to Agüero and quickly moved forward. Agüero's pass closely followed, and Lin Quan, upon receiving the ball, headed straight towards the opponent's sideline. Mbia felt as if he were facing a great enemy; he had a premonition that the other was coming for him.
Not only he had this premonition, other Newcastle players also noticed it by seeing the determination in Lin Quan. Gouffran and Ben Arfa almost simultaneously chose to approach their team's sideline, trying to help Mbia intercept Lin Quan and end this attack from the opponent.
Manchester City's strength lay in their unity; if Lin Quan planned to face them alone, they would be delighted. After all, defending against one was much easier than defending against a group. Could the other team, no matter how strong they were, break down their entire defensive line alone? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
With the help of his teammates, Mbia's courage instantly grew. He approached Lin Quan arrogantly, throwing trash talk as he approached. "You want to avenge your teammates?" "Ha, ha, ha, what a joke! Do you hope to face our entire defensive line alone?" "Stop dreaming, you're just embarrassing yourself!"
After hearing the trash talk from the other side, Lin Quan calmly lifted his head and looked at him. "Are you done?" "Huh?" Mbia was a little surprised that the other responded to him. This excited him immediately. You might be better than me in ball skills, but in insulting, not even ten of you would be my match!
But just as he was about to start a war of words with Lin Quan, he took advantage of his distraction and cleanly dodged him, passing by him effortlessly. After leaving Mbia behind, Lin Quan quickly veered towards the center, Gouffran tried to intercept him but was also surpassed by him. Taylor and Coloccini, the two central defenders, became nervous, trying to intercept him and prevent him from shooting. But Lin Quan's speed was one step faster than theirs. He made a lateral move, shook off a defender, and, from about 25 meters from the goal, shot directly.
However, this shot rose slightly above the crossbar, sending the ball into the stands. Although this attack did not turn into a goal, Lin Quan's advance on the sideline still represented a considerable threat to the Newcastle goal. "Don't get distracted. This guy is very skilled at dribbling; it's easy to let him pass if you get distracted." Teammates reminded and even criticized Mbia, who played a crucial role in the match so far.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Next time I won't get distracted!" Mbia felt the complaints from his teammates and quickly apologized. He dared not exchange insults with his teammates, as he would only harm himself. Pellegrini frowned when he noticed Lin Quan's intention. This choice to face alone was not in his tactical plans.
So he called a player to relay his instructions to the others on the field. That the Manchester City players should approach more to the right side and help Lin Quan, so he wouldn't have to face alone. In the 33rd minute, Manchester City launched another attack, and Lin Quan once again received the ball on the sideline. As before, he decided to face Mbia.
But this time, unlike before, two Manchester City players approached to help him when he received the ball.
Milner backed him up from behind, and Agüero drew the defenders, preventing them from marking him as a group.
The help of his teammates gave Lin Quan the opportunity to face Mbia one on one.
Mbia felt as if he were facing a great enemy. Without the help of his teammates, facing Lin Quan alone caused him great pressure.
He tried to stay low, block the inside, and push Lin Quan to the outside.
But Lin Quan, with two feints and a change of direction, easily left him behind, passing calmly beside him.
The fans in the stadium laughed as they watched Lin Quan toy with Mbia, the one responsible for David Silva's injury.
"Mbia, where is your defense?"
"Ha, ha, ha, you're so foolish! You're not even better than a pile of manure in front of Lin!"
"A wooden post would be better than you!"
"With your level, how dare you play professionally? Go home and raise pigs!"
Mbia's hairstyle was strange, resembling a garlic clove, so Manchester City fans used it to mock him.
What started as an easy challenge for Mbia was now pushing him to the limit.
And when he heard the mockery from the Manchester City fans, he became even angrier.
These guys from Manchester City are crossing the line!
Wait and see! Once I have eliminated their main star, let's see if they still laugh!
After leaving Mbia behind, Lin Quan passed the ball to Agüero and performed a one-two.
Although they had only played together for a short time, both he and Agüero had great intelligence in the game, knowing what the most appropriate move was at every moment.
Receiving Agüero's pass at the edge of the area, Lin Quan seemed about to enter, which scared the Newcastle players, who backed off to intercept him.
But instead of forcing his way in, he passed the ball to his teammate Milner on the side.
According to Pellegrini's tactic, when attacking from the wings, the players should support the attacker with passes.
Milner understood this perfectly. As soon as he got near the goal line, he received Lin Quan's pass.
Before the Newcastle players could intercept, Milner sent the ball into the area.
Lin Quan moved diagonally, received the ball without looking back, and passed it back with his heel.
Agüero, who was approaching, shot without being marked and changed the score to 3-0.
This goal was the result of Manchester City's combination on the wing, Milner's smart pass, Lin Quan's skillful movement, and Agüero's high-quality shot.
All these elements came together to achieve this goal.
Seeing this goal, Pellegrini on the bench clapped excitedly for the team.
This was the type of attack he wanted to see!
He had just worried that Lin Quan would lose his composure due to his teammate's injury and would be caught in a dead end fighting with the defenders of the other team, but Lin Quan gave him a very quick surprise.
It turned out that his concerns were unfounded; Lin Quan was not the impulsive type of player.
Realizing this, Pellegrini felt completely relaxed.
He felt lucky to train such a calm, talented, and versatile player.
His decision to accept Manchester City now seemed obviously correct.
After Agüero scored the goal, he came to congratulate Lin Quan.
Lin Quan's pass was excellent; Agüero wondered how he came up with passing it like that.
"Lin, your pass was great. What were you thinking when you passed it to me like that?"
Agüero was curious about what Lin Quan was thinking when he made the pass.
"Well, I thought you might be behind me, but I had two defenders on my side and there was no time or space to turn around, so I thought about giving it a touch with my heel without turning. This way, not only could I help you receive the ball, but also deceive the defenders, without giving them time to react!"
"Oh, I see. You're amazing!"
Agüero praised Lin Quan with a thumbs-up. Although what he said sounded simple, making that kind of judgment in the blink of an eye and passing the ball to a teammate without looking at his position, that wasn't easy.
Agüero thought that Lin Quan, before passing the ball, must have taken into account his position and deduced that he would head there, so he sent the pass so precisely!
Seeing Lin Quan assist Agüero for another goal, Mbia felt even worse.
This missed goal was related to him.
Of the three goals scored by Manchester City, all were related to him.
If the match ended like this, he would be the team's main culprit.
Thinking about this, Mbia immediately felt extremely uncomfortable.
He glared maliciously at Lin Quan. If he could harm his teammates, he could also harm him!
"Kid, just wait and see!"
It seemed like he had heard his thoughts. In the 40th minute, the ball from Manchester City again reached Lin Quan's feet, who once again appeared on the right side of the field.
Mbia saw his chance and, after Lin Quan dribbled past him, he tackled him directly from behind.
This was a deliberate attack!
The fans in the stadium were shocked to see Mbia, the villain, bringing out his studs again, this time aiming directly at Lin Quan from behind.
Each of them paled with fear.
"Lin, be careful!"
"Watch out for the tackle!"
The fans began to warn, but by then it was too late.
Mbia struck Lin Quan's ankle with his foot, but it felt like he had kicked a steel plate.
Intense pain made him involuntarily scream.
"Aaah!"
Lin Quan was brought down too.
The main referee quickly ran towards them and, without saying a word, showed a red card to Mbia, who was on the ground screaming in pain.
This guy not only committed a foul in front of his eyes, but he also pretended!
Do you take me for a fool?
The incident in the penalty area earlier earned you a yellow card, that was a gift, but dare you commit another foul and on top of that from behind? Do you really think I won't dare to punish you?
After showing the red card to Mbia, the main referee indicated for him to leave the field and turned to Lin Quan, who was on the ground with a sore ankle.
To him, Lin Quan was the one truly injured.
This guy, Mbia, threw himself and then pretended to be injured. Do you really think you could hurt yourself like that?
"Are you okay? If you can't continue, call for the stretcher!"
The main referee decided that the incident couldn't be overlooked after two Manchester City players were injured.
After the match, Manchester City would probably file a complaint to the FA; maybe he would have to write a match report and even face suspension and an investigation.
Thinking about this, he decided to firmly note in the post-match record to increase the sanction against Mbia.
He thought Lin Quan was seriously injured, but after hearing what he said, Lin Quan sprang up from the ground, leaving players from both teams stunned, and began checking his ankle.
After making sure everything was okay, he told the main referee:
"I'm not injured, you don't need a stretcher!"
(End of chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.