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Chapter 180: Cristiano Ronaldo: This Lin Quan kid has really learned!
After the match, Lin Quan went straight to the hospital to visit David Silva, who was injured.
After a thorough examination by the doctor, it was determined that David Silva had suffered a severe ankle sprain and would need to rest for approximately three months.
With the new Premier League season just underway, missing at least 15 Premier League matches due to injury wasn't good news for him.
For David Silva, this was definitely bad.
Pellegrini was experimenting with the team's tactics at this moment, and missing matches could mean being excluded from the starting lineup.
Once Manchester City's starting lineup was established, even if David Silva recovered from his injury, it wouldn't be certain that he would regain his place in the team.
David Silva was very aware of this, so his mood seemed a bit down.
But when he saw that Lin Quan had come, he was still very happy:
"Thanks for standing up for me, but next time you encounter this kind of situation, don't act so impulsively. If you get hurt along with me, it won't be worth it!"
David Silva watched the match replay in the hospital through the television. When he saw how Lin Quan had been fouled because of him, he felt touched and worried at the same time.
Fortunately, Lin Quan wasn't injured. Otherwise, he would have felt very guilty.
"You don't need to be so polite to me. We're not only teammates but also good friends. Isn't it natural to protect each other among good friends?"
These words further moved David Silva.
But he didn't act like a spoiled child, instead, he nodded firmly:
"Alright, since you consider me your friend, I won't be hypocritical. I can't help in the upcoming matches, so the team relies on you. Do well during this time. I don't want the team to fall in the standings when I come back."
"Haha, who's underestimating you? We'll be waiting for you at the top of the table!"
"That would be the best!"
"Rest assured, my teammates and I will be waiting for you to lift the trophy together. This season, we're going to win the Premier League!"
"Agreed, word of honor!"
The two shook hands firmly, sealing their promise to lift the trophy.
...
After the matches of that day ended, the next day, Manchester City traveled to Wales to face Cardiff City.
Cardiff City had just been promoted from the Championship and was one of the three newly promoted teams to the Premier League this season.
They cleanly lost 0-2 in their first match against West Ham United, so in this home match, they hoped to secure points against Manchester City.
More than 30,000 Cardiff City fans filled the stadium, packing this limited capacity stadium.
For Cardiff City fans, this was the first home match in the Premier League after fifty years, so they didn't want to miss their team's first Premier League match.
Not only were the fans excited, but Cardiff City owner Chen Zhiyuan also personally attended the match.
He didn't sit in a private box like other Premier League owners but wore the team's jersey and sat among the crowd like a common fan.
This earned recognition from Cardiff City fans, and throughout the match, they were chanting and cheering loudly for their team.
Perhaps feeling the fans' passion, or maybe because the owner was personally overseeing the match, Cardiff City players were full of fighting spirit.
In this match, Cardiff City showed an exceptional performance.
Under their strong defense, Manchester City's attack crashed against a wall, struggling to break through their defensive line.
Cardiff players not only defended firmly in their area but also spared no effort in their energy, running all over the field time and again, dissipating crises with aggressive effort and constant deployment.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Manchester City finally managed to score a free-kick goal.
But what they didn't expect was for Cardiff City to counterattack and equalize the match in just five minutes.
Pellegrini was very dissatisfied with the team's performance, so in the 58th minute, he made three consecutive substitutions.
Nasri came on, replacing the unfortunate Navas.
Negredo came on, replacing the equally unfortunate Aguero.
Milner came on, replacing Fernandinho.
Almost all forward players were changed, except Lin Quan.
After the substitutions, Manchester City's attack intensified.
The new forwards came on eagerly to try to break through the opponent's defense.
If they could seize this opportunity to impress the coach, they would have the advantage in the upcoming fight for a place in the starting lineup.
However, these newcomers weren't familiar with each other, and their coordination was poor, leading to a poor Manchester City attack, which not only didn't increase the threat but also diminished.
As a result, the one who broke the tie wasn't Manchester City but Cardiff City.
In the 79th minute, Cardiff City's winger, Fraizer Campbell, scored a goal, changing the score to 2-1 in favor of Cardiff.
This score almost drove Cardiff City fans crazy in the stadium.
They waved flags wildly, shouted Campbell's name, and sang praises for him.
The club owner, Chen Zhiyuan, somehow found a large drum and, with a mallet, enthusiastically beat the drum, resonating throughout the stadium.
Campbell's goal was witnessed by the boss, who even personally beat the drum, excited by his teammates' performance and responded with a sliding celebration alongside them, in response to the warm applause from the local fans.
While the opposing team's morale was at its peak, Manchester City's morale was a bit down.
Watching the rivals celebrate wildly, Lin Quan, hands on hips, remained in the center circle with a very serious expression.
David Silva's absence had the greatest impact on Lin Quan.
The cooperation between him and his teammates simply wasn't working.
Aguero's condition today was also very low, which meant he was practically fighting alone up front, without support from his teammates.
At this moment, he missed De Bruyne a lot.
If Ding Ding were here, he definitely wouldn't have to work so hard in this match.
However, Lin Quan wasn't someone who gave up easily. As Manchester City's offensive core, he should rise up at this moment.
After the match resumed, people noticed that Lin Quan increased the number of times he bypassed defenders.
If Cardiff players didn't mark him with multiple men, he would take the opportunity to bypass defenders, either take the ball into the center and shoot from a distance, or advance directly into the penalty area to threaten the goal
In a matter of minutes, Lin Quan practically scared Cardiff's defense, almost single-handedly creating a great threat to their goal.
"Watch out for that kid, don't let him into the penalty area!"
"If we can't stop him, let's use fouling tactics, hit him hard, don't let him be so arrogant."
Cardiff players had limited skills and really couldn't defend Lin Quan one-on-one.
Furthermore, marking him with multiple men might result in a defense with gaps, so they planned to use fouling tactics to contain his offense, which was a tradition in the Premier League.
They believed that if they treated a superstar like him roughly several times, they would scare him and he would restrain himself, not daring to dribble or break through the defense.
And without his dribbling ability, Manchester City's attack simply couldn't penetrate their defensive line and wouldn't pose a threat to them.
They just had to hold firm during the last minutes and victory would be for Cardiff City!
However, Lin Quan's tenacity caught Cardiff players by surprise.
Time and time again they committed fouls, knocking down the opponent, but they didn't manage to scare him; instead, they continuously gave Manchester City opportunities for free kicks in the front.
Seeing that fouls were committed closer and closer to their own penalty area and that the positions were getting better, Cardiff players finally realized that something was wrong.
After realizing the opponent's fouling tactic, Lin Quan deliberately provoked the rivals to commit fouls in the places he chose so that he could choose the free kick position.
After wasting two free kick opportunities, Lin Quan stood for the third time at the penalty spot.
Yaya Touré was eager to take the ball several times and wanted to take charge of this free kick.
But this opportunity was created by Lin Quan, and it wasn't appropriate for the opponent to give him the chance, so he didn't dare to ask for it.
But seeing Lin Quan waste the chance twice, Yaya Touré was a bit frustrated; he decided that if the other side failed again, next time, no matter what, he would step in.
The fans in the stadium and Yaya Touré thought the same.
Although they also felt that the position of this free kick was too good.
If they gave it to those free kick masters, the goal would be in danger.
But after seeing Lin Quan's two previous free kicks, they weren't so worried anymore.
Lin Quan ran faster and faster, and after finishing his momentum run, he kicked the ball strongly.
With a burst!
The ball deformed under pressure, emitting a whistle as it flew through the air like a lightning bolt, passing over the wall and into the net.
"Too high!"
Seeing the ball's trajectory in the air, Yaya Touré snorted discontentedly, feeling very dissatisfied.
Surely he has failed again, this guy wasted three opportunities!
"Haha, this ball is not threatening at all."
The Cardiff fans in the stadium thought the same as Yaya Touré; after seeing the ball's trajectory, they felt safe.
However, just when they thought they were safe, the ball in the air, as if under some kind of spell, suddenly plummeted, grazing the crossbar before entering the net.
The goalkeeper didn't even try to stop it and just watched in amazement as the ball entered his net.
The thirty thousand Cardiff City fans fell silent, the entire stadium was in complete silence.
"That ball, went in?"
Chen Zhiyuan, who was beating the drum, dropped the mallet in surprise and stared wide-eyed at the ball rolling into his own net, with an expression of disbelief.
"Haha, it's really a lifting shot, very well executed!"
In the London apartment, someone who looked like a cartoon character saw the ball entering the net and raised his fist, as if he himself had scored the goal.
But thinking about his current situation in the team, his mood began to decline again.
In the luxurious residence in Madrid, seeing that Lin Quan not only 'successfully imitated' but also scored such a spectacular free kick, Cristiano Ronaldo opened his eyes in surprise.
Lin Quan's free kick quality was a bit more than he expected; even he wasn't sure he could kick such a high-quality free kick.
It seems he underestimated this kid's free kick skills a little.
Feeling the pressure, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't stay still anymore and decided to go to the field to practice more.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.