Chapter 261: Scoring from an Impossible Angle, Helping Arsenal Break a Ten-Year Trophy Drought!
Wenger's guess was right—Manchester City's counterattack was quick and fierce!
In the 78th minute, Lin Quan and Nasri played a one-two on the wing, bypassing the defender. Nasri carried the ball to the byline, but his cross to the front of the goal was a bit too close to the goalkeeper, who came out and cleared it.
Two minutes later, Manchester City attacked again. Lin Quan's long shot from the edge of the penalty area was barely tipped out for a corner by the goalkeeper. Lin Quan took the corner himself.
He ran to the corner flag, surveyed the positioning of both teams' players and the goalkeeper, and signaled to his teammates to aim for the far post. Seeing this, Manchester City's players rushed to the far post, and Arsenal's players followed suit.
However, unexpectedly, it was a tactical corner. Lin Quan saw the players crowding the far post and immediately passed the ball to Javi García on the right side of the penalty area. García then sent a straight pass to Lin Quan, who had rushed over from the corner flag.
Lin Quan took the ball into the box. Arsenal's goalkeeper, Fabiański, immediately charged out, arms spread and body low, trying to block Lin Quan's shooting angle. Most of the players had moved to the far post, leaving the right side of the box relatively open. If Fabiański didn't charge out, Lin Quan would have had time to adjust and shoot.
Fabiański's decision was quick and decisive. If he had been a moment slower, Lin Quan would have already shot. As it was, Lin Quan's shooting angle was very tight. Rather than forcing a shot, Lin Quan calmly passed to a teammate.
Unfortunately, Javi García reacted a split second too late. By the time he received the ball, Arsenal's defenders had recovered and blocked his shooting angle. When García's shot hit a defender's leg and bounced out for another corner, Lin Quan sighed. If De Bruyne or David Silva had been there, this would have been a goal.
On the sideline, Pellegrini noticed the issue and quickly called over De Bruyne, who had finished warming up. After giving him some instructions, he sent him onto the field.
Lin Quan returned to the corner flag with the ball. He waited for De Bruyne to come on before signaling for a tactical play again. Seeing the signal to aim for the far post, Manchester City's players rushed to the far post once more. Having been fooled once, Arsenal's players didn't move this time, except for Mertesacker, who kept marking Lescott.
Unexpectedly, Lin Quan did send the ball to the far post. Lescott jumped first, using his position to head the ball before Mertesacker could. Despite being seven centimeters shorter, Lescott's positioning allowed him to reach the ball first.
With a loud bang, the ball flew towards the goal. Fabiański leaped, but it was too late. He could only watch as the ball hit the net. Manchester City equalized in the 83rd minute!
Lescott ran to the sideline, raising his arms and seeking applause from the Manchester City fans, who went wild with excitement. Arsenal's goal in the 76th minute had filled them with dread, but now the game was level again!
"Looks like you don't need me after all," said De Bruyne, who had just come on and hadn't even touched the ball yet. The team had equalized, lightening his mood considerably.
"But we still need another goal to win!" Lin Quan glanced at Arsenal's goal, clearly dissatisfied with the 1-1 score.
"Have you got an idea?" De Bruyne asked, knowing Lin Quan well enough to recognize that he had something planned.
"Yes, here's what I think…" Lin Quan explained his plan.
"Will it really work?" De Bruyne asked doubtfully.
"We'll find out. Just cover me!" Lin Quan replied.
"Alright, I'll go along with you," De Bruyne agreed, trusting Lin Quan's instincts.
Manchester City, knowing the importance of time, quickly ended their celebration and prepared to strengthen their attack, hoping to finish the match before extra time or a penalty shootout.
Arsenal's morale took a hit with Manchester City's equalizer, and the players began to doubt themselves. Despite deploying five defenders, they still couldn't stop the opponent's attack. They had worked hard for most of the game to score just one goal, only to have Manchester City equalize easily from a corner.
On the bench, Wenger felt dejected. Was a trophyless fate really his destiny? But there was still hope. Drag the game into extra time, where Manchester City's stamina issues might become apparent, and Arsenal would have another chance.
With this in mind, Wenger instructed his players to stick to the defensive strategy and hold the 1-1 scoreline until the end of regular time. This tactic was somewhat conservative, and had Arsenal decided to go all out and attack, the game could have gone either way, given Manchester City's midfield fatigue.
However, at this critical moment, Arsenal hesitated, ceding midfield control and allowing Manchester City to organize their attacks from the center. Pellegrini shook his head at Wenger's conservative substitution strategy. If Wenger had substituted a defensive midfielder instead of a defender, Manchester City might have been in trouble.
But looking at Arsenal's bench, Pellegrini understood Wenger's dilemma. Özil, Eisfeld, and Källström were not suited for defensive duties. Adding them might have worsened the situation.
With De Bruyne on the field, Manchester City's attacks became more threatening. De Bruyne's creative passes were hard for Arsenal to defend against. His understanding with Lin Quan allowed them to connect seamlessly, always finding each other in the right places. Arsenal's defenders were always a step behind, often resorting to fouls.
In the 84th minute, Monreal received a yellow card for pulling Lin Quan. Two minutes later, Arteta was booked for tripping De Bruyne. In the 89th minute, Sagna also received a yellow card during a defensive play.
As time ticked away, Arsenal defended against wave after wave of Manchester City's attacks with a heroic effort. Their persistence paid off as the regular time ended, and the match entered injury time.
The referee added three minutes of injury time. If Arsenal could hold on for these last three minutes, the match would go into extra time. Maybe then, the coach could make a miraculous substitution and lead the team to victory! With this hope in mind, the players hung on tenaciously.
However, Manchester City had no intention of letting them drag the match out any further.
In the 91st minute, De Bruyne delivered a precise through pass that pierced Arsenal's defense. Lin Quan made a reverse run to shake off his marker and received De Bruyne's pass on the right side of the penalty area. The pass from De Bruyne was perfect, and Lin Quan's shot was high-quality as well.
But Fabiański, as if inspired, made a miraculous save, barely deflecting Lin Quan's powerful shot. After making the save, Fabiański stood up excitedly and roared at Lin Quan.
Lin Quan, however, wasn't angry. Instead, he gave Fabiański a thumbs up. The goalkeeper's save was indeed impressive, and Lin Quan acknowledged it. Still, he thought, such miraculous saves were rare and hard to replicate.
"Give me ten more chances, and I can make ten shots like that. Can you make ten saves like that?" Lin Quan wondered.
Fabiański, surprised by Lin Quan's good-natured response, returned the thumbs up, praising Lin Quan for his good shot. His attempt to intimidate Lin Quan had backfired, making him feel a bit guilty for acting so arrogant.
Arsenal's players, meanwhile, rushed to embrace Fabiański, thanking him for his brilliant save. If not for him, they would have lost for sure!
"Stay focused! Only a minute left! Hang in there!" Captain Arteta shouted, clapping his hands and encouraging his teammates.
Lin Quan, holding the ball, walked back to the corner flag. Arsenal's players felt a pang of anxiety seeing him there again. This was his third corner kick of the match, and the previous two had been dangerous. What would he do this time?
Just like before, Lin Quan surveyed the positioning of both teams and Fabiański, then stepped back and made the same hand signal as the first and second times.
Again? Arsenal's players recognized the signal—they had seen it twice already! But even if they recognized it, they couldn't be sure. Would he really aim for the far post again?
They noticed De Bruyne standing where Javi García had been for the previous corner. What if Lin Quan did another tactical corner? Arsenal's defenders split their attention, some marking Lescott to prevent a header, others closing in on De Bruyne to stop any passes.
It seemed Arsenal had covered all of Lin Quan's options, leaving him with no tricks left to play. But they underestimated him again.
Lin Quan made the signal, and Manchester City's players rushed to the far post, unsure if Lin Quan would send the ball there. This movement disrupted Arsenal's defense, making them shift slightly toward the far post.
But Lin Quan didn't send the ball to the far post or to De Bruyne. Instead, he went for a direct shot!
This choice surprised nearly everyone on the field, except De Bruyne. From the corner flag, it's hard to see the goal, let alone score from such a sharp angle. Scoring from there required an incredible curve on the ball, which was extremely difficult to achieve.
Few players even attempted a direct corner kick shot, and even fewer succeeded. This is why Arsenal's players were so shocked by Lin Quan's decision.
Fabiański watched as the ball curved beautifully through the air towards the goal. Realizing he was positioned too close to the near post and the ball was heading for the far post, he scrambled to the left, but it was too late.
With a swift sound, the ball hit the net. Fabiański was two meters away from where the ball went in, unable to reach it. Wembley Stadium fell silent for a moment before erupting into cheers from the Manchester City fans. They had clinched victory over Arsenal at the last moment, turning the match around!
Arsenal fans were heartbroken: "Again, we've been defeated in the final moments." "Are we cursed? Are we destined never to win a trophy?"
Missing out on the FA Cup meant Arsenal completed a decade without a trophy. Since their last win in 2003-04, they had gone ten years without a single championship. This ten-year drought was finally complete today.
But none of the Gunners' fans were happy about this record. Instead, they felt a deep sadness.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.