Chapter 251: Europa League Final, Battle of the Saint Kings: Tang Tang Qiuwang Wins a Penalty in the Box!

"In three hours, your final against Villarreal will begin. Facing the biggest dark horse of this season's La Liga, Erik, are you feeling significant pressure?"

"Of course!"

Ten Hag answered quickly.

In fact, Manchester United had already achieved their goals for the season up to this point; the outcome of this match would not affect Ten Hag continuing to manage Manchester United next season.

But fans familiar with Ten Hag all knew that the Dutchman was ambitious.

He wanted to lead Manchester United toward revival!

The more championships, the better!

"Villarreal is an outstanding team; naturally, our pressure is great, but our opponents' pressure should be the greatest."

"This season's Manchester United is just like that; as our opponent, you must inevitably bear greater pressure than we do. Because compared to last season, this season's Manchester United has improved significantly. Teams unfamiliar with us will be nervous due to lack of understanding, and teams familiar with us will also be nervous upon seeing our changes."

Ten Hag compared the Manchester United he managed this season with the Manchester United managed by Van Gaal last season.

Facts proved that there were gaps even among Dutch head coaches.

Not every Dutch head coach possessed Ten Hag's excellent managerial level!

"Can you evaluate Escrivá?"

The reporter slowly posed a highly targeted question; Ten Hag did not refuse.

"Escrivá... During the knockout stage draw earlier, he happened to sit right beside me. I spoke with him extensively; his capabilities are outstanding. Even then, I knew he could lead Villarreal to success."

In the Yellow Submarine's locker room, Martí, watching the live broadcast, placed his phone in front of Escrivá; the Spanish head coach took a deep breath.

Ten Hag always gave people a sense of controlling the entire situation, which was precisely why Escrivá now wore a frown.

He greatly feared that Ten Hag had guessed Manchester United's final opponent several months ago.

Preparing early was something Villarreal had failed to do.

"The match hasn't even started, yet we seem to have already fallen behind."

Martí blinked his eyes; Escrivá signaled Martí not to speak, wanting to see what Ten Hag would say next.

"Then what about Tom? During your tenure at Utrecht, Tom was the core midfielder under your command. Can you evaluate this player?"

Speaking of Tom, a long-unseen smile appeared on Ten Hag's serious face.

"A perfect season. His performance exceeded my expectations. I believe Tang possesses the caliber to compete for the La Liga title."

"Then does he possess the caliber to compete for the Europa League final title?"

"I believe so. Tang's ability deserves him winning the Europa League trophy."

"But... not including this season."

Click-click!

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: Yellow Submarine vs. Manchester United, 32 minutes and 44 seconds remaining until the Europa League final kickoff.

Check Dongqiu Di repost: Yellow Submarine announces starting lineup against Manchester United, led by Bruno and Tang Ye, with Rodri starting and Soriano continuing as a substitute.

【With Rodri playing, it should be secure; Rodri is quite crucial.】

【"But not including this season"—Hearing Saint Tang say this sentence, Yellow Submarine fans' hearts turned cold.】

【Don't be afraid, with Tang Tang Qiuwang here! We must pin Manchester United firmly to the ground!】

【Based on my understanding of Manchester United, if they lose this match, they will truly have to fight Barcelona to recruit people.】

【Damn it, the match hasn't started yet and my heart rate has already accelerated; is this what a Europa League final feels like?】

At this moment, CCTV-5 was still replaying a badminton match, but backend feedback indicated that CCTV-5 already had over four million real-time online viewers.

This was Tang Ye versus Ten Hag.

The Battle of the Saint Kings!

Europa League Final < Champions League Final.

Europa League Final: Saint King Edition > Champions League Final!

"China Central Television! Here we are, broadcasting live for you..."

"As you can see, players from both sides are already ready in the player tunnel!"

The camera panned from the stands to the player tunnel; Tang Ye stood directly behind Rodri, with Manchester United's genius striker Rashford beside him.

For some reason, Rashford's gaze occasionally flickered toward Tang Ye's direction.

"Rashford! The nineteen-year-old Manchester United Crown Prince."

"He is probably pondering why Tang Ye's ranking for the Golden Boy award during their same cohort was higher than his own."

Tang Ye did not know what He Wei had said in the CCTV broadcast booth; he only knew that Rashford had just pinched his arm.

"Tom, you seem a bit heavier than last time."

"Hmm? Which last time?"

"The Golden Boy award ceremony; I sat on your right."

Although he did not know which side was the right, Tang Ye immediately remembered.

He recalled that during their first meeting, he and Rashford had even discussed Ten Hag.

"Did your weight gradually increase after you left Utrecht?"

Tang Ye carefully recalled: "It seems that is indeed the case."

Rashford nodded.

Tang Ye could tell that Rashford was likely pondering something.

He very much wanted to know what was going on in the Manchester United striker's mind, but the match was about to begin; Tang Ye had to cast this question aside!

Bruno, at the very front, walked to the back and high-fived his teammates one by one.

When reaching Tang Ye, after the high-five, Bruno grasped Tang Ye's hand: "Don't feel pressured; just perform at your best level."

Tang Ye shook his legs, then patted Bruno on the back.

He had been ready all along!

"Beep—!!"

The head referee led both teams out; Tang Ye followed behind Rodri, emerging almost last.

At that moment, Ten Hag stepped out from behind him.

The Manchester United manager slapped Tang Ye's buttocks, then skillfully reached into Tang Ye's right pocket and pulled out a piece of chewing gum.

"Mr. Sitting Like?"

Tang Ye turned to look, but Ten Hag pushed his back, urging him to enter the field quickly.

"Ten Hag, this is..."

"Ten Hag took something out of Tang Ye's pocket; that must be... chewing gum?"

On camera, Ten Hag walked to the Manchester United bench and put the chewing gum he had just swiped from Tang Ye into his own mouth.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Before the match even started, the Manchester United manager used a petty trick to steal Tang Ye's chewing gum, laying the foundation for first-half dominance.

【6】

【Stealing one of Tang Tang Qiuwang's props right off the bat; feels like Yellow Submarine has been thoroughly studied by Ten Hag.】

【Relying solely on my Tang Tang Qiuwang won't be enough in this match; Holy Eric must step up.】

"China Media Group!"

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"The match has begun; I will now introduce the starting lineups for both sides."

"First, the home team, Villarreal..."

"Then, the away team, Manchester United!"

Manchester United (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Defenders: Darmian, Blind, Smalling, Valencia

Midfielders: Herrera, Mata, Fellaini

Forwards: Rashford, Martial, Mkhitaryan

Head Coach: Ten Hag

Receiving a pass back from Martial, Smalling carried the ball forward slowly from the defensive third.

At the same time, he looked up to assess opportunities!

Smalling wanted to play a long pass!

"Press him, press him!"

"Be decisive!"

The Villarreal forward line, composed of Aleix, Bakambu, and Sansone, pressed forward simultaneously.

Aleix curved his run!

Charging straight at Smalling's face!

Smalling hesitated, still not passing, and turned sideways to move wide.

After evading Aleix, he passed forward!

Slap!

Due to Aleix's pressure, Smalling's long pass lacked quality.

Martial controlled the ball in the attacking third, but during the time it took him to settle it, all of Villarreal's defenders had already taken their positions.

Ten Hag stood before the bench with his hands in his pockets.

He glanced toward Escrivà.

Although time was short, Escrivà had still made some tactical adjustments for the team.

Villarreal had come prepared!

"Watch out, watch out!"

Bruno warned, while Rodri tightly marked Martial's position.

Martial shielded the ball with his back to goal!

He found Mata making a run from behind!

Thud!

Martial played a through ball to Mata; the Manchester United midfielder controlled it and ran forward.

Because of Martial's obstruction, Rodri failed to disrupt Mata immediately.

Mata continued dribbling!

"Rashford is in an excellent position right now!"

"Mata should consider it!"

"He's passed directly!"

Mata delivered the pass to Rashford, who sprinted forward rapidly.

He stopped the ball dead!

Turned to face the penalty area!

Rashford dribbled slowly toward the inside of the box.

Under Rashford's pressure, Ruiz retreated step by step.

Rashford performed step-overs!

Straight up into the corner!

Asenjo leaped out to make a save, but Rashford's shot ultimately went wide.

"Fuck!"

Rashford was very dissatisfied with that shot; after cursing, he held his head and sighed.

Rashford displayed his supercharged impact on the wing.

But due to lack of experience, the final shot was indeed a bit rushed!

Asenjo got up from the ground and high-fived Musakyo.

"Steady, steady!"

Escrivá shouted from the sideline.

It was clear that Escrivá was quite nervous today.

As for Ten Hag...

The Manchester United manager's face showed no expression.

With the score currently 0-0, it was impossible to see any emotional fluctuation on Ten Hag's face.

Chewing Tang Ye's gum, Ten Hag signaled Mkhitaryan to drop back.

Today, Manchester United's focus was the left flank where Rashford played!

The 15th minute arrived! Neither side had scored yet!

In terms of possession, Manchester United played rather roughly, so Villarreal held a clear advantage in possession.

62% possession.

But Escrivá just couldn't be happy.

Because Manchester United performed well in every aspect, Villarreal's continuous possession did not bring them good opportunities.

The 18th minute!

Snap!

Smalling's long pass found Mkhitaryan on the right flank.

Mkhitaryan headed it to Martial!

Martial paused in place, then suddenly accelerated, using pure speed to completely outmaneuver Ruiz.

He then passed to Rashford surging forward on the left!

Rashford's speed was fast!

"Wow!!"

!

Manchester United fans had already started shouting in surprise!

Rashford's cut-back cross!

Returning the ball to Martial!

The Manchester United striker was very decisive, striking the ball on the volley!

Asenjo made a save attempt.

But it was too late!

"Gooo——ooooo——lllll!!!!"

"Goal! Goal!"

"A very perfect counter-attack combination!"

"From Martial!"

"1-0! Manchester United is leading!"

Martial, wearing gloves, ran toward the corner flag, with Rashford following at his side.

"Roar——!!!"

With Martial's goal, Ten Hag, who had shown no reaction until now, finally raised his hands.

Manchester United is leading!

"They ran too fast."

Tang Ye stood in place, hands on his hips.

Rashford and Martial were like two track athletes; the speed they exploded with instantly made Villarreal's defense struggle to cope.

Escrivá shook his hands.

The thing he worried about most had happened.

The completely different playing style of Premier League teams made it hard for Villarreal to adapt.

This was Villarreal's first match against a Premier League team this season!

Manchester United players slowly walked past Tang Ye; Bruno shouted to his teammates behind: "Spread out a bit more during defense, leave some reaction time!"

Rashford and Martial's speed was simply too fast; if defenders marked too closely and got beaten on the first move, there would be no chance to catch up again.

The match continued!

"Glory, glory, Man United~ (Glory belongs to Manchester United)"

"Glory, glory, Man United~"

"And the red men march on! On! On!"

Martial's goal ignited the passion of Manchester United fans!

The Red Devils fans were about to take over this stadium!

【Manchester United's attack looked a bit simple, but it resulted in goals】

【"Is red really that powerful? Ggbond is also red, so stand up, Ggbond!"】

【"Ten Hag: Don't let their number 10 get a touch on the ball, and then we win."】

【"Rashford's speed is a bit too exaggerated; could we give this speed to our Tang Tang Qiuwang?"】

Manchester United actively picked up the pace of the match.

Mkhitaryan dribbled down the flank!

Tang Ye signaled Rodri to mark Herrera, while he himself moved toward Mkhitaryan.

Sansone, tracking back, took on the primary defensive duty.

Tang Ye stayed behind, ready at all times to steal the ball!

"Someone behind!"

Martial gave a warning.

But it was useless, because Sansone had already blocked Mkhitaryan's passing lane forward.

Mkhitaryan could only keep possession himself.

He looked back.

He had originally expected, just as Martial said, that there would be someone behind him.

As a result, he saw nothing!

Right at this moment!

Bang!

Tang Ye, hidden in the blind spot of their vision, tackled the ball away.

"Beautiful!"

Escrivá shouted it out directly.

It was a rare opportunity; Sansone dared not be negligent, quickly ran over to secure the ball, and then passed it to Bruno, who had moved up to support.

The counterattack began!

Tang Ye got up from the ground and ran forward alongside Mkhitaryan!

Bruno was ruthless; starting from his own half, he dribbled forward for nearly 30 meters.

Finally, due to Darmian's interception, Bruno was forced to pass the ball out.

To Bakambu!

After receiving the ball, Bakambu first glanced toward his own half.

Neither Tang Ye nor Rodri had gotten into position yet.

Bruno's position wasn't particularly good either.

At this moment, caution was needed; Bakambu faced Blind one-on-one near the baseline.

He feinted cutting inside!

But in reality, he suddenly accelerated down the flank!

Unfortunately, whether cutting inside or going down the flank, Blind defended extremely tightly.

Bakambu found no opportunity!

First, he stopped the ball under his foot!

Bakambu's first glance was at Tang Ye.

Tang Ye did not ask for the ball; instead, he pointed with his finger toward Bruno on the right.

Bang!

Possession went to Bruno!

Slap!

A 45-degree cross lofted straight into the penalty area!

Inside the box were Aleix and Sansone!

Smalling and Valencia were defending extremely tightly; a direct shot was definitely out of the question.

Not knowing how to handle the ball—this situation is the most anxiety-inducing for a striker!

"To me!"

The Commander!

It was Commander Tom!

Having confirmed Tang Ye's position, Aleix jumped up.

Bang!

A header directed to Tang Ye!

He was about to shoot!

Ten Hag muttered inwardly, instinctively looking toward the goal!

If it were Tang, he would definitely shoot directly at this moment!

Controlling the ball, Tang Ye paused with a change of rhythm on the spot, then immediately dribbled into the penalty area!

Ten Hag had guessed wrong!

There were two Toms!

Utrecht Tom and Villarreal Tom were completely different!

"Block him!"

De Gea was now under maximum pressure!

Smalling reacted quickly, immediately abandoning Aleix to press Tang Ye.

Tang Ye's fast-slow rhythm left Mo Lin no chance to stick out a foot.

At that moment, Tang Ye suddenly pushed the ball into the empty space between himself and Mo Lin.

It was a chance!

Mo Lin stuck out his foot!

The instant Mo Lin lifted his leg, Tang Ye planted his left foot in front of the leather ball.

Mo Lin's foot kicked straight into Tang Ye's shin!

【Hazard's Self-Sacrificing Ball Shield Template】!

"Damn!"

The sudden pain caused Tang Ye to lose his balance and fall straight to the ground.

He lay on the ground, clutching his leg and gasping for air.

【Hazard's Self-Sacrificing Ball Shield Template】 was indeed fierce!

But the pain was real too!

Players from both sides argued in a chaotic cluster inside the penalty area as the referee ran up from behind.

"Penalty!"

"Villarreal has earned a penalty kick opportunity!"

【Tang Tang Qiuwang!】

【"Won't Dribble Past", "Dodging Contact"】

【Tang Ye is quite slick haha, he even tricked Mo Lin into limping】

【Yellow Submarine equalizes the score!】

【ggbond, a master at winning penalties!】

Fan Fan Dejiahe rubbed his head, then returned to his seat on the substitutes' bench.

Assistant coach Fan Fan Dejiahe was still studying Villarreal's offensive heat map, when suddenly Manchester United's penalty area exploded.

"Tom!"

Bruno walked over, helped Tang Ye up from the ground, then slapped him hard on the back: "Not bad, Tom!"

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up.

Originally, Tang Ye's plan was that after using the self-sacrificing ball shield, Mo Lin would give up on sticking out his foot, allowing him to simply push-shot the ball into the goal.

He hadn't expected the Manchester United defender to react so quickly, ultimately turning it into a penalty kick.

A penalty kick it is then!

Villarreal had a penalty expert within their ranks!

Yes, it was Sebastian!

"Villarreal's penalty kick"

"has been handed to Haller to take"

"When Haller was at Utrecht, he was the team's primary penalty taker, and soon after joining Villarreal, he became the team's primary penalty taker there as well"

Haller placed the ball on the penalty spot, while goalkeeper De Gea bounced up and down on the goal line.

"Booooo!!!"

"Boooo!!"

The Manchester United fans in the stands behind were trying to distract Haller!

"Beep!"

"Haller!"

"Run-up... shoot!"

"Saved!"

"De Gea saved Haller's shot!"

Sansone, charging up from the edge of the arc, took a follow-up shot.

Lying on the ground, De Gea extended his right hand and pushed Sansone's shot straight out for a corner.

A second save from De Gea!

Villarreal failed to capitalize on this penalty kick opportunity!

(End of Chapter)