Chapter 365: Sandro's Equalizing Goal? On the Eve of the Manchester Derby

Dongqiu Di pinned post: Manchester United vs. Juventus Champions League quarterfinal first leg in progress, current score 2:1, Manchester United leading.

Considering the opponent is Juventus, a 2:1 scoreline is actually quite good.

But Juventus's sudden surge in the final moments of the first half made the fans in the stands somewhat restless.

It felt as if Juventus were chasing Manchester United around the pitch!

"Tang Ye, go for it!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from the stands, and Tang Ye lifted his head.

Ah, it was Tom Ye's father, Tom Tang Zhengxiong!

Since this wasn't a match against Liwupu, Tom Tang Zhengxiong and Tom Ye were back on the same side!

The surrounding fans were jeering; Tang Ye raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up toward the stands.

He didn't know what to say in such a situation.

Anyway, doing something cool to show off was never wrong!

Bang!

Sitting on the chair, Tang Ye untied the laces of his boots.

"Today is really tough to play, damn it..."

Tang Ye complained, and Rashford beside him felt the same: "Erik asked me to track back; tracking back is fine, but they keep attacking down my flank, I have to drop back every single time, I'm just..."

"Shit!"

Rashford slapped the bench beside him.

Rashford had actually played even more tiredly than Tang Ye in the first half.

Because if he defended passively, Ten Hag on the sideline would yell at him!

Watching Fan Fan Dejiahe walk in through the door, with Ten Hag behind him, Rashford pressed his lips together.

The little mouse's heart was bitter.

But the little mouse said nothing.

"You could talk to Erik about it."

Tang Ye said in a low voice, offering advice to his friend.

Rashford shook his head.

He knew Ten Hag all too well.

Erik was a stubborn man.

He would not take advice from a mouse!

"Our opponents have started pressing high; this will put enormous pressure on us in the second half."

Stepping into the center of the locker room, Ten Hag relayed the preparations he had made to the players.

"The defensive midfielders must drop back, and drop back very deep."

Rodri's appearance had slightly improved Manchester United's buildup problems in their own half.

But one player cannot completely solve a team's problems.

When playing against teams like Crystal Palace or Brighton, the flaws in Manchester United's defensive buildup were not obviously exposed.

But Manchester United was now playing a Champions League knockout match!

Any weakness would be magnified in such clashes between strong sides!

For the safety of the goal, both Rodri and Herrera needed to drop back simultaneously!

As Ten Hag continued speaking, Tang Ye frantically winked at Rashford.

"Hey Marcus, if you have a problem, you must speak up; only if the coach sees it will he know whether there's a solution."

There are 22 players on the pitch; a coach cannot focus attention on every single one.

At times like this, you must proactively explain the situation to the coach!

"..."

Hiss—

Rashford shook his head, rubbing the muscles around his knees incessantly with both hands.

The best Tom wanted to make Jerry brave just once.

Jerry needed to be a bit braver!

"Um, Mr."

Rashford suddenly looked up, and Ten Hag quickly turned his head: "What is it?"

"Juventus keeps attacking our left flank, and I have to drop back very deep, but..."

"But, Erik, I need to attack."

Rashford spread his hands helplessly toward Ten Hag.

"Hmm..."

Ten Hag's brain spun rapidly, and Fan Fan Dejiahe behind him was also pondering the issue Rashford had raised.

Seeing Ten Hag remain silent, Rashford glanced at Tang Ye, his expression somewhat tense.

"If this continues, I might not be able to play the full 90 minutes, but Erik, if you insist, I will follow the tactics."

"Like this."

Ten Hag lifted his head.

"We'll push our left-wing attacking line deeper, increasing your time for defense; the left flank will mainly be used for counterattacks, so you can still receive passes from teammates out wide."

Ten Hag had truly made a targeted tactical adjustment for the little mouse!

A smile appeared on Rashford's face.

He wanted to thank Ten Hag, but upon thinking it over more carefully, he gave up the idea.

Turning his head to look at Tang Ye beside him, he saw Best Tom raising an eyebrow at Jerry, as if declaring the success of a secret operation.

"Haha, Tom!"

Rashford punched Tang Ye on the thigh.

The cat is bigger than the mouse; this is called courage.

Many cats are willing to approach humans, even getting close to them, but few mice can do the same.

And when a little mouse and a little cat become friends, the little mouse's courage will grow just as big as the little cat's!

In the player tunnel, Tang Ye carefully sized up the starting lineup of neighboring Juventus, his fierce eyes seeming ready to swallow the Juventus players alive.

The second half has begun!

Neither side had made any substitutions yet, but the areas in front of both benches were already packed with people.

This was a game of wits between Ten Hag and Allegri.

They needed to be ready to make substitutions at any moment!

"Go, go, go!"

Shouting loudly, Tang Ye got ready.

First, dribble forward for some distance himself!

Pa!

A powerful long pass was kicked directly toward Martial.

Martial was very clever; he actively ran over to control the ball with his chest, then decisively passed it to Mata beside him.

Mata cut inside, bypassing the Juventus defender, and immediately started driving down the flank!

"Get past him, get past him!"

"Mata! Hurry, charge, charge!"

The fans had already started giving directions!

Mata carried the ball to near the baseline.

Facing Sandro one-on-one!

Chiellini also had intentions of coming up to defend, but due to Martial's presence and the possibility of Tang Ye suddenly pushing forward, Chiellini ultimately chose to retreat and guard the penalty area.

Now it all depended on how Manchester United would handle this attack!

Martial abandoned the arc at the top of the box and moved directly toward Mata!

Manchester United executed a crossing run on the right-wing baseline, ending with Mata cutting inside with the ball.

"Here!"

Tang Ye reached out, calling for the ball.

Passed to Tang Ye!

There was no supporting target in the penalty area like Arna, so Tang Ye knew he had to take this chance himself.

Moving laterally!

Looking for an opportunity!

Pa!

He unleashed a replica-level curled shot toward the far corner, aiming directly at the top left far corner of the goal.

But Buffon slapped the ball to the ground!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye let out a roar of unwillingness.

But to be honest, his shot selection just now had been a bit too forced!

The attack failed; Manchester United players began retreating, and the second half quickly entered a white-hot phase.

"Right side, right side, move toward the center too!"

Allegri was shouting instructions.

This was a very good attacking opportunity for Juventus!

Bang!

Benatia delivered a low through-pass from the backfield.

Tang Ye sat down on the spot trying to intercept, but failed.

Benatia's through-pass found Khedira with great precision!

After receiving the ball, Khedira quickly faced pressure from Rashford.

Passing to Pjanic in the center!

Pjanic passed back to Khedira!

"What a fluid one-two on the wing!"

"Let's see if Juventus can seize this opportunity..."

Khedira sent a 45-degree cross into the box looking for Higuain, who very cleverly set up a ball for Mandzukic.

Bang!

Mandzukic fired a low shot, successfully breaching Manchester United's goal.

"Goal!"

"Mandzukic! It's Mandzukic again!"

"The score is tied!"

He knew Mandžukić would be in good form today, but he never expected it to be this exaggerated.

Tang Ye clasped his head with both hands, finding the result somewhat hard to accept.

From a two-goal lead to a one-goal lead, and now to losing the advantage entirely.

Their opponents seemed to be slowly taking over this match!

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: Higuaín lays it off, Mandžukić pushes it into the net, Juventus equalizes!

【Is he really this awesome?】

【Actually, Ten Hag should have switched to a defensive formation when it was 2-0.】

【Play defensively? Are you sure Manchester United's defense can withstand Juventus's attack?】

【Alexis being unable to play is truly a fatal flaw.】

Martial's performance in this match wasn't bad, but the passing combination between him and Tang Ye was simply too stiff.

Coupled with Martial's lack of skill in heading, Manchester United today was effectively missing an entire offensive option.

It's really giving me a headache!

The match reached the 65th minute; Manchester United had just pulled their possession rate above 40%, only for it to drop again now.

"Beep beep beep!!"

Fans in the stands blew fake whistles.

It was clear the fans were extremely nervous now!

The 67th minute!

Moving from the wing back to the center, Tang Ye glanced at Pjanić beside him.

This should be a good opportunity to receive the ball!

Turning his head to look at the Juventus goal, Tang Ye mentally divided the entire pitch into four sections.

Sweeping his gaze around, Tang Ye recorded the situation in all four sections of the pitch in an instant, then pieced them together like a puzzle.

Tang Ye had done this long ago, but back then he needed to slowly turn his head and observe to achieve it.

But after his Vision attribute reached 97, Tang Ye could complete this entire series of tasks with just a single sweep of his gaze.

"Marcus, get up front!"

Tang Ye exchanged words with Rashford, then called for the ball from Bailly.

Bailly passed the ball over!

With Pjanić on his tail, Tang Ye actively ran toward the ball.

Lateral movement!

Extending his foot!

Thump!

With a heel flick, Tang Ye directly knocked the ball through Pjanić's legs.

"Beautiful! Tang Ye!"

"Manchester United has worked the ball out from their own half!"

The stadium suddenly erupted in screams from the fans as Tang Ye reached the ball before Pjanić.

His 80 Physical Strength stat came into play here; Tang Ye directly held firm against Pjanić's pulling.

A sudden stop to create space!

Eyes fixed on Pjanić, Tang Ye kicked out a long pass.

Hehe!

!!!

Tom's villainous smile made Pjanić feel uneasy.

"Wow!!!"

"Direct pass again!"

"It's going to Rashford up front!"

Rashford controlled the ball.

Driving straight forward with the ball!

Buffon now just wanted to curse.

Another damn one-on-one!

Thump!

Firing off a pushed shot, Rashford perfectly seized this one-on-one opportunity.

"GOOO——AAAA——LLLLLL!!"

"Rashford's brace!"

"Manchester United has regained the lead!"

Rashford rushed out to celebrate, while the score displayed on the big screen changed from 2:2 to 3:2.

Since he was truly quite tired, Tang Ye walked over slowly to celebrate with Rashford.

"Hurry up, Tom!"

Rodri urged Tang Ye from the side, while the latter wore a smile on his face.

Hmm...

This was a benevolent smile.

Youngsters like Rod are still too easily impatient!

【Assist brace achieved; you have gained an extra 30 Counterattack Points.】

【Stage 3 Mission Progress: Assists (5/6)】

The mission of securing six Champions League assists is indeed extremely difficult.

Fortunately, GGBond possesses overwhelming strength, so completing this task is not entirely impossible.

Just one more assist needed!

"Watch the defensive line!"

"Mark that number 19 (Rashford)!"

Allegri shouted curses loudly.

They had struggled hard to equalize the score, only for the opponent to flip the table with a single long pass?

"Tom!"

"Marcus and Tom! (Rashford and Tom)"

Number 19 and number 10; these were the two most critical players for Manchester United in today's match!

"Haha, let's go!"

"Come on, come on!"

They cheered each other on.

Tang Ye glanced at the current time.

Just past the 70th minute!

Phew...

Right now, Tang Ye only hoped the match would end soon, so they could carry their one-goal advantage into the second half.

Regrettably, Tang Ye did not possess the supreme magic to control time, so he needed to focus seriously on defense alongside his teammates.

Rubbing his neck, Tang Ye felt his thighs growing heavier and heavier.

He then looked at Rashford beside him.

Although Rashford said nothing, Tang Ye could tell from his expression.

Marcus must be struggling greatly right now too!

Off the field, Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe sat on chairs, discussing rapidly.

After 70 minutes, Rashford basically had no capacity for long-distance runs left, so he absolutely had to be substituted.

Then, should Martial be substituted as well?

If Martial were also subbed off, it would mean Manchester United was directly abandoning their offense.

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: Manchester United makes a substitution adjustment; Rashford and Martial are substituted off, while Lin Lin Jiade and Phil Jones come on as substitutes.

【Not bad, not bad, can we hold the line?】

【Go Manchester United!】

【Turn up the pressure, brothers!】

Manchester United made a substitution, and of course Juventus had to substitute as well, but the substitution patterns of the two teams were completely opposite.

Juventus refreshed their attacking midfielders!

"Steady, steady!"

Ashley Young's voice came from behind; Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up.

The match rhythm was too intense, so ever since the quarter-finals began, Tang Ye had directly ignored his mission.

He focused solely on the match itself.

Manchester United needed defense more right now!

The different tactical adjustments by both sides caused a sudden shift in the situation on the field.

In the last 15 minutes, Juventus's possession rate had reached 82%!

Coincidentally, it was now exactly the 82nd minute!

A corner kick opportunity for Juventus!

Take it!

"Back post, back post!"

At the back post of the penalty area, Alex Sandro leaped high.

Boom!

A header!

"Goal!"

"Oh my god, Sandro scores with a header!"

"Juventus has equalized the score!"

Old Trafford suddenly fell silent, followed by continuous streams of fake whistles.

Off the field, Ten Hag crossed his arms over his chest, unable to speak a word.

Juventus had equalized the match at the death!

【Juventus is still fierce.】

【I feel Manchester United's set-piece defense still has major issues; isn't Saint Ten considering fixing this?】

【Mainly because my Tang Tang Qiuwang isn't tall; if my Tang Tang Qiuwang were two meters tall, he'd definitely head the ball out.】

【Damn! It's a draw?】

This season, Manchester United had several experiences of equalizing against opponents at the death in both the league and the Champions League.

This was still their first time being equalized at the death by an opponent!

He chewed the gum in his mouth, then spat a mouthful of saliva onto the grass.

Tang Ye was now finding it somewhat difficult to accept this result.

Of course, his other Manchester United teammates felt the same way.

Rubbing his neck, Tang Ye took the initiative to walk toward Rodri.

He wanted to say something, but upon reaching Rodri's side, he forgot what he had meant to say, so he could only clap hands with Rodri.

"Pull yourselves together, pull yourselves together!"

"Heads up!"

Captain Ashley Young was shouting loudly at his teammates, and the Manchester United players on the field quickly adjusted their state of mind.

With just over five minutes remaining, could Manchester United regain the lead?

Having such thoughts was certainly good, but it was clearly unrealistic.

When leading 3:2, Manchester United had already made their defensive substitutions; lacking Rashford as an explosive point on the wing, and furthermore, Alei was unable to enter the match due to rule restrictions.

"Tang Ye can still continue delivering passes to the front field, however, the problem is that Manchester United's front field now lacks any player capable of seizing opportunities..."

The CCTV commentator voiced the problem Manchester United was currently facing.

And just as he said.

Although they had been equalized at the last moment, Manchester United did not launch a counterattack, but instead chose to continue defending.

"Come on, come on!"

Tang Ye used his body to block Mandžukić, while Rodri moved up.

Bang!

Juventus's final attacking push was interrupted by Manchester United!

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The match ended, the first-leg score fixed at 3:3, a draw between Manchester United and Juventus!

"Fuck!"

"Fuck you, Sandro!"

"Boooo!!!"

The Manchester United fans in the stands expressed their dissatisfaction with the visiting team, Juventus.

The scene was somewhat noisy; Tang Ye shook his head, then simply sat down on the grass.

Dongqiu Di Match Report: Champions League Quarter-final First Leg, Manchester United drew 3:3 with Juventus at home; Tang Ye provided two assists, while Alex Sandro scored a last-minute equalizer with a header.

The Manchester United players slowly walked back toward the tunnel; Ashley Young spotted a trash bin placed in the corridor and kicked it directly with his cleated foot.

Bang!

"Hey, Young!"

Mata and Lin Lin Jiade held Ashley Young back: "Calm down, calm down, it's not necessary, it's not necessary."

"We should have won, we should have won!"

"Fuck!"

Shouting continuously twice, Ashley Young expressed his dissatisfaction with the result of this match.

A drawn match has no losers, but as the side that had been equalized at the last moment, the Manchester United players' emotions now differed little from those of having lost.

"..."

Tang Ye said nothing.

He was also feeling quite upset right now.

Hmm...

Young's action of kicking the trash bin just now was very cool; if possible, perhaps he could try it too?

While Tang Ye was hesitating over whether or not to also kick the trash bin, Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe entered from outside, urging the players to return to the tunnel.

"We were equalized at the last moment, but it doesn't matter, okay?"

"What we should be thinking about now is not this!"

Ten Hag's expression was serious.

Naturally, he was also unhappy that the team had been leveled.

As the head coach, he now had to teach the players a principle.

That was, the Manchester United players must immediately extricate themselves from their current terrible emotions.

Otherwise, in the match against Mancheng half a week later, they would surely suffer a huge setback!

Dongqiu Di Match Preview: In the early hours of April 8, the Manchester Derby, the Premier League's showdown between the top two, is about to begin.

April 8 marks the Manchester Derby between Mancheng and Manchester United, a showdown between the current first and second places in the Premier League.

The result of this match will directly determine the landscape of the Premier League title race for the remainder of this season.

Regarding this, Sky Sports special guest Owen offered his views on the upcoming Manchester Derby.

"If Mancheng wins the match, or even draws with Manchester United, then Mancheng is 100% the champion of this season, because it is impossible for Mancheng to lose any of the remaining matches."

"The Manchester Derby in three days may not necessarily be Manchester United's chance to turn things around, but it can sustain their hopes."

(End of Chapter)