Chapter 456: This Round Is a Battle of Wits: Tang Ye's Right Foot Passes to the Left Foot

Top post on Check Dongqiu Di: The Mancheng vs. Man United derby is underway; current score 0:0, with both sides having wasted one chance each.

【"Whoa, what kind of shot was that from Sterling?"】

【"I thought Rashford's no-look shot was already outrageous, but it turns out Sterling is the god among gods."】

【"Honestly, that curled shot was worse than if Tang Ye had taken it."】

【"Pep's blood pressure is rising."】

Sterling aimed his shot at the corner flag; Guardiola's blood pressure did indeed rise.

But blood pressure, after all, is conserved.

If Guardiola's blood pressure went up, then Ten Hag's naturally went down.

Impressive, Marcus; you curled it so accurately!

【"It seems Mancheng is wasting chances here..."】

【"Not 'seems'—Mancheng is right now wasting chances."】

The commentator corrected.

【"But we can also see that, although they failed to convert their shooting opportunities, Mancheng appears to be gradually gaining control of possession."】

That was correct; from the current state of play, one thing was clearly perceptible: Mancheng was slowly controlling the tempo of the match.

Why say so?

Because their possession percentage was rapidly climbing!

Man United was inherently a team that disliked holding possession; if Mancheng's players continued playing this combination game, their possession rate would likely climb to 70 percent or higher.

But it didn't matter; the Man United players on the pitch were still playing quite steadily.

Before the match, Ten Hag had already stated that in this game, Man United intended to play by relinquishing possession.

Because if they tried to play a possession-based game, they would definitely be unable to take victory away from Mancheng!

For Mancheng's set-piece opportunity, Tang Ye stood at the very front.

The player preparing to take this set-piece for Mancheng was De Bruyne, so Tang Ye specifically took a look at De Bruyne's thigh.

Huge muscles!

To be on the safe side, Tang Ye used his hands to guard his groin.

Safety is important; this is something even kindergarten teachers teach!

"Beep!"

Slap!

De Bruyne delivered a free kick into the penalty area.

De Gea punched the ball out with his hands!

【"Beautiful!"】

【"The drop point is at De Jong!"】

【"De Jong has the ball!"】

【"David Silva bumped De Jong aside; it's still Mancheng's possession."】

Because the scramble for the ball was so hurried, David Silva fell down immediately after gaining possession.

De Jong got the ball again!

Cleared out!

Both teams' players were playing somewhat hastily, which made the match even more exciting than the fans had imagined.

Receiving De Jong's clearance, Kyle Walker sprinted forward quickly.

Walker...

His butt is a bit big!

Slap!

Passed out to the wing; Sterling lifted his foot and controlled the ball once more.

You may doubt Sterling's shooting, but you cannot doubt this English winger's ball sense and off-the-ball movement!

Weaving and maneuvering, he arrived inside the penalty area!

Slap!

Sterling and Agüero combined, eventually working the ball into the penalty area.

Lifted his leg!

Sterling's movement successfully shifted De Gea's center of gravity, after which Sterling squared the pass to Mahrez, who was making a run up on the right.

!!!

【"Wow!!!"】

Mahrez made a diagonal run into the box!

Slap!

A shot was unleashed.

But Valencia, rushing over to cover, completed the clearance!

Ugh!

Six or seven players on the pitch simultaneously clutched their heads with their hands.

And Tang Ye was one of them.

That was terrifying, damn it.

【"Impressive, Antonio!"】

Mancheng failed to capitalize on the subsequent corner kick opportunity, and before anyone realized it, the match had reached the 15-minute mark.

MCI: 69%.

MUN: 31%.

Much like what the fans were feeling, Mancheng's possession was indeed approaching 70%.

Looking at the current situation, the Blue Moon might push their possession rate directly to 75% before the first half ends.

The Man United fans were now getting massive headaches.

This season, Man United indeed didn't care much for possession, but due to their overwhelming absolute strength, their possession rates in both the league and the Champions League were never poor.

Now, facing a team of similar strength where the possession gap suddenly widened, the fans found it somewhat difficult to accept this fact.

The camera cut to Ten Hag.

Although there was sweat on his forehead, the Man United head coach still looked quite calm.

This was probably one of the few comforts for the Man United players right now.

"Martial, go warm up!"

Not long after the first half began, a player on the Man United substitute bench had already stood up.

"..."

"I'll do it, I'll do it."

Dropping back to receive the ball, with De Bruyne following close behind him.

Tang Ye's lifelike feint came in handy; pretending to go left but actually going right, he successfully created distance from the Mancheng defenders.

And between passing directly and dribbling forward, Tang Ye chose to dribble himself!

Run forward!

His speed was quite decent, and when Tang Ye ran, he had a sense of rhythm, giving the fans watching the live broadcast a feeling of reassurance.

But this feeling lasted only a short while.

After playing a one-two with the dropping-back Ye He, Tang Ye dribbled straight into the penalty area.

Stones stepped up...

Stepping in with his right foot.

Lowering his center of gravity and then rising again, Tang Ye used his most handsome dribbling skill to successfully shift the Mancheng center-back's balance.

And then!

With a touch of his right foot, he knocked the ball through between Stones' legs.

"Wow!!"

The fans stood up!

This was a nutmeg inside the penalty area.

Stones' defense had already been very good, but in front of a master, this seemed somewhat insignificant.

The ball rolled toward the goal, and Tang Ye maneuvered around Stones, preparing to collect it.

Alai was already too late; he could only help block the other defenders first.

Slap!

Ederson kicked the ball away a split second earlier!

"Ah!!"

Tang Ye covered his face with both hands, feeling utterly miserable.

If only he had been 0.3 seconds faster, that ball would have been his!

"Huff, huff."

"Huff..."

Gulp gulp!

Guardiola gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

Watching Tom play was itself something that affected one's heart rate.

Let alone being Tom's opponent; that was simply terrifying, wasn't it!

"Damn it."

Shaking his head, having missed an excellent scoring opportunity, Tang Ye could only slowly jog back toward his own half.

"Focus more!"

"Both sides move toward the center, the center!"

Guardiola's two hands moved extremely fast.

Of course, you couldn't just look at his hand gestures, because looking at the gestures revealed nothing at all.

You had to listen to what he said!

In the 28th minute of the match.

Laporte carried the ball slowly forward from the back...

Alai rushed up!

Laporte passed back to Stones, and Stones then passed the ball to Walker on the wing.

Once it reached Walker, there were no more passes for the moment; the Mancheng full-back accelerated forward.

"Go, go, go!"

Boom!

A through ball finding Aguero, who had run over to the right flank!

Mahrez cut inside!

With the striker and winger making crossing runs, the Man United players contracted their defensive line according to the match rhythm.

Agüero cuts the ball back in a triangle pass to De Bruyne!

De Bruyne!

He lifts his thigh as if to shoot, but at the instant of contact, De Bruyne stops the ball dead under his foot.

Tang Ye is chasing hard from behind!

With no time left to think, De Bruyne lays the ball off to Sterling, who has made a supporting run.

Sterling raises both hands, running from the center toward the right flank like a duck.

Slap!

Suddenly he cuts the ball inside and threads it into the penalty area!

It's for Agüero!

We're done for!

Realizing the situation is dire, Tang Ye has already slowed down.

Bang!

Agüero unleashes a thunderous shot that strikes the top netting of the goal.

"GOOOO——AAAAAA——LLLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Agüero breaks the deadlock!!"

Both sides wasted many chances, but Mancheng ultimately became the side to score first.

"Roar!!!"

Agüero sprints out.

Sliding on his knees!

"Wow!!"

Bang bang bang bang!

The fans begin to cheer, and the Mancheng players huddle together in a circle beneath the stands.

Ptui!

Spitting a mouthful of saliva onto the grass, Tang Ye wears an expression of helplessness.

The other Manchester United players are the same.

In truth, their defending had been fairly decent; it was just that Mancheng's style of attack was truly somewhat unexpected.

"Let's take a look at the replay..."

"Eh, this attacking tactic of Mancheng's is quite mature; Sterling's run from the left flank to the right drew the attention of multiple Manchester United players, and the subsequent through-ball was delivered extremely well."

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Sterling assists Agüero for a thunderous shot, Mancheng opens the scoring to lead 1:0 at home!

【Damn it, brothers】

【This is Mancheng!!!】

【Ten Hag: I want 3 points; Guardiola: Not even 1 point for you!】

The Manchester United players walk slowly across the pitch as Tang Ye looks up at the sky.

There are seventeen clouds visible to the eye, yet his body does not feel stifled.

The weather is still quite nice.

But the scoreline is rather problematic...

Scratching his scalp, Ten Hag calls the players over.

That goal just now was less a failure of Manchester United's defense and more a testament to how unexpectedly well Mancheng's attack was executed.

"The defenders need to concentrate, alright? You saw it too—their striker possesses strong finishing ability."

Ten Hag holds both hands in front of him as if cradling a large ball: "We cannot let Agüero receive the ball so easily; if necessary, committing a tactical foul is reasonable. Do you understand what I mean?"

The players nod one after another, while Tang Ye's brain spins rapidly.

He reaches up to touch his forehead.

Whether it's psychological or not, Tang Ye feels as though the temperature of his forehead has risen...

"Beep!"

Allé kicks the ball out, and the match resumes!

Riding the momentum they just generated, Mancheng launches a massive attack, hoping to net their second goal within a short span.

However, considering their opponent is Manchester United, this is absolutely no easy task.

Slap!

Tang Ye rips open Mancheng's midfield defense with a straight through-ball, and Allé collects the ball at the edge of the arc.

Unfortunately, Mancheng had anticipated Tang Ye's through-pass; the moment Allé received the ball, he was pressed by Laporte, failing to create a suitable one-on-one opportunity.

The Manchester United players behind are rushing up!

"Allé... a very smart choice; he's not rushing and is controlling the ball first."

"Yes, Manchester United really ought to stabilize the tempo now."

Waiting for his teammates to arrive, Allé passes the ball back to Ziyech, then makes a run into the penalty area to act as a pivot.

Ziyech drives down the baseline!

Look at Tang Ye's position!

Slap!

A high cross cut back toward the center, targeting Tang Ye.

But after observing the situation on the field, Tang Ye chooses not to receive the ball and instead continues running forward on his own.

Rodri arrived at Tang Ye's position!

He stopped the ball!

Then played a through pass!

With a through ball rolling up from behind, Tang Ye lifted his right foot, letting the ball come naturally to him.

He didn't touch it, so Tang Ye's first touch was still intact!

"Look over there!"

Tang Ye pointed toward Rashford's direction and sharply cut the ball with his right foot.

It looked like a pass to Rashford, but in reality, he passed to his own left foot.

The ball cut by his right foot struck the instep of his left foot, deflecting toward the penalty area.

Stones:?

It reached Haller!

Haller was also startled by the sudden incoming ball; he turned sideways and fell directly, but his raised foot made contact with the ball.

The lofted ball brushed the crossbar and flew into the net.

"GOOO——AAAAA——LLLLLL!!!"

"Wow, was that ball offside?"

"It seems..."

"No offside!"

"Mendy was trailing behind; there was no possibility of offside on this play!"

"Goal!!!"

The commentators' faces were red from shouting.

It wasn't smooth at first, but Manchester United players ultimately possessed the quality; within a short time, they successfully equalized the score.

"United!"

"Man United!"

The fans were chanting while the commentators studied the replay.

"Tang Ye receives the ball, pushing toward the penalty area."

"Pretending to pass to Rashford."

"Eh, haha, Tang Ye's play is very imaginative."

Using his left foot as a wall to play a rebound shot; regarding this move by Tang Ye, not even the CCTV commentators could react, let alone the players on the field.

On the afternoon of January 11, London time, Mancheng players once again felt that terrifying sensation of being intellectually suppressed.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye completes an assist with a fancy pass, Manchester United equalizes!

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

【Mission Progress: Assists: 2/10】

He nearly forgot about the chest mission requiring ten league assists to complete.

A random Serie A club chest; the reward was quite mediocre, and the mission difficulty was high, causing Tang Ye to forget about the task entirely.

The situation now was the same; compared to victory in a derby match, the chest reward was not worth mentioning at all!

"Come on!"

Tang Ye and Haller jumped simultaneously, their buttocks colliding.

Excellent!

Clap clap clap!

Ten Hag gave two thumbs up.

The momentum of the Manchester United players rose at this moment.

"Go, go!"

Tang Ye and his teammates high-fived each other, preparing to create something more before the end of the first half.

"We can play forward!"

"Just use offense to replace defense."

Tang Ye said to his teammates.

He could now mostly grasp Ten Hag's thinking.

Manchester United's strength lay in moving the ball from the backfield to near the opponent's baseline; at least judging by this ability to advance via dribbling and passing, Manchester United ranked among the top tier of all clubs globally!

Since that was the case, they would use offense to replace defense!

Press Mancheng until they couldn't breathe!

The match resumed, and the live camera focused on King GGBond.

"Currently, the gap between De Bruyne and Tang Ye is somewhat obvious, but you cannot deny De Bruyne's ability because of this."

The camera shifted again to De Bruyne.

"De Bruyne orchestrated nearly 70% of Mancheng's attacks; this statistic is incredibly exaggerated!"

Right after speaking, De Bruyne played a through ball from the backfield to the front.

Bernardo Silva!

For top-tier players, stopping the ball without interference was far too easy; after B-Silva handled it, he immediately pressed forward.

"Baseline, baseline, get over there!"

Urged by Guardiola, Aguero and Mahrez both moved to the right-wing baseline.

Adding B-Silva, who was also rushing to the baseline, the three Mancheng players gathered together exerted immense pressure on their opponents.

Because Mancheng is a team extremely adept at short-pass combinations!

Rodri and Ashley Young were retreating, while Tang Ye moved to mark Sterling.

That guy who runs like a duck!

If he wants to receive the ball, Tang Ye will immediately step in to block his position!

King GGBond teaches Sterling a harsh lesson!

Slap!

After receiving the ball, Mahrez indeed delivered a cross.

But it wasn't aimed at Sterling; it went to De Bruyne, who was making a forward run!

"I'm watching, I'm watching!"

Signaling his teammates not to panic, Tang Ye adjusted his positioning bit by bit.

De Bruyne seemed intent on shooting.

Tang Ye glanced back, and relying on his grasp of the field situation, he successfully positioned himself directly in De Bruyne's line of sight.

Imagining that if he were in this position, which direction would he shoot...

De Bruyne swung his leg!

Slap!

De Bruyne took the shot, and Tang Ye suddenly lifted his foot.

De Bruyne's shot struck Tang Ye's foot.

"Wow!"

The ball was knocked down, but Tang Ye didn't immediately go for it; instead, he hopped lightly on the spot a few times.

A very handsome interception.

But it hurt just a little bit.

"Fuck!"

De Bruyne spat a mouthful of saliva onto the ground.

Time quickly moved past the 40-minute mark.

After Allé scored, the Manchester United players' morale surged rapidly, and they had now gradually regained control of the match.

Tang Ye took the free kick directly toward Smalling in the penalty area!

But Ederson caught the ball with his hands!

"Both sides are showing a strong desire to attack."

"Yes, both teams want to establish an advantage before entering the second half."

While the commentators were still discussing energetically, Bailly on the field stepped directly onto Mahrez's instep.

The first yellow card of the match was issued.

A foul from Manchester United!

"Damn it!"

Agüero approached Bailly, while the stands were filled with furious Mancheng fans.

The atmosphere was getting tense; players from both sides were rushing over.

Sterling wanted to push Bailly, but Tang Ye had already pulled Bailly away.

"Forget it, forget it, no need, no need."

Both sets of players remained rational, so the confrontation did not escalate further.

Bernardo Silva passed horizontally into the penalty area!

Agüero laid the ball off for Sterling!

He's about to shoot!

The fans stood up as Sterling swung his leg to take the shot.

"Oh!"

De Gea leaped out and parried the ball away directly.

This one wasn't Sterling's fault; De Gea's reaction was truly exaggerated.

"Beep, beep-beep!!!"

"Alright, the first half is over, with the score temporarily tied at 1-1."

"Judging from the first half, the gap in strength between the two teams is quite small, one could even say non-existent."

"Then what follows is a test for the coaching staffs."

Will Mancheng regain the advantage in the second half?

Or will Manchester United achieve a comeback?

It remains unclear for now.

But one thing is certain: the team that can maintain their form in the second half will win the match!

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: Allé and Agüero scored; the Manchester derby ends the first half tied 1-1; Tang Ye had two shots on target, both saved by Ederson.

"Tom."

In the player tunnel, De Bruyne exchanged greetings with Tang Ye; the two had unknowingly walked up to each other.

"Haha, Kevin."

Tang Ye placed his hand on De Bruyne's shoulder.

Although they had known each other for a long time, due to limited time spent together, De Bruyne was still somewhat reserved when speaking to Tang Ye.

However, De Bruyne's eyes were very bright.

His eyes were filled with admiration for King GGBond!

"Give it your all in the second half, Kevin."

Tang Ye said to De Bruyne.

Tang Ye saw very clearly that his friend Kevin had failed to bring his full abilities into play during the first half.

This was a great pity.

"Go for it."

……

(End of Chapter)