Chapter 518: A Decisive Showdown Between GG Master and Cristiano Must Take Place!

"China Media Group! Good evening, dear viewers. You are watching the live broadcast of..."

"As you can see, players from both sides are already in position on the field!"

"Beep!!!"

"Alright, the match has begun. I will now introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home team, Manchester United."

Manchester United's starting lineup today remains quite classic; with De Jong injured, McTominay steps up to fill his spot.

Up front is Ale, while Martial remains on the bench, ready to be called upon.

Next is the away team, Juventus.

Juventus (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Szczesny

Defenders: De Sciglio, Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro

Midfielders: Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi

Forwards: Bernardeschi, Di Di Bala, C. Ronaldo

Head Coach: Allegri

Manchester United's starting lineup is very classic, whereas their opponent Juventus's lineup is quite thought-provoking.

Throughout this season's Serie A, Juventus's starting striker has always been Mandzukic, yet today Juventus has surprisingly chosen to have Di Di Bala play in that position.

"Perhaps the first leg did not produce the desired effect, so Allegri now wants to try a new approach."

"Indeed, as we could see from the previous match, Juventus still appeared somewhat strained when facing an opponent like Manchester United, especially in midfield; Juventus's midfield line is a full two levels below Manchester United's..."

Seventh minute of the first half.

"Give it to me!"

Tang Ye suddenly surged to the left flank and took the ball from under Rodri's feet.

Facing Emre Can, Tang Ye simply dragged the ball back with his sole, turned, and sprinted away.

His reaction speed was still very quick; Bernardeschi wanted to come over and provide defensive support, but by the time he arrived, Tang Ye had already left.

Slap!

A high ball lofted into the center; Valencia, running up from the right, took control of the ball.

"Wow!!!"

A very beautiful long pass switch; Captain Valencia dribbled forward, with Manchester United players following closely behind.

Thump!

A through ball pushed forward to Ziyech; the Manchester United winger engaged in a one-on-one duel with Sandro.

For Ziyech, beating Sandro one-on-one was basically impossible, so the Moroccan remained relatively calm, stopping the ball with his sole and waiting for teammates to support.

A cutback pass to McTominay arriving in the center!

After adjusting his step, McTominay seemed to have found an opening and immediately sent a through ball into the penalty area.

Bonucci used his body to block the ball out!

"Fuck!"

McTominay gritted his teeth.

From the stands came sighs from the Manchester United fans.

It proved that the young Scot was playing a bit too anxiously today.

Many midfielders from both Manchester United and Villarreal liked to imitate Tang Ye's style of play.

However, imitating Tang Ye was indeed no easy task; even someone like Rodri, who had followed Tang Ye for nearly three years, had barely managed to learn just a fraction of the master's skills.

McTominay had only just earned a starting spot, yet he presumptuously hoped to decipher the mystery behind Tang Ye's through balls.

Too naive!

"Careful, careful!"

McTominay's wastefulness of the opportunity drew dissatisfaction from the Manchester United manager.

Swish swish!

Tang Ye rubbed his hands together, then gave McTominay a thumbs-up: "It's okay, it's okay, keep going!"

Dongqiu Di live match report: In the 12th minute, C. Ronaldo broke into the baseline and shot directly with his left foot, but the goal was disallowed due to a prior offside.

"Oh my god, haha!"

"That gave me a scare."

"Yes, when Sandro passed to C. Ronaldo, he was only slightly offside, so many fans, just like me, didn't react in time."

With C. Ronaldo's goal disallowed by the referee, Manchester United fans felt nothing but a sense of relief akin to surviving a disaster.

Just as the CCTV commentator said at the very start of the match, if C. Ronaldo were to find his match rhythm, then Manchester United...

At least the current Manchester United would struggle to bear the consequences.

"Was that offside!?"

With the goal disallowed, C. Ronaldo rushed up to the referee to express his dissatisfaction with the call: "When I received the ball, their full-back was already ahead of me; does that still count as offside?"

"Are you sure you saw clearly?"

C. Ronaldo stepped closer and closer, exuding an intense sense of pressure.

While the Portuguese player lodged his complaint, Tang Ye stood watching from the sidelines.

GG Master was pondering exactly how he could possess such imposing presence as C. Ronaldo.

Fortunately, GG Master was not the main referee; otherwise, he would surely have been intimidated by C. Ronaldo's voice.

Seeing the referee hesitate and showing signs of checking VAR, Tang Ye sensed danger and rushed forward with his teammates.

He placed his right hand in front to block C. Ronaldo.

Tang Ye said nothing, simply pushing Cristiano Ronaldo away to prevent him from making direct contact with the referee.

Players from both sides quickly became entangled, but the referee ultimately confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo's offside position.

The goal was disallowed!

"Wow!!!"

Manchester United fans in the stands were cheering.

The broadcast camera focused on Cristiano Ronaldo; the Portuguese star spat onto the grass.

It was clear he was truly extremely dissatisfied with the main referee.

"I saw it clearly; there was no offside. Why is he unwilling to check VAR?"

Having already walked far away, Cristiano Ronaldo continued complaining to Di Di Bala: "Does the assistant referee raising the flag automatically mean offside? What if he made a mistake? Damn it!"

The referee heard Cristiano Ronaldo's complaint, ran over with a hand on his chest, and then showed the Portuguese star a yellow card.

Yellow card: Ronaldo.

"Oh!!!"

The fans were somewhat surprised; the referee had issued this yellow card so decisively.

Not only the fans, but Cristiano Ronaldo himself now stood on the grass spreading his hands.

He now felt a bitterness he could not express.

Tang Ye carefully observed Cristiano Ronaldo's expression.

The sensitive master detected the fluctuation in Cristiano Ronaldo's emotions.

Cristiano seemed even more anxious.

But Tang Ye was unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Time reached the 22nd minute of the first half.

Let us look at the current possession rate.

Due to the home team's frequent attacks, one could see that Manchester United's possession rate was not far behind Juventus's.

In fact, during the period from the 15th to the 18th minute, Manchester United's possession rate exceeded that of Juventus.

Cristiano Ronaldo accelerated with the ball, cutting inside into the penalty area.

"Stick to him!"

De Gea had been psychologically scarred by Cristiano Ronaldo before, so he was now extremely nervous.

McTominay and Valencia both moved toward Cristiano Ronaldo's direction.

Bang!

With a backheel knock, Cristiano Ronaldo passed the ball directly between two defenders.

"Wow!!!"

He completed a one-two pass, yet this was not the end.

Reaching the edge of the penalty area, Cristiano Ronaldo tightened his core and sent a through ball to Di Di Bala with his left foot.

Inside the penalty area, Di Di Bala!

Bang!

A driven shot was unleashed.

But De Gea leaped up and pushed the ball away.

"Ugh..."

Ten Hag raised both hands, then after recovering his composure, placed them on his head.

Juventus's attack was very decisive and clean, achieving an effect of catching everyone off guard.

But the Manchester United goalkeeper still maintained a perfect state today.

He saved Di Di Bala's driven shot!

"We must attack the left, attack the left!"

Running back from the front field, Tang Ye emphasized the tactic to his teammates: "When you distribute the ball, you can deliberately pass to the left flank; do not keep passing to the right. They keep pressing me, making it very difficult for me to switch the ball to the left."

Smalling fist-bumped Tang Ye, indicating he knew what to do next.

The 27th minute of the first half.

It was still Juventus attacking; this time the attack was initiated by Bonucci.

The Juventus center-back's long pass accurately found Emre Can in the front field.

Emre Can controlled the ball, then sent a through ball to Bernardeschi.

It was a very fluid attack; Rodri and Rashford were both closing in.

Tang Ye also arrived.

Seeming very confident in intercepting, Tang Ye directly gestured for Rashford to move away.

Rodri took on the primary defensive duty.

Tang Ye provided defensive support on the flank.

Stick right to him!

Pressing his body against Bernardeschi, Tang Ye completely restricted the Juventus forward's running route.

A great opportunity; Rodri stepped up and kicked the ball away.

"I got it, I got it!"

Turning quickly to face forward, Tang Ye reached the ball before Bernardeschi could.

He took small, quick steps to adjust while dribbling.

Moving laterally toward the center.

Just at this moment, Rashford had already gotten into position.

Boom!

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 1268/3500

Tang Ye played the through ball and sprinted forward; after hitting the grass, the ball curved slightly before arriving precisely in front of Rashford.

"Hurry!"

After completing the pass, Tang Ye didn't forget to shout once more, signaling his teammates to attack faster.

Rashford faced De Sciglio in a one-on-one duel.

His start was still too slow, so this wasn't a chance for a breakaway goal.

Tang Ye moved further forward.

Rashford passed back then surged down the flank; Tang Ye delivered his second through ball.

A very classic one-two combination. From the Tom and Jerry duo!

Crack!

The cross was sent in!

Haller tangled with the defenders inside the penalty area.

Jump up!

Boom!

Haller collided with Bonucci; neither man gained any advantage.

In the end, Sandro cleared the ball away.

Hiss—

Hands on his hips, Tang Ye stood in his position and sighed.

It was clearly perceptible that after the first leg match, Juventus had adjusted their defensive strategy.

Now, scoring goals was no longer as easy as before!

The Manchester United players on the field were nervous, while Chen Hahe was already sensing something amiss.

Because they had devoted too much energy to the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the league, Manchester United hadn't spent much effort studying their second-leg opponent.

To be honest, a two-goal lead in the Champions League knockout stage is substantial; it was basically impossible for Juventus to come back from two goals down while Manchester United was playing strongly.

Juventus adjusted their tactics, preventing Manchester United from scoring.

But that didn't matter.

Even if it ended in a 0-0 draw, relying on the advantage of their previous two goals, Manchester United would still be the victors of the Round of 16.

The 34th minute!

"United!"

Boom boom!

"Man United!"

Boom boom!

The Manchester United fans were still chanting the team name, then suddenly fell silent.

Sandro's header clearance landed right at Emre Can's feet.

Emre Can passed to Pjanic!

Pjanic passed to Matuidi!

Extremely fast consecutive passes; within just three seconds, Juventus completed the task of shifting possession from the backfield to the frontfield.

Tang Ye was still in the frontfield, pondering how to launch an attack.

As a result, the ball had already flown behind him!

Matuidi pushed a through ball to Di Di Bala. The latter took control, turned, and faced the Manchester United goal.

"Here, here!"

Cristiano Ronaldo pointed two fingers at the empty space in front of him, making his most classic gesture demanding the ball.

Di Di Bala played the through ball.

Adjust slightly.

Boom!

"Hmm, a long-range shot from Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"The power behind this shot was indeed sufficient, but we can see De Gea is in excellent form today!"

"De Gea parried the ball; this is a corner kick opportunity for Juventus."

This was Juventus's second corner kick of the match.

The midfielders went to the corner flag, while the others positioned themselves near the arc to form a wall.

Tang Ye was outside; seeing Cristiano Ronaldo stirring eagerly ahead, he emphasized to his teammates: "Ronaldo, watch Ronaldo!"

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle!

The corner kick was taken.

"Far post!"

Tang Ye made the call; players from both sides ran toward the far post.

Bonucci jumped up.

But he failed to reach the ball!

At the second point, C. Ronaldo and Smolling jumped together.

Relying on his leaping ability, C. Ronaldo suppressed Smolling and finally delivered a header.

C. Ronaldo's header first smashed onto the grass in the six-yard box, rebounded, and then flew into the net.

"..."

Goal!

A goal from Cristiano Ronaldo's header!

Juventus leads 1:0!

"Beep beep beep beep beep—!!!"

Amidst the fake whistles from the fans, C. Ronaldo ran toward the stands with his teammates.

He started fast, but the Portuguese gradually slowed his pace.

He made a pressing-down motion with both hands.

As a former Manchester United player, C. Ronaldo forgone the celebration after scoring against his old club.

"Damn!"

Ashley Young let out an angry roar.

De Gea surprisingly did not argue with the center-backs, because there was truly nothing he could do about this goal.

C. Ronaldo jumped too high!

"Stick to him, don't let him get in!"

Rodri shouted, but it was already too late.

"Sigh, it has to be C. Ronaldo!"

C. Ronaldo's goal elicited sighs of emotion from the commentators.

In the camera shot, the Portuguese gave his teammates a thumbs-up.

The aggregate score changed from 0:2 to the current 1:2; this was a very important goal.

The gap narrowed to one goal.

The suspense of the match was back!

【Wait, is he this ruthless?】

【I suggest putting Tang Ye in the penalty area too; let our Grand Master mark C. Ronaldo one-on-one.】

【Manchester United is playing entirely for the league; they've forgotten how to play against Juventus.】

【Can't we just attack? Just pin Juventus down, okay? What the hell are you doing, Ten Hag!】

In this match, Manchester United's statistics lagged behind Juventus in every aspect, causing Chinese fans who already doubted Ten Hag to trust the Dutchman even less now.

Of course, all of this was understandable.

In February, Manchester United's attention was entirely focused on Liwupu, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace, with another league match against Southampton scheduled for early March.

Juventus had ample time to study Manchester United.

But Manchester United did not.

Because Mancheng and Liwupu had placed too much pressure on them.

Ten Hag urgently called the Manchester United players to the sideline to quickly emphasize some tactical adjustments.

Since Juventus had already built up their momentum, Manchester United could only choose to retreat.

For the remaining ten-plus minutes of the first half, Manchester United had only one objective.

That was to defend the goal first.

Scoring?

That would have to wait until the second half!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: 39th minute, Tang Ye's direct free-kick shot missed by a hair's breadth.

"Pah!"

Spitting a mouthful of saliva onto the grass, Tang Ye shook his head.

Because there were no tactics specifically targeted at Juventus, it was extremely difficult for Manchester United to score from open play.

As luck would have it, Tang Ye's free-kick form today was not very good.

Damn it!

With not much time left in the first half, Grand Master GG didn't know what to do either.

44th minute!

It was still C. Ronaldo.

Running forward with the ball, C. Ronaldo's speed was extremely fast, with Valencia tracking him.

Slap!

A long pass was sent to Di Di Bala in the center!

Di Di Bala lifted his foot and laid the ball off to Bernardeschi, who was making a run beside him.

Bang!

Bernardeschi struck the ball on the volley.

But he kicked it wide!

"..."

"Huff, huff huff..."

He quickly adjusted his breathing.

Tang Ye needed some time to recover now, and the other Manchester United players were the same.

……

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: C. Ronaldo scores, Juventus leads 1-0 in the second leg; currently, Manchester United leads 2-1 on aggregate.

Juventus leads by one goal in the second leg, while Manchester United leads by one goal on aggregate; these two Round of 16 teams have formed a peculiar balance.

"I told you to keep up with me when I make my forward runs; otherwise, I'll have no supporting options up front, so how can I play?"

Walking through the players' tunnel, C. Ronaldo kept shouting at his teammates beside him.

It was clear that the Portuguese man truly desired victory in this match!

"Can you be more decisive when passing to me? You know Tom is ready to score at any moment, so when we attack, we absolutely must be decisive."

"We already learned this lesson in the last match!"

C. Ronaldo couldn't speak three sentences without mentioning Tang Ye.

Next door, Tang Ye was in a similar situation.

"Seba and Rod, listen to me: Ronaldo will time his jumps quickly, so you must mark him early and prevent him from jumping. If he gets airborne, we're in big trouble!"

"Di Di Bala isn't a threat in the air; we just need to keep a close watch on Ronaldo and Sandro."

Tang Ye spoke while standing.

In his view, Juventus's corner-kick attacking prowess was not as formidable as imagined.

The problem lay with Manchester United themselves.

Manchester United's corner-kick defense remained as abysmal as ever!

"Corners are a key point we must focus on in the second half."

Ten Hag began his briefing: "We should have played better; I can assure you, we absolutely surpass Juventus in raw strength—they should not be our match."

"If everyone does their job properly, we will be the victors of this match."

"However!"

Just moments ago quite amiable, Ten Hag's demeanor suddenly took a 180-degree turn.

"Many of you failed to do what you were supposed to. Di Di Bala will act as a decoy up front; do not let your attention be completely drawn to him. In truth, his dribbling ability isn't that strong."

"Ronaldo and Bernardeschi are our primary targets; I emphasized this before the match, and now I need to confirm it with you once again."

Ten Hag's gaze swept across the Manchester United defenders: "Di Di Bala rushes into the box, but his purpose is to draw defenders; our focus should be on Ronaldo outside the box. You must have seen that Cristiano shoots directly from outside the area, and his shooting is highly threatening."

"One defender on Di Di Bala is sufficient; we absolutely cannot allow Cristiano the chance to receive the ball outside the box."

Tang Ye washed the mud from his face with water; he strongly agreed with what Mr. Eric had just said.

Cristiano's technical attributes are extremely comprehensive; we must target him ruthlessly!

……

(End of Chapter)