Chapter 520: 34-Year-Old Cristiano Ronaldo Wants to Create a Miracle, But Is Politely Rejected by the Master (Bonus Chapter, Seeking

"Go, go, Manchester United!"

"Is there really a Ferguson Time?"

"This away goals rule is truly stupid; does a 3-3 draw count as a loss for Manchester United?"

"Damn it, Manchester United is playing their league style in the Champions League; how can these be the same? Tang Ye has barely contributed throughout the entire first half."

"Case closed, brothers; it's Ten Hag's fault."

When problems arise with the team, Manchester United fans immediately point the finger at head coach Erik Ten Hag.

The respected Mr. Erik bears all the pressure.

If they lose, he will surely be cursed to death by the fans.

Claiming insufficient preparation for the Champions League knockout stage due to a congested league schedule is not an acceptable excuse.

Manchester United is not yet strong enough to look down on their opponents!

Time reaches the 86th minute of the second half.

Martial makes a mistake after receiving the ball.

Pjanic seizes the opportunity and dribbles forward.

With no other choice, Tang Ye commits a tactical foul, bringing Pjanic down.

Beep!

The referee blows the whistle quickly.

Regular time is about to end, and at this moment, Tang Ye receives his first yellow card of this season's Champions League knockout stage.

So far in this match, only two yellow cards have been issued, one each for Tang Ye and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Is there some strange tacit understanding between Manchester United's seniors and juniors?

Of course, none of that matters right now.

"Come on!"

Gritting his teeth, he charges into the attacking third.

Using the touch to shake off the defender, Tang Ye moves himself to the left flank near the byline.

He sets up a combination play with Rashford!

Slap!

A cross from the byline, looking for Martial in the penalty area.

Martial controls the ball!

Just as Martial prepares to shoot, Szczesny rushes out and blocks the shot directly with his body.

The Manchester United striker misses the chance to kill the game!

Martial sits on the ground sighing, but realizing his team is still behind, he quickly stands up again.

Immediately, the fourth official announces the stoppage time for this match.

Four minutes.

"In reality, neither side committed many fouls in this match; this amount of stoppage time is very favorable for Manchester United."

The Juventus coaching staff seems to have objections regarding the stoppage time and is complaining to the fourth official, but currently, it appears there will be no result.

Although fouls were few, both sides clashed multiple times during this match, so this duration is still within a reasonable range.

The 91st minute.

At this point, Juventus has completely abandoned attacking, aiming solely to preserve the 3-3 result.

As long as they hold this scoreline, Juventus will be the victors of today's match.

They will advance to the quarter-finals stepping over Manchester United's corpse!

Slap slap!

After a series of passes, Tang Ye and Greenwood execute a combination, ending with Greenwood cutting inside with the ball.

"Mason Greenwood; this is Manchester United's youth academy prodigy!"

The main reason Greenwood entered the match at this moment is Ziyech's exhaustion, which also highlights Manchester United's lack of forwards from another angle.

Greenwood accelerates and cuts inside!

Bang!

He strikes with his left foot, but Bonucci in the penalty area blocks the ball!

However, Manchester United's attack is not over yet!

Rashford reaches the first point.

Although bumped by De Sciglio, Rashford manages to pass the ball to Rodri before falling.

"Come!"

Tang Ye's voice comes from the right.

Knowing what his big brother intends to do, Rodri immediately plays a through ball.

Tang Ye prepares, lifts his right leg, and then violently swings it out.

This is a standard outside-of-the-foot volley with the right foot!

Let's see what happens!

Slap!

Szczesny parries the ball away!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye angrily waves his hand.

Clearly, he is not very satisfied with that outside-of-the-foot curling shot he just took.

It was already stoppage time, and Tang Ye indeed lacked the stamina to execute a high-precision shot.

In the 92nd minute of the match, Manchester United earned a corner kick.

"Antonio!"

Finding Valencia, Tang Ye quickly conferred with the team captain, and they ultimately decided that Tang Ye would take the corner.

"Choosing Tang Ye to take the corner. Hiss, Manchester United is really going all-in this time."

"Yes, but it's already the 92nd minute."

With only a minute and a half of stoppage time remaining, this corner kick was essentially Manchester United's last chance to attack.

"Come on!"

"Tom, score! Shoot it straight in, Tom!"

"If it doesn't go in, we lose! Score!"

Behind him, the stands echoed with the anxious voices of Manchester United fans.

Just as the fans said, if this corner kick didn't result in a goal, Manchester United would truly have no more chances.

Squinting, Tang Ye carefully observed the positioning of players from both teams at close range.

Beep!!!

The referee blew the whistle!

Raising his right hand, Tang Ye began his run-up.

Pa!

He delivered a standard topspin cross from the free-kick.

The target was Bailly at the far post!

"Oh!!!"

Chaos erupted inside the penalty area, with attacking and defending players jammed together, pushing and shoving.

Bonucci leaped high into the air!

However, Tang Ye's cross was lofted so high that even Bonucci's jump failed to reach the ball.

Passing over Bonucci, the ball suddenly began accelerating downward in mid-air.

At the far post!

Bailly!

"Wow!!!"

Under the gaze of over 70,000 spectators on site, Bailly gently headed the ball.

A second later, the ball was already inside the Juventus goal.

"Gooo——aaaaa——llllll!!!"

"Goal, it's a goal!"

"Bailly, that's a last-gasp winning goal!"

"That is undoubtedly a game-winning goal."

"The Manchester United defender has completely killed the match!"

The commentators shouted excitedly, while simultaneously, the Manchester United players on the field rushed toward the sidelines.

The players on the substitute bench ran out too!

"Nice!!!"

Tang Ye collided with Bailly; the Manchester United defender used all his strength to hoist Tang Ye onto his shoulders, and the two of them charged toward the stands together.

"Ah!!!"

With a roar, Bailly tossed Tang Ye into the stands.

"Damn!"

Tang Ye tried to break free, but it was too late.

Manchester United fans in the lowest tier of the stands surrounded him completely.

"Haha!"

Laughing heartily, Tang Ye could now see nothing at all.

He only knew that countless fans were pulling at his cheeks with their hands!

Touch the master's body!

Feel the master's power!

"Who scored..."

"Bailly!!!"

Shouting loudly along with the fans, Tang Ye jumped up.

After a few simple high-fives, Tang Ye tried to jump down from the stands, but the fans held him back.

"Tom!!!"

Having witnessed the last-gasp goal with their own eyes, the Manchester United fans were now practically insane; they grabbed Tang Ye's head and showered him with fierce kisses.

Smooch one!

Smooch another one!

Mua~

Long live Tom!

Numb from being kissed by the fans, Tang Ye seized the opportunity and quickly ran away.

"Haha!"

Hugging his teammates in celebration, Tang Ye's mind was completely blank.

Well, except for the System's voice.

【Assist scored twice in a row; you gain an extra 30 Counterattack Points】

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!"

Rodri shouted in Chinese, expressing his admiration for Tang Ye's corner-kick ability.

A master is truly a master!

"So accurate, Tom!"

The substitutes also came over to celebrate; Tang Ye, overjoyed, put his left arm around Mata and his right around Greenwood.

As for the neighbors next door... Juventus was not in good shape.

Bailly's header goal meant this Italian team would be eliminated directly.

"Why?!"

Cristiano Ronaldo spread his hands toward the defenders inside the penalty area.

He wanted to curse, but after hesitating, he ultimately did not say it.

He glanced at the time on the big screen.

Manchester United's celebration had taken too much time; it was now 94 minutes and 24 seconds.

This exceeded the original four minutes of stoppage time.

Simply put, once the next kick was taken, the referee would blow the final whistle.

His, Cristiano Ronaldo's, Champions League journey had come to an end!

"Wow!!!"

Tang Ye jumped up to high-five the fans, then pulled off Rodri's jersey and threw it out.

"Glory Glory Man United~"

"Glory Glory Man United!"

"As the Reds Go Marching On! On! On!"

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

As the final whistle sounded, the match ended with a score of 2:3.

Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning hat-trick, Juventus secured victory in the second leg.

But!

With an aggregate score of 4:3 over the two legs, Juventus was still the side eliminated.

The true victor today was Manchester United!

"Rod!"

Embracing his little brother Rod, Tang Ye slowly walked toward the substitutes' bench.

【152】 Ten Hag actively walked toward him, and Tang Ye naturally offered his own hug: "Mr. Erik!"

Ten Hag walked over to him proactively, and Tang Ye naturally offered his embrace: "Mr. Sitting Like!"

"Haha."

Ten Hag patted Tang Ye on the back.

How perilous this match had been, he, as the head coach, knew best.

Because they had underestimated their opponent and made insufficient preparations, Manchester United paid the corresponding price during the actual game.

The good news was that, although the process was tortuous, Manchester United had ultimately succeeded in advancing to the quarter-finals!

"United!"

Bang bang!

"United!"

Bang bang!

The Manchester United anthem rang out once again in Old Trafford Stadium!

In the player tunnel, Tang Ye and McTominay were chatting very happily.

But halfway through their conversation, Tang Ye suddenly fell silent.

Because he saw Cristiano Ronaldo walking toward him.

Since there was only one path in the player tunnel, Tang Ye could not yet judge whether Cristiano Ronaldo was simply passing by or intended to speak with him.

Hiss...

He was probably just passing by.

Cristiano Ronaldo had just walked half a body length past Tang Ye when he stopped again.

?

He turned around to look at Tang Ye.

"Cristiano..."

After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Cristiano Ronaldo clenched his right fist and punched Tang Ye on the chest.

It hurt a little, but Tang Ye said nothing.

"This..."

"Good luck."

Looking at Tang Ye before him, Cristiano Ronaldo's expression appeared somewhat hesitant.

"I've been watching you since I was 17; back then, I never imagined anyone besides Messi would rank ahead of me in the Ballon d'Or standings."

Before Cristiano could finish speaking, Tang Ye suddenly widened his eyes.

With the Portuguese saying that, Tang Ye finally understood why this guy always looked at him with an expression full of hostility.

"You are indeed very good, but what I mean to say is, if you want to surpass me, these performances are not enough."

Cristiano shook his head.

He still wanted to exchange a few more words with Tang Ye, but fearing he might say something unpleasant in his bad mood, he stopped there.

Cristiano turned and left, walking slowly into the distance.

Tang Ye took half a step forward.

"Then what kind of performance would be enough?"

Tang Ye hadn't expected to ask this question loudly; when Cristiano turned his head again, he even paused for a moment.

Biting his teeth, Tang Ye decided to continue with his question.

"You say what I'm doing now is still not enough, then Cristiano, tell me, what counts as enough?"

"..."

"Premier League titles, La Liga titles, Champions League titles... and others."

Cristiano said slowly: "Although your ability is very strong, your trophies are too few."

Cristiano shrugged: "Professional players need enough trophies to prove themselves."

"This..."

Tang Ye wanted to say he was only twenty; even if he kept winning titles, the total wouldn't be many.

But then he thought, age shouldn't be the reason.

After Cristiano left, McTominay patted Tang Ye's arm.

"Tom?"

"Oh, Scott."

Tang Ye came to his senses and realized that besides McTominay, Fan Fan Dejiahe was also standing beside him.

"That guy's emotional intelligence really isn't high."

Fan Fan Dejiahe said quietly: "You don't need to take it to heart, Tom. Cristiano knows he's getting old; since he can't beat you in skill, he can only compete on trophies."

Fan Fan Dejiahe intended to comfort Tang Ye, but Tang Ye didn't take the words of the Manchester United assistant coach to heart.

"To be honest, Mr. Michel, I feel Cristiano doesn't think he's getting old."

After last year's Ballon d'Or ceremony ended, Cristiano had been looking at Tang Ye with the gaze of someone viewing a rival.

Although he was already in his thirties, he had always treated Tang Ye as his rival.

"Perhaps he wants to surpass me in this year's Ballon d'Or rankings."

Tang Ye voiced his speculation.

"That should be unlikely."

Fan Fan Dejiahe put his hands on his hips, looking in the direction where Cristiano had left.

"Without as many Champions League points as before, he should have no chance to surpass you anymore."

2018 was the last chance for Cristiano to defeat GG Master in the Ballon d'Or list.

But in 2018, Cristiano lost; he ranked behind GG Master.

After that...

After that, he no longer had a chance.

After thirty, Cristiano grew weaker and weaker.

After twenty, GG Master grew stronger and stronger!

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Cristiano's stunning hat-trick; in the second leg, Mancheng lost 2-3 to Juventus, advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 4-3. (Comments: 65,231)

"A hat-trick in the Champions League knockout stage at thirty-four; to be honest, after the penalty was scored, I thought Ronaldo was about to create another miracle, but Mancheng ultimately killed the match."

In the Sky Sports broadcast room, the program guest plus Mancheng legend Ferdinand gave his Ji De Kan Fa on the match.

First, this was a wonderful match; that is beyond doubt.

The second leg between Mancheng and Juventus was the most wonderful match of the Champions League so far this season.

Thirty-four-year-old Cristiano tried to create a miracle, but under the relentless bombardment of the Mancheng rookie, the Juventus defense ultimately could not hold.

"Manchester Evening News" — Advancing to the quarter-finals, Tang Ye assisted twice again, leading the Champions League assist chart.

Attached: 2018-19 season Champions League assist chart (Champions League round of 16 not fully concluded):

1. Tang Ye (Mancheng), 9 assists.

2. Alba (Barcelona), 4 assists.

3. Mbappe (Paris), 3 assists.

3. De Bruyne (Mancheng), 3 assists.

3. Messi (Barcelona), 3 assists.

"Tom being the Champions League assist king is already without doubt; even if he doesn't play the next match, Tom is still the absolute king of the Champions League assist chart."

The "Manchester Evening News" reporter heavily praised Tang Ye, then provided a list.

The list covered the opponents Mancheng might face in the quarter-finals.

They were: Dortmund, Barcelona, Ajax, Liwupu, Paris.

(End of this chapter)