Chapter 531: Neymar Gets Injured, Mbappé Aims Far and Hits Near

"Wow!!"

Mbappé used his speed to eat De Jong alive.

Mbappé could now go down the line to find Valencia,

but he chose to cut inside and charge toward the penalty area!

Manchester United's defensive line quickly retreated, with Bailly backing up step by step.

Tang Ye was already rushing back!

Mbappé, dribbling with the outside of his foot!

He wanted to try entering the penalty area, but this Manchester United player certainly wouldn't agree to that.

De Jong, tracking back, moved in to disrupt Mbappé, but the Paris player blocked him with his body.

De Jong and Draxler became entangled.

Mbappé continued cutting inside!

It had become very dangerous, but fortunately, Tang Ye arrived just in time.

He placed his hand on Mbappé's shoulder!

Tang Ye's focus was extremely sharp, closely monitoring the movement of Mbappé's legs.

The moment Mbappé lifted his right leg, Tang Ye reached out and gave a gentle push.

Slap!

Just then, Mbappé took the shot, but due to his unstable center of gravity, it ultimately missed the frame.

"Hiss—"

Mbappé stood still, lowering his head and sighing.

He seemed to have played a bit too anxiously!

"As we can see, right from the start of the match, Paris hoped to use Mbappé's speed to apply some pressure on Manchester United."

"Yes, Paris's tactics have indeed yielded results; so far, they have seized the advantage in this match."

"But there is one problem."

The commentators, viewing things from Paris's perspective, analyzed how they intended to win this match.

Mbappé and Neymar were both points that absolutely had to be utilized; there was no doubt about that.

But there was a prerequisite: the Paris players absolutely could not rush.

Although Manchester United's defense was their weakness, even so, Manchester United was currently the top team in the Premier League; their defense hadn't collapsed to the point where Paris could casually crush them.

Dongqiu Di live match report: 19th minute, Tang Ye's long-range shot was saved by Buffon, and Rodri's follow-up shot went wide.

【Come on, Manchester United!】

【Brothers, Paris is stronger than imagined.】

【Why don't you just say Manchester United's full-backs are terrible?】

【I suggest letting our Tang Tang Qiuwang play defender; he'd directly tackle Neymar out of the game.】

The comment section was a bit noisy.

This was the toughest match Manchester United had faced in April, so the fans were now somewhat anxious.

Now they could only hope the Manchester United players would step up!

24th minute!

De Jong dribbled toward the right flank, and Tang Ye moved over to support.

Tang Ye wanted to help De Jong knock the ball out, but due to the actions of the Paris players, the situation changed slightly.

"I'm going forward!"

After shouting this, Tang Ye abandoned his support for De Jong, turned, and ran forward.

"Mark him!"

Tuchel's voice came from nearby; the German coach sounded somewhat anxious.

Marquinhos received the order and closed in on Tang Ye's position.

Manchester United was advancing with the ball!

Boom!

The pass went forward to Ziyech!

He failed to control the ball properly at the first attempt, causing Ziyech to lose the opportunity to go down the line and cross immediately.

But it didn't matter!

Ziyech remained extremely calm; realizing there was no chance to go down the line, he decisively cut the ball and turned.

Boom!

He passed the ball back to Tang Ye, who was running up through the center!

Oh!

He hadn't expected to receive the ball in this position.

Feeling somewhat excited, Tang Ye decisively poked the ball forward, avoiding the disruption of the nearby defending player.

He quickly moved toward the top of the arc!

Once he created distance from the defending player, Tang Ye slowly reduced his speed.

This was the prelude to a shot!

Realizing the situation was wrong, the Paris players were all moving toward the center, and at this moment, Tang Ye made his move.

His body paused briefly; a change in rhythm allowed him to evade Bernat in front of him.

Bernat wanted to stretch out his foot to intercept!

But just a split second before Bernat extended his foot, Tang Ye stepped down right beside the ball, startling Bernat into hastily retracting his leg.

Only a fool would give Tang Ye a free kick in this position!

Thanks to Bernat's caution, Tang Ye successfully entered the penalty area.

Feinting a shot, he shook off Kimpembe in front of him!

"Wow!!!!"

He pulled off a brilliant move, yet Tang Ye still couldn't find a good opportunity to shoot.

Changing rhythm once more, he securely shielded the ball.

At this point, any chance of shooting had completely vanished.

Rashford surged up from the left flank.

Tang Ye pretended to shoot but actually passed the ball to Rashford!

Bang!

A curling shot aimed straight for the dead angle at the bottom right of the goal.

Thud!

Rashford's curling shot struck the post.

Damn!

Reacting quickly, Tang Ye immediately rushed forward, hoping to score on the rebound.

But it was already too late.

Silva cleared the ball away!

"Phew..."

Standing inside the six-yard box, Tang Ye and Rashford exchanged glances, both shrugging helplessly.

What a pity!

Had that goal gone in, Paris's advantage from the previous few minutes would have vanished completely.

Meanwhile, Manchester United would have seized the upper hand for the remainder of the first half.

Unfortunately, the shot didn't find the net!

"Hey, it's fine, it's fine!"

Tang Ye waved to Rashford as the Manchester United players prepared to take the corner kick.

Running specifically over to Rashford's side, Tang Ye offered a few words of instruction.

"Just focus on yourself; create a bit of space from your marker, and I'll pass to you when I see an opening."

Tang Ye patted Rashford's arm.

He feared that the missed shot just now might negatively affect Rashford's form for the rest of the match.

"What a terrible miss; Manchester United essentially created the best scoring opportunity of the game so far."

"But they failed to convert it; now let's look at this corner kick."

Whether due to a special tactical arrangement or Tang Ye's own request, Manchester United's first corner of the match was surprisingly taken by Tang Ye himself.

Beep!

Smack!

The corner kick is delivered!

The delivery to the first point was excellent, landing between Ale and Smalling.

Bang!

Smalling connects with a header.

But the goalkeeper easily catches it!

"Ah!"

"The corner delivery was actually very good, but Manchester United's final header wasn't executed well."

Let's look at the slow-motion replay.

As Smalling jumped, Kimpembe leaped simultaneously, causing some interference for Smalling at the moment of his header.

Good heavens, this is exactly like when Tang Ye interfered with Mbappé earlier!

"Smalling! (Mo Lin)"

"Smalling!"

The home fans chanted Smalling's name, using this method to cheer on their player.

"United!"

"United!"

Time flew by; reaching the 30th minute of the first half, neither side had yet scored.

In terms of possession, Paris held 65%, exerting dominance over Manchester United.

It feels like Manchester United's possession rate hasn't led even once in this season's Champions League?

"Here!"

He took the ball from Rodri!

Tang Ye prepared to pass forward to De Jong, who was making a run.

But as he turned, his peripheral vision caught something.

So he decisively changed his strategy.

Smack!

【Kevin De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 3801/5000.

A very powerful pass followed by a gasp from the fans on site, the broadcast camera tracking the movement.

A long pass from the back field, crossing the center circle and Paris's midfield line to drop directly into the rear field.

Boom!

The ball smashed onto the ground, right in front of Rashford!

"Eh!"

"This is a one-on-one chance!"

"Let's see if Manchester United can seize it, Rashford!"

"Heading straight for the penalty area, a very smart choice!"

Rashford wanted to use his speed to create a one-on-one, and the reacting Paris defenders hurriedly retreated.

But due to Kimpembe's covering position at the rear, Rashford's dream of a one-on-one failed to materialize.

Arriving inside the penalty area.

Kimpembe was right beside him; at this moment, every choice Rashford made had to be extremely cautious.

A feint to shake him off first!

Rashford wanted to create distance from Kimpembe, and he indeed succeeded.

But Kimpembe quickly caught up, and during the confrontation, Kimpembe's foot stepped on Rashford's foot.

"Eh, what's this!"

"Rashford has fallen inside the penalty area!"

"This is very likely a penalty!"

Beep beep beep beep!!!

Manchester United fans were blowing fake whistles, and the referee quickly ran over.

"Penalty, this is a penalty!"

Allegre was still shouting, and the referee also made the correct decision.

"Beep!!!"

"It's a penalty! (This is a penalty kick)"

"Penalty for Manchester United!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Rashford fouled after breaking into the penalty area and fell; Manchester United awarded a penalty.

"Eh, I didn't interfere with him!"

Kimpembe spread his hands toward the referee.

Suddenly conceding a penalty was unacceptable for Paris, so even knowing he had made a mistake, Kimpembe still argued with the referee.

The Manchester United players ignored it directly; with such an obvious foul, the referee couldn't possibly change his mind.

Allegre pulled Rashford up from the ground.

"Tom."

Rashford spread his hands to Tang Ye: "In the end, we still need to score."

Rashford's meaning was that although the previous shot hadn't gone in, he had still secured a goal for Manchester United by winning the penalty.

As for why it was a goal and not just a scoring chance.

Because Rashford was certain that Tom would not miss at this moment!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye clenched his right fist and hammered it hard against Rashford's chest: "Watch me."

A penalty chance for Manchester United!

Tang Ye stood inside the penalty area juggling the ball, facing the solemn-looking Buffon.

"Hoo, hoo hoo..."

【You purchased Tang Ye's chewing gum】

Squinting his eyes, staring straight at Buffon in front of him.

Tang Ye was ready!

"Beep!!"

"Run-up..."

"Shot!"

"Goal!!!"

"Goal!!"

"Tang Ye!!!"

Tang Ye chose the dead corner at the bottom right; although Buffon guessed the direction correctly, he still failed to save the ball.

"Gooo——aaaa——lllll!!!!"

"Tang Ye!"

"1:0! Manchester United takes the lead!"

After completing the penalty, Tang Ye quickly found Rashford outside the penalty area.

Placing his hand on Rashford's shoulder, the two of them ran together toward the area below the stands.

"United!"

"United!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Rashford wins a penalty, Tang Ye scores with a precise push shot, Manchester United leads 1:0.

"Roar!!!"

【Mission Progress: Spot Kick (1/3) / Goal Scored (1/8)】

The Manchester United players are celebrating on the pitch, with Mbappé and Neymar standing together.

Neymar spreads his hands, his expression somewhat dejected: "I said one careless moment leads to a breakaway, so why aren't you paying attention?"

Before the match began, Neymar had already emphasized to his teammates that they must be cautious in the defensive third.

Yet they were still caught out from behind.

Just because of this goal by Manchester United, the advantage Paris had built up in the first 30 minutes vanished completely.

"Beautiful, Tom!"

Valencia kept rubbing Tang Ye's hair with his hand.

Tang Ye hadn't cut his hair recently, and his slightly long locks had already been messed up by his teammates.

"Keep it up, keep it up!"

The feeling has finally arrived.

Then everything will be manageable. Ten Hag emphasized the matter of wide defensive coverage to the players once more.

"Their forward line is the key!"

The first half continues!

"In my opinion, if you compare these two teams, Manchester United and Paris, their capabilities are indeed not far apart."

"Manchester United's advantage lies in their midfield line, while Paris's advantage is their three forwards."

"The two teams have different strengths, but their overall strength is about the same."

Zhan Jun said quite a lot.

To summarize, both sides employ different tactics, but their strength is similar.

Matches under such circumstances are generally quite exciting.

And today's match is indeed exactly like that!

"I think what Paris needs to do now is utilize the points of Mbappé and Neymar, using them to coordinate with Cavani..."

"Neymar has the ball!"

He immediately took control of the ball, after which Rodri leaned in close.

Bang!

The two collided, and the Brazilian forward fell to the ground.

"Ahhh!!!!"

It didn't feel like a serious collision, but Neymar on the ground appeared extremely pained, as if Rodri had shattered his bones.

Rodri reached out, wanting to help Neymar up, but Neymar merely hugged his knees, rolling back and forth.

"Get lost!"

A Paris player came up and pushed Rodri away.

"Hey!"

Rodri had only intended to help someone up; he never expected to be treated this way. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became, so he stepped forward again and locked horns with Cavani.

"Hey, forget it, forget it!"

Tang Ye pulled Rodri back and then pushed Cavani away.

The two had just started fighting; naturally, Cavani was unwilling to let the matter rest and still wanted to step forward to cause trouble.

"Kylian, Kylian!"

Just then, Mbappé also arrived, and Tang Ye quickly signaled for Mbappé to pull Cavani away.

After experiencing some small-scale conflicts, the contradictions between the players of both sides were temporarily resolved.

But Neymar still had not gotten up from the ground!

"This..."

The situation looks somewhat grim; the director hurriedly showed a replay.

After Neymar received the ball, he wanted to attempt a solo breakthrough, but Rodri came up to challenge.

At first, Neymar shook Rodri off, but Rodri reacted quickly; immediately after being shaken off, he stuck right back on.

In the live broadcast footage, Rodri and Neymar's knees collided with each other.

This is the source of the problem!

"A knee injury; this could be somewhat bad."

The Paris team doctor has already entered the field, and Tuchel's expression is visibly tense.

While Neymar was receiving treatment, Ten Hag called the Manchester United players over to the sideline.

While the players rehydrated, they discussed the tactics for the upcoming phase.

"Are you okay, Rod?"

Tang Ye stared at Rodri's knee.

When Rodri and Neymar collided, Tang Ye had seen it very clearly.

It didn't look like a heavy impact, but because it was a critical area like the knee, it was very easy to cause injury.

"It hurts a little, but I feel alright."

Tang Ye nodded gently, then turned his head to look behind him.

Over at the far end, Neymar was lying on the grass receiving treatment from the team doctor.

Little brother Rod's condition seems fairly good.

But comrade Neymar's condition seems not so good.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Neymar collides with Rodri; knee injury forces Neymar out of the match.

……

【What's happening? Is Neymar out for good?】

【Damn, Rodri was ruthless! Is Rodri not injured?】

【Neymar!!!】

【Rodri, what are you doing! My Neymar!】

【I thought he was faking, but it's real.】

With Neymar substituted off due to injury, fans immediately launched into fierce debate.

Experience dictates that whenever Neymar gets injured, he's out of competition for at least several months.

Rodri has instantly become the villain!

The team doctor helped Neymar off the field; Tang Ye ran over to apologize to Rodri.

The match continues!

After Neymar's exit, the stands grew lively.

Professional football is cruel; player injuries are terrible events, but for Manchester United fans desperate for a win, Neymar's injury-induced substitution sparked greater hope.

Manchester United now leads by one goal; if they can maintain this advantage, they will secure victory in this match!

"Here, here!"

Calling for the ball from a teammate, Smalling delivered a low, long pass.

Possession accurately found Tang Ye!

Without any hesitation, Tang Ye received the ball, shook off his marker, then laid it off to De Jong beside him.

"You take it!"

Tang Ye shielded the defender, then signaled De Jong to drive forward with the ball.

Never mind that De Jong's market value is under fifty million euros; his ball-carrying ability ranks among the very best across Europe's top five leagues.

Speed was high; he dribbled past the center circle, then continued pushing forward!

Pass it to Tang Ye!

Facing the Paris goal, Tang Ye tapped the ball back with his heel.

Boom!

The ball arrived at Rodri's feet.

Boom!

A through-pass sent it forward to Rashford!

After taking a 1-0 lead, Manchester United briefly looked poised to overwhelm Paris.

Let's see if they can seize this opportunity to extend the scoreline to 2-0 before halftime ends!

Drive down the flank, then cut inside!

Watch Rashford!

He still hoped to charge into the penalty area to win a penalty, but unfortunately, Rashford was intercepted by Silva.

Boom!

Manchester United's attack was terminated!

"……"

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: Halftime score Manchester United 1-0 temporarily leading Paris; Tang Ye scored the opening goal from a penalty kick; Neymar substituted off due to injury.

"Come on!"

"Go Manchester United!"

Cheers from the fans echoed in the stands as players slowly walked toward the tunnel.

Because of the Neymar incident, Rodri now felt somewhat dejected, head bowed, saying nothing.

"Rode"

Tang Ye placed his hand on Rodri's shoulder, firmly squeezing the back of the latter's neck.

"Nothing can be done; it won't be a serious problem."

Tang Ye assumed Rodri was under psychological pressure, feeling guilt over causing Neymar's injury.

In reality, for Rodri himself, rather than guilt, he was more worried about public opinion pressure.

Clearly, not everyone can think from the opponent's perspective like Tang Ye does!

"We'll talk about it later, Rodri."

Fan Fan Dejiahe also approached, saying a few brief words to Rodri: "Focus on the match first; whatever you're thinking about, put it aside until after the game ends."

"Mm."

Rodri nodded lightly; Tang Ye guided him toward the locker room.

……

"Junior is injured, so in the second half we must show better form. We're already behind after the first half; absolutely no more chances for the opponent in the second half!"

Away team locker room.

It was evident that Tuchel's mood was currently quite poor.

Neymar sat in the corner, accompanied by his doctor.

"I said it before the match started—I said we must focus on Tom; otherwise, we'd likely concede. Yet you simply didn't mark Tom—"

"When he received the ball, you should have gone up to pressure him!"

Neymar shrugged, addressed a few teammates, then fell silent again, sitting alone in the corner; the car to pick him up would arrive soon.

Due to a knee injury, the Brazilian player will leave the pitch early to receive treatment.

Neymar's mindset has already settled; for him, the result of this match is no longer that important.

Thump, thump, thump!

Mbappé stamped his feet in his position, just as Tuchel mentioned his name at that very moment.

"We need to make good use of Kylian as our breakthrough point; the left flank will be our main attacking route in the second half. Manchester United will surely focus their marking on our left side in the second half."

Tuchel was thinking from Manchester United's perspective.

"But we have no choice; we must attack down the left, even if they employ targeted defense."

The Paris players all turned their gazes toward Mbappé.

Mbappé's expression was not good, but overall he remained relatively calm.

After all, he was a player who had experienced a World Cup final!

Thump, thump!

Rapping the tactical board once, Tuchel outlined the core tactics for the second half.

"Attack down the left, prioritize stability in defense; our objective for today's match is a draw."

Achieving a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford was the objective Tuchel had set for the Paris players.

Of course, this would indeed not be easy to accomplish, so the Paris players had to bring out their best form.

"Three, two, one!"

"Paris!"

"Alright, dear viewers, welcome back; this is the second half of the Champions League quarter-final between Paris and Manchester United."

"The match has begun!"

Although their starting striker Neymar had been substituted off due to injury, Paris did not change their overall tactical formation.

They were determined to go toe-to-toe with Manchester United using a 4-3-3 formation until the very end!

The 52nd minute!

Rodri made a mistake in his own half!

Marquinhos stole the ball!

Damn it!

Sensing something was wrong, Tang Ye immediately retreated along with his teammates.

Marquinhos dribbled forward himself for a distance.

Since Rodri had already been shaken off, Marquinhos faced almost no interference as he advanced.

After covering roughly ten-plus meters, Marquinhos passed the ball forward.

To Cavani!

With his back to goal, holding off Smalling, Cavani laid the ball off to a teammate.

Marquinhos passed the ball to Mbappé!

Cutting inside from the French winger, he forced the Manchester United defensive line to begin retreating.

Pass back!

Bang!

Marquinhos delivered another through ball.

It was Mbappé receiving the ball again; by now, Mbappé had completed the transition from cutting inside to driving toward the byline.

And he had already entered the penalty area!

Mbappé went one-on-one against Smalling.

Using his right foot, he dragged the ball toward the byline.

The instant Smalling shifted his center of gravity, Mbappé flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot.

Driving to the byline transformed once again into cutting inside!

Mbappé's greatest pride was his exaggerated acceleration speed, and this indeed helped him create an opportunity.

Smalling had been shaken off!

Adjusting his stance by half a step, Mbappé swung his right leg, his eyes fixed on the dead angle at the top right corner of the goal.

Snap!

Mbappé took the shot, but he didn't aim for the top right; instead, he aimed...

The bottom left!

A very classic case of aiming far but hitting near to score; De Gea stood on the goal line without making any save attempt.

Goal!

A goal from Kylian Mbappé.

Paris Saint-Germain successfully equalized the score!

"Ohhh!!!"

"Beep Beep Beep!!!"

Amidst the angry shouts of the Manchester United fans, Mbappé slid on his knees toward the corner flag.

"Fuck you!"

"Get lost!"

"You idiot!"

Ignoring the jeers from the Manchester United fans, Mbappé tucked his hands under his armpits, performing his most classic celebration move.

Hiss...

The teamwork was excellent, but it was mostly Mbappé's individual ability.

To be honest, the Manchester United players never expected Paris to pull off this attack.

"Oh my god!"

"An incredibly exaggerated individual performance, though the coordination between the Paris players was also quite good."

"Yes, but I think this goal relied mainly on Mbappé's individual ability, because we didn't imagine Mbappé could break into the penalty area and finish under these circumstances..."

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Mbappé scores with a cold shot into the near corner; Paris equalizes.

"Mm..."

Rodri covered his mouth with both hands.

Because of that passing mistake just now, the Spanish defensive midfielder has instantly become the scapegoat.

Tang Ye and Rashford ran over to comfort their teammate, while on the bench, Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe conducted a detailed analysis of the situation.

"We might have to substitute Rodri."

Fan Fan Dejiahe said softly.

Affected by the first-half situation, Rodri, the current Manchester United defensive midfielder, was no longer able to perform at his best.

While Fan Fan Dejiahe was speaking, Ten Hag glanced at McTominay warming up upfront.

After careful consideration, he ultimately gave up on the idea.

Let's see how the situation develops first!

PS: One chapter today, at least three chapters tomorrow totaling no less than 12,000 words.

(End of chapter)