With an exclamation from the comntator, Tang Long's figure was nimble, his feet swift as a breeze, and in an instant, he was positioned at the bottom of the penalty area.
Just when everyone thought at this position on the left, Tang Long might boldly attempt a shot directly, using his left foot for a powerful strike;
He unexpectedly stretched his foot gently, flicking the ball like a dragonfly skimming the water, and the soccer ball, like soft cotton, obediently stopped at his feet.
A masterstroke of leveraging lightweight to move a heavyweight!
Such a stunning ball control directly astonished West Brom's goalkeeper Ben Foster.
He had initially thought Tang Long was going to unleash a powerful shot, even preparing to block the near corner, but Tang Long's feint threw him off, making him slip, staggering, and quickly adjusting his balance, calling his teammates to defend.
However, Tang Long's advance this ti was a counter-offside play.
The two central backs, Evans and Wilson, fell for Tang Long's circuitous running trick, instantly creating a gap of about ten ters.
So Tang Long had plenty of space to take the ball leisurely towards the goal line, even having ti to shift slightly towards the center to widen the shooting angle.
Three points in a line!
Like a sniper aiming through the scope at prey, Tang Long's gaze and body movents also targeted the top right corner of the goal.
West Brom's goalkeeper Ben Foster watched Tang Long's foot lift with full concentration.
At the mont his cleats scraped the grass, Foster, startled like a tense bowstring, quickly took a large step towards his left to block the far corner.
He didn't expect Tang Long to use a deceptive move, pretending to kick east but aiming west!
He rely made a shooting motion, but his foot landed ten centiters to the right of the ball, kicking up a chunk of turf~
The foot was raised, yet the ball didn't move.
This move bypassed Foster's balance again, as he tilted his body, saw the ball staying still, and was shocked, thinking, "It's over!"
Tang Long gently nudged the ball with the instep, it rolled tightly past the gap of Foster's right foot, into the near corner.
"Calm!"
"An incredibly calm choice!"
"The first calm mont was facing the airborne ball without rashly shooting, but delicately stopping the ball."
"The second calm mont was fooling the goalkeeper with a fake move, then scoring at the near corner!"
"Tang Long showed us unmatched composure of a top striker in the penalty area!"
"In that instant, in the striker's mind, there must be many choices, but Tang Long can always make the most sensible decision at lightning speed."
"Just like a car navigating several intersections, you can always trust Tang Long as the driver to reach the destination in the shortest ti!"
This goal showcased Tang Long's unrivaled composure, but the fans at Etihad Stadium were anything but calm.
At this point, only two minutes had passed since kickoff, and many Manchester City fans who arrived late hadn't even taken their seats, so still walking in the aisles.
These fans saw Tang Long scoring at the start, decided not to find their seats, and just jumped around right then in excitent, the entire Etihad Stadium erupted in cheers!
Tang Long slightly smiled, turned around, and saw Mkhitaryan, Gundogan, and Diego rushing over.
In this match, main defensive midfielder Ranocchia has rested, and these three are the starters.
At this mont, Tang Long suddenly realized. He still didn't know who had assisted him with this goal, so he quickly asked the three, "Great pass! Who assisted?"
The three teammates, upon hearing this, were all stunned, showing incredulous faces.
Gundogan laughed and shouted, "I made the pass! Such a beautiful pass, and you don't know who gave it to you?"
Tang Long smiled and high-fived Gundogan.
"Sorry, when I advance, I don't habitually see who passed the ball."
Tang Long was speaking the truth; it was a habit he gradually developed since converting from an attacking midfielder to a forward this season.
Manchester City mainly plays possession tactics, and in the middle, the ball rolls quickly, possibly transitioning through the feet of 3 to 4 players within a re four to five seconds.
Once Tang Long judges the ball's position and his position can form a connection, and spots a gap in the opponent's defense, he will decisively advance without looking back, regardless of who passed the ball or whether the pass would connect.
To charge, one must charge to the end!
So just now, whether from Gundogan, Diego, or Mkhitaryan, as long as the ball was in position, Tang Long would choose to advance.
"I've completed my task; you two need to step it up."
The assister Gundogan, after high-fiving Tang Long, looked at Mkhitaryan and Diego with triumph.
Diego and Mkhitaryan exchanged a smile, with a playful challenge in their eyes, as if saying, "Let's see who can assist Tang Long first?"
Seeing this scene, the other Manchester City teammates who ca to celebrate also laughed.
It seed that the whole team had long agreed on the idea of making Tang Long the first European Golden Boot in Manchester City's history.
The strategy was simply to keep feeding him the ball, and however much he could score was up to him.
However, unexpectedly, the next player to assist Tang Long was neither Mkhitaryan nor Diego—
Instead, it was the young starter Bonazzoli who made a standout play!
In the 36th minute of the first half, from the sa position, with the sa pass and the sa run, Bonazzoli executed a near-identical solo opportunity as he had against Bayern in the last match.
Right back Navas's pass was quite clever.
Ever since being converted into a right back by Guardiola, Navas's sense of positioning had retreated, but his vision had broadened, and he thought more deeply about the ga.
This ti, after getting the ball on the flank, he didn't do a regular cross from the bottom line as he did last season but deliberately moved to the center. In his vision, he saw a teammate quickly moving diagonally right.
Navas had poor vision, with a 200-degree myopia.
He realized that this person might be Bonazzoli, or perhaps Agüero in the center, so he made a pass with his left foot.
It wasn't until he saw a tall figure chasing the ball that he realized it was the young Bonazzoli!
"Go for it, Bonazzoli!"
Navas cheered for Bonazzoli from the midfield, who was facing the quickly closing left-back Enyom.
Like Tang Long, Bonazzoli also played forward, and as he charged into the penalty area, dozens of options were racing through his mind.
This ti, Bonazzoli learned from his previous lesson against Bayern, where he was slide-tackled by Humls. He quickly approached the ball, adjusted his center of gravity, pretended to shoot, but swiftly made a cut~
This feint tricked Enyom, who made the sa sliding tackle as Humls but ended up tackling nothing.
This defensive failure was due to Enyom's defensive ability being far below Humls and also to Bonazzoli's evolution.
That's right, Bonazzoli had indeed evolved!
After his spectacular header assist in the last match that led to Tang Long scoring, this Italian youngster's confidence had skyrocketed.
After tricking his opponent, he quickly looked up at the goalkeeper and was about to shoot—
At the last mont, he quickly changed his step, his ankle flicked, and he passed the ball horizontally!
Tang Long rushed in and took a direct shot with the top of his foot, the ball rocketed into the left side of the net, making the net ripple loudly.
"What are you doing? You could have taken that shot yourself."
Tang Long turned back and gave Bonazzoli a grateful smile.
"I'd rather get the assist for you; assisting you feels better than scoring myself," Bonazzoli looked at Tang Long with a sowhat deep gaze.
Beside them, Agüero was slightly jealous. He ca over and put his arms around Bonazzoli and Tang Long's necks.
"Next ti you've got a chance like that, pass one to , won't you?"
"No way, Sergio," Bonazzoli laughed, "you got the Golden Boot last year, this year, it's Tang's turn."
The three of them laughed heartily.
During the halfti break, everyone was laughing, and the atmosphere was relaxed.
Gundogan congratulated Tang Long: "Tang, let's make a bet, you'll score at least three tonight and take the match ball ho again!"
Stones said, "Just insert yourself right between their two center-backs, and I'll make a long pass from the back for you!"
Mkhitaryan, usually not very talkative, jumped in: "Hold on, I haven't made an assist yet, can you wait?"
The locker room was filled with a harmonious vibe~
Tang Long just smiled and said nothing.
Gracie poked her head in from the doorway, whispering to Tang Long: "Hey, co out for a sec."
Tang Long was puzzled about why Gracie was looking for him, wondering what couldn't be said directly. But seeing her anxious look, he went over.
Under everyone's gaze, Tang Long walked out of the locker room.
Bonazzoli curiously asked, "Tang's not injured, right? He seed fine. What's Gracie calling him for?"
Agüero clicked his tongue and jokingly said to everyone, "Don't you find Miss Grace and Tang's relationship to be quite unusual?"
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