Chapter 768: Tenacious Shooting
Sané felt extremely frustrated after directly causing the ball to be lost, he looked at his teammates with a hint of apology, but received encouraging glances from them.
Wang Feng specially ran over and patted his shoulder: "It's normal to feel nervous when stepping onto the Camp Nou stage for the first time, Leroy. Don't worry, relax, I'm right here beside you, ready to support you anytime!"
Whether in matches or training sessions, the Chinese superstar always infected everyone with confidence and positivity. Gradually, the regrets and complaints disappeared, and the atmosphere within the team underwent a refreshing change.
So when the Barcelona players noticed that Manchester City didn't panic after conceding a goal, their faces showed a solemn expression. This feeling was too familiar, just like facing Real Madrid in the past.
Why was Wang Feng's team always so difficult to deal with? Then let's attack with all our might and completely defeat them!
With a whistle from the main referee, the match resumed. Sané passed the ball to Aguero, who then passed it back, and the ball eventually made its way to the feet of the defenders.
The away team originally planned to play more passes in the back to control the rhythm of the game. However, Barcelona's front trio and midfielders Iniesta and Rakitic all pressed forward, adopting a high-pressing tactic.
For a while, the entire backline was under intense pressure. Kolarov found himself surrounded by opponents and had no passing options, so he could only clear the ball out of bounds, returning possession to the home team.
Rakitic quickly retrieved the ball from outside the field and threw it back in. Iniesta dribbled past the defense and made a direct pass. Messi, despite Stones' interference, still managed to take a shot, but it narrowly missed the post.
This attack made the entire Manchester City team break out in a cold sweat. Kompany clapped his hands vigorously to signal everyone to move, emphasizing that they must not hold onto the ball and risk making mistakes.
For the next period of time, Barcelona continued to press high in Manchester City's half, forcing the away team to retreat and defend deep in their own half.
With the deafening roar from the stands, the home team's attacks came wave after wave. They were like ferocious beasts tasting blood, ready to pounce and tear apart the Blue Moon, their prey.
Soon, they took another bite out of Manchester City. In the 37th minute, Iniesta took a sudden shot from outside the penalty area, and the ball rebounded off Otamendi.
Suarez suddenly darted out and volleyed, catching Bravo off guard, and the ball curled into the bottom left corner of the net.
2-0! The home team led by two goals!
Barcelona's fierce attack made Manchester City struggle to cope. Ultimately, the Blue Moon's defense was not strong enough to compete with the powerful MSN trio. They had to unleash their threat to force the opponents to defend with all their might.
Wang Feng closely watched the positioning of the players on the field, patiently looking for opportunities to counterattack.
In the 43rd minute, the home team repeated their tactics, with Rakitic suddenly taking a shot from outside the penalty area. Once again, Otamendi blocked the shot with his body.
Suarez moved in to control the ball with his chest and prepare for another shot. At the critical moment, he suddenly stretched out a leg behind him, intercepting the ball before the Uruguayan, and redirected it.
Wang Feng arrived in time! With his guidance, the ball sailed over Suarez's head, and at the same time, he quickly turned and sprinted forward.
Busquets sensed the danger and hurriedly moved to intercept from the side. He couldn't afford to let the Chinese superstar pass easily, whether it was the ball or him.
But Wang Feng seemed to anticipate this. Before the ball even touched the ground, he kicked it forward with force, avoiding Busquets' attempt to tackle him. Then, he subtly deflected the opponent's momentum.
Despite this, a considerable amount of force still transferred to Wang Feng, causing him to stagger a bit. However, relying on his strong control, he managed to stabilize himself and continue charging forward.
"No! Stop him, block him!!" The Camp Nou stands erupted with cries of alarm, with many fans shouting anxiously, wishing they could personally tackle Wang Feng.
With Barcelona pressing high, their defense was wide open, with only Pique and Mascherano left to stop the Chinese superstar.
Mascherano was closer, urging Pique to retreat while moving forward to defend. Even delaying Wang Feng for a moment would be a success.
But Wang Feng didn't engage him in a prolonged struggle at all. He continued to power through, accelerating past the Argentine defender with a clean and decisive move, smoothly executing a pass-and-go, not even giving the opponent a chance to foul him.
After catching up to the ball again, the Chinese superstar had already reached the edge of the penalty area. Pique attempted a flying slide tackle, intending to foul him if necessary to stop the attack.
Unexpectedly, Wang Feng suddenly made a quick stop and feint, evading Pique's tackle like a light breeze. Angrily, Pique reached out and grabbed Wang Feng's left foot.
Due to the inertia, Wang Feng lost his balance and fell, but before falling, he kicked the ball with the tip of his right foot towards the bottom corner of the far goal.
"Boom!" The ball soared into the air, drawing a rainbow-like arc as it descended towards the far corner of the net.
In anticipation of a potential one-on-one situation, goalkeeper Ter Stegen chose to rush out. At this moment, he was shocked, never expecting Wang Feng to deliver a chip shot under such conditions.
Retreating with all his might while stretching out his arms to make a save, ultimately, his efforts were in vain. He could only watch helplessly as the ball sailed over him, grazing the underside of the crossbar before nestling into the net.
Not far away, the main referee had already put the whistle to his mouth. He had initially intended to blow for a foul by Pique, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into a valid goal.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal! It's in! Wang Feng pulls one back for Manchester City!"
"A beautiful counterattack, a tenacious shot! He has vividly demonstrated what it means to never give up until the ball is in the net!"
"Counterattacks start from now on!" When Aguero, who rushed over to celebrate, helped him up, Wang Feng said solemnly.
Barcelona's head coach Enrique stood on the sidelines, feeling a chill in his heart. Although the team was still in the lead, he felt as if the situation was precarious. This Chinese superstar was too extraordinary.
After such a long run, coupled with the subsequent quick stop and shot, it didn't look like the actions of a 33-year-old veteran at all.
Could he fall into his hands again? The Spanish coach shook his head vigorously, suppressing the negative emotions. After all, this was just a group stage match.
Even if they lost, it wouldn't affect Barcelona's advancement. There was no need to stubbornly fight Manchester City to the end now.
Unconsciously, he tended to evade and compromise, not realizing that this kind of thinking would only ruin the team's hopes of reaching the top. If they couldn't show an indomitable spirit, sweep away all their enemies, how could they talk about winning the crown?
On the contrary, Barcelona's players' attacks on the field were not as sharp as before. On the one hand, they were afraid of Manchester City's threatening counterattacks, and on the other hand, the conservative mindset of preserving the victory after setbacks inevitably emerged.
As a result, the situation gradually tilted in favor of the away team, and before the end of the first half, they launched several threatening attacks.
Especially in injury time, De Bruyne and Wang Feng penetrated into the penalty area with consecutive wall passes, and Wang Feng then took a shot from the edge of the box, but Ter Stegen made a heroic save.
Following up, Sané tried to score on the rebound. With the goalkeeper helpless, Mascherano came to the rescue, using his thigh to block the ball out.
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