Chapter 791: Unshakable
Manchester City, who scored first, appeared more composed. In the subsequent game, Wang Feng and his teammates repeatedly threatened Juventus' goal through penetrative passes.
The Bianconeri became increasingly awkward, and even the previously active Dybala gradually faded away. In contrast, the Sky Blues seemed to be in control, and the Chinese superstar instilled strong confidence in everyone.
"If this continues, Juventus will be in danger. After all, this is their home ground. Going to the Etihad with a disadvantage will only make things more difficult," remarked Sandreles, the sports commentator for Turin TV.
"According to the current statistics, the away team almost dominates. Not only do they have a slightly higher possession rate of 55%, but they also lead in shot attempts by 6 to 4."
Moreover, Manchester City is trying to dictate the pace of the game. Their passing success rate has significantly increased, and it's worth noting that ball possession is their forte.
As time reached the 41st minute, Juventus seized a rare opportunity to organize an attack. The ball reached Mandzukic's feet, and Delph pressured him to the sideline.
Seeing this, Dybala retreated to provide support, drawing the main defensive attention of Manchester City. Unexpectedly, the Croatian midfielder suddenly feinted and sent a diagonal pass.
Pjanic, who had advanced from the back, quickly received the ball and entered the penalty area. Navas came out to block, attempting to intercept with his foot.
But at that moment, the opponent had already accelerated with the ball. Navas couldn't touch the ball and immediately withdrew his leg to avoid committing a foul, especially since this was inside the penalty area.
Unexpectedly, Pjanic fell forward, as if tripped by a Manchester City defender.
Navas immediately raised his hand to signal that he hadn't committed a foul. However, the referee pointed to the penalty spot and blew the whistle, even showing a yellow card to the Spanish defender.
"Well, from this angle, Navas indeed didn't touch Pjanic, but the Bosnian midfielder probably didn't deliberately fall either. It might be due to the momentum," Sandreles commented.
The live television camera repeatedly replayed the slow-motion footage, and everyone could see that Navas had already pulled back his leg. Even Sandreles couldn't come up with any good excuses and could only make vague remarks.
As for other countries' broadcasting channels, most of them were saying that it was a mistaken judgment. The Manchester Sports TV even mocked, "Is Pjanic trying to be funny? The field isn't a swimming pool, and he can't splash any water!"
Regardless of how unwilling they were to argue, the decision that had been made couldn't be changed.
Iguain personally took the penalty kick, deceiving Bravo and slotting the ball into the net, equalizing the score for Juventus.
"At halftime, the score is tied at 1-1. After a brief intermission, the second half will begin."
"Looking back at the first 45 minutes, Manchester City can be said to have taken the upper hand by counterattacking, but unfortunately, they lost the lead due to a mistaken judgment in the last moments."
"I wonder if the players will be affected by this. Let's hope they can quickly shake it off and maintain their performance level."
The expressions of the away team's players as they left the field were generally angry and frustrated. Anyone would feel disheartened when such a good situation was squandered.
They would think a lot. This is Juventus' home ground. Even with a significant advantage, can they win against a biased referee?
Back in the locker room, everyone immediately began to complain about the referee's poor decision. They passionately discussed every detail of the match, feeling that the home whistle was too biased.
Stones, Otamendi, and others went up to comfort Navas because he seemed a bit agitated after the mistaken penalty. If it weren't for Captain Kompany holding him back, he might have gone straight to confront the referee.
At this moment, the Spanish defender had completely calmed down. His frustration at the time was mainly because he didn't want to shoulder the blame for the team's loss in such a crucial game. It wasn't his fault!
His contract with Manchester City was expiring this summer, and contract renewal negotiations had stalled. Making a mistake at this time would only make things worse.
But now Navas had come to terms with it. Just like signing a contract, changing the outcome of the game wasn't something that could be achieved unilaterally.
Amidst the chaotic discussion, Wang Feng felt that he had to speak up. So he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
Although the Chinese superstar had only joined the team for less than a season, the accumulated aura and prestige couldn't be ignored. Within the team, his status was almost equal to that of Captain Kompany.
All the players were willing to listen to Wang Feng, so they immediately quieted down and looked at him.
"Everyone, we all know what we've been through. Honestly, in my career, I've experienced such situations many times, especially here at this stadium."
At these words, everyone couldn't help but smile knowingly, naturally recalling the shocking red card incident and the "Phonegate" incident from years ago.
"But you also know that after that, I have never lost a game because of a mistaken judgment or referee issue. This is not something hard to understand. As long as we remain determined and maintain the attacking momentum we had in the first half, can Juventus really beat us?"
"Even if we take a step back, we still hold a valuable away goal. Even if we just maintain the current score, we can return to the Etihad Stadium with an advantage."
The players' restless moods gradually calmed down, and they began to show pensive expressions. Meanwhile, as the head coach Guardiola entered the locker room, he cast an approving glance at Wang Feng.
He then added, "What Wang said is right. Forget about the first half. Stay calm. As long as we don't lose our composure, we will surely defeat the opponent!"
At the same time, inside the Juventus locker room, everyone tacitly avoided discussing the controversial penalty decision. Head coach Allegri was busy instructing the team on the tactics for the second half.
He believed that after experiencing a setback, Manchester City's mentality must be affected. This was the perfect opportunity for the home team to launch a strong offensive and secure victory.
However, Iguain still had doubts. He felt that Wang Feng wasn't someone who could easily be discouraged.
Especially when he thought of the UEFA Champions League final that shocked the world, where even the referees were wearing Barcelona jerseys, the Chinese superstar still led the Galaxy Battleship to victory.
"I know your concerns, Gonzalo," Allegri patted Iguain on the shoulder and said, "But Manchester City is not the Real Madrid that Wang has cultivated for years. It's probably not easy to instill that kind of tenacious spirit in them."
"Of course, I will definitely make some plans to prevent the opponent from counterattacking. Let's go, let's regain enough advantage. The one who laughs last will definitely be Juventus!"
As the second half of the game was about to begin, the players from both sides lined up again and walked onto the field from the tunnel.
The home team's players couldn't help but glance sideways to see the opponent's state. To their surprise, the Manchester City players no longer showed signs of frustration or disappointment. Instead, they seemed eager and ready for action.
Iguain's heart sank. This feeling was too familiar. It seemed that Wang had promised something to his teammates again, and his encouragement seemed to have a powerful magic that convinced people and made them strive relentlessly.
"It seems that the penalty didn't affect you much," the Argentine actively approached the Chinese superstar for a chat.
"Of course, Gonzalo, as you know, I won't be shaken by such things, nor will my team."
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