Chapter 27: Too Brutal — A Goal-a-Run Every Match!
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
City fans could hardly hide the pain on their faces, refusing to admit… the one they once ignored and now can't reach… actually possesses both organizing and attacking genius!
They were not jealous or resentful of his favor with God; they simply envied and resented themselves for having had him once and not treasured him…
Sorry, champion coach Mr. Mancini, this time: "To hell with you!"
One minute earlier on the pitch:
Xia Qi and Podolski had been combining on the other side, and Aaron Ramsey on this side hadn't been idle.
When it was time to make a forward run, he did.
When it was time to shift laterally, he shifted.
When Xia Qi performed the oil-fried meatball move, Ramsey saw a gap. He didn't know if Xia Qi could see it too, since at that moment Xia Qi was orchestrating the attack on the other side…
But trusting his "Reaper" instinct, he silently made a run into the space in front of goal.
And Xia Qi did see it — in fact he had seen it early. The moment Xia Qi passed without taking a touch, Ramsey's heart raced…
He no longer bothered to hide and sprinted forward.
As the cross sliced toward goal, a perfectly timed leg stretched and the ball hit the net.
Another unexpected, surprise goal.
Joe Hart stood with hands on hips, shaking his head helplessly.
After scoring, Aaron Ramsey ran toward Xia Qi overjoyed…
Meanwhile, rich people and celebrities around the world canceled tomorrow's plans; some older ones demanded their private doctors be on call 24/7…
…
The match continued!
Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero began dropping back to link with midfield.
City's technical and tactical level was indeed in the title-contending tier…
With two more support points in midfield, the home side gradually regained some ascendancy.
A few runs and short passes… David Silva moved the ball up to the edge of the box.
Without looking up, the ball reached Agüero, who in the box did a few pedal moves to create an angle, but instead of shooting he feinted a shot and passed.
He suddenly played the ball sideways to Džeko, with whom he hadn't really connected much.
The combination was indeed nice and more dangerous than his own shot.
Džeko thumped a powerful shot!
The ball was fast and fierce!
City needed to pull one back,
but
just as the ball was about to cross the line, a pair of gloves appeared and punched it away.
Vito Mannone was like a godsend!
"Both goalkeepers have had their moments tonight — that's the charm of football; you never know what the next second will bring…"
The cleared ball was played by Mertesacker to Cazorla, who launched a Rui Costa-style long pass.
The ball skidded low across the turf toward Xia Qi.
The temperature inside the Etihad dropped by ten degrees.
City fans, as if driven mad, let out ear-splitting boos that swept the stadium like a tornado.
Perhaps feeling the onrush of "malice," the former front-line commander Xia Qi personally charged forward.
"This is unfair. How can they do this?"
Seeing Xia Qi riled and no longer the cool-headed orchestrator, many of the "shrimp" fanbase's female supporters clutched their hearts sympathetically.
They were overthinking — Xia Qi had simply activated his "Jinbian Luo" attribute.
Xia Qi's attacking talent was obvious; Touré dared not allow him to run unchecked.
He called Sinclair in to double-team Xia Qi.
This was their second encounter as a trio.
Xia Qi pushed the ball forward with the outside of his right foot and increased his speed.
Sinclair's temper flared — 1 vs 2 and he still wanted to take him on? Touré could stand it, Sinclair could not!
Touré didn't really believe Xia Qi would get so carried away; although many edgy teenagers have been thrown off by home boos, Xia Qi had always been emotionless when playing…
On the pitch, Xia Qi's right shoulder dropped, his right foot stepped outward, his center of gravity tilted greatly; crucially Sinclair saw Xia Qi's hips drop too.
That is an important sign of surrendering one's center of gravity.
He quickly moved laterally to his left.
Touré, who had a different instinct, couldn't each guard one side — that would ruin the double press.
He was forced to follow Sinclair to prevent Xia Qi slipping between them.
But being experienced, he left a reserve of strength.
Xia Qi's right foot didn't touch the ball.
As Sinclair pushed off to move sideways, Xia Qi's right foot landed then seemed to spring back as if there were a spring beneath it.
He switched to dropping his left shoulder!
Sinclair, having just completed the second shift, cursed silently, "Fuck."
Flushed, he hurried to change direction.
In a flash, Touré seemed to have read something.
He remembered a Chinese proverb that fit the moment: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it."
Just as Sinclair completed his second shift, Xia Qi dribbled at him.
At close quarters, Xia Qi twisted his hips, shoved this way and that, and Sinclair stumbled and fell.
It wasn't that Sinclair was really much weaker than Xia Qi, but his center of gravity was unstable and he'd been set up — that's why he looked so fragile.
Xia Qi had barely knocked Sinclair aside when Touré, like a viper, suddenly sprang from the grass and performed a sneaky move.
And it worked.
Touré had quietly moved behind Xia Qi and suddenly thrust a long leg into Xia Qi's small maneuver and poked at the ball.
The ball rolled forward,
if Sinclair hadn't stumbled, the second man's interception from behind would have completed a textbook double trap.
But Sinclair had fallen.
Touré had in effect given the ball back to Xia Qi three seconds later.
He'd stolen nothing but solitude.
Xia Qi sprinted like a cheetah, instantly opening distance from Touré.
Left full-back Gaël Clichy rushed to cover,
Xia Qi, running at speed, suddenly dragged the ball back with his foot and slammed the brakes.
A quick right-foot outside touch with his body leaning outward — an outside-over speed move!
A "take-me-on" momentum swept forward.
Clichy didn't think twice and went in to stop him.
Another deft connected move.
The ball was pulled back,
cut inside!
"Oh no!"
Clichy realized he'd been reckless and tried to turn back, but his balance was off and he fell.
Joleon Lescott flashed back to cover and stopped Xia Qi at the edge of the penalty area, some four or five meters from the goal line.
Xia Qi repeated his trick: an outside-of-the-right-foot flick followed by another "take-me-on" bravado.
Lescott kept a little reserve; Xia Qi was already at the byline, there was nowhere to go — to overtake would be to fall off a cliff.
He judged Xia Qi would eventually cut inside or pass.
Xia Qi dribbled toward the baseline; Lescott shifted sideways but kept some reserve, slowing his step.
Speed beats all in martial arts!
This is a universal truth!
Xia Qi carried his momentum like a thunderbolt,
and in the narrow space, before Lescott fully side-shifted, he ghosted through…
Joe Hart watched with wide eyes as Xia Qi, like a magician, came out from behind Lescott almost at a zero-degree angle from the line.
Then with a look of horror he watched Xia Qi send the ball into the net, hugging the near post.
"Beating Lescott! Shot… goal… goal…! Xia Qi ran through the entire defense by himself, a solo run to annihilate the back line — three matches, three solo runs that tore apart opponents, averaging one solo-run goal per match. Too brutal, the Brutal Emperor reigns at the Etihad!"
(END CHAPTER)
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