Chapter 448: A thrilling first half, scoring 3 goals in 2 minutes

Chapter 448: An exciting first half, scoring two goals in three minutes
"Martin!"

"Martin!!"

"Martin!!!"

At the New Wembley Stadium, about two minutes after Arsenal fell behind by three goals, Martin completed a simple warm-up and returned to the sidelines. He put on his off-field jersey and shorts, as well as the King of Football series sneakers named after him. The audience rang. Huge shouts.

The on-site director gave a surround shot to the audience, and it could be clearly seen that in addition to Manchester City fans, all Arsenal fans and neutral fans were involved in creating a fanatical atmosphere, and the entire stadium seemed to be shaking.

"This... is the influence of the football king on the field!"

Sky TV commentator Andy Gray said loudly.

"Arsenal captain Martin will come on as a substitute soon. This is also the first game of the new World Cup champion. We still need to observe his condition closely, but judging from the broadcast, the Manchester City players seem to be a little nervous. "

BBC Sports commentator Lineker said playfully.

"It seems that Martin has put too much pressure on them. They are leading by three goals, but they obviously don't feel safe enough."

Henry, who served as the commentator, laughed and said: "The Kroenke family is so courageous. They actually gave Martin the highest salary in the world in the undercurrent transfer market. If Martin is retained, I think Arsenal can gallop again." All of Europe!"

"Is Manchester City really three goals ahead?"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jundao: "It feels like being three goals behind."

"Who has let Martin give them too many painful experiences?"

Guest commentator Li Yuankui laughed.

Fans watching the game live have been waiting for this moment.

This... is the first game for the new football king. He must keep his eyes open so as not to miss the wonderful scenes.

Arsenal's new head coach Arteta had no special instructions for Martin. He patted the opponent on the shoulder: "I know what to do, so I won't give you other tasks."

"Okay, Mikel."

Martin patted Arteta's shoulder comfortingly.

"aoaoaooooooooooo——"

The Arsenal fans in the audience burst into loud cheers when they saw Martin standing next to the fourth official preparing to take the field.

Ferland Mendy, who just got the ball, was overjoyed. He obviously knew that Martin had warmed up, so he kicked the ball out of bounds without any hesitation.

Of course, his clearance was also purposeful, kicking the ball to the left sideline of the center line.

Coincidentally, the football flew towards Martin, who was ready to come on as a substitute.

Martin, who was being watched by hundreds of millions of people, calmly raised his right foot slightly, and the outer instep was like a magnet attracting iron, and he steadily removed the football.

"Papapapapapaaaaa——"

Before the huge chants subsided, they were replaced by deafening thunderous applause.

Ramsey couldn't help but shook his head when he saw that he was being replaced, but didn't say anything.

The performance for nearly 40 minutes was quite poor. In terms of losing the ball, he, as the attacking midfielder, has an unshirkable responsibility.

"Martin replaced the underperforming Ramsey. The Welsh star, who has only the last year of his contract, is a bit lost as the European champions Arsenal's squad becomes stronger and stronger. I think he will play in the new 2018-2019 season. The number will be further reduced, and maybe...leaving is a win-win situation."

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said in a deep voice.

Martin, who came on as a substitute, took the captain's armband from Ramsey, patted the opponent's shoulder and gave a brief comfort before putting on the captain's armband and entering the stadium.

Arteta, who was standing in the substitution technical area, was still very concerned about the mood of his former teammate Ramsey. He took the initiative to put his arm around the opponent's shoulders and said something.

"Hi~"

Martin smiled and saluted his friend De Bruyne.

De Bruyne turned his head proudly.

Martin, who came on the field with a mission, didn't care. After he came on the field, he became an enemy. He did not forget his responsibilities. After entering the field, he released coach Arteta's new tactical thinking to his teammates.

The 4231 formation has been very skilled in the past few seasons. With Martin returning to the 10th position, the team seems to have a backbone and the defense is more structured. Coupled with Martin's instant command, Manchester City's offense feels like It's like Arsenal without Martin before.

Kicked a little constipated.

Manchester City coach Guardiola frowned and was a little dissatisfied with the players' performance, but he also knew that it had nothing to do with the players. The main reason was that Martin's ability was too strong.

Coupled with the crowning of the World Cup champion, the whole person feels more at ease.

He knows that a three-goal lead is not too safe.

The time came to forty minutes, and he now only hoped to enter the halftime break with this score.

The Manchester City players on the field seemed more nervous and were not playing so calmly.

In order to fully implement coach Guardiola's tactics, they had to concentrate their possession time in the midfield and midfield, which was completely opposite to Martin's playing style before coming on.

The Arsenal fans in the audience booed harshly, mocking Manchester City for playing such a bad game with a three-goal lead.

Manchester City, who want to win, will naturally not pay attention to the fans, they just want stability.

Entering the halftime break with a three-goal lead is a huge boost to overall morale.

If it is pulled back by one before the end of the first half, it may develop in an unpredictable direction.

The team led by Martin has come back from three goals down.

Manchester City began to play in the midfield, and Martin waved his hand to signal his teammates to keep up with his pressing rhythm.

The players on the field completely obeyed Martin's command, starting with Cavani, Aubameyang, Mahrez, Xhaka, Ferland Mendy, etc...

The pressing is not carried out locally, but with the participation of the whole team, so there will be no missed players.

In addition, Manchester City players were obviously affected by Martin's sense of dominance, and their performance declined.

Otamendi, who was the last to catch the ball, noticed from the corner of his eye that his potential receiving teammates were being closely guarded. He did not dare to neglect Cavani's pressing and resorted to a direct big-footed clearance.

Aguero, who is at the front of the striker, is only 1.7 meters tall and has almost no aerial ball dominance.

Van Dijk, who was lagging behind, easily headed the ball back and passed it to goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Aguero turned a corner and pounced on Cech who was receiving the ball.

Cech stopped the ball and passed it to Van Dijk who retreated to widen the receiving angle.

Sterling and Aguero turned around and applied pressure at the same time. Van Dijk, who had a very stable mentality, stopped for a moment and directly took the ball to Mahrez on the right side of the frontcourt.

The Algeria international has excellent foot skills. Manchester City's left back Benjamin Mendila went out to defend, but obviously had reservations considering the opponent's excellent foot skills.

That's exactly what happened. Mahrez took advantage of the change in rhythm and walked directly in. After attracting De Bruyne and Sane to help defend, he used the instep of his outside foot to pass the ball to Martin, who suddenly accelerated towards the right rib from the center. .

Fernandinho saw that Martin had no intention of slowing down and guessed that the opponent was going to stop repeatedly.

He never expected that at the moment he touched the ball, Martin suddenly braked on the spot, and naturally stepped forward with his left foot. Using the flexibility of his ankle, he used the outside instep of his left foot to move the football to the left.

Fernandinho, who realized it late, was affected by inertia and could only watch Martin break through in the opposite direction of his movement.

Foden's shortcomings in strong offense and weak defense were fully exposed at this moment. Facing Fernandinho's back, he lacked timely defense. By the time he realized what he should do, it was already too late.

Left center back Otamendi was distracted by Cavani's advance, and right center back Stones was also half a beat too late to cover up, but... Martin did not start his left foot far while gaining space for a long shot. Instead of shooting, he took the ball one step forward.

This also gives Stones an opportunity to make up defense!
Manchester City coach Guardiola is very familiar with Martin's simple style of play, and he is not the kind of player who delays opportunities.

If you take the extra step, you must have other plans.

"Oops!"

Guardiola's heart skipped a beat as he looked towards the depth of defense.

At the same time, Martin, who attracted Stones to fill in, pushed with the arch of his left foot.

The football, which was close to the ground, quickly passed by Stones' outstretched left foot.

"Aubameyang!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said impassionedly.

Aubameyang, who was driving forward at high speed, left right back Kyle Walker behind, and Martin's well-timed through ball was stopped and cut into the left rib of the penalty area.

His stopping of the ball is very comfortable, eliminating the need for other unnecessary movements.

Goalkeeper Bravo struck out in a timely manner, but Aubameyang did not make too many adjustments. There was a change of pace at the moment of shooting. He made a false impression of hitting the far corner and waited until the opponent made a change of focus. In an instant, he used the flexibility of his ankle to flick the ball towards the near-end goal. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——"

"Goooooooooooal——"

The football hit the snow-white net, and the Arsenal fans in the audience became excited. The commentators in the on-site commentary box were obviously greatly affected, and they blurted out a long and drawn-out sound.

Aubameyang, who scored, did not celebrate the goal. He ran into the goal, fished out the ball, and threw it hard into the middle of the field.

"Nice goal!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "Martin assisted Aubameyang to help Arsenal regain one in the 43rd minute, 1:3!"

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta raised his arms and shouted excitedly, venting his joy at narrowing the gap.

Relying too much on Martin will indeed bring some unpleasant sounds, but...it's really fun!

While Martin high-fived Aubameyang, he encouraged his teammates provocatively: "Just play like this, and victory must belong to us!"

The sound is very high-pitched, infectious and very clear.

The Manchester City players were shocked when they heard this, and strong uneasiness swept through their bodies instantly.

"Steady, steady!"

Guardiola also realized that the rhythm was wrong, and he continuously made downward movements with both palms towards the frowning players.

The meaning I want to express is quite obvious, that is, I hope the players can stabilize their mentality, don't panic, and maintain the current score until the end of the first half.

If we concede another goal, we really won't be able to play in the second half.

The new Wembley Stadium rang with huge shouts from Arsenal fans and neutral fans. The fanatical atmosphere swept the entire venue and the morale of Arsenal players was greatly boosted. On the other hand, the uneasiness of Manchester City players was even stronger. One plus and one loss made the technical level unclear. There is no big gap between the two sides in terms of performance.

"Beep~"

When the whistle sounded, Aguero kicked the ball to Sterling. Cavani, Martin, Aubameyang and Mahrez continued to press in an orderly manner.

At the beginning, Manchester City players were able to conduct effective and rapid passes, but they lacked the ability to handle the ball more efficiently when De Bruyne was closely guarded.

He thought of Gundogan.

So, he quickly walked to the bench: "Ilkay, go warm up."

When the broadcast screen switched over, I saw Gundogan running towards the warm-up area.

PP sports commentator Zhan Jundao: "It is unrealistic for Gundogan to come on as a substitute before the end of the first half. I think it is most likely to prepare for coming on as a substitute before the start of the second half."

"It can also be seen from the side that Guardiola is a little anxious."

Commentator Li Yuankui laughed and said: "If Gundogan was on the court, I think Manchester City's defense in the middle would be better. The youngster Foden is talented and capable, but his defense has made no contribution."

After a while, the fourth champion held up the electronic sign indicating two minutes of injury time.

In other words, there are still two minutes left in the first half.

On the pitch, Arsenal's high-position pressing was very layered.

Players with excellent technical skills at their feet are closely marked, while Sterling, Fernandinho and Manchester City defenders with weaker potential catching skills become secondary focus players.

After multiple handoffs, the ball was handed to his national teammate Sterling by Kyle Walker.

Ferland Mendy was decisive in the attack, and Coquelin was also very active in assisting in defense. In addition, due to the very fanatical atmosphere at the scene, Sterling stopped the ball far away from his body.

Ferland Mendy, who is in excellent physical condition, fell to the ground decisively and tackled, taking advantage of his long legs to take the lead and hook the ball out from the side.

Aubameyang, who actively returned to defense, rushed the ball to captain Martin who received the ball in the middle before De Bruyne responded.

Fernandinho's defensive pressure was so great that Martin did not dare to neglect even if his back was turned to the direction of the attack, and he was even ready to use a foul to stop Martin.

However, Martin, who was running to receive the ball, did not pick up the ball. He looked like he had eyes in the back of his head and pushed the ball behind his left side with the outside of his left foot.

Immediately afterwards, he braked suddenly on the spot, and then started suddenly again, so that Fernandinho, who had to stop suddenly, felt that his brain was going to shut down.

Fortunately, the body's conditioned reflexes were quick and it kept up with Martin's pace.

Little did he know that everything Martin did was premeditated. After Fernandinho's difficult start, he stopped in place for a second, making full use of his super explosive power to start horizontally and reversely to the right.

The entire action was completed in a very short period of time, and the direct result was that Fernandinho lost control of Martin and was unable to even commit a foul.

Xhaka and Martin, who had just received the football a second ago, had a perfect understanding of each other. After a pause, they immediately passed the ball to the opponent's most comfortable position.

Foden's shortcomings in the midfield are infinitely magnified at this time. If the experienced Gundogan is on the court, he will definitely get close to Fernandinho who is marking Martin as soon as he switches from offense to defense. So as to achieve timely supplementary defense.

Foden waited until it was too late to realize that he should defend.

After Martin got rid of Fernandinho, he directly faced the entire back line when he received Xhaka's pass.

Cavani, who was at the forefront of the striker, moved forward from the center to the left rib, making way for the center.

Martin, whose speed has fully increased, is directly facing Otamendi and Benjamin Mendy, who is similar to the midfielder in this game.

Aubameyang and Mahrez also actively supported the attack, advancing at high speed from both wings.

"aoaooaoaoooooooo——"

Overwhelming cheers swept the entire new Wembley Stadium in an instant.

Martin brought the ball to his own side and was about two meters away from the center circle arc. He caught Benjamin Mendy leaving the defense zone with his peripheral vision, and the arch of his left foot sent the ball to the right flank of the attack.

"Riyad Mahrez!"

Accompanied by a shout from Sky TV commentator Andy Gray, Mahrez, who appeared on the broadcast screen, passed the center line at a speed visible to the naked eye, chasing Martin and sending a diagonal through ball with a certain amount of advance.

It was obviously unrealistic for Benjamin Mendy, who wanted to pounce on Martin, to defend Mahrez. He could only switch positions with Otamendi to defend.

In other words, Otamendi went to mark Mahrez, who was receiving the ball, and Benjamin Mendy dropped back to fill the left center back position.

This defensive option is often used in passive situations when switching from offense to defense, and there is no problem.

But...the two ignored Martin's speed at the critical moment!

Mahrez, who was running at full speed, naturally stepped out with his left foot and passed the football passed by Martin to the front left.

A more conventional two-on-two hitting the wall style!
Guardiola's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. From the corner of his eye, he saw Martin catching up with Benjamin Mendy at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then passed Mahrez's pass directly in front of him. direction of travel.

Realizing that the situation was not good, Benjamin Mendy instinctively fell to the ground and shoveled, but his movements were still a little slow and he only shoveled a ball of air.

"Ruined!

Manchester City fans at the new Wembley Stadium closed their eyes in pain.

Stones, whose defensive attention was taken away by Cavani, is not a speed type, and the cooperation between Martin and Mahrez is very particular. It is equivalent to overtaking Benjamin Mendy on the inside and directly facing Martin who is forward. Goalie Bravo.

"I...Fake!"

Bravo, who showed acclimatization after joining Manchester City, complained in his heart.

Martin still maintains an extremely frightening 100% hit rate on one-handed shots. As a goalkeeper whose condition is declining, what else can he do?
Either wait to die, or fight for it.

Bravo chose to die bravely.

Martin was running at full speed and also had a broad vision. He shot directly from about 26 meters away from the goal.

But it's not a powerful and violent long-range shot, but a very test of footwork...

"Martin!"

"The hanging door!!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose an octave higher.

Bravo, who hit the penalty spot, suddenly braked on the spot. He just took a step back and had to use the weak inertia to take off.

However, at the age of 35, his physical functions have declined greatly, and due to his lack of height, his jumping height is very limited.

Martin's footwork is the best in world football. Bravo's raised right fingertips were still several centimeters away from the falling football.

It was just these few centimeters that left him powerless...

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——"

A few tenths of a second later, the entire New Wembley Stadium erupted into excitement, and the mighty momentum swept through the entire stadium in a very short period of time. Even the main road a few kilometers away could clearly feel the terror coming from this stadium. Atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)