hotmtlnovel Chapter 52: A Goal and Assist: The Unparalleled 9-99 Goal and Assist Linkage in Serie A!
Chapter 52: A Goal and Assist: The Unparalleled 9-99 Goal and Assist Linkage in Serie A!
"goooooooooooal"
The commentators in the San Siro stadium's commentary booth all drew out their voices in unison.
Chang Huan, who scored the goal, spread his arms and ran wildly toward the camera positions on the sidelines.
Behind him were his teammates, who were filled with enthusiasm.
The visiting team's coach, Di Francisco, and his assistant embraced passionately while standing in the technical area.
The atmosphere in the technical area, which was not far from the home team's coaching staff, was completely different.
Montella and his assistant spread their hands, expressing their dissatisfaction with the players' performance on the field.
How could the defense line be breached so easily?
De Rossi made a long pass, Dzeko laid it off, and Chang Huan controlled the ball, dribbled past three defenders, and scored into an empty net.
Chang Huan, who was spotted by the live broadcast director, came to the camera position and expressed his ecstasy at scoring by sliding on his knees.
"Damn Chinese, go home!"
"Vaffanculo! (CN)"
"You idiot! Victory belongs to Milan!"
"What's with the arrogance? It's just one goal."
Once they realized what was happening, the Milan fans unleashed their energy, unleashing a deluge of boos and insults.
Chang Huan used the momentum from his sliding knees to stand up smoothly, ignoring the furious home fans, and turned around to hug his teammates who ran up to celebrate.
PP Sports commentator Shi Qingsheng exclaimed, "This combination between Dzeko and Chang Huan reminds me of Ribery and Robben's winning goal in the 12-13 Champions League final, but Chang Huan was more composed, getting past goalkeeper Donnarumma before scoring into an empty net!"
"Roma takes a 1-0 lead over AC Milan at the San Siro thanks to a goal from young player Chang Huan!"
Commentator Liu Yue exclaimed excitedly, "He's in excellent form, and... there's a high probability he'll deliver even more spectacular performances!"
The live broadcast director routinely recreated the entire process of the goal.
De Rossi's long pass found Dzeko, who set up Chang Huan, who suddenly accelerated, sprinting and cutting into the penalty area with a combination of stops and turns...
"Chang Huan seems to have an unparalleled nose for opportunities. Edin Dzeko accelerated before even receiving the ball, shaking off Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and just in time to catch the ball, which had been deflected by Frank Kessie, changing its trajectory. He remained remarkably calm in front of the goal!"
Fabio Carreza, a knowledgeable commentator for Sky Italy, started his analysis from a long shot: "The future of this 17-year-old Chinese boy is absolutely promising!"
The game has restarted.
Despite conceding an early goal, Milan played with composure, not rushing to increase their attacking numbers, and strictly adhering to the tactics set by coach Montella before the match.
Roma, taking the lead, remained calm and handed the initiative to AC Milan, waiting for a counter-attack opportunity.
The offensive system has become increasingly coordinated and tacit after a month and a half of actual combat.
Dzeko's exceptional scoring and playmaking abilities, combined with Chang Huan's outstanding ability to create scoring opportunities, make them an unstoppable force in Di Francisco's eyes!
Seize the opportunity and extend your lead!
AC Milan's attack was very cautious, rarely exploiting Roma's dominant central area, and instead focusing on the two flanks.
As time goes by, Ricardo Rodriguez and Borini, both wing-backs, are almost turning into wingers.
He continuously supplied ammunition to the two center forwards, Andre Silva and Kalinic.
Biglia's excellent control of the tempo and precise long passes often provide excellent opportunities for wing-backs to cross.
However, the two wing-backs didn't have a good touch when crossing, and their crosses weren't very accurate.
With very few opportunities, Çalhanoğlu will step forward to try and get a long-range shot.
Thirty minutes have passed.
The scoreboard still shows 0:1.
AC Milan have diversified their attacking tactics and have begun to try to penetrate into the flanks.
How could Di Francisco not know what Montella was up to?
Create a free kick and let Çalhanoğlu take it.
Roma defended very well in the central and flank areas, with their players holding their positions and surrounding the defense without pressing.
Then, by using sudden, localized pressing, they forced Milan players to pass the ball to the flanks.
In the 34th minute of the match, an unexpected incident occurred on the field.
Roma midfielder Strootman couldn't continue after a challenge with Kessie and was replaced by Lorenzo Pellegrini.
This adjustment has had some impact on Roma's midfield.
Di Francesco played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, De Rossi continued to play deep, and the versatile player Nainggolan did the work of Strootman, letting 21-year-old Lorenzo Pellegrini be responsible for establishing connections with the front three.
Three minutes later.
Milan attacked down the left flank, where Ricardo Rodriguez used André Silva's forward run to draw attention and then passed the ball to Çalhanoğlu in the half-space.
The Turkish international passed the ball to his right foot and quickly delivered a cross.
Fazio blocked the ball, and Manolas headed it away.
Roma launch a counter-attack with a long pass from their own half!
Chang Huan received the ball on the right flank of his own half near the center line, and Ricardo Rodriguez committed a decisive foul.
"Hold onto the ball!"
Montella shouted a warning, but it was too late.
Chang Huan, with his back to the ball, blocked the belatedly aware Ricardo Rodriguez behind him, quickly bent down and pressed the ball to a stop, turning a live ball into a dead ball.
Take the free kick quickly!
He then played one-two passes with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bruno Perez.
After bypassing the double-team of Andre Silva and Kessie, Çalhanoğlu, who was chasing back at full speed, intentionally rear-ended Chang Huan, who was trying to accelerate with the ball, and kicked him to the ground.
Referee Rocchi promptly blew his whistle to call a foul, pointing to three different spots before issuing a yellow card.
This means that issuing a yellow card is cumulative rather than a single action.
The home fans didn't care about any of that and started hurling insults at Rocchi.
The location of the foul was at approximately a 60-degree angle to the right goalpost, and the straight-line distance to the goal was over 30 meters, making it a free kick from a relatively remote and distant position.
Chang Huan leaned closer to Kolarov, covering his mouth with his left hand: "Brother, what do you say about this play?"
"You kick it."
Kolarov craned his neck to glance at Donnarumma in front of the goal, then covered his mouth with his hand: "I'll cover for you."
"OK!"
Kolarov, who placed the ball at the location of the foul, was standing approximately 45 degrees to the right and behind the ball.
Chang Huan was parallel to the baseline, about two steps away from the football.
The whistle blew.
Chang Huan, raising his right hand, took the lead in the running start, followed closely by Kolarov.
AC Milan's double wall didn't think Chang Huan would take the penalty; their attention was focused on Kolarov, who was running back.
Chang Huan struck the ball on the lower left side with the inside of his left foot.
The football, spinning rapidly, rose quickly into the air, passing over the heads of the jumping wall before heading towards the left side of the penalty area.
Bonucci, positioned far in front of Dzeko, ran to the left edge of the six-yard box, adjusted his steps, and jumped while watching the falling ball.
However, a fraction of a second later, he discovered that the arc of the football in mid-air was greater than he had previously judged!
So much so that...
"Bonucci missed the header!"
PP Sports commentator Shi Qingsheng raised his voice by eight octaves.
Dzeko trusted Chang Huan's passing ability and continued running forward even when Bonucci jumped.
That's not...
Just in time, he used his chest to gently nudge the ball that had slipped through his body in the direction it was traveling, and while looking up at Donnarumma, he adjusted his footwork.
With his right foot crossing the penalty area line, his studs firmly embedded in the turf to support his body, he swung his left foot and struck the lower part of the ball, which bounced off the ground and reached the height of his calf.
Boom~
A crisp, muffled thud echoed through the air above the San Siro stadium.
Donnarumma, who had hastily moved to the near corner, threw himself out and lunged to make a save.
However, this shot, delivered with the instep of the foot, hit the ball perfectly, sending it hurtling towards the near top corner, heading straight for the dead end.
"goooooooooooal"
Several commentators in the live commentary booth subconsciously drew out their voices, inciting the fans watching the live broadcast to unleash their passion.
After scoring, Dzeko iconicly spread his arms wide to embrace his ecstatic teammates, while simultaneously beckoning Chang Huan, who had delivered the brilliant free-kick pass, to join him.
"Edin Dzeko and Chang Huan both contributed a goal and an assist!"
Sky Sports Italia commentator Fabio Carreza was thrilled: "Roma's 9-99 combination goal-scoring efficiency is the best in Serie A!"
"Dio mio! (Damn it!)"
Montella swung his right foot and kicked the water bottle in front of him.
A muffled thud.
The plastic water bottle exploded with a loud bang, splashing water everywhere.
The away team coach directs the technical area.
The Roma coaching staff raised their arms in celebration, venting their elation at extending the lead.
The Roma fans in the corner of the third tier of the San Siro stadium were as excited as children, celebrating their beloved team's goal with near-frenzy.
The live broadcast director gave a close-up shot to Dzeko, who scored the goal.
PP Sports commentator Shi Qingsheng ignored it all and showered praise on Chang Huan, who was off-screen: "His free kick was like precision-guided, bypassing Milan captain Bonucci to find the advancing Dzeko. I have to say, Chang Huan's footwork is simply too monstrous; he can dribble, shoot, and pass!"
"Speaking of Chang Huan's footwork, it's really good."
The broadcast switched to a replay, and commentator Liu Yue exclaimed, "The ball flying towards Milan's far penalty area was like a magnificent rainbow streaking across the sky, bypassing obstacles to find a teammate. Dzeko's exceptional ability to seize opportunities in front of goal allowed him to extend the lead..."