Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Where legends are made (2)
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17th minute of the first half.
Manchester City took a one-goal lead thanks to Haaland's strike.
The silver lining was that Manchester City hadn't completely shifted to a defensive setup.
They rarely set up a double pivot defense to begin with.
Having taken an early goal against a Manchester United side they saw as clearly inferior from the start, it would have been strange for them to switch to a score-holding game plan.
Instead, Manchester City rode the momentum and pressed even harder.
On the flip side, this situation presented Manchester United with a chance to claw one back.
No substitutions yet.
It was only one goal conceded so far, and with over 70 minutes still left on the clock.
With their absolute best lineup on the pitch, pulling back now offered no guarantee of better opportunities later.
Above all, Manchester United had something they firmly believed in.
Those watching from the sidelines and those pounding the turf on the pitch.
Everyone had one player in mind.
——
The core of Manchester City's buildup: Rodri.
A defensive midfielder who had won the Ballon d'Or, one of the EPL's undisputed top midfielders.
Even at 33, his playstyle aged like fine wine, showing no drop in form and still exuding class.
Especially Rodri's signature composure had evolved further with the veteran savvy he'd accumulated.
These days, he practically owned Manchester City's midfield single-handedly.
As an attacking midfielder myself, should I drop deep to battle Rodri for possession and look for counter chances?
It was a tempting thought for a split second, but no—that wasn't the answer.
I couldn't afford to focus solely on attack.
In fact, zeroing in on Rodri would be inefficient if I wanted to push forward.
My positioning was noticeably lower than usual.
I was camped out centrally, even lower than where Reinders and Phil Foden were stationed.
Of course, we couldn't leave Rodri unchecked, so I'd assigned him a dedicated hunter.
Just redirecting Lucas Cruijff's goal obsession toward Rodri made everything easier.
His animalistic instincts were now predicting Rodri's next move on instinct.
Lucas charged like a beast.
Paang!!
Rodri panicked and overhit the long ball, sending it straight out of play.
"Nice one, Lucas!"
After my thumbs-up, Lucas zeroed right back in on Rodri.
What a loyal player.
So what was I doing?
Taak—
"Where the hell did he come from..?!"
I turned my teammates' sacrifice into a clear-cut chance.
And clear chances get finished.
That's what I do as a box-to-box midfielder.
——
Ban Yeager successfully received the throw-in from Rodri's errant kick.
His clean touch sent it forward, carving out space for a driving dribble.
But... that was as far as it went.
City had dropped deep to reorganize their defensive line, which is why space opened up for him in the first place.
The back four was solid, with Rodri screening in front.
City's midfielders were hustling back too.
This was United's best chance of the match so far, but objectively, it wasn't a gilt-edged scoring opportunity.
With so few openings tonight, all they could do was pray.
As Ban Yeager started his forward dribble, far more people dismissed it or fretted than expected success.
Lucas Cruijff drew eyes by penetrating the left flank.
Spotting it, I immediately surged left.
Waiting for teammates was the same as giving City time to recover.
Judging now was the highest-probability moment, I kept driving boldly without pause.
With Lucas dragging Rico Lewis central.
Even with just him, I had to exploit the left.
But since I'd beaten Rodri on the right earlier, going left now was basically running into Ruben Dias.
Dias was perfectly positioned on my dribble path, waiting.
Momentum was too high to change direction.
He stood ready to feast on the ball.
Thwoong—
I had no intention of braking or turning.
I chipped the ball just over Dias's right side and kept full speed.
"Urgh!!"
The ball was past, but he grabbed my jersey anyway to stop me.
Bwoooook—
Ironically, Dias became my pivot, helping me reset quickly.
Paang!!
I launched into a flying left-footed volley.
Chwaaaaruk—
The net rippled beautifully, igniting the Manchester United faithful.
IIIYAAAAAAA!!
"Yeager!!!"
Lucas came sprinting over to haul me up.
This goal was possible because he dragged Rico Lewis central, then held position for the cutback, pinning Gvardiol.
Practically an assist from him.
But since it wouldn't count as one—just a solo goal—I vowed to return the favor with his Manchester Derby debut strike.
"Yeager!! Your jersey's ripped!!!"
Gazing fondly at my dogged teammate, Lucas pointed wide-eyed at my right shoulder.
"Oh, yeah it is."
How hard did Dias yank?
I'd heard a rip earlier—must've been this.
"No big deal."
Just the shoulder; nothing major exposed.
Right now, celebrating with the ecstatic fans mattered more.
"Glory United!!!"
"""Glory United!!"""
"Victory United!!!"
"""Victory United!!"""
Victoria's recommended V gesture had great meaning and was dead simple.
Fans loved it too.
The sight of them flashing V's with both hands, waving wildly, was spectacular.
After soaking in the joy, time to get back.
We hadn't turned it around yet; if anything, focus was crucial now.
Piiik!!
As I turned stern-faced to trot back...
"Ah."
A ripped jersey was still a problem.
I had to head to the bench for a change.
——
Ban Yeager's insane solo goal.
Post-goal, the broadcast cam showed him celebrating.
Specifically zooming on his torn right shoulder.
Ban Yeager's goal sparked massive buzz across all platforms.