Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 45 Deadlock
The players from Roma and Juventus stood on opposite sides, and amidst the cheers and shouts of the crowd, the referee blew the opening whistle.

The cheers of more than 40,000 people made the scene very exciting.

However, after the start, the game seemed a bit dull for both sides.

Juventus played somewhat conservatively and slowly, which is their usual style, while Roma's approach was more of a probing move at the start.

Dan Yongzhuo was not feeling well, because he found himself being closely watched.

The person marking him wasn't Cannavaro, but Chiellini who was constantly with him. Whenever he moved to the other side, Chiellini and Cannavaro would quickly switch positions. Even Melo would drop back slightly to cover him.

Chiellini was exceptionally strong; in every physical confrontation, Shan Yongzhuo couldn't gain the slightest advantage. While Cannavaro's physique was average, his anticipation and positioning were outstanding.

Shan Yongzhuo had a very tough time, as it was difficult for him to receive passes from his teammates, and if a pass came in, it meant defeat.

Rome's several offensives were ended here.

On the sidelines, Ferrara sat on the coach's bench, watching the opponent's attacks being thwarted time and time again, and couldn't help but reveal a smile that said, "Just as I expected."

However, Juventus' own attack is also quite constipated.

Juventus' attack has always relied heavily on crosses from the wings and overlapping runs from the midfield and defense. Therefore, they brought in Brazilian midfielder Diego.

However, in this match, Diego, who was highly anticipated in midfield, became embroiled in a battle with De Rossi.

Diego is technically outstanding and is the core of the midfield attack organization. His long-range shots are also quite threatening. However, he is unlikely to gain any advantage in one-on-one battles with the tough De Rossi.

Diego's feelings weren't much better than Shan Yongzhuo's.

For the first fifteen minutes, the two sides were evenly matched.

Dan Yongzhuo was also a little anxious. He had already accumulated enough points for the Mighty Vajra Leg, but he hadn't had a chance to use it at all because Juventus' defense was too tight.

As for set pieces and corner kicks, on the one hand, the two set pieces Roma got were simply too far from the goal, and on the other hand, as a newcomer, it wasn't appropriate for him to take them.

As for the whirlwind ground kick, it's hard to find an opportunity to use it. With Chiellini marking him closely, if he makes the slightest movement when receiving the ball, he'll probably be brought down to the ground.

Shan Yongzhuo has already noticed this. This guy is not only physically strong and tough, but also has really good defensive skills. He can easily steal the ball from his feet and bring him down while ensuring that he does not commit a foul.

This big guy is really a tough one to deal with.

Despite being only 25 years old, Chiellini has already been highly regarded by Juventus as the future leader of their defense, and his abilities are still outstanding.

Chiellini, who started his career as a full-back, is not only tall and has a tough playing style, but he is also quite fast and has a strong ability to provide cover and assist in defense. He is a very well-rounded center-back.

Throughout the first half, Shan Yongzhuo did not get a single shot on goal. For Roma, only Totti and Vucinic had a few long-range shooting opportunities, but unfortunately they did not pose any threat.

Fortunately, Juventus' attack was also poorly executed. Diego was constantly entangled in a battle with De Rossi and didn't have much of an impact. On the contrary, Juventus veteran Camoranesi frequently broke through Riise's defense and delivered several good crosses. Fortunately, Burdisso and Mexes performed well and suppressed Amauri and Iaquinta.

After a somewhat dull 45 minutes in the first half, the score remained 0-0.

Spalletti was still acceptable to the team's performance in the first half. Although Shan Yongzhuo was stuck in the opponent's defensive quagmire, in his opinion, there wasn't much he could do against the defensive combination of Cannavaro and Chiellini.

In this match, his offensive focus was not on Shan Yongzhuo, but on Vucinic on the left wing. Unfortunately, Vucinic's performance was only mediocre.

Spalletti didn't have much to do. He summarized the team's performance in the first half, praised Burdisso and Mexes in the back line, and didn't say much about the others.

In the second half, the situation remained unchanged. The two teams played a dull game, which even looked a bit like a rugby match. The players' actions became more and more aggressive, and the physical confrontations were very intense. In just twenty minutes, Mexes, Camoranesi, Melo, and De Rossi all received yellow cards.

With less and less time left in the game, Shan Yongzhuo was also thinking about what to do.

In fact, he does have opportunities to receive the ball, but he rarely gets a chance to adjust and shoot after receiving it. He's also hesitant to use his whirlwind ground kick recklessly; if the opponent fouls him and brings him to the ground, its effectiveness disappears…

and many more.

Shan Yongzhuo suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen into some kind of misconception.

He was thinking about using the Whirlwind Ground Kick to get past his opponent and then calmly break through the goal, or he could directly use the Mighty Vajra Kick to shoot.

But why can't the two skills be used together?

If I use the whirlwind ground kick, I can definitely get past Chiellini immediately and create a brief opening. A normal shot might not be enough to score from that opening, but if I use the powerful kick before he can bring me down, wouldn't the chances of scoring be much higher?
Although it's a bit wasteful, there's not much else to do right now, so breaking down the door is the most important thing.

And the opportunity seemed to arrive very quickly.

In the 73rd minute, Roma launched a quick attack from a free kick in their own half. De Rossi received the ball near the halfway line, got past Diego, and then passed the ball to Taddei on the right wing.

After dribbling forward for a while, Taddei pushed the ball towards the center, and it was passed to Totti.

Totti ran forward, saw the ball rolling towards him, and immediately looked ahead.

Shan Yongzhuo and Vucinic rushed into the penalty area.

Vucinic was positioned on the left, with Grigera there, and Camoranesi also retreated, closely following Vucinic.

Shan Yongzhuo was directly in front, with Chiellini beside him.

Taddei on the right was also rushing into the penalty area, but De Ceglie was marking him, and Cannavaro was also moving in that direction.

Melo charged toward Totti, who, without hesitation, swung his right foot and pushed the ball forward with force, sending it rolling toward Shan Yongzhuo.

(End of this chapter)