Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 64 Will I become the tragic hero of the national team?

After the second half of the game resumed.

While intensifying their offensive, Fulham also tightened their marking on Shan Yongzhuo.

Aaron Hughes closely guarded him, staying right next to Shan Yongzhuo.

Aaron Hughes is a Northern Irish player who came through the Newcastle United youth academy and later played for Aston Villa. After transferring to Fulham in the summer of 2007, he quickly became a key player in Fulham's defense.

Under his close surveillance, Shan Yongzhuo's pressure increased sharply.

However, the camera kept focusing on Shan Yongzhuo, after all, he had scored two brilliant goals.

On the Fulham coaching bench, Hodgson was also observing Shan Yongzhuo, who seemed somewhat lost.

The two goals in the first half were truly spectacular, a testament to individual skill. Those goals are incredibly difficult to score; any mistake in any part of the process could lead to failure.

But the opponent scored consecutively, which left Hodgson quite amazed.

The second goal could be attributed to good footwork, but the first goal was more than just skill.

To turn and shoot without stopping the ball, and to produce such a terrifying curve shot, is extremely difficult.

"However, his physical strength, technique, and speed are all average. If you limit him, it will be difficult for him to perform well."

Hodgson felt there shouldn't be any problem; the opponent just had good footwork.

Then, the situation on the field did indeed turn out exactly as he had imagined.

Ten minutes into the second half, Shan Yongzhuo had only touched the ball once and was immediately dispossessed – a performance Hodgson wanted to see.

However, it is very difficult to completely restrict a player in a game, or even prevent him from getting the ball.

It's impossible unless the gap in strength between the two teams is so large as to be incomprehensible.

There's not much difference between Roma and Fulham, and Roma even has a slight edge in terms of strength.

In the 58th minute of the second half, Shan Yongzhuo got another chance. He received the ball 30 meters from the goal, then used a powerful ground kick to shake off Aaron Hughes, quickly rushed into the penalty area, and then shot directly, once again piercing Fulham's goal.

"The ball went in again!"

"hat trick!"

"Shan Yongzhuo, he dribbled past Hughes and unleashed a powerful shot, giving Roma a two-goal lead!"

Craven Cottage was silent; every fan was frustrated. The opposing team had scored again.

The Fulham players were also frustrated, with Aaron Hughes being the most upset, feeling cheated.

Hodgson told himself that his opponent's footwork was mediocre and his speed was not fast.

"Is this what you call mediocre footwork and slow speed?"

Aaron Hughes was frustrated. Just now, after the opponent controlled the ball with one touch, he turned and got past him. Although the speed wasn't extremely fast, it was still quite fast for someone dribbling.

What's even more terrifying is that the ball never stays more than half a meter from the opponent's feet. This level of ball control is simply top-notch dribbling skill!

On the other side, Hangeland was in a better mood. His defense in the first half had been the subject of complaints from the whole team. "Aaron, now you know, this guy is unstoppable."

"In the first half, I could still keep up with him, but now Aaron has been completely outmaneuvered. Looks like I, Brad, am still the better player!"

While Fulham was feeling down, Roma was very happy.

Shan Yongzhuo was also very excited. He had completed a hat-trick in this game, and he also had a Ghost Catching Hand that he hadn't used yet, so he had a good chance to score another goal.

This is a Europa League match, and the opponent is Fulham, an English Premier League team. Even though it's a less-watched group stage, it's still more meaningful than a regular Serie A match. This is a true continental stage.

1: 3.

Roma took a two-goal lead, then Spalletti waved his hand, signaling to the team to stabilize the game, strengthen their defense, and look for opportunities to counter-attack.

Fulham are in an even worse situation, trailing by two goals and facing Roma's deep and compact defense, which is a real headache.

They resorted to the traditional English tactic of crossing from the flanks. Their efforts paid off, as in the 75th minute of the second half, veteran substitute Damien Duff broke through on the wing and cut inside before shooting, piercing the Roma goal and pulling one back for Fulham.

However, five minutes later, they suffered another blow.

In a counter-attack by Roma, Totti's shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but Shan Yongzhuo activated his Ghost Catching Hand technique, regained possession of the ball, and then scored Roma's fourth goal with a shot from a tight angle inside the penalty area.

This was also the last goal of the match.

Fulham tried to equalize, but time was running out, and they ultimately failed to score.

Thanks to Shan Yongzhuo's four goals, Roma defeated Fulham away from home, securing their second consecutive victory in the Europa League group stage.

After the match, the media reporters were ecstatic.

Although the English journalists were disappointed, it did not stop them from reporting on the match with great enthusiasm.

The same is true for media outlets in other countries, especially the smug Italian media.

This match has garnered a lot of attention. There aren't many strong teams in the Europa League. Roma is a strong team in Serie A and has performed exceptionally well this season, while Fulham is a Premier League team. The clash between the two teams is considered a high-profile match in the Europa League.

After the match, the media became even more excited.

Of course, apart from the Italian media who are used to Shan Yongzhuo's various goals, other media outlets were shocked.

Roma's victory over Fulham is nothing special in itself, but a 19-year-old youngster's four goals in the Europa League is quite remarkable.

Generally speaking, it's already quite an achievement to score in the Europa League, let alone a four-goal haul.

This is a remarkable achievement.

After the match, Shan Yongzhuo also gave an interview in the mixed zone because he saw Chinese media among the participants.

"Let's talk about the game. How did you feel about that four-goal haul?"

"What do you think are the differences between Serie A and the Europa League?"

What are your thoughts on Fulham?

Shan Yongzhuo gave a brief answer, which the reporters felt seemed a bit perfunctory. However, both the Italian and Chinese media were used to it, and they knew that it was already quite good that Shan Yongzhuo would agree to an interview.

One of the Chinese reporters asked a question that caught Shan Yongzhuo's attention: "China's national team coach Gao Hongbo has publicly expressed his interest in you and wants to call you up for the Asian Cup qualifiers. Do you hope to be selected for the national team?"

"The national team..."

Shan Yongzhuo smiled and said, "Of course I'm looking forward to it. It's an honor to join the national team, and I'm no exception."

"Thank you." The reporter was satisfied with this response.

Back in the locker room, Shan Yongzhuo kept thinking.

"Should I still join the national team?"

"We definitely need to join this."

"But what if the national team can't win? Will I be blamed too?"

In his previous life, Shan Yongzhuo was a notorious critic of the Chinese national football team. Unexpectedly, after transmigrating, he found himself joining the national team.

But then he thought again that there was nothing to worry about.

“I have a system and skills. Even if I can only score two goals per game, no, in the national team we have to be conservative and let’s say one goal, that’s still pretty good.”

"Even if we lose, it shouldn't be my fault, right? I'll just become the national team's tragic hero..."

"That's right, let's do it this way. If you give me a sign, then go ahead and kick me."

"Participating in Asian-level competitions and scoring a few goals would be great!"

(End of this chapter)