Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 80 The Unstoppable Force of Shan Yongzhuo
A week later, Roma will host Chievo.

In this match, Shan Yongzhuo came on as a substitute and scored the only goal of the game, bringing his goal tally to 31.

Two days later, Roma faced off in the fifth round of the Italian Cup. Roma finished sixth in Serie A last season, and this season's Italian Cup began with the fifth round, with their opponent being Serie B side Triestina.

The Roma team didn't seem to care much about their opponents. Many believed that even with a reserve team, Roma, playing at home, was not a team that Triestina could beat.

Spalletti did the same, fielding a rotating squad.

However, sometimes, football matches cannot be decided simply by comparing lineups. Triestina's defense is hard to describe as outstanding, but their players are very tough, aggressive, and full of motivation, even when playing away from home.

Roma dominated possession with their strength and teamwork, but failed to score, allowing Treestina to score a goal early in the second half through a quick counter-attack.

This was a free-kick combination, with the team's tall defender heading the ball into the Roma goal.

This goal greatly displeased the home fans. Although it was just an Italian Cup match, losing at home to a second-division team was unacceptable.

This goal greatly excited the Trestina players, who were eager to defeat the Serie A leaders, which would be an honor.

That's exactly what they thought. In the following match, Treestina almost entirely defended, thwarting Roma's repeated attacks and giving them hope of defeating Roma away from home.

More than 70 minutes into the game, Spalletti finally couldn't hold back any longer. He looked at the bench and directly called out Shan Yongzhuo's name.

"Shan, go warm up!"

Upon hearing this, Shan Yongzhuo immediately went to warm up.

In the 75th minute, Roma made a substitution, with Shan Yongzhuo replacing Luca Toni, the Italian veteran center forward who had been on loan to the team in the winter transfer window.

Upon seeing Shan Yongzhuo enter the field, the stadium announcer immediately cheered, "Spalletti has substituted Shan Yongzhuo! Roma's top scorer has entered the game! Treestina's days are numbered!"

The Roma fans were ecstatic. They had always had great faith in Shan Yongzhuo, and of course, Shan Yongzhuo had never let them down.

Luca Toni, who was substituted off the field, was also a little surprised to see this scene. Although he knew that Shan Yongzhuo was very good, he did not expect him to be so popular in Rome.

"These young people nowadays are truly remarkable!" Tony couldn't help but exclaim.

“Yes, Luca,” Totti laughed. “He’s much better than you.”

Tony smiled. "Yeah, maybe I really am getting old, but Francisco, you're much older than me."

"So what?" Totti raised his head proudly and said, "I already know how to practice Chinese Qigong, and I will only get better and better."

"Chinese Qigong?"

"Yes, Luca, maybe you can give it a try."

Then, Totti patiently introduced Tony to the Chinese Qigong he practiced, thus beginning his missionary career.

On the field, the moment Shan Yongzhuo stepped onto the pitch, the Trestina players immediately tensed up, knowing full well that he was currently the hottest striker in Serie A.

However, their defense was ineffective.

Just three minutes after coming on, Shan Yongzhuo, having built up his powerful leg, easily received the ball and, from 28 meters out on the right side of the penalty area, unleashed a powerful shot that pierced the Treestina goal. "Shan Yongzhuo! In just three minutes, he helped Roma equalize!"

Seeing Shan Yongzhuo score, head coach Spalletti breathed a sigh of relief and said to assistant coach Domenicini, "Sure enough, scoring goals still depends on Shan."

"Yes, hopefully Luca can regain some of his form."

The assistant coach couldn't help but shake his head. In the first 75 minutes, there were countless opportunities in the attacking third, but Toni hadn't scored a single goal. Now, Shan Yongzhuo had only been on the field for 3 minutes, and his first shot on goal had already found the net.

This efficiency is far too low.

Toni is a world-class striker who has achieved great things late in his career. He was Bayern Munich's top scorer and Italy's main striker in the 06 World Cup. How could he have fallen so far in just 3 or 4 years?

Meanwhile, Toni, who hadn't heard his coach's words, looked at Totti with a puzzled expression and asked, "Francisco, is this the magic you were talking about? Close your eyes?"

“Yes, this is a single type of magic, relying on Qi cultivation. Luca, I suggest you join Philip and me in our training; it will help you maintain your form.”

"Let me think again..."

After scoring, Shan Yongzhuo wasn't particularly excited. In his opinion, while Treestina's defense was very strong, its level was questionable, only slightly better than that of the Austrian Bundesliga.

However, Shan Yongzhuo is no longer the young Austrian Bundesliga player he was a year ago. The experience he has gained in the past half season has greatly improved his strength, experience, and skills, and his shooting skills have become even more impressive.

He wants to score a goal, and even without relying on skill, it's not actually that difficult.

Not long after the game restarted, Shan Yongzhuo received a pass on the outside, then unleashed a whirlwind kick, directly beating two opposing defenders, and then scored to turn the score around.

"It's Shan Yongzhuo again!"

"The second goal!"

"He's only been on the pitch for seven minutes, and he's already scored two goals!"

After scoring this goal, Trestina finally realized the gap in strength, and their fighting spirit began to wane, but they still persisted in defending seriously.

Two minutes later, their tough defense gave Shan Yongzhuo a free kick from 25 meters out. Shan Yongzhuo took the free kick and unleashed a dipping shot that once again pierced their goal.

"3:1!"

"It's Shan Yongzhuo again, how terrifying!"

"He only played for 10 minutes, but he scored a hat-trick, directly helping Roma to a 3-1 comeback. Treestina did not pay enough attention to Shan Yongzhuo, and now they are paying the price."

"Before Shan Yongzhuo came on, Trestina's players might have thought they had a chance to beat Roma, but now, with Shan Yongzhuo's appearance, their defeat has been sealed."

"Three easy goals, three goals showcasing Shan Yongzhuo's unparalleled shooting skills..."

"A terrifying striker, the terrifying Shan Yongzhuo, a hat-trick in ten minutes, he is the most reliable goal-scoring machine for the Olympic team in Rome!"

(End of this chapter)