We made you the King of Prisoners, and now you've become the King of Football?

Chapter 106 One Step Closer to the Finals

The fifteen-minute halftime break passed in the blink of an eye.

The players from both sides returned to the field.

Villarreal fans in yellow jerseys were in high spirits in the stands.

"Welcome back to the game, everyone."

"The two sides will switch sides and start the second half." Zhan Jun's voice rang out again.

"If the first leg at Villarreal's home ground ends in a 1-1 draw, then Monaco will take the initiative from here on out."

"Therefore, in the second half, Villarreal must look for additional scoring opportunities on top of their basic counter-attacking tactics."

"Beep"

With the referee's whistle blowing.

The game has restarted.

Villarreal did not rush to launch a long pass after gaining possession of the ball.

-

The ball passed through the feet of Pina, Soriano, and Bailly in succession.

From forwards to midfielders and then to the defense.

The ball, after a simple pass, landed deep inside Villarreal's formation.

They still maintain a solid style of play, starting with possession in the backfield.

Seeing this scene.

The live stream chat immediately erupted in dissatisfaction.

"Vancouver has started playing defensively again. Instead of dribbling forward when they have possession, they're just passing the ball around in the back."

"Sigh, tonight's game was really not good. Monaco is playing away, so I think it's normal for them to play cautiously and try to survive."

"You yellow card player, not scoring at home? Are you waiting to get thrashed away?"

"I can't take it anymore! Can't Monaco just go up there and score a goal? Jiang Ming, give us a half-court lob!"

-

Villarreal's formation remains unchanged.

The series of short passes from the backfield were dazzling to watch.

The fans were tired, the fans were desperate.

This kind of kicking is incredibly agonizing and tests one's patience.

What the audience wants to see is a high-octane, high-intensity battle.

Who wants to see eleven turtles squatting at their own doorstep, slowly accumulating their feet?

But gradually, a subtle change occurred on the field.

Villarreal's defensive line has moved out of the penalty area.

The four midfielders are almost at the center circle.

Zhang Lu, a veteran tactician in China, immediately sensed something was amiss.

"Oh? Villarreal's formation is starting to advance."

"Their formation is slowly advancing."

"Compared to suddenly adopting a high-pressing kicking style."

"In this situation, Marcelino's team would prefer to maintain their formation and slowly push forward to look for opportunities."

Zhan Jun picked up the thread: "It's like the forward-pushing strategy used during the Italian Serie A mini-World Cup."

"The tactics are simple and the advance is slow, but the defense is very stable."

Villarreal maintained possession of the ball throughout.

During this period, the possession ratio reached 7 to 3.

But this was all within Yardin's expectations.

After all, Villarreal's counter-attacking style was so effective that even attacking teams like Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli had managed to defeat them 0-0.

This match is also being played away from home.

If the team presses forward directly, they may fall into a trap.

Since that's the case, instead of trying to solve the problem ourselves, we should learn from Villarreal's style of play and throw the problem back at them—

go with.

Thinking of this, Yardin looked up at the scoreboard on the big screen.

【1—1】

They scored an away goal thanks to the players' abilities.

As long as we hold on, we can steadily gain the upper hand.

Yaldin's lips curled up.

The ability to assess the situation and act accordingly is the quality a great coach should possess.

the other side.

"Damn it, that old bastard Yaldin is cunning enough."

Marcelino also realized the problem during halftime.

But there was nothing they could do; the team had already been scored on.

Now we can only do it like we do in the league.

-

Adopt the same playing style as when playing against teams fighting relegation.

The overall formation remains unchanged, and the front line slowly advances.

This ensures that while strengthening the attack, more receiving points are added.

It also ensures that the opponent won't break through your defenses in one fell swoop.

Time was ticking away, second by second.

The 54th minute of the match.

Villarreal finally pushed the ball into Monaco's half.

"Finally! We've crossed the halfway line!"

"Huang Qian controlled the game in the backcourt for ten minutes, almost making an old man like Coach Zhang sleepy."

"?"

"Look at this ball first."

"After crossing the midfield line, Villarreal's pace noticeably increased!"

"They are no longer fixated on defense."

"Right-back Gaspar dribbles forward quickly."

"Here it comes! A 45-degree cross towards the penalty area!"

The football arced through the air and headed towards Monaco's penalty area.

Inside the restricted area.

Soldado controlled the ball at the first touch and flicked it back with one foot.

Bakambu followed with incredible speed, quickly shaking off Bakayoko who was clinging to his side.

Facing the ball passed back by his teammate, Bakambu immediately took a shot!

Plan

A

The football hit the crossbar and bounced back.

Before Villarreal's other teammates could even get a chance to follow up with a shot.

Carvalho then kicked the ball directly out of bounds.

Bakambu once again held his head in his hands, his face full of frustration.

He has already missed two scoring opportunities in this match.

Bakambu even doubted whether he could continue playing like this.

In the future, he will probably only be able to play in the Chinese Super League.

"What a pity! If only the ball had been pressed down a little more!" Zhan Jun said regretfully.

"Hehe, actually I kicked the ball while running at high speed."

"It's normal that he couldn't keep up! After all, Bakambu isn't a striker whose highlight is finishing ability."

"However, this ball also created a corner kick for Villarreal, and set pieces are their forte—"

The commentator had barely finished speaking.

Villarreal's corner kick has been taken.

The ball, with its inward spin, curves sharply towards the penalty area.

Victor Ruiz overpowered Carvalho beside him.

He leaped into the air by pushing off with his feet.

"here we go again!"

"It's Victor Ruiz again!"

"Heading shot!"

"Wow! Subasic was steady this time too, he caught the ball!"

"Subasic didn't lie down to waste time, but instead quickly ran to the edge of the penalty area."

7

"A powerful hand throw!"

"Monaco's counterattack has begun!"

During the follow-up process.

Everyone was looking at the football overhead.

They tried to anticipate and compete for the first landing point.

Just as the ball hit the ground.

A red and white figure accurately judged the landing point.

Take control of possession of the ball immediately.

-

Marcelino's pupils constricted sharply on the sidelines.

This young Chinese player has an incredibly strong grasp of the overall game situation.

They were able to predict the ball's landing point in the very first moment.

He truly deserves to be called the hottest rising star in football today.

Fortunately, this young Chinese man was not fast in his counterattack.

In many previous matches, he had no choice but to pass the ball to other teammates when facing the team's counterattacks.

Thinking of this, Marcelino looked towards the field.

Monaco's forwards all have their own "jobs" to do right now.

Mbappe on the left wing was assigned to be closely marked by Gaspar.

Center forward Traore, being a tall player, was still unable to get out of the penalty area while defending a corner kick.

Lemar also engaged in a tug-of-war with Villarreal players during his run.

Monaco's counter-attack options have been largely shut down.

In other words—

Villarreal won this counterattack!

"There's nothing we can do. Monaco's players have clearly been specifically studied and targeted."

"Jiang Ming can't hold this up alone," Zhan Jun said in a low voice.

"However, he also has his own extraordinary abilities."

"Could you use a shift in your center of gravity to shake off the opposing defender?"

Jaume Costa slowly retreated, following Jiang Ming's footsteps.

Coach Marcelino gave instructions before the match.

"This Chinese kid has exceptional dribbling skills."

"It's even somewhat similar to the dribbling skills of our team's legend, Riquelme."

"They all like to shift their opponent's balance and then get past them —"

Thinking of this, Costa became extremely wary.

-

"But their individual abilities are similar, and they are also similar in other aspects."

"It's his speed!"

"His speed, like Riquelme's, isn't particularly fast."

"Therefore, it doesn't matter if he gets past you in the first step."

"Don't hesitate, just drop the shovel!"

"Let's counter them using the same tackling they used on Riquelme!"

Costa watched as Jiang Ming's footwork was dazzling, skillfully maneuvering the ball left and right.

He even saw the shadow of the team's legend in the person in front of him.

In that instant when Costa was distracted...

Jiang Ming knew his opportunity had arrived.

My feet paused.

One wave.

One stab!

The football rolled forward.

Costa was also thrown off balance by this simple yet impressive dribbling technique.

Sidelines.

Marcelino had anticipated this.

He shouted at the field.

"Turn around quickly! Do as I said before!"

"Let his ball go, but don't let him go!"

Marcelino's attention was entirely focused on his own players.

Costa turned around and immediately launched a sliding tackle.

The weight on Huang Qian's coach's mind has finally been lifted.

"Um?!"

Marcelino suddenly opened his mouth wide.

-

It was as if I had witnessed something incredible.

From his perspective.

All I could see was a red gust of wind sweeping across the green field.

"OMG!"

"Jiang Ming!"

"He dribbled past Costa in a single step!"

"A lone rider leaving everyone else in the dust!"

Zhan Jun is a long-time Liverpool fan.

Suddenly, I saw a person's shadow in the young Chinese man.

That was the former Golden Boy of Liverpool, the Ballon d'Or winner for Liverpool.

He is also the young man who chased the wind that Liverpool fans feel most sorry for.

Michael Irving!

He was wearing a red jersey, and he was running around on the field.

He gradually became one with Jiang Ming, who now wears a red and white Monaco jersey and easily dribbles past defenders.

Villarreal's players frantically chased back.

The defenders marking other forwards also tried to cover for them.

But this time, they committed too many players to the corner kick attack.

Or perhaps to put it another way.

They believed that the young Chinese players, under the coach's tactical instructions, were unable to break through the defense individually.

There was nothing but empty space in front of Jiang Ming.

Villarreal's goalkeeper, Asenjo, was the only one left in front of the goal.

Asenjo did not launch a rash attack.

He was also afraid that after he attacked, his opponent would use his speed to slip past him and leave him completely open.

Therefore, Asenjo still chose to face the one-on-one chance in front of the goal.

-

He spread his arms wide and swung them up and down, trying to distract Jiang Ming from his judgment.

Every move of the young Chinese man before him was under his sight.

Any pause is a shot.

By observing the direction of the support, you can determine the shooting angle!

He watched as Jiang Ming dribbled the ball closer and closer to him.

Move forward step by step.

The two sides are getting closer and closer.

"Why hasn't he ejaculated yet—"

Just as Asenho was wondering.

Jiang Ming's next pass suddenly turned into an extremely well-concealed shot!

The football skimmed the grass, turning into a streak of white light.

It whizzed past!

When Asenjo realized what was happening.

Get down on the ground immediately.

But it was too late.

The football slipped under his arm and into the goal.

The white netting rippled behind them.

1—2!

A loud shout suddenly erupted from the away stands at El Madrigal Stadium.

Red and white scarves were waved wildly.

"Goal!"

"OMG!"

"Jiang Ming!"

"Riding alone through the pass! Braving the dragon's lair by herself!"

"He used his unexpected speed to get past Costa in front of him."

"Finally, one-on-one with goalkeeper Asenjo, he used a concealed shot to pierce the net!"

"Defense against opposition! Defense against opposition! This time, Monaco's defense has won!"

The live stream chat screen instantly turned white.

"Holy crap! What kind of acceleration is this?!"

"Costa was stunned when he turned and slid in with a tackle that landed on nothing!"

"Damn, don't you guys think Jiang Ming's Monaco jersey is a bit ridiculous?"

"The same acceleration, the same red figure... Is that Kyrie Irving?"

"That was awesome! Monaco should have crushed Villarreal's damn sluggish defense!"

On the field.

Asenjo turned to look at the football that had appeared in the goal.

A sense of horror rose in my heart.

"When exactly did this Chinese kid shoot?"

"Why didn't they even attempt a shot?!"

Frustrated, Asenho got up from the ground.

He spread his hands in front of his teammates who arrived late.

"Why did you let him get past you so easily?"

Costa also had something to say: "Why didn't you save his shot?"

The two split the cost.

Villarreal's defense was in perfect harmony.

Sidelines.

Yaldin jumped up and down on the spot.

He then realized that there was a camera filming him.

So he pretended to rub his feet.

"Is this stadium electrified?"

-

the other side.

Marcelino kicked a mineral water bottle.

"Wasn't it said that this Chinese kid, like Riquelme, only had exceptional skills but no speed?"

Why did he just go straight there?

The assistant coach's forehead was covered in sweat.

"Boss! That's really true! The video doesn't lie."

2

"We analyzed his previous performance on the field."

"His burst speed in the game is only around 60 points —"

"Games?" Marcelino was speechless for a moment. "Have you guys gotten so caught up in games that you're confused?!"

He turned and looked at the field.

What should we do now?

Monaco will only become more defensive after scoring this goal.

Are we supposed to drag our own troops out to fight?

Marcelino is in a dilemma.

The celebrations in Monaco have ended.

The referee confirmed the goal was valid.

Both teams returned to the field.

The game continues.

After the restart, Villarreal's players were clearly losing their composure.

Soldado passed the ball back to Soriano, who no longer slowly passed it back to the defender as before.

Instead, he glanced up at the field in front of him and launched a long diagonal pass towards the wing.

Costa rushed forward with all his might and barely managed to control the ball.

He tried to cut inside again, but Fabinho, who had tracked back, blocked his position, forcing him to hastily pass the ball back to the center.

The pace quickened, but the formation also became quite chaotic.

"Huang Qian is getting anxious," Zhan Jun said with a smile.

"Being down by one goal, especially at home, is a situation no one can easily overcome."

"But the more anxious they are, the more likely they are to give Monaco a chance to counterattack."

Zhang Lu chimed in, "Hehe, Marcelino is in a dilemma now."

"Push forward, there's a lot of space behind them, Mbappe and Jiang Ming can easily score on counter-attacks."

"If we don't bet, it will be even harder to play away in the second leg."

"It all depends on his choice."

Sidelines.

Marcelino's face turned ashen.

Sure enough, that goal he conceded completely disrupted his plans.

On the other hand, Yardin was much more relaxed.

He was a little embarrassed by that jump.

He had regained his composure as a renowned coach, standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed.

-

With a two-goal lead and two away goals to play, they are now in contention.

Now, advancing to the finals is more than halfway guaranteed.

The only thing the team needs to do now is to stabilize the defense and not give the opponent too many set-piece opportunities.

After all, Villarreal had already experienced the threat of set pieces in the first half.

The 60th minute of the match.

Villarreal finally put together a decent offensive.

Gaspar dribbled down the right flank and executed a one-two pass with Pina.

He shook off Echekil's defense.

He created space and delivered a 45-degree cross.

The football flew in a famous arc towards the center of the penalty area.

Soldado got ahead of Carvalho.

He leaped high and headed the ball towards the goal.

But the header was too straight and lacked power, allowing Subasic to catch it securely.

Subasic squatted on the ground for two seconds with the ball in his arms before slowly standing up, deliberately slowing down the pace.

"Oops, I didn't have enough strength to head that ball."

"Soldado jumped repeatedly to contest the header, but his stamina dropped quickly, and he didn't put any power into this shot."

Zhang Lu nodded: "Moreover, although Carvalho can't jump very high, he has good positioning and keeps pressing against his lower body, preventing him from exerting his full power."

Soldado stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily.

Marcelino waved from the sidelines.

He signaled to his players to push forward a bit and not give the opposing goalkeeper a chance to stall for time.

Subasic launched the ball long into the attacking third.

Traore jumped to head the ball, but Ruiz deflected it, preventing him from reaching it.

Soriano chested the ball down and was about to turn and organize an attack when Bakayoko closed in, pulling and bumping him to interfere with his pass.

The two players grappled for a few seconds, but Soriano couldn't shake them off and had to pass the ball back to the defender.

Huang Qian's offensive rhythm was disrupted once again.

65 minutes.

Villarreal are making a comeback.

Denis cut inside from the left wing, dodging Fabinho's tackle, and dribbled to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a sudden long-range shot.

The football, spinning intensely, flew towards the near corner of the goal.

Subasic leaped and tipped the ball over the crossbar with one hand.

"Great shot! Subasic makes a brilliant save!" Zhan Jun shouted. "Dennis's long-range shot was of very high quality, aimed at the top corner, but the goalkeeper was in better form."

Zhang Lu also praised, "Subasic's reaction was really quick. Monaco's ability to hold on is largely due to the goalkeeper's contribution."

Corner kick opportunity.

Soriano stood in front of the ball and took a deep breath.

-

He equalized the score in the first half thanks to his corner kick.

This time, he again opted for an inside-spin shot, aiming for Ruiz at the back post.

Monaco was clearly prepared.

Bakayoko stayed close to Ruiz, his lower body firmly planted, preventing him from jumping easily.

Ruiz struggled to create space and barely managed to head the ball, but he couldn't generate enough power, and the ball grazed the crossbar and went out of bounds.

"So close!"

A unified sigh rang out from the stands.

Ruiz clenched his fist in frustration.

He thought he had the ball in the bag, but he didn't expect the other side to send a tough guy to mark him.

Bakayoko's physical strength is not to be underestimated.

Marcelino stomped his foot hard on the sidelines.

This was the best opportunity, but I still didn't seize it.

He turned to look at the bench, gestured to the substitute strikers, and indicated that they should warm up.

Can't wait any longer.

We must intensify our attack; any later and it will be too late.

The 69th minute of the match.

Monaco launched a quick counter-attack.

Jiang Ming intercepted Pina's cross pass in midfield.

With a flick of his toe, he passed the ball to Bernardo Silva on the right wing.

Bernardo Silva dribbled the ball forward two steps.

Seeing that the opposing defender had come to cover.

Instead of forcing his way through, he passed the ball across to the middle.

Jiang Ming followed up, and without stopping the ball, he made a through pass behind the defense.

Mbappe made a diagonal run and successfully beat the offside trap once again!

"Here we go again! Mbappe has a one-on-one chance!" Zhan Jun's voice rose instantly.

The Love Song Stadium fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared at the red figure.

Mbappe rushed into the penalty area and, facing the onrushing Asenjo, took a shot.

Asenjo made a desperate save, his fingertips touching the ball.

The football changed direction slightly, grazing the post and flying out of bounds.

"Oh no! He made the save! Asenho did a great job!"

"We were so close to the third one! Huang Qian's defenses are really on the verge of collapse," Zhan Jun exclaimed repeatedly.

Mbappe held his head in his hands, looking regretful.

I didn't expect the opposing goalkeeper to react so quickly.

Asenjo got up from the ground and shouted a couple of words at the back line, clearly dissatisfied with his teammates' defense.

Bailly and Ruiz both kept their heads down and didn't dare to speak.

This is the third time the opponent has exploited their space behind the defense. If this continues, we'll lose possession sooner or later.

The live stream chat was filled with laughter once again.

"Holy crap! Almost!"

"Asenjo really did his best today, the defense is a complete disaster."

"Mbappe's positioning is really cunning; he's completely blocking the offside line."

"The Villarreal defenders' turns were so slow they were impossible to catch up with."

"If they keep playing like this, Monaco could score five goals."

"Don't jinx it, what if Huang Qian catches up with two of them?"

"Come on, with Bakambu's 'happy football' style, it's a miracle he even scores one goal."

The 72th minute of the match.

Marcelino finally made a substitution.

Pina, the defensive midfielder, was replaced by the attacking midfielder Casquero.

阵型也从4—4—2变成了4—3—3，摆明了要加强进攻，放手一搏。

"Substitution! Marcelino is going to attack!" Zhan Jun said. "Taking off a defensive midfielder and bringing on an attacking player, Marcelino is going all out."

Zhang Lu chimed in: "There's no other way. We're down by two goals. If we don't fight for our home ground, the second leg will be even more difficult."

"However, this makes Villarreal's midfield defense even weaker, and Monaco's counter-attacks will only become more comfortable."

After the substitution, Huang Qian's offensive became significantly more intense.

The three midfielders took turns pushing forward, and the two full-backs also pushed up further, pinning Monaco back in their own half for a time.

Casquero's passing was indeed more creative than Pina's, and several of his through balls almost tore apart the defense.

75 minutes.

Casquero delivered a lobbed pass, and Bakambu broke the offside trap and entered the penalty area.

But his first touch was a little too heavy, and Subasic made a decisive run and caught the ball firmly in his arms.

Bakambu slapped his thigh in frustration once again.

He has already wasted three good opportunities in this game.

Normally, they would score at least one goal.

"Bakambu really didn't bring his shooting boots today," Zhan Jun said with a laugh. "He missed several chances."

Zhang Lu laughed and said, "Hehe, the spokesperson for happy football."

"The speed is really fast, but the finish is really unpredictable."

Marcelino on the sidelines was so angry that he kept waving his hands.

They managed to miss such a great opportunity; they're truly hopeless.

Time was ticking away, second by second.

The 80th minute of the match.

Taking advantage of the gap in their opponent's advance, Monaco launched another counterattack.

Lemar dribbled down the left flank, beating two defenders in quick succession.

He dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area and suddenly unleashed a long-range shot.

The football grazed the post and went out of bounds.

Asenjo broke out in a cold sweat.

He stood inside the door and shouted a couple of sentences to his teammates.

Remind them to be careful of long-range shots.

Lemar was also a little disappointed.

If the ball had been just a little more upright, it would have been a goal.

Yardin clapped his hands on the sidelines.

"No need to rush! Time is on our side! Just stay calm!"

The longer the game drags on, the more anxious Villarreal will become, and the more mistakes they will make.

They will then seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

It's incredibly efficient!

Yaldin is even considering replacing the player on the roster.

Substitute a few players who are physically exhausted to conserve their energy for the second leg.

The competition is nearing its end.

Villarreal launched the fiercest attack of the entire match.

.

Gaspar crossed from the right, but Carvalho headed the ball out of the penalty area.

Soriano met the ball with a powerful volley from outside the box.

The ball deflected off Bakayoko and bounced back into the penalty area.

Soldado turned and fired, but Wallace blocked the shot with his body.

Chaos erupted in the penalty area as Villarreal players took a series of shots, all of which were forcefully blocked by Monaco players.

"Chaos erupts! A tense atmosphere grips Monaco's defenses!"

"Can we get out of this predicament?" Zhan Jun became anxious.

In the end, Carvalho seized the opportunity.

The ball was kicked out of the danger zone with a long kick.

The football flies towards the midfield.

Everyone ran forward following the ball.

Jiang Ming stood near the center circle, judged the landing point, and gently chested the ball down, stopping it steadily in front of him.

At this moment, Huang Qian's defensive line was all pushed up near the penalty area, with a large open space behind them.

Almost simultaneously with stopping the ball, Jiang Ming raised his right leg and struck the middle of the football hard.

"Long pass!"

"Jiang Ming's long pass is here again!"

The football flew across the halfway line like a cannonball, dropping slightly before landing precisely behind the Yellow Vanguard defense.

A red figure suddenly appeared from the side and caught the ball just in time to be offside.

"Offside trap!"

"Mbappe! He's got a one-on-one chance!"

Bailly and Ruiz tried desperately to catch up, but they couldn't keep up with Mbappe's speed.

The French prodigy dribbled the ball all the way to the penalty area, forcing Asenjo to once again abandon his goal and rush out.

This time, Mbappe gave his opponent no chance.

He watched the goalkeeper rush out and gently pushed him with his ankle.

The football skimmed along the grass, rolled past Asenjo, and nestled steadily into the far corner.

1-3!!

Goal!

Monaco wins again!

"Mbappe! Scores twice!"

"Jiang Ming's assist! Another precise long pass!"

"Three to one! Monaco are two goals ahead away from home! The outcome of this match is basically decided!" Zhan Jun shouted passionately.

Zhang Lu also smiled and analyzed, "The pass and movement were both excellent."

"Jiang Ming's long pass was so accurate, the timing was just right, and Mbappe could get the ball without slowing down."

"Huang Qian's defensive line is pushed too high, leaving a lot of gaps behind them. It's no wonder they conceded a goal."

The Love Song Stadium fell completely silent.

Tens of thousands of Villarreal fans stood blankly in the stands, their faces filled with disappointment.

Only the Monaco fans in the away section were cheering wildly, their red and white scarves waving like waves.

Mbappe slid to his knees in the corner flag area and made a celebration gesture with his hands.

Jiang Ming ran over with a smile and gave him a big high five.

The teammates swarmed around the two, shouting and laughing.

With a three-goal lead and three away goals, they are in contention.

The second leg at home will basically be just a formality.

Live stream chat.

"Holy crap! Another one! They're really faking it!"

"Jiang Ming delivered another long pass, as precise as satellite positioning!"

"Mbappe's speed is simply outrageous; Villarreal's defenders can't even catch a whiff of his exhaust."

"Three away goals! No need for the second leg, just send Monaco straight to the final."

"Marcellino must be green with envy. He had a perfectly good counter-attacking game, but he had to push forward and give away the ball."

"Huang Qian's case is a classic example of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead."

"Jiang Ming had two assists and a goal today, he's definitely the best player on the field."

"If Monaco wins the final—would Jiang Ming become China's first European champion? No!"

"The kind of person who sits on the bench!"

"I understand what you mean."

Sidelines.

Yaldin finally showed a clear smile and high-fived each of his teaching assistants.

With a three-goal away goal advantage, advancing is practically guaranteed!

He turned to look at the bench, signaling for a substitution.

Jardim plans to replace Jiang Ming and Mbappe.

Let them rest and receive applause from the fans.

On the other side, Marcelino was completely frozen in place.

He stared at the scoreboard, his eyes filled with disbelief.

1—3.

They lost two games at home and conceded three away goals.

-

How will we turn things around at the Stade Louis II in the second leg?

Are we really hoping Monaco will collapse on its own?

The assistant coach stood to the side, not daring to breathe.

Who would have thought that Villarreal, who were favored to remain unbeaten at home before the match, would play like this?

After the celebrations, Monaco made a substitution.

Jiang Ming and Mbappe were substituted, and two defensive players were brought on.

When the two players left the field, the away fans stood up and applauded.

Jiang Ming waved to the fans and quickly walked back to the bench.

Yaldin handed him a bottle of water, patted him on the shoulder, and looked at him with approval.

In the remaining minutes, the Villarreal players completely lost their will to fight.

Their attack was sluggish and their defense was frequently lapsed in focus.

Monaco, on the other hand, retreated entirely to the defensive, steadily controlling the pace and slowly running out of time.

With three minutes of stoppage time added, the referee blew the final whistle almost right at the last minute.

The score remained 1-3.

Monaco won convincingly away from home, taking a two-goal lead and holding a three-goal advantage.

The players high-fived each other in celebration, their faces beaming with relaxed smiles.

Jiang Ming stood in the crowd and looked up at the sky full of yellow jerseys.

We won the first leg of the semifinals.

One step closer to the finals!

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