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

On the other side of the ocean in China, in a fan chat room, many fans are watching the live broadcast of Monaco's Europa League match.

"You all probably know why I skipped Tottenham's game and specifically watched this Monaco match."

"Those who know, know. Everyone's here for Jiang Ming."

"The outcome of Tottenham's match has no impact on their chances of advancing. It's not as interesting as this game where a Chinese player is playing."

"It's a pity that Jiang Ming didn't make the starting lineup. Monaco desperately needs points right now, so it's unlikely he'll be able to come on as a substitute."

"Maybe there'll be a surprise? If Monaco dominates from the start and pulls through the opponent in the first half, they might bring on Jiang Ming in the second half to boost jersey sales!"

"Another sales-oriented midfielder?"

……

On the stands, Monaco's die-hard fans huddled together, forming a human wave and loudly singing the team's anthem in a magnificent display.

Referee Grafie bit his whistle and stared intently at his watch.

"Beep—"

A clear whistle pierced the air, officially kicking off the match between the two teams.

The match is in its 5rd minute.

Moutinho delivered a precise through ball from midfield, and Pasalic made a clever run forward, beating the offside trap with his delicate positioning and facing the goalkeeper one-on-one.

Unfortunately, under close marking from Anderlecht defenders, Pasalic hastily took a shot, but the ball struck the outside of the post and went out of play.

He immediately covered his face with his hands, his expression full of frustration and resentment.

Monaco's highly threatening attack served as a wake-up call for the entire Anderlecht team, who immediately opted for a deep defensive retreat.

Although the official starting formation announced before the match was 4-2-3-1, the pressure to qualify for the next round was not on them.

Anderlecht's opponent in the final round of the group stage is Qarabag from the Azerbaijani league, and the team will have the home advantage.

If they can manage to take a bite out of Monaco, they will have a very high chance of advancing to the knockout stage.

Therefore, securing a stable position and defending to gain points will be Anderlecht's primary tactic for this match.

As the defensive line contracted, the original 4231 formation was directly switched to an impenetrable 451 bus system.

The two wingers dropped significantly back to become wide midfielders, assisting the midfielders in intercepting and defending.

With the addition of two defensive midfielders, the midfield barrier becomes even more solid.

The team only retained Tielemans as the core of attack and defense, responsible for distributing the ball from the backfield and connecting attack and defense.

With this extreme defensive setup, Anderlecht made his stance clear to Monaco: to retreat completely and never take the initiative.

After that, Monaco's attack struggled to advance, and their high-pressing tactics failed to break through the opponent's defense.

Just 14 minutes into the game, Anderlecht had already committed two fouls in quick succession.

Bernardo Silva was brutally tackled by his opponent during a challenge, the action was rough.

Defour, the perpetrator, immediately raised his arms, feigning innocence, and signaled to the referee that Bernardo Silva had faked a fall and that he had not committed a foul.

Referee Grafie didn't even bother to pull out a card; he simply raised his hand to signal Bernardo Silva to get up and continue the game.

This scene infuriated Yardin, who was watching from the sidelines, and he couldn't help but mutter angrily:

"You're not even going to call a foul? If you keep kicking like that, all my men will be down!"

Fortunately, Bernardo Silva was unharmed and slowly got up to return to the field, which relieved Jardim's tension a little.

Anderlecht's head coach, Hasi, standing to the side, was secretly delighted.

Their established tactics included midfield strangulation and close marking, coupled with referee Grafi's lenient officiating standards...

This is truly a godsend!

The match is in its 20rd minute.

El Shaarawy dribbled down the left flank, then suddenly stopped and changed direction to get past Anderlecht's right-back Gille;

He then cut inside horizontally and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The ball traced a beautiful arc, heading straight for the far corner of the goal.

Jardim on the sidelines had even clenched his fists, ready to punch the ball in celebration of the goal.

At the crucial moment, Anderlecht goalkeeper Proto displayed superb form, diving to his feet and making a spectacular save to deny the high-quality shot.

The ball grazed the baseline and flew out, giving Monaco a corner kick.

Come on!

Bernardo Silva helplessly spread his hands, his face full of frustration.

He wasn't questioning El Shaarawy's attacking options, but rather expressing deep regret that such a brilliant shot could be saved.

"A one-on-one chance missed, a world-class goal saved at the last second. It seems Monaco is having a bit of bad luck in this match!" commentator Sun Chen lamented.

"No chance, guys. We've already passed the first round, and Monaco still hasn't scored."

"It seems Jiang Ming won't be able to play in this match. Monaco will definitely have to use their full strength to dominate Anderlecht."

In the chat room, fans were also actively posting and discussing the topic.

The match has reached the 26th minute.

The worst fears of Yardin have come true.

Monaco's midfielder Toulalan was pushed hard by Anderlecht player Nsakala during a challenge for the ball, taking too big a step.

Tularangi collapsed heavily to the ground, clutching the back of his thighs with both hands.

"nonononono..." Upon seeing this, Yaldin's face suddenly darkened.

He immediately waved for the team doctor to come onto the field, and Monaco's medical staff quickly stepped forward with medical spray.

After a brief examination, the team doctor waved to the sidelines, and several medical staff quickly carried a stretcher into the field.

Tularen was initially diagnosed with a hamstring strain and was unable to continue, forcing a substitution.

Anderlecht finally received their first yellow card.

"Fuck!" Yaldin hissed angrily.

He had long known that the referee's continued leniency towards Anderlecht's aggressive style of play would inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later.

Jardim turned to look at the bench, quickly searching for someone who could replace Toulalan.

He first glanced at Bakayoko, who was sitting on the bench, staring at him blankly.

"No, this guy didn't even pass the medical test. At least Jiang Ming participated in the team's joint training."

"Putting this guy on the roster is just for show; we can't expose the team's midfield vulnerabilities."

He then looked at Jiang Ming and Mbappe, who had just been promoted from the youth team.

Yardin pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"It still won't work. This match is extremely important, and we must field experienced players. These two are only options the team would consider as a last resort."

Left with no other option, he had to bring on substitute center-back Almami Touré (number 38) and move right-back Fabinho forward to play as a defensive midfielder.

In the previous rounds of Ligue 1, he had already experimented with playing Fabinho in the defensive midfield position, and the results were very impressive.

After this substitution, Monaco maintained their 4-3-3 formation and continued to press Anderlecht high up the pitch.

The match is in its 43rd minute.

El Shaarawy was brought down from behind by an Anderlecht player.

He immediately appealed to the referee, Graffi, who stated that no foul had been committed.

Seeing that El Shaarawy was still arguing, referee Grafi showed him a yellow card as a warning.

Immediately, boos erupted from the stands, with many whistling at the referee.

The match has progressed to the 45th minute.

Anderlecht launched a sudden counter-attack, with right winger Nahar receiving a diagonal pass from Tielemans;

He surged into the Monaco penalty area and decisively took a shot.

Subasic instinctively made a diving save, narrowly averting a deadly threat.

"Great shot!" Jiang Ming couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Subasic immediately launched a quick counter-attack with a throw-in, and the entire Monaco team pressed forward.

Moutinho held the ball and looked around, his movements slightly hesitant.

Bernardo Silva on the right was double-teamed, and El Shaarawy on the left was also unable to make a timely run into position.

Anderlecht's defensive midfielder Defort seized the opportunity when Moutinho was looking around and quickly tackled to steal the ball.

The offensive and defensive situation on the field was instantly reversed.

Jiang Ming, sitting on the bench, felt a jolt in his heart.

"This is the rhythm of attack and defense in European competitions..."

Defort passed the ball again to Nahar on the wing to launch a counter-attack.

This winger is extremely fast, and even used his explosive speed to get past Coentrao, a full-back known for his speed.

Nahar dribbled the ball all the way to the right flank.

Monaco's experienced left center-back Carvalho had already taken his position and was waiting.

Carvalho immediately pressed forward, but Najjar deftly chipped the ball over him;

The ball sailed over Carvalho's head and landed in the gap on Monaco's flank.

At this moment, Anderlecht's right-back Gille quickly moved forward.

He unleashed a first-time, half-volley shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Subasic could only watch helplessly as the ball swept past him.

The ball flew straight into the top corner of the goal!

Lay's Sports commentator Sun Chen's tone suddenly became impassioned:

"Monaco launches a counter-attack, but the midfield is unexpectedly dispossessed! Defour passes the ball to the wing! Nahar breaks through on the right and chips it in! Gille makes a late run and volleys it in!"

"In the first minute of first-half stoppage time! Monaco concedes a decisive counter-attack goal to Anderlecht!"

"The score is now 0-1!!!"

"Monaco is now completely in a passive and precarious situation!"