"That was a beautiful goal!"
During the half-time break, when he saw Robben walking off the pitch, Gao Shen walked up to him with a smile, hugged him, and praised him.
Robben had long gotten used to the head coach's "enthusiasm."
He greeted the players like this every half, and he would always stand on the touchline during matches.
According to the media, Gao Shen did this to convey to the players that he was fighting alongside them.
Strangely enough, once the players got used to seeing their head coach on the sidelines, they genuinely felt more at ease.
"It was mainly a good pass," Robben said, in a good mood after scoring.
Gao Shen nodded with a smile. "Then you should return the favor and give him a few more good passes."
Robben looked slightly surprised, glancing at Gao Shen as if searching for something, but in the end, he just gave a soft "hmm" and walked into the player tunnel.
Gao Shen watched Robben leave, secretly chuckling to himself.
Young players are always competitive.
As the saying goes, there's no number one in literature and no number two in martial arts.
When Robben, Van der Vaart, and Van Persie first rose to fame, they were hailed as the new "Three Musketeers" of Dutch football and carried the hopes of many.
At the time, Sneijder hadn't yet emerged.
Because of this, the three of them couldn't help but compete, each unwilling to concede to the others.
Who would've thought Van der Vaart would be the first to fall behind due to injury, while Van Persie kept running into trouble. After moving from Feyenoord to Arsenal, he struggled with constant injuries. Robben also dealt with recurring injuries, but whether at Chelsea or later Real Madrid, he remained a star.
This inevitably led to friction between Van Persie and Robben.
At the recent World Cup in South Africa, Van Persie criticized Robben for being too selfish, reluctant to pass, and missing many scoring chances. Robben fired back, accusing Van Persie of trying to control everything.
These tensions might be manageable in the national team, where internal strife is practically a Dutch tradition, but in a club setting, they can become a real issue.
Gao Shen wanted to take advantage of the situation and lend a subtle helping hand.
In his past life, the two of them reconciled quickly. After all, youthful competitiveness was no big deal.
As he was thinking, he saw Van Persie coming off, and Gao Shen went to greet him.
"Arjen was just praising your great assist," Gao Shen said with a smile.
Van Persie paused for a moment, clearly surprised. "He… really said that?"
"Of course. He also said he'd try to give you more good passes if he got the chance," Gao Shen replied casually.
Van Persie looked slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Robben to take the initiative to show goodwill.
"You should show some sincerity too. Work well together and give it your best," Gao Shen encouraged him.
Van Persie nodded, still a bit puzzled.
As they walked down the tunnel toward Manchester City's dressing room, Van Persie entered and immediately felt several eyes turn toward him, including Robben's.
Normally, even in the national team, they didn't interact. He always felt Robben looked at him coldly, and he wasn't willing to suck up to him either, so their relationship was frosty.
But for some reason, Robben's gaze tonight didn't seem so distant.
In a foreign country, fighting side by side, maybe they should get along better.
Especially after remembering what the head coach had just told him, Van Persie realized Robben might not be as difficult as he'd imagined.
So he smiled slightly and gave a small nod.
Robben, who had just looked up out of habit upon hearing movement, noticed Van Persie's smile and nod. He immediately recalled what Gao Shen had told him earlier.
He passed the ball to me on the pitch, and now he's even greeting me with a smile. It would be too much to stay cold.
Robben nodded and smiled back. A simple greeting.
Gao Shen saw their brief exchange and knew exactly what was happening. He chuckled inwardly.
These young men sure know how to put on a show.
…
At half-time, Gao Shen made three substitutions.
Felipe replaced Leighton Baines, David Luiz came on for Kompany, and Sturridge replaced Gareth Bale.
Manchester United made no changes.
When the second half began, both teams continued to go head-to-head. Manchester United continued to apply pressure in Manchester City's final third.
In the 52nd minute, Park Ji-sung tried to thread a ball into the box, but Jerome Boateng got there first and slid in to clear it, with the ball landing at Yaya Toure's feet.
The Ivorian midfielder stopped the ball, looked up, and launched a long pass toward the left channel.
Sturridge quickly broke forward and reached the ball before Vidic.
Facing Vidic, Sturridge stayed cautious and pushed forward with the ball. But once O'Shea got back in time, Sturridge played the ball back from the left side just outside the box.
At that moment, Van Persie sprinted up from midfield and raised his hand, calling for the ball.
Sturridge passed it across.
The Dutchman controlled it on the left side of the box and immediately cut into the area, just slipping past Vidic and O'Shea. Evans was closing in, and Van der Sar had already rushed out.
Van Persie stopped the ball on the left side of the six-yard box. Just as he slipped past Van der Sar, he clipped the ball with his left foot toward the far post like a shot-cross hybrid.
Robben, who had sprinted nearly the entire length of the pitch, arrived at just the right moment and met Van Persie's pass with a clean header.
The ball hit the back of the net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Robben! A brace!!!"
"4-2!!!"
"Manchester City strikes again!"
Robben ran to the touchline in celebration, turning and waving toward Van Persie along the way.
The truth was, both of them knew the other was a top-class player, but neither wanted to admit it. Over time, and with the media constantly stirring up comparisons, especially over who was the team's real star, their once-promising relationship had grown distant and cold, to the point where they felt like strangers.
But in reality, there had never been any real conflict between them.
And if there was, it was just on-field disagreements.
Van Persie hesitated for a second, but then quickly joined the celebration with the rest of the team.
To his surprise, as soon as he got close, Robben opened his arms and hugged him.
"That was a great ball to the far post. Thanks, Robin!"
Van Persie froze for a second, then quickly hugged him back. "You timed the run perfectly!"
Then the two turned together to receive congratulations from their teammates.
…
"Yes!"
Gao Shen was thrilled as he watched his two key players reconcile on the sidelines.
In his past life and in this one, he had always believed that those who love football don't carry narrow minds.
Now, he was even more convinced that although top players may have their differences, they're not the kind to plot and manipulate behind the scenes.
Besides, there really wasn't any serious conflict between Van Persie and Robben.
Now that they were on the same team, things couldn't stay awkward forever, right?
He also clearly remembered that Van Persie once kissed Robben on the pitch, which showed that they actually had a strong bond.
Now, seeing them put aside the past and work together, Gao Shen was genuinely pleased.
…
After the goal, Manchester City made another wave of substitutions.
Giroud came on for Van Persie, Fernandinho replaced Robben, and Adam Lallana replaced David Silva.
With all six substitutions used, Manchester City switched to a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield.
Sturridge and Giroud played as the two forwards.
In midfield, Lallana played at the tip, with Rakitic and Yaya Toure in the middle, and Fernandinho as the holding midfielder.
Manchester United also made four substitutions, bringing on Berbatov and Hernandez.
As a result, in the 63rd minute, Berbatov laid the ball off, and Hernandez found the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 3–4.
The game remained fiercely competitive, with both sides attacking relentlessly.
But starting from the 70th minute, after adjusting to the new formation, Manchester City began to take control.
Sturridge, in particular, was extremely lively, constantly creating danger.
With more freedom now, Yaya Toure unleashed his attacking instincts.
He dribbled through the midfield, broke past a triple-team from United's midfield, then laid it off behind him to Giroud, who found himself one-on-one. But the Frenchman's shot was calmly saved by Van der Sar.
Still, Manchester City had seized control of the match.
Yaya Toure became the team's midfield general, orchestrating the attack.
Rakitic, Lallana, and Fernandinho provided support and balance, allowing City's midfield to regain dominance and forcing Manchester United into another change, bringing on Fletcher and switching to a three-defensive-midfielder system.
Even then, they couldn't stop Manchester City's offensive momentum.
In the 86th minute, Yaya Toure combined with Rakitic and Lallana in a smooth series of one-twos, then carried the ball to the edge of the arc and lofted a perfect pass into the box.
Giroud used his body to shield Evans and chested the ball down to the left side of goal, preparing to turn and shoot.
But just as he pivoted and lifted his left foot, someone got there first.
Sturridge, full of energy, had somehow ghosted into position on the left side and smashed the ball past Van der Sar.
It looked like Giroud had assisted him.
The entire team rushed over to celebrate the goal, everyone except Giroud, who stood there dumbfounded, on the verge of tears.
Damn it, I've been waiting for this chance for so long, and you just snatched it?
What does this feel like?
It's like I finally got the girl, had the wedding, and just as I was about to enter the bridal suite… you went in first!
Despite his heartbreak, Giroud still ran over and congratulated Sturridge on his goal.
Even if he didn't get the goal, at least he got the assist.
(To be continued.)
***
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