CHAPTER 342: CHAPTER 267 HIDDEN REWARD [GUALIN’S SHIN GUARDS], I’LL GO UP AND SHOOT STRAIGHT! _3

Tang Long was warming up in the pouring rain, his body just getting warm when the cold rain chilled his skin.

After September arrived, temperatures in many parts of the United Kingdom had dropped below 20 degrees.

The pain felt all over his body as wetness soaked him, especially at the part where his shin guards were wrapped in his socks, rainwater seeped in and stuck to his skin.

Tang Long adjusted it several times, constantly feeling uncomfortable.

He realized that compared to the new shin guards Manchester City gave him, he still preferred the ones from Inter Milan.

After greeting assistant coach Rein, Tang Long quickly ran back to the locker room and took out the Inter Milan shin guards.

This pair of Inter shin guards actually belonged to Gualin. Tang Long exchanged his pair with Gualin after the first Premier League game against Tottenham.

Since that match, Tang Long had never worn the Inter shin guards again.

There were two reasons, one was that he wanted to keep the pair given by Gualin as a memento;

The other was that the Inter shin guards had been heavily used, worn out, with a crack at the bottom spreading.

However, at that moment, he couldn’t afford to think much, Tang Long quickly threw away the Manchester City shin guards, stuffed Gualin’s shin guards into his socks, pulled them up, and dashed outside.

As he was running, a crisp sound suddenly echoed in his mind from an unknown source.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations to the host for activating the hidden reward: [Gualin’s Shin Guards]!"

"Equip attributes: Shooting Power +20%, Strength +20%, Speed -10%, Dribbling -10%"

"Detected that the host is wearing [Gualin’s Shin Guards], attribute changes as follows: Shooting Power: 81——97.2, Strength: 82——98.4, Speed: 80——72, Dribbling: 84——75.6"

Tang Long didn’t slow down his pace; instead, he ran faster in the players’ tunnel, the cleats making a thudding sound on the ground.

Isn’t this attribute change a perfect match for the current situation?

In the pouring rain, on a waterlogged slippery field, any speed and dribbling are redundant; strength and power are the keys to victory!

As soon as he rushed back onto the field, he saw assistant coach Rein and Pellegrini anxiously searching for him.

"Tang! Hurry, get ready to play!"

In the 81st minute of the second half, with only about 10 minutes left in the game.

The ground play was ineffective, and high-altitude bombardment still couldn’t surpass the tall Arsenal defenders.

Pellegrini, with no other choice, could only send Tang Long on to give it a shot, hoping that this highest-priced player in the club’s history would produce a miracle to save the team!

What could Tang Long do after going on the field? Coach Pei himself was unsure.

After all, Tang Long’s strength lay in through passes, but with the waterlogged turf, could he perform?

Seeing Tang Long going on at this moment, Arsenal coach Wenger also remained indifferent.

If Tang Long had started, Wenger might have been more cautious; after all, in this Manchester City team focused on ball control, Tang Long’s role was indeed indispensable.

But now, in this torrential rain, what use is there in bringing on a technical player?

Moreover, his physique has never been his strong point, and his back injury has just recovered. Are you going to have him run into the penalty area to compete for headers with a bunch of tall Arsenal defenders? Wenger found the thought amusing.

It’s Arsenal’s turn for a long pass!

Ramsey sends a high ball, the football floating high into Manchester City’s penalty area.

Giroud likes these kinds of balls because he can use his physical advantage to hold off the opposing center-back, steady the ball, and then make his play.

This is exactly what he did, bracing with one hand against Ranocchia behind him, then using his chest to bring the ball down.

Just as Big Giroud was about to turn and shoot, he was pulled down by Ranocchia.

"Penalty, ref, penalty!" Giroud bounced up, arms outstretched, shouting at the referee.

The main referee hesitated for two seconds, then waved his hands, indicating to continue playing.

With Giroud holding his head in disbelief, Ranocchia pushed forward with the ball, initiating an advance.

This defense from Ranocchia fully demonstrated the craftiness of an Italian defender~

His hand did indeed pull on Giroud’s rain-drenched jersey.

But just as Giroud was about to fall, Ranocchia suddenly released his grip, and they fell together.

This was precisely why the referee hesitated for two seconds before deciding against awarding a penalty.

If it were an English center-back, they would hold tightly onto Giroud’s jersey until they hit the ground.

But Ranocchia was different; he understood pushing to the very edge of the referee’s judgment line.

Due to the unfavorable conditions for carrying the ball, Ranocchia quickly passed the ball to Tang Long.

"Use his body!"

Under Mertesacker’s shout, the newly substituted young Iwobi actively fell back, shoulder-bumping, ready to engage in a fair collision with Tang Long!

Iwobi, with dual Nigerian and English nationality, is a Black player, physically fit, with a strength value of around 88. Usually, he’d bump Tang Long off balance and win the contest.

Yet when the confident Iwobi hit Tang Long with his shoulder, it felt like colliding with a concrete wall, thud, not only bouncing off himself but also in pain in his arm, nearly stumbling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Tang Long, although adjusting his steps and not moving quickly, was undeterred in turning and advancing with the ball.

"Don’t let him pass!"

Although Mertesacker closely tracked Agüero, although the ground was full of water, Arsenal captain Mertesacker was still uneasy, shouting fiercely in the rain to guard Tang Long’s passing lanes.

However, his shouts appeared so insignificant next to the thunderous strike from Tang Long that followed!

Thud!!!

Would Tang Long even pass? With water in his eyes, not even checking the goalkeeper’s position, he blasted towards the goal!

A direct right-footed shot!

With 97 shooting power, paired with the irregular movement trajectory of the water-absorbing, heavier ball, Cech, wearing his protective helmet on the goal line, couldn’t even see the ball clearly before sensing the net behind him being violently pulled!

The water from the nylon net rebounded, hitting his neck, icy cold.