MTLNOVEL Chapter 240: Playing Four People in a Row and Scoring, Fighting Back in Barça's Way!_2
Immediately, his right foot pulled the ball back, creating a one-meter-wide gap along the sideline.
Just when everyone thought Neymar would use his left foot to flick the ball and continue advancing along the sideline.
He suddenly trapped the ball between his feet, one in front of the other, and used his heel to flick it over his head in a beautiful arc!
"Rainbow flick!"
The Inter players on the bench exclaimed in surprise.
However, perhaps because he had just come on, Neymar's feet weren't warmed up yet, and Tang Long had anticipated his move.
Though the flicked ball passed over Tang Long's head, Neymar was physically blocked behind him, losing his position and failing to get past.
Nevertheless, Neymar's dazzling performance still earned the admiration of the Barça players sitting a mere five meters away on the bench.
Substituted off, Raphinha turned and laughed to his teammate, "This guy is still so mischievous!"
The ball bounced in front of Tang Long.
He shielded the ball with his body, as Neymar closely pressed behind him.
The rainbow flick is a flamboyant and imaginative move in Samba football.
It's also a spectacular sight on street football fields.
However, in professional football, for any player subjected to a rainbow flick from an opponent, it's undoubtedly a blatant provocation!
This season, during a La Liga match against Villarreal, Neymar had pulled off a rainbow flick against the opponent's left-back.
The ball and Neymar got past, but the opposing full-back kicked him to the ground, making Neymar tumble like a top for five or six circles.
Like that Villarreal full-back, Tang Long was also displeased.
However, unlike him, Tang Long disdains using a kick to retaliate.
He prefers to teach Neymar a lesson through football skills.
As the ball lightly bounced before him, just as it was about to lose momentum and fall flat on the grass, Tang Long gently pushed down on the top of the ball with the studs of his right shoe.
With the additional bounce force, the ball sprang back up instantly.
As soon as it rebounded just above Tang Long's knee height—
He rolled his right foot's outer side under the ball like a gentle breeze, then seamlessly executed a 180-degree spin on the spot, slipped around Neymar, and ran along the sideline towards Barça's half!
Neymar is 176cm tall, a good half a head shorter than the 182cm Tang Long.
His slender build is also far less robust than Tang Long.
Earlier, when he was closely pressed against Tang Long, most of his view was obscured.
He was completely unresponsive to Tang Long's back-heel flick and spin move, only noticing the sudden brightness ahead as Tang Long vanished.
"Ah, huh?"
Neymar quickly turned his head, only to see Tang Long leisurely dribbling forward.
All he could see was an ever-distant back.
"Wow, a perfect flick and dribble!"
Now it was the Barça bench's turn to exclaim.
Compared to Neymar's visually appealing but impractical rainbow flick, Tang Long's back-heel flick and dribble were not just more practical but also equally, if not more, visually stunning!
And all the Inter players on the bench jumped up and walked to the sideline because they saw Tang Long suddenly increase his speed, cutting in towards the middle!
Two crisp sounds!
Facing Iniesta, Tang Long wiped him clean with his signature marseille turn!
Iniesta's short legs missed the ball, and he almost stumbled over himself.
"Damn!"
An exclamation came from an Inter substitute!
Everyone took a step forward, almost stepping onto the field!
Iniesta, who had been bypassed, shouted out, trying to pull Tang Long for a foul, but how could he?
Four goals ahead, all Barcelona players had already relaxed their minds, including the veteran Iniesta.
Rakitic's cover was slow as well, allowing Tang Long to slip away and continue dribbling towards the middle.
Tang Long advanced relentlessly from the backfield with the ball!
Bang bang bang—
Bang bang bang—
With the rhythmic sound of dribbling.
In Tang Long's mind, images of his first substitute appearance for Inter flashed.
He recalled Mancini's fury at Gualin in the locker room that day;
He remembered Berni waving the towel to cheer for him, the swoosh of the wind seemed to ring in his ear;
Recalled Yuto Nagatomo bowing and shouting "Thanks" to him…
His debut in the blue and black was as a substitute, and his farewell game was similarly from the bench. Perhaps it's fate!
Approaching the top of the penalty arc.
Center-backs Mascherano and Pique were on high alert!
They both abandoned their defensive duties on Bonazzoli and closed in on Tang Long together.
Witnessing Tang Long dribble past two players, neither Pique nor Mascherano felt confident in stopping Tang Long alone.
So they both advanced together, leaving the unworried youngster Bonazzoli behind to set an offside trap.
Bonazzoli had become a lot smarter at this point.
Whenever he played with Tang Long, it was like he ate a smart pill, and his football IQ increased by 50%.
He knew he was in an offside position, and even if Tang Long passed the ball to him now, it would be useless.
Bonazzoli quickly retreated to the edge of the penalty area at a distance, aligning with Barça's last defender.
Just as he stepped back the last step and was about to catch his breath, the ball bypassed Mascherano's and Pique's four-legged blockade, nutmegging both of them, and rolled right in front of him!