Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions
Chapter 178 - 149: Zidane was dumbfounded! Hurry up, Mr. President, buy Tang Long this summer!

Chapter 178: Chapter 149: Zidane was dumbfounded! Hurry up, Mr. President, buy Tang Long this summer!

Spain, Madrid.

Real Madrid assistant coach Zidane suddenly fell off his chair with a bang.

He awkwardly got up, gritting his teeth as he touched the big bump on his bald head from the collision, then crouched with his horse stance, his eyes just ten centimeters from the TV screen, almost able to see the tiny pixels on the LCD screen!

On TV, the match between Zidane’s old team, Juventus, and Inter was being broadcast!

Zidane was dumbfounded by Tang Long’s Panenka penalty kick!

Isn’t this exactly how I kicked it!

It’s a complete replica of the goal I scored against Italy in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany!

The angle, the power, the trajectory towards the goal, all of it is identical.

The only difference is that Zidane’s Panenka hit the right crossbar, bounced into the goal line, and then bounced out again.

Tang Long’s shot went straight into the net, even more decisively~

Seeing his former Juventus teammate Buffon once again being played by a Panenka penalty, leaning against the goalpost with a look of suffering, Zidane was filled with glee.

"Hahaha, Buffon, oh Buffon, it’s been 9 years, I bet at this moment you’re thinking of me!"

But after a brief period of schadenfreude.

Zidane fell into deep contemplation again.

He looked at the camera shot of Tang Long’s fresh 18-year-old face.

A deep sense of shock surged in Zidane’s chest!

An 18-year-old youngster, in such an important match as the national derby, faced with the world-renowned gatekeeper Buffon, actually dared to perform a Panenka penalty!

And it was a Panenka in the opposite direction of the goalkeeper’s dive.

What does this indicate?

First, Tang Long’s mental resilience is frighteningly strong!

Originally, this penalty should have been taken by Icardi.

The Argentine striker is a contestant for the European Golden Boot against Messi and C Luo, would he just casually give up the penalty to someone else? Don’t joke.

Clearly, his mental strength is not enough; before even taking the penalty, he’s worrying about the criticism he’d receive if he missed, which is a sign of lacking mental strength.

But Tang Long resolutely took over the responsibility, he bore the pressure!

And dispelled it with a Panenka penalty!

Being able to use a Panenka penalty at such a time, this sort of bravery, even an 18-year-old Zidane couldn’t have managed it.

"Hehe, this kid is using a Panenka penalty to shatter Juventus’ psychological defense, to tell them, I am solid!"

Second, Tang Long exhibits the calmness of a top-tier striker!

Real Madrid has been tracking Tang Long’s performance for the past month.

In Zidane’s view, Tang Long is a midfielder who handles the ball exceptionally well.

In the attacking midfield position, he frequently provides teammates with deadly through balls;

When dropping back to a defensive midfield position, he is a reliable orchestrator in the back, the team’s metronome.

He is Zidane’s vision of a perfect midfielder!

This Real Madrid passing superstar received a promise from Real Madrid president Florentino—after Ancelotti, you will be the next Real Madrid manager!

The pursuit of Tang Long was also a task that Zidane proactively assigned to the first team scouts.

But today’s ongoing Italian national derby completely overturned Tang Long’s established image in Zidane’s mind!

Tang Long is not only a top-tier passer but also possesses exceptional talent in shooting.

Take this Panenka penalty for instance.

Zidane watched the replay several times, and he noticed a detail that others found hard to discern!

It was this detail that allowed Buffon, the legendary goalkeeper, to once again be outsmarted by a Panenka penalty 9 years later~

Tang Long always kept his eyes on Buffon, Buffon initially made a fake dive to the right to deceive Tang Long, but Tang Long didn’t move!

Not until Buffon truly moved towards the opposite left side, fully committing his weight, did Tang Long act!

He calmly placed the ball on the side opposite to Buffon’s dive from the penalty spot.

Meaning, up until the last 0.05 seconds, Tang Long made his final decision!

"This Panenka penalty was no accident, every move of Buffon’s was within Tang’s anticipation!"

"Oh Buffon, oh Buffon, you are already 37 years old, Tang Long is exactly 19 years younger than you, yet in this penalty kick showdown, you lost completely!"

Zidane, a figure poised to become a king in football, saw it crystal clear.

Many players who take a Panenka penalty make the decision beforehand to kick down the middle, regardless of the goalkeeper’s movement.

So sometimes if the goalkeeper stands still, they’ll save the ball easily, leading to embarrassment!

But Tang Long from Inter is different; Tang Long adjusts after observing the goalkeeper’s actions.

This technique and talent often appear only in the moves of top-tier strikers!

This is talent, it cannot be learned, nor is it something acquired through the hard work of training.

Thinking of this, Zidane felt all hot and restless.

Though Tang Long appeared on TV in the blue and black Inter jersey, in Zidane’s eyes, he seemed to already see Tang Long wearing the white Real Madrid jersey~

He quickly dialed Florentino’s phone number.

"Mr. President, this summer, no matter what, we must acquire Tang Long, I suggest contacting his agent Ronaldo, this Chinese youngster is bound to become a top-class superstar in the future! Let me make a comparison, missing Tang Long would be like missing out on C Luo in 2009, we must avoid such an absurd mistake!"

...

Back to the match.

Tang Long advanced from the attacking midfield to play a nine and a half position up front.

This move activated Inter’s offense!

Breaking free from Marchisio’s relentless pursuit, Tang Long seemed to emerge from a cage, achieving unprecedented freedom.

He thrived on the forward line, with seamless collaboration with Icardi that amazed spectators.

In the 61st minute, Tang Long and Icardi tore open the opponent’s defense with a series of exquisite "tap tap" one-two passes.

Tang Long took a shot from the edge of the box, the ball carrying a whistling wind sound, but regrettably it just missed the goalframe, causing a burst of exclamations from Juventus fans on the sidelines!

In the 65th minute, Kovacic delivered a precise through ball, Tang Long understood with insight, deliberately letting it pass, skillfully dodging the center-back Bonucci!

Icardi took advantage of the opportunity with a push shot, but unfortunately, the angle was slightly correct, Buffon, like an indomitable wall, made a spectacular save to tip the ball over the crossbar.

This scene made everyone present break out in a cold sweat, and Buffon especially was startled, patting his chest and shaking his head.

The best opportunity appeared in the 71st minute.

Tang Long maneuvered back and forth at the top of the box, utilizing 50% of Maradona’s ball sense, throwing Juventus’ defense into chaos, utter disarray!

Just as he was about to lose his balance, he completed a sliding shot in an almost impossible manner!

Duang!

Buffon’s vision was blocked, helplessly watching the ball hit the post and bounce out of bounds.

Tang Long lay on the ground, trying to lift his head to see the ball hit the post.

He held his head in both hands, lying on the ground, regretting endlessly, his stamina was already exhausted.

This time, luck did not favor him.

On the soccer field, missing good opportunities repeatedly leads to punishment, the rule is golden and applies at any time.

Juventus’ defense, after being battered several times by Tang Long and Icardi, gradually adapted to the change in rhythm.

Allegri substituted Marchisio, bringing on a center-back Chiellini.

Juventus’ formation shifted to a three-cent-back 352!

Meanwhile, both wing-backs Padoin and Lichtsteiner extended their running coverage.

For a moment, Juventus’ formation frequently shifted to 532!

The advantage in the number of defenders made Juventus’ defense tighter, seamless.

The connection between Tang Long and Icardi was cut off.

In the 79th minute, Juventus finally recovered their attacking rhythm!

Once again, it was Pirlo!

A long artistic pass found Morata aggressively moving forward.

Wing-back Yuto Nagatomo was left alone behind, causing center-back Ranocchia’s offside trap to fail!

Seeing Morata about to have a one-on-one chance, Ranocchia had no choice but to pull him down outside the box!

"Morata has been pulled down!"

"Ranocchia was the one who committed the foul!"

"Well! How to say, one good news, one bad news."

"The good news is that the foul was outside the box, Juventus won’t get a penalty."

"The bad news is, as the last defender, Ranocchia was shown a red card, Inter will play 10 against 11 for the last ten minutes, hang in there..."

Ranocchia, after being shown a red card, had no complaints.

At this moment, he was prepared for his sacrifice.

He simply said to Tang Long, "Come on, you have to hold on!"

However, the worst happened.

From 23 meters out, Pirlo executed a textbook-like falling leaf ball!

The football rapidly ascended, passed over the wall, then swooshed down~

Dong! It bounced into the net.

With this free kick, Juventus led in the 81st minute!

The situation Inter least wanted to see happened.

Not only lost a key center-back, but also conceded a goal...

-[Damn, what is this!]

-[Finished, lost both the lady and the troops, trying to steal a chicken but lost the rice!]

-[If I had known, Ranocchia might as well have let it go, a one-on-one might not have even been successful.]

-[That’s purely hindsight! Isn’t the scoring rate of a one-on-one shot higher than a free kick? Pirlo is just too strong, tsk tsk, 37 years old and still sharp! That falling leaf shot, Handanovic just watched it go by.]

-[What are we gonna do now? Only ten minutes left and one player down, no way to play...]

-[This Yuto Nagatomo, he didn’t stay in line with center-back Ranocchia, Ranocchia took the blame for him!]

-[Yuto Nagatomo ruined Tang Long’s entire effort in this match!]

-[No chance, going to sleep, just maintaining this scoreline would be fortunate, facing Juventus with one less man as if it’s a joke? Not to mention Tang Long, even if Messi and C Luo were both put in Inter, they wouldn’t beat Juventus having one extra player!]

Zidane wore a gray sweater, arms crossed in front.

He noticed a close-up shot.

When Pirlo turned the score to 3-2 for Juventus.

Almost all Inter players lowered their heads, dejection evident in their expressions and body language.

Only Tang Long kept clapping vigorously, shouting something to encourage teammates.

"Come on kid, the match winner is decided in the last ten minutes!" Zidane silently cheered for Tang Long in his heart.