MM Racing Chapter 21 was hit.
Chapter 21 was hit.
As Marseille trailed at home, the longer the game dragged on, the more anxious the players became.
Moreover, they didn't have many substitute players to begin with in this match.
After all, they valued this home victory very much.
This resulted in Marseille players collapsing on the grass after only 60 minutes, with their legs raised and needing teammates to help stretch them.
There's no way around it; even someone made of iron can't withstand such a non-stop schedule.
Standing on the sidelines, Michel couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Jardim.
That old guy actually dared to rotate seven key players at once; he really has guts.
Not only that, their own team was actually beaten to this state by Jardim's substitutes.
If he were a Monaco fan, he would have to say: Ya Shuai is capable!
Marseille attacking midfielder Cabella, who had just recovered from cramps, was walking with a limp.
He looked towards Monaco's half of the field, feeling resentful.
That Chinese kid on the other side played a completely conservative game in the first half. We're both attacking midfielders, so why is he being treated so differently?
Little did Cabella know that Jiang Ming was also feeling unwell at that moment.
If we're talking about strolling around in the first half, he was completely at ease, playing a pure team-dominant style of play that required virtually no physical exertion.
Those 15 minutes in the second half completely drained his energy.
After he returned to defense, he weaved through the jungle of muscular men in Marseille, only managing to provide some defensive impact thanks to Berbatov's movement.
These are routine tasks for other midfielders, but for Jiang Ming, they are all physically demanding and strenuous.
The match has reached the 65th minute.
Bernardo Silva on the sidelines was already doing high knees to warm up. Jardim had long been ready to make a substitution, just waiting for Jiang Ming to run out of energy before taking him off.
On the court, Jiang Minggang, at the top of the arc, used a basic shoulder drop to shake off Cabella and then advanced forward.
The movements of both of them were somewhat hesitant.
Everyone could see that their physical strength had reached its limit.
Cabella panicked and grabbed Jiang Ming's jersey, attempting a tactical foul to stop Monaco's attack.
Jiang Ming didn't have the energy to argue with him any longer, so he simply lay down on the ground.
"Beep—"
Tilpan's whistle blew immediately, and Monaco were awarded a free kick in a very good position in the attacking third.
Moutinho was standing on the grass, watching the Marseille wall for an opening, when Jiang Ming suddenly approached him: "João, can I take this penalty?"
The team is currently in the lead, and the ball is in such a good position.
He had wanted to try out Ronaldinho's free-kick technique for a while, but never had the chance. Now the opportunity has come at the perfect time.
Moutinho paused for a moment, then readily nodded: "Alright, since you're going down soon anyway, I'll let you try your luck."
Jiang Ming thanked him, took the ball, and placed it on the ground.
"Oh? Moutinho isn't taking this shot himself, he's letting Jiang Ming take it?" Liu Teng was a little surprised.
It's important to know that a team's free-kick taker is usually the player with the best footwork.
Bernardo Silva hasn't played yet. According to the order of play, it should have been Moutinho who took the penalty, but he actually let him go?
"It seems Jiang Ming is well-liked within the Monaco team; even the senior players are willing to let him practice his footwork," Liu Teng joked.
Jiang Ming took two steps back, his chest heaving as he took a deep breath to adjust his shooting posture.
The Marseille players formed a human wall, with one hand behind their back and the other covering their groin.
"Both sides seem to be well prepared," Liu Teng said in a deep voice.
Jiang Ming took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and stomped on the grass;
Having gathered its strength, it charges forward to the ball.
Using the inside of his foot, he scooped up the ball by pushing with his calf!
The ball traced a beautiful arc, bypassed the wall of players, and headed straight for the goal.
Marseille goalkeeper Mandanda immediately dived to make a save, his fingertips barely touching the ball, and with that one touch, the ball slightly changed direction.
"Duang—"
The ball slammed against the crossbeam and bounced back!
Chaos erupted instantly inside the penalty area.
Mandanda fell to the ground while making the save, and before he could get up, the ball bounced right onto the edge of the six-yard box.
Carrillo appeared out of nowhere, stretched out his foot and poked the ball directly into the goal.
"1-3!!" Liu Teng's voice cracked. "Jiang Ming's free kick hit the crossbar, and Carrillo reacted quickly to tap it in!"
"In the 66th minute, Monaco had essentially secured the victory!"
Before Jiang Ming could even celebrate, Carrillo, who had just scored, jogged over and gave him a big hug.
"Damn! I hadn't scored in five games, and the moment you came in, I scored! You're my lucky charm!"
Their teammates on the field immediately surrounded them, embracing them in the middle.
Jardim, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but pump his fists three times in celebration of the goal.
Michelle, standing on the sidelines, was completely dumbfounded.
He originally thought that Jiang Ming's kick was just a random one, at most punishing the human wall.
Unexpectedly, he kicked such a high-quality free kick, creating an opportunity for his teammate to score on the rebound.
Before the match, he confidently asserted that this kid was just a gimmick Monaco used to sell jerseys.
My face feels burning hot, like I've been slapped.
By this point, Jiang Ming had completed the task assigned to him by Jardim: to create as much threat as possible for the team.
Although he only had two assists on the stats, it was his high-quality free kick that created the opportunity for Carrillo to score on the rebound.
Yaldin didn't delay and replaced him immediately.
As Jiang Ming walked off the field, he saw a small group of Monaco fans in the away team's section. They were die-hard Monaco supporters who had traveled a long way to be there.
They all stood up, applauded him thunderously, and kept chanting the same name:
"JIANG!!"
"JIANG!!"
When Bernardo Silva came on and gave him a high-five, he shyly added, "Well done, that free kick was of very high quality."
Jiang Ming scratched his head: "Thank you."
Yaldin handed over a towel: "Alright, go and get some rest."
"Monaco has made a substitution! They've replaced Jiang Ming, who started today and played 66 minutes, contributing two assists and a goal, with Bernardo Silva, who's getting a rest!" Liu Teng's voice was tinged with excitement.
"Marseille's morale is starting to crumble. A 3-1 lead is putting them under immense pressure. With just over twenty minutes left, can they withstand Monaco's onslaught?"
In the 72nd minute, Monaco launched another attack!
The cross from the left wing was precisely lobbed towards the far post of the penalty area, and Coentrao, like a cannonball, surged forward from the back!
He withstood the pull of the Marseille defender behind him and headed the ball powerfully into the goal!
"Goal! 1-4!! My God, 1-4! Monaco has completely thrashed Marseille!"
At the Stade Vélodrome, many Marseille fans were already shaking their heads and leaving early from the home stand.
They simply couldn't stand watching their team's terrible performance today, getting beaten like this even at home.
Michel on the sidelines turned green. Seeing that they were already down by three goals, he simply gave up and substituted the rest of the key players.
This game is beyond saving.
They're not Liverpool. With only a dozen minutes left, they think they can come back and score three goals? That's just wishful thinking.
"Beep~ Beep~ Beep—"
Referee Tilpan blew his whistle three times, finally ending the match.
The Monaco fans in the away stands were already going crazy.
Ignoring the grim looks from the Marseille fans around them, they linked arms and started doing the wave, singing a modified version of a song, their voices drowning out the boos from the home fans.
"We have Bernardo, we have João, we have Kylian, and we have Ginger!"
This key match in the 15th round of Ligue 1 was initially favored by many to see Marseille take points at home.
In the end, Monaco prevailed 4-1 at the Stade Vélodrome.