harleyscars Chapter 46: Roma's youngest Champions League goalscorer! 6th youngest goalscorer in Champions L
Chapter 46: Roma's youngest Champions League goalscorer! 6th youngest goalscorer in Champions L
"gooooooooooooal"
Several commentators at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome blurted out this.
The home fans in the stands erupted instantly, shouting hysterically.
Atletico Madrid player Godin raised his right hand in vain, indicating that Chang Huan, who scored the goal, was offside.
Players including Felipe, Thomas, Koke, and Savic ran toward the assistant referee, attempting to pressure and interfere with the decision.
The assistant referee was adamant that the Roma player on the far end was not offside.
After referee Brych blew his whistle to signal that the goal was valid, he immediately drove away the Atletico Madrid players who were pressuring the assistant referee.
Chang Huan then ran towards the aluminum composite panel GG sign with a smile, braced himself with his left hand, and used his waist and legs to leap over it, raising his arms and shouting towards the excited Roma fans.
The home team's coach directed the Roma coaching staff, who were huddled together in the technical area.
The substitutes on the bench celebrated by pumping their fists one by one.
"No offside!"
"Chang Huan scores his first Champions League goal with a rebound!"
"This is also the first goal scored by a Chinese player in the Champions League!"
CCTV-5 commentator He Wei, seeing referee Brych pointing to the center circle, announced loudly: "Roma leads Atletico Madrid 2-0 at home!"
"This is more than just a game-winning goal!"
Commentator Xu Yang exclaimed with enthusiasm: "It's highly likely that Chang Huan's goal, scored after coming on as a substitute, will be selected as the Man of the Match! The first Chinese player to be named Man of the Match in the Champions League!"
Chinese fans who stayed up all night to watch the live broadcast were thrilled and felt a sense of pride.
Finally, a Chinese player has scored a goal in the Champions League!
Although it was just a follow-up shot.
It's important to understand that the most difficult part is often going from 0 to 1.
"Chang Huan, who scored the decisive goal, also made history for Roma."
"In the 2009-2010 season, Stefano Okaka set a new record as the youngest Roma player to score a Champions League goal at 20 years and 38 days old!"
"In the first round after eight seasons, our player Chang Huan, at 17 years and 254 days old, significantly improved the record for the youngest Roma player to score in the Champions League!"
PP Sports commentator Zhan Jun, brimming with passion and eloquence, exclaimed: "At this age, he ranks in the top ten in the entire Champions League! He surpasses Basel's Breil Embolo, who scored in the fourth round of the 2014-2015 Champions League group stage at 17 years and 263 days, becoming the sixth youngest goalscorer in the Champions League!"
The live broadcast recreated the entire goal, starting with Dzeko's header pass, to Chang Huan receiving the ball, dribbling inside, and making a reverse pass to the right side of the penalty area.
The broadcast footage clearly showed that Chang Huan was positioned further back when Dzeko took the shot.
"Don't go offside!"
Italian Sky Sports commentator Fabio Carreza was deeply moved: "Chang Huan truly has a fearless spirit! Most players would stop after completing a pass, but he kept running, as if he knew Edin Dzeko's low shot towards the far corner would be blocked by Jan Oblak..."
If Chang Huan could hear the explanation, he would definitely give it a thumbs up.
He was initially running forward due to inertia, but at the moment Dzeko's low shot towards the far corner, the "Sky Eye Fragment" dynamic prediction system came into play, discerning Oblak's defensive intentions...
as predicted!
He scored on a rebound into the empty net.
The live broadcast director switched the camera to show the dejected Atletico Madrid players.
Players like Oblak, Godin, Juanfran, Thomas, and Koke stood with their hands on their hips, looking completely bewildered.
Head coach Simeone had lost his previous anger and dissatisfaction; he pursed his lips, shook his head, and sighed.
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome was completely transformed into a sea of red joy, with cheers erupting in waves.
The die-hard fans in the south stand turned their backs, put their arms around each other's shoulders, and danced the Poznan dance in unison.
A goal was scored in the second minute of stoppage time.
That's it! It's about securing the victory!
Chang Huan, having returned to the court, found the VIP section and waved.
Monchi, the sporting director of Roma, was all smiles as he watched the game from the VIP seats.
This young player, who brought Roma their first Champions League victory of the 2017-2018 season, was a Chinese U18 player from Liverpool's youth academy who was on the verge of being phased out, but was bought for 100 million euros!
That vision, that courage!
It is absolutely unique in the entire world of football!
Seated on the right are Chang Huan's agent, Vinnie Grella, who was invited to watch the game, and Chang Huan's parents.
They smiled especially happily when they saw Chang Huan waving.
Chang Huan embraced her parents, weeping with joy.
The live broadcast gave a shot to the VIP section, and PP Sports commentator Zhan Jun finally got his chance to shine: "The person appearing on the far left of the camera is Roma's sporting director, Monchi. I believe everyone is familiar with this bearded, bald man."
"The handsome white man standing to Monchi's right is former Australian international Vinnie Grella, who retired in 2013. He is now a senior partner at Base, a top British football agency, responsible for business in China and the Asia-Pacific region. He is also Chang Huan's agent. The two middle-aged men with Asian faces to the right are Chang Huan's parents."
"They run a Chinese restaurant called 'Lucky Luck' in Liverpool's Nelson Street Chinatown, which is said to be very good. If any football fans are planning a trip to Liverpool, it's a great place to visit..."
It was precisely because of what Zhan Jun said that even Chang Huan did not expect that his family's Chinese restaurant would become a popular destination for many Chinese tourists!
Closer to home.
The game has restarted.
Trailing by two goals, Atletico Madrid seemed to have accepted the reality of losing away from home.
The offensive effort they put in was no longer as proactive as when they were down by one goal.
Having secured the victory, Roma knew there was no need to pursue further goals.
Secure your profits!
The two teams played the remainder of the match with great understanding.
"Beep~"
"Beep~"
"Beep~~"
The referee, Brych, blew two short whistles and one long whistle.
The match is now over!
Several sets of system evaluation data subtitles, visible only to Chang Huan, suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Match: 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League Group C Round 1: Roma vs. Atletico Madrid]
……
The situation was exactly the same as when I carried the team in the past, and nearby teammates rushed over like crazy.
Let's celebrate our first Champions League victory of the new season together.
The live broadcast director switches camera angles.
The footage shows a close-up shot taken by a portable camera pushed along the sidelines.
Locked in Chang Huan.
He came off the bench and contributed a goal and an assist, leading Roma to a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
He deservedly was the best player of the game!
The away team's coach instructed Simeone, who was standing in the technical area, to keep his hands on his hips for several seconds, and then he turned around to face Di Francisco who was coming towards him.
He instinctively reached out his hand, nodded emphatically, and said, "Your team performed well."
……
On the field, Atletico Madrid captain Koke approached Chang Huan and said in broken English, "Chang, you played really well. Can I exchange jerseys with you as a souvenir?"
"Extremely happy to."
Chang Huan immediately switched to Spanish: "You did well too."
Kirk exclaimed in surprise, "Your Spanish is really good!"
"Your English is also..."
Chang Huan realized he had made a mistake halfway through his sentence, but his quick thinking paid off: "Well, you also played very well. It's a pity your teammates didn't seize the opportunity. I look forward to the next match."
"Me too."
The two players tossed each other's jerseys over their shoulders, waved goodbye, and returned to their respective teams.
Chang Huan and his teammates circled the field to thank the home fans for their unwavering support.
Kirk turned around to comfort his teammates who were disappointed by the loss, and together they went to the lower edge of the stands where the away team was to apologize.
The away team's routine press conference after the match.
Simeone's explanation for losing a game is no different from that of many other head coaches, or rather, his answers are formulaic.
They proactively took responsibility for the loss and bore all the pressure.
He also expressed confidence in the team's future, stating that qualifying for the next round was not a problem at all.
At last.
When repeatedly asked by reporters about Chang Huan, he couldn't avoid the question: "He's the most prodigious 17-year-old I've ever encountered in my coaching career. He's both phenomenal and consistently excellent. To be honest, if Roma's midfield and defense hadn't suffered a large number of injuries, I think they would have achieved very good results this season..."