Chapter 135 International Match Day
Mané was very excited to break the goal drought. He wanted to stand there and wait for his teammates to come forward to celebrate the goal that sealed the victory, but he saw from the corner of his eye that his teammates were dozens of meters away. Waiting for his teammates would affect his temperament. His brain was working at high speed. He chose to open his arms and run to the nearest visiting team coaching seat to celebrate the goal with the coaching staff.
Klopp was very excited, and his signature combination punch was first displayed at the Etihad Stadium.
Then, he faced Mané who was running at high speed with a ferocious expression, and his heart was surging. The two of them had a blood-pumping chest collision celebration in front of the broadcast screen.
Li Qing, who sent a long pass, felt a cramp in his left calf and sat down on the grass.
Klopp, who was celebrating the goal with Mané, saw a player in a red jersey sitting on the ground from the corner of his eye. His heart suddenly skipped a beat. He looked up and his heart sank: "Li, you can't get hurt!"
Also scared were central defender Klavan and goalkeeper Mignolet. They ran to Li Qing anxiously.
Li Qing pointed to his left calf and said, "Ragnar, Simon, I... I have a cramp in my left foot."
Klavan and Mignolet breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Klavan held Li Qing's outstretched left foot with his left hand and pressed his right hand hard on the front of his foot, trying to press it down as much as possible.
Seeing this, Klopp let out a long breath, and with the consent of the referee Michael Oliver, the team doctor came on the court.
It is worth mentioning that Li Qing stopped and turned to receive the ball at that time to prepare to use the physical potion to quickly counterattack with the ball, but he had a wide field of vision and saw his teammate Mane rushing in at high speed, so he gave up using the physical potion and chose a long pass.
The regular game time came to 87 minutes. He did not think that Manchester City, whose confidence was frustrated, would score two goals in a row in the remaining minutes, so he did not use the physical potion to restore some of his physical strength.
The broadcast screen showed Li Qing who had cramps. New England Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai said: "Li Qing contributed two goals and one assist in this game, fully completing the task. There are less than three minutes left in the regular game time. He has basically got three points and can retire..."
Arnold, who was warming up in the warm-up area, was called back by assistant coach Buvac, and then replaced Li Qing before the game resumed.
This signal is very obvious, that is, to defend with all your strength in the last few minutes.
Li Qing was substituted at the end of the game. Manchester City, who should have seized the opportunity to score a goal, did nothing on the offensive end. Wave after wave of attacks failed to tear open Liverpool's solid defensive system.
Just after the fourth minute of injury time, the referee Michael Oliver decisively blew the whistle to end the game.
"Beep~beep~beep~~"
Two short and one long whistles sounded over the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City players in the stadium sat on the ground in depression. Head coach Guardiola was generous and took the initiative to walk to the visiting team's coaching seat to shake hands with Klopp.
"The game is over! The game is over!"
At the same time, Jin Xiangkai, the commentator of New England Sports in the live broadcast room, said: "Liverpool defeated the home team Manchester City 3:1 away from home with two shots and one assist by young player Li Qing, completing all the victories against Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City in the second half of the season! With one game less, they are only eight points behind the leader Chelsea!"
Li Qing, who was sitting on the bench, contributed two goals and one assist in this game, and was undisputedly the best player of the game. He appeared on the broadcast screen with a smile on his face, and high-fived and hugged his teammates to celebrate the victory of the game.
Those Liverpool fans sitting in front of the TV loved Li Qing deeply, and those neutral fans also fell in love with this sixteen-year-old boy.
Without Li Qing knowing, his INS personal authentication account had nearly one million followers.
Leshi Sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "Sixteen years old is the age to go to school and indulge in games, but the young Chinese player Li Qing started for the Red Army at this age and dominated the Premier League. Liverpool won all the league games against Manchester City from the end of January to the end. It is not said that Li Qing relied on his own strength, but I believe that no fans would object to his great achievements, right?"
"What is the gap? This is the gap! MMP!!"
Countless fans sitting in front of the TV began to reflect. Some parents opened the door of their children's room and looked at their children who were also fifteen or sixteen years old, whispering in disappointment.
Li Qing, the best player on the spot, still did not go to the mixed zone for an interview. He and his teammates thanked the fans for their support and went directly back to the locker room.
The diehard Manchester City fans in the stands were reluctant to watch for a long time. They thought that Guardiola's takeover of Manchester City was the beginning of its rise. They did perform well at the beginning of the season, but as the league progressed, Guardiola gradually showed signs of not acclimatizing. Not only did he lead the team to lose points one after another, but he also lost in the crucial red and blue battle.
Liverpool fans were dancing with excitement, like real kids.
The 29th round of the 2016-2017 Premier League ended, and the next day was the international match day in March, which meant that the players who had national team match day missions had to return to their respective national teams to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers in Russia, which had reignited the war.
In order to reward the players who did not have national team matches for their contributions during this period, Klopp gave the players a week off, but also said that if the players were willing to return to Melwood training ground for additional training after two days of rest, it would be fine.
This sentence was obviously told to Li Qing.
Players will inform the club in advance if they have national team and national youth team tasks. Liverpool began to perform better and better at the end of January this year. Adult players were favored by the national team, and young players were favored by the national youth team. Only Li Qing was not called up.
Klopp was puzzled and fortunate at the same time. Li Qing was only sixteen years old. If he participated in the World Cup qualifiers, which had a high chance of injury, his future career might be worrying.
However, it seems that England U19 National Youth and U17 National Youth have tasks on the international match day in March?
The adult national team matches are dangerous, but the national youth team does not have such a big problem.
Judging from Li Qing's strength, the England national team will not only be the main force, but the substitutes will always be no problem.
The national youth team of both age groups must be the main force.
Li Qing had performed brilliantly in the England U18 National Premier League and the FA Youth Cup. In addition to his superb form since his debut, it is somewhat puzzling that he was not called up.
The local media in England are also puzzled. They believe that Li Qing is fully capable of being selected for the adult national team coached by Southgate. At the very least, he can be selected for the national youth team.
The domestic media became excited during this period. The English FA turned a blind eye to the talented Li Qing. The Football Association could have been respectful and naturalized Li Qing through special talents.
Noticing the media's response, the senior leaders of the Football Association snorted arrogantly: "You don't know any rules at all."