Even Stronger After His Birthday? Scoring in Consecutive Matches

Chapter 102 Even Stronger After His Birthday? Scoring in Consecutive Matches

Rooney stopped playing his game, his eyes wide open, and he almost dropped his phone.

Ferdinand's beer glass stopped in mid-air, the liquid slowly dripping down the side of the glass and onto his leather shoes, but he didn't notice at all.

Vidic's mouth dropped open; the usually composed Serbian looked like a naive child.

Pogba's phone fell to the ground, screen down, with a loud "thud." He quickly picked it up, wiped it with a pained expression, and then turned to look at the women.

Even the usually composed Owen raised his eyelids, his gaze lingering on the twenty-three women for at least three seconds.

Berbatov remained elegant and composed, but his hand trembled slightly, spilling a drop of red wine onto his white shirt.

"Damn it—" Rooney finally swallowed the shrimp dumpling, his voice hoarse, "Who—who are these people?"

"Some of Zhang's friends?" Ferdinand put down his glass. "I thought there would be at most three or five women, but this is—twenty-three?"

"And every single one of them is top-notch," Vidic whispered.

For Vidic, who is usually taciturn, to use the word "exquisite" speaks volumes about the impact of these twenty-three women.

Zhang Kuang walked up to the twenty-three women and greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome, welcome. Please come in, eat and drink as you like."

Matilda leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Zhang, you look very handsome today."

"When am I not handsome?"

Matilda rolled her eyes, but didn't argue.

Lama, Arya, and Lim stood to the side, looking at the twenty-three women with complicated expressions.

They knew Matilda, and that she was the "captain" of the French-bound group. They also knew the eleven Middle Eastern girls, because the French-bound group and the British-bound group often kept in touch.

But they didn't recognize the four female reporters and the four beautiful young women.

"Do you know these arrogant friends of yours?" Rama asked Matilda in a low voice.

"I know him," Matilda said, "but we'll talk more when we get back."

Rama nodded and did not ask any further questions.

Next, the club's senior management and coaching staff arrived, but their presence was merely a formality, a token appearance.

No matter what, everyone has to come, at least cut the cake and say "Happy Birthday," there's no way around it.

But when they entered the stadium and saw the group of beautiful women who had already captured everyone's attention, David, Ferguson, Ferran, first-team coach Rene Mullensteen, and others were all dumbfounded.

What's going on?

Jonathan quickly explained to the group.

"These are our female partners from our agency. We invited them to Zhang Kuang's birthday party to thank them for their continued support."

"Well----"

Afterwards, staff came over and asked Jonathan to leave. Jonathan, on behalf of his agency, spoke first to celebrate Zhang Kuang's birthday, followed by David Gill, representing the club, who offered birthday wishes to Zhang Kuang.

Next came singing "Happy Birthday," cutting the cake, and after everyone had a bite to eat, the cake was distributed.

Zhang Kuang cleared his throat, walked to the center of the banquet hall, and clapped his hands.

"Everyone, thank you for coming to my birthday party today." His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the banquet hall. "I invited you all here today for two reasons: first, to celebrate my eighteenth birthday, and second, to thank you all for your support and help over the years."

He pointed to the Chinese food on the long table: "These are famous Chinese dishes prepared by a chef I specially invited from China. Please help yourselves to the food and drinks. There are plenty of beverages, so please don't be shy."

What followed was a chorus of praise for the food. The club's executives and coaching staff, who had originally planned to eat a few bites and leave, couldn't stop eating once they started because it was just so delicious.

"You can eat a little, but you need to increase your training tomorrow. These foods are high in sugar, fat, and calories, which is not good for athletes. Of course, you can eat as much as you want, but if you don't meet the physical test standards, you'll have to train harder to get back in shape." Ferguson took a few bites, then forced himself to stop, and then admonished the players.

Although he was just a coach, he was in poor health and dared not eat too much.

The players, who had originally planned to enjoy their meal, suddenly looked at each other with resentment upon hearing this, their eyes filled with longing as they gazed at the delicious food on their plates.

He indulged in a wild and joyful feast, for he hadn't tasted such authentic Chinese cuisine in a long time. The food he ate here was either modified to suit local tastes, or the ingredients were different from what he had back home, so his own cooking always looked slightly different.

This is absolutely authentic.

The birthday party was drawing to a close.

Manchester United players left one after another, and the coaching staff followed. Before leaving, Ferguson called Zhang Kuang aside and said something.

Happy birthday. Don't be late for training tomorrow.

"Understood, Boss."

Ferguson glanced at him, then at the twenty-three women, shook his head, turned and walked a few steps before turning back.

"Zhang, don't waste your talent."

"Thank you for your concern, Boss. I will be careful."

What was Zhang Kuang's last thought? No one knows. All that is known is that he was very busy that night, busy with his cultivation.

Cultivation is a once-in-a-lifetime event; one can only cultivate a maximum of nine Qi and Blood Points a day, so he has to work hard.

After a night, he felt full, his energy was replenished, and he felt particularly energetic.

Early the next morning, Carrington Base.

Before training began, Ferguson stood on the sidelines, watching the players walk onto the training field one by one.

His gaze lingered on Zhang Kuang for a moment.

Zhang Kuang looked to be in great shape, full of energy, and walking briskly. He showed no signs of hangover or exhaustion, but rather looked like he had taken a lot of tonics.

"Zhang, come here."

Zhang Kuang jogged over.

"Boss, what is it?"

"Go do a physical test. If you don't meet the standard, you'll need to train for an extra three hours every day for the next three days."

"No problem, Boss."

Ferguson stared at him for two seconds, then laughed. "Kid, I'll make you pay."

"Alright, go ahead."

Zhang Kuang turned and ran to the office building.

He returned half an hour later, accompanied by the club's chief team doctor, Steve McNally, who handed Ferguson a form.

"Sir, this guy is a monster, just look at him."

Ferguson paused for a moment, took the form and glanced at it. He looked at Zhang Kuang with surprise, then at the form again.

"Is the equipment not broken?"

"Sir, the equipment is fine."

Ferguson nodded: "Okay, I understand. You go ahead and get busy. Zhang, you go to training too."

Ferguson waved his hand, feeling exhausted. Was this guy not human?

Sunday, August 22.

Craven Cottage, London.

In the second round of the Premier League, Manchester United will play away against Fulham.

Before the match, almost everyone thought it would be a crushing victory. Manchester United thrashed Newcastle 3-0 in the first round, with their attacking trident working seamlessly together and their attack flowing like mercury.

Fulham lost 0-2 to Bolton in their first away game, showing mediocre form.

But the charm of football lies in its unpredictability.

Craven Cottage is one of the smallest stadiums in the Premier League, with a capacity of just over 25,000. However, its home atmosphere is extremely strong, making it difficult for visiting teams to gain an advantage.

Fulham's manager, Mark Hughes, is a former Manchester United player and knows Ferguson's tactics inside and out. He knows how to limit Manchester United's attack.

In the locker room before the game, Ferguson stood in front of the tactical board with a serious expression.

"Don't underestimate Fulham," he said. "Their defense is very resilient, and Mark Hughes understands our style of play. He will definitely devise tactics to exploit our weaknesses."

He glanced at Zhang Kuang.

"Zhang, you'll play on the left wing today, but don't limit yourself to that. Fulham's right-back, Baird, is slow, so use your speed to get past him. If they double-team you, drop back to receive the ball and draw their defense out."

"Understood, Boss."

Ferguson glanced at Rooney and Berbatov again.

"Rooney, you on the right wing, move more towards the middle. Berbatov, you in the middle, watch for support. The trident needs to be flexible and move around, don't stay in one place."

"clear."

"I have one more request," Ferguson said. "Today's game, I want you to put pressure on them from the very beginning."

Don't give them any chance to breathe.

Ferguson made a very efficient arrangement in the dressing room, and the entire Manchester United team went to the pitch with great confidence.

Even the commentators from Sky Sports and CCTV-5 are very confident.

Not to mention the 5000 Manchester United away fans, who were jumping and singing in the away stands.

The whistle blew.

Manchester United kick off.

After the match began, Manchester United quickly gained possession of the ball.

But Fulham's defense was even more tenacious than expected. Their backline was very tight, and their midfielders dropped back in a timely manner, repeatedly thwarting Manchester United's attacks.

In the first ten minutes, Manchester United had 70% possession, but failed to register a single shot on target.

Zhang Kuang received the ball on the left wing, facing Fulham's right-back Chris Baird. Baird is 1.88 meters tall, weighs 85 kilograms, and is physically strong, but his speed is average.

Zhang Kuang made several feints, but Baird remained unmoved, sticking close to Zhang Kuang and preventing him from turning around.

"Fulham's defense against the madman was very targeted today," said Martin Tyler of Sky Sports. "Baird didn't give him any space to turn. Whenever the madman received the ball with his back to goal, Baird would close in and prevent him from accelerating."

"Yes," Rob Hawthorne said, "that's the most effective way to deal with fast, explosive wingers, by not giving them space to sprint."

In the 9th minute, Zhang Kuang decided to change tactics. It wasn't that he couldn't get past Baird, but rather that if he did, it would alert other Premier League teams, disrupting Ferguson's principle of keeping a low profile until September 1st.

At this point, he can pretend to have weaknesses and be manipulated, which is perfect.

So he started to drop back to midfield to receive the ball, and after receiving a pass from Scholes, he turned to face Baird.

This time, he has room to sprint.

Zhang Kuang flicked the ball with his left foot, leaning his body to the left, pretending to go to the outside. The moment Baird shifted his weight, Zhang Kuang slammed the ball back, pushed it with his right foot, and cut past him inside.

Byrd reached out and grabbed Zhang Kuang's clothes, but Zhang Kuang was too strong and pulled Byrd down, continuing to rush forward. This time, Zhang Kuang forgot to hold back, mainly because he forgot once he started running.

"Foul!" shouted the Fulham players.

But the referee didn't blow the whistle, the attack was in the favor, and Manchester United continued their attack.

Zhang Kuang burst into the penalty area, where Fulham's center-back Hangeland came to cover. Hangeland, standing at 1.95 meters tall, is one of the tallest center-backs in the Premier League, possessing exceptional heading ability but lacking in footwork.

Zhang Kuang didn't give him a chance to kick, and directly took a shot.

The ball flew like a cannonball towards the far corner of the goal.

Fulham's goalkeeper Schwarzer made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball, which changed direction and grazed the post before going out of play.

Corner kick.

"A wild shot!" Martin Tyler shouted. "So close! If that had gone in, it would have been another world-class goal!"

""

Old Trafford was far away, but the Manchester United fans at Craven Cottage erupted in enthusiastic applause from their stands.

In the 20th minute, Fulham launched a sharp counter-attack.

Midfielder Danny Murphy played a through ball, and striker Andrew Jansen beat the offside trap, finding himself one-on-one with Van der Sar.

Van der Sar rushed out and saved Jansen's shot. But the ball bounced to the edge of the penalty area, where Fulham's other striker, Zamora, followed up with a shot, which was brilliantly saved by Ferdinand.

That was close.

"Fulham's counter-attack was very dangerous," Martin Tyler said. "Manchester United's defense pushed too high, giving Fulham space to counter-attack."

Ferguson stood on the sidelines, looking rather grim.

He turned to Ferran and said, "Tell Carrick to keep an eye on the defensive line and not push too high."

Ferran nodded, ran to the sidelines, and relayed Ferguson's instructions to Carrick.

In the 28th minute, Manchester United's attack finally paid off.

Giggs received the ball on the left wing and delivered a cross that flew into the penalty area.

Berbatov contested for the header in the penalty area but missed, and the ball bounced to the right side of the penalty area.

Rooney followed up with a volley, but Schwarzer made the save.

Zhang Kuang burst out from the crowd and unleashed a powerful shot at the ball.

You should know that his positioning is not bad.

The ball went into the net.

1: 0!

Martin: "G0000000000000AL! Manchester United's Chinese striker has scored in consecutive games. Who can stop him? Who can stop him? He really is a super striker who has scored more than 30 goals in half a season in Ligue 1."

Rob: "Yes, even though the level of the French league is lower than that of the Premier League, Zhang from China only scored half the number of goals in the Premier League, but that was still more than 30 goals in a season, which is also the Golden Boot record."

"Yes, his goal-scoring instinct is extremely sharp. He was the first to spot the ball in the crowd and score on the rebound! This is the super-sense of a top striker, it's quite terrifying."

He Wei: "Goal! Goal! Goal! Zhang Kuang scored on the rebound! Zhang Kuang is as agile as a cheetah on the grassland. In just a breath, the two defenders marking him lost sight of him. At this moment, he has already appeared at the goal spot. This is a top-notch hunter."

Zhang ran wildly towards the corner flag area and made the "Siu" celebration gesture.

Rooney rushed over and jumped onto his back.

"Hey bro, where's my assist?" Rooney asked.

"That was a shot, not an assist," Zhang Kuang said. "Your shot was saved, and I followed up to score."

"Damn, I created that too!"

"Alright, alright, I'll count you as half an assisted partner."

On the sidelines, Ferguson stood up and applauded a few times.

His expression relaxed a little, but his brows were still furrowed.

1-0 isn't enough; Fulham played very tenaciously and could equalize at any time.

As expected, Fulham did not give up. In the 42nd minute, Manchester United were once again threatened by Fulham's counter-attack.

This time, it was Fulham's captain Murphy's long-range shot that hit the crossbar and bounced back into the penalty area. American attacking midfielder Dempsey then volleyed the ball into the net, and Van der Sar didn't have time to react before it went in.

1:1

It's hard to blame anyone for this goal, but I feel like something went wrong.

In the 44th minute, Manchester United won a free kick in the attacking third. Giggs took the free kick, and Ferdinand's header was saved by Schwarzer.

The first half ended with the score tied at 1-1.