Chapter 703 - 131: Advancing! King of the Gunners! Heroes Make the Times! European Best Player! The Bloody Massacre at Old Trafford

Following the first leg where he sat in the stands away from home, upon returning to the Emirates Stadium, Wenger was once again banned from the dugout. To avoid arousing suspicion, this time he didn’t even dare to sit with Primorac. Instead, he sat in the VIP box with the England national team manager, Capello. Awkwardly, the live broadcast cameras even gave him a dedicated close-up, letting everyone at the stadium see Wenger’s exact location.

Meanwhile, led by their captain, Wang Shuo, the Arsenal players walked out of the tunnel to the classic Champions League anthem.

Tonight, Udinese had made some adjustments to their starting lineup. They switched from the 4-4-2 formation of the first leg to a 4-1-4-1, aiming to strengthen their midfield interceptions. Don’t be fooled by the 2-1 scoreline from the first leg, which made the gap seem small. Judging from possession and midfield dominance, Arsenal had completely suppressed Udinese.

Arsenal still adopted their 4-3-3 formation tonight.

Goalkeeper: Szczeny;

Defenders: Gibbs, Vermaelen, Subotic, and Lichsteiner;

Midfielders: Alexandre Song dropping deep, with Arteta and Aaron Ramsey in the center;

Forwards: Hazard, Wang Shuo, and Rosicky.

During the coin toss, Wang Shuo won the kickoff. Returning to their own half, he specifically gathered all his teammates outside the penalty area. Everyone, including goalkeeper Szczeny, huddled together.

"Udinese definitely came prepared, but this is our home ground now.

"No matter what strategy the opponent uses, we must win this match at all costs!"

Wang Shuo declared loudly, delivering his pre-match rallying speech.

Some United Kingdom media outlets had calculated that this match meant 30 million British Pounds in revenue for Arsenal. This didn’t even count the ticket sales, stadium advertising, and matchday revenue from the three home games in the Champions League group stage. It was worth noting that Arsenal had the most expensive tickets in the Premier League, and even in all of Europe—pricier than both Real Madrid and Barça. And Champions League tickets were even more expensive than those of the Premier League. This meant that advancing to the Champions League group stage would bring a remarkably lucrative income for Arsenal.

"Brothers, we have a lot of matches during this period, and everyone is under immense pressure, but that can’t be a reason or an excuse!

"Our goal is crystal clear: the championship!

"Breaking into the Champions League is only our first step toward the title!

"Away from home, we failed to fully display our strength. Now that we’re back home, we have to show the Italians our true level!

"Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Louder! Do you?"

"Yes!!"

"Come on, Arsenal!" Wang Shuo roared with all his might.

"Victory! Victory!! Victory!!!"

Everyone scattered, returning to their respective positions and setting up their formation.

When the referee blew the whistle to start the match, the away side, Udinese, immediately tried to seize the initiative and launch an attack. Losing 2-1 at home in the first leg left Udinese with absolutely no room to play conservatively on the road. They had to score two goals! This was undoubtedly a tough challenge for an Italian team. Therefore, Guidolin’s tactic was to press the attack right from the kickoff, striving to create a goal by striking Arsenal’s left flank, just as they did in the first home leg.

However, Wenger and the coaching staff had long anticipated their opponent’s intentions. After the opening, the Gunners mainly focused on passing and ball control, aiming to stabilize the rhythm. The two sides began to battle back and forth for possession in the area between the outside of Arsenal’s penalty box and the halfway line.

And just in the 6th minute, after Subotic successfully intercepted the ball on the right side outside the penalty area, he delivered a straight pass forward to Wang Shuo’s feet. With his back to the attacking direction, Wang Shuo trapped the ball with his right foot and quickly passed it back with his left to Hazard on the left side of the center circle. Right after passing the ball, Wang Shuo turned and sprinted.

Hazard drove the ball forward but, just as he crossed the halfway line, he was blocked by Udinese defenders and forced to slow down. While pushing forward, Wang Shuo also kept an eye on the movements behind him. He immediately changed his mind and made a diagonal run to the left.

"Eden, over here!"

Hazard threaded a straight pass into Udinese’s left channel. Wang Shuo cut in quickly, catching up to Hazard’s pass, and drove forward along the left half-space. Center-back Benatia stayed right on his heels, rushing back into position in time. The other center-back, Danilo, also dropped back promptly, positioning himself behind Benatia.

After catching up to the ball, Wang Shuo slowed his pace slightly before suddenly bursting forward. He charged into the left side of Udinese’s penalty area, attempting to shake off Benatia. But this center-back of African descent, who held dual citizenship of France and Morocco, possessed tremendous ability and a rapid acceleration speed. He actually managed to keep up with Wang Shuo, tightly guarding the inside and denying him any chance to threaten the goal.

Having gauged Benatia’s abilities during their first-leg encounter, Wang Shuo knew exactly what to expect and was well-prepared. Or rather, he had always prepared for two scenarios. If he could break through, he would immediately take a shot. And if he couldn’t?

Wang Shuo stopped abruptly, chopping the ball back with his left foot. Taking advantage of the momentum, he flicked it laterally with his right foot and exploded off the mark, quickly cutting inside and leaving Benatia in the dust. The moment he bypassed Benatia, Danilo lunged over to cover for his teammate. However, Wang Shuo utilized a fake shot to deceive Danilo. With the defender fooled, Wang Shuo took another touch sideways to open up the angle before unleashing a furious strike with his right foot. Empowered by his [Domain Skills: Blasters], this shot carried the force of a thunderbolt. As the football skimmed over the pitch, it even kicked up blades of grass in its wake.