Chapter 811 - 146: Trading Blows! Flash Spirit Strike! Wang Shuo Dependency! San Siro’s Gate of Victory! Crazy North London Derby

As a result, the Gunners had to rely more on Hazard and Rosicky to pass the ball to Wang Shuo.

But let’s not forget, AC Milan was playing with three defensive midfielders.

Hazard, a master of breakthroughs, was ineffective whether on the left flank, the left inside channel, or even when he shifted to the center. Consequently, throughout the match, Arsenal’s flanks were shut down, and their center was trapped. The most telling statistic of their predicament was that 70 minutes into the match, they hadn’t earned a single corner kick.

No matter how strong Wang Shuo’s individual abilities were, he couldn’t break free from AC Milan’s ironclad defense.

However, the silver lining was that AC Milan was equally incapable of mounting any attacking threats. Additionally, it was worth noting that AC Milan employed quite a few underhanded tactics today. The pitch conditions were poor—slippery and full of potholes—which was highly disadvantageous for Arsenal. Of course, all of this fell within UEFA’s permissible limits.

The match restarted.

Wang Shuo took a direct free kick from 28 meters out, which sailed just wide of the goal.

But in the 70th minute, AC Milan decisively made a substitution. Or rather, a double substitution. Allegri brought on the youngster Pato for Robinho. This was a clear signal to strengthen their counterattacks. At the same time, he substituted Emmanuelson for Kevin Boateng to bolster their midfield defense. Kevin Boateng had fought hard during the match and expended a lot of stamina.

On the flip side, Wenger showed no intention of making any changes. Although Wang Shuo felt Wenger’s strategy for this match was somewhat conservative, it wasn’t his place to judge, nor was he entirely sure what his coach was thinking. As a player, the only thing he could do was execute the tactics to the best of his ability. That way, even if the final result was unsatisfactory, it wouldn’t be on him.

Faced with AC Milan’s ironclad defense and lacking any effective countermeasures, Wang Shuo’s best strategy was a battle of attrition, constantly wearing down the opponents. So, he kept running. One moment on the left flank, the next on the right, and then dropping deep from the center. Through this extensive running, he dragged the AC Milan defenders into a stamina battle.

Seeing Nesta panting heavily earlier, Wang Shuo could already tell—the "old guy" was almost out of gas! He was, after all, a veteran approaching his 36th birthday. Could he really keep up with Wang Shuo’s work rate?

It was also worth mentioning that Hazard wasn’t performing well in this match either. Under the combined marking of Abate and Nocerino, Hazard was completely stifled. As for Rosicky on the right, he mostly dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball and orchestrate plays.

In the 75th minute, Wenger finally made a substitution. Walcott came on for Matuidi. Following the substitution, Rosicky returned to the central midfield to partner with Arteta. This was a clear signal to strengthen their midfield orchestration and offense.

Time ticked away second by second.

Wang Shuo continued to run tirelessly, but at the same time, he kept a close eye on the AC Milan players. As the match progressed, both sides’ stamina depleted at an increasing rate. Especially after the 80th minute, the pace of the game slowed down significantly. The partnership of Rosicky and Arteta allowed Arsenal to smoothly control the midfield and continuously launch attacks, yet they still couldn’t break the deadlock.

The Italian defense was truly rock-solid.

But Wang Shuo believed that with their physical exertion, the AC Milan players would inevitably make mistakes—or fail to keep up! The closer the match drew to its conclusion, the more active he became. This was especially true in the 87th minute when Hazard sent a low pass from the left. Wang Shuo quickly darted forward. Positioned on the left edge of the six-yard box, 13 meters from the goal, he unleashed a sharp toe-poke shot with his right foot.

Thiago Silva threw his body in the way, heroically deflecting the ball past the end line.

A corner kick.

Unfortunately, Vermaelen’s header from the corner went wide. Still, the entire offensive sequence left everyone at AC Milan in a cold sweat.

As Wang Shuo jogged back to his own half, he noticed an opening. The AC Milan players were completely drained of stamina!

Just a minute later, Wang Shuo delivered a pass from the left, setting up Arteta for a long-range shot that flew wide.

"We can see that Arsenal is still relentlessly orchestrating attacks," the commentator announced. "The match is about to enter stoppage time, and the score remains 0-0! Whoever manages to score at this moment will secure the victory. AC Milan is still in a rather passive position, but Arsenal’s situation isn’t much better. Let’s look at this play—Arsenal is launching an attack from the backfield once again."

Although Verthongen was a newcomer and partnering with Subotic in the Champions League for the first time, he played with great confidence. After receiving the ball and noticing Alexandre Song positioned toward the right, he decisively carried the ball forward himself. This was a degree of freedom granted to him by Wenger.

As he pushed the ball forward, Arsenal’s overall formation pressed up. Only when they reached the bottom-left edge of the center circle in their own half did Verthongen see Wang Shuo dropping back, pulling wide to the left flank to receive the ball. The center of the pitch was completely congested; AC Milan’s parked bus was no joke.

Seeing Wang Shuo raise his hand for the ball, Verthongen immediately passed it over.

Wang Shuo angled his body with his back to the left touchline. Upon receiving the pass, without waiting for Nocerino to close the distance, he instantly pushed the ball past him and surged forward diagonally. Nocerino immediately stuck to Wang Shuo, tangling with him and trying desperately to muscle him off the ball. However, Wang Shuo simply tapped a pass to Rosicky, who had run over in support.