Sterling received the ball and became active again.

As a representative of joyful football, his technique is truly impeccable as long as he doesn't shoot.

He dribbled down the wing, facing two Monaco players in quick succession, yet they still couldn't stop him. If it weren't for the Monaco players cheating at the end, he would have even completed half of the nutmeg.

As the one who was groined, Lemar naturally wouldn't let the other party get away with it, and deliberately knocked the other party to the ground.

The referee blew his whistle and awarded Manchester City a free kick in a pretty good position.

Sterling was not satisfied with the referee's decision, arguing that the opponent should have been given a red card, and also angrily slapped away Lemar, who was trying to help him.

"Get out of here, you rude bastard!"

The referee did not respond to Sterling's appeal, but instead told Manchester City to take the penalty quickly.

As the referee for this match, he knew exactly when to give a card and didn't need the players to teach him.

De Bruyne stood in front of the penalty spot, waiting for his teammates to form a wall, his eyes once again focused on the figure in front of the Monaco goal.

Green, tall, with a steadfast gaze.

A direct shot wouldn't work; they had to find another way. He raised the number 3 sign, indicating to his teammates that this wasn't a direct free kick, but rather a tactical free kick.

The teammates naturally understood this without saying a word.

In front of the Monaco goal, Lei Ming kept directing his teammates to set up the wall, not only to form the wall but also to keep an eye on the Manchester City players on the other side.

Looking at the gesture De Bruyne made, he knew it was a signal, but he didn't know what the other party would do. But no matter what, his determination would not change: he had to protect Monaco's goal.

If they can hold their goal, they will be able to advance to the next Champions League match, where the stage will be even bigger.

As the pinnacle of club competitions, the Champions League is a transformative event with each advancement. Who doesn't want to be the strongest, and who doesn't want to be noticed by more people?

As De Bruyne took the free kick, chaos erupted in front of the goal, with Manchester City players who had been forming a wall immediately sprinting towards the far post.

This caused the already well-organized defense to fall behind. Aguero received the ball and unleashed a powerful volley, but the ball still struck Glik's thigh and bounced out.

However, this was not the end of the story. The ball was once again won by Manchester City's Stones, who cut inside twice and then quickly passed it to De Bruyne, who was in a better position.

This time, De Bruyne didn't hesitate and unleashed a powerful shot that flew into the far corner of the net.

At this moment, time seemed to slow down for many people on the field, with De Bruyne clenching his fists and intently watching the ball he had kicked.

However, instead of the expected shot going into the net, I saw a damned hand forcefully drag the ball out of the goal frame and out of bounds.

The Monaco goalkeeper rolled twice after hitting the ground before he could completely dissipate his momentum.

When Lei Ming successfully saved the ball, he also clenched his fist forcefully, his face flushed, and his eyes sharp as he looked at every Manchester City opponent, especially Clichy, who was also lying on the ground not far away.

This scene captivated the hearts of countless girls watching on television and at the scene, with everyone shouting Lei Ming's name.

Brilliant saves are always so exciting; they never imagined that one day they could feel so excited watching the goalkeeper's performance.

This save was definitely the result of Lei Ming's accumulated training over this period of time. Just now, he encountered the opponent's obstruction again, but this time, he would not tolerate it. Even knowing that the opponent was nearby, he jumped with all his might, pressed down on the opponent's body, and then caught the ball.

Although the opponent was clearly offside, Lei Ming couldn't wait for the referee's decision.

Manchester City won another corner, but Clichy's pained and unable-to-get-up appearance forced the game to be paused.

This prompted Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to rush to the linesman, signaling that the opposing goalkeeper must have committed a foul and should be sent off with a red card.

On the other side, Yaldin also got anxious and roared, "You're talking nonsense! How could that be? Lei Ming's movements were perfectly clean."

"How do you know he's clean from standing so far away? What about my player getting injured? This is malicious injury, a clear red card."

For the team's victory, Guardiola was going all out. Although he himself didn't see things clearly, that didn't stop him from making up his own assumptions.

If they can successfully send off the opposing goalkeeper, then they still have a chance in this game.

However, the referee wasn't so easily fooled. Through VR replay, it was clearly seen that Lei Ming's actions in this defensive play were clean and completely in accordance with the rules, with no suspicion of fouling.

On the contrary, Clichy is more suspicious, suspected of diving and interfering with the goalkeeper.

Fortunately, after the team doctor's assessment, it was confirmed that the opponent had indeed sprained his ankle, and the referee then refrained from issuing a yellow card.

Soon after the opposing player was stretchered off the field, an unfortunate piece of news forced Guardiola to make a forced substitution.

Guardiola is truly speechless.

Krish is quite something, managing to sprain his ankle at this crucial moment.

The goalkeeper failed to handle the situation and ended up getting himself kicked.

On the field, as the injured player came off the field, a corner kick was taken, but this time, with less interference from Clichy, the ball was easily caught by the Monaco goalkeeper.

This was one of the few shots Manchester City had come closest to the goal in the first half.

At the Monaco stadium, the cheers of the fans never stopped from the start. After watching the team enter halftime with a 1-0 lead, they all had a premonition that this game was theirs.

......

"Alright, it's halftime now. Let's review the exciting attacking and defensive moments of the first half."

Although it was late at night, Chen Xiaoyun was still watching the game. Watching the tall Chinese figure on the field constantly making saves in front of the goal, she felt more and more energized.

The next day, she woke up with panda eyes when her assistant suddenly stopped her.

"Wait, Sister Xiaoyun, what did you do last night? Why are your dark circles so bad? Didn't you get enough rest?"

"Ah, it's probably because I had some trouble sleeping last night. I'll take a nap in the car later."

Once in the van, Chen Xiaoyun indeed fell asleep almost immediately. Her assistant glanced at her sleeping face and found it amazing; her smile was just too sweet!