In Portsmouth's formation, Nugent and Kanu are both positioned as centre-forwards, not forwards.

There is still a difference between the center and the forward on the tactical level. Simply put, the center does not need to retreat to get the ball when attacking, nor does he need to retreat to defend when defending, while the forward needs to retreat to get the ball and shrink back to defend depending on the situation.

Portsmouth's 442 is obviously more offensive, while Southampton's double striker tactics is more cautious.

Therefore, although both teams use the 442 formation, there are still big differences in their playing styles.

Plymouth's left midfielder is number 29 Richard van Sierland.

This player has good crossing skills, is a strong team player and is physically strong.

The right midfielder is Irish international Liam Lawrence, number 7.

Liam Lawrence is good at passing and running without the ball, is very creative, has rich experience in major competitions, and is fierce and aggressive in defense.

Today Gu Ran is facing off against him.

The two midfielders are No. 11 Michael Brown and No. 8 Haden Mullins.

Both of these players were once international players for the England youth team.

Michael Brown is very aggressive and fierce in defense. He likes to use his body to fight. In previous games, pushing, tripping, and even tackling opponents are his routine operations.

Harden Mullins has excellent physical fitness and is also strong in defensive interception and replacement.

These two defensive players form a natural gate when they stand in the midfield.

Portsmouth's No. 6 left-back is the 36-year-old veteran, Icelandic international Herman Hreidarsson.

His height of 191cm gives him a physical advantage in confrontations on the left side and he is good at heading. In addition, he also has first-class defensive experience on the field.

The right back is No. 14 Jonathan Hogg.

The player is on loan from Aston Villa and is only 174cm tall, but his previous steal statistics are very impressive.

The central defenders are No. 33 Ricardo Rocha and No. 4 captain Aaron Mokoina.

Ricardo Rocha is a Portuguese international and a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Aaron Mokoina is a South African national team player. He is strong and powerful, and is a typical fierce defensive player.

He is best at the positions of defensive midfielder and center back, and often goes to the defensive midfielder position to actively steal the ball.

He runs actively, intercepts accurately, and makes tackles fiercely without any hesitation. He is a typical engineering player who specializes in doing dirty and tiring work.

In the South African national team, Mokoina has a nickname called "Mbazo", which means axe, referring to his fierce tackling style in the game.

In last year's Premier League match between Portsmouth and Everton, Mokoina made an unceremonious tackle on his national team teammate, Everton player Pienaar, which caused Pienaar to leave the field early for treatment.

This shows how ruthless and brutal he is.

Portsmouth's goalkeeper is number 1 Jamie Ashdown.

This player is 191cm tall and weighs 93kg. He has excellent jumping ability, strong one-on-one ability, likes to take the initiative and seek confrontation. He is a typical "gatekeeper" type defender and has good instantaneous reaction - but he concedes too many goals.

All in all, at least half of the Portsmouth team are international players, and all of them are tough and highly confrontational and aggressive.

Portsmouth has also relied on this kind of fierce and close confrontational style of play to gain a foothold in the Premier League. Although Portsmouth is only a lower-ranking team in the Premier League, any team will inevitably feel nervous when encountering Portsmouth.

Today's match was also a duel between two teams with the same Premier League lineup. Players from both sides were ready to fight to the death from the start! The members of the Fratton Brotherhood lit blue fireworks on the west stand, and the atmosphere of the entire stadium was pushed to a climax! Beep! At 7:45, the referee blew the whistle, and the South Coast Derby officially began! First, the Portsmouth team kicked off.

Center forward No. 10 David Nugent knocked the ball back to No. 11 Michael Brown.

As soon as Michael Brown got the ball, Southampton started high pressure and pressed forward as a whole.

Michael Brown was not in a hurry to pass the ball, but dribbled directly to his right at high speed.

Lallana and Lambert immediately double-teamed Michael Brown.

"Three Good Students" like Lallana and Lambert also became noticeably more aggressive in this game.

Michael Brown turned around to protect the ball, and violently knocked Lambert away with his shoulder, then accelerated with the ball! Defensive midfielder Hammond immediately filled in and directly came forward to block Michael Brown, preventing him from continuing to dribble arrogantly.

Michael Brown doesn't have any special skills, he just dribbles the ball and charges forward!

Bang! The two men fell to the ground at the same time, and the football bounced out of the right sideline.

The players from both sides started fighting with real punches!

The fans of both teams were roaring with excitement! Southampton's right back Richardson ran to pick up the ball and was about to kick it out, but Portsmouth's No. 6 left back Hermann Hreidarsson rushed up and stretched out his hand to grab the ball from Richardson's hand.

Both of them were in a murderous state, neither of them would give in, and both of them were swearing at each other.

The referee quickly intervened and clearly awarded the ball to the attacking team Portsmouth.

Southampton fans booed wildly.

Portsmouth fans cheered and applauded triumphantly.

Herman Hreidarsson reached out to catch the ball from Richardson, but Richardson simply threw the ball at his feet and quickly ran back to his position.

Although the two did not fight directly, the details were full of tension.

Before the throw-in, all the Portsmouth players crossed the half court, looking like they were going to score a goal within the first three minutes, while the Southampton players retreated to the penalty area and performed man-to-man defense on key players.

Gu Ran ran to Kanu's side.

Kanu glanced down at Gu Ran with disdain.

Gu Ran then stuck close to Kanu's lower back.

Kanu secretly exerted his strength to lift it... Gu Ran didn't move at all! Kanu immediately took a breath of cold air! At this time, the Plymouth team kicked the ball out of bounds, and No. 29 left forward Richard Van Hierlan received the ball while running and pulling.

Schneiderlin immediately pressed close to Van Hierland, preventing him from turning around and passing the ball easily.

Van Hierland was not polite either, and directly hit Schneiderlin's chest with a hidden elbow, knocking Schneiderlin back half a step.

Van Hierland took the opportunity to turn around and make a short pass towards the penalty area.

No. 8 Haden Mullins pushed away Lambert who was defending him and passed the ball to David Nugent who had penetrated into the penalty area.

David Nugent stopped the ball and turned very quickly. He passed Hammond who was blindly trying to steal the ball with his toes, and before Jaidi rushed up to block it, he passed the ball to No. 27 Nwankwo Kanu on the left side of the penalty area! This ball was beautiful!

It almost penetrated most of Southampton's defense line! Kanu had a good chance to shoot. He could jump up and head the ball without stopping the ball! Kanu jumped up forcefully under Gu Ran's overwhelming resistance.

Gu Ran and Kanu jumped simultaneously, and the header +3 was triggered!

Heading is not Gu Ran’s strong point, but it is not Kanu’s strong point either!

Although Kanu is 197cm tall, his jumping height is not that high. Moreover, under Gu Ran's strong physical confrontation, Kanu's center of gravity after jumping is obviously unbalanced! Gu Ran hit the ball half a beat earlier, but Kanu did not stop, but directly hit Gu Ran's jaw!

Gu Ran suddenly felt stars in his eyes and his mouth was filled with the taste of rust and blood.

Both of them fell down in the penalty area, and the football bounced to the ground! Fans from both sides screamed in surprise!

But the referee did not blow the whistle to stop the game!

All the players in the midfield and frontcourt of Portsmouth were rushing over desperately to fight for the ball!

After Gu Ran fell to the ground, he immediately climbed up using his hands and feet, and caught up with the football in a teleportation-like stride. He half turned to protect the ball and used his body to block the No. 7 right forward Liam Lawrence who rushed up first! Before Liam Lawrence could stretch his legs, Gu Ran used a gorgeous Marseille turn, protecting the ball and turning around to pass Liam Lawrence!

The fans at the scene exclaimed! You know, this was in Southampton's penalty area! Gu Ran got up instantly after being knocked down, and completed a wonderful pass in the dangerous area with great calmness!

Liam Lawrence was stunned after being passed!

By the time Liam Lawrence reacted and reached out to pull Gu Ran, Gu Ran had already gotten two steps away from Liam Lawrence!

Without waiting for other Portsmouth defenders to rush up to double-team and steal the ball, Gu Ran made a straight pass from the backcourt and stuffed the ball to the empty left side!

This ball awareness is invincible!

"Yeah yeah yeah!"

Southampton fans cheered wildly!

The live broadcast room was also filled with comments like “WTF”, “666”, “Too awesome”, “Real man”, and “This is fucking football”!

Southampton's attack and defense transition was so exciting! Gu Ran not only made a crucial defensive clearance against Kanu, a world-class legendary genius, but also relied on his desperate will and calm ball-protecting skills to promote the entire Southampton team's counterattack! It was only 2 minutes into the game! When Gu passed the ball from the backcourt, the left midfielder Chamberlain started quickly! Chamberlain was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. After all, this was the second time Gu Ran had passed the ball to him in such a long time!

The last time he passed the ball, he was totally unconscious!

And this time, as a super fast horse on the wing, he can finally fully enjoy this quick counterattack!

Chamberlain used all his sprinting speed to chase the ball! Portsmouth fans looked at Chamberlain's speed and gasped in amazement!

Really fast! It was the first time that Portsmouth fans saw such a fast 17-year-old winger! Just as Chamberlain rushed across the half court and was about to touch the ball, the Portsmouth defenders also quickly retreated to intercept.

No. 14 right back Jonathan Hogg sprinted from the side and made a fierce sliding tackle behind Chamberlain's leg!

Chamberlain was tackled and flew into the air with the ball!

The football rolled out of the sideline! Portsmouth fans clenched their fists and cheered happily!

Jonathan Hogg was the first to get up and spat in front of Chamberlain.

Chamberlain stood up angrily and confronted Jonathan Hogg with his chest!

Jonathan Hogg did not give in at all. He stared at Chamberlain's eyes, his nose against Chamberlain's nose, and his mouth against Chamberlain's mouth.

Seeing that the two were about to get serious, the referee and the linesman immediately intervened, and the other players also hurriedly separated the two.

Portsmouth fans booed Chamberlain.

Southampton fans don’t care about Chamberlain, but are all worried about Gu Ran.

Gu Ran had just collided with Kanu and there was blood at the corners of his mouth.

Kanu must have known that he couldn't get the header, so he deliberately hit the ball hard.

The impact happened on the jaw, and ordinary people simply cannot withstand such an impact force.

After the collision, Kanu did not apologize to Gu Ran, but got up and ran away with a grin on his face.

After Gu Ran made the Marseille turn and passed the ball backcourt, he did not sprint immediately, but squatted down and held the grass for a long time to relax.

It hurts so much! It hurts like stars in my eyes! If it weren't for my 81 physique and the +6 protection of the tin man, I would have to go down the field to heal my wounds.

The South Coast Derby was really a fight to the death!

At this moment, the live broadcast room was flooded with comments:

"Is Gu Ran okay?"

"Fuck, that hurt even through the phone screen!"

"Is the referee blind? Kanu obviously did it on purpose!"

"British football is not that squeamish, especially since this is a derby between two rivals."

"It's really fierce and hard-working!"

"Gu Ran might be injured, and might have to leave the court."

"Alas, our Chinese players are not naturally confrontational. It is already remarkable that Gu Ran was able to forcibly protect the ball and pass the ball to the backcourt to initiate a counterattack after being hit and bleeding."

“…”

Taking advantage of the dead ball, captain Davis, vice-captain Walton and others all ran to Gu Ran to ask.

"Gu, how are you? Do you want to change people?"

"No need." Gu Ran spit out a mouthful of blood foam, raised his head to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and showed an almost ferocious smile, "I haven't started yet."

Walton asked worriedly, "Gu, are you really okay? Don't hold on!"

"It's okay! Keep going after them!"

As he spoke, Gu Ran ran to the front court to participate in the out-of-bounds attack.

When the other Southampton players saw that Gu Ran did not leave the front line despite his minor injury, their morale was immediately boosted!

Southampton fans stood up and cheered wildly!

There were also various comments in the live broadcast room:

"Gu Ran is awesome!"

"I thought Gu Ran would be defeated, but I didn't expect Gu Ran to be so tough!"

"Gu Ran's mouth was covered in blood, and then he wiped it off and continued to fight! What a tough guy!"

"He has the demeanor of the national team players of that generation, Li Weifeng and Sun Jihai!"

"Damn it! Aren't players like this what we need most now?"

"From now on, who the hell still says that Chinese players are not good at physical confrontation? That's just a problem with the selection! So many good players have been buried, and the ones who were selected are all sea cucumber players who know how to give gifts!"

"That's right! The football environment in China is rotten to the core! We can't wait to see a player like Gu Ran! Gu Ran, please don't come back to play football in this big melting pot of China! If you are short of money, we will send you gifts, like a rocket!"

"If you need a wife, you can have mine!"

"Fuck! Is the friend upstairs trying to get rid of it?"

"Gu Ran! Come on! Play in Europe! Let them have a taste of what it's like to have a Chinese dad!"

"I'm so excited right from the start! It's worth staying up late today! Hahaha!"

"I've already started taking off my pants!"

The live broadcast room was bombarded with various gifts: Happy Worship 964 sent a super rocket, Maxim sent a super rocket, immlaufung sent a super rocket, S_nine sent a super rocket...

The game was only 3 minutes in, and the barrage of interactions in the live broadcast room broke the previous record!

At 3:00 a.m., the number of online viewers easily exceeded 150,000! Gifts reached the 50,000 mark! Happy Worship 964 topped the list of live broadcast rooms!

The official live broadcast room also added a golden suffix "Big Brother on the List" to the online name of Happy Worship 964, and the silver suffix "Big Brother on the List" was added to the online name of Maxim Little Noodle Ball!

On the green field, the exciting game continues.

After Southampton kicked the ball out of bounds, Portsmouth immediately pressed close.

Both sides made violent moves, with various pushes, elbows, and tackles from behind happening one after another.

The game was extremely intense, and almost every second was spent in high-intensity confrontation.

Head coach Adkins gave loud on-the-spot instructions on the sidelines, asking the players to reduce dribbling and play more behind-the-back balls.

Portsmouth head coach Cotterill asked his players to strengthen their close defense.

The two sides exchanged passes near the midfield.

Portsmouth had a slight advantage on both offense and defense thanks to the rough and fierce double defenders in the midfield.

In the first 25 minutes of the first half, Gu Ran used his physical advantage to knock down the opposing No. 7 Liam Lawrence several times in a row.

And when Gu Ran got the ball, at least three Portsmouth players made rough tackles.

Gu Ran's back, arms, and calves were all attacked by Portsmouth players.

But even so, Gu Ran still made two extremely threatening 45-degree diagonal passes.

Unfortunately, under the rough and close defense of Portsmouth players, neither Lallana nor Gully were able to stop the ball and shoot.

Portsmouth also had three shooting opportunities. The first was a sudden shot from outside the penalty area, but the ball went over the goal. The second was a header in front of the goal from the right side for a corner kick, but it hit the frame. The third was a shot by center forward David Nugent in front of the goal, but it was blocked by the highly focused Davis with his legs.

Kanu was almost silent at this point.

During many offensive penetrations, Kanu was in position, but because of Gu Ran's quick replacement and assistance in defense, Kanu, with his world-class ball-stopping skills, was unable to provide any tactical support for his teammates. Not to mention passing the ball, it was even difficult for him to shake off Gu Ran and move to the supporting team.

Kanu was also full of anger, and his movements became more and more violent.

Gu Ran was not used to Kanu's faults at all - what's wrong with you being a world-class legend? What's wrong with you having a heart disease? What's wrong with you being an inspirational idol? I'll still do what I should do to you! Without Kanu, the key tactical fulcrum, Portsmouth's attack seemed fierce, but in fact it lacked an important link in front of the goal, and Southampton finally escaped danger.

Although neither side scored a goal, the game was not dull at all. Fans of both sides roared and cheered from beginning to end, and the passion in the stands never stopped for a second!

By the 29th minute of the game, the fight between the two sides had reached a fever pitch.

Portsmouth midfielders Harden Mullins and Michael Brown double-teamed Lallana as he broke through with the ball.

Harden Mullins pushed Lallana to the ground, and Michael Brown took the opportunity to pick up the ball.

Southampton fans booed wildly, but the referee signaled the game to continue.

Michael Brown dribbled the ball straight in, and Lambert and Schneiderlin double-teamed him.

Michael Brown immediately passed the ball and made a one-two pass with his left midfielder Van Hierland.

Michael Brown pushed away the pressing Hammond and then made a clean through ball into the empty area in the middle of the penalty area.

Center forward David Nugent made a quick cross-cut run, took the first touch of the ball, and passed it short to Kanu on the left!

Kanu stopped the ball perfectly with his left foot!

Walton immediately came up to block Kanu! Kanu made a flexible move and tricked Walton to block on the right side. When Walton's center of gravity shifted, Kanu quickly flashed to the left and went straight into the small penalty area! Walton was out of position! The fans of Portsmouth cheered excitedly, as if they had seen the first goal! However, just as Kanu was dribbling the ball straight into the goal, Gu Ran predicted Kanu's position in advance, flashed over like a teleport, and made a death slide tackle! It is very dangerous to tackle in the penalty area. If you tackle the opponent, even if you touch the ball first, you will probably be awarded a penalty by the blind referee!

Gu Ran's death slide tackle was just right. He tackled the ball accurately and kept it in place!

Kanu didn't have time to retract his legs and was tripped by Gu Ran into the penalty area!

This tackle is clean, no problem at all! "woooooow!"

Southampton fans are excited!

Portsmouth fans were stunned!

Gu Ran is simply Kanu's nemesis! Kanu has tried very hard today, but he still can't get past Gu Ran! At this time, goalkeeper Davis rushed over in time and caught the ball at Gu Ran's feet!

Portsmouth players immediately raised their hands to appeal, they believed that the ball was a handball foul by the goalkeeper!

The scene suddenly became chaotic again. Players from both sides were arguing in front of the goal. The air was filled with tension and it looked like they were about to fight again!

The live broadcast room was also in a state of confusion: "What? What are the Portsmouth players complaining about so anxiously?"

"It seems to be... goalkeeper handball? Wait, what the hell is goalkeeper handball?"

"Is there anyone who can explain this? @Maxim Little Noodle Ball!"

"Do you need @Maxim's little face ball boss to explain this? I can explain it to you! Goalkeepers are allowed to catch the ball with their hands in the penalty area, but if they use their hands to catch the ball from their own players' limbs, it will be judged as a goalkeeper's handball and a free kick will be taken in the penalty area."

"Holy crap! I've never seen such a thing before! There's actually a goalkeeper handball foul and a free kick in the penalty area!"

"This situation is generally very rare, so it is normal for some fans not to know about it."

"Back pass using all four limbs? I can understand back pass using legs and feet, but can our players also back pass using their hands?"

"Yes, you can. If you throw the ball out of bounds, you use your hands. The goalkeeper cannot use his hands to catch it in the penalty area. Otherwise, it will be a handball foul."

"However, in the scene just now, Gu Ran just scooped the ball to protect it, and did not make any passing action. It was their goalkeeper Davis who took the initiative to attack and get the ball, so it was not a goalkeeper handball at all, and there would be no free kick in the penalty area."

"Portsmouth are just rogues!"

"Gu Ran's defense is really awesome. His tackle just now was fierce and accurate!"

"Haha, Kanu must have been scared to death! He probably thought his leg was going to break!"

At this time, the referee on the field made a penalty-Davis violated the rules for handball, and Portsmouth was awarded a free kick in the small penalty area! As soon as this penalty was made, the Portsmouth fans on the scene waved their blue flags with stars and crescents excitedly.

Southampton fans were waving their fists and roaring angrily, booing the referee for being unfair!

The fans in the live broadcast room were also dumbfounded:

"I will never be a bad-mouthed person again!"

"What the hell! Is the referee blind?"

"Damn it! I thought only domestic referees would make random calls, but I didn't expect domestic referees to be the same!"

"Fuck Portsmouth!"

On the green field, Davis Walton and others angrily surrounded the referee to complain.

The referee put his hand in the card pocket and warned Davis not to continue to pester, otherwise he would be given a yellow card.

Davis had no choice but to give up the appeal.

After all, the referee is the boss on the court.

This free kick was only 8 meters away from the goal, 3 meters closer than the penalty spot! Kanu took a deep breath and stood on the penalty spot.

Southampton's tall players lined up in front of the goal line and, together with captain Davis, blocked the goal tightly.

Gu Ran stood in the small restricted area, ready to respond.

(End of this chapter)