Carrow Road stadium was a cauldron of noise, the cheers and encouragement deafening.

The Arsenal players didn't seem too nervous.

They were used to more intense atmospheres several times a year.

Besides, compared to the Emirates Stadium, the atmosphere here was only marginally stronger.

"A Long country native? Norwich must be desperate. Hope he doesn't wet himself," a contemptuous voice sneered from beside them in the player tunnel.

Lightman had deliberately sought out Zhao Gang.

He had, of course, heard about Zhao Gang; after all, Wenger was interested in him and had even dined with him.

And if Zhao Gang joined Arsenal, Lightman was the most likely to be replaced.

So, Lightman planned to use this match to show his coach that this kid was useless!

Trash talk and sly moves were usually the best tactics.

Lightman looked down his nose at Zhao Gang, his expression disdainful.

Zhao Gang appeared not to hear him, his expression calm.

Lightman took Zhao Gang's silence as fear!

Young and an Asian player, he wouldn't dare cause trouble.

He wouldn't even dare to retort!

How laughable, how pathetic.

"Haha, Long country football, Long country players! You think you're great because a few clubs are interested in you?

Let me tell you, you'll never make it in Europe! Your skills are about the same as my dog's, no, you're worse!"

Zhao Gang finally deigned to look at Lightman.

Before he could speak, Ospina stepped in front of Zhao Gang, glaring down at Lightman. "You got a death wish?"

Lightman looked at the tall teenager and grinned. "What's this? Does the Long country boy need to hide behind a girl?"

Ospina tilted his head.

*Smack!*

A resounding slap!

"Crap, he's hitting me!" Lightman froze for a couple of seconds, then charged like a mad dog. The two instantly grappled.

"Stop it, stop it!" Hilo shouted, red-faced, rushing over. He pulled at Ospina while secretly landing a flying kick to Lightman's stomach.

Lightman stiffened, and Ospina landed two more punches, dazing him.

"Stop it, stop it!" Hilo's crowd control skills were superb. Everyone saw his anxious face, as if he was using all his strength to restrain Ospina.

It looked as if Lightman would have been beaten senseless if he hadn't intervened.

All the players rushed over.

Cazorla and Giroud forcibly pulled Lightman away.

Ospina was surrounded by his teammates, shielding him.

A few fans above could see what was happening and began to boo and curse.

Hearing that Lightman had been taken by surprise, many cheered.

The referee, linesman, and fourth official arrived on the scene in short order.

With the help of nearby security, they finally calmed everyone down and put an end to the dispute.

Lightman, covering his face and stomach from the kick and slaps, glared viciously at Zhao Gang.

"Hope your legs are tougher than Ojo's!"

"Hey!" The Norwich players erupted again.

Several Arsenal players quickly stepped in. "Calm down, calm down!"

Cazorla roared at Lightman.

Are you crazy?

Provoking them with those words now?

This is Carrow Road!

Are you not afraid security will break your legs and end your career?

Ospina and Hilo hit Lightman, so why was Lightman only glaring at Zhao Gang?

Because during the scuffle, when the players were all mixed up, Zhao Gang had been hiding in the back, landing the hardest blows!

He almost knocked Lightman's jaw out of place!

Lightman hadn't seen who hit him at first, but by the time he figured it out, his teammates had pulled him away!

Zhao Gang looked at Lightman's murderous gaze and, for safety's sake, activated his damage immunity card.

Things were likely to get ugly!

Even if Lightman didn't cause trouble, he would find an opportunity to teach this lunatic a lesson.

Lightman had not only insulted him and belittled Long country players, but also mentioned Ojo.

Ojo had suffered a serious injury last year and hadn't fully recovered. He couldn't play and might have psychological trauma.

Ojo had come to the training ground a few times, watching his teammates train in silence. Zhao Gang felt a pang of sympathy and sadness.

Finally, the match was about to begin.

The referee didn't know the cause of the brawl that had broken out before the match, so no cards were issued. There might be additional penalties later.

"Be careful! Lightman will target you! Protect yourself and don't let him provoke you! I'll beat him to a pulp!" Ospina said in a low voice.

Zhao Gang nodded. Ospina and Hilo were reliable.

He hadn't expected Hilo, a straightforward guy, to be such a good actor. That kick looked painful.

Well, who in football couldn't act?

As the Arsenal players took the field, they were greeted by a chorus of boos.

Lightman looked up at the crowd. The louder the boos, the crazier he got!

He'd show their star player the intensity of the Premier League!

Number eighteen?

Everyone's wearing number eighteen jerseys!

Great!

Soon, he'd be the center of attention!

"Lightman's face, does it look like he was hit?" Shen Jian asked, puzzled.

The disturbance had taken place in the player tunnel, and the broadcast hadn't caught it.

They had no idea what had happened.

"Could something have happened before the match? Lightman ruined Ojo in a previous match against Norwich, which was one of the reasons Norwich didn't have a forward at the beginning of the season."

"Possibly. The Norwich players might be a bit emotional. Something definitely happened. Ospina's hair is a mess..."

Shen Jian quickly looked closer. "Hmm... Hilo's face looks bruised... There's a red mark on Cazorla's neck... They really fought!"

"This Europa League match should be interesting. The players definitely look out of sorts!"

"Fortunately, Zhao Gang seems calm enough."

The captains tossed a coin. Arsenal chose their side, and Norwich kicked off.

Phillip passed the ball back and forth with a midfielder a couple of times. The Arsenal players were already in position.

Zhao Gang didn't have a marker. The defender passed the ball to Zhao Gang.

This was Farke's plan: get the ball to Zhao Gang as much as possible and let him direct the play.

As soon as Zhao Gang received the ball, assessing the situation, Lightman charged!

Seeing no good options ahead, Zhao Gang chose to pass the ball back. The moment the ball left his foot, he fell to the ground!

In a non-threatening situation, with the ball being passed back, there was no need for a tactical foul. Lightman hadn't stopped and had rammed his shoulder into Zhao Gang!

*Whistle!*

"Hey!" The Norwich players instantly rushed to surround Lightman.

Ospina charged back from near the opponent's penalty area!

The referee immediately intervened, the linesman jogging over.

This happened right after kickoff!

Ignoring teammates and opponents, Ospina pushed his way through.

The referee, who had been lecturing Lightman to calm down, saw Ospina and immediately stepped in front of him.

"Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!"

English football emphasized physicality, but not this kind of deliberate hit.

The ball had already been passed back!

Lightman's actions were clearly provocative.

A huge chorus of boos echoed through the stadium.

Lightman nodded to the referee, saying he was too excited and promising not to be so reckless again.

Separating the two sides, the referee knew that this match was likely to get out of hand.

He had plenty of experience. Who would start like that?

Both sides would ramp up the physical play.

He had to be strict to control this explosive match!