The Alien Plays with Earth

One moment Dunga was happy to have gotten ahead, the next he realized he'd been tricked.

Damn it!

Dejan Lu rushed towards the right flank, and what was even more infuriating was that the ball was also passed to the right flank.

Fortunately, the defense on the right flank was not weak.

Volpecina lunged forward directly. Dejan Lu sent the ball forward with his right foot, immediately switching to his left. He blocked the ball with his left foot in front, and the ball went behind the opponent.

Sombrero flick!

A sombrero flick cleanly got past Volpecina.

With Celeste absent, Pioli was completely flustered.

He ran back, constantly trying to close the distance to Dejan Lu horizontally. But unexpectedly, Dejan Lu slightly slowed down, changed his rhythm, and with a gentle touch of his right foot, he made Pioli overcommit.

"Boo!!!"

"Boo!!!"

"Boo!!!"

The Frankie Stadium erupted with deafening boos.

They were scared. They were afraid.

What made them even more aghast was that Pioli adjusted his balance, turned, and stuck out his foot, only to be anticipated by Dejan Lu again.

Dejan Lu faked out Pioli with another step-over, bringing the ball into the penalty area.

The game had only been underway for a little over ten minutes, and several of their defensive players had already become background scenery.

Marco Landucci was in front of the goal, constantly adjusting his mindset.

He hadn't yet decided whether to come out or stay on his line.

Marco Landucci, who had been observing Dejan Lu from the side, didn't even notice his teammate returning to the penalty area. He still chose to shift his footing to block the near post.

Landucci was shouting frantically in his mind.

Come on, come on!

He hoped that Dejan Lu, dribbling diagonally, would charge straight at him for a head-on confrontation.

Just then, Dejan Lu lifted his right foot.

Landucci immediately went down to block, and Dunga, who had returned to the penalty area, also chose to slide tackle to block Dejan Lu's shooting angle.

But Dejan Lu's right foot, raised high, gently came down, nudging the ball lightly to its right.

Thwack—

The ball rolled sideways. Dejan Lu took two more steps before twisting and shooting with his left foot.

There were two Fiorentina players in front of the goal, but neither was standing. They could only watch as the ball rolled into the left side of the net.

A breathtaking display!

The Frankie Stadium once again turned into a stage for the visiting fans.

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

The Sampdoria fans cheered excitedly.

Such a goal, such a performance, gave them hope for the team's rise.

Many frenzied fans had their voices hoarse from shouting, and some took off their shirts, waving them wildly, a sea of bare skin in the stands.

Boskov raised his left fist and threw a series of straight punches with his right hand. Who would have thought this old coach could throw five or six punches in a row? In that instant, his punching speed might not have been inferior to Tyson's.

"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In the commentary booth, Rossi was silent for a moment before exclaiming in a higher octave, "Dejan! Dejan first dribbled from the left flank to the right flank, used a behind-the-back flick to fool Dunga, and sent in a cross that was cleared, resulting in a corner kick."

"After the corner kick was cleared by an opposing player, Dejan put on an astonishing performance. Facing relentless pursuit from the opposition, Dejan calmly let his teammate pass the ball to the right flank. What followed, whether it was the sombrero flick or the two step-overs to toy with Pioli, was simply spectacular. The final step-over to deceive Dunga and goalkeeper Landucci brought this magnificent performance to a perfect conclusion."

"Before the match, the Italian media were all focused on the positional battle between Baggio and Mancini. Only Galliani thought this was a war between Baggio and Dejan. Perhaps we misunderstood Galliani; maybe he is the one who understands football best in the Apennines?"

Baggio stood behind the arc.

He had been dropping back very frequently today.

But Sampdoria's defense against him was extremely tight, and he could only find a few sporadic opportunities.

However, seeing Dejan Lu's performance, and recalling that Dunga hadn't given him much support and had been constantly marking Dejan Lu, Baggio clenched his fist.

He even thought that the tight marking against him was just an excuse, an excuse he made for himself.

If others can do it, why can't you?

In the world of geniuses, there isn't much room for many people, not even for oneself.

Baggio immediately wanted to put on a better performance to match his formidable opponent.

Not long after the restart, Baggio received the ball in the frontcourt and surprisingly chose to attempt a Maradona turn. However, he fell during the challenge, causing many at Fiorentina to worry.

"Baggio is rushing it."

"The Genoa Spin. If he had watched Dejan's match footage, he would have seen that Dejan actively engages with opponents when using this dribbling technique, shifting some of his weight onto them. Baggio's spin was a complete evasion performed in place, making him very easy to knock down."

"But the referee gave a free kick, that call is a bit controversial."

Rossi was very strong in his tactical execution when playing, and his eyes were incredibly sharp.

He immediately saw where Baggio's spin was problematic.

To attempt such a move when facing so many players was not a good choice at all.

The Sampdoria players immediately returned to their half to argue with the referee, while Dejan Lu walked over and casually bent down, extending his hand.

Baggio was taken aback for a moment but still took his hand and got up.

"Why?"

Baggio asked.

He couldn't understand why Dejan Lu was so magnanimous.

After all, the media and pundits were fanning the flames, and in such a situation, they were competitors.

"No reason, maybe I just have a better sense of sportsmanship."

Dejan Lu said with a smile.

"Then you should be called Lu Baggio," Mancini said sarcastically from the side, clearly displeased with Dejan Lu speaking with Baggio.

"See, he even thinks I'm a gentleman."

Dejan Lu said with a smile, then turned and punched Mancini.

Watching the two bicker as they walked towards the penalty area, Baggio felt an inexplicable envy towards Mancini.

Mancini already had Vialli, and now he had Dejan Lu.

Roberto Baggio might have more talent than Mancini, but the latter had never experienced what it was like to be alone.

Was this the price that geniuses had to pay?

Baggio shook his head and walked towards the spot of the foul.

Many fans in the stands had already risen, anticipating Baggio's performance.

As the referee's whistle blew, Baggio took a few steps to run up and swung his right foot. The ball arced over the heads of the wall and flew directly into the left side of the goal. Pagliuca, diving immediately, couldn't stop the shot.

"Roberto!!!"

"Roberto!!!"

"Roberto!!!"

The Franchi Stadium, which had been suppressed for half an hour, finally erupted with their passion, transforming into an erupting volcano.

As Baggio ran towards the sideline to celebrate, he couldn't help but glance sideways. Dejan Lu was indeed still laughing and talking with Mancini.

"Did you hear that? We're both Roberto, but we're not on the same level."

Dejan Lu said, pointing towards the stands.

"Nonsense, if I had a free kick, I could score too!"

Mancini shouted back.

A man could never admit he wasn't capable.

Besides, he truly possessed the skill for free kicks.

In the stands, Gigi Riva was applauding. He hadn't invited Rivera today mainly because the latter seemed to be considering a career in politics recently.

He felt that Rivera would definitely regret not attending the match live after seeing the footage.

This match had too many talking points.

The battle for the core of the Italian national team, the competition for the league's strongest attacker, and even the clashes between several defensive midfielders. In comparison, the defenses of both teams didn't offer as much excitement.

Verchowod was the strongest defender on the field, and it was precisely his constant communication and covering that allowed Sampdoria to limit Baggio's effectiveness.

Excellent Italian players could always see more tactical depth during matches.

Marco Lanna's assists today were very sharp.

However, Riva felt that his style might not be favored by the national team. Most importantly, was he prepared to compete for a starting spot with Paolo Maldini?

That young man, constantly victorious beside his teammates, probably didn't realize what kind of monsters were in the national team.

Sampdoria's overall strength made their players appear more formidable than they actually were.

After the kickoff, Dunga immediately charged towards Sampdoria's half, still intending to mark Dejan Lu.

As soon as Dejan Lu received the ball on the left flank, he quickly pushed it forward.

Dunga found himself unaccustomed to the sudden shift to simple, brutal, and direct attacks.

By the time he turned back, Dejan Lu had already broken away with the ball. Battistini and Volpecina charged towards Dejan Lu almost simultaneously. Without a second thought, Dejan Lu twisted his body and flicked the ball with his foot.

Bang—

The ball shot straight from the left flank towards the right side of the penalty box. Celeste caught a glimpse of Vialli and was nearly scared to death.

He had turned too quickly and lost his balance. He scrambled back on all fours, trying to stop Vialli from getting the ball.

But one step behind meant being a step behind. Vialli got to the ball first, quickly drove to the byline, and sent in a cross. Unfortunately, the ball was too close to the goal and was collected by Landucci.

Even though this attack didn't succeed, it still gave the Fiorentina players a cold sweat.

Bruno Giorgi, unable to sit still, walked to the sideline and shouted, "Mark that Number Seven like he's from the Soviet Union! If you don't want to become democratic Italy, then you better mark him, damn it!!!"

It was terrifyingly scary.

One moment of inattention and it was a 40-meter long-range transfer.

This was testing his heart's endurance.

Before this, he had thought Baggio was the best player in the world, but after today, Baggio could only be one of the best players.

However, not long after the restart, possession was lost again.

Battistini made a mistake while passing in the frontcourt, and Pari intercepted the ball with his foot.

The ball bounced back towards the center circle.

Dejan Lu immediately accelerated towards the ball, and Dunga was almost amused to the point of laughter.

He was standing right there, with Battistini beside him, yet Dejan Lu was acting as if they weren't even there.

Dunga immediately chose to turn and chase.

But Battistini didn't move, which made Dunga want to curse.

Damn it, Dejan Lu successfully got the ball.

One body length, two body lengths.

It was only then that Dunga realized how huge the speed difference between them was.

Before, he had speed but was playing with him using skill.

At this point, he had no time to think further and could only grit his teeth and chase.

Even so, the distance between them continued to grow.

Although his strides weren't large, his cadence was incredibly fast. His long legs moved up and down like flying shuttles, and the ball seemed to be glued to his shoes.

Pioli saw this and immediately chose to charge out.

He ran towards Dejan Lu, Pioli had already thought of a countermeasure. He reached out his foot to slow Dejan Lu down, and then worked with his teammates to tackle and resolve the crisis.

But when he reached Dejan Lu, Dejan Lu feinted with his shoulder, shifted his body slightly to the right, throwing off Pioli's balance. He pulled the ball to the left with his right foot, accelerated, and easily broke through.

He didn't even waste half a second.

Bruno Giorgi stood tensely on the sideline, not daring to breathe, staring intently at the field.

Dejan Lu had already carried the ball into the penalty area. Fortunately, three defenders had returned to the area.

Slide tackle!

He didn't even have time to question his disciple's decision before seeing Dejan Lu evade the tackle.

Damn it!

Dejan Lu weaved and dodged in the penalty area, making two consecutive feints to get past the defenders and the charging goalkeeper. He nudged the ball to the left, accelerated, twisted his body, and sent the ball into the empty net.

"Dejan!!!!"

"My Goddddddddddddddddd!!!!"

"My God! Dejan, Dejan, Dejan Goal!!!!"

"My meager knowledge fails to explain the greatness of this goal, but what I will say is that this is not the battlefield of the best 'Number Nine and a Half', but a battle for the Earth's defense!!!"

"The UFO that appeared at Frankie Stadium decades ago was waiting for Dejan's performance!!!"

Thanks to LeiCigol for the alliance leader, Old Ye also wrote a bit more.

It's impossible to add more updates during the new book period, please forgive me.