"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah..."
Boskov threw frantic right hooks on the touchline.
Pezzotti had a feeling that the man he assisted was throwing punches faster and faster.
At this rate, once he left Sampdoria, he could make a career in boxing.
Over at Juventus's bench, Zoff almost immediately turned and told the substitutes to start warming up.
The match had entered the eightieth minute. At a time like this, Italian coaches would all make the same choice: take a gamble or play it safe.
Two points would naturally be great, but one point was acceptable too.
That was the biggest reason the system was later changed to three points for a win.
The gap between a draw and a victory was too small, making matches increasingly conservative.
It was a worldwide trend, let alone in Italy, where defense was the foundation.
In the stands, Roberto Mancini's expression was quite something.
He was happy that the team had equalized, but he was also troubled.
If the team could get points without him, didn't that mean he, the vice-captain, was useless? That it made no difference whether he was there or not?
But after watching today's match, he truly admired Dejan Lu.
Damn it, an attacking player moved into central midfield, then kept appearing in both penalty areas?
He couldn't do that himself.
That was ruthless!
Another interception!
Roberto Mancini was starting to wonder whether Dejan Lu was even better as a defensive midfielder than in attack.
Salzano received Vialli's pass and immediately shot, only for Juventus goalkeeper Stefano Tacconi to parry it behind.
Another corner.
Even Roberto Mancini could not help growing nervous.
No way, right?
A powerful feeling rose inside him that this ball might put Sampdoria ahead.
"Defend, defend!!!"
Zoff shouted at the top of his lungs.
Every Juventus player dropped back into the box, including striker Schillaci.
"Try it along the ground."
Dejan Lu said quietly.
Lombardo, who was walking toward the corner flag, immediately nodded.
With so many Juventus players in the box, it really would not be easy to win the ball in the air.
Beep.
As the referee blew the whistle, Lombardo tapped the ball out of the corner area, and Dossena moved over to support him at once.
The Juventus players panicked instantly.
A ground combination!
Not the direct ball lofted into the box they had expected.
In the confusion, Marocchi abandoned Dejan Lu and immediately went after the ball.
Dossena passed back to Lombardo, who quickly cut the ball back toward the edge of the penalty area.
Pari had been ready for it and knocked the ball into the box with one touch.
Dossena received it again, turned, drove to the byline, and quickly chipped in a cross. The ball flew straight toward the far post.
Verchowod leaped to head it at goal. Pasquale Bruno jumped a fraction too late, but still managed to block the ball.
The ball struck Pasquale Bruno's head and bounced toward the top of the penalty arc.
"Damn it..."
Following the ball with his eyes, Zoff's eyelid began twitching involuntarily.
Dejan Lu!
Dejan Lu was standing there.
And he was completely unmarked!!!
The ball was at a good height and not traveling too fast. Dejan Lu shifted his feet slightly, clearly adjusting himself. As the ball dropped, he pushed off with his right foot and swung his left leg through.
Bang—
Swift waters drove the lone boat on; mountain flowers brushed his face with fragrance!
A volley!
The players on both sides had only enough time to turn their heads. Before they could react, the ball flew toward the goal like a cannonball.
Stefano Tacconi had no time to jump. He could only instinctively lean back and stretch his right arm as far as he could, trying to stop the ball from entering the net, but it was all futile.
His movement became the perfect backdrop.
Boom—
"Dejan!!!"
"Dejan!!!"
"Dejan!!!"
The away section erupted once more.
Roberto Mancini rose with the fans and celebrated wildly. He hugged Marco Lanna, and the two jumped up and down together.
"Did you see that? Did you see it? That bastard Dejan—damn it, I knew he could score!!!" Roberto Mancini shouted excitedly.
Marco Lanna nodded hard.
For the first time, he felt that sitting in the stands was even more thrilling than playing on the pitch.
The feeling of holding expectations and seeing them fulfilled right away, of not being let down, was simply wonderful.
Dejan truly never disappointed anyone.
Sigh.
Zoff shook his head and turned back toward the bench.
Damn it. Damn it all.
The legendary goalkeeper did not want to say a single word right now.
In the commentary booth, Rossi shouted Dejan Lu's name.
"Dejan!!!!"
"Goal!!!!!!!!"
"GoalGoalGoal!!!!!!"
"After returning in an emergency from injury, Dejan once again took control of the match. The substitute today was extremely active at both ends of the pitch. He completed three interceptions, five tackles, won all three of his three aerial-duel attempts, and most importantly, he launched two attacks and seized both opportunities created when his teammates won corners, helping Sampdoria take the lead."
"I completely understand Zoff's disappointment now. He had prepared everything for this match, and Mancini's suspension also benefited Juventus. But the one thing he did not expect was for Dejan, playing in midfield, to show absolute dominance and successfully dismantle Juventus's targeting of Sampdoria's midfield."
"Juventus will not get another chance."
There was just over a minute left in the match.
But when they tried to build another attack, Dejan Lu stepped up again.
Soviet Maradona's pass did not even reach the halfway line before Dejan Lu intercepted it and immediately passed to a teammate.
Chief referee Carlo Longhi simply blew the final whistle.
Only then did Zoff pull himself together and walk to the touchline. The legendary goalkeeper adjusted his suit and moved his mouth from side to side, making sure his expression would not slip.
Alexander Zavurov walked toward the touchline. When he saw his manager, he immediately went up to greet him.
But the next second, Zoff walked straight past him, leaving Zavurov frozen in place.
When he turned around, he saw Zoff extend a hand toward Sampdoria's Number Seven and ask, "Would you be interested in joining Juventus? We can offer you a higher salary..."
Just as Dejan Lu was about to refuse, he saw Boskov charge over, waving his fists.
He hurried forward and stopped his coach.
The player's suspension had not even ended yet. They could not have the coach suspended too.
"Let go of me, Dejan. I'm going to teach that guy a proper lesson..."
Boskov shouted as he struggled.
Pezzotti hurried over to help hold Boskov back.
He might have been born in the thirties and was no longer young, but one person really could not restrain him when he started struggling.
Zoff smiled awkwardly and turned toward the players' tunnel.
Yugoslavians really were not to be messed with.
Watching Zoff leave, Boskov said disdainfully, "If you hadn't held me back, I'd have shown him the power of iron fists today."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Pagliuca, who had run over, said in the tone of someone humoring a child.
Pezzotti, however, believed Boskov had meant every word.
To prevent any trouble, Pezzotti attended the press conference in Boskov's place.
Zoff did not mention the post-match confrontation. After all, he had been the one trying to poach a player. He was generous with his praise for Dejan Lu, saying, "Dejan ruined today's match for us. We played well for sixty minutes, but Dejan took over in the final thirty. Technical superiority is not his greatest strength. His positioning at both ends of the pitch is outstanding, and that caused us enormous problems. I think Sampdoria are the biggest favorites to win the title."
After beating Juventus, Sampdoria returned to the Cup Winners' Cup.
Playing at home this time, Sampdoria, who had already won three straight matches, made sweeping changes to the lineup.
Roberto Mancini, who was not suspended in European competition, was still in the stands, as was Dejan Lu.
"Sometimes I really suspect the boss is deliberately keeping me from playing," Roberto Mancini complained.
At his age, he had no intention of taking it easy.
"Getting paid without working is actually pretty nice," Dejan Lu said indifferently.
"What do you know? I want to get back into the national team."
Roberto Mancini said.
Baggio had been performing quite well lately. Fiorentina were not ranked high, but Baggio had scored plenty of goals.
"Maybe Italy will bring a few more Number 9.5s."
Dejan Lu tried to reassure him.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that." Roberto Mancini waved his hand irritably. "I asked Marco before, and that kid has put all his money with his girlfriend. I have a bad feeling he's going to get burned badly."
"Yeah. Even lawyers dislike people like that, because they can't afford legal fees."
Dejan Lu nodded.
Icardi was the best example. All his damn money was in Wanda's hands.
If you wanted to learn from someone, learn from Achraf. That was a truly smart man.
"We can't just watch him get taken advantage of, can we? That guy might end up on the streets someday," Roberto Mancini said worriedly.
His temper was not great, but he treated the people around him quite well.
"Why not suggest he get a commercial driver's license?"
Dejan Lu said.
"What do you mean?"
"It gives him an advantage in court."
Dejan Lu said.
Who the hell would have thought that physics was the universe's only true law?
The way to protect yourself was not to reason with people. It was to make others worry that you might not want to reason with them.
Fortunately, Marco Lanna had been born in Italy.
If someone like him had been over there, his whole life would have been set.
"Why don't we take him out to see the world sometime? Then he won't hang himself from one tree."
Roberto Mancini turned to Vialli and said.
The two of them had once been regulars at discos, though Roberto Mancini had started restraining himself after getting married.
"It could work, but it might not do any good."
Vialli said.
He did not know what a simp was, but Lanna had lost a little too much of himself.
As the son of a wealthy family, his parents had told him from childhood that he absolutely had to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage. Entrusting your assets to your partner's conscience was the riskiest gamble of all.
Thanks to readers 20200904211229539 and Lu Family Little L for the tips.
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