Dumbfounded.
The Roma players were completely dumbfounded.
If they had pushed forward and failed to get back, then so be it if they conceded.
But the key was that everyone had been in the backfield, so how the hell had they conceded?
It had not even been some hopeful long-range shot.
The opposition had casually turned sideways and chipped a pass, cutting straight through seven players!!!
There was no way to play like this.
Quite a few players looked toward the sideline, hoping Luigi Radice would give them some instructions.
Luigi Radice was a little stunned too.
What was a coach supposed to do?
Point out problems on the pitch immediately and help the players adjust quickly.
But how was he supposed to adjust now? Tell everyone to pile up in front of the goal and block the ball?
Radice had always believed that some talents transcended the ordinary.
For example, he had experienced that European Cup final back then. Eusébio, Altafini, Rivera... Milan had had more geniuses, so they had laughed last.
But unfortunately, Roma did not have players like that at the moment. Even if they were decent, they were merely the better ones among ordinary people.
There was a gap between athletes and ordinary people, but the gap between gifted athletes and ordinary athletes was even greater!
Some people could effortlessly perform moves before receiving any training that you had spent years practicing. Talent was simply that unfair.
God always favored a select few more than others.
The silent Rome Olympic Stadium erupted once more.
To conquer this place, you had to be an Etruscan.
Every aspect of the Roman Empire had been influenced by the Etruscans; even triumphal ceremonies had originated with them.
Resounding shouts echoed as the north and south stands passionately answered one another.
It was as though that conceded goal had never happened.
"Roma!"
"Roma!"
"Roma!"
This word represented more than just the team; it symbolized the vast empire that had once existed here.
Just as they refused to admit they had ever been conquered, they would not submit to any team.
Ruggiero Rizzitelli kicked off again.
This forward who had come through Roma's youth system seemed to have been custom-made as The Prince's backdrop. He had plenty of loyalty but insufficient ability. Even in an era when twenty-plus goals could win the Golden Boot, twenty goals in six years was appallingly poor for the forward line of a strong team.
His destiny was to wait for Totti to grow up and replace him.
His teammate passed the ball to his feet again. The lone striker had barely received it when Vialli pressed him.
The two were not even in the same class physically. Vialli went in without any fancy tricks, simply swinging his right foot straight at the ball. No matter how unwilling Ruggiero Rizzitelli was, there was nothing he could do.
Bang—
The ball flew high into the air, and Rizzitelli sat down on the ground.
Vialli, standing where he was, nodded the ball back into the backfield.
Roberto Mancini curled his lip in the stands. As a Number 9.5, he did not particularly enjoy that kind of collision.
Totti keenly noticed his expression and mocked, "A striker who dares not wrestle with defenders is doomed never to become an Italy regular."
Mancini's forehead twitched.
He looked around for something handy. If not now, then after the match, he would have to give this brat a good whack.
You did not expose someone's shortcomings, yet this kid just had to poke at his scars.
Competition in Italy's attack was too fierce. Forget him—even that bastard Baggio, who appeared in the newspapers every day, probably was not confident either, right?
Pari had barely received the ball when he kicked it without even looking up.
Smack—
It landed precisely in front of Dejan Lu.
"Beautiful!"
Boskov slapped his hands together and said, "Uffasto is the best defensive midfielder right now. I think he is stronger than both Lothar Matthäus and Rijkaard."
Pezzotti was full of question marks.
So making one pass in the backfield was the greatest function of a superstar?
Although Giuseppe Giannini was an attacking midfielder, the ball was not at Dejan Lu's feet anymore. He had sized things up in advance and, seeing Dejan Lu coming forward, threw himself into a sliding tackle.
Damn!
Giannini sensed that something was wrong. Dejan Lu had touched the ball before him.
Sure enough, the ball rolled past under his foot. Although Dejan Lu stumbled, he quickly regained his balance.
"Boo!"
"Boo!"
"Boo!"
They had only just crossed midfield, and the Roma fans had already begun their performance.
Dejan Lu was not especially fast on the ball, but his sense of oppression was overwhelming!
Some Roma fans were also cheering their players on as Stefano Desideri sprinted back frantically.
"Go, hound!!!"
"Kick him! Let him know Roma isn't easy to mess with!"
"Go, hurry up!"
Fans in the nearby stands screamed wildly.
Stefano Desideri did not hold back either. Once he closed to within half a meter, he went down and launched into a sliding tackle.
Bang,
Something felt wrong!
Fuck, that kid had jumped over him.
His tackle had swept through behind the ball.
Desideri got back up immediately and continued chasing, but Dejan Lu was already carrying the ball toward the center.
Dossena charged forward frantically, waving at Dejan Lu for the ball.
Too dangerous. Giannini and Desideri were tracking back, while three defenders stood in front of Dejan Lu.
He was already surrounded by five Roma players.
Radice, on the sideline, finally breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately warned, "Watch his pass. Be careful of a direct chip into the box."
Bang—
Dejan Lu really struck it.
Just before the top of the penalty arc, he curled the inside of his right foot under the ball.
Radice's heart skipped a beat. Another chip into the box?
Goalkeeper Giovanni Cervone thought so too, but he quickly realized that the shot had more power than a pass, and its trajectory was off.
Fuck, it was a lob at goal!!!
Cervone immediately tried to run back.
But standing on the six-yard-box line, even though he was close to goal, that short distance became an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard his legs drove him forward, he could not move faster than that delicate ball.
Tap—
The ball brushed the underside of the crossbar and dropped over the goal line in a beautiful arc.
Roma's entire defense, goalkeeper included, had once again become mere decoration.
"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Rossi shouted excitedly, "Defense? Effort? Those are merely tricks to deceive ordinary people. Before absolute talent, Roma's defense is as laughable as the French defensive line. Dejan has shown how he breaks through defenses. On the pitch, many people want to use sliding tackles to make him get past the ball but not the man. But when Dejan does not enter the box while the ball does, they are still the ones who get hurt."
"The Arch of Constantine has welcomed its master once again. The city of Rome is destined to be conquered!"
"Perhaps the Roma fans should carve Dejan's statue beside Emperor Constantine's sooner rather than later, because every season they are destined to be disappointed like this twice. Perhaps Dejan will take that into consideration and at least carry the ball into the box before scoring, so Roma's defense will not look quite so absurdly laughable! At least, they tried!"
He had voiced what everyone was thinking.
Rossi's commentary won the agreement of many Italian fans.
Roma's players had performed well today, but what use was that?
Whether he passed to a teammate or shot himself, Dejan Lu had told the Roma fans with his feet that they had to make a choice.
When they defended against Sampdoria's forwards, he would lob the goal himself. Otherwise, he would pass.
No matter what, their defensive line was utterly useless.
In the stands, Totti stared fixedly at the pitch.
Dejan Lu was swallowed up by his frenzied teammates.
Everyone was as excited as if they had scored themselves.
This was talent!
Francesco Totti suddenly understood something: the captain's armband was bullshit. On the pitch, strength was what spoke.
If one day he wore the captain's armband, he would have to become the best player on the pitch and conquer everyone with his ability, just like Dejan Lu.
Before you continue