Riva's Olive Branch

The entire stadium fell silent for a few seconds before the away fans erupted in excited cheers.

"See? I knew he could do it, right? Right!!!"

Nevio Scala turned and grabbed his assistant coach's shoulders, shaking him excitedly.

The assistant coach's expression was indescribably strange.

Because just a few minutes ago, Scala had told him to substitute Dejan Lu on to try their luck.

How long had it been? He'd already forgotten what he'd said. Your memory is shorter than South Korea's curfew.

Riva in the stands also had his eyes wide open. It wasn't easy to see such a brilliant goal in Serie C.

He felt that luck played a significant part.

Even so, he still applauded with great grace.

Although his life had been devoted to Cagliari, such a goal made him feel that the match today was worth attending.

After a brief silence from the Cagliari players, they immediately erupted with astonishing fighting spirit.

Lower-league teams in this era had strong regional identities.

They and their parents had basically witnessed Cagliari's peak periods. Facing a team like Reggina, they naturally had a psychological advantage and a sense of superiority.

Mario Ielpo clapped his hands, urging his teammates to stay alert.

This goalkeeper would later play for Milan.

After Massimiliano Cappellini restarted play, he immediately looked for Dejan Lu. As a young player on the team, he wanted to show more initiative.

His position was winger, but what winger in Italian football?

They basically all had to participate in defense.

Dejan Lu took one look and felt that this guy looked familiar. He seemed like he would also play for AC Milan in the future.

So it wasn't surprising that Cagliari was first. Their squad had many players with the potential to be substitutes in top leagues. Such a level was already quite exaggerated for Serie C.

As soon as they collided, Dejan Lu realized he had no physical advantage.

Normally, in this situation, it would be better to choose interchanging play, similar to how Van de Beek played at Ajax.

But this style of play required very high off-ball movement and passing ability, and the tempo in lower-league Italian football wasn't that fast.

You couldn't just pass the ball and make a run, only to turn around and see your teammate hadn't even controlled the ball yet, right?

Cagliari launched another attack. Purga on the left received the ball, and Dejan Lu turned to chase back. Massimiliano Cappellini hesitated for a moment and didn't follow.

Just as Dejan Lu thought, Italian football was quite rigid about player positions.

Without almost any hesitation, Dejan Lu charged forward.

It didn't matter if his tackling ability wasn't strong; as long as he stuck out his foot, he could cause trouble for the opponent.

Since he wasn't easily injured, he could just use his body more when the opponent had the ball.

Purga had good acceleration, but his footwork wasn't very delicate.

After being blocked by a Reggina player, he dribbled towards the sideline. Seeing this, Dejan Lu rushed over and stuck out his foot.

Purga immediately hooked the ball to adjust.

However, his small-range ball control was quite average. Once his speed dropped, he couldn't find an opportunity to start, and Dejan Lu stuck to him on the sideline, unable to move.

Somewhat exasperated, Purga swung his right foot and kicked, intending to hit the ball at Dejan Lu to win a throw-in. Unexpectedly, Dejan Lu was prepared and dodged it.

"Well done, Dejan!!!"

Nevio Scala clapped and shouted from the sidelines.

Setting aside things like ball feel.

He saw a precious quality in Dejan Lu: he played with his brain.

This time, Dejan Lu had clearly anticipated the opponent's intention to draw a throw-in and had prepared in advance.

A Reggina player came to throw the ball in.

Dejan Lu ran towards the center. Massimiliano Cappellini indeed didn't continue to follow him.

Taking this opportunity, Dejan Lu returned to the right flank.

Tarcisio Catanese received a pass from his teammate and immediately sent it forward.

Dejan Lu, receiving the ball near the penalty area, swung his right foot and chipped it out. The ball drew a beautiful arc.

"Careful!!!"

Cagliari coach Ranieri's warning was too late.

Giorgio Lunetti, who had secured his position, wrestled with the opposing defender and charged into the penalty area. He lowered his head, got there first, and powerfully headed the ball into the net.

"Yeye yeye~"

Scala pumped his fist excitedly on the sidelines.

The greatest charm of football is the comeback. The score on the field was 2-2, but he could already see the hope of a comeback.

Bagnato on the bench vigorously rubbed his scalp.

"Damn it, this kid suddenly got a lot better."

He could accept Dejan Lu going from 40 points to 60 points; after all, 60 points was barely passing.

But now Dejan Lu's growth was a bit unreasonable.

The kid who used to stay up all night playing video games with the jerks on the team was actually a genius?

The entire stadium was engulfed in boos.

The Cagliari fans were furiously venting their dissatisfaction.

They, who were originally in a superior position and had home-field advantage, had now been tied.

This expressed dissatisfaction not only towards the visiting team but also towards the home team's players.

Sweat appeared on Ranieri's face.

The rookie "fixer" was not yet 40 years old and cherished the opportunity to coach Cagliari.

This team had been relegated not long ago, and the players' abilities were quite outstanding, giving him a chance to realize his ambitions.

The young coach vigorously rubbed his teeth with his tongue.

He had indeed studied his opponents, but who the hell expected Reggina to field a player with connections?

He was very clear about Dejan Lu's situation.

He joined Reggina at 16, played twice in the past two seasons, and his performance was quite ordinary. He only came on when Reggina was leading, so they didn't lose.

Had they substituted him today? Did he have a twin brother who could play football?

Even though he was unwilling, Ranieri knew he had to make a change at this moment.

The team had gone from leading to being tied, and it was inevitable that the players' mentality would have issues during this period.

He'd substitute someone to strengthen the defense first.

Nevio Scala turned his head to look at the Cagliari coaching staff.

He didn't expect this young colleague to be quite cautious.

The game gradually became dull.

The entire Reggina team, who had traveled from afar, was not in form, and the home team, Cagliari, began to focus on defense.

Neither team had much intention of attacking.

The fourth official on the sidelines had already raised the stoppage time board; the match would end in three minutes.

Both head coaches had also used their final substitution slots.

At this time, there were no tactical adjustments possible; it was just a substitution to try their luck.

In the final moments of the match, Reggina earned a corner kick.

Players from both sides crowded into Cagliari's penalty area.

Seeing the open space behind the goalkeeper, Dejan Lu remembered Arsenal's corner kick tactic.

Pick and roll!

Blocking the goalkeeper's position so he couldn't make a save.

Before VAR became popular, few teams used this tactic, mainly because it was easy to be penalized for charging the goalkeeper.

But with VAR, it was clear that several Arsenal players surrounded the opposing goalkeeper without actively touching him. This was a tactic allowed within FA rules, but it greatly annoyed the goalkeeper.

The moment his teammate took the kick, Dejan Lu immediately rushed behind the opposing goalkeeper.

Mario Ielpo, leaning back to jump, collided with Dejan Lu. The ball flew from his hands and landed at the far post. Bagnato, who had just come on, slid in and blocked the ball into the goal first.

"Damn it, he hit me!"

Ielpo turned his head and shouted at the referee.

Players from both sides also looked at the main referee.

The referee looked towards the sideline, saw the linesman shake his head, and after a few seconds of silence, pointed to the center circle.

The goal was valid!!!

With two short and one long whistle, the entire Reggina team rushed onto the field.

A last-minute winner!!!

They had successfully reversed their opponents in a highly anticipated match.

For most of the Reggina players, this was already one of the few commendable matches in their professional careers.

Everyone was excited.

Captain Maurizio Lagi even announced, "When we return, we'll pass through Rome, and I'll treat the whole team to a meal."

"Long live the captain!!!"

The atmosphere instantly became even more fervent.

"Well done, Dejan."

Scarla put an arm around Dejan Lu's shoulder and said, "You played very smartly on the field today, you're good at finding the opponent's weaknesses."

"Because I like to observe everyone's characteristics,"

Dejan Lu said with a smile.

He had liked doing this even when he was a fan, looking at what weaknesses players had and how the players of his favorite team should deal with the opposition.

"Keep up the good work, and you'll definitely be able to play for a big team."

Scarla patted Dejan Lu's shoulder and said.

His professional career had seen him play for prestigious clubs like Rome, Fiorentina, and both Milan giants.

"Can I have a word?"

A voice called out.

Scarla was a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but when he looked up, he saw it was a former national teammate.

"What's up, Gigi?"

Scarla asked.

Riva looked at Dejan Lu and asked, "Young man, are you interested in playing for Cagliari?"

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