Fabregas took the corner, and players jostled inside AC Milan's penalty area.
Li Yufei saw the ball dropping toward the far post and was about to move behind the goal, but Ambrosini grabbed his shirt and held him back.
That delay left Li Yufei unable to get into position in time.
At the far post, Szczesny leapt despite Thiago Silva's interference.
But without enough power behind the jump, he headed the ball straight over the crossbar.
Ninth minute.
AC Milan launched an attack.
Pirlo orchestrated things from the center, then suddenly sent a pass over Song's head. The ball dropped ahead and to the left.
Ronaldinho cushioned it with a delicate touch, the whole move as smooth as flowing water. He immediately played a short pass to Borriello, who came forward with his back to goal, then knocked the ball to his right. Ronaldinho ran onto it.
Facing Arsenal right back Sagna, Ronaldinho feinted inside, and Sagna instinctively shifted his weight.
Ronaldinho immediately changed the angle of his foot, nudging the ball with the outside. It rolled toward the goal line, and he took a step forward before whipping a low, fast cross into the box with his left foot.
At the crucial moment, Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia threw himself across the goal, arms outstretched, and just managed to tip the cross away.
Pato, who had accelerated toward the goal to meet the ball, collided with Almunia under the force of his own momentum.
The ball hadn't gone far after Almunia's touch. It was still inside the penalty area.
Borriello rushed to control it, but before he could shoot, Vermaelen stuck out a leg and cleared the ball. It rolled out over the goal line.
AC Milan won their first corner of the match.
Ronaldinho sent the ball in from the left corner, and Nesta outjumped Vermaelen to head it toward goal.
"Clang—!"
Fortunately, the crossbar came to Arsenal's rescue.
The ball bounced back into the penalty area, and Szczesny immediately booted it clear.
Pirlo controlled the ball near the edge of the penalty arc and was about to organize another attack.
Suddenly, Wilshere charged in and challenged him physically. Caught off guard, Pirlo lost possession.
Wilshere won the ball back and, without much thought, kicked it upfield.
Fabregas received the ball near the halfway line and glanced at Li Yufei, who was raising a hand to call for it on the left.
After confirming that Li Yufei wasn't offside, Fabregas lofted the ball toward the left side of the pitch.
As Li Yufei chased after it, he seemed to fly, leaving Bonera so far behind that he couldn't even catch a whiff of his exhaust.
The moment the ball hit the ground, Li Yufei caught up and brought it under control.
Before his teammates could get into position, he took off toward AC Milan's penalty area with the ball.
Bonera's face twisted with frustration, but he still couldn't catch up.
At that moment, as long as Li Yufei didn't keep moving toward the center, he'd have a clear run at the goalkeeper and a one-on-one chance from a tight angle.
Li Yufei didn't hesitate. He ran diagonally toward goal, facing Abbiati, the sweeper-keeper known as "Baresi in a goalkeeper's kit."
Just as he had practiced countless times in shooting drills, he planted his left foot, swung his right leg back, and struck the ball with his instep.
The textbook shot was powerful and precise. The ball streaked like a flash of white light straight into the net, sending up a spray of white.
"GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!"
"Incredible!!!"
"Number 13, Li Yufei Adams!!!"
"His professional debut is less than ten minutes old, and he's already scored the first goal of his career in a competitive match."
"It's a miracle!!!"
"This supertalent, who scored 600 goals for Arsenal's youth teams over the past three years, is proving to the world that even in the first team, even against a European giant like AC Milan, nobody can stop him from scoring!"
"Andy, do you still stand by your opinion?"
After his frenzied shouting, Martin Tyler started needling his co-commentator again.
Andy Gray thought for a moment, then admitted in a helpless tone, "All right, I admit I underestimated the kid."
"But it's too early to say anything for sure. This is only a friendly, after all, and neither team is playing at full intensity."
"We'll have to wait for the league to see how Li Yufei's career develops."
In the end, Andy Gray stubbornly stood his ground and refused to back down.
Martin Tyler had no interest in continuing to argue, so he returned to commentating on the match.
Emirates Stadium.
After scoring, Li Yufei was dazed for a moment.
Then his teammates swarmed him and engulfed him.
"Oh, my God, Li Yufei! You scored less than ten minutes into your debut. Are you trying to take off into the sky?"
"Hey, bro, that's just ridiculous. Playing against Milan doesn't seem any different for you than playing against those youth teams."
Wilshere, Li Yufei's closest friend on the team, grinned. "Bro, I'm so happy for you. You were born to play football!"
After high-fiving each teammate who rushed over, Li Yufei suddenly realized he'd forgotten something important.
Oh, damn! I was supposed to show Taylor some love after scoring. How did I almost forget that?
He stopped himself from smacking his forehead. With so many cameras around, he had to watch his image.
Li Yufei hurried to the edge of the pitch and made a heart shape toward Taylor's box, then blew her a kiss.
The broadcast camera quickly followed his gesture and caught Taylor Swift inside the box.
Taylor was wearing Arsenal's number 13 home jersey and excitedly covering her red lips with her hand.
When she saw her boyfriend's gesture, she made a heart shape in return and blew him a kiss.
Seeing this, the commentators in the studio couldn't resist teasing them:
"Oh, look what we've found. Taylor Swift, the American Country Pop Princess who just wrapped up her world tour, is publicly showering her boyfriend with affection."
"Dear viewers, this is the beauty of football. It's not just passion; there's love, family, and friendship, too."
"Looks like our Arsenal supertalent has fallen head over heels."
Andy Gray offered viewers watching the broadcast a bit of background:
"Number 13. They say Li Yufei chose it for his jersey because his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was born on the thirteenth, and 13 is also her lucky number."
"Without a doubt, this Golden Boy and Jade Girl from two different worlds are just like David Beckham and Victoria Beckham back in the day."
"David Beckham once fell out with his mentor in football, Sir Alex Ferguson, because of Victoria."
"Can Li Yufei withstand the test? And can Arsène handle the situation? Only time will tell."
"But for now, we should wish this Golden Boy and Jade Girl all the best for the future."
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