Declaration of Championship

"Ding! You have obtained a star-level skill: Totti's Panenka Chip!"

"The Panenka is an art, an art of attacking that requires a big heart. Only those who possess both a solid foundation and unbridled imagination can execute such football."

Lu Yang let out a long breath.

This was not the off-the-ball movement or passing skill he currently wanted most.

If the system had granted him Totti's one-touch passing, it might have been more helpful to Lu Yang.

But... who could possibly refuse the flair of the Wolf King Totti's Panenka?

Moreover, this skill provided a significant boost to Lu Yang's base attributes.

Offensive positioning increased from 50 to 55.

Dribbling rose from 55 to 60, a statistic that would definitely allow him to undergo a transformation. After all, a Panenka chip while in motion—a lob—does indeed have certain requirements for a player's dribbling attribute.

Shooting improved from 55 to 60, which was equally important, as this was the top-tier shooting level in Serie C!

If the previous Lu Yang lacked the ability to score with his feet once his Dipping Shot was neutralized, he now truly possessed his own shooting boots.

Any way he chose to strike the ball would now carry a threat, rather than him being limited to just one method.

Curve was activated, starting at 50 points.

Do not underestimate the Curve attribute; while it may seem useless on a daily basis, it becomes crucial once you reach the big stage and higher-level leagues.

At that point, you face top-tier opponents who are unlikely to make any mistakes throughout a ninety-minute match. Whether passing or shooting, you will no longer have easy opportunities.

That is when you must rely on an extraordinary degree of curve to create chances out of nothing.

Players with good curve have a significantly lower chance of having their one-on-one shots saved, as the football they strike can often bypass the goalkeeper's reach.

The impact of San Remo defeating Pagani was immense.

Because from this moment on, they had broken into the legitimate promotion zone.

The top three teams in Serie D are promoted directly to Serie C.

The fourth and fifth-placed teams must play a playoff against the relegation-zone teams of Serie C to determine who remains in Serie C.

Following this round of league matches, the standings underwent a sudden shift.

Considering there were only six rounds left in the league, every upcoming match would be vital.

The current league leader was still Bisceglie; even though they were held to a draw by their opponent this round, they remained at the top with 65 points.

The reason it wasn't described as "firmly at the top" was that their performance in the second half of the season had been far from excellent, especially after their loss to San Remo.

The injury absences of Arnold and the team's starting right-back had caused Bisceglie's momentum to stall. Even with Arnold's return, his confidence had been shaken, and he was no longer as sharp.

This gave Francavilla an opportunity.

Francavilla also sat at 65 points, ranking second in the standings.

They had lost to Bisceglie in the first half of the season, so based on the head-to-head record, they remained in second place.

Their match against Bisceglie in the second half of the season was scheduled for the final round of the league, and some speculated that this might become the match that decided the championship.

However, after Francavilla won their match this round, their starting striker left the starting lineup due to a thigh strain, and he was not expected to return for five or six matches.

It was highly likely he would be unable to play for the rest of the season.

This cast a shadow over the hearts of Francavilla's fans.

The closer it got to the final rounds, the more intense the matches became, with everyone fighting for points; it was very likely that Francavilla would falter.

Ranking third in the standings was Turris.

This was a traditional powerhouse that had borrowed an excellent striker from Serie B last season, and their strength had indeed increased significantly.

Except for the first five matches of the season, they had remained in the top five of the standings the entire time.

They had a high probability of being one of the promoted teams this year.

And most importantly, this team was San Remo's opponent in the thirty-eighth round.

This could also become a match that decided the promotion spot, provided San Remo did not falter.

The fourth-placed team was Palermo with 64 points; they were veteran "yo-yo" club. In the last five years, they had been promoted to Serie C three times, possessing rich experience in climbing the ranks, yet they lacked the ability to establish a firm foothold in Serie C.

This situation is not common in lower-level leagues; many lower-level teams sink forever once they are relegated.

Conversely, in higher-level leagues, there are always a few fixed yo-yo clubs.

What they lacked was not the opportunity to enter higher-level leagues, but stable investment, excellent coaches, reasonable recruitment and elimination systems, and relatively conservative tactics.

Therefore, some believed that with enough investment, Palermo even had the potential to reach Serie A within ten years!

Interestingly, San Remo's next opponent was Palermo.

The fifth place in the standings naturally belonged to San Remo, who had 60 points. Although a win in the next match would not allow them to surpass Palermo, a loss would leave them with a seven-point gap.

In the final stages, that was a very significant point difference.

Therefore, for the entire San Remo squad, the next match was a must-win.

Finally, the team in sixth place on the table, San Remo, had previously faced Catania, who sat at 59 points.

In the third match of the second half of the season, which was round 22 for San Remo, Catania lost 1-2 to San Remo, falling to a header by Lu Yang that sealed the win.

That was also the final match of Lu Yang's three-game streak of last-minute winners.

Catania still had a chance to compete for a promotion spot; after all, a single point can easily be overtaken.

With only six games left in the Serie D, the maximum point gap between the top six teams was no more than six points.

This meant that anything was possible.

There would always be one unlucky team that wouldn't even make the promotion playoffs after the season ended.

After training, Soto gathered all the players and analyzed the situation with them.

"Do you know what this point distribution means?" Soto asked after finishing his explanation.

Most of the players shook their heads.

Rondo said, "It means we need to work hard and not become that pathetic 17 percent that misses out on promotion!"

Soto said, "Correct, but not entirely."

Moric said, "It means we still have a chance for direct promotion! We are only four points away from third place! And we play them in our next match!"

Soto smiled and said, "Correct, but..."

Lu Yang interrupted, "The championship!"

It was a very unfamiliar word.

Judging by everyone's reaction, Lu Yang could be certain that no player on this team had ever tasted the glory of a championship.

Soto's voice suddenly boomed: "Yes! The championship! Comrades, as a captain who has won the Serie A title, the UEFA Champions League, and the World Cup, I can tell you with full responsibility..."

"We have the qualifications to challenge for the title!"

"Five points, that's only two games!"

"Do you want to play in the playoffs? Tell me, do you want to play in those damn playoffs?"

"No!" The players gradually came to their senses, giving Soto a very enthusiastic response.

"Don't give me that crap about how second or third place can also get promoted. I, Soto, came to Serie D with only one goal: to lead you fledglings who have never tasted victory to experience what it feels like to be champions!" Soto roared, "Believe me, if you are lucky enough to reach higher levels of competition, you will discover..."

"In top-tier football, there is only one winner!"

"Anything other than the championship is meaningless!"

"Now, tell me, what is our goal!"

Every player on the pitch shouted at the top of their lungs: "The championship!"

Everyone was fired up.

The championship!

They only wanted the championship!

To hell with being fifth on the table!

To hell with being the weakest among the top five!

These were all illusions created by Soto.

His ambition was immense.

He possessed championship DNA and a wealth of experience in title races.

And this, perhaps, was San Remo's greatest pillar of strength.

Dozens of seconds later.

"Alright, boys, since the goal is set, I must tell you this." Soto held up one finger. "One match—we only need to lose one match, and we are out of the title race. Do you understand?"

The team's fervor was instantly extinguished.

Not even one loss?

This...

"And if we fail to win two matches," Soto held up two fingers, "then this season is a complete failure, because we will likely become that unlucky 17 percent."

"But I don't think that would be bad luck; it would be a lack of ability."

"To be a weakling who is mocked, or to be a champion who creates miracles—which one do you choose!"

"The championship!" everyone shouted again!

In the crowd, Vedian wore a thoughtful expression: "Is the championship really that important?"

Yes, for some, the championship is not important.

Vedian was set to leave after this season, and the team's glory didn't really have much to do with him.

Especially since he was likely heading to a Serie B team, and this was merely a Serie D title.

His current stats of twenty-three goals and eight assists were already dazzling enough.

In fact, for him, the victory of every subsequent match was not as important as a single goal or an assist.

"Believe me, the championship matters." Lu Yang patted Vedian on the shoulder and said, "A championship is a habit. Only when you are accustomed to everything a championship brings can you win more championships."

"In the current Champions League, no team that has just reached the final for the first time has ever won the title; this is the best proof."

"Even the head coach and the coaching staff consider this when selecting players, especially for major tournaments."

"Even a Serie D title will become a part of your DNA; that is also championship DNA!"

Vedian's eyes lit up.

If it could enhance his competitiveness for playing time in a Serie B team next season, he would be more than willing to bring a championship trophy to San Remo.

Moric patted Lu Yang on the shoulder and said, "Tell me, you aren't coveting my position as the league's assist king, are you!"

Moric had recorded one goal and one assist in this round of the league, bringing his current stats to four goals and twelve assists.

His assist tally had already jumped to the top of the league.

To take the assist title in just half a season—such a performance was truly spectacular.

But at the same time, Lu Yang had achieved his first assist hat-trick this round, and his personal stats had soared to ten goals and nine assists!

Lu Yang was also ranked in the top five for assists.

He had a high probability of achieving the magical double-ten stats of goals and assists before the end of the season.

In fact, if he pushed harder and Moric was targeted more, he might even have a chance to snatch the assist title from Moric.

"What are you talking about? We're good brothers, would I do something like that?" Lu Yang feigned anger.

"That's true, we are brothers." Moric nodded, thinking he was being too petty; how could Lu Yang be that kind of person?

"Of course, when you can't break the deadlock, giving the football to me is not a bad choice either." Lu Yang winked at Moric.

"Aha! You are still after my assist title!" Moric realized.

The two of them joked and wrestled.

But in reality, neither of them took the stats too seriously.

At the very least, Serie D stats were not that important.

Lack of prestige is the biggest drawback of lower-level leagues.

Only an extraordinary gap in stats can truly reflect one's level.

For example, if everyone else scores twenty goals and you score fifty, it shows that your level far exceeds that of the league.

And this season, both Lu Yang and Moric had only played for half a season. To still have the ability to compete for awards under such circumstances was simply miraculous.

However, it was not enough to widen the gap between their stats and those of other players in the league.

Soon, the thirty-third round of the league kicked off.

The sixth-placed Catania suffered two consecutive draws, remaining at 60 points and staying in sixth place.

The absence of Francavilla's main striker had a huge impact. Facing Pagani, who had lost to San Remo in the previous round, they were lost amidst the opponent's barrage and surprisingly lost one to four.

They remained at 65 points, missing their best chance to reach the top.

The San Remo players watched this match as well, and their nerves instantly relaxed.

So even the second-placed team in the league could play so miserably against Pagani; we aren't doing so badly after all, since we won, at least.

It must be said that a team like Pagani, which only plays attacking football, is truly a giant-killer that robs the rich to help the poor. They often manage to snatch points from strong teams, while frequently giving points away to weak ones.

And in the final few rounds, at such a critical moment, they could even deal a psychological blow.

At the very least, after this defeat, many felt that Francavilla had lost the possibility of challenging for the title.

They were stunned!

They were afraid.

But the good news was that Bisceglie also lost, remaining at 65 points as well.

And it wasn't just a loss; Bisceglie lost very badly this time.

They lost to Turris, who had been ranked third in the previous round.

With this, Turris's points rose to 67, jumping to the top of the table!

Considering the consistency of the Turris team, their chances of winning the championship were extremely high.

Having been in first place for nearly the entire season, only to be caught up in the final few matches—Bisceglie's collapse in the second half of the season could be described as a disastrous performance.

Among the top six, only Palermo and San Remo had yet to play.

In the previous round, Palermo and Turris had the same number of points, with Turris ranked ahead of Palermo due to a one-goal advantage in goal difference.

In this round, as long as Palermo won, and won by two or more goals, they could become the leaders of the Serie D table.

This battle was Palermo's fight to reach the top.

But this battle was also the first step for San Remo to launch their assault on the championship.

Everyone had too much to lose!