There were twenty minutes left in the match.
Palermo's players launched a furious comeback.
They had dominated the entire match, yet they were now trailing.
They absolutely refused to accept this kind of football.
Besides... today was supposed to be the day they claimed first place in the league!
If they won this match, they would top the standings.
How could they possibly lose?
Bang!
An opponent's powerful shot was blocked by Lu Yang's body and sent flying high into the air.
Tweet!
Moric stopped a dangerous Palermo attack with a foul and received a yellow card.
Tweet!
Lu Yang thwarted another excellent Palermo chance with a slide tackle and received a yellow card.
Tweet!
Vedian had also dropped back to help defend and received a yellow card.
San Remo's defense was on the verge of collapse.
But their efforts paid off.
Even as the match reached the eighty-second minute, San Remo still hadn't conceded.
Palermo, meanwhile, had grown frantic and completely lost their heads.
Bang!
Lu Yang made a daring, clean sliding challenge to win the ball. His opponent hadn't expected him to attempt a tackle while already on a yellow card.
But Lu Yang's defensive experience told him he wouldn't commit a foul.
Iron Wall was a skill that comprehensively boosted his defensive abilities. It helped with tackles, interceptions, sliding challenges, aerial duels, and clearances.
Today, he had truly become a wall.
The commentator was astonished by Lu Yang's defensive performance. "My goodness, I must be seeing things. Not only has Lu Yang scored a brilliant Panenka penalty today, but his defensive stats are even more unbelievable."
"He's completely dominated the match! He's played soccer like basketball!"
"So far, Lu Yang has made eleven tackles, ten interceptions, and won fifteen aerial duels. He's practically an iron wall!"
"Those stats would be remarkable even in a basketball game! After this match, Lu Yang will rank among the top three in Serie D for tackles, and second in interceptions!"
"He's not a center back, but in this match, he might as well be one!"
Two minutes later.
Bang!
San Remo's towering center back made a mistake. A Palermo forward got past him and found himself with a great chance to shoot.
He let fly with a powerful shot.
At the crucial moment, San Remo substitute center back Nagy threw himself to the right and blocked the ball with his head.
The ball soared into the air.
Nagy, meanwhile, collapsed to the ground and didn't get back up.
Three seconds later, Lu Yang won his sixteenth aerial duel of the match and headed the ball to the retreating Vedian.
Then he burst into a sprint!
The opposition had pushed everyone into San Remo's half. San Remo had possession now—they could counterattack!
Vedian passed the ball back to Moric.
Moric once again tried his inconsistent secret weapon.
With his back to Palermo's half and the ball coming toward him, he turned and volleyed it without taking a touch!
A lightning-fast Rocket Pass-Shot!
The ball shot into the air, flying toward Palermo's half.
Palermo's defenders hurried back.
But a red-and-white blur shot past them.
"It's Lu Yang! My goodness!"
"How is he so fast?"
"Palermo's defenders can't keep up with him! Lu Yang's all alone! If he gets the ball, he'll be one-on-one with the keeper!"
"It's the eighty-fifth minute, and Lu Yang can still run this fast. We've seriously underestimated his speed!"
"Maybe he isn't as fast as Vedian or Arnold, but he's already as quick as the average speedster in Serie D!"
"Especially once Lu Yang gets going—he's blown past three players in a row! It's almost a repeat of the play that won Vedian a penalty earlier!"
"Palermo's downfall today has been their lack of pace!"
"Palermo's keeper is coming off his line. He was standing too far forward, so he may as well charge out now rather than try to get back."
"They're both closing in on the ball, but Lu Yang is slightly ahead! He doesn't have time to do anything with it, though. Even if he reaches the ball, the keeper will rush him!"
"A top-class striker might have plenty of options here, even drawing a foul from the keeper, but Lu Yang clearly doesn't have those dribbling skills."
"Forget dribbling—just controlling that ball will be difficult."
The commentator was right. The opposing keeper's timely rush had probably stopped a goal that would have decided the match.
In theory, Palermo still had time to mount a comeback.
And yet...
Lu Yang stuck out his right foot. The ball dropped onto his instep and never bounced—not once.
Until...
Lu Yang used his instep to flick the ball back into the air.
A first-time shot!
And not just any shot...
A Panenka Chip!
The opposing keeper had already started to crouch, anticipating Lu Yang's shot, but the ball suddenly lifted into the air.
He stretched out both hands. The ball passed within ten centimeters of his fingertips, but there was nothing he could do.
A rainbow arced over his head.
Then the ball dropped neatly into the net.
San Remo led two to nothing!
Five minutes remained!
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"
"He's scored! Lu Yang has scored again!"
"What an imaginative Panenka Chip!"
"Another Panenka! Another one!"
"He really is a big-game player!"
"His right foot was like a black hole, absorbing the ball perfectly without a ripple. Then he chipped it first time, from an absurd angle, almost recreating the penalty he scored earlier."
"Brilliant! A flash of inspiration worthy of a true genius!"
Palermo's goalkeeper stood frozen, his expression blank.
He had faced only three shots in the entire match.
Vedian's shot had sailed straight over the goal, so he hadn't even needed to try to save it.
That meant he'd made two saves—and Lu Yang had beaten him both times with the exact same Panenka Chip.
He...
was out of time.
After San Remo finished celebrating, there were only three minutes of regular time left, followed by three minutes of stoppage time.
Six minutes wasn't nearly enough for Palermo to score twice against San Remo. After all, they'd spent the previous eighty minutes failing to score even once.
After changing the score and killing off the match, Lu Yang kept improving his stats during the remaining six minutes.
Then came the referee's three final whistles.
Lu Yang's stats were set in stone.
Twenty aerial duels won.
Thirteen tackles.
Fourteen interceptions.
Five clearances.
Two goals.
He'd put up a super triple-double!
Those numbers would be impressive in basketball, let alone soccer.
After the match, Lu Yang, who had scored twice, was undoubtedly named man of the match.
He gave an interview to the media.
Reporter: "Why were you the one to take the penalty? We know you aren't the team's regular penalty taker, and your technique isn't the best. Besides... this match was so important."
Lu Yang: "Someone had to take responsibility, especially when my teammates weren't in good form."
Reporter: "Why did you take a Panenka penalty? Were you worried the keeper might save it?"
Lu Yang: "It felt right, so I took it that way. You can't predict the outcome of any shot."
Reporter: "So you were gambling? You used such an important penalty to show off, without considering the consequences for the team if you missed?"
Lu Yang: "I don't like the way you put that. I think I just said that you can't predict the outcome of any shot. Nobody is being irresponsible to the team. Besides... I scored."
Reporter: "All right, let's talk about the other Panenka Chip. You had other options then. If you'd taken such a rash shot and failed to chip it over the keeper's head, then..."
Lu Yang: "But I did chip it over him. You're a Palermo reporter, right? I understand how you feel about missing out on first place in the standings, but don't just assume we were supposed to lose. We, San Remo, are now only two points behind third place!"
"If we can qualify directly, why should we have to play in the promotion playoffs? That's how determined we are. Understand?"
Lu Yang's final words laid bare San Remo's determination.
After Lu Yang left, the reporters whispered among themselves. "They want to finish in the top three?"
"My goodness, San Remo really has a chance. They have 63 points, while second-place Bisceglie and third-place Francavilla both have 65. One match could change everything!"
"What an arrogant guy! Palermo are ahead of them with 64 points!"
"Even Catania have 60 points. If Catania catch up, then based on their head-to-head record and goal difference, they could still finish above San Remo!"
The reporters buzzed with discussion.
They hadn't even realized that San Remo was only four points behind the league leaders.
With five rounds left, anything could happen. Why not a four-point gap?
Serie D hadn't been this lively in a long time.
This season, the teams in the relegation zone had been determined early, with only one spot left for a team to escape relegation.
But the battle for promotion was fierce, and nothing had been settled yet.
Even Turris, who topped the standings, couldn't be sure they'd finish in the top five.
Likewise, the top six were locked in a tight race, and even seventh-place Potenza Football Club still had a theoretical chance of breaking into the top five.
But to do that, they couldn't lose a single match from the next round onward and could afford at most one draw.
It was a daunting task.
But Potenza's captain, Borges, believed they could pull it off.
And to prove it, he posted a video of himself on social media.
It wasn't a video of him playing soccer, but one of him kicking a tree stump.
In the video, Borges repeatedly kicked a thick tree trunk with his shins. He eventually snapped two trunks in a row, making him look incredibly intimidating.
He also went out of his way to tag Moric, San Remo's star player.
That was because Potenza's next opponent was none other than San Remo, who had won seven straight league matches and were now unstoppable!
There was no doubt it was a threat.
Although Borges didn't say it outright, he would certainly focus on marking Moric in the next match. He might even resort to unconventional methods and try to alter the outcome by putting Moric's health at risk.
That went against the spirit of competitive sports.
But in lower-tier leagues, it was hardly unusual.
First, the rules in lower-tier leagues weren't as strict.
Second, players in lower-tier leagues didn't earn much. Even if they did something that outraged everyone, they could always quit playing.
Third, it was easier for bookmakers to manipulate matches like these.
In top-level matches, there were too many factors that could determine the result. Even a star team's substitute could suddenly change the course of a game. It was extremely difficult for bookmakers to control a match like that. It wasn't impossible, but most of the time, it couldn't be done.
Lower-tier leagues didn't attract as much attention, so anything went.
That was why experienced betting addicts rarely touched lower-tier leagues. They could lose everything there—it was practically a harvesting ground.
Given the situation, Lu Yang called Hans.
"Hello, Lu. What can I do for you?" Hans had been following the Serie D standings closely.
"Someone's threatening my teammate. In the next match, he wants to break Moric's leg." Lu Yang was furious.
"So..." Hans asked.
"I want the next match to attract a lot of attention—attention beyond the Serie D level!" Lu Yang said.
Hans thought about it for a while before replying. "I need a hook, something that can draw fans from other levels of the sport. How about this... Let's have a video conference tonight. Maniero, Arthas, Soto, and I will join."
Lu Yang thought it over. "All right."
After hanging up, Lu Yang called Soto.
"Lu Yang, what's up?" Soto was a little surprised. Lu Yang wasn't exactly well-behaved, but he never caused trouble for Soto off the field. He was completely absorbed in training.
He knew the coaching staff had been told that Lu Yang had recently turned down an invitation from Sophia. With the season nearing its end, he knew what mattered more.
Oh, my God. Damn it.
That was Sophia!
"We might be in trouble, Coach." Lu Yang's tone was heavy.
"You mean Borges from Potenza?" Soto was a competent coach and already knew a thing or two about what went on off the pitch.
"He's part of it, but not the only one." Lu Yang kept it brief.
Soto froze.
The second half of Lu Yang's statement had caught him off guard, but he quickly understood.
If Potenza could hurt San Remo's key players, why couldn't anyone else?
Every player on the squad had contributed to San Remo's current success.
But some players were the ones who transformed a team.
There was no need to talk about Rondo. He was already a handful without anyone targeting him. He'd been taken off during a previous match after feeling unwell. The examination had found nothing serious, but the doctor still recommended that Rondo sit out a game.
As for Vedian, honestly, he was San Remo's finisher. If anything happened to him, the team would suffer a devastating loss.
But several Serie B teams had their eyes on Vedian. Anyone who targeted him now would earn a notorious reputation throughout the football world. San Remo would even demand an investigation under intense public scrutiny—and how many lower-league teams could withstand one?
Especially a team like Potenza, with so many thugs and troublemakers in its ranks.
An official investigation would find at least four of their starting players unable to play for a while.
That left Lu Yang and Moric.
In terms of what they brought to the team, Lu Yang's stats might look better than Moric's, but Moric was the team's true brain!
Lu Yang was a special forces soldier, able to charge into enemy territory alone and play the superhero, taking out the enemy commander.
Moric, on the other hand, was the one who could gather a group of ordinary people and lead them against the enemy.
Losing the latter would cripple San Remo in an instant.
Look at it another way.
In terms of how easy they were to target:
One was 181 centimeters tall, known for his defensive play, physically powerful, and hard-nosed and aggressive on the pitch.
The other was 172 centimeters tall, looked easy to bully, and played as the creative midfielder—the team's brain.
Who did you think would be easier to deal with?
Borges's public threat was deeply unscrupulous.
But if San Remo didn't take a firm stand, another Borges might appear in the next few matches!
That was the most dangerous thing of all.
How could The Butcher not know what happened when thugs set their sights on you?