Possibly Fifth, Possibly First!

Halftime, away team locker room.

Every player remained silent, the atmosphere in the locker room incredibly stifling.

Soto had not yet entered; he was speaking with Vedian in private. Following the previous match, Vedian's performance in this game continued to be subpar.

But the reasons were different.

In the last match, his style of play was stifled by natural circumstances, and no one blamed him.

But this time... he was being far too selfish.

Yet, he was not the type of player who could break through the opposition, as his physique couldn't handle the pressure; the moment an opponent bumped into him, he would lose the ball.

Clearly, Vedian had fallen into a trap of obsession with his statistics.

He currently had 24 goals and 10 assists, and the difference between 25+10 and 24+10 felt worlds apart to him.

He was desperate to score.

However, because the team had lost several key players on the right flank, both Moric and Lu Yang were leaning more toward defense in this match. They needed to stabilize the first half, allow the players on the right to adapt to the feel of starting, and then look for opportunities in the second half.

This tactical mindset of "letting them go only to catch them," of winning through stability, was something that Vedian, a young black kid with little formal education, could not quite grasp.

He felt that they should have been attacking wildly from the start.

As a result, he lost possession too many times, creating immense defensive pressure on the team, until the opposition finally executed a beautiful combination and pierced through the backline.

Vedian had a problem, and Soto had gone to resolve it.

But that did not mean the others were without issues.

"Guys, sorry, I want to say a few words." Lu Yang stood up in the locker room. "I'm not trying to blame anyone; I just want to share some news I have to help lighten everyone's mental burden."

"I know the team's moves to acquire top players and even stars have made some of you nervous, but there's really no need. Do you know? The issue regarding the new Sanremo Football Club stadium, which the Russell Group has been negotiating with the city government, has been resolved. Construction is expected to start in the second half of this year."

The players were confused; what did what Lu Yang was saying have to do with the match?

Lu Yang continued: "Guys, this is a real major move! The Russell Group's investment in this project is massive, but the returns will be equally huge. The reason the city government agreed to give them such valuable land is that the Russell Group promised to take Sanremo Football Club to a higher level of competition!"

"A team's promotion isn't just about moving up the leagues; there are many hardware requirements—training grounds, youth academies, management departments, and so on. How much is our annual salary playing in Serie D? Eight thousand or ten thousand euros?"

"But once you become a member of the management staff for a rapidly developing club, the annual salary is at least fifty thousand euros, and that's just for sitting in an office!"

"As Sanremo expands rapidly, these managers will have many people under them, and they might even become club executives in the future. Think about it: as legendary players of the club, I won't even mention Moric and me—we are still young—but Jack, Tony, Benjamin, if you were to retire in the next few years, the team would definitely keep you on and give you a position to continue shining."

"When that time comes, you will be the club's first generation of veterans! Whether they buy Latuidi or Ancarelli, Perotta or Carlisle, it won't conflict with you, understand?"

"They may be top stars, but you are the legends of Sanremo!"

Lu Yang's words ignited everyone's thinking.

That's right, if Sanremo really grew rapidly into a large club, then as the first generation of creators of the Sanremo legend, they would be the club's heroes!

When that time comes, becoming a youth team head coach, the club's chief scout, a business manager, the head of the fan association, or the club's press officer—would that be hard?

Not hard at all.

Because that is usually when the club is most in need of people.

After leaving the pitch, they would still have stable jobs, or even better career opportunities.

Such a prospect was truly wonderful.

After all, most of them were around thirty years old, an age that, for footballers of this era, was already the twilight of their careers.

Compared to becoming famous on the pitch, they valued development in other fields more, because thirty is still a very young age in many other sectors.

"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that we are the creators of the Sanremo legend! If the team doesn't enter Serie C next season, those stars won't come, and we will likely continue to sink in Serie D; the legend would be nothing but nonsense."

"God has placed the key to our destiny in our hands, and the decision of whether to turn it lies in this match. Win the match, the legend continues, and we all benefit."

"Lose the match, and there is no need for others to replace us; we will continue to sink."

"Do you choose victory or defeat?"

In the locker room, many fell into deep thought.

"Tell me loudly, do you choose victory or defeat!" Lu Yang demanded loudly!

"Victory!" everyone shouted together.

"Louder!" Lu Yang continued.

"Victory!"

"Did you not eat, brothers?" The veins on Lu Yang's temples were bulging.

"Victory, victory, victory!"

From the Sanremo away locker room, an incredibly intense roar erupted.

Standing at the door, Soto and Vedian looked at each other; it seemed Soto didn't need to do any motivating inside.

In the second half, Sanremo was a brand-new team.

Their players unleashed an incredibly strong spirit of hustle and fight.

For them, this match and the next could determine the happiness of the rest of their lives.

This was a genuine chance to save twenty years of struggle!

They had to win!

San Remo's aggressive pressing made the Ternana players extremely uncomfortable.

They couldn't control the ball at all.

As Vedian stopped acting recklessly, Moric began to organize the attack in an orderly fashion.

He delivered threatening passes time and time again.

Vedian crossed from the flank, and the San Remo center-forward headed the ball toward the goal, nearly changing the score.

Without a doubt, San Remo had gained momentum.

Seventy-seven minutes into the match.

San Remo won another corner kick.

Moric curled it toward the near post.

Nagy won the position, but he was pushed further forward by his opponent, leaving him without an angle for a direct header.

Instinctively, he bent his waist and flicked the ball backward, nodding it toward the far post.

There, Lu Yang and the opposing center-back had just landed from the air.

The ball looked like it was about to slide past the goal.

However, after landing, Lu Yang quickly jumped a second time, executing a Lion's Header.

BOOM!

The ball smashed into the net, and the opposing goalkeeper didn't even react.

"GOAL! San Remo has leveled the score! Lu Yang scores with a header, a beautiful header!"

"Nagy, who won the first ball, performed excellently; his contribution to the attack has reached the level of the very best center-backs."

"Of course, he can't be compared to Lu Yang's center-back play; after all, Lu Yang might be the most explosive attacking center-back in the world."

"Oh, we can see that Lu Yang isn't celebrating; he immediately rushed into the net to pick up the ball."

"That is Lu Yang, a cool-headed The Butcher. He always knows what to do and when to do it."

"There are twelve minutes left in the match, and San Remo still has a chance."

Soon, Ternana kicked off.

But as soon as they started, they were met with the Iron Wall-like containment of Lu Yang.

After the second half began, Lu Yang and Moric had swapped positions.

Moric appeared at left defensive midfield, while Lu Yang took the right defensive midfield spot.

This caused Ternana's tactic of targeting San Remo's right flank to hit a dead end.

Lu Yang's range of movement was vast, and his tackling and interceptions were formidable.

If bypassing other defensive players only required keeping the ball fifty centimeters away from them, then when facing Lu Yang, you had to ensure a distance of nearly two meters between him and the ball.

Furthermore, you had to avoid Lu Yang's sudden acceleration after his predictions.

This significantly blocked Ternana's passing lanes, and their offense reached a dead end.

Eighty-five minutes into the match.

Another brilliant interception by Lu Yang.

He quickly passed the ball to Moric and then surged forward.

This was a move he had almost never made in the second half.

He had dedicated himself entirely to defense, leaving all the breakthroughs to Moric and Vedian.

Therefore, this forward run was completely unexpected.

Moric and Lu Yang played a one-two pass, followed by a quick pass-shot—his signature move.

Vedian received the ball on the flank and immediately crossed it in.

The San Remo center-forward drew away one center-back, and Lu Yang gained possession while battling the other.

But with someone pressing him from behind and an opposing midfielder rushing back to cover, he couldn't turn to shoot.

Fortunately, Moric had also boldly charged up.

After receiving the ball, Moric redistributed it to the surging Vedian.

By now, the area around the opponent's penalty box was packed with players.

Aside from two center-backs and a right midfielder, almost the entire San Remo squad had pressed into this half. Both left and right full-backs had arrived near the penalty area.

As for Ternana, almost their entire team was present as well.

San Remo wanted the points, and Ternana didn't want to lose the point they had in hand at the last moment; both sides were fighting desperately.

Lu Yang made a reverse run, and Vedian played a ground pass to him. Lu Yang stood with his back to the goal, leaning against the opposing defender.

Two men followed Lu Yang, one marked Moric, and one controlled the center forward; San Remo still had no chance whatsoever.

"Go!"

But just as the ball rolled toward him, Lu Yang suddenly spoke.

Moric, sharing a telepathic connection, sprinted toward the goal.

Many people did not understand Moric's actions.

Moric was already inside the penalty area, where the space for a sprint was already minimal; he would likely reach the goalkeeper before he could even pick up speed.

Furthermore... there were three men and two walls between him and Lu Yang; it was impossible for him to receive the ball.

However, the next moment.

Lu Yang did not trap the ball, but instead flicked it directly with his heel.

A Redondo-style heel flick!

The football rolled through the legs of the defender beside Lu Yang and into the penalty area.

The opponent had not even realized this yet, still glaring at Lu Yang.

The ball speed was not slow, crossing several defenders in succession to appear right before the goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper rushed out quickly.

However, a foot reached the ball before him, poking it into the goal.

The San Remo players embraced each other passionately!

A last-minute winner!

Lu Yang delivered the lethal assist, and Moric completed the match-winning poke!

San Remo led two to one!

"Oh! My god! This is simply otherworldly football!"

"Under such immense pressure, Lu Yang actually used a heel pass."

"This ball was so subtle that even after the goal, the Ternana defenders were still marking Lu Yang; they had no idea when Lu Yang had passed the ball!"

"Moric started his run at the perfect time; had he been even a fraction slower, the goalkeeper would have intercepted the ball first."

"This is the chemistry of the San Remo Midfield Twins! This is the Italian midfield dual-core that Maniero personally acknowledged!"

"The young Maniero and Butcher II have completed a dream connection, successfully helping San Remo take the lead!"

"The suspense of the San Remo title race is back! They are one step closer to promotion!"

San Remo did not let the score change again; they completed the final five minutes of defense and won a hard-fought victory.

"What made us transform in the second half? Yes, of course, there is the reason of our head coach, Mr. Soto, but... I think it came more from the motivation Lu Yang gave us." San Remo captain Rondo replied in the post-match interview, "He has great leadership qualities; he told us the reason why we had to win, which ignited our morale."

When Vedian was interviewed, he stated: "I made many mistakes in this match, but the head coach corrected me in time. I am very happy that the team was able to win."

Moric was asked about Rondo's words: "Of course, Lu Yang has always been like this. Whether on the pitch or in the locker room, he is always able to help his friends. If you didn't mention it, I would even forget that he is a year younger than me, because he always makes you mistakenly believe that he is the older brother you can trust and rely on!"

After the match, the San Remo players all praised Lu Yang, which made people curious about what exactly Lu Yang had said during halftime.

But the reporters were unable to interview Lu Yang.

Because Lu Yang's range of movement in this match was too large, he entered rest mode immediately after the game. He needed to seize every minute to recover his physical strength to prepare for the final match of the season for San Remo.

That would be the true battle for the top spot!

Soon, the thirty-seventh round of the league was completed.

The results could be said to be unexpected.

Francavilla, sixth in the standings, was held to a draw by a relegated team, taking away only one point.

With 70 points, it was almost a declaration that they had nothing to do with direct promotion.

Even their chance at the playoffs had become distant.

Fifth in the standings was Catania; they defeated their opponent, reaching 72 points.

And what made San Remo fans cheer was that Bisceglie lost their key battle against Palermo, as Arnold continued his goal drought and affected the team's overall offense.

Bisceglie lost the chance to threaten San Remo, sliding directly from second place—where they led San Remo on head-to-head records—down to fourth in the standings. They were tied on 72 points with fifth-place Catania, barely leading based on their one win and one draw against each other.

In the next round, Catania's opponent was a weak team; they were safe.

Because in the next round, Bisceglie would face sixth-place Francavilla directly.

With the two competing, regardless of the result, Catania would sit firmly in fourth or fifth place.

At this point, the team most likely to miss out on promotion this season had emerged.

One of either Francavilla or Bisceglie was likely the "unlucky one" everyone had been talking about.

Of course, Palermo, ranked third with 73 points, was not entirely safe either, because the gap between them and Francavilla was only three points. If everyone else won and they lost, Francavilla could compare head-to-head records with Palermo, and Palermo had a disadvantage against Francavilla this season.

After calculating every possibility, the only team confirmed for promotion is Turris with 77 points.

San Remo, sitting in second place with 75 points, simply cannot afford to lose.

If Palermo, currently in third, wins their match, they will reach 76 points.

Bisceglie and Catania, in fourth and fifth, would reach 75 points with a win, and both hold the tie-breaker advantage over San Remo.

If San Remo loses, they will almost certainly be forced into the promotion playoffs.

There is only one path left before them.

That is to defeat Turris and claim the league title!