Italian football's declining influence was an undeniable fact.
That was partly due to the retirement of Italy's golden generation, including Maniero and Soto. Since then, Italy had performed poorly in international competitions, so it was only natural that people paid less attention to them.
On the other hand, the match-fixing scandal had dealt Serie A a tremendous blow.
Finally, the movement of capital had also made top players lose interest in Serie A. They had all headed to the Premier League and La Liga, especially the Premier League.
It was 7:50 p.m. The match was about to begin.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm the stadium announcer here at San Remo Municipal Stadium. We have a lot of special guests at our ground today." The announcer began speaking as the camera started moving, settling on one celebrity after another. "Maniero! The brains of Italy, and the brightest star among Juventus's four forwards!"
"At the club, he was Soto's lifelong rival. But on the national team, they were the best of partners. After retiring, their friendship became the envy of everyone around them. Today is an important moment in Soto's coaching career—he may win his first trophy—and Maniero certainly wasn't going to miss it."
"We can see that Maniero even brought his wife and daughter."
"That's Carlisle! He was here to watch a match just last time, in the thirty-fourth round of Serie D. It seems he's become deeply captivated by Lu Yang's style of play. The King of the Violets himself has publicly praised Lu Yang, which is why Lu Yang is known as the Viola Crown Prince!"
"Oh, my goodness! Fans, let's hear it! Sandri Latuidi is here too! This Milan star is reportedly being pursued by San Remo, and his appearance here today is a very positive sign. Next season, we may well see this superstar playing in Serie C!"
A roar of cheers rose from the crowd.
In truth, Latuidi couldn't really be called a superstar.
Looking across the football world of his generation, even at his peak, Latuidi had only been a first-class midfielder. He still fell short of the very top.
But with Serie A's stars fading away over the past couple of years, someone with Latuidi's credentials had become highly sought after there. And this was a Serie D stadium, to boot.
"Oh, that's our great mayor of San Remo, and beside him is the club's chairman, Russell. They aren't watching from a stadium box but have joined us in the stands. It's unexpected, and it's thrilling. They're here with us!" The announcer continued, "We also have good news to share: a four-star stadium project for San Remo has been finalized!"
"Construction on San Remo's new stadium will officially begin after this season ends, and it's expected to be completed in two years! It will become a new landmark for San Remo and the new home ground of San Remo's football team!"
The news was exciting enough to send San Remo's fans into a frenzy!
A four-star stadium!
A capacity of over thirty thousand!
It might even be selected as one of the venues for European competitions!
From the size of the pitch and the quality of the facilities to the strict requirements for the changing rooms, stands, and other spaces, four-star stadiums had to meet exceptionally high standards.
In Italy, where stadium facilities were relatively outdated, this was explosive news.
After all, San Remo was only a Serie C team for next season.
And a modern four-star stadium wasn't something every club could boast of—not even in Serie A, let alone Serie C.
For a moment, many people watching the match thought of the phrase "a waste of resources."
"Oh, look who's here: Louis, a senior scout from the scouting department of Serie A powerhouse Fiorentina. He's back again."
"And there's Smith, one of the youth development directors at Serie A giant AC Milan!"
"Over here, too: the head coach of Serie B powerhouse Benevento has joined us!"
"This is the sporting director of Serie B side Empoli!"
"And beside him is the chairman of Serie B side Perugia!"
"This is the chairman of Serie C team Renate!"
"Wait... why has the camera moved? This is... oh, my goodness! I'm going to cry! Am I seeing things...? Is it her? Is it really her?"
There was no doubt that the stadium announcer knew how to work a crowd—especially when it came to acting. His voice trembling, he cried out, "Sophia Catina! One of Italy's most beautiful women! One of Europe's ten great goddesses! Known as the Kiss of Europa!"
"Maybe not everyone loves football, but everyone has loved Sophia Catina at some point!"
"She's here! She actually came!"
Boom!
The crowd in the stadium went wild, everyone turning to look toward Sophia's section.
The fans watching on television were stunned, too.
Sophia had actually shown up here!
After all these years, Sophia had finally appeared on camera again!
Countless fans from her heyday came rushing in once they heard the news, tuning in to the match.
"It really is Sophia!"
"She's more mature, more alluring, and more confident!"
"Yeah, she's even more captivating than before!"
"Beautiful Sophia, why isn't anyone casting her in movies anymore? That's the greatest waste in the world!"
"Why did Sophia come to watch a match? Does she like football?"
"I don't think I've ever heard that."
"I heard Sophia's making a film that she wrote, directed, and stars in herself?"
"It's rare to get an opportunity like this. Sophia will definitely make it this time."
"What could make Sophia stop filming to watch a match? Who is it?"
"Sophia is waving a San Remo jersey!"
"Wait! That jersey... number 24? Who is that?"
"Lu? Who's that?"
"It's Lu Yang! My goodness, Sophia's holding Lu Yang's jersey and cheering for the players as they come out! Is she a fan of Lu Yang? Or is it just a coincidence?"
"Which Lu?"
"The one who scored that thirty-three-meter bicycle kick!"
"Him? Damn! This... no way... My goddess can't have anything going on with him..."
With all eyes on them,
the two teams came out.
The Turris players looked a little surprised. San Remo's home ground was... terrifying.
The thousands of fans cheered with more passion than any home crowd they'd faced this season.
Of course, Turris's players had no idea what was going on.
They just thought San Remo's fans seemed far too happy and loud. Someone ought to quiet them down for a while!
The match kicked off.
Turris soon showed everyone why they were top of the league table.
After fifteen passes, they put the ball into San Remo's net in less than ten minutes.
"GOAL!"
Turris's substitutes were even more excited than the players on the pitch.
They knew how many big names were watching this match.
And who wouldn't be thrilled at the chance to prove themselves in front of Sophia?
"My fault!" Nagy stepped forward and took responsibility while the opposition celebrated.
"It wasn't your fault. It was mine." Moric shook his head.
Turris were too good at controlling the ball.
They played possession football, which was quite rare in the lower leagues.
That was because possession football demanded solid fundamentals from the players.
And lower-league players... how good could their fundamentals really be?
This goal hadn't come from one San Remo player being beaten or a particular weakness being exposed.
Turris had simply used their possession game to tear San Remo apart and score.
As San Remo's "on-field manager," Moric was indeed responsible for the goal.
But...
Moric couldn't find an answer right away, because the difference in quality between the two sides was simply too great.
This was a one-sided match!
Even with the full starting lineup, Moric doubted they could win this one.
And the team still had that gaping hole on the right side.
The match resumed.
Although San Remo's formation looked like a 4-3-3 today, their right winger tracked back and their right back stayed put. In practice, they played in a 4-4-2.
That was Soto's request. Defense came first.
Even after conceding a goal, San Remo kept defending.
"If we can't hold out in the first half, what makes us think we can hold out in the second? Hold on in the first half, then attack like mad in the second. That's the only way a weaker team can beat a stronger one!"
Soto's tactics were very clear.
And his reasoning was sound.
After all, the recently concluded thirty-eighth round of La Liga had shown just that.
Top teams Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid had both conceded before the twentieth minute, but each had managed to score twice and come from behind to beat their opponents.
That was proof enough: against a truly strong team, you could never hold on forever in a crucial match.
So the second half was when the result would be decided.
Otherwise, the other side wouldn't be a strong team.
What made a team strong if not its ability to deliver in crucial matches?
But Turris were so strong that even in the first half, San Remo struggled to defend against them.
In the thirty-ninth minute, Turris put together another flawless passing move.
After a dazzling series of passes, a midfielder played a cutback, and their right back raced in to smash a shot past San Remo's keeper once again.
Turris's right back celebrated wildly, thumping his chest at San Remo's players.
He might have had good reason to be excited, but his actions infuriated San Remo's players—especially Nagy, who felt he had been caught out of position again.
A fight looked ready to break out, but Lu Yang rushed over in time to hold his teammates back.
"Don't get booked. We'll need you more than anyone in the second half!" Lu Yang said to Nagy.
Nagy lowered his head.
After calming his teammates, Lu Yang pointed at the opposing right back but said nothing.
The other right back sneered.
What was that supposed to mean?
Want to mess with me?
Come on, then!
Soon, the first half ended with San Remo trailing 2–0.
In the locker room, after Soto had finished speaking, Lu Yang said a few words of his own, activating the effect of "Spiritual Leader."
The second half began, and Turris's passing game remained sharp.
They even added a hint of mockery to it.
Their players started trying out unconventional moves.
They tried rabonas, backheel passes, and even the opposing right back attempted a bold Rainbow Flick. He failed, but the sight was still infuriating.
Clearly, during halftime, they'd found out how many famous people were watching the match.
"Oh, we can see that Turris's players are really enjoying themselves. It may sound surprising, but people have never thought of Lu Yang as a technical player. Yet he's scored goals and made assists with these flashy moves."
"Perhaps Lu Yang's impressive physique and Moric's outstanding ability have made people think Lu Yang is clumsy on the ball, but he really isn't!"
"They and Vedian may be the only players in this San Remo side who are no worse than Turris's players."
Just after the announcer finished speaking, Lu Yang made a beautiful sliding tackle to win the ball.
An opponent came charging at him. Lu Yang used a V-Pull to evade him and drove forward with the ball.
Moric began to make a run.
Turris's right back charged toward Lu Yang. He was the closest defender.
But Lu Yang simply made a pulling motion as he ran.
Was he trying to bring the ball under control?
Turris's right back slowed down, preparing to close him down.
But in the next instant, the ball popped into the air and Lu Yang knocked it forward with his knee.
Lu Yang and the ball went straight past Turris's right back, who stood frozen like a puppet.
A knee-tap lift to beat his man!
There was now plenty of space in front of Lu Yang.
A midfielder who had been trying to block Moric had to cover Lu Yang instead.
That was when Lu Yang chipped a pass forward!
Wolf King Totti's chip and Golden Wolf Guti's through ball worked together at once.
The high ball sailed over Turris's defensive formation and dropped right toward Moric.
Turris's defenders braced themselves, ready to hit Moric as he brought the ball down and knock it away from him.
Moric was good at controlling the ball, but he was unlikely to pull off one of Lu Yang's godlike traps, cushioning it with the top of his foot without letting it bounce at all.
Turris had studied Moric inside out.
But Moric didn't try to control the ball. He ran in front of it and hooked his right foot backward, flicking it into the air with a scorpion kick. The ball took off behind him, sailing over both him and the defender.
And there!
A black streak ripped through Turris's defense.
Vedian ran onto the ball and was through on goal.
He fired a composed shot!
Goal!
San Remo had clawed one back!
"Lu Yang and Moric again, with Vedian completing the brilliant link-up! Lu Yang shook off two defenders in succession and chipped a pass through Turris's back line."
"Moric didn't even bring the ball down. His scorpion-kick flick completely beat the last defender."
"Vedian is so fast! There wasn't much room for him to accelerate, but he still got up to speed and left his marker behind. Anyone else would never have made it through one-on-one, and the keeper would have collected the ball."
"San Remo can still fight back! They haven't given up!"
The San Remo fans began to cheer from the stands.
They had seen their team's tenacity.
But soon, in the 74th minute, Turris put the game to bed.
They had the strongest overall squad in all of Serie D, as well as individual players capable of breaking through defenses at a top Serie D level.
Their center forward was second in the Serie D scoring charts with 21 goals. He'd been especially hot lately, averaging more than a goal a game!
Don't let the fact that he played in Serie D fool you. He was really there to help a struggling team.
He'd previously been the backup center forward for Serie B powerhouse Lecce. Last season, he scored 15 goals in 29 appearances and was in excellent form, helping Lecce earn promotion to Serie A.
But after clashing with the team's starting center forward and head coach, he was left out of their Serie A matches and loaned to Turris to help them reach Serie C.
And he'd done it!
This season, Lecce were bottom of the Serie A table and all but certain to be relegated. Their head coach had been sacked, and their starting center forward was pushing for a transfer, so Turris's towering striker was very likely to return to Serie B next season.
Compared with Arnold and Vedian, who were prized for their speed, he was the real Serie B–caliber striker!
The bruising forward muscled through San Remo's two center backs, sending them stumbling, then unleashed a ferocious shot while off balance.
And once again, the ball ended up in San Remo's net.
Three–one!
Turris were utterly unstoppable!
Those who never give up will one day become the brightest star in the night sky—dedicated to everyone still in the dark. Keep going!!!