Equalizer!
One man had taken on an entire team!
He'd stolen the ball in his own half and carried it all the way upfield to score!
A flashy knee-tap lift!
An endless stepover!
A Flip Flap with an enormous tail-swish!
Could a human being really do all that?
At that moment, everyone who had thought Lu Yang's fundamentals were shaky fell silent.
This was unbelievable!
He was a one-man show!
"Lu Yang, you're amazing!"
"Lu Yang, you're amazing!"
The players on Team B couldn't contain their excitement. They celebrated with abandon.
Scoring a last-minute goal in the first half had given their morale a huge boost!
Lu Yang found Baizami, who had joined the celebrations, and said, "Baizami, what do you think? I wasn't lying, was I? There really is a way to keep charging forward on your own and help the team score!"
"Your dribbling is even better than mine. If I can do it, so can you!"
"Don't be afraid of failing once or twice. Use your head and play to your strengths. Nobody will be able to stop you!"
Baizami was deeply encouraged.
So this style of play really existed?
So Messi wasn't just some made-up name Lu Yang had used to fool him.
"Is this Messi?" Baizami had grown interested in the player Lu Yang had mentioned.
Lu Yang shook his head. "This is Ronaldinho. His ball control looks even more dazzling and pleasing to watch, but like Messi, he doesn't stop people."
"Find your own football, Baizami!"
Looking into Lu Yang's sincere eyes, Baizami nodded solemnly.
He'd given his word, so he had to follow through!
Lam wasn't a sore loser, either. When the first half ended, he congratulated Lu Yang as well. "That was a great goal, but it won't happen again!"
Lu Yang smiled. "It might be different if your team had three Jan Lahms."
Lam grinned. It was both a compliment and a provocation.
This guy called Lu Yang was pretty interesting.
During halftime, Team B thoroughly reviewed the first half.
Each player also shared their thoughts.
Players in different positions felt different kinds of pressure during a match.
Moric said, "Baizami passed the ball backward too much in the first half. You have to fix that. Once we push forward, we can't go back, or their frontcourt pressing will take effect. We need your help, Baizami!"
"You have what it takes, and you'll have more stamina than they do in the second half. Don't worry about losing the ball. No play is ever a hundred percent certain, but if there's even a one percent chance and you take it, we can win!"
Baizami nodded. He hadn't been good at combining with his teammates, sure, but he knew the basics of crossing from the baseline and dribbling and cutting inside to shoot. He wasn't an idiot.
Um... was he really not?
Versace said, "Canyes is putting me under a lot of pressure. I don't think I can get past him. He's much faster than I am!"
Lu Yang nodded. "All right, then we'll play a little more cautiously down the left. Don't attack their byline; pull toward the middle instead. I'll look for a chance to push forward and attack through the center in the second half, but I'll need your help."
"Once you've pulled toward the middle and disrupted their defensive shape, drop back into my position while I push upfield. If I don't find an opening, I'll drop back, and then you can push forward. We'll keep attacking in waves, and we'll find an opening soon!"
Moric looked at Soguer. "Soguer, once Baizami creates chances in the second half, there'll be plenty of crosses. Be ready to take advantage. Also, when we push forward through the middle, you can pull a center-back to the left and make crossing runs with Versace or Lu Yang."
Moric didn't draw up a set play for the right flank, since Baizami couldn't combine with the others. Instead, he specifically had Soguer pull out to the left.
"Can you keep that up?" Versace asked, worried about Lu Yang's stamina.
The tactic Moric and Lu Yang had just outlined wasn't tied to a fixed formation. It was a run from the back and midfield that could be used in any formation.
How effective it was often depended on how many times they made the run.
One or two attacks were unlikely to make much difference.
But if they kept at it, the opposing defenders would be forced to react.
Repeated forward runs, on top of Lu Yang's defensive sweeping earlier, would demand a lot of stamina.
"Don't worry. I can keep running." Lu Yang smiled.
Soto's Perpetual Motion Machine was no joke.
For an ordinary defender, pushing forward to help with the attack would add to his defensive workload.
But covering a lot of ground on defense was already one of Lu Yang's strengths. If he combined forward runs with defending, he could press all over the pitch. As long as someone covered for him, there wouldn't be any holes in the defense.
Finally, the players on Team B rallied together and shouted a few rounds of "Come on!"
The mood in Team A's locker room, by contrast, wasn't nearly as harmonious.
Aguilar complained that they hadn't created enough chances. He also felt Canyes hadn't been aggressive enough in getting to the byline and pulling the opposing defense out of position for him.
Canyes said he didn't mind getting to the byline, but if he made three or four runs, surely Aguilar could pass him the ball at least once?
He'd made run after run for nothing. Did Aguilar think he was a defender? Sure, Aguilar was a first-team Roma player, but he was one of Juventus's crown princes too!
His crosses were just as good!
Parrott sided with Canyes. He couldn't get the ball from Aguilar, either. Aguilar only wanted to cut inside and shoot, but he couldn't get past that Lu Yang.
And Parrott was a pacey striker who thrived on getting on the end of the ball. He needed to be moving to spot good chances.
But Aguilar usually only passed him the ball when he was already in trouble. By then, there were players everywhere. What good was it to give Parrott the ball then? Was he supposed to charge straight into them?
It just wasn't realistic.
When they thought of charging forward, everyone remembered Lu Yang's perfect dribble just moments ago.
"I won't let him past me again!" Lam clearly knew what Parrott was thinking, and he sounded resolute.
He'd underestimated Lu Yang in the first half.
He hadn't expected him to be that good at dribbling past players.
He'd said earlier that top-class attackers couldn't be stopped when they dribbled, but that didn't mean top-class defenders had no way to deal with them.
As long as Lam didn't dive in carelessly, even if Lu Yang got past him, Lam could use his own outstanding pace and explosive physique to catch up and put him under pressure. Then, he could win the ball or stop him through physical contact.
Lam had the ability to do that.
Ceballos had planned to sacrifice a little in the second half and play in midfield, distributing the ball to improve the team's attack.
But seeing Aguilar's form only brought out his selfish side.
If Aguilar was playing for his own stats, why should Ceballos sacrifice himself for the team?
Put simply, the Star of Italy Training Camp was really an individual contest. Until the players had formed proper teams, there was no such thing as team glory.
The five mentors didn't know what to say when they saw the obvious difference in atmosphere between the Team A and Team B locker rooms.
Team A wasn't bad, either. Their star players were just as dangerous with quick combinations. But... Aguilar was a selfish leader, and he'd dragged down the whole team's attitude.
By contrast, Team B captain Lu Yang had willingly taken on defensive duties, earning everyone's trust and making them willing to follow his instructions.
If things continued this way, the second half might look quite different.
Team A had made no changes, while Team B had already made targeted adjustments.
Fifteen minutes later, the second half began.
Team B immediately put Team A on the back foot.
Lu Yang, a defensive midfielder, didn't stay in his own half. Instead, he pushed all the way up to the edge of the opposing penalty area, putting enormous pressure on Team A's player in possession.
If Lam hadn't been composed enough to support his teammate in time and pass the ball to the left, Lu Yang might well have won the ball in the attacking third.
"He came at me too fast. I didn't even have time to hoof it upfield!" Team A's right center-back apologized to Lam. "I saw space in the distance, but I couldn't get the ball there."
Lam nodded to show he understood. In fact, he'd seen the space up ahead on the right just then, but he couldn't pass it there, either.
A long pass took time to prepare.
The passing player's swing, body angle, and time spent winding up were all different from those for a short pass.
If an opponent was too close, it was hard to prepare a long pass. While you were winding up, they could rush in, poke the ball away, or block the pass.
That was exactly what had happened.
But Team A's right winger, Aguilar, ignored all of that. He spread his arms and shouted angrily from up front, making his displeasure clear.
"Why didn't you pass it? I was in the clear! If you'd passed, we could've scored!" Aguilar kept complaining. Neither Canyes behind him nor Parrott in the middle said a word, but the impatience on their faces grew more pronounced.
Canyes and Parrott had made plenty of runs for nothing. That was part of the tactic; it was normal.
Why was Aguilar getting impatient after making just one run for nothing?
Did he really think he was the captain?
Aguilar hadn't backed up his temper with performances, so the backlash against him was growing.
Then, as the match reached the sixtieth minute, the game suddenly changed.
"How many times has Lu Yang pushed upfield now?" Carlisle suddenly felt that something was off. Lu Yang seemed unusually active in the second half.
"Fifth time? Seventh?" Ancarelli said. "The way he's playing in the second half is dangerous. He's pushed up too many times."
Maniero shook his head. "Sarvic is covering for him, and Lu Yang's pressing up front makes it hard for the other team to play the ball out to the back. So Sarvic doesn't face much pressure when he covers. He's an all-around player and can handle the job."
"And Lu Yang is putting too much pressure on them up front. Look, aside from Lam, the other midfielders and center-backs are getting tired. Lu Yang's forcing them to cover more ground."
Perotta nodded. "Soguer keeps pulling out to the left and leaving the middle open for Lu Yang to attack. It's a three-man positional rotation. The defensive midfielder pushes up into the center-forward position, the center-forward moves wide into the left-winger's spot, and the left winger tucks back into the defensive-midfield role."
"The key to the tactic is Lu Yang's late runs, which put pressure on and wear down the opposing defense. He's got great stamina and doesn't look tired at all yet."
Taji said, "Lu Yang's accelerating! Soguer has drawn Lam away. This is a great chance!"
On the field, Moric suddenly passed the ball, and Lu Yang received it cleanly as he made his forward run.
A Team A midfielder moved in beside him.
Lu Yang kicked the ball six or seven meters forward and raced the midfielder alongside him.
It was obvious the other midfielder couldn't keep up with Lu Yang.
By the time Lu Yang caught up with the ball again, he was just outside the arc at the edge of the penalty area.
Team A's right center-back came up to slow Lu Yang down.
But Lu Yang immediately started doing stepovers.
The center-back still remembered Lu Yang's earlier stepovers all too well, and he braced himself.
But part of him relaxed, too.
Keep stepovering. That'll give our defenders time to surround you.
He didn't expect Lu Yang to feint once with each foot, then push the ball left and break through.
This time, no endless stepover. He only gave the ball a couple of teasing touches outside the penalty area, then burst straight through.
His opponent was completely caught off guard as Lu Yang went past him.
Now Lu Yang was facing the goalkeeper.
But because he'd just cut to the left, his angle to shoot was very narrow.
Most players wouldn't shoot from there. They'd be more likely to pass the ball back across the area!
Team A's left center-back saw Baizami cutting in from the wing and promptly moved to defend him, not wanting to let Baizami steal the ball.
Team A's goalkeeper was just as ruthless. He charged out, narrowing Lu Yang's shooting angle even further.
He had closed off almost every shooting lane.
Lu Yang looked toward Baizami.
The right center-back Lu Yang had just beaten had been about to rush over and cover him, but stopped short. He positioned himself between Lu Yang and Baizami, cutting off the passing lane.
For a moment, there was no one for Lu Yang to pass to.
Any pass was bound to be intercepted!
But...
Lu Yang suddenly scooped the ball up with his toe, sending it in a rainbow arc through the air.
Team A's goalkeeper's pupils contracted. He couldn't believe Lu Yang had managed such a high, curling chip from that tight space!
It took tremendous precision to pull off that shot.
It was completely irrational!
For one thing, a chip that high was difficult to execute. If the ball didn't rise enough, the goalkeeper could catch it.
For another, even if it cleared the keeper, its height would keep it in the air longer, giving a retreating center-back time to clear it.
The goalkeeper instinctively looked behind him for his team's left center-back.
But there was no one in front of the goal.
The left center-back had already run out to mark Baizami!
Lu Yang's glance at Baizami had fooled everyone!
"GOAL! A brilliant run from deep, followed by a quick, efficient stepover! And that final chip, without even looking at the goal—that was the height of confidence! Lu Yang's glance fooled everyone, including Baizami. He'd been convinced Lu Yang would pass to him!"
"Two-one! Team B has come from behind to take the lead!"
"Lam has been pulled away by Soguer, and now he's standing to the side, sighing. If he'd been there, maybe Lu Yang could've been stopped!"
"That was Lu Yang's eighth run upfield in the second half, and all his effort paid off. Maybe they were tired, or maybe they thought Moric wouldn't pass to Lu Yang. Either way, Team A's midfield made a huge mistake this time!"
"A brace! Lu Yang has taken control of the match all on his own. This is something we never saw in any of the tests before!"
"A big-game player! That's what Maniero called him, and it's true! Viewers, let's watch that beautiful attack again!"