England Football's Brutality Broke the Wings of Italian Football!

Inside the Juventus Stadium.

Within this super stadium capable of holding forty thousand people, thirty thousand fans had gathered to watch the match.

The predecessor to the Juventus Stadium was the Stadio delle Alpi, which could hold over sixty thousand spectators.

However, due to the decline of Serie A, attendance rates had consistently remained below seventy percent for years. Therefore, when it was renovated into the Juventus Stadium, they reduced the number of seats to create a more intense home-field atmosphere.

The fans—or perhaps "spectators" would be a more accurate term—who arrived today only had to pay half the usual ticket price.

This was a decision made by the Star of Italy Team production crew.

They were not looking to profit from these matches; the ticket proceeds would be split between the stadium owners and the participating teams.

Of course, the players on the Star of Italy Team would also receive corresponding bonuses after the match, which was no small sum for Lu Yang and Moric.

The match was about to begin, and players from both sides were warming up on the pitch.

"Can we win?" Baizami asked, feeling somewhat skeptical, as the Millwall players on the other side were more muscular than he had imagined.

Those hulking figures were massive, and Baizami felt that if one of them were to collide with him, he would fall apart.

"Of course we can," Lu Yang said with a serious expression. "Do you know that while English teams look fierce, in the last twenty years, their win rate against La Liga teams in knockout stages and higher-level competitions is less than fifteen percent! Their win rate in finals is even less than twelve percent!"

"Huh?" Baizami was quite surprised.

Not just Baizami, but the other players from the Star of Italy Team gathered around, suspecting they had misheard.

The Premier League currently seemed to be the leader among the top five leagues; how could they be so miserable against La Liga teams?

That can't be true, right?

Even Lam frowned, finding it hard to believe.

This was just too outrageous.

Seeing everyone gathered around, Lu Yang spoke vividly: "Pay attention to the conditions: knockout stages and above. Think back carefully."

And so, everyone began to recall.

Lam belonged to Liverpool, so he was even more familiar with the records of Premier League teams.

Soon, everyone realized that what Lu Yang said seemed to be true.

"Why?" Lam was the first to ask.

Lu Yang said, "This fully demonstrates that possession-based, technical teams often have a greater advantage in these one- or two-legged cup competitions compared to the English style of play."

"The latter may often look like they have the upper hand on the pitch, but they aren't actually easy to score with. Because possession-based teams rarely make fatal mistakes; they are more stable. Meanwhile, the English style of open, high-intensity football looks inspiring, but it often leads to more mistakes that are easily exploited by the opponent."

"So, when we play later, it's understandable if we are suppressed for a while; everyone must not panic."

"Our two wing-backs, if the attack isn't going smoothly, don't rush to push forward; come back and we'll defend together. The second half is when the outcome will truly be decided."

Lu Yang's words were clearly recorded by the cameras. He acted like a true captain, dispelling his teammates' nervousness while beginning to set the tactics.

After all, their team looked much younger and weaker.

The opponent was, after all, an EFL Championship team, with a level higher than that of Serie B.

Beep!

With the sound of the whistle, the match officially began.

The Star of Italy Team kicked off, with Moric orchestrating the midfield as their 3-5-2 formation gradually spread out.

Ceballos held the ball, pushing forward at high speed.

This was the first attack for the Star of Italy Team.

Bang!

Just as Ceballos was thinking about whether to try and dribble past his man to the byline or pass the ball to Versace in the middle, he was knocked down by a wall.

Beep!

The referee blew his whistle, signaling a defensive foul by the Millwall player.

Ceballos was stunned.

The hell is this defense?

Is this even playing football?

Wasn't this just charging straight at the player?

However, looking at the scene just now, from the perspective of the rules, the referee felt it barely qualified as an ordinary foul and wasn't malicious enough to warrant a card.

As for Ceballos's pain, one could only say his frame was too fragile.

Next, the unyielding Ceballos tried twice more. Once, he was knocked down by the opponent with no foul called. Another time, he was nearly shaken to pieces during a physical challenge and lost possession again.

When Ceballos held the ball once more, he hesitated.

Continue pushing forward?

He didn't quite dare to anymore.

The truth is, his whole body was still aching.

This really wasn't a joke.

He seriously doubted whether he could last the full match if he kept playing like this.

Is this what England football is like?

It's so different from France Football.

No wonder many players who dominated in other leagues became flops after moving to England.

The sheer intensity of these collisions was enough to affect any player's form.

For the sake of self-preservation, Ceballos passed the ball back to Lu Yang.

Meanwhile, the defensive player who had repeatedly fouled him flashed a satisfied grin.

This smile deeply wounded Ceballos, yet he couldn't lash out.

Lu Yang witnessed this scene and distributed the ball to Moric, who launched an attack from the right flank.

Canyes surged forward with the ball.

But soon, Canyes encountered the same treatment Ceballos had faced.

The opposition was playing with a very specific target in mind.

Since the core of the 5-3-2 formation relied on this pair of Devil Wings, the English players would simply snap them off to see if this Star of Italy Team could still take flight.

Their strategy was highly successful; the Star of Italy Team's offense was struggling immensely.

Fortunately, Ceballos and Canyes remembered the instructions Lu Yang had given before the match.

If the offense couldn't break through, they were to help the team defend more, temporarily acting as wing-backs.

Thus, the flying wings dropped back, turning into tail wings.

The Millwall player on the right flank, perhaps thinking Ceballos was an easy target, dribbled toward him, preparing to break through.

But the next moment...

Bang!

With a beautiful Slide Tackle, Lu Yang not only completed the interception but also sent the opponent crashing to the ground.

It was a clean, beautiful defensive play.

However, the opponent wouldn't let it go; he stood up and charged toward Lu Yang.

He knew Lu Yang hadn't committed a foul, but since the opposing team was full of greenhorns, wouldn't it be a waste not to bully them?

By intimidating the opponent now, he would face less defensive pressure during his next breakthrough—this was the mindset of a seasoned veteran.

"Are you trying to snap my leg, you brat!" the Millwall number eight was incredibly hot-headed.

Yet, what he didn't expect was this.

Lu Yang walked right up to him, chest-to-chest, and pressed his forehead against his, roaring: "If you use that kind of rough foul on my teammate again, you'll get much worse! I promise you!"

The number eight was momentarily stunned.

He was being threatened?

Who the hell is the veteran here?

The referee arrived in time to stop the dispute.

Officiating matches involving English teams was the norm; even as a referee, you had to try to get used to it.

But the referee also glanced at Lu Yang with surprise.

This Asian player is truly tough!

Ceballos, standing nearby, felt quite moved.

He had heard Lu Yang's words just now.

Lu Yang was getting even for him.

"Ceballos, rest for a bit. Once you've recovered, just keep charging; they won't dare do anything to you, trust me." Lu Yang patted Ceballos on the shoulder before returning to his position.

This kind of football was something Ceballos had never experienced in the young squad at Monaco.

Ceballos's confidence returned.

But soon, the Star of Italy Team suffered a blow.

Canyes was knocked aside by an opponent, losing possession.

The opposition seized the opportunity to Cross from the Baseline. Moric attempted to block, but he was also knocked aside; not only did he fail to stop the opponent, but he also ended up on the ground himself.

The Millwall players were very adept at utilizing their physical advantages, especially their strength.

Bang!

Cross from the Baseline!

The opposing center forward rose above Lam, unleashing a Lion's Header to break the deadlock!

Lam looked at the opponent's one-meter-ninety-three frame, nearly ten centimeters taller than him; he truly had no way to defend against aerial balls.

While the right center-back for the Star of Italy Team had sufficient height, his speed was too slow to keep up with the opposing center forward.

This was also the reason why Lam found it difficult to secure real opportunities at Liverpool; a player of his stature might find chances in La Liga, Ligue 1, or the Bundesliga, but it was incredibly difficult in the Premier League and Serie A.

Because in the former, there were too many target men who favored aerial tactics, which Lam could not defend against.

As for the latter, there was an abundance of high-quality, tall center-backs, making Lam's competitiveness equally insufficient.

"Oh... the aerial defense of the Star of Italy Team is a problem. They are in trouble today; Millwall's center forward is one-meter-ninety-three, and the Star of Italy's backline has no answer for him! He is running wild in the penalty area, as if no one is there to stop him!"

The commentator's words were a bit stinging, but exceptionally true.

Lu Yang and Moric exchanged a glance, the meaning clear.

They really couldn't defend against this!

If Lam had no solution, their backline truly had no options left.

The only plan now was to attack!

"Canyes, get ready to push!"

"Ceballos, are you rested?"

Moric and Lu Yang simultaneously signaled to the team's left and right wings.

After the kickoff, Canyes ignited a series of offensive storms on the right flank.

Coordinating with Moric and Versace, he utilized his speed to execute a Cross from the Baseline time and again.

However, because he was naturally a right-back and a right-footed player, he was limited to crossing from the baseline, making him relatively easier to defend.

Perhaps against rookie players of his own age, Canyes could do whatever he wanted like a right winger.

But when facing a true powerhouse, the drawback of him ultimately being just a right-back was exposed.

He could not cut inside to create threats like a true winger.

And honestly, when it came to ordinary crosses from the baseline, who had England ever feared?

That was exactly what they practiced!

Soguer was struggling significantly in the penalty area; as a target man, it was hard for him to make an impact while being squeezed by the opponent's tall center-backs.

And Parrott was not adept at such physical brawls.

Consequently, the Star of Italy had to shift their offensive focus, attempting to open up the situation from the left flank.

Ceballos became the last hope of the village.

But this time, despite gathering his courage and being prepared, he was still knocked aside after the opponent rushed over.

Unless he could use his speed to deny the opponent the chance to collide with him.

But unfortunately, he could not.

These muscle-bound players were adept at charging and colliding.

On the Star of Italy side, perhaps only Baizami possessed the absolute speed to completely shake them off.

This was the difference between "fast" and "very fast."

Only the latter was invincible, capable of creating offensive advantages through speed alone.

But soon, Lu Yang changed his style of play.

He signaled for Ceballos to pass the ball back to him.

Then, Lu Yang performed a Flip Flap with a massive range of motion, shaking off the player beside him and drawing cheers from the entire stadium.

This forced the Millwall number eight to move toward Lu Yang.

Ceballos subconsciously wanted to receive the ball, feeling that Lu Yang should pass, otherwise, a brutal collision from that number eight awaited him.

However, Lu Yang did not pass; he began a frantic Stepover, denying the opponent a chance to get close.

Because once an opponent gets close to the ball carrier, the carrier can attempt a breakthrough.

Therefore, when an opponent clearly prepares to break through, the defender often maintains a bit of distance to judge the direction and avoid being beaten in one step.

With that distance maintained, it was naturally impossible to apply physical pressure.

The opponent's right-back also prepared to cover; once Lu Yang broke past the number eight, the right-back would rush to challenge him.

Lu Yang held off two people by himself, and suddenly, an opportunity opened up for Ceballos.

Finally, the number eight could not hold back.

He could not tolerate Lu Yang's arrogant dribbling.

He charged directly at Lu Yang with a foul.

However, to his surprise, Lu Yang did not dodge, nor did he fly away upon impact like Ceballos.

Instead, he began to grapple with the number eight.

BANG!

Lu Yang swept his foot across the ball, sending it away, but the force he put into the strike left him vulnerable, and he was knocked over by the number eight.

On the surface, it seemed he had come off worse.

But in terms of the match, Lu Yang had gained the advantage.

Because the ball had already been moved out.

The referee did not blow the whistle; although there was frequent physical contact between the two, it was a fair exchange.

Ceballos finally understood Lu Yang's intention.

He sprinted toward the ball, his eyes slightly red.

Lu Yang had intentionally held onto the ball longer to draw in the opposition's defense, thereby relieving the pressure on his own side.

Ceballos caught up to the ball, and the Millwall right-back was slightly out of position, scrambling to recover.

Finally, the right-back caught up to Ceballos.

Then, Ceballos executed a beautiful back-heel flick to change direction, instantly bypassing the Millwall right-back. To everyone's surprise, he cut inside!

The Millwall players hadn't expected it at all.

For one thing, Canyes on the other side only ever went down the flank, making the concept of cutting inside non-existent in their world.

For another, Ceballos had previously shown a clear fear of physical confrontation, so how could he dare to cut inside?

Who gave him the courage?

Near the penalty area, Soguer dropped back while Parrott surged forward, the two performing a crossing run.

Soguer moved from the front-left toward the back-right.

Meanwhile, Parrott sprinted from the back-right toward the front-left.

The moment they crossed paths, it threatened to cause trouble for the opposing center-backs.

But the Millwall center-backs were solid enough to avoid any mistakes.

However, by this time, Ceballos had already cut inside to the left edge of the penalty area and raised his foot, preparing to shoot.

The Millwall center-back inside the box instantly raised his leg, preparing to block Ceballos's shot.

The angle wasn't great, and the probability of Ceballos scoring from there was very low.

Yet, Ceballos didn't shoot; instead, he pushed the ball toward the top of the penalty arc.

To pick up the other thread.

After Lu Yang was knocked down by the Millwall number eight, he got up without lingering and charged forward immediately.

He ran all the way, and this sudden surge left the Millwall midfield with no time to block him.

When he reached the left side of the penalty arc, a black and white ball rolled over from the left.

The position was perfect!

Lu Yang didn't stop the ball; he pulled his leg back and unleashed a thunderous strike!

BOOM!

The ball didn't rise sharply, nor did it dip; it simply rocketed into the net at incredible speed.

Star skill, Cannon Shooter triggered perfectly!

"GOAL! A powerful strike, Lu Yang's long-range shooting is incredibly consistent!"

"Ceballos's pass was spot on; he found the only passing lane available!"

"Oh, my god! The speed of that long-range shot from Lu Yang reached a staggering 128 kilometers per hour. That number must be familiar to fans in England."

"Just last season, Manchester United superstar Danway Best helped them win the FA Cup with a 128-kilometer-per-hour cannon shot! And the team he defeated back then was none other than the Millwall we see before us!"

"In this moment, it was as if Lu Yang was possessed by Best; he pierced the English goal with the most English of blasts, leveling the score!"