"My God! Star of Italy have equalized for the third time! They're showing incredible resilience!"
"That was a perfect tactical play. Star of Italy really showed us what they can do!"
"But the most brilliant part was probably Lu Yang's through ball, which pierced the defense of three players! No one expected him to play the ball straight back instead of reorganizing the attack."
"Moric's run forward was bold. He's been active in the backfield all game, and this was his first time making a forward run. Maybe that's why the defenders overlooked him—and he punished Millwall for it."
"I remember Lu Yang and Moric pulling off a play just like that back in Serie D. They understand each other so well! They're definitely Italy's golden midfield partnership of the future! Italians, what are you waiting for? I'll say it again: hurry up and naturalize Moric!"
"This back-and-forth battle has been even more exciting than anyone imagined. These young Italians are incredible!"
On the pitch, the Millwall players were beginning to sweat profusely.
They truly hadn't expected these youngsters to run so much.
A team made up of ordinary young players had one obvious weakness: they either played like gods or completely fell apart.
Once they were suppressed, they could easily lose all confidence and suffer a crushing defeat.
But Star of Italy had managed to equalize time and again. Many big clubs didn't even have players with that kind of mental fortitude.
"Just hang in there a little longer. They're finished!" Lu Yang patted Ceballos on the cheek to rouse him, then signaled for Baizami to get ready.
Ceballos nodded. He didn't mind being substituted, especially since he'd actually hoped to come off early in this match.
But as long as he was still on the pitch, he was willing to give everything he had.
He hadn't been so brave or selfless before, but... if Lu Yang could do all that, why couldn't he?
When it came to physical battles, Lu Yang had taken on just as much as he had.
In fact, Lu Yang had shielded him from plenty of challenges and covered for him on defense.
As for running, Lu Yang had definitely covered far more ground than he had. Lu Yang had run more than anyone else on the pitch.
A good example could inspire young players to unleash boundless energy.
In the seventy-fifth minute of the second half, Lu Yang received a notification: he had covered ten kilometers, activating the first level of the Perpetual Motion Machine effect. All his abilities had increased by three percent!
That was good news.
A minute later, Ceballos successfully cut inside, then was brought down near the edge of the penalty area.
A free kick!
Twenty-seven meters from goal!
A real threat!
The Star of Italy players gave Ceballos a warm round of applause as he came off.
His feet were badly bruised from the kicks.
Baizami came on as a substitute.
Lu Yang, Parrott, and Moric discussed how to take the free kick. Moric was the team's first-choice free-kick taker, Ceballos was second, and Parrott was third.
But Parrott wasn't actually good at free kicks. He was named third choice mostly out of respect for his standing on the team.
"I'm better at free kicks from within twenty-five meters. I can get both curl and accuracy, but I don't have enough power to take a really strong shot from twenty-seven meters," Moric said, looking at Lu Yang.
Lu Yang had scored a stunning free kick in the final league match of the Serie D season.
This was exactly the kind of range he should be able to handle.
"I'll take it!" Lu Yang stepped forward.
Moric stood beside him to play along, while Parrott moved to the edge of the penalty area to look for an opportunity.
Lu Yang checked the valve on the ball, placed it on the ground, then took five measured steps back. With his arms hanging by his sides, he fixed his eyes on the wall without looking away.
His posture made it seem as if he were the one about to take the kick.
The Millwall wall paid no attention to Lu Yang. As professionals who had played almost the whole match, they knew perfectly well who had the best technique.
Among the midfielders and forwards, Lu Yang's technique was poor.
But the kid had stamina and was good at defending.
Someone with those two qualities was even less likely to take a free kick.
Everyone knew that good defending meant clumsy footwork, while good attacking meant being soft.
"How's Moric going to take this free kick?" Taji asked.
"Lu Yang's going to take it," Maniero said, shaking his head. "And there's a very good chance he'll score!"
Taji froze.
"He's scored a free kick before," Carlisle said.
"So he's scored one free kick. And? Does that prove he can score from free kicks? Who hasn't scored one in training?" Taji couldn't understand what the two of them were talking about.
"If you'd seen that goal, you'd know how dangerous Lu Yang's free kicks are," Maniero said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yang began his run-up.
But Millwall's players were all focused on Moric, who was preparing to run up from behind.
Thud!
Without warning, the ball sailed over the wall.
Lu Yang had taken the kick!
The ball flew at tremendous speed. After clearing the wall, it kept rising and went well above the goal.
It looked like a shot that hadn't come down in time.
No threat at all.
But almost in the blink of an eye, the ball began to drop.
Millwall's goalkeeper tried to read its path, only to find the ball swerving wildly in midair!
That kind of curve might have been hard to see from other angles, but from the goalkeeper's perspective, it was unmistakable.
Thump!
The net rippled.
The ball nearly tore through it.
Lu Yang had blasted in a free kick!
For the first time, Star of Italy had taken the lead!
Four–three!
"Fuck! Why didn't you jump? You're playing like shit!" Millwall's coach yelled furiously, furious with the wall's reaction.
The Millwall players had no way to defend themselves.
Moric stood nearby. Who would have believed Lu Yang was going to take the free kick?
"There it is! That bizarre knuckleball has appeared again!"
"Lu Yang scored a free kick like this in the league! Millwall clearly didn't take him seriously. If they'd seen that goal, they wouldn't have been so careless!"
"For the first time, Star of Italy are in the lead! Can they hold on?"
As the Star of Italy players celebrated, they also changed their formation according to the plan they'd made before the match.
Lu Yang was no longer playing as a defensive midfielder. He moved to left back.
Canyes dropped from right midfield to right back, forming a five-man defense!
Versace dropped back from the attacking-midfield position to the spot Lu Yang had vacated, forming a double pivot with Moric.
Soguer, the big center forward, moved out of the penalty area and looked more like an attacking midfielder.
Parrott roamed near Soguer, playing as a right shadow striker.
Baizami, who had come on as a substitute, led the line as a center forward positioned toward the left!
It was a 5-2-1-2 formation. Lu Yang and Canyes weren't going to push forward again. They had all but abandoned the attack, making their intentions crystal clear!
They were parking the bus!
They were determined to win!
With the hard-working Soguer holding up the ball in the attacking-midfield position, that became even more obvious.
Soguer couldn't organize attacks. He was just there as a target up front, giving the midfielders someone to pass to. After receiving the ball, he passed it back ninety percent of the time.
Parrott also roamed far from the penalty area, closer to Moric instead.
You could even call it a 5-4-1 with the midfielders arranged in a diamond.
Proud young players would find it hard to play so defensively.
But Star of Italy had done it.
They didn't care about their pride. They just wanted to win.
The five mentors watched the formation change and couldn't help laughing in disbelief.
What kind of genius came up with this?
Had they no shame at all?
In the eighty-second minute, the second level of Lu Yang's Perpetual Motion Machine effect activated. All his abilities increased by five percent, and he had covered more than twelve kilometers!
Millwall launched a furious comeback. They couldn't accept losing to a bunch of kids whose average age was under nineteen.
Especially when two of those players had previously played in the fourth tier.
The tension on the pitch grew.
The referee kept blowing his whistle. Millwall received three yellow cards in the previous five minutes.
Star of Italy also picked up two, one for Lu Yang and one for Moric.
Lu Yang was one thing, but no one would have expected little Moric to go in hard at such a crucial moment. That flying tackle was something else. Whether or not it won the ball, it was sure to take out the player!
Watching Lu Yang and Moric on the pitch, Ceballos was deeply shaken.
As a talented player, he'd always been well protected. He'd never experienced anything like this.
Taking on other players' tackles to break through, and tackling others to stop their runs.
Even the short Moric could do it!
Ceballos felt ashamed of some of the weakness he'd shown before.
If he had another chance, he'd play much better in this match!
Thud!
When a team sat back to defend, it was bound to take a beating.
Canyes had already stopped the opposition from getting to the byline, but when they started launching long balls from the channels, Star of Italy's defense quickly came under pressure.
If the "left back" Lu Yang hadn't rushed into the penalty area to help contest the ball, the team might have already conceded.
In the eighty-ninth minute, Millwall launched their most dangerous attack yet.
They sent a long ball in from the channel, while Lu Yang was tied up by Millwall's right winger.
Star of Italy's tall center back was shoved by an onrushing midfielder and missed his chance to head the ball.
Millwall's big center forward was inches from reaching it.
Thankfully!
At the crucial moment, Lam came through and cleared the ball first.
Moric reached it first and, without bringing it under control, blasted it upfield. A quick pass and counterattack—the direction of play reversed!
A streak of black lightning began to race forward for Star of Italy!
The counterattack began in an instant!
When Baizami caught up with the ball, two Millwall defenders were still alongside him.
But after he kicked the ball forward and caught up with it again, he'd left both of them far behind.
He was too fast!
One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Baizami sent a precise shot into the corner and made it five–three.
Baizami had killed the game!
Four minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle.
Every Millwall player walked off with his head down, not saying a word.
Meanwhile, all the Star of Italy substitutes rushed onto the pitch, and the whole team celebrated wildly together.
They had beaten an EFL Championship team!
They had defeated a group of experienced, talented professionals!
They had conquered their fear of physical battles!
"Victory! Victory! Victory!"
The whole crowd joined in the chant.
Ceballos had played the attacking core as expected, using his sharp dribbling and passing to provide two assists. Lu Yang's free-kick goal had also come from a chance Ceballos created, so that counted as an assist too. He was the team's leading attacking threat!
Moric had one goal and one assist. He was the only Star of Italy player capable of creating danger with his passing. If Ceballos was the attacking core, then Moric was the heart of the team, organizing both attack and defense.
Soguer's shot had been parried and then followed up for a goal, which also counted as an assist. His constant battle with Millwall's back line had played a major part in the team's victory.
Parrott scored once, but his movement had drawn plenty of attention from Millwall's defenders. Without him distracting them, Lu Yang and Moric's runs forward wouldn't have been nearly as dangerous.
Baizami scored once. His strengths were clear: as long as he was on the pitch, the opposition had to watch out for his counterattacks—or pay the price.
Versace didn't put up any stats, but he covered more ground than anyone except Lu Yang. He was a true all-rounder, capable of playing any position and doing every job well.
Lu Yang finished with two goals and an assist, covering more than thirteen kilometers. He made more tackles and interceptions than anyone else in the match. He dominated both sides of Star of Italy's game, helping the team in every way. He was unquestionably the man of the match!
In a post-match interview, Lu Yang answered a reporter's question: "I really appreciate everyone's rating, but the man of the match should be every player on Star of Italy. Ceballos is a true attacking core. Monaco, you're incredibly lucky. You can make at least ten million from Ceballos, I guarantee it! Make him a starter and develop him—he won't disappoint you!"
"Porto, don't hesitate. Parrott is the right answer at center forward. He's a perfect finisher, and he can win the Primeira Liga Golden Boot! Otherwise, he'll go win the Bundesliga Golden Boot with the Hornets!"
"Liverpool, take a look at Lam. He deserves a place in the first team. Just give him a tall partner and he'll snuff out any attack before it happens!"
"Maniero, please tell Juventus's chairman for me that Canyes is the greatest treasure in Juventus Youth Team. He can make Juventus's right flank take off!"
"As for Moric... I just want the Italian Football Federation to act quickly, or he might join Croatia's national team!"
Lu Yang sure knew how to talk. The media were delighted.
In fact, a sporting director from one of the clubs Lu Yang had called out came forward for an interview and said they were willing to consider his suggestions.
After all, the show Star of Italy had become a hit all across Europe!
They'd picked a group of young players from their own country, formed an entirely new team, and sent them to challenge a second-tier team—only to win.
Don't doubt it: before this happened, no professional player or coach would have believed it.
Club football was always the highest level of competition.
Any club in a second-tier league could match the national team of a football powerhouse.
That was even taking into account the impact of a few superstar players.
Otherwise, they wouldn't just match them—they'd be stronger!
But this time, Italy had worked a miracle.
Were their youngsters simply that good?
Was Italian football really on the road to recovery?
After the legends had grown old, had Italian football finally found its own rising generation?
The match had brought all these questions into the open.
More and more people were flying to Turin, hoping to witness "Italy U19" take on England U19 three days later!