Brownie owned a small bar called Goal outside San Remo Municipal Stadium. He was fifty years old.
He was one of San Remo's most devoted fans and held a season ticket.
When he was young, he never missed a home game. On match days, he'd leave his wife to run the bar.
But that habit had faded long ago.
Maybe more than ten years back?
That was when San Remo fell from Serie C to Serie D. After struggling in Serie D for two years, they somehow dropped down again, to the Liguria regional league. It was the fifth tier, and not even fully professional.
Three years ago, San Remo had the golden generation of players like Rondo. They won the Liguria regional league and earned promotion to Serie D, where they made a strong showing.
After failing to win promotion to Serie C at the last hurdle in the first half of last year, nobody was too disheartened. Rondo was still there, and the team was stronger. They were sure to make it in the second half of the year!
Who could have known... that as soon as the second half began, Rondo would suffer a serious injury and be out for at least half a season.
And the team, just as expected, went on a losing streak and sank to fifteenth place in the league.
If they kept playing like this, San Remo would be back in the Liguria regional league.
They said the most painful thing wasn't having no hope, but falling into despair after that hope was shattered.
That was exactly where San Remo's fans were now.
Three years ago, Brownie had badly wanted to go watch the team play at home, but he'd held back. He'd told himself he'd return to his tradition of never missing a home game once the team made it back to Serie C.
But... watching the lifeless fans on the TV and in his bar, Brownie knew that he might never set foot in San Remo Municipal Stadium again.
Even though it was just a stone's throw away.
When football lost all hope, it stopped being the world's most popular sport and became a torment.
"That damn brat! Does he even know what position he's playing? Does he think he's in a Celebrity Match? This is the league! It's not his stage!" Brownie shouted at the TV, watching Lu Yang keep possession after kickoff.
Plenty of others joined in, cursing along with him.
They were cursing Lu Yang, but what they truly hated was the team's decline.
Just then, Lu Yang pulled the ball back in a V-Pull and launched a long pass.
Brownie froze.
Something told him that this kick would lead to a story worth telling.
Three seconds later, the word "GOAL" rang out from the TV.
The bar fell silent.
But from the stadium behind it came a sudden, rousing roar from the fans.
A goal!
Thirteen seconds into the second half, San Remo had equalized!
By the statistics, this was the first time all season they'd equalized after falling behind.
The stat might not seem significant, but it made San Remo's die-hard fans feel something different.
They were refusing to give up!
For some reason, even though it was only two young players who'd come on, why did the team suddenly feel so different?
The next second, Lu Yang and Moric appeared on screen.
"Listen up! You're watching the legend of San Remo! It's just getting started!"
Boom!
The bar erupted.
"Awesome, kid!"
"The legend of San Remo!"
"His name's Lu Yang, right? I'm already a fan!"
"This incredible center-back—I'll never complain about his ball control again!"
The fans started talking excitedly.
But Brownie's eyes suddenly reddened, and a glistening tear slid down his cheek.
Maybe he'd finally have a chance to return to the stadium he'd longed for all this time!
On the pitch.
The commentator was incredibly excited. "A sharp challenge! He's stopped another Avellino attack. That's Lu Yang's fourth tackle in a short span!"
"Here we go again... It's Lu Yang once more! He's intercepted their key through ball. If that pass had gone through, it would've been a one-on-one!"
"Avellino's number 10, their lively midfield playmaker in the first half, has been completely shut down by Lu Yang. His defense is everywhere. He's taken complete control of San Remo's back line and midfield!"
"Seven tackles, two clearances, and he's even started two counterattacks. Why has Lu Yang only just been brought up to the first team? San Remo's previous coach was wasting a real talent. If Lu Yang had joined the first team sooner, perhaps San Remo wouldn't be in the relegation zone now. He's so composed!"
"Lu Yang hasn't made many clearances, but that doesn't mean he hasn't contributed. Unlike other center-backs who can only hoof the ball away, he can control it. He doesn't need to just boot it clear! It's risky, but so far, it's working well."
"With Lu Yang and Moric organizing things, San Remo's back line and midfield no longer look panicked. Their play is completely different from before. They're making their teammates better. Nobody needs to worry about being pressed, because as long as they pass the ball to Lu Yang or Moric, the problem is solved!"
"Speaking of which, we have to talk about Moric. If Lu Yang has become the backbone of San Remo's defense in this match, then Moric has been the heart of the whole team!"
"That's right. Despite his small stature, Moric hasn't become a defensive liability. Avellino's number 11 has had a terrible time against him and has given up three great chances to keep possession."
"Moric and Lu Yang defend together as if they're reading each other's minds. He even covered for Lu Yang once when Lu Yang was out of position at center-back."
"On the attacking end, apart from that lightning-fast attack at the start, almost all of San Remo's dangerous moves in the second half have been set up by Moric. His passing is incredibly precise!"
"The only disappointment is that Vedian hasn't been in great form today. The opposing right-back has marked him all match and has been physical the whole time. Vedian's weakness is his strength in physical duels."
The commentator was getting carried away, and the coaches, coaching staffs, and fans of both teams could all see what was happening on the pitch.
Since Lu Yang and Moric came on, San Remo's defense had changed completely. It wasn't impenetrable, but Avellino's attack wasn't good enough to break through the back line led by Lu Yang.
After all, Avellino's attack wasn't anything special. Otherwise, they wouldn't be fourteenth in the league.
But then again, since this was the second half of the season, every team had gotten to know their opponents. That meant the second half of the season was usually harder to play.
This was especially obvious for Vedian.
Avellino had completely shut him down.
And Vedian was currently the only player in San Remo's forward line who posed a real threat.
Both sides had lost their attacking edge!
As for Moric, his passing was excellent, but attacking was different from defending. Defense was about breaking things up, and it could make a difference in a short time. But attacking, especially organizing and setting up plays, required a lot of teamwork and familiarity.
Moric wasn't capable of completely changing the game on his own.
If Moric were a forward instead of a midfielder, maybe he could transform San Remo's attack all by himself. But he wasn't!
If nothing unexpected happened, the match would likely end one-one.
The teams' performances on the pitch made it clear.
And both teams' coaches and fans seemed able to accept that result.
After all, San Remo had lost four games in a row at the end of the first half of the season. A draw now was better than nothing.
Avellino was in a similar position. As direct rivals in the relegation battle, getting a point was a good result. The teams that really went down were usually the weak ones that kept handing out three points, not the ones that scrabbled back a point at a time.
Before long, the match reached the eighty-eighth minute.
There had been no goals since the opening moments of the second half, but the match had still been exciting.
Every time Lu Yang made a crucial intervention, it sent people's adrenaline soaring. Then his ball control was a daring kind of art in itself.
Likewise, even though Vedian kept tumbling to the ground, everyone still held their breath whenever Moric sent him a brilliant pass.
The match was nearly over.
Normally, both teams would be playing it safe at this point. One point was better than none.
But for those with other intentions, the final few minutes mattered more than ever.
"Moric!" Lu Yang shouted.
Moric turned and met Lu Yang's eyes.
He understood what Lu Yang meant.
He nodded, dribbled forward a few yards, then passed the ball.
At first glance, it still looked like a negative pass, but after a few more exchanges, everyone soon realized San Remo had pushed their possession into Avellino's half. San Remo's own back line had advanced to around the halfway line, too.
A team that relied on counterattacks rarely pushed play into the opponent's half.
For one thing, it left their forwards too little space to sprint. Even the fastest player couldn't get up to speed.
For another, it pushed their back line too high, leaving them open to counterattacks.
That wasn't the kind of mistake a seasoned coach should make.
Tom looked at Soto and saw no sign of anger. Instead, Soto's face was flushed, and he had his fists clenched as if he were looking forward to something.
"Right, just like that. This is our football. If you want to win, you have to believe you can win. You have to dare to dream!"
Hearing Soto mumble to himself, Tom pressed a hand to his forehead.
This coach seemed a little off.
Moric pushing forward put pressure on Avellino's players.
Their midfielder tried to press Moric back, as if to tell him, "Hey, kid, the match is almost over. One-one's fine. Don't push any farther. I've got to go home and help my kid with homework after this."
But he hadn't expected Moric to refuse to back down. Instead, Moric sidestepped and spun past him.
At the same time, Vedian began making a quick run forward.
Moric had already alerted the rest of San Remo's midfield and attack during their earlier passing. Now they all surged forward at once.
The threat suddenly became clear!
Avellino's defense was in chaos.
After getting past his opponent, Moric found himself with a clear path forward and reached the same spot he'd arrived at near the start of the second half: the right edge of the penalty arc.
Unfortunately, when he'd reached it last time, there had been no one in front of him, and he'd had plenty of time to shoot.
This time, there were two center-backs in front of him.
One charged at him, while the other stood ready to block a long shot.
And another midfielder was chasing him from behind.
Moric was boxed in.
"What a shame. Moric has plenty of ideas. He doesn't want to lose, and we can feel how frustrated he is. That's the fighting spirit of a young player!"
"But this sort of thing comes at a price. San Remo's back line is too high now. If Moric loses the ball, Avellino can counterattack. San Remo will be in danger."
The fans were discussing it, too.
"Deep down, Moric is still an adventurer. He's not suited to being a true midfield general."
"Sorry, but I disagree. I'll always admire a player who refuses to give up."
"But we need every point we can get!"
"Moric is talented, but he's too young. He still needs experience."
"San Remo doesn't have time to let him learn. We're about to be relegated!"
Just then, Moric made his choice.
He pushed the ball back and to the left.
It rolled to a spot three yards outside the left edge of the penalty arc.
There was no defender there.
Moric had drawn both center-backs and a midfielder.
Vedian had pulled away Avellino's right-back and another midfielder.
But there was no San Remo player there, either.
It looked like a completely pointless pass, a careless one made just to avoid losing possession. And yet, it still seemed destined to be intercepted by one of the opposing center-backs three seconds later.
The center-back who had charged at Moric turned and ran toward the ball.
Then a shout made him flinch.
"Watch out!" warned the number 11 midfielder following Moric.
A flash of lightning had just sped past him!
"Oh my God, there's someone there! Someone's actually there!"
"Who? San Remo's midfield and attack were all up front!"
"It's not a midfielder or a forward. It's a defender, a center-back! It's Lu Yang!"
"What? But he's a center-back. Why is he up there? Isn't he worried about leaving his position?"
"Would Soto allow a tactic like this?"
"How will Lu Yang handle the ball?"
"Will he shoot? No, he won't. He's just a center-back. He doesn't have that kind of shot in him."
"Maybe he'll pass it back to Moric and let him shoot?"
"He might pass it to Vedian, who could cross it and hope for the best!"
Bang!
With countless people watching, Lu Yang fired a First-Time Shot like a cannon blast, putting an end to everyone's speculation.
The ball soared high and flew fast, struck with all his strength and on target.
It was a powerful shot, especially for a center-back.
But... from almost thirty meters out, it wasn't hard to save, especially with nobody blocking the goalkeeper's view.
Avellino's goalkeeper had already calculated its path and dove.
He was sure he could save it!
But in the next instant, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The ball suddenly dipped in midair, slipped under the goalkeeper's arm, bounced, and flew into the net.
A white wave swept over him.
The next moment, the whole stadium erupted in cheers!
"GOAL!!!"
"What a wonder strike!"
"Lu Yang shoots, and it's in!"
"That was a Dipping Shot! The ball suddenly dropped in midair, and the goalkeeper misjudged it. He had no chance!"
"Absolutely magnificent! A lethal winner!"
"He's killed the game! Let's hear you shout his name... Lu!"
The whole stadium shouted together: "Lu!"