With a Cannon Guard, I Just Want to Win!

Brownie is the fifty-year-old owner of a small pub called "goal" located just outside the San Remo Municipal Stadium.

He is one of the die-hard fans of the San Remo team and a season ticket holder.

In his younger days, he never missed a single home game, leaving his wife to manage the pub on those match days.

But that habit had faded long ago.

Perhaps it started over a decade ago?

Back then, San Remo fell from Serie C to Serie D, and after struggling in Serie D for two years, they plummeted all the way down to the Liguria regional league. That was the fifth tier of football, not even considered a fully professional league.

Three years ago, San Remo hit a golden era with players like Rondo, winning the Liguria regional league title, earning promotion to Serie D, and performing brilliantly in the league.

After failing to secure promotion to Serie C in the final stretch of the first half of last year, no one was truly desperate because Rondo was still there, the team was stronger, and they were sure to make it in the second half!

Who could have known... as soon as the second half of the season began, Rondo suffered a severe injury, ruling him out for at least half the season.

The team, as expected, went on a losing streak, sliding down to fifteenth place in the league.

If they continued to play like this, San Remo would be heading right back to the Liguria regional league.

Some say that the most painful thing is not the absence of hope, but the despair that follows its shattering.

The San Remo fans were currently living in that despair.

Three years ago, Brownie had desperately wanted to attend the team's home games, but he held back. He told himself that once the team returned to Serie C, he would pick up his tradition of watching every home match.

But... looking at the television and the lifeless fans in his pub, Brownie knew he would likely never return to the San Remo Municipal Stadium in his lifetime.

Even though he was only a step away from the stadium.

When football loses its hope, it is no longer the world's greatest sport; it becomes a form of torture.

"This damn brat, does he even know what position he's playing? Does he think he's still playing in a celebrity exhibition match? This is the league! This isn't a place for him to show off!" Brownie cursed loudly as he watched Lu Yang, who had been holding onto the ball ever since the kickoff, on the television.

Many others joined in his cursing.

They were yelling at Lu Yang, but in reality, they were venting their hatred for the team's overall decline.

Just then, Lu Yang executed a V-Pull followed by a long pass.

Brownie froze.

His gut told him that something was about to happen after that pass.

Three seconds later, the sound of "GOAL" erupted from the television.

The pub fell into a dead silence.

Yet, from the stadium behind the pub, a sudden, thunderous roar of fans erupted.

Goal!

Thirteen seconds into the second half, San Remo had successfully equalized!

Statistically, this was their first time equalizing after trailing all season.

The figure seemed insignificant, but it made the die-hard San Remo fans feel something different.

It was the refusal to give up!

He didn't know why, but even though they had only put in two young kids, the team's spirit had suddenly changed.

The next second, Lu Yang and Moric appeared on the screen.

"Attention, attention, you are now watching the legend of San Remo! Setting sail!"

Boom!

The pub exploded with noise.

"Hell yeah, kid!"

"The legend of San Remo!"

"His name is Lu Yang, right? I'm already his fan!"

"This magical center-back, I'll never trash-talk his ball control again!"

The fans began to chat excitedly.

Brownie's eyes suddenly turned red, and glistening tears slid down his cheeks.

It seemed he might have a chance to return to that stadium he had dreamed of after all!

On the pitch.

The commentator was extremely excited: "A very sharp tackle, successfully stopping another attack from Avellino. This is the fourth interception Lu Yang has contributed in a short time!"

"Here it comes... as expected, it's Lu Yang again. He successfully intercepted the opponent's key through ball; if that ball had gone through, it would have been a one-on-one!"

"Avellino's exceptionally active midfield maestro, the number 10, has been completely frozen by Lu Yang. His defense is everywhere; he has completely dominated the midfield and backfield for San Remo!"

"Seven interceptions, two clearances, and he even launched two counter-attacks. Why was Lu Yang only moved to the first team now? San Remo's previous coach was truly wasting talent. If Lu Yang had joined the first team earlier, perhaps San Remo wouldn't be in the relegation zone right now. He is just too composed!"

"Lu Yang's clearance stats aren't high, but that doesn't mean his contribution is small, because unlike other center-backs who only know how to hoof the ball, he is fully capable of controlling the football; he doesn't need to clear it blindly! It's risky, but for now, it's working perfectly."

"With Lu Yang and Moric managing the midfield and backfield, San Remo no longer looks flustered. This is a completely different style compared to their previous matches. They are helping their teammates improve; the others no longer feel immense pressure when facing a press, because as long as they pass the ball to Lu Yang or Moric, all problems are solved!"

"Speaking of which, we must talk about Moric. If Lu Yang has become the core of San Remo's defensive line in this match, then Moric is the core of San Remo's entire team!"

"Yes, defensively, the short-statured Moric has not become a defensive black hole. Avellino's number 11 has suffered greatly against him, losing possession three times in prime positions."

"The defensive coordination between Moric and Lu Yang is telepathic; he even helped Lu Yang cover a position for the center-back."

"Offensively, apart from that lightning-fast attack at the start, almost all of San Remo's threatening attacks in the second half were orchestrated by Moric. His passing is incredibly accurate!"

"The only pity is that Vedian is not in great form today. The opposing right-back has been marking him all game and constantly using his physicality. Vedian's weakness is physical confrontation."

The commentator spoke with great enthusiasm, while the coaches, coaching staff, and even the fans of both teams could see the situation on the pitch.

After Lu Yang and Moric came on, San Remo's defense underwent a near-total transformation. It might not be impenetrable, but given Avellino's attacking prowess, it is truly difficult to break through the defensive line led by Lu Yang.

After all, Avellino's offense is not excellent; otherwise, they wouldn't be ranked fourteenth in the league.

But likewise, as this is a second-half-of-the-season match, every team has a certain understanding of their opponents. Therefore, the second half of the season is often harder to play than the first.

This is especially evident for Vedian.

Avellino has completely frozen Vedian.

And Vedian is currently the only player on San Remo's front line with any threat.

Both sides have lost their offensive edge!

As for Moric, although his passing is excellent, offense is different from defense. Defense is about destruction and can show results in the short term. But offense, especially organizing and orchestrating attacks, requires a great deal of coordination and familiarity.

Moric does not possess the ability to completely change the situation on his own.

If Moric were a forward instead of a midfielder, perhaps he could have caused a qualitative change in San Remo's attacking strength single-handedly, but he is not!

If there are no surprises, this match will likely end in a one-to-one draw.

Clues can be seen from the performance of both sides on the pitch.

Moreover, the coaches and fans of both sides seem able to accept such a result.

After all, in the first half of the season, San Remo lost four games in a row at the end; being able to draw now can be considered a small victory.

Avellino's situation is much the same. As a direct competitor for relegation, snatching one point is not bad. The teams that truly get relegated are often the weak ones that give away three points at every turn, not the weak ones that fight to claw back points one by one.

Soon, the match reached the eighty-eighth minute.

Although there were no goals in the second half since the opening, the match was not hard to watch.

Every time Lu Yang saved the day, it sent adrenaline soaring, and his subsequent ball control was a bold form of art.

Likewise, although Vedian kept tumbling, every time Moric sent him a brilliant pass, everyone held onto hope.

The match was about to end.

Normally, both sides would play it safe at this point, taking the one point.

But for those with ulterior motives, these last few minutes are the most critical.

"Moric!" Lu Yang shouted at Moric.

Moric turned his head to look into Lu Yang's eyes.

He understood what Lu Yang meant.

He nodded, then dribbled forward a few meters before distributing the ball.

It looked like another passive pass, but after a few consecutive sequences, everyone soon realized that San Remo had pushed their area of possession into Avellino's half. Meanwhile, San Remo's own defensive line had moved up near the midfield.

As a counter-attacking team, they rarely push their possession area into the opponent's half.

Doing so is unfavorable for their own forwards to sprint; there is too little space, and the speedsters cannot fly.

Secondly, their own defensive line is positioned too high, making them vulnerable to counter-attacks.

This is a mistake a mature head coach should not make.

Tom looked at Soto and found that Soto showed no signs of anger; instead, his face was flushed, and he was clenching his fists as if expecting something.

He muttered to himself: "Yes, that's it. This is our football. You have to dare to win to actually win; you have to dare to dream!"

Listening to Soto's quiet muttering, Tom covered his forehead.

This head coach seems a bit abnormal.

Moric's push forward put pressure on the Avellino players.

Their midfield tried to step up to force Moric back, telling him, "Hey, kid, the match is about to end. One-one is very appropriate; don't come any further. I still have to go home and help my kids with their homework after this."

But he didn't expect that Moric would refuse to retreat, instead weaving through the space and slipping past him.

At the same time, Vedian up front began to make a rapid run.

The rest of San Remo's midfield and attack, having been alerted by Moric during the previous passes, surged forward at this moment.

The killing intent suddenly emerged!

Avellino's backfield was in chaos.

After bypassing his opponent, Moric had a clear path and arrived once again at the spot he had reached at the start of the second half: the right side of the arc at the edge of the penalty area.

It was a pity that the last time he came here, there was no one in front of him, giving him ample time to set up his shot.

But this time, there were two center-backs in front of him.

One pressed forward, while the other guarded against a long-range strike from Moric.

Likewise, there was a midfielder chasing him from behind.

Moric was completely locked down.

"What a shame. Moric has great ideas; he doesn't want to lose. We can feel his unwillingness to give in—this is the fighting spirit of a young player!"

"But at the same time, such actions come with a price. San Remo's defensive line is currently pushed too high. If Moric loses the ball, Avellino can launch a counterattack. San Remo is in danger."

The fans were also debating.

"Deep down, Moric has a gene for risk-taking. Someone like that isn't suited to be a true midfield commander."

"Sorry, I don't think so. I will always admire players who refuse to admit defeat."

"But we need every single point right now!"

"Moric is excellent, but he's too young. He still needs tempering."

"San Remo doesn't have time to temper him! We're about to be relegated!"

Just then, Moric made his choice.

He pushed the ball toward the left rear.

The ball rolled to a spot three meters outside the left side of the penalty arc.

There were no defensive players there.

Moric had drawn in two center-backs and a midfielder.

Vedian had pulled away the opposing right-back and another midfielder.

But likewise, there were no San Remo players there either.

It looked like a useless pass, a casual attempt to avoid losing possession, yet it still seemed destined to be intercepted by the opposing center-back in three seconds.

The Avellino center-back who had been pressing turned and ran toward the ball.

But a roar made him shudder.

"Watch out!" the No. 11 midfielder trailing behind Moric shouted a warning.

Because a flash of lightning had just streaked past him!

"My god, there's someone there, there's actually someone there!"

"Who is it? There shouldn't be anyone left in San Remo's attacking midfield."

"It's not an attacking player, it's a defender, a center-back! It's Lu Yang!"

"What? But he's a center-back, why would he be there? Isn't he afraid of being out of position?"

"Does Soto allow such tactical indiscipline?"

"How will Lu Yang handle this ball?"

"Does he dare to shoot? No, he wouldn't dare. He's just a center-back; he doesn't have that kind of striking power."

"Maybe he'll pass it back to Moric and let Moric take the shot?"

"Or maybe he'll distribute it to Vedian, and the latter will cross it in to try his luck?"

BOOM!

Under the gaze of countless people, Lu Yang unleashed a heavy cannon of a shot, striking the ball without a touch and putting an end to all those wild speculations.

The ball soared high, moving at great speed with full force, and it was on target.

It was a high-quality shot, especially for a center-back.

But... the distance of nearly thirty meters meant the shot shouldn't be hard to save, especially since no one else was obstructing the goalkeeper's vision.

The Avellino goalkeeper had already made his calculations and dove out.

He was certain he would save this ball!

However, his pupils soon shrank to pinpoints.

The ball suddenly dipped in mid-air, passing right under the goalkeeper's armpit, bouncing off the ground and rushing into the net.

A white spray of the net followed.

The next moment, the entire stadium erupted in cheers!

"GOAL!!!"

"A world-class strike!"

"Lu Yang shoots, and it's in!"

"It's a dipping shot! The ball suddenly dropped in mid-air, the goalkeeper misjudged it, and there was no way he could save that!"

"Absolutely brilliant! This is a lethal, game-winning strike!"

"He has killed off the game! Let us shout his name... Lu!"

The whole stadium chanted in unison: "Lu!"