With Arno's Strength, Can He Be a Starter for Barcelona?

[Chen Anno's reaction was absolutely unreal. Look, the ball bounced back into the box, and the defender in front of him was still standing there in a daze.]

[Guys, why do I feel like seventeen-year-old Chen Anno is playing in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A like he's a level above everyone else? This is so damn unscientific.]

[Haha... the guy upstairs is right. What's a genius? This is a damn genius!]

[I hereby declare that from now on, in my heart, Chen Anno is a candidate for the future king of football. King Chen is awesome!]

Chen Anno's goal completely ignited the atmosphere in Li Batian's stream as well. By now, the stream had already reached more than seven thousand viewers.

The comments on the public chat were flying by so fast that no one could clearly see what anyone was saying.

On the pitch, the match was still continuing.

Having conceded first to Sao Paulo at their own home ground, Santos naturally refused to let it go.

Santos head coach Oliveira kept waving from the touchline, signaling for the players to press higher.

In the 23rd minute, Santos launched an attack down the left.

Right midfielder Montillo broke through Denilson's and Rodrigo's defending in succession, then knocked the ball into the middle from near the byline.

Willian Jose stretched out a foot to shoot before Lucio could get there, and the ball almost brushed the near post as it went over the end line.

"Holy shit! That was close! Santos almost equalized!" Li Batian slapped the table in the stream and cried out loudly.

"Sao Paulo's defense is under a lot of pressure during this stretch. That old guy Lucio is clearly not reacting as quickly as Santos' youngsters anymore."

During this period, Sao Paulo were indeed somewhat passive on the pitch.

Santos' attacks came wave after wave, and the midfielders were all busy defending, making it difficult to send passes to Chen Anno.

In the 31st minute, Santos left midfielder Cicero's cross was blocked out by Juan, earning them a corner.

Cicero took it himself, sending the ball toward the far post. Center back Durval leaped high and headed it at goal, the ball flying straight for the upper right corner.

"Danger!" Li Batian stood up at once, his eyes fixed hard on the screen.

The old captain could still sit firmly in Sao Paulo's starting goalkeeper position at the age of forty, and it was not because of some vague, empty seniority.

Facing Durval's header, Ceni threw himself into a save, stretching out his entire body. With a smack of his right hand, he dragged the ball over the end line.

"Whoa! Ceni is awesome! As expected of Sao Paulo's legendary goalkeeper! He's forty and can still save like that!"

"Having an old hand at home really is like having a treasure!"

After being suppressed for so long, Sao Paulo's back line had consumed a lot of energy during this period, and the older Lucio was already panting somewhat.

The 38th minute of the match.

Sao Paulo finally waited for a counterattack opportunity.

Ganso won the ball in the backfield and immediately passed it to Chen Anno.

The latter dribbled forward quickly, using his outstanding burst and technique to shake past two defending players in a row, then distributed the ball to the left in the thirty-meter area.

After receiving the ball, Osvaldo quickly cut inside, but he was brought down by Santos fullback Leo, and the referee decisively called a foul.

Sao Paulo earned a free kick.

This position was very similar to the free kick Chen Anno had scored in the previous match against Corinthians, except that one had been on the right side of the penalty area, while this time it was on the left.

The old captain Ceni did not come forward, still leaving the chance to Chen Anno.

"Heh heh... it's Chen Anno taking it again. Guys, Chen Anno only scored a free kick a few days ago, and the position is almost the same. Let's see if there's a chance this time?"

"Only this time, it's on the left, so taking it with the left foot would be the most suitable..."

Before Li Batian could finish speaking, Chen Anno had already moved.

Run-up, swing, strike—one smooth motion!

This time, he used his left foot. Just like last time, the ball drew a dazzling arc through the air, curling around the wall and heading straight for the upper left corner of the goal.

Santos goalkeeper Aranha had already done everything he could, but he still failed to stop the ball from entering the net.

"What the fuck!?" Li Batian stood up again. "Chen Anno is awesome!!! Chen Anno is domineering!!"

"Guys, I really didn't expect Chen Anno's left foot to be no different from his right. How exactly did this guy train?"

[That free kick was absolutely insane. That curve was really beautiful!]

[Two straight matches, two free kicks, two goals. Is Chen Anno trying to take free kicks like penalties?]

[I'm slacking off at work watching the match, and my coworker asked me why I was watching on my knees!]

"Guys, seriously, I'm convinced! I, Li Batian, have watched football for decades, and very few players have truly won me over. Chen Anno definitely counts as one!"

"Damn it! It's not that I've never seen players with no weak foot, but this level of no weak foot? This is really the first damn time I've seen it!"

In the stands, Neymar was also looking at Chen Anno on the pitch in surprise. "When did this guy become so good at free kicks? I never saw him take free kicks before. Did he find some master coach in China?"

"Heh..." Wagner beside him laughed. "I don't know whether Anno found a master coach in China, but he definitely had practiced before. Still, the time when he really started getting good was these past two months, because Ceni has basically been teaching him step by step."

"So that's it!" Neymar nodded. "I'll have to step up my free-kick training when I get back too. I can't let this guy overtake me."

On the pitch, the Santos players lowered their heads, their morale somewhat low. It was obvious that their side had been the one constantly pressing and attacking, but they just could not score. Instead, their opponent had created a goal off a single counterattack.

No one would feel good in a situation like that, but Santos head coach Oliveira, standing on the touchline, did not give up. He kept gesturing for his players to lift their spirits.

Finally, just before the end of the first half, Santos got an excellent chance.

Montillo sent a direct through ball without stopping it in the frontcourt, and the ball sliced through Sao Paulo's defense, heading straight for the left channel.

Willian Jose followed up and calmly side-footed a shot in, helping Santos pull one back.

It seemed this 22-year-old Brazilian forward did have something about him if he was able to take over Neymar's role.

"Holy shit! Is this still the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A I'm watching? It doesn't look like it at all. Three goals in one half? Who the hell told me the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A was all low-scoring games?" Li Batian was still yelling noisily in the livestream.

The first half ended with Sao Paulo temporarily leading Santos 2-1 away from home.

In the VIP stands, Neymar waved to the fans in the stands, then walked into the box behind him together with Wagner.

"Wagner, with Anno's ability, do you think he could become a starter at Barcelona?"

"Heh..." Wagner shook his head. "You want Anno to go to Barcelona? I think you can forget about that. The Barcelona of now simply has no place for Anno. What you're missing right now is a center forward."

"Hehe... Actually, that's what I think too." Neymar smiled indifferently. "It's just a wish of mine. I really do want to play football with Anno, but... just as you said, the current Barcelona couldn't possibly have a place for him."

Wagner said nothing, merely nodding.

It was not as if he had never communicated with Barcelona. Although Barcelona had some interest in Anno, when it came to guaranteeing playing time, there was no way they could make such a promise.

At the current Barcelona, only Messi could receive that kind of guarantee. Even Neymar could not possibly be given such a commitment.

After a short rest, the two sides switched ends and resumed the second half.

Oliveira made a substitution, bringing on forward Giva for Weldon, who had not shown much in the first half. It was a like-for-like change.

As soon as the match began, Santos launched a ferocious attack on Sao Paulo's defense.

Clearly, they did not want to lose this match at home.