Jalard was late on the save, just a hand’s width away from the football.
Roar!
After scoring, Talista pounded his chest wildly, showing off to Naji and Camihong.
He was like a beast out of its cage, crude and brutal, full of himself!
Naji was so angry that he wanted to confront him.
You dare say there was no foul before that goal?
My shorts were nearly pulled off by you!
Camihong was also very angry, his neck covered with red marks left by Talista’s arm.
But the main referee deemed the goal valid.
"Don’t be fooled by him. He’s deliberately trying to provoke you, wanting you to get a yellow card or even a red card over things unrelated to football. He’s far from being as confident and arrogant as he appears!" Lu Yang held Naji and Camihong back.
His last sentence was directed at Talista.
Naji and Camihong calmed down.
Talista, on the other hand, walked towards Lu Yang and pointed towards the far side at Becher’s, laughing: "Is that it? I haven’t seen you for a year, and you disappoint me. Are you going to watch that guy keep playing a whole game of flashy but harmless football?"
The trash talk began.
This sentence was full of impact.
It carried an air of disappointment and pointed out Lu Yang’s sacrifice in San Remo’s tactical setup.
If Lu Yang nodded, he’d either be fighting with Talista or having a conflict with Becher’s.
However, Lu Yang responded, "Don’t kid yourself. Can’t you tell I was just laying low in the first half?"
"Playing against you, a serious effort for a little over ten minutes is more than enough."
"Have you forgotten how you lost last time? Do you believe I won’t get you to be shown a red card again? You know that apart from fouling for red or yellow cards, nothing can stop me."
Talista was left speechless.
Instead, Lu Yang stirred up his emotions.
Bringing up last time again?
Those guts of yours, do it to me every time!
This time, I’ve got a Serie A level team and we’re ahead, what are you gonna do?
F*ck!
Bang!
The two collided head-on, chest to chest.
Of course, they restrained themselves from using their hands.
The main referee came over to separate them, telling them not to fool around, and he would keep a close watch on them.
Talista left satisfied.
Lu Yang had a heavy defensive task in this match, and being closely watched by the main referee would benefit Chievo’s midfield organization and coordination.
Lu Yang was equally satisfied.
Talista often used small tricks in offense, and if the main referee watched him closely, Chievo’s attacking threat would actually be reduced a lot.
Everyone seemingly achieved their respective goals.
It seemed like they were playing football, but it wasn’t just football.
This match was like a chess game.
Martivini and others used this match for another round of power struggle.
Sotu used this match to wrestle with Scott for upper management control.
Becher’s used this match to challenge Lu Yang.
And Lu Yang and Talista were both pawns and chess players, quietly making contributions to improve the odds of winning this match, contributions that others might not easily notice.
When these contributions accumulated to a certain level, they could lead to a qualitative change, thus changing the match score.
In the latter part of the first half, Becher’s pushed harder and harder.
Except for his reluctance to make the final pass, Becher’s displayed almost perfect performance.
This is the kind of winger San Remo wanted the most.
But success also comes from dribbling, and failure too.
Becher’s was always struggling with scoring goals.
He played several matches for San Remo, not lacking in time, but his only assist data was obtained after being intercepted by Lu Yang.
He had to prove his value with stats, proving his core status.
So he was unwilling to pass the ball casually to others, especially to Lu Yang.
But Becher’s hadn’t noticed that Chievo’s offensive momentum had already slowed down, and they were increasing their control in the midfield as well as indirectly encircling Becher’s.
In the last moments of the first half, the opponent intercepted Becher’s once again.
However, Lu Yang had also detected the opponent’s deployment, promptly counter-stealing to prevent another counterattack from the opponent.
The match then entered halftime.
Sotu focused on discussing passing with Becher’s.
He pointed out that Lu Yang had completely sacrificed for him in the first half.
In the second half, he must respond, or else Lu Yang would take control of the game in his own way.
Becher’s nodded, but his agent had already told him that he wouldn’t be substituted today.
So... he felt he had the full ninety minutes to prove himself.
Why should he respond to Lu Yang?
Continuing to play with his current touch, he felt he could score a goal.
He was also getting familiar with Chievo’s defense line, just like Talista, using his own method.
It’s something every excellent forward will try to do.
From another angle, at least Becher’s was willing to try dribbling past players and didn’t fear confrontations, which is a quality many talented forwards lack.
...
"Ding! You have used the Moment Card, Sun Jihai! Duration, thirty minutes!"
A crisp sound rang in Lu Yang’s mind.
Another ultra-long duration moment card similar to the one from Carlo’s before.
Although the enhancement was limited, persistence is key for a man.
Otherwise, Lu Yang wouldn’t have used it as soon as the second half began.
As long as Becher’s was willing to cooperate with him, equalizing the score wouldn’t be difficult. The half-time observation had already made Lu Yang familiar with the opponents’ positions and habits.
He started to experience what Morici felt when playing, the kind of brainwork needed for predicting and rehearsing all player movements behind Morici’s rocket passes and shots, which is definitely more than just having a smart brain; it also requires careful observation.