Palacios understood what Jalard meant.
Jalard caught the ball, then directly launched a long pass to attack!
"Forward, charge!" Palacios signaled to the players, then ran towards the midfield.
Naji watched the football about to fall into Jalard’s arms and also distanced himself from Aguirre, after all, they were about to enter the penalty area and couldn’t create trouble for the team at this time.
If Aguirre were to feign a fall and the referee were blind, it would be nonsense if Rome got a penalty and defeated San Remo.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang, Bai Zhami, Belletti, and others were like arrows leaving the bowstring and darting out.
San Remo still has one last chance!
Bam!
"Ah!"
A scream came from behind!
Whistle!
Following was the whistle sound from the main referee stopping the match.
On the field, except for Naji, everyone had a look of shock.
What happened to San Remo’s counterattack?
And Naji, he had already rushed towards Aguirre at the first opportunity!
"Are you looking for death!" Naji pulled up the Aguirre, who was rolling on the ground, with red eyes.
Beside him, Jalard knelt on the ground, holding the football tightly, his head touching the ground.
When he heard the whistle from the main referee, he turned over, put down the football, and covered his chest with one hand, trying to make the substitution gesture with the other hand.
"Oh my! Aguirre didn’t retract his foot!"
"He flew up and kicked the football even after Jalard had secured it!"
"His foot landed directly on Jalard’s chest."
"Wow! Jalard’s jersey was torn, and we can see some bloodstains!"
"This wasn’t an accident! Aguirre was a bit rash!"
"From an attacking player’s perspective, they can actually distinguish which balls are real 50-50s and can be contested for, and which are not despite seeming so to everyone."
"With this ball, Aguirre had no chance to control it, as Jalard was much closer to the football than he was. But he didn’t retract his leg and instead kicked with force, which looked more like a retaliatory kick!"
"Is he blaming Jalard for blocking at least three of his shots today?"
"Oh, oh, Lu Yang is here! My gosh, stop him, stop him now!"
Whistle!
The main referee blew the whistle at Naji.
Palacios was the first to come over and push the furious Naji away.
"Are you playing football or kicking people!" Naji’s veins were bulging with anger!
All along, he has been the big sieve of San Remo.
For every own goal he scored, Jalard missed out on at least twice as many clean sheet bonuses.
However, Jalard never lost his temper with Naji, he even shared his experiences in defensive command to help Naji grow.
But now...
For an experienced player like Jalard, especially a goalkeeper, there is no need to act.
His pain must be truly unbearable.
Lu Yang and his men rushed back at the first opportunity, full of momentum.
It even made Savio want to point at Aguirre and say, "It was him, not me."
Fortunately, Balera and Drake also hurried over, standing in front of Lu Yang.
"Calm down, young man, the main referee is dealing with the situation, Aguirre will get the punishment he deserves!" Balera reached out, his hand lightly hovering over Lu Yang’s chest.
But he didn’t dare really make contact with Lu Yang, fearing Lu Yang might throw him over his shoulder, as Lu Yang looked extremely angry.
"Let’s have the team doctor check first! Physical health is paramount, right?" Drake’s words somewhat calmed the San Remo players.
The team doctor immediately entered the field, and Lu Yang glanced at Aguirre, then followed the team doctor.
"How is he? What’s the situation?" Lu Yang asked while the team doctor examined him.
The team doctor said, "There might be a rib fracture, further examination is needed. But in any case, he can’t continue this match."
Lu Yang was stunned.
The other San Remo players were even more dumbfounded.
Even the Rome players were the same.
None of them expected such an outcome.
Does San Remo... have a substitute goalkeeper?
They all looked towards the San Remo bench.
The old goalkeeper from last season was already warming up.
But honestly, he hadn’t played for many years.
Those who have played professionally know about match fitness. Without maintaining it for some time, it declines rapidly, especially at an older age!
Once an experienced player’s level declines, it’s almost irreversible.
The goalkeeper position is even more so.
The second goalkeeper of San Remo had already started trying to become a goalkeeping coach this season. How could he possibly play in a match?
Moreover, Jalard performed at a high level this season, and San Remo is looking for a new young substitute goalkeeper, so he was set to retire after this season and hadn’t maintained his match level.
And most critically... does San Remo have any substitutions left?
Seems like... there aren’t any left, right?
A penalty shootout is coming!
No goalkeeper!
San Remo fans seemed to be the ones kicked in the chest by Aguirre, unable to speak, their breathing becoming difficult.
San Remo... is it finally going to... lose?
Has the miracle... ended?
Soon, as the stretcher entered, the main referee also issued a yellow card to Naji.
Then he issued a yellow card to Aguirre, which added to another yellow, producing a red card.
Aguirre was sent off!
Rome only had ten men left!
Rome’s head coach looked at the field, not knowing what to say at the moment.