Momo was the one distributing opportunities to everyone; he didn’t even need to ask for the ball, as he was always one of your outlets.
This is the positioning and field control ability of a top-level playmaker.
Lu Yang received the ball five steps outside the right side of the penalty area.
Zenit’s number eight directly slid in for a tackle.
If Lu Yang had just controlled the ball, he would have been tackled.
However, Lu Yang didn’t stop the ball.
He flicked the ball to the left with his right foot, leaping directly over Zenit’s number eight.
This tackle ended in failure.
But it did momentarily slow Lu Yang down.
At least, Lu Yang had to chase the ball after landing.
And Zenit’s center-back had already stepped forward, colliding almost as soon as Lu Yang controlled the ball.
The confrontation triggered Lu Yang’s Beast Combat mode, resulting in a solid clash.
Then, after absorbing the impact, he immediately sped up.
But Lu Yang didn’t manage to accelerate as intended.
Because the opposing center-back was pulling on his jersey.
This center-back had to be at least 1.9 meters tall and looked quite robust, probably over 180 pounds?
Even a supercar would have a hard stop before such an opponent.
The moment Lu Yang accelerated, his jersey was almost torn apart.
But Lu Yang didn’t pull away; instead, he suddenly decelerated, leaning slightly towards the player beside him.
Creating the illusion of being pulled back.
But actually...
Bam!
Lu Yang slammed hard into the opponent.
The Zenit center-back felt as if hit by a boulder, instantly dazed.
Lu Yang accelerated again, pushing off forcefully with his foot, carving a deep rut in the turf.
By this time, the Zenit center-back’s hand still hadn’t let go, but in his stunned state, he was pulled down with a thud by Lu Yang.
Bam!
Lu Yang’s powerful shot!
The ball was like lightning!
No time for the Zenit goalkeeper to react, the ball soared into the net with thunderous might!
"Roar!"
Lu Yang clenched his fists, unleashing an angry roar at the surroundings, like a beast.
The Zenit fans in the stands, the Zenit goalkeeper opposite, Zenit’s number eight lying not far away on the ground, and the Zenit center-back beside him on the ground were all within Lu Yang’s roar range.
Lu Yang was angry, and the consequences could be severe.
Could Zenit’s players tolerate this scene?
Zenit’s number eight and the center-back immediately stood up, along with the goalkeeper, all rushing towards Lu Yang, their mouths full of vulgar words.
"You’re too arrogant!"
"How can you treat our fans like that!"
"Do you think you’re that great?"
Ordinarily, when facing three big players, any normal person would retreat.
But Lu Yang advanced instead of retreating, puffing out his chest to shout at the three men, "Come on, let’s go together! Let me see what else you have besides foul play and disgraceful fouls!"
Lu Yang’s chest collided with the other party’s number eight player, unyieldingly.
Soon, Sogel, Bai Zhami, Fernandez, Canyes, and others also rushed over.
Zenit’s players did the same.
Six minutes into the game, a significant on-field conflict erupted.
It must be said that the tone of this match was essentially established—explosive!
All due to the indulgence of the main referee.
The main referee arrived belatedly, separating everyone and issuing warnings to all.
Especially the number eight player and Lu Yang.
Lu Yang was displeased at the time.
"Referee, shouldn’t the obvious pulling just now earn a yellow card?" Lu Yang pointed at the Zenit center-back, whose pulling was visible to the world.
"You’ve already scored!" the referee signaled Lu Yang not to make trouble, "Or should I cancel your goal and give him a yellow card?"
This clearly implied that since he had already gained an advantage, Lu Yang should not push further.
Actually, if the foul was committed by the goalkeeper and the opponent scored, it could be handled this way, as the goalkeeper’s position is unique.
However, if it was other players committing the foul, even if a goal was achieved, the foul player should still face appropriate penalties.
This main referee, however, had a compassionate heart and couldn’t bear to give Zenit St. Petersburg, already trailing zero to one, another yellow card.
"Of course you can do that," Lu Yang didn’t believe the referee dared to cancel his goal, as doing so would cut short the referee’s career.
Pre-match media had statistics showing that this Europa League game, without major teams participating, garnered the highest attention of this Europa League round! Even surpassing most Champions League games!
The battle between Lu Yang and the Absolute Double Pride, driven by two sports giants, had already become a war for the younger generation, avidly followed by fans.
Such a game, any erroneous decision would be widely discussed by countless netizens.
For this reason, the referee was cautious, avoiding strong enforcement and having a rather loose standard.
In his view, not penalizing was better than making a wrong call.
He entirely missed that not penalizing is itself a kind of erroneous judgment.
The players left unsatisfied, with the Zenit center-back escaping a yellow card, which was ludicrous!
This encouraged Zenit’s players to commit large-scale fouls.
Meanwhile, San Remo’s crew was not to be trifled with.
There were tricksters like Morici and Bernulin, and tough guys like Lu Yang and Lam, who fears whom?
In an instant, the match entered a phase of physical tussles, constantly interrupted, utterly lacking in fluid attacks, a very ugly scene.
From this, you could pretty much gauge the refereeing level of this main referee.