He’s really not up to it.
He’d better not dream of officiating such high-profile matches again in the future.
Thirty-fifth minute of the match.
Sada Ammon had the ball near San Remo’s penalty area.
Lam was defending Ammon one-on-one, with a pair of center-backs behind him, so the pressure wasn’t immense.
Ammon performed a slick "fried meatball" move with his foot.
Lam retreated then advanced, sticking close to Ammon, without getting shaken off.
But the next second, Lam suddenly collapsed.
He covered his face with both hands.
Ammon was now in open space.
Palacios complained about Ammon while charging towards him.
Ammon tapped the ball with his foot, passing it to a teammate.
The teammate played a one-two, sending the ball into the big box.
Ammon ran past Palacios, breaking free one-on-one.
Areola rushed out quickly.
Ammon wasn’t intimidated by Areola, and with a well-executed shot, Areola couldn’t reach it.
The ball hit the net.
One to one!
Zenit St. Petersburg equalized the score!
The scorer, player number nine, Sada Ammon!
"Zenit scored! Although the scene was ugly, Zenit finally broke the deadlock!"
"Sada Ammon is a very capable player, last year he was named Iranian Footballer of the Year! And he ranked fifth in the Asian Player of the Year selection, showing his strong abilities."
"Moreover, Ammon was the youngest player to be selected for Asian Player of the Year last year! Only twenty-five!"
"He looks similar to the domestic actor Mark, so some people call him Sha Qianmo! You could say he’s one of the nemeses of the National Team, having delivered spectacular performances against them numerous times!"
"This match, for Zenit and San Remo, might as well be a European Competition! But for domestic fans, it’s probably a national battle!"
"All domestic fans deeply hope Lu Yang can stand in for the National Team and defeat this National Team nemesis!"
"Now, both Ammon and Lu Yang have scored a goal each, evenly matched!"
"San Remo players are now furiously complaining because they believe Ammon’s goal was scored under the premise of a foul."
"The television shows the previous move by Ammon, oh, we can clearly see that Ammon’s elbow hit Lam’s face, causing him to fall!"
"Considering Ammon scored ten seconds later, this goal should indeed be invalid, it’s an indisputable foul!"
"What! The main referee indicated the goal stands!"
"San Remo’s players surrounded him, as did Zenit’s, the main referee caught in the middle, both sides extremely agitated."
"He elbowed my face!" Lam exclaimed emotionally, "They first injured our Latu Yidi, and now they’ve elbowed me, and you’re not giving a card?"
While speaking, Lam pushed the main referee with his hand.
"What are you doing? Can you not act like a sissy? Do all you Italians love to fake it?" Ammon shoved Lam aside, not wanting him to influence the referee’s judgment.
Because he knew, that goal of his was indeed invalid.
Bam!
Lu Yang charged into Ammon, "Show some damn respect! Touch my teammate again, and I’ll make sure you leave lying down!"
Ammon staggered.
Zenit’s number seven immediately pushed Lu Yang back, but with an unstable center of gravity, he ended up toppling over when Lu Yang pushed back.
Zenit’s number seven and the just-standing-up Ammon interfered with each other and rolled onto the ground together.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle frantically, pulling out yellow cards, and issued four in succession to Lam, Lu Yang, Ammon, and Zenit’s number seven, finally calming the scene.
Lu Yang looked speechless, couldn’t you have given the cards earlier?
Did you have to wait until the situation became uncontrollable?
In that last scenario, Lu Yang couldn’t possibly avoid acting.
When the opposition was pushing Lam right in front of him, how could he not step in?
Luckily, at least the scene wasn’t lost, otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have held back.
At San Remo, whether playing soccer or fighting, they cannot lose!
"When defending later, be a bit more cautious, if necessary, consider having Bernulin commit a strategic foul, discuss it among yourselves," Lu Yang hugged Lam, advising him not to let the yellow card affect him.
Lam, with tears in his fierce eyes, nodded.
Today, Lam suffered greatly, if not for Lu Yang, he wouldn’t know how much grievance he would have to endure.
Clearly elbowed by the opponent, yet the referee turned a blind eye, making him seem weak.
It’s every tough guy’s worst nightmare.
They can be bypassed if the opponent is skillful, but they can’t be bypassed like a pushover.
Moreover...during these months of training and matches, Latu Yidi often supported Lam, even though their positions had some interchangeable aspects, Lam’s presence offered Latu Yidi a breather in the schedule.
So the two maintained a harmonious relationship.
Lam could be considered half a disciple of Latu Yidi.
The master suffered, the disciple endured hardships too, and the team leader got a yellow card for standing up for him.
Lam vowed that in the subsequent matches, the opponents better behave, otherwise... don’t blame him for not being passive like a lackey, he swore the folks from St. Petersburg would remember him!
The main referee’s even-handed approach didn’t satisfy Sotu, who furiously protested on the scene, insisting the recent goal should be disallowed.
The fourth referee issued him a stern warning.
In the last minute of the first half, Zenit had a threatening counterattack opportunity.
Ammon unleashed a powerful shot from the top of the penalty arc, almost putting Zenit in the lead.
Fortunately, Areola was strong enough, single-handedly parrying the shot.
Zenit earned a corner kick opportunity.
The corner was taken, and Lam contested for the header.
But the clearance was high, not far, with the ball’s position at the top of the penalty arc.
Lu Yang held against Ammon, his body fully airborne, performing a bicycle kick clearance, sending the ball to near midfield, relieving this crisis.
Subsequently, the main referee stopped the match.
Entering halftime break.
The impact of this match just started spreading across the entire network!
Injuries, goals, controversial goals, five yellow cards, a bicycle kick clearance... this European competition match was packed with elements, worthy of fan discussions.
The match quickly shifted from a "private feud" between Zenit and San Remo to a broader "conflict" between Lu Yang and the La Liga generational duo.
Fans of the duo seized on Lu Yang’s first-half bicycle kick clearance, mocking him relentlessly!