"He’s currently at the top of the Serie B’s scorer list, but he usually plays in midfield. Many people say he’s a bit like England’s Jelang, a player who won the Golden Boot from a midfield position."
"Hey! Serie B, huh? Who cares! Serie A stars got crushed by us Swedes on the field, all right!"
"Yeah, so these Italians are just baffling."
"And do you know what’s the funniest part? This Lu is of Chinese descent!"
"What’s so funny about that? Developed European countries always have lots of foreign immigrants."
"The funny part is that after the team won the championship in the European Youth Championship, Lu was waving a flag with one side Italian and the other side Chinese."
"Watt? Did I hear that right? What does he mean by it? Isn’t he afraid of being abandoned by Italy?"
"That’s exactly what I want to say. He faced some level of public criticism at the time, even some Chinese people didn’t understand his actions. But... after Italy’s loss in the European Cup playoffs, some Italian fans publicly stated that if Lu could play and score for Italy, they would never oppose the colors of the flag he waves."
"Hahaha! These Italians are too much, do they really have no dignity?"
Swedish fans mocked the previous comments made by Italian fans.
But an Italian fan nearby countered, "Is that so? If you couldn’t reach the European Cup or World Cup, and there was a player who could help you achieve your goals, and he was willing to fight for you, but at the same time, he still loved his homeland, what would you choose?"
"Could you forgo his support?"
"Besides, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his actions, even if I went to a big city, I wouldn’t forget the small village that raised me. Furthermore, in every way, China is only stronger, not weaker than Italy."
The Swedish fans couldn’t comprehend it at all, and taunted, "So, you think this Lu came from China to help Italy in football? Hahaha! That’s the best joke I’ve heard all year!"
The Italian fan wasn’t provoked. He took off his Italy National Team jersey, revealing the San Remo jersey underneath.
Obviously, he was a San Remo fan, which made anything he said justifiable, especially things that seemed unlikely to happen.
Because in the past two and a half years, everything that happened in San Remo was unlikely!
The fan said, "All right, then I hope after Sweden fails to qualify for the European Cup, you won’t envy Italy for having someone like Lu!"
"Lu Yang, go for it!"
"Lu Yang, rise up!"
"Lu Yang, awesome!"
The fan began to shout because on the field, Lu Yang had already received the ball.
...
Bam!
After coming on, Lu Yang took up the left midfield position, replacing Pellegrini.
In the center, Candreva, who had moved from the defensive midfield to midfield, actually didn’t perform as disastrously.
Lu Yang knew his main task was offense, so he didn’t rush to swap positions with Candreva, ready to become a defensive midfielder when needed.
Candreva passed the ball to Lu Yang.
This was Lu Yang’s first appearance representing the Italy National Team.
After receiving the ball, he made an impressive Rabona move, faking out the defender in front of him and then dribbling forward.
This move was dazzling, making all Italian fans’ eyes light up.
This feeling... had been absent in Italy for too long... Impact?
Exactly!
Impact!
In the past, Italy showcased excellent defense, organization, and goals.
But what they most lacked was players who could directly challenge the opposing defensive line.
Such an impact might have a high chance of failure.
But at the same time, it also wears down the opposing defenders.
No matter how many times he stops you, the next time, it’s always a 50/50 chance.
In terms of probability, his successful defense and your failed breakthrough do not affect the next chance of success.
This mental drain is not visible to the eye but very real on the pitch.
Once the opponent’s mental state falters, even a casual pass can tear apart their defense, rendering their efforts useless.
But in the past, Italian football, being too mature and complete, suppressed the birth of impactful players.
And the shortsightedness of the national team only worsened the situation.
So, with just his first touch, many Italian fans found themselves at an emotional peak.
This Rabona made them see the light!
Ten seconds later.
"Oh!" The commentator let out a long sigh, "What a magnificent breakthrough, Lu Yang’s first touch revealed tremendous power. But he still lacked chemistry with Perrotta. After getting past two players, he passed the ball to Ancelotti."
"Ancelotti immediately passed it to Perrotta. Though there have been rumors of discord between the two, they are very professional. In official matches, they would never do anything detrimental to Italy."
"Perrotta took a moment with the ball, then made a decisive pass behind Sweden’s defensive line, a beautifully executed through ball!"
"Lu Yang had already made his run, getting behind the Swedish center-back and with a flicked shot, he lobbed the ball over the Swedish keeper!"
"The Swedish defenders were all focused on Ancelotti; they never expected a midfielder to decisively break into their penalty area!"