For high-level teams, coordination problems are solvable.
Teams unable to solve coordination issues either have lazy players or a lousy coach; there’s no third reason!
Bam!
Over there, AC Milan’s attack also ended in failure.
Sogel made a reverse run off the ball, trying to ease the pressure on their attacking midfielder.
But AC Milan’s attacking midfielder mistakenly thought Sogel was going to reverse run, and a direct through pass inadvertently gave the ball to Palacios.
Clearly, both teams are still in a period of adjustment.
However, strong players can still create threats even when not familiar with team coordination.
Andrés made a through pass, and Sogel retreated to receive the ball.
Lam tried to tackle, but was blocked behind by Sogel.
Sogel made a backheel nutmeg to get past, turned, and slipped through.
Despite being burly, Sogel evolved from a pivot central forward into an all-around striker at San Remo; he’s quite skilled at dribbling!
Lam had no choice but to take down Sogel immediately, earning a yellow card.
Lu Yang watched it all carefully.
This play was entirely a testament to Sogel’s personal capability.
If we could see his rating, he’d definitely have at least an 84 rating, maybe already or soon to be a top-tier star!
AC Milan’s primary free-kick taker is Andrés.
This is one of the series of privileges he gained after stepping up.
This set piece is about twenty-six meters away, slightly distant, but generally in an excellent position for a free kick, with a high chance of scoring.
San Remo carefully arranged their wall.
After ten seconds.
Bam!
Andrés delivered a high-curvature free kick over the wall.
Dong!
The football hit the left post and bounced into the net.
Areola placed his hands on his hips and sighed.
He jumped in the right direction.
Virtually blocked all angles.
But this ball was beyond stopping.
It was a miracle ball!
He couldn’t possibly cover the post, could he?
"Oh! It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! One to zero! AC Milan took the lead unsurprisingly!" someone enthusiastically announced, "Some San Remo fans may be surprised, but for the broader fanbase, this outcome shouldn’t be surprising."
"Two days ago, the match between San Remo and Juventus actually showcased San Remo’s true level."
"Even though both teams fielded half-main, half-substitute lineups, Juventus had an overwhelming advantage on the field. San Remo’s two goals were almost entirely reflections of individual player talent."
"Thus, San Remo may be among the lower mid-level teams in Serie A. Don’t overestimate them just because they have Lu Yang, Morici, Canyes, Bernulin, and other excellent players."
"Serie A and Serie B are indeed different."
"And AC Milan is different; they are inherently championship-level. Even though Izalelt left, AC Milan still has vitality, and they remain strong contenders for the Serie A championship this season."
Sitting with someone else, someone looked slightly embarrassed.
Unlike the enthusiastic commentator, someone wasn’t as optimistic about AC Milan this year.
Nor were they as dismissive of San Remo.
But now that AC Milan has scored, they had to let the commentator have their moment.
After this goal, the movement of AC Milan players visibly became more active.
Because here’s a lesser-known fact: AC Milan has never won against San Remo so far!
This includes two Italian Cup finals!
Which means they’ve already lost two championship trophies in front of San Remo.
If they lose the European Super Cup today, it’ll be a championship loss hat-trick!
Who’s up for that?
Football is sometimes mystical; if you believe you can win, you really can.
One weak team might beat a strong one simply because they believe.
How do you explain that?
Once such mysticism and curses form, some teams become passive.
Just like recent Champions League groupings.
Atletico Madrid faces C Ronaldo again.
What do you do with that?
Manchester United isn’t in a good situation; they’ve changed managers, and C Ronaldo’s performance is heavily criticized by fans.
But note, Simeone’s Atletico Madrid has only conceded four hat-tricks in ten years over 418 games.
And the four hat-trick players are C Ronaldo, C Ronaldo, C Ronaldo... and still C Ronaldo!
Unbelievably, even if C Ronaldo led the National Team against Atletico Madrid, many fans and even non-C Ronaldo fans would believe C Ronaldo could lead the National Team to beat Atletico Madrid, perhaps even scoring a hat-trick.
This is beyond football’s competitive level; it enters a mystical realm.
Now AC Milan faces their mystical adversary, San Remo!
And they seem to see a chance to break the curse.
Whistle!
Andrés held his head.
He fouled Bai Zhami during retreat.
Otherwise, Bai Zhami would have entered the penalty area.
Twenty-three meters!
Left side of the penalty area!
San Remo also gained a free kick in an excellent position.
Morici held the football, instinctively glancing at Lu Yang.
This is San Remo’s rule, regardless of any penalty, first see if Lu Yang wants to take it.
If Lu Yang wants it, it must be given to him.
Because when Lu Yang actively requests a free-kick, his goal conversion rate is even higher than the average penalty kick conversion rate in world football!