I AM the Football Star

Chapter 948: Chapter 229: Champions League Group Stage, Veteran Retires! (Part 2)

Of course, Lu Yang ultimately couldn’t shake off the opponent.

No matter how good a dribbler is, there’s no way they can succeed every single time.

Besides, the defenders in Serie A really have solid defensive skills, at least currently, their average level is the best among the Five Major Leagues.

From the looks of it, Lu Yang seemed a bit embarrassed and angry.

He forced a turn and unleashed a furious shot!

Cagliari’s central defender immediately extended his left leg, attempting to block it.

However, the ball slipped through his legs.

A fake shot but a real pass!

And it was a nutmeg pass!

Behind this defender was his own center back.

But first, there was San Remo’s central forward, Talista.

Bang!

Talista shielded the defender and took a non-stop shot with a tricky angle, leaving Cagliari’s goalkeeper no chance to save it.

Two to one!

San Remo takes the lead.

After the goal, Talista rushed towards Lu Yang, making a gesture as if he was about to jump onto Lu Yang.

Fortunately, Lu Yang dodged in time.

"Trying to take advantage?" Lu Yang gave Talista a shove.

Talista gave an awkward smile and ran towards the corner flag area to celebrate.

He admitted his intentions weren’t pure.

It’s not that he has any peculiar hobbies, rather he wanted to use this celebration method to show his status in the team.

But unfortunately, Lu Yang saw right through him.

Jumping onto someone during a celebration often carries special meanings.

The first is heritage.

Just like Ronaldinho carrying Messi.

The second is conquest!

The one being carried or embraced has a higher status, able to look down upon everything.

"Hey, is there something off between Lu Yang and Talista? Why aren’t they celebrating together?"

A fan questioned.

"Oh, clearly you’re not an old fan. They are very close in private, Talista has long been convinced by Lu Yang, he’s a Lu Chui!"

"Yeah, if they weren’t close, he wouldn’t dare make such jokes at a time like this."

"I think Lu Yang pushed Talista to let him receive the attention and congratulations alone!"

"That really seems to be the case!"

"The way Lu Yang claps and looks at Talista is just like how my dad looked at me when I got into college! What’s that idiom again? Right, hoping the child becomes a dragon!"

Talista was completely unaware that he had been taken advantage of during the celebration.

In the second half.

San Remo’s offense was significantly quieter.

Because their stars were conserving energy, they tried to gain an advantage through more teamwork and team strategies, rather than relying on the individual abilities of stars like Lu Yang.

It’s understandable at the beginning of the league.

After all, team chemistry is built through playing match after match.

After Mbappe scored twice, he didn’t get any more resources from the team, instead, everyone was setting up for Messi, which indeed reflected Mbappe’s situation.

But at the same time, it could also be seen as the team trying more collective tactics, especially after Neymar’s injury, the team naturally had to rely on Messi to fill that gap.

After C Luo scored, his teammates started a spree of wayward shots. This also proves that C Luo’s tactical status is not high, but it also shows that the team indeed tried to make more tactical adjustments; only, they failed.

Now San Remo is in such an adjustment phase.

However, like Manchester United, San Remo’s adjustments in the second half were not very effective.

Delarre is immensely talented, and his football IQ is high, there should be no issue with integration.

But alas, he encountered Bai Zhami on his path.

Those who understand Brother Ba’s level of coordination know well.

Delarre was almost driven to collapse by it.

"Brother Ba, I’m clearly behind you, why do you pass it in front?"

"I’m clearly retreating, why do you send it ahead?"

"I’ve clearly started sprinting, why pass it behind me?"

"I’m clearly ready for a long shot, why take a zero-angle shot from the baseline?"

Delarre couldn’t "keep up" with Bai Zhami’s rhythm at all!

And because of many missed collaborations along this path, Cagliari got too many counter-attacking opportunities, causing quite a bit of danger around San Remo’s goal.

"Should we substitute Delarre?" A coach earnestly asked, "If we keep playing like this, we’re afraid of conceding a goal. Alme also isn’t quite stable, and the opponent keeps targeting him."

Sotu shook his head: "These are prices we must pay. If we don’t give them opportunities now, they’ll be even less likely to play when facing our real opponents."

Thirty-eight rounds in the league, this is just the first one, what’s there to fear?

Even if we lose, it’ll only lead to some unpleasant talk, nothing too severe.

Teams and fans who get overly excited in the initial rounds often don’t end up well.

In the sixty-fifth minute, Sotu replaced Bai Zhami with Fernandez, and chatted with Bai Zhami for a long time to ensure he wasn’t upset.

Bai Zhami originally had high hopes for this season; he’s now a star to some extent, with many big teams wanting him.

It’s very normal for such players to demand more time on the field.

Even some giants, after contacting the young players they want, will tell the agents on the other side to remind the players to participate in more matches, in order to better showcase their personal form and level.