I AM the Football Star

Chapter 958: Chapter 231: Showdown with the Top Ranked!

He came up and kept a distance of about two meters from Lu Yang.

Basically, after Lu Yang received the ball and took a step forward, he fell right within Chiavich’s tackle range.

Even if he couldn’t snatch the ball, Chiavich would use his body or even his hands to block Lu Yang and end this attack.

Though there’s a chance of committing a foul.

But overall, this defense was very mature.

No wonder he’s one of the two elder defenders of the Italy National Team.

Chiavich’s skills are definitely not inferior to Bernulin’s.

At least an 89, maybe even a 90 rating, I’d estimate.

But...

Lu Yang was a step late in controlling the ball and chased the ball for another step.

This caused the ball to end up right between Chiavich’s legs after Lu Yang turned around.

A half-meter distance.

Resulting in a drastically different outcome.

This ball, Chiavich simply couldn’t defend.

The football slipped right through his legs.

Nutmeg!

At the same time, because Lu Yang timed this perfectly, Chiavich missed the best chance to pull Lu Yang back.

Fortunately, Turan also came over at this time, forming a pincer attack with Chiavich from front and back.

Although Chiavich let him through, Turan came over and gave Lu Yang a body check.

Lu Yang stumbled slightly.

This Turan, with a freakish body, is top-notch in both speed and strength among central defenders, put him in the right back position, and he’s an absolute weapon, too countering ordinary wingers and forwards!

Seeing Lu Yang’s speed slow down, Chiavich made a decisive move, going for a slide tackle from the back!

This move is highly controversial, calling a foul is totally acceptable, provided that... it connects.

Whoosh!

Lu Yang, who was stumbling, quickly steadied himself with just a sway.

His back wasn’t even upright yet, but his speed picked up again.

Chiavich’s sliding tackle surged forward by one or two body lengths. But compared to Lu Yang, it seemed as if it retreated by one or two body lengths.

The contrast was striking.

"Wow! He got through! Lu Yang actually dashed past!"

"So fast! Lu Yang’s acceleration ability is insane!"

"Turan’s impact surprisingly didn’t affect Lu Yang much. If it were another forward, they would’ve probably been knocked to the ground by now, right?"

"Turan, right behind Lu Yang, opted to head back to the penalty area right away, knowing he couldn’t catch up with Lu Yang, so he wanted to take a shorter route!"

"Lu Yang’s dribbling was swift too, entering the penalty area from the left side of the big box."

"Turan is on Lu Yang’s right side; if Lu Yang wants to shoot, Turan has a chance to disrupt it."

"The angle is too small! Because of Turan’s choice, Lu Yang went a step further towards the baseline, resulting in a shooting angle of less than twenty-five degrees after cutting inside! That’s not an optimal shooting angle."

"Turan’s position also blocked Lu Yang’s passing route, making it very hard for Lu Yang to make a diagonal pass!"

"Maybe Lu Yang can try a forceful cross in front of the goal, but that is fundamentally different from shooting directly. A passer would be happy to do that, but a shooter wouldn’t like such a hit-or-miss method."

"Lu Yang raises his foot, and he..."

"It’s a heel flick direction change again! Lu Yang lifts his left foot and flicks the ball to the right. Suddenly changing direction with the ball, he creates space from the out-of-control Turan and the baseline."

"There’s a shooting angle now! It’s a good opportunity!"

"Lu Yang taps the ball to adjust direction, raises his foot to shoot..."

"Oh! Turan’s defensive instinct is very keen. He didn’t turn to adjust his position but instead directly stretched his foot to the right side, making a kicking motion."

"He maximized his defensive coverage. He intended to use his body to block Lu Yang’s shot."

"Turan must have studied Lu Yang; he chose to jump because he knows when Lu Yang is close to the goal, he often opts for a powerful shot to the upper corner of the net, which is more pronounced in shooting skills and harder to save!"

"This is an extreme defensive anticipation! It’s a capability only top defenders possess!"

"No! Lu Yang didn’t shoot!"

"Right foot feint shot!"

"Lu Yang’s habitual feint move seemed to have anticipated Turan’s extreme defense!"

"Lu Yang taps the ball to the right, challenging Audi up close!"

"Audi rushes out!"

"Lu Yang pushes the ball towards the far corner of the goal!"

"The shooting path of the ball is almost parallel to Turan’s aerial trajectory. But unfortunately, the ball brushed past behind Turan towards the goal!"

"Goal!"

"One to zero! San Remo’s full assault pays off!"

"They’ve taken the lead at Juventus Stadium!"