From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 289: Chapter 90: A Perfect Touch! Chloe’s Release! All Returned!

Inside the field, Wenger, looking tense, stood up from the coach’s seat and paced to the sidelines.

Everything was changing at that moment. Mael was tugging at everyone’s heart strings, and all eyes were on whether he could hit the goal!

”Dun, dun, dun!”

Van Persie sprinted quickly towards the small penalty area, drawing the defenders while waiting for a rebound or an easy tap-in.

On the outskirts, Arteta rushed toward the arc of the penalty area, preparing for the chance of getting the second ball. He murmured, ”Put it in.”

”No...” Walker muttered in panic. He knew Mael’s shooting ability from this position and was aware Mael had developed his left foot after coming to the Premier League.

Goalkeeper Friedel lowered his center of gravity, guarding against both Mael’s shot and a potential cross.

”Boom!!”

Amidst the varied postures of everyone, Mael, with his head down, used his left foot to blast a heavy cannon strike towards the bottom right corner of the goal.

He infused all his fury into his foot, and poured all his aspirations into that swing, launching a supersonic missile-like soccer shot!

He kept the shot very low. In such a narrow-angle shot, the lower it is, the harder it is for the goalkeeper to handle because they need time to react to get down.

”Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.....!” The ball scraped the grass, making a comforting sound. From any angle, it was a perfect explosive shot.

People watched as the ball swerved towards the far corner dead zone of the goal. Tottenham’s goalkeeper Friedel reached down to get a hand on the ball... but watched as he missed, and the ball clanged against the post and bounced inward into the net.

”Swish!” The ball finally contacted the side net, pushing it inwards and backward.

No save!

The ball speed was too fast!

The long shot hit the mark!!

”Wow...WowOh.....!!” An earth-shattering cheer erupted from the South Stand, with countless arms flailing wildly, a spectacle whether seen from near or far.

”Oh... ah!”

In the season ticket area, a young girl leaped in excitement, waving her small fists. She no longer held back her emotions – she let them all out.

This time, although people around her still cast glances, they were much less odd and more filled with curiosity and admiration.

This made the girl more relaxed, allowing her to celebrate the goal even more freely. She was completely immersed in the moment.

Though not completely the same as other fans, she was far better than before.

”Hehe....!”

Chloe felt pure joy, much of her inner disquiet dissipating, as confidence was evident on her face.

She adjusted her jersey, straightening it a bit more, knowing what it meant to her.

...

”The ball is in!!

”Mael pulled one back with a world-class long shot! His signature move has returned!

”From stopping the ball to turning, advancing, and shooting! Everything was perfect! Here comes Mael’s 9th Premier League goal! There’s no stopping him!

”One to one! Arsenal ties the game on the road! The new prince of Emirates Stadium has not let the fans down in this crucial match!”

As Zhan Jun’s excited voice echoed, the broadcast camera quickly focused on Wenger. He had been striding towards the sidelines when he suddenly stopped, a joyful expression crossing his face.

He didn’t celebrate extravagantly; he simply let his emotions show on his face, turned around, threaded through celebrating assistant coaches and substitutes, and walked back to the coach’s seat to sit down.

In past seasons, he rarely showed such a look. Usually, he would throw up his hands in dissatisfaction, yelling, or frowning in disappointment.

But this season, he exhibited significant change, with many more moments of celebration... In the photographers’ cameras, his image was very different from before.

”WTF....!” Van Persie stood beside the goal, like he watched the entire process from a VIP spot. He showed a look of astonishment and ran to Mael, shaking his head.

”Whew....!” Arteta, who provided the assist, let out a long breath and, after patting his chest, ran towards Mael.

Tie the score!

There was no need to worry about worse situations occurring for the time being!

They would work together to strive for the next goal, seeking the moment to take the lead!

Not far from them, Kyle Walker turned around, spreading his hands in remorse and helplessness on his face.

Just because he tried to interrupt when Mael was stopping the ball... just from that small interception mistake, their goal was breached!

The ability to seize the opportunity was too strong!

That old teammate, after leaving Sheffield United, what exactly did he go through?

How did he improve so quickly?

Goalkeeper Friedel, sitting up on the ground, looked at Walker with a hint of blame in his eyes.

The other Tottenham defenders also looked at Walker, the implication clear - he had to take responsibility for conceding that goal.

...

”Come on!!”

Across the goal line, Mael roared as he charged through, feeling as if every breath he exhaled came with scorching heat.

He was lucky to create an opportunity with his new ability before the opponents could guard against it, and successfully seized it!

”Bang bang!” He patted his chest, running along the Tottenham stand with one hand cupped to his ear.

He looked at the Spurs fans who were chirping insults at him and kept shaking his head, clearly meaning - ”Louder, I can’t hear you.”

Keep it coming!

Keep hurling insults!

He answered the fans’ jeers with a goal, replying to Adebayor’s provocation with the same celebratory gesture!

That time, Adebayor didn’t score but just celebrated with the team; this time, Mael scored a goal, and a brilliant goal at that!

”Oh.....!” From the Arsenal fan zone erupted a more enthusiastic cheer, as fans watched Mael’s style and shouted in delight.

Such celebratory moments were needed on the field, representing the emotions of many and showing that many people’s bottled-up emotions were finally unleashed!

Retribution!

It all returned!

”Almost in double digits in the Premier League, and we’re not even through the first 10 rounds!”

Van Persie came up to Mael at this moment, clapping his hands, saying, ”You’re incredible. How are you planning to celebrate when the time comes?”

”I’ll treat the whole team to barbecue.”

Mael turned and embraced him, quickly surrounded by teammates, ”Today, let’s aim for the Premier League’s 10th goal! I want to top the Premier League scorer’s list!”

”You’re already tied for first.” Arteta, who seems pretty obsessed with stats normally and explained like an encyclopedia, said, ”Dzeko didn’t score this round; you two are both at nine goals.”

”Then I’ll take first place alone.”

Mael celebrated with everyone for a moment, turning towards the Tottenham fan zone again, with his hands mimicking a gun turned forward and backward, closing one eye with a ”click,” pretending to record the looks of the Spurs fans in the stands.

His intentions were clearly mocking, and many Spurs fans were already throwing trash at his spot.

Luckily, he maintained a distance, making those close unable to reach, and easily dodging those throwing from higher up.

He started showing off with a smile on the sidelines, twisting and turning, thinking if it weren’t so abstract and didn’t match the atmosphere, he would have danced a bit.

People can be quite crazy sometimes.

Mael finally walked back to his half with his teammates. When passing by Adebayor, he saw him staring at him.

He winked at Adebayor, teasing this Spurs forward whom he liked to face.

His expression was contemptuous, clearly telling Adebayor this wouldn’t be the last time. He would strive for a second time.

Adebayor’s face instantly turned from pale to green as he stood at the center circle, glowering at Mael, seething with anger.

He needed to cheer up too and fight for a goal.

When the time came, he wanted to mock back and redeem himself!

...

For the remaining time in the first half, both sides seemed to notice the instabilities in their defenses and started proactively slowing down the pace.

Speeding up requires adaptation, and so does slowing down... In the end, after a somewhat dull period of possession switches, both sides ended the first half.

Throughout the entire first half, both teams played openly but cautiously, not allowing the other to create too many chances.

Upon discovering problems, they both corrected them in time, opting for a safer method to first ensure their goal’s safety.

This is a mindset that must exist in important matches. In the early stages, neither wanted to engage in a knife fight with the other too soon.

However, watching the increasingly intense atmosphere inside the field, everyone knew the real showdown would unfold in the second half.

That would be the crucial 45 minutes for both teams vying for Derby victory and the honor in front of their arch-nemesis!

...

ps: A bit stuck, missing words will be made up in the next Chapter. Rest when it’s finished.