From Arsenal to the Ball God

Ma’el excitedly sprinted to the sidelines, and after stopping, he wrapped one hand around his head and waved the other hand near his brain, performing a celebratory gesture similar to a salute, ”Boom...!”

However, the meaning was definitely not that of a salute, but just to express his brilliant debut in the celebration area and his intent to fulfill the fans’ expectations, acknowledging their cheers.

He was quickly surrounded by his teammates, several of whom reached out to tousle his hair, making his hairstyle a mess.

Alexander Song stood nearby, watching Ma’el, wanting to see if he would look embarrassed in such a state.

But when Ma’el looked up, what Song saw was a charmingly disheveled handsome guy; not only was he not embarrassed, he actually seemed endearing, making people feel that his looks could handle anything.

Song touched his own face, deep in thought, pretending to casually tousle his own hair, fantasizing about achieving the same effect.

minutes later, after Alexander Song’s relentless efforts, he finally got a chance to shoot from outside the penalty area.

”Boom!!”

He swung his right foot powerfully, shooting a grounder into the bottom right corner of the goal, and after rushing to the sideline, he turned and spread out his arms to everyone.

2-0!

Approaching 7 consecutive wins!

Soon someone came up to hug Alexander Song, and as he had expected, they started tousling his hair.

But when he attempted to mimic Ma’el’s slight smile and raised his head lightly while laughing, he realized no one was paying attention to him.

”Clap!” Ma’el high-fived Van Persie, while the other teammates were each busy with their own activities, either embracing or chatting.

Then he turned to look at the fans; every fan was celebrating with their friends and family, and those who glanced this way didn’t notice him, at least not his face.

Song stood with his hands on his hips, showing a slightly displeased expression, confused as to why he could never duplicate it.

His body started to shake, his expression gradually twisted, and this quickly drew others’ attention.

”What’s wrong, Song?” Ma’el came up and hugged him, asking with concern.

”I...” Song glanced at Ma’el’s face, bowed his head and avoided his gaze, ”I remembered something unpleasant, it’s okay.”

”Alright.” Ma’el smiled brightly, patting his shoulder, ”We’re about to have 7 straight wins, whatever’s bothering you, let’s cheer together, 23 wins are on the way.”

”Hmm.” Song nodded in response, lifted his arms, and ran towards his area.

Ma’el and the others quickly returned to position, ready for the next match.

Soon, the first half ended, and both sides returned to the locker rooms for halftime.

At the start of the second half, Villa took an aggressive high-pressing approach, while Arsenal did not stubbornly continue holding the ball in the backfield but opted for a simpler, direct counterattack.

There’s no team that doesn’t play counter-attacks; it only depends on if they choose this tactic right off the bat or after taking the lead.

”Don-don-don!”

Ma’el was actively running in the front field, constantly weaving behind opponents and often retreating to provide outlets for his teammates, always striving for his 30th goal.

In the 81st minute of the match, it seemed Aston Villa was out of gas, as players in several positions slowed down.

Arsenal regained possession and replaced defense with offense.

minutes later, Gervinho, taking advantage of the opponent’s lax defense on his side, slanted behind Walcott and received a long pass from the backfield.

He brought down the ball and charged towards the opponent’s goal area, shaking off the fullback on the same side, gaining about a 3-meter lead.

”Thump-thump-thump...!”

Gervinho sprinted forward with the ball, creating a semi one-on-one opportunity; Ma’el’s side fullback had to rush over to assist the defense.

He glanced at Ma’el, weighing the decision between passing and continuing to strike, opting for the latter.

After recovering his starting position under Wenger’s shift to 4 forwards, he hadn’t proven himself yet; this kick was just the right opportunity.

”Boom!”

Near the penalty line, Gervinho shot hard, sending the ball toward the bottom left corner of the goal.

Seeing this, Ma’el was slightly disappointed but hurried into the penalty area waiting for the chance to pounce.

If the ball had come to him, he would have faced off against the goalkeeper directly, but he hadn’t asked Hot Bird for the ball, knowing it might put him in a difficult position, leaving the decision entirely to him.

”Clap!” As with the result of countless stubborn actions, Gervinho’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, the ball rebounding into the penalty area.

Ma’el had been judging the possible locations the ball might land after being blocked, positioned near the left edge of the six-yard box, but the field is dynamic; the ball rolled from his right side to behind him.

Regretfully, he took a sharp intake of breath, a consequence of rushing too fast and not leaving enough room for reaction and adjustment.

He turned around and saw that Rosicky might be able to get the ball, so he quickly ran back, moving out of the offside area, tactically retreating on the defense line to make his advance.

”Boom.” Rosicky sent a diagonal pass, not very well delivered, causing the ball to hop and bounce.

Ma’el watched the incoming ball, glanced at the goal, pivoting his body to the left and stopping the ball forward with his left foot.

The opportunity was here!

”Boom!!”

As his body caught up with the motion, he swung his right arm, folded his left leg, kicking heavily within the penalty area with a powerful shot into the far corner of the goal.

Feeling he had struck forcefully, Ma’el’s eyes burned with intense anticipation, his emotions surging with excitement.

His gaze followed the ball as it flew, seeing it roar toward the far post, witnessing Arsenal fans rising behind the net, while realizing the opponent’s goalkeeper, Givin, once again failed to save the ball.