From Arsenal to the Ball God

Everyone encounters a missed penalty at some point... We can’t blame Gerrard. We can only lament the bad luck.

As for the two conceded goals, it doesn’t seem to relate much to the team’s defense. The first goal was purely Ma’er’s personal ability, the second goal... well, it’s heartbreaking just to think about it.

Mediocrity!

That sums up England today!

Even with a host of stars and young talents like Gilbert fighting hard, they could not find the opportunity to break through to France’s goal. There was no one like Ma’er to take charge.

”Boom...! Boom...!”

Watching both sides tussle near the midfield, and as each second ticked by, Pierce was already thinking about how he would face the press conference later—it would be like walking through the gates of hell for him.

Before the match, after hearing Deschamps’ bold words, he countered by saying he had a few tricks up his sleeves too.

But where were his tricks?

There were none!

He couldn’t possibly fabricate a comeback story at the press conference in this situation, could he?

Pierce looked grim, but then he remembered that besides the two goals, France didn’t seem to offer much else, as if they failed to perform as expected. There was a glimmer of hope.

If a reporter asks him that later, he would just turn the question back: what did Deschamps have up his sleeve?

Why didn’t we see it?

The other side can’t be so shameless as to say it was Ma’er’s long shot, can they?

Pierce’s expression softened a little, and he sat back on the bench to await the end of the match.

”Screech!”

In the first minute of stoppage time, after several back-and-forth sprints, Ma’er reached his own penalty area, sliding to intercept Walcott’s ground pass, defusing a threat.

Corner!

Only then did he begin to feel somewhat tired, lying on the ground and gasping for breath. A few seconds later, he propped himself up, preparing to defend the corner.

But just as he rose, he saw the referee looking at his watch and preparing to blow the final whistle: ”Beep! Beep! Beep—!”

It was over!

”Whew.....!” Ma’er let out a long breath, laid back down on the ground, and raised his arms in celebration.

They had won the first group match of the European Cup, securing all three points and gaining an advantage towards reaching the quarterfinals!

”Yeah.....!” The cheers from the fans erupted once more. France team players gathered around Ma’er to celebrate.

It seemed clear to them now who the backbone of this team was!

Many went to lift Ma’er, but others stopped them, suggesting that he rest well after expending so much energy.

Some went over with a smile to massage his legs and shoulders, and others pretended to clean his shoes with a towel as if awarding a hero, making Ma’er burst into laughter.

The scene was very harmonious, the excitement of victory intertwined with the beautiful emotions between people, painting a joyful summer picture.

”The final whistle blows! France, through Ma’er’s brace, won the Anglo-French War two to zero!!”

In the commentary booth, CCTV commentator Liu Jiayuan smiled as he watched the footage of the France team celebrating, ”They have temporarily claimed the top spot in Group D! The chances of advancing are very high!

”It can be said they had just defeated their toughest opponent in this group!

”I believe that those of you still awake in front of the screen must be smiling at this scene!

”Leon Ma’el has proven that Deschamps’ choice was correct, he is the right choice for the captain of the France team!

”When a player can lead his team to victory and gain the trust of his teammates, why can’t he lead a team?

”It is not about age, it’s about strength! With these two precious goals, Ma’el temporarily sits at the top of the European Cup scorers’ list, proving his strength to everyone!

”He does not have the delicate attributes of other prodigies, but on any field, he has the potential to deliver a dominant performance!”

Liu Jiayuan gazed at Ma’el, his eyes filled with hope. He couldn’t describe how high his expectations were for the player, but watching Ma’el celebrate gave him a taste of beauty.

”Keep working hard! Maybe one game isn’t enough to convince everyone, two or three might not be either!

”But just as you did in the Championship and Premier League, keep winning, and one day you’ll find that nothing can stop you, and all you’ll receive is praise, not doubt!

”If someone tries to slander you for gain, they will surely face public backlash!

”Go Ma’el! Go France team! This is a perfect debut, a brand new journey begins now!”

”...”

By the sideline, Deschamps and Pierce exchanged forced smiles and shook hands, turning towards the players’ tunnel. Then their expressions changed dramatically as they headed to the press conference room.

After a round of futile chatter, a reporter finally asked Pierce the question, ”Uh..... in the pre-match press conference, you said England was hiding something.

”But from today’s performance, it’s hard to see what exactly that was.”

Pierce initially planned to dismiss the question with a ’you reporters don’t quite understand football’ line, but considering it might sound too harsh, he decided to stick to his initial plan.

”Why hasn’t Deschamps been asked this question? You should ask him what France was hiding first, and then I’ll answer your question.”

Not far away, Deschamps, being interviewed in front of another billboard, turned his head.

Just before he looked away, he leaned towards the microphone: ”What we hid was obvious, just simple offensive routines, like Ma’er’s long shot.”