From Arsenal to the Ball God

”They must take down the France team today and then hope for England to either win or draw; only then might they have a slim chance of advancing.

”But I don’t think they will give up the match. The European Cup is the highest football stage many players can reach in their lifetime. They will surely be resolute and never give up!”

”.....”

”Judging from this opening period, the Sweden team is fighting fiercely. It’s clear they are treating this game as their last match in the tournament!

”Under the leadership of Great Fengxian Eevee, their attacking threat is on par with the France team!

”Ah...! According to the latest news, England is leading, with Gerrard assisting Rooney for the goal!

”The Sweden team coach Hamren shouted on the sidelines, conveying this news to his players. They’ve completely fired up, and the France team is in trouble!”

”.....”

”Svensson holds the ball and moves forward, with Nasri defending him, clearly struggling to keep up! Passes to Sebastian! Looking for Eevee!

”Koscielny intercepts with a fierce sliding tackle, and the France team’s counterattack begins!”

”.....”

”Bang!”

In the Poznan Stadium, Mvira of the France team midfield receives the ball and passes it to Nasri, who quickly turns and accelerates, transitioning from tracking back to rapid attack.

Nasri dribbles forward while observing the situation on the flanks. Seeing no angle for Ma’el to receive the ball, he passes it to Ben Arfa on the other side.

This is also a member of France’s Four Little Swans. With his appearance today, the full Four Little Swans of France have made appearances in the European Cup.

”Bang!”

Ben Arfa receives the ball and, instead of choosing his forte in dribbling, precisely times a pass to center forward Benzema.

At this moment, Benzema, still carrying the ’scapegoat’ label, has accumulated rich experience in playing a supportive role during his time at Real Madrid. Even before receiving the ball, he observes the direction of Ma’el, locking eyes with the team’s most threatening player.

He positions his body as if to stop the ball and turn inside, deceiving the Sweden defenders.

”Pa!”

Yet, just before turning, he suddenly dashes forward, flicking the ball to the outside as if to directly strike the bottom right corner of the goal with his right foot.

Fake move!

The Sweden defenders hurriedly block, with many diving in for the tackle, attempting to widen their defensive coverage.

”Bang.”

But they didn’t expect that this was still a feint. Before shooting, Benzema taps the ball with his right heel to the back.

Set up the strike platform!

This move quickly tears open a gap on the edge of the penalty area, giving Ma’el, cutting in from the wing, the opportunity for a direct shot.

It’s arguably the best shooting opportunity that the France team players have created for Ma’el since the start of the game, using individual skills to create space!

Ma’el comes up, excitement evident on his face. He sees two wide shooting paths, able to choose between the far corner and near corner.

He swings his right arm, folds his right leg to the maximum extent, then explosively channels power from his shoulder to his waist, then from his waist to his hip, hip to right leg, and finally unleashes the power with his right foot.

The heavy cannon is coming!

”Bang!!”

Accompanied by a shot sound like a resonant bell, the ball is clearly moving with a different speed than other shots, rushing towards the goal, a blurred shadow mostly all people see.

At the crucial moment, Olsson, the Sweden defender who had just lunged to block Benzema, bursts with power while half-lying on the ground, leaping back slightly to block Ma’el’s shot with all his might.

”Pa!” The ball hits his shoulder and flies back out of the penalty area.

Blocked!

But because the ball speed was so fast, even after the block, most France team and Sweden team players hadn’t yet reacted in time to where the ball went.

”Bang!!”

Turning to look, they only see Ma’el meet the ball with a more violent left-footed strike, blasting it towards the goal. The ball, as if wielding destructive power, flies back into the penalty area.

Another shot!

Olsson can’t do anything this time; his reactions are far slower than Ma’el’s, and he still sits there clueless.

He has no choice, nor does the goalkeeper Isaksson. This shot not only has an extremely fast speed, barely caught by the human eye, but its trajectory into the net becomes erratic, as if drawing an S-shape.

He knows these are irregular paths only possible when the force exerted is immensely huge!

”Swish!!” The ball slams into the net, stretching each cord to its extreme, producing a teeth-gritting tearing sound.

”The ball went in!! Can you imagine?! Three consecutive games, Ma’el opens with a long-range cannon for the France team! He’s simply the cannon king... cannon god at the top of the box!

”Two heavy cannon strikes in a row! Aerial strike! Truly firing round after round! Who can withstand this?!

”1-0! The France team takes the lead! A third straight win seems just ahead!”

”.....”

”Aaaaahhhhh...!!”

Amidst the roars of the France team fans at the Poznan Stadium, Sweden’s goalkeeper Isaksson helplessly gestures towards his teammates before retrieving the ball from the net to quickly restart with a goal kick.

On his way, he habitually squeezes the ball with both hands, only to discover it quickly collapses inwardly.

His eyes widen in shock, looking down to find a visible crack in one spot of the ball, overwhelmed by strain.

Burst open?!

His eyes quiver as he glances at Ma’el’s celebrating figure, then suddenly recalls something and rushes to the referee, ”Hey! Hey! The ball is not suitable! That shot’s final trajectory was clearly off!”