From Arsenal to the Ball God

Abate used all his strength, even discreetly tugged at Ma’el’s jersey, but still failed to stop him.

”Smack...!”

Ma’el finally managed to control the ball and shook off Abate.

Noticing his opponent racing back, knowing that cutting diagonally into the penalty area would be slower than his opponent’s straight run, he paused, and then as his opponent approached, he suddenly flicked the ball high with the outside of his foot.

”Swish!”

As Abate rushed up, he felt a breeze brush his face, but he had no time to enjoy this moment of comfort, as the ball had already flown over his shoulder and behind him.

”A flick to get past! And at such a height! Ma’el is really daring when dribbling past opponents, and he’s really daring to succeed!”

”He looks more Italian than the Italians because of his angelic face and graceful demeanor! But now, he’s charging towards Italy’s penalty area like a devil!”

”...”

”Ohhh.....!” The fans in the stadium erupted in passionate cheers, many French people already standing, fists and chop gestures aimed heavily at Italy’s goal, hoping Ma’el could heavily strike the opposition.

After passing Abate once more, Ma’el habitually glanced back, unintentionally adding a bit of provocation, just like when Vinicius got past the South Korean player.

It wasn’t that he wanted to show off or provoke; it was just a habitual look back.

”Thud thud thud...!”

He dribbled the ball rapidly towards the penalty area, and soon enough saw Chiellini and Bonucci closing in together to block his shooting angle.

This pair of defenders is a classic duo in football, and in terms of combined strength, they’re definitely among the top five in history!

Facing them posed a challenge for Ma’el, yet it also excited him.

Afraid that his opponents might directly intercept, he slowed down and used all his body feinting techniques, swaying left and right, sometimes pretending to go to the baseline and other times cutting inside, as if ready to shoot at any time.

Having gone through the initial phase of the match, Chiellini and Bonucci were no longer as tense, and with both standing in their positions, they weren’t intimidated by Ma’el at all.

Although they occasionally almost lost their balance and looked a bit awkward, they still accomplished their task by continuously blocking Ma’el’s various breakthrough and shooting routes.

Ma’el originally wanted to burst into the penalty area to resolve the issue, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffon eyeing him closely, ready to pounce and assist the defenders by collecting any loose ball.

”Thud.” With no better option, and unwilling to risk shooting through the defenders, he passed the ball to Giroud in the center.

Chiellini and Bonucci quickly turned around and repositioned, blocking all of Giroud’s dribbling options, forcing him to pass back.

Giroud did not pass back; he took a step under pressure and managed to pass the ball back to Ma’el on the side.

”Thud!!”

Even before receiving the ball, Ma’el knew that stopping it would likely result in immense defensive pressure. So, he turned his body, positioning his left foot to meet the incoming ball, and executed a dipping shot with the outside of his foot.

Having practiced so many shooting techniques, it was time to try one in the moment!

”Slash!” Unexpectedly, Chiellini, who was closer to him, caught up and completed a slide tackle at the moment of his shot.

His heart skipped a beat; these top Italian defenders are truly different—it seemed that simply getting past them wasn’t easy.

But Chiellini didn’t get the ball; it continued spinning toward the far corner of the goal, evading Bonucci, and seemed destined to skim the post and bounce into the net.

The Italian players stood frozen with tense expressions, looking back nervously.

”Bang!”

Just as Ma’el’s eyes lit up with hope, Buffon acted... his body stretched to the fullest, both hands securely catching the not-too-fast shot.

Captured!

Watching Buffon confidently get up and quickly throw the ball to start a fast attack, Ma’el couldn’t help but be impressed.

He turned back swiftly, fully understanding why Buffon was the ”Wall of Sighs” and a strong contender for the best goalkeeper in football history.

A goalkeeper like this instills greater confidence and strategy in the defense line... their defense line will intimidate ordinary attacking players.

But he wouldn’t be deterred; he only felt a greater desire to score, eagerly anticipating the next shooting opportunity.

”Italy’s chance for a counterattack! Montolivo takes the ball! Passes to the wing... a high ball! Center position! Koscielny clears it out of the penalty area!

”But De Rossi follows up, from over 30 meters away, is he going to shoot directly with anger?”

”Nasri is chasing back, but seems to be outrun by De Rossi; here he comes!!”

”.....”

”Thud!!”

De Rossi charged to the edge of the penalty area, striking the ball with the outside of his right foot, imparting it with a speed of 150km/h and a powerful curve.

The ball initially seemed to head for the center, but as it neared the goal, it suddenly veered toward the top right corner, smashing into the top corner.

Lori initially looked confident, but froze in place when the ball curved.

Ma’el also raised his hands to his head, in disbelief.

The goal had a bit of luck, but discussing that was pointless now; every goal involves some luck, it’s just a question of how much... if they executed it, they executed it.

”Clang!” The sound of the ball hitting the crossbar resonated through the stadium, as the fiercely spinning ball struck the bar and flew back out of the penalty area.

The crossbar saved it!

”Ah.....!” It was the Italian fans’ turn to hold their heads in their hands, countless faces showing regret, as if this missed goal might become their everlasting regret if they didn’t advance.