From Arsenal to the Ball God

The ball from the second point was picked up by Mvira, but the subsequent pass was mistaken, intercepted by Reus who then handed it back to Toni Kroos, and the latter immediately unleashed a powerful left-foot shot.

”Bang!” The football posed no threat to Lori, who controlled it with an almost perfect hand position.

”European Cup matches have many long shots! Because in fast-paced offense and defense, relying on positional attacks to break through the opponent’s defense is very, very difficult!”

”Most of the time when players feel the position is right, they will try a long shot directly, hoping for a chance!”

”It’s a nice attempt by Toni Kroos! Today, this is what experts call a deadly match-up, every player must go all out and stay focused!”

”.....”

Ma’el rushed forward, looking to receive Lori’s throw and launch a counterattack.

”Swish!”

Lori understood perfectly, throwing a ball at great speed, its trajectory elusive.

”Bang... Boom boom boom!”

Ma’el calculated the point of descent perfectly, wielded the ball forward gracefully, then sped towards Germany’s backfield, advancing at high speed.

Not long after the game started, he realized that Germany today didn’t seem to want to defend; perhaps he could play more proactively!

He took the ball straight to the opponent’s defensive line, first facing Boateng’s defense, who resolutely blocked the inside lane to prevent a cut-through, trying to force him to go wide.

”Bang... Bang bang!”

He touched the ball to the center with his right foot, feigning a forceful cut, then used a cow tail dribble with his right foot, flicking the ball towards the center before very quickly shifting it towards the baseline, seeming to fit into the opponent’s planned trap.

Boateng smiled slightly, believing he had steered Ma’el into a dead end he had prepared long ago, considering it a crisis easily averted.

But just as he turned around to chase after, he saw Ma’el smiling too, in a nonsensical way.

”Boateng! In any central or side defensive position, he’s top-notch! His footwork is stable, seeming capable of keeping up with Ma’el! This is top-level defen.....”

Just as Liu Jiayuan was finishing with a high tone, he saw Ma’el suddenly change direction again, picking the ball up to a certain height at the perfect moment, soaring over Boateng’s instinctive kick, charging towards the center.

Another change of direction!

”Thud!” Boateng slipped, lying down straight on the ground, collapsing very smoothly, like falling asleep.

”.....Defenders facing elite forwards feel powerless! Boateng seems to be lying on a green bed! This might lower his market value!

”Ma’el cut inside! He probably will come straight for a shot!”

”.....”

Inside Germany’s penalty area, no one reacted to Ma’el suddenly evading Boateng and penetrating the penalty area, exposing a large gap to the opponent in an instant.

Neuer and center-back Hummels lowered their centers of gravity first, but clearly had insufficient time to make decisions.

”Thud thud thud!”

Neuer hesitated for a moment, judging Ma’el might rush a couple of steps further into the penalty area, fearing he might not get there in time, quickly charging towards the opponent, thinking it would increase the chance of a successful save.

Hummels seemed aware of Neuer’s adventurous nature, choosing a more conservative strategy, immediately turning to rush behind Neuer, preparing to defend any blind spots.

But at that moment, both found Ma’el ready to pull the trigger directly on the penalty area line.

No pretenses!

No need to advance!

As long as there’s an angle and opportunity, trust your shot, take it directly!

Neuer: ”.....”

At the moment of rushing out, goalkeepers are extremely vulnerable, having just expended energy in advancing, no longer able to lower their center of gravity suddenly for a save, even if a successful save was possible, the probability was low.

Hummels: ”.....”

Defenders, too, are extremely vulnerable before supplementing the goal, appearing more foolish during such an important match by hesitating to advance early on, giving the opponent a chance to shoot easily.

”Boom!!” The sound of a powerful shot reverberated throughout Liv Stadium, the football blasted from Ma’el’s foot, most only glimpsing the moment it soared, then it thudded into the net.

”Swish!” With Neuer and Hummels unable to resist, the football hit the upper right corner of the net.

The ball is in!

France scored early!

Neuer didn’t fall to the ground, quickly stood up with a face full of disappointment and closed his eyes, knowing what it meant for the opponent to score at that moment.

A beam of sunlight hit his face, not giving him hope but adding to his despair, as they were playing against the light.

”Wow.....!!”

”Fola.....!!”

Over thirty thousand France team fans stood up, not even finishing their songs, already cheering for Ma’el, but that’s what they loved.

”The ball is in! The match just started 45 seconds ago! France scored the first goal!!

”Ma’el advanced the team! It’s amazing! He first evaded Boateng and then blasted into the net from the penalty line!

”Almost an average of one long-range goal per game! Last season, he was the player with the most extra-penalty goals in the entire European football scene, perhaps he would capture this historical record in the European Cup too!

”Talk about that later, in any case, his goal surpassed Russian player Kireenko’s goal against Greece in the 2004 European Cup, becoming the fastest goal in European Cup history!

”.....”

On the field, Ma’el hadn’t had a chance to run out of the penalty area before Giroud caught up and tackled him to the ground, he was not disheartened, even if getting up and snapping back into action may blow off the adrenaline rush from scoring.