Dominating Football with Perfect Ball Control

Chapter 315: 315. The greatest respect is to defeat your opponent with all your might.

Check out advanced Chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari

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”That’s right! Our opponent is the world’s most valuable player, a powerful enemy no less than Messi!”

”But we are not without hope!”

”We are the strongest team in Portugal! We are all sailors in dire straits, unafraid of even the fiercest storms!”

”Go! Kill them all!”

”Victory!”

Benfica’s midfield maestro Gaitán shouted with his teammates, his expression fierce.

Facing Atlético Madrid, it was just like Lance’s first time facing Barcelona, like an insurmountable mountain on the pitch, bringing a sense of despair.

But the football pitch is also full of brave challengers to strong enemies, full of dreamers who dare to fight.

If you only look at the paper strength, you might as well just give Real Madrid the championship, why bother with a match?

Isn’t it because football is full of uncertainties?

No one knows what will happen!

That’s the charm of football!

The 18-year-old star on the opposite side, with a strong oppressive aura, took the kickoff first.

Gaitán looked over, ready for the challenge.

The match officially began!

...

”Alright, friends, welcome to LeSports!”

”This round of the Champions League group stage brings you the Group C highlight match. The home team, Benfica, currently has 2 wins and 1 loss, ranking 2nd. The away team, Atlético Madrid, has won all 3 matches and is at the top of the table.”

”Let’s look at the starting lineups for both sides. For the home team, Benfica:

Benfica 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Ederson

Defenders: Almeida, Lindel?f, Luis?o, Eliseu

Midfielders: Samaris, Fejsa, Gaitán, Renato Sanches

Forwards: Jonas, Mitroglou

”Rui Vitória has led Benfica to an unbeaten run of 10 matches in the Primeira Liga this season, dominating the league. He specialises in a 4-4-2 defensive counter-attacking system. The four defenders and double defensive midfielders secure the backfield. The two wing midfielders are actually double attacking midfielders; Gaitán and Renato Sanches both have the ability to break through on both wings and to organise passes. Coupled with the tall striker Jonas and Mitroglou’s poaching ability, Benfica’s counterattacks are still very threatening.”

The Primeira Liga is considered a niche league in China, and most fans have hardly heard of anyone in it.

At most, they’ve seen two players most rumoured to be joining Manchester United:

Defender Lindel?f, who is said to have already signed a preliminary contract with Manchester United and will report to the Red Devils next season.

And the midfield maestro Gaitán, who has been rumoured to join since the era of the old Sir, but has never signed for several years.

As for goalkeeper Ederson, he will be Manchester City’s starting goalkeeper, a Champions League winning goalkeeper, and the Brazil Team’s number one national goalkeeper in the future.

Now he is just a minor player, hardly known by anyone.

Facing this obscure lineup, Jian Jun still introduced them fluently as if he knew them by heart, without even looking at his notes.

Changing the subject, when it came to the away team, Atlético Madrid, it was a familiar setup for everyone.

When the news of Lance’s transfer to La Liga’s Atlético Madrid first broke, Chinese fans had already dug up everything about Atlético Madrid.

Originally an obscure team, Atlético Madrid suddenly saw tens of millions of ”ten-year Atlético Madrid loyal fans” emerge.

Overnight, Atlético Madrid became a ”giant team” recognised by Chinese fans, with its popularity soaring.

The official Weibo, with fewer than 300,000 followers, suddenly surged to over 8 million.

Lance’s teammates did not need Jian Jun to introduce them; everyone could recite their names with their eyes closed.

”Atlético Madrid has also sent out their full main lineup, showing how much they value today’s match.

Atlético Madrid 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Oblak

Defenders: Juanfran, Giménez, Godín, Filipe Luís

Midfielders: Saúl, Koke, Gabi, Griezmann

Forwards: Torres, Lance

As Jian Jun mentioned Lance, Atlético Madrid happened to find an opportunity in the front.

Griezmann’s breakthrough on the left was blocked; he dribbled back, held off two defenders, and skilfully manoeuvred the ball out.

Lance moved closer to receive the ball.

The moment he received the ball, Benfica’s defensive system was on edge!

At least four players converged from different directions, blocking all of Lance’s breakthrough directions and passing lanes.

The only place Lance could break through was the sideline.

The only place he could pass was a back pass to the left-back.

Holding the ball with his back to the goal, he was constantly impacted by the opponent’s defensive midfielder, who tugged at his jersey, tried to trip him, and used subtle small movements to poke Lance’s waist.

They were like mad dogs.

Any ordinary player would have succumbed to the pressure and made a mistake.

But Lance was highly skilled and daring!

Instead of a conventional instep trap, he took a step sideways and lightly flicked the ball with his left toe, then leant into the opponent’s right side to turn, and the ball suddenly went around his left side!

Today’s template was [Nagi Seishiro]!

Most suitable for small-area trapping and escaping near the penalty area!

”Beautiful!! Lance!!”

Jian Jun’s eyes lit up.

Amidst the cheers of all the fans, after Lance’s signature chip-and-run, he once again chipped the ball with his right foot, immediately followed by a left instep stop to change direction, an aerial one-two version of a ’fried dumpling’!

He burst out of the enemy’s ’inverted pyramid’ encirclement like a flash of lightning!

His first touch earned him a thunderous applause!

As he burst into the penalty area, catching the Benfica players off guard, he struck the football with his right foot like a whip!

Tiger Shot!

Bang—

”What the hell?! My God!”

Ederson knew Lance was fierce, but he didn’t expect him to be this fierce.

Relying entirely on his abnormal neural reflexes, he sprang up and dived, desperately reaching out to tip the ball over the crossbar, he crashed heavily into the post!

”Ederson—a last-ditch save!! He blocked Lance’s extremely high-quality shot!”

Such an exciting offence and defence erupted in the first minute of the match, the fans were instantly wide awake.

The Portuguese fans at Estádio da Luz collectively let out a sigh of relief.

Their hearts had clenched the moment Lance shot.

In the previous round, Atlético Madrid defeated Benfica 2-0 at home, and the World Cup match where Belgium eliminated Portugal, had already made all Portuguese remember Lance, this great demon king!

He was too damn scary!

From the first minute of the match, it signalled the intensity of today’s game.

Ederson became the brightest star on the pitch!

”Griezmann!! A push shot in the penalty area!”

”Beautiful!! Ederson blocked it with his foot!”

”...Atlético Madrid corner, Griezmann takes the corner... Godín!!! A header on goal!!”

”It’s Ederson again!!”

”Second ball outside the penalty area... Lance!!!!”

”Just wide! It grazed the crossbar and almost went in, Benfica escaped a scare.”

”Goal kick taken!! Gaitán!! Switched to the left! Good!!”

Hiss—

Jian Jun almost gasped!

Benfica’s counterattack had no fancy passing, it was simply direct and aimed at the heart.

The goal kick was just taken, the backfield passed to Gaitán.

Gaitán on the right wing, known as the ”Benfica engine,” made a long pass to the left wing.

The 18-year-old Renato Sanches dribbled and accelerated, cut inside, overtook, and completely beat Juanfran!

”Cross—Jonas!!”

”Oblak!! A world-class save!!”

Lance frequently created danger in the front, and in the backfield, there was the great goalkeeper Oblak.

Atlético Madrid’s hearts, which had just risen, settled down considerably.

The home team Benfica did not surrender, but instead, with the boost from Estádio da Luz, fought a desperate battle.

A Champions League group stage match, the pace was comparable to the Premier League.

No horizontal passes, no back passes, only through balls that went straight forward!

”Griezmann!! An outside-of-the-foot through ball to the ribs!!”

”Torres lays it back with his back to goal!”

”Lance—another shot from outside the box!!”

”Pulled down by the defender!! A free-kick outside the penalty area.”

”...Benfica’s counterattack!! Another breakthrough on the left!! Cross!”

”Jonas!! Header just wide.”

”...Atlético Madrid midfield push, oh this ball!! Lance suddenly takes a powerful shot!!”

”That was beautiful! Unfortunately, a little bit unlucky, it hit the post!”

Both sets of fans’ heart rates must have soared above 120.

45 minutes in a classroom felt like years, but 45 minutes of a match flew by in an instant!

Seeing that neither side had scored in the first half, Lance glanced at his rage value, which had already accumulated.

Frequent confrontations, intense tug-of-war, often with 4-man or 5-man encirclements, Lance’s rage value shot up to 100%!

”Exciting! This match is exciting!”

Although Benfica was not a giant, they were at least a respectable opponent!

Lance thoroughly enjoyed today’s Champions League match.

The greatest respect you can give an opponent is to defeat them with all your might!

”Lance!!”

Atlético Madrid pushed forward, Griezmann on the left feigned a link-up with the defender, then suddenly cut back and chipped a pass into the penalty area!

Lance made a well-timed run, and the [Nagi Seishiro] template came into play at the edge of the box!

Perfect trap! A gentle touch with his knee, he took a big step sideways, evading Lindel?f’s tackle.

He swung his right foot and mercilessly struck the ball with a volley!

Bang—

Viewers in front of their televisions could hear the power of that shot!

It echoed through the Estádio da Luz!

[Hardcore Shot!]

[Tiger Shot!]

”A volley!!”

”It’s a goal!! Lance—”

”Bending the bow and notching the arrow, shooting the halberd at the camp gate! Last season’s Champions League top scorer, Champions League best player!”

”God Lance scores first!”

”1 to 0!”

Ederson realised for the first time in his career that some shots were beyond saving, even for a god!