I AM the Football Star

The year before last and last year, Rome had pushed Juventus to the brink in the league, almost toppling them.

This year Rome slumped, but the Purple Lily picked up the banner Rome dropped and continued to challenge Juventus.

This kind of ”comrades-in-arms feeling” is impossible not to exist.

Bang!

In the seventh minute, the rampaging Carrel kept tearing down the pitch.

After receiving a brilliant pass from Versachi, he scored with a header.

The Purple Lily take the throne!

They consolidate their position at the top of the table.

No!

Not top of the table—second place.

Because Juventus and San Remo are still at 0–0, and if it ends in a draw, Juventus will get a point and be level with the winning Purple Lily.

And with equal points, Juventus have the advantage in goal difference.

The Purple Lily are still second.

After the commentator corrected his mistake, every fan in Rome City Stadium had their heart drift to the other ground.

Juventus Stadium.

Today, the Serie A championship trophy has been brought here.

And a replica trophy is waiting at Rome City Stadium.

It’s not that the Italian Football Association favors Juventus; it’s because before this round kicked off, Juventus were sitting first in the table.

By convention, the real trophy appears at the ground where the team currently leading the league is playing.

”NO!”

A desperate shout shattered the harmony of the stadium.

Two stadiums, four teams, almost stopped at the same time.

The players were bewildered.

The fans showed all kinds of expressions.

Soon, the commentator at Rome City Stadium spoke up: ”This is terrible news. Florence have finally managed to get a perfect 2–0 start in this game.”

”But over at the other stadium, there’s been a huge swing in the match.”

”Cole carries the ball into the box, Bernulin commits a defensive foul, and Juventus win a penalty!”

With that, the Purple Lily fans fell into endless despair.

The funny thing is, Rome’s fans also felt endless regret and frustration.

Serie A has suffered under Juventus for far too long!

So why is it that no one can just put Juventus down once?

San Remo, rise up!

”Right, over on Juventus’s side, their primary penalty taker Ancelotti steps up.”

”Cole very deliberately hands the ball to Ancelotti and gives his senior a hug.”

”That shows us a harmonious Juventus. Maybe it’s these little details that keep Juventus as Juventus, while the challengers—Inter Milan, AC Milan, Rome, Florence—keep changing every year.”

”Ancelotti begins his run-up... Beautiful! A clean, powerful smash!”

”San Remo’s keeper Areola read Ancelotti’s shooting direction right, but he was a step late. He cannot stop the spot-kick of a mentally steel-nerved Ancelotti!”

”1–0! Juventus take the lead! They go two points clear of Florence at the top of the table and firmly sit on the Serie A throne!”

”I declare, Serie A has reached its finale!”

”In truth, Rome and Florence are no longer the protagonists in this round.”

”The protagonists are Juventus and San Remo.”

”By losing to Juventus, San Remo not only lose Florence’s title, they also lose their own perfect Champions League miracle!”

”San Remo, you mustn’t fall at the second-to-last step!”

”Of course, this Juventus side really is insanely hard to beat. They’ve got loads of experience in taking down San Remo.”

”Unless Ancelotti reproduces that nightmare performance he had against San Remo in the league earlier, San Remo will find it very hard to beat this Juventus.”

”This is an opponent even more balanced than Florence.”

Honestly, if the rules didn’t forbid it, the players of Rome and Florence would really rather stop playing and just go watch Juventus vs San Remo, wouldn’t they?

Florence’s players lost focus.

Perotti held onto the ball too long at the back, and the dropping Perrotta stole it.

Perrotta released the ball.

Former San Remo player Becher’s simply burned past Florence’s center-back, broke into the box, and scored one-on-one.

2–1!

Rome pull one back.

Just as San Remo, while firmly in eighth place, still refuse to give up on the league and want a straight fight with the league’s top dog Juventus.

A team like Rome, if they have a chance, will not accept any defeat either.

They’ll also do everything they can to go all out against the Purple Lily.

A perfect Champions League run is not San Remo’s alone to dictate—Rome can shape it too.

...

”San Remo are in trouble. This season, once Juventus take the lead, they rarely lose.” On the domestic sports channel, host Guan Zeyuan frowned. ”Juventus have just too many defensive specialists.”

”Vidal in midfield, Turan at right-back, Chiavich at center-back, Audi in goal... With a backline this luxurious, ordinary teams can hardly break them down—especially when the first two aren’t tasked with attacking.”

”Next, Juventus will definitely tighten up their shape.”

”Even though they’re the biggest powerhouse in Serie A, this kind of shift looks a bit cowardly. But when a league title is on the line, spending eighty minutes being cowards isn’t exactly forbidden.”

”There we go! Look, Ancelotti has now dropped back into midfield. Juventus have gone from 442 to a 4-2-3-1, maybe even a 4-4-1-1!”

”Apart from Cole, the whole Juventus side has retreated very deep.”

”It’s brutal! San Remo will probably have to wait for Sotu’s halftime adjustments; otherwise there’s no way they’re breaking down this Juventus defense.”

Less than two minutes after Guan Zeyuan finished speaking.