Chapter 76

Being taken the lead by such an absurd goal was completely unacceptable for Botafogo.

So, after the game restarted, they launched a fierce offensive against São Paulo's goal, hoping to level the score as soon as possible.

One could say that Rongguang's goal had enraged them, causing them to lose their composure.

And it wasn't just the Botafogo players who had lost their composure; their head coach, Levi Kupi, had also lost his cool.

His pre-game tactical arrangements had been spot-on, as evidenced by the fact that São Paulo had not had many good chances to score in the first twenty minutes of the game.

Especially, he had effectively contained Rongguang's vertical breakthroughs, significantly reducing the defensive pressure on the team's goal.

In the first half of the Rio-São Paulo Championship, his team had successfully defended against Rongguang. He believed he had successful experience in containing this rookie, and he didn't need to rack his brains to find a strategy to deal with him.

He had a complete and mature set of methods to deal with this rookie.

But what he never expected was that this rookie would use a lucky pass to tear through Botafogo's defense and break his carefully constructed defensive strategy!

He had considered every possibility, but he never thought of luck!

Perhaps it was because he never imagined that the rookie Rongguang would be so favored by the goddess of luck...

If such luck proved that all his efforts were in vain and his strategies were a joke, he absolutely could not accept it!

So at this moment, even he himself had lost his composure.

He had to teach that damn rookie a lesson, to let him know that relying on luck wouldn't take him far on the pitch!

At this moment, he completely forgot what the rookie was best at...

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Botafogo, with their team emblem featuring a black shield and a white five-pointed star, is a traditional strong team in Rio de Janeiro. A continuous five-minute offensive wave completely suppressed São Paulo.

The Botafogo fans who had come to the Morumbi Stadium also let out a huge cheer, supporting their team.

The team's performance gave them hope of quickly leveling the score.

This made their cheers even more enthusiastic.

The situation looked very promising!

But under this promising situation, there was a hidden danger...

In the 27th minute, Botafogo won a corner kick after two consecutive shots.

Both shots were very threatening, and the Botafogo fans in the stands were in high spirits. This corner kick also made them very noisy.

It seemed that they could level the score with this corner kick.

The corner kick was quickly taken.

Just as the Botafogo fans were full of hope, watching the ball flying through the air, hoping to see it end up in São Paulo's goal, the ball was punched out by the goalkeeper, Ceni!

Seeing the ball fly out of the penalty area, the Botafogo head coach, Levi Kupi, finally came to his senses! Wasn't this exactly what São Paulo was best at—quick counterattacks?

The speed of that rookie...

So he rushed to the sideline, waving his arms frantically and shouting, "Defend—!! Hurry up!"

The Botafogo players on the field also reacted.

The ball that Ceni had punched out flew towards Ricardinho, and the Botafogo player Tulio immediately pressed up, not letting Ricardinho turn easily or pass the ball comfortably. The best outcome would be to win the ball and launch a counterattack, but that was a slim hope, so just forcing Ricardinho to pass back would be a success.

At the same time, the other Botafogo players ran back without hesitation—they were defending!

They all remembered that there was a track athlete on the field!

The large open space in the backfield was like it was prepared just for him!

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Seeing the Botafogo players retreating like a receding tide, Cafu nodded in approval: "The Botafogo players haven't lost their composure. At the very least, they didn't all rush forward to press, but instead quickly retreated—this is the right approach. Because São Paulo has Rongguang, and his speed is perfect for counterattacks after set pieces! Now that their defenders have quickly retreated to the halfway line, São Paulo can't launch a quick counterattack."

Under Tulio's pressure, Ricardinho still managed to control the ball, and São Paulo's team pushed forward.

But this time, Botafogo's retreat was indeed very fast—they almost ran with all their might, each player pushing their speed to the limit.

Finally, they were all in position before São Paulo could attack.

When São Paulo's players reached the center circle, most of the Botafogo players were already in their defensive positions, ready to face the challenge.

Seeing no chance for a quick counterattack, Ricardinho didn't rush to pass the ball forward.

He decided to reorganize the attack and slowly push forward. If there was no opportunity, he would pass back, not taking any risks.

After all, they were leading, and they had no reason to be in a hurry.

He saw Rongguang slightly retreat from his attacking midfielder position, looking for the ball.

He passed the ball to him.

Although Rongguang's previous pass had an element of luck, this assist had earned him the trust of his teammates again, and Ricardinho was naturally willing to pass the ball to him.

The ball landed at Rongguang's feet.

Rongguang, facing the rolling ball, didn't stop it but turned around it, completing the turn and adjustment in one smooth motion.

Now he was facing the direction of the attack.

His gaze naturally fell on the Botafogo goal, 38 meters away.

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Seeing Rongguang forced to turn and face three complete lines of defense, Botafogo's head coach, Levi Kupi, smiled with relief.

If Rongguang had received the ball a bit later, the situation would have been different.

In that case, he wouldn't have been able to smile.

Fortunately, Rongguang was no longer a threat—Levi Kupi absolutely didn't believe that Rongguang could have another stroke of luck.

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In fact, Rongguang had no intention of assisting again.

Two assists were equal to one goal; such simple arithmetic, even with only a primary school education, Rongguang could figure out.

Assists definitely didn't earn as much money as goals!

He wanted to score a goal!

To avoid another "accident," Rongguang didn't plan to pass the ball to Fabiano this time.

He now had to face Botafogo's entire defensive line alone, without relying on his teammates. He had to handle it on his own.

He charged towards the Botafogo defenders with the ball.

His speed was very fast, not slowing down at all!

At this rate, he would soon meet the Botafogo defenders.

Would he pass the ball, or try to go it alone again?

Would that razor-sharp through pass appear again?

Many people in the stands and in front of their TVs suddenly became tense.

※※※

The first person to defend against Rongguang head-on was still Edgar.

But he didn't rush to tackle. To deal with Rongguang, each player had their own position. They just needed to defend within that range, and they mustn't rush in too early, or Rongguang would exploit the space behind them.

Wasn't the first goal exactly like that? The small space behind Fernando was used by Rongguang... But Edgar still didn't believe that Rongguang had done it on purpose; it must have been a coincidence. He was flustered by the pressure from two players and poked the ball out, intending to pass it around, but Fabiano happened to be there.

The cautious Edgar didn't rush in but waited in his position.

Seeing this, the head coach, Levi Kupi, nodded, satisfied with his players' performance.

Before the game, he had analyzed Rongguang's most dangerous vertical breakthroughs, telling them that Rongguang's biggest weakness was that he only broke through vertically. His breakthrough speed was fast, but it was a straight line. By analyzing all of Rongguang's goal videos, it was clear that he always moved in a straight line, with almost no changes in direction.

What did this mean?

It meant that Rongguang couldn't change direction while running at high speed!

So, as long as they blocked his path and didn't give him enough space to break through, Rongguang's breakthrough would hit a wall and come to a sudden stop!

Kupi was very confident in his arrangements.

He believed his players knew what to do.

He was now waiting for Rongguang to hit the invisible wall in front of Botafogo's penalty area.

※※※

Seeing Rongguang getting closer and closer without slowing down, Edgar lowered his center of gravity, his eyes fixed on Rongguang and the ball at his feet, ready to face the challenge.

He was prepared to collide head-on if necessary!

He absolutely couldn't let Rongguang score!

Edgar was fully prepared, and then the two met.

Here he comes!

He whispered to himself.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw Rongguang's body sway.

Or, more precisely, his upper body swayed.

He saw Rongguang's right shoulder drop!

As a player with rich defensive experience, Edgar almost didn't need to think to know what this move meant—when a player changes direction, his body leans in the direction he is going, a natural body reaction due to centripetal force.

Without hesitation, he shifted his weight to the right, reacting naturally to Rongguang's shoulder drop. This was an instinctive reaction of the body.

But at the same time, his mind caught up—this kid can't change direction! How could he make a move like that? Is it a feint?

No!

In the next second, he saw Rongguang use his left foot to push the ball to the left!

He and the ball flashed to the left, which was Edgar's right side!

Edgar was still in a right-leaning position and couldn't react due to inertia. He could only watch helplessly as Rongguang escaped from in front of him!

How... is this possible?!

His eyes still followed Rongguang's figure, and he saw Rongguang's agile movements bring him in front of another Botafogo defender, the central defender Regis.

This idiot! He's walking into a trap! Regis's head-on defensive ability is very strong, kid!

He thought angrily, having been outmaneuvered by Rongguang.

But the next scene made his eyes bulge.

He saw Rongguang's upper body sway again, this time with his left shoulder dropping, and his right foot pushing the ball!

The rookie actually flashed past Regis!

And Regis, with his strong head-on defensive ability, was completely helpless against Rongguang's change of direction! He looked like a wax figure!

Edgar was shocked—this must be an illusion!

He heard the sound of his world view collapsing...