Chapter 72

Royce's mind went blank.

Before the game, Lin Sen didn't give him much advice. He just patted his shoulder and said, "When you go out there, don't worry about anything, just do what you're best at."

Royce remembered that.

So, he came to the left wing, his most familiar position, and used his greatest strength—speed. The only thing he wasn't quite as proficient at was probably that shot.

Then, three people, four touches, three passes, and a goal!

The world fell into a dead silence.

The stands, which had been roaring like a storm, now felt cool and quiet, so quiet that you could hear people breathing. Rexino, who had been ecstatic just moments ago, now stood with his mouth slightly open, subconsciously trying to unscrew his water bottle to take a sip, but found he couldn't muster the strength to open the damn cap. Cerezo, who had just received a salute from little Hill, didn't look as grim as Hill, but his face was now expressionless...

Lin Sen, on the sidelines, didn't celebrate. He just smiled slightly and glanced at a certain spot in the stands.

Proud, elated.

Heaven, hell.

The Atletico Madrid players, who had been in a frenzy of joy, now found themselves mere wooden posts, unable to react in time.

This is not scientific!

Rod's common sense was roaring in anger!

Lin Sen just made a gesture on the sidelines, and then, in less than a minute, Malaga scored a goal that seemed simple in process but could easily be a candidate for the best goal of the season. After all, the two teams, Atletico Madrid and Malaga, had been fighting for nearly 90 minutes and only scored two goals, with Atletico Madrid only managing to equalize near the end.

And now, just after Atletico Madrid had equalized, Malaga had taken the lead again!

In a way that seemed like a child's play.

What did that gesture mean?

What gesture could be so powerful?!

I have to ask! I must get to the bottom of this!

Rod decided that at the post-match press conference, even if it meant leaving a bad impression on Lin Sen, he had to get an answer. Otherwise, he would feel that his decades as a football journalist had been for nothing!

---

The match entered stoppage time.

Still trailing by just one goal, Atletico Madrid, who still had a chance to equalize, seemed to have their morale completely shattered by Malaga's second goal. If Lin Sen's first strike was an accident, a sharp pain that they could recover from, then the second strike was undoubtedly a bloody one, as it hit Atletico Madrid at their most confident moment.

But no one expected a third strike...

Lin Sen used his last substitution: Isco.

When the young Isco appeared, the entire Calderon Stadium fell silent again, as the scene was all too familiar: last season, Atletico Madrid had also experienced this, and now, the director and actor of that scene were on the opposite side.

The one who delivered the third strike was Koke.

The former Atletico Madrid youth player took the ball on the left side, feinted towards the penalty area, and then passed it to Alba, who was making a run from behind. Alba, not greedy for glory, played a reverse pass to Koke from the baseline.

Koke, without hesitation, took a shot.

He knew he should shoot at that moment, but he didn't expect the ball to actually go in.

The ball drew a beautiful arc and found the corner.

3-1!

Looking at the ball in the net, Koke was still a bit at a loss, just like when he scored an own goal here a few months ago.

Last time, he stood alone. This time, the entire Calderon was at a loss with him.

Koke didn't plan to celebrate, but he was quickly pulled to the ground and then pinned down, first by Alba, then by Isco, and finally by Royce...

Lost!

Jimmy, in the stands, shook his head bitterly, looking at Bal, who seemed to be in a daze, still not having recovered from the loss, and muttered something that seemed superfluous.

Rod wasn't the only one who saw Lin Sen's gesture; Jimmy saw it too, but unlike Rod, he didn't think Lin Sen's gesture caused Atletico Madrid's goal. In this world, there are things called coincidences, and there's no need to take them too seriously. However, he was equally disappointed because, from this match, the so-called "insider" Rexino clearly lost in terms of patience, which should have been his strong point. But the season had just begun, and Rexino deserved more trust.

What truly made Jimmy bitter was that the one who salted the wound for Atletico Madrid was a child from their own ranks.

Cerezo sat quietly in his seat, at least that's how it appeared to others. He only stood up when the referee blew the final whistle. By his side, little Hill had already disappeared. After the immense disappointment, his face regained the smile that his role required, and his eyes remained fixed on the field.

Watching Lin Sen shake hands with the Malaga players, watching Aguero approach him, and then watching Lin Sen pat both Camacho and De Gea on the shoulder... Cerezo's smile stiffened, as the image of Lin Sen's back as he left his office flashed in his mind, as if it had just happened.

---

For the media, a match with a hook is always different. Every season, the biggest hook in La Liga is the El Clásico, but the El Clásico alone is not enough.

After a brief interview in the mixed zone, Lin Sen congratulated the team in the locker room and then went straight to the press conference. By the time he arrived, Rexino was already there, and when he appeared, the room was filled with flashes. Lin Sen was slightly taken aback by the number of journalists but quickly recovered, walked over, and shook hands with the grim-faced Rexino before sitting down.

Karpin then announced the start of the press conference. Lin Sen and Rexino both gave their evaluations of the match, and then the eager journalists raised their hands.

The first to be questioned was the home team's Rexino. Watching the journalists ask sharp questions and challenge the poor Rexino, Lin Sen remained calm, feeling no sympathy. Clearly, this loss would take Rexino a long time to digest, as these people would remind him of it repeatedly, just as they did to Lin Sen last season.

By the time it was Lin Sen's turn to answer, Rexino had already left the press conference with a grim face, and Karpin didn't stop him, leaving Lin Sen to handle the questions alone. Lin Sen remained composed, finding this situation better. Rexino had already suffered enough, and anything Lin Sen said would only add to his pain. His early departure was a smart move.

Lin Sen didn't need to kick Rexino while he was down, and he certainly didn't feel a surge of sympathy to defend him. Was Rexino's current embarrassment any less than what Lin Sen had faced last season? Who had defended him then?

Lin Sen had no intention of venting his frustration with Atletico Madrid on Rexino. He was clear about this. Ultimately, Atletico Madrid's decision had nothing to do with Rexino. Frankly, he wasn't even sure if Rexino would last until their second match of the season. How long would Rexino's "insider" status protect him? Lin Sen's experience last season was a perfect example.

So, Lin Sen focused on his own questions. When asked if this was a revenge against Atletico Madrid, he answered calmly, even subtly mocking AS.

"Although I would like to say this is revenge, I'm sorry, but there's no grudge between me and Atletico Madrid. If not renewing a contract counts as a grudge, then there are too many grudges in this world. However, I admit that this was a special match for me. Just like last season, I'm very happy to win at the Calderon! I'm also very happy that the team didn't disappoint all the fans who care about Malaga, especially AS. Thank you for your encouragement. The players performed excellently, and if they can maintain this form throughout the season, perhaps we can secure our promotion with 100 points."

Happy to win at the Calderon? Despite all the talk, it seems this was indeed about revenge.

The journalists, all seasoned pros, quickly picked up on the key phrases in Lin Sen's words and felt a sense of schadenfreude: Congratulations to Atletico Madrid, you have another rival in La Liga. But can you blame him? Look at what you did last season. If you burn your bridges, who can you blame when you fall into the river?

Meanwhile, not just the Catalan media, who often opposed AS, but even the Madrid-based Marca, which was also a Real Madrid mouthpiece, found Lin Sen's subtle mockery of AS amusing. The saying "fellow professionals are enemies" is not just a fabrication. The only ones who were likely gritting their teeth in the press room were the AS journalists.

"Mr. Lin, I noticed a small detail. Near the end of the match, after Atletico Madrid equalized, you made a gesture on the sidelines, and then Malaga quickly took the lead again. Could I ask what that gesture meant?" a voice asked as the questions were about to end.

It wasn't Rod. Rod was just about to stand up but was surprised to find someone else had already asked the question, so he sat back down.

"Are you referring to this?" Lin Sen smiled and made a gesture with his right hand. He extended his index and middle fingers, while the other three fingers were bent together, and his thumb was hooked over the ring finger, resembling a child's toy gun.

"Yes," the journalist nodded.

"If I told you that my gesture represented the tactic we used to score the second goal, would you believe me?"

"I believe you have no reason to lie."

"Ha ha," Lin Sen shook his head and smiled, "You're right, I have no reason to lie. If it were a set piece, my gesture might indeed represent a tactic. Unfortunately, the second goal was a result of open play, so my gesture had no meaning. Did you notice my thumb? I was just scratching an itch on my ring finger. I apologize for the misunderstanding."

As Lin Sen finished speaking, Rod was relieved that he hadn't been the one to ask the question. An itch? Don't kid yourself. However, from this answer, it was clear that Lin Sen would never admit that his gesture meant anything, as it made logical sense. A gesture leading to a goal? Who would believe that? This is the Calderon, not Malaga's training ground.

Even after the press officer Karpin announced the end of the press conference, Rod was still thinking about this. As he stepped out of the press room, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind.

A set piece.

Lin Sen had just said that if it were a set piece, his gesture could represent a tactic. In a sense, the kickoff from the center circle is a set piece, just from a longer distance.