Chapter 90

Emery frowned slightly, but in Lin Sen's eyes, he still maintained a calm demeanor. A single goal did not cause him to panic; it merely required a response. Remaining unchanged was also a form of response. With less than five minutes left in the first half and no significant interruptions, the added time would likely be short. After weighing his options, Emery chose to hold his ground. Emery's decision was not wrong, but football matches never go as planned.

In this match, Malaga's tactical approach was very clear. On defense, they mainly focused on restricting Silva and cutting off his connection with the forwards. On offense, they targeted the gaps left by Valencia's wing attacks. Wing attacks were Valencia's forte, but they were also their Achilles' heel. They had to attack and defend effectively; if they failed to defend or clean up in time, they would be left exposed.

Just as the first half was about to end, Malaga scored again. The goal was once again scored by Lewandowski. The Valencia players were clearly distracted by the referee checking his watch. Malaga launched a quick counter-attack in the final moments. On the left wing, Koke and Alba executed a flanking play, with Koke passing the ball into the center. The Polish striker outjumped Marchena and headed the ball into the net, changing the score to 2-0. When the score changed again, Lin Sen, who had been calmly seated on the bench, finally stood up and punched the air.

"2-0! Malaga leads Valencia by two goals at home! As the first half is about to end, no one expected Malaga to extend their lead. Valencia's defense was too lackadaisical. Now, Emery needs to face the reality of the situation. If he wants to maintain his team's unbeaten record, he has a lot of work to do in the second half."

Emery's expression had already turned sour. If the first goal was within acceptable limits, the second goal was like a bolt from the blue, similar to suddenly remembering that you forgot to do the questions on the back of the exam paper after it was over.

What awaited Emery was not just how to turn the score around. He also had to adjust the attack that Malaga had put under pressure in the first half and deal with Malaga's occasional lethal strikes. These were all issues that burned Emery's brain cells as he and Valencia entered the locker room with a host of questions.

Leading by two goals at halftime was undoubtedly the most spectacular performance at the La Rosaleda Stadium this season. Given their understanding of their team's style, Malaga fans almost dared not ask for more, knowing that Valencia would inevitably launch a counter-attack in the second half. So when happiness knocked again, they almost couldn't believe their eyes: Malaga scored again at the start of the second half.

And this time, it was less than thirty seconds after the referee blew the whistle to start the game.

Lewandowski again!

After scoring his third goal, Lewandowski raised his right hand high and savored the entire La Rosaleda chanting his name. Watching the Polish forward celebrate, Lin Sen on the sidelines felt a pleasant surprise: at that moment, he clearly saw the light above the Polish forward's head spreading downward...

Lin Sen had seen this situation once before, last season with Pellegrini.

Forwards, indeed, are roles that easily shine.

A hat-trick.

Even before he had a chance to sit down and wait for the tactics he had laid out in the locker room to take effect, Emery almost couldn't believe his eyes.

How much was that damn Pole worth? It's said that Malaga only spent less than 400,000 euros to sign him?

400,000? Euros?

To hell with it.

Emery found his attention starting to waver. Time seemed sufficient, and he knew football was full of miracles, but his professional judgment told him that a team trailing by three goals was as good as dead. Any appeal was just a last-ditch effort. Emery's gaze turned to the other Malaga players who had performed well in this match. Only then did he realize how miraculous Malaga's summer transfers had been.

Gundogan, who provided the first assist, was not even playing in his usual position. Due to Gabi's suspension, Gundogan played as a defensive midfielder, and this German, who was at least not inferior to Gabi in Emery's view, was signed for free. Koke, who provided the second assist, was one of the most consistent players for Malaga this season, showing no signs of being a teenager under 18, and Atletico Madrid let him go for a mere 200,000 euros. Of course, what depressed Emery the most was the player who had just helped Lewandowski complete his hat-trick.

Alba.

Former Valencia player Alba! Malaga signed him from Valencia for 150,000 euros!

When Colomer sold him to Malaga, he didn't even bother to inform Emery. What made Emery even more frustrated was that it wasn't out of disrespect for his opinion, but because at the time, even he thought it was unnecessary. At that time, Alba was a complete winger with no place in the team.

But now, he had transformed into a full-back.

Who was Valencia's left-back? It was the Italian Moretti, who was pinned down by Duda in the second half.

Emery was very clear about Valencia's unbeaten record. He was not as delusional as the Valencia board. There was no distinction between winning more or less in football; there was no such thing as an unbeaten record. Losing was inevitable, it was just a matter of when. He thought he was mentally prepared, but he never expected to be defeated by Malaga with such a score...

Emery took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his mood quickly became complex again because he thought of something else: it was said that Malaga's transfers were decided by Lin Sen?

Thinking of this, Emery couldn't help but glance at the Malaga bench. This Chinese man, whom Colomer had particularly belittled in their conversation, had such an eye for talent? It seemed that Colomer's mood was not good at all...

---

Emery was right; Colomer's mood was indeed not good.

When Lewandowski scored his third goal, he turned off the TV and glared at the mess in front of him.

One goal, one broken cup.

Two goals, a floor full of broken cups.

Three goals...

Colomer was not a man with a short temper, or he wouldn't have reached his current position, but at that moment, he still felt his anger rising.

This was infuriating.

The coach he had chosen himself was defeated by the coach he had rejected.

Emery was truly disappointing.

---

The sky above the La Rosaleda Stadium once again echoed with the unique song "Sweet Home." This season, the team song was gradually becoming the best "cheer" for Malaga fans, as the La Rosaleda had indeed become their sweetest home.

Lin Sen stood up and went over to shake hands with Emery, whose mood was undoubtedly not good. He had intended to say something but remembered how Guardiola had spoken to him after the previous match. The pointless words died in his throat, and he just patted Emery on the shoulder. Emery didn't say much and quickly left.

3-0!

Lin Sen finally avenged the "humiliation," even if it was only in his heart. More importantly, after three winless matches following seven consecutive wins, Malaga was finally back on the path to victory.

"Beautiful victory? This is certainly not a beautiful victory," Lin Sen said with wide eyes when asked by the media how he evaluated Malaga's beautiful victory. "We are the ugliest team in La Liga; there can be no beautiful victory. For us, any victory is enough. The word 'beautiful' should be reserved for Barcelona."

The sarcasm in Lin Sen's tone was obvious. This made Luo smile inwardly. After being mocked by the media for nearly a week and remaining silent, many media outlets thought Lin Sen had finally realized his mistake. Only Luo always believed that Lin Sen was not unwilling to respond but simply didn't care. Indeed, now, Lin Sen was firing back, and with a real victory.

"Mr. Lin, as the head coach of a La Liga team, don't you think it's petty to dwell on the past?" A young Catalan journalist, unable to bear Lin Sen's smugness, couldn't help but speak up.

There were still many Catalan journalists present, who had intended to mock this arrogant man after the match, but they didn't expect Valencia to be so uncompetitive.

"Dwell on the past?" Lin Sen looked at the journalist and sneered. "From the end of last weekend's match to now, this is the first time I've mentioned Barcelona. I had nothing to say about last week's match. Now, you call this dwelling on the past? Then, should my name be copyrighted this week? Young man, you should really learn to use your words better."

Young man?

The young journalist, who had been seething, almost spat blood at the last sentence. He was indeed young, but compared to the surrounding middle-aged men, he was a peer to Lin Sen. Where did this sense of superiority come from?

Seeing the young man's red face, Luo shook his head inwardly.

Why go through this?

As Lin Sen said, when he lost the last match, you had the chance to mock him but didn't. You thought he would condemn himself, but he had done nothing wrong and instead left with a clear conscience. Now, his team has just achieved a great victory, and he is in high spirits. Provoking him now is just asking for trouble.

Young people, truly fearless like a calf...

Luo sighed inwardly. Lin Sen was really becoming more and more like a tiger.

Everyone wants to take a shot, but everyone must first weigh their options.