I AM the Football Star
Chapter 896 - 217: Claiming the Crown Isn’t That Easy—Superstars Have Their Own Temperament (Part 3)
But... amidst these seemingly aimless movements, all obstacles between Candreva and the goal were intentionally or unintentionally removed.
From five steps outside the large penalty area on the left side flank, to the goal...
Bam!
Candreva suddenly flicks the ball, a powerful shot strikes!
Draw the sword and gaze around, unmoved!
Listen to the thunder in the silent place!
The black and white soccer ball is like a flash of lightning, tearing through the sky.
French goalkeeper Dominic’s hairs stand on end, he dives towards the top left corner of the goal.
But the curvature of the ball is too pronounced, and because the flight time is lengthy, the soccer ball’s trajectory is subject to significant fluctuations, making precise judgment difficult.
Ultimately, the ball sweeps past Dominic’s palm, directly into the corner!
Two to one!
Italy Team, takes the lead again!
"GOAL! A world-class shot! This is a super world-class shot!"
"Candreva’s stunning shot has put Italy in the lead once more! Italy actually leads twice in one match! This is the first time they’ve experienced this in the current European Cup!"
"The French players were confused, they thought Candreva was at a loss, but little did they know Candreva was quietly waiting for other players to tear apart layer after layer of defense for him!"
"Praxedes might not have expected that his casual pass would turn into an assist!"
"Let’s take another look at the recent goal, look at the movements of Italy Team’s players!"
"I’m sure, this is not a coincidence! This is Italy Team’s long-planned decisive move!"
"Indeed! Praxedes had a clear target, he drew away Plazza who was supposed to defend against Candreva!"
"Ancelotti drew away Italy’s central right back Lande, Perrotta and Lu Yang’s crossover positioning simultaneously pulled Joseph and central back Kuba away!"
"Morici attracted the retreating Zidane. Canyes and Morici’s thrusts made French team’s defensive midfielder Joseph and Kuba, while countering Lu Yang and Perrotta, choose to tilt their positions to the right, ready to fill in for defense at any moment."
"The entire pull, this created a path for Candreva to shoot from a distance!"
"Candreva’s shot was too brilliant, just this one ball is enough to make all fans remember him!"
"Italy Team’s fans on-site are already chanting Candreva’s name!"
Candreva!
A name that many respect yet many mock.
Because his greatest help to Italy Team was... faking an injury to leave the field, allowing Morici to replace him, thus aiding Lu Yang in a hat-trick come-from-behind victory against Sweden.
How tragic for a player.
Yet now, Candreva has proved with facts that even on the field, he can assist Italy Team.
France Team slowed down the match’s pace with their immature ball control, but this rhythm also made them careless, mistakenly believing that each attack from Italy Team would certainly initiate from the wings or from Lu Yang’s feet.
They even forgot that at a distance of twenty-five to thirty meters from the goal, a long-range shot is possible.
Candreva, reignited their common sense.
The cost was a super world-class shot!
...
France Team is visibly panicked.
Did they actually fall behind again?
If the first time was negligence, then what about the second time?
Is it still negligence?
No... this may mean that Italy Team indeed has the capability to breach France’s goal more than once.
Zidane is speechless, choking.
Again because of him!
Damn it.
Risk and reward are indeed directly proportional.
His passes today were dangerous threats.
But unsuccessful passes became counter threats.
In the seventy-second minute, Italy Team made the first substitution, replacing the standout Drake with Lam.
He provided an assist for Italy Team and delivered a critical steal, leading to the second goal!
In the seventy-fifth minute, Plazza broke into Italy’s midfield with a one-two combination with Zidane.
But Lam’s chasing speed was exceptionally fast, disrupting the attack from Plazza who had dribbled an extra step.
In the seventy-eighth minute, France Team returned aggressively.
Rubeus advanced all the way on the right flank, successfully executed a Fried Meatballs move against Praxedes, but Candreva blocked Rubeus’ cross thereafter.
In the eighty-fifth minute, France Team won two consecutive corner kicks.
Both were initiated by Zidane.
The first was resolved ahead by Chiavich, clearing it out to the sideline.
The second was headed by Nelka, hitting the post, bouncing towards the penalty area, Real Madrid’s Joseph shot from the outside, the ball went high over the crossbar, landing into the stands.
France Team was always just slightly away from scoring.
In the eighty-ninth minute, Italy Team gained a chance to counterattack, Candreva, dribbling at high speed, passed the ball to the advancing Morici before being blocked.
Morici quickly delivered a shot, from outside the penalty area, Ancelotti, facing a high ball, had a good chance.
But France Team’s center back Lande retreated with impressive speed, ultimately he jumped ahead from behind and managed to intercept the ball, clearing it to the baseline.
Ancelotti was also knocked down by Lande, rolling several times on the ground, causing concern to many.
Ancelotti, experienced, knew he should lay on the ground a little longer at this moment.
Anxiety-ridden Lande attempted to forcibly pull Ancelotti up, almost leading to a conflict.
Eventually, Lande was warned with a yellow card by the Main Referee.
At this point, the time had reached the ninety-second minute.