I Am Jose-Chapter 28 - : First Half

"Ohhh! Oh my God! What a beautiful goal! No one could have expected this! Just one minute into the match, and there's already a goal! This is the fastest goal in this season's League Cup! Simeone! Simeone! After receiving a pass from Galado, the Italian veteran scores! Mallorca is in trouble now!"

Simeone turned and embraced Galado, who had assisted him. Mallorca's fans in the stands were dumbfounded...

The match was broadcasted by ESPN, who quickly showed a slow-motion replay—Galado made a swift breakthrough, bypassing Soler and N'Gonga, and then delivered a beautiful through pass. Pujol drew Nadal's defense, while Simeone quickly shot at the penalty spot before Nino could close him down. Though Franco managed to get a hand on the ball, he couldn't stop it from flying into the net...

Conceding a goal just one minute into the game was undoubtedly a huge blow. To concede a goal in a two-legged home game was almost like falling behind by two goals...

Even if Mallorca could score two goals to win 2-1 at home, it wouldn't be much better than a draw!

The Mallorca players were a bit dazed—conceding a goal so quickly was not part of their plan...

That was until a loud shout woke them up.

"What are you standing there for? Did you forget what I told you before the match? Attack! No matter the situation, attack! Didn't I tell you that you might concede goals in this game? Don't forget who you are! You are professional players! No matter the situation, you need to stay calm and play the game! Damn it!"

José was pacing the sidelines, angrily scolding, his voice even reaching the fans in the stands. At first, the fans were stunned, but as they listened, someone in the crowd started clapping, and soon the entire stadium echoed with loud applause!

"That's right, José is right! It's just one goal, we'll score another to equalize!" a fan shouted loudly, and his voice sparked a chorus of agreement among the surrounding Mallorca supporters!

"Come on, guys, let's get the score back!" N'Gonga, the captain on the field, clapped his hands and yelled.

On the other side, after the celebration, Pujol, who had been watching José, sneered. "Not bad at motivating the team... but kid, do you really think your leaky defense can stop our counterattacks? Don't be ridiculous..."

Scoring a goal early confirmed Pujol's suspicion—Mallorca's defense was indeed weak...

Initially, Pujol had wondered why the team that had finished third in La Liga last season, with a defense that conceded less than one goal per game on average, had looked so inexperienced in the previous match. But this goal had cleared his doubts—perhaps the drastic change in the defense line, combined with the inexperienced new coach, was the reason for the team's sharp decline this season...

Pujol had even been unaware of Mallorca's mid-season managerial change. He had naively assumed that José's youthful exuberance and focus on attacking tactics were the reasons for the team's drop in performance. In some ways, his assessment was correct, but there was someone else more responsible for the decline.

This misjudgment would later set the stage for Monaco's disastrous loss.

When the match resumed, Mallorca immediately launched a frenzied attack!

N'Gonga carried the ball into Monaco's penalty area, and after being blocked, passed it to Ibagasa. Ibagasa quickly crossed the ball, but Tristan's near-post header went just over the bar.

Next, Mallorca pressed aggressively in midfield, Soler intercepted Galado's pass and quickly passed it to Stankovic. Stankovic didn't attempt to break through himself but passed it to Eto'o, who was outside the box. Eto'o didn't pass the ball but began dribbling forward into the penalty area!

Unprepared, Monaco's defensive midfielder was easily shaken off by Eto'o, and facing the approaching Kristanval, Eto'o used his speed to break through again!

Kristanval turned and fouled Eto'o, and the crowd immediately erupted in boos!

Slovak referee Esser blew his whistle, walked over to Kristanval, warned him, and awarded Mallorca a free kick about 30 meters from the goal.

This free kick didn't pose much of a threat, but right after, Mallorca's Soler used a similarly tough tackle to bring down Galado, who was dribbling through midfield—a warning to Monaco: don't think you're the only ones who can foul!

José smiled slightly. Sometimes, a foul from his side was enough to provoke the opposing defenders' tempers, and Monaco's defenders weren't exactly saints...

In the following minutes, Mallorca players tried to break through Monaco's defense with force. As José had expected, Monaco's defenders became increasingly frustrated by the earlier foul and began committing fouls themselves!

Eto'o, Tristan, Stankovic, and Ibagasa all tried to break through, and even Captain N'Gonga joined in. Their purpose wasn't just to create opportunities but also to provoke Monaco's defenders into committing fouls!

And Monaco's players took the bait easily...

It wasn't that they lacked intelligence, but as per Pujol's pre-match tactics, they were focused on defense and counterattacks. Committing fouls outside the penalty area was necessary to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. Monaco's defenders were physically strong, and they often used fouls to halt opposing attacks. Moreover, after their early goal, Monaco's players seemed to have underestimated Mallorca...

So, in the next few minutes, Mallorca's players ignored tactical combinations and just charged toward Monaco's penalty area, running in force, while Monaco's defenders kept committing fouls to stop them. In Monaco's half, chaos ensued...

In the 16th minute, Monaco's center-back Marques fouled Tristan, earning a yellow card.

In the 23rd minute, Monaco's Swedish defensive midfielder, Falne Rudd, fouled Eto'o with a sliding tackle, also getting a yellow card.

In the 37th minute, Monaco's left-back, Prestan, tripped Stankovic, who was breaking forward with the ball, receiving another yellow card.

Meanwhile, French national goalkeeper Barthez was struggling to deal with Mallorca's relentless shots. Whether from breakthroughs or from distance, Mallorca kept firing, leaving Barthez scrambling...

Pujol began to sense something was wrong. Mallorca's wild, somewhat disorganized attacks were expected, but what was not expected was that Monaco had yet to create any good opportunities to score after conceding early. This gave him a sense of unease. In a recent match, La Coruña had been dominated by Mallorca but created dangerous counterattacks every time. Now, Monaco's offense was being intercepted in midfield, and their long passes were easily cut off by Mallorca's tall center-backs, despite Simeone and Pujol being excellent in aerial duels. However, when defending, the advantage always lay with the defenders.

Looking at the clock, Pujol realized 40 minutes had passed. He calmed himself—trying to push Mallorca's attack out now was unlikely, and he would have to wait until halftime to adjust the tactics and ensure an away goal advantage.

At that moment, Pujol regretted his decision to focus on defensive counterattacks. It was clear that, after replacing half of their starters and most of the defense line, Mallorca's defense wasn't as fragile as he had thought...

But just as he was reflecting, Mallorca scored!

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Tristan broke through again, and as he was fouled by Marques, the crowd erupted in boos, creating an overwhelming atmosphere. Mallorca fans were pressuring the referee...

Perhaps due to Marques' yellow card, the referee, Esser, didn't issue another yellow but simply warned him. Marques nodded and stepped back, glaring at Tristan, who had been physically dominating him in every duel. How could the fiery Mexican not feel enraged?

This was a direct free kick about 26 meters from the goal, the best one Mallorca had had all half.

Stankovic and N'Gonga stood over the ball. Both were Mallorca's best set-piece takers—Stankovic usually took most of the set pieces, and N'Gonga had a strong long-pass ability, so their free kicks were generally well-executed.

But despite their skills, Mallorca's record with set-piece goals this season was dismal—only five goals from set pieces, with two from penalties, three from corners, and none from direct free kicks.

Stankovic lined up, and although he wasn't a genius at free kicks, he was skilled enough, and after half a season without scoring a direct free kick, he was determined to prove himself.

"I'll score this!" Stankovic thought, eyes fixed on Barthez in the wall, teeth clenched.

Suddenly, Barthez, directing the wall, felt a chill. He looked up but saw nothing unusual. After directing the wall to close the near post, he moved to cover the far post, ready for the free kick.

Despite earlier saves, Barthez still felt confident. Although Mallorca's shots hadn't been very dangerous, he was sure this half would remain easy.

The referee blew his whistle to signal the free kick. Stankovic ran up, and with a sideways step, he struck the ball with his left foot...

The moment he struck it, Stankovic knew it felt perfect—the contact, the power...

The ball rose into the air, drawing a beautiful arc. It flew over the jumping Monaco defenders' heads and spun towards the top corner of the goal!

Barthez instinctively sensed danger. He quickly moved toward the near post and stretched out his right arm...

But he only grabbed air!

The ball whizzed past his hand, spinning powerfully, and slammed into the net!