Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Counterattack
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"An unbelievable moment! Si-eon, who drew everyone's eyes with that shot feint, passed it off to Lorenzo!"
"Yes... In the end, not a single player could even attempt to block Lorenzo's shot. He was in a completely free position."
"Amazingly, Espanyol—who were scrambling on defense the entire match—have pulled level at 1:1!"
The game, tied in the 70th minute, had become impossible to predict.
Even though it was Atlético Madrid's home ground, the momentum had swung to the away fans who'd followed Espanyol's squad.
This shift quickly translated to the pitch. Espanyol's possession, which they'd barely held onto after the second half kicked off, began to climb.
On top of that, seeing Si-eon still delivering his consistent brilliance restored Adam Dolan's confidence. He started dishing out stable distribution alongside his flashes of genius passes.
And the player showing the biggest change? None other than Lorenzo Torres.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The score was 1:1, but the momentum had definitely swung our way.
To keep this flow going, we needed to score as quickly as possible.
That would break the opponents completely.
Still, the reason I was playing mostly defensively wasn't because their attacks were that strong.
Espanyol's original starting lineup had already seen a lot of changes, leaving our organization a bit shaky. But in recent games, I'd stepped into the starting XI alongside Dolan, and now Lorenzo was in the mix too.
Rather than forcing attacks with our shaky organization, it was better to focus on defense first—lure them into our half as much as possible.
Atlético Madrid would want to flip this momentum fast. They never imagined losing in the quarterfinals, so they were piling on the attacks in a rush. Their impatience was bleeding into their play.
Keep defending, and the chances would come for sure.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Thought they caught up with one goal? Now they're defending like dogs again lol — Fanboy123 Even kids playing Real and Barca, what chance does Espanyol have lol — Anon Espanyol squad, you've had your fill of top-flight experience, time to head out~ — Hater Si-eon irrelevant, why the hype lol — FactCheck Debuted a month ago? The reactions to Espanyol hunkering down on defense even after scoring were mostly the same.
And the Atlético Madrid players on the pitch thought the same.
'Keep knocking, and we'll score eventually.'
Seeing the same defensive posture as the first half, Atlético Madrid grew complacent.
But scrambling to defend like in the first half was worlds apart from focusing on defense while waiting for a clear chance.
"Ah."
Unable to break through, an Atlético Madrid player waited for an opponent to step up while circulating the ball—then botched a lazy touch and lost control.
"Paul!"
I stole the ball and feigned turning to distribute it safely, calling out to Paul Hernandez.
Atlético Madrid had been aggressively pressing in our half up to now.
If I rolled it back to the center backs, they'd surely press forward.
Cutting the ball in their defensive half meant an instant counter chance.
Knowing this, I whipped my right foot through without turning fully.
The player marking me all game had failed every steal attempt. The moment I called for Paul and pivoted, he was already dashing straight between us on what he thought was the pass line.
I blasted it not infroont, but out front—hard.
"Huh...?"
The ball rocketed the opposite way, then bent right.
And charging into that space was only one man: Lorenzo.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Insane..."
Lorenzo took a long touch on the ball flying his way and went sprinting.
There was truly no one in front of him.
Before Si-eon struck the pass, Lorenzo had locked eyes with him.
Might've just been scanning the field, but Lorenzo timed his run perfectly.
Atlético Madrid's players—even their center backs—had all crossed the halfway line, lining up. He could ignore positions, just mind his own and the line.
Even if Si-eon's pass didn't come, no big deal.
Try it a hundred times; one connect was enough.
And amazingly, that one came to Lorenzo.
He didn't slow, barreling straight at the opponent's goal.
As he hit the penalty box, the keeper rushed out to narrow the angle.
No one saw this infiltration coming—no Atlético player had recovered yet.
'Shoot now? No, keeper's out—lob it? Wait, he's coming, so chip...?'
In that split second, Lorenzo's mind raced through shot options.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That split second felt eternal.
Was it dead silent, or too much roaring to tell? No idea.
"Lorenzo!!"
One player could've followed this run: the passer himself.
Si-eon bolted forward right after the pass, appearing from the opposite flank.
...
Thud.
All his doubts vanished—he tapped it straight to Si-eon.
The keeper was out, closing Si-eon's angle.
Si-eon just had to roll it into the empty net.
But weirdly, Si-eon didn't shoot right away.
'No way...'
"Dude! Just score!!! Put it in!!!"
Remembering Si-eon's words, Lorenzo yelled desperately.
Never thought he'd stick to their deal even here.
Helpless, Lorenzo chased after Si-eon.
"Huh...?"
Shhhrrrr...
Si-eon kept dribbling full speed toward the empty goal—right into the net.
Then he clung to the netting, roaring at the Atlético Madrid stands!
"Kill that bastard!"
"You fucking dog!!! Twist his ankle!!"
The Atlético fans erupted in chaos.
A few, utterly enraged, vaulted the barriers onto the pitch.
"Uahaha!!!"
Shockingly, Si-eon dodged the oncoming fans and bolted.
Lorenzo saw it clear as day.
The guy was grinning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "We had a brief chaotic moment there."
"Play resumes."
"Yes... That play from Si-eon... Wasn't that a reverse run celebration...?"
"It might look that way, but you could say he just fled from the charging fans?"
💬 Comments — LolMaster lolololololololololololololol — CrazyFan lolol psycho bastard lolololol ⭐ Top Comment — MemeLord Dribbles into the goal + reverse run celebration, dude did it all at once — SiEonStan That madlad builds fear every match and stacks insane star power... — Buzzkill Shouldn't this be a suspension? — RealTalk Fans charging, you just stand there? — Agree Yeah gotta run, they're yelling about twisting ankles — Huh? Then what about dribbling into the net? — IDK ...dunno — Meme [Si-eon GIF: Scoring and fleeing] — Spotter Why's this dude smiling? — ZoomIn Fr, is he insane? — Detective Zoomed in thinking no way—it's real lol — Scared Wtf... I'm scared — KoreaPride Finally a fun player from Korea lol — Lol? This is 'fun'? — DieLaughing Hilarious af lol — Bloodlust Ride this momentum and smash Cubarsi's head too lol Si-eon's half-unintentional antics sent the community into a frenzy. Even those not watching the match rushed to pull up the highlights.
Amazingly, Coupang Play gained 2,000 new subscribers that day.
The match ended with the score locked at 2:1.
Espanyol, dead set on shutting the goal, pulled all attackers back and subbed in more defenders.
In the end, through 90 minutes plus 8 of stoppage time...
No further goals conceded.
"Espanyol advances to the Copa del Rey semifinals!!"
💬 Comments — Wow Damn crazy — HistoryBuff First for a 2nd division team? — EPLFan England FA Cup has some — Dunno No idea? Match MVP: Si-eon.
Lorenzo matched him with 1 goal and 1 assist, but Si-eon's absurd defensive stats edged him out on rating.
"First question I have to ask: Why on earth did you dribble the ball all the way into the net?"
"Um... I thought I saw a monkey tearing at its eyes in the stands, so I wanted a closer look."
"Pardon? Are you saying there was racist behavior from the crowd?"
"Yes... But it wasn't retaliation. I just got distracted for a second, couldn't slow down, and diving into the net felt safest..."
He let sweat from his brow drip into his eyes, squinting out fake tears.
"Oh dear..."
The mood sobered instantly.
'Whatever, bound to be one racist jerk.'