Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Attack Points
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lorenzo Torres softly nudged the ball forward with a gentle touch, picking up speed.
After glancing once at the opponent's goal, he broke into a rapid dash.
For Lorenzo Torres, this was the easiest situation imaginable.
All he had to do was beat one defender.
And that one was the goalkeeper.
The defenders, who had fallen for his feint and started late, had no hope of catching the already speedy Lorenzo.
As a result, once inside the penalty box, Lorenzo feigned a shot to the far post by swinging his foot high, read the keeper's movement, and then bent it perfectly.
Tuk--
"Ugh..."
A shot fired without resetting his footing, simply shoving the ball forward with his plant foot.
He toppled backward, balance lost, but it didn't matter.
"WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!-----"
⚽ GOAL ⚽ 46' Lorenzo Torres The ball had already crossed the goal line.
The Valencia players, who had come out for the second half grinding their teeth with a burning resolve to mount a comeback, could only despair.
Just one minute into the second half.
They conceded on the very first attacking move.
They'd thought scoring quickly was the only way to glimpse hope of catching up, but instead, the scoreline gap only widened further.
In the first half, the momentum had slipped away early due to sheer bad luck—unavoidable, they'd told themselves. The second half would be different.
Now, doubts began creeping in about their own abilities. Were the Espanyol players just stronger all along?
As a result, they conceded another around the 75th minute of the second half.
The goal's hero was, astonishingly, Paul Hernandez.
Adam Dolan picked up the ball on the flank and lofted a cross toward the opposite winger.
It was slow, lower than expected—a routine catch for the keeper.
Then Paul Hernandez appeared out of nowhere, hurling his body into a flying header with perfect timing, just before the ball reached the goalkeeper.
Leading 3-0 with Valencia's builds constantly breaking down midway—it must've been frustrating.
I'd figured scenes like this could happen given his temperament, but how do you even stop something like that?
Maybe they'd snap out of it only after conceding on a counter.
I worried for a moment, but Paul's bold call stemmed from that irresistible soccer instinct. And he scored anyway, so it wasn't really a problem.
Right now, riding this momentum was key, so I joined Paul as he roared toward the home crowd and waved to the fans together.
"Si-eon! Even you couldn't have stopped that one, right?"
"If I'd been defending, that cross never would've come in to begin with."
...
He'd asked, so I answered straight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 78th minute of the second half.
Espanyol, now up 4-0, immediately burned all their subs.
That included me and Adam Dolan, who'd logged the most running today.
Paul, the iron man and defensive linchpin, stayed on.
Lorenzo looked set to maximize his minutes to preserve his recently revived form.
Final score held at 4-0.
Valencia, utterly demoralized, created nothing noteworthy—like they were just counting down the clock.
📰 Breaking News Espanyol Crushes Valencia 4-0 at Home in Copa del Rey Semifinal Leg 1! Final Berth Virtually Secured. Lee Si-eon: 1 Goal, 1 Assist! Top Team Rating Despite Subbing Off at 78'. 💬 Comments — Fanboy123 Whoa... Copa del Rey final already? — PericoFan Trophies in debut season? No trophyless slump for him lol. — GoalGetter Not even parking the bus—he's straight-up carrying as a core player. Wild. — StatNerd Espanyol flat-out doesn't function without Si-eon. Fact. Dolan's interview last time—he leans on him hard. — ObserverX Real talk: Dolan was just okay before Si-eon showed up. — PatternSpotter Hold up—every time Dolan's played since Si-eon arrived, Si-eon's been out there too. Si-eon subs, Dolan subs. ⭐ Top Comment — TrophyHunter Carrying his team to a trophy in debut season? That's Asia-transcending legendary status lol. — Skeptic Why the hype already? Final opponent's Barca or Real Madrid anyway—zero chance, right? — Checker Yeah... lemme look it up. — UpdateKing Oh, Real or Real it is. The final opponent would be whichever of Real Madrid or Real Betis advanced from their semifinal, playing tomorrow.
Given it was that Real Madrid, pretty much everyone predicted a blowout win for them.
Of course, Espanyol fans were praying for Betis to pull through.
Our players were no different, huddled around me right now.
"Si-eon, winning feels great and all, but what if Real Madrid advances?"
Adam Dolan, trembling despite the 4-0 thrashing.
Real Madrid must really scare him.
"Dude, we just beat Atlético Madrid. What's the problem?"
"But Real Madrid's the best club in the world..."
Honestly, that's the normal reaction.
A squad stacked entirely with world-class stars.
Even their benchwarmers would be starters elsewhere—aces, even.
"Next year in La Liga, we'll face them at least twice anyway. Add cups, even more."
...
He seemed convinced, no more whining.
Good thing Adam assumes we're promoting for sure.
His confidence had shot up since before.
Of course, facing Real Madrid is always tough.
But exciting too.
A trophy in my debut season against Real Madrid? Pretty satisfying picture.
Not set in stone yet.
Semifinals are two-legged, and they haven't even played leg 1.
Plus, unlike Champions League, there's a long gap between legs.
Six league games before their leg 2.
Time to shelf Copa del Rey and refocus on the league.
Promotion's still priority one.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ La Liga 2 rounds 29 through 34 went off without a hitch.
Fans were joking that Espanyol had finally realized they were the ecosystem disruptors here.
Our momentum was that fierce.
One draw amid it all, but 5 wins, 1 draw over six games.
Málaga CF earned the bragging rights of holding mighty Espanyol to a draw.
Played at their home, La Rosaleda—aptly dubbed the Rose Garden.
Capacity around 30,000—not huge, but fierce ultras fandom.
Ultras: fans with fanatic-level devotion, borderline on extreme fanaticism.
Think flare-wielding ultras, and you get it.
That kind of crowd.
Stepping into the tight Rose Garden feels like thorns welcoming away teams.
Several clubs thrive like this at home.
Overwhelmed by the vibe, Espanyol squandered chances and settled for 0-0.
But five wins elsewhere netted 16 points.
Now second place.
Direct promotion spot, no playoffs.
Just one point behind leaders Elche.
Our clash with Elche? Round 42, final league match.
Barring a collapse, that'll decide the title.
Every game counts till the end.
Local scene was festival mode with our 11-game unbeaten streak.
📰 Breaking News A Dish of Jaw-Dropping Facts: Espanyol Undefeated in Every Game Since Lee Si-eon Joined. 💬 Comments — FactCheck For real? Insane... — StatsMan 9 wins, 2 draws. Nuts. — NumberCruncher Stats are wild too. Joined mid-season, and he's got 8 league goals, 9 assists. 10G/11A with Copa. — MilestoneHunter Mid-season join and hits double-digit G/A! Epic. — FutureGazer Scariest part: 8 more league games left. — PositionPolice Impressive mid-season numbers, but guy's a fullback smh. — YeahRight ? True tho. — TacticalEye He's played some midfield lately, but yeah, mostly fullback. — TransferTalk Zero transfer fee for a player like this! — DealMaker Trade for our 1.4 trillion won star? We're taking the L but big heart offer. — WasteMgmt Big trash costs to dump. Just news of a same-country player shining had Korea in a frenzy.
Espanyol fans on the ground in Spain? On a whole other level.