CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 26: PLAY SOCCER LIKE A KING (PART 2)

Just three minutes into the game, Morici was knocked down in a tackle by the opposing midfielder.

At that time, Morici had clearly already passed the ball, but the opponent "failed to stop in time" and still crashed into Morici.

The opponent’s number eight midfielder is a defensive expert with an aggressive play style.

"Hey, buddy, I already passed the ball!" Morici complained a bit.

On the field, people can best judge whether it was intentional.

"Then next time, just pass the ball sooner." The opposing number eight player showed no remorse.

"What did you say? Say it again if you dare!" Lu Yang stepped up. He was taller and stronger than the opponent, directly using his chest to push the opponent, causing him to stagger.

"Hey hey hey, everyone calm down!" The referee came over, loudly addressing both Lu Yang and the opposing number eight player.

The two sides then spread out.

The commentators thus set a tone of a hard-fought battle for this match.

"Oh, we can see Morici was knocked down again, this time by Potenza’s captain Borges. Before the match, he kicked down two tree stumps and tagged Morici. I think it’s an outright threat!"

"Lu Yang went up again; this is already his third time today confronting the opposing players. It’s clear he has a great relationship with Morici, and he’s very angry."

"If not for Lu Yang’s tough stance, Morici might suffer even more fouls. Potenza’s strategy today is to freeze Morici, and it’s not just in the tactical sense."

"Borges is much bigger than Lu Yang, but during their clash, Lu Yang didn’t fall behind; they were evenly matched!"

"Today, Lu Yang is performing much more like a captain than the vice-captain! Rondo is absent today, and Lu Yang is holding up the tough side of San Remo!"

In the last five minutes of the first half.

Morici dribbled the ball to break through.

Potenza’s number eight player charged towards Morici, attempting to use foul tactics.

But Lu Yang positioned himself early, blocking the opponent.

This gave Morici a great opportunity, and with two more dribbles, he would have a great chance to shoot.

But at that moment, Borges slid in with a tackle.

Morici fell heavily to the ground.

Whistle!

The referee blew the whistle.

It was a foul play.

But it was very calculated because the free kick from this position posed no real threat.

The fans didn’t even have time to boo before a figure rushed towards Borges.

"What the hell are you doing, playing soccer or kicking people!" Lu Yang directly pushed Borges with both hands, knocking the tall Borges to the ground.

Borges immediately got up and rushed towards Lu Yang.

The two collided physically, continuously pushing each other’s chests, not backing down an inch.

The rest of the team gathered around, the atmosphere on the field was very tense.

The referee decisively gave Lu Yang a yellow card.

But upon seeing Lu Yang’s angry eyes, he gave Borges a yellow card as well.

However, the reasons were different.

Lu Yang received a yellow card for pushing.

Borges received a yellow card for his rough foul on Morici.

In fact, the referee’s penalty scale in this game was relatively lenient, which might be his style, but it also made the tension on the field increasingly intense.

Previously, Potenza had at least two players who should have received yellow cards, but the referee didn’t call them.

Even this time, if it weren’t for Lu Yang getting a yellow card, the referee might not have given Borges a yellow card, which was more of a balancing act. He also knew that if he continued to avoid giving Potenza players yellow cards, the San Remo players might be extremely dissatisfied with him.

Looking at Lu Yang glaring at him, Sotu the butcher shouting on the sidelines, and the angry audience all around.

To ensure he could walk out of this stadium alive, the referee decided to give a yellow card to each.

"I’ve seen Potenza’s stats, and they get very few cards, but the way they play shouldn’t result in so few cards," Luis said.

"In the lower leagues, this situation is unavoidable. Potenza is famously a referee team; they can always miraculously change league circumstances, allowing the bookies to reap great rewards," Maniero practically said outright.

In this match, the referee was obviously very lenient towards Potenza.

Morici rolled on the ground twice, then got up still holding his ankle.

He wasn’t injured, but it really hurt.

This was his first time encountering such "body-harming" defense from the opponent.

It was too un-football-like.

But it was an indispensable form of defense in football.

In the first-half game, both sides were zero to zero.

The rough defense made it very difficult for players on both sides to play creative and organized football.

During the halftime break, Sotu instructed Morici to further protect himself and told Lu Yang to seize the right opportunity to attack.

The targeting of Morici by the opponents gave Lu Yang the space for free movement.

The second half began.

In the 60th minute, the match reached a turning point.

Potenza attacked near the San Remo penalty area, launching a ferocious assault and winning a corner kick.

However, the corner was contested and controlled by Lu Yang, who passed the ball to Morici.

Morici received the ball, and Lu Yang began to push forward, while Vedian ahead broke into a sprint.

A counterattack opportunity for San Remo had emerged!

At the same time, Potenza’s number eight player charged at Morici, trying to prevent him from passing the ball.

But Morici beautifully passed the ball to the right midfielder, then retreated instead of advancing, causing several Potenza players trying to defend him to miss completely.