novelraw Chapter 208 - 78: Good Samaritan Moral Excellence Award
Chapter 208 - 78: Good Samaritan Moral Excellence Award
"Lu Yang is taking this penalty kick, there’s no doubt about it. As the current top scorer in the league, he should be the first penalty taker for any team in the Italian Third Division."
Bam!
Lu Yang shoots, and scores effortlessly. The quality of this penalty wasn’t great, but the opposing goalkeeper misjudged the direction.
"Lu Yang! Lu Yang! Lu Yang!"
Fans in the stadium started chanting Lu Yang’s name, including those from Vercelli.
Because today is indeed Lu Yang’s day.
...
By the fifteenth round of the match, it was as if Lu Yang had completely unlocked his potential.
In the subsequent two games, San Remo secured victories, reaching a five-game winning streak again.
Lu Yang scored two goals and assisted once, leading the team to closely chase the Italian Third Division leader, engaging in a spectacular rivalry.
Whenever people talk about strong teams in the Italian Third Division, they can no longer ignore San Remo, including them without hesitation.
In the past seventeen matches, Bai Zhami and Fernandez each scored four goals and made three assists. Although their initial performances were disappointing, these numbers at least prove that they are not the kind of players who fail when needed.
Sogel scored seven goals with three assists, and considering his tactical contribution, no one can say that this big central forward is not effective anymore.
Latu Yidi scored one goal with three assists, and Versachi scored two goals with two assists, highlighting what it means for supporting players to shine. Their assists mainly came from direct passes to Lu Yang.
The only drawback is that San Remo’s two full-backs really can’t support the team’s offense, leaving their front and rear fields in a disconnected state.
But Lu Yang played the perfect link, revitalizing the front and back parts of the team.
However, this style of play is not without flaws.
The reason why Sotu previously wanted Lu Yang to first try Morici’s style of play was because Lu Yang’s current style has two fatal flaws.
The first is that this style greatly drains the wing players, and without proper rotation, injuries easily occur, especially for the two wing forwards.
The second is that it severely drains Lu Yang.
Plus, Lu Yang starts almost every game and often plays the full match. Though it’s unclear how this still-growing "child" has such stamina, honestly, Sotu is genuinely worried about wearing Lu Yang out.
If Lu Yang hadn’t had in-depth discussions with Sotu about this issue, Sotu might often have substituted Lu Yang out at the seventy-five-minute mark.
But Lu Yang refused such arrangements, believing he possesses the ability to play the entire match without tiring. He’s ready to go for another three days and nights.
Especially with his remark, "I’m that kind of player who doesn’t get tired, you understand this feeling!"
A simple ’you understand’ spoke volumes.
Young people tend to express themselves, trying to convey their understanding of the world to everyone.
But mature individuals treasure their words because those who truly understand need no explanation, and those who don’t will not understand even if explained.
Regarding being tireless, Sotu found a kindred spirit in Lu Yang.
Even though many media criticized Sotu for this at times, both Sotu and Lu Yang responded.
Sotu: "Lu Yang told me he would be incredibly sad if I substituted him mid-game. He values every moment spent running on the pitch, and this kind of Sotu spirit is something worthy of emulation by many players."
The journalists were taken aback - this is Sotu spirit?
You’re really good at self-promotion.
It left the journalists speechless.
Lu Yang also stated, "Sweating on the pitch is my favorite thing to do."
Bam!
Sofia angrily slammed her phone, then instructed her assistant to buy her a new one.
Why don’t you like to sweat in other places?
Do you only care about the "grass"?
Even if you only understand the "grass," but this grass is not the same as that grass!
Sometimes people get immensely attracted to him... wanting more.
Other times, he makes people very frustrated... making Sofia want even more!
...
San Remo’s winning streak has successfully retained a large audience concerned about the incident between Lu Yang and Kubo.
Similarly, Italian Football has gained new traction.
According to the association’s data, over the past month, the already impressive attention towards this year’s Italian Third Division has soared tenfold, surpassing Serie B, and becoming the second most-watched league in the Italian Football League after Serie A.
The hero of this success is obvious.
Meanwhile, viewership for Serie A has increased by five percent.
Though seemingly small, an increase is still significant.
It’s important to know that over the past three years, Serie A’s viewership data has been declining.
Moreover, except for Milan, the growth in fan numbers for most Serie A teams has greatly slowed and even decreased in some cases.
While Serie A suffers, it goes without saying for the lower leagues.
The aggressive measures from the Italian Football Association have shown remarkable results.
The support rate for Martivini among fans and the association has significantly increased, and topics about his re-election frequently arise, indicating he’s seizing the opportunity to promote himself.
However, some media suggest that the real factor determining Martivini’s re-election should be the results of next year’s European Youth Championship and the following European Cup, rather than these flashy efforts.
In response, media supportive of Martivini and his advocates have engaged in a tug-of-war.
If there’s no viewership, where do you get sponsors and broadcasting fees?
Without high broadcasting fees, where do most teams get money?
Without money, how will you buy stars?
Without stars, where do you find victory and fans?
Their argument is endless.
It will continue until the next Italian Football Association president is announced.
For those opposing Martivini, two out of three initiatives, including Star of Italy and the Italian Cup grassroots miracles, have succeeded.
But there’s still one that can be disrupted.
That is the Italian Cup.
If the previous hype made it unclear whose label was on San Remo’s back.
Then after Martivini stands by Lu Yang, everyone understood.
San Remo is the team of Chairman Russell, Head Coach Sotu, and core player Lu Yang, but... it’s also Martivini’s team!
How far San Remo can go in the Italian Cup substantially impacts Martivini.
As a result, countless knowledgeable individuals began anticipating the upcoming match between Benevento and San Remo.
Especially after Benevento modified their previously announced starting lineup!
As mentioned earlier, Benevento initially treated the Italian Cup as an experimental game to determine their main lineup, with players mostly at the level of Serie B regulars.
But now, there’s no experimental aspect.
They have also fielded some relatively fixed principal players.
They’re showcasing their strongest lineup!
This configuration, once fully honed, even barely reaches Serie A standards!
Undoubtedly, Benevento’s change wasn’t without reason. Someone indicated they must eliminate San Remo from the Cup this round.
This lineup change has a huge impact.
San Remo felt the crisis but had no room for adjustments.
Additionally, San Remo fans’ anger stemmed from Vedian, previously set to start as a forward for Benevento, being changed to a substitute.
This is the biggest insult to San Remo!
This denies Vedian’s prowess, distrusts his professional ethics, and defames San Remo’s reputation!
In this regard, Lu Yang said in a media interview: "As a friend, I’m sorry Vedian cannot start. But as an opponent, I’m happy because our winning odds increased significantly. Are the Benevento people unclear about who their best forward is?"
Lu Yang’s comment also greatly angered Benevento’s fans.
A football match has thus been infused with a strong explosive tincture due to some non-football reasons!
More and more people are paying attention to this match!