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But Bai Zhami’s pass wasn’t a curved pass like that.

Instead, when the supporting foot and the soccer ball are very close, the other foot comes over to pass the ball.

At the moment of passing, the player’s body leans forward, and because the supporting foot is too close to the soccer ball, the leg hitting the ball feels awkward, overall creating an awkward movement.

Yet, this allows the ball to roll to the passer’s diagonal back.

If the traditional cross is to let the ball pass over the defender.

Then this pass is meant to let the ball go behind the defender.

Gordon is very fast, Bai Zhami’s pass forward would likely be blocked by him, so he could only use this pass.

And indeed the ball went behind Gordon.

Even Gordon, with all his experience, couldn’t reach the ball despite timely lifting his back leg.

He was too fast.

In the center, Talista galloped in, receiving the ball just inside the penalty area, and unleashed a powerful shot.

England’s national goalkeeper Marduk was overwhelmed again.

The ball fiercely pierced into the net.

Two to zero!

San Remo expanded the score.

At this moment, Highbury Stadium was silent.

It’s done!

Arsenal is going down!

Arsenal’s Champions League dream!

Many fans had red eyes.

Last year, Arsenal suffered the humiliation of being eliminated in the Champions League group stage.

But at least last year, they went to the Europa League and even reached the finals.

And this year... they might not even have the Europa League?

This...

Thankfully, in the seventy-first minute, Olic’s searching in the middle paid off with a direct pass that pierced San Remo’s defense.

Though San Remo mainly defended against central direct passes, this showed it’s indeed a flaw in their playstyle.

Olic was clever, deliberately attracting Lu Yang over before directly passing to the other side, leaving Lu Yang helpless.

After receiving the ball, Rubeus passed without stopping, turning into a wall.

Nelka received the ball, accelerated with a flick, and bypassed Naji in one step.

Palacios was slow in moving, and when he rushed over, Nelka had already adjusted.

Boom!

Nelka shot inside the penalty area, confidently aiming for the near corner, a tricky angle.

Areola couldn’t stop the ball.

One to two!

Arsenal pulled one back.

The match still had a chance.

At this moment, Arsenal’s team anthem echoed through the stands.

Arsenal saw hope.

But next, on the sidelines, Sotu directly pulled two people from the bench.

Substitution!

Delarre replaced Morici!

With this substitution, Mr. Winter was taken aback.

Replace Morici?

Wasn’t it supposed to be Moriba?

This...

So crafty!

As mentioned earlier, Delarre’s physique is far superior to Morici’s.

Thus bringing Delarre on was clearly a defensive move.

"F*ck!" Mr. Winter couldn’t help but curse, seeing San Remo’s second substitution.

They replaced the relatively good-performing Bai Zhami but did not swap in Fernandez positionally, instead bringing on... Alme!

Yes, a center-back.

No more pretending!

Confirmed 532!

No, it’s 631 or 541, with Lu Yang primarily playing wing-back or midfield today.

So despicable!

Come out and attack, then.

Time was running out for Arsenal.

In the eighty-first minute, Arsenal’s other stars finally began to sacrifice themselves.

In fact, the previous goal was achieved through Olic’s sacrifice.

Before that, Olic roamed actively in the midfield for a long time, only then finding the chance to supply ammo to Nelka.

And Olic, he’s undoubtedly a frontline superstar.

Isn’t this sacrifice?

Without a proper ball distributor, the forward superstar had to go to midfield to distribute the ball.

Rubeus also started attempting Olic’s style of play.

Walter also took the initiative to help Nelka disrupt the defense.

But it was slightly late.

Soccer isn’t about claiming sacrifice and then immediately leading the team to score. The transition from sacrifice to a shift in the situation takes time.

Moreover, when Rubeus withdrew, San Remo’s defensive pressure decreased.

Arsenal had more numbers in the center and fewer forwards, and when they pressed full force, they faced the problem of having fewer people in the box and too many outside the penalty area.

With more people outside the penalty area, there was more passing, although there were more chances to play the ball out. However, after crossing, nobody was there to contest in the box!

Naji headed the ball away, sending it towards Delarre.

Delarre decisively advanced after receiving, performed a fancy move past the approaching Lock, and suddenly passed the ball, rendering Plazza’s attempt to block his path useless.

In one advance and pass, Delarre’s clear thought process was evident.

He seemed to have advancing intentions, but his core goal was still to speed up the counterattack with a long pass.

This was far better than players who only dribble with the ball or only pass once they have it.

The timing of Delarre’s ball was very advanced, but it was for a teammate to chase, not directly sent to the front.

After all, Bai Zhami was already off.

And Talista isn’t known for his speed.

The ball rolled past midfield, in an awkward position.

Talista didn’t retreat but started running toward the penalty area, as if certain that someone would pass this ball to him. White followed Talista back, while Koschel, closer to the ball, dashed towards it.

Simultaneously, Lu Yang also dashed toward the ball.

His speed, visibly fast to the naked eye, almost immediately distanced himself from Plazza and Olic alongside him.