The perfect center forward: Becoming a soccer king from the corner of Chuanu Chapter 095

Fortunately, the fans at the scene did not blame Lucia, but continued to chant slogans to encourage the Italian.

After all, with his technical characteristics, it was already excellent that he could utilize his advantages to help the team score goals!

Lucia was not a center-forward template like Van Basten or Kluivert, who also possessed attacking midfielder skills.

The Italian couldn’t control the ball and dictate the tempo. He couldn’t always flash and move past defenders in the penalty area, or occasionally make a cross or a through ball.

Lucia, with his limited arsenal, couldn’t achieve such an unpredictable playing style.

Powerful headers and poaching goals were the images Hammer fans had of Lucia.

Getting a Golden Boot striker for free was already incredibly lucky. If he were truly the template of a perfect center-forward, how could Arsenal bear to let him go!

After equalizing, the two teams fell into a stalemate. Such a solo dribbling run couldn’t happen continuously.

With a six-point advantage, the Hammers stuck to their steady strategy. Even after being equalized, West Ham United consistently committed few players to attack.

This made Chelsea’s quick transitions after defending difficult to execute.

Kante found Hazard, and then the Belgian and Alonso’s continuous passing in West Ham’s right corridor was defended by Cresswell and Noble.

Then, a long ball was sent directly forward to Lucia. In the Hammers’ counter-attack, the Italian striker, without strong support, had his shot blocked again. Seeing the tough guy’s frustrated and remorseful expression, the female fans’ maternal instincts overflowed.

To encourage Lucia, a bold English mature woman directly performed the “wobble ball” tactic, pulling up the bottom of her shirt with ease, instantly making the fans in the stands tremble.

While the live audience feasted their eyes, the broadcast camera also conveniently swept over, offering some benefits. Only the domestic broadcast station didn’t transmit negative energy.

The sports channel, preferring solo enjoyment to shared joy, quickly switched cameras to avoid the beautiful and pure flesh defiling the innocent young viewers.

Conte looked at the scene behind him and couldn’t help but mutter, “Is this kid really that popular with female fans?”

“They’re so crazy, shaking and shouting Lucia’s name.”

Glancing at the easily dizzying pale white snow-like skin, Conte couldn’t help but think, “Actually, I, this old Italian man, am also quite charming!”

The girl next to him holding a sign of affection had a slightly less appealing figure. Looking at her face, wasn’t she just a young girl around his daughter’s age!

This made the stern old Italian man suddenly feel a little uneasy. Children nowadays were maturing too fast.

His daughter, who supported the Italian national team, had mentioned last time that the Azzurri’s number 9 striker was particularly handsome. Conte secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t brought his daughter to the game this time.

He himself was already tempted to buy Lucia, who was playing through a minor injury. Girls seeing such a hormonal, tough guy would definitely be more attracted.

If he became the second Guardiola, that would be a disaster. What if next time his daughter’s support sign wasn’t his “Confather,”

but the name of an opposing core player? That image was too terrifying to even imagine.

Under the encouragement of the home fans, and with Chelsea’s wide players’ stamina declining, West Ham United’s counter-attacks began to become more effective.

With teammates’ support, Lucia became more threatening. Conte, spotting a weakness, immediately waved his hand and substituted Zouma for Moses, moving Azpilicueta to right-back.

In attack, Pedro was substituted for Willian to maintain impact.

Coincidentally, West Ham United also made substitutions, with Antonio and Ayew coming on. In the last ten minutes, both teams wanted to score while maintaining defensive solidity.

The Hammers continued to exploit Chelsea’s right flank. Azpilicueta, who had been constantly covering for Moses, now faced Antonio’s charges.

Lucia headed the ball back, and then West Ham United created an opportunity in the final third. Antonio received Noble’s pass and his powerful run continued to drain Chelsea’s defenders’ stamina.

The Hammers, who had been constantly under attack, were also struggling. Obiang made a fatal error in his own half.

Willian intercepted the ball and immediately passed it forward.

Clap clap clap, continuous one-touch passes.

The ball kept moving, and the danger kept increasing. Hazard cut inside from the left wing, but the steel wall built by the Hammers was too difficult for the Belgian forward to penetrate.

“Both teams have a chance. In the final moments of the game, it’s not just a battle of tactics, but a clash of wills between the two teams!”

“The feeling of sweat dripping into a wound isn’t pleasant, but Lucia is still chasing and fighting hard!”

“He easily won the aerial duel against Kante and passed it to the newly substituted Andre Ayew.”

“The Ghanaian made a very elegant turn, danger! Chelsea’s central defense isn’t tight enough!”

Stamina decline often causes such problems. The body involuntarily slows down, and even if the problem is recognized, the actual action might be a beat slower.

Lanzini followed up with a long-range shot, the ball carrying speed and curve, just narrowly missing the goal. In the final minutes, the pace of the game became even more intense.

In the 80th minute, Chelsea’s killing intent returned. Hazard once again struck like a dragon, making quick, continuous turns and completing a stylish dribble.

“He got to the byline and crossed into the box!”

“Diego Costa was heavily marked by the Hammers, and the ball ultimately slid past the goal, the Spanish striker couldn’t get a shot off!”

The two teams engaged in a physical battle on the field, but the atmosphere was not overly heated. The referee in charge was much better than Anthony Taylor; only Fabregas received a yellow card for a tactical foul.

Such a good referee, capable of controlling the game, would probably not be shot by home fans even in Brazil.

Then the scene switched back to Chelsea, this time Willian, whose long-range run from his own half to the final third instantly drew applause from the fans.

His final touch was a mix of a pass and a shot, neither giving Diego Costa a chance to head it nor directly threatening West Ham United’s goal.

The game had entered a white-hot stage. Facing Chelsea’s three tall center-backs, manager Bilic’s strategy of strengthening wide attacks was effective, but the results were not very obvious because the wide and central combinations were not very successful.

Conte, facing West Ham United’s consistently dense defense, could only hope for weaknesses caused by declining stamina.

After all, all weapons to break down a compact defense had been deployed, but the opponent’s mental strength was very strong, and they were still holding on with sheer willpower.

The home crowd’s cheers and Lucia’s injury gave the Hammers an advantage. The adrenaline from their spirit allowed the defense to hold on.

Furthermore, this was still the era of three substitutions, so the opponent’s attacking intensity couldn’t last indefinitely, and the “park the bus” tactic was quite effective.

Unlike the future, with five substitutions and increasingly athletic modern players, a pure “park the bus” tactic with no possession and high press would be impossible.

At this stage, the Hammers were simply holding on, and a draw was an acceptable result.

After defending, they would clear the ball long, not caring about giving possession to the opponent. The priority was to quickly remove the threat from their own half.

Long balls forward were then used for Antonio and Ayew, the two fresh players, to combine with Lucia for counter-attacks, maintaining a threat to Chelsea’s backline.

In the 85th minute, Antonio made continuous strong runs down the wing and delivered a cross, but Lucia, marked by three defenders, couldn’t get a header on goal.

Even the strongest three stripes couldn’t block three nearly 1.9-meter tall men.

Then the rock-and-roll manager made his final substitution, Carroll came on to add an extra aerial threat, and the 6- 3- 1 formation shifted towards an 8- 0- 2, adding another tall player up front.

This way, when counter-attacking, the two wide players could also deliver crosses to create a multi-dimensional attack, unlike before when aerial balls were locked down.

Chelsea continued to try, with long-range shots, crosses from the byline, and cut-backs from the byline appearing one after another.

Chelsea continuously created pressure in West Ham United’s penalty area, and the scene became somewhat chaotic, causing the West Ham United fans in the stands to look worried.

The emotions of both teams’ fans tonight were a roller coaster. The Hammers went from trailing to equalizing and then taking the lead.

Chelsea was trailing, then bravely equalized. The intensity of this crucial match kept the emotions of both sets of fans fluctuating.

And for Liverpool fans who had already won, they hoped that football should prioritize harmony, and that West Ham United and Chelsea, who were ahead of them, would draw.

This way, the 13-point and 7-point gaps to first and second place, respectively, would still leave a glimmer of hope for the championship.

By this point in the game, both sides had indeed fulfilled the wishes of Liverpool fans. After equalizing in the second half, the two teams seemed to trade blows, but the 2- 2 score remained unbroken.

Until the 89th minute, David Luiz was a bit too adventurous, being very careless when dealing with the ball in his own defense. Antonio quickly intercepted the ball and pushed it horizontally to the center. Chelsea’s defensive alarm bells instantly rang!

“A great chance for West Ham United, let’s see how Lucia handles it!” Lucia, who had dropped back, didn’t burst forward this time but chose to pass.

“An unexpected chip pass, the Italian’s choice was eye-catching, but his technique was truly jaw-dropping.”

The pass had a bit too much power, making it very difficult for the onrushing Antonio. Fortunately, the Jamaican was possessed by Bolt at this moment, charging hard to control the ball and force a cross.

“West Ham United corner, an attacking opportunity wasted by Lucia. As a pure striker, the Italian still has a lot of room for improvement in passing and creating attacks.”

“For this ‘false nine’ style of play, Lucia needs to study the old masters of the Italian national team: Baggio, Mancini, Totti.”

“A center-forward who can create and organize attacks is a good way to enrich the team’s attacking options. I hope he can inherit Italy’s glory and hone his skills to develop new ones in the coming years.”

Zhang Lu, in the commentary booth, took advantage of the dead ball to popularize the “false nine” type of players frequently produced by Italy, though now they are dwindling due to the encroachment of wingers and midfielders. However, it’s still very beneficial for a center-forward to learn some of the “false nine’s” organizational and link-up play.

Lucia quickly raised his hand to Antonio, signaling that his pass was truly terrible. If he had Messi’s technique in the center-forward position, that chance might have been converted directly into a goal.

The arrival of the fresh Carroll gave the corner kick strategy more options, with Lucia and the Englishman playing one static, one mobile.

A beautiful curling ball was delivered, and in Chelsea’s penalty area, players were pushing and shoving for position.

Lucia directly ran in front to get to the ball first, stepping firmly, then tightening his core. His taut muscles provided the power source.

David Luiz next to him felt a huge force. He didn’t expect Lucia to be able to head the ball so powerfully even with a brow injury.

With excellent judgment of the ball’s position and superb off-the-ball movement, Lucia completed a flicked header.

Bang!

The ball slammed hard against his forehead and then changed direction, flying precisely towards the far post’s top corner.

A blue figure appeared just in time.

“Azpilicueta is the hero! The Spaniard saved the team with a brilliant goal-line clearance!”

“Even with blood on the ball, they couldn’t extend the lead! Lucia’s full-power flicked header tore through the steel wire but couldn’t breach the Blues’ defense!”

“Wait, the danger isn’t over yet, Noble!!”

“Goal!!!”

“Another world-class goal! It’s in! West Ham United has snatched the winner!!”

“Captain Noble steps up at the crucial moment, rewriting the score with an incredible long-range shot.”

The expressions of the fans in the stands instantly reversed. The Blues fans, who had just been relieved by their team’s extreme defending, instantly turned ashen.

And West Ham United fans, who had just been regretting Lucia’s header being cleared off the line, immediately beamed with joy!

Applause echoed throughout the stadium, not only for the captain who had served the team for many years but also for the entire team’s selfless struggle.

Conte’s expression changed on the sidelines. Chelsea, aiming to narrow the gap, failed to score, but West Ham United managed to break through. He waved his hand, preparing for an all-out effort.

Bilic, after the goal, was both happy and pained. The lead was important, but the health of his star player, Lucia, was a higher priority.

Looking at the 18-year-old being treated on the sidelines, the Croatian manager could only hope that his brow injury hadn’t worsened.

With all substitutions used, West Ham United couldn’t make any more personnel changes. After a brief treatment, Lucia returned to the field.

In the tense situation, the referee did not immediately blow the whistle, adding the time spent on Lucia’s treatment.

A united West Ham United faced a frantic Chelsea counter-attack, and the last few minutes became a attacking show for the Blues.

Unfortunately, under the high intensity of the match, the interference of tight marking, and the roar of the home crowd, Chelsea’s front line put on an abstract performance in the final moments.

Chelsea’s attacking opportunity, Willian’s long-range shot