The perfect center forward: Becoming a soccer king from the corner of Chuanu Chapter 190

“Congratulations, Mr. Record Breaker, another hat-trick~”

“When your son grows up and joins the Italian national team, he’ll find himself living in his father’s shadow.”

Ancelotti personally welcomed the hero back to the locker room. Chloë’s cheap stepfather and Lucia discussing this topic made the Manchester United sharp-shooter slightly embarrassed.

“Haha, I’d rather have the chance to compete on the same stage as him~”

The atmosphere in the Italian locker room was very relaxed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone, leading by two goals at halftime, quickly focused on recovering their energy.

Lucia picked up a protein bar, opened it, and glanced inside. He involuntarily recalled his club teammate’s unfortunate moment just now. Then he looked at the half-cut banana, remembered its soft and sticky texture, and chose to sit on the chair empty-handed instead.

He also secretly reminded himself that on the field, it’s better to be a cold-blooded killer. The old saying “loose lips sink ships” is indeed true.

Even if you want to talk tough, you must pay attention to the timing. In an afternoon match, it’s safer to retaliate with goals.

Ancelotti didn’t make too many adjustments, only making a change in the attacking line first. Immobile replaced Insigne, so even when Lucia dropped back, there would still be a center-forward to press the opponent’s defenders, preventing England from creating threats by playing out from the back.

On the other side, Southgate tidied his hair. Trailing by two goals, England couldn’t serve up a “shit-flavored chocolate” feast anymore and had to fight to the death.

The Three Lions immediately launched a lightning-fast double whip after the kickoff. England’s maximum opportunity theory was appropriately put to use.

Long balls were launched towards Kane, who then distributed them to his teammates. England’s offensive instantly swept through the Azzurri’s main camp.

Sterling advanced rapidly down the right flank. The “Happy Boy” was still very fast. Spinazzola, tracking back, used a subtle hand movement to interfere.

Sterling seized the opportunity to fall, earning a free-kick in the attacking third. Although he occasionally made elementary mistakes, Sterling was still very sharp when used as an explosive point.

Especially the tall-and-fast combination he formed with Kane had generated many threats in this World Cup.

Lingard, wearing the national team’s number 7 jersey, didn’t possess Beckham’s silky touch. He opted to loft the free-kick into the penalty area.

Alli, making a late run at the far post, fired a powerful shot, but unfortunately, it couldn’t breach the Azzurri’s steel defense. There was no need for Buffon to come out; Barzagli blocked the ball out for a corner.

It was a corner kick opportunity, and this time it was Kane. He didn’t pass to a teammate; his own header was quite threatening.

But young Buffon didn’t give the English any chance, leaping high to directly collect the ball.

He chose not to tip it out of the dangerous area, showing Buffon’s grasp and confidence in his own abilities!

The opening blitz failed to break through Italy’s goal. Only defending without counter-attacking couldn’t restrict this group of young English talents.

The high press in the attacking third was very tight. The simplest countermeasure was to launch long balls towards a stable ball-holder in the attacking third.

Lucia, with his physicality, aerial prowess, and ball-shielding ability all maxed out, easily completed the task. This was also an important factor in Italy’s impressive run.

In national team matches, sometimes playing simple tactics well can produce excellent results.

The camera panned, and the ball had already reached England’s half. Lucia made a brilliant back-to-goal trap, then firmly shielded the ball.

With a quick glance, Barella was making a high-speed overlapping run. He elegantly distributed the ball to his teammate.

Spotting the opportunity, Barella once again swept the ball across the face of the goal. Lucia feigned a shot, and Immobile, lurking beside him, took his first shot after coming on as a substitute!

Unfortunately, the ball was also cleared by an English defender in front of the goal. Maguire, after completing his defensive duty, even passionately chest-bumped his teammates to boost morale. It looked like he genuinely had the aura of a tough, iron-blooded man.

With a good professional attitude, working hard on the field, and never causing trouble off it, Maguire indeed had a strong leadership presence. He was the kind of player who motivated teammates through effort.

It was just a pity that during his future Manchester United tenure, he was born at the wrong time, and squad issues led to his weaknesses being exposed to the opponent’s blade. He was not only ridiculed as an “aircraft carrier turning” but also mercilessly stripped of his captaincy.

Facing Italy’s throw-in, Maguire was on high alert. He and Stones successfully restricted Lucia, causing the Manchester United sharp-shooter to fail to “take off” in the English penalty area.

Lucia, unable to shoot directly, laid the ball back to Barella, whose instep shot once again sailed over the crossbar.

The Italian players, having failed to score, retreated quickly. Pickford’s quick release didn’t pose much threat.

With continuous intricate runs through the middle, the Three Lions then launched an attack from the left flank. Ashley Young, having gargled, sent a cross into the box from the left.

Harry Kane successfully attracted the defense at the near post, while Sterling, making a late run, volleyed a close-range shot wide of the goal.

The struggling English team still couldn’t seize the opportunity to change the score. Ten minutes had passed in the second half, and the score on the big screen was still 3:1!

The Azzurri in front, the Three Lions behind!

Three minutes later, England’s frantic attacking group struck again, but unfortunately, they couldn’t break through the Italian defense at all this time.

Harry Kane had to drop back to receive the ball. After stretching the defense, Alli’s shot from outside the box was once again blocked out for a corner by Buffon.

It was a corner kick opportunity. With Lucia and Immobile, two center-forwards, both tracking back, the Azzurri had many tall players in the box.

England’s proud killer move failed to create a threat, and Southgate on the sidelines had to make substitutions.

Dele Alli, who always performed poorly against his love rival, was replaced by Rashford.

Sterling, who had a slippery start and made a crucial contribution, got lost in the Azzurri’s steel defense in the second half. Southgate replaced the Manchester City stalwart with the late-blooming Leicester City striker Vardy.

The Three Lions, with numerous attacking players, launched a final fierce assault. In the seventy-second minute of the match, Harry Kane finally had a chance to unleash a shot.

Rashford, playing against his club captain, was also very motivated. After twisting and turning in the left-wing channel, he sent a disguised cross.

Harry Kane’s shot from the right side of the goal was extremely tricky. At the crucial moment, Italy’s solid defense still had one last iron gate: Buffon dived to bravely parry the ball away.

Three minutes later, it was England’s attack again. Harry Kane dropped back and delivered a ghostly through ball. Vardy made a clever run and then took a shot.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t break through Chiellini’s restriction. The highly educated center-back had already studied these players thoroughly.

Neither Sterling nor Vardy nor Welbeck could hinder the veteran’s determination to win the World Cup!

Then came Italy’s attack. In the second half, the main task of the two forwards was to form the first line of defense, so they didn’t have many good opportunities in attack.

Lucia, relying on his individual ability, won the ball and opted for a sudden long-range shot, but it only slightly tested Pickford before being collected.

Ancelotti still applauded. As long as the tactical effect of the big center-forward was achieved, it was enough. Lucia and Immobile, positioned in the opponent’s half, could effectively tie up the opponent’s defenders, alleviating pressure on the defense, which was already very satisfying.

Not to mention creating threats with their strong individual combat ability even without teammate support!

Time ticked by minute by minute. Impatience began to appear in the hearts of the English players. As their formation pushed further up, Italy also started to get more opportunities in the final ten-odd minutes.

Lucia’s link-up play after receiving a long pass led to Immobile’s long-range shot from thirty meters out, which missed the goal frame.

In the eightieth minute of the match, England once again got a set-piece opportunity. Southgate’s hoped-for magic weapon to turn the tide almost worked.

Trippier’s free-kick into the box saw Bonucci’s clearance go high but not far. Lingard, receiving the ball just outside the box, took a very wild shot.

Lingard, eager to make a contribution, felt a bit too hasty, causing him to mis-hit the ball.

He took an open shot that didn’t hit the target, and such a clumsy operation drew a flurry of complaints from English fans.

On the other side, Lucia, jokingly called “Lingard’s apprentice” by netizens, received a high ball from a teammate on the right flank and volleyed it wide of the near post. This shot was also a bit rushed.

But it must be said that different people have different fates. Lucia, who had already completed a hat-trick, had his shot selection unquestioned by the fans present; instead, he received applause from the Azzurri supporters.

Inferring from the result, one can conclude the essence of this phenomenon: no one would have the confidence to teach a super striker who has scored eleven goals in a World Cup how to shoot!

After all, not everyone is like Benítez, who loves to play the role of a teacher, holding a USB stick to teach top football strikers how to score.

Seizing the opportunity of a dead ball, Ancelotti also made a substitution. Gagliardini came on to replace Lucia, who had completed a hat-trick.

In the final ten minutes of the match, the focus was on strengthening the marking in the midfield, while Immobile was left as a lone striker in the attacking third to press the opponent’s tired center-backs.

No super comeback occurred. Although the control variable method appeared on the green field, it had no effect on the final score.

After the super striker with three different hairstyles left the field, England finally managed to change the score before the end of the match.

After seizing continuous clearance errors in Italy’s penalty area, Lingard, making amends for his earlier miss, unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box without taking a touch. The ball flew towards the goal with great force.

Buffon parried the ball out for a corner. From the corner, Maguire leaped high to reduce the deficit for England, a powerful header changing the score on the field to 2:3.

The scientists conducting comparative experiments in the live broadcast room began to argue about Lucia’s importance in this Azzurri team.

– [Conceded as soon as he left the field. If my brother Lu was there, Maguire wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant!]

– [Hehe, that’s what you call a core. With such a performance, who dares to say Brother Lu was just born lucky? Who dares to say he won the World Cup by lying down?]

– [Exactly. A super striker can play a role in both offense and defense. Ancelotti is bold.]

– [Idiot, do you mean you don’t dare to substitute the core to let him rest when the game is almost over and you’re leading by two goals?]

– [Where’s the Ancelotti who used to overwork his main players at Milan? I haven’t watched football for years, has Ancelotti evolved?]

– [He trained at PSG and Bayern, and now he’s using it for the national team!]

– [Actually, he didn’t have to substitute Lucia. His stamina is absolutely no concern. He’s a new generation stamina monster!]

The eager English team still wanted to score another goal to drag the game into extra time, but time flies like an arrow and waits for no one.

As the referee blew the final whistle two minutes later, the Three Lions players collapsed helplessly onto the green field.

Ultimately, they failed to create a miracle. Italy, leading by two goals, was simply too difficult to deal with!

The 3:2 score on the big screen was clearly visible. Under the lights, it reflected the bright smiles of the Italians and the dejected faces of the English.

“The Uruguayan referee has blown the final whistle.”

“With that, Italy has defeated England by a score of 3- 2. The Azzurri have become the third team to advance to the semifinals!”

“And England, they have fallen at the quarterfinal stage. The last time they achieved a good result in the World Cup semifinals was in their opponent’s home country tonight.”

“In the 1990 Italy World Cup, England successfully advanced to the semifinals, but since then, the Three Lions national team’s performance has never broken through!”

“They failed to qualify for the finals in the 1994 USA World Cup, reached the Round of 16 in ‘ 98, quarterfinals in ‘ 02, ‘ 06, and ‘ 10. Today, 28 years later, the Three Lions still haven’t achieved a historical breakthrough.”

“We congratulate the Italians. They played exceptionally well in this match. Although they conceded a quick goal at the start, they secured the victory with two consecutive quick counterattacks.”

“In this match, Lucia scored 3 goals, completing his third hat-trick in his World Cup career, and helped his team defeat England 3- 2.”

“Although the eternal rivalry between England and Italy will continue in World Cup history, tonight the winner is decided, and the outcome is set. This chapter of their story in Russia is now complete!”

“Let’s imagine, at this very moment, in Rome, in Naples, in Florence, at Milan Cathedral, countless Italian fans must be rejoicing.”

“And in London, in Liverpool, in Manchester, in the small pubs by the River Thames, countless English fans must be feeling dejected.”

“However, what warms my heart is that at such a meaningful point in life, tonight, billions of fans in front of their televisions can experience and share the joy and growth that football brings.”

“You will remember Lucia’s figure sprinting from the backfield to the front, you will remember the elderly Buffon’s gritty determination after falling heavily, you will remember England’s tenacious spirit of never giving up even in the ninety-second minute!”

“To be able to transcend the game itself and feel the charm of competitive sports, this is my happiness, and it is everyone’s happiness. I am He Wei, dear viewers, we will see you again shortly!”

The broadcast camera swept across the ancient Olympic Stadium. Tonight belonged to the jubilant Azzurri.

Samara, dotted with starlight, was caressed by the summer evening breeze that belonged exclusively to Italy.