Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 79: The prototype of the pendulum dribble! The best player of the half! [15]

On the field, the game came to the final ten minutes, and this Boxing Day battle was about to come to an end.

The Hull City fans seemed to be tired or overwhelmed, and their voices gradually faded away.

Their head coach quickly made substitutions, using the two remaining substitutions and sending two forwards to attack the Sheffield United defense.

"Boom! Boom!"

They kept lofting high balls from the backcourt into the Sheffield United penalty area, trying to score goals in the simplest way.

There was no time left for them to organize, they had to make good use of every minute.

"Come back! Come back!"

Gary Speed ​​was not stubborn and called on the team to return to defense and set up a bus in front of the penalty area, "Leave Maher a counterattack point, Evans and Bolodanovic take turns to return to defense!"

This is not a shameful tactic. Even the team that plays the most offensive football will choose to retreat in such a situation.

"Watch out for the high ball!"

"two points!"

Sheffield United players retreated deep to defend, forming two tight barriers in front of the penalty area to protect the safety of the goal.

They have good ability in heading the ball, and under dense defense, ordinary high balls cannot pose a threat over their heads.

One high ball after another came at them, but they were cleared out of the penalty area again and again.

Gradually, after Hull City found that they could not win opportunities through aerial advantage, they began to rely on the individual abilities of their players.

The players in the team who are good at breakthroughs frequently dribbled the ball to launch attacks on Sheffield United, and the long-range shooters who are good at shooting also constantly harassed Sheffield United's goal with heavy artillery outside the penalty area.

But. When the referee raised the card for one minute of injury time in the second half, the score was still three to two!

"Oh!"

Jay Simpson, who scored twice in the game, made the final try for the team with a volley from outside the penalty area.

Unfortunately, the football was too high and off target, and Robert in front of the goal didn't even jump.

This shot deflated all the Hull City players and they all lowered their heads to offset the pain of having lost all hope.

"Oh!"

No one noticed that Robert in front of the goal quickly asked the caddy for the ball and made a long pass to their back half.

It was not until they heard the sound of the ball and the shouts of the fans that they turned around in surprise.

Maher, the counterattack point who had been harassing their back line, passed their last defender and chased after the football.

And their backcourt was empty!
"Yeah!" The Sheffield United fans at the scene began to celebrate in advance, as if seeing Maher get such a good opportunity, there was no suspense whether he could score or not.

The Hull City players were in complete despair, and four or five of them chased after Maher, but it was too late.

“Bang, bang. bang!”

Maher's right foot kept pushing the ball forward. It was a very intense game, and by now he could hardly feel his legs.

All I knew was to take quick steps and rush towards the opponent's goal to end the game!
"suffer!"

Mannone rushed out in front of the door, roaring to give himself courage. This was another time when the enemies faced each other.

When he came in front of Mannone, Maher used up the last bit of his brain power and strength, took a flying step to the right with his right leg, and then took a bigger step to the left with his left leg, making a fake breakthrough.

Mannone's center of gravity shifted to his right side and he made a last effort, but only realized he had been deceived when he fell to the ground in embarrassment and came up empty-handed.

Maher went to the right again, stepped past the opponent at high speed, and shook off Mannone!

The door is empty!
"Bang." With an easy shot, the football rolled steadily into the net without any accidents.

Four to two!
Victory is decided!

The extreme excitement made Maher's whole body tremble again, as if a force suddenly burst out from somewhere, which supported him to run to the sidelines to celebrate.

He put his hands to his ears and soon heard a louder shout than before that shook the whole audience, "Yeahhh!!"

He thought of Simpson who lost the ball, and this time, he remembered the dart throwing gesture the opponent made at the beginning of the second half.

He first imitated his opponent's movements and responded with a cool dart throwing action.

Then, as if that was not enough, he stretched his forearms behind his head and made a javelin throwing motion with greater force!
Simpson's darts did not kill them, but only caused them brief pain.

Now, he was going to nail Hull with his javelin, and it would be a long-lasting injury!

Shortly after completing the shot, Simpson, who was still in the Sheffield United half, rolled his eyes and sighed, feeling extremely desolate.

After goalkeeper Mannone was hit by a boomerang, this dart finally landed on his head.

"Mael! The best gift God has given Sheffield United! At one point, I saw the shadow of Ronaldo in him!"

The commentator of Sky Sports, the main broadcaster of the English Championship, basically said goodbye to the game after checking the time: "He used a pendulum-like move to break through the goalkeeper! We all know whose signature move this is.

“Maybe his movements weren’t as big as Ronaldo’s, but in the end, it had the same effect.

"After he responded to the Hull City players, he blew a kiss into the stands. I think he must have been saying, 'Happy Boxing Day!'

"Beep! Beep! Beep--!"

The referee blew the final whistle soon, and everything was settled. Sheffield United finally beat Hull City at home with a score of 4-2.

A new round of carnival and celebration has begun. In this snowy Boxing Day battle, Sheffield United finally had the last laugh.

"Pap-pap-pap-pap."

Continuous applause resounded throughout the stadium, and all Sheffield United fans stood up and applauded, giving all their enthusiasm to the players' wonderful performance.

As for Hull City fans, they could only flee Bramall Lane with reluctance on their faces.

They walked quickly, not wanting to stay here for even a second longer.

"Let's go!"

"Come again next time!"

“It was a good kick.”

Many Sheffield United fans who had been upset during the game raised their hands towards them with a teasing look on their faces when they applauded. If you didn't know, you would really think that the applause was for the Hull City fans to see them off.

On the court, Gary Speed ​​finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

He high-fived the assistant coaches, high-fived the staff, and finally stayed on the sidelines waiting for the players to leave the court. He gave everyone a hug and encouragement, and when it was Maher's turn, another special emotion surged in his heart.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Gary Speed ​​had no choice but to act as a broadcaster, saying "wonderful" three times in a broadcasting tone, with the tone rising and falling, "Wonderful!!"

In this way, he expressed his admiration and recognition of Maher's performance, and even a hint of gratitude.

Maher laughed twice and celebrated his victory by high-fived him.

He was just about to go back to the locker room when he saw an old man in a suit and tie leading his uncle, aunt and family out from the player tunnel.

“McCabe.”

McCabe seemed drunk. He held Maher's hand and refused to let go: "We have met several times, but never talked. Today's game was perfect. It was a real pleasure to watch such a game.

"In fact, I have wanted to have a deep talk with you for a long time, but I just didn't have the time."

At this point, he remembered the five people standing behind him, and quickly let go of Maher's hand and stepped aside. "One more thing, I really enjoy chatting with your family. They are very nice people."

Before Maher could answer him, he went back to chatting with Gary Speed ​​and others, so he had to go to his family.

"You are wonderful!"

Clement held it in for a long time before finally uttering this sentence. Looking at the star player in front of him who had just carried the entire game, he still found it hard to completely believe from the bottom of his heart that this was his nephew.

Especially when he put on his jersey and his face was covered in sweat, he looked like a little star, and I always felt a distance from them.

Maher high-fived and hugged him, then went to his aunt and hugged her as well.

“It was a good kick.”

Betty looked gentle and praised: "I watched football games with my father several times when I was a child, but none of them were as shocking as this one. It's great to play for such a big team and have so many people like it."

He chuckled and said that after the season, he would go to a bigger team and a more magnificent stadium.

When Maher came to his older sister Maggie, because they were of similar age, he clearly felt the other person's restraint and a special emotion.

It's not that Mael is narcissistic. He did live for quite a while in his previous life. He just has hope. This emotion is probably just admiration.

"Brother, it's explosive."

The reaction of the second brother Bruno was much more normal. They had conflicts when they were young. At this time, he was more likely to be convinced and call him brother for the first time, and laugh from the heart for the first time.

"elder brother!"

Little sister Ava was standing by and saw that it was finally her turn. She imitated the adults and stretched out her hand to high-five Mael, then spread her arms and waited for a hug.

Instead of hugging her, Maher picked her up and ran a few steps in the venue with her in his arms, scaring the little girl so much that she screamed. But in the end, she looked so satisfied that she wanted to do it again.

The joy of winning and the reunion with his family at this proud moment in his life made him feel extremely happy.

"Mael."

A staff member called out to Maher at this time, and he waved his hand and said, "Come over here!"

Mael put Ava down, said goodbye to his uncles and aunts, and walked towards the man.

"go quickly."

Clemont took one last look at him, then wandered around the stadium with his aunt. They had never been inside such a beautiful stadium before.

This time, standing here with the help of my nephew, I feel a special sense of novelty.

What's more, there are still many Sheffield United fans staying here at this moment, singing the team song and clapping their hands.

They step on the soft grass and as long as they close their eyes, they can dream of becoming a star.

Maher followed the staff through the player tunnel and came to the media room inside the stadium.

When he pushed open the door and walked in, there were twenty or thirty cameras inside. There were at least fifty or sixty people waiting for him, and there were also seven or eight mainstream media outlets.

He probably knew what he was doing here, and he took a deep breath and laughed.

How to express this feeling? He couldn't help but think of when he first came to the team.

At that time, he and Gilbert stood like minions. Apart from Gary Speed, there were only two photographers from the club at the signing ceremony.

But look at it now, many people come for him and everyone is looking forward to him coming in.

"Happy Boxing Day."

Maher took the initiative to greet everyone and walked towards the center. Getting to this point was not a major success.

But at least, he saw his own progress and growth, and he has been moving forward rapidly, with the honors and achievements he has reaped becoming more and more important.

Flashlights were clicking as photographers frantically took pictures. Some even chose to record videos with their cameras.

"First of all, congratulations on being named Man of the Match on a day like this, it must be unforgettable."

A staff member from the club came over, holding a small trophy for the best player of the match and the match ball, and explained: "It was a hat trick that earned this ball, but who would be stingy enough to give the best player an extra ball?

"Take it back and put it away. This is your first Boxing Day battle in the UK. It's worth remembering."

Maher accepted it happily without any disgust, and joked: "I will put it together with the hat trick and put it first."

The staff member pretended to be of course this was the way it was supposed to be, then put on a smile, took a photo with Maher, and walked off the stage.

Next, a few elderly people who had been standing in the corner came up with a smile, holding a cylinder engraved with the English Championship 'EFL' logo.

"Congratulations, young man."

An old man handed the cylinder to Maher and congratulated him, "You are the well-deserved best player of the half. We had already identified you before this game.

"This is the Boxing Day gift from the FA, but of course, the most important thing is that you have achieved it through your excellent performance."

Maher took the cylinder and couldn't help smiling. It wasn't that he was biased. The design of this commemorative trophy could really be described as ugly. It looked a bit like a thermos cup or a cylinder for badminton.

Of course, the most important thing about this kind of award is the value it represents.

In this first half, 24 Championship teams and more than 500 professional players were all overshadowed by him!
Best in the Championship half-time.

This is the most valuable award he has ever received after the Best of the Month award!
It contains a microcosm of his hard work in the past six months and summarizes all his wonderful performances and achievements in the first half of the season.

ps: I'm a little stuck tonight, so I won't sleep in today and adjust my schedule to get up earlier.

(End of this chapter)