If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 265 Maradona's Perseverance (Please Subscribe)
At his age, Maradona doesn't care much about these things.

Perhaps it's more accurate to say that it's not what you care about most.

Even after he retires, he'll still get angry if his idol Pelé's name is put before his own; he's the kind of person who finds it hard to admit defeat.

However, Redon's talking didn't bother him too much.

It was as if Senderos was warning Ronaldo to be careful, at least that's how Maradona perceived it.

Apart from players of similar caliber, the other players are just so-so.

There are many people in this world who have spoken ill of him; for him to truly retaliate, he would need to have sufficient qualifications.

Redondo is indeed not that bad.

Before retiring, Maradona's first and only goal was to beat Ludjohn once.

If he can't beat Lu Deyang even once, he's afraid he won't be able to sleep after retiring.

The team's roster was a bit weak, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His experience in Barcelona has taught him that playing for a top club isn't necessarily as comfortable as being the core player for a smaller team.

Lu Deyang was a little confused by this free kick in the attacking third.

Baggio didn't come over at all.

"Roberto, you kick it."

Lu Deyang said helplessly.

He wouldn't have given up the card if it were just a different one.

Baggio glanced at Lu Deyang with some surprise and said, "This position is a bit far, my accuracy isn't that high."

His highest free-kick accuracy comes from near the penalty area line, where almost every kick hits the target.

I had previously competed against Lu Deyang at the national team's training camp.

"It's okay, you can play. My footwork isn't great today."

Lu Deyang waved his hand and said.

Baggio then stood in the position where the foul occurred.

The low hit rate is relative to Lu Deyang.

A skilled set piece player has a guaranteed accuracy rate within 35 meters.

It's still a bit far.

Baggio decided to take an indirect free kick.

Both Lu Deyang and that kid Totti are good at seizing opportunities.

Needless to say, the defenders' heading ability is at an average level.

Baggio immediately took a run-up and flicked the ball out. He was aiming for high speed and added a force from back to front when kicking, rather than flicking it upwards for the sake of arc.

This resulted in the ball almost not getting over the players' heads.

However, the ball was quite fast after it passed, heading straight for the left side of the penalty area.

Both sides focused their attention on the area from the center to the right, since it was a free kick on the left.

Seeing this, Lu Deyang immediately started his run and jumped up to flick his head. Colonnese, who was following him, was also very fast, but one step slower and he was always slower. He could only watch Lu Deyang flick the ball back in mid-air.

The ball headed straight for the left side of the goal.

Unfortunately, the angle wasn't sharp enough. Tagliaratra jumped to the side and scooped the ball up, clutching it tightly to his chest.

"Almost."

"Dejan got bumped when he jumped, there was nothing he could do."

"Napoli's defenders are quite good in the air, so AC Milan should try to use ground passing as much as possible if they want to score."

On the way back, Lu Deyang gave Baggio a thumbs up.

There are many players with good free-kick technique, but not so many who are good at playing football.

He had anticipated that Baggio might pass to the left wing when he let him take the penalty, and he was prepared for it. Playing with smart players can save you the trouble of communicating in this regard.

Tagliaratra did not rush to kick off.

Napoli players are usually fine, but against AC Milan, if not 100%, at least half of the team's attack relies on Maradona.

By slightly controlling the pace, Maradona can recover some of his energy.

Luigi Simone, with his hands in his pockets, has a style similar to Professor Wenger, exuding a refined and approachable air.

More importantly, he is one of the few Serie A coaches who has never played for AC Milan.

He played for eight clubs during his playing career, which makes him quite the wanderer.

His coaching career was also marked by instability.

Before taking charge of Napoli, he had coached Genoa, Sampdoria's arch-rivals, three times. Except for the last time, he led the team to promotion, barely avoided relegation, and then was relegated.

What's even more outrageous is that he's practically an expert at upgrading.

Over the past 20 years, he has led the team to six second-division championships, but has also led the team to relegation six times.

If he had just been fired immediately after the second division team was promoted, he wouldn't have led the team to relegation.

Napoli was his first time coaching a mid-to-upper-table Serie A team, not counting Lazio, who were not very strong before.

Luigi Simone is eager to prove himself and keep the job that he's happy with.

To coach Maradona, even at the end of his career, was an honor.

But Milan put too much pressure on him, giving him a bad feeling.

What makes Simeone even more frustrated is that he has put the team's strongest lineup on the field, and there's not much he can do now.

……

I was a little surprised that Lu Deyang wasn't very active today.

However, Maradona didn't have the mind to think about other things.

After receiving the ball again, he immediately flicked it forward and broke through the middle.

Albertini lunged forward to intercept, but Maradona didn't make any extra moves. He simply swayed his shoulder and slightly changed direction before squeezing past Albertini.

Redondo kept his center of gravity low and carefully watched Maradona.

He wouldn't admit defeat verbally, but he took it very seriously.

This is what he recently learned in a book: strategically despise the enemy, but tactically take them seriously.

Maldini came up quickly, which relieved Redondo.

But Maradona wasn't stupid; he simply swerved towards the center to avoid being surrounded by the two of them.

Redondo quickly moved to follow, trying to use his body to block Maradona from continuing forward.

Maradona cleverly slowed down slightly, giving Redondo hope, but the moment Redondo pressed forward, he made a through pass.

Altomare received the ball and quickly passed it forward; the pass was very sudden.

Fortunately, Baresi made a sliding tackle to stop the ball, preventing Agletti from getting his hands on it.

The two veterans, Verjoward and Baresi, have a great working relationship and often play together in the national team.

Baresi blocked the ball with his shin and immediately flicked it away with his shin without hesitation.

Wiljoward had already started running, rushed up to get the ball, and immediately poked it out of the danger zone with a powerful toe kick.

"Totti has the ball, AC Milan is about to launch a counter-attack."

"Totti and Savicevic on the right wing don't combine much. He prefers to pass the ball to Dejan, and then Baggio. Perhaps this is Totti's ranking of the team's attacking players."

"Krudelli said with a smile."

Not just Totti, almost all Italians think this way.

Even if Savicevic is in better form than Baggio, it will be difficult for him to surpass Baggio in status.

This time, Napoli pushed forward enough that they only had one defensive line.

Totti even has no fewer than ten ways to organize an attack, and he's thinking about how to stand out even more.

His five assists in the last match against his former club immediately landed him on the front page of newspapers worldwide.

As young people, we tend to get a little carried away.

When Bogsien noticed Totti's shifty gaze, he didn't hesitate at all and slid in to tackle him.

Totti's attempt to dribble back was too late; he was brought down by the opponent.

"Totti needs to control his temper."

"I'm worried," Krudelli said.

Unexpectedly, Totti got up and looked at the referee first instead of causing trouble for the other side. After receiving the referee's signal, he bent down and placed the ball in place, and immediately kicked it to the right wing.

Even so, Napoli players still found an opportunity to track back and defend.

Savicevic received the ball on the right wing, and the penalty area was packed with players from both sides.

Only Claesson went up to defend Savicevic.

Savicevic dribbled diagonally down the wing with small, quick steps. His footwork was indeed excellent, and combined with the rhythm of his shoulders, Claesson could only retreat step by step.

Just as Claesson retreated to the sideline of the penalty area, Savicevic suddenly cut back a step and then delivered a cross with his left foot from the top corner of the penalty area.

Absolutely brilliant!

Eastern European players possess exceptional technique and imagination; this ball was clearly aimed at the center, leaving no opportunity for the players on the left and right flanks.

Seeing this, Totti wanted to make a late run and head the ball in.

However, seeing Lu Deyang adjusting his position, he abandoned his own idea.

The ball was very fast, and neither team had much time to adjust.

Pushing his opponent inward, Lu Deyang, who was positioned on the edge of the penalty area in the middle, jumped up with his left foot and swung his right foot out in the same motion, his movements graceful and fluid.

Baldini, standing behind Lu Deyang, simply watched Lu Deyang make his movements, focusing on Lu Deyang striking the side of the ball with his right foot.

boom--

The next second, the ball was already in the net, and Napoli goalkeeper Tagliaratra was also the backdrop. Even though he dived to the side and guessed the right direction, he couldn't hide his disheveled appearance.

boom--

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

I'm so excited!
The Rossoneri players were itching to rush onto the pitch and celebrate with the players.

They almost always score first in every game, and even if they don't, they give people a sense of confidence.

Now Milan fans finally understand what Sampdoria fans meant by their arrogant attitude.

They don't care who scores first, because no matter who scores first, they can't beat Sampdoria anyway.

"Deyang!!!"

"Dejan Goal!"

"GoalGoalGoal!"

"Dejan helped AC Milan take the lead again. That volley side kick was beautiful, but in Dejan's career, he doesn't even rank in the top 100."

"Besides Savicevic who provided the assist, Francesco Totti deserves special praise. After being fouled, Totti remained calm and did not retaliate. Instead, he looked at the referee and, after receiving permission, quickly took the free kick, which gave Savicevic the opportunity to provide the assist."

"It's difficult for Dejan to improve any further because he's already at the top. However, we can clearly see the progress of his younger brother. Hopefully, Totti can keep it up. As long as he perseveres and controls his temper, he will definitely become the most important player for the Italian national team."

Maldini turned around and said with a smile, "Francisco played well today."

"That guy only does good things occasionally."

Buffon muttered a complaint.

Maldini smiled and nodded.

He seemed to enjoy chatting with young people. After a brief celebration with his assistant coach, Sacchi straightened his collar, put his hands in his pockets, and stood on the sidelines, preparing his remarks for the press conference.

"Dejan's goal was good, but Totti's quick break was the key. Everyone is part of the team. Without Totti or Savicevic, that goal wouldn't have happened. That's my football philosophy. We don't rely too much on any one player!"

……

"Diego, it's your turn now!"

Simeone shouted to the field.

He knew very well that to beat AC Milan, they had to rely on the team's superstars.

While ordinary people may have the potential to perform well, it's better to expect big names to put in a little effort than to expect ordinary people to mutate.

Maradona gave a thumbs-up to the sidelines.

He really enjoys feeling needed.

After the restart, Maradona quickly received the ball and moved it to the wing.

Milan's two defensive midfielders still put a lot of pressure on him.

Upon seeing this, Bordin and Turini immediately found their positions, forming a triangle with Maradona's, ready to provide support at any time.

Upon seeing this, Lu Deyang rushed forward quickly.

Standing on the right wing is simply a way to match up against Lu Qiu Wang on the left.

Maradona raised an eyebrow, but did not pass the ball to his teammate.

Seeing this, Boldin moved a little further away and positioned himself in the middle to provide support, giving Maradona enough space.

This is Maradona's battle.

Maradona didn't lift his foot, or even make the slightest movement.

They just stared at each other like that.

After a few seconds, Maradona finally made a move.

Snapped,
He stepped forward with his left foot and flicked the ball forward with the inside of his right foot. This move could easily attract the opponent to press his right foot, but his right foot had already passed the ball to his left foot.

It's a move similar to deep-frying meatballs, but it requires more explosive power.

Although Lu Deyang initially extended his left foot, he reacted before his left foot even landed, immediately pivoting on his right foot and turning around, extending his left foot behind him in an attempt to steal the ball.

Maradona reacted quickly, passing the ball from his left foot to his right, then stepping forward with his right foot to force his way down the wing.

Lu Deyang's turning speed was also quite fast.

McTominay is not known for his speed and is often criticized for running at a constant pace.

Lu Deyang was well aware of this weakness, so he used his height to shift his weight onto Maradona, focusing more on his own feet to avoid tripping due to a loss of gait.

Many fans at the San Siro stood up and craned their necks.

This duel between the two was absolutely thrilling.

Big-name attacking players usually get past their opponents in one go once they get the ball, but Lu Deyang's handling of the situation was clearly excellent.

Maradona's short and stout build made him very stable; otherwise, if Lu Deyang had been pressing down on him so heavily, someone of similar height like Insigne or Callejon might not have been able to withstand it.

Being able to withstand it is one thing.

Whether it's comfortable or not is another matter.

Maradona cursed under his breath while running.

He wanted to find an opportunity to stop suddenly, so that Lu Deyang would fall out due to inertia.

However, Lu Deyang didn't look at his feet at all, and kept staring at him, which made Maradona somewhat uneasy.

Are you so sure he won't pass the ball?
The two players rushed to the side of the penalty area, and Maldini came over to help defend, but there was no chance to intercept them.

Maradona's two thick calves moved so fast that he didn't get a chance to extend his legs.

With the bottom line looming ever closer, Maradona knew he had to make a decision.

He adjusted his center of gravity slightly, then immediately spiked the ball and came to a sudden stop.

Knowing that Maldini would come up behind him, Maradona stopped abruptly and stepped his left foot in front of the ball, executing a Cruyff turn.

He rarely used this move, but it was effective.

Maldini actually kicked Maradona in the shin.

The referee quickly blew his whistle.

"Is everything okay?"

Maldini reached out to try to pull Maradona up.

Maradona pulled him up by the hand and shook his head.

Damn it, only Lu Deyang and Maldini could put him in such a sorry state.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure if Cruyff would be able to turn around in time this time.

It's inevitable that one's reaction time slows down with age, and trying to block Maldini's foot to draw a foul was a risky move.

Fortunately, he succeeded.

Altomare came over and asked, "Are you alright, Diego?"

"It's okay, let's go find an opportunity to grab some points."

Maradona waved his hand and glanced at Lu Deyang.

We must win today's game.

He might retire next season.

Although they will meet again this season, he will not have that kind of thought.

After turning 36, he felt his physical and mental functions getting worse every day.

Despite his drug use, womanizing, and alcoholism, Maradona is already quite fortunate to have played football this long.

Damn it, the only person who annoyed him was Lu Deyang.

Why is this guy so difficult to deal with?

The free kick was in a bad position on the wing, almost to the edge of the penalty area, but Maradona still treated it as a good opportunity.

To defeat Lu Deyang, we cannot afford to miss any opportunity.

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally positioned himself in the foul position, retreating to the right rear of the ball.

The wall of players was nearby, and the other players from both sides were vying for the ball in front of the goal.

"Maradona is really focused this time! Maradona takes a run-up... Goal!!!"

"Maradona scored a world-class goal. Today's match was indeed a direct duel between him and Dejan. The two world's top players put on a wonderful show for us."

"As a challenger, Maradona did not celebrate. Even after equalizing, he simply celebrated briefly and then signaled to young Buffon to throw the ball away and not waste time."

"I can understand Maradona's thinking, but doesn't his action show a lack of respect for the Milan players? I have a strong feeling that Maradona might score again, but he still won't be able to win against Dejan; even a draw is a pipe dream for him!!!"

"Cruedelli shouted."

Some non-Milan fans watching on TV didn't like his arguments, but they couldn't refute them.

Lu Deyang's historical record speaks for itself.

If Maradona wins, breaking Lu Deyang's unbeaten streak is far more important than Maradona defeating Lu Deyang once, at least in the eyes of the fans.

Maradona returned to midfield to await the kickoff, and a smile appeared on his face.

This is the kind of game he enjoys.

The pressure from Lu Deyang forced him to play his best game of the year, and he promised that no game he would perform better than today.

Milan kicks off.

Baggio passed the ball across to Lu Deyang.

Lu Deyang immediately stepped back while using the ball as a foothold.

Thurini pressed forward quickly, but Lu Deyang could easily get past a player of that caliber without even needing to draw cards.

Napoli's starting lineup quality has indeed declined significantly in recent years.

Back then, besides the three South American giants, there were also Italian national team players like De Napoli.

The current lineup, apart from Maradona, is almost entirely made up of supporting players. Baldini wasn't even Maradona's teammate at Sampdoria. There have been two players with that surname in Sampdoria's history alone.

However, he was a player that Sampdoria fans hated in the early days, and after playing for a few years, he simply transferred to their city rivals Genoa.

Lu Deyang pushed the ball forward with his right foot and immediately flicked his ankle to pass it to his left foot.

A fried dough ball brushed past Turini.

Turin quickly turned around, and in that instant, Lu Deyang pulled the ball back again, flicked it to the right wing with his left foot, and then passed it forward with his right foot, allowing Totti to easily receive the ball.

Having teammates supporting him in the mid lane makes things more comfortable for Lu Deyang.

Totti is like a wild bull, charging forward with the ball, and Baggio quickly moved to the wing to receive the pass and leave the middle open.

After dribbling the ball to the edge of the penalty area and realizing there was little chance, Totti finally passed it to Baggio.

Francisco Baldini rolled his eyes. What did he do to deserve this? He had Lu Deyang and Roberto Baggio taking turns dribbling the ball into his defensive zone.

The 22-year-old's forehead was immediately covered in sweat as he kept retreating, his eyes fixed on Baggio's feet.

Baggio's dribbling rhythm was somewhat unique, after all, he had one leg that was disabled.

Generally, it's harder to find an opportunity when facing him for the first time; this rhythm is different from most players in the football world.

Fortunately, Bogoszion came to help defend.

Baldini finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In that moment of relaxation, Baggio suddenly accelerated and dribbled down the wing, startling Baldini.

He dared not give Baggio a chance to cross the ball.

In the chaos, Baldini tripped and fell to the side, sending Baggio and the ball crashing out of bounds.

"Haha, there are a lot of hand fouls from both sides today, no, it's mostly Napoli players committing fouls." Baldini's move was so awkward that even Kruedelli couldn't help but laugh.

The referee couldn't help but chuckle, but still showed him a yellow card.

"Are you okay?"

Lu Deyang bent down, pulled Baggio up, and asked.

“It’s alright, shall I do it?” Baggio asked.

"Then let me do it."

Lu Deyang stood at the spot where the foul occurred.

I always felt a little less confident around Baggio.

They were probably truly impressed by Lu Qiuwang's free-kick skills.

In that case, let Lu Qiuwang take the penalty himself.

This free kick was in a similar position to the one Maradona took earlier, but on the other side of the penalty area, and closer to the byline.

Once the ball is set up, Lu Deyang knows how to play it.

He immediately retreated behind the ball, arms crossed, waiting for both teams to take their positions.

beep—

As the referee blew his whistle, Lu Deyang stepped forward with his right foot, followed by his left foot landing on the left side of the ball. He then swung his arm and his right foot landed on the side and back of the ball.

boom--

The ball has a strong spin; its ascent is not obvious, but it has a strong inward spin.

Both players jumped but misjudged the height, and the goalkeeper, hindered by their movement, was unable to make a save, allowing the ball to easily fly into the right side of the goal.

Clean and crisp, almost exactly like Maradona's free kicks.

Maradona stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Lu Deyang with eyes full of resentment...

(End of this chapter)