When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 66 Farewell! The Cage! (Second Update!)

"Bernardy, I want you to move to the left defensive midfield position and use your long passes to find Roy directly! Don't fucking give me short passes!"

"Max, you stay back and provide cover. If Pedretti dares to get close, Roy, you retreat another 5 meters! Lure out that wall of Oruma!"

"Pulso, once Roy retreats, you immediately move forward behind Savelic! That Montenegrin giant turns around as slowly as a tank making a U-turn!"

"Evra! You're playing as a winger in the second half!"

"If their right-back dares to push forward."

Suddenly he turned to Rothen.

"Rothen, you cut inside and play a one-two with Roy!"

What if he shrinks back?

Deschamps patted Evra hard on the back.

"You cross from the byline and head it towards Pulso's head!"

"Giuly, I'm going to make you the second ghost! Mathieu, follow me out, and there'll be a corridor for Elfakiri! Don't follow? Then you and Pulso will be doing a double ghost-banging in the penalty area!"

“Remember! No matter how dense the spider web, as long as you find scissors, you can tear it apart! Now, to hell with Sochaux!”

Deschamps' tactical instructions bombarded every corner of the locker room like bullets, and the players' breathing gradually became heavy, their fists clenching involuntarily.

When the head coach yelled "Fuck Sochaux!", many eyes turned to Roy—the young core player and the soul of the team.

But Roy didn't speak immediately.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over his teammates before finally settling on Juli, and he blinked almost imperceptibly.

Giuly understood immediately and slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Brothers! They think they can hold us back with those dirty tricks? In the second half, let them see what real Monaco football is all about!"

The atmosphere in the locker room was instantly ignited, with the players pounding on the locker doors and roaring in response.

Roy then raised the corners of his mouth, his voice not loud, but sharp as a blade: "Ludo is right."

A familiar fighting spirit ignited in his eyes—"To hell with the spider web."

This statement is like a spark falling into a powder keg.

“Tear them apart!!!”

The entire team erupted in a deafening roar, and the locker room doors trembled with the sound.

The chanting of Sochaux fans outside the door was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door being slammed shut.

56 minutes.

Pulso dropped back to act as a pivot, then, near the center circle, backed down Vlačez and flicked the ball diagonally to Giuly on the right flank with the outside of his right foot.

The pass was perfectly weighted, and the ball bounced once on the grass before slowing down.

Giuly made a through pass to Roy, who was making a forward run, without stopping the ball, and simultaneously made a high-speed forward run.

Before Oruma could intercept, Roy used the inside of his left foot to pass the ball back to the edge of the penalty area, executing a brilliant one-two pass.

Giuly then darted into the penalty area and met the ball with a left-footed shot that skimmed along the grass towards the left corner. Richet made a diving save, his fingertips just centimeters from the ball.

"BUT!!! Monaco has finally broken through Sochaux's web! Roy! A brilliant back pass with the inside of his left foot! Giuly darts into the penalty area and fires a left-footed shot—into the top corner! Ritchie's fingertips miss by a hair's breadth! After 45 minutes of struggle, Monaco has finally found the key! Deschamps' adjustments have paid off!"

The moment Kuri slashed the ground and broke through the goal.

Sochaux manager Lacombe abruptly loosened his tie and slammed his tactical board onto the bench.

"What the hell!"

He roared at the assistant coach, "We clearly blocked Roy's passing lanes!"

He recalled Roy's exquisite return with the inside of his left foot, then suddenly turned his gaze to the court, his pupils contracting sharply.

The boy who had been trapped by his own "spider web tactics" for 45 minutes was now lightly tapping his temple with his fingertips, making a "thinking" gesture toward the Solskjaer bench.

60 minutes.

Rothen broke through, using a series of stepovers on the left wing to get past Rashik, and then crossed the ball into the penalty area with the outside of his right foot from 3 meters in front of the byline.

After receiving the ball on the edge of the six-yard box, Roy feinted to the left, then used his right foot to deceive Savic's center of gravity before firing a low shot into the near corner, which was blocked by Richet's knee.

Monaco are awarded a corner kick.

Rothen delivered a spin shot, and Squillaci suddenly surged forward from the penalty spot, outjumping Monsolo to head the ball, which struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.

"Monaco has completely gained momentum! Sochaux's defense is collapsing!"

Lacombe stared intently at the celebrating Monaco players, then suddenly noticed that Roy wasn't joining in the festivities, but instead was pulling Rothen around the corner area making hand gestures.

This detail sent a chill down his spine. Deschamps' adjustment wasn't about breaking down tactics at all, but about unleashing something even more terrifying: a super-intelligent player who had learned to play with his head.

66 minutes.

"Roy! A solo performance! Chest control, turn, and dribble past Pedretti! A croquet ball through Flacze's legs!"

He received a long pass from Max on the left sideline, controlled the ball with his chest, and turned to dribble past Pedretti.

Facing the recovering Vladislav, he made quick, consecutive touches with both feet, completing a nutmeg move before accelerating violently.

After breaking into the penalty area, he suddenly slowed down, luring Savic into a sliding tackle, and then curled a right-footed shot into the far corner.

"Breaking into the penalty area—slowing down to deceive Savic! A right-footed curler into the far corner! The shot bounces in from the inside of the post!"

The ball dipped slightly during its flight, struck the inside of the right post, and bounced in.

"Art! Violence! Genius! Sochaux's cage? To Roy, it's just a toy!"

"Damn."

Lacombe licked his dry lips. This dragon, having broken free of its cage, was proving with his actions that so-called tactical cages cannot confine true geniuses.

"Coach Lacombe's expression showed that he realized he might never be able to contain this young beast again! Roy's unrestrained celebration seemed to say, 'Goodbye! Cage!'"

77 minutes.

Giuly passed the ball to Roy on the right wing, made a feint and cut inside, then passed the ball to Roy on the left side of the penalty area with his left foot.

As Roy received the ball, he flicked it to the right with his left heel while simultaneously leaning his body to the left to deceive Mathieu.

"Roy's backheel magic! He outmaneuvered Mathieu! He faked a shot, then dribbled past Sylvain Monsolo!"

After adjusting his footwork, facing the onrushing Richter, he faked a shot with his right foot, cut inside to get past the defender, and then unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the net.

"Monaco is celebrating! Sochaux is collapsing! Deschamps' scissors have shredded the entire spiderweb! Sochaux's coach is actually applauding? He understands—Deschamps didn't need to crack the tactics at all; he simply freed Roy!"

Lacombe suddenly laughed. He even clapped when Roy scored with that backheel flick that fooled Mathieu.

The assistant coach looked at him in horror, but then heard a blood-tinged whisper: "Deschamps, that old fox. He didn't figure out my tactics at all."

The score of 0-4 flashed blindingly on the big screen. "He just handed Roy a pair of scissors."

In the 87th minute, Savelic finally pulled one back for Sochaux.

Santos launched a slanted cross, and Savic sprinted from the edge of the penalty area.

He jumped, pressing down on Rodriguez, and the ball struck him squarely on the forehead.

The ball bounced in front of the goal and then slipped under goalkeeper Roma's arm.

"Sochaux finally! Savelic's header! Roma missed a shot under the arm! But it was too late. Monaco is just minutes away from the French League Cup title!"

The Monaco substitutes celebrated wildly.

"Look at Deschamps' composure! This team was mired in the mire in the first half, but played like champions in the second half!"

The final whistle blows.

"1-4! Monaco marches on in triumph!"

"From zero shots on target in the first half to a 4-goal thrashing in the second half, Deschamps' magic has turned Roy into a dragon once again!"

"They have won the League Cup again, while Sochaux... tonight they have turned to ashes at the feet of a dragon!"

The Monaco fans erupted in song once again.

"Listen to this roar! Monaco's second trophy of the season is beckoning them! This is football! Just 45 minutes ago, this place was deathly silent, but now it's a volcano of glory! Listen, even the Mediterranean wind is singing along!"

Roy walked straight toward Pedretti, his national teammate who had been harassing him throughout the match, the defensive midfielder from Sochaux.

His jersey was already soaked with sweat, and his right knee was abraded, with blood seeping through the bandage.

The two exchanged jerseys in silence, then hugged.

"I thought I had succeeded after defending you for half the game."

Roy's lips curled into a smile as his gaze swept over his Monaco teammates in the distance, who were celebrating wildly—Max was dumping an ice bucket on Giuly's head.

"The first forty-five minutes were very successful."

He suddenly lowered his voice and whispered something in Pedretti's ear.

May 20, 2003, Ligue 1, Round 37.

Guingamp vs. Monaco.

In the 23rd minute, Guingamp launched a blitzkrieg.

Louis Montero received a pass from Leroux on the left wing and suddenly accelerated down the flank against Givet's defense.

Just before the ball went out of bounds, he delivered a low cross with the outside of his right foot, and the ball traveled at high speed through the six-yard box.

Cano made a ghostly run from behind Squillaci and slid in to score just seconds before goalkeeper Roma could come out. The ball slipped into the net through a narrow space between the near post and Roma's arm.

Replay showed that Rodriguez's late run-in resulted in a failed offside trap, and the linesman raised his flag to indicate that the goal was valid.

Guingamp 1-0, home ground eruption.

52 minutes.

Drogba dropped back to the midfield line to receive a pass from Michel, leaned his back against Fanerud, and then suddenly turned around.

Observing the two or three-meter gap between Bernardi and Rodriguez, he sent a through ball with his left foot.

Cano instantly broke the offside trap and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner when one-on-one with Roma.

Guingamp 2-0, Monaco's defense is on the verge of collapse.

On the sidelines, Roy's eyes were fixed on Drogba.

—That's what you call a fulcrum.

This has nothing to do with personal relationships; it's purely from a competitive standpoint.

He wasn't like Pulso, who occasionally dropped back to support the team, nor was he simply a player who received the ball with his back to goal and passed it to the wing. He was a true tactical pivot, capable of holding the ball, spinning, and passing. He could break through the entire defense with a single touch.

Roy pressed the tip of his tongue against his palate, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Unfortunately, Drogba was from Guingamp.

He could only think about it.

In the 56th minute, Giuly and Roy combined, and Roy scored the winning goal to stop the bleeding.

Giuly played a one-two with Elfakiri on the right wing, using his speed to outpace Montero and break into the penalty area.

He used the instep of his right foot to push back in a triangular pass from two meters in front of the baseline, the trajectory of which avoided Renette's interception.

Roy suddenly surged forward from near the penalty spot, met the ball with the instep of his foot, and fired a shot that flew like a cannonball into the top left corner of the goal.

Although Guingamp goalkeeper Le Krom touched the ball, he was unable to change its trajectory.

Monaco 1-2, the away fans' stands were lit for the first time.

In the 72nd minute, Roy scored a solo equalizer.

Rothen received a pass from Bernardi on the left flank and, facing Sikimic's defense, faked a pass and then cut inside.

He chipped a precise lobbed pass over the top with his left foot. Roy, with his back to Ferrier, deftly controlled the ball with the outside of his right foot the instant it hit the ground, then turned 180 degrees to shake off the defender.

Before Renette could get back in position, he used the inside of his left foot to push the ball towards the near post. The ball skimmed the turf and flew low, bouncing irregularly 0.5 meters in front of the goal line, leaving Le Krom unable to make the save.

Roy charged toward the expedition stands, raising his arms three times to create a wave of people, his lips silently roaring toward the camera.

Monaco escaped defeat 2-2.
But in the 89th minute, Malouda scored the winning goal.

Monaco's corner kick was headed out of the penalty area by Ferrier, and Malouda chested the ball down near the center circle.

After repeatedly changing direction to get past Fanerud who was trying to steal the ball, he began a long-distance run.

He faked a shot at the edge of the penalty area, then feinted and cut inside to deflect Squillaci's weight, before leaning heavily and losing his balance to shoot into the far corner with his right foot.

The ball rolled into the net from 10 centimeters in front of Roma's fingertips, completing a last-minute winner.

Malouda took off his shirt to celebrate after scoring, but the Guingamp fans went wild.

(End of this chapter)