Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

"Goal?!" Liu Jianhong's voice was filled with disbelief. "Grenoble scored first? In the eighth minute, Lyubaya's long-range shot found the net! This ball—Sorin's reaction was too slow; he should have saved it!"

"Indeed, Sorin's form is off," Xu Yang said, frowning. "The angle of that shot wasn't tricky, and the speed wasn't fast. If it were Sorin in his normal state, he wouldn't have missed it. He doesn't seem very excited today."

Zhang Kuang stood near the center circle, watching the Grenoble players hug and celebrate, his brow slightly furrowed.

1-0, trailing away from home.

It's okay.

There are still more than eighty minutes left.

He said to himself.

But just two minutes later, the nightmare continued.

Tenth minute.

Grenoble launched another attack. This time it started from the right flank, with Japanese international Daisuke Matsui receiving the ball on the wing, creating space before sending in a high cross.

The ball flew towards the center of the penalty area, landing near the six-yard box line.

Auxerre's two defenders, Grihidin and Humbert, are both in position, so they are not at a disadvantage in terms of defensive numbers.

Grenoble's number 17 striker, Nassim Akrul, jumped between the two, but Grihidin was in a better position and should have been able to clear the ball first.

However, Grihidin's judgment was flawed.

He jumped a fraction of a second too late; by the time he reached his highest point, the ball had already flown over his head.

Akrul heads the ball into the goal.

The ball wasn't fast, nor was the angle tricky; it went straight into Thorin's arms.

Under normal circumstances, Sorin should have caught the ball securely.

But he's not in his normal state today.

He missed the ball.

The ball slipped out of his glove and fell into the goal.

2: 0.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!" France 1's host, Barthes, roared in his signature style, always this excited no matter who scored.

"???" Du Huili was completely bewildered, not understanding why Auxerre had conceded two goals in two minutes.

BJ Studios!

"..." Liu Jianhong remained silent for a full two seconds.

"This..." Xu Yang didn't know what to say.

The atmosphere in the studio plummeted to freezing point.

"Two goals conceded in two minutes." Liu Jianhong finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "The first goal was due to Sorin's mistake in making a save, and the second goal was also due to Sorin's mistake in making a save."

Of course, there were also lapses in the defense, and even more so, a disconnect in the midfield. Auxerre's goalkeeper was completely out of form today; this can't go on."

"Yes, it's not just a problem with the goalkeeper," Xu Yang added, his tone heavy. "Auxerre's entire midfield was shut down. Pedretti and Ndinga couldn't get the ball, and even if they did, they couldn't pass it out. Grenoble's five-man midfield chokeout tactic was very successful; they completely cut off Auxerre's passing lanes."

"Where's the arrogance in the world?"

"Arrogant..." Xu Yang glanced at the statistics. "The game has been going on for ten minutes, and Zhang Kuang has only touched the ball three times. Three times. A striker only touching the ball three times in ten minutes means that Auxerre's ball simply can't get into the attacking third."

The internet in Japan has exploded.

"Matsui-kun provides the assist! Did you see that? That's the skill of a Japanese national team player!"

"Two goals ahead! Grenoble is going to win!"

"Where's that Chinese man? I haven't seen him. Oh, he's out for a walk."

"Nine goals in three games? Why didn't they score against the bottom-ranked team? Is the defense in Ligue 1 really that strong?"

"It's not that Ligue 1 defenses are strong; it's that Grenoble's tactics countered Auxerre. By using a five-man midfield to strangle Pedretti, Auxerre's attack was effectively neutralized."

"Regardless, Matsui-kun's performance was far superior to that Chinese man's!"

"Number one in Asia? Let's talk about that after we beat Matsui-kun."

On the Chinese internet, the situation is completely the opposite.

"What the hell is going on? We're down by two goals?"

"Is the goalkeeper a joke? He could have saved both shots, but he failed to do so?"

"Pedretti is completely shut down; the ball can't be passed forward at all. How can Zhang Kuang score if he can't get the ball?"

"Grenoble's defensive tactics were brilliant; Auxerre was completely bewildered."

"Calm down, calm down. There are still more than eighty minutes left, we have enough time."

"Too late my foot! Two goals down, midfield shut down, goalkeeper completely out of form, how are we supposed to play this game?"

"Believe in his arrogance; he can create miracles."

"How can he create chances? The ball can't even be passed to him, how can he create chances?"

On the sidelines, Fernandez's expression changed from calm to solemn, and then from solemn to bewildered.

He stood on the sidelines, hands in his coat pockets, eyes fixed on the situation on the field, but his mind seemed to be out of sync.

In the past ten minutes, his team has gone from fourth in Ligue 1 to an amateur team that can't even play football.

The midfield couldn't hold onto the ball.

The ball cannot be passed out from the backfield.

The forwards can't get the ball.

The goalkeeper couldn't save the ball.

Everything went wrong, and he couldn't find a solution for the time being.

Grenoble's head coach, Mohammed Bazdarevic, stood on the other side of the field, his face beaming with smugness.

His five-man midfield tactic completely shut down Auxerre's attacking initiation points, turning the best defensive team in Ligue 1 into a sieve.

This is football.

Rankings, net worth, and fame mean nothing in the face of tactics.

Zhang Kuang stood near the center circle, hands on his hips, watching the Grenoble players hug each other to celebrate their second goal.

His expression appeared calm, but his mind was racing.

Ten minutes, three touches.

This isn't his problem; it's a problem with the team as a whole.

Pedretti is locked up.

Grenoble's five midfielders completely cut off Auxerre's passing lanes. Every time Pedretti received the ball, he was faced with at least two defenders, with another covering from behind. He simply had no space to pass the ball out.

Ndinga's situation was even worse. His passing ability was already inferior to Pedretti's, and under Grenoble's high-pressure pressing, he couldn't even do a basic job of protecting the ball.

When the midfield is out of control, the forwards become useless.

Even the best striker can't score if he can't get the ball.

Zhang Kuang took a deep breath, then raised his head and looked towards the sidelines.

Fernandez stood there, looking bewildered.

The veteran coach seemed stunned by everything that had suddenly happened—all the tactics, arrangements, and contingency plans prepared before the match became meaningless in the face of the reality of being down by two goals.

Zhang Kuang did not hesitate.

While the Grenoble players were still celebrating, he ran from the backfield to the sideline and charged directly at Fernandez.

"Coach!" His voice was loud enough for the nearby substitutes to hear.

Fernandez paused for a moment, then turned to look at him.

"Coach, our midfield is locked down." Zhang Kuang spoke quickly, but every word was clear. "Pedretti can't get the ball, and even if he does, he can't pass it out. Grenoble has five players surrounding our two defensive midfielders, and the ball can't get past midfield at all."

Fernandez opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't.

Of course he knows these things.

But he hasn't figured out how to solve it yet.

"Coach, we have to change our tactics," Zhang Kuang continued, looking directly into Fernandez's eyes. "If the midfield is locked down, we shouldn't force a push forward from there."

"Play long balls directly from the backfield to me, or go down the flanks and let Olic and Birsa get to the byline. Don't let Pedretti and Ndinga hold onto the ball too much; every second the ball stays at their feet increases the risk of being dispossessed."

Fernandez stared at the arrogant man for a few seconds, and the bewilderment in his eyes was gradually replaced by a strange clarity.

He was awakened by his own players.

"You're right," the veteran coach finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Go down the flanks. Send long passes to you. Don't go into midfield anymore."

He turned and shouted at the players on the field: "Pedretti! Ndinga! Don't hold the ball in midfield! Make long passes to Zhang! Olic! Birsa! Move to the wings! Cross from the byline, or cut inside!"

Then he added, "Everyone should pass the ball forward immediately after a successful defensive play, don't pass it laterally!"

The Auxerre players nodded as if waking from a dream when they heard their head coach's call.

Zhang Kuang returned to the field and made a gesture to Pedroti – a long pass, find me.

Pedretti glanced at him and nodded.