Chapter 341: Chapter 103: Stay Unbeaten! Norwich City’s Old Friends! Fans from Both Sides Sing the Song of Ma’el Together! (3)

"Scored once." Rudy put on his gloves, clapped a few times, and said, "Remember that time? The Sky Sports commentary.

"..... Rudy can save the team once, can save the team twice, but he can’t stop Ma’el’s third shot hitting the target!"

"Hahaha." The two of them laughed together, leaning back, feeling it was quite apt.

Hulahan looked at Rudy, raised his brows, and said, "So, you’re one of the few in the Championship who gave him a hard time?"

"You too." Rudy patted Hulahan’s shoulder and said, "Your first hat-trick last season was against Sheffield United, in front of Ma’el.

"Must have been impressive, we beat Sheffield United comprehensively that match, and Ma’el’s expression was grim post-game."

Hulahan’s face lit up, raised his brows even higher, and nodded, feeling quite honored.

Thinking back, it’s quite remarkable. The kid they competed against last season is now someone they feel... honored to have showcased brilliance in front of.

"What do you think the boss thinks of him? The boss was under a lot of pressure at the time, never smiled, only smiled when he held his granddaughter."

Hulahan turned to grab a drink, soon hearing a reply, "What else could he think? Grateful, appreciative."

It wasn’t Rudy’s voice; it was head coach Neil’s.... Hulahan turned his head sharply, seeing Neil standing in the locker room smiling at him.

"Boss."

Hulahan felt a bit embarrassed, chuckled dryly, "We were just chatting."

"Go warm up."

Neil patted their backs, recalling the upcoming meeting with old friends, his expression somewhat excited, "Don’t embarrass yourselves in front of your old rivals, show them you’re doing well now."

...

Half an hour before the match, Arsenal players arrived at Carrow Road Stadium.

Ma’el jokingly chatted with a few teammates as they walked out of the player tunnel, feeling more relaxed playing against mid-table teams.

"How many are you planning to score today?"

Van Persie beside him grinned, "8? 9?"

"Haha." Ma’el patted his back, shook his head, "Don’t jinx it; I suspect I didn’t score last game because of your jinx."

"It was just one game without scoring." Van Persie looked puzzled, "Remembering it for so long? I once went 7 straight matches without scoring."

"No, no, no."

Ma’el, ready to say something, couldn’t help but chuckle. He wagged his finger, saying seriously, "I’m not like you, my Premier League start was too good, so I have higher expectations." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Van Persie: "....."

He, considered historically exceptional in finishing ability, when has he been said to be inefficient?

"You’ll calm down during a goal drought."

He knew Ma’el was joking and started mock chasing, laughing, "Take this tackle."

"What are you doing?"

Ma’el saw him approaching quickly, sensed danger, instinctively ran ahead, "Don’t come over, I’m afraid if I act, you’ll be down."

"Try it!" Van Persie picked up his pace, smirking as he chased Ma’el.

The two players, worth nearly £100 million today, playfully charged out of the player tunnel, causing other Arsenal players to burst into laughter.

"Oh.....!"

"Clap.....!"

Ma’el just exited the player tunnel when applause and cheers erupted from Carrow Road Stadium.

He looked around, seeing fans’ eyes fixed on him, some shouting, some applauding.

Is this?

Unintentionally gained goodwill last match?

He suddenly understood, smiled, waved to greet Norwich fans in the stadium.

Van Persie caught up beside him, seeing him stop, feeling awkwardly compelled to stop, pretending to be busy.

As if General Fan doesn’t know Ma’el’s physique, chasing for fun is okay, genuinely tackling might get him KO’d.

"Know why they’re cheering for me?"

Ma’el quite enjoyed the atmosphere, pulled Van Persie closer to bathe in the adoring gazes.

"Why?" Van Persie, not following the Championship, naturally didn’t understand and looked confused.

"Because I’m handsome."

Ma’el pointed to his face shamelessly, "I’m not quite....."

Van Persie realized he got played again, chased Ma’el for the second time.

Ma’el initially ran a few steps but seeing Van Persie’s relentless pursuit, turned, grabbed his shoulder, and brought him down.

"Thud!"

General Fan fell clumsily, spreadeagled and laughed, "Fack! Not even a chance to resist?"

"Oh.....!"

Sagna exited the player tunnel just in time, saw the scene and clapped, "A successful ground assault! Ma’el gets an opportunity for a chokehold.... featherweight champ Van Persie couldn’t withstand!"

"Haha.....!" Arsenal players laughed again; the atmosphere within the team had been great lately.

Ma’el, still laughing, reached out to pull Van Persie up.

The group jogged together for warm-up, feeling comfortable at the small stadium, accommodating nearly 30,000 people.

It’s like on a sunny afternoon, a group of brothers playfully arriving at the field, ready for a match..... the usual pressure and deafening noise absent, all they see is football.