Chapter 480: Chapter 128: A Magnificent Goal! The Tireless Ma’el! A Ghost on the Left Wing! Over the Mountain!

"Arsenal’s set-piece opportunity! Ma’el has changed into a new jersey and is running back on the field ready to take the free kick!"

In the broadcast booth, Zhan Jun turned his head and asked, "Mr. Zhang, the first half of the match has almost reached 30 minutes. How would you evaluate the performance of both teams?"

Zhang Lu thought for a moment and said, "They’re both playing well. Manchester United seems to have fulfilled Ferguson’s tactical demands, their ball control rate is superior.

"Having a superior ball control rate over Arsenal is not easy, it’s enough to see Manchester United’s dominance on the pitch during this period.

"As for Arsenal, they’ve set a lower posture today; they don’t have the mentality of being the top team because they’re not pressing for a head-on confrontation at the Emirates Stadium.

"From Ma’el’s trackback, you can see they want to establish a solid defense first."

After saying this, Zhang Lu took a sip of tea and continued, "Their defense is pretty good, you see... Mertesacker’s return has been helpful to the team, making the defense more steady.

"They don’t panic and always manage to calmly resolve Manchester United’s attacks. Manchester United has had just one or two good chances in the first half.

"We’ll see next which team loses their composure first and gives the opponent a chance, or see if any superstar can use their advantage in absolute areas to change the situation with individual skill."

"....."

On the pitch, the fans of Arsenal and Manchester United are all watching Ma’el in front of the football, filled with anticipation on one side and tension on the other.

The player just took a shot from a set piece, although it wasn’t successful, his feet must be warmed up now.

This second set piece is so close to the goal, there’s a significant chance of scoring.

"Lie down, someone!"

In front of the goal, De Gea waved towards the box, signaling for someone to lie down at the base of the wall.

Evra eventually volunteered to lie down; he’s very afraid of Ma’el scoring that goal.

"Hands!"

Seeing Evra lie down, De Gea kept shouting, "Hands! Put your hands down!"

Evra looked back, thinking it was directed at someone else, realized it was him, and quickly lowered his head-supporting hands.

"Haha..." This scene drew laughter from many Arsenal fans, as Evra had just posed like a mermaid, lying on his side in the box, looking quite comical.

A tense match needs such a moment of relief, and fans occasionally need to relax their minds.

Lying on the ground, Evra also laughed and even posed like a mermaid again, teasing De Gea, as if trying to cool down the goalkeeper.

Clap! Clap! De Gea suppressed a smile, clapped his hands to warm them up, and stood at the back corner of the goal, ready to make a save.

Ma’el looked at the referee while constantly observing the situation in the penalty area with his peripheral vision. Players from both sides were grappling for position to the right of the penalty spot.

Or should he pass?

With Evra lying behind the wall, the opponent’s defense in the box was clearly outnumbered, presenting a six-versus-eight scenario.

Never mind... he shook his head, passing would rely on teammates’ performance, but he’s confident in this shot, he’ll take it directly!

Squeak!

When the referee blew the whistle, Ma’el focused on the ball beneath his feet. Before the shot, he quickly glanced at the wall’s position, noticing it was slightly shifted toward the right.

They barely blocked the near corner, leaving no angle open, as if not worried about him making a shot around the left side of the wall with a curved ball sneak attack to the near corner.

This makes sense, if he were to take such a shot, he’d have to switch to his left foot, and De Gea would undoubtedly anticipate and prepare for it.

But... having acquired two new shooting abilities, he’s no longer limited to just the dipping arc shot.

Ma’el stepped back while adjusting his angle with the ball, just now it was roughly 70 degrees, perfect for the curved shot.

But this time, his angle with the ball was about 15 degrees, set up for a direct front volley shot, which was also revealed by his running distance.

De Gea in front of the goal showed confusion; it’s tough to curve a close-range free kick over the wall to the near corner without a slice.

Trying for the far corner?

But he was standing at the far corner, does Ma’el really plan to test his reflexes with a powerful shot?

That confident?

Clap! Clap! He clapped his hands again, lowering his center of gravity; since the opponent wants to come at him directly, bring it on.

It’s less hassle for him, previously having to cover the near corner too, now he just needs to watch the far corner.

He’s quite confident, if he can’t guard half a goal, he might as well go home.

He hoped to parry the ball just enough to tip it out for a corner, or better, catch it quickly for a counter-attack!

De Gea wasn’t the only one puzzled, those forming Manchester United’s wall—Smolin, Phil Jones, Rooney, and Valencia—all furrowed their brows.

This positioning?

This run-up?

A shot?

Immediately, they raised their arms to protect their faces, some even slightly trembling, instinctively clenching their crotches.

If Ma’el strikes for the far corner with a shot, fine, but takes the short route, blasting into the near corner means one of them is likely taking a hard hit.

"He doesn’t get along with Evra." Phil Jones’s knees wobbled, murmuring to himself for comfort, "If exacting revenge, he’ll target Evra on the ground, not shot me again.

"He could hit Valencia too, he’s the opposing defender, or even Rooney, especially after Rooney’s frequent complaints to the media about not winning Puskas.