When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 12 Go ask the hero who scored the goal! (Please read on!)
Benzema sat cross-legged on the floor of his apartment in the suburbs of Lyon.

"Damn it!"

He pounded the floor, gripping the remote control so tightly it creaked, unable to suppress the surging anxiety in his chest.

On television, the 18-year-old Monaco prodigy was running wildly in celebration, his teeth dazzlingly white.

He sprinted all the way to the North Stand, shaking off his teammates along the way, and made a cocky celebration gesture.

He crossed his hands in front of his chest, with his index and little fingers fully extended at their maximum angle, his thumbs pressing down on his middle and ring fingers, his wrists turned inward, and his expression unrestrained.

This gesture, originating from Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio and meaning "Satan," is one of the most famous symbolic gestures in rock and roll.

The crossed-arms metal salute is a "Gates of Hell" ritual later modified by Borussia Dortmund die-hards.

It has not yet appeared.

Roy didn't know if the gesture would unleash a burst of energy, but he knew it was a wild celebration.

Benzema's pupils contracted, like a cat being shone with bright light.

"Why should he?"

"How much older is he than me? Three years? That's all?"

Benzema suddenly stood up and imitated that dribbling move in the small living room. His slipper flew out and hit the TV antenna, causing the picture to flicker with static.

"He's here! He's here! This young man is like a bolt of lightning cleaving through the dull night sky!"

The Canal+ commentators' voices grew increasingly excited as the match progressed.

"Received the ball on the left wing! Used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball and change direction, and Chanelle was frozen in place!"

After a series of changes of direction, a stepover, and a feint, Roy passed the ball to Rothen, who was cutting inside.

Rothen became increasingly excited in the second half. Roy's entry into the game drew more defensive attention away from him, and he began to frequently switch positions with Roy to cut inside, while also linking up with Giuly on the right wing.

After receiving the ball with his back to goal, Pulso flicked it to the right, and Giuly, after shaking off Casapa's pull, unleashed a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Coupet punched the ball away, and Lyon's center-back Brechet cleared it, but in his haste, he miskicked the ball.

Roy, who was following up quickly, leaped up and volleyed the ball.

Unfortunately, the shot went a little too far and just grazed the goalpost.

Paul Le Guen breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines.

Deschamps swallowed back the shout that was about to escape his lips, then put his hands in his pockets and nodded slightly.

Yes, it's within the plan. Don't get too cocky!

But just four minutes later.

Lyon's attacking advance was once again thwarted by Marquez, who then launched a long pass down the right flank, where Giuly controlled the ball in mid-air, turned, and dribbled past Edmilson.

They avenged the embarrassing loss of their arrow at the start of the first half.

The ball is passed to Bernardi in the backfield. As Bernardi receives the ball, Roy, who is tracking back in the backfield, begins to accelerate.

A through ball.

"Start from the center circle, accelerate! Accelerate again! The defenders are chasing closely. Diarra's physical challenge failed to close the gap, and he lost his balance. Roy touched the ball and accelerated past Edmilson. The stumbling Diarra collided with Edmilson. Roy had already rushed to the edge of the penalty area!"

"At the edge of the penalty area, he slowed down? No! This is the calm before the storm!"

Roy stopped abruptly with the ball, flicked it with the inside of his right foot, and took a large step to pull the ball to the left.

He feinted with his right foot to deceive the defender's balance, then unleashed a low shot into the near corner.

Coupet landed and stretched out his leg, making a dangerous move that completely rendered him unable to react further, blocking the ball outside the goal line.

He took a deep breath, still shaken.

"What do you all do for food?"

He roared at his teammates.

After equalizing, the Monaco players on the field became increasingly excited, and the balance between the two teams completely shifted during this period.

The fans at the Stade Louis II sang their battle anthem, their passionate and rhythmic shouts forming a powerful drumbeat, and Monaco marched forward to this beat.

The Canal+ commentator shouted, "This isn't an attack, it's a tsunami! Lyon's defense is like a castle on the beach, being swallowed up by wave after wave of red waves."

In the 57th minute, Rothen delivered a diagonal pass from the left flank at a 45-degree angle. The ball bypassed the head of Lyon's center-back Patrick Müller and accurately found Giuly at the far post.

Giuly's volley hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced back, and Pulso's follow-up shot was blocked by Coupet.

Edmilson made a hasty clearance, then collapsed in the penalty area, indicating he had a thigh cramp.

Eric Carril replaces Edmilson.

Paul Le Guen, his face contorted with anger, patted Carril on the back and explained the tactics to him.

Monaco's relentless attacks have put Lyon's players in a dilemma. If they stick to a defensive strategy, their morale will plummet, but if they push forward to attack, they risk losing their composure.

Sixty-first minute.

Evra suddenly surged forward, completing a one-two with Rothen, and broke into the left side of the penalty area.

He feinted a shot and then passed the ball, speeding past the defender before sweeping it low towards the center. Pulso attempted a sliding shot, but the ball deflected off Casapa's leg and flew towards the goal.

Coupet caught the ball tightly again.

Coupe went berserk!

Finally, the match came to an end in the 77th minute.

"A series of passing combinations! Bernardi passes the ball to Rothen on the wing, Rothen crosses it to the center, Roy advances and passes to Pulso, Pulso shields the ball! He then passes it to Giuly on the other side."

After receiving the ball, Giuly did not rush to break through. He tried to move towards the outside but found that the full-back was marking him closely. He then held the ball in place and confronted the opponent, making several feints with his right foot.

Suddenly, he flicked the ball with his right foot to create an angle, then unleashed a powerful outside-of-the-foot curling shot that shot up from the ground.

Roy roamed in the area in front of the penalty area, pretending to take a stroll, but his center of gravity was always slightly forward, almost in line with Lyon's center-back Brecht, who kept his eyes on him.

He deliberately avoided looking at Giuly, who had the ball, but used his peripheral vision to lock onto the moment Giuly lifted his foot.

Lyon center-back Brechet was raising his hand to signal for an offside trap, but the linesman did not raise his flag; Roy's starting timing was precise to the frame.

As Giuly's javelin-like curling shot bypassed the two defensive lines, Roy quickly crossed the back line.

To avoid slowing down and adjusting, I lightly brushed the ball with the outside of my left foot while running, causing it to bounce to within two meters of me.

Only Patrick Müller remained in front of Coupet.

The moment he stepped into the penalty area, Roy suddenly feinted to the left, forcing Müller to follow closely. In his haste, Müller stretched out his leg. The studs of his right shoe scraped against Roy's shin guard, making a screeching sound.

Roy's violent attempt to eat was abruptly cut off in mid-air, and he rolled twice on the grass like a deer shot by a hunting rifle.

"This is murder!"

Deschamps roared, as furious as an old man who had discovered that someone had cracked open the walnuts he had been playing with for half his life and was eating the kernels.

On the television, the referee's whistle pierced the silence of the living room.

"Foul!" the commentator's voice suddenly rose. "Roy has been brought down in the penalty area! It's a clear foul! Will the referee award a penalty?"

Her son, the 18-year-old boy in the red and white jersey, was curled up on the grass, his hands wrapped around his left knee, his face scrunched up.

"That defender's studs, oh my god, is there blood on them?"

It was just grass clippings.

Without the slightest hesitation, the referee decisively pointed to the penalty spot.

At the same time, a red card was shown to Patrick Müller.

Dangerous move, straight red.

Paul Le Guen turned and sat back down on the coach's bench.

Coupet's face was filled with despair; now he only wanted one thing: Lyon lost, but Coupet didn't.

"You're a fucking young lunatic!"

Giuly rushed into the penalty area, looked down to check, while Roy grinned, indicating that he was alright.

"Are you going to take the penalty you earned yourself?"

Jiu used his hand to lift the football and hand it to Roy.

Roy waved his hand in refusal.

"I heard you've made all four free throws this season, I have no reason not to believe Ludo (Giuly's nickname) will make the fifth one!"

He's new here, and he didn't come to Monaco to be the enemy of the dressing room. His conflict with Shabani is because the competition for the starting position is inevitable, and he still needs to try to maintain a good relationship with Giuly, who is the captain.

Juli raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Then I certainly won't let you down."

Deschamps, watching from the sidelines, felt relieved when he saw Giuly pick up the ball and place it on the penalty spot.

"Hey! Ludo, you're going to attack the left flank, right?"

With his arms flailing and body constantly moving, Coupet is employing "psychological tactics."

Juli retorted, "I know you've seen my video."

"Giuly stood in front of the penalty spot, took three quick steps, and then suddenly stopped!"

At that moment, everyone's heart tightened suddenly.

Coupet sprang up and lunged to his left, but his powerful shot still blasted into the top left corner.

"But!!! (similar to a goal)"

"Goal! Giuly's penalty kick is as solid as ever. His penalty kicks are like a revolver; even though you know the magazine is on the left, you still tremble when you pull the trigger!"

"You fucking guessed right!"

Giuly yelled at Coupe.

“You did a great job, Roy.”

The match ended with Monaco defeating Lyon 2-1 at home.

The moment Roy walked off the field.

Lyon midfielder Juninho Jr. walked over, sporting a head of fluffy curly hair, and politely shook hands with him.

"Shall we exchange jerseys?" he suggested.

“Of course, it’s my honor.” Roy smiled and joked:

Will collecting this jersey improve my free-kick accuracy?

"Haha."

Juninho the Younger smiled.

In the mixed zone after the match, a reporter asked Shabani about his feelings.

"Go ask the hero who scored the goal."

He pushed aside the microphone and went into the players' tunnel.

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"The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was reorganized and renamed Serbia and Montenegro."

—Libération

"Bad news! Del Piero's injury has been confirmed, and he will be out for five weeks!"

—Tuttosport

The 2003 UEFA World XI was selected based on votes cast by over 90 people on UEFA's official website.

Goalkeeper: Rustu (Fenerbahce, Turkey)
Defenders: Puyol (Spain, Barcelona), Nesta (Italy, AC Milan), Chivu (Romania, Ajax), Carlos (Brazil, Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Seedorf (Netherlands, AC Milan), Ballack (Germany, Bayern Munich), Zidane (France, Real Madrid), Duff (Ireland, Blackburn Rovers)
Forwards: Thierry Henry (France, Arsenal), Ronaldo (Brazil, Real Madrid)
Head Coach: Gunes (Türkiye National Team Head Coach)

—UEFA official website.

"The red and white flames have destroyed the lion of Gerland! A young genius has torn apart Lyon's defenses! Monaco declares: We will continue to lead this battle for the throne."

— L'Équipe headline.

"Good evening, Monaco! The good news is that we won again, and the other good news is that the Stade Louis II has its own 'rock star'."

Next, we'll play "War Pigs," an anti-war anthem by Black Sabbath.

Of course, we are not targeting George Walker-Bush and his damn war plans.

No!

— Radio Monte Carlo (RMC Monaco)

To reiterate, the news items at the end of each chapter are outside the chapter's word count. After payment, we will try to reduce this type of content or adapt it to fit the main character.

If you don't like this segment, please let us know, or if you have suggestions on what kind of content you'd like to see.
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(End of this chapter)