0004 A World-Class Goal in the Third-Tier Arena (Seeking Monthly and Recommendation Tickets)

Even though Lu Deyang had demonstrated sufficient talent, Scala did not immediately grant him an opportunity. The team was currently running smoothly, and there was no need to risk replacing the starting lineup. Italian coaches are inherently conservative to the bone.

Lu Deyang did not mind much. As long as the team could win games and secure the Serie C1 title, he would have to rely on his own merits to find a job in the summer; with his talent, it was impossible for him to stay at Reggina. He would simply go for trials with other clubs when the time came.

Looking at the team photo, it was clear he was a misfit. Most of the team had long hair, and many sported handlebar mustaches. After he got a trendy, short, textured haircut, he looked like he belonged to a different generation.

"Kid, you've been playing like the Predator lately. Did a scientist modify you?" Giuseppe Bagnato asked, draping an arm around Lu Deyang and teasing him. The movie *Predator*, released in 1986, was widely known.

"I’ve just started to understand how I should be playing," Lu Deyang replied with a smile.

Bagnato nodded and chuckled. Given the talent Lu Deyang had shown, he certainly wouldn't stay in the lower divisions for long. Even if he felt a tinge of envy, he didn't care too much; at twenty-nine, he no longer had many lofty ambitions. Football was just a job, and if a better one came along, he would retire immediately.

On the sidelines, Nevio Scala checked his watch, clapped his hands, and said, "The match against Cagliari is tomorrow. I want everyone to stay sharp."

"Understood, Coach."

"Got it."

Cagliari was currently in first place. After twenty-two games, they had fifteen wins, three draws, and four losses, sitting at the top with thirty-three points—only two points ahead of Reggina, who had thirteen wins, five draws, and four losses. If they won this match, Reggina could tie their opponents for the first time this season.

As they headed toward the locker room, a teammate invited him, "Want to go sing karaoke? Some Sicilians set it up here." Calabria was right across the sea from Sicily, and many goods were smuggled in as so-called "duty-free items."

"Forget it. I'm going to get myself some transportation," Lu Deyang said with a smile. Riding a bicycle to training took up too much time on the road. He had heard a shipment of motorcycles had arrived and planned to go check them out. In Italy, about a quarter of households owned a motorcycle, with sport bikes and street bikes being common. In vast, sparsely populated places like the U.S. or Australia, larger displacement bikes were more common, while in Thailand and Japan, small street bikes were the norm.

When inspecting the bikes at the seaside containers, he recognized the seller from a funeral he had attended. He managed to acquire an R100RS without much price haggling. It was said that the bike had been perfected in a wind tunnel; even though it had been on the market for over a decade, it remained a top seller. He felt like he was riding on the wind as he sped away.

The next day, he rose early. Although he didn't start, being included in the match-day squad was progress. Cagliari was a team from Sardinia. The whole team took a bus to Rome early in the morning, a grueling seven-hour journey, before flying from Rome to Cagliari. With almost no rest, the entire Reggina squad was taken to the Stadio Sant'Elia.

Seeing that Lu Deyang looked exhausted, Giuseppe Bagnato whispered, "When we came to Sardinia before, we took a ferry, which took even longer. It’s a good thing Cagliari doesn't get relegated to Serie C often."

"True!" Lu Deyang agreed with a nod. Cross-regional travel without a flight was indeed exhausting. They were on a discounted rate provided by the airline, which was cheaper than for regular passengers, but the airline didn't specifically arrange routes from Reggio Calabria to Cagliari. Every trip to Sardinia was a long ordeal.

Giuseppe Bagnato continued, "I hope we can win the championship. If there's a title bonus, I want to get a bigger house. I saw a foreign show the other day where a house was big enough to host a party for forty people."

"It's the same in Italy or any other country—those are houses for the wealthy," Lu Deyang said. "I know someone named Celia whose house can accommodate eight million people."

"Eight million?" Bagnato retorted, unimpressed. "Do you take me for a fool?"

While the two were chatting, the situation on the pitch had turned quite unfavorable for Reggina. Nevio Scala’s tactics were pragmatic, especially in an era where a win was worth only two points; most Italian coaches favored defense first. However, the travel had caused significant physical fatigue for the players, and Reggina players occasionally committed errors during the match. These errors accumulated, and opponents Cagliari soon found an opportunity to score a goal.

"Stay focused! No more mistakes!!!" Scala tried to rally his players, but the physical exhaustion did not vanish. They barely managed to hold off any further goals in the first half, but shortly after the second half began, Cagliari scored again, bringing the score to 2-0. The Stadio Sant'Elia erupted in cheers. As the only team from Sardinia, they had held their ground in Serie A for over a decade until Luigi Riva retired, after which they became a "yo-yo club." The fans held great expectations for the team.

"Goal! Goal! Goal!"

Contrasting the Cagliari fans' cheers was the expression on Nevio Scala’s face. The head coach felt quite helpless, as he knew full well the team's predicament was not a matter of the players' willpower. Should he make a substitution? Would the substitutes not be tired as well? Scala turned his head and saw Lu Deyang chatting happily with a teammate. He immediately extended his index and middle fingers and beckoned to Lu Deyang.

Bagnato gave Lu Deyang a nudge and said, "The boss wants you."

"Coach?" Lu Deyang stood up and asked.

"Warm up. Get ready to go on!" Scala said concisely. At this point, all he could do was give Lu Deyang a try. He had heard that his previous appearances weren't particularly effective, but at this stage, conceding one or two more goals didn't matter. What if he could replicate the form he showed in training?

In the stands, forty-five-year-old Luigi Riva wore an intrigued expression. This "King of Sardinia" was hailed as one of the greatest players in Italian history, and he had briefly coached Cagliari two years prior. The habits formed while coaching left him well-informed about his team's opponents. Lu Deyang had only represented Reggina twice before, but he had left quite an impression; there weren't many Chinese people playing in Italy. He was not optimistic about Scala’s substitution.

"Good luck, mate!" said Giovanni Capasso, who was being substituted off.

After hugging him, Lu Deyang jogged onto the pitch. After the opponents kicked off, Lu Deyang charged forward immediately. His absolute speed wasn't top-tier, but as a fresh pair of legs, his stamina was ample. He startled Cagliari midfielder Mariotto, who immediately passed the ball to Reggina midfielder Maurizio Raggi.

"Run forward!"

The moment Raggi shouted, Lu Deyang had already sprinted out. Seeing that figure, Raggi didn't think twice and chipped the ball forward in an awkward motion. The pass wasn't great, heading straight toward the left side of the penalty area. Fortunately, the Cagliari players nearby were focused on the center. When Lu Deyang rushed up, no defender moved to intercept him.

In that position, the penalty area was still crowded. Without hesitation, Lu Deyang swung his left foot.

*Bang!*

A first-time strike. A volley from a tight angle! The ball flew from the left side of the penalty area straight toward the goal. The Cagliari goalkeeper had no time to adjust his positioning before the ball soared over his head and buried itself into the right side of the net. When he turned back, all he could see was the ball bouncing behind the goal line.