The ball is in! One to one!
Maël's shot equalized the score for Arsenal U17, bringing both sides back to the starting line.
"Yeah...!!"
"Oh, ho! He's actually got a good foot. Who's that kid?"
"Well done!"
Arsenal fans on the sidelines erupted in cheers, many rising to applaud and celebrate Maël's goal.
Though they were only spectators, they could clearly feel the thrill of the powerful shot piercing the net.
In their hearts, this team was not just the club's team, but also their team, and these kids were their future.
Some even shouted words of encouragement to Maël, expressing their hope to see him in the first team.
On the coaching bench, Hans quickly stood up and applauded, his face filled with joy as he stared intently at Maël's back.
It was hard to say whether he was more delighted by the team's equalizer or by Maël's recent rapid improvement.
"A very good Long Shot."
A somewhat sudden voice sounded from behind him, it was Wenger, who had actually taken the initiative to speak, "This all comes from his recent Long Shot practice, doesn't it?"
"I think so, Mr. Wenger."
Hans' expression showed obvious surprise, he didn't know that Wenger was also paying attention to Maël, "I have repeatedly reminded him to pay more attention to his body and not to overdraw his training, but I still can't stop him.
"He seems to have a kind of obsession, not giving up until he reaches his goal, I wonder if it's related to his family environment."
Wenger nodded, subconsciously saying, "If possible, let him..."
As if feeling that saying this was inappropriate, he immediately changed his words, "Forget it, you are the coach of the U17, I shouldn't say these things."
Hans didn't respond, but he already understood what he meant.
Honestly, after this goal, his views were almost the same as Mr. Wenger's.
Near the Liverpool penalty area, the Arsenal players saw the football enter the net, their expressions lighting up as they rushed towards Maël in admiration.
"Nice one!!"
"I knew that shot would go in!"
"It's much easier to play when it's one to one."
Most of them were already impressed by Maël's improved strength, only stubborn individuals like Ian stayed in the backfield, not coming over and not saying anything.
Maël laughed after scoring, feeling a flame of excitement ignite in his heart, a Strength rising throughout his body, prompting him to run towards the corner flag to celebrate.
He didn't know if he had learned this from the stars on TV, or if it was just a human instinct when excited.
In short, the feeling of scoring was great!
"Although it's not technically my assist."
Captain Gilbert was the first to run to his side, lifting him high, "But the corner kick was assisted by me, so I still feel a bit involved."
"There will be more."
Maël smiled confidently, feeling that this match wouldn't end like this.
...
After a brief celebration, the match returned to normal.
As the game time passed thirty minutes, and both sides gradually adapted to each other's rhythm, the balance on the field slowly tilted towards Liverpool.
After all, they had fielded their full starting lineup this time, while Arsenal only had four main players.
At the beginning, everyone might have played more conservatively, more conventionally, but once they let go, some gaps gradually became apparent.
"Bang!!"
"Whoosh!!"
This gap also slowly manifested on the field, with Liverpool constantly launching threatening attacks, causing Arsenal's goal to be under constant pressure, with footballs flying in rapidly.
In the 44th minute of the match, Liverpool's second goal arrived.
*"Bang!"*
They launched a wave of offensive climax in the frontcourt, first completing a header shot from a cross from the baseline. After the football was saved by Arsenal's goalkeeper Hopkins, Liverpool's number 9 followed up with a shot.
"Clang!" This shot was unlucky, hitting the post and flying back into the penalty area.
Fortunately, another Liverpool midfielder followed up and finished with a shot from the instep of his foot.
Two to one!
Liverpool's players once again rushed to the sidelines with joy, and the goal scorer secretly turned his head to look at Wenger on the sidelines, hoping to attract attention.
But Wenger didn't have time to pay attention to them at this time. He was frowning and looking at the team's defense in the middle and back, his eyes full of disappointment.
Losing two second balls in a row in their own penalty area was a fatal mistake.
"Get back on defense! There aren't enough people at all!"
Ian on the field spread his hands, with an impatient expression on his face. "They've been pressing for a while, and still no one comes back."
"Counting the goalkeeper, there are eight people near the penalty area, that's not a small number."
Captain Gilbert glared at him, already feeling disgusted with this person. He just yells when a goal is lost, who knows who he's trying to impress.
"If we had our full strength team, this goal wouldn't have been lost."
Ian insisted, showing off his superiority, especially after seeing many trial players blaming themselves and lowering their heads, he became even more excessive: "I really don't know how some people play, how did they even get to wear an Arsenal jersey?"
This time, not only Gilbert and Maël were disgusted with him.
Even Wenger on the sidelines turned to look at Hans, "This person..."
"I will definitely deal with it when I come down."
Hans gritted his teeth secretly, wanting to send Ian to hell.
And what Arsenal was suffering at this moment was far from over. After a fifteen-minute half-time break, the second half of the match restarted.
Liverpool continued to launch a fierce attack. Their attacking players seemed to have figured out Arsenal's weaknesses and pressed forward in a big way, wanting to keep the fight for possession entirely in Arsenal's half.
*"Bang!!"*
In the 51st minute of the match, Liverpool's number 6 captain, a defensive midfielder, suddenly launched a cold arrow, returning a Long Shot.
Ian quickly stepped forward to block with a sliding tackle, but unfortunately, when people are unlucky, even drinking water can get stuck in their teeth. The football hit the outside of his calf and refracted, catching goalkeeper Hopkins off guard.
Another goal! Three to one!
"Ah!" Ian was about to turn dark, and after getting up, he stood there with his head down.
He temporarily put Maël and others out of his mind and thought about his future. Anyway, based on his performance today, it was unlikely that Wenger would value him.
He was a little annoyed and a little regretful that he should have been more focused on playing from the start.
"Pass the ball over, there's still time, but don't waste it all on regret."
A urging voice came from the frontcourt, it was Maël's voice, he didn't seem to have given up at all.
Goalkeeper Hopkins picked up the ball, kicked it to Maël, and gave him a thumbs up.
"Damn it."
Ian was in a low mood, very jealous that Maël had a goal to his name. If he could also have a highlight performance, then how many goals the team lost would be irrelevant to him.
"Bip!"
The match restarted afterwards, and Arsenal's fighting spirit was obviously suppressed. Only a few people still had fighting spirit in their eyes.
They didn't maintain possession for long after restarting the ball, and it was taken away by Liverpool players again, launching a siege.
Seemingly stuck in a dead loop, Arsenal players couldn't find any breakthrough and seemed a little powerless.
Until the 67th minute of the match, team captain Gilbert received a pass back from Maël and started his own performance.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
He dribbled the ball directly towards Liverpool's defense, using the outside of his right foot to touch the ball with high frequency, his center of gravity constantly shifting, making deceptive movements.
A flick, a hook, another hook, dribbling forward! Suddenly, he broke through Liverpool's three-man encirclement and rushed into the opponent's penalty area.
*"Bang!"*
The final push shot was like the perfect finishing move of a gorgeous waltz, light and elegant.
Two to three! There's still a chance!
Captain Gilbert showed why he was Arsenal's captain and why he had to be in the central axis today with a moment of brilliance.
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