August 28th, Bramall Lane Stadium.
Seven o'clock in the evening, one hour before the start of the match, a large number of cars surrounded the area, and fans from all over the city flocked in, crowding the place.
"Bang bang...bang bang bang bang!!"
"Doo doo...doo doo doo!!"
They beat war drums and blew horns, bringing a warm atmosphere to the outside of the stadium.
Many vendors selling beer and hot dogs were also hawking around, trying to make a fortune from the huge crowd today.
They caused many fans who loved a good drink to sit on the side of the street with flushed faces and blurred eyes before the game even started.
"Gareth Speed! Go for it!!"
"We want to win the first home game of the new season, charge!!"
"Let Preston lose everything at Bramall Lane!"
At seven o'clock in the evening, the Blades die-hard fan group arrived, shouting neat slogans, and also brought more than a dozen majestic red and white flags, like the military flags of ancient battle formations.
The breeze blew the flags, causing them to flutter and dance in the wind, bringing a fierce sense of solemn killing intent.
"OhOhOh!!"
The rest of the fans also seemed to have found their organization, followed behind these team flags, raised their hands and roared as they entered the stadium.
Fans are lovely, they will scold you with dirty language and mock you with rational ridicule when you lose the ball.
But when you need them, they will still buy the team's season tickets and wear jerseys to cheer.
Today is the debut of the new coach!
The starting lineup announced before the game also clearly pointed out that many new players will usher in their home debut!
Sheffield United fans are looking forward to a brand new team appearing in front of them, taking on the important task of restoring the team's glory.
They live in such expectations, this is their football culture, an indispensable part of their lives.
"Beep beep!"
At 7:55, in the player tunnel, three referees led the players from both sides into the arena in an orderly manner.
Maël, holding a small ball boy, followed the team's pace, stepped through the red-dominated player tunnel, and walked out of the stadium.
Looking around, fourteen dazzling spotlights appeared directly in front, surrounded by many small spotlights. Below them were two-story stands filled with people, most of whom were wearing red and white jerseys.
"You are a light in the dark
That there's only the road down the dark!!"
The fans were singing the team song loudly, and the voices of more than 20,000 people combined together were deafening.
This is Sheffield's home, Bramall Lane Stadium! Maël's skin surface had some goosebumps. He had experienced a starting appearance once, but this was his first time at the home appearance ceremony.
This will definitely be an unforgettable day, and he will strive to leave his own mark here with the best appearance.
Stepping on the soft turf, he and his teammates completed a brief appearance ceremony, divided the right to kick off and choose sides, and then stood in their positions.
He glanced at the opponent's full-back, then looked at Gareth Speed on the sidelines who was slightly excited and nervous, and then closed his eyes to adjust his mentality.
"Beep!"
At eight o'clock, the referee blew the whistle to officially start the game.
Sheffield United forward Evans, who won the right to kick off in the first half, passed the ball from the center circle, and another forward, Bologanovic, kicked the ball back. Gilbert received the ball and passed it back to the backcourt.
"Bang!"
Sheffield United center-back Steven kicked a long pass, sending the ball to the left midfielder position where Maël was.
Maël sprinted at high speed, faced the opponent's full-back and turned his back, trying his best to jump up to compete for the aerial ball.
He didn't head the ball, but his strong body also made the opponent's full-back's center of gravity unstable and he didn't jump high, so he still didn't head the ball.
"Press, press, press! Up!"
Sheffield United quickly pressed forward across the board, and everyone leaned towards the left, launching a high press after the opponent threw the ball out of bounds.
Seeing the situation was not good, the Preston defender directly kicked the ball to his own midfielder after receiving the throw-in, the football bouncing erratically.
"Mine!"
An excited voice rang out, and Gilbert, making his first start, came up from behind the opponent's midfielder, cleanly sliding in and poking the ball away before the opponent could receive it.
The football flew to the wing, a fifty-fifty ball between Maël and the Preston fullback.
With the latter not having a significant speed advantage, a physical confrontation was inevitable.
"Bang!"
Maël's shoulder slammed hard into the opponent's shoulder. This time, he didn't feel much physical impact, and saw his opponent bounce away as if hit by a hammer.
Most team fullbacks are speed-oriented or passing-oriented, and their physical strength is no match for his current level.
Maël passed the ball to Evans, who was coming back to receive it, and immediately felt adrenaline surging, his whole body filled with excitement.
Winning in terms of pure Strength is indeed easy to get people excited!
"Oh!!"
A roar erupted from the Sheffield United fan zone. From the start of the game, they had seen a completely new spirit in the team, and they had also witnessed a passionate and successful confrontation, naturally feeling exhilarated.
In the center, Evans, enveloped in this fiery atmosphere, couldn't help but turn around and unleash a powerful shot.
The football flew straight towards the near corner of the goal, and was barely saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.
Almost! "Ah," a sound of regret arose from the stands, and many fans grabbed their heads.
Evans also covered his face, then shook his head, raising both hands to signal everyone to get excited, "Again, again!"
The team was indeed different, and even the commentators in the media area of the stadium could see it.
"From the start of the game, the team has indeed shown a completely different look after Gareth Speed took office."
"This may be related to the previously exposed conflict between the players and Kevin, and also to Gareth Speed's personal charm."
"Preston seems to be stunned, and anxiety and heaviness are appearing on the face of coach Landers."
"Let's take a look at Sheffield United's first corner kick in the first half, taken by Janu Hans. The camera is focused on their tall center forward Bologanovic, a high point."
"The corner kick is taken! A scramble in the center of the penalty area, a clearance! The football is controlled by Ward in the second zone. He looks at the penalty area, is he going to Cross? No, it's a horizontal pass, catching them off guard!!"
"Maël! Youngster Maël is standing in the passing lane!"
On the field, with Ward's feigned Cross, Preston's defensive line quickly squeezed into the penalty area, leaving space in front of the box.
"Bang!"
But the subsequent true horizontal pass accurately found a vacuum, finding Maël in an open position.
Maël appeared very calm at this moment, not rushing to take a shot directly.
He lowered his center of gravity and stopped the ball in the most comfortable position, his ears seeming to automatically block out the shouts of the fans around him, the world only left with him and the football.
In this state of ultimate focus, he took two steps of approach, placed his supporting foot firmly on the left side of the football, then swung his left arm and powerfully extended his right leg.
"Whoosh," only then did the sounds of the surroundings reappear in his ears.
One sound came from the coach's bench, it was Gareth Speed's excited voice, he should have already stood up from his seat, "Smash it in for me!"
"Bang!!" A muffled sound then spread throughout the stadium, the football rising from the ground, flying straight towards the far corner of the goal, and smashing into the net with lightning speed, "Swish!!"
Goal! One to zero!
Maël scores with a Long Shot, achieving his first goal of his professional career!
A burst of fire erupted from his heart and lungs, causing him to raise his hands high and rush towards the fan area on the sidelines with all his strength, sliding out at high speed.
"Yeah!!" At this moment, he heard the roar of more than 20,000 fans at Bramall Lane, like the roof of the stadium was being lifted off, and thousands of figures in front of him stood up in unison.
All the pent-up emotions were released at this moment, he felt like he had fallen into a dizzying paradise, surrounded by crowds dancing for him.
The feeling of scoring a goal is indeed good!
"I knew you could do it, easy assist!"
Ward, who was already over there, was the first to run over, jumping high onto his back.
"Maël, my God!"
Gilbert was the second to run over with a beaming smile, opening his arms wide to celebrate the goal with his best brother.
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
To read the full translation, as well as more than 130+ full translations or to request new translations, check out: https:// randomtranslator.com/
You can also join the Random Translator Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------