Chương 18: A Star Is Born
Under everyone's gaze, Louis stepped onto the field.
Mancini frowned, things were a bit beyond his expectations. He hadn't anticipated Louis coming on as a substitute, giving Mancini a feeling that the situation was slipping out of his control.
He knew a little about Louis; after all, he was part of Arsenal's eighteen-man squad. Then he forgot about him. Mancini didn't think this young player, who grew up in the AC Milan youth system, could adapt quickly and get opportunities in a completely different football environment. So, Louis' unexpected appearance made him nervous. He moved to the sidelines and stared at Louis, wanting to understand what caught Wenger's attention.
The game resumed with Arsenal on the attack. Podolski received the throw-in from full-back Gibbs and passed it diagonally back to Arteta. As Arteta got the ball, Louis suddenly stepped forward. Arteta passed the ball diagonally to Cazorla on the wing. Louis ran back, cruising along the City backline, constantly looking for blind spots.
Every time he chose a position, he was in an awkward spot for Manchester City's defense.
"Is this guy Inzaghi?" Mancini muttered.
Just when he was about to instruct his defenders to be more vigilant, Cazorla took a step inside with the ball and suddenly passed it diagonally into the penalty area with his left foot.
A red figure appeared in the box.
Lescott, responsible for defending that area, was shocked and instinctively raised his hand to signal offside. But the figure, wearing number 19, shot with his left foot. The football soared, arcing past Joe Hart's fingers, and plunged into the net.
"Louis!!!" Andy Gray exclaimed in the commentary box. "He scored with his first touch!!!"
But then, the linesman hesitantly raised his flag.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle and signaled offside.
Wenger, who was just about to celebrate, put his head in his hands and rushed to the technical area.
"Offside?! Did you see it clearly? That was a good goal! You disallowed a good goal! Damn it!"
"Calm down! Calm down, Mr. Wenger!! The referee team has their own judgment!" the fourth official tried to calm Wenger.
Wenger had every reason to be angry. Young players are unstable. If Louis had scored with his first touch, the confidence boost would be massive. Conversely, having the goal disallowed could dent his confidence.
Arsenal's players were also furious. Louis, ready to celebrate, looked unwilling to accept the offside call.
"Offside? I wasn't offside! Look at the replay!!" Louis pointed to the big screen, shouting at the referee.
Referee Oliver had a headache with Arsenal's players surrounding him. He chose to trust the linesman's judgment, but the replay showed the decision was millimeters close. Without VAR, it was tough for the linesman to make a 100% accurate call, especially at Manchester City's home ground.
"A matter of millimeters!" Zhang Jun exclaimed. "Louis's shot was very decisive. His eyes were always on the goalkeeper. The arch of his right foot scooped the ball up intentionally! This shows Louis has the ability to score!"
Chinese were also disappointed.
"Oliver! You're really blind!"
"This ball was called offside!"
Mancini breathed a huge sigh of relief. If the goal had counted, it would've been difficult for Manchester City. Scoring with his first touch would have boosted Louis' confidence and Arsenal's morale, potentially destroying Manchester City.
Mancini yelled onto the field, "Don't ignore him! Watch him closely!"
Lescott, still in shock, realized Louis had cleverly positioned himself in a blind spot. "Don't let him out of your sight!" Kompany shouted.
Manchester City decided to shrink their defense and spend time under Arsenal's offensive rhythm. Arsenal launched an attack, and Louis remained calm, playing his game.
"Louis is very calm on the court. He looks like a 37-year-old, not a 17-year-old," Martin Keown commented.
Louis's movements continued to disrupt Manchester City's defense. The 67th minute saw him receive the ball at the edge of the penalty area, pass it, then press forward, creating a gap. Cazorla exploited this gap, received a pass from Podolski, and took a long shot. Joe Hart made a thrilling save.
"Cazorla's long shot! What a wonderful shot! Joe Hart's save was also beautiful!!" commentators praised Louis' performance.
Walcott, watching from the bench, felt the pressure. TV directors knew football well, focusing on Walcott's expression, indicating his main position might be at risk if Louis continued performing well.
Wenger, satisfied with Louis' performance, watched the game unfold, confident that he made the right decision bringing Louis on.
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