0017 Dancing to the Samba Beat (Please continue reading and support with recommendations)

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“Did I hear that right?” Boskov hurried over to ask.
A hundred fans on the field—could you still perform with that many?
Even Belair wouldn’t manage it.
“Why not add one more person to assist you? At least then you’d have a breather when passing,” Mantovani suggested.
“Better yet, assign a goalkeeper for both the fans and your team, so your teammates can coordinate with you. But a hundred is still too many—how about fifty? Try to pick smaller fans and female fans,” Boskov proposed.
He worried that the male fans might get too excited and accidentally injure the players.
Starting the season with one or two injuries wouldn’t be good.
“Alright, anything works, Coach,” Lu Deyang nodded.
Over a hundred people was indeed a bit overwhelming.
Mantovani immediately went to coordinate with the staff.
Mancini, Paliuca, and Nuciari were all called off the field.
Nuciari, the second goalkeeper, was quite an interesting character—he was consistently included in the squad but appeared in less than one-twentieth of the matches, setting a rather awkward record.
The onsite DJ announced this new gameplay, and many fans eagerly tried to persuade the staff to let them join on the field and compete against the stars.
“You must be crazy,” Mancini remarked.
He’d never imagined facing fifty fans on the pitch.
Even if they weren’t professional players, just thinking about the numbers made his hair stand on end.
“If you’ve got time to complain, better focus on tactics,” Lu Deyang retorted. “Anyway, I’ll hold the ball more. You just need to support me, so you have to move around more.”
“That’s true,” Paliuca agreed.
“Your long passes are okay, right?” Mancini questioned.
Paliuca was an excellent goalkeeper, but these days, all keepers’ ball distribution was about the same.
With fifty opponents, someone would definitely press the goalkeeper, which would test Paliuca severely.
“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you,” Paliuca assured.
Soon, the fans began streaming out of the tunnel—tall, short, fat, thin, male, female, all kinds.
For safety reasons, the staff avoided selecting elderly fans.
Some fans excitedly swarmed around the stars, chatting animatedly.
Mancini was quite popular, but his face showed nothing but helplessness.
He wasn’t a particularly patient man, but what could he do when facing supporters?
Lu Deyang and Paliuca chuckled quietly on the sidelines.
“All right, all right, get familiar with the ball, then we’ll start,” Boskov stepped in to ease the tension for his protégé.
Nuciari was assigned to guard the fans’ goal, glaring fiercely at Paliuca, as if to teach Lu Deyang and the others a lesson.

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The Luigi Ferraris Stadium was brimming with anticipation.
Today’s unveiling ceremony was truly entertaining.
A cinematic entrance, handsome men and beautiful women singing passionately, and finally a thrilling 3 versus 51 showdown.
Even selling tickets for this was worthwhile.
He’d definitely boast to the friends and family who couldn’t make it when he got home.
The whistle blew, and Mancini kicked the ball to Lu Deyang.
Immediately, three male fans charged at Lu Deyang, clearly having coordinated their tactics.
Facing their own player, they wouldn’t slide tackle, but one immediately blocked Mancini, who might receive a lateral pass from Lu Deyang. The other two were cautious.
They rushed at Lu Deyang without extending their legs.
Their plan was clear: prevent Lu Deyang from gaining speed.
Even without witnessing his pace, they chose the safest approach.
Three men could cover a significant area, even if they weren’t professionals.
Boskov stood arms crossed at the sideline, curious how Lu Deyang would respond.
Lu Deyang turned around smartly.
“Clever!” Boskov exclaimed.
Despite their preparation, the three fans panicked when Lu Deyang aimed to pass back to the goalkeeper.
They all wanted to stop him.
Without even looking back, Lu Deyang sensed a gap behind him and swiftly flicked the ball with his heel, slipping it effortlessly between a fan’s legs.
Turning again, Lu Deyang calmly controlled the ball.
This time, facing some younger fans, he didn’t rush.
He dribbled with small steps, teasing them playfully.
Occasionally, he even rolled the ball toward a young fan, only to pull it back as they reached out, causing the kid to stumble, prompting laughter from the nearby stands.
Spotting more fans rushing over, Lu Deyang nudged the ball outward with his right foot, then quickly pulled it back and flicked it onto his left foot, continuing forward.
A feint followed by a nutmeg!
This dazzling move sparked cheers throughout the stadium.
Mancini, who had been hovering on the sidelines, was wide-eyed.
He considered his skills decent, but watching Lu Deyang’s dribbling was a whole different league.
Ball control!
The gap in ball feel was immense.
The nutmeg trick was created early on by Brazilian players, but few used it well.
Lu Deyang executed it with ease and style, seamlessly switching feet during the move, combining two dribbling skills in one.
Then, he made Mancini curse in disbelief.
Like a whispering butterfly, Lu Deyang danced through the beautiful female fans with magical footwork.
His Marseille turn and other tricks were masterful.
The key was—was this even football?
It looked more like flirting with women on the pitch.
He clearly saw a female fan grab Lu Deyang’s rear.
Mancini felt that in this new season, he might no longer be the most beloved player among the fans.
“Pass the ball! Pass it!” Mancini shouted, flustered after running around foolishly.

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Lu Deyang glanced sideways, and the fans swarmed toward Mancini.
But instead of passing, Lu Deyang flicked the ball forward and sprinted toward the penalty area.
Using his eyes to deceive the fans, there were almost no opponents in front of him.
After all, nobody liked lingering in the penalty box on a wild playing field.
Nuciari was stunned.
Damn, even with fifty boars, no one should be bypassed so quickly.
Given Lu Deyang’s skill level and no defenders to protect him, Nuciari was certain that if Lu Deyang took a shot, he would concede.
The scoring rate for breakaways in Europe’s major leagues was under 40%.
But for top forwards, that number exceeded 70%, sometimes even higher.
And that was when teammates were still chasing back to apply pressure.
This situation was no different from shooting practice. Nuciari had no confidence of making the save.
The experienced substitute goalkeeper made his choice.
“Come on!” he shouted as he charged out of the penalty area.
Lu Deyang was young, and youth meant instability.
Nuciari wanted to pressure Lu Deyang into a mistake during this one-on-one challenge.
Such duels tested not only skill but also psychological fortitude.
Goalkeepers were naturally at a disadvantage, so clever ones tried to seize the initiative.
Colorful jerseys and strange antics were all designed to disrupt the shooter’s focus.
“Pass!”
Seeing Mancini running alongside, Lu Deyang opted for a lateral pass.
Mancini received and immediately shot.
Nuciari dove quickly, but the ball bounced off his chest back toward Lu Deyang.
Some fans had come back to defend, and Lu Deyang knew he couldn’t delay any longer.
He controlled the ball quickly; Nuciari was still on the ground, extending his limbs to block as much space as possible.
At that moment, Lu Deyang suddenly stopped abruptly, raising his right foot.
A feint!
After the fake move, the ball was actually closer to Nuciari, within reach.
Annoyed at being fooled, Nuciari tried to swipe the ball away.
But Lu Deyang reacted faster, switching to his left foot and snapping the ball away first.
The next second, the ball hit the net.
*Clap clap clap*—brilliant!
Brazilian fans cheered for the dazzling dribble.
Italian fans equally loved elegant technique.
Boskov couldn’t help but applaud. Even in his native Yugoslavia, he had never seen a player with such uncanny ball feel.
Setting aside the times he dribbled past fans, his composure in the penalty area, the successive feints and direction changes, and his balanced use of both feet—all confirmed Boskov’s certainty: the new number seven would be a vital member of the team.