Chapter 55: Single Defense (Please Collect)

A "free hunter" was far from being a stable occupation.

George could not guarantee that he would always secure a lucrative bonus, especially since players of the Dutch prodigy's caliber were exceedingly rare.

Even with his exceptional eye for talent, George had no way to ensure that this line of work would provide him with a long-term, guaranteed income.

For that reason, Sanders's offer was indeed somewhat appealing.

However, George also knew very well what kind of man Sanders was.

A man who would take credit for his subordinates' achievements and climb upward by sucking their blood—working under someone like that offered zero job security.

"The match is about to start!" George said indifferently.

Sanders shrugged. "I hope you'll reconsider."

With that, both men turned their attention to the pitch, simultaneously preparing to take notes.

Meanwhile, out on the field, the players from both sides were walking out.

This fixture featured the Green Little Lions against Torino U15.

Placed in Group D, the Green Little Lions were undoubtedly at the bottom based on the seeding pots.

Torino U15, on the other hand, sat firmly at the top of the group.

"First match, everyone give it your all! Let's go out there and take the win!"

Wearing the captain's armband, Xiang Ming let out a loud roar.

The others responded with shouts of their own to pump themselves up.

Torino U15 was undeniably a formidable opponent, but for players like Xiang Ming and He Chaoyue, who had been competing in various European tournaments since childhood, they felt no trace of stage fright.

After all, it was not as though they had never won before.

They had won in the past, and they could win now!

Furthermore, while calling them Torino U15 sounded intimidating, in Europe, true talents at that age group always skipped grades.

The genuine prodigies of the U15 age bracket would likely be playing in the U17s or even the U19s.

They certainly wouldn't be lingering in the U15 squad!

Young and ambitious, they measured themselves against the very best of the crop. If they couldn't even defeat these players, they would stand no chance against the true prodigies when representing the national youth teams in the future.

Wei Lai took a deep breath as well.

This was his first official match abroad and a crucial test of his abilities.

On this grandest stage of football, competing against his peers, just how well would he perform?

This was simultaneously a team battle and a personal trial for Wei Lai.

Wei Lai clenched his fists slightly, his gaze fixed upon the European youths across the pitch, clad in black-and-white striped jerseys bearing the crest of the Italian powerhouse on their chests.

"Bring it on!"

Tong Xianfeng had also set up his streaming equipment to broadcast the match live.

The moment the referee's whistle blew, the entire live stream chat erupted with excitement.

'First! First!'

'They're here! The little lions' first official match!'

'Opening match against Torino U15, a draw is basically a win!'

'What do you mean a draw? It's not like we've never beaten them before!'

'Let's go! Let's go! Little lions!'

On the pitch, Torino U15 kicked off first.

After completing the kickoff, they did not rush forward blindly. Instead, they maintained a compact, cohesive shape, practically inviting the opponents to step into their half.

This was the hallmark of Italian football—built on a foundation of defense, followed by razor-sharp counter-attacks.

Torino U15 did not rush their attack, and the Green Little Lions did not charge blindly either.

"Maintain your distances!"

Wei Lai shouted toward Yu Jiahe, having noticed that Yu Jiahe had a restless look in his eyes, always eager to surge forward.

Although Wei Lai understood Yu Jiahe's excitement, maintaining discipline was paramount at this moment.

At the same time, Wei Lai's eyes scanned constantly toward the flank.

Torino U15's number seven, a curly-haired player named Pishini, was the spearhead of Torino's counter-attacking flank.

This was part of the intelligence the Green Little Lions had gathered.

The Green Little Lions had to keep this player quiet to ensure the stability of their defensive line.

Naturally, this heavy responsibility fell squarely on Wei Lai's shoulders.

"Can Wei Lai handle the onslaught from that Torino number seven?"

Liang Xu looked toward the pitch anxiously. Although Wei Lai's abilities had won recognition domestically, no one could say for sure how he would stack up against European players of the same level.

The friendly matches had yielded good results, but friendly matches were just that—friendly matches. The intensity of an official competition was vastly higher.

Because of this, Liang Xu worried whether Wei Lai could adapt to the demands of this tournament!

Tong Xianfeng remained silent. He lacked confidence too, but this was currently their best option.

If even Wei Lai couldn't hold the line, no one else among the current Green Little Lions could.

Should that happen, they would have no choice but to resort to their old ways: packing the midfield, committing only a handful of players to the attack, and throwing everyone else back into defense.

Tong Xianfeng had boldly initiated this tactical revolution precisely because of Wei Lai's arrival.

He believed Wei Lai could shoulder this pressure, thereby unleashing the attacking potential of the others.

After roughly five minutes, Torino finally lost patience and tested the waters by pushing forward.

The ball was passed along the flank, traveling directly to the feet of their number seven.

At that exact moment, Wei Lai closed down immediately.

Comments flooded the live stream.

'They've locked on!'

'Here it is! An offensive and defensive showdown!'

'Can Wei Lai hold him off?'

'Watch out! European youngsters are extremely nimble on their feet!'

On the pitch, Wei Lai positioned his body sideways to block the inside attacking lane while conceding the outside channel.

Moreover, Wei Lai closed the gap tighter this time.

After all, he wasn't confident he could match Pishini's acceleration from a standstill, so if the opponent attempted to burst past him down the flank, he was prepared to use his arms if necessary.

Pishini continuously stepped over and flicked the ball with his feet, attempting to throw off Wei Lai's balance.

Realizing that Wei Lai remained completely unfazed, Pishini suddenly knocked the ball hard down the flank in an attempt to burn past him.

"Now!"

Wei Lai went straight to ground with a sliding tackle.

Bam!

The tip of his boot connected cleanly with the ball, successfully neutralizing the threat.

"Brilliant!" Yang帆 shouted in praise before immediately sprinting back to his defensive position.

Meanwhile, Wei Lai closed down the opposing number seven once again.

Torino U15's throw-in was delivered straight to Pishini once more.

With his back to Wei Lai, Pishini began executing a series of feints.

However, Wei Lai refused to give him a clean window to turn.

"So persistent!" Pishini muttered under his breath, immediately pivoting with the intention of laying the ball off.

At that instant, a teammate cried out in warning, "Watch out!"

Before Pishini could process the warning, a tremendous force slammed into his side. Unable to withstand the physical challenge, he was instantly muscled off the ball as Wei Lai squeezed past him from behind.

Wei Lai then extended a boot, trapped the ball, pulled it back, and planted his body firmly to shield Pishini behind him.

"Brilliant!"

Liang Xu clapped his hands together and roared.

What a clean and decisive interception!

Wei Lai had anticipated the opponent's intention to pass backward and decisively intercepted the ball.

Curiously, after winning possession, Wei Lai did not immediately distribute the ball.

Up ahead, Xiang Ming was shouting frantically for a pass, but Wei Lai remained completely unmoved.

It wasn't until Yu Jiahe drifted closer and Luo Xiang dropped back to support that Wei Lai finally swept a short horizontal pass across.

At that exact moment, Yu Jiahe didn't even break his stride; he instantly slipped a through ball into the half-space.

"What the—?"

Xiang Ming froze for a fraction of a second before sprinting forward.

Even so, he was a step too late, as the opposing full-back slid in to clear the ball out over the end line.

"Ahhh!——"

Xiang Ming leaped to hurdle the opponent's sliding challenge, then furiously rubbed his hair in frustration.

"My bad! My bad!"

Xiang Ming raised a hand, looking sheepish as he said, "I ran too slow!"