thefictionvixens Chapter 63 Dark Hour
Chapter 63 Dark Hour
"N-nothing!"
"I...I can still kick..."
Mbappe said this to the referee and team doctor beside him.
He stood up slowly, his toes slightly turned inward and his calves trembling.
All eyes in the Stade Louis II were on him.
Inside the Huaxia live broadcast room.
The fans who witnessed this scene were shocked, and the screen was immediately flooded with comments:
"To avoid the team playing with one less player, he actually forced himself to get up?"
"He's only 17 years old, yet he has such the demeanor of a great general."
"He even reminds me of Barcelona's iron-willed captain, Puyol!"
"Forget Puyol, even Superman would be in trouble after this!"
"Mbappe is a real man!"
"But after this, forget about whether it's real or not, can he still be considered a man?"
……
Seeing that Mbappe had managed to get up, the referee didn't say anything more.
Toulouse's goalkeeper, Lavón, was heading straight for the ball.
The referee didn't call a foul or award a penalty.
Upon hearing the news, Mbappe almost collapsed again.
He only got up because he wanted a 12-yard nuclear explosion!
Fortunately, substitute Helder Costa scored another goal in the final moments.
This prevented Mbappe's embarrassing moment from becoming the end of the match.
The final score was 4-0.
Monaco secured a resounding victory over Toulouse in this Ligue 1 Round 22 match.
……
After the game.
Jiang Ming followed Mbappe out of the locker room.
Taking advantage of this break, he quietly opened the system and claimed the settlement reward for this match.
[Ding! Overall performance score has been calculated!]
[You started and played 70 minutes in this match, providing two assists, completing 3 out of 5 dribbles, achieving an 88.5% pass completion rate, and a 75% long pass completion rate...]
Overall rating: 8.8 points
[Ding! Congratulations on completing your daily task: Your post-match rating for this game is 8/9/10.]
[Reward: 5 attribute points can be freely allocated]
Without a second thought, Jiang Ming casually poured all 5 attribute points into speed boost.
[Accelerate 29-34]
A strange sensation of stretching a nerve in his leg came over him, and it took Jiang Ming a while to recover.
When he looked up, he realized that Mbappe had already walked to the front and was surrounded by a group of reporters, becoming the focus of the interview.
This made Mbappe feel a little flattered.
Jiang Ming had stolen his thunder.
Now, these journalists finally know who the first prince of Monaco is?
Mbappe quickly recovered from his pigeon-toed position, straightened his back, and cleared his throat.
"Cough cough, don't worry, this little injury won't have any impact on me."
"On the field, I'm willing to give everything for the team!"
The cameras in the reporters' hands flashed incessantly.
Instead of immediately revealing his injury, he first expressed his loyalty to the team...
That's some serious emotional intelligence!
……
The next day.
Latourby Training Centre.
The day before, Mbappe had insisted that "this minor injury won't have any impact," but when he saw Jiang Ming's long pass, he instinctively took a big step forward.
This completely brought out the hidden injury caused by the goalkeeper's tackle on the hip yesterday.
Mbappe let out a howl and fell to the ground.
He clutched his groin and screamed as if he had been stabbed.
Jiang Ming: "..."
He looked at Mbappe rolling on the ground and fell into deep thought.
I couldn't have done this, could I...?
Has the gears of fate begun to turn?
Mbappe was then helped off the training field by the team doctor who arrived at the scene.
As he left, he kept muttering, "NoNoNo..."
He's only 17 years old!
He hasn't even had a chance to enjoy the prime of his life.
How could they perish like this!
Fortunately, it ended without any real danger.
After a doctor's diagnosis, it was found to be a tear in the tunica albuginea of the testicle.
After surgery, the recovery period may not even be more than a month.
When Mbappe heard the good news, he almost knelt down to the doctor.
Thankfully, he can still be considered a boy...
……
After the 22nd round of the French Ligue 1 league.
The French League Cup semi-final match will follow immediately.
Monaco will need to travel to Lille to face them.
If it were before the match against Toulouse.
Jardim must think that taking Lille is no big problem.
After all, the team is too strong now.
They are all young players, and their running and teamwork on the field are full of energy.
But after playing against Toulouse.
The number of players on their own team's injury list has jumped from seven to ten!
Needless to say, Mbappe suffered a ruptured tunica albuginea and will have to stay in bed for almost two weeks.
Lemar also suffered a thigh strain in this match and will be sidelined for ten days.
Lachina Traore suffered a right hamstring strain and will be sidelined for 15 days.
Bakhlouli suffered a sprained ankle and was sidelined for five days.
Even in UFC, I don't get injured this often!
Yaldin began to worry again.
……
The two days of training flew by.
2016 1 Month 27 Day.
Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The French League Cup semi-final match officially kicked off at Lille's home ground.
"Okay, welcome everyone to tune in to our live stream." Zhan Jun's signature hoarse voice rang out.
"There are no official commentary assignments today, so I specifically asked Coach Zhang to commentate on this match with me."
"Hey, I'm Zhang Lu." Zhang Lu greeted him.
"Some fans asked us why we don't commentate on the EFL Cup? Well, what's there to say? Liverpool will definitely win! Liverpool playing Stoke City at home, there's no doubt about it."
"That's why we specifically chose this key match between Lille and Monaco to provide commentary."
Zhan Jun then asked, "Coach Zhang, what are your thoughts on this match?"
Zhang Lu pondered for a moment before speaking: "I think Monaco is likely to lose this match."
"Oh? What insights does Zhang have?"
"There's nothing else to it, it's just that Monaco's injuries are too severe. They lost three key strikers, which has significantly reduced their attacking ability."
"Playing away against Lille is going to be tough." Zhang Lu paused, then added, "However, Lille's starting goalkeeper, Maignan, will also be absent for this match, which might be a variable in the game."
……
In the away team's locker room.
After explaining the tactics, Jardim glanced at the players in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Remember, the most important thing is, don't get injured again!"
"Understood, boss!" everyone replied in unison.
The locker room bell rang just then.
The group then got up and walked towards the players' tunnel.
Jiang Ming followed at the very back of the group.
As soon as I stepped into the shadows of the passage, the familiar system voice suddenly exploded in my mind:
[Ding! Quest triggered: Elf Rebirth - Stage 5]
The team has recently been hit by a wave of injuries, and the entire team is shrouded in the shadow of injuries.
As the most dazzling football prodigy on the field, you can't just stand by and watch.
You decided to step up and use your abilities to single-handedly lead the team through this dark time, becoming the team's ray of light.
[Mission Objective: Lead the team to the French League Cup final]
"The main quest has appeared again..." Jiang Ming murmured.
He looked at the mission objective, took a deep breath, and strode forward to catch up with the team.
As the players entered the field, the starting lineups for both sides were officially announced:
Lille (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Enyeama
Defenders: Pavard, Somaolo, Sidibé, Corchia
Midfielders: Ibrahim Amadou, Balmon, Obadi
Forwards: Benzia, Bózek, Ronnie Lopez
Monaco (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Subasic
Defenders: Raggi, Wallace, Carvalho, Coentrao
Midfielders: Bakayoko, Fabinho
Attacking midfielder: Jiang Ming
Forwards: Bernardo Silva, Carrillo, Helder Costa
"Oh? Monaco actually replaced Moutinho with Bakayoko in this match, and fielded two defensive midfielders?" Zhang Lu was a little surprised.
"Judging from the lineup so far, Monaco's plan for this match is to first defend the edge of the penalty area and try to win the ball back and launch a counter-attack."
"Fabinho and Bakayoko are both physically strong enough that they can dribble forward after intercepting the ball."
"The team is currently short of strikers, and their contributions on the field are much more substantial than those of a passer like Moutinho."
"Based on this consideration, Jiang Ming also positioned himself in the attacking midfield position to create attacking opportunities for the forwards..."
"I just don't know if Yaldin's tactics will work."
……
"Beep—"
With a crisp whistle from the referee, the match officially began.
After the kickoff, the entire Lille team pressed forward, launching a high-pressing attack.
Amadu received the pass and immediately launched a long pass towards the near post.
Ronnie Lopez used his speed to break past veteran Carvalho.
He took a shot directly from the edge of the penalty area.
Fortunately, Subasic was focused and made a diving save to catch the ball.
"Less than ten seconds into the game, Lille took a shot right away. They seem to be coming on strong!" Zhan Jun exclaimed.
……
Lille's coach Antonetti nodded silently on the sidelines.
He had already studied Monaco's matches.
In the past, he would never have dared to use such aggressive tactics.
Monaco's counterattack was too fierce.
Especially Mbappe, that fast horse, can easily be beaten from behind if you're not careful.
But things are different now. Lemar, Traore, and Mbappe—all three of their attackers are injured, significantly reducing the opponent's attacking threat.
Monaco's counter-attacks simply couldn't be launched without the help of that young Chinese player's pass and the presence of a fast forward runner.
Even if you can pass the ball out, if the substitute striker can't score, it's all for nothing.
That's why he dared to use high-level pressure in this situation.
……
"A throw-in, Subasic throws it directly to Fabinho."
Fabinho charged forward with the ball like a dump truck.
When Obama tried to steal the ball, he simply sidestepped and rammed him aside.
"Wow! That body! He just shoved the guy aside!" Zhan Jun shouted. "Take the ball upfield and pass it to Jiang Ming."
"Jiang Ming looked left and right, took two steps forward, and passed the ball to Bernardo Silva on the right wing."
Zhang Lu chimed in from the side: "It seems that without Lemar and Mbappe, Monaco's counter-attacks really can't keep going."
Bernardo Silva received the ball and, as usual, dribbled laterally, only to be blocked by a Lille defender this time.
"What a pity!" Zhang Lu sighed. "Carrillo in the penalty area is still not as useful as Traoré."
"If Traore were here, he could act as a pivot, drawing defenders away from Bernardo Silva and creating space for him to shoot."
"This is what we said before the match: Monaco's attacking line is injured, and their attacking problems are too big."
……
The 7th minute of the match.
Monaco's left winger for this match is Helder Costa.
This 21-year-old player was already behind Mbappe in the team's pecking order, and his ability was also significantly inferior.
He dribbled down the left flank, trying to get past the opposing defender.
As it turned out, Lille's right-back Benjamin Pavard had already seen through his intentions and directly intercepted the ball.
"Beautiful steal! Pavard!" Zhan Jun exclaimed.
"It was passed forward to Benzia, who was making a run into the box!"
"Benzia goes down the wing, then passes back in a triangular pattern..."
Wallace, focused on the ball in the penalty area, completely missed Báuzjak making a run into the box at the far post.
"Báuzjak! Open at the far post! Shot!"
"Wow! Goal! In the 7th minute, Lille has taken the lead against Monaco!"
The Pierre-Mauroy Stadium erupted in a deafening roar.
On the sidelines, Antonetti was secretly delighted, his heart filled with joy: Sure enough, Monaco's attacking line was just not good enough!
If Lemar or Mbappe were there, Pavard might have been beaten on that last shot.
But there are no "what ifs" now.
He believed that as long as the team played steadily, they would definitely be able to defeat Monaco.
If we make it to the final and face Paris, we might just be able to take the championship!
Thinking this, Antonetti shouted from the sidelines, "Move! Run more!"
On the other side, Yardin wasn't too disappointed.
Deep down, he felt that it would be better if they lost this match.
If the team continues to fight on so many fronts, it will eventually collapse.
But I hesitated a bit. If I won, I would be just one step away from the championship.
Do you really want to give up?
……
After scoring, Lille pressed even harder.
Monaco struggled to cope during this period.
Jiang Ming had to drop back to help organize the attack, and after finally getting the ball into the attacking third, Costa and Carrillo wasted chance after chance.
He originally intended to find Bernardo Silva, but Lille had already made arrangements specifically targeting him.
As soon as Bernardo Silva shows any intention of getting the ball, someone immediately comes up to double-team him.
And so, Lille dominated Monaco for almost half an hour.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 42nd minute, and the first half was nearing its end.
Ronnie Lopez and Benzia played a one-two pass just outside Monaco's penalty area.
"Lopez! He's broken through!"
"Defender Wallace, quickly cover! Good! You've blocked the shooting lane. As long as you don't make a mistake..."
"Wait a minute! In his haste, Wallace tried to clear the ball out of bounds, but he misjudged it and chipped it over Subasic!"
"Own goal! It's an own goal!" Zhan Jun exclaimed repeatedly.
"Towards the end of the first half, Lille made it 2-0!"
"With so many Monaco players injured, could this be their first loss after a winning streak?"
The referee soon blew the whistle to end the first half.
The Lille players were in high spirits, waving towels as they jogged along.
Monaco, trailing by two goals, went back to the locker room.
"It's alright, guys," Yaldin said calmly, reassuring everyone.
"Just like Real Madrid said, small matches don't matter."
"After losing this match, it would be wise for us to focus our energy on the Europa League."
That being said, everyone in Monaco had their own thoughts.
The team is currently in a dark period plagued by injuries.
but……
Even though the team is currently suffering so badly from a wave of injuries, and even though their own coach is advising them to give up.
But as professional players, who would want to lose like that?