Chapter 734 - 18: France’s Sword! A Miraculous Strike Under Pressure! Finish As You Debut!_6

Horrifying!

"Focus! Don’t let him take a shot!!"

Casillas shouted to his teammates. Initially, he didn’t care about the opponent shooting from that position, but now he had to be on guard.

"Bang!" The corner kick was taken amidst the worried gazes of the Spain fans and was cleared out of the penalty area under the despairing eyes of the France fans, landing at defender Rami’s feet.

"Dun-dun-dun!"

Ma’el sprinted out of the penalty area at high speed, reaching Rami’s side before anyone else, and gestured to him for the ball.

Rami initially wanted to lob the ball into the penalty area for a direct attempt, but seeing Ma’el asking for it, he passed the ball to him.

However, to prevent Ma’el from wildly shooting again, he couldn’t help but remind, "Captain! Move forward a bit and try crossing! The penalty area is full of attacking points!"

They knew Ma’el had a strong long shot, but at this point, placing all hope on a shot from far away was not a good choice.

"Bang... bang!!"

Ma’el pretended not to hear the reminder, dribbled the ball towards his left front, aimed for the far corner of the goal, and unleashed another ultra-long-distance shot.

They had been attacking normally the entire game without scoring, and he didn’t think continuing with forceful attacks would be as effective as trying on his own.

If forceful attacks could break through Spain’s defense, the score wouldn’t still be zero-one.

Continuing to force crosses through might have a 65% chance of breaking through the dense defensive circle, and a 50% chance of teammates in the middle being able to head the ball, with a goal rate even lower.

So, it’s better to trust himself!

Trust Level 5!

"Swish!!" This ball, moving at over 220 km/h, swept over the heads of players in the penalty area, whistling toward the far corner of the goal.

However, this time Ramos anticipated it, ran back to the far corner of the goal line, jumped, and headed the ball away, directing it to the edge of the penalty area.

Crucial rescue +1!

"Yeahh.....!" The Spain fans cheered wildly, as any successful defense at this critical moment equated to scoring a goal, each playing an essential part in securing the match victory.

"Good job, Ramos!"

Casillas gave a thumbs-up to Ramos, who stood up and shouted, "Vamos.....!!"

Their left-back, Alba, then controlled the landing point and dribbled toward the France team’s half to waste time.

"Additional time in the second half: 3 minutes...!"

The live announcement sounded, marking just 3 minutes of extra time in the second half, signaling France’s steps toward failure and doom.

Impatience spread among the France team; many players chased back while helplessly spreading their hands, seemingly feeling that Ma’el shouldn’t put all hope on his long shot, considering it too selfish when there were still 7-8 players attacking.

Of course, they wouldn’t have substantial opinions or dissatisfaction with their captain, as everyone knew they couldn’t stand on the finals stage without Ma’el.

The pressure from his teammates added another layer on Ma’el’s shoulders. He said nothing, just ran to challenge the opponent with the ball.

Hold on, endure, and finish this game according to his plan!

He kept repeating these words silently, slowly entering a peculiar state. His visible range diminished significantly, and background noise seemed filtered when entering his ears, turning blurry.

This indicated a heightened focus, with all his concentration pinned between the ball and the opponent’s goal!

"Alba’s advancing! Without support from Spain’s players, Rami intercepted it.

"Less than 3 minutes remain. Spain doesn’t want to attack further; they aim to defend near the penalty area and secure the De Lorne Golden Cup quietly!

"We see Javi Martinez and Torres standing by the sidelines, ready to substitute... At this point, substitutions serve mainly to waste time, bearing no practical significance.

"Torres was called back; Bosque likely plans to sub Martinez first and then him, consuming at least a minute this way.

"Just waiting for the ball to go out of play!"

"....."

Inside the arena, many Spain fans clasped their hands together, praying to God that no incidents would occur and that the match would conclude calmly with the remaining time.

Undoubtedly, these last 2 minutes were among the longest in their lives.

Meanwhile, France fans sat anxiously and disappointingly, gazing desolately at the field, feeling that time was passing much faster.

"Bang!"

On the field, Rami passed the ball to Ma’el again, this time urgings loudly, "Break through! Attempt a final breakthrough and try a last cross; there’s no time!!"

Ma’el still turned a deaf ear. He glanced towards the goal and estimated roughly being about 45 meters away.

Unlike before, Spain’s players were wary of him shooting from this position. He saw Fabregas and Iniesta accelerating toward him.

Moving forward isn’t possible anymore, and rearranging the ball from his left side to his right foot also seemed improbable.

So, he had to attempt it directly!

"Bang..."

He tapped the ball to the left with his left foot, taking one last glance at the goal, noting Casillas and Ramos weren’t prepared at the first moment, as if thinking he wouldn’t shoot from such a distance.

They seemed to assume he would attempt a breakthrough past Xiaofa and Xiaobai, then shoot from 40 meters or 35 meters... not further, as the dense double defensive lines wouldn’t allow a shot opportunity further down.