After the announcer introduced the players one by one, the players from both sides filed out of the player tunnel. The pre-match handshake was fairly friendly. The captains of both sides guessed who would have possession and who would be in the goal. Monaco's Falcao was obviously luckier than Tottenham's captain Kane, as he chose the side of the stands with the opposing fans in the first half.
The small Louis II Stadium was filled with thunderous applause and cheers that never ceased.
As Lei Ming walked towards his position on the green field, his face remained expressionless, but he was actually quite excited inside. The only downside was that none of the fans cheered for him.
But he believes that after this match, his voice will surely be heard here.
I, Jonas Reming, am determined to become the best goalkeeper in the world, and I will end the Messi-Ronaldo era!
The match began with Tottenham Hotspur kicking off first.
Kane passed the ball to Son Heung-min beside him and then quickly moved forward. Son immediately showed his Asian number one style, dribbling past two Monaco midfielders before passing the ball to Dier on the other side.
Because Sun Xiaoyan's impromptu performance had successfully drawn Monaco's attention, the right flank of Dier was left like a corridor, with only Sidibe preparing to defend against the opponent.
According to the coach's introduction before the match, Dier is a versatile player who can play in defensive midfield, midfield, and winger positions. In this match, the opposing coach Pochettino obviously wanted to take advantage of Dier's unpredictability to activate another flank.
Lei Ming, standing in front of the goal, was intently watching the situation on the field, not only the opponents, but also the position of every player on his own team.
After making two consecutive feints, Dier nearly knocked down the unsteady Sidibé, who then delivered a cross from the wing without hesitation.
The ball was heading towards the near post of the penalty area, where Tottenham captain Harry Kane had been lurking for a long time. When he received the ball, he didn't even look at the goal behind him or the players around him; he just relied on his striker instincts to shoot.
A quick, low shot found its way through the legs of defender Jemmerson, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd. Many even witnessed the goal.
That's incredibly tricky. No wonder he's the current top scorer in the Premier League. Only a very small number of people can handle the ball like that.
Tottenham's opening counter-attack came as a surprise, catching Monaco's players off guard. They had expected away teams to start by probing before launching their attack.
But instead of doing that, they launched a strong attack right from the start, which was something no one expected.
But nothing is absolute. There was already someone in Monaco who was on high alert. As the team's bottom line and last line of defense, Lei Ming had already anticipated the ball's trajectory and made a save, perfectly catching the ball into his arms.
"Whoosh~~~"
Almost instantly, applause, cheers, and shouts of approval erupted as everyone in the stadium applauded the spectacular save.
"Great job, kid, I'm starting to like you!"
"Perfect, I approve of you becoming our goalkeeper."
"Great job, kid."
With just this one save, Lei Ming successfully redeemed his tarnished image in the eyes of fans and gained a large number of fans who recognized his talent.
Not far away, Kane, who was about to celebrate his goal, looked up at the handsome goalkeeper in disbelief, speechless.
Damn, this guy's luck is incredible! He managed to tackle such a well-hidden ball.
You know, he just crawled between the opponent's defender's legs. He's used to this kind of shot a hundred times in the Premier League and rarely misses. I didn't expect to encounter resistance here today.
However, things were not as simple as Kane thought. Just as he was feeling a little disappointed, the young goalkeeper who had just made the save suddenly got up, rushed past the crowd behind him, and threw the ball powerfully forward.
Perhaps because he threw the ball too forcefully, his body even rolled forward twice.
"To throw the ball far, you have to put all your strength into one direction."
Lei Ming recalled the throwing technique that goalkeeper coach Pavin had taught him, which perfectly illustrated what it meant to work together towards a common goal.
On the sidelines, goalkeeping coach Pavin, seeing Lei Ming's powerful throw, excitedly ran to head coach Jardin and shouted, "Old Ding, look! Lei did it! He's definitely the most talented goalkeeper I've ever seen, hahaha!"
From the previous defensive blunder to the subsequent siege and attack, Lei Ming performed even better than he had imagined. Every passionate move he made resonated deeply with Lei Ming, filling him with immense joy.
"Hehe, calm down, calm down, Pavin, you're the coach, you should be like me..."
Seeing the excited Pavón, Jardim patted him on the back. How could he not be happy to see such a talented player? But as the team's head coach, he had to be as dignified as Pochettino, who was standing not far away. Otherwise, people would look down on their small Monaco team!
"Holy crap, screw your calmness, hahaha, Pavin, you're awesome, you're really awesome, hahaha! Lei Ming has to stay, he's absolutely a genius, he deserves a better contract."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
