Chapter 113: Swan Sea!
"Zlatan Ibrahimović! Swansea score again in the second half!
"What the hell!
"What a brilliant team goal!
"Swansea have destroyed Brighton's defense with tactical and technical quality far beyond the Third Division level!
"This Swan Sea deserves the Second Division. They deserve the Third Division title!
"Although Brighton also created danger in the second half, when it comes to the richness of their attacking tactics, Swansea were clearly a cut above!
"All the Swan Sea players are chasing after Ibrahimović now. They look proud and radiant, stirring up a storm of youth on the pitch!
"The young guards of the Swan Sea are sweeping through the Third Division!"
Before Ibrahimović could reach the corner flag, Tobias Rau grabbed him. More and more players rushed up behind him, surrounding Ibrahimović completely. They laughed, shouted, roared, and raised their fists toward the stands, showing off their fierce, soaring spirit!
Lynn rushed out of the dugout and slid on his knees into the pitch, repeatedly pumping both fists. Behind him, his coaching staff and substitutes all charged out as well. Charisteas waved a shirt in his hand, and every member of Swansea celebrated this goal with a joy they had never shown before.
Because they were even closer to the title now.
The Third Division trophy was within reach!
The atmosphere in the Community Stadium remained fiery. After a brief silence, the Seagulls fans raised another huge wave of support.
They were not angry or disheartened by Brighton being two goals down.
Because Swansea had indeed torn open Brighton's defense with a brilliant attack. This was a head-on contest. Brighton could be beaten, but they would not be crushed!
Lynn called up Charisteas and Poulsen. After the two of them warmed up for three minutes, Lynn gave them detailed instructions and told them their tasks after going on.
In the 75th minute, Swansea made the first substitutions.
Charisteas and Poulsen came on together!
The three thousand Swans fans who had traveled to the Community Stadium stood and applauded Ibrahimović and Tobias Rau. Ibrahimović raised both hands above his head and clapped back in thanks.
Tobias Rau and Ibrahimović walked to the touchline together, making way for Charisteas and Poulsen respectively.
Lynn hugged Ibrahimović and Tobias Rau one after the other on the sideline.
He spoke beside their ears. "You did well today. Take a rest. We'll be celebrating the title soon."
Ibrahimović smiled at Lynn and said, "I'd rather stay on the pitch and wait for the final whistle."
"But we still need you for the next two matches. Save your energy for the celebration."
After coming on, Poulsen moved into defensive midfield, forming a double pivot with Pedretti.
Charisteas took over from Ibrahimović as the center forward.
Swansea shifted into a 4-3-3.
James Cook and Villa split wide on the two flanks.
Cromwell operated between central midfield and the attacking midfield area.
Lynn stood on the touchline with his head high and chest out. He wanted to see whether Brighton, now two goals behind, would throw themselves forward.
If Brighton lost their composure and decided to go all in, Swansea's counterattacking storm could enlarge the victory in the final stage!
He believed this without the slightest doubt.
Because Swansea had already refined this tactical routine to near perfection.
If Adams had learned anything from his first meeting with Swansea this season, it was that when behind, one must never lose their head!
So when he saw Swansea change shape, even though a violent urge to destroy everything surged deep inside him, he still restrained himself and warned his players to handle things calmly.
Brighton did not blindly push their formation forward. They continued attacking according to their plan.
But the effect of those attacks only grew worse.
Swansea had placed two defensive midfielders on the pitch, which meant the opponent's wingers faced great resistance when cutting inside.
In the 79th minute, Harding tried to imitate Pearson. He carried the ball from the left toward the penalty area and cut inside, but his touch was too heavy, and Pedretti directly stole the ball from him.
Swansea's quick attack was simple and direct. With only a few passes, they pushed the attack into Brighton's half.
Cromwell received with his back to goal in the front third and laid the ball diagonally out wide. James Cook quickly followed up and also released the ball first time, playing a diagonal pass toward the front of the penalty area. Charisteas then laid it back into Cromwell's forward running path. After passing, Charisteas turned and charged into the box, while Cromwell met the ball and clipped a lofted pass forward.
Brighton's defenders all focused their attention on Charisteas, but Cromwell's pass actually went diagonally toward the empty left channel of the penalty area.
Villa cut inside into the box, met the dropping ball, and drove a header toward goal!
The ball flew straight toward the top-left corner. Following the basic principles of goalkeeping, Ben Roberts moved toward his near post. He raised his right arm upward and just managed to block Villa's header!
A wave of gasps swept through the stadium.
Villa roared on the spot.
"Ah!"
That did not go in!
Even Villa himself found it hard to believe.
"After entering the final stage of the match, Swansea's attacks have actually become even sharper. Brighton's mentality looks affected by the disadvantage of being two goals behind. That's understandable. They're two goals down, so it's impossible for the players to remain completely calm, and that will affect their judgment and technical execution."
Brighton had run into a problem. They did not know how to break through Swansea's goal. They had tried every method within their ability, but still found no way through.
So they settled down and patiently organized their attacks, passing back and forth in an attempt to find gaps and flaws during Swansea's defensive adjustments.
In the 84th minute, after a long spell of passing, Brighton launched a move that looked threatening but was actually the result of having no better option.
Carpenter received Pierce's pass after the latter had pulled wide, and from outside the box, at an angle to goal, he struck from distance.
Although the shot pierced through Swansea's defensive line, the angle was too central, and Glendower collected it directly into his arms.
Swansea were in no hurry now. Lynn also made a gesture on the touchline, pressing both hands downward.
Calm down!
The minutes and seconds slipped away. Swansea began controlling the rhythm of the match.
Patiently wearing their opponent down.
Adams was anxious on the touchline, but on the surface, he knew that if his team faced the match impatiently, they would only allow Swansea to score a third goal, or even a fourth.
In the end, the match moved toward its conclusion in a rather quiet situation, with Swansea's defensive counterattacking threat keeping Brighton from daring to move recklessly.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the players on Swansea's bench all rushed onto the pitch!
"The Third Division Round 44 top-of-the-table clash between Brighton and Swansea has ended!
"After ninety intense and brilliant minutes, Swansea have beaten Brighton 2–0 away from home. This season, they have successfully completed a double over Brighton, the team ranked second in the league and the preseason favorite for the title!
"In the standings, Swansea's lead over Brighton has now become eleven points. With only two rounds remaining in the league, Swansea have climbed to the top of the Third Division two rounds early!
"Congratulations to Swansea! Congratulations to the Swan Sea! After a long season of hard work, they have not only won the Football League Trophy, but also become champions of the Third Division!
"This has been a surprising season for Swansea.
"Last summer, they completely transformed the club from top to bottom. A team made up of new faces swept through the Third Division, and the storm of youth they created changed the entire landscape of the league. Many teams have been terrified of Swansea, and now they can look forward to next season's journey in the Second Division!
"At the same time, we must also applaud Brighton. Brighton have been excellent and stable throughout the season. Although they have not been as astonishing as Swansea, they are also a refreshing team on the Third Division stage. Swansea and Brighton, the two teams whose performances have made the rest of the Third Division look dull by comparison, will stand together on the Second Division stage next season. I believe they will continue to move forward there as well. Judging by their performances today, who would dare look down on them?
"Finally, congratulations once again to Swansea. They can now begin celebrating their title as wildly as they like!"
As the Swans fans in the stands celebrated almost madly, Lynn walked toward Adams on the touchline.
Thinking back to more than half a year ago, their first meeting had begun with Adams' rude words, and Lynn had slapped him hard in return with a shocking upset.
Today, it felt as if the two had truly come to know each other through battle.
Seeing Lynn approach, Adams straightened his clothes and composed himself.
He took the initiative to walk toward Lynn and raised his hand first. As the two shook hands, Adams said, "Congratulations to you and your team. You fully deserved today's win, Third Division champions."
Seeing the sincerity in Adams' eyes, Lynn placed one hand on Adams' arm and smiled. "Brighton's performance today surprised me. To be honest, Brighton may be the only opponent in the Third Division that Swansea couldn't pull a truly huge gap away from."
Lynn's words did not sound humble at all.
But Adams did not mind.
Because it was the truth.
If Swansea's six-point deduction were included, then with two rounds still left in the league, Swansea would be seventeen points ahead of Brighton!
What did that mean?
A gap of six wins and losses!
Besides, Swansea's goal tally was truly insane. Brighton had the best defensive record in the Third Division, but even they had only conceded five fewer goals than Swansea.
In other words, Swansea held an overall advantage.
The meaning behind Lynn's words was clear.
The other Third Division teams were obviously no longer on the same level as Swansea.
But Brighton could still be considered a team on Swansea's level. It was just that within the same level, there were still stronger and weaker sides. Just like neutral fans would not claim Liverpool and Manchester United were teams from two different levels, yet in recent years, Manchester United had often symbolized the championship, while Liverpool had remained at a disadvantage in the league race. Especially when looking at the points gap, people might feel the two were not truly title rivals at all.
Lynn and Adams spoke warmly with their arms close, while the surrounding reporters took pictures and recorded audio, but no one stepped forward to interrupt.
The two best teams in the Third Division, and the two most impressive young managers, had turned hostility into peace. Their post-match exchange carried a sense of mutual appreciation. In the end, that was one of the positive and beautiful sides of football.
At the end of their conversation, Lynn patted Adams on the arm and smiled. "See you in the Second Division next season!"
Adams smiled back. "Don't celebrate too wildly at the Community Stadium."
"Don't worry. A Third Division title won't make Swansea lose themselves."
After saying that, Lynn broke through the reporters' circle and walked onto the pitch.
No matter what the reporters asked him, he only smiled and said nothing.
On the pitch, some Swansea players were celebrating, while others chatted briefly with Brighton players.
In the eyes of the home fans, Brighton had lost with honor.
Although they had lost, Brighton had also played their most brilliant match of the season. The players' performance could not be judged by victory or defeat alone.
Just like when Swansea lost 1–3 to Liverpool, could anyone say Swansea had been worthless?
And in the match where Swansea beat Torquay United 3–2, Lynn had flown into a rage and harshly criticized his players' performance.
After Brighton's players thanked the home fans, they left the pitch.
The Swansea players and coaches embraced, high-fived, and roared inside the Community Stadium. Then they came to the front of the away stand.
At this moment, three thousand Swans fans were already singing and dancing in the stands.
Everyone had their arms around each other's shoulders as they sang Swansea's country-tune-style club song.
Lynn walked to the front of the players and faced the away stand. Accompanied by the fans' singing, he also smiled and sang the club song.
"Swansea, Swansea, take me to the finest battlefield. I will support Swansea until I die..."
Everyone repeated this country-style tune that every Swansea supporter knew by heart. Swansea's players also stood behind Lynn and sang together.
Some even began swaying along with the melody.
The broadcast camera crew carried their cameras over to the side, recording the important moment of Swansea winning the title from start to finish.
Lynn smiled as he sang the club song with the fans. His bright eyes looked up at the stands. Perhaps he was looking at the fans. Perhaps he was looking toward the peak of English football. At the very least, compared to a year ago, Swansea were now one step closer to that place.
The moment the final whistle sounded, the entire city of Swansea fell into a level of excitement it had never seen before!
Fans poured into the streets, joyfully shouting that Swansea had won the league title!
"Long live Swansea!"
"We won!"
"Hahaha, today is the happiest day ever!"
On the bustling streets, excited fans greeted one another. Even people who did not know each other would happily chat for a few words as long as they were Swansea supporters.
Taxi driver Jason Smith, as a representative of Swansea's diehard fan organization, had not gone to the away match because he had to work.
Inside the car, the radio broadcast carried the passionate voice of William Randall, the sports host of Voice of Swansea.
"Let's all cheer together for Swansea winning the title! Does anyone regret it? Anyone? Haha! Nine months ago, I said I was willing to go crazy with Lynn. And what happened? He made my dream of traveling around the world come true! Who could have imagined Swansea would win the league this season? Back then, Lynn openly gave gifts to the fans. He called on everyone to bet on Swansea's promotion or title win. Did you miss out? Those of you who bet on Swansea being promoted should be regretting it too, right? Why didn't you go a little bolder? Why didn't you have more confidence in Swansea and bet on them winning the title?
"Now Swansea are champions!
"Thank you, Lynn. Thank you, Swansea. This is a day worth raising a glass to celebrate. We've been promoted, and we've made money too!
"This is probably the first club in history to call on its fans to bet on the team winning the title. But this is only one of the colorful features of Swansea after entering the Lynn era. The club has given real benefits back to the fans. Now, let's go wild!
"First, find your betting slips, then go cash them in. After that, invite your family and friends to celebrate this joyful day together!
"I'm off work now. OMG, I'm going home to find my betting slip and see if it's still where I remember leaving it. You won't hear from me for a while. I'm taking a long holiday. I'm going traveling. I'm going to enjoy my vacation properly before the new season begins. Friends, I hope you all have a wonderful summer too!
"Bye-bye!"
William Randall's program ended just like that. Jason Smith smiled and shook his head. Then he switched to another radio station and continued driving toward a familiar destination.
Taxi business today was so busy he could barely keep up, because the entire city of Swansea seemed to be boiling. Those fans who had listened to Lynn and bet on Swansea winning the title were now celebrating the championship while heading toward betting shops.
Jason Smith kept repeating the same route, taking passengers from here and there to William Hill, Sun Bets, Pinnacle, or other small betting shops. As for himself, the moment the match ended, he had already rushed over to claim his winnings.
Now he was happily driving those Swansea fans to collect theirs.
Because of this, after nine months, the explosive payout of more than fifty times their money made every Swansea fan who had bought a betting slip go wild with joy.
They did not hide their love and support for Swansea Football Club at all, expressing it openly in the streets.
In the sky above Swansea, one voice broke through the clouds, as if it could stir up stormy waves in Swansea Bay!
That voice was called:
The Swan Sea!