Chapter 9: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
Keller, Rayo Vallecano's American goalkeeper, was one of the few international players on the team. He had participated in the World Cup two years ago and made the transfer from Leicester in the Premier League this summer. He was one of Rayo's biggest signings this season. However, it was clear that he was absolutely worth the money...
Facing Tristan's header, which was aimed directly at the top-left corner, Keller reacted in time. He pushed off the ground with all his strength, leaped into the air, and stretched out his arm towards the ball...
But he couldn't reach it. Tristan's header was so precise that it barely grazed Keller's fingertips before smashing into the top corner where the crossbar and post meet, ricocheting out of bounds!
A collective sigh of disappointment echoed from the crowd of 20,000, like a thunderstorm rolling across the sky. But immediately, they all erupted into applause, cheering for Tristan's powerful, fearless header!
Such a strong opportunity right at the beginning of the match was enough to make Mallorca's fans cheer for their players' performance. Meanwhile, José leaned back, disappointed, then stood up and clapped, shouting toward the field, "Keep playing like this, press them hard!"
Vázquez, who had just been caught off guard by Mallorca's attack, immediately heard José's words from the sideline. His eyes widened, clearly annoyed, and he shouted back into the field, "Counterattack! Push them back!"
While shouting, Vázquez sneered to himself—pressing us? Rayo Vallecano's running ability this season is undoubtedly one of the top three in La Liga, if not the best. How could Mallorca, with half its team being older players, compete in terms of running? It's like asking for trouble!
After Vázquez shouted, the Rayo players launched a fierce counterattack—this was, after all, the tactic they excelled at this season!
What pleased Vázquez was that once Rayo Vallecano began their counterattack, Mallorca's formation was immediately pressed back. The two veteran full-backs, who rarely pushed up, were now forced back into their penalty area, and the two defensive midfielders were pushed to the edge of the box. Despite Sembranos trying to organize play in midfield, the wingers retreated deep, with Carlos dropping back into midfield to defend, leaving only Tristan at the front...
Vázquez glanced smugly at José. He wasn't worried about Mallorca's counterattacks now. Tristan was certainly excellent, but he wasn't the type of striker who could carry the ball and attack on his own—he needed support from midfield, and now Mallorca's midfield was being completely suppressed. How could they still have any chance of counterattacking?
As the Rayo players kept attacking, Mallorca's fans, after being fired up by the early offensive, started to worry. Their team was being completely pinned back in their own half, passing the ball back and forth. The area in front of the goal was tense, and it seemed like Rayo was about to break through any minute...