Chapter 66: A Do-or-Die Situation
As the game reached the 80th minute, the situation on the field took a dramatic turn!
Just when Arsenal was preparing to conserve energy and launch a counterattack in the final moments, Mallorca made a sudden shift, breaking away from their defensive shell of the past 80 minutes, like a spring that had been compressed for too long, suddenly snapping back into action!
After a failed Arsenal attack, Mallorca unexpectedly launched a fierce offensive, starting with a goal kick after a failed clearance.
Rather than clearing the ball with a long kick, N'Gonga controlled it and passed to Mota, initiating a series of quick passes before sending the ball to the right flank, where Ibagasa was waiting!
Ibagasa, who had been silent for most of the match, finally had a chance to receive the ball. His small frame darted forward into Arsenal's half, and as he moved forward, the rest of Mallorca's players surged with him, charging into Arsenal's half.
Although the four defenders remained deep, Mallorca's midfielders had already pushed into Arsenal's territory, ready to press the attack.
It was another sudden assault.
But this time, Arsenal had prepared for it. Despite their relatively slower defensive line, they managed to use their experience to delay Mallorca's advance, forcing their quick counterattack into a more structured offensive.
Seeing this, José sighed internally. Wenger was cautious as always, not underestimating Mallorca's offensive threat. It was clear that scoring before Arsenal could respond was going to be difficult. But shifting to a more controlled attack wasn't a problem; at least it kept Arsenal from mounting a counterattack in the remaining time.
José took two steps forward, put two fingers to his mouth, and blew a loud whistle.
After seeing his teammates look his way, he made two quick gestures.