Chapter 74: Watching the Fire from the Other Side
Seeing his top penalty taker position weakened, Stankovic looked quite frustrated. However, he didn't express any dissatisfaction with the coach, instead silently stepping aside. After Vázquez took over, he made it a point to favor the new players and Biagini, while intentionally positioning Ibágaça as the offensive core, diminishing N'Gonga's influence, and, whether intentionally or not, sidelining Stankovic. This was Vázquez's way of establishing his authority.
Biagini had been injured for half the year and didn't have much of a bond with José. If Vázquez put him in the spotlight, Biagini would undoubtedly be grateful to him. As Mallorca's top scorer last year, Biagini still held respect in the locker room. With a loyal ally like Biagini, Vázquez's position would certainly become more secure.
Vázquez even considered letting Biagini, once he recovered a bit, play alongside Delgado and George in a three-forward formation, potentially removing Stankovic, who was a strong supporter of José, from the starting lineup. After all, he knew Stankovic had often talked about José nostalgically in the locker room...
Vázquez's plan was to ignore José's supporters, rally players uninvolved with José, and soothe the older players in the squad—his quick way of weakening José's influence. However, he was a bit too eager.
Biagini was taking the penalty kick. He needed a goal to regain his form.
But to the disappointment of both him and Vázquez, perhaps due to his poor form and unfamiliarity with the game's tempo, Biagini blazed the ball over the crossbar and into the stands!
Biagini kneeled on the field, unable to believe it, staring at the jubilant Valladolid goalkeeper—this was supposed to be his chance to announce his comeback, yet he had sent the ball into the stands...
Valladolid, having narrowly escaped, began pressing Mallorca in return. As Mallorca's stamina dwindled, they were left to endure an onslaught, and eventually, a shot from Valladolid's midfielder Tullier brought the score level. If it hadn't been for a brilliant save by Borges in the dying minutes, diving to block a shot from Delgado's fellow countryman, Cávedes, Mallorca might have lost at home...
After the match, Vázquez blamed the draw entirely on the missed penalty and stated, "We're on the right track; we'll definitely win the next match..."