Chapter 125: Sharpened by Adversity
"The ball is in! 2-1! Valencia has taken the lead! The goal scorer is none other than their captain, Mendieta! A stunning volley! Mendieta's performances this season have been nothing short of brilliant, and this match is no exception! Mallorca is in trouble now—they've gone from leading to trailing, and the pressure of such a turnaround is not something every team can handle..."
"Let's take another look at that goal. Valencia won a corner kick, taken by Aimar. Carew at the near post and Pellegrino in the middle drew most of Mallorca's defenders, while Mendieta arrived unmarked at the back post. He struck the ball first-time, an unstoppable volley before Jorge could close him down! A clean, crisp shot—Franco didn't even have time to react!"
"Mallorca showed great courage, but pushing forward inevitably left gaps in their defense. Perhaps if they had secured their lead with a more cautious approach earlier, the situation would be different. José seemed a step slow in adjusting his tactics... He's still young, after all, and mistakes are inevitable. But a loss here would significantly impact Mallorca's league standing..."
As Mendieta celebrated with his teammates, the commentators shared their analysis. Despite various opinions, they all boiled down to two main points—first, Mendieta's goal was a moment of brilliance, and second, José had been somewhat sluggish in his tactical response.
José glanced at his watch. The goal had come in the 73rd minute—less than twenty minutes remained.
It was time to act.
He made a double substitution.
Delgado replaced Ibagaza, while Campano came on for Jorge!
A striker for a midfielder, and a defensively solid Campano replacing Jorge. Mallorca switched to a 4-3-3, going all-in with a direct, relentless assault!
While keeping four at the back, Mallorca's attack became more ferocious and aggressive.
Delgado, fresh on the pitch, became the battering ram. The team simplified their approach—Motta quickly transitioned play forward, Ronaldinho dribbled past defenders before distributing the ball, while Luque and Eto'o turned into wingers. The full-backs surged forward in relentless waves of attack.