Chapter 70: The Best Opponent

The first half ended with the home team Argentina trailing 0-2 despite dominating possession. 

Quite unexpected, but still within an acceptable range, as Brazil themselves are a heavyweight team, so beating them is never a surprise.

In the dressing room, the players' faces were a mix of delight, while Costonio's expression remained solemn. 

He remained silent, glancing at each player. The initially high-spirited youngsters suddenly couldn't muster a smile.

"Are you happy?" Costonio asked, hands behind his back. "Leading by two goals, do you think you're that great?"

Some were silenced, but a few couldn't help but smirk. In Costonio's blind spot, Baptista nodded emphatically, mouthing to the others, "We are indeed awesome."

"I won't go into the technical statistics; I'm sure you're all aware of them. Their shot count was two or three times ours, they had higher possession, and a better success rate in dribbling. Of course, we're leading on the scoreboard, but that's not a reason for pride..." Costonio said. "I feel it's necessary to remind you that a football match lasts ninety minutes."

With this prelude, everyone thought Costonio had resigned himself to a cautious second half, but to their surprise, the old man approached the tactics board and declared, "In the second half, we'll take the initiative and attack them aggressively."

The players exchanged glances... Coach, you must think you're the man, leading by two goals, huh?

"The Argentine players are known for their technical finesse and agility, and we're no different. But what sets us apart is our greater attacking power..."

Everyone couldn't help but look towards Adriano and Kaka, even Maicon receiving similar glances.

Argentina and Brazil are the two giants of South American football, with technical finesse as their shared trait. However, in recent years, they have produced some outliers.

Argentina had Batistuta, while Brazil had Ronaldo. The former was a hormone-fueled powerhouse, taking an all-out attacking approach, while the latter was the epitome of a complete striker, with technical finesse being just one of his many attributes.

Now, Adriano and Kaka have both shown similar potential.

Costonio went on at length, and Kaka, with his intermediate Mandarin proficiency, summarized his long-winded speech into four words: "Overpower with strength."

Evidently, Argentina also had their own plans and strategies.

But the overly ambitious Costonio, seeking to etch his name in history in Buenos Aires, had gone too far.

At the start of the second half, Brazil resolutely executed their coach's tactics and took the initiative.

Costa and Maicon surged down the flanks, with Kaka supporting in the middle. The ball was switched to the left, where Leo delivered a high cross from the left corner of the penalty area.

In the box, Adriano leaped high and headed the ball towards Robert.

Robert, who had been virtually anonymous in the match, was about to control the ball when Burdisso charged in and cleared it back to midfield.

The ball reached the midfield enforcer, who played it to Rodriguez under pressure from Baptista.

Rodriguez carried the ball down the right flank.

The area was now wide open.

Maicon desperately tracked back, but just as he was about to catch up, Rodriguez delivered a low cross into the penalty area.

Saviola wanted to make a run into the box, but his path was blocked, so he had no choice but to receive the ball with his back to goal.

Angelo was tightly marking him from behind, and Anderson was also lurking, ready to pounce. If not for Herrera providing additional defensive cover, Saviola would have been immediately surrounded and dispossessed.

Saviola didn't attempt to turn and take on the defenders, as his physique wouldn't allow for such a forceful approach.

"Saviola brings the ball back, Rodriguez moves up to support, but Maicon is tracking him. Saviola... Beautiful! Saviola didn't pass; he used a series of upper body feints to deceive Angelo, almost identical to Kaka's move that beat Alka in the first half. But compared to Kaka, Saviola's back-heeled feints were more technically refined..."

Saviola brought the ball back, using a series of four or five upper body feints before suddenly turning, leaving the closely marking Angelo completely fooled, allowing Saviola to glide past him cleanly.

Eduardo had already made a run down the left, quickly closing in to intercept, but a simple shift of the ball saw Saviola evade his outstretched right foot.

Anderson couldn't wait for Herrera and immediately charged forward.

Herrera found himself in an offside position and hastily retreated.

Saviola, seemingly oblivious to Anderson's presence, set himself up for a shot towards the left side of the goal.

Anderson instinctively stuck out a leg to block, but quickly realized the intention and pulled his leg back, regaining his balance.

Saviola's shot was indeed a feint, but instead of panicking after being read, he deftly nudged the ball past Anderson.

This demonstrated the importance of ball control. A player with poor touch might have scuffed the ball straight into the goalkeeper's arms or failed to even beat Anderson's challenge. But Saviola's touch was exquisite, evading Anderson while leaving Rubinho in a precarious position, unsure whether to come out or stay on his line.

Ultimately, Rubinho chose to come out, but Saviola had already taken the ball and cleverly guided it into the far corner.

Rubinho desperately dived and stretched out his arms, but the ball had already rolled past him.

1-2.

"Goal!!! Saviola! Argentina's super talent! After beating three Brazilian defenders in succession, he scores! This is his 11th goal, surpassing Al Dayan as the all-time top scorer in the World Youth Championship! An artistic goal!"

This was a victory of technique.

No controversies over offside or fouls, no overwhelming physical or pace advantage, but a masterful application of individual skill.

As Saviola took possession, Pekerman instinctively bent slightly forward, intently watching his every move. The pent-up emotion finally exploded with a roar of excitement as the ball hit the net, startling even the fourth official nearby.

The entire Argentine contingent once again demonstrated their decibel superiority.

A thunderous roar.

In contrast, the goalscorer Saviola remained stoic.

He evaded the congratulatory charge from Rodriguez, retrieved the ball from the net, and jogged back to the halfway line.

His teammates followed, patting him on the shoulder as they retreated.

This scene not only boosted the Argentine fans' confidence but also made the Brazilians aware of Argentina's determination.

This match was far from over.

(End of Chapter)