Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

"The match is about to begin, and we can see that Jiang Yan is still positioned in the left midfield position!"

"Next, I will introduce the lineups of both teams for this match."

Real Madrid's formation is a classic 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper: Navas

Defenders: Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo

Midfielders: Jiang Yan, Kroos, Modric

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale

Valencia also fielded a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Domenech

Defenders: Barragán, Santos, Abdullah, Obahn

Midfielders: Gomez, Parejo, Barbosa

Forwards: João Cancelo, Paco Alcácer, Rodrigo De Paul

"Valencia's main task this season is to avoid relegation, so they shouldn't go all out in this match; a narrow defeat would be a victory."

"That's right, after all, Real Madrid has the BBC attacking line, which is world-class."

"The match is about to begin, with Real Madrid kicking off."

[Guys, it's finally starting! I'm going to fall asleep if we don't start soon!]

When will La Liga finally change these insane match times...?

[Don't let Valencia's squad being slightly less expensive than Real Madrid's fool you; I have high hopes for their attacking duo!]

[Cancelo and De Paul? One costs ten million euros, the other two million euros; they don't seem like star players!]

[Haha, football is something you have to watch for the long haul!]

……

Real Madrid kicks off, and the ball comes to Benzema's feet.

Before Benzema could even control the ball, Cancelo had already pressed close to him.

In a moment of panic, Benzema passed the ball to Kroos.

Kroos displayed masterful ball control, effortlessly maintaining possession of the ball.

Facing De Paul's pressing, he calmly passed the ball to Modric.

However, Modric was also being pressed by a Valencia player.

Modric passed the ball to Jiang Yan, who was in a wide-open position.

However, before the ball even reached Jiang Yan's feet, De Paul and Cancelo immediately turned around and pressed Jiang Yan.

"Oh no! De Paul and Cancelo are double-pressing! Jiang Yan is about to lose possession!"

"It seems this is Valencia's tactic."

"Valencia deliberately left Jiang Yan in open space, focusing on pressing Modric and Kroos. The two closely marked players couldn't turn around and had no choice but to pass the ball to Jiang Yan!"

"At that very moment, the two of them lunged forward simultaneously! They had exploited Jiang Yan's lack of skill!"

Just as the two were about to kick the ball away.

Jiang Yan calmly brought the ball to a stop at his feet, then gently flicked it aside, avoiding the two players' double-team.

Just as the two were preparing to kick again,

Jiang Yan delivered a deft pass, returning the ball to Modric in an open position.

Modric received the ball and thought to himself:

"The pass he just received wasn't particularly good, but he managed to clear the ball even when double-teamed. This kid's improvement is incredible."

It's not just Modric.

Even Benitez on the sidelines was surprised by Jiang Yan's dribbling.

"Has this kid been secretly practicing again?"

Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Modric control the ball steadily.

"Although the [Ball Master] skill activated in time, my ball control attribute is still too bad. I almost missed. But just controlling the ball isn't enough. I need to score! I need to score!"

A midfielder who doesn't want to score isn't a good midfielder!

Thinking of this, he decisively moved forward to receive the ball.

……

Inside the live stream room.

"That was close! We almost got the steal, but Jiang Yan managed to dodge a double steal with a simple stop and dunk!"

"As a midfielder, ball control is the most basic responsibility, and it seems Jiang Yan's ball control skills are quite impressive!"

"Mr. Xu Yang, this must be your first time watching Jiang Yan's competition, right?"

"Why do you say that, Coach He? This kid is very popular on short video platforms in China; I have seen clips of his games."

"Hmph, Jiang Yan, that kid, couldn't even do the most basic thing like washing the ball in the last game."

Xu Yang's eyes widened visibly.

"You mean, in less than a month, he went from a kid who couldn't even dribble a ball to someone who could dribble it under pressure from two defenders... That's unbelievable!"

He Wei's face was filled with barely suppressed smugness.

"Jiang Yan, I've watched him grow. His talent is not only better than that of some European players, but also better than that of domestic players."

[So annoying! These two directors are just mindlessly praising him again! It was just a lucky pass that got the ball out, what are they pretending for!]

[Upstairs, you obviously don't watch much football. Jiang Yan is a genuine genius now!]

Haven't you noticed that Jiang Yan's dribbling movements are noticeably smoother?

Yes, it feels incredibly reassuring to see Jiang Yan paired up with the Xuanming Elders!

……

Ten minutes have passed, and although both sides have created some good chances, neither has been able to convert them into goals.

Valencia's tactic was to press the other two players besides Jiang Yan, keeping Jiang Yan in open space as much as possible. When the ball came to Jiang Yan's feet, the two players would then work together to press him.

This tactic might be surprisingly effective against Jiang Yan in the previous matches.

But now, no matter how Valencia presses, Jiang Yan always manages to pass the ball out even in the most dangerous situations.

Moreover, the force and position were just right.

This is also thanks to the skill [Ball Washing Master].

Jiang Yan then realized the importance of [ball control] for a midfielder.

"It's time to score!"

After yet another failed double-team press.

Jiang Yan decisively broke free from Cancelo and De Paul.

After exchanging glances with Modric and Kroos, he moved into the attacking midfield position.

Modric played a through ball.

The ball came to Jiang Yan's feet.

[God's Perspective] Initiated immediately.

Relying on his "God's-eye view," Jiang Yan finally found a weakness in Valencia's defense and immediately sent out a through ball.

Unfortunately, Benzema failed to score after receiving the ball.

Clearly, Jiang Yan's through balls are still not quite there yet.

The ball returned to Kroos's feet.

"Kid, this is how you pass a through ball!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a precise through ball found Ronaldo in the attacking third.

Cristiano Ronaldo noticed he had no space to shoot, so he passed the ball back to Jiang Yan in a triangular pass.

"Keep an eye on that Chinese kid!"

Upon hearing the goalkeeper's instruction, the two center-backs immediately sprinted towards Jiang Yan.

However, Jiang Yan, with his God-like perspective, had already foreseen the course of the football a second later.

"You thought you were safe as long as you kept an eye on me? Your actions were exactly what I expected!"

He spread his legs apart.

The ball slipped through their fingers.

"Oh no! There's an empty seat!"

Only then did everyone realize that the real assassin had been lurking behind Jiang Yan all along.

The Valencia players who were originally tasked with marking Bale and Benzema have now been drawn to Jiang Yan.

There wasn't a single defender near Bale.

"How dare you underestimate me!"

Bale unleashed a powerful high shot, and the ball slammed into the net!

In the 16th minute of the first half,

Real Madrid 1-0 Valencia!