2-0

In the Hotstar live room.

Shaiju said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's 10:45 PM, and we're just 15 minutes away from kickoff in tonight's Champions League group match."

"Tonight's game features La Liga's Valencia visiting the Zenit St. Petersburg at their home ground."

"Let's go over the starting lineups. Valencia is sticking to their usual 4-3-3 formation, with Alves donning the number 1 jersey as goalkeeper, and leading the line is the Spanish striker Rodrigo, wearing number 17..."

"I should also mention, Rohan, who had a standout performance in the Spanish 'El Clásico', was snapped up by Valencia from Real Madrid for a cool million euros. He's also made the squad list for tonight's Champions League game."

"Here's hoping he puts on a great show with Valencia."

"Back to the game, Zenit is playing a slightly defensive 4-4-2 formation, with Lodygin in goal, also wearing number 1, and their main striker Kerzhakov wearing number 11..."

"Valencia's group stage record so far is two wins and two losses, totaling six points. Their chances of advancing aren't clear, so they'll be going all out tonight."

"On the other hand, Zenit has won all four of their group matches, sitting comfortably with 12 points, and have already secured their spot in the next round, so they might not push as hard."

"This game is set to be a real battle."

At this point, Bineesh chimed in, "Hey Shaiju, do you think Valencia's coach might let Rohan come off the bench since he's included him in the squad?"

Shaiju thought for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, "Hard to say. Rohan just joined the team, and they still need to gel. Nuno might not risk playing him just yet."

"Unless..."

Bineesh looked puzzled and asked, "Unless what?"

Shaiju put on a mysterious air, "You'll see when the time comes."

"..."

I really want to spit in your face.

Bineesh was itching to throw a punch.

Meanwhile, the online fans were even more agitated, flooding the chat with comments.

"Shaiju, you've changed, you weren't like this before."

"What's gotten into him? Why is he being so cheeky now?"

"How could Real Madrid sell Rohan after such a good performance? Have they lost their minds?"

"I think Rohan's just not up to par for Real, even with those two goals, they still didn't rate him."

"I told you guys, those two goals were flukes, but no one believed me."

"Hey, when are you going to live stream that meal of stinky shoes and socks you promised? We're all waiting!"

"..."

On the bench at the stadium.

Rohan suddenly got a call.

It was from his dad.

Rohan hesitated for a moment but answered.

He hadn't quite figured out how to handle his family relationships yet, especially with his parents.

"Hey, Dad, what's up calling me out of the blue?"

Rohan's father roared through the phone, "You little rascal, don't I even get a heads-up when you switch teams?"

Wow, that's intense.

Straight into a scolding…

But there's a warm feeling of concern there.

Rohan cleared his throat, "Heh, I was trying to surprise you."

"Hmph, at least you're making some progress, getting to play in the Champions League, even if it's just as a sub."

Rohan's father paused, then continued, "But don't get discouraged, even if it's just for a minute, that's a minute of experience. Worst comes to worst, you can always come back and play domestically. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Dad, I'm doing pretty well now, you know.

Rohan thought to himself but nodded obediently, "Don't worry, Dad, when have you ever seen me get discouraged?"

"That's more like it."

Rohan's father nodded in satisfaction, then seemed to remember something urgent and hung up abruptly.

At first, Rohan thought the call had dropped, so he tried calling back.

But it kept saying the line was busy.

Rohan pondered for a moment and muttered, "He's probably calling all his old buddies to watch his son play..."

...

As the referee's whistle blew, the match between the two teams officially kicked off.

Zenit's players were all tall and strong in their physical play.

So, before the game even started, Nuno had repeatedly reminded his team: try to avoid physical contact as much as possible.

He also stressed the importance of disrupting the opponent's low crosses and high balls, and not to give away corners easily.

The Valencia players naturally followed their coach's tactical setup without question.

Compared to other leagues, the players in La Liga are known for their refined skills and excellent possession and passing abilities.

So, in the first ten minutes, Valencia had a firm grip on the game.

However, the ball was mostly just being moved around near the midfield.

This was partly because Zenit's defense was sitting deep, but the main issue was that Valencia was missing a key midfielder like Iniesta, who could both break through and distribute the ball effectively.

So, for the time being, neither side could really get the upper hand, making the game somewhat dull.

Zenit was quite content with this outcome.

Their attitude was basically, "You do your thing, and I'll just watch. Don't expect to wear me out."

Plus, they had already qualified for the next round, so even a draw didn't bother them.

But Valencia wasn't so relaxed.

Although they were currently second in their group, a mere two-point lead wasn't very secure.

To ensure their spot in the Champions League knockout stages, they needed to win this game.

Nuno, on the sidelines, was frantically waving his arms, urging his players to push forward.

Taking the cue, number 10, Parejo, took the initiative.

After receiving a pass from a teammate, he made a forward break and fooled a defender with a feint.

Before two more Zenit players could close him down, he passed the ball to Gómez, who was making a run on the left.

Parejo then quickly moved to the right, drawing the defenders with him.

Gómez, after receiving the ball, passed it to Rodrigo, who was positioned 17 feet outside the penalty arc.

Rodrigo, with his back to the goal, leaned into the defender. As the ball reached his feet, he cleverly let it roll, deceiving the defender, and then swiftly turned to shoot.

"Beautiful play!"

Rodrigo executed that move and shot almost perfectly.

Unfortunately, the opponent's penalty area was too crowded.

The ball hit a defender's thigh, bounced off to the right, and landed at the feet of a Zenit player.

Zenit's left winger, Danny, quickly took control and powered past Parejo with a strong dribble, charging into Valencia's half in the blink of an eye.

Argentinian midfielder Enzo Pérez hurried to cover, but Danny had already passed the ball to striker Kerzhakov.

With forward Kokorin and attacking midfielder Mogilevets rapidly advancing on the right, they quickly created a 4-on-3 situation.

The hearts of the Valencia players sank.

Nuno roared from the sidelines, "Get back, get back! Can you move any faster?"

"Parejo, what are you daydreaming about? Get back on defense!"

But all his shouting was in vain. Kokorin received a cutback from Danny and slotted the ball home.

Damn it!

Nuno cursed, "Alves, can't you save a one-on-one?"

"I told you guys to press forward, not to all rush up!"

"And Parejo, when we don't score, you should be sprinting back! Do I really need to teach you that?"

"Gómez, did you sleep on your stomach last night? Got a back strain? You're turning so slow."

The Valencia players, toughened by experience, were used to their coach's colorful language after conceding a goal.

They quickly regrouped and launched a new wave of attacks.

However, having conceded a goal, their mindset was clearly affected, and they became somewhat hasty with the ball.

Mistakes started to pile up.

Some players even started blaming each other on the field, leading to arguments.

On the Zenit side, buoyed by the lead and the home advantage, their play became smoother and their dominance more apparent.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Zenit capitalized on a passing error from Valencia and scored again on a counter-attack, making it 2-0.

Nuno sighed, no longer berating his players.

Instead, he suddenly turned to look at Rohan, his expression changing, pondering something.