Chapter 11: You're finished, kid

Hello everyone, the book has just passed the vetting process, I hope you can help me by sending Power Stone, leaving comments, and giving reviews; apart from this, enjoy the ride.

_____________

Diego Vargas does not intend to stay with Arsenal's reserve team for too long. His goal is to go to the first team and eventually secure a spot in the Premier League.

There are two ways to return to the first team. One is to wait for one of Arsenal's main players to get injured. If a player who happens to be in his position is sidelined, Diego could be called up.

Of course, this method is too uncertain. And after the injured players return, the promoted player is likely to be sent back to the reserves again.

The other method, and the safest way, is to deliver dominant performances with the reserve team. As long as he can show brilliant performances, the first team will naturally be interested in calling him.

After all, Diego has already signed a contract with the team, and Arsenal won't let their investment go to waste.

So, for Diego, going to the first team comes down to one thing: play every match well and dominate every opponent!

A few minutes before the match, Joel Brockman, the big lad from the opposing team, was clearly rattled. But he didn't expect that the number 27 in front of him, who wasn't even a regular starter, whom the substitution seemed a desperate move by the coach, would manage to score such a wonderful world wave.

And before shooting the ball, the player flashed a smug grin; he seemed very confident.

Diego knows that players in the lower leagues are different from those like him who were scouted early. These unsuccessful players are playing for their lives, hoping for a long-term contract with a first-division team.

But most of these players can't break into the upper league no matter how hard they try. Diego has heard it many times. He can't let himself be used by someone to gain some success.

"Harry, what are you doing!? Focus, I won't allow you to let in another goal!"

At the same time, the Arsenal reserve coach yelled at Harry. Clearly, the coach was also very displeased with the goal they just conceded.

Harry waved his hand to the bench, signaling that he wouldn't make any more mistakes. Harry had played in the reserve team for two years, but he had never heard of the name of the number 27. He believed that a lower-tier player couldn't threaten him, a player with two years of experience!

"Lucas, be careful, that guy is more dangerous than he looks!" yelled Reggie, a little worried that Lucas would let his guard down.

"Yeah, yeah, also focus on your own man, don't worry, I will not underestimate anyone!" Lucas understands what Reggie means; he shoots back, pointing to Reggie's mark, reminding him not to lose his man.

Coach Conor who was watching Lucas and Reggie's actions and couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled. Although communication between teammates on the football pitch is normal, in the lower league, it's a bit different because teammates are also competitors, especially since these two are strikers and need to prove themselves by scoring goals.

But Lucas and Reggie didn't seem like competitors at all.

Conor also focused his attention; he wanted to see just how far Lucas had come in his development. Could he stop the young Diego who can almost play in the Premier League and have embarrassed Joel?

While he was pondering this, the Arsenal player who conceded a goal kickoff, Diego, received a pass from his midfielder and prepared to face off against the defense of Lucas, who was here in Brentford's half since it was a kickoff.

"Watch this, that striker will tear Silva apart," sneered Joel from the bench.

Diego did intend to shut down the number 27 in front of him, but the striker looked calm and confident as if he was an experienced player.

Lucas remembered watching the Champions League first leg when between Dortmund and PSG. Reus, despite being old and an attacking player, played crucial defense in Dortmund's play.

"Damn it," muttered Diego under his breath. The striker's composure was making him uneasy—it wasn't typical for a player in the lower league.

Lucas kept his eyes locked on the ball at Diego's feet, ready to make a move at any moment.

"You're finished, kid," Diego taunted, in fact, he was just trying to break Lucas's concentration.

But it was clear that this guy hadn't mastered the art of trash talk, as his words did not affect Lucas.

Diego feigned a move to the left, but Lucas didn't bite, keeping his focus intact.

Seeing no openings, Diego decided to charge forward, using his strength to push past Lucas.

"He's done for," Joel smirked, convinced that Lucas would get outmuscled just as he had.

But the moment the striker charged, there was a dull thud from the collision, and Lucas didn't budge. Instead, the striker was bounced back, unable to penetrate Lucas's defense, seriously, he has the ability included the physical ability of a player who played for more than fifteen years in professional football, his bones are so hard, unless, in case of absolute strength, it's very difficult for players of the same built to outmuscled him.

"What!?" Joel jumped up in shock, realizing that his initial judgment had been way off.

Lucas Silva's physicality was at an elite level, and it seems that his prowess in the last training isn't just luck.

"Brilliant defending! Where did this guy come from? How was he not in the first team?" the commentator exclaimed as if he wasn't the one criticizing Lucas before as the latter successfully blocked Diego's advance. But Diego wasn't done. He quickly decided to make a long pass to Gnabry since the latter was already in a good position. Like most forward-thinking players, he has confidence in his passing because it's precise and hard to block. He hoped to catch Lucas off guard.

Moreover, Diego is left-footed, which makes his moves harder to predict.

As the he unleashed his pass, he raised his foot for the perfect strike. But just as he kicked the ball, he felt like he kicked something hard.

"This!" The commentator was on the edge of his seat, waiting for the outcome.

There was another loud noise, but this time it was the sound of Lucas's boot meeting the ball!

Lucas Silva had just blocked the Diego's pass, sending the ball flying out of bounds!

"What a block! The whole stadium is on its feet!"

The commentator could hardly believe it. A striker so desperate like this was rare in low level league, especially against a pass this hard, this can even injure him.

Plus, For a striker to block a pass like that, they had to possess exceptional timing and strength.

As the ball flew away, Reggie immediately charged forward; having anticipated the deflection the moment the block was made, he quickly took the ball in his hand for a fast attack.

The scene unfolds as the right-back swiftly picks up the ball for a throw-in near the halfway line. The Arsenal team is caught off guard, still organizing their defense, when he spots his teammate, the winger, making a quick dart down the touchline.

With precision, Reggie delivers a sharp, accurate throw directly to Lucas's feet. Lucas, without hesitation, controls the ball beautifully, turning to face the goal in one fluid motion. Sensing the opportunity for a fast break, he immediately takes off down the flank the moment he sees Reggie going for the ball, sprinting past the surprised Arsenal left-back and Diego, who is also dazed.

Lucas advances rapidly, drawing the attention of the center-back, Harry, who starts to shift over to cover the threat. But Lucas is one step ahead. Just before the center-back could close him down, from his peripheral vision, he saw that Reggie didn't stop after throwing the ball but was running just a little behind him.

he sends a low, driven inverted pass to the later, perfectly timed to meet the run of Reggie; it was exactly the kind of pass that is made for a perfect world wave.

The ball skims across the grass, evading the stretched leg of the closing defender, and lands perfectly in Reggie's stride. With a quick glance up to assess the situation, Reggie spots the gap between the center-backs and the goalkeeper, who is slightly off his line.

Without breaking his stride, Reggie lets the ball roll across his body, setting himself up for a world-class strike. As the ball settles at his feet, he takes a single touch to steady it and then unleashes a powerful, curling shot with his right foot. The ball arcs beautifully through the air, swerving away from the desperate dive of the goalkeeper.

Time seems to slow as the ball curves toward the top corner. The fans hold their breath, watching as the shot inches closer and closer to its target. The goalkeeper, fully extended, can only watch helplessly as the ball sails just beyond his fingertips.

With a satisfying thud, the ball crashes into the back of the net, nestling perfectly in the top corner. The stadium erupts in cheers as Reggie celebrates his incredible goal, running towards Lucas with a wide grin on his face.

Lucas flashed a confident smile and pointed to his name on the back of his jersey. "Remember my name. I'm Lucas, and he is Reggie."

"Unbelievable," Joel muttered from the bench, not at Reggie's goal but at Lucas's block.

The commentator, meanwhile, mistakenly thought Joel was cheering for Lucas again...

"It seems the team spirit of Brentford's is strong. Even after being replaced, Joel is shouting about Lucas's brilliant play. Players like this deserve recognition," the commentator noted, forgetting all the insulting words to Joel before.

If Joel could hear the commentators, he'd probably be fuming. He was starting to feel like a benchwarmer clown.

The game continued for several more minutes. Initially, people thought Lucas Silva's block playing above his level after entering. But unexpectedly, for the rest of the first half, Lucas completely played down Arsenal players without losing a ball once.

Yes, zero ball lost!

Whether it was dribbling or passing, the Arsenal reserve players could do nothing to Lucas.

It was as if Lucas could predict every move the player on the pitch was about to make and was always a step ahead.

After a while, Lucas Silva went from brimming with confidence to leaving Harry in a state of despair. But Lucas wasn't just satisfied with stopping this unknown player.

By the end of the first half, Lucas had scored who has scored one goal and displayed 8 minutes of dominance after entering, shocking the world for the first time.

If it hadn't been for Arsenal's overall strength to be above Brentford, Lucas might have scored another goal.

"I only have one question now: why was Lucas Silva never selected in the first team? He's better than most of the players here!"

The live commentator summed up the first half with that one question, which was bound to reach the ears of many Brentford fans and Premier League scouts.

END OF THE CHAPTER

Don't forget to drop some power stones. (+_+)