Aizen's goal greatly boosted the morale of the team.
They were originally arrogant "geniuses" from all over the country, stars of hope selected through layers of trials.
Each person refused to acknowledge others, and the team as a whole played like a scattered mess.
Otherwise, no matter how big the gap, they wouldn't have allowed the opponent to score 4 goals in the first half.
It wasn't until Aizen used his unparalleled technique to toy with Everton that everyone realized Everton was not invincible.
When threatened, they would also fall into disarray and give opportunities.
This was precisely what they should exploit.
Under Aizen's leadership, the team turned the tide, with everyone diligently defending while also looking for attacking opportunities.
The arrogant young men were truly willing to calm down and defend.
Everyone stood in their positions, maintaining their fighting spirit and engaging in physical contests with the Everton players.
Why?
Why couldn't they beat them?
Why should they be humiliated by them?
Damn it!
With their eyes bloodshot, they actually withstood Everton's frantic counterattack!
Everton, having been repeatedly toyed with by Aizen, naturally burned with anger and rushed forward to attack.
Overwhelmed, they lost the composure they had in the first half, showing no coordination, with everyone wanting to stand out.
As one side gained and the other lost, Aizen's team cooperated to complete a steal!
"What a great opportunity!"
Two simple passes in midfield, the target was clear: find Aizen!
The 15-year-old youth player became the attacking core for the 18-year-old youth team players!
Aizen stepped up, raising his hand for the ball.
A long pass flew overhead, with the Everton midfielder behind him jostling and desperately body-checking to prevent the kid from turning.
"Damn it!"
Just as he bumped Aizen forward a half step, Aizen used the opportunity to break free from the defensive range.
He stopped the ball in the air, cushioning it with his ankle and flicking it to the right, while rapidly turning his body to the left!
The instantaneous body-and-ball separation caused Dansmore's brain to short-circuit!
Reacting a mere 0.2 seconds too late, he was already easily shaken off by Aizen!
His teammates, arriving one after another, couldn't stop this guy!
A nutmeg, then two consecutive feints with a step-over to break through, and he once again charged into the penalty area!
Unstoppable!
"This..."
Once was a coincidence, twice was their own oversight, but three, four times...
Dansmore had to admit.
The slender, tall kid in the white number 24 jersey possessed technique comparable to a genius.
He was in a league of his own, leading the entire field by a huge margin!
Before, they had looked down on these kids, looking down on these rookies from a TV program.
Now it seemed their Everton youth academy was the real rookie!
Seeing Aizen once again move through as if unimpeded, a group of people desperately rushed forward, wishing seven or eight of them could surround him at once.
The goalkeeper dared not come out, trembling on the goal line.
Yet, a football suddenly flew out of the crowd, accurately heading towards the right side of the six-yard box.
"Eh?"
"What?!!!"
There the forward was unmarked .
He steadily received the ball, facing almost an empty net!
The rest was too simple: a plain and unadorned push shot.
4-2.
Aizen's team scored again to pull one back!
After scoring, the striker still couldn't believe it, staring blankly at Aizen.
"Why, why did you pass to me?"
Aizen looked at him as if he were an idiot:
"You were in a good position, who else would I pass to?"
"Uh..."
The two were quickly engulfed by their excited teammates.
They had broken through Everton U18's goal twice!
Seeing their mournful faces was simply too satisfying!
"A brilliant cooperation! A great team victory! The indomitable spirit of the team earned them a goal!"
The coach's mouth twitched as he looked at the commentator; his friend was as excited as he was during last year's World Cup.
It was a bit excessive.
However, this goal was the ultimate individual heroism of the young player Aizen.
He alone could dismantle the opponent's defense, an unparalleled technical dominance!
He even felt like he was dreaming.
He had entered the show with the attitude of just doing his job for the money, holding no hope for finding football talents.
At this moment, he finally believed.
It turns out... our country truly has geniuses!
1.4 billion people, such a vast population, how could there be no geniuses?
It's just that the vast majority of geniuses are completely destroyed by the rigid youth training system, the chaotic professional football environment, and the corrupt upper echelons.
Moreover, there are many potential geniuses who have never even been exposed to systematic football training.
...
The final score was 4-4.
Aizen, with his unparalleled ball skills, had no opponent in the front field.
Even with a four-person clamp, he could find an angle to break through.
At worst, he could pass it out and let his teammates organize the attack.
Other players also helped Aizen share the pressure, and they were even able to execute fluid attacking combinations.
In contrast, Everton completely lost face.
They started playing dirty.
Tackling, pushing from behind, classical wrestling—they resorted to all sorts of unscrupulous tactics.
They were not muscular players; their physical confrontation ability was at a disadvantage, and the game once again became passive.
Especially Aizen; he was the most fouled player on the field, his white jersey completely stained green with grass stains.
If it weren't for a mysterious boost in concentration that allowed him to dodge opponents' dirty tackles at the last moment, Aizen would definitely have to be carried off.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
The coaching staff quickly protested to the Everton coach, implying they were resorting to dirty tricks because they couldn't win fair and square.
Maroney, the plump Everton youth academy director, was helpless and could only remind his players on the sideline, which made their actions slightly less aggressive.
Under Everton's shameless dirty tricks, the game ended.
Both sides shook hands with a 4-4 draw, and both looked regretful.
Everton was naturally unhappy about being tied after leading 4-0, finding it hard to believe they were evenly matched with a group of trial players.
Aizen's team was also very unhappy.
"We clearly could have won!"
"They couldn't stop Aizen at all!"
Before leaving the field, they still held their heads high, shaking hands with their opponents in a victorious manner.
The youth coaches from both sides also exchanged words:
"Aizen is truly a treasure player. We at Everton are definitely interested in him; there will be a place for him in the first team."
"Where he wants to go specifically, he needs to decide himself. I can't make the decision."
"Then please persuade him. Everton is a top-tier club in the Premier League and will never treat him unfairly."
"Thank you for the invitation; we will convey it."
The coach knew very well that this matter was not that simple.
The trial was advertised as a visit to Everton and Bolton, with the chance to gain a trial qualification with a Premier League club.
In reality, it was just a gimmick.
The program only had a preliminary agreement with the clubs, with no contractual evidence whatsoever indicating that any player would stay in the Premier League.
Even if Everton truly signed someone, it would be difficult for them to get a chance to enter the first team.
This was merely a means to expand market.
Both sides were well aware of this, only the young players, unaware of the truth, came with dreams.
They had no idea what they were about to face.
In the locker room, a group of passionate youths were celebrating wildly, loudly playing Coldplay's new song on the stereo.
Everyone sang along, full of youthful vigor.
Facing adversity, they had not lost!
The team's hero, Aizen, who had crushed Everton with his skills, sat quietly in the corner, carefully replaying everything that had just happened.
"Do I... really have world-class football talent now?"
The feeling on the field just now was incredibly wonderful.
Every time he touched the ball, it became an extension of his body; he knew exactly where the ball was without even looking.
No matter how complex the situation, he instinctively knew how to handle the ball.
Complex dribbling moves that previously required countless practices on the field to succeed, and moves that were difficult to execute in competitive play, now became instinct, allowing him to easily dribble past opponents without thinking.
Everton's youth academy couldn't even put pressure on him!
Facing these Premier League club U18 players was like facing a group of elementary school students.
If Aizen wanted to, he could dribble the ball from his own goal to the opponent's goal, and no matter how many Everton players came, he would ensure they couldn't touch the ball.
Unless they resorted to crude fouls and tackles.
Before the opponent's body contact, Aizen could already react in advance.
This was the most terrifying thing!
"What if I played against a top League adult team? What if I played against world-class stars?"
A thought uncontrollably emerged!
If he were to face Cannavaro now, facing Italy's World Cup-winning defense, would he...
Just as Aizen was lost in thought, he was suddenly interrupted by the coach.
"Aizen, there's something I want to tell you in advance; the program organizers will formally discuss it with you later."
"What?"
"I don't know what you think about Everton..."
Before he could finish, there was a sudden knock at the locker room door, and an uninvited guest slipped in.
A plump man wearing a 1960s-style fedora and a suit, with a rosy complexion, quickly scanned the room, instantly locked onto Aizen, and approached with a smile, pulling out a business card.
"Excuse me for the interruption, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Steve Rowley, chief scout for Arsenal Football Club."