"System! Use the [Random Experience Card]!"
The match was already in its final two minutes.
With three minutes of added time, no more than five minutes remained.
In those dying moments, Leoia had pinned Barcelona B entirely in their own half.
Yet chances to break through and score remained frustratingly scarce.
Barcelona B's morale had taken a knock after Mari Dongou missed two consecutive one-on-ones.
On top of that, Leoia's relentless all-out attack, with no regard for defence, had Barcelona B completely suppressed.
'Ding! Please select the type of Experience Card. The starter bonus Experience Card allows only three random types.'
The system's voice rang out in Leon's mind.
With Barcelona B unable to cross into Leoia's half, Leon had a brief window to quickly scan through the options.
There were many types of Experience Cards, and they could also be applied to teammates.
However, this random draw produced only three types.
[5-Minute Assist-to-Goal Experience Card]
[Penalty Save Experience Card]
[5-Minute Header-to-Goal Experience Card]
"System! Select the [5-Minute Header-to-Goal Experience Card]! Apply it to myself!"
Leon made his choice without hesitation.
Better to rely on yourself than on your teammates.
"Oh! Good Lord! What is he doing now?"
A wave of astonished cries swept through the stands.
On the pitch, seizing the moment as Leoia were awarded a corner, Leon charged directly into Barcelona B's penalty area.
It was not unheard of for a goalkeeper to surge forward as a last throw of the dice in the dying moments.
But in the hearts of Leoia's supporters, Leon still carried the image of the underdog.
That was precisely why this move left them so baffled.
How could a goalkeeper with nothing to his name dare abandon his goal at a moment like this?
If Barcelona B hit them on the counter-attack, it would be an open goal.
On the touchline, head coach Burke Abel felt his heart lurch the moment he saw Leon charging forward.
He had given no such tactical instruction.
But at this point, Burke Abel could not be bothered to call Leon back.
He may as well gamble on it.
Leon caught the eye of Hachim Mastour, who was about to take the corner, and pointed at his own head.
Hachim Mastour understood exactly what Leon meant and genuinely prepared to deliver the corner straight to him.
'Is there going to be a last-gasp equaliser?'
Watson in the stands checked his watch, and saw that only the final minute of added time remained.
This corner could very well be Leoia's last chance.
Hachim Mastour's performance in this match had not satisfied Watson.
There had been flashes of quality, but the low points far outnumbered them.
Hachim Mastour drew a deep breath.
His run-up began.
The corner was delivered.
Forward Yure Baso leapt with all his might to attack the near post, only to find the ball had not been aimed at him at all, flying instead toward the far post.
And at the far post stood Leon.
'Still too young in the end?'
'Playing favourites out on the pitch at a moment like this?'
Watson shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment as he watched Hachim Mastour ignore Leoia's most reliable option Yure Baso and direct the corner to Leon instead.
Letting personal loyalty influence your play on the pitch was never a good thing.
'It's coming!'
Leon felt a faint stir in his chest when he saw Hachim Mastour had genuinely delivered the ball to him.
He knew this was a chance he had to take.
The [5-Minute Header-to-Goal Experience Card] guaranteed a headed goal.
But Leon first had to win the ball at its landing point and get his header on target.
The defender tracking Leon was Barcelona B's Douglas.
He had transferred from South America to Barcelona this season, only to be loaned down to the B side.
He might have struggled to hold down a starting spot in La Liga, but at Barcelona B, Douglas was an undisputed first-choice starter.
Yet deploying Douglas to mark Leon was a mistake.
Douglas stood only 1.71 metres tall.
Leon stood 1.91 metres.
A twenty-centimetre height advantage allowed Leon to win the ball at its landing point with ease.
He leapt.
He swung his head.
Leon powered the ball towards goal with a fierce header.
The ball grazed the fingertips of goalkeeper Adrián Otola and dropped into the net.
"Goooooooooooooooooal!"
"It's in! It's in!"
"Bloody hell!"
"Who scored?"
"The goalkeeper! That goalkeeper!"
"Absolutely incredible!"
The home supporters in the stands erupted into thunderous cheers.
That golden goal had come from somewhere no one had imagined, headed in by the goalkeeper of all people.
Leoia's teammates were about to rush toward Leon in wild celebration, when they saw him quickly fish the ball out of the net.
He jogged back, waving his teammates into position as he went.
"Final moments! Don't switch off!"
After reaching the centre circle, Leon handed the ball to Hachim Mastour and quickly retreated to his position in front of goal.
He was giving Barcelona B no possibility of catching them on the sneak.
That gesture made Watson sit up in the stands.
His admiration for Leon in that moment surpassed even his reaction to the goal itself.
The goalkeeper's position was a special one, demanding total concentration at every single moment.
Watson found himself casting his mind back over the match.
Leon had indeed shown not the slightest lapse in focus throughout.
The two goals conceded in the first half, including one elementary error, looked more like a matter of ability rather than a lack of concentration.
'Interesting.'
Watson began paying genuine attention to Leon for the first time.
Every scout tended to have their own preferred qualities in a player.
Watson particularly valued those with strong concentration and powerful mental attributes.
On that score, Hachim Mastour fell a little short.
Although, just moments ago, Hachim Mastour had delivered the assist that set up Leon's headed goal.
Watson set aside the judgement he had formed earlier.
Hachim Mastour's delivery had been decisive.
Well done.
Results speak for themselves.
That is football.