"The match is underway!"
"Oh, God!"
"Leon's rush out was far too reckless! He's going to let one in!"
"Was last match just Leon having a freak performance? Is he still just poor? Have I been fooling myself?"
Every home supporter in the stands let out a cry of alarm.
If Lucas got that cross away, Raúl Tomás would be facing an open goal.
A simple tap-in and it would be done.
Leon's heart gave a small jolt at that moment.
Lucas had dealt with the ball in a way that had caught him slightly off guard.
Leon simply did not have enough match experience.
There was no way he could have detailed scouting reports on every opponent either.
In fact, the entire Leoia squad had only two scouts between them.
In that regard, there was simply no comparison to the bigger clubs.
Even so, Leon's formidable mental attributes kicked in at that moment.
Bravery 15! Composure 15! Concentration 15! Decisions 12!
They drove him to react immediately.
The instant Lucas lifted the ball, Leon came to a sharp stop and forced his body to change direction against its own momentum.
He fully stretched himself out in mid-air to cover as large an area as possible.
"Thwack!"
Leon got his fingertips to Lucas's lifted pass and deflected it away.
His Cross Claiming attribute made the difference in that moment.
Had Leon's Cross Claiming still been at 6, there would have been no stopping Lucas's delivery.
After hitting the ground, Leon ignored the pain in his body, scrambled straight back to his feet and gathered the ball, pulling it firmly to his chest.
Only then did he feel the sharp ache in his knee.
Forcing that sudden change of direction had come at the cost of wear on his knee.
But right now Leon could not afford to think about that.
"Oh! Yes! Unbelievable!"
"Leon's magic continues! I was worrying over nothing!"
"Ha, this goalkeeper's style is absolutely thrilling to watch!"
The home supporters, seeing Leon gather the ball securely, erupted into cheers once again.
"That rush out was reckless."
"It is not a good habit for a goalkeeper."
Watson was not caught up in the excitement like the Leoia supporters and was already jotting notes briskly in his notebook from a professional standpoint.
Although Leon had managed to get to Lucas's delivery, Watson's assessment of him had dropped considerably after that moment.
What followed in the match, however, left Watson feeling that Leon had completely changed his understanding of what he was watching.
Out on the pitch, Lucas stared at Leon for a moment with a look of genuine surprise.
He actually got to that.
Raúl Tomás in the centre had already shaped to shoot.
He had never expected the ball not to arrive from Lucas.
Still, he gave Lucas a round of applause and stuck his thumb up.
After all, Raúl Tomás depended on Lucas to keep the chances coming.