The stands were stunned by Real Madrid's lightning goal.
At the heart of the defense, Daniel Riber was wiping his hands across his face in disbelief at having been caught out so early.
Anton punched the ground, frustrated that he hadn't been able to react in ti.
Javier, the man responsible for the initial mistake, lowered his head, avoiding looking at his teammates.
The confidence they had built up in the first match had vanished as a series of mistakes and coincidences resulted in that goal.
But amid this shock scenario, Lucas Tanaka had his head held high.
While Real Madrid was still returning from their celebrations, Lucas shouted to his team as he walked with heavy steps back to the Brighton pitch.
"Hey!" He shouted, and everyone raised their heads. "Look around! Do you think this crowd ca here to see us give up? Do you think we're going to let them down because of ONE goal?"
"We knew they'd co with everything! We're not surprised! That doesn't change ANYTHING! Our plan was never just to defend! We're playing at ho, with these full stands on our side! Now we have an extra reason to attack! Now we have one more reason to show that we're a real team!"
Javier took a deep breath and finally nodded in agreent. The players cheered again, with Arthur and Miguel beating their chests.
"That's it!"
Coach Jinez, who had exchanged glances with Lucas earlier, cracked a small smile as he saw his team regaining their spirit.
"Let's bring this ga back! Play the way we train! High pressure, intense movent, and don't let them breathe!" Lucas finished, clapping his hands on his chest before taking up his position again.
"Yes, captain!"
Soon, the referee blew his whistle, and the ga restarted.
Brighton went into the mode that had brought them so far: attacking, aggressive and wanting possession.
Real Madrid, however, would not give in easily. With big nas like Hakimi, De la Fuente and Óscar Rodríguez working together, the Whites tried to keep possession and manage the emotional advantage they believed they had gained. But Brighton pressed with all their might, forcing Madrid's defense to work calmly and this created plenty of room for error.
It wasn't long before Real Madrid made their first mistake.
Felix got forward, stealing a crucial ball from De la Fuente in midfield. Wasting no ti, he set up Lucas, who played Raphael in on the left wing.
The No. 11 shot down the flank, facing Hakimi in a direct duel.
The Moroccan was quick, but Raphael used a short dribble and found space to cross.
Arthur, well positioned in the area, rose higher than Manu Hernando and headed the ball in with force. The ball seed to have the right address, but the Real Madrid goalkeeper made a spectacular save.
The Brighton fans applauded, recognizing the team's effort. And indeed, Brighton kept up the pace.
Miguel and Loki on the right, Raphael and Aidan on the left, all moved around incessantly, looking for space and exploiting their speed.
Javier, now more alert, dictated the pace with precise passes, while Felix swept up any attempt by Real Madrid to organize counter-attacks.
The minutes passed and Brighton grew more and more into the ga. In the 18th minute, a move worked on by Lucas and Javier resulted in a shot from outside the area from Miguel, which sailed just over the bar. Real Madrid was feeling the pressure.
But the Spaniards were dangerous. In the 22nd minute, Hakimi got away down the right and crossed low to Mayoral, who got ahead of Luiz Fernando and shot the first ti. Anton deflected it away from a corner, preventing the second goal.
The ga was intense, hard-fought and worthy of a great battle. Real Madrid was a team of so of the best talents in the world that money could buy, and they were very difficult to play against, even though Lucas had developed so much in just a few months.
Still, Lucas wasn't disappointed in himself. He wasn't rivaling so talented players, and that excited him a lot. It was what he lived for. Every pass, every duel, every run made him feel more alive than he ever had in his monotonous office life.
In the 31st minute, he was rewarded for all this emotion.
On a ball that seed destined to go over the sideline after a scramble in midfield, Lucas rushed out to stop it.
The Brighton fans were about to applaud him for simply trying to save Brighton's possession. At the sa ti, the Real Madrid players walked, thinking that possession would be theirs because Felix was the last to touch it.
But Lucas wouldn't accept that. He threw himself at the ball, stretching out his right leg at the last mont. His boot grazed the ball, preventing it from coming out by re centiters.
However, Lucas wasn't doing it for nothing. He was hungry. Getting up quickly, as if he hadn't just thrown himself into the ga with all his might, he ran forward.
Real Madrid finally realized that the ball hadn't co out and reacted.
Achraf Hakimi was the first to reposition himself, trying to block the path. But Lucas was undeterred.
'First, ,' thought Lucas.
The world went quiet at that mont. In an instant, he could hear and see every player, every micro-expression of his opponents, every free space. His perception was heightened because all his senses were directed solely at playing soccer.
With , he knew that De la Fuente and Óscar Rodríguez would co to close him down next. At that mont, Lucas activated . He assessed his chances and realized that the best decision wasn't a pass, but a dribble because Hakimi's delay would impede De la Fuente and Oscar.
Hakimi tried to disarm him with a quick shot, but Lucas responded with a . His body leaned slightly to the right, eluding the Moroccan defender who went all out in that direction. In the next instant, Lucas passed to Hakimi's left.
"What a surreal dribble to get past Hakimi! That almost caused Oscar Rodriguez and De la Fuente to run into their own teammate! Lucas is advancing on his own!" Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire
But Real Madrid's defense didn't give up. Manu Hernando and José León ca to close the space. Lucas knew that if he tried to get past them, he'd be stopped. But that was where his secret weapon ca in:
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