“Napoli was really unlucky in the first half. Svensson made several key controversial calls. Let’s take a look at these controversial calls… First, Cassano’s goal. Was he offside? Looking at the slow-motion replay, he wasn't. He was half a body length behind when Hamsik passed the ball… So it was a misjudgment. But considering the fast-paced nature of the situation, it’s really hard to tell whether someone is offside. We’re making this judgment based on slow-motion replay… It’s not easy for the linesman to make that judgment in real-time…”

“Then, what about the second goal? Toulalan's tackle from behind is even harder to call. If you say it was a foul, it was a foul because he brought down De Jong. But if you say it wasn't a foul, there's also a reason, because he got the ball first…”

“Finally, there’s this alleged penalty. Chen Hero’s long shot hit Chris’s arm, but Chris claimed the ball hit his chest. The referee’s angle might not have been good, so he couldn’t see clearly and chose to believe Chris…”

“In general, all three calls seem to have problems, and yet they also seem to be fine. That’s why they’re controversial calls…”

The commentators, being mouthpieces, can’t say things randomly, so they can only try to smooth things over.

But the Italian reporters in the stands were sneering non-stop.

Some were already thinking about how they would write articles blasting Platini and UEFA if Napoli lost the game.

“This is too blatant!”

“They don’t even bother with the most basic cover-up anymore. Platini is really rampant! Does he think no one in Europe can threaten him anymore?”

“Platini truly deserves to be called Lyon’s daddy! So protective!”

A group of reporters gathered together, full of sarcasm. These Italians had a miserable first half. In forty-five minutes, the referee didn’t make a single call in favor of Napoli…

Obviously, Napoli's players were affected by these unfair calls. So the Italian and Chinese reporters were very worried about the team's performance in the second half.

Some were already discussing contingency plans.

“I think… if it’s truly an irresistible force, then losing is losing. Second in the group is second in the group. It’s not like finishing second guarantees you’ll be drawn against super strong teams. It’s always a matter of probability. Now Napoli should control the players' tempers. If I were Mazzarri, I’d give them a cold shower during halftime, tell them to calm down, and ignore the referee’s calls. Play their own game, reduce arguing with the referee, and avoid getting cards. The most important thing for Napoli right now is to avoid non-combat-related losses. If they get a red card due to a moment of excitement and miss the round of sixteen, that would be a big loss. We all know Napoli's bench depth isn't that great…”

From a calm perspective, this is the only correct thing to do.

But isn’t living all about fighting for pride? You can give up anything else, but you have to fight for pride, right?

※※※

“This is a conspiracy! This is a blatant conspiracy! Fucking hell!” In Napoli’s locker room, Cassano was smashing water bottles like a madman, cursing. “That referee is obviously a piece of shit! Shit! Idiot! Moron!! It’s disgusting!”

His legitimate goal in the first half was disallowed, which led to the team falling behind. He ran to protest to the referee and almost got a yellow card, if not for his teammates acting quickly… Now back in the locker room, he could finally vent his frustrations without worrying about the referee chasing him into the Napoli locker room.

“Sigh…” someone sighed.

They weren't fools. From the referee's performance in the first half, combined with Platini's statements before the game, they knew what was going on. Lyon had to beat them at home in order to secure a guaranteed spot in the group stage.

So…

The enemy is strong, but as long as the enemy is on the football field, no matter how strong, they are not afraid.

But now, this enemy isn't on the football field, and isn't even on the same level as Napoli, making Napoli's players feel a sense of powerlessness.

This feeling of frustration was like a contagious disease. Once one person showed it, more people joined in, with sighs rising and falling. For a moment, the locker room fell into an awkward and despairing silence.

Mazzarri pushed open the door, and the feeling of despair hit him in the face, making him feel like he was in the wrong place—Napoli had never shown such emotions before. No matter how strong the enemy, they had never been so desperate and helpless.

He understood that this time the opponent wasn't someone they could defeat, but an enemy on another level…

But he still had to say something. He was the head coach, he couldn't just sigh along with the players, could he?

Just as he opened his mouth, ready to speak, a voice suddenly rang out.

“What the hell are you guys sighing about here?!”

Everyone looked up in surprise at the speaker… Chen Hero.

He stood up and waved his fists at his teammates: “What’s there to be afraid of? So we’re down by two goals, so what?”

“It’s not as simple as being down by two goals, Hero!” Hamsik, who received a yellow card in the first half for arguing too vehemently with the referee, said helplessly.

“I know, I know, our opponent is that Lyon’s daddy. But so what? No matter how powerful he is, he can’t come down and play the game with us. The offside call was questionable, so we’ll score some goals that are so unquestionable that they can’t find any problems even with a magnifying glass!” Chen Hero said, waving his fist.

“Anyway, I’m not going to sit here sighing at this time! Let me tell you guys, I… I can lose anything, but I can’t lose my spirit!” Chen Hero’s words were like a thunderclap, exploding above everyone’s heads.

“I don’t care what you guys do in the second half, but I’m going to keep looking for goals! What about Platini? The UEFA president is nothing! Even if it’s just me alone, I’ll fight him to the end! I don’t give a damn whose daddy he is, fuck!” Chen Hero was extremely unhappy, thinking of the humiliation the team suffered in the first half and the indifferent expression on the referee's face when he protested and appealed. His chest was full of anger with nowhere to vent, like a pack of wolves trying to break free.

He even wished the second half would start right now, so he could go out and kill the enemy, slapping Platini across the face again and again.

“That’s right! Hero, you’re fucking right!” Cassano jumped out, already pissed off. He was greatly encouraged to see that he had allies. “I’m not afraid of Platini! I’m going to fight them to the death! That old bastard!”

Mazzarri had been quietly listening on the sidelines. When he heard Chen Hero’s sentence, “I can lose anything, but I can’t lose my spirit!” he was suddenly deeply moved.

He felt like he was inferior to his own players… How could he, as a head coach, have such pessimistic emotions?

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

“Hero is right, guys. At first, I was thinking… if it’s really impossible, then let’s just lose, since we’ve already qualified. But now… damn it, I’ve changed my mind!” He spread his hands. “We must win this game, we have to win! Some people don’t want us to win, then we’ll just win! Win and show them how stupid it is to mess with us!”

Seeing that the head coach had said so, the players who had been drooping their heads one by one raised their heads, their faces thoughtful.

The atmosphere in the locker room was gradually returning to normal.

“Ultimately, this is just a game, and we have to follow the rules of a football game. I can’t say UEFA’s president has any bad intentions, but he can’t directly interfere in the game, right? So… we have to treat this like a normal game. If our performance is undeniable, then where will those controversial calls have room to survive? Therefore, the key is—our own performance must be undeniable, don’t give those who are deliberately trying to find fault a single chance, and use our strength to achieve a fair, square, and undeniable victory!”

※※※

In distant Liverpool, England, the electronic display at Anfield was showing the score of the game so far.

0:0.

Liverpool and Zenit St. Petersburg were locked in a stalemate.

Denisov and the others entered the locker room and heard the coaches telling them: “Lyon is leading, leading by two goals…”

For a moment, the locker room also became a little silent.

What did this result mean? It meant that no matter how Zenit St. Petersburg played against Liverpool, they were eliminated.

Lyon won, they were first in the group, Napoli became second in the group, and then Zenit would play in the Europa League…

Many people suddenly felt deflated. They had struggled to withstand Liverpool's attacks in the first half without conceding a goal. What supported their belief was the thought that even if Napoli was playing away, they had the strength to compete with Lyon. So as long as Lyon lost to Napoli, and they beat Liverpool, they could overtake Lyon and qualify from this group as the second-place team.

Now, who would have thought that after just the first half, Napoli would be two goals behind Lyon.

“This… is unlikely…” Denisov muttered to himself, stunned when he heard the news.

He felt that Napoli, with Chen Hero and Arshavin, couldn’t possibly lose so easily, even if they were playing away. To be two goals behind after just the first half…

What happened to Hero and Shava… what problems did their team encounter?

He wasn't worried about his own team's fate, but instead became worried about Napoli.

Because he knew that if Lyon won, then no matter how hard they, Zenit St. Petersburg, fought Liverpool, they couldn't change their fate.

※※※

ps, this sentence is actually Hero's principle of doing things!

I'll also Cosplay for a bit – I can give up anything! But subscriptions and monthly tickets I can't give up!

Tomorrow, continue with four updates~ Please look forward to it!

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the slap in the face.