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Northern Spain, Basque Country.
Athletic Bilbao training ground.
Ernesto Valverde stood with arms crossed, silent, as the 22 players on the pitch conducted their final tactical drills.
Under these circumstances, the first team members were essentially tomorrow's starting lineup.
The second team consisted purely of substitute sparring partners.
On the pitch, the first team held an absolute advantage, with steady defence and sharp counterattacks, leaving the second team in despair.
They achieved a dominant 3-0 lead within 45 minutes.
It seemed Athletic Bilbao's combat effectiveness was very strong.
In reality, everyone knew that facing substitutes was one thing, but facing Atlético Madrid's main lineup was another.
"Ten-minute break, then we'll practise set-piece tactics again!"
It looked like they would have to train a bit longer, but the players had no objections.
To win against a stronger opponent, set pieces were the most crucial aspect, the most effective means to defeat the enemy.
"Originally, we could have challenged for a Champions League spot, but this schedule is just disgusting."
"Yeah, why is it Atlético Madrid?"
"Damn it!"
Valverde wished he could have killed all the football association officials who arranged the schedule.
Originally, Athletic Bilbao had great momentum and could have secured a top 4 position.
Assuming three consecutive losses against Atlético Madrid, it was very likely to damage the players' confidence and lead to fluctuating results.
"No matter what, the game hasn't started yet, anything is possible."
"Really?"
"We emphasised before that Atlético Madrid's scoring relies entirely on Lance. So we can take a gamble; as long as we completely shut down Lance, we'll have a chance!"
Thinking about an opponent with a player like Lance, the overwhelming pressure was suffocating.
But Lance was not without weaknesses.
Leaving aside his off-ball movement, Lance's passing had not yet reached world-class level.
So Valverde wanted to go all-in!
...
"Lance, today depends on you. Are the tactical details clear?"
"No problem, leave it to me."
Copa del Rey quarter-finals, first leg: Athletic Bilbao vs Atlético Madrid.
Lance led the starting lineup!
To prepare for the league match three days later, Griezmann and Torres were rested.
Only a few substitute players upfront were supporting Lance.
As expected, Athletic Bilbao would likely play defensively on the counter, and Atlético Madrid would do the same.
Neither side would commit too many players to offence.
Lance could only rely on a few young substitutes like Ángel Correa, Luciano, and Carrasco.
Amongst them, Carrasco was a Belgium teammate; although their relationship wasn't as good as with De Bruyne, they were at least familiar with each other and had some coordination on the pitch.
Simeone knew, even without thinking, that Athletic Bilbao would tightly mark Lance.
So today, Lance was not the main attacker; he was the decoy player.
He played in the number 9.5 position, similar to the later Harry Kane, holding the ball as a pivot and supplying ammunition to his teammates.
"This won't affect your tactical status; you'll play the same way with the main lineup later."
Simeone specifically emphasised this.
Lance was amused by him.
He didn't expect the famous "Bandit Coach" to be so hesitant.
"Don't worry, coach. I also wanted to practise my passing in a real match."
If he were to use his FIFA Career Mode stats, Lance felt his passing was, at most, just over 80 points.
It was fine for easy opponents, but for high-level matches, it was insufficient.
To become a top-tier striker in the world, in addition to off-ball movement, passing also needed to be strengthened as quickly as possible.
In the future development of football, players' roles would become increasingly diverse.
Those who relied on a single skill would gradually be eliminated.
Lance, with his future vision, naturally wouldn't be satisfied with the status quo.
...
"In the first half, both sides were relatively cautious. Athletic Bilbao committed no more than 4 players to each attack, and Atlético Madrid did the same."
"Almost half an hour into the game, both full-backs rarely pushed up to assist."
"The score is currently 0-0, a stalemate."
"Athletic Bilbao veteran Aduriz attempted two shots, neither of which hit the target. Atlético Madrid's core Lance also had two shots, one close-range finish inside the box and one powerful long-range shot, slightly threatening the goalkeeper."
"After Athletic Bilbao tightened their defence on Lance, neither side managed to create many good chances."
According to Spanish commentator José Ángel, it seemed both sides would likely maintain this dull pace until the second half.
However, just before the end of the first half, Atlético Madrid suddenly surged!
They launched a wave-like offensive in the attacking third.
"Matías, good, Lance dropped back in time to receive that ball."
"Marseille turn! Beautiful! Lance successfully broke free!"
"Athletic Bilbao formed a four-man encirclement!"
Atlético Madrid's substitute midfielder Matías, a 22-year-old Argentine.
He made a rather bold pass, a through ball into the centre for Lance, who was currently surrounded by four opponents!
He had completely entered the opponent's encirclement.
"That pass from the youngster was a bit rash, thankfully it's Lance, he can shield the ball..."
The commentator was still about to criticise the young substitute midfielder.
He didn't expect Lance, amidst the four-man press, not to lose the ball. He controlled and dragged the ball, twisting and turning, creating space and feigning a pass to the right.
"Not good!"
"Stop him!"
Athletic Bilbao players' first reaction was to disrupt Lance's pass at all costs!
Ángel Correa on the right was completely open!
At the same time, two players immediately slid in, completely blocking Lance's passing lane.
Another stood in front of the lane to prevent him from breaking through, whilst the player behind tried to get in front to cut off Lance's passing space on the other side.
Lance's only option was to shield the ball with his back to goal and pass back to a teammate to reorganise.
The rhythm would definitely be slowed, Athletic Bilbao would recover defensively, and the fleeting window of opportunity would completely close.
Just at this moment, Lance's pass was indeed a feint!
His right foot circled over the ball, then he nudged it back and turned, just as the defenders had anticipated.
"Phew—"
"Finally, we successfully defended it."
As everyone knew, when defending Lance, one shouldn't rush to tackle.
As long as he was forced to pass back or sideways, it counted as a successful defence.
This scene, frozen, resembled an interactive quiz on a football show.
Question: Which passing route will Lance choose at this moment?
A. Pass back to centre-back Giménez.
B. Pass sideways to full-back Juanfran.
C. Pass back to the other defensive midfielder Matías.
From the image, there seemed to be no other options; everyone thought so.
But at this moment, a scene suddenly flashed through Lance's mind!
Before his conscious mind could react, his body acted first!
Lance, using his left foot as an axis, turned nearly 270 degrees!
"Oh no!"
By the time the defenders realised the danger, it was too late!
Lance, with the outside of his right foot, delivered a mesmerising curved pass, slicing through the opponent's defensive gap and directly into the box!
Monster Pass!
Simulating Kevin De Bruyne!
"God! It really came through!"
Substitute striker Luciano always remembered Lance's instructions.
"Brother, as long as I have the ball, you just make runs forward."
Luciano didn't hesitate, decisively moving forward to support, and the ball indeed slipped past his foot, darting forward.
He sprinted forward, comfortably receiving the ball, evading the defender's block, and decisively shot from a tight angle!
Swoosh—
The ball hit the net!
After a moment of silence at Athletic Bilbao's home stadium, the away stands erupted in thunderous cheers!
"Oh oh oh oh—Lance!"
"Oh oh oh oh—Lance!"
"He is our guardian! He is Atlético Madrid's knight!"
"Unstoppable, piercing through all enemies!"
...
At the start of the second half, in the 54th minute.
Lance repeated the trick, performing a sudden "Cruyff Turn" amidst a three-man encirclement.
Immediately followed by a surgical through ball sent through the gap between players!
The ball precisely pierced through three defensive lines!
Ángel Correa received the ball in the box, creating a one-on-one situation, and easily slotted it into the net!
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Atlético Madrid!
"Lance, you're amazing!"
"You can pass it out even from there, it's really you, Lance!"
"Invincible! Invincible!"
Atlético Madrid teammates excitedly rushed forward to high-five Lance.
Lance, however, seemed unenthusiastic.
"Athletic Bilbao's defence is still not top-tier. If this ball were against Real Madrid or Barcelona's defence, would it be so easy to pass?"
Lance subconsciously imagined the defence of world-class strong teams.
It probably wouldn't be that easy to pass.
Players like Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Modrić, Busquets, Mascherano would exert even greater defensive pressure.
Even upper-mid-table Premier League teams have higher defensive intensity than this.
Little did they know, both managers were already dumbfounded by Lance's performance today.
Simeone pointed at the pitch, his eyes wide:
"His passing has improved so quickly? Did you give him special training?"
"No, I thought it was your training plan!"
Athletic Bilbao manager Valverde's pupils constricted even more:
"Impossible! No, impossible!"
In less than half a year, a Golden Boot striker with mediocre passing skills could become a passing master?
If that were truly the case, his 150 million valuation would be an underestimate!
"His value might break 200 million!"
"It seems... the Copa del Rey will end here for us."