Chapter 785: Stealing the First Blood!

For a moment, everyone was taken aback by this cross. It looked like Juan Miranda made a mistake here, what with him putting too much power into it. However, only one person didn’t think so. No, he just snuck into the penalty box, knowing full well that the Spaniard would be able to see his movement.

’I get this! I get this!’

Yeah, it was none other than Nassim Boujellab himself, as he suddenly tried to make a move here. It wasn’t a coincidence that he was there, as the coach had already planned what to do in their offense in the second half.

"Nassim, Fabian, try to attack the penalty box, especially when a cross is about to arrive! Greg and Cali will attract so much attention, so whoever wants to cross the ball, keep your eyes on the back post! Use the two strikers as a distraction, and hit them where it would hurt!"

Fortunately, Juan Miranda also remembered this instruction very well, as the ball was flying toward him right now. Nassim Boujellab licked his lips nervously as he saw the cross from Juan Miranda flying toward his spot. Well, not toward him directly, but to the space in front of him.

Still, it was already good enough, and if anything, this kind of crossing would help him generate more power in his header. The moment the ball started to descend and all eyes followed, some Union Berlin players who noticed Nassim’s sudden presence had their eyes widen in shock.

"FUCK! HOW COULD HE BE THERE?!"

Unfortunately, they were too late to react. The ball had already been within Nassim’s reach, and the boy just needed to nudge his head, directing the ball slightly toward the goal.

Thud!

It was a gentle header, as he himself wasn’t that proficient in this kind of finishing technique. However, the direction was decisive here, aiming toward the left side of the pitch. Even though Union Berlin’s goalkeeper tried to reach it, he was still one step too slow, and the next thing the man knew, the ball was already on the back of his net.

"FUCK YEAAAAAH!" Nassim Boujellab roared, jumping through the advertising board on the back of the net to get into the cameraman nearby. "COME ON!" He shouted straight to the camera, wanting to share his excitement with all the people who watched on TV.

"YES, NASSIM! THAT’S HOW YOU HEAD THE FUCKING BALL!"

"HAHAHA! COME ON!"

The rest of the Schalke players followed, patting the emblem on their chest proudly in front of the camera and hugging the Moroccan winger enthusiastically. This was the goal that they had been waiting for since the start of the game, and when the reality was in front of them, the guys vented their frustration in the first half a little bit too far, to the point that they almost lost their voices here.

Higo also clenched his fist on the backline. He didn’t forget to hug Ozan Kabak, knowing full well that the Turkish defender had a big role in initiating this attack.

"Come on, Oz-san! It is not like you to not be dramatic at all like this! No need to act cool, you know?!" He let out a little chuckle while patting the man on his back.

Ozan Kabak just snorted lightly, not answering anything about it. However, based on his beaming face, Higo could see that the man was holding back his excitement here, as if he didn’t want to be seen being too happy about it.

"Oh, well, it is fine if you don’t want to celebrate the goal." Higo patted the man once again on the back. "Anyway, with us leading one goal, they would be more open in their approach next, so get ready for everything!"

At this reminder, the Turkish defender nodded solemnly, giving the boy a thumbs-up.

"Don’t worry, leave the command to me."

Meanwhile, on Union Berlin’s side, the players there were so helpless, looking at each other confusedly. It seemed that they wanted to blame something or someone, and yet, none of them knew whose fault it was for this goal to happen.

They wanted to complain that Nassim was offside, or that Fabian Reese fouled their captain first, and yet, all the words stuck in their throats. They themselves knew clearly that the goal was valid, what with their offside trap failing miserably and the fact that it was Christopher Trimmel who initiated the contact against Fabian Reese earlier.

What hurt them more was the fact that the goal came so quickly here, right when they weren’t even ready for the second half. Just 26 seconds, and all the effort that they put in since the beginning of the game could be thrown away to the bin immediately.

Their head coach could also be seen being so furious on the sideline, calling some players to give a quick instruction. It was clear that after this, they were going to search for a goal to tie the score as quickly as possible.

"Okay, guys! This is not the end of the world!" In the end, Christopher Trimmer clapped loudly, trying to snap his teammates out of their misery. "We still have 45 minutes to fight back! Let’s not dwell on this too much and try to get a goal quickly!"

Even though his words didn’t reach the players’ hearts, at least their brains worked well enough to recognize the truth behind what their captain said. After this, the players who were called to the sideline by the coach also arrived, carrying the instruction from the boss himself.

"Yeah, we are going out after this. The boss said that we don’t need to confirm it anymore, just attack that number 31 without hesitation. If we are not wrong, that number 31 will always back down to act like a sweeper, so there will be a room between him and Ozan Kabak. We have to try hitting that sweet spot decisively."

Right after that, all eyes suddenly landed on Timo Becker, and the poor man couldn’t help but shudder, finding himself feeling like cornered prey right now.

’What the fuck is going on here?’