Beautiful! Alessandro has been the clear MVP from the opening whistle to now!"
Zhang Jun's voice rose with excitement.
"Now Manchester United are launching a counter! Let's see how Alessandro leads the transition!"
He leaned forward instinctively.
"This is a good chance—we need to spread it fast!" Zhang Lu added.
"But that steal! That's already brilliant!"
---
On the pitch.
A sharp roar from the crowd.
Alessandro broke forward with the ball, surging past the halfway line.
His interception had come out of nowhere—Ajax's fullbacks were still stranded upfield. In a flash, Alessandro was driving into space, untouched.
But the window was closing.
Midfielder Siem de Jong scrambled to recover and close him down.
Alessandro didn't hesitate.
No flair. No unnecessary touches. He didn't even glance up.
One clean swing of the right foot.
The ball flew with pinpoint speed and almost no spin—skimming over the turf in a flat arc toward the right flank, where Valencia was sprinting free.
Valencia's technique had limits, but Alessandro's pass made it easy. The weight was perfect. Fast off the boot, slower as it dropped.
Valencia brought it down on his chest and charged toward the corner.
Up front, Welbeck and Hernández were making diagonal runs into the box.
De Jong had to abandon Alessandro and race back to cover.
Ajax scrambled.
They formed a hasty three-on-two defense, all eyes locked on Valencia's drive down the wing.
No one noticed Alessandro. After releasing the pass, he hadn't stopped—he jogged steadily forward, creeping toward the edge of the penalty area.
"Valencia crosses!"
The ball whipped in, low and fast.
Welbeck and Hernández rose for the header.
De Jong beat them both—barely.
The Ajax midfielder got enough on the ball to redirect it upward, but not clear it. His header bounced awkwardly, flicking toward the far edge of the box.
Camera pans.
"Alessandro!!"
Gasps.
He was already there.
Ajax's defenders looked stunned.
How?
How had he known the ball would fall exactly there?
Vertonghen reacted too late.
The center-back turned and lunged, sliding in desperately.
Alessandro didn't rush.
He chested the ball down, let it drop perfectly, then struck it clean with his right foot.
Vertonghen's tackle missed by inches.
The goalkeeper dove—too slow.
The net rippled.
Goal.
The Cruyff Arena fell into stunned silence.
One steal. Two passes.
That was all it took.
But the biggest mystery? That ball from De Jong was pure chaos. A random deflection.
So how did Alessandro predict the drop zone?
How was he already waiting?
---
"Valencia's cross! De Jong's header—Alessandro!!"
Zhang Jun's voice cracked with shock and awe.
In living rooms across the country, fans watching the live stream erupted.
When they saw Alessandro at the back post, chesting the ball down and burying the finish...
They jumped to their feet, fists raised.
"Alessandro!!"
"Beautiful! Absolutely brilliant!!"
"He's done it! Manchester United take the lead away from home! Just six minutes in, Alessandro starts and finishes the entire move! The interception, the pass, the positioning—it was all him!!"
"One–nil, United!!"
"Scorer: Alessandro Dybala!"
Zhang Jun could barely contain himself.
"And let's not forget—this is the first time a player from the Dragon Kingdom has ever scored in European competition! Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup—this is history!!"
---
Across the country, millions were watching.
Social media exploded.
> "Holy sh*t!"
> "Alessandro!! That was insane!!"
> "Bro it was all him—steal, long ball, goal! WHAT A MIDFIELDER!!"
> "This is what a genius looks like!"
> "He's not even a striker!! A defensive midfielder just pulled that off!!"
---
Ma Dexin slumped into his chair.
He had trashed Alessandro in the press after the interview. The backlash had already started.
Now?
The kid had just made history live on European television.
He buried his face in his hands.
It's over.
Every hit piece. Every doubt.
All a joke now.
---
In Suicheng, Alessandro's family erupted with joy.
His mother shouted, his father wept.
They'd endured weeks of pressure. Criticism. Doubt. Fear.
Their son had devoted his life to this.
And now?
He wasn't just playing football.
He had just become the first from their country to score in Europe.
That goal alone changed everything.
The Football Association wouldn't dare sideline him now.
Not that Alessandro planned to go back.
Not anymore.
---