Claire watched as Park Ji-sung suddenly disrupted the midfield's defensive formation, but he didn't panic.
He maintained his steady breathing and long, unhurried strides, jogging in Manchester United's defensive half. His eyes, however, were striking—deep and dark like a black hole, yet with a piercing light at their core.
"Ding."
The system activation prompt rang at just the right moment. Claire's current state, combined with his bonded buff, had him operating at peak mental and physical condition.
A massive holographic projection unfolded in his mind and across his retinas, clearly marking every player on the field with red and white dots—highlighting potential threats.
Emmanuel Adebayor, currently in possession of the ball, was marked as a red dot, his next attacking move clearly projected:
[Right-wing attack, Fabregas providing support—65% probability.]
[If pressured by United's defense, Adebayor attempts left-footed shot in the box—30% probability.]
Seeing the 95% accuracy of the system's prediction, Claire immediately formulated a plan. His short bursts of speed were one of his strengths, and he took off like a bullet.
United's midfielders and defenders were already falling back into position, with Park Ji-sung—still annoyingly persistent—throwing himself into the fray like a madman.
But Claire had no time to care. He kept sprinting forward, head down, while Arsenal's defense held their ground. Their entire frontline had pushed up, desperate to kill the game.
Cesc Fàbregas and Robin van Persie stood out the most—Van Persie marking Rooney, while Fàbregas used his physicality to shield Adebayor on the right flank.
A seasoned veteran, Fàbregas immediately sensed something was off when the roaring stands suddenly fell silent. He glanced around—
And there was Claire, cutting straight into Adebayor's path.
Claire's retinal projection flashed red—Fàbregas was reacting. Without hesitation, Claire jerked into a reverse run, slipping into the gap between Fàbregas and Adebayor.
But Fàbregas, a master of dark arts, threw a sneaky elbow—just out of the referee's sight.
"Fcking hell!" Claire clutched his head in pain—but his feet didn't stop moving.
As Adebayor charged forward, Claire hooked his left foot around the ball, flicking it behind the striker. Before Adebayor could react, Claire was already pointing toward Arsenal's goal, yelling:
"FCKING COUNTER! GO!"
Fàbregas, rubbing his own forehead (that elbow hadn't been light), stared in disbelief. Instead of collapsing or complaining to the ref, Claire had kept playing.
Shaking off his daze, Fàbregas sprinted after him.
The stadium erupted.
United fans exploded into cheers, and soon, the chorus of "The Nights" began echoing through the stands.
On the sidelines, Sir Alex Ferguson raised his left arm in triumph—before quickly snapping back into focus.
Across the pitch, Arsène Wenger shot up from his seat, screaming instructions at his players.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, seeing Claire launch the counterattack, immediately bolted into their pre-planned positions.
The cameras panned dramatically—from United's empty defensive half all the way to Arsenal's box.
Claire, now past midfield, heard someone calling for the ball—Park Ji-sung, again. Ignoring him, Claire kept dribbling, much to the frustration of his teammates.
Only three minutes left.
Claire didn't have time for tactics. He took a sharp breath and accelerated. Normally, he'd pass to midfielders to create space—but his retinal display showed too many red dots swarming them.
Instead, he cut toward Arsenal's right flank, scanning for openings.
Rooney's left-wing position was completely marked, but then—
A green line flashed across his vision.
Straight to Ronaldo.
Without hesitation, Claire lofted the ball high.
"THUMP!"
The ball curved beautifully, dodging every Arsenal player who tried to intercept it—
And landed right at Ronaldo's chest.
Ronaldo didn't think. He just ran.
As the ball descended, he leaped—
The stadium detonated.
A deafening roar shook the pitch as Ronaldo buried the ball into the net.
In the MUTV commentary box, Denis Irwin screamed like a kid, hugging his co-host.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE MOMENT OF GLORY FOR RONALDO AND CLAIRE!"
"Sir Alex's substitution pays off! With just stoppage time left, Claire delivers the assist, and Ronaldo seals the deal!"
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" (The final whistle.)
"LET'S CELEBRATE!"