"That lad's desire to attack is very strong today," Sánchez said, standing beside Hierro.
"I originally hoped he would come off the bench for this match, but he came to me yesterday hoping to start."
"Oh? Then it seems the kid has been holding a grudge. Your old friend is in for some bad luck this match."
"Hehe, isn't that just perfect? It'll show him that being a head coach isn't that easy."
"Aren't you afraid he'll take André away?"
"Don't worry. I'd worry about other teams, but I'm not worried about Real Madrid. André won't go there. After spending so much time with him, don't you understand him yet?" Hierro said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That's true. Even though he's usually quiet, he has a very strong mind of his own."
While the two were chatting about André, Oviedo launched another attack on the pitch.
In the 10th minute of the match, André dropped back very deep to receive the ball, almost reaching the center circle. This forced Javi Hernández, who was responsible for marking André, to give up following him. However, André's positioning threw the Real Madrid B Team's midfield into some chaos. Folch sent a ground ball to André's feet. As André completed his turn, the two Real Madrid B defensive midfielders, Óscar Rodríguez and Pablo Ramón, actually showed a moment of hesitation. This split second allowed André not only to finish turning toward the goal but also to complete his acceleration.
The Real Madrid staff were well aware of André's speed. Otherwise, Zidane wouldn't have considered him a talent back then. By the time André finished accelerating, it was too late for Óscar and Ramón to intercept him.
André charged straight through the middle of the two along the center line, facing the Real Madrid B Team's defensive line directly. Javi Hernández, the center-back who'd been marking André, had no choice but to step up. Facing Hernández's challenge, André didn't even slow down. He performed a textbook yet strangely executed Elastico that left Hernández rooted to the spot like a wooden post, completely beaten.
Javier Sánchez, Hernández's partner at center-back, hadn't expected his teammate to be beaten so quickly. By the time he reacted, it was almost too late. Javier rushed over and went for a sliding tackle, not even considering whether the move would be a foul at that point.
Real Madrid B's goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, also lowered his center of gravity, preparing to face André's shot.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were on André. With his peripheral vision, André saw Javier's sliding tackle. He lightly brought down his already raised right foot, then flicked the ball with his left. Both he and the ball brushed past Javier. Then, with a gentle swing of his left foot, the inside of his boot struck the ball. The ball flew toward the goal in a beautiful arc, perfectly bypassing Luca's desperately outstretched right hand as it flew into the net.
1-0.
After scoring, André ran wildly toward the stands where the Oviedo fans were, turned his back to them, and pointed both hands at the name on the back of his jersey.
CRISTIANO
The fans in the stands shouted frantically at André standing before them.
From the depths of this body's memory, Marcus knew everything the original André had encountered back at Castilla. To be honest, since joining Oviedo, this body had been preparing for this very match.
Marcus, now familiar with these memories, couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. Who the hell said there was no shady business in European football!
After scoring a goal, he could feel his thoughts becoming a bit clearer, but his subconscious was still telling him that it wasn't enough—far from enough.
Dias watched André under the distant stands with mixed emotions. He'd seen the entire process of André's goal very clearly. Although there were mistakes from his own players, they couldn't overshadow André's display of talent. Especially when facing Javier's tackle and goalkeeper Luca's block, André had shown the composure required of a striker. This was what truly shocked Dias. The impact was much greater than seeing it on video.
He really couldn't understand how Hierro, who was currently celebrating the goal with Sánchez, had discovered André's talent. A player who'd stayed in Castilla for over half a year without being noticed was discovered by Hierro after only a few hours there. It was simply unbelievable.
The match restarted under the intervention of the referee.
The Castilla players were unwilling to be humiliated like this by a player they'd considered rubbish. Although André's goal had shocked them, many chose to believe it was just luck.
This was especially true for Marvin Park and Sergio González, who were in the starting lineup today.
So after the match restarted, Castilla's formation suddenly pushed forward, adopting a stance of not stopping until they scored.
To be honest, these Castilla players were quite strong. The reason their results in the Segunda División fluctuated so much was largely due to their age. Young players are like that—it's hard for them to maintain good form for long periods.
Moreover, their form easily changes with their mood. In short, their mentality is very fragile.
In the 17th minute, a mistake occurred in Oviedo's defense. Cabrera, who was filling in for Cortuno as center-back, misjudged a long ball and let it go over his head. The ball was immediately picked up by Sergio González, who followed up with a volley from the edge of the penalty area. Fortunately, goalkeeper Gilart was very focused, and González himself might not have expected Cabrera's mistake, so his shot lacked power. Gilart smothered the ball directly under him.
Seeing the ball caught, González clutched his hair in frustration.
Hierro also shouted at Cabrera from the touchline, clearly dissatisfied with the recent error.
Just four minutes later, Real Madrid B's attack came again.
Manu Hernando pushed up from the left. After a series of quick passes with Fran García in midfield, he used his speed to shake off Christian, then accelerated to the byline and sent a low cross into the Oviedo box. However, to Dias's dismay as he sighed on the touchline, neither González at the near post nor Park in the middle managed to touch the ball. It was subsequently cleared out for a throw-in by Cabrera at the far post, which could be considered Cabrera making up for his earlier mistake.
Oviedo escaped disaster once again.
But the pressure was building.
And André was watching. Waiting.
His revenge was only just beginning.
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