Chapter 31: It Is a Radiant Noon

Chapter 31: A Sunny Midday

The television broadcast gave Li Mo an extended close-up. It was a clear signal to the viewers at home as to who the key figure of this match was.

In the stands reserved for the die-hard fans, an area filled with people holding up posters of Li Mo had emerged. They were all Arsenal supporters from the Victoria community.

This was actually Li Mo’s first time starting a match at the Emirates Stadium. Although he had familiarized himself with the pitch during the warm-up, a competitive match was a different story altogether. He looked at the stands to his left and right, then followed Olivier Giroud, who was in front of him, as they stepped onto the turf. After shaking hands with their opponents, posing for team photos, and taking his position, he waited for the team captain for the day, Thomas Vermaelen, to conduct the coin toss with the opposing captain, Adam Lallana.

Although their opponents, Southampton, were a promoted side, their strength was not to be underestimated. It should be noted that Southampton had achieved back-to-back promotions from League One and the Championship to reach the Premier League. Their squad featured highly-touted English talents like Adam Lallana, the inspiring local striker Rickie Lambert, free-kick specialist James Ward-Prowse, Dutch international Morgan Schneiderlin, and Portuguese international José Fonte. Looking at the lineup, they did not look like a newly promoted team at all; they had the ambition to stay in the Premier League.

On the Southampton bench sat the Japanese international Maya Yoshida.

"Hey, Yoshida, that kid is actually starting this match."

"The manager told us to 'take care' of him before the game. This little guy is probably in for some trouble."

"Starting at seventeen? Does he really think that just because he scored a few goals, the Premier League is easy to play in?"

"The last match was only because the Manchester City defenders were too soft on him!"

On the bench, the Southampton players were also discussing Li Mo. Yoshida knew that Southampton had been preparing for this match for some time, and regarding the possibility of Li Mo starting, their manager, Nigel Adkins, had only one instruction: "Give this kid some intensity!"

Although Li Mo had scored braces in two consecutive games, Adkins believed that Li Mo’s success was simply due to his status as a newcomer—someone unknown. He reasoned that once opponents began to study him, the difficulty of scoring would skyrocket.

The situation was exactly as Yoshida had suspected. Southampton’s targeted defensive strategy caused Li Mo to fall into a "jungle of muscle" created by their defensive line. He was constantly squeezed, collided with, and knocked to the ground. Ten minutes into the match, Li Mo had no room to operate, as it was clear that Southampton was playing for a draw. If they could walk away from the Emirates Stadium with a single point, the Southampton fans would be more than satisfied.

"Li Mo, making his first start, is very active and energetic, but Southampton is clearly vigilant against his scoring ability. In the face of such a dense defense, there is very little space for him to work with!" said commentator Andy Gray from the broadcast booth.

In the stands, the Inzaghi brothers frowned slightly.

"You were always most afraid of this kind of situation when you played, weren't you?" Simone Inzaghi asked.

Filippo Inzaghi shook his head slightly. His playing style required space to make runs. If an opponent "parked the bus," he would indeed feel a bit helpless. "Let's wait and see. He is better than I was at that age," Filippo said. He looked toward the Arsenal bench. Arsène Wenger remained calm, seemingly unbothered by the situation.

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins also looked at Wenger. Wenger did not come to the touchline to shout instructions, which made Adkins—who felt confident in his tactical setup—feel a bit uneasy. Could Arsenal have something else up their sleeve?

He looked at the pitch. He had guessed that Wenger would start Li Mo and had anticipated a potential shift to a 4-4-2 formation. When he saw that Arsenal had indeed shifted as he predicted, he felt confident. With the abilities of Lallana and Lambert, Southampton might only need one counterattack to snatch all three points at the Emirates.

Adkins looked back at the field. Li Mo had cut into the left flank to receive the ball, but because Southampton’s defense was so compact, even though he received it, he was pushed near the goal line. Li Mo turned and whipped the ball toward the center, but it was blocked out of play by the center-back Fonte. Arsenal were awarded a corner kick.

"There is simply no space."
"Li Mo’s weaknesses are obvious now; without space to make runs, he has almost no tactical utility."
"It seems he really isn't ready to start."

In the press box, many reporters were shaking their heads. The cameras focused on Wenger, clearly posing the question: Was Li Mo really ready for this?

Li Mo looked quite disheveled, his hair matted with grass clippings. Southampton’s two center-backs were the tall, physically imposing type who were strong in frontal defense, and their defensive midfielder, Schneiderlin, was highly mobile and excellent at man-marking. Li Mo hadn't gained any advantage in the first ten minutes; winning this corner was already a decent result.

Santi Cazorla ran to the corner flag. Li Mo stood alongside Giroud, Vermaelen, and Koscielny. Four players over 1.9 meters tall crowded into the penalty area, a rather intimidating sight. Schneiderlin kept his eyes locked on Li Mo. This kid’s movement was too unpredictable; he had to keep him in his line of sight at all times. This was something the manager had emphasized countless times before the match.

However, this time, Li Mo stood in a line with Giroud, Vermaelen, and Koscielny. They were so close together that Schneiderlin couldn't squeeze between them, and even if he could, he didn't dare, as it would be too easy for Li Mo to use his teammates as a screen to slip away. Thus, Schneiderlin could only stand with his defensive teammates to block the Arsenal players.

As Cazorla began his run-up, Li Mo and his teammates charged toward the goal. But halfway there, just as Cazorla kicked the ball, Li Mo suddenly stopped. His three teammates, with perfect tacit understanding, blocked out a path for him—a path leading to the near post!

Li Mo sprinted toward the near post. Before the Southampton players could react, Li Mo met the ball delivered by Cazorla and flicked a header. The ball flew across the goal and buried itself in the back of the net.

"Cazorla takes the corner... Li Mo! A header at the near post!!"
"Goal!! Beautiful!! Li Mo! It’s Li Mo again!! His fifth goal! His third league goal!!!!"

As Andy Gray shouted from the booth, Wenger on the bench punched the air and rushed to the sidelines, raising his arms in celebration. Did he not know the opponent would park the bus? Of course he did. But since they were designing tactics around Li Mo, they had to account for that. Therefore, Arsenal had spent the last few days designing a large number of set-piece tactics, fully utilizing Li Mo’s ability to attack the ball and using other players as decoys to create opportunities.

Just like this goal!

Wenger’s excitement wasn't just because the team had opened the scoring; it was a thrill over a tactical victory, and a surge of confidence in Li Mo as the team’s primary scorer. No matter what shortcomings or flaws Li Mo had, as long as he could put the ball in the net, as long as his ability to seize opportunities remained sharp, those were not problems at all.

What Arsenal needed was a guy who could convert created chances into goals!

After confirming the goal, Li Mo sprinted to the sidelines and pointed his hands toward his family in the stands, his face glowing with a smile. His family jumped up, cheering for him. The Emirates Stadium erupted. All the Arsenal fans were chanting.

"Thirteenth minute of the match, Arsenal scores. The goal scorer, number 19..."
"Li Mo!!"

The camera remained locked on Li Mo. The seventeen-year-old’s face was still stained with mud and grass, the midday sun shining upon him. He grinned, looking incredibly radiant.