The second half whistle had barely blown when Paco Jémez made a bold adjustment.
He replaced defensive midfielder Suárez with the more offensive José Pozo, a substitution that sent a clear signal—all or nothing!
"The coach is going all out!" commentator Fernando Palomo's voice was filled with excitement.
"Rayo Vallecano has adopted a 4-1-4-1 attacking formation, a do-or-die stance!"
As soon as Pozo entered the field, he displayed a completely different style from Suárez.
He was no longer content with midfield interceptions and passes, but frequently pushed forward, delivering more attacking firepower to the front line.
Trejo received a pass near the center circle, raised his arms, and shouted to his teammates: "Forget the record! We're playing for victory! For promotion! Keep the ball moving!"
Trejo's shout was like a heavy punch, waking up every subdued teammate, and everyone raised their heads again.
Comesaña quickened the passing tempo, and Álvaro García and Isi Palazón continuously created threats on both wings.
Lu Chuan stood at the front, taking a deep breath. He realized that in the first half, he had been too focused on individual performance, which had inadvertently restricted the team's overall play.
In the 52nd minute, when the ball was passed to him again, Lu Chuan made an unexpected choice.
Facing Flores's tight marking, he did not force a breakthrough but passed the ball back to Trejo, then began extensive off-the-ball movement.
"What is Lu Chuan doing?" Juan Carlos was somewhat confused, "He gave up a good attacking opportunity."
But soon, Lu Chuan's intention became clear.
His movement attracted the attention of Fuenlabrada's two central defenders, creating more space for his teammates.
In the 58th minute, this selfless running began to bear fruit.
Lu Chuan suddenly pulled from the center to the right wing, forcing Flores to follow. This movement instantly created an opening for Álvaro García to cut inside.
García understood immediately and quickly cut in from the left.
Pozo timely passed the ball to him. Facing goalkeeper Fresanet, García chose to cross.
The ball rolled towards the center of the penalty area, and Trejo followed up with a powerful shot!
Fresanet reacted quickly, flying to parry the ball. But the ball did not go far, instead bouncing to Isi Palazón's feet.
Facing an open goal, Isi did not hesitate and easily tapped the ball in!
"Goal! Goal!" Palomo's voice was almost breaking, "Isi Palazón breaks the deadlock for Rayo Vallecano! 1-0!"
The moment of the goal, Isi did not celebrate alone, but immediately ran towards Lu Chuan. Following closely, Trejo, García, Pozo, all the players involved in this attack gathered around.
"You orchestrated this goal!" Isi excitedly patted Lu Chuan's chest, "Without your running, this goal wouldn't have happened!"
Lu Chuan smiled and high-fived every teammate. There was no disappointment in his eyes, only pure joy.
He looked at Isi's brilliant smile and Trejo's approving gaze; this felt more fulfilling than scoring a solo goal himself. Football has never been about individual heroism.
Esther leaned back in her seat, letting out a long sigh.
She knew that Lu Chuan had finally let go of his burden; that goal wasn't scored by him, but it was more important than any goal he had scored.
Fuenlabrada, trailing by a goal, was forced to change tactics.
Sandoval shouted instructions from the sideline, demanding the team push forward. The tight 5-3-2 formation began to loosen, giving Rayo Vallecano more space for counterattacks.
In the 67th minute, another opportunity arose.
Fuenlabrada's attack was intercepted by Comesaña, and Rayo Vallecano immediately launched a quick counterattack.
Trejo had the ball in midfield, his gaze sweeping across the front.
Lu Chuan was entangled with Flores, but he keenly sensed his captain's intention.
In that instant, Lu Chuan made a brilliant run. He first moved to the left, attracting Flores's attention, then suddenly changed direction, sprinting into the space on the right.
Trejo understood perfectly, and a precise through ball pierced Fuenlabrada's defense!
"Beautiful teamwork!" the commentator shouted excitedly, "Lu Chuan is onside, this is a fantastic one-on-one opportunity!"
The moment Lu Chuan received the ball, the entire Vallecas Stadium seemed to fall silent.
Goalkeeper Fresanet decisively rushed out, creating a one-on-one situation in the penalty area.
This time, Lu Chuan had no hesitation. He remembered the missed opportunity in the first half, the trust of his teammates, and everyone's expectations.
Adjusting his stride, observing the goalkeeper's position, he calmly pushed the ball!
The ball rolled along the grass towards the bottom right corner of the goal. Although Fresanet guessed the right direction,
the angle of the shot was too acute; his fingertips could only brush the edge of the ball.
Goal!
"Goal! Goal! Goal!" Palomo's voice echoed throughout the studio,
"Lu Chuan breaks the Segunda División consecutive goal record! Scoring in 10 consecutive matches! History has been made!"
The whistle blew, the goal was scored. Lu Chuan did not celebrate, but calmly turned around and gave a thumbs-up to Trejo, who had provided the assist.
Then, he pointed to every teammate on the field—Comesaña, Pozo, García, Isi, Luna, Advíncula... "Look at this celebration!" Juan Carlos's voice was full of emotion, "Lu Chuan is telling the world that this record belongs to all of Rayo Vallecano!"
Teammates rushed towards Lu Chuan from all directions, surrounding him.
Trejo hugged him tightly: "Brother, you did it! But we did it together!"
On the bench, Paco Jémez raised his arms, his eyes slightly moist.
The Assistant Coaches also embraced each other excitedly; this record was equally significant for the entire coaching staff.
In the empty stands, although there were no shouts from fans, the camera captured a special scene—some of Fuenlabrada's players were also applauding this historic moment.
His old friend Juan Iribas walked over and gently patted Lu Chuan's head: "Congratulations, brother. You did it, and you did it beautifully."
"Thank you, Juan." Lu Chuan hugged his old friend, "Your defense made me stronger."
The match resumed, and Fuenlabrada had already lost their fighting spirit.
Being two goals down forced them to push forward, but Rayo Vallecano's counterattacks were even sharper.
In the 88th minute, Lu Chuan received a pass in the front, facing the last defender.
This time, he chose to pass, distributing the ball to the better-positioned Pozo.
Pozo easily scored, 3-0!
The final whistle blew, and Rayo Vallecano's players once again surrounded Lu Chuan.
But this time, Lu Chuan proactively walked towards the bench and took off his jersey.
"Coach, without you, this record wouldn't exist." Lu Chuan handed the jersey to Paco Jémez, "This jersey belongs to you, to all of us."
Paco took the jersey, his eyes completely moist. He patted Lu Chuan's shoulder,
his voice choked: "Kid, you have a long way to go. Next goal—La Liga!"
At the press conference, reporters swarmed in. But Lu Chuan's first sentence silenced everyone.
"This record does not belong to me alone; it belongs to all of Rayo Vallecano.
Without the support of my teammates, the trust of the coach, and the club's nurturing, today's achievements would not have been possible."
"Lu Chuan, how do you evaluate your performance?" a reporter asked.
Lu Chuan thought for a moment: "I just did what a striker should do—score goals.
But more importantly, we won the match, and we are one step closer to promotion."
"What do you think this record means for Chinese football?"
"I hope it can inspire more young Chinese players, to make them believe that dreams can be realized. But a record is just the beginning, not the end."
Back in the locker room, teammates were already ready to celebrate. Trejo raised a bottle of champagne: "A toast to our record holder!"
"No!" Lu Chuan stopped him, "A toast to our team! A toast to Rayo Vallecano!"
Everyone raised their drinks and shouted in unison: "To Rayo Vallecano!"
Late at night, Lu Chuan returned to his apartment. Esther was already waiting at the door, her eyes full of tears.
"I'm proud of you." She hugged him tightly, "Not just because of the record, but because of the character you showed today."
"This is just the beginning." Lu Chuan gently stroked her hair, "We still have bigger dreams to achieve."
The system's prompt sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Historic achievement unlocked!]
[Scored in 10 consecutive League matches, equaling the segunda división record!]
[Received LP: 200 (Victory) + 300 (Record Break) + 100 (Crucial Goal) + 50 (Assist) = 650LP]
[Current LP Balance: 970+650 = 1620LP]
[Mission Progress: Return of the Storm! (10/12)]
Looking at the data on the system panel, Lu Chuan felt no excitement, only calmness. The record was important, but more important was the road ahead.
La Liga, the national team, the World Cup... the real challenges had only just begun.