André didn't have any objections to Hierro's arrangement. Although he believed he could handle a full match, he understood the intent behind Hierro's decision. No matter how freakish his physical condition was, Hierro's arrangement was ultimately out of care—he didn't want to over-utilize André before his body had fully developed.
After a week of rest, the Segunda División kicked off again. This time, Real Oviedo returned to their home ground. Because Oviedo had staged a shocking comeback in the previous away fixture, many Oviedo supporters turned up to watch. Most importantly, they wanted to see the hero who'd helped the team in the last match. But in the end, they were destined to be disappointed.
Facing the visiting Albacete, Real Oviedo eventually defeated them with a score of 1-0, thanks to a volley from Saúl inside the penalty area shortly after the start of the first half. Although the scoreline might not have been very satisfying, regardless, this was the first two-game winning streak Real Oviedo had achieved since the start of the season. Thus, after the match, the Oviedo fans in the stands were not stingy with their applause.
It's worth mentioning that after this round of matches, by securing all three points in two consecutive games, Real Oviedo moved up to tenth place in the league table with 12 points. The three clubs ahead of them—Albacete, Almería, and Numancia—all had 13 points. Of course, Oviedo was also tied with Granada and Sporting Gijón at 12 points.
Currently, after 8 rounds of the league, the clubs in first and second place on the table were Málaga and Deportivo La Coruña, both of whom had been relegated from La Liga last season. Suddenly, these two brothers in misfortune had become the big favorites for promotion this season.
News about being "promotion favorites" was still a far cry for Real Oviedo. These weren't issues they needed to consider at the moment. After finishing the match against Albacete, the most important problem facing Hierro and all the Oviedo players was that they were about to face a very strong opponent.
In the upcoming 9th round of the league, Oviedo would travel to the Mini Estadi to challenge FC Barcelona B—also known as Barça Atlètic.
In recent years, although the records of teams like Castilla and La Masia in the Segunda División hadn't been very impressive—even falling into the relegation zone at one point—this didn't mean that the Real Madrid B Team and Barcelona B team lacked quality. Rather, reserve sides like these focused more on cultivating young players. Therefore, they operated under a completely different philosophy compared to clubs like Oviedo. Traditional clubs like Oviedo aimed for promotion, and their squad composition featured more players in their prime years with extensive experience. Meanwhile, the Real Madrid B Team and Barcelona B team were genuinely developing talent reserves for their first teams.
In the Barcelona B squad that Oviedo was about to encounter, players like Sergi Domínguez and Mamadou Mbacke Fall in the defensive line, Toni Fernández, Pau Prim, and Unai Hernández in the midfield, and Marc Guiu in the forward line had all proven their talent at Barcelona B and were being watched by many European clubs.
Whether from head coach Hierro's personal feelings or Oviedo's dream of promotion, the upcoming match was one that Oviedo could not afford to lose.
In the 9th round of the Segunda División, Real Oviedo arrived at the Mini Estadi, the home ground of FC Barcelona B. This stadium, built in 1982 with a capacity of over ten thousand spectators, is likely remembered by Barcelona fans for the 2006 Champions League final between Barcelona and Arsenal held at the Stade de France in Paris. At that time, over ten thousand Barcelona fans had gathered at the Mini Estadi to watch the final on a giant screen in the center of the pitch.
This stadium was mostly used as a match venue for the Barcelona youth teams, and the Barcelona first team also frequently used it for training. However, this stadium was about to officially enter the history books—it was reported that Barcelona was already prepared to begin the demolition of the venue.
The match between the two sides was scheduled for 3:00 PM local time.
Under the arrangement of head coach Rafa Márquez, Barcelona B still employed the 4-3-3 formation and tactics that were in the same vein as the Barcelona first team. Rafa, like Hierro, was a legendary defender who'd transitioned into coaching. The former Barcelona and Mexico captain had taken charge of developing La Masia's next generation of talent.
The match started on time, and André still appeared on the team's substitute bench.
Both teams played a 4-3-3 formation, so it was destined that neither side intended to let defense decide the outcome. From the kickoff, both sides coincidentally focused their efforts on controlling the midfield. Because Barcelona B consisted of young players, they played more proactively and aggressively with great passion after the match began. On the other hand, Oviedo had the advantage of more experienced players. Therefore, the entire first half of the match could be said to have been very entertaining.
In the 31st minute of the match, after Oviedo's midfield suddenly intercepted the ball from Prim's feet, they made a lightning-quick transition from defense to attack. Then, the team's midfielder Folch scored against Barcelona B with a thunderous long-range shot from just outside the box.
1-0.
However, for Oviedo, this lead could not be held for very long. In stoppage time of the first half, Barcelona B equalized the score to 1-1 through a corner kick, with Fernández scoring a header at the far post. The two sides went into the halftime break with the score tied.
"King Kong, go warm up!" In the 69th minute of the second half, Sánchez patted André.
Hearing the old man's nickname for him, André rolled his eyes. Now, in the entire Oviedo squad, no one dared to call him King Kong under his "gentle persuasion"—except for the old man, who'd grown completely accustomed to the name.
Still, being able to get on the pitch was quite good.
Seeing André warming up on the touchline, Rafa on the opposite side turned to chat with his assistant coach.
"Is that the André guy?"
"Yes, a genuine talent. I just don't know why Santiago let him go."
"Is it possible for us to sign him?"
"Not much hope. Fernando won't let him go, and I heard Oviedo signed a three-year contract with him, with a release clause as high as thirty million."
"Alright. Tell them not to let him get the ball easily. Let's test the quality of this so-called genius."
Immediately, Rafa's assistant shouted instructions at the players on the pitch and made a hand gesture.
Meanwhile, André was already prepared to enter the match, and Hierro was standing beside him, giving him tactical instructions.
"Remember what I said. They're going to test you. Don't lose your head. Stay calm, use your brain, and let your feet do the talking."
"Yes, Boss."
"Good. Now go show them what Oviedo's King Kong can do."
André groaned internally but jogged toward the touchline.
The test was about to begin.
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