Oier's mentality had completely collapsed. André's move had indeed hit him, but although it hurt, it wasn't to the extent of rolling around on the ground. He'd wanted to frame André, but once he was lying there, André's performance caused his mind to snap. However, he couldn't voice his grievance. He couldn't very well be rolling in pain one second and then jump up to accuse someone the next. If he did that, the coach likely wouldn't let him off easily. So even though he was gnashing his teeth in hatred, he could only swallow his pride and suffer in silence.
The Osasuna physios couldn't find anything wrong no matter how they checked. However, for these medical staff, they were also performers with superb acting skills. Whether a player was truly injured or faking it, the expressions on their faces were always tense, followed by a spray of ethyl chloride.
After receiving the 'superb' medical treatment from the physios on the touchline, Oier, who'd been rolling in pain just minutes ago, threw himself back into the battle as fit as a fiddle.
He continued to run all over the pitch, marking André closely.
For a while, the match fell into a stalemate. Most of the time, the ball was being traded back and forth in the midfield. However, in terms of the overall situation, Osasuna appeared to have fierce offensive momentum, while most of the Oviedo players had retreated to their own half to defend.
As time ticked away, Oviedo's leading goal acted like fragrant bait, constantly luring Osasuna's formation forward. The Osasuna players on the pitch always felt they could equalize in the next second. Every attack seemed just a hair's breadth away from leveling the score.
In the 50th minute of the match, after a series of passes between Nacho Vidal and Kike Barja on the right wing, Vidal finally sent a cross into the Oviedo box. Center-forward Brandon connected with a header, but it was tipped over the crossbar by Juan Carlos with one hand.
Brandon crouched on the ground in regret, slapping the turf a few times.
Unwilling to give up, Osasuna returned a few minutes later. This time, after Barja received the ball on the flank, he suddenly cut inside along the edge of the penalty area. After creating a sliver of space, he suddenly unleashed a shot. This time, Juan couldn't stop the ball, but the home side's goalpost denied Osasuna the goal.
Gradually, Osasuna's defensive line had moved up near the halfway line. Even Osasuna's two full-backs, Vidal and Juan Cruz, had almost turned into wingers. However, at this moment, the Osasuna players, completely immersed in their attack, didn't realize that danger was slowly approaching. More terrifyingly, because they were constantly on the offensive, Oier, who was supposed to be marking André closely, had also joined the attack, completely neglecting his duty to watch André.
The retracted defensive line of Oviedo was now like a crocodile submerged underwater, waiting for its prey to slowly walk into its ambush circle.
Finally, just as Hierro had said, this pulled-back fist had finished gathering its strength.
63rd minute.
Osasuna, who'd been laying siege, made a passing error. Roberto Torres couldn't find a good opening and wanted to pass back to a teammate behind him to reorganize the attack. However, Oier, who was behind him, never expected Roberto to pass back, and the power of the back-pass was a bit weak, so the ball wasn't moving very fast across the ground. Teixeira, who was not far from the two, accelerated and intercepted the ball midway. Even as he was rushing toward the ball, Teixeira had noticed the positioning of his teammates ahead. So after getting the ball, he didn't hesitate and directly hoofed a long ball toward the front-left of the field, exactly where André was standing.
Teixeira's pass took full account of André's speed, so he intentionally played the ball further ahead to accommodate André's sprinting pace.
The moment Teixeira passed the ball, Arrasate knew he'd been duped. Oviedo's retracted formation had been a deliberate trap. Arrasate stood on the touchline shouting frantically at the players on the pitch. Oier also turned to chase after André, but by then, André had already reached full speed. The Osasuna defenders, chasing behind André with gritted teeth, found to their misery that they simply couldn't keep up with him.
Even the Oviedo fans in the stands watched with mouths agape as André galloped freely across the pitch. He caught up to the ball, took a heavy touch forward, then accelerated to catch it again and took another heavy touch. After several such bursts, let alone the Osasuna players—even his own teammates couldn't keep up with that blistering pace. At the edge of the penalty area, André caught up to the ball once more, and Osasuna's goalkeeper, Sergio Herrera, had already begun to come out.
Then, the next scene truly stunned everyone. Even the home fans, who'd been cheering for Oviedo, fell silent at that moment. The entire stadium was plunged into an eerie silence.
Facing the charging Herrera, with the ball rolling forward, André's sturdy body began to sway from side to side, his feet continuously feinting left and right.
It was the signature move of a man named Ronaldo—the Pendulum Dribble.
Herrera was completely dazed. Finally, André's left foot touched the ball, nudging it to the right, and then his right toe gave it a gentle poke. By now, Herrera was already sitting on the ground.
Having bypassed the goalkeeper, André gave the ball a gentle push, and it rolled into the empty net.
2-0.
The moment the ball rolled into the goal, Hierro, on the touchline, punched the air forcefully. This match was now secured.
After scoring, André ran straight to the touchline and hugged Hierro tightly.
"Boss, I did it! I did it!"
"Yes, I saw. A very beautiful goal."
A moment later, the other Oviedo players swarmed over. The stands once again became a sea of joy.
"La la la la la, we have King Kong, our King Kong is called André, our King Kong can fly, la la la la la..."
That catchy, almost magical melody once again echoed through the stadium. But this time, André didn't mind it anymore. Besides, even if he wanted to object, there was no way to stop it.
On the other side, Arrasate watched with a complex expression—helplessness, regret, and envy, with envy perhaps being the most prominent. He knew that this match was basically over for his side. Although there was still time, Osasuna's morale had been shattered by this goal.
Being hit by a counter-attack after a long, fruitless siege is the most damaging thing to morale.
A talent like André, who could provide a decisive blow for the team, was a player every head coach dreamed of.
After the goal, Hierro followed through with what he'd said and substituted André off. As he walked off the pitch, every Oviedo fan in the stadium stood up and gave André a thunderous ovation.
"KING KONG! KING KONG! KING KONG!"
André looked up at the 30,000 fans on their feet, all chanting his nickname.
And for the first time, he smiled.
Not a grimace. Not a scowl.
A genuine smile.
Maybe... maybe King Kong wasn't so bad after all.
FINAL SCORE: Real Oviedo 2-0 CA Osasuna
Goals:
André Cristiano (45'+2, 63')
Man of the Match: André Cristiano
The King Kong era had truly begun.
Throw Some Powerstones For
Next BONUS CHAPTER at 200 powerstones