It was once said that it was impossible to strike an S-curve free kick in football. This was supported by so-called scientific theories and explanations from so-called experts, but what was the reality?
Juninho had struck S-curve free kicks before and had used free kicks to defeat countless powerhouses and strong rivals. He was known as a super free-kick master who could take free kicks like penalties. Some even called him the King of Free Kicks. Whether that was true was debatable, but at the very least, his mastery of free kicks would definitely go down in football history.
At his peak, the free kicks Juninho struck were erratic and deceptive. Even if a goalkeeper saw the trajectory, he could not be sure whether it would suddenly change in an unexpected way, and the balls he struck had almost no spin.
Sometimes, the goalkeeper would clearly see it coming, but when he reached out to catch it, he would find that the ball had suddenly changed direction and darted into the goal from the side.
At this time, Juninho's free kicks had not yet reached the pinnacle they would later attain, but they were undoubtedly already very impressive.
After scoring, he ran into the net to retrieve the ball and then ran along the pitch. Passing in front of the fans' stand, he stopped and looked up as if searching for something. When he found Ethan among the crowded stands, the latter gave him a thumbs-up, and he smiled happily.
Running to the bench, he threw the ball in, hugged head coach Steve Bruce, then hugged Jim Cassel, and then went on to hug the coaching staff, substitute players, and team doctors one by one.
When he walked out of the bench area, he found that his teammates had all run over.
"Good job, you were hiding your skills!"
Everyone swarmed around him, congratulating Juninho. This was the first goal he had scored for New Manchester United.
"Hey, Jim!" Ethan, in the stands, suddenly thought of an idea.
Jim Cassel looked up at Ethan. "What is it?"
"Keep that ball Ribeiro brought over safe. When we get back, have it placed in a glass case and preserved. Later, put it in our stadium's exhibition hall so that all the visiting fans can see it. This was the first goal Juninho scored for New Manchester United!" Ethan said with a smile.
Cassel laughed heartily after hearing this. "That's a good idea. I'll throw it to you!"
After saying that, Cassel threw the ball toward Ethan. The latter scrambled to catch it, but luckily, he was surrounded by New Manchester United fans who helped him retrieve the ball.
"Ha, this Brazilian is really amazing. Look at the curve on that ball!"
In the Manchester taxi company, Jim and the others were all watching the goal replay on TV with excitement. Some could not even help cheering out loud.
"My God, how did he do that? It's incredible!" Jim shouted with a flushed face.
"Yeah, in my opinion, his free kicks are definitely better than Beckham's. His speed is faster, and the angle is more accurate. Beckham just has a better stance, which gets praise from some female fans!"
Who knew whether Beckham would be angry enough to find Juninho for a free-kick contest if he heard what these fans said?
"Well, he scored, so from now on we can't boo him anymore. Ethan was right. He is the kind of player with real ability. We should give him more support. I announce that from now on, I support Juninho and will be his die-hard fan!" Jim shouted loudly.
"What about Leo Messi and Michael Johnson?" someone next to him asked.
"And what about that kid named Curtis Davies? What about him?"
Jim immediately shut his mouth, looking silly.
"Give it a rest, Jim. Everyone knows you're fickle. Why don't you count how many people you've claimed to be a die-hard fan of?"
"Exactly, exactly!" A group of colleagues swarmed him, teasing Jim to their heart's content.
"But you're right about one thing. This Brazilian has real ability. Let's all stop booing him in the future!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The same scene was happening among many New Manchester United fans in Manchester. Although it was just one goal, Juninho had won the hearts of the New Manchester United fans.
Sometimes, a fan's wish was very simple. It might be a gritty sliding tackle, a simple clearance, or a brilliant pass that could earn the fans' recognition and support.
Juninho, standing on the pitch at Aggborough Stadium waiting for the kickoff, naturally did not know what his goal would bring him. When the Kidderminster striker passed the ball, these thoughts were all pushed from his mind. The only thought left was to win this match.
After taking the lead, New Manchester United clearly strengthened their attack, especially Juninho. Acting as the core on the pitch, he played very actively and was more confident than before. Receiving the ball, dribbling, passing, positioning, tackling, assisting in defense...
You had to know that in the Brazilian league, Juninho had started as a defensive midfielder, so his defensive ability was not weak. It was just that after coming to England, he had been intimidated by this style of play that emphasized physical confrontation. Coupled with his relatively weak physique, he had developed a fear of physical duels, which caused his performances to get worse and worse.
But now, with his weight increasing and his body becoming stronger, his abilities were gradually being released.
The midfield controlled by Juninho was clearly more organized than before. Whether it was Olić, Essien, or Poulsen, the first thing they thought of whenever they got the ball was Juninho. And the Brazilian's technique made it very difficult for others to take the ball from his feet. As for how to pass it next, that depended on his reading of the situation on the pitch.
The young Belarusian Hleb performed very well on both wings. His movement and dribbling ability seemed almost natural. He could always appear in the gaps in the opponent's defensive system, and Juninho's passes could always arrive perfectly at his feet.
If the opponent had not been heavily guarding the penalty area, Hleb would have had a chance to extend the lead again in the last few minutes of the first half. One of his long shots even caused the goalkeeper to spill the ball, but Žigić was too far away, and the opposing centre-back caught up and kicked it out for a corner, wasting a good chance to extend the lead.
"The referee has blown the whistle for the end of the first half. Looking at the first half, the first 20 minutes were undoubtedly very difficult. Both teams placed great importance on defense, making the match look very dull. But in the following nearly half an hour, New Manchester United's performance was refreshing."
"As the core, this was the best half the Brazilian player Juninho has produced in the two-plus months since joining New Manchester United. He gave New Manchester United's attack a clear direction, and his passing also allowed people to see some changes in New Manchester United's attacking system. But the most amazing thing was his direct free kick."
"With the halftime break here, we believe the Kidderminster head coach will definitely make adjustments based on the weaknesses shown by the team in the first half, and New Manchester United will certainly adjust their tactics to strengthen their first-half advantage. This is a battle of wits between the two head coaches. We can wait and see!"
When the New Manchester United players walked back to the dressing room, everyone started talking about the first half, especially Juninho's goal. Even the team's primary set-piece taker, Darren Lyons, praised the goal endlessly.
Juninho had become the focus of everyone in the dressing room. Everyone gathered around, discussing him noisily. This was the first time Juninho had become the main figure in the dressing room.
After the players finished their excitement, Bruce coughed to attract their attention. Everyone immediately knew that the head coach had tactics for the second half to arrange, so they quickly fell silent.
"First of all, I want to say that you did a good job in the first half, guys. But there are still 45 minutes left in the match. We cannot relax. The second half will definitely be more difficult than the first. I have a feeling that the opponent will not be willing to accept a home defeat, so they will counterattack in the second half, and they will counterattack from the very beginning!"
Bruce walked to the tactical board, erased the first-half tactics, and then drew some tactical diagrams on it again.
"At the start of the second half, we will defend. The defensive line must drop back. Starting from Nikola, every one of you must be 120 percent focused. We cannot give the opponent any chances. Once you lose the ball, counter-press immediately."
"Christian, Michael, your tasks in the second half are very heavy. In addition to protecting the defensive line, you must also remember that this is their home ground. Don't let the opponent build up momentum. So if you can't stop them, then don't hesitate to foul and break their attacking rhythm."
Kidderminster's attacking ability was very strong. Once they built up momentum, the test for New Manchester United's defensive system would be quite daunting. So Bruce's idea was very clear. Defend if they could, and foul if they could not.
"Ribeiro, although we will base our play on steady defense at the start of the second half, that doesn't mean we have given up on attacking. You are the core of our team. You have to make your own decisions on how to counterattack in the second half!"
"Don't worry, sir!" Ribeiro nodded confidently.
Seeing this Brazilian regain his confidence, Bruce smiled. Like Ethan, he had high hopes for Juninho. He knew very well that once this Brazilian integrated into the team, the help he would bring would undoubtedly be huge.
"Kidderminster are a strong team, but we are not weak either. We have surpassed them in the standings before, and now in the first half, we also pinned them in their own half. This is a good sign, so we must never relax. The first 15 minutes at the start of the second half will be quite difficult, but as long as we hold on, they won't be scary."
"When they attack for a long time without scoring, their mood will often become impatient, and impatience leads to mistakes. Once they make a mistake, our chance will come. As long as we score one more goal against them, then they are finished!"
"Guys, many media outlets outside say that this match is likely to guide the trend of the whole season. Then I want to say that we must do our best to win this match, then return to the top of the table. Finally, by the end of April next year, we will get the ticket to be directly promoted to League Two. At that time, you can show your strength on a bigger and broader stage!"
(To be continued.)