We made you the King of Prisoners, and now you've become the King of Football?

Chapter 30 We are already studying our Europa League opponents.

However, Jiang Ming ultimately refrained from criticizing the kid, since the kid had just started to get into form and it wouldn't be good to dampen his enthusiasm.

The two of them, arm in arm, followed the main group towards the center circle.

"Beep—"

Referee Becquet blew his whistle to confirm the goal was valid, then pointed to the center circle to signal the resumption of play.

The Bastia players' faces darkened; the situation on the field changed instantly after the kickoff.

Their attacking players pressed forward in unison, frantically trying to win possession of the ball from Monaco.

But the defense behind them remained firmly in their own half, not daring to push forward even a step.

The previous counterattack had left a deep impression on them.

They were all afraid that Jiang Ming's precise long pass would penetrate their defenses again, and that Mbappe's speed would completely overwhelm them.

"It seems that Bastia is really scared by that counterattack just now!" Sun Chen said into the microphone, his tone carrying a hint of analysis.

"They want to win back possession, but they don't dare to push their defensive line up, for fear of being attacked on the counter-attack again."

"After all, Mbappe on the left wing is a player that many people call the new Henry. When he gets going, no one can stop him. His counter-attacks are a huge threat."

"However, the problem still exists. Look, the gap between Bastia's midfield and defense is too big."

"This is tantamount to handing over possession space in midfield to Monaco. Won't this backfire?"

……

Time ticked by, and before they knew it, it was the 27th minute.

Bastia finally put together a decent offensive.

Danić, the winger on the right wing, received the ball and dribbled with a series of changes of direction.

First, he dribbled past Bakayoko, who came to cover, and then he brushed past left-back Etxekiel, who came up to press.

Danić took small, quick steps and plunged directly into the penalty area from the right side.

But just as he was about to shoot, he found that his shooting path was completely blocked.

The 37-year-old veteran Carvalho may not be as fast as him, but he is very experienced.

They anticipated Danic's intentions and positioned themselves firmly in his shooting path, blocking all possible angles for a shot.

With no other option, Danić was forced to sweep the ball across the middle and pass it to his teammate Laspentino, who was making a high-speed run into the box.

Laspentino didn't stop the ball; he met it head-on and swung it directly!

But he rushed in too fast and didn't adjust his body properly before shooting. The ball went straight into goalkeeper Subasic's arms.

After all, not everyone is Van Persie.

Subasic stood still and steadily caught the ball in his arms.

"Fuck!"

Laspentino looked at the ball, cursed in frustration, and slammed his fist into the grass.

Subasic, holding the ball, didn't pause and launched a powerful throw, sending the ball directly to Bakayoko's feet.

In the blink of an eye, the balance of power reversed, and Monaco resumed their previous rhythm, launching a rapid counterattack.

"My God! Monaco's counterattack is on again!"

Bastia's midfield and defense have long been broken in two due to tactical reasons.

The gap in the middle is big enough to open an impact screen.

"Get back on defense! Get back on defense! Pull him down! Slide the tackle! Do anything!"

Bastia's coach, Printante, was so anxious on the sidelines that he was jumping up and down, waving his hands so fast they were almost blurry.

If he could, he would like to personally control the players, just like in the game.

On the other side, Bakayoko received the ball and immediately accelerated, like a dump truck without brakes, dribbling forward.

The opposing midfield is leaking like a sieve. There's no need to pass the ball to the playmaker and slowly pass it around. The right thing to do is to rush in and launch a quick counter-attack!

Jiang Ming, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. Since the ball wasn't at his feet, he didn't have to deal with physical contact from the opponent.

He strolled slowly forward, following the golden guide line in his field of vision.

Bakayoko dribbled the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty area before a defender finally came up to stop him.

He glanced at the positions on the field and immediately passed the ball to Dillar on the right wing.

When counter-attacking, you can look for Mbappe to make a sprint, but now that we've switched to positional play, Dillar is more reliable.

Dillar received the ball and went down the wing, only to find that his shooting route had been blocked by the defenders.

He didn't force a shot, but instead passed the ball back to the top of the central arc.

Jiang Ming, who had just leisurely run into position, happened to be standing near the penalty area line.

Jiang Ming didn't even stop; he met the incoming ball with a push shot!

At this point, Bastia's defenders, preoccupied with blocking Dilar's path, had no one tracking back to the edge of the penalty area, and their center-backs were clustered in the box.

The entire arc was almost completely open, and the ball, like a bullet, flew straight towards the goal.

Jiang Ming's run into the box was well-concealed, and his shot was delivered at a very tricky angle.

Bastia's goalkeeper, Leca, didn't even have time to react.

The ball went into the net with a thud!

The entire Armande Cesarri stadium fell silent instantly.

Only in the small section of the away team's fan area did a deafening roar erupt.

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Another goal! Monaco has scored again!"

"Only 27 minutes into the game! It was Bastia attacking just now! Laspentino wasted a golden opportunity, and Monaco immediately launched a counter-attack!"

"Bakayoko surges forward like a dump truck! Dillar crosses back into the middle! Jiang Ming makes a run to the far post and slots the ball home from the edge of the box!!"

「0-2！！才27分钟就0-2了！摩纳哥这是要在客场给巴斯蒂亚製造一场惨案吗！」

In the domestic live stream rooms, the chat was flooded with comments so much that the screen was almost invisible. Fans who had stayed up half the night were practically wearing out their keyboards with their fingers.

"Holy crap! They're in already?"

"One big ball is needed, please hurry and collect it!"

"Have you guys noticed? Jiang Ming always manages to get to the perfect spot to receive the ball! Just now, when Dillar passed the ball back, he was standing right there!"

"That positioning awareness is incredible! So they really did turn on auto-pathfinding, huh?"

"What's there to brag about? It's just that the opposing defender missed their mark. I could have shot on that easy space! Keep bragging, let's see if we get that chance against Tottenham next game!"

"Can you get out of here? Stop making a fool of yourself!"

……

On the sidelines, Jardim watched Jiang Ming on the field from the substitutes' bench.

The young man was perched on the corner flag, listening to the fans chanting his name, looking every bit the spirited young man.

Yaldin couldn't help but shake his head, then chuckled, "What was I worrying about before? Was I afraid this kid would hit the rookie wall?"

"I don't think this is a rookie showcase; it's practically their runway!"

In that case, there's nothing to worry about in this match.

If a reporter were to approach him for an interview right now, Yardin would probably just laugh and say:

"We are already studying our Europa League opponents."