"Remember, after you go on, there's an issue with the coordination between their two center-backs, and the distance between the defensive midfielder and the center-backs is too large. Find those gaps, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, Boss."
In the 75th minute of the match, Real Oviedo chose to make a substitution: number 19, André Cristiano, replaced Joselu.
After watching over seventy minutes of the match, Hierro saw very clearly that there were some issues with the link between the defense and midfield of this Barcelona B team. That was why Hierro chose to send on the highly impactful André—he wanted to use his power to strike at the weak points between the opponent's midfield and defensive line.
He would use a single breakthrough point to tear open the entire defense.
Hierro's vision was very accurate. In the Barcelona B team's lineup on the field, Sergi Domínguez, who should have been at left-back, was playing as a center-back instead. Partnering with Domínguez was Mamadou Mbacke Fall, the young Senegalese defender who'd joined Barcelona recently.
Consequently, the two center-backs lacked some chemistry in their coordination today. Furthermore, perhaps because it was a home match, the Barcelona B team played with great excitement. Especially after the second half began, Barcelona B's formation was stretched very wide. Due to Oviedo's intense midfield pressing today, the distance between Barcelona B's three midfielders and their defensive line gradually grew. Therefore, Hierro chose to bring on André to use his speed and dribbling ability to infinitely exploit and widen this gap in Barcelona B's structure.
However, it was clear that Rafa had studied Oviedo's recent matches, perhaps even the one where André scored a hat-trick. So after André came on, the Barcelona B team's defense marked him very tightly.
No matter where he went, there was always someone shadowing André.
"What do we do now?" Sánchez also saw the problem from the touchline.
"Miguel, we should believe in him."
To be honest, this kind of defensive approach was indeed a bit nauseating for André. How should he put it? It was just very uncomfortable to play—they wouldn't let him receive the ball easily at all. If he dropped back to receive it and the defender couldn't stop him immediately, they would instantly resort to a tactical foul to interrupt Oviedo's attack.
As time ticked away, André knew he had to make a change. Thinking of this, he took advantage of a dead-ball situation to whisper a few words to Saúl on his left. Saúl looked up at André in great surprise.
No one knew what they said, but the change that occurred on the pitch next shocked the head coaches of both teams. André and Saúl had swapped positions. This put the center-back Mbacke Fall, who was marking André, in a bind. He didn't know whether he should follow him or stay in his position. If he followed, he would inevitably have to swap positions with Olmedo, the team's right-back, but Olmedo was a pure right-back.
André's method was simple and brutal: since you won't let me face the goal, I'll play on the wing. To André, this was a minor adjustment, but in the eyes of others, it was very unconventional.
A burly man standing 1.9 meters tall suddenly moved to the wing, transforming from a lighthouse-style target man into a winger.
However, André's own adjustment quickly bore fruit, letting Hierro know that he'd still underestimated his pupil. It also gave him more tactical options for André's deployment in the future.
In the 81st minute, André received a pass from the left-back on the wing. He then accelerated directly forward along the touchline. Facing Olmedo, who came up to intercept him, André once again made everyone present question physics itself.
He knocked the ball forward with force and then forcibly overtook him from the outside. Due to his height, it visually seemed like André's step frequency couldn't possibly match Olmedo, who was known for his speed in the Segunda División. But André quickly used actual action to prove everyone wrong—he wasn't remotely afraid when it came to speed. Racing isn't just about frequency; it's about stride length and explosive power. Olmedo looked at this monster running ahead of him and felt truly speechless. He'd never thought he would lose completely in a sprint against a guy twenty centimeters taller than him.
Rafa stood there watching André perform the forced overtake, his mouth hanging wide open in surprise at this unconventional speed duel on the pitch. However, what surprised him even more was yet to come.
André, having successfully overtaken his man, also drew Prim over from the midfield to cover. By this time, André had already dribbled the ball to the half-space. After slowing down slightly, André suddenly cut inside with the ball, facing the covering Prim. After a series of step-overs, he suddenly flicked the ball to the right with the outside of his right foot, then abruptly pulled it back with the inside of his foot and gave it a gentle push. The football obediently slid through Prim's legs. Simultaneously, André accelerated again, circling around the nutmegged opponent and charging into the penalty area.
This immediately threw the Barcelona B defense into complete chaos. Prim, who was now behind André, didn't dare make any reckless challenges and could only desperately try to interfere from behind André's massive frame. But such actions weren't even as significant as a mosquito bite to André. Domínguez had no choice but to leave the player he was marking and sprint over to intercept him. Unfortunately for him, to his despair, André chipped the ball with the tip of his right foot before Domínguez could get into position. A delicate, waist-high ball flew toward the far post. At that moment, Saúl, who'd been completely ignored by the Barcelona B defenders, appeared at the ball's landing point. He met it with a gentle header, and the football drilled straight into the net.
1-2.
In the final moments of the match, Oviedo took the lead using a pass from André to Saúl.
After scoring, an excited Saúl jumped directly onto André's back. Everyone present, including him, knew that at least eighty percent of the credit for this goal belonged to this perpetually unconventional giant. Many of the movements he'd performed showed a clear contrast and lack of coordination with his massive physique.
"How about that? I said I could score! As long as you pass it over, I can score!"
Listening to Saúl roaring in his ear, André didn't snap back this time. To be honest, that run just now had indeed been excellent. Although he didn't score himself, helping the team take the lead through his own efforts felt absolutely brilliant.
However, this joy didn't last long.
Because the few Oviedo fans in the stands began singing a song they'd made up.
"King Kong, King Kong, we have King Kong, we aren't afraid of you, la la la la la, King Kong, King Kong, we have King Kong..."
Bloody hell, I genuinely want to die. These few repeating lines made him feel like a complete idiot.
But the chant continued. And continued. And the entire away section was now singing it.
André buried his face in his hands.
The legend of King Kong was growing.
And there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.
Throw Some Powerstones For
Next BONUS CHAPTER at 200 powerstones