Keller, Rayo Vallecano's American goalkeeper, was one of the few international players on the team. He had participated in the World Cup two years ago and made the transfer from Leicester in the Premier League this summer. He was one of Rayo's biggest signings this season. However, it was clear that he was absolutely worth the money...
Facing Tristan's header, which was aimed directly at the top-left corner, Keller reacted in time. He pushed off the ground with all his strength, leaped into the air, and stretched out his arm towards the ball...
But he couldn't reach it. Tristan's header was so precise that it barely grazed Keller's fingertips before smashing into the top corner where the crossbar and post meet, ricocheting out of bounds!
A collective sigh of disappointment echoed from the crowd of 20,000, like a thunderstorm rolling across the sky. But immediately, they all erupted into applause, cheering for Tristan's powerful, fearless header!
Such a strong opportunity right at the beginning of the match was enough to make Mallorca's fans cheer for their players' performance. Meanwhile, José leaned back, disappointed, then stood up and clapped, shouting toward the field, "Keep playing like this, press them hard!"
Vázquez, who had just been caught off guard by Mallorca's attack, immediately heard José's words from the sideline. His eyes widened, clearly annoyed, and he shouted back into the field, "Counterattack! Push them back!"
While shouting, Vázquez sneered to himself—pressing us? Rayo Vallecano's running ability this season is undoubtedly one of the top three in La Liga, if not the best. How could Mallorca, with half its team being older players, compete in terms of running? It's like asking for trouble!
After Vázquez shouted, the Rayo players launched a fierce counterattack—this was, after all, the tactic they excelled at this season!
What pleased Vázquez was that once Rayo Vallecano began their counterattack, Mallorca's formation was immediately pressed back. The two veteran full-backs, who rarely pushed up, were now forced back into their penalty area, and the two defensive midfielders were pushed to the edge of the box. Despite Sembranos trying to organize play in midfield, the wingers retreated deep, with Carlos dropping back into midfield to defend, leaving only Tristan at the front...
Vázquez glanced smugly at José. He wasn't worried about Mallorca's counterattacks now. Tristan was certainly excellent, but he wasn't the type of striker who could carry the ball and attack on his own—he needed support from midfield, and now Mallorca's midfield was being completely suppressed. How could they still have any chance of counterattacking?
As the Rayo players kept attacking, Mallorca's fans, after being fired up by the early offensive, started to worry. Their team was being completely pinned back in their own half, passing the ball back and forth. The area in front of the goal was tense, and it seemed like Rayo was about to break through any minute...
José, quietly watching the situation on the field, wore a worried expression, pacing back and forth on the sidelines. Seeing this, Vázquez grew even more smug—so, the kid now understands what professional football is like, huh? La Liga matches are no comparison to youth team games!
Feeling satisfied, Vázquez failed to realize that, though Mallorca appeared to be under heavy pressure, their defensive formation had not changed. Several of their older defenders, though struggling with the pace, still had their experience to fall back on. With two experienced defensive midfielders sweeping in front of the penalty area, Mallorca might look bad, but in reality, there was no real danger.
Rayo Vallecano had scored the most headed goals in La Liga so far this season, but Mallorca's defense, with their impressive height, stood as one of the tallest in the league. Both full-backs were over 1.8 meters tall, and the center-backs stood at 1.87 and 1.86 meters. With such height, Mallorca's defense was among the best in La Liga. Furthermore, Nadal was experienced and had great judgment, while Nino was strong and aggressive—dealing with Rayo's long balls and crosses was not difficult for them.
Although Mallorca's backline was aging, their frontline was filled with young players. José relied heavily on them—along with the experienced defensive midfielder, N'Gonga, who could both organize play and deliver long passes...
"Push up, push higher... Counterattacking isn't just about speed!" José muttered under his breath as he watched Rayo swarm Mallorca's half.
"Mallorca's early attacks were impressive, but after that, they've been completely pressed. Though their defense is solid, they've hardly been able to launch any decent counterattacks. No matter how good the defense, it's bound to break eventually, especially since Rayo Vallecano's fitness is far superior. This is looking bad for José Alemany, who's making his debut as Mallorca's head coach!"
"Indeed, not going well. He even ran over to the away team's bench right at the start…" The commentators chuckled, poking fun at the new coach.
After poking fun at José, the commentators started praising Rayo Vallecano. "Rayo Vallecano's performance this season has been nothing short of surprising. As a newly-promoted team, they still have a shot at the league title halfway through the season. That's a remarkable achievement, especially considering they don't have any stars on the team. Vázquez has done an excellent job, and at only 40 years old, he's proving that Spain might not have to worry about national team coaches in the future."
Just as the commentators were elevating Vázquez to the heavens, Mallorca finally launched a brilliant counterattack!
Rayo's left-winger, Michel, tried to break down the wing but was forced to pass. Nadal clamped down on Rayo's striker, Canaval, while Nino leaped into the air to clear the ball away.
Nino's header sent the ball deep, all the way to midfield, where Tristan controlled it with his chest before passing it to Carlos, who immediately sprinted forward into Rayo's half.
José stopped pacing and fixed his gaze on the attack—it was a good opportunity. Rayo had only two or three defenders further back, while Stankovic and Ibagasa were already pushing up. Up front, it was a four-on-three situation for Mallorca!
"Pass the ball now, damn it!" José silently cursed.
Carlos hesitated but then passed the ball to Stankovic, who had moved to the center. Stankovic, already on the move, looked up and launched a long diagonal pass to the right. There, Ibagasa was flying up the wing!
"Go for it, Ariel!" José shouted from the sideline, waving his arms. The fans erupted into cheers!
Ibagasa carried the ball deep into the box, with Rayo's left-back struggling to get back in time. The central defender, still too far behind, couldn't catch up. With no obstacles in his way, Ibagasa made it to the end line and crossed the ball in—a perfect delivery for Tristan, who was charging into the penalty area.
Tristan didn't disappoint. As the ball came in, he leaped, outjumping Rayo's defender and powering a header toward goal!
"This one's going in!" Tristan roared internally as the ball left his head.
"Get in there!" José yelled from the sideline.
Keller couldn't react fast enough—Tristan's header was even more powerful and assertive than the first!
The ball flew past Keller and struck the net behind him!
In that moment, the entire St. Moisés Stadium erupted in joy!
Thousands of Mallorca fans cheered loudly—how long had it been since they had seen their team lead a match? They didn't know, but it had certainly been a long time. And this goal was nothing short of dominant!
Meanwhile, José raised his arms high, then brought his right hand down and jumped in the air, pumping his fist!
After celebrating, José turned to high-five Nadal, but then noticed Nadal pointing behind him...
José turned, and there was Tristan, charging toward him, arms wide open in excitement. A 1.87-meter tall, 80-kilogram powerhouse charging at him—José, not quite as tall but still fit from his own workouts, froze in place, suddenly feeling like a deer in headlights...
"Stop!"
José quickly made a "brake" gesture and shouted. Tristan, surprised, stopped just in time. José then smiled and approached him, patting his chest. "Well done, Diego... But it's only one goal. Let's keep pushing and crush them!"
Tristan nodded firmly. "No problem, boss. I've got this!"
Watching Tristan run back onto the field, José exhaled deeply. If that guy had run into him, he might have been sent flying... with all that momentum and Tristan's weight, it would have been like being hit by a truck!
Nadal slyly gave José a thumbs-up—he'd managed to handle Tristan with just a few words...
Meanwhile, on the other side, things weren't looking so good for Rayo Vallecano. After dominating the game for nearly 20 minutes, not only had they failed to score, but Mallorca's counterattack had resulted in a goal...
"Damn ambush…" Vázquez spat angrily, shouting at his players, "Attack! We need to equalize!"
His assistant coach nervously suggested, "We've been attacking hard, but their defense is solid. Maybe we should pull back a bit, try to draw them out..."
"Draw them out?" Vázquez scoffed, "With our attacking power, we're not afraid of breaking down that old, weak Mallorca defense. We'll crush them! One goal, then we'll get the second, the third! I'll destroy those bastards!"