The imposing Mallorca team continued to fight on the field against the home team, Athletic Bilbao, after the break. After limiting several of Bilbao's key players to the best of their ability, Mallorca took control of the match but couldn't extend their narrow lead. They entered halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
Back in the locker room, the Mallorca players were in high spirits. Tristan, full of energy, rolled up his sleeves and boastfully said, "You guys don't know, when I hammered that ball into their net, the entire stands went dead silent... that feeling, it was amazing!"
José smiled as he watched Tristan show off. When dealing with young players, you couldn't suppress them too much; in fact, on the pitch, they needed more freedom to grow. In terms of personality, it was the same—having a young forward like Tristan who could liven up the locker room was good for the team's overall atmosphere.
"Second half, let's stick to what we've been doing. When we have attacking chances, we need to seize them. Defensively, focus on their key attacking players, especially Guerrero. He's the source of Bilbao's offensive play. If we can handle him, victory will surely be ours!" After the locker room settled, José clapped his hands and said loudly.
Miguel Nadal, who usually stayed quiet in the locker room, suddenly spoke up. "Boss... sir…"
His words were only half-finished when laughter erupted in the room. It was clear that Nadal, originally intending to call José "boss," had hesitated. At 33 years old, Nadal was 9 years older than José, so calling him "boss" felt awkward. Hence, he corrected himself and said "sir."
José laughed as well, waving his hand. "Miguel, just call me José. I don't mind older people calling me by my name. What's on your mind?"
Nadal nodded. "Well, José... since the start of this season, Guerrero has always been subbed out at halftime."
Another veteran, Captain N'Gonga, nodded in agreement. "That's right. Especially in the recent few rounds, Guerrero's been substituted at halftime by Fernández, and it's upset the Bilbao fans."
José smiled. It was clear that these two veteran players, the oldest in the club, were thinking critically about the game. Noticing such details wasn't easy for players, but it seemed that José could include them in the coaching staff. "Miguel and Vicente are right... but I don't think Guerrero will be subbed off in this match. As long as Fernández has any brains, he won't make that decision. The tactics are staying the same. Of course, if he's stupid enough to take Guerrero off, then we'll have an even easier time. Now, let's go!"
José waved his hand and didn't explain why Fernández wouldn't sub off Guerrero. He wanted Nadal and N'Gonga to figure it out for themselves.
The answer wasn't complex. After the protests from Bilbao fans, Guerrero had come out in support of the coach, and in a season where results hadn't been great, Fernández would think twice about taking Guerrero off—especially after Guerrero had publicly supported him. Fans' reactions had to be considered, particularly for a club like Bilbao, which was very unique. Like Real Madrid or Barcelona, the club's management had to consider the feelings of the fans, as they were the real managers of the club. Plus, Bilbao was a team entirely for the Basques.
Guerrero wasn't a dictator, but he had the full backing of the Basque people. This was a power that Fernández couldn't resist. Of course, Bilbao's poor results weren't solely Guerrero's fault.
For José, how Bilbao performed didn't matter. As for this match, despite Bilbao's strength not being inferior to Mallorca's, Mallorca's chances of winning were still high—especially since Mallorca's defense could largely neutralize Bilbao's attack, while Bilbao's defense couldn't handle Mallorca's offense. Mallorca was already leading, and it wasn't easy for Bilbao to mount a comeback.
The match proceeded as José had expected.
In the second half, Mallorca maintained their advantage. Clearly in great form, Tristan continued to trouble Bilbao's defense with his runs, causing them all kinds of problems.
At the 60th minute of the match, Tristan received a pass from N'Gonga 30 meters out. Instead of passing the ball quickly, he suddenly turned and made a surprising dribble toward the penalty area!
Tristan, who usually focused on getting into the box, had taken the defenders by surprise with a solo run!
Like a roaring tank, Tristan charged into Bilbao's penalty area. As he prepared to shoot, Ferreira, one of Bilbao's defenders, panicked and pulled Tristan down.
Tristan fell to the ground like a felled tree, and the stands erupted in boos from the Bilbao fans, who thought it was a dive! But amidst the boos, the referee's whistle blew. The referee ran into the penalty area and pointed to the penalty spot!
A penalty! Mallorca had a chance to extend their lead in the second half!
As the boos grew louder, Tristan quickly jumped to his feet and embraced his teammates who rushed to congratulate him. From the sidelines, José swung his arm. If the penalty was scored, Bilbao would essentially lose their chance at a comeback. Their recent form had been poor, with only one win in their last five matches. A two-goal deficit now could break their morale!
While Bilbao's players continued to protest around the referee, Guerrero, the veteran "Golden Boy" and team captain, was fulfilling his role by arguing with the referee. Deep down, they all knew that if they conceded another goal, they'd have no chance in this match.
However, the referee didn't give Guerrero any special treatment and firmly waved away the protesting players. He had clearly seen that Ferreira's challenge was a textbook foul—there was no way it wasn't a penalty.
Bilbao's players reluctantly left the penalty area, and Tristan, after finishing his celebration, took the ball and placed it on the spot.
Standing up straight, Tristan sized up Bilbao's goalkeeper, Lafont. Lafont nervously watched Tristan. This was a forward who had already scored double digits in goals this season...
Tristan was confident. Lafont had only recently become Bilbao's starting goalkeeper, and at 24, he wasn't exactly an experienced keeper.
But Tristan decided to play it safe—he was confident in his kicking ability, so he aimed for the top right corner.
After taking a few steps back, the referee blew his whistle, signaling the penalty kick. Tristan started his run-up and struck the ball with great force!
Lafont leapt but couldn't touch the ball!
A second later, José's smile faded. Tristan's penalty, which had bypassed the goalkeeper's fingers, also narrowly missed the far post—hitting the outside of the post and flying out for a goal kick!
The penalty was missed!
The whole stadium fell silent, but this time, there was no satisfaction for Tristan. He couldn't believe what had happened and held his head in his hands.
He had successfully converted a penalty earlier this season, but this time he had missed...
José shook his head helplessly and shouted from the sidelines, "It's okay, keep playing as you were before! We'll be fine!"
In José's mind, although the missed penalty was unfortunate, it wasn't a big deal. Mallorca still had the advantage. As long as the team wasn't shaken by the miss, they'd be fine.
However, it was clear that the missed penalty had a big impact on both sides.
For Mallorca, the impact wasn't huge. Despite Tristan's momentary silence after missing, the rest of the team wasn't affected. But for Bilbao, escaping the two-goal deficit had reignited their spirit.
Football's momentum is strange—avoiding the two-goal gap gave Bilbao's players a boost of confidence!
Before the penalty miss, Mallorca's advantage had been clear, but it hadn't been insurmountable. Bilbao's poor form had sapped their energy, while Mallorca had been riding a wave of improvement. Now, after escaping a potential two-goal deficit, Bilbao's players were ready to give their best performance in the rest of the match.
Within three minutes of the missed penalty, Bilbao had launched two extremely dangerous shots on goal—something they had barely done before!