261 A Show of Genius Part 2 (2/2)

There was no other way. He turned again and simply kicked the football to continue towards the end line and break through. At first, he was ahead of Wood, but after two steps, Wood was parallel with Ronaldo.

In terms of running ability, Ronaldo was not as good as the man in front of him. His stamina was horrifying!

The secret to Wood's defense was using his supernatural physical fitness, firmly sticking to the opponent, not letting him break through easily, and shooting into the goal with ease. So, in reality, to deal with him, one needed to handle the ball immediately. Once the football stayed at their feet for too long, it would get increasingly difficult to manage.

That was Ronaldo's mistake.

Even though he could see the end line getting closer, he was getting farther from the goal and could only cross the ball.

The brilliant one-man show that he had wanted to perform was no more.

The commentator's interest had also gone from lavishing Ronaldo with praise to marveling at Wood's defensive ability.

”This is unbelievable! Ronaldo was completely unable to get rid of George Wood!'

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Watching the game with his headphones on, Bill screamed, ”Of course he can't! Because George is a genius! It's just that you guys don't understand a genius like him at all!”

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Close to the end line, Ronaldo discovered that the other player had no intention of slowing down. So he simply accelerated, and then swung his leg to cross!

This was his last opportunity to lose his opponent. After all, only Upson was in the Forest team's penalty area. As long as he could trick Wood, he could still find the perfect opportunity to be one-on-one with the Forest goalkeeper. He was not willing to exchange a beautiful breakthrough for a corner kick in the end....

When Wood saw that Ronaldo was going to cross, without thinking, he extended his leg to block the ball's path. Ronaldo was waiting for him to do that; he immediately stopped and used his heel to place the football on the end line, because he and Wood were going to slip.

The only difference was that Wood's whole body slid out, and Ronaldo's center of gravity was not lost, since he was already prepared for it. He only needed to adjust himself with two steps, and he was back in control of the ball!

As for Matthew Upson, who had sprung forward? He had at least ten ways to break through those blocks.

Wood saw that Ronaldo did not cross. Instead, he left the football inside the field, knowing that he had been fooled. So, when he slid out, his hands became claw-like and grabbed the turf to slow his pace. He clawed ten gouges on the field! It was like tire prints left on the road when brakes are applied.

In the end, Wood's hands were stuffed with chunks of turf.

Ronaldo finally stopped his dash. He took a small step, preparing to stride forward and kick the ball.

Wood's hands pushed hard and he sprang back into the field again.

Ronaldo's second step was bigger than the first; he was still adjusting his center of gravity.

Matthew Upson rushed up recklessly.

Van Nistelrooy ran towards the goal, raising his hand to call for the ball. Currently, the Forest team did not have any defenders in front of their goal. As long as the ball was passed there, a fatal blow could be dealt. At that point, it would be 3:0, and the Forest team would be finished.

Wood raised his hands and tossed the turf he had gripped in his hands onto the photojournalists' camera lens behind him. He seemed to shoot out like a bullet and while he still at a distance from the football, he flew across with a tackle!

Ronaldo finally stepped back on the field. The football was closer to him. It didn't look like Wood had a chance. Looking down at the football, he did not notice Wood's movements at all, and extended his foot to kick the ball. Suddenly, a leg appeared in his vision; that foot was closer to the ball than his!

Who the hell is this?!

The yellow-clad figure charged like a train into his field of vision, and the football was kicked off!

”George Wood! Incredible steal! No one expected that he would seize that opportunity when everyone had given up!

The number 13 streaked past Ronaldo, who had completely forgotten what he was going to do. He lifted his leg in that spot, but did not respond.

From the beginning to the end, he had never completely gotten rid of number 13, and his opponent had successfully intercepted in the end! He could not believe his eyes.

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When they saw Wood steal the ball from Ronaldo in advance, the singing and applause of the Theater of Dreams vanished everywhere except in one spot.

The Nottingham Forest fans in the South Stands were reaching fever pitch. They loudly sang the song written for Wood, and finally shouted together at the end of the song, ”He's the real genius!”