Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas stood incredulous under the crossbar, panting and staring at the ground as he took deep breaths to stop himself from exploding with rage.

'Why didn't he pass it to me...? Why?' he asked himself.

For the rest of the first half, the atmosphere between Lucas and Willian became tense, although neither of them showed it directly.

Lucas tried to keep his composure, but he couldn't ignore his growing frustration. He took a deep breath every time the ball passed Willian, forcing himself to focus on the game and not on what seemed to be selfish behavior from his attacking partner.

A few minutes after the wasteful move, Brighton regained possession through Javier, who released Hillebrand again. The midfielder, with his keen vision, found Willian open on the left. Lucas ran towards the box, once again positioning himself as a clear passing option. He raised his arm, asking for the ball.

But Willian cut inside, completely ignoring Lucas. He tried to get past two markers at the same time, but ended up being tackled cleanly, wasting a promising attacking chance. Lucas closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to show his irritation as he went back to recompose the attacking line.

And it happened again and again. In the 38th minute, another similar move took place.

Loki, who had been constantly coming up the right flank, crossed a perfect ball into the center. Lucas and Willian were in the area, but Lucas was in a better position. He was already preparing to finish when Willian, coming from behind, threw himself towards the ball, attempting a completely unnecessary acrobatic header. The ball sailed wide, and Lucas stood there in disbelief.

"Once again, Willian makes the wrong decision," remarked Henry, the narrator of the official broadcast. "He's simply not seeing the game collectively." Carol sighed.

Carol sighed. "If Willian had passed on at least two of those plays, Brighton would probably have a comfortable lead right now."

When the referee blew for half-time, the score remained 1-0 to Brighton, but the mood on the pitch was far from calm. All the Brighton players could sense it, and even the Wolverhampton players.

Lucas walked slowly into the tunnel, his fists clenched at his sides. He knew he had to stay calm - the team came first, above any personal feelings. But deep down, he also knew that something needed to be said.

As the Brighton players entered the dressing room, the tension between Lucas and Willian could almost be felt. Some teammates exchanged glances, aware of what was going on, but no one said anything yet to avoid throwing a match on the spilled gasoline.

Silence dominated as the players settled on the benches, catching their breath and taking sips of water.

Suddenly, the door to the changing room was thrown wide open. Jimenez entered with heavy steps, his expression hardened. He clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, his frustration clear.

"What the hell is going on out there?" He roared, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "I see two strikers who should play as a team, but what do we have? A festival of selfishness!"

Lucas, who was sitting with his elbows on his knees, raised his head, his eyes fixed on Jimenez. Willian, for his part, snorted softly, but said nothing.

Jimenez walked to the center of the locker room, gesturing energetically. "Lucas, Willian, get up! Now!" He ordered, pointing to the floor in front of him.

The two looked at each other reluctantly, but got up. The rest of the players looked away, visibly uncomfortable with the scene.

Felix tried to say something, but Jimenez held up his hand, cutting him off before he could even start.

"Quiet, Felix. This is between them."

Lucas and Willian stood a few meters away from each other, both with tense expressions.

"Do you two want to explain what's going on?" asked Jimenez, crossing his arms. He looked first at Willian. "Are you blind, or have you simply ignored your fellow attacker today?"

Willian raised his head and looked guiltlessly at Jimenez. "I was just trying to do my job. I saw the opportunities, and I went for it."

"Opportunities?" Jimenez let out a dry, incredulous laugh. "Because, from what I saw, you wasted at least three golden chances to simply pass the ball to Lucas, who was in a better position."

Willian opened his mouth to defend himself, but Jimenez interrupted him, turning to Lucas.

"What about you, Lucas? Are you going to stand there with your arms crossed or are you going to speak your mind?"

"It's not about ego, professor. It's about the team. If I'd been in Willian's position and saw him free, I'd have passed him the ball. Because what matters is the result, not who scores the goals."

Willian took a step forward, his voice rising. "And you think I don't care about the result? I was trying to decide quickly. I didn't mean any harm!" Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Enough!" shouted Jimenez, interrupting the exchange. He pointed at the two of them. "Look into each other's eyes. Let's go. Like men. You're colleagues, not opponents. If you've got something to sort out, sort it out now, because I don't want to see any more of this banter in the second half."

There was a moment's hesitation before Lucas and Willian finally did as they were told. They stared at each other, each trying to decipher the other's emotions.

"I just want to help the team win, Willian. And, honestly, I felt ignored out there."

Willian looked uncomfortable for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Okay. Maybe I forced a few moves. It was wrong. I should have passed. I'm just trying to make the most of my one opportunity as a starter."

"Giving assists is also good for increasing your numbers." Lucas said.

"I know that. It was bad for me."

Jimenez watched them both with a critical eye before taking a step back. "That's good to hear. Now, take this conversation as a lesson. In the second half, I want to see teamwork. No more individualism. Understood?"

"Understood." they both said at the same time.

"All right, guys. Take a deep breath. Let's adjust our strategy and go into the second half as the team we know we can be."

When they returned to the pitch for the second half, Brighton looked more focused. The heated conversation in the dressing room, although tense, seemed to have had an effect.

Lucas was adjusting his socks, glancing at Willian. Both exchanged a brief nod, a discreet gesture, but enough to signal that they were ready to turn the page.

The narrators picked up on the change in atmosphere.

"I hope Jimenez gave this team a good shake-up at half-time," commented Henry. "Brighton has the talent and the chances to kill the game off, but they need to play as a team."

Carol agreed. "That's true. And if they adjust their attitude, I think we'll see more fluid soccer now."

Right from the first few minutes, the change was evident. Brighton worked the ball more patiently, exploiting the sides of the pitch with Loki and Raphael. Javier and Felix took control in midfield, rotating the play and looking to open up spaces. And then came the move that would change the tone of the match.

In the 51st minute, Javier received the ball in midfield and, with his vision, laid it off to Willian on the left wing. Lucas quickly positioned himself in the center of the area, watching his marker's movement. Willian looked forward, threatened to advance, but then raised his head and saw Lucas free in space. With a simple, precise touch, he rolled the ball to his teammate.

"Willian makes the pass!" exclaimed Henry. "Lucas picks up the ball! Can he find space?"

With the ball in his grasp, Lucas activated his special ability, <Mirage Feint>. He made a subtle movement with his body, pretending to take the ball to the left. The marker, totally fooled, fell for the trick, unbalancing himself for a moment. Taking advantage of the space created, Lucas adjusted his right foot and unleashed a dry, straight shot, which flew over the turf and straight into the bottom corner of the goal.

"BRIGHTON'S GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!" shouted Henry. "LUCAS TANAKA! What class! He outwitted his marker with a masterful feint and finished into the cheek of the goal!"

"That's teamwork, Henry! Willian made the right choice, and Lucas showed why he's one of the most promising players in this league. A well-deserved goal!"

Lucas raised his arms, running towards the opposing fans as his teammates surrounded him. He pointed to Willian, who was just behind, and the two shared a quick hug.

"Lucas and Willian seem to have put their problems behind them and are playing for the team. A moment of redemption for both of them."

The goal gave Brighton a new lease of life, as they continued to press Wolverhampton. The vibrant fans kept singing, and the team responded with well-coordinated attacking soccer. Willian also looked more at ease, distributing passes and taking part in team moves. Meanwhile, Lucas was thinking:

"I've already scored a goal, but now I have to search tirelessly for the next one. At least two goals. That's all I'm asking for."