2:30 AM.
In the living room of Victoria's house, the lights softly illuminated every corner.
Victoria and Ethan were sitting around the sofa, with all kinds of appetizers in front of them—chicken wings, beef jerky, cheese cubes, full of aroma and mouthwatering.
Ethan was adding ice cubes to glasses, while Victoria was skillfully muddling mint leaves, and the fragrance of lime mixed with the scent of alcohol filled the air.
The two of them chatted while eating, and it was soon 3 AM.
"ESPN! ESPN! Good evening, everyone!"
As the high-pitched voice of the ESPN commentator sounded, the camera switched to the green field.
Messi led the Argentine team onto the field, and the blue and white striped jersey stood out in the spotlight.
The match between Argentina and Iran at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil officially began.
Whenever this familiar opening sounded, Ethan would feel a shiver.
Victoria suddenly nudged him lightly with her elbow:
"What are you thinking? The game has started!"
She pointed to the screen, and Messi was dribbling skillfully up front.
Ethan came back to his senses, his eyes still lingering on the green field:
"I'm thinking, if one day our team really won the World Cup, what kind of scene it would be."
Victoria also replied seriously:
"That scene would definitely be more sensational than anything we've seen! I can imagine that the streets would be crowded with cheering fans, and flags would fly all over the city..."
Ethan looked at her radiant profile and couldn't help but smile.
At the beginning of the game, Argentina showed strong offense, with Messi, Aguero, and Di Maria taking turns attacking the Iranian defense.
But one thing had to be said: Iran's defense was really well done.
They defended their goal for 90 minutes without conceding, but unfortunately it was a stoppage-time stunner.
Ethan remembered very clearly that when he'd watched the game with Jack in his previous life, he'd watched the whole game very anxiously. Iran's defense had done a very good job, and Argentina attacked the whole game without breaking through.
Until the injury time stage, with the commentator's words:
"Look at this moment, the shot—GOAL! The ball is in! The game entered injury time, Messi's goal! Messi's goal! The Messi magic!"
Suddenly the entire stadium had erupted, and Ethan and Jack had also jumped on the table excitedly.
The Iranians' 90-minute efforts were in vain.
.....
The two watched the game while discussing tactics enthusiastically.
Ethan deliberately avoided some "prophet" accurate predictions, but analyzed it from the perspective of a veteran fan:
"The Iranian team is very strong defensively. They'll probably park the bus. It depends on how our 'little flea' and Aguero tear it apart. Midfielder Di Maria's breakthrough will be crucial."
"That's right!"
Victoria nodded vigorously and opened another can of beer:
"The Iranians are tall and have powerful headers. Our defense has to hold—Garay and Fernandez need to step up. Ugh, if only Higuain could get back to form..."
Her tone was filled with the worry and anticipation unique to veteran fans.
As expected before the game.
The Iranian team deployed an extremely tight 5-4-1 defensive formation, and the front of the penalty area was like building an impregnable wall.
The Argentine team had extremely high possession and dominated the scene, with Messi, Di Maria, and Aguero constantly running in the attack, trying to find gaps.
"Pass it! To Messi!"
Victoria leaned forward, fists clenched nervously, and forgot about the piece of cheese in her hand.
"The right side is open! Push up!"
Ethan was also engrossed in watching and couldn't help shouting.
"Ugh! Di Maria rushed that ball—should've stabilized it again..."
Seeing a great opportunity being wasted, Victoria slapped her thigh in frustration.
Ethan stared at the brave save by Iranian goalkeeper Haghighi on the screen and couldn't help but admire:
"Iranian goalkeeper Haghighi is playing like a god today. That save!"
The first half ended with Argentina's siege and Iran's stubborn resistance, and the score was still 0-0. The two of them stretched their backs in unison, and their spines made slight cracking sounds.
"I'll go get some food."
Victoria said and walked to the kitchen. After a while she brought out a plate of chilled watermelon, with water droplets hanging from the bright red flesh.
She reheated the cold appetizers, and the aroma spread again.
Ethan handed her a piece of chilled watermelon and said:
"Don't worry. Iran has high physical consumption—they definitely won't be able to hold up in the second half. It depends on whether we can seize the opportunity. Messi hasn't made his move yet."
In the second half, the situation was still deadlocked.
Argentina's offensive was in full swing, but Iran's counterattack also created several dangerous situations, causing Victoria to cover her chest.
"Scared me to death! Ethan, you're right—they're counterattacking so fast!"
She subconsciously grabbed Ethan's arm, and her sense of dependence was fully revealed!
Time passed minute by minute, and the game entered the last ten minutes.
The score was still 0-0.
The air in the living room seemed to freeze, leaving only the slightly anxious voice of the commentator on the TV and the somewhat heavy breathing of the two of them.
The appetizers on the coffee table were already cold, and no one touched them anymore.
Victoria's eyes were full of anxiety and unwillingness, and she muttered unconsciously:
"Can't be a draw... can't be a draw... Opportunity! Create an opportunity!"
Although he knew the direction of history, Ethan was still extremely nervous waiting for that moment.
He stared at the familiar figure on the field. Messi, who was taking the ball on the right side at the moment, surrounded by three Iranian players.
"Watch Messi!"
Ethan let out a low cry, his body tense.
He watched Messi deftly flick with the inside of his left foot, and a gap flashed in the double-team of the two defenders! Everyone thought he would continue to break through or pass the ball, and even Iranian goalkeeper Haghighi subconsciously moved half a step toward the near post.
However, in the next second, while Messi's body still maintained a subtle tilt angle, his ankle, known as the "golden left foot," suddenly struck!
The ball drew a wonderful and deadly arc, and the speed was amazing—almost hugging the lower edge of the crossbar, it went straight into the corner! Iranian goalkeeper Haghighi struggled to fly and seemed to rub his fingertips against the ball, but he still couldn't stop this wonder strike!
"AHHH——!!!!!!"
Victoria seemed to be hit by an electric current and bounced off the sofa suddenly, and the huge ecstasy instantly overwhelmed her.
She turned around instinctively, hugged Ethan beside her excitedly, jumped and screamed:
"GOAL! Messi! Ethan! It's in! Last-minute winner! It's a winner!!"
Ethan was also stunned by this sudden ecstatic embrace, and then great joy and a sense of relief of "as expected" also swept over him.
He hugged Victoria back hard and shouted excitedly:
"Beautiful! Wonder strike! Messi magic!"
This moment.
The passion of football, all the complex emotions converged and exploded in this early morning goal.
Outside the window.
The city was still silent, but their world had just experienced a perfect blue and white storm.
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