Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

The silence that followed Anton's miraculous save was like a collective sigh, a breath caught between the thousands of spectators in the stadium.

Lucas felt the weight of that moment — a split second that could define the fate of the match.

Phil Foden. Thirty meters from the goal. An almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips. It wasn't arrogance, but the calmness of someone who knows his job like a few others.

On the bench, the U20 coach remained impassive.

"Did you see that?" whispered Denis to Lucas, after Anton's save. "That pass... was surgical."

Lucas nodded, without taking his eyes off Foden. He knew that the young playmaker was like a snake — apparently calm, but about to strike at the least expected moment.

The game's narrative was constructed like a complex novel, where each character had a defined role, but was free to surprise. Brighton were perhaps the unlikely heroes, while Manchester City was the implacable giant.

Anton, the goalkeeper, took a deep breath.

The coach finally made a move on the technical bench. A subtle gesture with his hands, almost imperceptible to those who didn't know him deeply. It was a code, a microscopic instruction to his players.

Foden received the message as if it were telepathy. With a slight gesture, Foden signaled Sancho to retreat. He knew that Brighton's defense was aligned, but it wasn't impenetrable.

"Hold the line!" shouted Lucas, warning his teammates.

"Watch out for the switch!" shouted Eddie from the sideline, pointing frantically at Jadon Sancho's movement.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The left-winger was approaching the midfield line again, dropping back to look for the ball.

Phil received the ball with a smoothness that made it seem to float rather than bounce. With a light touch, he broke away from the pressure of Felix, who was advancing to mark him.

The Brighton midfielder tried to stretch out his leg to cut out the pass, but Foden had already seen beyond him. With the inside of his foot, he sent the ball through the middle of two players, finding Sancho on the move.

"Close him down!" shouted Loki, already advancing to cover Foden.

Sancho, however, was sometimes like a shadow — impossible to catch. His ball control was so refined that it seemed part of his very anatomy. Loki tried to position himself to force him back, but Jadon executed a quick flick to the side, followed by a spin that left the Brighton right-back out of position.

Raphael, coming to the rescue, tried to round him. The Manchester City winger, however, didn't hesitate. With a short dribble, he pulled the ball back and passed between the two defenders like water flowing through a crack. Now he was face to face with Daniel Riber, the central defender.

"Don't let him cut in!" Daniel shouted to Luiz Fernando, who was positioned further to the right, trying to block Sancho's path into the box.

Sancho smiled in the corner, a smile of absolute confidence. He sped up towards Daniel, driving the ball with the outside of his right foot.

Daniel took a step forward, trying to expect the move, but was betrayed by a sudden, precise touch that brought the ball onto his left foot.

One second. That was all Sancho needed. One second to cut inside, leaving Daniel off balance, and find space to shoot.

Anton watched the move unfold in slow motion. He knew that kind of striker. Sancho's decisions were incredibly fast; although he made everything look simple, few could keep up.

"Close the goal!" shouted Aidan, but Anton already knew it wouldn't be easy. Sancho was positioned to finish, and the goalkeeper would need superhuman reflexes to reach a well-placed ball.

Jadon tilted his body slightly to the right, as if he was going to shoot across the goal. Anton read the intention, or at least thought he did, and took a step in that direction. At the last moment, however, Sancho corrected the angle of his foot, hitting the ball with the toe of his boot. The ball, spinning gently, arced toward the top left corner, placed there by Sancho's shot.

Anton stretched as far as he could. His body felt like a compressed spring expanding to reach the ball. His fingertips touched the leather, but Sancho's shot was too perfect to be stopped.

The ball found the back of the net with a dry, almost poetic sound. For a moment, the stadium was plunged into a sepulchral silence, as if everyone was processing the beauty of that goal.

Sancho ran towards the corner flag, his arms spread like wings, a beaming smile on his face. His teammates surrounded him, celebrating with hugs and pats on the back.

"Damn natural talent..." muttered Denis, feeling frustrated.

'Yes, damn natural talent that's now mine!' thought Lucas.

Lucas was gasping for breath, his hands on his knees, as he listened to his own fans in silence. Sancho's goal was a blow to Brighton's heart, but for him, it was something more. It was a cruel reminder of the difference between born talent and effort. He couldn't get the play out of his head — the dribble, the cut inside, and the perfect shot that sealed the ball's fate in the corner.

Raphael's voice brought Lucas back to reality.

"Hey, are you okay?" Raphael asked, his face still red from running. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

Lucas just nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. Something deep in his consciousness vibrated. It wasn't fear or anxiety — it was the system.

[<Copy Genius> activated].

[Do you want to see the copy conditions for the skill <Internal Cut + Instinctive Finish>?]

Lucas had activated it before in other games, but had always hesitated to exploit it to the full. This time, he didn't hesitate.

' Yes,' he thought, and immediately the system interface unfolded in front of him, invisible to the others.

[Conditions for copying:

1 - Execute a similar cut inside, with at least two consecutive successful dribbles.

2 - Finish from outside the area, hitting a target in the top left corner.

3 - The move must be carried out in a situation of opposition pressure.

Note: Conditions must be met in a single move.]

Lucas blinked a few times. It was the skill with the most conditions so far. However, the conditions weren't impossible, but they required courage and, above all, skill. He closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing the move in his mind. He felt the weight of responsibility. If he wanted to grow as a player, he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by.

The game resumed and Brighton, despite the initial blow, showed signs of a reaction.

Eddie, the coach, was shouting instructions from the sideline, gesturing as if he could move the players with his hands.

"High pressure! Don't let them breathe!" his voice echoed across the pitch.

Lucas took up a more advanced position, not lining up with Denis and Felix in midfield. He knew he had to make the most of every touch on the ball to get closer to his goal.

Sancho, on the other hand, seemed to float around the pitch, his confidence brimming with every movement. Phil Foden continued to command the game with an irritating calmness, distributing passes and dictating City's rhythm.

"Felix, close him down!" shouted Lucas, rushing to press.

Felix advanced on Foden, but the English playmaker found Sancho on the edge with a simple first touch. Loki tried to surround him again, but Sancho dribbled short again, escaping with ease.

"Not again!" muttered Lucas, running over to help.

The Brighton defense intercepted a risky pass from Sancho, and the ball landed at Raphael's feet after they shot forward to clear at the back. Raphael looked at Lucas, who was already positioning himself to receive.

"Go, Lucas!" shouted Raphael, launching the ball deep.

Lucas controlled it with a precise touch, but immediately sensed Eric García, the City defender, who was approaching like a shadow.

'Now or never,' he thought.

With his first touch, Lucas pulled the ball out to the right, drawing Eric in. Then, with a quick turn, he cut in from the left, leaving the defender off balance because of the <Mirage Feint>.

The fans let out an "ohhh" of admiration. But he still needed more.

A second marker appeared in front of him, trying to block him before he reached the edge of the box. Lucas tilted his body to the right, as if he was going to pass, but at the last moment he pulled the ball onto his left foot, completing his second dribble.

"Lucas!" shouted Arthur from inside the area, asking for the pass.

But he knew he couldn't give up now. The third condition was apparent: finish from an angle. He adjusted his body, observing the position of the opposing goalkeeper. With a placed kick, the ball gained height and rotation, traveling towards the top left angle.

The City goalkeeper jumped, his gloves outstretched, but the ball passed inches from his fingers before crashing into the net.

GOOOOAL!

The pitch erupted in shouts.

"WHAT A GOAL!!!"

Lucas, overcome by a mixture of relief and euphoria, ran towards the corner punching the air. His teammates surrounded him, hugging him and shouting for joy.

"What was that shot, Lucas?" asked Raphael, laughing and slapping him on the back.

"Did you see that shot?" said Miguel, still incredulous.

Lucas, however, barely heard the praise. Inside his mind, the system was flashing again.

[Conditions met.]

[Skill copied: <Internal Cut + Instinctive Finish>].