Every face on the pitch wore a rather interesting expression.
It was as ordinary a goal as any, yet because it had broken through the goal Leon was guarding, it carried a weight all of its own, especially coming so shortly after Leon had broken the Serie A clean sheet record.
Klose fished the ball out of the net and sprinted straight back towards the centre circle.
He still had not given up.
But with only Klose refusing to give up, it no longer made any difference.
And there was very little time left.
Two minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle.
3-1!
AC Milan had beaten Lazio at home.
The moment the match ended, Mexes walked over to Leon with a slightly sheepish grin.
"Leon! Not tracking Klose just then was on me!"
Klose's goal had clearly come from a marking lapse at the corner, and it genuinely had nothing to do with Leon.
"No, it's on me, it's on me!"
Lami came over from the other side and immediately took the blame himself.
He was quietly relieved that Leon had already broken the Serie A clean sheet record before it happened; otherwise it really would have been awkward.
"No goalkeeper goes through their career without conceding."
Leon said it with a calm smile.
"Believe it or not, I was never chasing that record."
"All I ever wanted was for the team to win match after match."
"Of course, breaking the record makes me happy."
Leon embraced Mexes and then Lami in turn.
"Ding! Congratulations, host! Bond value with Mexes has reached 50! Bond system: Mexes is now lit!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host! First time having a lit player on the same team! Bond effect [Defensive Pillar - Level 1] activated as a one-time reward!"
[Defensive Pillar - Level 1]: When Leon and Mexes are on the pitch together, Mexes gains a 50% boost to pace and agility; Leon gains a 50% boost to defensive positioning and anticipation.
'Excellent.'
Leon was very pleased with the bond effect.
As Mexes had got older, pace and agility were exactly the qualities he had been losing.
Those gaps were now filled.
Combined with his already impressive defensive awareness and aggression, his ability at the back would reach a new level entirely.
As for Leon, his defensive positioning and anticipation attributes were currently sitting at just 7 each; a 50% boost to both would clearly make his sweeper-keeper style even more effective.
This match had also offered a chance to draw a Klose Badge.
But since Klose had scored in the final moments of the match, that opportunity was now gone.
Leon felt a slight pang of regret, but did not dwell on it.
Putting himself under pressure to keep a clean sheet every single match would be too much of a burden.
It was simply not possible.
And there was no point in trying.
"Leon! You were brilliant!"
Leon walked over to the stand and lifted little Devin George straight out of Dave George's arms, holding him at the side of the pitch.
"Leon! Keep going! I'll always follow you!"
Devin George's young voice carried a conviction that belied his age.
"I will."
Leon gave a firm nod.
Children say what they mean.
And what children say is often the most truthful of all.
"Hey, who's that little kid Leon is carrying? That's not his son, is it?"
"Ha! The logic on that one! How old is Leon? That kid must be five or six!"
"Ha! Someone fill me in!"
"That kid is Leon's very first real fan, going all the way back to his time at Leoia in the Segunda División B!"
"Wow, that's something special! Never expected him to follow Leon all the way to Serie A!"
"Now that is a true fan!"
"Is that you above, Jing? How's the [Feng Fan Gathering Place] coming along?"
"The website is almost ready! For the Coppa Italia final in a month's time, we'll be giving away ten spots for [Feng Fans] to attend in person and meet Leon face to face!"
Su Jing, sitting at her computer, typed it all out cheerfully and hit send.
The number of fans from the East rallying around Leon was growing rapidly, and a website dedicated to his supporters was nearly ready to launch.
The technical side of the website was beyond Su Jing, so she had left that to others, but the responsibility of being the one who could actually reach Leon had fallen to her.
She was the only one with his contact details.
"Leon! Keep going!"
Su Jing picked up a neatly kept notebook and continued writing by hand.
"13th April: Leon breaks the Serie A all-time clean sheet record, extending the run to 989 minutes."
"..."
"20th April: AC Milan win 1-0 away at Torino. Leon continues his run of shutouts."
"..."
"19th May: Serie A Matchday 36. AC Milan beat Sassuolo 3-1 at home, overtaking Lazio in the table to move up to third. The gap behind second-placed Roma is now just one point."
"22nd May: The Coppa Italia final will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. AC Milan vs Inter Milan. The final Milan Derby of the season."
"Time to go."
Su Jing closed her notebook, packed her things, and set off for Madrid Airport.
In the dressing room at the Stadio Olimpico, Inzaghi spoke to his players with an unusually serious expression.
"All season, before every match, I have told you: just play your game, no pressure."
"But before this match I am telling you: walk out onto that pitch and win this trophy."
The Coppa Italia was a trophy AC Milan had never particularly valued in previous seasons, but this one felt different.
By this point, AC Milan had fought their way back up to third in the table.
With two rounds of the league still to play, a finish above Roma in second place was very much within reach, which would mean automatic Champions League qualification.
As for table-topping Juventus, catching them was simply out of the question; Juventus had already wrapped up the Serie A title with three rounds to spare.
By now, everyone could see that AC Milan were on the rise.
Inzaghi needed a trophy to add more fuel to that fire.
But the Coppa Italia was not going to be easily won.
The opponents were Inter Milan.
Inter had finished the league season in eighth place, a position that had essentially been settled.
With two rounds remaining, there was no going up and no falling further down either.
A position like that was never going to satisfy Inter's supporters.
The Coppa Italia had become Inter Milan's last lifeline.
In a sense, Inter needed this Coppa Italia title even more than AC Milan did.
"Coach! Don't worry! We have the captain. One word: solid."
Mexes spoke up and broke the silence in the dressing room.
The other players all laughed, and the mood lifted immediately.
Inzaghi laughed too.
Mexes was right: Milan had Leon.
---