Chapter 58 - The 30th Minute (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The match restarted at the sound of the referee’s whistle; Zhang Jun kicked the ball to Yang Pan.

In fear that the other team would secure possession and get Ma Ni to put on an encore of his “90 Degrees Show”, Shu Guang carefully held on to the ball. It took them quite a while to notice that, without their star, the other players were not of the same caliber as them.

That fact alone emboldened them.

Wang Ning sent a through pass to Kaka. It looked like the Brazilian was about to receive the ball when he crossed his legs and allowed the ball to roll past him, before turning and chasing after it. A Yingcai defender who had latched himself on Kaka was left rooted to the spot. He did not even react, not quite understanding what had just happened.

Zhang Jun, Yang Pan and Ren Yu De helped out by catching the attention of the other defenders, while Kaka calmly dribbled and took a shot from the right!

The ball curved noticeably in the direction of the upper left post; it was a dead zone, and typically, the most difficult angle for a goalkeeper to guard.

Yang Pan even raised both his hands, prepared to celebrate his team’s equalizer.

However, Sima Hongxin rose and caught the attempt tightly. He dropped and rolled once before rising again. He looked utterly unfettered as if he was perfectly comfortable in making that save.

Annoyed, Yang Pan lowered his hands.

“Such a shot. Even Zhongyuan’s keeper, Zhang Lintao would have only been able to knock it out of bounds,” Chen Huafeng mumbled in his seat. ‘Sima Hongxin is truly a ‘monster’ of a keeper. Super 90 Degrees and Monster Keeper… Shu Guang has truly met a difficult opponent…”

It should have been an exciting match, but due to the poor weather, the on-site reporters did not even amount to half of the usual number. There were barely 10 photojournalists standing beside the pitch. It was a pathetic appearance for such a vital clash!

Nonetheless, Kaka’s denied attempt did not deter Shu Guang’s passion for attacking.

Wang Ning managed to cut a pass, which was going the other way in the midfield. He quickly sent it to playmaker-in-chief, Kaka.

Kaka slipped it to Ren Yu De, who shifted his foot slightly and tipped it away between his marker’s feet, moving the ball into the penalty area.

Yingcai’s defense was in tatters. It was Yu De’s favorite situation—he always found a route to pass even in the middle of chaotic scenes, and it was no different this time. Zhang Jun appeared in his line of sight and he sent an exquisite, yet concealed lob! The ball leaped over the heads of the defenders towards the goal!

Zhang Jun rose for a powerful header!

Sima Hongxin’s hands were there once more. He moved sideways and stopped the ball, clearing it with a quick drop-kick to the midfield.

Wang Ning headed it back towards the other direction. Ma Ni, who had a notable disadvantage in aerial duels, did not get a word in.

Kaka accepted the ball and backheeled it to Ren Yu De before turning and running forward. At the sight of his teammate shaking off a pursuing defender, Ren Yu De sent the ball in front of Kaka. One-two!

The Chinese boy from Brazil then passed it to Zhang Jun, who in turn delivered it to the oncoming Yang Pan. The skipper crossed, Kaka leaped and headed!

Sima Hongxin was there again. He caught it firmly, without a hint of a rebound.

Shu Guang looked confused after being foiled thrice in their attempts for a goal. Yingcai grabbed their chance and countered.

Ma Ni tracked back to the midfield for the ball. It was as if he had vanished as Shu Guang attacked wildly for those seven minutes, never appearing in anyone’s sight. But now that he had possession of the ball yet again, Shu Guang was feeling nervous once more.

He began his high-speed dribbling breakthrough!

Despite knowing that there was a high chance they would be bypassed, Wang Ning and Li Hao approached him. As expected, Ma Ni used his 90 Degrees move and left the duo behind.

Now facing off against Lin Xiaofang, he did not use the same trick—a little upper-body movement sufficed. Ma Ni got into the box and took a shot!

Fully prepared this time, An Ke pressed the incoming ball underneath his body tightly.

Although Yingcai were leading at the moment, Shu Guang held a slight advantage over the game. There were still 15 minutes left before the first period ended, and the score was simply not enough for Ma Ni.

He had promised his godfather to use a particular move only in extreme circumstances. However, looking at the game right now, Shu Guang could quickly rally for a comeback if the gap between them was not widened.

It did not matter how good Sima Hongxin was. He was still one man against an entire soccer team!

Ma Ni gave the referee a look, while the other noticed it and nodded.

Yingcai was holding the ball at the back. Kaka went up to them, but once he took over possession, the referee sounded his whistle; it was a foul! The match official gestured for a free kick even before Kaka could make sense of what had just happened.

“Huh? What… What’s this?”

Kaka was left befuddled over what foul he had made. He did not have any time to argue; everyone else was running back to defend because the free kick was quickly taken and the ball was now at Ma Ni’s feet.

It was then that Zhang Jun noticed something; Ma Ni was not using the Super 90 Degrees move, which he did prior to scoring earlier. Clearly, he could not use the move more than twice that frequently.

Still, it had left his team’s defense shaken. Even Yang Pan and Kaka often found themselves returning to the edge of the box to defend.

Yingcai was on the counter again and An Ke yelled for the back line to press forward to make an offside trap.