Chapter 68 - The Match Begins (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After spouting gibberish for half a day, the voices behind the loudspeakers finally returned to the topic at hand.
“Led by three match officials, the two teams are entering the pitch!” Wang Qiang began the introductions amidst majestic music.
“Dark blue jerseys, black shorts and black stockings—it’s the team everyone’s familiar with; the ‘Uncrowned Kings’ Dingding High School! Leading the way is their captain who dons the No.10 shirt, Fan Cunjie! The ‘Master of Tricks’ is now a third-year, and this will be the last year we can expect to enjoy his elegant moves on the pitch.”
“Behind him is their goalkeeper, No.1, Xia Bo. Another third-year student, who’s always full of ‘surprises’. Who knows if we’ll get to see one today?”
“No.3, Yao Wang. The 190-cm gigantic has been the center back and Dingding’s shield for three whole years. Today we will see if he can lead his team to resist the Shu Guang onslaught.”
“No.5, Su Rui is another Dingding center back. A 185-cm second-year who is experienced.”
“No.6, Ya Dong, left back, second-year.”
“No.4, Tang Liang, right back, second-year.”
“No.8, Cao Po is the defensive midfielder. Outstanding in defense, strong overall and explosive. He’s the perfect partner for Yao Wang; few can score past them.”
“No.7, Lu Hui is the left midfielder. He has the fastest record for 100-m dashes in Dingding and he’s said to rival Shu Guang’s Yang Pan in speed. We just might see who’s faster in this game.”
“No.11, Shi Yan: the right midfielder. Favors either foot, he is physically fit, skillful and also Dingding’s ‘marathoner’. He’s Dingding’s key in attacking from the flanks.”
“No.18, Shi Lei is the striker; a selfless one too, often making fantastic passes. He’s a second-year.”
“No.9, Bin Fei: the striker. A great shooter with depth positioning, he drifts around the box and delivers a lethal strike at any given moment—a genuine pain for defenders. He’s another third-year.”
Every name announced by Wang Qiang was met by a chorus of hurrahs, an indication of just how popular Dingding was. In contrast, Shu Guang was a lot less glamorous; the most the players had were shrill cries from some of their fangirls. Their introduction was mostly greeted by silence.
“Wearing completely white uniforms with twin red stripes, it’s the rising force for the last two years, Shu Guang! Leading their team is the captain, Yang—”
It was then that Wang Qiang noticed the player with the captain’s armband was wearing the No.11 shirt, and he quickly corrected himself. “It’s… Zhang Jun; No.11, Zhang Jun, that’s right!”
There was a little commotion at the stands. Everyone knew that Shu Guang’s captain was the player who clocked in at 10.52 seconds for 100-m dashes and shot the ball at speeds up to 180 km/h—Yang Pan.
“Uh, Zhang Jun, No.11 is Shu Guang’s striker. Holistic, explosive, and an assassin in the box. He scored two consecutive hat-tricks in his last two games, ranking just second behind Yingcai’s Ma Ni by two goals on the rankings of top scorers. There’s every hope that he’ll eventually top the board since Yingcai is already out. And, there’s that ‘Rising Dragon’—the fantastic goal he hit in last game. Who knows if he can repeat the same feat today?”
“Behind him is Shu Guang’s goalkeeper, No.1, An Ke. He’s 188 cm tall, but moves quick; a splendid stopper of low balls. He is one of the four great goalies of Luoyang, alongside Zhongyuan’s Zhang Lintao, Dingding’s Xia Bo and Yingcai’s Sima Hongxin.”
“No.4, Li Jieguang is a seasoned third-year center back.”
“No.5, Lin Xiaofang managed to secure a place as center back as soon as he joined the team. He has proven himself in previous games.”
“No.6, Xie Yu is a third-year left back; a physical player.”
“No.3, Chen Bo. Like Lin Xiaofang, he is another first-year who has won the right back post. Chen Bo is strong and tenacious.”
“No.8, Wang Ning is a defensive midfielder; another outstanding first-year player.”
“No.17, Li Hao, a third-year. He as well as Wang Ning do the dirtiest and tiring work quietly, but they’re indispensable to the team.”
“No.10, Kaka is a student from Brazil. His full name is Calder Isaacson Santos Li Ni. A true heir of Brazilian Samba Soccer, he’s very skilled and he has been an etremely creative playmaker in the midfield.”
“No.9, Ren Yu De is a striker. He has outstanding skills, and a dribble universally acknowledged to be second only to Fan Cunjie himself. He often entertains on the field.”