Chapter 71 - Battle of the Caged Beasts (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
*Beep!*
Zhang Jun glanced helplessly at the linesman who held his flag up. It was the sixth time he had been caught offside.
Yao Wang was ever-aware of every move he made—all he needed to do was raise his hand at the right moment, and Zhang Jun would be caught offside.
So, Dingding kept unravelling themselves with openings that lured Shu Guang’s forwards into offside positions at every turn—the loopy space constantly foiled Kaka’s passes to Zhang Jun.
Kaka started to dribble by himself after more of his plays were foiled. However, was Cao Po just some display bauble?
He rushed at the Brazilian, ignoring his feints and slithering in for the ball. After a stumble, Kaka lost possession.
Yao Wang cleared the ball far upfield; Bin Fei headed it back to Fan Cunjie before the captain lobbed it to the left.
Lu Hui sped up to shake Chen Bo off. He got to the ball and crossed it!
Lin Xiaofang headed it off the line just in front of Shi Lei, clearing another dangerous moment in front of Shu Guang’s goalpost.
“Beautiful attack! Dingding’s passes are virtually soaring clouds and flowing springs! All Shu Guang can do is hold them back!”
“That’s for sure. The Dingding team has played together for three years—their synergized maneuvers can be completed in the blink of an eye. They were also calm after being behind now that they’ve equalized, they keep drawing Shu Guang into their offside traps. It’s only a matter of time before they take the lead.”
“Mr. Zhou, you seem confident about this!”
“I believe in Dingding. Not every team earns titles like the ‘Uncrowned Kings’ and ‘Golden Generation.'”
Dingding had a corner.
Bin Fei, known for his sharp headers, darted everywhere inside the box to look for the right spot; the best opening. The hulking Yao Wang simply stood in front of the post, emanating a huge pressure on the Shu Guang defense.
Fan Cunjie treaded the carpet grass in the corner spot before carefully placing the ball on the ground. He then took a few steps back.
The two teams were a tangled mess in the penalty area; it was a chaotic scene.
Cunjie exhaled. He ran up and with a whirl of his foot, he struck the ball firmly below its center with his inner sole. It rose and curved inwards towards the goalpost.
An Ke pranced out unyieldingly and prepared to quickly catch hold of it. But his eyes blurred as a gigantic shadow vaulted ahead of him. It was Yao Wang!
The keeper’s heart skipped a beat—with that height of his, Yao Wang would score if he reached the ball! Unfortunately, he could only watch as Yao Wang swung his head. There was no way to stop him!
“Yao Wang is in the air! A header! Ah, he didn’t get it in! It’s a miss!”
An Ke was not prepared for the miss. Initially ready to catch the ball, he promptly shifted to punch it away with both fists.
The ball flew away from the box and Kaka went off in pursuit. However, he saw Shi Yan doing the same thing.
Dingding’s No.11 reached it first!
He raised his left foot!
Nonetheless, Kaka pressed on with a sliding tackle! He had to stop the shot even it meant fouling him!
However, Shi Yan struck it first and the ball whistled over Kaka’s head!
“Shi Yan shoots!”
His effort punched through the crowd towards the goal!
An Ke had just dropped to the ground to see the ball coming at him again. He then dived towards it reflexively.
He got to it! But, he could not hold it, and the ball bounced away!
In a cold flash, Bin Fei unleashed his blade! His effort hit the back of the net with a bang!
“He scores! Bin Fei has rallied the team with a goal, 36 minutes into the first half! Shu Guang is dealt a heavy blow!”
“He truly is Bin Fei, outstanding in seizing chances! Dealing a lethal strike to Shu Guang in a chaotic box! Firing in the rebound at the right time and securing the lead for Dingding!”
Bin Fei was the face of excitement after his goal. He quickly dashed to hug Shi Yan, who created the chance in the build-up, before getting into a group hug with the rest of the team.
An Ke sat, silently watching the celebrating Dingding players. He lost his grip when he was absolutely not supposed to一that striker had been waiting all along. He never expected it to be so deadly the moment he could not hold on to the ball…
Zhang Jun stared at the ball in the net, at a lost for words. Should he have consoled his team? Should he have lied with lines like, “Don’t worry, I’ll level the scores.”?
He was knee-deep into the opponent’s offside trap himself; it would not fly. Maybe, “It’s alright, don’t worry.”一although what use was there for such words?
Ren Yu De swept off a pinch of sweat and told Kaka quietly, “Pass me the ball when the time comes.”
Kaka looked at him with a startled expression.
“I’m the most suitable when it comes to beating their offside trap.” Ren Yu De smiled.
Kaka could clearly feel that Ren Yu De was getting worn down. The difficult battles they faced along the way had been shaving off a lot of his meager strength. Plus, Dingding’s offside stratagem in the first half had rendered him almost incapable of running back.
Despite that, he nodded to his teammate.
Thirty-six minutes into the first half, Dingding flipped the scores and led the game with a score of 2:1 over Shu Guang.
Liang Ke stayed at the coach’s seat, looking steady as a rock.