Chapter 94 - Not A Multiple Choice Question (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Fei and the other substitutes handed out bottles of water to the team members who had run around with all their strength on the pitch for eighty minutes. Zhang Jun received special treatment and was given two bottles of water. He accepted it even though he could not finish it.

Liang Ke started the final discussion in the circle formed by the players.

“An Ke. How is your injury?”

An Ke shook his head. Right now, his vision has returned to normal. It was only a question if it would become problematic again during the match. However, he still replied firmly, “No problem!”

Su Fei handed him a wet towel. “Wipe your face.”

An Ke felt flattered and took the towel. In his rush, he almost knocked down the bottle of water. He had always thought that he was like air to Su Fei and never expected this. He quickly put the wet towel on his face, covering it entirely.

However, what he failed to notice was Su Fei giving a wet towel to every other team member on the pitch.

“Overtime will be a test of our physicality. So, the formation should go back to 4-5-1. Assigning people to the middle of the pitch can slow down our opponent’s quick counterattacks, giving us more power and time. I know that you reverted to 4-3-3 in the last minutes but there are too few midfielders in this formation. Although there is high attacking power, it is only applicable for a moment. We should keep calm and look for opportunities patiently. The outcome could be decided in a single moment! Remember, we must be more patient than our opponents!”

The doctor from the organizing committee removed Li Yongle’s gauze and rebandaged him. The doctor resolutely tried to ask Li Yongle again as he pointed to the swollen knee, “Are you sure you want to continue playing?”

Li Yongle looked at his knee and nodded. “I am sure.”

The doctor sighed and replaced the gauze. He wrapped it up again. “It will be slightly painful. Hold on.”

Sun Laihong comforted Li Yongle from a side. “Losing the ball at that last moment was not your fault. In fact, nobody could do anything. That kind of escape…”

Li Yongle merely nodded silently.

Zhang Lintao was sitting behind Deng Rui. He secretly rubbed his left wrist.

Zhao Defeng drank a mouthful of water and poured the rest on his head. He then swept his hair to one side and sat down in silence.

No matter how the coach told them not to mind it, that ball has left a huge impact in their hearts. Once they stopped, they could not help but remember the entire process of the goal being scored. Perhaps they would only be able to forget about it once they are back running on the pitch.

The ten minutes break was really too short for the players who have been running around for eighty minutes straight. A lot of people did not have enough time to rest but the match was not over yet. The outcome has not yet been decided. They could not rest on their laurels. As a result, twenty-two players went back onto the pitch under the encouragement of their respective coaches.

The spectators once again showed their passion after ten minutes of calm.

Zhang Jun stood in the center circle and was ready for kick-off. Yang Pan stood beside him. They did not look at each other or quietly exchange words. Instead, both looked at the distant goal of their opponent, Ke Da.

“Ladies and gentlemen. After a short ten-minute break, players from both sides are back on the pitch again. The first half of the overtime match is about to begin! This is the first an overtime match, and even penalties, have been required to determine the result of a final since Luoyang became an independent division. During this fierce match, the enthusiasm of everyone here has caused the temperature of the stadium to rise. Even though it is a winter afternoon, we can all taste summer.”

“Beep-”

Zhang Jun kicked the ball ahead. Yang Pan then followed up and kicked the ball back to his half of the pitch.

Kaka stopped the ball but did not return it. Instead, he took the ball straight into the opponent’s half. He Jialin did not expect Kaka to be so daring and to go past him so easily. Zhao Defeng also gave up the idea of attacking and went to block Kaka.

However, Kaka passed the ball to Wang Ning who was behind him. Wang Ning managed to easily receive the ball as no one was obstructing him, and further passed it to Yang Pan.

Yang Pan stopped the ball. Lu Qing was already in a defensive stance in front of him. Instead struggling to get past him, he passed the ball back to Kaka who had already broken free from Zhao Defeng.

After breaking free from Zhao Defeng, Luo Bin tracked him closely. In desperation, Kaka could only pass the ball back to Wang Ning.

During overtime, everyone had already used up a lot of energy. It was unrealistic to expect players from both teams to charge full tilt at each other and switch between attack and defense in the blink of an eye. Therefore, many overtime matches consisted of Team A attacking Team B for the first half. If Team B manages to defend the goal for fifteen minutes, they would then attack Team A in the second half. If no goals are scored at the end of overtime, both teams would have to resort to the most cruel and inhumane way of deciding the outcome of a match, a penalty shootout.

Based on the current point of view, it was inevitable for the match to be less exciting and fierce than the second half. Five minutes of overtime have passed. Both sides still struggled in the middle of the pitch. There had not been any threatening shots.

Liang Ke hesitated when he saw Ren Yu De who was mostly walking instead of running. He was unsure whether Ren Yu De should be substituted due to fatigue. It was as though Shu Guang was one player short. However, when the ball was passed to him, he was always able to hold on to it. Shu Guang that did not need to retreat and defend instantly when they had just initiated an attack. Going at a slow pace could help to conserve energy. It was a dilemma.

Liang Ke got a headache thinking about this. He took advantage of the time the ball went out of play to call Yang Pan over. He then softly said, “Tell Ren Yu De to not try and breakthrough when he receives the ball. Just control the ball and wait for an opportunity to pass it back out.”

Yang Pan nodded and poured water onto his own head. He threw the empty bottle onto the floor and wiped his face before returning to the pitch. However, he could not immediately convey the coach’s intentions to Ren Yu De. He had to wait for the next dead ball.

At this moment, Ren Yu De who was resting had suddenly rushed up to steal Zhang Yulin’s ball. He took the ball and rushed to Ke Da’s penalty area with an astonishing momentum. This time, he did not choose to go from the side but from the middle directly into the penalty box.

There was a slight deviation in Liu Chao and Deng Rui’s cooperation. Deng Rui was slow to tackle. As a result, Ren Yu De managed to slip through between them like a loach.

Shu Guang’s fans immediately shouted. It was as though their cries injected strength into Ren Yu De and helped him run on.

Zhang Lintao became tense. He knew how formidable Ren Yu De’s shots were at tight angles. However, he also knew how remarkable Zhang Jun was cutting in to a favorable position. Would they do a pass or shoot at the goal? Zhang Lintao would rather do a hundred multiple choice questions on politics than face this choice.

However, Ren Yu De would not let Zhang Lintao search for an answer or calculate the probability of the ball being passed. Time was life. Each second was crucial. Ren Yu De chose to pass the ball.