Chapter 95 - Unavoidable Confrontation (2/2)

Both their legs came into contact with the ball, causing it to fly to the left. Zhang Yuchao rushed up immediately. Li Hao also wanted to rush up but he was too heavy and needed more time to accelerate. In the end, the ball was taken by Zhang Yuchao. After several twists and turns, the ball once again fell to Zhongyuan.

Charge!

It was like a cavalry charge heading straight towards Shu Guang’s goal, their spears dazzling under the winter sunlight.

“It is the quick counterattack that Zhongyuan is skilled in! Shu Guang is in danger!”

Chen Bo did not dare to go up and greet it as he would be easily bypassed. He did not want the team to lose because of his recklessness. So, he changed his usual reckless attitude and merely tracked Zhang Yuchao.

After entering into the area about 30 m from goal, Zhang Yuchao cut into the corner of the penalty box that he was accustomed to and took a shot at goal.

An Ke felt terrible as he could see three Zhang Yuchao and four balls. As the ball approached, he did not know what to do and froze on the spot.

Just as he was feeling overwhelmed, Li Jieguang once again played the role of goalkeeper and used his body to block Zhang Yuchao’s shot.

The assassin He Jialin then made his appearance and quickly retrieved the ball instantly followed by another shot at goal.

This time, An Ke saw two balls. This time, he decided to make a gamble. He hesitated for a moment and then rushed towards the far post. However, his movement was clearly still affected by his eyesight. Although he went in the right direction, his estimate of distance fell short. He stretched out his hand and but was unable to reach the ball.

Just as Zhongyuan’s fans were about to cheer for the goal, Lin Xiaofang quickly leapt in. He dived and headed the ball away from goal.

“A narrow escape! Both shots by Zhongyuan’s strikers were blocked by Shu Guang’s tenacious defenders!”

“An Ke’s performance is somewhat abnormal. It must be related to that save.”

“In that case, would Zhongyuan only needs to keep shooting from afar to defeat Shu Guang?”

“It is definitely possible. If the shots were aimed at the upper corners, the defenders would be helpless.”

After Lin Xiaofang made his save, he jumped up and shouted. “Don’t let them near the goal! Don’t give them the chance to shoot at all! There are still four minutes left! Hold on!” His appeared to be the leader of the defense.

An Ke looked at Lin Xiaofang’s figure from the back and felt annoyed at his own ability during this critical moment. He had dragged down the entire defense line. This would cause the offense and defense to be disjointed. The attackers would not be able to receive support from the defenders. As their attacking power weakened, the pressure placed on the defense would increase. This was a vicious cycle!

As Zhongyuan pressed forward, Kaka and Yang Pan returned to defend.

During this time, Zhongyuan had already realized that An Ke could not hold on anymore. So, they all took chances at long range shots. As expected, that move was effective. For a moment, Shu Guang’s goal was in grave danger.

Yang Pan had just tackled away Zhang Yuchao’s ball, only for Zhao Defeng to steal it away. Wang Ning rushed forward. He stole the ball but cunningly passed it to Lu Qing. Lu Qing immediately passed the ball to Zhang Yulin on the right flank. Compared to the well-guarded left flank, the right was slightly weaker because Ren Yu De did not track back to defend.

Zhang Yulin did not try and break through when he came up against Xie Wei. Instead, he passed the ball directly to the middle.

As An Ke was incapable of hitting the ball out, it would all depend on the defenders.

Lin Xiaofang did not disappoint Shu Guang’s fans. He successfully obstructed He Jialin. After that, Kaka kicked the ball out of the penalty area.

Because of a shortage of manpower, Kaka who had the advantage in heading had to also return to the penalty area as a defender.

An Ke remained silent during this time. His “roar” could no longer be heard on the pitch. On one hand, he had problems with his eyes. He could not see the situation on the pitch clearly nor could he give the right commands. On the other hand, he was not in the mood to make criticisms.

“Both teams are competing fiercely, with casualties on both sides. I am a little worried. Li Yongle is injured and An Ke’s injuries are unclear. In the end, even if they qualified for the nationals, their main players would have already fallen. Isn’t this too great a price?”

“I understand what you mean but I disagree. At this point in the match, do you think the players and coaches still care about the nationals?”

“What does Master Zhou mean?”

“Right now, Shu Guang and Zhongyuan are desperately competing for victory. Victory. This is the only word in their minds. They only want to defeat their opponent. They do not have the time to think about what happens after that. What you are saying is something to be thought of only after the final whistle. It is something they would only remember during celebrations.”

“They are only concerned about this match?”

“Yes. Though it sounds unreasonable, this is indeed a fact in their minds. This match is a decisive battle that is more important than the entry ticket to the national tournament!”

Author’s note:

P.S. I want to explain to those saying that I’m dragging things on for too long. It is not that I do not know what to write next but it is that there will not be a next thing to write. This is the last battle. After this, the story is finished. In the final battle, I would naturally need to come up with the best and most exciting things. A lot of things need to be resolved in this match. It may be unsatisfactory if it was short. The story is coming to an end, so thank you for your support!