SWDnovel Chapter 34 Free Kick!
Chapter 34 Free Kick!
The second half is about to begin.
The broadcast crane slowly swooped down, sweeping directly over the home team's stands at Calderon.
This area has descended into utter madness.
The red and white team flags and scarves tumbled up and down with the fans' synchronized stomping.
"Oé, oé, oé, Atlético de Madrid!"
"Oé, oé, oé, Atlético de Madrid!"
"Oé, oé, oé, Atlético de Madrid!!!!"
The cheers were deafening, making the air tremble.
The fans completely bought it.
This kind of aggressive, all-out pressing football, where you practically devour your opponents, is the soul of Atlético Madrid!
Immediately afterwards, the broadcast camera switched to the away team's fan section at the highest point.
The gap is extremely wide.
The yellow formation that was originally packed with two or three thousand people before the event is now completely empty.
The ground was littered with discarded paper scraps, cheering banners, and crushed empty plastic cups.
Fifteen-year-old Rodri decided to watch the game to the end just before the second half was about to begin, instead of leaving early with the majority of Villarreal fans carrying his schoolbag.
……
At this moment, in Calderon's player tunnel.
The referee is holding the football, ready to lead both teams onto the grass.
The players from Villarreal were lined up on the right, their heads bowed.
No one was encouraging each other, and no one was even speaking.
They moved slowly, occasionally glancing up at the 4-0 score on the screen at the end of the tunnel, their eyes unfocused.
These guys in yellow jerseys don't look like professional players heading to the second half; they look more like prisoners being led to the execution ground.
This stark contrast of despair, in turn, amplified the terrifying sense of oppression emanating from the Atlético Madrid players to its peak.
Gabi glanced back at Li Jing, who was 183 cm tall, standing behind him.
A resolute gaze!
"He really does have the image of a villain with an off-the-charts personality!"
It reminded me of the villains' dysfunctional families in those classic TV series.
Gabby suddenly asked a question out of curiosity, almost as if possessed.
"Li, you must be one of those orphans, right? Or maybe you grew up with your mother but couldn't repay her kindness?" Li Jing said fiercely, "Captain, do you have any manners?"
……
Domestic sports channel broadcasting room.
He Wei reached out and picked up the silver thermos on the table, unscrewed the lid, and took a big gulp of hot water.
He cleared his throat and began to speak, his eyes fixed on the live feed on the screen.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second half of the game is about to begin."
He Wei's voice is extremely penetrating.
Hemingway once said, "Life always leaves us battered and bruised, but in the end, those wounds become our strongest points."
This message is for you and me, and also for these young men from Villarreal!
It remains to be seen whether Huang Qian can find himself again in this desperate situation.
After saying that, he picked up a newly printed list from the right side of the table and glanced at it.
"Let's take a look at Villarreal's substitutions first."
He Wei's tone became extremely calm:
"Villarreal's manager made three substitutions in quick succession, replacing key veterans and striker Nilmar whose mentality had completely collapsed. This indicates that they have surrendered and chosen to protect their key players for the next, more crucial relegation battle."
Immediately afterwards, He Wei put down the list in his hand and picked up another starting lineup for the second half belonging to Atletico Madrid.
His eyes swept quickly across the paper.
Suddenly, He Wei's voice faltered for half a second.
He suddenly widened his eyes, brought the paper close to his eyes, and read it over and over again.
After confirming that he hadn't misread it, He Wei spoke into the microphone, his voice rising sharply with extreme surprise.
"This...is unbelievable!"
"Simone didn't make a substitution!"
"With such a tight schedule and a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime, he actually kept all of his key players, such as Li Jing, Falcao, and Gabi, on the field!"
He Wei's tone was filled with shock: "According to the unspoken rule in football that you should quit while you're ahead, this is called leaving no way out!"
He paused for a moment, then set the tone.
"Simone's 'villainous behavior' that completely disregards the reputation of his peers clearly shows that he not only wants to kill, but also to destroy their spirit!"
The chat room exploded with comments.
"He's not giving us a way out! This old man is ruthless!"
"Beat them to death! I like it!"
……
Beep—!
The referee blew the whistle to start the second half.
Veteran Senna, who came on as a substitute in midfield for Villarreal, had just passed the ball to a teammate in the center circle.
Only one second had passed in the game.
Li Jing's leg muscles exploded instantly.
He and Gabi completely defied expectations, charging straight towards Huang Qian's half of the field at full speed!
"Flank him on his left!"
Gabi ran wildly while yelling at Li Jing.
Li Jing's fully-upgraded tactical prediction radar was activated in his mind.
The opponent's center of gravity when receiving the ball, the friction of the grass under their feet, and even the positioning of the defenders along the passing route.
These complex factors instantly transform into an extremely clear three-dimensional heat map.
Li Jing made rapid calculations while running.
Gabi is on the left, the sideline is behind him, and a striker is interfering in front of him.
The only way for the opponent to survive is to pass the ball to the right!
The Villarreal players were thrown off balance by the two beasts and were just about to flick the ball to the right.
Li Jing had already followed the predicted route and appeared out of nowhere half a second ahead of time.
Without even slowing down, he used the moisture from the grass to execute an extremely violent sliding tackle!
Player and ball together!
The ball was cleanly tackled at his feet and bounced precisely in the direction Gabi was running.
Gabi then took control of the ball.
It only took seven seconds to get going!
Atletico Madrid wins back in the attacking third once again!
The feeling of suffocation was overwhelming. On the away team's bench, Villarreal's head coach held his head in his hands and closed his eyes in despair.
……
The match has reached the 53th minute.
Li Jing successfully positioned himself near the center circle and won possession of the ball at the second bounce.
He looked up, his mind quickly filtering through the running routes in the frontcourt.
Tactical radar provides an excellent route.
There was a full two meters of defensive space behind Villarreal defender Zapata!
Without any hesitation, Li Jing pushed hard with the arch of his right foot.
The ball skimmed along the grass, creating a long through pass that tore through the defense!
Falcao was running ahead.
He dribbled past Zapata's defense and controlled the ball on the right side of the penalty area.
Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Falcao unleashed an unreasonable and violent right-footed shot!
The ball flew towards the goal with afterimages!
boom--!
A deep, muffled thud echoed throughout half the stadium.
The ball slammed against the far post, bounced back outside the penalty area, and was then caught tightly in the goalkeeper's arms.
Falco roared to the sky and slapped his thigh hard.
But these red and white lunatics showed no sign of stopping.
……
The match is in its 62rd minute.
Huang Qian's defenses have become severely disjointed due to exhaustion.
Li Jing successfully intercepted the ball in the backfield.
This time, he didn't launch a reckless fast attack.
Li Jing stepped on the ball, deliberately slowing down his dribbling pace.
The radar in my mind is scanning frantically.
The few meters between Huang Qian's two center-backs seemed to Li Jing as wide as a road in the early morning.
Li Jing thrust his right toe into the bottom of the ball and suddenly chipped out a deadly through ball!
The ball crossed half the field and landed precisely on the edge of Villarreal's penalty area.
Falcao arrived in a hurry.
He stopped the ball steadily with his chest.
The two Villarreal center-backs in front of him were completely exhausted and could only stand still and defend with their eyes.
Falcao executed a fake shot and then a real dunk with remarkable ease.
The two defenders were so shaken that they lost their balance and landed on their backsides.
Falcao deftly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal with his left foot.
The ball went into the net with a thud!
5: 0!
The ultimate celebration instantly ignited Calderon!
Falcao was completely carried away by his goal.
Cool!
It was incredibly exhilarating!
He shook off the defender and sprinted to his own corner flag on the left.
The Colombian tiger, facing the plastic flagpole standing on the grass, didn't hesitate to deliver a violent flying kick.
Click!
The corner flagpole snapped in two.
Falcao bent down, picked up the broken pole with the red and yellow flags from the ground, and violently waved it at the home team fans in the stands!
The fans responded wildly, their deafening screams nearly lifting the stadium roof off.
Gabi and several teammates rushed over from behind and grabbed Falcao, who was waving the flagpole.
"You're insane!"
Gabby laughed and punched his shoulder hard.
Beep—!
The referee ran over with a dark expression.
In response to this celebratory gesture that damaged the stadium facilities, he did not hesitate to pull a yellow card from his shirt pocket and raise it high at Falcao.
Falcao tossed the flagpole aside and shrugged nonchalantly.
Just then, Falcao turned his head and glanced at the coaching bench on the sidelines.
Simone was standing in the command area, hands on his hips, with an extremely fierce expression on his face.
The old man was facing him with his mouth wide open, frantically repeating several mouth shapes.
The scene was too noisy; Falcao couldn't hear what Simone was yelling at all.
He tugged at Li Jing's jersey next to him.
"Li, what is the coach yelling about?" Falcao shouted. "Quick, translate for me, you have sharp eyes."
Li Jing turned his head, squinted at Simone for two seconds.
He turned back and repeated it in a serious tone:
"The coach said, 'You damn bastard, don't you dare get a yellow card for doing something so pointless!!!'"
Falco scratched his head sheepishly.
"this one?"
"He actually added it?!" "That old man is kind of cute!"
Falco asked in confusion,
"I watched his mouth move for a while, it seemed like he was saying more than just that one sentence?"
Li Jing sighed and pointed to the broken flagpole on the ground to continue adding to the story.
"The coach also said, 'This is our fucking home ground!'" "Don't kick anything here, it'll all go into the club's budget!"
"Do you even know how expensive your transfer fee was?!"
Upon hearing this, Gabi and Diego Costa, who were standing nearby, burst into laughter.
Falcao's face darkened, and he silently picked up the broken flagpole, trying to put it back in the ground.
Yes, Li Jing almost forgot about the pressure of this season if he didn't mention it.
He was the most expensive signing, a key player brought in to replace the departing Argentine striker Aguero.
This season has been incredibly frustrating.
Fortunately, things are different in the second half of the season!
……
The match is in its 73rd minute.
Atletico Madrid continued to apply pressure in the attacking third and won a corner kick on the right.
Gabi strode towards the corner flag and took the ball from the caddie on the sidelines.
He bent down and placed the ball neatly on the white line in the corner area.
Gabi stood up, took two steps back, and raised his right hand to make a tactical gesture.
The penalty area instantly descended into chaos, with Villarreal players desperately pulling and tugging at Atletico Madrid's attacking players.
boom!
Gabi curled his right foot into an arc.
The ball, with a strong inward spin, flew straight into the center of the penalty area.
Li Jing's massive body stood out in the crowd like a rocket taking off!
Huang Qian's defenders jumped desperately to try and interfere, but Li Jing's terrifying core strength played an absolute role at this moment.
He forcefully pushed aside the defender next to him in mid-air and successfully blocked the first landing point.
The ball flew straight toward his forehead.
At this distance, a direct shot is a good option.
But Li Jing did not take credit for himself.
The tactical radar had already calculated the running routes in the entire penalty area very clearly.
The Yellow Villarreal defenders' attention was completely drawn to Li Jing's jump.
A huge vacuum zone was exposed at the back!
Li Jing twisted his waist, and instead of using force to smash his head, he gently tapped it with exquisite precision.
He executed a superb header pass!
The ball changed its trajectory, drawing a parabola as it flew towards the far post.
Falcao, like a ghost, had somehow shaken off all the guards.
He appeared in the open space at the back post, his body airborne and parallel to the grass.
A textbook dive to the top!
boom!
The ball was slammed into the empty net!
Goalkeeper Diego Lopez had no chance to react and could only collapse helplessly on the goal line.
6: 0!
Falcao completes a hat trick!
He got up from the ground, rushed straight into the goal, scooped the ball out of the net, and kissed the leather surface of the ball hard.
Simeone on the sidelines completely lost control.
This madman, always dressed in a suit and tie, stood on the sidelines like a gangster boss, throwing three heavy punches into the air!
The atmosphere in the stadium was completely ignited! Fans in the stands put their arms around each other and sang Atlético Madrid's anthem with abandon.
The match has reached the 78th minute.
The scoreboard remained firmly stuck at 6:0.
……
The broadcast camera shifted from the frenzied celebrations in the attacking third to a slow pan across Atletico Madrid's half.
Courtois was standing idly by the goalpost.
He bent down and picked up his custom-printed water bottle from the grass behind the goalpost.
He pulled off the cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down a large mouthful of the sports drink.
While drinking water, he idly kicked at the few weeds that were already scattered in front of the door line with his shoe spikes.
If this had happened in the first half of the season, it would have been an unbelievable fantasy.
Courtois's mind was filled with nightmare memories of the first half of the journey.
At that time, he was complaining vehemently in the locker room about how weak the defense was.
In every match, the opposing forwards can easily break through the defense.
He's over two meters tall, and he had to make more than a dozen saves throughout the game, working himself to exhaustion like a dog. In the end, he inevitably became the backdrop for the opposing striker's goal highlights.
But now.
Courtois watched Li Jing sweeping back and forth along the edge of the penalty area, as well as Godin and Miranda, who were being closely protected by Li Jing.
This steel defense line is ridiculously tough.
As soon as a Villarreal player gets the ball past midfield, he will be ruthlessly tackled or blocked by Li Jing within three seconds.
Courtois smacked his lips, surprisingly feeling a sense of extreme boredom as a goalkeeper.
Courtois was feeling down.
This doesn't seem right!
Didn't I come to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea to prove my ability?
Why does it seem like there's no picture anymore?
What if people stop calling me "the door god"?
Courtois sensed a crisis. Could it be that Atletico Madrid will no longer be the kind of team that gets brutally dominated in the penalty area?
A team that isn't brutally defeated.
How can they be door gods then?
He casually tossed the empty kettle back next to the doorpost.
Then, he stepped out of the penalty area, cupped his hands to his mouth, and shouted at the top of his lungs towards the midfield.
"Gabbie! Lee! Can you two loosen your grip a little?!"
Courtois's voice traveled across half the field and reached the ears of the forwards.
Gabby stopped running and looked back at him.
"I was loaned out by Chelsea this season to gain experience!"
Courtois pounded his chest forcefully.
"I'm here to prove to all of Europe that I'm a world-class goalkeeper! Chelsea scouts are watching me from their VIP boxes!"
He pointed to the timid and hesitant Villarreal forwards in the opponent's half.
"You guys blocked the way like a wall, not even a single damn shot got through!"
Courtois's face was filled with grief and indignation:
"I touched the ball fewer times throughout the entire match than the ball boys on the sidelines! How am I supposed to prove to Chelsea that I can make saves?!"
Gabby burst out laughing at this utterly absurd complaint.
"Shut up, Thibault!"
Gabich gave him the middle finger.
"Just go and collect your shutout bonus! If you want to prove yourself, go to the training field!"
Li Jing wiped the sweat from his forehead, but didn't turn around, continuing to stare at the Villarreal midfielder in front of him who was about to receive the ball.
……
And in the 82nd minute of the match.
The challenge Courtois had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Cazorla is holding a football.
The football was placed 30 yards to the right of the goal.
One free kick opportunity.
……