Chapter 158: An Angel Descends on Stamford Bridge! The First to Eat the Crab
Returning from Tokyo with England's first-ever Club World Cup title, Bayswater Chinese FC were met with warm treatment by the British media as soon as they landed at Heathrow Airport.
For English football, this was a historic milestone.
Yes, Manchester United had won the Toyota Cup back in 1999, but that was more of a glorified friendly.
The Club World Cup, however, was a FIFA-sanctioned, fully official tournament—with real prestige.
The British press had nothing but praise for the team Yang Cheng had built.
Especially since, while Bayswater were busy winning a world title in Japan, Liverpool lost in Premier League Round 18.
As The Times put it:
"The best Christmas gift Liverpool could've given Bayswater Chinese FC."
Though Arsenal and United had caught up, Liverpool's defeat dropped them to 4th.
At Heathrow, when reporters asked Yang Cheng for his thoughts on Round 18's results, he simply smiled and said, "Not bad."
"Not bad?" The journalists blinked, confused.
"Well, if they'd all drawn instead, I'd be even happier," Yang Cheng admitted, grinning.
Everyone laughed.
That honesty, that calculation—it was so Yang Cheng.
If all the top teams had drawn, Bayswater's lead would be even more commanding.
Still, Yang Cheng said he was very satisfied.
Winning the Club World Cup and claiming the Premier League mid-season title gave the team a huge boost in confidence.
"We're a young team. Winning a title gives us belief."
Everyone agreed.
Back in preseason, when Bayswater sold both Arshavin and Lassana Diarra, critics said the club was doomed.
But instead, they exploded into form.
Bale, Di María, and Walcott filled Arshavin's void.
Rakitić and Matuidi replaced Lassana Diarra with style.
Kompany turned out to be an upgrade over Koscielny.
Now, at the halfway point of the season, it was clear: Bayswater hadn't weakened by selling—it had gotten stronger.
And that was unbelievable.
Which only elevated Yang Cheng's reputation further.
Since the Bayswater Stadium was still under construction, the team's trophy room had been temporarily moved to Wembley.
Naturally, after winning the Club World Cup, fans and media flooded in for a trophy presentation event.
During interviews, Yang Cheng told reporters:
"We're in a great phase right now."
"Everyone is working toward the same goal, and that's crucial for any team."
And what was the goal?
"To win back everything we lost last season."
Last year, Bayswater lost the Premier League title and the FA Cup final.
Sure, they won the Champions League—but they were this close to being runners-up in all three.
Yang Cheng's declaration was clear: he wanted the league and the FA Cup back.
He even joked that now that they had the Club World Cup, they'd won almost everything—except the FA Cup.
And only then did everyone realize:
This young team was turning into a trophy machine.
Almost every major trophy a club could win—they had.
Only the FA Cup remained.
But Yang Cheng also warned: the schedule ahead wouldn't be easy.
The updated fixture list was just released—and Round 18's rescheduled match had been confirmed for January 14.
Originally, Yang Cheng had wanted to knock out the postponed Round 3 match against Manchester United.
They had confidence in the Round 18 home game against Middlesbrough.
It would've been perfect to get the United match out of the way early.
But Ferguson changed his mind.
Why?
Because on January 11, United would face Chelsea.
Bayswater would be playing Blackburn at home.
Ferguson felt that scheduling the makeup match so soon after was giving Bayswater an unfair advantage.
Yang Cheng was furious—he even called Ferguson from Japan to confront him.
"We agreed on this!" he protested.
Ferguson couldn't have cared less.
"You've got two make-up matches. Do Round 18 first."
"And what if our FA Cup match ends in a draw? We'll need that date for the replay anyway."
January 14 was the standard replay date for FA Cup Round 3 draws.
That's how the tournament worked: weekend matches, midweek replays.
Yang Cheng had no choice.
He couldn't force United to play.
So January 14 would be the Round 18 makeup game.
Which meant, in just 26 days, Bayswater would play 8 matches.
If they advanced in the FA Cup? 9 matches.
Basically, a game every three days.
And on top of all that, UK weather reports were predicting a harsh January in 2009.
English winters were notorious for fog, ice, and snow.
Sure, most stadiums now had advanced under-soil heating, so matches wouldn't be postponed as easily.
But in extreme cold, even heating systems struggled.
And the bigger danger? Player injuries from slick, frozen pitches.
The club would need to prepare well in advance.
But when it came to weather and injuries, some things were just beyond control.
...
To make things worse, the UK was also facing a currency crisis.
Due to the Bank of England's aggressive interest rate cuts, the pound sterling was plummeting.
Before the season, the pound-to-euro exchange rate was 1:1.5.
By the end of October, it had dropped to 1:1.287.
Now, it had fallen even further: 1:0.98.
The euro was now worth more than the pound.
"Standard Chartered's chief economist predicts that within a month, the pound may fall to 0.9—or even lower. We need to prepare."
At the Brent Training Centre, Yang Cheng, Xia Qing, Adam Crozier, Omar Berrada, and Chris Hunter held a high-level meeting before Christmas.
Top of the agenda?
The rapid depreciation of the pound.
In just a few months, it had lost nearly one-third of its value—unprecedented.
And it wasn't just the pound—the euro was dropping too.
But the pound was falling much faster.
"The global outlook is bleak," said Xia Qing. "Pound and euro both in decline. The UK economy is contracting more severely than expected—worse than the eurozone."
"In just three months, the base interest rate dropped from 5% in early October to 2% now. The eurozone still holds at 2.5%."
"Besides interest rates, recession fears, rising unemployment, falling housing prices, and soaring government debt—all point to continued pound weakness."
Xia Qing's words cast a heavy silence over the room.
By November 2008, unemployment in the UK had climbed to 1.86 million—the highest since 1999.
The rising jobless rate was bound to trigger a chain reaction of social and economic consequences.
And this wasn't just a social issue—the impact on football, especially the Premier League, could be devastating.
The simplest example?
With the pound-to-euro exchange rate falling to 1:0.9, the pull of European giants on Premier League players would only grow stronger.
Take Real Madrid's transfer of Lassana Diarra.
They paid £30 million, which converted to €45 million back then.
Now, six months later?
The same £30 million only equates to €27 million—a whopping €18 million difference evaporated.
This shift gave clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona more power to poach Premier League talent.
That's just league competition.
What about individual players?
Take Modrić, for instance. A Croatian living in the Eurozone.
Before, his £40,000 weekly wage converted to €60,000.
Now? Even at £80,000 per week, he only brings home just over €70,000.
And that's with a significant raise.
Without that? It would feel like a pay cut in disguise.
"We're actually in a better position than most," Xia Qing continued, her eyes landing softly on Yang Cheng.
"Since summer, we've accelerated our renewal negotiations. Most contracts are either finalized or nearly done."
"Other clubs haven't been as lucky. Things are getting worse for them."
Strangely, Xia Qing had the feeling that Yang Cheng had seen this coming all along.
That's why he'd been pushing so hard behind the scenes to finalize renewals.
She used to think he was being overly cautious—raising the club's top wage from £40,000 to £80,000 in one go seemed excessive.
But now?
It was visionary.
If they had stuck with the £60,000 plan, what would be the point of renewing Modrić's contract?
It'd feel like a disguised demotion.
She quickly shook off the thought.
No one could've predicted the Bank of England slashing rates so aggressively.
No one imagined the pound would crash this fast.
The effect of the pound's decline on Premier League clubs was enormous.
Yang Cheng and Xia Qing exchanged a knowing, confident smile.
Then they looked around the table—Adam Crozier and the rest still seemed downbeat.
The pound's collapse had hit everyone hard.
Take the sponsorship deals they signed previously—now they looked terrible in retrospect, heavily devalued.
But there was nothing they could do. This was a nationwide issue—beyond anyone's control.
"The impact of the pound's fall is real, but I don't think it'll last long," Yang Cheng finally said, cautiously.
He wasn't a finance expert. All he could do was draw on common sense and fragments of memory from his previous life.
"My guess? The pound will rebound in a few months. But base interest rates will definitely fall again."
Everyone looked at him, curious about his reasoning.
"I'm no expert—just intuition, really. But it's simple: if the pound stays weaker than the euro, the UK economy is finished."
"As for arguments like 'it helps exports' or 'attracts more tourists'—those don't mean much compared to domestic spending. The British government will stabilize this."
"And honestly, do you really believe the eurozone is doing that much better than Britain? Those few problematic EU countries—can they really hold up? Are they more resilient than the UK?"
"I don't buy it," he said with a laugh.
Xia Qing's eyes lit up.
"Exactly. The eurozone is structured differently. One or two weak countries can drag the whole bloc down."
Exchange rates are comparative.
If the pound stabilizes while the euro drops, the exchange rate rebounds.
Yang Cheng recalled that during the euro crisis, when the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) ran into trouble, the pound rallied again.
By mid-2009, it recovered to about 1.25 per euro and held there for a long time.
"I'm sure base rates will keep falling. I don't know how far, but the UK government will step in. They'll roll out stimulus measures to revive the economy."
"That's our opportunity."
In every country, large-scale infrastructure projects are always prioritized during crises.
If the UK government rolled out a stimulus package, Bayswater Chinese FC's stadium project would absolutely be included.
And once government support kicked in—combined with record-low interest rates—Yang Cheng was confident they could build the stadium at minimal cost.
Of course, that was a matter for 2009 and beyond.
Right now, the top priority was reassuring the players.
The currency's rapid drop hit the players hard.
People often only see the stars on the pitch, but the club had to consider the human beings off it—and their families.
Some players had bought homes in London and back in their home countries.
Their families often lived in Europe.
The pound's collapse could directly affect their households.
That's why Bayswater Chinese FC had to step up—to back their players and offer support where needed.
Moments like this are when a club proves its humanity—its commitment to putting players first.
...
The pound's freefall also brought with it an unexpected twist.
Manchester United publicly announced that their 2008 revenue was not £257.1 million as previously reported by Deloitte.
Deloitte had missed two items:
– An annual £23 million sponsorship from Nike
– Revenue share from shirt sales
With those added, United's revenue would surpass Real Madrid's £289.6 million, reclaiming the title of highest-earning football club in the world.
They meant this as a positive PR move.
But they hadn't anticipated the pound's rapid collapse.
Now, even with the higher figure, United couldn't overtake Real Madrid's euro-based revenue.
British media couldn't help but sigh.
One year of hard work—undone by a few weeks of currency fluctuations.
Meanwhile, Bayswater Chinese FC hadn't even finalized their own year-end numbers yet.
Yang Cheng and Adam Crozier were too busy calming players and staff.
Internally, the club rolled out a series of emergency measures—designed to provide financial safety nets for everyone.
Especially the players.
Yang Cheng personally met with them, one by one, to understand their concerns.
And he reminded them: the pound's fall is temporary.
This was a global crisis. No country in Europe would escape unscathed.
The most important thing was to focus on playing football.
"By mid-2009, everything will stabilize again."
To boost morale, Yang Cheng made a surprise announcement at the club's Christmas dinner:
He was increasing the treble bonus—from £8 million to £12 million.
This bonus, for winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, was a powerful signal of faith and commitment.
To offset the losses caused by the currency depreciation, Bayswater Chinese FC also increased subsidies for all players in the youth academy—not just the first team.
These young players were far more vulnerable to risk than established stars.
All of this added up to a considerable expense for the club.
Xia Qing felt the pinch too—but she still supported Yang Cheng's decision.
Because building a club that felt warm, humane, and like home—that's what Yang Cheng truly wanted.
And Xia Qing was committed to supporting him with everything she had.
Bayswater Chinese FC had always been known for being "stingy." Among the Premier League giants, their wage expenditure ranked dead last.
But in a time of crisis, Bayswater moved swiftly—stepping in to support players, implementing protective measures. Compared to other clubs' passivity, this earned them admiration from players, fans, and the media alike.
Especially the fans.
They want a club they can believe in—a club with integrity and responsibility.
Reports soon emerged that, despite the financial crisis, Bayswater Chinese FC had still delivered generous Christmas gifts to local residents in Bayswater, Notting Hill, Wembley, and surrounding neighborhoods.
The club also increased donations to charities supporting the elderly, orphans, children's hospitals, and care homes.
In truth, these initiatives had been planned long ago by Yang Cheng and Adam Crozier.
Initially, the idea was to smooth relations with the community during the stadium construction phase.
But unexpectedly, the timing transformed these gestures into a model of social responsibility during a financial crisis.
Not only did the British press lavish praise on the club, even the London city government, and eventually even 10 Downing Street, stepped forward.
They publicly called on other organizations to follow Bayswater's example—to rise up and face hardship together.
Suddenly, Bayswater Chinese FC became the club on everyone's lips.
...
"What the hell? They spend that little and still get praised by Downing Street?"
In Knightsbridge, London, Roman Abramovich sat in his mansion, fuming as he flipped through glowing press coverage of Bayswater.
"They don't deserve it!"
The more he looked, the more he hated what he saw.
The first London club to win the Champions League.
Now, the first English club to win the Club World Cup.
Everything good was being scooped up by Bayswater.
The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got.
"Marina, tell Peter Kenyon—we'll support our players too. We'll launch some new initiatives."
"And for Christmas... come up with something."
Marina Granovskaia gave him a look, hesitated, and softly replied, "Boss... it's too late."
"What do you mean, too late?" Abramovich's tone sharpened.
"Right now, the media and fans are all praising Bayswater. No matter what we do now, how much money we spend, it'll just look like we're copying them."
"And the more clubs that follow, the more credit Bayswater gets—because they were first."
Being the first to eat the crab always wins the most applause—and gets the best results.
Abramovich rubbed his temples, inwardly cursing.
Why did I have to end up with a neighbor like this?
"What about the players? What's the mood in the dressing room?" he asked.
"It's chaotic."
He looked up sharply.
"Our results aren't good, our league position is slipping, and there are constant rumors about Scolari being sacked. The club hasn't said anything, so morale is low."
"And now, with the pound collapsing, lots of players are unhappy."
Just because they earned money in pounds and spent it in pounds didn't mean they were immune.
With the pound falling and prices rising, their cost of living had skyrocketed.
And then there were savings.
Most wages were paid in pounds. Most of their bank accounts were in pounds.
Imagine waking up one day to find your savings had lost a third of their value.
Anyone would panic.
Especially for foreign players like Drogba or Anelka, who had loans or obligations back home in euros—they'd be devastated.
In this light, Granovskaia genuinely respected Bayswater's approach.
At the very least, they reacted quickly, and their decisions were timely.
Now, other clubs were starting to follow.
But most were still watching from the sidelines.
Why? Simple. Many of them saw players as expendable assets. Why care?
Some of these clubs had taken out loans from eurozone banks. They were barely keeping themselves afloat—they had no time to worry about the players.
And from that angle, it only proved one thing:
Bayswater Chinese FC truly had money.
...
With the pound in freefall, Christmas 2008 felt especially grim.
That included Bayswater.
Fresh off a grueling trip to Japan to win the Club World Cup, they now had to immediately pivot to prepare for the festive fixtures.
On December 26th, Boxing Day, they traveled to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham.
Because they had to play Chelsea at home on the 28th, Yang Cheng rested multiple starters and made a heavy rotation.
As a result, the match at White Hart Lane became a stalemate.
Until the 87th minute, when substitute Jamie O'Hara assisted Darren Bent, who beat the offside trap and scored.
0–1.
Bayswater Chinese FC suffered their first league loss of the season.
In the locker room, Yang Cheng consoled his players.
At the post-match press conference, he told reporters:
"For any professional team, losing is inevitable."
"No team wins every match, or goes a whole season unbeaten. That's unrealistic."
"We've played 17 matches—15 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. I couldn't be more proud. I have no higher demands for my players."
He admitted that the loss at White Hart Lane was disappointing.
"In terms of performance, we were better. We created more chances."
"But sometimes, playing well isn't enough to win."
He congratulated Harry Redknapp, but reminded everyone:
"What matters now is our next match—at home against Chelsea."
"We will bounce back at home."
Elsewhere in the league:
– Manchester United beat Stoke 1–0 away, thanks to an 82nd-minute goal from Tevez.
– Chelsea beat West Brom 2–0 at home (goals from Drogba and Lampard).
– Liverpool won 3–0 at home against Bolton.
– Manchester City were the most impressive—Kaká and Robinho each scored twice in a 5–1 demolition of Hull.
– Arsenal drew 2–2 away at Aston Villa.
...
After the match against Tottenham at noon on the 26th, Yang Cheng began receiving injury reports from the medical team later that evening.
Walcott had a mild muscle fiber tear in his thigh, expected to be out for two weeks.
Shortly after, Leighton Baines was diagnosed with the same injury, also facing a two-week absence.
Though both injuries were considered mild—with some pain, swelling, and stiffness—they weren't negligible.
Some clubs might have pushed the players to play through it.
But the medical staff advised rest.
Yang Cheng approved.
This winter had been colder than usual—a peak season for injuries.
And the two cases were different.
Walcott was injured during the match against Spurs.
Baines didn't even play; he got hurt during training.
That meant for the upcoming home match against Chelsea, young Marcelo would have to start again.
Or Yang Cheng could shift another player to left-back—like Gareth Bale.
After weighing his options, Yang Cheng decided to stick with the 4-3-3 formation:
GK: Neuer
Defense: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Pepe, Maicon
Midfield: Yaya Touré (DM), Matuidi, Modrić
Attack: Gareth Bale, Džeko, Di María
Chelsea had injuries of their own—captain John Terry was out, and Carvalho had just returned from injury.
Scolari had no choice but to rotate as well:
GK: Čech
Defense: Ashley Cole, Alex, Ivanović, Bosingwa
Midfield: Mikel (DM), Deco, Lampard
Attack: Malouda, Drogba, Anelka
The match began with Bayswater Chinese FC attacking aggressively.
Yang Cheng knew full well that Chelsea would target Marcelo's side.
So, instead of waiting—he attacked first.
In just the 9th minute, Marcelo overlapped down the left and passed to Bale, then cut inside toward the left half-space.
Bale beat Bosingwa and returned the ball to Marcelo.
Facing the sideline, Marcelo sent a perfect through ball to the byline.
Bale sprinted past Bosingwa, caught up to the pass, and delivered a low cross.
In the box, Džeko, Alex, and Ivanović all moved.
Ivanović slid desperately in front of Džeko, trying to intercept.
It was a dangerous move—any miscalculation could've been an own goal.
Bale knew that.
But Ivanović managed to get a touch, sending the ball looping up instead.
Džeko, who had deliberately held his run, pounced on the loose ball before Alex could react and smashed it in.
1–0!
Wembley exploded with joy.
But Bayswater's lead lasted only nine minutes.
Deco split the defense with a sharp through ball between Marcelo and Thiago Silva.
Drogba muscled past Silva and blasted the equalizer past Neuer.
1–1!
Game on.
Both sides continued pressing, refusing to play conservatively.
Then, in the 44th minute, Matuidi surged into the box and unleashed a rocket—Čech made a flying save.
Corner.
Modrić ran over to take it and whipped in a fast, curling ball.
In the chaos, Mikel lost Džeko's run, and the defenders were drawn to Pepe and Touré.
Džeko flew into the box and headed it home.
2–1! Džeko's brace!
After the break, Chelsea made a change—Carvalho came on for Bosingwa.
Ivanović shifted to right-back to shadow Bale, with Alex and Carvalho now at center-back.
Chelsea switched to counter-attacking football.
In the 70th minute, Deco tried a long pass toward Drogba.
Neuer came out bravely, punching it clear—but collided with Drogba and both went down.
The ball bounced outside the box.
Touré couldn't position himself in time, and Lampard fired a 25-yard missile into the unguarded net.
2–2!
Chelsea equalized again.
They made another change—Essien for Malouda.
Now they looked like a 4-4-2.
Drogba and Anelka up front, Deco now playing as a true No.10.
Yang Cheng responded.
Hazard came on for Matuidi.
Di María dropped into midfield alongside Modrić.
Hazard took the left wing, and Bale switched to the right.
The message was clear: full-on attack.
...
"Still Bayswater's ball…"
"To Modrić, another pass…"
"Gareth Bale cuts in from the right—left-footed shot!"
"Just wide of the post!"
"Bayswater's attack looks more and more threatening after the adjustments!"
"That shot had serious venom!"
...
"Now Di María tries to slip it through to Džeko…"
"Alex blocks it!"
"But it falls to Bayswater again."
"Touré picks it up."
"The Ivorian drives forward—one-two with Modrić!"
"Touré is charging past Mikel like a tank!"
"Long-range shot!"
"Čech saves it brilliantly!"
"Chelsea's defense is tightening!"
"The Blues, from Ranieri to Mourinho to now, have always been among the Premier League's most solid teams defensively!"
"Even a high-flying Bayswater is struggling to break them down!"
...
"Hazard dribbles!"
"He's past one… past two!"
"The Belgian slaloms past both defenders and lays it off at the top of the box!"
"Substitute Lewandowski—first-time shot!"
"Just wide!"
"Bayswater are growing anxious."
"Only two minutes left—it's already the 88th minute."
"Chelsea look content with a point."
"But Yang Cheng definitely won't see it that way."
"He's gone all-in this match—he clearly wants the full three points at home."
"Bayswater Chinese FC's attack has been relentless, especially in these final 20 minutes."
"But Chelsea have thrown up a steel wall, a full-on parked bus, giving them no openings at all."
...
As the minutes ticked by, the atmosphere inside Wembley grew heavier and more intense.
Even the 90,000 fans in the stands could feel the tension choking the air.
And on the pitch, Di María felt it even more.
His father had once been a professional footballer. When Di María was born, the family had been doing alright financially.
Which is why, born on February 14—Valentine's Day—he was named Ángel.
But everything changed when his father co-signed a loan and the debt dragged the family into poverty.
From that day forward, Di María's childhood was shrouded in black.
His father began making charcoal in the backyard, selling it to make ends meet. Their home was always covered in soot.
From a young age, Di María showed exceptional talent. He became the family's only hope to escape debt and despair.
His mother rode a bicycle every day, carrying him 10 kilometers to Rosario Central's youth training ground.
He would never forget that summer of 2006.
An offer came from Bayswater Chinese FC—and it became the topic of discussion in his household.
For an Argentine, playing in England was never easy.
But Di María looked around at his soot-blackened living room, saw his father's blackened face—and he made his decision. He went.
He still remembered the look in his parents' eyes—shocked, worried, proud, and guilty all at once.
That memory fueled him with strength.
His career at Bayswater Chinese FC had been beautiful.
Yang Cheng had believed in him early, promoting him to the first team and giving him specialized training.
He survived the hard times and grew into the squad.
And all of that—was thanks to Yang Cheng.
Especially when he received death threats and harassment from extreme fans—Yang Cheng stood in front of him, shielding him from every storm and building a safe, nurturing environment around him.
Yang often checked on him, chatted with him about his form, and asked about his family.
All of it—Di María would remember for life.
He hadn't understood before why some players fought so fiercely.
But now, he knew.
Now, he was willing to give everything for Bayswater Chinese FC.
All season, he had felt the pressure.
As Bale and Walcott soared—both British players—Di María still hadn't scored in the league.
Outside voices began to question Yang Cheng's faith in him.
British fans wanted Bale and Walcott to get more minutes.
But Yang Cheng continued to rotate them. He gave Di María unwavering support.
Nothing changed.
That moved Di María deeply—but also weighed on him.
He knew scoring wasn't his strength.
But he worked hard. He trained his right foot. He practiced shooting. He never slacked off.
He didn't care about proving anything to the critics.
All he wanted was to repay the trust of his coach, to help the team, to fight alongside his teammates.
He never voiced these thoughts—but he never stopped trying.
Against Chelsea, whether on the left, right, or in the center, Di María ran relentlessly, patiently waiting for his chance.
"Boss says Mikel's right-footed. So is Essien. If you've got a shot—take it. Don't hesitate!"
That was Yang Cheng's instruction, relayed via Lewandowski.
In the final 20 minutes, Chelsea parked the bus completely, pulling everyone back.
But Yang Cheng had noticed a crack.
Di María said nothing—but kept looking for it.
A chance to prove himself. To help his team. To repay his coach.
As the clock struck the 90th minute, and the fourth official had just shown three minutes of added time, Di María saw Marcelo driving forward with the ball.
Marcelo had sublime technique.
Di María joined the run, linking up with him.
But his eyes were tracking Mikel and Essien.
Essien was bound to drift wide—he wouldn't leave Ivanović alone to deal with both Hazard and Marcelo.
So Di María edged toward the center—closer to Mikel.
To draw Essien away.
Sure enough, as Marcelo reached Chelsea's 30-meter line, Essien chased out.
Di María followed—and called for the ball.
Marcelo had been about to pass to Hazard, but when he heard Di María call out, he glanced over—and sent it to the left channel with his left foot.
The ball zipped past Essien, heading toward the gap.
Di María exploded forward.
He touched the ball into space with his left foot, surged past Mikel.
The Nigerian was strong—but slow.
Di María created space with that burst.
Before defenders could react, the Argentine unleashed a left-footed rocket.
The shot lifted him off the ground. He nearly lost his balance.
The ball screamed toward goal—past the box, over the heads of Chelsea and Bayswater players alike.
And then—it dipped suddenly and crashed into the right side of Chelsea's net.
Čech, standing on the left, had no chance.
Silence.
Then, Wembley exploded.
90,000 fans screamed.
Everyone leapt from their seats, bellowing Di María's name.
"GOAL!!!!"
"THE ANGEL DESCENDS!!!"
"GLORIOUS FROM DI MARÍA!"
"A world-class screamer in the final minute!"
"3–2!!!"
"Bayswater Chinese FC have broken Chelsea again!"
"What a GOAL from Ángel Di María!"
As Di María regained his footing, he realized what had just happened.
His shot had found the net.
His mind went blank.
And then—he ran.
Shrugging off teammates trying to grab him, he sprinted straight to the touchline—and leapt into Yang Cheng's arms.
The rest of the team rushed over, surrounding them in a jubilant pile.
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