Chapter 137: The Peach Blossom Shadow Falls — The Flying Sword's Defiant Arc Reappears
"Xia Qi is firing on all cylinders — two goals in the first fifteen minutes."
"A top-class player with godlike reactions, Xia Qi heads the ball into the empty net with his knee."
"Xia Qi's shooting, dribbling, physique… he overwhelms the China team in every aspect; it's basically a dimensional drop."
"..."
On the pitch,
Geng Xiaofeng quietly scooped the ball out of the net; he felt utterly crushed.
His knowledge of Xia Qi came mostly from TV and media reports. Before the match he had prepared mentally for conceding — after all, he was facing a European Golden Boot winner.
But no matter how much preparation he had, he was still stunned. Compared with Xia Qi, the top domestic players were nothing but house cats.
The gap between that wild tiger and a house cat left him with mixed feelings. He remembered a line from Stephen Chow's movie: "How high?" "As high as a three-story building!"
Geng Xiaofeng thought and gave a self-mocking smile: "Higher than three stories!"
His teammates were no better; each looked dazed. Especially Wu Lei — he couldn't understand how two Golden Boots could differ so much.
He couldn't control a ball and set up a shot, while Xia Qi could score in a rush with his knee??
...
In short, the Chinese players wanted to go ask Xia Qi if he knew this was a friendly match.
The mood of the China team fans in the Bird's Nest was complicated too.
If Arsenal played seriously, China couldn't handle the one-sidedness; if Arsenal didn't play seriously, it felt like an insult for the ticket price...
Seeing Xia Qi not celebrate again, the fans even hoped Xia Qi might understand their feelings without being told... like a boyfriend who just "gets" his girlfriend.
Soon the match restarted.
Arsenal didn't sit back after scoring; they continued their fierce attacks.
Spectators in the stands gave a bitter smile and glanced at the coaching bench where Arsène Wenger sat.
Xia Qi being a single young man who doesn't understand "girl feelings" could be excused, but how could you, Sir Wenger, not understand?
Quickly Arsenal intercepted the ball from the Chinese team.
After a few passes the ball was again fed to Xia Qi.
Xia Qi was clearly China's primary target.
As soon as Xia Qi touched the ball three Chinese players swarmed him,
but it was useless!
As Wang Yongbo reached to tackle, Xia Qi pulled the ball back, stepping out of range, then suddenly accelerated forward.
In the back-and-forth,
the solid-footed Wang Yongbo was beaten.
Liu Jian and Qin Shen immediately rushed in to double-team,
another burst of acceleration — like a tank charging — and the two were sent flying, one after another.
This time, however, the referee blew for an attacking foul against Xia Qi.
Xia Qi didn't argue; he smiled and walked back.
"Eh, this dribble..." commentator He Wei didn't even know how to describe it — to him Xia Qi's break was clean.
The game went on; China still couldn't get past midfield.
These young Arsenal players were fierce. Even Kevin De Bruyne, who often leaks defensively in the Premier League, won the physical battles against the China team, let alone the others.
De Bruyne broke the ball, passed to Theo Walcott, who stormed down the right; Mario Balotelli and Xia Qi ran in the middle and left toward the goal.
"Arsenal on the attack."
Walcott raced to the byline and crossed. Balotelli leapt at the near post and flicked his head; the ball flew toward the far corner.
Geng Xiaofeng quickly dove to his side and, as the ball was about to cross the goal line, he managed to scoop it up with one hand and deflect it toward the left corner flag.
Xia Qi sped after the ball along the touchline and steadied it just inside the line.
When Xia Qi sorted the ball, Feng Xiaoting only arrived a full "century" too late.
Seeing Xia Qi raise his right leg, Feng Xiaoting lunged across to block, thinking Xia Qi would dribble.
Instead, Xia Qi swung his right leg and struck the ball hard.
A pass?
Feng Xiaoting turned his head to look back.
From two meters in front of the corner flag the ball streaked like a meteor into the left side of the box,
De Bruyne was stunned; Xia Qi had actually passed to him — moved to tears.jpg!
De Bruyne charged forward, and China's defenders also rushed to the left side of the box.
But as the ball approached that side it traced a strange curve heading for China's goal.
"Beckham crescent moon curve??!!"
Everyone looked toward goalkeeper Geng Xiaofeng in alarm.
Geng watched the ball draw a breathtaking arc in the air toward the far corner.
He reacted immediately, leaping toward the far post with arms outstretched, attempting to tip the ball away.
But the angle was too wicked. Despite giving it his all, Geng could not stop the ball from hitting the net.
"Xia Qi! A zero-angle finish!"
"The peach blossom shadow falls, the flying sword's defiant arc appears again!"
"27th minute of the first half, Xia Qi completes a hat-trick..."
The Bird's Nest erupted in warm applause; with his eyes shut, Xia Qi seemed to be listening to the fans' cheers but was actually savoring the feeling of that strike.
Before Feng Xiaoting's block, Xia Qi had intended to chip the ball into the box.
But when Feng intercepted the link between him and Balotelli, in a flash Xia Qi felt the urge to shoot — almost instinctively he struck the ball and the crescent blade flew out, scoring from a near-impossible angle.
What Xia Qi needed to do now was to imprint that mysterious sensation deeply in his mind.
He felt that if, once conscious, he could still react instinctively, then in future he should try more autonomous plays.
The match continued.
China still had no answer. In the 30th minute of the first half Xia Qi contested a header in the box and again knocked Feng Xiaoting flying.
The referee called a foul on Xia Qi.
At this point, Wenger — after a nudge from Pat Rice — substituted Jack Wilshere on for Xia Qi.
Chinese fans had mixed feelings: happy to see the big killer subbed off, yet a little disappointed.
After all, many had paid to see Xia Qi play and he'd only played about thirty minutes... they consoled themselves: at least he didn't act like a diva.
"Xia Qi's off, but China still mustn't be complacent. This Arsenal side features Balotelli, Walcott, De Bruyne... many are top players today."
No sooner had commentator Duan Xuan spoken than De Bruyne set up Balotelli to score.
Seeing these youngsters still not grasping the point of the substitutions, Wenger waved his arm and replaced Balotelli, Santi Cazorla and Kevin De Bruyne all at once.
(Friendly matches have no substitution limits.)
After those three left, China's pressure eased and they launched several attacks, but Wu Lei's runs were world-class while his finishing was still at domestic level.
He missed two chances, including an empty-net miss.
Amid boos from the crowd, China's coach reluctantly put on Wei Shihao.
A substitution can be like a new blade!
Wei Shihao and Wu Lei alternately attacked Arsenal's goal and for a time the Bird's Nest shook with Chinese drums and shouts of support...
Wenger's mouth curled into a small smile; secretly relieved, thinking they could come back next year.
Near the end of the first half, Wu Lei finally converted from an assist by Wei Shihao.
China went into halftime trailing 1–4.
At half-time Arsenal also substituted their keeper, Mariano Martínez coming off.
Although Wenger was easing the intensity, Arsenal still dominated on the pitch.
It was inevitable: big clubs' benches are deep enough to compete for the Europa League on their own, while China's national team probably has relegation-zone level players — the gap is significant.
Xia Qi sat on the bench chatting with Mario Balotelli, Kevin De Bruyne and the others about the deliciousness of Peking roast duck.
Suddenly a childish voice called his name. Xia Qi spotted a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy asking for his shirt.
Xia Qi dug under his seat and handed one over, and that stirred a hornet's nest — many fans in the stands clamored for one too.
Xia Qi went back under the seat and produced a dozen shirts and handed them out one by one.
The spare shirts under the seats were brought by the kit staff for players during the match — for bloodstains or heavy dirt so players could change. So only one of the shirts Xia Qi gave away bore his own number.
The fans' enthusiasm didn't die down; Xia Qi made a helpless "none left" gesture.
"Xia Qi is so generous, he gave away all the spare shirts. He may have to pay for them himself after the match."
"Fans could have just bought shirts and asked Xia Qi to sign them..."
"..."
Beep!
"The match ends. China lose at home 2–5 to visiting Arsenal. This scoreline is acceptable."
After the match Xia Qi was immediately surrounded by journalists.
"China is a strong side; beating them away is something to be proud of. They are generous hosts. I hope next time they send out their best players and not keep them on the bench."
"Like Wei Shihao and reserve keeper Wang Dalei..."
Chinese reporters exchanged glances; they wanted to tell Xia Qi that it wasn't sheer hospitality that kept the two on the bench, but rather that some people hadn't paid enough fees to start...
After washing up in the dressing room, Xia Qi and the others went straight to the historic Quanjude Peking Duck restaurant.
Chinese food's impact on foreigners' palates is a dimensional drop.
Xia Qi posted a roast duck family photo on Twitter; two hours later it had over a million likes.
The next day the whole squad visited the Great Wall... that night they flew to Japan.
Three days later they returned to London to prepare for the Community Shield.
During preparations Wenger began transfer work: Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski were moved on. With De Bruyne in the squad, Wenger had little use for 272,* and he targeted Gustavo, the Brazilian samba army's main defensive midfielder who had been cleared out by Pep Guardiola.
Gustavo is a versatile defensive midfielder who can also play left-back and center-back.
At Bayern the defensive midfield spots included Javi Martínez; Gustavo was marginal at the club. With Toni Kroos already gone to Real Madrid he had some chance, but Guardiola brought in Thiago and Jérôme Boateng/?? (Kießling? Kießel? — coach signings confused the path). Seeking World Cup playing time, Gustavo looked to move, initially planning Wolfsburg, but Wenger intervened.
Between Wolfsburg and the Gunners, Gustavo chose the latter without hesitation...
While Wenger negotiated with Bayern, time ticked away and soon the Community Shield match day arrived.
The Community Shield is equivalent to the English Super Cup.
It pits the previous season's Premier League champion against the FA Cup winner.
If the same club won both, the league runner-up participates.
The 2013/2014 Community Shield was between Arsenal and Wigan Athletic.
Although it's a contest between the Premier League champion and the FA Cup champion, its value is low.
Players and coaches don't prize its honor highly and motivation can be lacking.
That's because the match has no prize money; all proceeds are donated to charity.
The biggest benefit of the Community Shield is preseason conditioning: there's no better warm-up opponent.
On August 11, 2013, at 14:00.
Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal vs. Wigan Athletic.
Xia Qi again chose autonomous mode and the system matched him with the "Momentum Like a Torrent" attribute.
From kickoff Arsenal showed their strength.
With skilled passing, ball control and outstanding individual technique they quickly took control.
Players moved intelligently and passed precisely, tearing open Wigan's defense again and again.
In the 6th minute, Luke Shaw — who'd been taking make-up exams at home — overlapped at the back post, beat Wigan's Callum McManaman and Holt with successive runs and crossed.
Xia Qi at 13 yards did a one-touch volley — 1–0!
In the 18th minute, De Bruyne threaded a short through ball from the edge of the box; Balotelli received between two defenders and nudged it home.
The ball didn't fly straight; it arced and struck the post, rebounding into the net!
2–0!
Whether Balotelli intentionally used the toe chip or mis-hit, that goal became the best strike of the match.
Its brilliance came from deceiving keeper Ben Amos (or Carson — the text says Carson).
On slow-motion the image of the keeper on his knees preparing to clasp the ball looked particularly foolish.
Up two, Arsenal pressed harder.
In the 31st minute De Bruyne curled an outside-of-the-foot pass; the ball rolled forward on the right then suddenly turned sharply left.
On the left, Xia Qi let the ball run and hammered a shot which flew up into the stands.
Wigan fans jeered: "Plane crash!"
In the 35th minute Balotelli laid the ball off in Wigan's box, Xia Qi dived to head it home.
He completed a brace!
Arsenal 3–0!
After the goal Xia Qi spread his arms like flying, responding to the Wigan fans who had mocked him earlier.
In the 40th minute Walcott's right-wing low cross saw Balotelli slightly miss at the near post; Xia Qi at the back post headed cleanly but straight into the keeper's arms.
In the final minutes of the first half neither side scored.
After the break, the second half resumed.
In the 54th minute Santi Cazorla released an ultra-long pass near the center circle; Walcott cut inside and tapped into the near corner — 4–0.
Seeing the win secure, Wenger substituted Xia Qi and De Bruyne.
In the end Arsenal beat their opponent 5–0. Xia Qi and Balotelli each scored two, but because Balotelli played the full match he won Man of the Match.
In this game Arsenal's players displayed very high technical quality.
Kevin De Bruyne's passing was magician-like, Xia Qi's movement ghost-like, and Balotelli's shooting like cannon shots.
Their victory opened the new season with a trophy and gave fans high expectations for the campaign ahead.
(END CHAPTER)
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