Chapter 142: The Goal That Will Live Forever in History
"Penguin Sports!"
"Penguin Sports!"
"Friends in the audience, welcome to Penguin Live — you're tuned in on time for Round 3 of the 2013–2014 Premier League season.
I'm your old friend Zhang Lu,
I'm Zhan Jun.
Tonight's match is Arsenal hosting Tottenham Hotspur — the North London Derby.
Both teams have won their first two matches and morale is high.
"The match is about to begin. Coach Zhang, please introduce tonight's starting lineups for the fans."
"Okay."
"The away team Tottenham are playing a 4-4-2 tonight:
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
Left back: Danny Rose, center backs: Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen, right back: Kyle Walker
Midfield: Mousa Dembélé, Paulinho, Christian Eriksen, Étienne Capoue.
Forwards: Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Before the season Tottenham sold Gareth Bale and bought Eriksen, Paulinho, Capoue…
So tonight's Spurs lineup could also be called the hundred-million-pound lineup.
Tottenham's substitutes tonight: Jermain Defoe, Andros Townsend, Steven Caulker, Brad Friedel…
Arsenal are still using the 3-6-1:
Goalkeeper: Martínez,
three center backs: Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Samuel Umtiti.
New signing Gustavo as the lone defensive midfielder,
Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla continue to pair as left and right central midfielders.
Xia Qi plays as the left winger, Jack Wilshere as the attacking midfielder, Theo Walcott on the right wing.
Mario Balotelli is the lone striker."
"There are several storylines tonight: first, which team can continue their winning streak? Second, the Asian Derby hyped by Korean media; third, the combat effectiveness of Tottenham's expensive lineup."
"Alright, fans, the players are already standing on the center circle ready for kick-off."
Beep!
"The match has started. The team in white attacking from the left to the right is Tottenham, and the team in red is Arsenal…"
…
On the pitch
"Ding dong"
"Host, please choose 'Training' or 'Match' mode."
"Match."
"Host, please select field position: A Forward, B…"
"A."
"Detected that the host's team is currently in a predicament, matching host with the [Guarín the Flea Carlos] attribute."
"The host will gain Carlos's speed and heavy-shot bonuses…"
"Please choose 'Autonomous Mode' or 'One-click AFK Mode'."
"One-click AFK!"
"Beep!"
With the referee's whistle, the previously quiet Emirates erupted into huge cheers.
The home team Arsenal won the ball, Xia Qi played it out to Jack Wilshere, and the attacking trident surged forward together.
However, visiting Tottenham abandoned their old passive approach and pressed Arsenal aggressively.
Wilshere didn't expect Spurs to be so fierce right off the bat; unprepared, he could only pass the ball backwards, and the ball traveled all the way back to Martínez's feet.
Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino had designed a high-pressing style.
Even when the ball reached Arsenal goalkeeper Martínez, they didn't stop.
Young Kane shot forward like an arrow to pressure Martínez into an error.
Although Martínez is not old in years, he is experienced on the field.
He didn't give Kane the chance to close him down; with a neat clearance while they were still some distance apart, he booted the ball forward.
It should have been a routine clearance.
Usually no danger.
Up front, Balotelli saw the ball flying toward him and, following the principle "if there's a chance you might as well go for it," leaped up.
But he didn't head the ball cleanly.
Although he missed, he misled Jan Vertonghen, who was marking him.
Vertonghen mistimed his header behind Balotelli and glanced the ball off-course.
The ball flew high and far!
In an instant judgment of the situation, humans are no match for AI.
Xia Qi immediately sprinted forward, arriving first at the ball's landing spot, and leapt high.
Xia Qi's reaction was like a flash!
Kyle Walker, marking him, only reacted two or three meters after Xia Qi had already broken forward; all he could do was watch Xia Qi jump and could not interfere.
In midair, Xia Qi pulled his arms in, straightened his back, leaned backward, and then whipped his head into a "backwards glance at the moon."
"Ding dong! [Telepathic Synchrony] attribute activated."
The ball changed trajectory in the air and fell into the space behind Kyle Walker.
After Balotelli had overleapt in the middle, he was about to drop back.
Instead he saw Xia Qi making a diagonal run from the left — although Xia Qi had not yet made contact with the ball.
But he could see Xia Qi contesting the header; when Kyle Walker followed Xia Qi out, the Spurs back line temporarily opened a gap because of their movement.
Balotelli immediately stopped his retreat, quickly observed the defenders' positions.
Keeping himself onside, he silently ran into that space — he believed that if he could create an opportunity, Xia Qi would pass.
Because they are not just partners, they are brothers!
"Xia Qi's headed flick, Balotelli is onside! This is an opportunity!"
In the space behind Kyle Walker,
Balotelli lifted his right foot and used his practiced technique to bring the ball under control.
"A beautiful first touch, worth its weight in gold — the ball obediently stopped at his feet!"
With nobody marking him, Balotelli calmly adjusted his body, shifted the ball from right to left, and used the inside of his left foot to push it toward goal.
The ball raced sharply toward the inside of the left post — Balotelli aiming for the near corner.
But Lloris was ready. At the instant of the shot he dove to his lower right to try and parry it out, but the ball was too fast and he could only slap it powerfully out of the box.
"Shot!"
"Lloris! Lloris to the rescue! He pushed the ball away."
"Balotelli, Balotelli! You shouldn't have tried to adjust — just hit it straight, isn't that better?"
Arsenal's attack wasn't over!
The ball hit Dawson, then was flicked on by Danny Rose and arrived for Theo Walcott.
It flew up high again, continuing outward.
Outside the penalty area, Xia Qi and Kyle Walker both sprinted toward the ball's fourth landing point.
Kyle Walker and Danny Rose are Spurs' two supercars; Walker's speed is nothing to sneeze at.
At the moment of acceleration, he matched Xia Qi step for step.
Seeing that he could hold off the renowned Xia Qi, Kyle Walker's confidence immediately swelled.
He didn't rush to the ball's landing spot.
Instead he placed his body in front of Xia Qi, thinking this would guarantee he'd get the ball first.
However, ideals are beautiful, reality is harsh.
Just as Kyle Walker put his body in front of Xia Qi, a tremendous force came from behind and shoved him forward.
Kyle Walker, with no resistance, fell straight ahead.
In that instant on the ground, Walker recalled Pochettino's pre-match instructions.
Xia Qi is a speed-type beast; double-teaming is the best defense.
He had been dismissive at the time, thinking a 19-year-old kid, no matter how strong, could hardly be that powerful.
Shallow thinking!
He had underestimated the young hero!
After knocking Walker over, Xia Qi continued toward the ball's landing spot.
Vertonghen and Dawson closed in left and right beside him.
That they could recover and cover so quickly — these two are indeed Spurs' defensive pillars!
Over twenty thousand Spurs fans breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.
If Xia Qi slowed to control the ball, the two center-backs' double-team should stop his shot.
Pochettino thought the same. He shouted from the touchline: "Watch Balotelli and Walcott!"
The implication: Xia Qi is done — be careful of his pass.
Just after he said this, as if to slap his face,
Xia Qi jumped under the double-team.
In Pochettino's sight Xia Qi flew like a hawk toward the ball.
"Tsk! It's just a headed flick, jumping a bit early," Pochettino thought when he saw Xia Qi take off.
In midair, Xia Qi spread his arms and stretched his body like an eagle spreading its wings.
That motion bought him an extra second of hang time.
Though brief, it was enough.
In midair, Xia Qi leaned left and twisted his waist to force a short balance, then lifted his right foot and swung it forward.
A midair volley!
Pochettino couldn't help but exclaim in surprise!
This prodigy wasn't attempting a headed flick, but a shot!
A super-difficult aerial hang!
A super-difficult volley in the air!
A super-super-super-difficult midair volley!
"Boom!"
Hearing the sound of the ball struck, Pochettino's feelings were mixed; he didn't know whether he wanted the shot to go in.
If it didn't, what a waste!
This was a goal destined to be recorded in history — as a football professional, Pochettino wanted to grow the market and sincerely hoped Xia Qi would score.
But he was Xia Qi's opponent…
In front of the goal, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Pochettino shared the same thought.
They had assumed Xia Qi would head the ball.
By the time they realized Xia Qi had unleashed a midair volley and began to react, it was already too late.
The ball had slipped into the net half a second earlier.
Even though the Emirates is Xia Qi's home ground and Arsenal fans have often seen Xia Qi's "inhuman" goals,
they were still silenced!
They watched in stunned silence as Xia Qi slowly drifted down from the air.
They couldn't tell whether they were inside the anime Captain Tsubasa or in the real world.
How could an anime-style shot reflect itself in reality?
Is this really a human goal?
They looked up at the stadium big screen, hoping to see a tiger behind Xia Qi, or flames trailing the ball.
Suddenly!
"Goooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaallllllll!"
"Xia...…Qi...…Qi…Qi!"
The stadium DJ's hysteric cry pulled Arsenal fans back to reality.
The Emirates exploded in an instant!
"Ah! …Xia Qi scored!"
"Another inhuman goal!"
"Xia, I beg you, let me give you a monkey as a sacrifice!"
"Oh my God! I'm wet…"
Many fans ripped off their jackets and waved them wildly above their heads.
After a few silent seconds in the Penguin live feed,
Zhan Jun's voice cracked as he shouted: "A youth bears a long spear and cuts through ten thousand, who in the world does not know this man?"
"Tonight Xia Qi's fame will rise further. The Emirates will be recorded in the annals of history because of this — a moment humans cannot replicate, forever etched into our memories."
Zhang Lu, excited, said: "I remember in the early 2000s Jia-A League, Li Jinyu had a similar volley — that one was a side scissors volley. Personally, I think the difficulty was a bit greater than Xia Qi's."
Zhan Jun sighed: "Li Jinyu was one of our rare gifted players…"
On the internet, the two commentators' reminiscences sparked chats about that period thought to be a starting point that turned into a high point of history…
After scoring, when teammates swarmed Xia Qi, he pulled his shirt up and walked back expressionless.
"Fuck! You bastard, I'll give you a nine. Take one point off so you don't get proud."
Theo Walcott ran up to Xia Qi, patted his backside and said.
Balotelli chased up to Xia Qi as well: "If I'd known you were going to put on such a show, I should have just hit it into the net myself."
…
Arsenal took the lead right at the start!
And this goal was epic.
It massively boosted Arsenal's morale and at the same time struck a blow to Tottenham's fighting spirit.
After play resumed,
Tottenham wilted!
They failed to make effective attacks; Kane was a bit frozen up front and had no choice but to drop back for the ball.
By contrast, Arsenal rode the momentum and poured their "passion" into Spurs' penalty area.
In the 6th minute, Balotelli suddenly unleashed a world-class shot from outside the box; Lloris reacted explosively and again pushed the ball out on the goal line.
Balotelli spat on the ground and cursed angrily: "Shit, just knows how to save my shots — Lloris fears Mario and fears Xia Qi! Bah!"
From the resulting corner, Vermaelen headed at the far post and the ball brushed the crossbar and out.
It left Spurs fans pale with fright…
Time unwittingly ticked to the 35th minute, and an unmarked Wilshere received a pass from Arteta with his back to goal.
Unprepared, he turned, and in a blink the ball at his feet was intercepted by the lurking Paulinho.
"Nice!"
"Paulinho's timing on that close pressure was perfect, right when Wilshere turned and was unguarded."
"Tottenham start a counterattack."
"Paulinho quickly distributes, and the Korean youngster Son Heung-min is on the break."
"Son Heung-min is very fast!"
On the pitch, Son was sprinting down the left flank at high speed.
Gustavo immediately stepped up to challenge.
Obviously, he didn't fully know Son — when he closed in he went straight into him.
This is one of Son's favorite defenses to exploit.
Just as Gustavo got in front of him, Son pushed the ball out with the outside of his left foot and ran down the outside to slip past Gustavo.
Vermaelen immediately stepped up to cover.
Son nudged the ball, sent it forward.
The ball went through Vermaelen's legs.
Son accelerated past Vermaelen, caught up with the ball, flicked it and cut inside into the box.
"Son Heung-min beats two in a row, blows up Arsenal's right flank and cuts into the penalty area."
"Arsenal are in danger!"
(END CHAPTER)
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