Chapter 233: The AI Turned Bad
Greece's head coach Santos was full of ambition and confidence, feeling he had already found the secret to defeating the England team.
He made up his mind: in this match, they would defend the left flank to the death and concentrate their forces to storm the right flank. This was undoubtedly a huge gamble.
He was betting that Xia Qi only had deep chemistry with Walcott, while his coordination with other players lacked tacit understanding.
With the restart of the match, Santos ordered his players to strictly execute the tactic of defending the left and attacking the right, preparing to engage in a fierce offensive and defensive battle with England.
However, Xia Qi did not grant his wish.
As the core of the England team, Xia Qi led his teammates in launching an active high press in the midfield and frontcourt.
Greece captain Karagounis had just received the football when Xia Qi suddenly burst out from behind another Greek midfielder, Maniatis.
This was a highly concealed and sharp counter-press.
Karagounis heard Maniatis shout "Pass back quickly!", and although he didn't know why, he instinctively cut the ball to turn around. However, a huge force suddenly came from behind, causing him to fall forward involuntarily.
At this moment, Xia Qi quickly retreated and raised his hands high to signal that he hadn't fouled.
Even so, the whistle still blew. The referee awarded Greece a defensive free kick in their own half but did not show Xia Qi a yellow card.
Xia Qi immediately retreated to his position, while Karagounis, sitting on the ground, felt both helpless and annoyed. His heart was filled with complex emotions as he looked at Xia Qi's back.
Karagounis knew very well that as long as Xia Qi was there, their attack would be difficult to advance.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Xia Qi, wearing the number 9 jersey, performed better defensively than the core number 4 of any top team.
Even calling him "Xia-Beckenbauer-Qi" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Xia Qi's predatory pressing not only won applause from England fans but also made him a "thorn in the eye" of Greek fans. Every time he touched the ball, it would draw a chorus of boos from the Greek fans.
Greece manager Santos's strategy of "mutual destruction on the right flank" failed to work. The match had already entered a "bayonet-fighting" mode where the brave win when they meet on a narrow path.
Under Xia Qi's pressure, Karagounis appeared unusually irritable.
This irritability stemmed from being completely dominated by Xia Qi, both physically and technically.
In his professional career, he rarely played against top-tier players. Before the match, he thought Xia Qi was about the same as James Rodríguez (J-Lo), who was hyped by the media.
In the group stage, when he defended or broke past James, he wouldn't say it was easy, but it felt manageable; at worst, he could exchange a few moves. However, once he engaged with Xia Qi, he realized there was indeed a difference between a Ballon d'Or winner and a "100-million-euro player." A Ballon d'Or winner is definitely worth 100 million, but not all 100-million players can be called Ballon d'Or winners.
Xia Qi was the most difficult opponent he had ever faced in his life, bar none. Compared to him, James was simply a little brother!
After the football was passed around a few times under the feet of Greek players, it naturally ended up at Karagounis's feet again.
However, almost in the same second, Xia Qi also ran to the receiving point.
As Karagounis extended his foot to stop the ball, Xia Qi crashed into him.
With a stumble under his feet, his extended right foot failed to touch the football, and the ball leaked past.
Xia Qi, however, seized the opportunity, slipping past him and controlling the ball with his back to him.
In that instant, Karagounis had a malicious thought. He wanted to give Xia Qi a defensive free kick in return, so he mustered all his strength and slammed forward.
The sound of a huge muscle impact was heard. He knew he had used his full strength, but the motionless Xia Qi was clearly telling him: Hey! Brother, you didn't use any force.
Thus, Karagounis became somewhat angry out of shame. He wrapped one arm around Xia Qi's waist, preventing him from leaving.
He who is shameless is invincible!
However, Xia Qi didn't wait for the referee to blow the whistle. He kicked the football to Gerrard first, then patted the back of Karagounis's hand, signaling him to let go.
Watching Xia Qi's calmly retreating back, Karagounis remembered a sentence his youth training teacher had said: "Tactical fouls aren't omnipotent. Some players cannot be fouled, like Ronaldo (R9)..."
Karagounis didn't know what it was like to defend against the Alien Ronaldo, but he knew that if he could successfully defend Xia Qi one-on-one just once, he would definitely tear up and pump his fist in celebration, just like a female table tennis player winning one point against the "Great Demon King" (Zhang Yining)!
"Greece's attack is destroyed again."
"Now it's England's ball."
Huang Jianxiang sighed: "Greece can't play like this; they can't get past the midfield. Actually, they could consider long passes from the backfield."
"Oh, that was a ruthless kick!"
On the pitch, Rooney, who had dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball, took a pass from Gerrard and was brought down by an opponent.
Rooney, lying on the ground, looked in great pain, rolling over several times and clutching his calf.
Instantly, huge boos erupted from the surrounding stands. Some fans even cursed angrily: "Bastard! Taekwondo is next door!"
At the same time, the referee's whistle also blew.
"It was a fair charge, but he's holding his calf..." Holebas, who defended Rooney, looked very aggrieved in front of the referee.
Rooney lay on the ground, the football not far beside him.
Xia Qi stepped forward, coldly swept a glance at Holebas, who was feigning grievance, bent down to pick up the football, and then put it down again.
Beside him, players from both sides were still surrounding the referee, arguing whether it was a foul by Holebas or a dive by Rooney.
However, Xia Qi took a step back, then stepped forward and kicked the football.
Boom!
A loud bang!
The football was kicked forward by Xia Qi.
Walcott, who was waiting for the referee's decision in the front court, saw the football flying towards him and immediately smiled!
This Xia Qi has gone bad! He wouldn't have been so "opportunistic" before. Who knows when he started becoming "bad"!
He immediately turned and ran forward!
"Oh my! Good ball!"
"A quick free kick!"
The referee on duty heard the sound of the kick and saw the football flying to the front court.
But he didn't blow his whistle to stop the play. Instead, he ran out from the crowd and followed the play forward.
This action clearly meant he tacitly accepted Xia Qi's quick free kick as valid.
The Arena Pernambuco instantly heated up. Many England fans shouted at Walcott: "Theo, charge (duck/run)!"
Greece manager Santos immediately rushed to the fourth official to protest "Invalid quick free kick."
Football rules clearly state: A free kick from any position can be taken quickly without waiting for the whistle.
We often see kick-offs after the referee's whistle; that's when the referee explicitly indicates waiting for his whistle. Otherwise, one can take the kick without the whistle.
Actually, none of this matters. What matters is whether the referee on duty accepts your quick kick.
If he accepts it, it's valid. If he doesn't, it's invalid!
Simply put, it's a gamble on "RP" (character/luck).
This time, Xia Qi had "RP"!
No,
It was the AI that had "RP"!
When Xia Qi kicked the ball, apart from Walcott, no player from either side was paying attention to the football.
When they heard screams and cheers coming from the stands,
Walcott was already chasing the football like an arrow leaving the string, with a large group of Greek players chasing behind him.
After taking the free kick, Xia Qi didn't run forward!
Because that was meaningless. Regardless of whether Walcott scored or not, what followed would definitely be "protest time," and the match couldn't possibly continue immediately.
Greece couldn't not protest. It was a given!
Under Xia Qi's gaze, Walcott dribbled into the Greek penalty area. Facing the Greek goalkeeper who had abandoned his goal again, he unleashed a ground-cutter!
The football skidded rapidly along the turf forward!
Karnezis, who had rushed out, dove sideways quickly, but he was still a little bit short.
The football brushed past his fingertips and once again went into the empty net behind him.
"The ball is in!"
"2:0!"
Greek players stopped chasing and quickly surrounded the referee...
While in the distance, Xia Qi revealed a smile full of "interest"...
Sigh!
The AI has gone bad!
It's no longer pure!
(END CHAPTER)
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