Chapter 242: When AI Cheats, Humans Have Nothing to Do
"An unimaginably back-heel shot!"
Commentator Huang Jianxiang's voice echoed in the air, full of shock and admiration.
That shot carried a strong "protagonist aura," deftly avoiding the defenders behind and precisely finding the net — truly breathtaking.
If CCTV‑5 didn't constrain his commentary from getting too exaggerated, Huang Jianxiang would have wanted to shout: "Xia Qi has eyes in the back of his head, the third eye of the Horse King!"
His partner He Wei's commentary was still as eloquent as ever:
"If van Persie's volley is like Ye Gucheng's supernatural aerial beauty, then Xia Qi's back‑heel is like Chu Liuxiang's 'I come by moonlight for a white jade beauty' — tonight he steps on the moon to take her…"
Online, fans' discussions spread like wildfire, pushing the atmosphere of the match to a new high.
"Impossible to guard against! Always when you think it's safe, a sudden deadly strike comes."
"Foreigners' nicknames are no good — Ice Cream Prince??? Too abstract. Brothers, how about 'Thief Saint'?"
"Since that quick free‑kick against Greece, Xia Qi's style changed. He likes to 'steal' chances; he really is like Chu Liuxiang!"
…
England, having equalized, were a bit disordered — some chased after the roaring, sprinting Wayne Rooney while others hugged the calm, 'clocking off' Xia Qi with enthusiasm.
Van Gaal was furious after conceding and unloaded a string of F‑word beginnings at Vlaar.
Vlaar bore the most responsibility for that conceded goal, but Xia Qi wanted to tell him that under the AI's calculations, it was useless.
If Vlaar hadn't loosened his marking, the ball would have slipped past — it's not like England had only one player with shooting boots.
Once didn't work, try again — the Dutch passive defending was bound to be punished.
That said, Van Gaal proved he's a world‑class coach; he immediately tweaked the Netherlands' tactic, instructing Vlaar to track Xia Qi all over the pitch while freeing others up to attack.
That adjustment immediately showed his coaching foundation after the restart: the Dutch attacks and variations increased, posing greater threat to England.
After kick‑off, Sneijder and Kuyt executed two one‑two wall passes and carried the ball over the halfway line.
Sneijder played a forward through ball; van Persie received it at the near post but couldn't handle it well and rebounded it back out. Sneijder quickly switched the play and the ball was accurately delivered to the feet of Arjen Robben.
Robben took the ball, increased speed, first using pure pace to eat up Walcott, then feinted past Henderson who came to cover.
Finally, with the familiar one‑touch, pull and drive inside — the classic that everyone knows Robben will cut inside but can't stop — he slipped past right back Glen Johnson.
Amid the Dutch fans' cheers, Robben hit the shot after cutting inside!
But Gary Cahill came up big. Just as Dutch fans were ready to clench fists in celebration, he shifted a step to the side in time and extended his leg toward Robben's shot.
The ball struck his leg and rebounded out.
Van Persie followed up with a rebound shot but connected awkwardly with Phil Jagielka, and the ball flew out of the box.
Outside the penalty area, England didn't give the Dutch another chance.
Henderson launched a long pass — the ball streaked like a meteor across the night sky to Walcott's front spot.
Walcott quickly drove down the flank, reached the byline and crossed. The cross flew like an arrow, skimming the ground toward goal.
At the near post, Xia Qi shook off the double cover of Vlaar and Indi like a slippery fish through a net, lightly flicked the ball to the overlapping Rooney.
Rooney, evolving from a No.10 into a No.9, took a sweeping windmill strike.
The form was stylish, the result awful! The ball flew ridiculously high, straight into the stands.
After the shot, Rooney and the assist provider Xia Qi stared at each other wide‑eyed, both wearing expressions of "unbelievable!"
As if to say:
Rooney: How did you pass that? Too much spin!
Xia Qi: How did you shoot that? Way too high!
On the touchline Van Gaal pumped his fist and shouted: "Play like this — mark Xia Qi to death! Besides him, everyone else is fucking garbage!"
Walcott: ????
Gerrard: ????
Luke Shaw: ...
Seeing England rely on only Xia Qi, the Netherlands began to speed up first.
Again targeting Robben's side, he tore up the flank to the line parallel with the penalty area and laid a low diagonal pass to Sneijder.
Sneijder switched to Depay, who played a nutmeg pass; the ball slipped between Luke Shaw's legs and landed right in front of van Persie.
Van Persie immediately fired a low shot, but Joe Hart slid and blocked it with his leg.
Hart stopped van Persie's shot, but the danger wasn't resolved.
The rebound skirted past returning Jagielka; Depay, in the chaos, lifted it up to Sneijder at the edge of the box.
Sneijder probably didn't expect Depay, facing a one‑on‑three disadvantage, to win the ball and feed it out.
He couldn't fully draw his bow for the strike — the long shot was forced and of poor quality. Although it headed toward goal, its speed and power were lacking.
It didn't feel like an attempt; more like a pass to the keeper.
Such a shot would be difficult to beat even for the world's most easily fooled keeper, Hart.
With a huge sigh, Joe Hart cradled the ball.
While the Dutch rued Sneijder's and van Persie's two wasted chances, Hart quickly found Xia Qi upfield.
A goalkeeper who can't "deliver a quick outlet" isn't a good keeper — from an anime perspective, if you looked at Hart then you'd see Beckham's ghost behind him.
England's best delivery man in history, bar none!
The ball flew precisely to the arc in the Dutch half, giving Xia Qi a decent head start.
True friends: Hart lifted his foot and Xia Qi slipped past the man marking him, Vlaar.
Vlaar caught a glimpse of Xia Qi sprinting "backwards" and immediately turned to chase.
He wasn't as fast as Xia Qi, but he didn't give up.
Don't chase = no chance at all.
Chase = Xia Qi might make a mistake receiving, dribbling or beating someone.
Fight! That's the essence of defending.
"Ah! Quick release!"
"Joe Hart quick‑releases the ball directly to Xia Qi upfield!"
"Tonight England are playing amazingly!"
The ball flew through the air straight past the center circle into the Dutch half.
The Netherlands' half looked a bit empty — most players were still over on England's side, except for the three defenders holding back.
Vlaar kept on Xia Qi's heels. Although he felt himself falling further and further behind, distance widening, football isn't only a speed test — Xia Qi had to slow to receive the ball…
Indi and De Vrij were in front of Xia Qi. Because they were far from the landing spot they didn't charge forward; instead they retreated a few steps to shorten the distance to the keeper, strengthening the link with their goalkeeper.
Thus Hart's earlier pass was clever — the landing spot was exquisite, truly Beckham‑like.
The ball fell; running at high speed, Xia Qi stretched a leg to control it, and his speed dropped relative to the previous sprint.
Vlaar seized the chance to accelerate, but Xia Qi was experienced and didn't trap the ball; instead he let it bounce ahead of him.
The ball struck his ankle and popped forward onto his path. This looked similar to Chinese players controlling three meters ahead, but it was different.
This kind of control minimizes deceleration. As the ball bounced forward, Xia Qi immediately accelerated; Vlaar, who had just closed a bit, was once again left in Xia Qi's wake.
The atmosphere tightened in an instant, like a taut string ready to snap.
The Dutch pinned their hopes on De Vrij and Indi; fans roared for them, their voices deafening.
And Xia Qi — he was the hope of the whole village of England, their hero, their symbol of victory.
Both sides used every lungful of breath to push the temperature of the New Water Source Stadium to boiling point!
On the pitch, Indi was watching Xia Qi's stride and step length intently, his eyes focused.
Suddenly!
Xia Qi took a stride with a much longer step than before, one that would disrupt his usual step frequency.
Opportunity!
That was Indi's chance to intercept!
So he abandoned his tactic of containing and retreating and charged at Xia Qi.
But little did he know — it was a trap set by the AI.
A player's step frequency is unique, like a radio operator's sending style in spy stories — their signaling method is one of a kind.
Using Kaka's step frequency to match Mbappé's sprint, or a tiny shuffle like Maradona's to control Messi's football — apart from creating confusion, what good can it do?
So it made sense for Indi to think that way.
But Xia Qi was a puppet controlled by AI; the AI program didn't recognize the word "unique."
Thus Indi was doomed!
Just as Indi's long leg was about to touch the ball, Xia Qi was able to change frequency and stride, taking a giant step to reach the ball ahead of Indi, nudging it to the right and away from the tip of Indi's boot!
Leg too short!
Indi steeled himself — since his leg was short, he'd go in with a sliding tackle!
That decision required courage!
If the slide failed to win the ball, Xia Qi's path would be wide open! Apart from De Vrij and the keeper, no one could block Xia Qi.
Indi slid in low. But Xia Qi changed frequency again; he still had enough energy to cushion the ball back.
That touch was opposite to the direction Indi had slid — Indi couldn't even commit a foul.
Xia Qi then dribbled on, continuing his run, but the aftereffects of two frequency and stride shifts showed: his steps were a bit ragged! The left leg lagged behind the right and his center of gravity leaned backward.
Haha! You'll fall by yourself!
De Vrij rejoiced!
Not daring to wait any longer — if Xia Qi adjusted his balance De Vrij's efforts would be wasted.
He rushed in.
Got fooled!
As De Vrij closed in, the unsteady Xia Qi performed a decorative left‑foot pass.
A decorative left-foot pass next to his right foot — the ball arced out from behind Xia Qi and landed just past De Vrij.
"Ah! The decorative pass to the self three seconds later."
"The ball's gone by — now let's see how Xia Qi beats the man."
De Vrij was sharp enough to know he couldn't turn his back; once he turned it'd be over.
He wanted to use his body to block Xia Qi, but it wasn't a normal dribble to stop.
Unsteady on his feet, he couldn't against Xia Qi's sprint — he knew it in his gut.
He was trying to buy time for Vlaar to get back. Now the Dutch defense could only rely on Vlaar chasing back.
If Vlaar could latch onto Xia Qi and buy time for him and Indi, that would be the "three heroes versus Lü Bu" time De Vrij wanted, and England's attack might be neutralized.
De Vrij's calculations were loud, but Xia Qi didn't play along!
When De Vrij turned to block, Xia Qi spun around him as an axis and ended up behind him.
"Beautiful!"
"A Cruyff turn!"
When Xia Qi executed the decorative pass, Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen had already abandoned his line.
By the time Xia Qi bustled forward in long strides to meet the ball, Cillessen had rushed to near the penalty spot.
Xia Qi slowed, swung his leg and produced an outside‑of‑the‑foot curl!
The ball traced a very distinct "Quasi arc" through the air, bypassing the rushing Cillessen and flying toward the far post.
Panicked Cillessen knew he couldn't reach it, did nothing, and watched the ball muttering, "Post! Post! Post!"
Yes!
The Netherlands still had one defender left — the 12th man on the pitch: the goalpost.
What a show of arrogance from Xia Qi! Not a chip but an outside‑of‑the‑foot curl — and one of the hardest to execute.
The ball hit the far post and began to drop inward along a curving trajectory.
Cillessen's hoped‑for scene did not occur.
As the ball hit the net, New Water Source Stadium exploded in ear‑splitting cheers.
Commentator He Wei jumped up from his seat, his voice trembling as he shouted:
"3–2! England retake the lead over the Netherlands!"
"Xia Qi! Xia Qi did it! That outside‑of‑the‑foot curl is a work of art! It evaded the rushing Cillessen, hugged the post and gently dropped into the net!
"This is a display of technique, a flash of intelligence. Xia Qi used his talent to open the door to victory for England again!"
Huang Jianxiang added: "Congratulations to Xia Qi for completing a hat‑trick in this match; he has scored 10 goals in this World Cup."
"He's broken Ronaldo's single‑tournament World Cup record of 8 goals set in 2002."
"Hodgson's tactical change has paid off."
England fans at the stadium were euphoric; they waved flags, embraced strangers beside them and celebrated this unbelievable goal together.
An older fan had tears in his eyes and said excitedly: "This kid — he's our pride, England's treasure. Watching him play is like seeing the charm and hope of football."
In a corner of the stadium a group of young fans started doing the Bolton dance; jumping and singing Xia Qi's name, as if in that goal Xia Qi had already become their hero — a legend in every heart.
On social media the topic of Xia Qi's goal went viral as fans left messages praising and admiring the brilliant strike.
A popular tweet read: "Xia Qi's goal is a line of exquisite poetry in football's verses. He showed us what real technique is — what an artist on the pitch."
On the sidelines Van Gaal and his team looked grim; they watched their defense being torn apart by a single player and felt powerless.
Van Gaal furrowed his brow, perhaps pondering how to stop this English forward and how to turn things around in the remaining time.
Xia Qi's teammates rushed up and hoisted him high, celebrating the precious goal.
They knew this was not only a blow to the Netherlands but also a proclamation to the world: England must not be underestimated, and Xia Qi is their secret weapon.
This goal would undoubtedly become a highlight in Xia Qi's career, a classic moment replayed and talked about by countless people.
New Water Source Stadium had become a sea of joy; every sound and every movement spoke of respect for Xia Qi and a deep love for the game of football.
(END CHAPTER)
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