Chapter 1 The Final

When the entire Zenit team arrived at Manchester City Stadium by bus, quite a few people had already gathered outside. They could easily identify the Zenit fans in their white jerseys, distinctly separate from the Rangers fans in blue.

Police kept the two groups apart.

"The final! The final!" Denisov muttered neurotically, staring at Manchester City Stadium from the bus.

"The championship! The championship!" Anyukov, sitting behind him, was drooling with the same nervous energy.

"Big boobs! Big boobs!" Chen Hero, who had been looking out the window, drew everyone's attention to the world outside with his words.

"Where?"

"Wow! They're huge!"

"A cleavage!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Come on! Show me your weapons! I want to duel you, girl!"

Their shouts completely dispelled the slightly tense atmosphere that had previously filled the bus. The younger players crowded around, eager to see the large-breasted beauties who could amaze these veterans, while the more reserved players couldn't help but smile.

Advocaat glanced back at the players, not stopping them, a smile on his face. He had been worried that the players, after all, were playing in a UEFA Cup final for the first time. In addition, the outside world was optimistic about them, as if it would be abnormal if they didn't win the championship. All of this would bring pressure to the players, and the multiple pressures combined could overwhelm them.

The atmosphere in the bus had been slightly suppressed, and he had been wondering how to use the short time before the game to relax the players. Should he tell them to treat the final as an ordinary game? That was unrealistic. What if the players really treated it as an ordinary game? It wouldn't do if they weren't nervous at all. Moreover, saying that would only make the players more nervous, because the more the coach said that, the more it meant that this game was extraordinary. Otherwise, if it were an ordinary game, there would be no need for special reminders.

He thought and thought, but couldn't figure out what to say.

Just then, Chen Hero's voice popped out.

The words "Big boobs, big boobs" diverted everyone's attention and freed them from the process of self-imposed pressure.

It was just that this method… probably couldn't be used by anyone other than Chen Hero. Who could imagine Advocaat, the coach who usually looked so serious, saying "Big boobs, big boobs" to the window with a lecherous expression?

He couldn't even imagine it himself.

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Until they arrived at the stadium, got off the bus, and entered the locker room, many players still had relaxed smiles on their faces.

Advocaat was completely relieved.

What he had to consider next was very simple - how to deal with Glasgow Rangers.

Two hours before the start of the match, Glasgow Rangers' starting lineup was also released. They were also in a 4-5-1 formation.

The goalkeeper was Neil Alexander. The center backs were David Weir and Carlos Cuellar, the right back was Kirk Broadfoot, and the left back was Sasa Papac. The five midfielders were Brahim Hemdani, Steven Whittaker, Barry Ferguson, Kevin Thomson, and Steven Davis. The forward at the front was Jean-Claude Darcheville.

Everyone was in a 4-5-1 formation, and there was no obvious difference. However, Advocaat heard a hint of something from the pre-match press conference - Smith must have placed Rangers in a very low position. If nothing unexpected happened, they would choose to first stabilize their defense and then look for opportunities to counterattack.

In other words, their momentum is not as high as ours…

Zenit must take the initiative and keep the opponent pinned in their own half, so that they can only "stabilize their defense" and have no time to "look for opportunities to counterattack."

They have to attack.

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When the players from both sides finished warming up and returned to the locker room, the stands were basically full. Forty-seven thousand people filled the modern stadium.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting the start of the match.

The Zenit players who returned to the locker room were making their final preparations for the game. The team's tactics had been discussed last night. What needed to be said now were just some final reminders based on the current situation.

For example, if the opponent initially stabilized their defense, we must be firm in our belief in attacking and never give the opponent a chance to breathe.

"...In the first half, we attack, attack, and attack again. Stamina is not a problem in the first half, so we must use this opportunity to form an overwhelming advantage! Let the opponent be unable to breathe!"

There was nothing more to explain tactically, but he had other things to say.

Since it was the final, he had to say something to reflect the extraordinary nature of this match.

"We worked so hard to get to the final, we certainly didn't come here as tourists, gentlemen. We eliminated many teams along the way that seemed stronger than us. Villarreal, Marseille, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich. Every time these teams appeared in front of us, everyone said they were stronger than us and that we were unlikely to advance. But what was the result? In the end, we were here, not any of the above four teams. What does that mean? It means we are the best!"

"It is strength, and not any other factor, that has brought us to this point! No one can stop us from winning the championship. Villarreal can't, Marseille can't! Fiorentina can't! Bayern Munich can't! Glasgow Rangers can't either!"

"Let us bring the UEFA Cup back to Russia! Back to St. Petersburg!"

※※※

When Chen Hero followed his teammates onto the field, the Chinese reporters in the stands jumped up excitedly, shouting at Chen Hero: "Go! Hero!"

A Chinese player being able to appear in the UEFA Cup final was something they could be proud of. Moreover, this Chinese might write his name into the history of the UEFA Cup…

Eleven goals already! If he scores another goal in the final, he will create a new record of his own!

Chen Hero's name always seemed to be associated with new records. He broke the single-season goal record in the Russian Premier League last season, and now he has the opportunity to break Alan Shearer's single-season goal record in the reformed UEFA Cup.

And he is only nineteen years old. If he continues to develop like this, what kind of amazing achievements will he have?

Chinese football… has finally produced a genius!

Many people were in tears. Even if Chinese football was terrible, they still hoped that a yellow-skinned, black-haired player who spoke Chinese could perform well on the European stage, even if it was just to give them some hope.

Unfortunately, there had been many such players before, but in the end, they all proved that they did not have such strength. They were shooting stars that quickly crossed the sky, "fabricated" by the Chinese media and fans. Their level was not worth mentioning in European football at all. Going to a third-rate team in a third-rate league could make the Chinese media climax for a while.

Now, there is such a real person walking into the UEFA Cup final in front of their eyes. This is not something we have hyped up. When he was playing in the Russian league, we didn't even know such a person existed!

He relied on his own hard power. Could hype make him perform a hat-trick against Bayern Munich? Could hype make him score eighteen goals in ten league rounds? Could hype make him break the record and score twenty-seven league goals?

No!

This time we really didn't "create" a star. When we discovered him, he was already a dazzling star!

※※※

Sun Jihai turned on the TV at home. He had just taken his wife and children out for dinner and came home, just in time.

As soon as he turned on the TV, he saw Chen Hero on the screen.

The players from both sides were already lined up, and the camera was scanning them one by one.

Chen Hero on the screen suddenly grinned at the camera, and the smile was so strange that it startled Sun Jihai in front of the TV.

The camera had already moved away, but when it saw Chen Hero suddenly smile, it quickly moved back and gave him another close-up. In this way, Chen Hero became the only one among the twenty-two players who started the game to have two close-ups…

I believe everyone remembered this confident and relaxed face through these two close-ups.

Seeing Chen Hero's trick succeed, Sun Jihai couldn't help but laugh.

He really is an oddball among Chinese players!

He had never seen any Chinese player do this, let alone in a UEFA Cup final. He didn't seem to know what tension was at all, and he was full of "bad" ideas, eager to show himself.

Sun Jihai had always felt that Chinese players lacked personality and were too well-behaved, especially after coming to Europe. Now, Chen Hero's living example made him feel that it was better to have some personality.

※※※

St. Petersburg Zenit kicked off first. Chen Hero and his teammate Dominguez were standing in the center circle with the ball at their feet.

He looked around at the packed stands.

This is the UEFA Cup final - many people must have this feeling.

Chen Hero just wanted the game to start quickly.

After looking around, he looked at the referee.

Stop dawdling, blow the whistle! Blow the whistle!

Just then, he saw the referee raise his hand, and at the same time, he heard the whistle.

He excitedly kicked the ball to Dominguez, and then rushed forward without regard for anything else!

"The game has begun!" Yuri Petrov shouted.

The stands suddenly erupted in huge cheers, accompanied by a sea of flashing lights.

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ps, here comes the extra update~ Another extra update!

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