Chapter 1 I Just Want to Forge

"We can see that his main scoring method this season, and perhaps even the only one, is still heading..." Ratish was analyzing the results of his recent hard work to the entire coaching staff in the meeting room. "This season, he has scored a total of nine goals, all of them headed in, various kinds of headers..."

The TV screen behind him was playing footage of Chen Hero heading in those nine goals.

"However, at the same time, we must not forget his long shots..."

The screen switched to a highlight reel of Chen Hero's long shots.

"No goals, but we can see that his long shots are even better than last season. Almost every long shot can create a lot of trouble for the opposing goalkeeper..."

Ratish continued to analyze.

Although he hated this arrogant guy in his heart, as an assistant coach, he was still very calm. He really put in the effort to study Chen Hero, and even knew Chen Hero's best abilities inside and out.

"The reason he hasn't scored any goals is because he is a center forward. In Advocaat's tactics, he spends most of his time at the front, the first person to face the opponent's defense, and he always has to take the ball with his back to the goal. This deprives him of the opportunity to take long shots... So he doesn't take many long shots, but every one of them is very threatening."

"In other aspects, he has improved since we last met him..."

After the analysis, Ratish stepped back, and the focus shifted to head coach Gazzaev.

Gazzaev tapped the table with his finger: "Actually, the method of defending him is still the same as last time..."

To defend against headers, it really was the same as last time. Gazzaev thought that CSKA Moscow's defense against Chen Hero was very qualified that time, if he hadn't thought that this kid could score from long shots... That goal completely disrupted CSKA Moscow's entire plan—pull out to defend his long shots? What if he suddenly rushes to the goal for a header? Huddle in front of the goal and strictly defend his header? He just takes a long shot...

"Only this time, we need to pay special attention to his long shots. Don't give him a chance to shoot outside the penalty area!"

While CSKA Moscow's coaching staff was studying how to completely freeze Chen Hero, Chen Hero had already followed the team from St. Petersburg to Moscow to prepare for the next day's game.

That afternoon, the team held a training session at Luzhniki Stadium to adapt to the venue.

This wasn't the first time Chen Hero had played in Russia's largest stadium. Luzhniki Stadium is the shared home of several Moscow teams.

In addition, it has a very famous characteristic—it is one of the few famous football stadiums in Europe that uses artificial turf instead of natural grass.

In Russia, due to the weather, most of the year is not suitable for outdoor sports, and football, a sport that relies heavily on the field and the weather, is severely limited. But this country has a league and its own football needs, so what to do?

Artificial turf!

After 2002, FIFA allowed artificial turf to appear in official football matches, and Russian football finally found a savior—artificial turf began to appear in large numbers in their country.

Many clubs in Russia use artificial turf as their home field, but they use natural grass when the weather is good in the summer, and then switch to artificial turf in the winter.

This is more troublesome, so Luzhniki Stadium is simpler, they have always used artificial turf!

This is also why CSKA Moscow has its own home stadium, but when playing in European competitions, it will borrow Luzhniki Stadium as its home—because in the weather of heavy snow, only artificial turf will not be affected by the bad weather.

European competitions have strict requirements for venues, so CSKA Moscow's home stadium, Dynamo Stadium, can no longer be used, and it can only be moved to Luzhniki Stadium for European competitions.

Chen Hero is no stranger to artificial turf. St. Petersburg's winter comes earlier and lasts longer than Moscow's. When the weather is bad, the whole team has to train in the indoor training ground, and the indoor training ground is naturally covered with artificial turf.

A group of people are training on the artificial turf of Luzhniki Stadium, and you can't see any signs of discomfort.

Taking advantage of the gap in training, Chen Hero stopped and looked up at the empty stands around him. The stadium that can accommodate 80,000 people did not scare him, because last season, Zenit's home stadium, Kirov Stadium, could also accommodate 80,000 people.

I've seen the world!

He thought to himself.

Of course, that stadium has never really been full...

"Hero, what are you looking at?" Kerzhakov saw Chen Hero in a daze and came up to ask him.

"I'm seeing what it's like when these stands are full of people."

The last time Zenit challenged CSKA Moscow away was at Dynamo Stadium, which could accommodate 36,000 people, and it was only 36,000 people when it was full. This time, it's at Luzhniki Stadium, which can accommodate 84,000 people, and it's more than 80,000 people when it's full. And judging from the hype before the game, the game will most likely be full...

So many people booing at themselves, scolding themselves... What a spectacle that would be!

"Worried about those fans? Don't be afraid. They can only move their mouths. We win against CSKA Moscow, and they'll all shut up." Arshavin, who came up, said boldly when he heard Chen Hero's words.

Chen Hero turned his head to look at Arshavin and smiled at him: "Thank you, Shava. But I'm really not afraid of those fans. I'm just a little excited..."

"Excited?" Kerzhakov frowned suspiciously, not understanding what was going on.

"Yeah..." Chen Hero raised his hand and pointed to the stands, then he looked over his finger, the stands were still empty, but in his eyes, it seemed as if they were already full of people, bustling, those people with ferocious faces, roaring at him, holding up middle fingers, particularly dazzling.

"The more they boo me, the more I want to slap them. The more fiercely they scold, the more refreshing it is to slap them."

After Chen Hero finished speaking, he put down his hand. Where were the ferocious roaring fans and the forest of middle fingers?

Everything was normal.

He turned his head to his teammates who came up to care about him and said, "I get especially excited when I think that I can slap them as much as I want."

In this way, Chen Hero ushered in his second match against CSKA Moscow.

When the deafening roar sounded again in Luzhniki Stadium, the game was in progress.

CSKA Moscow fans occupied an absolute advantage, and their boos were deafening.

At this time, without looking at the screen, you knew that Chen Hero was holding the ball.

"...Hero has the ball! There is a huge boo from the stands! The sound is so loud! I'm wearing headphones and I still think it's loud, which shows what it's like on the scene!"

The commentator Yuri Petrov roared and commented. If he didn't do this, he wouldn't even be able to hear what he was saying. Besides, the scene was so noisy, how could the audience in front of the TV hear his commentary if he didn't speak louder?

When Chen Hero received the ball, the boos rang out, and they stopped abruptly until he passed the ball out.

The game has been going on for more than ten minutes, and since Chen Hero is Zenit's main attacking direction, the number of boos has been quite high.

This time, there was no "woo woo woo" sound, just pure boos.

However... the TV broadcast gave a few close-up shots of the stands, and they were all banners insulting Chen Hero—except for banners with racial discrimination, they had everything else.

The St. Petersburg Zenit fans in the stands wanted to cheer for Chen Hero, but there were too few of them, and their momentum could not overwhelm the CSKA Moscow fans with nearly 70,000 people.

But they were still stubbornly shouting: "Hero! Hero! Hero!"

Today, CSKA Moscow is the home team, and they are working hard to seek revenge at their home stadium.

The last time the two sides played against each other last season was a shame for them. They were blanked by the opponent at their home stadium, and the arrogant guy scored two goals. Before this game, this guy brought up the old matter again, tearing open the wounds that CSKA Moscow had just healed, and sprinkling salt on them...

So this time their offensive was like a tide.

Gazzaev's last way to deal with Chen Hero was to use an even more crazy attack than Zenit to suppress Zenit, so that they would not have time to go forward. In this way, no matter how good Chen Hero's header was, no matter how good his long shot was, it would be useless. As a center forward, once he loses the support of his teammates from the rear, he is like a tank without gasoline, just a pile of scrap iron!

Gazzaev made a special pre-war mobilization before the game, so that everyone successfully remembered the shame of Chen Hero scoring twice in front of them last season. He successfully stimulated the players' desire to win—as the winner of the 2005 UEFA Cup and the champion of the domestic league for two consecutive seasons in 2005 and 2006, how could CSKA Moscow allow themselves to be humiliated by an eighteen-year-old kid?

This breath, can't swallow!

It has been held in the throats of the Red Army soldiers for half a year, and now is the time to take revenge!

The high-spirited Red Army CSKA Moscow launched a fierce offensive against St. Petersburg Zenit's half from the beginning of the game.

Chen Hero is a center forward who doesn't defend much, unless... during corner kicks, he is required by Advocaat to defend in front of the goal, using his excellent heading ability to help the team defend. Otherwise, he is always the person at the front.

He has this kind of privilege, which Advocaat gave him. Otherwise, how could he be Advocaat's real brother-in-law?

CSKA Moscow soon gained something in the fierce offensive.

In the twenty-seventh minute, Zhirkov suddenly went berserk on the left, drove straight in all the way, and finally dribbled past Anyukov in front of the penalty area and sent the ball to the front of the goal. Joao in the middle stretched his long legs and poked the ball into the goal in front of Hagen...

Luzhniki Stadium erupted with deafening cheers!

"CSKA Moscow! They took the lead at their home stadium! 1:0!"

"Joao! Joao! Jo——ao——! This Brazilian genius!"

"Zhirkov's breakthrough is really beautiful! Eighty percent of the credit for this goal should be attributed to him! This is our Ronaldinho!"

The CSKA Moscow players wearing red tops and black shorts hugged each other excitedly.

In the last match against each other last season, they were blanked by their opponents and didn't score a single goal. They were very lucky in this game, and they scored first, which means that they took the lead in the subsequent game.

When the team lost the ball, Chen Hero was still in front. He watched Zhirkov dribble past everyone in Zenit's backcourt and then send the ball to the front of the goal.

He is quite incompetent in defense, but he has his own counterattack method—if you score one, I will score two, and I will definitely score more than you.

The ball was kicked over by annoyed teammates, and he jumped up and took the ball off with his hands, then walked to the center circle and placed it on the kickoff point.

Waiting for the game to restart.