Chapter 158 Opportunity!

When they returned to the pitch, the second half hadn't started yet.

Chen Hero pulled his forward partner, Suarez, aside.

"You're in good form today, Luis."

"Good form is useless!" Suarez said, frustrated. "We're already down by two goals. Can my good form help the team catch up?"

He was just venting his frustration, but Chen Hero nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"Huh?"

"I can!"

"You can?" Suarez looked at Chen Hero doubtfully.

"I can."

"How can you?"

Chen Hero grabbed Suarez's arm. "I need your help for this."

"I'm trying my best to pass the ball to you… But you know, their defense against me is getting tighter…" Suarez spread his hands, looking helpless.

He had been very active in the first half, and Newcastle had noticed the connection between him and Chen Hero, so they mainly focused on attacking Suarez and cutting off the link between him and Chen Hero. When both of them were forced to fight alone, they were much easier to deal with.

"I'm not asking you to pass the ball to me. I know they're defending tightly… I'm asking you to try to draw fouls from them about thirty meters out from the penalty area…"

Suarez's eyes lit up. He remembered Chen Hero's extra free-kick practice. Suarez had seen Chen Hero's current free-kick skills. He had to admit that this big guy was a genius. It wasn't easy to kick such a beautiful knuckleball so quickly.

"You mean…" he asked Chen Hero.

Chen Hero nodded. "They want to cut off my connection with the team, so I'll score in a way they can't interfere with!"

Suarez laughed. "No problem, brother! Leave it to me. I'm best at drawing fouls! Hahaha!"

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After the second half started, Newcastle's fans were still focused on the chairman's stand, still arguing with the club's chairman, Mike Ashley.

But Ashley seemed deaf to the fans' boos and curses. The team's two-goal lead put him in a good mood. He even had a smile on his face as he chatted with the people around him.

To be fair, his acquisition of Newcastle had brought new life to the club. The previous dismissal of coach Hughton was unpopular among Newcastle fans. But now, facts proved that his decision was correct.

The same was true for the stadium name change. The fans opposed it, but Ashley believed his approach was correct. A team couldn't always rely on the blood transfusions of big money. A team like Newcastle had to have its own ability to generate income. Selling the stadium naming rights was one way. Moreover, the funds obtained from selling the naming rights would not become dividends for the shareholders, but would be invested in the team's construction. So, in the end, it was the Newcastle team and the fans who would benefit.

He felt that these fans would eventually understand him, so he didn't want to argue with them. While the fans focused their anger on him, he was more concerned about the team's performance.

Now, it seemed that taking the lead against Liverpool in the first half showed that Newcastle was strong, and there should be no problem taking this game at home.

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"Suarez has the ball on the wing… He glanced up at Chen Hero in the penalty area, but chose to cut inside, dribbling towards the center… Newcastle's central defense is tight. He can't break through, and he can't pass the ball to Hero. Hero is being closely marked by Newcastle's center-back Taylor… Facing the pressure from Newcastle's defense, Suarez had to dribble back… Ah, he fell!"

The whistle blew.

Coloccini's tackle from behind tripped Suarez. It was a foul!

Suarez rolled on the ground a few times, got up, and saw Chen Hero giving him a thumbs-up, so he blinked in response.

Seeing the referee award Liverpool a free kick, Charlie Adam, the team's current top free-kick taker, ran up to take it.

But Chen Hero took the ball first.

The thing he was most worried about had happened… Chen Hero had been quite well-behaved in previous games, but now he was finally making a move on his free-kick duties!

"Hero…" Charlie Adam said helplessly.

Chen Hero turned around and saw it was Adam, and smiled. "Hey, Charlie. Let me take this one, okay?"

"But the boss said I'm the one who…"

"Hey, we make the decisions on the field, don't listen to him!" Chen Hero waved his hand dismissively.

"This…" Charlie Adam didn't want to give up his right.

Seeing his awkward expression, Chen Hero frowned. "How about this, let's play rock-paper-scissors! Whoever wins takes it! It's settled then, come on!"

With that, Chen Hero raised his fist.

He could tell that Charlie Adam was unwilling to give him the free-kick, and he knew what the other man was worried about. But he had to keep this free-kick firmly in his hands. He only needed one chance, just one opportunity to show off his free-kick skills in a real match, and he could tell Dalglish, tell everyone—that he, Chen Hero, was the best direct free-kick taker in the Liverpool team!

Seeing Chen Hero acting like this, Charlie Adam couldn't find any excuse to refuse. Of course, he could fall out with Chen Hero and insist on not letting him take it, but that would be too much of a fuss. They were teammates, and their relationship was usually okay. It wasn't worth falling out over this.

He thought about it and agreed to Chen Hero's request. Anyway, it was just rock-paper-scissors… who knew who would win or lose? What if he won? Then Chen Hero would have nothing to say, right? And if he accidentally lost, it wouldn't matter. If Chen Hero didn't score, he would still have a reason to reclaim his right.

"Okay, let's go." Charlie Adam also raised his arm.

So, in full view of everyone, the two players from the losing side were actually using such a childish way to decide who would take the free kick!

The commentators were stunned by this scene.

"This… this is when they're down by two goals. Shouldn't the free kick be given to the person on the team who is most confident in taking it? What is Hero doing, joining in the fun?"

"It seems that Liverpool, being two goals behind, have given up on themselves. They're treating such a good free-kick opportunity so trivially!"

After Suarez fell, the commentators were excited, saying that for Liverpool, this free kick, 28 meters from the goal and right in the center, was a good opportunity. Liverpool, unable to open up the situation in open play, could only rely on set pieces to seek a miracle.

But Chen Hero and Charlie Adam actually used rock-paper-scissors to decide who would take the free kick. This approach made many commentators feel cold. If they kept doing this, what hope did Liverpool have of tying the score?

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While the commentators were criticizing Chen Hero and Charlie Adam's actions, the two people on the field were determining the outcome.

"One, two, three… rock-paper-scissors—shoot!"

The two of them threw their punches almost simultaneously. Chen Hero threw paper, while Charlie Adam habitually clenched his fist—he was rock!

Paper covered rock, Chen Hero won!

"Hahahaha!" Chen Hero was very happy. "Don't worry, Charlie. I won't waste this opportunity!"

Charlie Adam rolled his eyes and reluctantly took a step back. He hoped that Chen Hero would waste this opportunity, so that next time he wouldn't be able to come and steal the free kick from him again…

Chen Hero didn't carefully place the hard-won free kick. He simply threw the ball on the ground, then pulled it back with his foot, just like the kickoff at the start of the match.

Charlie Adam, watching from the side, felt his heart bleeding—what a good opportunity, can you not be so careless! If you don't care, let me take it!

Chen Hero didn't hear the lament in his heart. While he and Charlie Adam were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would take the free kick, Newcastle had already set up their wall.

Of course, they were very unhappy that Liverpool was using this method to decide who should take the free kick. Because it implied contempt for them, as if anyone on Liverpool's side could handle them…

In addition, Chen Hero's casual way of placing the ball afterward made them even more convinced of their idea—the other side was definitely deliberately humiliating them!

When Chen Hero was preparing to take the free kick, they all glared at Chen Hero, cursing this guy who disrespected his opponents to kick the ball straight into the stands.

Chen Hero thought these Newcastle wall players were very strange. When other people set up the wall, they looked scared, afraid that the ball would hit their vital parts. Why were these people glaring at him as if they wanted to swallow him alive?

He shrugged. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't try.

He took a few steps back, creating a distance for his run-up.

The referee, seeing that everything was ready, waved his hand and blew the whistle.

As soon as the whistle sounded, Chen Hero took a powerful run-up. He took four steps back, but only three steps for the run-up, and came to the ball. His left foot was the supporting foot, stepping next to the ball, and his right foot swung out, hitting the center of the ball, slightly lower!

"Hero—"

In the Liverpool commentator's roar, the ball flew straight towards the wall.

The wall jumped up, but no one could stop the ball.

The ball, as they had hoped, soared over their heads and flew towards the… stands behind!

Goalkeeper Tim Krul saw the ball flying from behind the wall, so he jumped up and made a save. He was 1.9 meters tall, and his range of control in the air was quite large.

He was confident that he could knock the ball out of the goal frame.

But he overlooked one thing… he only saw the ball flying over the wall when he jumped up… It seemed a little late to jump up at this time…

"goooooooooooooooooAL!!!"

In the commentator's roar, the ball, like a cannonball, drilled into the goal! After passing over the wall, in full view of everyone, the ball had a clear downward trajectory. It was this downward trajectory that saved the ball from flying directly into the stands of St. James' Park… oh no, Sports Direct Arena, and brushed against the bottom of the crossbar, flying into the goal before Krul's hand could reach it!

"Knuckleball!!" someone exclaimed.

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ps, there is one more chapter, one more chapter!