Chapter 191 The Championship

When Zhang Jun tied the score, the entire Shenzhou land fell into a carnival. Everyone was expecting a miracle, and the miracle happened.

The Brazilian team took the lead for the first time, and the Chinese team tenaciously equalized. The Brazilian team took the lead for the second time, and the Chinese team still tenaciously equalized.

Such a Chinese team gave people the impression that "no matter how much you lead, I can tie the score, I will bite you tightly from behind." In track and field competitions, the pressure on the leader is very high. The same is true in football matches. Now the pressure of the game has been successfully transferred to the Brazilian team.

Faced with such a tenacious Chinese team, they also felt very棘手 (jí shǒu – thorny/troublesome).

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"There are fourteen minutes left, let the players step up their offense. We don't have extra energy to play extra time," Qiu Suhui said to Hu Li.

"Fourteen minutes...is it enough?" Hu Li was a little worried. In his opinion, it was great that the Chinese team could tie the score. It seemed unrealistic to want to overtake, so it would be more stable to drag it to a penalty shootout and rely on An Ke's performance to win the championship.

"Don't worry, these players know their own bodies, and they also know very well that if they can't beat their opponents within ninety minutes, they will be beaten by their opponents."

Hu Li could only follow Qiu Suhui's instructions and loudly conveyed the order from the sidelines.

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Zhang Jun could clearly feel that his steps were a bit heavy, and his physical strength was estimated to be reaching its limit. Seven games in a month. After the end of the season, he went straight to the national team training camp without even taking a vacation. He had been playing non-stop from August last year to July this year, a full year.

In order to save energy, he often seemed to be strolling on the court, not running if he could. Wu Shangshan looked like he had plenty of energy, so let him go up and rush, and he only needed to find the right opportunity to attack again.

Coach Hu asked the team to step up their offense. This must be what Qiu Zhi meant. It seemed that he also knew that the players' physical strength was a problem. They were already tired, and it was even more tiring with one less player.

How long can he run? In the remaining thirteen minutes, how many more sprints can he make?

Zhang Jun looked up at the sky and exhaled.

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"Step up the offense!" Yang Pan shouted on the field. He was the mouthpiece of the coaching staff. "Brothers, these ten minutes are the final battle! Everyone grit your teeth and hold on!"

Wang Yu was really gritting his teeth. He had been gritting his teeth all the time, and his face was particularly狰狞 (zhēng níng – ferocious), which was because he was so tired. Because he had a deep sense of guilt, he was particularly拼命 (pīn mìng – to risk one's life; to do one's utmost) in defense.

Li Yongle was also tired, having single-handedly challenged Ronaldinho in a game, a dual test of physiological and psychological pressure.

Looking around, which member of the Chinese team was not tired? Even An Ke, who seemed relaxed, was panting heavily. Because the defenders were defending拼命 (pīn mìng – to risk one's life; to do one's utmost), he didn't have many opportunities to directly face the Brazilian forwards, but the strong pressure of constantly worrying about conceding a goal still made him breathless.

"...Put all our strength into it!" Yang Pan was also tired, but he just didn't show it. Moreover, there was a big dream in his heart supporting him.

Why did he work so hard to play football, from a college student to a professional player? Wasn't it for that golden cup? Being able to hold this golden cup in his own hands, he would be willing to pay his whole life as the price, let alone just a little fatigue.

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Forward, forward, forward!!

The fans' songs were still floating in the stadium, and the song of the Chinese People's Liberation Army had become the team song of the Chinese men's football team at this moment.

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As an "immigrant," Klee couldn't feel as much patriotic passion as his other teammates and Chinese fans, but as a whole, he also hoped to defeat his opponents. Especially the powerful Brazilian team? The stronger the opponent he defeated, the more爽 (shuǎng – exhilarating) he felt. The孤僻 (gū pì – unsociable) him had an arrogance that he didn't服 (fú – submit to) anyone, which was an important reason to support him from not falling down now.

If he lost to Brazil, he felt it would be a very没面子 (méi miànzi – shameful) thing. He liked to step on the corpse of the world's霸主 (bà zhǔ – overlord) to step onto the top of the world. Raising the championship cup high a month ago gave him a taste of addiction, and now being able to raise the World Cup high would definitely be more爽 (shuǎng – exhilarating) than raising the championship cup.

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After conceding the goal, Dunga still replaced Cicinho with Alves. Alves did a better job in defense than Cicinho.

But Qiu Suhui didn't mean to let Yang Pan switch back, because Yang Pan still had an important role to play here—to defend Kaka.

Dunga also saw it, and he let Kaka and Ronaldinho switch positions in the frontcourt, Kaka went to the middle, and Ronaldinho went to the right, so that he could disrupt the Chinese team's defense.

Qiu Suhui didn't let Dunga lead him by the nose. He let Yang Pan continue to stay on the left, and the two people's defensive targets changed. Li Yongle defended Kaka, and Yang Pan defended Ronaldinho.

It seemed that the Chinese team was at a disadvantage, but in fact, Yang Pan's speed and fierce defensive style made up for his lack of technology. At the same time, he had also played as a full-back at AC Milan, so he was no stranger to defensive work.

He also had his own set of methods for dealing with Ronaldinho, harmless little moves and fouls, as well as a tough attitude and speed.

After the two came into contact, Ronaldinho immediately tasted Yang Pan's strength. The ball was intercepted!

The Chinese team seemed to have more and more confidence, while the Brazilian team was not prepared enough and suffered a lot.

Helplessly, Ronaldinho could only frequently switch positions with Kaka. The two were on the left and the right, and Li Yongle and Yang Pan's defensive targets also switched back and forth. They insisted on the principle of adapting to all changes with the same response, and so far there have been no mistakes.

And Adriano and Robinho, who lost midfield support, seemed very lonely in the front. They occasionally had a few shooting opportunities, but they were either destroyed by the brave defenders, or resolved by the brave An Ke one by one.

After defending against the Brazilian team's attack, the Chinese team did not forget to put more energy into the attack.

If you want to win this game, you can't just rely on defense.

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Li Yongle passed the ball to Yang Pan, and Yang Pan dribbled the ball at high speed on the left. Kaka desperately chased back. The speed of the two was almost the same. Yang Pan was slightly faster, but he was now carrying the ball, while Kaka was running without the ball. Gradually the distance between the two was shortened.

Just as Kaka's hand grabbed Yang Pan's shoulder, Yang Pan passed the ball.

Target, Klee.

Just as Klee received the ball on the wing, Baptista rushed up and tackled him to the ground! Klee put his body in the middle, and Baptista's tackle did not touch the football. He just made Klee stagger slightly, but instead took the opportunity to get rid of himself.

Just as he brought the football away from Baptista, Ronaldinho also rushed up. He slammed into Klee, even if it was a foul, he couldn't let the other party break through. Klee flicked the football forward, and then sideways, just slipped past Ronaldinho...Klee continued to dribble the ball towards the middle!

Not over yet, the Brazilian team's defense is not over yet!

This time it was Renato who came up. He rushed up and stretched his foot to intercept the ball, intending to kick the football directly out of the sideline. Klee suddenly stopped urgently, Renato kicked empty, and rushed past Klee! Klee, who had successively faked past three Brazilian players, was still breaking through, and the Brazilian team had no way to deal with him at all!!

"Is Klee going to perform a Maradona-style dribble past five players for me?!" the commentator shouted excitedly.

Klee's dribbling position was very reasonable, making it difficult for the opponent to intercept the football without fouling, so we saw the Brazilian team's defense line falling on their backs, but Klee was still dribbling forward!

Alves also supported the middle from the wing. He also slammed into Klee like his teammates.

This time, the football was flicked three meters away, and Klee's whole body flew up. Was the ball going to be lost? No! Under this circumstance, Klee still maintained his balance, landed, accelerated, stretched his foot, and slammed the football in front of him, and Kaka, who was preparing to sneak attack, kicked empty!

"God! Stop him!" The Brazilian commentator shouted忘乎所以 (wàng hū suǒ yǐ – to get carried away), in his eyes, Klee was not the精灵 (jīng líng – elf) who artisticized football, but a devil, coming with a trial of black murderous aura, to take Brazil's life!

"He can still maintain his balance under this kind of impact, and can continue to dribble the ball, while using all the conditions to fake past his opponents and continue to dribble forward! What a terrible ball control ability! Klee. Li! A ball control master who can be on par with Ronaldinho!" The commentators from other countries naturally did not have the焦躁 (jiāo zào – agitated) mood of the Brazilian commentators. They put all the words of praise they could think of on Klee.

"Foul! The hell!" Cesar roared loudly in front of the goal. He couldn't wait to rush up and kick Klee in the head. "Be tougher!"

Let Klee stumble and fumble to pass five Brazilian players in a row—Baptista, Ronaldinho, Renato, Alves, Kaka. For Brazilians who are known for their skills and often pass several opponents in a row, this is simply a奇耻大辱 (qǐ chǐ dà rǔ – the greatest shame and humiliation)!

Enough is enough!

Renato chased up at high speed from behind, and then used his hands and feet, pushing him to the ground before Klee had time to adjust his center of gravity!

Huge boos rang out again... Chinese fans were cursing Renato, who committed the foul, with the most vicious language while booing, and many people were shouting: "Red card! Red card! Send him off!"

"Oh! Damn it! Renato ruined a wonderful individual performance, but Klee single-handedly played the entire Brazilian defense line in his palms, proving to the world the determination of the Chinese team. After tying the score, they still want to win this game! The Brazilian team is in danger!"

The referee Merk did not follow the wishes of the Chinese fans. He only gave Renato a yellow card, which once again aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chinese fans, and the booing started again.

Klee was lying on the ground, and no Brazilian player came up to pull him. Obviously they were all angered by Klee's successive breakthroughs. Zhang Jun ran back and pulled up Klee, then hugged him tightly, "Well done!"

Klee originally wanted to pass the ball, because he saw that Zhang Jun was already running towards the space he saw. One foot was already raised, but he didn't expect that Renato, who was不死心 (bù sǐ xīn – not reconciled to defeat), would catch up from behind and hit him. Otherwise, if he landed on both feet, no matter how hard Renato tried, he would not be able to push him down.

This position was twenty-three meters away from the goal, which was within Zhang Jun's shooting range.

Although it did not cause a threatening pass, Klee still brought a scoring opportunity to the Chinese team with his continuous dribbling breakthrough. At this stage of the game, any set piece could change the outcome of the game. What's more, the Chinese team still has Zhang Jun, a set-piece master?

The wall, this time seven people. Judging from the expressions on the faces of the players forming the wall, they were also very nervous.

Cesar's voice passed through the recording cylinder behind the door, making the TV audience hear clearly: "Damn it! To the left! A little more to the left! He is a dangerous person, seal off all the near corners!"

Zhang Jun stood in front of the ball, quietly waiting for the wall to be lined up, while Yang Pan next to him was reminding the head coach to pay attention to the distance of the Brazilian team's wall.

"A direct free kick 23.4 meters from the frontcourt, this is an opportunity for us to score, let's take a look at Zhang Jun's free kick skills..." Wang Jianxiang glanced at the monitor on the table, which gave the detailed distance of the free kick. Then he immediately turned his eyes to the scene. It still feels better to watch the live commentary of this kind of game.

The Brazilian team's wall was a little uncooperative, and Merk gave Robinho a yellow card with a straight face, which made them honest.

When the wall stood according to the referee's requirements, Merk stepped back from the front of the wall, and at the same time he blew the whistle.

Yang Pan ran over the ball, this was a cover. Zhang Jun, who followed up from behind, started running and kicking!

The football beautifully bypassed the top of Robinho's head in the wall—this kid was the shortest, and the football that bypassed his head was a rebound ball when it reached the goal.

Sure enough, the football suddenly fell after bypassing the wall, and touched the ground when it was still some distance away from the goal, a rebound ball! The goalkeeper's most annoying kind of shot!

Wang Jianxiang was almost about to shout out "Goal scored", but he saw Cesar飞身 (fēi shēn – to leap) and knocked the football out of the baseline! Although it was very狼狈 (láng bèi – in a difficult situation), he did save it after all.

The raised arms were regretfully揮 (huī – waved) down: "Too bad! Just a little bit short!"

Zhang Jun was also very regretful, he held his head in his hands and looked at Cesar. For himself, set pieces were the best way to break the goal without wasting any physical strength while ensuring accuracy, so he took every free kick very seriously. Now that this one didn't go in, who knows if there will be such an opportunity in the future?

The Chinese team's corner kick did not pose any threat to Brazil's goal, and was cleared by Lucio's header.

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The Brazilian team then launched an attack, but when they finally managed to pass the football into the penalty area and form a shot, it was firmly caught by An Ke, crushing their attack this time.

The current situation is that the Brazilian team wants to counterattack, but lacks a kind of determination. And the Chinese team, because they have the belief that they must win this game, are playing a little crazy. At the decisive moment, this kind of momentum is very fatal.

Li Yongle and Yang Pan used all their strength to organize Ronaldinho and Kaka, while the defense line led by Xiang Tao was constantly letting Adriano and Robinho fall into the offside trap. The Chinese team's defense players were united as one, guarding the last line of hope for their victory. In order to complete the defensive task, Xiang Tao, who originally liked to attack, did not make a single forward attack in this game except at the beginning! This is almost impossible in other games.

It can be seen how important the World Cup final is.

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Time passed very quickly in this back-and-forth between the two sides. When Li Yan realized it, the fourth official was already standing on the sidelines holding up the牌子 (páizi – sign) for injury time.

"Injury time is four minutes! If they can't score a goal, this final will be entered into extra time! Playing two consecutive extra times will be a great test for the Chinese team's physical strength..." Wang Jianxiang didn't say his inner worries more directly, he was afraid of being scolded by domestic fans as a乌鸦嘴 (wū yā zuǐ – jinx), this is a sensitive period and he can't be careless at all.

The Brazilian team has given up the plan to further threaten the Chinese team's goal. For them, playing extra time is definitely advantageous, because they have an advantage in physical strength over the Chinese team.

The Brazilian team passed the ball, and Wang Yu飞身 (fēi shēn – to leap) intercepted and kicked the football out of the sideline, but after completing this defensive action, he did not climb up again. He covered his calf with his hands, rolling on the ground in great pain.

Xiang Tao, who was the closest, rushed over, hugged Wang Yu's leg and asked, "What's wrong? Girl?"

"No...cramps, give me a press, it will be fine after pressing..."

"Damn it, why cramps at this time?!" Xiang Tao was also anxious. There was very little time left in the game. If he tossed like this a few more times, the injury time would pass quickly.

"I don't want to either..."

Looking at Wang Yu's face twisted in pain, Xiang Tao couldn't blame her anymore. He knew that Wang Yu, who has always been known for his excellent physical strength, could拼 (pīn – to risk one's life) to the point of cramping, so how much effort did he need to run? He really ran more than others, and played the role of two people alone. When he was around, he and Liu Peng didn't have so much pressure.

Under the Brazilian team's狂轰滥炸 (kuáng hōng làn zhà – indiscriminate bombing), the Chinese team did not concede a goal because of him.

The referee obviously also believed that leaving Wang Yu on the field for treatment was an act of delaying the game time, so he asked the Chinese team's team doctor and stretcher to leave the field and take Wang Yu off the field for treatment.

Qiu Suhui felt a tightening in his heart when he saw Wang Yu fall. As soon as Wang Yu was carried to the sidelines, he ran over.

"Cramps?"

The team doctor nodded.

Qiu Suhui sighed, "Can you play?"

"If it's just cramps, I think there's no problem...but, his physical strength is completely exhausted, he's completely relying on his will to support him, but now that he's down, all his strength is gone, and it's impossible to tighten it up again..." the team doctor said very honestly, but it sounded so painful to Qiu Suhui's ears.

"You better replace him, we are one person short now..." the team doctor suggested.

Qiu Suhui looked at Wang Yu, and Wang Yu very painfully said to the head coach: "I'm sorry, Qiu Zhi...I didn't complete the task..."

Qiu Suhui knew that this was not the time to blame anyone. He patted Wang Yu's shoulder: "Nothing like that, you did a great job. You exceeded my task. Really, didn't you see that the Brazilian team surrounded you and didn't score a goal?" He squeezed out a smile to give Wang Yu some comfort.

Then he said to the team doctor next to him: "Treat him well."

Then he got up and walked back to the coaching side and said to Hu Li: "Let Wang Hui play!"

"Wang Hui! Wang Hui! Take off your clothes and play!" Wang Hui is a three-朝 (cháo – dynasty) veteran who has participated in the 2002 World Cup and the 2006 World Cup. Qiu Suhui brought him here originally not expecting him to play. He mainly hoped that his experience would bring some stability to the team. Unexpectedly, even this old fellow has to go on the field to拼杀 (pīn shā – to fight desperately).

Wang Hui flusteredly甩 (shuǎi – to fling) his coat on the ground, and then ran to Qiu Suhui. He really didn't expect that he would have this day to play in the World Cup final...

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The football had not formed a dead ball, so even if Wang Hui was standing off the field, there was no way to substitute him.

Dunga's instructions to the Brazilian team were to never let the football form a dead ball. Now the Chinese team only has nine people on the field, this is an opportunity to take advantage of, maybe a counterattack can take the Chinese team's life?

Chinese fans kept booing the Brazilian team, they felt this was a cowardly act, not daring to have a fair决斗 (jué dòu – duel) with the Chinese team, but only playing these tricks.

But who cares about these in football games, as long as it is within the scope allowed by the rules, anything is fine!

"I操 (cāo – fuck)..." Xiang Tao saw Adriano dribbling the ball forward at high speed, and he had to cross from the left side of the field to the right to block him.

Don't think that just because we have two fewer people, you will have a chance!

Xiang Tao accurately saw the opportunity and made a fierce tackle!

Adriano flew forward, and the football remained at Xiang Tao's feet.

"He fouled!" Brazilian fans shouted loudly.

"Diving!"

Obviously, the fans of both sides held different opinions.

The focus once again fell on the referee Merk of this game. Merk did not blow the whistle!

"The game continues! This is a good ball! Merk's penalty caused the Brazilian players and coaches to be extremely dissatisfied!"

Adriano angrily punched the ground.

Dunga even rushed to the sidelines and roared at Merk: "Such an obvious tackle foul! Can't you see it?! Damn it! You..."

The fourth official had no choice but to come forward to stop this crazy head coach.

Merk obviously didn't pay attention to the sidelines, in fact he didn't have this opportunity either. Because Xiang Tao successfully intercepted Adriano and immediately passed the football to Li Yongle in front.

Li Yongle quickly passed it to Yang Pan again, and Yang Pan then distributed it to Zhang Jun who had come to the wing to receive the ball.

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"Injury time is three minutes... Wang Yu's exit still delayed some time." Li Yan looked at the watch on his wrist. "If we drag it into extra time, the Chinese team will be dragged into a dead end..."

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Zhang Jun received the ball.

Nene next to him carefully stared at him. Now that Zhang Jun is far away from the penalty area, the threat should not be very big. Behind him, Kaka has already rushed up. At that time, the two of them can definitely intercept this forward's ball together!

Zhang Jun瞟 (piǎo – to glance at) Kaka behind him.

Kaka's hand was already about to grab his shoulder, Zhang Jun suddenly accelerated and started!

He grabbed empty!

Seeing that Zhang Jun was about to slip away from him, Kaka didn't care about brotherhood anymore, and shoveled his feet from behind!

Zhang Jun flicked the ball, he didn't shovel the ball, nor did he shovel the person. Get rid of him!

Nene didn't expect Zhang Jun to suddenly accelerate. He and Baptista in the middle planned to close the door. Zhang Jun lightly tapped the football, just the right distance. Then he accelerated again and穿透 (chuān tòu – penetrate) the two people's包夹 (bāo jiā – surrounded).

Past three people in a row!

Luisao in the penalty area planned to step forward to intercept the ball, but just as he stretched his foot out, he found that Zhang Jun had already突入 (tū rù – to invade) the penalty area, and hurriedly forcibly retracted his foot. Zhang Jun took this opportunity to dribble the ball and rushed past, entering the penalty area!

"Past four people in a row! A miracle! Let us look forward to the birth of a miracle for the Chinese team! Zhang Jun is now the last hope of the Chinese team!"

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Sophie had stood up, completely forgetting to take any photos. Her eyes were tightly following Zhang Jun, watching him甩 (shuǎi – to fling) Kaka,穿透 (chuān tòu – penetrate) Nene and Baptista's包夹 (bāo jiā – surrounded), forcing Luisao to retract his foot...

Will this be a Maradona-style goal?

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"God! The entire Brazilian team has returned to their own penalty area, and everyone has only one idea: stop Zhang Jun! Block his shot!"

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I don't know who are the people standing in front of me anymore, Zhang Jun can't see their faces clearly in high-speed motion, maybe it's Lucio, maybe it's Alves, maybe it's also Ronaldinho? Who cares, as long as they are blocking in front of him, just pass them all!

At this moment, Zhang Jun can体会 (tǐ huì – to understand) the feeling of Maradona passing five England players in a row, the wind is whistling in his ears, it's so爽 (shuǎng – exhilarating)!

Who is tackling to the ground? Passed!

A抖 (dǒu – to shake) of the ankle, and lightly扣 (kòu – to buckle) the football towards the inside,恰到好处 (qià dào hǎo chù – just right) to avoid this tackle!

"Ah! Alves has also been扣 (kòu – to buckle) passed!"

Just after扣 (kòu – to buckle) the football over, Robinho, who was guarding on the side, followed and crossed over, planning to block Zhang Jun.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun顺势 (shùn shì – taking advantage of the situation) gently拨 (bō – to poke/拨 open) the football to the outside, and then he passed from the other side,人球分过 (rén qiú fēn guò – to dribble the ball past an opponent [soccer])!

"Oh my god, he can still人球分过 (rén qiú fēn guò – to dribble the ball past an opponent [soccer]) in such a narrow space in the penalty area!"

Zhang Jun, who bypassed Robinho, was at full power, rushing towards the football at his fastest speed, because Lucio had also赶 (gǎn – to catch up) from the other side. At the same time, in front of him, Cesar had already attacked...

In terms of speed, Zhang Jun is much faster than these two people. When he拨 (bō – to poke/拨 open) the football to the outside again, planning to fake past Cesar who had already fallen to the ground, Lucio's foot shoveled over...it was a little too late, he didn't shove the football, but instead shoveled Zhang Jun's supporting foot!

Everyone saw that Zhang Jun撥開 (bō kāi – to push open) Cesar, and then came into body contact with Lucio, and the whole person flew up...

"Penalty kick!" Wang Jianxiang could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart, and shouted out before the referee blew the whistle.

"Penalty kick!!!" All the Chinese fans on the scene stood up and pointed to the Brazilian team's goal.

"Penalty kick!!!!" This was the sound coming from China.

The referee Merk blew the whistle. He once again became the focus of attention in the audience. With less than half a minute left in the game, what did it mean to have a penalty that could become a penalty? The suspense of the World Cup's ownership is about to be revealed!

The TV camera was firmly aimed at Merk, who was wearing black clothes. He ran into the penalty area and then pointed to the penalty spot!

It really is a penalty kick!

"Long live!" A huge cheer broke out on the Chinese team's bench, and then the same cheer came from the stands and the commentary booth.

It's not just a penalty kick, Merk also showed a yellow card to Lucio on the ground. But at this time it doesn't make much sense, no one cares about this. The Brazilian players excitedly surrounded Merk, and Lucio kept explaining something.

Kaka did not enter this argument. He watched Zhang Jun being pulled up by Yang Pan next to him, and then hugged tightly together, and then more red figures涌 (yǒng – to surge) up. The Chinese have already started celebrating their victory in advance.

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"Lucio shoveled down Zhang Jun! The Chinese team got a penalty when the game was about to end! This is a great opportunity, there is nothing better than this! Almost all the Brazilian players rushed up to the referee Merk to argue, but it was useless. The slow motion clearly showed that Lucio did shovel down Zhang Jun. This penalty is equivalent to sentencing the Brazilian team to death! And the Chinese team, from players to coaches, to fans and commentators, have all started a carnival. The大力神 (Dàlì shén – Hercules) golden cup is placed at the entrance of the player tunnel, and the Chinese team is only咫尺之遥 (zhǐ chǐ zhī yáo – very close) from it! Is the Chinese team going to change history?"

The commentator at the scene shouted with passion, and the answer was the roar of 30,000 Chinese fans at the scene.

"We are the champions!"

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The Brazilian players'辩解 (biàn jiě – to explain) was powerless, and their head coach蹲 (dūn – to squat) on the ground. He had accepted the result of being判 (pàn – to judge) a penalty kick, but there was still a glimmer of侥幸 (jiǎo xìng – a fluke) in his heart—under so much pressure, there was a possibility that Zhang Jun would not be able to withstand the pressure and would miss the penalty kick. There have been too many such things in history. So what if you are the team's savior? Everyone is equal in front of the penalty kick. Baggio was so厉害 (lì hài – formidable) in ninety-four, but didn't he still栽 (zāi – to fall) on the penalty kick?

Merk waved his hand to disperse the Brazilian players, signaling the Chinese team's players to kick the penalty.

Who is the number one penalty shooter on the team? Without a doubt it is Zhang Jun.

When Zhang Jun接过 (jiē guò – to take over) the football from Yang Pan's hand, he felt Yang Pan pinch him hard. The two didn't say anything, but everyone knew what the other was thinking.

Zhang Jun gave Yang Pan a smile to prove that he was all right. Then he turned around and walked towards the penalty spot.

Everyone, the Chinese team's and the Brazilian team's players, withdrew from the penalty area. Now there are only three people inside: Zhang Jun, Cesar, and the referee. Zhang Jun carefully put the football on the white spot under his feet.

The huge Greenpoint stadium was silent, and everyone was凝气 (níng qì – to hold one's breath) and盯着 (dīng zhe – to stare at) this place in front of the Brazilian team's goal. Here, history will be decided.

"Will he kick the ball in?" Someone asked softly, and the voice was trembling.

"Will we be the champions..."

"嘘 (xū – shh)! Don't talk, it won't work if you say it!"

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Kaka was standing outside the penalty area. In front of him, Yang Pan was死死 (sǐ sǐ – to death)卡住 (kǎ zhù – to wedge/to be stuck) him, and he didn't want to争 (zhēng – to contend) for this position with Yang Pan either. His brain is still a bit blank now, he suddenly remembered what An Ke said when he was interviewed by reporters: "The shot I least want to save? Haha! There's no such thing, I can catch any shot. What? Don't joke? No, I'm not joking...well, to be honest, if you have to let me choose, I don't want Zhang Jun to take a penalty in front of me... Why? No one can save his penalty."

Julio. Cesar is not An Ke...

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Sophie forgot to take pictures, just standing behind the billboard behind the goal, in front of her was the Brazilian team's goal, Zhang Jun was twelve yards away.

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Zhang Jun finally placed the football, he only重放 (chóng fàng – to replay) it twice, but many people thought a year had passed. Did the solidified air stop time from passing?

On this winter night, everyone's back was soaked with sweat.

This pressure...Eight hundred million Chinese people are盯着 (dīng zhe – to stare at), seventy thousand people are盯着 (dīng zhe – to stare at) the scene, and twenty-odd billion people around the world are盯着 (dīng zhe – to stare at). If you kick it in, the Chinese team will historically lift the大力神 (Dàlì shén – Hercules) Cup for the first time, if you don't kick it in...There are too many possibilities in the future. Since there is this opportunity to control the future in your own hands, then you can't let it go.

Even if you are tired, you must not be weak at this time, you must hold on.

Have been拼 (pīn – to risk one's life) for so long, isn't it for this moment?

Zhang Jun raised his head, he saw Sophie's smiling and流泪 (liú lèi – to shed tears) face behind the goal...

Two days ago, it was in this place, the same expression.

"I like football!" The owner of this voice has accompanied him for thirteen years...

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"Quick! Give Zhang Jun a close-up of his face! Let the audience see Zhang Jun's expression at this time! It must be wonderful!"

Pressure? It's not that there is none, but great people will turn pressure into动力 (dòng lì – motivation), while cowardly people will be crushed by pressure. Zhang Jun is definitely not a cowardly person, he faces the goal, faces the Brazilian team's goalkeeper Cesar, and closes his eyes!

Everyone倒吸一口冷气 (dào xī yī kǒu lěng qì – to gasp)! Closed his eyes, how does he kick the penalty? Is he too dismissive of the opponent, or is he晕 (yūn – disoriented) by the pressure?

A愣 (lèng – to be stunned), good goalkeepers can discover some蛛丝马迹 (zhū sī mǎ jì – minute details/clues) from the eyes of the opposing forwards to help him save the ball, but now Zhang Jun has closed his eyes, what can he do?

There was a骚动 (sāo dòng – commotion) at the scene, but this sound quickly disappeared. Everyone is waiting for Merk's whistle to sound, I wonder if the referee Merk will also feel nervous at this time and not be able to blow the whistle?

Zhang Jun did not pay attention to the external reactions either. He just stood there with his eyes closed, waiting for the referee's whistle. This world seems to be only him left, and the goal in front is infinitely wide...

"Beep—"

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Running one step with his eyes closed, and then swing his foot, Julio. Cesar can't figure out how Zhang Jun will shoot at all, he can only guess one direction.

To the left!

The football was kicked out from under Zhang Jun's feet.

Everyone, 70,000现场 (xiàn chǎng – on the spot) viewers and 20-odd billion TV viewers saw this scene—

The football划 (huá – to cut/划 out) a beautiful抛物线 (pāo wù xiàn – parabola) in the air, and flew into the goal from the正 (zhèng – center) center of the goal!

※※※

"Long live!!"

"We are the champions!! We are the champions! We are the champions! We are the kings of the world! We are invincible! We are the kings of the world!" Wang Jianxiang tore off the soundproof headphones on his ears, and roaredForget