Chapter 1 Ji Chengyong's Concerns

Ji Chengyong's worries were justified. Although the Chinese team didn't score from that free kick, they quickly regrouped and came back strong.

First, the South Korean team launched an attack, pushing all the way to the Chinese goal and creating a shot.

However, Ji Dong-won's shot was saved by Sun Pan.

After a successful save, Sun Pan didn't immediately kick the ball out. Instead, he shook his finger at Ji Dong-won. Though he said nothing, his expression and gesture clearly conveyed his contempt and disdain for Ji Dong-won.

Then, as Ji Dong-won watched in exasperation, he threw the ball directly to Yang Muge.

Yang Muge controlled the ball and quickly passed it to Zhou Yi, then turned and ran forward. He had just started his run when Zhou Yi's pass arrived in front of him.

Yang Muge dribbled the ball forward.

Upon encountering a South Korean defender, he didn't hesitate or try to force a dribble through. Instead, he cleanly passed the ball to his side, where Zhou Yi was waiting.

By this time, the Chinese attack had surged past the midfield line. When Zhou Yi received the ball, he was already past the center circle.

After receiving the ball, Zhou Yi didn't choose to pass to the advancing Yang Muge, or any other teammate who was close. Instead, he delivered a diagonal long pass, sending the ball behind the South Korean defense.

There, He Ying sprinted forward at high speed, looking back at the ball as he ran. As the ball descended, he lifted his foot in stride to control it.

He Ying's control was superb. He didn't trap the ball directly under his foot, nor did he send it bouncing ten meters away. Instead, he brought it down in exactly the right spot.

Of course, this was also due to the quality of Zhou Yi's pass. Accurate passing was no longer a requirement for a player like Zhou Yi, it was a fundamental skill. On that foundation, the power of the pass had to be just right, with minimal spin. Every factor that might increase the difficulty for the receiving player had to be minimized.

Some players are doing well if they can just pass the ball accurately. Some players feel great if they can just pass the ball. But Zhou Yi's standards were clearly much higher.

He Ying's perfect control simplified his next move.

"He Ying! A beautiful offside trap broken by China!!" He Ping exclaimed excitedly.

In the stands of the Cardiff Millennium Stadium, half of the fans dressed in red stood up excitedly, raising their arms and shouting.

These were all Chinese fans.

Amidst the cheers of the Chinese fans, He Ying took two steps as one, caught up with the ball, and then dribbled into the penalty area.

The South Korean defenders rushed back into the penalty area in a panic, while goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong decisively abandoned his goal and charged towards He Ying.

Facing the onrushing South Korean goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong, He Ying leaned his body and swung his right foot towards the ball. The inside of his right foot connected with the ball, and the ball traced a distinct arc in the air, flying towards the far corner of the goal.

Jung Sung-ryong responded hastily in the process of rushing out, his outstretched hands were still miles away from the ball...

He could only turn his head and watch the ball, hoping it would miss the goal or hit the post.

But to his disappointment, the ball that He Ying shot went almost perfectly into the far corner!

"Goal!!! What a goal! What a goal! What a goal!!" He Ping exclaimed excitedly, raising his arms and standing up from the commentary box.

The Chinese fans in the stands, who had already risen to their feet, jumped up, raising their arms. As they landed, almost half the stadium seemed to be shaking and trembling.

The cheers of the Chinese fans swept through the entire stadium like a storm!

"He Ying has scored the first goal for China! We are leading South Korea 1-0!"

In front of countless televisions, Chinese fans also howled with excitement. In various teahouses, bars, and all places where people gathered to watch the game, there was an instant eruption.

※※※

After scoring the goal, He Ying excitedly ran towards the stands behind the goal, grabbing the five-star red flag on his chest and showing it to the cheering Chinese fans in the stands.

The fans responded to him with even more enthusiastic cheers.

His teammates ran up from behind and celebrated with him.

Sun Pan, as a goalkeeper, was too far away, but he did a celebratory cartwheel in front of his goal.

※※※

"Ah—!" When He Ying kicked the ball into the goal, the South Korean commentator shouted with his hands on his head. "No! We conceded a goal! China scored… they launched a beautiful counterattack! And our players were a little too unfocused, they seemed sluggish in the face of China's quick counterattack!"

"This is a counterattack that could be written into textbooks. It was very fast, and all the players involved in the attack had clear ideas and knew what they should do. That's why they scored such a beautiful goal!" He Ping lavished all his praise on the young players of the Chinese Olympic team. "Although He Ying scored the goal, it was a team victory!"

The Chinese players and fans were celebrating the goal with abandon, while the South Korean fans and players were stunned.

Just a dozen seconds ago, they were attacking the Chinese goal. A dozen seconds later, they had become the trailing side. It felt like riding a roller coaster, just reaching the peak and then being pulled down hard...

Ji Chengyong watched the Chinese Olympic team players celebrating the goal, and the worries in his heart had finally become reality.

But he didn't feel discouraged or painful. Instead, he clapped his hands forcefully and shouted loudly to his teammates, "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it, it's just one goal! It's not time to give up yet, cheer up!"

He believed that for the current South Korean team, the shoe they had been worrying about had finally dropped. Now, they could stop thinking about all the messy things and concentrate on playing the rest of the game well.

The game became simpler.

※※※

When the game restarted, the South Korean players did show more courage and tenacity.

South Korean players are known for their strong willpower. It is possible to defeat them, but it is difficult to crush them.

In addition, the Chinese team was only leading by one goal, which was not a very safe score. As long as the South Korean team could step up their efforts, they could equalize.

In the thirty-fourth minute, they did just that.

Ji Chengyong pulled out to the wing to cross, and Gu Ziche received his pass in the middle. After receiving the pass, he volleyed in the penalty area. The ball hit Zhang Linpeng's arm as he was retreating to the middle!

Instantly, all the South Korean players in the penalty area raised their arms, and the referee's whistle sounded.

"Penalty!" The South Korean commentator was very excited. "Beautiful! We've won a penalty!"

He Ping was surprised: "Penalty? That was a handball, wasn't it? But the referee has indeed awarded South Korea a penalty… this decision is questionable!"

In China, Chinese fans in front of televisions were already cursing: "Damn it, a black whistle!"

"I'm not surprised at all that this kind of thing happens in a match against South Korea!"

"Let me tell you a joke: 'South Korean football'!"

……

However, although everyone was angry, a calm analysis would show that there was nothing wrong with the penalty. Although it was a handball, Zhang Linpeng's arm was outstretched. If his arm had been tucked in and the ball had still hit his hand, then there might have been something to argue about.

But as it was… there wasn't much room for argument.

Although the players of the Chinese Olympic team were quite agitated, the referee Roldan stuck to his decision.

Facing Sun Pan, the penalty taker sent out by South Korea was Ji Dong-won.

After the referee's whistle blew, Ji Dong-won ran up and shot the ball into the lower right corner of the goal.

Sun Pan guessed the right direction, but his hand was just a little short and couldn't reach the ball. The ball went into the net!

"Good shot—!" The South Korean commentator stretched out his voice and roared. "Beautiful! Beautiful! Ji Dong-won! He equalized the score! We've pulled the Chinese team back to the same starting line!"

He Ping was disappointed and annoyed: "Sun Pan guessed the right direction, but he was just a little short, just a little bit short! It's such a pity!"

Sun Pan thought the same thing. He punched the turf hard before getting up from the ground.

Just as he was feeling annoyed that he hadn't been able to save the ball, Ji Dong-won, who had scored the goal, ran over and made a provocative celebratory gesture - he rushed to Sun Pan, who had just gotten up, and shook his finger at him, returning the gesture that Sun Pan had used to humiliate him earlier!

This provocative celebratory gesture immediately ignited the anger of the Chinese players.

The Chinese Olympic team and the South Korean Olympic team already had a feud, and coupled with the pent-up anger after conceding the goal, they exploded when Ji Dong-won provoked them like that.

Before Sun Pan could react, Guo Nu had already rushed to Ji Dong-won and pushed him away very forcefully.

Ji Dong-won was pushed back several steps. Seeing his teammate being bullied, the players of the South Korean Olympic team also rushed up to make trouble for Guo Nu.

Zhang Linpeng hurried up to help Guo Nu.

The players of both sides collided like two streams of water merging.

You push me, I push you.

They were all yelling at each other.

After reacting, Sun Pan went up to make trouble for Ji Dong-won, but the other party had already been protected by his teammates. He could only point at Ji Dong-won from across the crowd and shout, "You son of a bitch, come out if you have the guts, I'll beat you to death! Damn it!"

With his explosive temper, how could he tolerate being provoked and humiliated by Ji Dong-won?

At this time, Zhou Yi also went up, but he wasn't going to help Sun Pan, but to pull Sun Pan back: "Do you want to be sent off!"

Hearing Zhou Yi roar like that, Sun Pan was stunned for a moment, and his body softened, but his tone was still very tough: "Damn his grandfather!"

Zhou Yi continued to pull him back: "Alright, alright, the best revenge is to not let him score again…"

"Do you need to tell me? If I let him score again, I'll eat kimchi for the rest of my life, and eat myself into cancer!" Sun Pan swore through gritted teeth.

While Zhou Yi was persuading Sun Pan, the brief conflict also ended. The referee showed a yellow card to both Guo Nu and Ji Dong-won.

It was right for Ji Dong-won to get a yellow card, but Guo Nu's yellow card was a bit unfair. He was the main center back of the Chinese team, and he got a yellow card before the first half was over. What about the rest of the game?

Wouldn't he have to be overly cautious?

Blazevic was very dissatisfied with this decision.

But the referee had made his decision, and no one could change it, so they could only accept it.