Chapter 18 — Fed to the Mouth, Makes You Sick!
"Watch out!"
Goalkeeper Kelvin Davis warned Jos Hooiveld to mind what was behind him.
(There are two Davises on the Southampton side: one is the No.1 keeper, the other an outfield David.)
Actually, Hooiveld didn't need Davis to warn him — he already sensed the danger, because Xia Qi's exhaled breath had steamed onto the back of his neck.
He didn't have time to ask the heavens how someone could be so fast.
He urgently stretched his leg to reach the ball — when speed fails, long legs must make up for it!
Knocking the ball to his keeper was his only way out.
He stretched his leg to the limit and lost his balance. Xia Qi barreled past and nudged him with his hip, and Hooiveld lost his footing.
The ball was poked on, but with very little force.
Xia Qi immediately shifted direction and chased the ball again.
At the same time, keeper Kelvin Davis abandoned his line and came charging out.
A new duel seemed about to begin.
But anyone with eyes knew that with Xia Qi's speed, the ball would eventually belong to Xia!
Hooiveld knew it too, so his temper flared and in a moment of emo rage he lunged from behind with a reckless tackle.
But Xia Qi was too quick — if not for his long legs, Hooiveld might not even have reached Xia Qi's heel.
…
Three seconds earlier,
while Xia Qi refused to give up racing Hooiveld, Lukas Podolski, though inwardly hoping Xia Qi wouldn't reach it, remained professional and sprinted over to Xia's side.
That's when he picked it up.
Xia Qi's heel was clipped, he stumbled, and while staggering — using hands and feet — he, in a near-miraculous moment and just before the keeper arrived, managed to scrape the ball to Podolski.
Having lost his balance, he had still done everything he could.
Thunderous applause erupted around the ground.
Podolski who received the ball was moved as well.
That fighting spirit was something he'd once had back at Köln, before becoming a distinguished figure at Bayern…
"I won't let you down — the assist is yours!"
Perhaps overacting a little, Podolski feinted left to wrong-foot José Fonte.
Facing the open goal exposed in front of him, he thrashed a shot — the ball "duang" struck the post.
Arsenal fans involuntarily let out a collective "ahhh…"
No comparison, no hurt — thirty million could buy six players like Xia Qi.
…
When Podolski got the ball:
"Ding…"
"Ding — second bounce point imminent. [Team-Fight Radar] attribute activating…"
"Precision lock on position, off-the-ball run detected…"
After Xia Qi steadied himself he rocketed forward, cut into the box, and as Fox was still tracking the drop point, Xia Qi leapt high behind him and flicked a header.
The ball bounced and deflected into the net.
"Xia Qi crossed… Podolski shoots!"
"Oh! What a pity! …Xia Qi! It was Xia Qi!"
"Goal! Xia Qi crashed in from the outside like a god descending to head it home."
"That's football — you never know what will happen until the last second."
"Southampton's defense got a bit lax, not tight enough. This is the Premier League — if Southampton want to stay up they need to change their urgency and mentality."
"That goal shows a careless marking at the second ball."
Xia Qi walked back expressionless.
"This kid…" Wenger didn't much like Xia Qi scoring at home and not celebrating; he took it as a sign of lacking belonging.
But he also knew he couldn't demand too much.
After all, Xia Qi was a problem child.
Take it slow!
Look — ever since their talk the kid has been more normal; he's stopped stealing defenders' jobs and tonight he's even linking up with teammates.
That's progress.
Thinking this, Wenger wanted to encourage him.
He left the bench and gestured to the Arsenal fans to cheer for Xia Qi, to cheer for the players.
This was rare in Wenger's managerial career!
The fans responded enthusiastically.
Xia Qi's header might not have been spectacular, but it was earned bit by bit — he deserved the reward!
Since Vieira left, Arsenal hadn't shown that kind of grit — one reason for the trophy drought.
On the field, Xia Qi met the crowd's warmth with a nod and stood ready for the restart.
The referee didn't let Hooiveld off for the rear tackle that nearly took Xia Qi out — he issued a yellow card.
That challenge could have been a red, but the ref considered that sending a player off so early would effectively decide the match and make an even contest impossible.
Play resumed.
Southampton kicked off; seeing the junior score again, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott grew anxious and repeatedly probed Southampton's shape.
Southampton was already short on quality; how could they withstand two wild horses tormenting them down the flanks?
The ball was soon intercepted by Oxlade-Chamberlain.
He launched a counter; Southampton were weak but not paper-thin — they wouldn't be carved up easily.
Oxlade-Chamberlain burst, burst, then his momentum faded, and he played the ball back to Mikel Arteta, hoping to set up another move.
But Arteta's thinking didn't match Oxlade-Chamberlain's; noticing Southampton's defensive weight shifted toward Oxlade-Chamberlain's side, he chose to switch play.
A long diagonal search for the right flank and found Xia Qi.
Xia Qi lightly flicked with his toe to take pace off, then rolled the ball onto the instep and set it quiet on his foot.
A Marcelo-style control!
Not just the female fans screamed; even the men applauded.
Xia Qi's mother in the VIP box didn't get it — why such excitement for a simple control?
His father quietly explained…
Southampton midfielder Obi Davis had no time to admire the show; he sprinted at Xia Qi, while Walcott signaled for a one-two that Xia Qi ignored.
Xia Qi: this is youth pride — very tsundere!
He dribbled toward Obi Davis.
Obi felt confident — a Championship lad shouldn't fear the Premier League, right? Like a clay pot vs porcelain?
But Obi underestimated the Premier League; its style has evolved, especially at Arsenal.
Just as the two threatened to collide, Xia Qi dropped his shoulder, shifted the ball and brushed past — cutting inside into the box.
Obi lunged at air and ate turf.
The Premier League's tricks are deep —
I want to go back to the Championship!
Fox hurried up to cover, Xia Qi eased off slightly, nudged the toe and the ball slipped through his small gate past Fox, curling around his body — one-on-one with Kelvin Davis.
The female fans cheered again first.
Xia Qi thought: don't curse this chance!
It'll be jinxed!
Sure enough!
As Davis quickly dived toward Xia Qi's feet,
the AI controlled Xia Qi's right foot to hook the ball to the outside of his left, and the ball was passed out.
A flick-through pass.
It found a streaking Walcott — the AI even used Xia Qi's vocal cords to coldly shout, "Theo, shoot."
But that one sentence made Walcott stunned — remember, in AI mode Xia Qi rarely passes and almost never speaks on the pitch.
"Am I Xia Qi's first on-field partner?" Walcott wondered, flustered. He fired a rushed shot, badly off-target — the ball skidded from right to left toward the byline and looked destined to go out.
Just when the Southampton players inwardly breathed relief,
Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared at the far post; Walcott's poor shot became a brilliant assist.
Disappointed Arsenal fans cheered.
But Oxlade-Chamberlain, a meter from goal, strangely didn't opt for the safe tap-in; he tried an audacious scissor-kick.
He leapt and swung.
The ball struck the crossbar!
Walcott: It was right on a plate!
Oxlade-Chamberlain: I'm nauseous!
(END CHAPTER)
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