At 3:30, the match started precisely on time after the whistle.
Before the match, Hu Tian's team had won the coin toss, choosing to kick off. So, when Teacher Lu blew the whistle to start the match, Hu Tian gently flicked the ball and quickly ran forward.
The school team was indeed very strong, and these players trained together every day, their teamwork far surpassing that of Chen Yang's hastily assembled team.
The ball passed around a few times among the school team players, already close to Chen Yang's penalty area. Although Han Song and Huang Qunfei had done their best, and Cao Xiao and Chen Yang had returned to the backfield to assist in the defense, gaps still appeared.
The school team's number 7 player played a through ball, which slipped perfectly between Han Song and Huang Qunfei. Hu Tian, already poised for action, sprinted forward like a gust of wind, overtaking the last line of defense. He even had time to give the apprehensive goalkeeper Liu Da a disdainful smile before calmly swinging his right foot…
Chen Yang had stopped running when number 7 successfully passed the ball, leisurely walking towards the center circle. He knew that unless Hu Tian suddenly faltered, a goal was almost certain.
Sure enough, a muffled thud was heard as Hu Tian's instep struck the ball accurately. Liu Da only saw a blur before the ball disappeared from his sight.
When Liu Da regained his senses, the ball was already spinning in the net.
"Beep!"
Referee Teacher Lu's sharp whistle blew, signaling a goal.
0:1! Less than two minutes into the game, Chen Yang's team had already conceded a goal. Under the school team's relentless attack, the defense formed by Han Song and Huang Qunfei appeared riddled with holes.
"Da Liu! You're positioned too far back! Your defensive area is too small!" Han Song shouted anxiously, reminding goalkeeper Liu Da.
Han Song was already mentally prepared for defeat, but he hadn't expected to concede a goal so cleanly right from the start, like a rude awakening.
Shen Tu Fan was even more excited than Hu Tian, who had scored. He rushed into the goal, grabbed the ball, and ran towards the center circle. As he passed Chen Yang, a mocking smile appeared on his face, and he muttered quietly:
"Country bumpkin!"
Then, he tossed the ball behind him, running back to his own half while extending his right thumb, then flicking his wrist, shaking his thumb downwards a few times—the taunt was blatantly obvious.
Chen Yang silently picked up the soccer ball, carefully placed it at the center circle kickoff point, then stood beside it with his hands on his hips, giving Han Song, who was jogging over, a meaningful look. Han Song hesitated for a moment, but seeing Chen Yang's determined gaze, he subtly nodded.
"Beep!"
The game restarted. Chen Yang, with the ball under his foot, gently passed it to Han Song, then sprinted towards the attacking third.
Hu Tian and the number 7 player who had just assisted on the goal didn't even try to contest the ball; instead, they ran straight forward. They were confident; the two players behind them were more than capable of defending this ragtag group, so it was better to roam the attacking third looking for opportunities, avoiding wasting energy running back and forth.
Chen Yang's run was directly towards Shen Tu Fan, who was responsible for defending the left flank. Han Song glanced at Chen Yang's position, ignored Cao Xiao's outstretched hand for the ball, gritted his teeth, and with a push of his foot, passed the ball towards Chen Yang.
Shen Tu Fan was overjoyed. While the previous goal was exhilarating, he hadn't scored or assisted it himself, and Chen Yang hadn't participated much in defense during the attacking third, so the thrill wasn't quite as pronounced. Now, facing Chen Yang directly was the perfect opportunity to humiliate him.
The ball was still rolling. Chen Yang was facing away from the ball, and Shen Tu Fan immediately lunged forward aggressively, trying to pok the ball away before Chen Yang could control it.
In reality, as a defender, with an open goal behind him, Shen Tu Fan's action was a serious mistake. If the opponent broke through, another teammate wouldn't even have a chance to provide cover, and Chen Yang would be one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The safest approach would have been to block Chen Yang's passing and dribbling routes, watching his movements closely and not making a move rashly.
However, Shen Tu Fan was blinded by hatred for Chen Yang, and in his eyes, Chen Yang was just a naive rookie, not worth worrying about.
So, as he made his tackle, Shen Tu Fan was already imagining Chen Yang's stunned and dejected expression after losing the ball.
But the smile on his lips froze instantly. After what he thought was a very stylish tackle, Shen Tu Fan suddenly realized there was no ball at his feet. He hurriedly turned around and saw Chen Yang sprinting towards the penalty area with the ball, while another defender was desperately chasing behind.
Hu Tian and his partner, still in the other half of the field, were naturally too far away to react.
Let's rewind to a second earlier.
The instant Shen Tu Fan made his tackle, Chen Yang seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He slightly parted his legs, the ball just passing between Shen Tu Fan's legs. Chen Yang quickly flicked the ball to his left with his left foot, dodging Shen Tu Fan's tackle, and then gracefully moved forward, completely outmaneuvering him.
The path ahead was wide open, and Chen Yang's daily training was clearly paying off. He sprinted at full speed with the ball, his breathing perfectly steady, each touch precise and controlled. The other defender was a full ten meters away, only able to run alongside Chen Yang symbolically, offering no real defense.
At this moment, Han Song and the others stopped running, watching Chen Yang's every move intently. Su He in the stands wore an excited expression, her fists clenched tightly, as if she could lend Chen Yang some strength.
"Go Chen Yang!" Su He silently chanted in her heart.
When he was still five or six meters from the penalty area, Chen Yang unleashed a powerful right-footed shot, sending the ball flying like a meteor into the top corner of the goal.
Although the school team's goalkeeper reacted quickly and dived in the right direction, facing such a fast-moving ground ball, the goalkeeper had no time to adjust his balance and could only watch helplessly as the ball went in.
His save was elegant; he leaped into the air, his body incredibly fluid. But even the most elegant movement was futile; powerless to reach the ball, he could only watch helplessly as it skimmed the grass and nestled into the bottom right corner of the net!
1-1!
Just one minute after kickoff, Chen Yang responded to the school team with a sharp counter-attack, thoroughly humiliating Shen Tu Fan!
After completing his save, Chen Yang didn't even look at the result; he turned and ran back, knowing from the first touch that the ball was in!
"Yay! Chen Yang, you're amazing!"
Su He's excited voice echoed from the empty stands. The usually quiet girl had jumped to her feet, clapping enthusiastically.
The sound was particularly grating to Shen Tu Fan's ears. He was at least 90% responsible for the goal conceded. He had originally intended to thoroughly humiliate Chen Yang at Su He's place, but the end result was that Chen Yang easily beat him like a monkey, and even managed to equalize the score. Hearing Su He's cheers, Shen Tu Fan's jealousy flared up.
After scoring, Chen Yang deliberately ran past Shen Tu Fan, his eyes filled with disdain, as if looking at a clown. What infuriated Shen Tu Fan even more was that Chen Yang whispered something, softly enough for him to hear:
"Trash..."
Chen Yang's contemptuous gaze and the word "trash" he received were like needles piercing Shen Tu Fan's heart. His face flushed red, his teeth clenched, and his eyes blazed with intense hatred.
Chen Yang ignored Shen Tu Fan's gaze, leisurely running to the center circle and embracing his teammates who were already waiting there. He then turned to Han Song, and the two exchanged a hearty laugh and high-fived in celebration. The initial shock of conceding a goal vanished.
A goal often changes more than just the score.
Chen Yang noticed that the subconscious fear Cao Xiao and others had towards the school team players was gradually fading.
The game restarted.
After Chen Yang's successful surprise attack, Hu Tian dared not be too overconfident. They adjusted their formation and began to play more cautiously, while Han Song and the others, their confidence boosted, defended with all their might. Although the school team's attacks remained fierce, Han Song and Huang Qunfei's tenacious defense managed to keep their goal intact.
Chen Yang's exceptional footwork also played a significant role. He frequently displayed flashes of brilliance in the attacking third, catching the school team off guard and creating several scoring opportunities for them. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side, and Chen Yang failed to score another goal by halftime.
With the referee's whistle, the first half ended in a 1-1 draw, heading into halftime.
Same score, but completely different moods.
Han Song and his teammates walked off the field excitedly, chatting and laughing. Hu Tian's school team, however, looked dejected. Being tied by such a hastily assembled ragtag group for a full forty-five minutes was a disgrace. Shen Tu Fan was especially frustrated; he knew his teammates, though silent, were all blaming him.
"Chen Yang, have some water!"
As soon as Chen Yang left the field, Su He handed him a bottle of mineral water.
Chen Yang grinned, said thank you, and unscrewed the cap, taking large gulps.
"Drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you..." Su He chided playfully, while casually wiping the sweat from Chen Yang's forehead with a tissue.
"Oh dear... I really can't stand it anymore, boss, how about we find somewhere else to rest? Let's not disturb this young couple's sweet time!" Cao Xiao's exaggerated voice rang out inappropriately.
Su He, like a startled rabbit, quickly withdrew her hand, glancing at Chen Yang out of the corner of her eye, then silently chuckled.
"Get lost!" Interrupted by Cao Xiao, Chen Yang was very annoyed, throwing his empty water bottle at Cao Xiao and yelling irritably.
"Hahaha!" Han Song, Huang Qunfei, and the others, in good spirits, also burst into laughter.
Shen Tu Fan, who was not far away, witnessed this scene, his jealousy burning even more intensely. He gave Chen Yang a vicious look, leaned close to Hu Tian, and whispered:
"Captain, that country bumpkin on their team is the only threat we have. I think we should find an opportunity in the second half... to cripple him!"