After scoring, Chen Yang remained calm and collected. He jogged to the net, retrieved the ball, glanced pityingly at the school team's goalkeeper, and then ran straight to the center circle, slamming the ball hard onto the kickoff spot.
Standing up, Chen Yang pointed at the ball and then beckoned to Hu Tian and Shen Tu Fan with his index finger, signaling them to start the game immediately.
Chen Yang's provocative gesture thoroughly enraged Hu Tian and Shen Tu Fan. They stood there, their faces ashen, glaring at Chen Yang with murderous intent. Chen Yang, however, seemed oblivious, turning to high-five Han Song, Cao Xiao, and the others.
Han Song was beaming with joy. Before the match, his biggest wish was to lose by a small margin. He hadn't expected Chen Yang to be so strong, managing to tie the score with less than ten minutes remaining. If they strengthened their defense, they might even be able to draw against the powerful school team!
But Chen Yang didn't think so.
"If we're going to play football, we have to win! What kind of game is a draw? Besides, Hu Tian and Shen Tu Fan mocked me before the match and even fouled me during the game. If I don't get my revenge, I won't be able to get over this mental hurdle."
The match continued, and as expected, the school team launched a furious attack. The proud team would never allow themselves to be tied by such a rookie team. However, their mentality was in disarray; they were becoming increasingly impatient, often taking shots on balls that weren't even chances. The number of shots on goal increased dramatically, but the threat level was much lower than before they conceded.
After a successful interception in the backfield, Huang Qunfei passed the ball to Han Song beside him. Chen Yang was still roaming in the attacking third, and Hu Tian didn't dare to be careless, quickly calling for his teammates to quickly retreat and defend.
Chen Yang looked at Shen Tu Fan jogging away, a cold smile appearing on his lips. He turned back to the midfield line and gestured for Han Song to pass the ball. Han Song passed it without hesitation.
The moment Chen Yang received the ball, Hu Tian and Shen Tu Fan immediately tensed, but they had learned their lesson and instead of rushing forward, they split up to block Chen Yang's path to the basket.
Chen Yang sneered inwardly; this was exactly the moment he wanted!
He gently nudged the ball forward a few steps, then suddenly unleashed a powerful, devastating shot!
However, the ball's trajectory was slightly off-target. Instead of heading towards the goal, it struck Shen Tu Fan, who was defending on the right flank.
In a flash, a muffled thud was heard as the ball slammed into Shen Tu Fan's abdomen.
Shen Tu Fan felt as if he had been hit by a cannonball. He involuntarily staggered back several steps, clutching his stomach and collapsing to his knees. Then, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, his stomach churned, and he nearly vomited on the spot.
In an instant, Shen Tu Fan's face turned pale with pain, and large beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
The soccer ball bounced off Shen Tu Fan and out of bounds—a throw-in for Chen Yang's team!
Chen Yang smiled coldly, leisurely running to the sideline to retrieve the ball, preparing to throw it in. Hu Tian glanced at Shen Tu Fan, who was clutching his stomach, and somewhat suspected that Chen Yang had done it intentionally, but he quickly dismissed the thought. If Chen Yang could really shoot wherever he wanted, professional teams would be scrambling to sign him; why would he be here? Besides, he was a junior in college; if his skills were that good, as the captain of the school team, he couldn't possibly be unaware of his abilities. Today was probably just an exceptional performance!
As for Shen Tu Fan being hit by the ball, it was probably just an accident.
Hu Tian comforted himself with this thought.
But Hu Tian's thoughts quickly wavered. Two minutes later, Shen Tu Fan, who had just recovered, was unlucky enough to be hit by the ball again, and the culprit was still Chen Yang.
Just like the previous replay, Chen Yang received the ball in midfield and, without even looking up, unleashed a powerful smash. The heavy ball struck Shen Tu Fan once again!
This time, Shen Tu Fan was right in the middle, and Chen Yang's smash landed squarely on his face.
Shen Tu Fan didn't even have time to react; he collapsed onto the field like a log, instantly unconscious.
"Dare to mess with me? I'll slap you in the face! I'll show you why flowers are so red!" Chen Yang's lips curled into a cold smile.
Hu Tian rushed to Shen Tu Fan's side and pinched his philtrum. After a while, Shen Tu Fan slowly regained consciousness. The ball had been incredibly powerful; the impact on his face had knocked him unconscious.
When Hu Tian saw that Shen Tu Fan was still dazed after waking up, and that half of his once handsome face was visibly swollen, with his eyes narrowed to slits, making him look like a pig's head, Hu Tian was instantly enraged!
He jumped to his feet, pointed at Chen Yang, and shouted at the referee:
"Teacher Lu, he did it on purpose! Shen Tu injured him just now, this is malicious retaliation! You should give him a red card!"
Cao Xiao, upon hearing this, objected, scoffing:
"So your fouls are considered accidents, but our accidents are considered fouls? The school team is so great, huh?"
Han Song also chimed in:
"Hu Tian, don't try to shift the blame! We all saw it clearly, Shen Tu Fan just happened to be in the S-shaped path, getting hit by the ball is just bad luck!"
"Hmph! What a coincidence!" Hu Tian glared angrily, "The ball hit Shen Tu twice in a row, and both times it was Chen Yang's S-shaped path, is there such a coincidence? I think it was intentional!"
The two sides started shouting.
"Enough!" Chen Yang shouted, and both sides immediately stopped arguing, their eyes focusing on Chen Yang, the person involved. Chen Yang, however, leisurely adjusted his shoelaces, then stood up and walked step by step to Hu Tian, saying calmly:
"Didn't you say I did it on purpose? Fine! I'll let you do it on purpose twice! From this distance, I'm standing there, you can kick the ball however you want. As long as you hit me, I'll accept any consequences, even a concussion, paralysis, or being in a vegetative state! If you miss, don't spew nonsense!"
"You..." Hu Tian was speechless.
Both times, Chen Yang's position at the goal was at least twenty meters away from Shen Tu Fan. At that distance, Hu Tian knew he couldn't possibly hit Chen Yang; even if he did, it would be pure luck. Ronaldinho's incredible skill of hitting the crossbar every time and having the ball bounce back to him wasn't something just anyone could master. "Alright, stop arguing! Shen Tu Fan, go rest for a bit. Hu Tian, your team needs a substitute!" Teacher Lu finally had a chance to speak, and quickly said, "All of you, shut up! There are only five minutes left in the game!"
Hu Tian glared at Chen Yang, then sullenly called over two teammates to help Shen Tu Fan off the field to rest. He then designated a substitute player to come on, and the game continued.
Shen Tu Fan sat on the sidelines, staring at Chen Yang with a vicious look. His face was swollen and contorted. Chen Yang glanced at him disdainfully, thinking to himself:
Everything that needed to be done in this game has been done. Now, all that's missing is a goal!
The tension between the two sides grew increasingly intense in the following minutes, with frequent physical contact. Teacher Lu was also very nervous, frequently interrupting the game.
Time ticked by. Han Song's team was generally weaker, while the school team was restless and impatient. Neither side could break the deadlock, and it seemed this battle of spirit was about to end in a draw. But in the final minute…
A sudden change occurred!
Chen Yang, who had been slowly searching for opportunities, suddenly changed his pace after receiving the ball!
After stealing the ball from the backfield, he first used a series of dazzling stepovers to knock the number 7 player to the ground, then sprinted forward, using two simple changes of direction to get past the number 3 player and the newly substituted number 5.
Hu Tian had already alertly retreated to the center circle, watching Chen Yang's movements intently. He knew he was the last line of defense; behind him lay a large open space, and that was his own goal.
Sprinting from the backfield to the attacking third, Chen Yang maintained his speed, charging straight towards Hu Tian with the ball, followed by three defenders ten meters behind him like a string of small tails.
Left!
Right!
Hu Tian was in a constant state of anxiety, unsure which way Chen Yang would break through. He could only keep his eyes glued to the ball, not wanting to be fooled by Chen Yang's feints.
Suddenly, Hu Tian's vision blurred, and the ball was gone. Chen Yang had swept past him like a gust of wind, dribbling straight into the penalty area.
Chen Yang wasn't breaking through from the left or right. Just as he was performing a stepover, he subtly crossed his legs, using his right toe to brace the ball, and flicked it backward with his left heel, sending the ball soaring over both himself and Hu Tian's heads. Then, Chen Yang gently chested the ball forward, opening up a wide field of vision.
After breaking past Hu Tian, Chen Yang immediately unleashed a powerful sprint, charging straight into the penalty area.
The school team's goalkeeper, seeing all the defense breached, decisively rushed out of his goal. Just as Chen Yang entered the penalty area, the goalkeeper was already upon him. It must be said that the school team's goalkeeper was quite experienced. In a one-on-one situation, if Chen Yang didn't rush out, he had a hundred ways to score.
Before the goalkeeper even reached him, Chen Yang swung his right leg, unleashing a powerful shot. The goalkeeper instinctively lunged sideways, preparing to block Chen Yang's shot with his body.
Unfortunately, this seemingly fierce kick was a feint. Just as his instep was about to touch the ball, Chen Yang suddenly changed his shot into a flick, deftly chipping the ball over the goalkeeper's body. Then, he quickly leaped up, directly over the goalkeeper, giving him no chance to foul!
An empty goal! A completely empty goal lay before Chen Yang. Every player on the school team, including the goalkeeper, had been flawlessly bypassed by Chen Yang's acrobatic moves.
Hu Tian stopped his futile chase, utterly despondent. The goal was inevitable, and with it, time would be up; he had lost, without even a chance to equalize…
Unexpectedly, Chen Yang didn't choose the S-goal. He dribbled the ball at high speed to the goal and neatly stopped it on the goal line.
Then…
Chen Yang turned around, gave the stunned Hu Tian and the others a mocking smile, flicked the ball into the goal with his heel, and then walked back to his own half without looking back.
"Beep! Beep! Beep…"
The referee signaled that the goal was valid and blew the final whistle.