Chapter 006: The Rise to Fame of a Ball
No matter how many years later, Bai Haonan does not regret this goal, even if it means exchanging his life, he is willing to pay the price
Bai Haonan also got up, his face still bearing an innocent expression, yet the corners of his mouth continuously muttered "fuck you" and "shit". He even dared to stand in front of the black man, pointing at the other's wounds and shaking his head vigorously, indicating that it had nothing to do with him
Then, a player from the Blue Wind team dashed forward recklessly to intercept, grazing the ball. The white and red ball changed its trajectory, soaring high into the sky, falling down without a clear sight of the distance. Bai Haonan noticed that five or six players from both sides rushed forward, and he instinctively took a few steps closer. Then, he instinctively mocked himself for exerting this effort, realizing it was impossible to snatch the ball from the crowd. So, he moved slightly to the side, standing about seven or eight meters outside the opponent's penalty area. With a thud, two players leaped high to contest the ball, and Bai Haonan, with a toothache, heard the sound of their heads colliding together. In the moment of their painful fall, the ball descended towards him.
It seems that Bai Haonan has been constantly held down and beaten by Old Chen in various situations, accumulating a wealth of body language. The referee chose to believe that he was set up, and the team doctor, Old Qin, naturally gave Bai Haonan a thumbs up in secret, representing the coaching staff's approval
A nearby defensive player lunged in panic
Perhaps everything had been prepared and reminded before the match, but no one expected to be dominated by the Blue Wind team. The away team's players were even more flustered, and the confusion in their mindset manifested in the game as frequent mistakes. The away team's coach, anxious, made two substitutions in quick succession, but it felt like a drop in the bucket and could not change the situation.
The away team's players are in even greater disarray; some have already sensed that the situation is unfavorable and have decided that securing a draw and retreating is sufficient. Others, however, are unwilling to accept such an outcome. The message conveyed by the coach is clear: they must win. This is reflected in their actions, with some players delaying the game by holding onto the ball, while others are frantically pushing forward.
Any disputes that arise during a match are one matter, but taking action after the referee has stopped the game is another matter entirely. The latter can easily lead to a card being issued, with the decision between a red or yellow card often depending on the acting skills of the player rolling on the ground. Generally, an attack to the head is tantamount to voluntarily requesting a death penalty
It is very easy to evoke that underlying desire for battle in a man's heart through sports
21:28 in the evening
At this point, very few people realize that this substitute has truly changed the direction of the entire team, because it was not he who scored the goal. His passing statistics, dribbling time, and number of shots are all unremarkable. Aside from getting into a dispute that led to the opposing player receiving a red card, nothing else is related to him. He remains that somewhat lazy and mediocre defensive midfielder, merely hovering in front of the defenders to provide support.
With a swish, accompanied by the friction against the inner corner of the goalpost, the entire white net was suddenly pulled. The opposing goalkeeper, no matter how high he jumped, never anticipated such a sudden strike from thirty meters outside the goal, especially one that was executed seamlessly with a series of juggling, stopping, and dribbling without touching the ground. It was too sudden!
The Lan Feng team, which had been under pressure and defending for half the match, immediately turned the tide, forcing the visiting team, whose members were not in agreement, back into their own half, transforming into the home team that repeatedly launched attacks and shots on goal
The African American player, who had been incessantly berated, was thoroughly enraged, jumping up and pointing at his own leg to complain to the referee
The drums and gongs in the arena are resounding to the heavens, and the audience is already filled with a sense of satisfaction and surprise, raising their voices an octave higher in cheers to support the home team, completely elevating the players' morale to its peak, creating a momentum that overwhelmingly surpasses the visiting team, turning the tide in their favor
Due to the absence of this new foreign aid, the entire away team's offensive momentum immediately vanished. The drawbacks of domestic teams relying on one or two exceptionally strong foreign players have been laid bare. Even though the away team's coach promptly adjusted the formation, the players on the field still found their positioning and momentum disrupted.
The opposing defender, in a moment of panic, kicked the ball out without any direction. The clock had already stopped at ninety minutes, with only one or two minutes of stoppage time remaining. Soon, the away team would secure a hard-fought point, which could be considered a modest achievement of their objective
Then tens of thousands of people present witnessed this scene, as Bai Haonan seemed to have been struck hard on the head by someone. Heaven knows how he bounced back up, crashing heavily two meters away, rolling in agony as if his head had been split open. His face was more twisted and terrifying than that of a woman in labor.
Bai Haonan did not make any celebratory gestures; he landed in a daze and was immediately embraced by a rushing teammate, crashing to the ground, firmly pinned down. In his ears, there was only the distant roar of the audience and the frenzied shouts of his teammates
A coach is akin to a commander; even if they change tactics by waving flags and shouting, some soldiers on the battlefield may feel that with a score of 1 to 0 and one less person, they might as well defend until the end. Others, filled with indignation, want to deal with this scheming individual. The visiting team is already much stronger than the home team, so at such a moment, how could they possibly concede? Naturally, they must launch a frenzied counterattack; a score of 1 to 0 is not secure, and thus they must attack fiercely!
As all the spectators were intently watching, after the substitute number 16 juggled the ball for the second time, the ball perfectly landed to the right of Bai Haonan, with the height and distance being just right. The footwork during the juggling was also perfectly timed, without any hesitation, exuding a powerful sense of rhythm. He struck the ball with the outside of his foot, and in high-definition slow motion, one should be able to see the ball momentarily deform violently, proving that the full force from his leg was transmitted to the ball. There was no hesitation, and it was filled with a powerful sense of rhythm, striking the ball with the outside of his foot, and in high-definition slow motion, one should be able to see the ball momentarily deform violently, proving that the full force from his leg was transmitted to the ball.
After a few dozen seconds, Bai Haonan, limping back into the game, was already playing with the team in a situation of eleven against ten. Then, within five seconds, he returned to normal, provoking a frenzy of boos from the visiting spectators
It is entirely an instinctive action, where the thigh cushions the ball, allowing its momentum to be completely controlled and gently lifted before it descends again
No matter how seasoned the referee is, in such a chaotic situation, he must act decisively to prevent disruption to the order of the match. Observe Bai Haonan's performance as he gestures for the team doctor to enter the field, and without needing to examine the bleeding wound on the black player's leg, which is the size of a fingertip, he unhesitatingly shows him a red card, ordering him to leave the field immediately
Even if it is only for a moment
Amidst the tumultuous roar of tens of thousands, his Jiangzhou-accented English curses could not be heard even a few meters away. The referee, already eight or nine meters away, had just stretched his neck to notice the injury when he felt himself being obstructed by the agitated Black player, who violently shoved aside his opponent in front of him
Bai Haonan later recalled that at that moment, his mind was actually blank, perhaps indicating a state of complete focus. His eyes were fixed intently on the ball, and his entire body and mind seemed to be connected with it. He knew what the ball was thinking, at what height it would fall. As a professional player for over twenty years, he gently extended his foot and tapped it with the instep. The ball, still in the air, glided past the defender in slow motion, and the overly aggressive defender had no chance to commit a handball foul to stop Bai Haonan; it slipped right by.
Unconsciously, as the ninety minutes drew to a close, the visiting team had retreated into their penalty area, unable to fight back. Bai Haonan did not even realize that he had crossed the center circle, lost in thought as he watched the two teams battling fiercely both inside and outside the opponent's penalty area. The fans were so excited that it seemed their hearts might give out, cheering and shouting like a tsunami, as if the roof of the main stand at the sports center might be blown off.
The term "old hand" refers to someone who may not have any outstanding qualities, but has a deep understanding of the rules.
Other players from both sides immediately rushed in to escalate the situation as if they were about to engage in a brawl
Perhaps this is the reason why football is favored by gambling companies, as this sport is intertwined with numerous factors beyond pure technique, where anything can lead to the impossible occurring
The requirements set by the coach before the match have now been completely disrupted. No matter how much he shouts and gestures from the sidelines, it cannot compare to Bai Haonan's incessant repetition on the field: "Go! Charge forward with all your might, go, go for them..."
What is the charm of football
Several members of the Blue Wind team were practically kneeling beside Bai Haonan, seemingly on the verge of tears
The entire Blue Wind team played as if they were under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs, frantically attacking in turns, seizing every opportunity to score, even when it seemed impossible. From a medical perspective, this is akin to a massive secretion of adrenaline, comparable to the effects of stimulants. Without any unexpected developments, around the 80th minute, a winger took advantage of the chaos to score a goal, equalizing the match
However, the ratio of tens of thousands to hundreds of home and away fans instead inspired the home team spectators to easily suppress the atmosphere with a unified chant of "Jamaica". Moreover, this continuous and varied collective shouting did not cease until the end of the match.
This posed even less of a threat, as Bai Haonan turned to see that only one center-back remained behind him, while the others had all advanced into the opponent's half. Therefore, he also unusually moved forward by about ten meters.
It seems that even the roar of the mountains and the tsunami cannot describe the joy of a last-minute winning goal, especially when it is scored with such a spectacular long-range shot
Bai Haonan's sliding tackle was captured from a direct side view, his face contorted with the diligent strain of effort. He extended his toes, attempting to lower himself as he slid past, appearing to possess no fierce or lethal intent. It was merely that the opponent moved too quickly and was tripped as a result. The referee, who blew the whistle for the foul from over twenty meters away, did not perceive this as a significant action; it was simply a routine technical foul for interception, and moreover, it occurred outside the area where a card could be issued. As he was making his way to the scene of the incident, he raised his hand to indicate it was an indirect free kick. The referee, who blew the whistle for the foul from over twenty meters away, did not perceive this as a significant action; it was simply a routine technical foul for interception, and moreover, it occurred outside the area where a card could be issued. As he was making his way to the scene of the incident, he raised his hand to indicate it was an indirect free kick.
The stadium filled with tens of thousands of people seemed to fall into a momentary silence, and then erupted into ecstatic cheers
This emotion is actually a composite one, influenced by the noisy environment around, the repeatedly provoked feelings, and the frustration of being outsmarted despite one's exceptional confidence. Ultimately, the sharp pain of wounds combines to create a surge of passion. The common perception of athletes is that they are simple-minded and physically strong, which is unrelated to their intelligence. Excellent athletes are usually quite intelligent, but it is indeed common for them to have straightforward thoughts, making them easily provoked and heated.
Due to the large number of participants, it is difficult for this sport to resolve issues solely through individual efforts. It is a collective sport where morale, skills, and mindset are equally important. Utilizing the human foot, which is least adept at precision, to execute complex ball control, along with relatively long and high-energy-consuming match durations, all test the players' overall endurance in a manner akin to warfare
Bai Haonan felt as if his entire body was soaring, reminiscent of the kind of flight he longed for while playing football in his childhood. It had been several years since he last scored a goal
Many young women are puzzled as to why smelly men, despite having various different interests, can easily develop a liking for football. Some have studied this phenomenon, and the most likely explanation is that football is the sport that resembles war the most in a peaceful world
Then the soccer ball shot out like a cannonball, following a straight trajectory, seemingly without any spin, so swiftly that everyone pressed the pause button, only able to look back at the result
It should be said that the vast majority of the audience believes that their players have been harmed, and the frenzied shouts of anger quickly merged into a wave of sound. The fervent fans near the visiting team's fan area even resorted to throwing water bottles and other objects at the visiting fans