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Chapter 213 The Birth of a Legend
After Wang Lie took the shot, Sadia Diomande, the Clayton Athletic player who was following him, stopped and his eyes followed the flying football.

It wasn't until he saw that the ball, which Nathan Daye had parried, hadn't gone out of bounds, and that Tyne's left-back Anderson Nova was rushing towards the ball, that he snapped out of his daze and went to find his defensive target, Wang Lie...

He wasn't around.

When he found him, he saw Wang Lie had already rushed into the restricted area, taking a running start and jumping!

Just like the takeoff process of a supersonic fighter jet, it only took a very short runway before pulling up its nose and taking off!

From Diormand's perspective, Wang Lie was indeed flying!
He leaped so high that he quickly surpassed the height of center-back Dušan Ratkovic...

Diormand had only one thought in his mind:
Is he really thirty-eight?!
※※※

Many people, like Diomande, had their attention drawn to the Clayton Athletic goal after Wang Lie shot the ball.

When the broadcast camera returned to the football, they were surprised to find that Wang Lie had appeared there at some point!

Then we saw Wang Lie leap high, clearly taller than Dušan Ratkovic, and head the ball!

He even pushed it from top to bottom!
You can see how high he jumped!

After completing his header, Wang Lie landed without even staggering, seemingly still having energy to spare. He landed steadily on the grass, then ran towards the corner flag while repeatedly pressing his hands down to signal to the Clayton Sports fans in the stands:
Calm down! Everyone's making a huge fuss, calm down!
This was the first real goal celebration he had in the entire match!
This time, however, Clayton Sports fans did not respond to their arch-rivals with even more intense boos and shouts.

Many people haven't recovered from the shock of Wang Lie's last-minute equalizer—they had a man advantage and a two-goal lead in the first half, so how did the score end up being 3-3?!
What exactly went wrong?
Is this our tactic?

Or is it the performance of our players?
It seems like there aren't any...

Countless Clayton Sports fans at the stadium were baffled by this question, as were many watching on television.

During the match, it seemed like Tyne was on the verge of collapse at many times, so why were they able to avoid actually collapsing even when they were so close to it?

Some of them turned their attention to the man who was giving the Clayton Sports fans a close-range attack.

※※※

"Wang!! He saved the team with a hat-trick! But this isn't the first time he's saved the team in a game! Every time Tyne is struggling, it's him who steps up and pulls the team back from the brink with a goal! Once! Twice! Three times!!"

"Tain spent a lot of money this summer to bring in several very talented players, including a top star like Pisano. But the soul of this team, the core of this team, still has to be that man! That man who can still take off at thirty-eight!"

"A brace in the first round, a hat-trick in the second! Five goals in two games! The new season has just begun, and Wang is already on a killing spree! It's hard to believe this is the same Wang who couldn't even get a chance to play at Sofia last year! Such terrifying efficiency, I wonder if Sofia regrets it? But it's too late for regrets! This terrifying Wang will be their opponent in the new season!"

"Last season, on this very stadium, Wang also scored a goal in the final moments of the match. But they still lost by one goal... He missed a golden opportunity to win! And this time they came back strong, facing the same score, Wang didn't let the chance slip away again! That's Wang! He always gets revenge! What you hold in your heart will surely come back to haunt you!"

"A truly spectacular match! When Clayton Sports took a two-goal lead against Tyne, who were down to ten men, in the first half, how many people thought the game was over? How many thought Tyne had been destroyed? But Tyne didn't give up. They fought back with unwavering determination and managed to hold the defending champions to a draw despite being a man down! Thanks to their perseverance, they saved what could have been a dull and uninteresting game! The Premier League season has only been underway for two rounds, and they've already delivered a classic performance! How can you not love the Premier League?!"

Commentators from all over the world praised Wang Lie, Tyne, and even the Premier League in their own words.

※※※

In front of the television, when Shi Gaojun saw Wang Lie head the ball into the goal, he couldn't help but raise his arms and shout, "Holy shit!! Holy shit!!!"

His son, Shi Bo, who was standing next to him, was also yelling, "Ahhhhh!"

At that moment, they completely forgot their mother's instructions not to wake them...

After they had vented their emotions to the fullest, they finally came to their senses.

The father and son looked at the master bedroom behind them at the same time and saw that the bedroom door had been opened. The wife (mother) was leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, looking at them calmly.

The father didn't dare to speak, so he nudged his son and asked with a smile, "Mom, when did you get up?"

“It’s been a while,” Mom said calmly.

Shi Gaojun exclaimed in surprise: "Then how come I noticed it all..."

The wife gave a slight smile and said, "You were all so focused on watching, how could you possibly notice?"

Then she looked at the TV and asked, "What's going on now?"

Speaking of this, Shi Bo got excited: "Lie Ye's hat-trick! A last-minute equalizer against Clayton!"

"We didn't win... You guys are all so excited, I thought we won."

Shi Gaojun clicked his tongue and said, "Not winning this match is the same as winning!"

"Yes, yes, Mom, you have no idea how difficult this competition was..." Shi Bo excitedly told his mother about the competition.

Seeing that his wife had gotten up, Shi Gaojun simply put away his headphones. The noise from the scene and the commentator's excited voice burst out from the TV speakers, interrupting his son's narration.

"...He completely dominated the game! The entire Clayton Sports team, four-time Premier League champions, paled in comparison to him! A magnificent performance! An incredible 38-year-old! He is never defined, nor bound by anything. This is Wang Lie, the 'King of Adversity' who never gives up!"

※※※

The Tyne players on the bench had already rushed out and run towards the corner flag.

The same applies to the Tyne players on the field.

The two streams of people eventually converged at Wang Lie!

They surged forward and quickly overwhelmed Wang Lie.

But people kept running over, not just players, but also coaches, staff, team doctors...

The coaching bench was almost completely empty.

Only assistant coach Cesar Varo stayed to accompany head coach McNeil.

After their passionate celebration, McNeil looked back at the empty bench and coaching area, then at the dense crowd around Wang Lie, and said to Varo beside him, "It's good that you're with me, Cesar..."

Varo laughed and said, "Actually, I was planning to run over too, but you grabbed me and I couldn't break free no matter how hard I tried."

McNeil: "..."

Then he laughed and said, "Let's go together!"

Then the two of them ran side by side toward the still-celebrating crowd.

The television broadcast also gave a special shot to Tyne's bench and coach's bench, which were empty except for towels, water bottles, shin guards and other debris thrown on the seats and the floor, a complete mess.

The players and coaches were excited, and the Tyne fans in the stands were also very excited.

"Aaaaaah! We did it! We really did it!" Robbie Dixie shouted, raising his arms.

Ryan then grabbed Jon Berg's hand: "Jon! You have to message Tang after the game and ask him if he watched it!"

Theo Collins turned and yelled at the Clayton Sports fans in the stands next to him, "Come over here and salute the King!!"

He was referring to the banner that Clayton Sports fans had hung in the opposite stands.

Most Clayton Sports fans were still reeling from the goal they conceded and had no time to pay attention to him. Only a few Clayton Sports fans responded with the middle finger and insults.

But Collins didn't care about any of that; he laughed and waved Tyne's scarf at the distraught Clayton Athletic fans.

Then they began to sing in unison:
"China Wang! China Wang!"

"His fame spread far and wide, and his prestige resounded throughout the land!"

"China Wang! China Wang!"

"Dragon's blood, human form!"

The short, forceful syllables sounded like industrial workers in Newcastle swinging their hammers, striking red-hot iron ingots, sparks flying and reflecting off their faces and eyes.

※※※

The television broadcast cut from the celebrating Tyne players to the bench and coaching staff of the home team, Clayton Athletic.

Both the substitute players and the coaches had blank expressions, despite the huge commotion coming from the speakers.

But every Kensington player watching on TV could feel the "dead silence" from this scene.

"Wang really did it..."

Someone murmured, someone nudged Dean: "Sonny, is he really thirty-eight?"

Dean nodded: "Yes, thirty-eight years old."

"Monster!" After receiving Dean's affirmative answer, the teammate who asked the question uttered a single word.

The others remained silent, but nodded silently in their hearts.

That's right, Wang Lie is simply a monster!

Kensington players have a clear understanding of how difficult it will be to play against Clayton Athletic, not to mention that Tyne is down to one man!

Everyone has to run more than usual, which naturally consumes more physical strength.

Therefore, Tyne used all five of his substitutions in the seventy-something minute.

But while almost the entire team was exhausted from the game, Wang Lie played the whole match and, in the final moments, with a super leap that almost defied gravity, smashed the ball into Clayton Athletic's goal!
Everyone here is a professional player, and a high-level one at that.

But faced with Wang Lie's extraordinary performance, they could only describe him as a "monster"...

Richard Burton glanced furtively at his friend.

Seeing his former team perform so well, and seeing Wang Lie in such good form, will Sonny regret leaving Tyne?

In his eyes, Dean's profile was calm and unchanged, with only the light from the television screen reflecting in his eyes and flickering.

※※※

With the referee's intervention, the Tyne team's wild collective celebration finally came to an end.

The two teams parted ways at their celebration area. Wang Lie led the players back to their own half, while head coach McNeil led the substitutes and coaches towards the bench.

The Clayton Athletic fans in the stands finally recovered from their huge disappointment at being tied by the last minute, and they attacked Wang Lie with a barrage of boos.

Wang Lie responded by raising his hands and then lowering them, pointing with his thumbs to the name and number on the back of his jersey.

Of course, he was met with even more boos and insults. But Wang Lie didn't care.

He smiled and turned to the area where Tyne's fans were gathered, waving to them.

The few Tyne fans cheered.

Of course, their cheers couldn't be heard at all, as they were immediately drowned out by the boos from the Clayton Sports fans.

But they didn't care; they continued to cheer, sing, and dance.

The angrier Clayton Sports fans are right now, the happier they are!
※※※

Although the game wasn't over when Wang Lie scored, with about three minutes remaining, many people felt that the game was already finished.

Wang Lie's third goal was a major blow to the Clayton Sports players.

Despite leading by up to two goals and having a man advantage over Tyne, they were somehow tied by Tyne in the final moments... Many players were completely demoralized...

How could they possibly be in the mood for the competition?
Nevertheless, when the referee blew the whistle to resume the game, Tyne's players maintained their high morale and continued to fight against Clayton Athletic.

However, the players at Clayton Athletic were not quite united. They no longer passed the ball back and forth in an orderly fashion as before, creating gaps in the process, finding weaknesses in Tyne's defense, and then striking decisively...

Now they're opting to cross the ball directly from the wing, launching a powerful 45-degree attack!
However, Clayton Athletic currently has no tall striker or a player who excels at heading the ball on the field.

Kochea had no choice but to push center-back Dušan Ratkovic up front to play as a makeshift center forward.

However, expecting a hastily appointed center to shoulder the responsibility of helping the team secure a victory in the final three minutes is simply asking too much of a question...

So, without any surprises or miracles, when the referee blew the final whistle in the 97th minute, the score was set at 3-3.

"Match over! Match over! This was an unbelievable match! It was full of twists and turns, and classic elements! After a disastrous first half, Tyne, playing with one less player, turned the tide in the second half, scoring three goals to force a draw against the powerful defending champions!"

"Wang Lie is absolutely the best player of this match! He is also the biggest contributor to Tyne's ability to draw with Clayton Athletic! He once again saved the team with a goal, just like he has done countless times before... and once again proved the correctness of the 'Wang Lie Law': 'Look to Wang Lie in adversity, look to Wang Lie in hardship, look to Wang Lie in desperate situations'!"

"Let's pay tribute to this great veteran! This is the King's night, his game! He completely overshadowed the collective brilliance of the Premier League defending champions! He showed Kochea, who emphasizes team football, the ultimate in individual heroism! Yes, we need Kochea's football, but we also need the King's football!"

As soon as the final whistle blew, the television broadcast immediately switched the camera to Wang Lie, focusing on him and filming him closely, clearly telling the television viewers through the language of the camera who the protagonist of this game was!
Commentators from all over the world also praised Wang Lie in their own ways and styles.

But at this moment, no matter how eloquent they were, language itself was pale in comparison to Wang Lie's performance in this match.

No language can adequately convey in a short time just how explosive Wang Lie's performance in this match was.

Only those who watched the competition truly understand its significance.

Three goals, a hat-trick.

One with the left foot, one with the right foot, and one with a header—a perfect hat trick.

Despite being down to ten men, Wang Lie scored three goals in the second half, leading a exhausted Tyne to victory. Although they didn't win, in everyone's hearts, Wang Lie was the winner. The team didn't win, but he defeated Clayton Athletic.

Despite the significant increase in strength brought in during the summer, if Wang Lie is fielded in this match, the greatly enhanced Tyne team will still be mercilessly destroyed by the defending champions, Clayton Sports.

It can be said that Wang Lie has elevated Taien to a new level.

So it's okay to praise Wang Lie however you want now.

In the footage, Wang Lie hugged and celebrated with each of his teammates, then led them to the area below the away fans' stands to thank the Tyne fans on the second tier.

Tyne's fans responded with enthusiastic cheers.

Whether it's the players or the fans, even though they only got one point, they acted as if they had won all three.

※※※

After celebrating off the field, the entire Tyne team returned to the locker room.

Wang Lie was the last to return because he not only had to receive the Man of the Match award, but also had to be interviewed by the official Premier League broadcaster, and he also had to undergo a urine test.

After he finished all that and returned to the locker room, everyone was already inside.

But many people didn't change their clothes; they were still celebrating...

Celebrate this draw as a victory.

If it were the old Wang Lie, he might have poured cold water on everyone's hopes at this point, since they only drew, not actually won.

But Wang Lie no longer has any side effects.

After entering the room, he joined in the celebration. After joking around with the team members for a while, he walked to the center of the locker room and slammed his fist hard on the massage bed in the middle, making a muffled thud, somewhat like the sound of a drum.

After his continuous knocking, the locker room gradually quieted down, and everyone looked at Wang Lie, knowing that he had something to say.

Wang Lie's first words once again drew cheers and screams from the crowd in the locker room.

He pointed and circled around everyone in the locker room: "I'm proud of you guys! Every single one of you!"

After everyone finished cheering, he pointed to Anderson Nova and said, "Although I already said it after the goal, I have to say it again here: that last forward run was the most crucial part of the third goal. Well done, Anderson!"

Nova proudly puffed out his chest.

Wang Lie then looked at Peter Oliver: "See, Peter, I wasn't lying to you, was I? You've completely demonstrated the role of a center forward, and the team needs someone like you!"

Oliver pursed his lips tightly, only letting out heavy breathing through his nose.

Then Wang Lie called out each of his teammates' names one by one, praising each one from his perspective.

Because his words were meaningful, no one felt that he was just trying to amuse them like children.

Even when Hlic was sent off, Wang Lie expressed his understanding and offered encouragement: "Don't take the red card too seriously. As a center-back, that position is very difficult. Because defense isn't just one person's responsibility, it's the responsibility of the whole team. If someone has a problem, then the whole team has a problem..."

During halftime, Wang Lie's indifference made Hlic uneasy. He was worried that Wang Lie would criticize him harshly, but instead, Wang Lie understood and encouraged him.

When Wang Lie said this, Elliott Goetz, who was sitting next to Helitch, nudged him lightly with his shoulder. Helitch turned to look at the vice-captain, who said nothing, but simply smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Seeing the vice-captain's expression, Helich realized that perhaps Wang Lie's coldness towards him during halftime was not a reprimand, even though he deserved to be reprimanded.

After all, his reckless foul caused the whole team to struggle.

As Goetz winked at Helitch, Wang Lie had already turned to the others.

He said to everyone, "The credit belongs to all of us! It's not just the people I just called out, but also our leader, coaches, team doctor, team staff, and the players who were well-prepared but didn't get a chance to play. Every one of you has made a contribution!"

After he finished speaking, his tone softened slightly:
"I'm not just being polite. You all know my temperament; I don't tell those hypocritical, nice-sounding lies. Before today's game, we actually had some problems, such as insufficient teamwork and a lack of deep understanding of the coaching team's tactics... and so on. Add to that the unexpected situation we encountered in today's game..."

"For most teams, losing a game in such a difficult situation wouldn't be unacceptable... but we didn't do that, and no one gave up. Pressure and crisis are the best tests of a team's fighting spirit, and I think we passed the test."

Everyone in the locker room, including head coach McNeil, watched Wang Lie quietly and listened to him speak, as if he were the head coach of the team.

"What does this show? It shows that we have much more room for imagination in the new season! We will play many more games, we will face many opponents as strong as Clayton Athletic, and we will be in unfavorable situations like today. At that time, everyone, think about today's game. Then you will gain confidence and strength from it. Even the defending champions, with one more man than us, couldn't beat us, so who can?!"

Vitini roared with excitement, even chanting lyrics from the song "The Extraordinary Heart":
"We are unstoppable!!"

Wang Lie raised his hand, signaling Vitini to be quiet, and Vitini indeed stopped.

Wang Lie continued:

"This game was like a 'coming-of-age ceremony' for our team, bringing us all together tightly, like twisting a rope..."

At this point, he pointed to Elliott Goetz:
“That’s what our captain, Elliott, told me.”

Goetz was somewhat embarrassed that Wang Lie would bring up his past words in this setting.

"...He said the team is like braiding a rope, and each person is a thin rope. By braiding many thin ropes together and twisting them into a thick rope, that's what a team is."

Wang Lie made a twisting motion like a rope.

"And in my country, there is a similar analogy. A single chopstick is easily broken, but ten, twenty, or thirty chopsticks bundled together are very difficult to break. The same goes for a rope; the more thin strands twisted in and the tighter the twist, the greater the tension the rope can ultimately withstand... enough to pull our dreams and ambitions!"

When he said the last sentence, Wang Lie's voice rose in pitch, then softened slightly:
“I remember last season when we lost to Clayton Athletic and went back to Northumberland… Normally, every player who played in the game would get a day off, but the next morning, almost everyone who played in that game showed up at the training ground on time. It was at that moment that I became certain that we could qualify for the Champions League.”

Perhaps the new players who joined the team this summer don't fully understand what Wang Lie said, but those players who were with Tyne last season were deeply moved when they heard him say it:
No wonder Wang Lie later said on a live TV broadcast, "We will definitely go to the Champions League, just like the Tyne River will eventually flow into the sea." It turns out that his confidence came from this!

Many people began to look at Wang Lie differently.

For example, Vitini's eyes were wide open, his teeth were clenched tightly, and his facial muscles trembled slightly from the exertion. Without even looking, his hands were undoubtedly clenched into fists.

Upon hearing this, both head coach McNeil and assistant coach Varro looked at each other simultaneously, their eyes revealing a shared understanding.

Under the meaningful gazes of everyone, Wang Lie spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders:

"Since then, we haven't lost a game and we've actually qualified for the Champions League."

This sounds like a charlatan showing off his precognitive abilities, but no one would scoff at what Wang Lie said.

On the contrary, everyone is taking it seriously.

Even the new players who joined the team in the summer and didn't experience last season. Although they didn't know what happened within the team last season, they knew that Tyne had indeed qualified for the Champions League.

"And today, we're facing Clayton Sports again. Last time, we lost 2-3 to them, and this time we drew 3-3. Last time they scored three goals, and this time they also only scored three goals, while we scored one more. That one goal was the dividing line between defeat and a draw. But guys, if we can score one more goal, that will be the dividing line between defeat and victory!"

"Of course, I'm not blaming everyone for not scoring another goal. Today's game was special; scoring three goals was already a remarkable achievement. I'm just saying that this time we don't accept defeat, and next time, the next time we meet Clayton Athletic again... we won't even accept a draw; we'll only accept victory!"

The crowd in the locker room started yelling again.

"We only accept victory!"

"victory!!"

Wang Lie raised his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Then he continued:
"Remember what I told you guys that day, buddies? I said let's write our names in history, and then let history become legends..."

In Mark Medley's camera lens, Wang Lie lowers his raised hands, pointing to where he is standing:
"So...right here, today, let's start with this match!"

(End of this chapter)