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Chapter 219: They might as well have given us a penalty kick!

In fact, Liberty knew he hadn't managed to tackle the ball when he went down to make the tackle.

But when he heard the piercing whistle and boos, he quickly got up from the ground and waved his finger at the referee who was running towards him.

He was going to make one last desperate attempt, because he had already seen the referee's hand reaching behind him!
There's a zippered pocket at the back of the shorts...that's where you put the red card!
Most referees typically keep yellow and red cards separate because yellow cards are issued more frequently than red cards during a match. Therefore, to avoid accidentally pulling out a red card every time they show a yellow, and having to double-check for a wrong card, referees usually keep the red card in their back pocket, while keeping the yellow card and pen in their breast pocket.

That way, when he needs to show a yellow card, he can simply take it out of his breast pocket.

Fans who watch a lot of games can easily tell whether the referee is going to issue a yellow card or a red card just by whether his hand is extended towards his chest or behind his back when he touches the card...

Sure enough, the referee pulled a red card from his back pocket and held it in his hand—clearly, he was going to show a red card to Scorsese center-back Joey Libert!

Despite numerous pleas and appeals from the Skos players to the referee, the referee showed no intention of changing his decision.

Liberty knew he was in deep trouble, but he didn't give up. He kept making "ball" gestures to the referee, meaning "I just tackled the football"...

But he forgot that we are now in the era of VAR, with a video referee team supervising every game. If there is such a big difference between tackling the ball and tackling a person, how could the video referee team not communicate with the head referee unless they are all blind?
In other words, the fact that the referee so decisively showed the red card means that the video assistant referee team did not raise any objection to his decision.

Therefore, Libert's actions can only be described as a "death struggle," and they will not change anything.

This only annoyed Miguel Ribeiro, who yelled at Libert, "You tackled the ball? You bastard tackled the ball my ass!"

Libert ignored him, and he wanted to argue with Libert, but Wang Lie, who was still sitting on the ground, yelled at him: "Miguel! Go get the ball for me!"

He pointed to the football, which had rolled to the front but no one paid any attention to it.

Although Miguel Ribeiro was still very unhappy with Libert's attitude, his god had spoken, so how could he possibly disobey?

So she obediently turned around and ran to retrieve the ball.

At the same time, Vitini leaned down and asked him, "How are you, Your Majesty?"

Wang Lie moved his right foot; it was still a little sore, but it didn't affect his movement, so he said, "It's okay."

Vitini reached out his hand: "I'll help you up."

Wang Lie did not refuse and insisted on getting up on his own. Instead, he reached out and used Vitini's strength to stand up from the ground.

At the same time, the referee ran up to Liberty, flashed the red card in his hand in front of the Belgian center-back, and pointed to the sidelines with his other hand, indicating that he should leave the field!

Red card!

Libert's fate in this match is sealed!
"Only twenty-three minutes into the game, Liberty was sent off! Scouts is now playing with one less player!"

"In the last league match, Tyne had a player sent off in the first half, and now their opponents are also down to ten men... These last two matches have been so dramatic!"

All appeals and defenses were ineffective, and Liberty seemed deflated when he saw the red card.

At this moment, the team captain, Masson Harper, came over, patted his head, and ruffled his hair, comforting him: "Don't blame yourself for this, Joey. You did a great job, at least you didn't let him into the penalty area and avoided conceding a goal..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lie turned to look at them and said, "That's not necessarily true, Ma Sen."

He then looked at Liberty: "You should have let me into the penalty area before fouling me. Although it would have resulted in a penalty, it might have only resulted in a yellow card. At least you had a full squad."

Contrary to popular belief, Wang Lie did not wear a mocking smile when he said this, even though the content of his words sounded abstract.

His expression was serious and earnest, as if he truly believed that giving Liberty a penalty and a yellow card would have been a better option.

why?
Although they conceded a goal, Liberty was not sent off, allowing the Scots team to maintain a full starting lineup of eleven players.

Upon hearing Wang Lie's words, Libert's eyes widened, and he wanted to rush over to cause trouble for Wang Lie, but he was held back tightly by Captain Masson Harper: "He's just trying to provoke you, Joey! Ignore his nonsense! You did a great job! Very good!"

As he spoke, he pulled Libert out.

Wang Lie did not refute Harper's statement further, but smiled and took the football from Miguel Ribeiro.

He wants to take the free kick from the top of the penalty arc himself.

Pisano ran up to him and asked, "Do you need me to cover for you?"

Pisano is also a free-kick expert; currently, he is responsible for taking indirect free kicks and corner kicks for the Tyne team.

Wang Lie shook his head: "Thank you, Renzo, but it's not necessary."

He refused politely but also decisively. Pisano didn't feel that Wang Lie looked down on him; it was just a normal exchange. When he heard Wang Lie say no, he nodded and stepped aside.

※※※

Libert eventually left the field. Wang Lie's last words had successfully angered him, making him, who was already deflated, act like a pufferfish that had been provoked, sulking and unwilling to leave the field.

Finally, after being persuaded by Masson Harper and his teammates, he reluctantly walked to the sidelines.

The chaos caused by Libert's foul quickly dissipated.

As the crowd around him gradually dispersed, Wang Lie bent down and placed the soccer ball.

"Libert's foul forced Scorsese to play with one less player for the next 60 minutes, but instead of a penalty for Tyne, he only gave him a free kick. Libert did a pretty good job..." commentator Connor Cowley said.

Commentator Luke Milne chuckled, "I don't know if the Skós fans will be comforted. But considering Wang's recent form, can Skós, missing a center-back, withstand Wang's continuous attacks..."

Connor Cowley chimed in, "You'd better stop stabbing the Scorsese fans in the heart!"

Milne burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

As a supporter of Wang Lie and a former Sofia player, he was very happy to see the Scorsese people suffer a setback.

So what do the Scottish fans think? It's none of his business.

I'm just telling the truth!

Doesn't your Joe Wesley often use the "tell the truth" banner, like the Yin-Yang King and Sofia?
※※※

After being sent off, Joey Liberty did not walk straight into the players' tunnel and disappear from sight.

Instead, he stopped when he reached the entrance to the players' tunnel.

Turn around and look back at the stadium.

Wang Lie's words just now lingered in his mind.

Receiving a red card was not his intention, but if the only way to stop Wang Lie from scoring in a one-on-one situation was through this method, then giving him a free kick was obviously better than giving him a penalty kick.

This can be said to be his only consolation after sacrificing himself for the team as a center-back.

But Wang Lie said it would be better to give them a penalty kick...

According to the current rules, fouls that result in a penalty kick in the penalty area generally do not result in a red card.

So Wang Lie meant that there was no difference between a free kick and a penalty kick; he would score in both.

So Libert wanted to see if Wang Lie was putting pressure on him or playing psychological warfare.

In other words, he really couldn't walk back to the locker room with peace of mind unless he saw the result of that free kick...

Wang Lie had already placed the football on the field, and the wall of players from the Scottish team had also been set up.

The Skós players in the wall looked serious and tense; everyone knew that they were facing the current world's most successful free-kick scorer.

Besides the human wall, there was also a Scots player lying behind it.

Because the ball is so close to the goal, there's a possibility that Wang Lie might shoot it directly under the jumping wall, so it's necessary to have someone lie down behind the wall to block it. "Last season against Scotsmans, Wang Lie scored a direct free kick, and it was from a very long distance. This time it's a very close-range free kick, but for Wang Lie, whether it's a very long or very close free kick, he has a corresponding way to score."

Luo Jin wasn't just flattering Wang Lie.

He was telling the truth; that's the ability of Wang Lie, the current master with the most free-kick goals.

Whether it's the instep, the outside of the foot, a free kick, a knuckleball, or a banana kick, there's no free kick Wang Lie can't score with.

These scoring weapons were all honed step by step during his 21-year professional career.

At this moment, all the Skowists fans in front of their TVs held their breath, watching the broadcast with bated breath, not daring to utter a sound.

They were clearly also thinking of Wang Lie's stunning long-range free kick last season.

Meanwhile, the Scots fans in the stands at Lize Park could not remain silent. They waved their scarves at Wang Lie and booed him, trying to distract him.

Coincidentally, the second tier of the stands that Tyne faced during his attack in the first half was where the away team's fans were gathered.

The way these fans waved their scarves in the stands did indeed distract Wang Lie to some extent.

But it's only "to a certain extent," and it's hard to say exactly how much that "certain extent" is.

Because he wasn't far from the goal, Wang Lie didn't step back a long way to run up like he did last season; instead, he stood right behind the ball.

"...Judging from this run-up distance, it's definitely not a knuckleball..."

Before Connor Cowley could finish speaking, the referee blew the whistle, and Wang Lie leaned forward to start his run-up!
But he only took one step forward, which was his entire run-up distance. Then he swung his right leg, using the three toes on the outside of his right foot to whip the ball into the lower middle part.

As he kicked, the Skos people's human wall leaped high, striving to increase their defensive height.

But after they jumped up, they realized that the soccer ball wasn't flying very high; it wasn't flying over their heads, but rather heading straight for them!

Or to be more precise, they came for the Argentine defensive midfielder Damian Reil in the wall!

As Rael watched the ball fly towards him, and it wasn't very high, he almost reflexively bent down and tried to head it away.

But his bending over actually created a gap between him and team captain Masson Harper next to him...

The football seemed to be held by an invisible hand, suddenly dropping in front of him, and just barely slipped through the gap!

And Rael, who was bent over and looking down, didn't even manage to touch the ball!
He, on the contrary, became the weak point in the human wall!
The Scots goalkeeper Leonardo Lucero, who was behind the wall, had been focused on the top of the wall, but the ball pierced through the wall and came out from the middle!

This caught him completely off guard!
He hurriedly pushed off the ground and lunged to the side, but it was too late!

The football grazed the inside of the goalpost and flew into the goal!

"Aaaaaah! Wang!!!" Connor Cowley screamed. "He scored!! His sixth goal of the season! And this is only the third round of matches! My God! What terrifying efficiency and form?!"

The commentator Luke Milne raised his arms and shouted, "Well done! Wang! The situation is very unfavorable for Scorsese now... because they are down a man and trailing by one goal!"

In a studio far away in China, Luo Jin laughed heartily: "Haha! Wang Lie! Aha! That's a goal!! He's scored twice in a row against the Scots team with free kicks! This is also his twenty-seventh goal against the Scots team!"

At this moment, Luo Jin wasn't considering that the Scottish national team also had a Chinese player, Chi Zhen, or whether his statement would provoke dissatisfaction from Scottish fans and Chi Zhen fans in China. He was simply stating the facts; if anyone was dissatisfied, then the problem lay with the dissatisfied individual…

After scoring, Wang Lie first pointed at Masson Harper, then turned and ran towards the corner flag to celebrate with the jubilant Tyne fans in the stands.

Masson Harper noticed Wang Lie's gesture, but his brain hadn't processed it yet, so he remained in a "blank" state.

Joey Liberty, who had been standing at the entrance to the players' tunnel, was even more excited—when he saw the ball fly into the goal, he crouched down with his hands over his head.

I'm mentally broken...

Wang Lie's words echoed in his mind, each word like a knife stabbing into his heart.

The television broadcast clearly knew that Libert hadn't returned to the locker room, so when Wang Lie ran towards the corner flag, it quickly cut the camera to the players' tunnel, showing viewers around the world Libert's grief-stricken appearance.

Seeing this, the commentators realized that Libert hadn't left after all...

"Libert looked extremely frustrated; his red card hadn't secured the team's safety! Now Scots are down by a goal and playing with ten men, you can only imagine how Libert must be feeling right now!"

"To be honest, seeing Libert like this, I actually feel a little sorry for him... It's so tragic. He sacrificed himself, and in the end, nothing changed... No, it made things worse!"

※※※

Watching Brother Wang and his teammates embrace and celebrate in the corner flag area, Chi Zhen squinted slightly, as if he were staring directly at the sun, which made him feel blinded.

Only by personally facing Brother Wang as his opponent can one truly feel how terrifying he is...

His poor performance at the beginning of the season was attributed by many to the fact that his tactical position and status with the Scorsese were different from before, and he was not used to the change.

But Chi Zhen himself knew very well what was going on.

The reason he performed poorly was largely because he followed Brother Wang's example and did extra training during the summer vacation, which disrupted his body's rhythm.

When the team started intensive training to build up his physical strength, he experienced fatigue, which affected his subsequent tactical training.

This meant he had to spend more energy adjusting his form, which was the main reason for his poor performance in the first two league games.

He only practiced extra during the holiday like Brother Wang, and it caused such a serious chain reaction.

Brother Wang, however, has persisted for twenty years without affecting his performance at all.

Many times, he would think of the day he parted ways with Su Ju and Yue Hang at the airport.

Su Ju advised him not to compete with Brother Wang, his words somewhat harsh, saying that his talent was completely incomparable to Brother Wang's.

He knew Su Ju was right.

What merit do I have to compare myself to Brother Wang?
So perhaps giving up and stopping the fight is the right choice...

But every time Chi Zhen had such a thought, he would think of the phrase "Dare to be extraordinary".

Abilities may vary, and talents may differ, but attitude is ultimately unrelated to ability and talent, right?

Of course, I don't have Brother Wang's legendary talent, and my abilities are not as good as Brother Wang's either, but at least there is one thing about Brother Wang that I can learn from him.

That's the attitude of never giving up!

Whether I can become extraordinary is another matter. If I don't even have the courage to be extraordinary now, then what am I to be Wang Ge's successor?
Both teams were down to ten men in the first half and were trailing.

Didn't Brother Wang already set an example for me in the last round of the league?

I don't know if I can eventually lead the team to a draw like Brother Wang did, but if I don't even have the courage to think about doing so, then I've already lost from the start!

For example, Brother Wang is now as dazzling as the sun.

No one dares to look directly at the sun, because everyone knows that looking directly at the sun will make your eyes water and cause discomfort.

But I insist on looking, even if I have to squint to get a glimpse.

Think back to when Brother Wang first came to Europe. Before him was a dazzling world of football, and every shining star was actually a burning star like the sun.

So, did Brother Wang bow his head and close his eyes in front of so many "suns"?
No.

I also want to have Brother Wang's courage...

Let's start by daring to look Brother Wang in the eye, starting with this match!
(End of this chapter)