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Chapter 221 The Counterattack Begins Now

“A red card is an unpredictable event that can happen in any game; the key is how we deal with such unfavorable situations. I’m very pleased that you showed courage and resilience as Scots players when you were down to ten men!”

Head coach Josep Gil praised his players in the locker room.

On the one hand, as the head coach, he had to encourage the players to cheer up. On the other hand, the Scots players did perform well in the first half and deserve praise.

They were down to ten men in the 24th minute and were trailing.

His team did not collapse, and even almost equalized the score.

Judging from his performance in the first half alone, it was definitely much better than Tyne's first half in the previous game against Clayton.

Tyne was almost completely overwhelmed by Clayton in the first half.

If Clayton Athletic hadn't missed a few chances, the score would never have been 2-0. Even if Wang Lie were a god among men, he wouldn't have been able to turn the tide and change the outcome of the defeat.

Compared to Tyne, at least the Scorsese haven't lost their composure.

This is normal, of course, since Scorsese is a traditional powerhouse that has dominated English football for over a century.

Players playing here deserve this level of performance.

If they collapse after being down a man and conceding a single goal, it would be a laughing stock...

After praising the team's performance, Gil wanted to continue to give them confidence:

"The counter-attack starts now, guys! We'll play their counter-attacks in the second half! Tyne won't be satisfied with a one-goal lead, so they'll intensify their attack in the second half... Let them attack, and once we get the ball, we'll quickly find the two flanks... Chi, and Victor, you two need to spread out in the second half and make full use of the width of the pitch. Also, Ryan, after Chi and Victor spread out, you need to make decisive runs into the middle during counter-attacks!"

Chi Zhen, Victor Delmora, and Ryan Boissière, whose names were called, all nodded to indicate that they understood.

If the team wants to launch a counter-attack in the second half, these three players will be key figures.

Gil then called Chi Zhen over specifically: "Chi, you played exceptionally well in the first half. I hope you can maintain this form in the second half and play like you did in the first half."

Chi Zhen nodded emphatically; this was his promise.

The head coach gave him this opportunity, and he must seize it no matter what.

※※※

"We have one more player than them and we're leading in the score... Does this sound familiar? Does it remind you of the last round of the league? The only difference is that this time we are the ones leading in both numbers and score."

In the home team's locker room, head coach McNeil was reminding the players not to relax.

"So, is it something to be happy about to have one more player than them and be leading in the score?"

When he asked that question, many people in the locker room shook their heads.

They knew it even without the head coach saying it.

So at the end of the first half, everyone's mood wasn't very high.

Because they failed to capitalize on the opportunity of having an extra player to extend their lead.

Especially the goal-scoring opportunity that Ribeiro missed near the end of the first half...

Although no one complained about or blamed him, the Portuguese are still unhappy about wasting the opportunity that Wang Lie created for them.

"If Clayton Athletic could come back from a two-goal lead at halftime to draw 3-3, why can't the same thing happen to our opponents? So remember, until the final whistle blows, no score or situation is safe. If we managed to draw with a man down against a strong opponent last game, but then lose to them with a man up this game, then we won't be able to go any further and see the view from the top!"

McNeil didn't say it explicitly, but almost everyone in the locker room understood what he meant.

That was what Wang Lie said after the last round of the league:

Go and write a legend.

"So in the second half, I hope you will completely defeat the Scorsese!"

※※※

Players from both sides ran onto the field from the player tunnel, which meant that the second half of the game was about to begin.

Seeing this, Harry Collins suddenly said, "Hey, do you guys think we won't end up like Clayton Arena in the last round, failing to win even when we're in the lead?"

His concerns were actually quite reasonable, because at the same time, countless Tyne fans in the stands at Lize Park shared the same worries.

After the initial excitement of leading at the end of the first half gradually faded, many realized that Tyne was only leading by one goal.

In a football match, these fans know all too well what it means to be only one goal ahead.

Their opponents are no pushovers, but last season's runners-up, the traditional powerhouse Scorsese.

Anyone who thinks they can beat the Scorsese with just this one-goal lead is truly out of their mind.

However, in the section of the stands where Harry Collins was located, Collins was a "minority" who was worried.

Upon hearing his question, Robbie Dixie burst into hearty laughter: "Aha! Impossible, absolutely impossible! Harry, your worries are completely unnecessary!"

Ryan chimed in, "That's right, that's right, we have Tang Dynasty after all!"

Tang Lin quickly waved his hand: "I can't take that responsibility!"

Even Jon Berg sided with Dixie and Ryan this time, but his reasoning had nothing to do with Tang Lin: "Although the preconditions seem similar to the last round, and the Scorsese's situation is even better than Tyne's at the time, you've overlooked a key factor, Harry."

Harry Collins asked, "What key factor?"

"How do you think we managed to tie the defending champions in the last match?"

“Of course, it’s thanks to the King’s ‘perfect hat trick’…” Harry Collins started to say, then realized, “Yes, we have the King!”

Jon Berg smiled and nodded: “We have a king, while the Scorsese don’t—their ‘Chinese boy’ is quite good, but he’s still far from being a king.”

※※※

When Chi Zhen appeared on the television broadcast, the director immediately cut to a close-up shot of him.

In the footage, he and Del Mora are walking together, covering their mouths and saying something.

"Chi, I'm so sorry, I wasted such a great opportunity you created for me..."

Chi Zhen was indeed very angry when Del Mora had just wasted his chance, but he has long since calmed down now.

This kind of situation is very common in competitions, and he has also wasted opportunities created for him by others before.

If you dwell on every unpleasant detail in a match, the game becomes unplayable.

So Chi Zhen sincerely said, "Victor, you don't need to keep apologizing to me. I really don't blame you..."

“Although you didn’t blame me, I still can’t forgive myself—that was our best chance in the first half!” Del Mora said to Chi Zhen very seriously. “Chi, I don’t think I’m feeling good in front of goal today, so in the second half, if you have a chance, try to shoot yourself, and I’ll create more opportunities for you.”

Chi Zhen was stunned for a moment, not expecting Delmora to say that.

For a striker, scoring goals is arguably the ultimate objective.

Who would admit during a match that they are not in good form and have to give up scoring opportunities?

Chi Zhen looked at Delmora and saw that the latter's expression was serious and his eyes were sincere. He knew that Delmora was not joking with him, so he nodded and made a promise: "You can rest assured to give me the opportunity, Viktor."

After receiving Chi Zhen's promise, Delmora finally smiled and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was clear that he was really upset about the chance he missed in the first half. Chi Zhen wanted to say a few more words of comfort to him, but at that moment he suddenly turned his head to look at the player tunnel behind him as if he had some kind of telepathic connection.

Then a figure emerged from the shadows of the passageway, bending down to tuck his jersey into his shorts.

Even without looking up, Chi Zhen could tell at a glance that it was Brother Wang.

Behind Wang Ge were several Tyne players, namely Miguel Ribeiro, Vitini, Anderson Nova, and Lenny Isara.

They were like Wang Lie's underlings, following behind their leader.

For some reason, whenever Chi Zhen saw Brother Wang leading his teammates out, background music would automatically start playing in his head:

"I roam freely, commanding respect from all; I never need to look back, I will overturn the world, I will write my own laws..."

It was at this moment that Wang Lie tucked his jersey completely into his shorts and looked up.

His eyes met Chi Zhen's in mid-air.

Chi Zhen didn't expect Brother Wang to suddenly look up. He had no time to dodge and bumped into him.

But almost just as he was about to reflexively look away, a voice inside him rang out:
Don't hide!

Look at him!
Face him!
Even if he is the sun, we should look directly at him!

So Chi Zhen's neck was as if it were welded shut, maintaining the turned-head posture, staring straight and intently at Wang Lie.

After Wang Lie tidied up his jersey, he looked up and saw Chi Zhen and Del Mora standing not far in front of him.

This was originally a very normal eye contact.

Normally, out of politeness, people would look away as soon as their eyes met.

Of course, the main reason is to avoid embarrassment.

After all, if you stare directly at someone, it's easy for the person being stared at to feel offended, which could lead to conflict.

Delmora quickly looked away, but Chi Zhen didn't; he remained staring at Wang Lie. Wang Lie soon noticed that intense gaze.

It was Chi Zhen who saw it.

So he simply made a slight detour and walked towards Chi Zhen.

Chi Zhen was somewhat surprised, and his gaze began to soften.

But he still didn't move away until Wang Lie walked up to him.

"You played well in the first half, Chi Zhen, but it wasn't good enough."

Wang Lie said to Chi Zhen.

Chi Zhen nodded: "I know, Brother Wang, so I'll give it my all in the second half."

"Hmm." Wang Lie glanced at Delmora next to Chi Zhen. "I suggest you be a little more independent. Your partner's performance in front of the goal was terrible today."

Chi Zhen felt somewhat embarrassed, and at the same time, he glanced guiltily at the bewildered Delmora. Although he and Brother Wang communicated in encrypted language—Mandarin Chinese—he truly hadn't expected Brother Wang to so openly speak ill of someone in front of Delmora…

Then, he instinctively wanted to tell Wang Ge that Del Mora had already said the same thing, but at that moment he suddenly became alert—he shouldn't have so easily revealed the team's "secrets" to the opponent.

Then he started thinking, should he lie to Brother Wang and tell him that Del Mora insisted on shooting himself and even wanted him to pass the ball to him...?

This might disrupt Tyne's defense—if they all think Del Mora will be the Scouts' main attacker and focus their defense on him, wouldn't that give them an opportunity?

But just as he was hesitating, unsure whether he should do it, Wang Lie had already brushed past him and left.

Watching Brother Wang's retreating figure, Chi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief—he really couldn't bring himself to do something like lying or playing tricks on others...

That's fine, let's rely on real skills!

Chi Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while Delmora, who was next to him, hurriedly asked him after Wang Lie had walked away, "What were you and Wang talking about just now?"

Chi Zhen and Wang Lie are teammates on the national team, so it's perfectly normal for them to chat, even during matches where they are opponents.

The reason Delmora was so concerned was that when Wang Lie and Chi Zhen were chatting, they both glanced at him.

This bothered Del Mora.

Chi Zhen was too embarrassed to tell the person directly that Brother Wang had spoken ill of him to his face, so he could only make excuses, saying, "It's nothing, we just chatted for a bit..."

Why do you look at me when you're just chatting casually?

"I didn't see you, you must be imagining things..." Chi Zhen didn't know what to say, so he could only force a change of topic, "Brother Wang came to cheer me on..."

This tactic worked! Upon hearing this, Delmora immediately turned his attention to him: "Go for it? You're his match!"

Chi Zhen nodded: "Yes. He hopes I can perform better in the second half."

Delmora realized what he meant, and gave a cold laugh: "That's exactly what that arrogant jerk would say..."

He then raised an eyebrow at Chi Zhen: "It seems Tyne thinks the advantage is on their side. The boss is right, the counterattack starts now! I'll create opportunities for you, Chi, so be sure to seize them!"

Chi Zhen nodded.

He didn't really agree with Delmora's words; he didn't think that Wang Ge's statement meant that Tyne had the "advantage."

That's just Wang Ge's style. Delmora might not understand, but he knows Wang Ge very well—underestimating his opponent is something that would never happen to Wang Ge!
But no matter what Tyne does, I was going to give it my all in the second half anyway.

So he nodded anyway.

※※※

After the start of the second half, Tyne launched a full-scale attack, seemingly determined to extend his lead as quickly as possible.

In response to this situation, the Scorsese players stopped pressing high up the pitch and decisively switched to a defensive counter-attacking strategy.

When defending, they almost all retreated to the 30-meter zone.

"Unbelievable! The Skos people actually shrank back when facing us!"

"Has Tyne become this strong?"

"That's right! We're incredibly strong now!"

"Didn't Wang say that we're going to conquer all of Europe this season? What are the Scots people? They're just domestic rivals..."

As the game unfolded, the Tyne fans in the stands were filled with admiration.

This makes them look like a bunch of clueless megalomaniacs.

But we can't blame them.

Because that's how the game is going right now—Tane is completely dominating Scorsese.

This scene could absolutely send veteran Tyne fans into a frenzy:
This was something they never dared to dream of before, no matter how much they drank!
The scene is so beautiful, I almost dare not look...

But not everyone will be happy about this.

Crises always contain opportunities, but opportunities often conceal hidden dangers.

Commentator Connor Cowley was warning Tyne: "Scholes are clearly going to counter-attack. Their players, Chi and Del Mora, are both capable of quick counter-attacks, good at individual play, and can also combine well between two or three players... Tyne is pushing almost his entire team forward now, so be careful of Scors' counter-attacks..."

In the 56th minute, Scorsese took advantage of Tyne's pressing forward and launched a counter-attack.

After dribbling down the right flank, Del Mora delivered a very exaggerated long diagonal pass, shifting the attack to the left.

Fortunately, Tyne's right-back Barnabas and defensive midfielder Isara tracked back in time.

When Chi Zhen received the ball on the sideline, Barnabas quickly moved in to interfere.

Although Chi Zhen initially fooled Barnabas with a beautiful first touch—he stopped the ball inside—Barnabas overshot and rushed straight out of bounds.

But Isara followed up very quickly, so Chi Zhen had no way to get rid of the defense and dribbled straight forward.

He could only protect the ball, and at the same time collided solidly with Isala.

Isara failed to dispossess him with a tackle, but Chi Zhen was also unable to quickly get going and break free.

Isara's entanglement caused Barnabas, who had rushed out of bounds, to turn back and double-team Chi Zhen.

Instead of confronting the two men head-on, Chi Zhen passed the ball to the center before losing his balance, to Ryan Boissiere, the attacking midfielder who was making a high-speed run through the middle.

However, Tyne's center-back, Maje Katic, anticipated the pattern of the Scorsese counter-attack and was already beside Boissier when Boissier received the ball.

Entangled with it, Boissière did not accelerate.

Then, Tyne's other center-back, Claire Oni, took advantage of the moment when Boissière and Katic were battling it out and suddenly rushed up from the side to pok the ball away.

But the Skos's counterattack was not over.

Oni poked the ball away, rather than controlling it.

The ball rolled toward the right flank.

Del Mora kicked the ball despite Anderson Nova's interference!

"careful!"

Del Mora met the ball with a swing of his leg, using the inside of his right foot to flick the ball directly to the other side... He was still looking for Chi Zhen!

However, Chi Zhen failed to receive the ball this time.

After all, Del Mora's first-time pass under Nova's close marking was quite difficult, making it hard to guarantee accuracy; he could only pass it within a general range.

So even though Chi Zhen tried his best to rush forward, the ball still flew past him by about one or two meters...

Finally, it flew directly out of bounds.

The Skos's counterattack thus came to an end.

Chi Zhen was very frustrated at not receiving the pass, but he immediately turned around and gave Del Mora, who had passed the ball to him, a thumbs up.

The fact that the ball didn't go in can't be simply attributed to Del Mora's poor pass, but he also bears responsibility for not making a timely forward run.

"Oh no! Del Mora's pass was too long! Chi Zhen couldn't receive the ball! If he had, it would have been a very dangerous attack!"

Luo Jin felt genuinely sorry for Chi Zhen.

As a Chinese commentator, he didn't care who won or lost between Tyne and Scorsese, as long as both Chinese players performed well in the game.

Connor Cowley, pointing at the field from the commentary box, shouted: "That's what I said! Tyne has to be careful of the Scorsese counter-attack! They didn't score this time, but what about next time?! What if they score next time? I know Tyne thinks a one-goal lead isn't safe, but you have a numerical advantage right now. Slow down the pace a bit, use passing to move the Scorsese players around, increase their stamina, and after the seventy-minute mark, the Scorsese will be slowly dying!"

The television broadcast cut to the Skós coaching bench, where head coach Josep Gil was clapping and talking to assistant coach Dadier.

Because he was clapping as he spoke, without covering his mouth with his hand, after the match, some busybodies used lip-reading experts to make Jill's words public.

The head coach of the Scots team said:

"I told you, Sergio. The counterattack begins now!"

(End of this chapter)