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Chapter 223: No Suspense
"A two-goal lead is great! But it's not enough!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity when everyone came to hug and celebrate with him, Wang Lie did some mental work with his teammates who gathered around.

"Stay focused until the end of the game! If we take a two-goal lead and then lose all three points, we'll become a laughingstock around the world! Just like Clayton!"

After the last league match, besides praising Wang Lie as a "god descended to earth" and "possessed by God," there were also many voices in the media mocking Clayton Athletic.

After all, they were playing at home, had a numerical advantage, and were leading by two goals... with almost all their advantages stacked up, they were still tied by Tyne, turning three points into one.

It's really funny.

Netizens are very talented, creating all sorts of jokes.

The players, including Tyne, have seen plenty of these jokes.

I laughed so hard I almost fell over while watching it.

But now that Wang Lie has mentioned it, they can't help but imagine what it would feel like if they were the "protagonists" being teased in those jokes...

Nobody found the jokes funny anymore; netizens are really something.

Vitini gritted his teeth and said, "No! We will not become the second Clayton!"

Wang Lie replied, "Of course we won't become the second Clayton Athletic, so guys, a two-goal lead isn't the end, victory is! Don't give them any chances! We beat them last season, and we can do it again!"

He bent down and put his fist into the circle, waving it as he spoke.

After saying this, he withdrew his fist, got up, and walked back.

The Tyne players around him followed one after another.

On the way back, Vitini kept waving his arms to the Tyne fans in the stands, signaling them to sing the song loudly.

As if by unspoken agreement, after he waved his hand repeatedly, the Tyne fans in the stands did indeed start singing a part of that song:
"...Quickly heat the furnace until it's red-hot, the song of steel and fire has already resounded in all directions! Pour the molten iron into your chest, and listen to the heart pounding!"

"China Wang! China Wang! Fame spreads far and wide, its power resounds throughout the land!"

"China Wang! China Wang! Dragon blood, human form!"

Amidst the deafening singing, Wang Lie led the Tyne players back to their own half.

The players from the Scots team were already waiting for them to return to their positions, their expressions blank, their faces ashen and lifeless.

When the Skoss team ended the first half with a score of 0-1, many players were indeed full of expectations for the second half.

After a motivational speech by head coach Gil, many people genuinely felt that they were doing a great job.

They were down a man in just over twenty minutes and were behind in the score, but they did not panic after conceding the goal. Instead, they still had the strength to threaten Tyne's goal.

Clearly, they have weathered the most dangerous moment. Once they adjust in the second half, they can successfully threaten Tyne's goal through counter-attacks.

Everything will be just as the head coach told them.

Eager to score, Tyne pushed forward aggressively, leaving plenty of open space behind him to exploit.

If they can defend well and counter-attack, they will have a chance to score.

Once they tie the score, the balance of power will tilt in their favor.

Just like Clayton Sports in the last round of the league.

The first ten minutes of the second half seemed to be unfolding exactly as the head coach had planned for them.

But now it seems that it may have just been their own delusional wishful thinking.

They are now two goals down, just like Tyne in the last round of the league.

But few people would think they could create miracles like Tyne.

※※※

The match began, and Tyne, leading by two goals, was in high spirits and continued to attack the Scorsese goal.

The trailing Scorsese could only continue to tighten their defense.

But this time it's real defense, not a counter-attack.

Their priority is to avoid conceding another goal to Tyne in the short term.

The Scorsese players were clearly affected by the second goal conceded, making more unforced errors and appearing flustered under pressure from the Tyne players.

Sometimes, even without pressure from Tyne players, they can still make very basic mistakes – when defensive midfielder Damian Rael passed the ball to striker Victor Del Mora, who was only a dozen meters away, it went five or six meters off course and went directly out of bounds.

The Tyne fans in the stands applauded Rael's mistake.

"The last time the two sides clashed, although the Scous people ultimately lost, they didn't seem to be in such a sorry state, did they?"

Hearing the gloating applause from the stands, Liu Zhong, in the media section, asked Guo Xuequan a question.

Guo Xuequan shook his head: "No. It was Tyne who was a bit embarrassed at the time. If it weren't for Wang Lie, the Scorsese should have won that game."

“Things are different now—” Liu Zhong drawled, his tone clearly sarcastic. “It’s true what they say, fortunes change every thirty years… no, not even thirty years, not even three hundred days. In the last match, Tyne drew with Clayton, and Dadomo said it was a special case and didn’t represent Tyne’s true strength. I wonder what excuse Tyne will come up with after winning against the Scorsese in this match…”

“He would say that the Scorsese were missing a player in this match, and that Yin Yang Tyne’s victory was unfair,” Guo Xuequan said.

"Ha!" Liu Zhong laughed. "I actually hope that haters like Dadomo can come up with something new. Sometimes, when I see Wang Lie perform well, I don't immediately look at how others are praising Wang Lie. Instead, I'm more interested in seeing what new tricks Dadomo can come up with to criticize him..."

As they were talking, Liu Zhong suddenly became interested and simply took out his phone on the spot, found Lawrence Dadomo in his following list, and saw what insightful opinions he had to offer.

Guo Xuequan's guess was correct:
"Let's congratulate Tyne on their two-goal lead over Scorsese. They've played exceptionally well, even with one more player than Scorsese, and Tyne fans deserve to cheer and celebrate!"

"It's just using another person as an excuse, it's so unoriginal!" Liu Zhong complained. "If this keeps up, I'm starting to worry that Dadomo's inspiration will run dry..."

While complaining, he opened the comments section to see what netizens were saying.

"So Clayton Sports had an extra player in the last league match? Why didn't they perform well? Did they not want to?"

"I wish Mr. Lawrence Dadomor good health, because I'm really afraid he won't make it to the end of the season..."

He only looked at those two lines and didn't continue reading.

Because the game is in progress, the Tyne fans in the stands are now cheering louder.

Clearly, this was another attack by Tyne that had reached the Scousian's 30-meter zone.

So Liu Zhong shifted his attention from his phone screen to the field.

Tyne is in high spirits right now, while Scorsese is making frequent mistakes. Who knows, he might miss Tyne's goal if he loses focus for even a moment?

As Liu Zhong turned his attention to the court, Tyne was indeed on the offensive.

Wang Lie pulled out of the penalty area again.

This scene was strikingly similar to the "prelude" to his second goal just five minutes earlier.

Liu Zhong immediately understood why the cheers from the Tyne fans were so enthusiastic this time—they must have wanted Wang Lie to score another hat-trick!
However, the only similarity between Wang Lie pulling out of the penalty area and the previous goal is that he did not score; the rest is completely different.

For example, this time it wasn't Cabella who got the ball, but center-back Katic.

He had already crossed the center line when he received the ball.

Instead of dribbling forward directly, he chose to pass the ball to Pisano, who had dropped back to receive it.

The latter received the ball and then passed it to the left flank.

Left-back Anderson Nova receives the ball in the left winger position.

At this moment, Wang Lie, who had just pulled out of the penalty area, ran towards the left flank, ready to receive the pass.

He attracted at least three Skos players.

So Nova didn't pass the ball to him, but instead crossed it directly! The ball skimmed low over the grass and flew towards the near post of the goal.

Miguel Ribeiro rushed over there and immediately took a shot!
The ball was parried by Scots goalkeeper Lucero, hit the post, and bounced back to the middle!

"Isara!!"

Commentator Connor Cowley did not mispronounce the name.

It wasn't Vitini or Cabella who appeared there, but rather defensive midfielder Lenny Isara!
With almost no defenders around, Isara met the incoming ball with a flick of his foot, and the ball went into the goal!
"3-0!!" Connor Cowley roared. "Tyne has scored two goals in five minutes! They not only have a numerical advantage over Scorsese, but now they're three goals ahead! There are still twenty-five minutes left in regular time. Can Scorsese pull off a miracle like Tyne did in the last league match?"

Hearing Cowley shout like that, Luke Milne tried hard to suppress his laughter—truly a top-notch commentator, his level of sarcasm and irony was definitely higher than his own.

Both teams are down a player and trailing in the score. Comparing the Scouts to Tyne from the previous round... this isn't about encouraging or supporting the Scouts; it's slapping them in the face!
After all, at this moment, what the Scottish fans probably least want to hear is being compared to Tyne from the last league match...

Is there still any suspense in this match?

As a Chinese commentator, Luo Jin was cautiously optimistic, asking a question before speaking:

"I think it's over! With 25 minutes left in the game, Tyne is leading by three goals at home... It's unlikely that the Scorsese will be able to put up a fight! Of course, anything can happen in football, but considering only this one game, I personally think that the Scorsese's defeat is inevitable! Because their opponent is Wang Lie! The Scorsese should not be thinking about winning or losing now, but whether they can score a goal. If they can't score a single goal, then it will be difficult to explain..."

Zhao Chuanfeng sighed and said, "Hopefully Chi Zhen can score a goal; he actually performed very well in this match. But if he can't score, it will still be difficult to change his current situation in the team..."

Hearing his partner say that, Luo Jin's tone wasn't as excited as before. After all, this match was a duel between two players. Wang Lie had performed brilliantly, scoring twice, while Chi Zhen hadn't scored yet. If he only cheered for Wang Lie, he might be exploited by those with ulterior motives after the match.

If this match only featured Wang Lie and not Chi Zhen, then it wouldn't matter how excited he was.

However, if both sides have Chinese players, Chinese commentators need to be careful not to show favoritism and to treat everyone equally. Even if one player performs exceptionally well while the other performs poorly, they should try to avoid making comparisons or criticisms during the commentary.

So Luo Jin lowered his tone and said, "That is indeed a problem. Actually, Chi Zhen played very well in today's game, but if you play well but don't score, many people won't see those 'good' things. Scoring a goal is proof, powerful proof..."

※※※

As the Tyne players celebrated their third goal wildly, Chi Zhen stood in front of the penalty area watching them.

He really didn't expect the game to turn out this way.

He knew that Brother Wang was in incredibly good shape lately.

But he still felt that the Scorsese were a match for them, and that the two sides were at least "evenly matched".

Judging from the first twenty minutes of the game, if Joey Liberty hadn't been sent off, the game could indeed have been considered "evenly matched".

Libert's red card changed the game!
If we had our full roster, the game wouldn't have turned out like this...

As Chi Zhen was thinking this, a voice suddenly popped into his mind:
"No! No! No! If that's the case, then why was Tyne able to draw with the defending champions in the last league match? Are we weaker than Tyne? Or is Tyne stronger than Clayton Athletic?! Football isn't a simple contest of strength, at least not in this match!"

The sound echoed in Chi Zhen's mind, like the grandest bell.

In the last game, Tyne was able to achieve the great feat of equalizing against the defending champions under extremely unfavorable circumstances, which was related to the team's all-out effort.

And Wang Ge clearly played a crucial role in this.

In post-match interviews, almost every Tyne player mentioned that during halftime and breaks in the game, Brother Wang constantly encouraged and inspired them. In addition to the three goals, Brother Wang's actions also gave the players strength.

Chi Zhen felt that he was not yet able to do what Brother Wang could do, to bring strength to people even with just a few words.

What he should do now is score goals or provide assists, and give his teammates hope through his performance.

In the locker room, the right to speak is earned through actual performance!

Thinking of this, Chi Zhen turned and ran towards the center circle, preparing to kick off.

But as he turned around, his eyes caught sight of the away team's bench, where head coach Gil was talking to João Vega.

It's obvious that the boss is going to be replaced.

The player he was going to replace, Vega, was the team's striker.

This substitution shows that the leader has made up his mind and is going all out.

Since we're already three goals down, there's no point in looking back or worrying; we just have to go for it.

Therefore, they replaced him with a tall center forward who is 1.91 meters tall.

It's certainly a good thing that the boss is going all out, but Chi Zhen is a little worried that he will be the one to be replaced.

After all, he didn't score in this game. No matter how well he performed, it was all bark and no bite. And he played for so long. What if the boss is worried about his stamina and chooses to substitute him?

Moreover, if the boss really substitutes me, it means that the boss is not satisfied with my performance. He gave me the opportunity to start, but I did not repay his trust with a goal...

As Chi Zhen was worrying in his heart, he heard Delmora's dejected voice from behind him: "I have to leave the field. I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Chi."

Chi Zhen turned around and looked at Delmora with some surprise.

He then realized that if anyone was more likely to be substituted, it would indeed be Victor Del Mora.

Because he's really not in good shape today.

Missing his own pass in the first half was just a microcosm of his performance in this game.

My condition was bad, and my luck was bad too.

Indeed, that was the case; assistant coach Daddie on the sidelines was already waving in their direction.

Although it was unclear who was being summoned, Delmora consciously brushed past Chi Zhen and walked off the field.

The television broadcast also gave close-up shots of Del Mora, using visual language to tell viewers who would be substituted.

Seeing this, Zhao Chuanfeng and Luo Jin both breathed a sigh of relief—Chi Zhen was still on the court, and he still had a chance.

"Gil's response this time was quite quick, much better than his slow reaction after conceding the last goal. If he had been able to make quick adjustments after conceding the second goal, perhaps the Scots team wouldn't have conceded two goals in five minutes..." Luo Jin criticized the performance of Scots team's head coach, Josepe Gil.

Because Gil didn't replace Chi Zhen, his criticism was relatively mild...

Chi Zhen watched Delmora's retreating figure from the field, knowing that his boss had ultimately chosen to continue trusting him.

He was not happy about it; on the contrary, he felt that his responsibility had become even greater.

You need to show some performance, Chi Zhen!

It's not just about scoring a goal to save face...

※※※

"Thank goodness, Jill is still clear-headed and didn't replace Ah Zhen!"

In a group chat named "The Three Musketeers," Su Ju expressed this sentiment.

Yue Hang asked him, "Do you really expect the Skos people to not lose?"

Su Jufa gave him an eye-rolling emoji: "I'm not out of my mind, how could I possibly think the Scottish team can't lose? I just hope Ah Zhen can score a goal, at least to show Brother Wang that he has the ability to fight back..."

Yue Hang: "Ah Zhen must have lost his mind. Believe it or not, he still wants to imitate Brother Wang from the last game."

“I believe you,” Su Ju replied. “If Ah Zhen weren’t out of his mind, why would he still want to compete with Brother Wang for the core position? He definitely can’t win against Brother Wang, but I hope he loses gracefully…”

Yue Hang stopped typing in the group chat, put down his phone, and looked at the TV screen where the live broadcast was taking place.

The Scotts have already made a substitution, and Chi Zhen remains on the field.

Gil paired him with a tall center forward.

Don't overthink it, Zhen. Let go of your burdens and stay focused.

Give it your all before the final whistle blows, and don't worry about the outcome yet...

(End of this chapter)