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Chapter 260 Setting a Record

Although they had just finished playing in the Champions League, McNeil did not make any major changes to the starting lineup for the match against Macia United.

He did not make substitutions in all positions.

This shows that he still values ​​the result of this match.

The fact that he still started Wang Lie in the starting lineup reveals the reason – with two games a week, the 38-year-old Wang Lie is the one who most deserves to get plenty of rest.

Why should Wang Lie start against a weak team like Macia United?

That can only be because the head coach wants to ensure that Tyne can win the game on the road.

After all, sometimes the difference in strength between Premier League teams cannot determine the outcome of a match.

Unexpected setbacks are not uncommon for Premier League giants.

This is also a major reason why the English Premier League is so popular and has become the world's number one football league.

Besides Wang Lie, goalkeeper Elliot Götz, center-back Luca Helic, right-back Jacob Barnabas, midfielder Sergi Cabella, forward Vitini, and Miguel Ribeiro, all of whom participated in the previous Champions League match, also started in the league match against Macia United.

It can be said to be half of the main lineup.

This starting lineup shows that McNeil has given Massia United, a newly promoted team, the respect they deserve.

However, Macia United's fans, players, and coaches probably don't want this kind of respect...

Jamie Olsen, an Exeter United fan and stadium maintenance worker, also disliked seeing Tyne's starting lineup.

He watched the live broadcast of Tyne's away game against Mercia United on TV.

When he saw Tyne's starting lineup displayed on the live TV broadcast, he let out a long sigh.

His wife asked him curiously, "Why are you sighing?"

"Wang started in this game, and almost half of the starting lineup also started..."

"So what?" the wife asked, puzzled.

Olson had to explain to her, "Their starting lineup means they'll likely not start in the next game against us. Especially Wang, he's already 38 years old. Tyne's coach would never let him start in three games in eight days, unless he's lost his mind..."

His wife was even more puzzled: "Isn't this a good thing? It means that when we go to play Tyne away, they won't field their strongest lineup. If we pull off another upset, it will attract more attention, and maybe it will even bring in investors for the club?"

Olsen shook his head: "You don't really think we can beat Tyne, do you? Even a Tyne reserve team is not someone we can beat. Rather than hoping for an upset in the League Cup, it's more realistic to hope that Tyne will take my advice... What does it mean if Tyne fields a completely reserve team against us? It means that without star players like Wong, Vitini, and Pisano, most Tyne fans probably won't go to the game, and ticket revenue will plummet. Even if Tyne doesn't give us their 45% share, our ticket revenue will still be much less, and it won't help us solve our financial crisis temporarily..."

After hearing his explanation, the wife thought about it and felt that what her husband said made a lot of sense.

Of the three major competitions in English professional football, the League Cup is the least prestigious, with many teams fielding reserve squads or youth team players.

Substitute goalkeepers who rarely get playing time under normal circumstances often get to start in the League Cup.

This shows how little importance these Premier League teams place on the League Cup...

It's not just the teams; the fans also don't value the League Cup, especially the fans of the big clubs.

League, FA Cup, League Cup, European competitions... How could anyone possibly watch all of these matches? Normal fans would never go to every game in person, even the most die-hard fans would find it difficult.

One factor is money, and the other is time.

Therefore, fans will choose to skip some less important matches and watch them live on TV at home instead of going to the stadium to cheer for their teams.

If Tyne's team doesn't seem to value the League Cup match against Exeter United, how can the fans possibly maintain their enthusiasm?

Lize Park Stadium can hold 65,000 people. According to my husband's analysis, it would be good if 30,000 people could attend the game...

With 30,000 people, and a ticket price of £30 per adult, the total ticket revenue for that match would be £900,000.

Regardless of Tyne's attitude, Exeter United is certain to receive £405,000.

If Exeter United were an amateur football club, this amount of money would be sufficient.

But Exeter United is a professional football club, so this amount of money isn't quite enough...

After explaining things to his wife, Olson got up and left the television.

His wife asked him, "Aren't you going to watch it?"

"I'm not watching anymore. I'm not a Tyne fan. I just wanted to observe how they and we would play. Now that we know the result, there's no need to watch anymore."

After shaking his head and explaining, Olsen actually left.

His wife turned back to look at the TV screen; the match had already started, with the home team, Mercia United, kicking off.

She hesitated for a moment, but still didn't turn off the TV. Instead, she chose to sit on the sofa and continue watching the live broadcast of the game.

Since her husband said she wouldn't be able to see Wang Lie and other star players play against Exeter United next Wednesday, she could only take this opportunity to appreciate the performance of top superstars...

She was also very curious about just how good Wang Lie, who was 38 years old, was on the field.

※※※

Sergi Cabella received the ball on the left flank and dribbled towards the attacking third.

Vittinella moved to the sideline to receive the pass.

Wang Lie was positioned in the center, while Miguel Ribeiro was on the right flank.

At this moment, Tyne launched a quick counterattack after successfully defending in the backcourt, and they unleashed a four-pronged attack!

Wang Lie, positioned in the middle, single-handedly drew two defenders from Macia United, causing them to converge towards the center.

So there was an open space in front of Miguel Ribeiro on the right flank.

Cabella then opted to pass the ball diagonally behind the Macia United defense.

However, when he passed the ball, he didn't pass it accurately.

Or rather, the moment he passed the ball, the Macia United defender sensed his intention and stepped forward diagonally, blocking Cabella's passing route.

Cabella's pass hit the Mercia United defender and didn't actually penetrate the Mercia United defense line to reach the space in front of Ribeiro.

The Macia United fans in the stands cheered, pleased that their team had successfully defended against Tyne's attack.

But their cheers stopped abruptly halfway through.

The ball bounced off the defender and landed right in front of Wang Lie in the middle!

Wang Lie met the incoming football with his right foot, and without stopping the ball, he slammed it into the air!

The football is flying towards the right corner of the goal!
Despite the desperate diving save by the Macia United goalkeeper, he was helpless against Wang Lie's powerful shot.

The football even had a sudden downward trajectory as it approached him!

"Wang—!!! Ahhhhh! Wang!! A world-class goal!! Goal! His twelfth consecutive Premier League match with a goal! After equaling his own record in the last round of the league, Wang has set a brand new record! Unbelievable! At thirty-eight years old, he is still constantly setting new records! Amazing!"

"The game has only been going on for twenty minutes, and Tyne, playing away, has already taken the lead! A goal from Wang! Let's count all the games, Wang has now scored in sixteen consecutive games across all competitions! That's an incredible record! Yes, in the world of football, Ronaldo once set a record of scoring in nineteen consecutive league games in La Liga, but if you include all the games, Ronaldo only scored in fourteen consecutive games – that's already great enough, but Wang is even greater than great!"

"People always say that defeating others is not difficult, but defeating and surpassing oneself is... So Wang's goal is a victory and a surpassing of himself! At thirty-eight years old, Wang has surpassed his former self! Amazing! In the world of football, who can defy time? Wang is doing just that!"

After Wang Lie scored, commentators from all over the world cheered.

This truly made it hard for Wang Lie's fans all over the world to hold back their tears.

After all, they still remember how the world's opinion was of their idol just nine months ago.

At that time, it seemed that even Wang Lie's breathing was wrong. The media and fans all over the world surrounded him, scrutinizing him with a microscope, picking out the smallest... or even fabricated, flaws from his every move, word, and smile, and then attacking him fiercely.

The virtues that the media and the world once praised for Wang Lie have all become his flaws.

There are also many neutral and objective voices that repeatedly say that Wang Lie is old and should let go of his obsessions and bow to the passage of time.

Considering Wang Lie's behavior at the time, it seems that what these people said is correct. As Wang Lie's fans, they were speechless and unable to refute it.

At that time, even the most optimistic Wang Lie fans probably couldn't have imagined that just nine months later, their idol's reputation would undergo such a huge... reversal!

Now, every move, every word, and every smile of Wang Lie has become a reason for everyone to praise him.

Even if he only manages to dribble past a single defender during a match, the video clip of his dribble will quickly spread across the internet worldwide the next day, attracting countless likes and praises.

Now that the hardships are over, good days have finally arrived for Wang Lie and his fans.

Are people worried that Wang Lie will fall into a slump again? To be honest, at least Wang Lie's fans aren't particularly concerned about this right now.

After all, how many players can fall to rock bottom at 37 and then climb back up at 38?
This achievement alone is enough for Wang Lie to win the right to breathe for life.

Considering his advanced age of thirty-eight, even if his performance inevitably declines with age, it's not a big deal.

No one in this world can reverse aging twice in a row. Their idols were able to do it once, which already surpasses 99.99999999999% of people.

What more could one ask for or worry about?
Furthermore, they believe that if Wang Lie can maintain his current form and participate in next year's World Cup, even if his form begins to decline irreversibly again, Wang Lie can accept his fate calmly and will no longer fight against fate or the whole world as he did at the end of last year and the beginning of this year...

※※※

Wang Lie opened the scoring for his team with a stunning long-range strike just 20 minutes into the game.

Tyne, playing away from home, had a fantastic start.

However, for Macia United, conceding an early goal isn't necessarily a bad thing – it means they have plenty of time to try and come back.

The following Mercia League did exactly the same thing.

Playing at home, they were not afraid of Tyne, who was stronger than them. Instead, they took the initiative to attack, hoping to use the support of their home fans to suppress Tyne.

In the 28th minute, Macia United also won the first corner kick of the match.

However, during this corner kick, their player committed a foul by pushing someone while challenging for the ball, causing this attacking opportunity to be wasted...

Wasting opportunities will be punished.

Then, in the 30th minute, Tyne scored again.

This time, it wasn't Wang Lie who scored the goal.

Instead, the starting right-back is Jacob Barnabas.

He received an assist from starting left-back Charlie Cohen.

Yes, both of Tyne's full-backs surged into the vicinity of Macia United's penalty area, completing a remarkable left-right connection.

Charlie Cohen crossed the ball to the far post, Barnabas controlled it with his chest and fired a low shot into the far corner, giving Tyne a 2-0 lead over Mercia United!

Having conceded two goals, Massia United had no choice but to intensify their attack and engage in a counter-attacking battle with Tyne.

The scene also became more open and intense.

The result of their attacking battle with Tyne was that Tyne scored again...

"Wang!! A brace!! Wow!! His form completely makes you forget his age! His twelfth league goal! His sixteenth goal in all competitions this season!"

Wang Lie scored the goal this time.

He received a cross from Miguel Ribeiro and scored from close range.

The goal was scored very easily.

When he took the shot, there wasn't even a single Macia United defender around him.

It's not that Mercia United looks down on Wang Lie and doesn't mark him closely.

Instead, in a back-and-forth attacking situation, Macia United's defense was full of holes, and they simply couldn't keep a close marking of Wang Lie.

Tyne used the speed of his front three to break down Mercia United's defense.

During the continuous passing, their defenders were confused and lost their way, ultimately missing a crucial target.

Miguel Ribeiro made a diagonal run into the penalty area and crossed the ball, which Wang Lie followed up with in the middle and slotted home, the whole process as effortless as if it were a routine training session.

After scoring, Wang Lie remained relatively calm and composed, running towards Ribeiro, who had passed him the ball, with a smile on his face.

Ribeiro seemed much happier than him. Before Wang Lie could run over, he pounced on him and hugged him, shouting in Wang Lie's ear at the same time:

"He scored twice again! His fifth this season! Wow! You're amazing, God!"

After spending so much time with Ribeiro, Wang Lie can now remain unfazed by Ribeiro's sycophantic flattery.

He simply patted Ribeiro on the head, both as a sign of affection and as a subtle protest against Ribeiro's overly affectionate behavior.

But Ribeiro didn't care about any of that; he just wanted to express his reverence for God.

※※※

The first half ended with Tyne leading Mercia United 3-0.

The outcome of this match is essentially no longer in doubt.

Even though there are many examples of smaller teams pulling off upsets against stronger teams in the Premier League, very few teams manage to come back from a three-goal deficit in the first half.

In such cases, a series of stringent prerequisites must be met, and none of them can be omitted.

The current Macia League clearly does not meet these conditions.

However, Tyne's head coach, Sam McNeil, clearly doesn't see it that way.

Does a three-goal lead at halftime mean we've already won the game?
Do not!
While there are very few precedents in the Premier League of leading by three goals at halftime and failing to secure a victory, this is not convincing enough.

We need to broaden our horizons. There are few examples like the Premier League. What about the whole of Europe, or even the whole world?
Throughout the history of world football, there are countless examples of teams leading by three goals at halftime but failing to win the game.

Therefore, McNeil does not believe that a three-goal lead at halftime is necessarily a guarantee of success.

Therefore, he did not make any substitutions during halftime. Instead, he reminded his players not to relax in the second half and to be wary of the opponent's sneak attacks.

After all, if they could steal a goal at the start of the second half, the score would become 1-3, and Tyne's lead would immediately become two goals. A two-goal lead is only one goal away from a one-goal lead...

However, once the second half actually started, things didn't go as McNeil had predicted.

Mercia United, playing at home, seemed to have already conceded defeat. They stopped attacking Tyne and instead focused on solidifying their defense.

Their goal has shifted from equalizing to losing by only three goals.

But Tyne had no intention of letting them go.

Their goal bus only held out for ten minutes before being breached by Tyne's relentless attacks.

In the 55th minute, Vitini scored, giving Tyne a 4-0 lead over Mercia United.

Just three minutes later, in the 58th minute, Wang Lie completed his hat-trick of the match, which was also his second hat-trick of the season. The assist for him was once again from Miguel Ribeiro.

Tyne leads 5-0.

After Wang Lie completed his hat trick, McNeil finally began making substitutions, replacing Wang Lie with Peter Oliver and Vitini with Adam Little.

But Tyne's offensive was far from over.

In the 69th minute, Van Ginkel, who started the match, scored the team's sixth goal.

In the 74th minute, substitute Adam Little scored his first goal for Tyne, making the score 7-0!

In the 86th minute, center-back Luca Helic also scored his first goal since joining Tyne, heading in a corner kick.

8: 0!

※※※

0:8
In front of the television, Olsen's wife stared blankly at the final score displayed on the screen.

The home team, Mercia United, is listed first, followed by the away team, Tyne.

TV commentator Conor Cowley exclaimed: "Unbelievable! Crazy! Who could have imagined that Tyne could beat Mercia United 8-0 away from home?! Tyne has now set a new record for their second-largest win in the Premier League – the largest being their 9-0 home thrashing of Sofia United last season – and this is also Tyne's biggest away win in club history... Absolutely insane!"
"At the beginning of the season, when Tyne stumbled and struggled, probably no one, including myself, would have predicted that they would improve so much and have such amazing performances. Unbeaten in the league so far, winning their first Champions League title... this Tyne is a completely different team from us. They've signed a lot of new players this season, but this Tyne is no longer the 'mercenary' team they once were!"

"McNeil's new tactics are beginning to take shape in this team, adding more hope and anticipation for the team's future. But personally, no matter where Tyne ends up this season, just based on their performance at the beginning of the season, this Tyne team is enough to stay in my career memories for many years to come..."

After listening to Connor Cowley's emotional explanation, Olson's wife had only one thought:
How could someone as powerful and ambitious as Tyne possibly set his sights on us insignificant beings?

Her husband is really delusional, actually expecting Tyne to do things the way he says...

Isn't he afraid of angering Tyne Club?

Next Wednesday, Exeter United may face more than just a crushing defeat on the football pitch...

(End of this chapter)