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Chapter 285 has only just begun.

"Actually, I'm very curious..."

As Tyne's assistant coach, Cesar Varo, walked toward the coaching bench, he asked head coach Sam McNeil.

"What are you curious about?"

"Let's not even talk about Vitini; he was definitely exhausted after returning to play for the national team. But why didn't Ribeiro object to you putting him on the bench?"

Although the starting lineup was only announced two hours before the match, the Tyne team knew last night who would start and who wouldn't.

Even earlier, people could have guessed it pretty accurately.

After all, the main players who have played in national team matches are the same few people, and everyone is already familiar with how they are rotated.

During last night's meeting, assistant coach Varo announced the starting lineup for today's game. When he heard that Wang Lie was on the list, many people in the team were not surprised, which means that they all knew why Wang Lie would be in the starting lineup.

Knowing this, why did Ribeiro, a loyal fan of Wang Lie, calmly accept this arrangement?

Shouldn't he be eager to get on the field and help Wang Lie catch up with Ronaldinho's record for consecutive goals in the league?

“He did want to start, but I had Wang talk to him,” McNeil replied.

"Did Wang tell you how he negotiated with Ribeiro?"

“Of course.” McNeil couldn’t help but laugh when he thought of what Wang Lie had said to him back then.

He paused and said, "Wang said to Ribeiro, 'Do you think I can't score without you?'"

Varo stared at McNeil in disbelief.

McNeil pointed at him and laughed, "When I first heard Wang say that, my expression was exactly the same as yours now."

Varo, recovering from his shock, asked, "Is this even possible? Won't Ribeiro feel looked down upon?"

McNeil said, "That's the funny thing. Ribeiro didn't feel looked down upon at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy."

"What was he thinking?" Varo couldn't understand.

McNeil countered with a question: "Cesar, if you admire someone, would you want that person to demonstrate strength and confidence, or would you want them to always ask you for help?"

“Of course…” Varo hadn’t finished speaking when he understood, and he laughed just like McNeil had: “It seems that Wang has found the best way to get along with his die-hard fan teammates.”

This kind of thing would be outrageous if it happened to anyone else, but when it happened to Ribeiro, who was willing to betray an entire city for his idol, it was perfectly normal.

As they spoke, they walked out of the players' tunnel and went their separate ways.

Assistant coach Varo went to sit on the home team's bench, while head coach McNeil turned to the away team's bench to shake hands with the away team's head coach – this is basic pre-match etiquette, indicating the home team's welcome to the away team.

Since it's a pre-match routine, there won't be anything special about the handshake.

When McNeil shook hands with the other person, he smiled and greeted him politely, "Welcome."

The Sendham manager also smiled and shook hands with McNeil, while patting McNeil on the back with his other hand.

Perhaps having already guessed McNeil's thoughts, he was able to sense McNeil's arrogance and disdain from this routine pre-match ceremony.

Whether it was the other person's expression, tone of voice, or actions, even the way they turned and walked back to their coach's bench, everything seemed to exude smugness.

It's okay, you won't be so smug for long...

Seeing McNeil return to the home team's bench and chat casually with the assistant coach, the Sedham manager murmured to himself.

※※※

As Wang Lie turned into the players' tunnel, he could feel several pairs of eyes fixed on him, including his teammates and many players from the opposing team, Saunders.

Wang Lie did not pay any attention to this.

He had become accustomed to being the center of attention wherever he went.

Being stared at doesn't make him feel uncomfortable.

As usual, he patted each of his teammates who were already waiting there on the shoulder or back to encourage them.

When he walked up to Peter Oliver, he noticed that Oliver's expression was somewhat tense.

Logically speaking, this is just an ordinary league match, and Oliver is a seasoned professional player, so he shouldn't suddenly get nervous playing such an ordinary league match.

Wang Lie certainly knew what Oliver was nervous about—before the match, some media outlets were hyping up his consecutive goal-scoring record. All his consecutive goal-scoring records had ended in national team matches, and what remained was his consecutive goal-scoring record in the league.

So when Oliver learned that he would be starting, he must have thought about that as well.

This was a crucial match for him to score in his fifteenth consecutive league game, and as his strike partner, Oliver felt a great responsibility, so it's understandable that he was nervous...

As usual, Wang Lie patted him on the shoulder, but compared to his other teammates, he said two things to Olivier: "Peter, do you remember what I said to you during the match against Hughesro?"

The match against Hughesro was almost identical to this one, both taking place after national team matches, with Oliver starting again. The only difference was that Wang Lie didn't start in that match.

Oliver, who started the game, struggled greatly. He had at least three excellent scoring opportunities in front of the goal but failed to capitalize on any of them, which led to Tyne trailing by two goals for a long period of time.

In the end, the team leader had no choice but to bring on Wang early, which helped the team turn the tide and win.

He assisted Wang Lie's comeback goal in that match, which can be considered as making amends to some extent.

After making the assist, the two of them had a conversation.

Oliver still remembers every word he said to Wang during that conversation.

After making the assist, he apologized to Wang for his poor performance in front of the goal, which prevented Wang from getting enough rest.

Wang comforted him by mentioning his consecutive goal-scoring record.

Oliver knew that Wang was just trying to comfort him, giving him a nice excuse for not scoring.

But now Olivier feels that Wang Lie bringing up the old matter again has a different meaning:
This time he really cares about the consecutive goal-scoring record!
So he nodded and said, "I remember, Wang. So this time I will do my best to help you maintain your consecutive goal-scoring record!"

Wang Lie was taken aback, not expecting Oliver to think that way. He quickly shook his head: "No, that's not what I meant. I remember telling you that if you get a better chance next time, you should still shoot decisively."

Oliver was stunned.

He hadn't expected that Wang Lie was referring to this sentence...

Wang Lie patted him on the shoulder: "I'll say it again, Peter. As a center forward, you need to be responsible for shooting. If the opportunity is good, don't hesitate, shoot!"

※※※

"...McNeil's decision to start Wang in this game is surprising, or not surprising at all..."

As Wang Lie, wearing the captain's armband, led the team onto the field, commentator Connor Cowley remarked.

Marvin Block, a commentator for the match, said: "It should be no surprise. After all, everyone knows what this match means for Wang. Although he said in an interview after the national team match that he didn't care about the end of his personal record, based on my personal understanding of him, it's completely impossible for him not to care... It's just that he didn't show that he cared a lot, perhaps because that record is still in his hands. But the consecutive goal-scoring record in the league doesn't belong to him, and he will absolutely not let it go."

Marvin Block, who was Wang Lie's teammate in the seven-time Sofia team, has a lot of credibility in saying this, and many people will believe him.

For example, John, who is watching the live broadcast of the game with Xiao Cheng in the bar right now, thinks that Marvin Block is right.

"That makes sense, Xiao. If Wang doesn't score in this match, he'll have no chance of surpassing Ronaldo's record for consecutive league goals!"

But Xiao Cheng disagreed: "Makes sense my ass! John! This Brock is just using this opportunity to satirize Wang Lie for prioritizing personal interests over team interests! You know perfectly well which side he's on!"

John retorted, "But Xiao, Wang's obsession with scoring goals is indeed very strong..."

This isn't necessarily a criticism of Wang Lie, because that's the impression Wang Lie gave the world before—he was meticulous about every scoring opportunity during matches and extremely concerned about whether he would score.

Xiao Cheng offered a different explanation for this: "Do you know why he's so obsessed with scoring goals?"

"Because it makes his stats look better?"

"No! It's because his goals bring victory to the team! So his obsession with scoring is his obsession with the team's victory! On the surface, he fights for every ball, but in reality, it's because every extra goal he scores increases the team's chances of winning. Therefore, Wang Lie has never been a selfish person who would disregard the team's fate just to score for himself!" John was somewhat swayed by what he was being said and wasn't entirely sure.

He's been watching football for a long time, and he's certainly not watching Wang Lie's games for the first time. So why does the Wang Lie he remembers seem different from the Wang Lie his roommate described?

Is that so...?

Xiao Cheng nodded and said to him with a very certain tone, "Of course. It's just that you don't understand Wang Lie as well as I do, so you don't know. But believe me, John. Most of the time, it's just because Wang Lie's personal interests and the team's interests are aligned that you can't see any difference. But once there is a real irreconcilable conflict between the team's interests and his personal interests, Wang Lie will 100% prioritize the team's interests!"

※※※

After the referee blew his whistle, the match, which shouldn't have received so much attention, began.

The match began with Tai En kicking off, and the ball was kicked backwards by Wang Lie, who then ran forward.

All eyes, including those of Sendham's manager and players, were on him.

Everyone knows that he is the only protagonist in this game.

The Sendham players, in particular, had a primary objective in this match: to prevent Wang Lie from scoring at all costs.

No matter where Wang Lie gets the ball, he must ensure that there are at least two Sedham players around him.

Under such requirements, Wang Lie would naturally become the focus of attention for all the Sendham players.

Even if it's a Sendham striker, if Wang Lie appears next to them, they have to stick close to him, turning themselves into chains to firmly lock down this beast.

So when Wang Lie passed the ball back and ran forward, the Sendham players did not rush forward to pressure Tyne's ball carrier as usual.

Instead, everyone except the forwards stayed in their own half, looking ready to attack Tyne.

Tyne's players passed the ball around in their own half, but when they noticed that Sadham's players weren't coming up, they realized that this was probably a deliberate tactical arrangement by Sadham.

So he didn't stand on ceremony with Sadham and just passed the ball forward.

Although the attack was forward, it wasn't as simple as just passing the ball directly to Wang Lie.

Even if they didn't field their strongest lineup in this match, Tyne wouldn't have to rely solely on Wang Lie and pass the ball to him for everything.

They continued to advance normally according to their own tactical style.

The starting center forward for this match was Peter Oliver, who occupied the center position. Wang Lie's starting position was on the left wing, replacing Vitini.

As for the right flank, it was handed over to Milton Tucker, a young striker who transferred from East London United.

However, once the ball reaches Sendham's 30-meter zone, Tyne's players will still prioritize passing the ball to Wang Lie.

After all, in this area, who is the most threatening to the goal?

That is of course Wang Lie.

If that's the case, who else should we pass the ball to if not Wang Lie, who poses the greatest threat to the goal?

When Wang Lie received the ball, his foot was almost on the sideline—he had pulled the ball very close to the side.

Nevertheless, less than two meters in front of him was Sendham's right-back.

And a Sendham midfielder was running after the ball.

Two players, one to defend his descent to the baseline and the other to defend his cut inside, a very solid defensive stance.

Wang Lie didn't force the issue. Seeing that the opponent's defensive formation was well set up, he passed the ball back to Charlie Cohen, the left-back who came up to support him.

After passing the ball, he moved towards the flank, leaving space on the sidelines behind him for Charlie Cohen to utilize.

Cohen did indeed bring the ball up.

Saunders' right-back initially followed Wang Lie toward the half-space, but upon seeing Charlie Cohen dribbling forward, he abandoned Wang Lie to defend Cohen.

Meanwhile, Sendham's defensive midfielder promptly came over to cover the defensive position left by the right-back.

Faced with the timely arrival of the Sendham right-back, Cohen chose to pass the ball back to Wang Lie and then make a cut-in run himself.

It was as if they were going to play a two-on-one combination with Wang Lie.

However, with two teammates around Wang Lie, Sendham's right-back didn't join in the chaos, but instead resolutely followed Charlie Cohen back.

They didn't give Cohen and Wang Lie a chance to play a one-two pass and then hit a wall.

Wang Lie then flicked the ball towards the middle, feigning a cross.

The Sendham midfielder, who had come up to defend him, took a step back. Then, he used the inside of his right foot to flick the ball to his left and accelerated down the flank towards the byline!

However, there was a Sendham right-back in that direction, so the other two Sendham players never expected Wang Lie to actually walk into the crowd!

Isn't this just walking into a trap?!
Their reaction was a beat too slow.

While following Charlie Cohen, the Sendham right-back also looked back to observe Wang Lie's movements. When he saw Wang Lie dribbling towards him, he didn't hesitate to abandon Cohen and turn to defend Wang Lie.

At the same time, the defensive midfielder who had just been tricked by Wang Lie rushed up again, along with the midfielders who had been providing support.

Wang Lie was surrounded by three Sedham players!

Before the encirclement could close in, Wang Lie swung his left leg, intending to cross the ball.

Sadham lunged forward from his defensive midfield, stretching out his leg to block.

But Wang Lie's move was just a feint; after swinging his left foot down, he flicked the ball to his right foot.

Sadham's defensive midfielder made a flying tackle, but missed everything...

At this moment, the Sendham midfielder who was covering the ball saw the ball being cut back and stretched out his leg to try to intercept it, but Wang Lie's right foot was faster and gently pushed the ball out, and the ball went through his outstretched legs!
At the same time, Wang Lie felt a force coming from behind him, but it did not shake him. He casually slipped between the legs of the second Sendham defender, bypassed him, and caught up with the ball. By this time, he was already in the penalty area!
"Wang! Beautiful! He's dribbled past several defenders in quick succession! He's in!"

The cheers at Lize Park were deafening, like a tsunami!
Wang Lie, having caught up with the ball, swung his left foot again.

While the players from both sides were battling outside the penalty area, the Saunders goalkeeper had already moved to the near post to block his shot, and Saunders' right center-back also rushed to block the shot when Wang Lie nutmegged his teammate...

Yes, when Wang Lie raises his foot in the penalty area, no matter where he is, the defending team will prioritize the possibility of him shooting!

Even if the angle isn't very large.

The angle of the shot is not the key factor limiting Wang Lie's scoring.

It's not like he hasn't scored from a zero-angle angle before...

He even scored a goal from a negative angle during his career—but that goal wasn't counted because the ball had already gone out of bounds before Wang Lie shot. Wang Lie rushed over and used the outside of his right foot to slice the ball into an arc and curl it into the goal.

After the match, some fans were indignant that Wang Lie's spectacular long-range goal was not considered out of bounds, arguing that strictly speaking, the ball's shadow was less than a millimeter on the baseline, so it shouldn't be counted as out of bounds...

But in reality, this is just a misconception among fans.

Returning to the game, at this moment, Wang Lie's shot was neither at a negative angle nor at a zero angle. How could the Sendham defenders dare not defend against his shot?

In an instant, all the defensive forces in the Sendham penalty area tilted towards Wang Lie's side. Even those who couldn't get there immediately would turn their attention to Wang Lie, their focus shifting accordingly.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wang Lie kept his head down, watching the ball intently, completely oblivious to his surroundings, let alone observing his teammates in other positions. He seemed solely focused on scoring a goal.

That's absolutely right. After all, if he scores, he can extend his consecutive league goal-scoring streak to sixteen games...

But just as he was about to kick the ball, he flicked his ankle and used the inside of his foot to chip the ball toward the far post!
That was a defensive vacuum for Sendham, with no goalkeeper, no defenders, and only Tyne's number nine center forward!

"Wang shoots...wait?! Peter—Olivie!!"

Amid Conor Cowley's surprised exclamation, Oliver watched the ball fly towards him. He didn't have time to think. His instinct as a center forward prevented him from making any unnecessary movements. He simply jumped up on the spot, without even putting much effort into it, and the jump wasn't very high, but it was enough... because the ball wasn't passed very high either!

Facing the incoming football, he headed it towards the empty goal with his forehead!
The Sendham goalkeeper made a save when Wang Lie took the shot – he lunged towards the near post, but he never expected Wang Lie to cross the ball!
He could no longer change his position and could only sit on the ground, turning his head to watch as Tyne's center forward, Peter Oliver, sent the ball into the goal he was guarding...

(End of this chapter)