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Chapter 291 Knocking on the mountain and shaking the tiger
Klaus Jansen took the team flag to Wang Lie to make an exchange.

This is a ritual that the captains of both teams must perform before the match.

They exchanged team flags, shook hands, and played a coin toss game.

He kept his eyes on Wang Lie, observing this prominent figure, while exchanging team flags.

He didn't see any unusual expression on Wang Lie's face.

Even when shaking hands, he didn't deliberately squeeze his hand hard.

He thought that after saying those words, Wang Lie would put on something on the field to show his toughness towards Ruhr Steel Union...

The result is nothing.

After exchanging team flags, each member shook hands with the referees and then played a coin toss to decide which side to choose.

Throughout the entire process, Klaus Jansen observed Wang Lie but noticed nothing unusual.

Both sides thus concluded all pre-match procedures and returned to their respective teams to prepare for the match that would begin shortly.

However, this normalcy did not put Klaus Jansen at ease.

On the contrary, as he turned around, he couldn't help but look back at Wang Lie again, but he could only see the other's back now.

It was still a perfectly normal scene.

But seeing such a normal scene, Jansen suddenly frowned.

He remembered the video call his son made to him last night.

His son repeatedly advised him not to underestimate his opponent and not to belittle Wang Lie.

He thought his son was really funny.

underestimate the enemy?

How could we underestimate our opponent?

We are facing an opponent who is undefeated so far this season, a legend who is 38 years old and can still score in every game... How can we underestimate them?

But now he suddenly realized that perhaps his son had some truth to it.

After Wang said those words, the team's morale was indeed high. Everyone expressed their determination to teach the arrogant Wang a lesson during the game and let him know how foolish it was to provoke Ruhr Steel Union!
Some people joked that Wang did this to help Ruhr Steel Union because he inspired everyone's fighting spirit, so there was no need for anyone to be angry about it.

Upon hearing this, his teammates burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the locker room became relaxed.

In a sense, wouldn't this be considered "underestimating the opponent"?

Thinking of this, Jansen ran back to the coaching bench, handed over the Tyne team flag he had exchanged, and then ran back to the field.

He also waved to his teammates on the field as he ran, signaling them to gather around.

This is a very rare occurrence.

Before this, Klaus Jansen would not let his teammates gather together to talk or do anything; he would simply have them stay in their positions and wait for the game to begin.

Despite their doubts, they obeyed their captain's orders and ran together, even goalkeeper Paul Kiešević ran over from in front of the goal.

While waiting for his teammates to gather, Jansen glanced back at Tyne's half of the court and saw that Wang Lie hadn't specifically called for his teammates like he had; everything seemed normal.

But in Jansen's mind, this seemingly normal scene only seemed more abnormal...

After his teammates arrived, he said to them, "As you all know, this match is very important to us. So I hope everyone can stay focused during the match and not underestimate our opponents!"

As soon as he said that, some of his teammates around him laughed: "Klaus, what you're saying... How could we underestimate our opponents? We should be reminding them not to look down on us!"

This remark amused the other Ruhr Steel Union players, and they all burst into laughter.

Normally, Klaus Jansen would simply think that morale was good, which was a positive sign.

But with his son's reminder yesterday, and his thoughts just now, he now feels that this might be evidence that the team members underestimated their opponents.

So he became serious in both tone and expression: "I'm serious. You all know how strong the King is. He's in great shape lately, so it's never too much to be wary of him."

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Don't worry, Captain, I promise I'll give it my all!"

"Hey, of course he's in great shape, otherwise how could he say something like that?"

The people reluctantly agreed.

Since he couldn't afford to waste too much time here, Jansen didn't continue emphasizing the point, but instead extended his fist towards the center:
"Ruhr Steel Union!"

"Must win!!"

After shouting in unison, everyone turned around and dispersed, running back to their positions.

Klaus Jansen was among them.

After he ran to his position, he turned around and faced Tyne's half of the court.

The opposing Tyne players were already waiting for them.

Wang Lie stood in the center circle, his feet on the soccer ball, hands on his hips, ready to kick off—he had guessed the coin toss wrong during the coin toss ceremony, and Wang Lie, who had guessed correctly and won the coin, did not ask for the right to choose sides, but instead chose the right to kick off.

This is normal practice, since in an evening game, there's no need to choose a half that's more advantageous just because of the angle of the sun's rays.

If Jansen had guessed the coin himself, he would have given up the right to choose sides and instead asked for the right to kick off.

Therefore, Wang Lie's choice was perfectly correct.

But the more this was the case, the more uneasy Yang Sen felt.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was causing him anxiety...

It's nothing more than the same old stuff: don't underestimate the enemy, the king will definitely go all out for revenge...

But just like before, he couldn't use that reason to really get his teammates on edge, and he couldn't convince himself either.

Perhaps it's just because of his son's video call last night that he's become a little paranoid...

Just as Klaus Jansen was hesitating, a clear whistle rang out.

A tremendous roar erupted over the North Rhine-Westphalia Arena.

The highly anticipated Champions League match has begun!

※※※

Wang Lie didn't follow the kickoff whistle; he shot the ball directly from the center circle toward the goal.

He passed the ball back, just like any other game.

The ball then circled around in Tain's half, during which Ruhr United players rushed up to press.

This choice is a normal practice.

Unless Ruhr United are determined to park the bus in their own 30-meter zone from the start of the match, allowing the opponent to pass the ball around and increase their possession, any team's normal response is to stretch out their formation and play a normal game against their opponent.

If there's any difference from usual, it's that the Ruhr United players were more aggressive today, pressing and chasing further than usual...

"As expected, the Ruhr Steel Union players were still provoked by Wang's words before the game..."

Commentator Connor Cowley had already drawn his conclusion upon seeing this scene.

When the ball reached Wang Lie's feet, a deafening chorus of boos immediately erupted from the North Rhine-Westphalia stadium – these were Ruhr United fans expressing their dissatisfaction with Wang Lie.

"Oh dear, this is really bad..."

Theo Collins, standing in the stands, sighed amidst a deafening chorus of boos.

"Fortunately, old Berg didn't manage to get a ticket for this game; it wouldn't be good for his heart."

Such a loud chorus of boos, coming out of nowhere, can still startle people.

In fact, all these Tyne fans knew that Wang Lie would definitely be targeted by Ruhr Steel Union players and fans during the game.

However, when the actual targeting occurred, many Tyne fans were still shocked.

The sheer volume of noise generated by the Ruhr United fans almost suffocated them.

"No wonder it's known as the 'devil's home ground' all over Europe!" Robbie Dixie exclaimed loudly. He had to do this because if he didn't speak loud enough, even his teammates next to him wouldn't be able to hear what he was saying.

Ruhr United's fans have set records for the highest decibel level in European football stadiums. They are a solid support for the Ruhr United team and cause a lot of trouble for their opponents with their singing and cheering.

Now all this energy is concentrated on Wang Lie alone...

Even the most confident Tyne fans couldn't help but worry about whether Wang Lie could hold on.

After all, understanding the intensity of a storm through imagination can never compare to being personally in a storm.

These Tyne fans are now in the eye of the storm, a storm of boos!

So Ryan, who believed in metaphysics and had his own set of logic, remained silent amidst the intense storm of boos, and his expression was not very good.

I don't know if it was the boos that made my heart uncomfortable, or if I was worried about Wang Lie.

The boos continued until Wang Lie passed the ball out.

Even though Tyne was the one with the ball, the Ruhr Steel Union fans kept quiet for him.

This contrast between the noise and the silence perfectly illustrates how clear-cut the Ruhr Steel Union fans are in their likes and dislikes; they came specifically for Wang Lie!

Even after the ball had been passed out, the television broadcast still gave Wang Lie a close-up shot.

Wang Lie in the footage didn't show any special expression or movement.

This camera work actually reveals the director's intentions, as if he is interrogating Wang Lie: Was this kind of "special attention" something you expected?

How should you respond?

※※※

Wang Lie responded by getting the ball back outside the penalty area and, amidst a chorus of boos, unleashing a long-range shot!
He received a pass from his teammate Pisano when he was about 20 meters from the goal.

Generally speaking, in this situation, Wang Lie would then pass the ball to the wing.

But this time he didn't. He stopped the ball with his left foot and swung his right foot directly, unleashing a powerful shot!
These two actions were connected very quickly, without even a pre-shooting motion. Logically speaking, shooting, especially a powerful long-range shot, requires charging up the energy. The greater the power of the shot, the larger and more obvious the charging motion should be.

But Wang Lie barely gathered any power this time; you could even say he exerted his power from a stationary position. Or, more precisely, he used the action of stopping the ball with his left foot to gather and adjust his power.

That's why his shot was so sudden, catching the Ruhr Steel Union players off guard!
No Ruhr Steel Union player went up to interfere with or defend against Wang Lie before he took the shot.

Despite not having a very obvious power-building motion, Wang Lie's shot was incredibly powerful!

Ruhr United's goalkeeper, Paulo Kiešíski, didn't dare to catch the ball with his hands and could only punch it away!

Bang!
After a muffled thud, the football bounced high into the air and flew towards the center circle!

This shows how powerful that kick was...

Even the Ruhr United fans who had previously booed him were stunned by this shot and changed their tune, exclaiming in surprise.

The boos were thus briefly interrupted.

Wow! Wang's shot was really dangerous!

"What a powerful 'shock and awe' kick!"

"Ha! It's not just Ruhr Steel Union that's got its act together today!"

Although it didn't go in, the commentators praised Wang Lie because the shot was visually very impactful.

Such an unassuming kick unleashed such tremendous energy...

Ruhr United goalkeeper Paul Kiešić waited until the ball was dead before yelling at his teammates: "Don't let him get a shot off so easily! Pounce on him immediately! Block his shot!"

Actually, it's hard to say that the responsibility lay with the defenders, because Wang Lie's movement was too fast. He received the ball and shot immediately, without giving the Ruhr Steel Union defenders any time to block his shot.

However, Ruhr United's captain and center-back, Klaus Jansen, still raised his hand to apologize to goalkeeper Kiešić.

Regardless, allowing Wang Lie to complete such a threatening long-range shot was indeed the responsibility of the defense.

But some people are not worried.

In front of the home team's bench, Sven Heldon covered his mouth and turned to his assistant coach Norbert Demos, asking, "Did you figure something out, Norbert?"

Demos tried to offer his own explanation: "Although Wang's shot was on target, it seems a bit too hasty?"

Heldon nodded in satisfaction: "That's right, Wang is getting impatient. When the ball is at his feet, it's like he's shutting out all the other Tyne players... Although this shot looked like it created some threat, if Wang continues to play like this, it's good news for us."

Demos also knew what Heldon meant by "good news".

Of course, Wang Lie fell into a mindset of acting recklessly on his own, wanting to do everything himself.

Just like the match between the Chinese team and Canada a while ago.

If Wang Lie really does that, then this match will be much easier.

After all, dealing with Wang Lie alone is much easier than dealing with the entire team.

Heldon didn't say anything more, but stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, watching the game in progress.

So far, everything is still under his control.

The headstrong Wang, the high-spirited Ruhr United players, and the home team fans in the stands who were causing trouble for Wang...

In this battle, he will completely wash away the shame on his body and get rid of the shadow of 0:9!
At the same time, riding the momentum of this victory, he will unite the team, establish an unshakeable authority, and completely transform the team according to his own wishes, getting rid of the influence of the previous head coach, Yannick Jürgensen.

Ultimately, he started his own brand new career at Ruhr Steel Union!

※※※

After Wang Lie made a powerful long-range shot at the start of the game to intimidate the enemy, Ruhr Steel Union was not to be outdone.

They quickly launched an attack and advanced all the way into Tyne's penalty area.

However, when he finally took the shot, Tyne's center-back, Majekatic, blocked the ball out of bounds.

Although no shot was taken directly, winning a corner kick is still a good result.

So the Ruhr United fans in the stands gave this attack a round of applause and cheers.

However, after the corner kick was taken, Wang Lie, who had retreated into the penalty area, jumped up at the near post and headed the ball away.

This drew boos from the Ruhr United fans in the stands...

The Ruhr United fans are incredibly persistent. Even if Wang Lie doesn't actually have the ball, if he makes a crucial or impressive move during the game, he will immediately be met with boos from the Ruhr United fans.

In response, England commentator Connor Cowley jokingly remarked, "Wang is like a switch, controlling the vocal organs of Ruhr United fans, haha!"

Then Tyne attacked, but the Ruhr Steel Union players were extra careful. As soon as Wang Lie entered their 30-meter zone, someone would immediately close in, determined not to give Wang Lie a chance to shoot.

So for the next ten minutes, the two sides traded attacks, but Wang Lie did not get another chance to shoot from outside the penalty area.

However, Wang Lie did manage a shot inside the penalty area.

Fortunately, Ruhr United's center-back and captain, Klaus Jansen, was focused and noticed Wang Lie's run first, making the first pass!
Wang Lie's shot hit his leg and failed to directly threaten Ruhr United's goal.

"Janssen! Beautiful defense!" the German commentator exclaimed excitedly, praising Klaus Jansen.

England commentator Conor Cowley said, "Since retiring from the national team to focus on his club career, Jansen has maintained good form, so much so that there have been recent reports that German fans are calling for his return to the national team..."

After making a brilliant defensive play, Jansen got up from the ground, pumped his fist, and shouted to his teammates, "Focus! Keep an eye on their man!"

The captain of Ruhr Steel Union displayed his leadership qualities without a doubt.

The television broadcast quickly gave him and Wang Lie a close-up shot.

Klaus Jansen looked tough in the shot, but Wang Lie wasn't annoyed by his shot being blocked. Instead, he waved to the edge of the penalty area, signaling everyone to come up and participate in the corner kick attack.

The corner kick, like the one from Ruhr United earlier, didn't create any threat and the ball was cleared.

Seeing that Tyne had controlled the second ball, Ruhr Steel Union did not press forward to close the gap, but instead maintained the formation they used when defending corner kicks, retreating to their own 30-meter zone.

Even after Tyne circled the ball around in his own half, they didn't rush out to press high – although they did show signs of doing so at the start of the game.

However, as the pace of the game gradually slowed down, the Ruhr Steel Union players approached the match with a normal mindset.

You should still try to steal what you want, but there's no need to foolishly step into a trap that's clearly set up by the other party.

Therefore, Ruhr Steel Union stayed within its 30-meter zone and did not go out.

Tain also passed the ball around, and during this time, the three forwards, Wang Lie, Ribeiro, and Vitini, frequently came out of the penalty area, trying to disrupt Ruhr Steel Union's defense.

However, Ruhr United, under the command of their captain Klaus Jansen, maintained a solid and compact defensive line, giving Tyne's attacking players few opportunities.

After passing the ball back and forth twice, Tyne once again sent it forward.

This time, it was Wang Lie who came out from inside the penalty area to receive the pass.

However, unlike before, this time Wang Lie did not simply pull out of the penalty area, but positioned himself further back.

However, after he pulled out, Pisano, who was holding the ball, did not choose to pass the ball to him, but instead made a long diagonal pass to Anderson Nova, the left-back on the sideline.

After receiving the ball, Nova tried to continue dribbling forward, but was met with tight defense from the Ruhr United backline.

Seeing that he could not break through, he had no choice but to stop and turn around.

At this point, Wang Lie was still behind and had not run into the restricted area.

Instead, defensive midfielder Isara rushed forward and took over the center forward's position.

In this situation, Novak could have crossed the ball directly from the wing, sending a high ball to Isara who is capable of heading, but he didn't do so.

He passed the ball to Wang Lie, who was positioned diagonally behind him.

Wang Lie received the ball in the flank, while Ruhr United midfielder Tobias Mürger came up to defend him.

However, because he was far enough from the goal, Mürger didn't immediately close in. Instead, he focused on preventing Wang Lie's breakthrough—at this distance, Wang Lie was more likely to receive the ball and move inside. If he rushed in too aggressively, Wang Lie could easily dribble past him with a quick stop and a few touches…

Before receiving the ball, Wang Lie saw Mürger stop about three or four meters away from him and knew what the opponent was trying to defend against.

So he used the outside of his right foot to stop the ball that Nova had passed to the right, and at the same time he pushed off with his left foot and swung his right leg, which had just stopped the ball, high into the air.

It was only then that Mürger realized what Wang Lie was about to do—he was going to shoot directly!
Despite being so far away, Mürger dared not gamble on Wang Lie's shooting accuracy, and in a panic, he quickly rushed forward...

But it was too late!
Before he arrived, Wang Lie's right foot had already struck the football squarely!
Bang!
As he lunged forward, he felt as if something had exploded right next to his ear, the shockwave even whipping his hair around...

He blinked reflexively, and the football had already completely disappeared from his sight.

Before he could turn his head to see the result of the shot, he heard the boos that had been going on for a while suddenly stop!

Yes, when the ball was passed to Wang Lie by Anderson Nova, the Ruhr United fans in the stands of the North Rhine-Westphalia stadium booed loudly to express their dissatisfaction with Wang Lie.

Logically speaking, even if Wang Lie passes or shoots the ball, the boos won't suddenly disappear; there will always be some lingering sound due to inertia...

But this time, the boos disappeared as if tens of thousands of people had been collectively choked!
This gave Mulger a very bad feeling...

Sure enough, after a brief silence, boos... even louder boos erupted inside the North Rhine Arena!
"Wang—Ohhhhh!! Wang!! A super world-class goal—!! Goal!! In the fourteenth minute, he gave Tyne the lead away from home! He scored!! In the match against Heldon, he scored again and again and again... He scored!!"

England commentator Connor Cowley roared at the top of his lungs.

(End of this chapter)