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Chapter 292 They didn't believe it.
Tobias Mürger must have watched the highlights of Wang Lie's match against Lille carefully, and he knows that Wang Lie scored a very brilliant goal in that game, which fully demonstrated his personal ability.

He dropped back to the midfield line to receive the ball, then turned around to face Lille's defense. He dribbled past several players, breaking through Lille's three-layer defense, and finally scored the goal.

How similar is that time to this moment?

If Wang Lie drops back too far, we need to guard against his dribbling breakthroughs.

So when Mürger saw Wang Lie drop back to get the ball, he immediately came up, but he didn't stick to him directly – mainly because he only ran over after seeing the ball being passed to Wang Lie, and there wasn't enough time, otherwise he could have stuck to him directly.

Now that Wang Lie is destined to get the ball, he can't rush things. If he rushes in too much and Wang Lie makes a powerful run past him, that would be embarrassing...

Therefore, his relatively conservative defensive strategy is reasonable and cannot be considered wrong.

Yes, the rule is to prevent Wang Lie from having a shot on goal within the 30-meter zone, but it doesn't mean they have to defend against Wang Lie's shots outside the 30-meter zone either...

Mürger never expected that Wang Lie could still shoot from that distance!
Not to mention Mürger, no one in the entire stadium could have predicted that Wang Lie would suddenly shoot – when Wang Lie deflected the ball to the side with his right foot, everyone just thought he was going to change the direction of the attack, and that a long pass would follow. Who would have thought that his right foot would actually be used to shoot!
It was even more terrifying in the eyes of Ruhr United goalkeeper Paul Kiešíski.

He only saw Wang Lie swing his right leg from afar, and the football, which was originally a tiny black dot, suddenly grew larger, as if it was about to hit his face in the next second—if it actually hit his face, that would be fine, at least it would mean that he had blocked Wang Lie's shot...

In reality, the sensation of the spit on his face was just an illusion. He saw the soccer ball suddenly grow larger, and only then did he realize what he should do.

He leaped into the air, stretching his body out as much as possible and extending his arms, trying to catch the ball.

But by the time he saw the ball grow bigger and rushed out, the outcome was already decided.

He was destined to be nothing more than the backdrop to that stunning world-class goal!

The only consolation is that... he wasn't the only one; there are many others who are merely background figures at this moment.

Among them were Mürger, who was closest to Wang Lie when he took the shot, and Ruhr United fans in the stands.

They were all there and witnessed this spectacular goal.

Their boos became the perfect background music for that shot.

The pause in the middle, in particular, was a stroke of genius.

The "devil's home ground" was silenced by Wang Lie's goal!
Although they quickly resumed their booing, this time the booing sounded more like exasperation than an attempt to disturb or threaten Wang Lie...

It's not their fault; who would have thought Wang Lie would shoot from that spot?
It's way too far from the goal!
In places like this, shooting is nearly impossible, let alone scoring. To get the ball on target, you have to control the accuracy and reduce the power, resulting in weak, ineffective shots that pose no threat to the goalkeeper.

When Wang Lie kicked the ball, Sven Heldon was standing on the sidelines, about fifteen meters away from Wang Lie.

He watched Wang Lie's retreating figure as he shot the goal, and a mocking sneer still crept onto his face.

That's right, that's it! Shoot! Shoot whenever you get the ball, no matter where you are!

Heldon was still mocking himself in his heart.

In his view, this was just another instance of Wang Lie's self-centered and willful behavior.

It makes absolutely no sense except for wasting Tyne's offensive opportunity.

On the contrary, it will deal a heavy blow to the morale of the entire Tyne team.

Because Tyne's players will realize that their leader is a megalomaniac who only cares about showing off and then drags the whole team into his emotional trap.

Once they realize this, Wang Lie's authority within the team will be greatly diminished, and his teammates will begin to doubt whether he can still lead the team to victory.

Once doubt arises, it cannot be eliminated and will become a thorn in everyone's heart.

At that time, this mercenary force will fall apart.

And all of this will begin with my victory over Tyne today!
Time was short, but Sven Heldon's mind worked extremely fast; so many ideas flashed through his mind in just a moment.

Then he saw the football streak of white light streak across the night sky above the North Rhine-Westphalia Arena and plunge headfirst into his own team's goal!

At that moment, his cold smile hadn't even had time to fade before it froze on his face...

Unfortunately, the television broadcast was focused entirely on Wang Lie's goal at that moment, preventing viewers worldwide from witnessing this moment.

Sven Heldon, instead of being angry when his team conceded a goal, revealed a strange smile!
What does this mean?
※※※

Commentators from all over the world were surprised that Wang Lie's casual shot could result in a goal.

They were all stunned for half a second before exclaiming in surprise.

"Wang Lie!! Ahhhhh! Unbelievable world-class goal!! This is possible?! This is possible?!" Luo Jin was so excited that she couldn't speak coherently.

Spanish commentator: "It seems that Wang's hatred for Heldon is no joke. You can tell from that long shot earlier that he has a very good sense of goal... except that 'goal area' doesn't refer to the small area around the goal, but... the entire half!"

French commentator: "Was it forty meters? That shot was almost forty meters, wasn't it? From such a distance, he only made one adjustment and shot! This goal reminds me of Wang in his prime! Back then, as soon as someone entered the halfway line, they were within his shooting range!"

The television broadcast also quickly published the statistics for this goal:
Draw a straight line from where Wang Lie kicked the ball to the goal, and clearly mark the distance:
38.9m
In addition, there is speed:
149KM / H
Both the distance and the ball speed are terrifying!
Faced with such an explosive shot, it's perfectly reasonable for Ruhr United's goalkeeper, Paulo Kiešević, not to even touch the ball, and he shouldn't be criticized at all—there probably isn't a goalkeeper on this planet who could save such a shot!
※※※

After scoring, Wang Lie didn't sprint to the corner flag to celebrate; in fact, he didn't go anywhere.

He simply stood there, then turned around and pulled up the leg of his basketball shorts towards Sven Heldon, revealing the well-defined muscles on his thighs.

As if to say:

Can you withstand this kick from me?!

Wang Lie had just finished showing off when his excited teammates rushed in from all directions and hugged him.

Klaus Jansen turned his gaze away from the goal and back to Wang Lie, who was now surrounded by the crowd.

Although the goal was confirmed, he still felt a sense of unreality—did the ball really go in like that? It was so far away, and it was just one shot?
This was only his third shot of the game!
The first kick was the ball that Kieslowski punched away with both fists...

After making the save, Kieslowski asked everyone not to give him an easy chance to shoot from outside the penalty area.

He listened and reminded the whole team not to let Wang Lie shoot from the 30-meter zone.

Everyone knows that Wang Lie is good at long-range shooting...

His teammates did a good job, and they really didn't give Wang Lie any chance to shoot from 30 meters out.

Who would have thought that Wang Lie could score a goal from the 40-meter zone!
How do you say this?
Should we push the defensive line to the 40-meter line?

But what if there's an opening behind you after you push it up?
Tyne isn't a bunch of wooden people; don't they know how to take advantage of the gap behind them?
Klaus Jansen's mind was a jumbled mess, and in the end, all his chaotic thoughts settled on what his son had said during their video call the day before:

"It's not just 'very impressive,' it's 'extremely, extremely, extremely impressive!'"

Then he realized that his son was right.

Scoring a goal from 30 meters out is impressive.

But now, a goal scored from 40 meters out is "extremely, extremely, extremely impressive"...

He now regrets not taking his son's advice seriously.

but……

Who could have imagined that Wang could score from 40 meters away from the goal?!
So can we blame him?
Could we even blame Mürger, who was closest to Wang Lie at the time, for not going up to block his shot?

Thinking about it calmly, no one is truly to blame. But it's precisely because no one can be blamed, and it seems like no one did anything wrong yet this goal was conceded, that the feeling of helplessness is even more pronounced…

※※※

Michael Jansen and his mother stood in the stadium's VIP box. As a fan of Wang Lie, he witnessed the goal from the start, but he didn't jump up excitedly as he usually does.

Instead, he remained standing, staring blankly at the field without saying a word.

After recovering from the initial shock of conceding the ball, the mother next to him noticed that her son was still motionless, so she patted him worriedly: "Are you okay, Michael?"

She knew that her son, as the son of the Ruhr Steel United captain and also a fan of Wang Lie, was inherently in a difficult position in this match.

Therefore, she assumed that her son's silence must be due to these complex emotions.

Unexpectedly, her son, who had just been slapped, suddenly shouted, "Dad still doesn't take my words seriously! Wang Qi shouldn't have been given a chance to kick the entire first half!"

The mother thought her son's words were outrageous: "Don't be childish, Michael, that's impossible!"

Michael said angrily, "Then Dad is definitely going to lose this game!"

"How can it be so exaggerated? The game has only just begun. Surrendering prematurely is not the style of Ruhr Steel Union..." The mother still felt that her son was just saying things out of anger.

But the son said, "That's not how it is, Mom. None of you know how terrifying the King was today... You just think this is an ordinary match..."

His tone wasn't harsh; he just kept shaking his head. He was clearly very disappointed that no one was taking his words seriously.

The mother could sense her son's low spirits, and this time she finally didn't ignore it. Instead, she comforted him, saying, "After all, not everyone understands the King as well as you do, Michael. You're a fan of the King, but your dad isn't, and neither are his teammates..."

At least this time, she finally acknowledged the correctness of her son's judgment.

However, Michael was not comforted by this; he remained seated, silently watching the court.

The Tyne players had finished celebrating and were running back to their own half, surrounding Wang Lie in the middle like a star.

Wang Lie, who was being held in the middle, was waving towards the stands.

It's unclear whether he was greeting the Tyne fans who had traveled from afar or demonstrating against the Ruhr United fans.

But it doesn't matter which one it is.

There was already a "story" between Wang Lie and Ruhr Steel Union:
When Wang Lie was still with Sofia United, they faced Ruhr United in the Champions League knockout stage.

In the first leg, Sofia United lost to Ruhr United. Ruhr United's American center-back Cohen Jacob mocked Wang Lie, saying that defending against Wang Lie was easier than playing with his children at home.

They successfully turned an ordinary Champions League knockout match into a memorable moment in Champions League history.

In the second leg, Wang Lie scored four goals at home, leading his team to a comeback victory.

She then tweeted a photo of Jacob with the caption, "My son."

That's a complete slap in the face.

Although his conflict with Jacob was more of a "personal feud," Ruhr Steel Union was eliminated because of it, and was repeatedly dragged out and humiliated in various highlight videos over the years.

After all, these two matches were too much of a topic of discussion.

Ruhr Steel Union can be said to be a frequent guest in the "Wang Lie slaps in the face" video.

It's incorrect to say that Ruhr United fans are dissatisfied with Wang Lie solely because of what he said before the match.

Ever since that humiliating elimination by Wang Lie, Ruhr Steel Union fans have been holding their breath.

Not only should they seek revenge against Wang Lie, but they should also seek revenge in the same way.

Unfortunately, since that match, Wang Lie and Ruhr Steel Union have never met again in the Champions League...

It was only this time that they were reunited.

However, Wang Lie has changed allegiances and now appears before Ruhr United fans as a Tyne player.

Even if Heldon hadn't taken over as coach of Ruhr United, and Wang Lie hadn't sought revenge against Heldon, the two sides still wouldn't have been on good terms.

Ruhr United fans will likely bring up past grievances and hope their team can defeat Tyne.

However, in terms of intensity, it will definitely be less intense than it is now...

However, in the heat of the moment, Ruhr United fans didn't think there was anything wrong with the intensity of the event.

Even when the club first announced that Sven Heldon would be the team's head coach, many Ruhr United fans, knowing full well that Heldon's disastrous defeat at Sofia United was very embarrassing, still agreed with the club's decision.

why?
They were pleased because the club's choice could provoke Wang Lie, make him unhappy and angry.

At that time, they didn't consider the potential harm to Ruhr Steel Union from completely offending Wang Lie.

Only Michael Jansen, a little boy, saw it and spoke out about it.

Unfortunately, no one was willing to believe him...

This is what hurt Michael the most—I know how powerful the Angry King will be, why don't you believe me?

※※※

Wang Lie and his teammates ran back to their own half of the field, and the game was about to resume.

This time, the television broadcast didn't focus on Wang Lie, but instead turned to Sven Heldon, the head coach of Ruhr United, who was right on the sidelines.

At this moment, the eerie smile on his face was gone, replaced by a furrowed brow and a tightly clenched lower lip, as if he were constipated.

Seeing this, Connor Cowley chuckled and teased, "I wonder if Heldon has come up with any countermeasures. His team is already down by one goal. Will Ruhr United launch a fierce attack to quickly equalize, or will they opt for a conservative tactic to weather Tyne's onslaught?"

It's no wonder he asked that question, because during Tyne's goal celebration, Heldon didn't go to the sidelines to give any new instructions; instead, he just stood there in a daze.

It was as if he had never imagined that the team would concede the first goal at home...

Then, while he was in a daze, he suddenly saw Wang Lie turn his head and smile at him from among the Tyne players who ran past him.

He knew perfectly well that Wang Lie's smile was directed at him.

Although there was no evidence to prove it, Heldon just knew it in his heart.

However, when Heldon came to his senses, his first reaction was not anger, but rather a sense of fear...

Because he knew what Wang Lie's smile meant.

Their story isn't over yet...

Even though Wang Lie has already scored the first goal and helped the team take the lead, this matter is not over yet.

Heldon snapped out of his daze and urgently said to his assistant coach, Demos, beside him:
"Tell the team to collapse their defense! Let's hold off Tyne's next attack first!"

(End of this chapter)