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Chapter 293 Your Time Is Over

In fact, the strategy of consolidating the defense after conceding a goal and avoiding further goals was correct.

But that was during a normal match.

With Wang Lie having already stated that he came here to win, Heldon's choice will definitely provoke dissatisfaction among Ruhr United fans.

After all, this is Ruhr Steel Union's home ground!
Why should we let Tyne run rampant on our home turf?
Wang Cai scored a goal, and we immediately tightened our defense... What? Do you think we can't stop him from scoring unless we park the bus in front of the goal?
What's the point of kicking like that?!
Let's just put it all up there!
Anyway, we'll concede goals as long as we don't park the bus...

Ruhr United fans who think this way are not a minority.

After Wang Lie made those outrageous remarks, most Ruhr United fans were thinking about how their team could slap this arrogant man in the face during the game.

Regardless of the outcome of the match, at the very least, we can't lose our fighting spirit!

Moreover, Ruhr United is not a team like Milan City that excels at counter-attacking.

At least under former head coach Yannick Jürgensen, Ruhr United's football was extremely passionate and fiery.

It was through this kind of football that they achieved great success last season, becoming "mini treble winners".

Regardless of the strength of their opponents, Ruhr United sticks to its own style of football, and Ruhr United fans are proud that their team can maintain an attacking style of football.

In the imagination of Ruhr United fans, the trailing Ruhr United should have launched a fierce attack on Tain's goal, overwhelming the opponent with their whirlwind offensive, and then quickly equalize the score, severely crushing Wang Lie's arrogance.

When the game resumed, they saw the home team packing up their defense and parking the bus in their own penalty area.

Although Hull did change the team's tactical style after taking over, no longer playing as open and aggressively as before, and gradually adopting a defensive counter-attacking style.

However, Heldon's choice of this playing style in the match against Wang Lie still drew criticism from many Ruhr United fans...

However, these Ruhr United fans truly deserve to be called the most loyal fans to the team in all of Europe.

Despite their dissatisfaction with the head coach's arrangements, they still cheered for their team from the stands.

The arms clapping along to the rhythm of the song did not stop, and the red and black flags continued to flutter high in the stands.

The atmosphere at the North Rhine-Westphalia Stadium remains as intense as ever, its intimidating home ground reputation undiminished.

※※※

Wang Lie had just received the ball when he was double-teamed by two Ruhr United players: their captain Klaus Jansen and defensive midfielder Bilal Ekenc.

Faced with tight defense from two opponents, Wang Lie was unable to turn around, but he didn't necessarily have to fight to the death or score a goal.

He passed the football out.

It was handed over to Vitini, who was not far away.

Before receiving the ball, Vitini pretended to move it sideways towards the middle, which tricked the Ruhr United defenders into shifting their weight to the center. He then leaned his body sharply, used his right foot to cut the ball to the left, and then performed a very exaggerated turn and change of direction!

As he caught up with the ball, Ruhr United's defenders also rushed over.

Vitini flicked the ball towards the center with the outside of his right foot and passed it back to Wang Lie.

Wang Lie was still in the same spot, and facing the incoming ball, he exerted his strength from the ground and swung his left foot to shoot directly!
This shot wasn't very powerful, but the angle was very tricky!

The football slipped between Klaus Jansen's legs and flew towards the far corner of the goal!
However, because of the excessive pursuit of a sharp angle, the ball ultimately grazed the far post and rolled out of bounds...

Just as the ball crossed the goal line, Miguel Ribeiro launched a flying tackle, but instead of touching the ball, he slid into the goal...

Although the tackle missed, it gave the Ruhr United fans and players present quite a fright.

When no one could stop Wang Lie's shot, everyone was already in despair, only to find that Ribeiro was lurking behind them!

In this attack, Tyne's firepower came wave after wave, like an endless tide...

At first, I thought it was Wang Lie, then it was Vitini, then I went to defend against Vitini, and then it was Wang Lie again.

Wang Lie had already taken a shot, but unexpectedly there was still Ribeiro at the end!

Ribeiro, who hadn't touched the ball, lay in the goal and yelled in frustration before rolling over to his feet.

He had just gotten up when he heard Wang Lie calling him: "Miguel!"

He turned his head and saw Wang Lie giving him a thumbs up.

Ribeiro lowered his head in shame, feeling that he had still let Wang Lie down...

Not long after, he made a strong breakthrough on the right wing and delivered a cross to Wang Lie.

Although Wang Lie ran towards the landing point, he did not jump to contest the header. Instead, he simply drew away Klaus Jansen, the Ruhr United center-back who was defending him, creating an opening for Vitini behind him.

The Brazilian kid met the ball head-on and fired a shot!

The football went over the crossbar...

Now it was Vitini's turn to let out a frustrated roar.

Wang Lie also gave him a thumbs up, praising his performance.

Although the shot didn't hit the target, it seemed like Vitini wasted a golden opportunity. However, what was commendable about Vitini was that when Wang Lie made his run, he didn't just stand by and watch; instead, he actively participated, running behind Wang Lie. Without any prior communication or discussion, Vitini consciously capitalized on the gap left by Wang Lie's movement, which led to this shot.

Otherwise, with Wang Lie tightly marked by the opponent, Tyne wouldn't even have a chance to shoot.

Vitini's "shooting conversion rate" will certainly drop as a result, but if it weren't for his active positioning, this shooting opportunity wouldn't have existed at all.

Therefore, people sometimes like to talk about certain data, such as "shot conversion rate," and always say that "numbers don't lie."

It's as if a player's ability and performance can be judged solely by their conversion rate: a high conversion rate means the player is good at seizing opportunities in front of goal, while a low conversion rate implies the player is a selfish "wasteful shooter."

But if you don't watch the game and only look at the data, you won't know how many shots were wasted by the "King of Wasted Shots" that shouldn't have existed in the first place. These shooting opportunities were created because of the "King of Wasted Shots"...

Wang Lie's thumbs-up was definitely not just a polite gesture; it was a genuine compliment to Vitini's ability to seize the opportunity.

※※※

Although no goals were scored immediately, Tyne's attacking trident of Wang Lie, Ribeiro, and Vitini all posed a threat.

Because Ruhr Steel United tightened its defense, surrendering possession and space, Tyne's players were able to organize attacks at will.

The offensive surged like a tide, wave after wave, relentlessly assaulting Ruhr Steel Union's defenses.

This scene filled countless Ruhr Steel Union fans in the stands and in front of their televisions with envy—because just last season, it was Ruhr Steel Union who were dominating the game on the field!
While filled with envy, they were also deeply worried. After all, although the full name of the Ruhr Steel Union is "Ruhr Steel United Team" and has "steel" in its name, it does not mean that they have an ironclad defense.

Defense is not Ruhr United’s forte, otherwise why would the team’s performance have been so inconsistent under Heldon’s management this season?

Tyne clearly understood this as well, so such a fierce offensive could not possibly be driven solely by Wang Lie's hatred for Heldon; it must have come from the tactical arrangements of Tyne's coaching staff.

In the 26th minute, Pisano received a pass back from Wang Lie outside the penalty area and fired a shot directly.

The ball was blocked by a Ruhr United defender, but the second ball landed on Tyne's side.

Left full-back Anderson Nova retrieved the ball on the sideline, passed it to Vitini, and then ran forward himself, with Vitini passing the ball back to him.

Nova caught up with the ball and swung his leg as if to cross it, tricking Ruhr United's right-back Thomas Schmidt into losing his balance and trying to block it, but Nova instead cut inside.

After getting past his opponent, Nova dribbled into the penalty area.

After attracting a second Ruhr United defender, the ball was passed to the center.

Wang Lie drew away the Ruhr United defender, creating a header opportunity for defensive midfielder Isala, who had made a run into the penalty area.

Isara's header was saved by Ruhr United goalkeeper Paul Kiešić!
"Kieski made a brilliant save!" the German commentator exclaimed, praising Kieski's performance while also criticizing the entire Ruhr United team: "Ruhr United has been in a terrible state lately! Since conceding a goal, they seem to have lost their courage, only thinking about not conceding any more. But facing such a fierce attack from Tain, do Ruhr United really think they can hold on? Tain is playing too comfortably right now!"

As he made his criticism, the television broadcast also gave a shot of the Ruhr United coaching bench.

In the footage, head coach Sven Heldon was not standing on the sidelines with a furrowed brow and a pained expression this time. He was sitting in the coaching seat, holding a metal tactical board, constantly fiddling with the magnetic chess pieces on it, seemingly thinking about how to break the deadlock.

Although he still frowned and bit his lower lip while thinking, at least he wasn't literally helpless; he was actually looking for a solution...

It's just unclear how long it will take him to find a solution. Tyne clearly isn't going to stop and give him that time.

※※※

Klaus Jansen is under a lot of pressure right now. As the team's center-back and captain, he is on the front line of the battle against Wang Lie.

His task was to defend against Wang Lie.

Having already conceded a goal to Wang Lie, he absolutely could not allow Wang Lie to score again.

So when Wang Lie was in the penalty area, Klaus Jansen closed in from behind and pushed him forward, trying to get him out of the danger zone.

Wang Lie, of course, couldn't let the other party have their way, so he kept ramming backward.

Klaus Jansen was not to be outdone and retorted sharply.

The contest between the two players off the ball even attracted the attention of the referee, who ran over a few steps and looked closely to see if there were any fouls in their confrontation.

However, the clash between the two veterans was intense, but also very clean.

Klaus Jansen kept his hand raised, but did not wrap it around Wang Lie.

When Wang Lie rammed backward, his elbow did not make any unnecessary movements.

The two men were simply competing physically.

However, the ball didn't end up reaching Wang Lie; instead, Cabella broke into the penalty area and took the shot.

It appears that Klaus Jansen is marking Wang Lie, but at the same time, Wang Lie is also drawing away the Ruhr Steel Union's center-back, creating shooting opportunities for his teammates.

Both of them completed their tasks, but their competition will not stop there; it will continue.

This wasn't the first time Yang Sen had clashed with Wang Lie.

In that memorable match between Ruhr Steel Union and Wang Lie, Jansen was a Ruhr Steel Union player on the field.

However, the person responsible for defending Wang Lie at that time was his center-back partner, Cohen Jacob.

Jacob easily defeated Wang Lie in the first round, and afterwards he even boasted to Jansen about it, saying that Wang Lie was nothing special—yes, Jacob not only mocked Wang Lie on social media, but he also gloated about it in private…

As a result, he was defeated by Wang Lie in the second round.

Because of Jacob's collapse, Jansen had to help defend against Wang Lie.

It was during that match that he felt the immense energy emanating from Wang Lie's entire body.

Now, he felt that the thirty-eight-year-old Wang Lie was unleashing energy that was no less than it had been back then... no, it was even stronger than before!

If he remembered correctly, he was twenty-nine years old during their confrontation, while Wang was... thirty-two.

The energy erupting from the body of this thirty-eight-year-old man actually surpassed that of six years ago… Klaus Jansen recalled his son’s words once again.

He felt a pang of guilt and regret—he should have believed his son…

※※※

The game had reached the 34th minute, and Sven Heldon was still sitting in the coach's seat, fiddling with the chess pieces on the tactics board. His brow was furrowed, and he was unconsciously biting his lower lip.

Clearly, he still hasn't found a solution.

Tyne's offensive was too intense; he dared not let his team attack, fearing that Tyne would score first.

I watched a video of the match between Tyne and Atlético Lille. After taking the lead, Tyne bombarded Atlético Lille's penalty area for ten minutes but failed to score.

He also felt that Tyne's offensive was nothing special.

Now, when the same situation happened to his team, he truly felt that pressure—it seemed like every attack by Tyne could breach his goal…

For example, what is happening on the field right now.

Tyne launched another offensive, this time with Pisano making a wide-ranging shift, moving the attack from the right flank to the left.

Left-back Anderson Nova volleyed the ball directly to Wang Lie, who was coming up to receive it, from the sideline.

Yes, it wasn't Vitini who came to meet him, but Wang Lie.

Vitini was on the flank, and Wang Lie came to the wing; the two of them made a simple position switch.

The defensive pressure faced on the flanks is significantly less than that on the center.

After Wang Lie stopped the ball, Ruhr United's right-back Thomas Schmidt lowered his center of gravity to block him, while also facing sideways to prevent Wang Lie from cutting inside or going down the wing.

As for Tyne's left-back Nova, who was on the sideline just now, Schmidt can't afford to worry about him now.

Wang Lie, when he has the ball, is the most threatening player.

Wang Lie stood still, raised his right foot, and made a passing motion.

Schmidt simply stared at the ball, unmoved.

Wang Lie didn't expect such a childish feint to fool an Austrian national team's key right-back, so while he was wiggling his ankle, he also shifted his center of gravity.

But Schmidt remained unmoved, and he also waited for his teammate, Ruhr United right midfielder Tobias Mürger.

With two people coming up to flank Wang Lie, the chances of success would be much greater.

Schmidt was no longer as nervous as before.

Just then, Wang Lie increased the amplitude of his body's swaying, and at the same time, the frequency of his footwork increased, making it difficult for Schmidt to tell whether it was a feint or a real move...

Then Wang Lie pushed the football out with his right foot, and it went right through Schmidt's legs!

At the same time, Wang Lie chose to force his way through Schmidt and Mürger!

Schmidt's attention was drawn to the ball between his legs, while Mürger tried to ram it and close down the goal with his teammates...

But he felt like he had run into a steel plate!

Not only did he not move Wang Lie at all, but the reaction force also caused his body to tilt in the opposite direction—in other words, he was knocked away by the thirty-eight-year-old Wang Lie!
After breaking through the defense of two Ruhr Steelers, Wang Lie dribbled the ball into the penalty area.

He was like a torch in the darkness, instantly attracting the attention of all the Ruhr Steel Union players.

After all, everyone knows that Wang Lie and Heldon have a personal grudge, and to put it bluntly, he wanted to get revenge on Heldon in this match.

So how could he possibly be content with just one goal?
He's definitely going to shoot next!
Klaus Jansen was the first to pounce on Wang Lie, and not only him, but two other Ruhr Steel Union players were also moving closer to Wang Lie.

Just like in Go, they want to force Wang Lie to the baseline in the restricted area, and then surround and kill him there!

Wang Lie, having caught up with the ball, did not shoot. Instead, he used the outside of his right foot to deflect the ball diagonally behind his body...

It's like they knew someone was there!
There are definitely people there!

After receiving the ball, Vitini skillfully moved it towards the center, thus avoiding the Ruhr United player's counter-pressing!

And it's almost directly facing the goal!

Without hesitation, he swung his right foot and curled a shot into the far corner!
The football arced through the air, bypassing Ruhr United goalkeeper Paul Kiešić's outstretched fingers, and spun into the far corner of the goal from the far post!

The ball went in again!

But it wasn't Wang Liejin's...

He created it!

With this goal, Sven Heldon's time to come up with a countermeasure... has been reduced to zero!

(End of this chapter)