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Chapter 314 Continue the fight, keep fighting

When Peter Oliver chested the ball down inside the penalty area, Wang Lie was still outside the penalty area. In order not to alert Oliver, he did not rush into the penalty area immediately.

Oliver only started moving when Murphy was pressing him so hard he was almost falling forward, and then suddenly charged into the penalty area from outside.

At the same time, he shouted to Oliver, "Peter!"

Oliver heard his shout, looked up and caught sight of Wang Lie, immediately knowing what he had to do.

However, Wang Lie also alerted the other Sofia United defenders.

Stephen Trave and Bastian Alate quickly moved toward him, stretching out their feet to the left and right as Oliver passed the ball to him, both trying to intercept it.

As Wang Lie charged forward, he also swung his leg to kick the football.

Three people are fighting over one ball!

In the end, Wang Lie kicked the ball first!
He poked the ball toward the goal with his toe. Although it was a poking shot, the ball was very fast!
Goalkeeper Diego Ferrer simply waved his hand again, and the ball flew into the goal he was guarding...

Spain's top goalkeeper had a very tough day. Of Wang Lie's four goals, he only made one complete save; for the other three, he just stood there and watched the ball go into the net.

The sense of frustration was just too intense...

"Oh my god! Wang has scored again! A quadruple! He has scored four goals in this match! He has also helped Tyne take a 6-0 lead over Sofia United! They have set a new record! A six-goal deficit! This is Sofia United's biggest home defeat ever!"

Connor Cowley shouted.

Marvin Block, standing next to him, had his hands behind his head and his elbows resting on the commentary table.

The scene he least wanted to see still happened.

What could he say?

Even though he was a commentator for this match, he didn't want to say a single word.

He even wanted to disappear from the commentary booth, preferably so that the whole world would forget about him, so that he could calm down undisturbed in a secluded corner.

Whether it was Wang Lie, McNeil, or Milne before him... Brock felt that his former teammates had all become strangers.

He didn't understand what went wrong...

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"...With this goal, Wang also became the first player in history to score four goals in a single match at Redstone Stadium! This is truly heartbreaking for all Sofia United fans—their former hero is now the one who hurts them the most. But who is to blame? After all, they could have kept their hero..."

Listening to Conor Cowley's commentary on TV, bar owner Dylan Newell didn't look up at the television. Instead, he looked at the numerous bars in front of him, where many customers had gotten up and left as soon as Wang Lie scored his fourth goal.

There were only a handful of people in the huge bar now, and you could count them on both hands.

Sofia has had its share of failures; we've witnessed many heartbreaking moments here, including last season's league match.

Their team lost 0-9 to Tyne away from home.

Many people didn't go to the away game; instead, they watched the game right there in his bar.

Even though they lost like that, most fans stayed until the end of the game.

Moreover, after the match, he went to his bar for another round of drinks, where he hurled insults at Sven Heldon and Jonathan Hall while drinking.

He extended his warm greetings to the two female immediate family members.

Looking back now, perhaps it was because they still harbored illusions at the time, always thinking that it was just an accident, Wang's revenge after leaving Sofia.

Although the loss was crushing, Wang had vented his anger. Now that the club has fired that bastard Heldon, the team can rise again.

Although the loss of the king left them with some regret and sadness.

But as Wang said, the team needs to rebuild, so let's just take this opportunity to rebuild.

Given Sofia United's strong foundation, the rebuilding process shouldn't be too long; everyone can afford to wait.

So even though everyone had a lot of complaints about the club back then, at least there was hope.

Sofia's 159-year history has not always been smooth sailing; it has also experienced lows and dark periods.

The most important thing for a wealthy family is not to avoid failure, but to be able to climb back up from the bottom after experiencing failure.

Only if you can get back up can you be qualified to pass on your glorious traditions.

Instead of being like a shooting star, which only flashes once and then disappears.

Even though the flash was incredibly bright, almost rivaling the sun, it was useless.

People today can only learn about the glorious past through various historical reviews, which, for the world today, are nothing more than eloquent epitaphs on tombstones.

The elite families are those that have survived the long river of history and are still thriving today.

Historically, Sofia fans have always been hopeful for the future, willing to stand with the club through the darkness and winter, and wait for the day when spring arrives and flowers bloom.

However, today's game has made many people doubt the future and lose confidence.

So they chose to leave early—continuing to watch would only be a waste of their lives.

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Brilliant!! Brother Wang is awesome!! He gave them a shameful record that will be forever etched in history! Even decades from now, even after Brother Wang has retired, when people talk about Sofia United's biggest home defeat, they will still mention today's game and Wang Lie.

Then explain to those who come after him why the former hero of Sofia would give his former club such a huge disgrace!

A legend who embodies both angel and devil: the most controversial figure in Soforth's history.

Can you imagine? The player with the most goals for Sofia United is the same person!

The most unique legend in Sofia's history, he was both loved and hated by Sofia fans.

Who is the biggest culprit in the history of Sofia United? Who drove away the best player in Sofia United's history?

Sofia fans voted for the most regrettable incident at the club in the new century; does the number one ranking match your opinion?

……

Xiao Cheng could come up with a whole bunch of similar headlines for future media outlets and independent media.

He'll give away this idea for free; he won't ask them for copyright fees.

All that matters is that the Sofia United, the organization that drove Wang Lie away, is forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Ever since Wang Lie was humiliatingly kicked out of the Sofia club, Xiao Cheng's original love for Sofia has turned into hatred, even more so than for Sofia's former arch-enemies.

It could even be said that the pleasure he gets from seeing Tyne succeed is less than the pleasure he gets from seeing Sofia United fail.

He cheered for Tyne's victory because he knew that the more successful Tyne was, the greater the blow to Soforth United, and the louder the slap in the face.

Ultimately, for Xiao Cheng, what happened to Tyne wasn't the most important thing; the most important thing was that Sofia had to die!

If he weren't surrounded by Sofia United fans, he might have gotten carried away and gotten beaten up—English football hooligans, though no match for Russian, Italian, or Turkish hooligans, could easily beat up a defenseless Chinese student like him—he would have been cheering and jumping for joy by now.

Now he can only vent his emotions in his heart, which is really...uncomfortable.

Just as he was mentally preparing to celebrate, he suddenly saw some Sofia United fans in front of him stand up and line up to walk towards the exit.

This gave him a sudden insight.

After the initial shock, Xiao Cheng realized that these Sofia United fans had no intention of watching the game to the end and had left early.

It's not uncommon for people to leave early.

For example, when the outcome of a match has already been decided, some fans may leave early due to factors such as traffic.

This way, you won't have to wait for several trains to squeeze onto the subway station.

If you drive here, you won't have to be stuck in traffic for kilometers from the parking lot.

However, such early departures are only sporadic.

What he was witnessing was a large number of Sofia fans leaving the stadium early.

It wasn't just the stand in front of him; he looked around and saw Sofia United fans leaving the stadium in all four directions. These Sofia United fans queuing at the exit were very conspicuous, and large areas of the stands were empty.

This usually happens when fans are very dissatisfied with their team's performance.

After all, tickets are quite expensive, and it would be a waste to spend money to come and only see half of the game before leaving.

If it weren't for the fact that it was truly unbearable, who would want to leave early?

Television broadcasts also shifted their focus from the stadium to the stands.

The image captured images of Sofia fans lining up to leave the stadium.

Connor Cowley, watching this scene, remarked, "Many Soford United fans left early. I completely understand them; this match was just too cruel for them. Although the 0-9 defeat was also cruel, the two kinds of cruelty are completely different..."

Marvin Block didn't respond immediately; he just peered out at the Sofia United fans leaving the stadium.

If he weren't working, he would have liked to leave early like those Sofia United fans.

It wasn't to protest against the club, but simply because he didn't want to endure the ordeal in the commentary booth.

He now regrets accepting the invitation to commentate on this match.

If he were watching the game at home right now, he could simply turn off the TV, and no one would know that he was afraid to watch the last ten minutes of the game.

Even if he wanted to continue watching, he could sit on the sofa without saying a word. No one would force him to speak if he didn't want to, and no one would know that he was silent.

Now, if he doesn't speak for too long, everyone will know that Wang Lie and Tai En have broken his defenses and witnessed his vulnerable side.

This is a disaster for Marvin Block, who always portrays himself as a neutral and objective commentator... This is fatal!

Marvin Block, realizing what was happening, finally spoke up:

"Sorfurt United does have problems, and the club must take action to make changes. Simply firing the head coach won't solve the problem. The club's management must seriously and thoroughly consider what exactly is wrong with the team..."

At this point, it sounds as if he has finally agreed with Wang Lie's opinion—the root of the club's problems lies in the management, in General Manager Jonathan Hall.

But then he changed the subject:
"Furthermore, I think many of the Sofia United players on the field right now don't deserve to wear the Sofia United jersey! They haven't shown any desire to win! This team lacks that strong competitive spirit and the determination to win at all costs! Sofia United wasn't like this before!"

Luke Milne, watching on television, couldn't help but laugh when he heard Block's words.
"So, dear Marvin, who was the most competitive player in the old Soforth United? And where is he now?"

Hearing her husband talking to his former teammate from afar, the wife couldn't help but say, "Why didn't you accept the commentary invitation back then? Now you can ask him directly from the commentary booth."

Milne shook his head and said, "I refused because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist questioning him on the spot. I don't want the whole world to know about our conflict..."

The wife was speechless: "Do you think the whole world doesn't know?"

Her husband ignored her this time.

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Although the Sofia fans had already left, the game was not over yet.

Fans can treat the remaining time as garbage time, leave, or turn off the TV and not watch the live broadcast.

But the players on the field are not up to par.

They still have to continue the game.

Of course, although their bodies are on the field, their minds can also fly off the field, so the people kicking the ball could be twenty or so soulless zombies.

But today's game didn't turn out that way, at least not Tyne's players.

Regardless of how the Sofia United players viewed the remaining time, Tyne continued to look for scoring opportunities.

It was as if they had no idea that they had just set a record that belonged only to them.

McNeil didn't substitute Wang Lie after his four-goal haul, but instead kept him on the field, as if he really wanted him to play the entire League Cup match...

His persistence paid off in the 86th minute when Wang Lie headed in a cross from Charlie Cohen, scoring his fifth goal of the match and bringing the score to 7-0!
Everyone thought 6-0 was enough, but Wang Lie felt it wasn't, so he scored another goal.

Tyne has not only become the team capable of scoring seven goals at Redstone Stadium, but also the team capable of beating Sofia United by seven goals – although the game is not over yet, Sofia United has been completely crushed and they have no chance of scoring in the remaining time.

After scoring his fifth goal of the match, Wang Lie finally signaled to McNeil to be substituted.

When Wang Lie was substituted, the Sofia United fans in the stands neither applauded nor booed him.

We just watched as their former heroes slowly walked off the field.

No one accused him of deliberately stalling for time anymore.

Even the Sofia players on the field didn't do that.

They stared blankly at Wang Lie's figure.

"The game is over! This incredibly agonizing match for Sofia United fans is finally over!"

Connor Cowley said upon seeing this.

Although the game was not actually over.

But everyone knows that the key figure in this match is Wang Lie.

The game only has meaning when he's on the field.

Once he leaves the field, nobody cares how the game goes.

So saying "the game is over" is perfectly acceptable.

Cowley continued:
"I think no one expected the game to turn out like this before the match. It's Wang's first match back at Redstone Stadium since leaving Sofia is going to be like this... This match will definitely remain in the memories of Sofia fans for a long time. Of course, it's not a pleasant memory, but it will definitely stay with them for a long time!"

Marvin Block picked up where he left off:
"All Sofia fans will remember this day: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2037. On this day, Sofia suffered their biggest defeat in the League Cup, their most humiliating home loss. Regardless of what Wang's pre-match intentions were, the damage he inflicted on Sofia and its fans can never be ignored. And no matter how he views this, Sofia fans will certainly have a different perspective..."

He phrased it tactfully, but his meaning was clear:

Wang Lie has officially transformed from a legendary figure at Sofia United into their arch-rival.

From now on, he will no longer consider Wang Lie as "one of his own," and therefore he will no longer "go easy on" Wang Lie out of consideration for their past relationship.

When Wang Lie makes a mistake, he will criticize him publicly without any mercy, regardless of whether it will embarrass Wang Lie or cause a media frenzy.

You were the one who threw away our old friendship like trash, so don't blame me for being harsh and unforgiving later!
If this match had any positive significance for Marvin Block, it was that he finally found a reason to justify his criticisms of Wang Lie, and he no longer had to internally burn out when criticizing Wang Lie.

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Under the complex gazes of everyone, Wang Lie walked off the field. He first high-fived Van Ginkel, who had replaced him, and then went straight to head coach Sam McNeil, who was waiting to shake hands and hug him.

As McNeil pulled Wang Lie close, he whispered in his ear, "Are you ready, Wang? From today onwards, you are no longer a hero of Soforth..."

Wang Lie smiled and replied, "I was ready a long time ago. I don't care what others think when I do the right thing."

McNeil had nothing more to say, he just patted Wang Lie on the back and then let go of him.

Then Wang Lie gave high-fives to the assistant coaches, coaches, and teammates on the bench.

During this process, someone handed him a dry towel, which he took to dry his hair and body.

Then someone handed him a thick, warm coat.

His body was still damp from being dried, and the moisture inside his coat made him feel uncomfortable, but he put it on anyway to avoid catching a cold.

Finally, he sat down in his seat and was surprised to find that the cushion was a bit cold.

He only realized he was at Redstone Stadium, not Lize Park, after he sat up. At Redstone Stadium, neither the home nor away team had ventilated or heated seats, so the leather seats were icy cold in winter and stiflingly sweaty after sitting for a while in summer…

He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it before—the seats at Atlético FC's home stadium were the same, and no one complained that they were low-class or uncomfortable to sit in.

Besides, he's a core player and an absolute starter, so he doesn't spend much time sitting on the bench and doesn't really care about how it feels to be sitting.

His first reaction was that the seat was too cold...

※※※

Seeing Wang Lie already sitting on the bench on television, his agent, Fernando Clemente, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, there wasn't a chorus of boos..."

There were boos, which started when Wang Lie led the team onto the field, when he received the ball, and even more so after he scored.

But from beginning to end, until he was substituted off the field, there was no overwhelming booing.

This made Clement feel a little better.

Sitting next to him, Tang Xingmei stared at her husband on the screen as he shifted his position in the chair.

He was watching the field, his face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

She recalled the conversation she had with her husband before the competition.

She said her husband's return to Redstone Stadium this time wasn't to come home, but to fight.

Judging from the reactions in the stands today, the intensity of the battle was actually quite high.

But Tang Xingmei knew that the battle had only just begun, not ended.

Because her husband's goals were much bigger than others thought.

Therefore, every subsequent encounter with Sofia United could be a battle, and it might continue until he retires.

She didn't know if her husband would ultimately win the battle.

But that's okay, just keep fighting until you win.

Just like playing football, the goal may seem ambitious and daunting, but if you think about it carefully, it's simply about winning the current game first, then the next one, and so on, until the goal is naturally achieved.

So the husband often says:
"Win this game first."

Win this battle first.

Then continue the battle.

Tang Xingmei believed that her husband, sitting in that chair at that moment, must be thinking the same thing.

※※※

I wonder if 7:0 is enough...

No, it's definitely not enough.

But it's okay, I'm not going to retire after this season. I still have time, and we'll meet many more times.

If you win every time you meet, eventually quantitative changes will turn into qualitative changes.

So from now on, we'll only be able to see Sofia once, and that'll be our only match...

Wang Lie sighed inwardly.

Things have come to this point, and there's nothing he can do. But some things have to be done by someone, just like leading the Chinese team to win the World Cup.

No matter how harsh the words, someone has to say them; no matter how difficult the tasks, someone has to do them.

If it wasn't me, then who could it be?
(End of this chapter)