Team Spirit

Chapter 188 Asian Footballer of the Year, Champions League Do-or-Die Match
Bild: "Champions League matches are tight in many groups, Green Gunners beat Inter Milan to return to the top of the group!"

According to Diario Sport: "Greek strikers appear to be first in their group, but in reality, they have no chance of advancing. Barcelona, ​​although ranked third, have a very good chance of qualifying!"

BBC: "Inter Milan and Green Gunners are tied on nine points, but Green Gunners take the lead based on head-to-head record! The top three teams all have 996 points and still have a chance to advance!"

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Between the two points, Maicon has the shortest! The green-skinned right-back who completely outshines Zanetti is also Cafu's successor!"

Tuttosport: "Maicon and Cicinho, the green-skinned wing duo, have entered the sights of major clubs, their Brazilian identity giving them a boost!"

"The Voice of Green Guns (Self-Funded Version)": "Maicon won Man of the Match, and Ashley Young posted a message on his Penguin account to congratulate him. The two often train together, and their abilities are evenly matched. If it weren't for Ashley Young's Champions League suspension, he would definitely have helped Green Guns go even further!"

……

The match between Green Gunners and Inter Milan was a tough one to crack.

But in the group of death, which match isn't a tough one?
November 6th, Premier League Round 12.

Dartford defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at home.

November 10th, EFL Cup fourth round.

Dartford's youth team continued their winning streak, defeating Liverpool's youth team.

Liverpool's current focus is on the league and the Champions League, especially the Champions League, where they need to secure qualification from the group stage.

They want to use 120% of their strength when they have 100%.

November 13th, the 13th round of the English Premier League.

Liverpool pulled off a surprise attack.

After being eliminated by Green Gunners in the EFL Cup, they defeated Green Gunners 3-1 in the league.

As a result, the Green Guns turned their grief and anger into strength, and a week later they crushed the Magpies at home.

2-0 victory over Newcastle United.

Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Liverpool had similar records in previous years, but Liverpool had a much stronger foundation.

However, Leeds United and Newcastle United have encountered financial problems in the past two years, with the former falling out of the Premier League.

The latter is also considered to be in the lower half of the table this season.

Both are three points, so is winning against Liverpool really better than winning against Newcastle?
Therefore, Lu Kai made a rotation, letting Liverpool go and taking Newcastle.

Although the initial goal was to get a point from Liverpool, or at least a draw.

But getting six points in three Premier League games is still pretty good.

On November 21, the AFC Annual Awards Ceremony was held.

Mainland media flocked to Malaysia to witness this momentous occasion.

Various awards were announced one after another.

The Special Contribution Award goes to Prince Saoud of Saudi Arabia.

Best Referee Award: Referee Lu Jun from Zhongguo.

Iran is the best five-a-side football team.

Best club: Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Best Coach: Iraq's head coach, Majid.

Best Women's Football Team: China Guoan U19 Women's Football Team.

Best national team: Japan.

Best Young Player, also known as the Son of Asian Football, Han Guk-Park Chu-young.

The best female player, also known as the Asian Footballer of the Year, is Homare Sawa of Japan.

Finally, the winner of the award was announced: Lu Kai won the Asian Footballer of the Year award.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, An Qi walked onto the podium to receive the award.

Many Asian fans who were unfamiliar with Lu Kai were somewhat surprised, asking, "Is this really Lu Kai?"

"He's not as handsome as the rumors say."

"Isn't he a bit too tall? Isn't it unsuitable for someone that tall to play as an attacking midfielder?"

After receiving the award, An Qi said into the microphone: "Hello everyone, I am An Qi, a player from the Central Guo team, and I also played for Dartford."

"Captain Lu attaches great importance to this award ceremony, but due to scheduling conflicts, he cannot attend in person. Therefore, he specifically asked me to accept the award on his behalf. Here, I wish everyone good fortune and all the best..."

An Qi said a few nice things.

But smart people actually understand what Lu Kai meant.

If they really valued it, wouldn't they come in person?

As is customary, players who do not come to accept their awards on the spot will not receive the prize; the organizers will award it to the player who ranked second.

But... the AFC wouldn't dare.

Even if they dared, the other four candidates wouldn't dare take on this hot potato.

Compared to Lu Kai over the past year, the other candidates are nothing.

Therefore, the Asian Football Confederation could only suffer this humiliation.

Fortunately, Lu Kai wasn't too outrageous, and he had An Qi bring a video.

In the video, Lu Kai simply said some words of thanks to the fans for their support, wished the AFC a better future, and gave a relatively respectable reason... that it was to make the AFC respectable, rather than to be afraid of losing face himself.

Lu Kai: "We are currently in a crucial period of the Champions League, and the match against Ajax is one we cannot afford to lose. We simply cannot spare the time to play."

"The schedule has been packed lately, and I hope everyone can understand."

Lu Kai's words sounded sincere, but the problem lay in the background of the video, behind Lu Kai, where Ashley Young, Modric, Ivanka, Alfred, and others were playing mahjong!

Judging from Ivanka's card-handling movements, it's clear she's not actually very good at it.

At the end of Lu Kai's video, he walks towards Ivanka, his voice still slightly cut off: "Lu, what should I do with this hand?"

The video ends abruptly.

The audience at the awards ceremony was stunned.

If Lu Kai were just a newcomer, many people would already be criticizing him.

But as the new king of Asia, as long as you are strong enough, great scholars will naturally come to debate with me.

Several high-ranking officials from the Asian Football Confederation laughed:

"Lu took time out of his busy schedule to film the acceptance speech; he really put his heart into it!"

"I hope Lu can get off to a good start this time and advance in the Champions League!"

"Yes, yes, let's also wish Dartford a Champions League victory and bring glory to Asian football!"

Some completely unrelated words appeared in these statements, but these high-ranking officials did not find it jarring.

Behind An Qi, young Chen Tao whispered, "Brother An Qi, these West Asians are really giving Brother Lu face. Brother Lu isn't even here, and they're already so obsequious."

An Qi laughed: "They were scared off by the European Golden Ball and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Team Lu will definitely make it to the finals this year."

"If they don't give this award to Brother Lu, the AFC and Asian football will become a joke."

Many domestic players, even those who have never met Lu Kai and some who are older than him, habitually call him "Brother Lu".

However, An Qi and Li Weifeng prefer to call him Captain Lu.

It's not because they're older than Lu Kai that they can't be called "brother".

It's because anyone can call him Brother Lu, but you can only call him Captain Lu if you're on the same team as him!
Whether close or distant, those who understand will understand.

"Oh, right," An Qi remembered something, "I heard that Shenyang Jinde is asking you to sign child labor contracts?"

Chen Tao's face fell.

He and four other key players demanded that the team sign them to cheap five-year contracts.

They are currently unwilling to sign.

The club threatened to disqualify them from winter training and exerted pressure on them from multiple angles.

Chen Tao was very clever; his eyes widened, "Brother An Qi, why are you asking this...?"

An Qi said in a low voice, "Actually, if you are really determined to play football outside, I can ask Captain Lu for you."

Chen Tao was overjoyed: "Brother Anqi, you're my only brother! I want to go, I definitely want to go! If I can go to Green Gun, I'll even sign a child labor contract!"

An Qi: "Don't thank me yet. I just said I was asking around for you. Whether it works out or not is none of my business. But you'll be under more pressure with Jinde. They might bench you for the second half of the season."

Chen Tao: "I don't care, I'm just afraid that if I don't play for half a year, my new team will think that I'm not in good form and not capable enough, and they won't want me."

An Qi: "No, that won't happen. With your talent, not playing for half a year isn't a big deal. Many players are sidelined for half a year or a year after a serious injury, aren't they?"

"And since they won't let you play matches, you have to put in more effort to train."

"Captain Lu values ​​our traditional spirit and values. As long as the players work hard, he will always give them a chance."

The two chatted in hushed tones, paying no attention to the speeches of the other leaders at the awards ceremony.

However, they said that Xiaohua's scene was captured on camera.

Several headlines criticizing them appeared instantly in China.

An Qi actually displayed Lu Kai's "Asian Golden Ball Trophy" horizontally, showing disrespect for Lu Kai's honor!

Young actor Chen Tao's attempt to curry favor with An Qi is likely through arranging to go to a bar together!

An Qi and Chen Tao were caught daydreaming during the awards ceremony, severely damaging the international image of Chinese players. They deserve severe punishment!

These news items aren't really anything new.

Lin Tao didn't even need to look to know what it meant.

He did a quick check and found that the media outlets that published the article were indeed affiliated with Jinde.

It's all too easy for clubs to coerce players into signing unequal contracts.

What Juventus and Moggi did was far more outrageous than what domestic clubs did.

An Qi is doing well. He's had a successful stint in Europe, returned home in wealth, and is a big star. He's currently at the peak of his popularity in China. Even fans wouldn't say anything harsh to him.

But Chen Tao suffered a terrible fate, experiencing severe cyberbullying.

Every era has its own cyberbullying.

……

[Ding! You have been selected as the Asian Footballer of the Year for the first time and have received a reward:]

[Road Rash - Gold: Your speed is greatly increased. When you are faster than your opponent, you gain an additional speed boost. When you are slower than your opponent, you gain an additional combat boost.]

[Speed: 84+2]

???

That's it?

The Asian Footballer of the Year award is really not very prestigious.

Lu Kai can develop a skill of this level in just three to five matches, even in a regular game.

However, to be fair, this skill is quite effective.

Bullying the slow and fearing the fast?

When you are faster than others, you will be even faster. This boost doesn't have much significance, but it can make the other party aware of the huge gap.

This special effect is probably meant to be used to manipulate emotions.

When you're slower than others, just give up and stop trying to outrun them; start with your physical strength.

Avoid its sharp edges.

It truly lives up to its name; it's a brutal motorcycle!

November 24th, the fifth round of the Champions League.

Dartford will host Ajax.

Ninety minutes later, the Dutchmen walked out of the Green Penguin Stadium with their heads held high.

Two to three.

The Green Guns lost at home.

Ajax poured all their energy into this match, showing no signs of weakness.

They ended their four-game losing streak in the Champions League.

On the other hand, Barcelona held Inter Milan to a 1-1 draw.

With this, Inter Milan accumulated ten points, securing their advancement with one round to spare and escaping their predicament.

But whether they will ultimately finish first or second in the group is uncertain.

Dartford remain with nine points, second in the group.

Barcelona have seven points, placing them third in the group.

Ajax finished fourth in the group with three points, having nothing left to play for.

In the final round, Dartford will face Barcelona in a do-or-die battle, and the Catalan media's prediction came true.

Dartford only need a win or a draw to advance, and could even have a chance to finish first in the group.

Barcelona must win to overtake Chelsea and advance to the Champions League knockout stage as the second-placed team in their group. The loser will have to play in the UEFA Cup.

On November 27th, in the 15th round of the Premier League, Greenfield drew 2-2 with Southampton away from home.

On December 5th, in the 16th round of the Premier League, Green Gunners rotated his squad.

They lost 0-1 to Charlton Athletic at home.

Lu Kai received a yellow card during the match, preparing for a crucial Champions League game.

Logically speaking, players shouldn't be rotated in home league matches, as this would cause great dissatisfaction among fans.

But Green Guns fans showed the team full understanding.

With the Champions League match a do-or-die battle, any other game can be sacrificed.

Losing in the league is just that—losing.

In any case, Green Gunners have been hovering around 12th or 13th in the Premier League for a long time, with no hope of finishing in the top four.

Even a top-seven finish is hard to guarantee.

There will be no European competitions next season.

Then we must take advantage of the Champions League season to make a strong push.

If we can make it to the knockout stage, we'll be happier than if we won the EFL Cup or the FA Cup!
After all, we green spearmen love all those trophies, but the Champions League is a real novelty!

EFL Cup: Holy crap!
FA Cup: MMP!

On December 6th, Dartford flew to Barcelona to challenge the Blaugrana.

Upon arriving at the airport, Green Gunner was warmly "welcomed" by Barcelona fans.

Fans held up signs that insulted the Green Gunners, and the crowd was enormous.

"This is outrageous!" Li Weifeng was enraged.

Because he saw a sign that actually read, "Does Asian football deserve a GOAT?"

This is clearly a mockery of Lu Kai's recent "Asian Footballer of the Year" award.

There were many reporters present, and the logos of Daily Sport and Mundo Deportivo were particularly eye-catching, indicating that we had entered their territory.

Lu Kai could tell at a glance that if he didn't say something, his teammates would be stuck here, wasting valuable time.

So he agreed to be interviewed by reporters.

Reporter: "Lu Kai, in the three matches since you were named Asian Footballer of the Year, you have lost two and drawn one, without a single victory. Does this mean that your award is undeserved?"

Lu Kai: "There's an old saying in China: 'A person who fabricates a lot of false information will have children who won't have a skinny swallow.'"

The reporter consulted with the translator for a while before understanding Lu Kai's meaning, and immediately flew into a rage: "Why are you cursing me?"

Lu Kai laughed and said, "No, where are your ears? I'm saying only people who fabricate a lot of fake news would act like this. If you haven't fabricated any fake news, what are you afraid of?"

The reporter turned pale and kept making the sign of the cross, praying to Jesus for protection.

We wouldn't even bother with such curses in China; they're completely useless.

If it were truly useful, all the bad guys would have been dead long ago.

But foreigners care a lot, especially about the parts that actually match the description.

KO!

Another World Sports reporter stepped forward: "Please answer our question. Your award is undeserved!"

Lu Kai shook his head: "You have a big misunderstanding about awards. The purpose of awards is to recognize a player's achievements over a period of time."

"Instead of predicting what will happen to him in the future."

"So winning this award has absolutely nothing to do with how I perform going forward."

"If there were really a connection, the awards wouldn't be presented by the various football associations, but by the Pope of the Vatican."

Another one knocked out.

The third reporter fired: "Lu Kai, do you regret your disrespect towards Barcelona during our first encounter? Now Barcelona has become the key factor in your elimination, and this is your retribution!"

Lu Kai: "So if I had spoken kindly to them back then, would Barcelona have deliberately lost to us and been eliminated from the Champions League?"

"Besides, retribution is divided into good fortune and karma. In your words, good fortune is a reward."

Reporter: "Hmph! You overestimate yourself! Barcelona won't give you the kind of comeback you had last season!"

Lu Kai shrugged: "I don't think highly of myself, but I do think lowly of Barcelona. Barcelona has a long tradition of faltering in crucial moments."

One by one, reporters from various media outlets were taken away.

They usually have plenty of time to come up with a title; they can even carve a flower out of a pile of shit.

Those sarcastic little verses about Green Gun were really witty.

But when they faced Lu Kai head-on, they didn't have much time to hone their skills and couldn't hold on for long.

Lu Kai only used 30% of his power plus a little bit of ginseng and rooster, and several reporters were already crying and wanting to go back to their mothers.

They need to ask themselves if they are their biological children.

Because Lu Kai actually swore in the name of Jesus that these reporters were a free gift with a phone top-up.

The following day was the day of the competition.

Eighty thousand fans came to Camp Nou to watch the game.

They want to witness the team eliminate the Green Guns.

Make that damn green gun pay the price.

"Great news, Huang! Welcome to this crucial battle!" Huang Jianxiang was worried for Dartford, because Barcelona had been in very good form recently.

Dartford, on the other hand, are struggling to find a win and are having an off night.

"First, let me show you Barcelona's lineup. They are still using a 4-3-3 formation today."

"Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Valbuena as the three-pronged attack."

"Deco, Marquez, and Xavi form the midfield trio."

"The back four consisted of Shory, Oleg, Puyol, and Belletti."

"Goalkeeper Valdes."

"Barcelona lost key player Motta when they last played against Green Gunners, but after adjustments, the team has shaken off the shadow of Motta's absence and is playing better and better."

"Even if Mota really comes back, he might not have a place anymore."

"Recently injured player Giuly was injured by Sevilla's rising star defender Ramos."

“This season, Giuly and Valbuena have been fiercely competing for the right winger position, as both are very technically gifted players.”

"There is an unfamiliar face on the bench. He is very young. His name is Lionel Messi."

"Messi doesn't look too good because the club's promise to him to make the number of first-team appearances this season is probably impossible."

“He played in the same position as Giuly and Valbuena, but his performance was far less effective than the latter two.”

"It seems that even if Messi gets some playing time in this game, his entire season will probably be wasted."

"This Barcelona prodigy is far less impactful on the field than his predecessor, Iniesta."

On the bench, Messi was also expressing his feelings.

This season has been a complete disaster for him.

This Valbuenacher completely stole his ecological niche.

They are all players with strong explosiveness, fast pace, good dribbling, and proficiency in passing and shooting, and the key is that they are all so short.

Why must tiles grow when plum trees already exist?
Dartford's lineup remains largely unchanged, but the players' teamwork is becoming increasingly seamless, gradually reaching a more mature stage.
Arshavin, Fran, Lu Kai

Patton, Carrick, Toure

Cicinho, Vidic, Cannavaro, Maicon

Foster

-

With a whistle, the game officially began.

In the seventh minute, Arshavin created a free kick in a good position in the attacking third.

The scene was filled with insults and abuse; the "Camp Nou swearing stadium" completely lost its composure in front of Lu Kai.

Barcelona has never hated anyone this much.

Unless Lu Kai promises to join Barcelona next season, he will always be the worst in the eyes of Barcelona fans!
boom!
Lu Kai's kick, a perfect crescent moon, slammed straight into the net.

Countless Barcelona fans were seething with anger and about to unleash their fury when they nearly choked to death.

The decibel level in the stadium dropped rapidly.

"GOAL! One to zero!"

"too fast!"

"It's so easy!"

"Who would have thought that Lu Kai would score with his very first shot of the game?"

"Crescent Moon Blade, one kick to the throat!"

"Lu Kai's kick seemed to have landed not on the football, but on the throat of the Barcelona fans, leaving them completely speechless."

"Lu Kai is simply Barcelona's silencer!"

As soon as Huang Jianxiang finished speaking, boos erupted from the audience.

Barcelona fans launched a furious attack on Lu Kai.

The next moment, Lu Kai put his hand to his ear as if to amplify his voice.

The meaning is obvious...

I can't hear you!

Louder!

Didn't you eat?

The Barcelona players immediately rushed towards Lu Kai in high spirits.

They absolutely will not allow Lu Kai to provoke their own fans.

However, although the Barcelona players bravely surrounded Lu Kai, they maintained a "legal" distance.

Like flocks of birds in the sky or schools of fish in the sea, they appear to be a formidable force, surrounding the large fish. But when the large fish moves, they follow suit, never making direct contact with it.

Their reaction was incredibly quick!
The referee also arrived at the scene of the incident.

Alfred then dragged the fourth referee and Modric over to the main referee to explain.

The fourth referee spoke out what he saw: "After Lu scored, Modric rushed to the sidelines to celebrate, and he seemed to be conveying Alfred's tactics to Lu."

"But suddenly a huge chorus of boos came from the stadium, drowning out Modric's voice. Lu Kai couldn't hear it, so he turned his ear to the megaphone."

"This shouldn't be directed at the fans, but at Modric."

The fourth referee's argument was reasonable and well-founded, and the head referee also believed in his teammate, but still prepared to warn Lu Kai.

As a result, Alfred became dissatisfied.

He complained that the environment at Camp Nou was too poor and that the jeers from Barcelona fans were too loud, affecting his tactical command, interfering with the team's normal operations, and even disrupting the game.

This needs to be included in the referee's report.

UEFA will impose corresponding point deductions or even fines on Barcelona.

"No! He didn't say anything about tactics, it's all fake, you've been fooled!"

Young Lionel Messi emerged from under his teammate's arm; he was also an eyewitness.

Modric was clearly telling Lu Kai, "Celebration move!"

Then Lu Kai made the "megaphone" gesture.

This is deliberate provocation.

Unfortunately, the jeers from the Barcelona fans were too loud and drowned out the sound, so the fourth referee didn't hear what was being said and was thus deceived by the Green Gunners.

Messi's response was fruitless.

The players from both sides returned to the field.

Modric and Messi glared at each other.

Modric warned Messi in a low voice: "You brat, mind your own business!"

Messi said fiercely, "Barcelona's business is my business! I will always fight for Barcelona!"

Modric laughed: "Heh, you're talking like you're not going to leave Barça. You might get sold next year!"

Messi was taken aback, not expecting Modric to be so venomous.

Clearly, both young players remembered the "despicable" behavior of their opponent, and if they have the opportunity to play against each other in the future, they will definitely take special care of each other.

The match then restarted.

(End of this chapter)