Team Spirit

Chapter 241 Ashley Young, the King of Free Kicks - The Ball Deception
“GOAL!!!”

Juninho Jr. scores directly from a free kick!

"As expected of the world's best free kick player, his free kicks are like penalty kicks."

"So accurate!"

"1-1, Lyon has equalized."

"However, Dartford still hold the initiative with four away goals."

"That's why Lu Kai was like a god descending to earth in France during the first leg of the competition; it was because he gave Green Guns a crucial advantage in advancing!"

One to one.

The two teams were evenly matched.

In the 32nd minute, Dartford launched an attack, shifting their attack from the right wing to the left.

Vardy cut inside and then played a through ball.

Lu Kai made a forward run into the penalty area and his left foot made a pass-shot-like motion.

The football slipped through the goal.

Giroud was a fraction of a second too late at the back post and failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

In the 35th minute, Ribery used his individual skill to break into the penalty area from the right.

He completed a cross pass deep inside the penalty area.

Casapa and Chris, positioned on either side of Lu Kai, restrained him.

Vardy managed a weak shot, but it lacked power and was blocked by Coupet at close range.

In the 38th minute, Lyon launched an attacking storm.

Malouda first broke through on the left flank, but his chip shot was saved by Van der Sar.

Malouda then launched a counterattack, shifting the ball to Wiltord on the right front.

Wiltord's pass to Benzema inside the penalty area was intercepted by Vidic.

Finally, Abidal overlapped with Malouda on the wing before crossing from the byline.

Vidic headed the ball away, and it landed near the penalty spot. Benzema had a flash of inspiration and headed the ball on.

Juninho and Barton fiercely contested for the ball outside the penalty area.

Juninho Jr. eventually fell to the ground.

Barton made a hand contact and the impact was strong, so the referee showed him a yellow card.

"Oh no! Lyon has another free kick opportunity."

"This free kick was even better than the last one."

"This is very dangerous."

"Juninho's footwork is just right."

As expected, Lyon still had Juninho take the penalty.

Ten seconds later, an arc barely cleared the green-gun wall of men, hanging straight into the net like a flying sword.

Van der Sar made a diving save.

Unfortunately, the football match ended in a 10-point game.

Unstoppable!

“GOAL!!!”

"A second goal from a free kick!"

"Juninho Jr.'s kick has cemented his legendary status!"

"2-1, Lyon has taken the lead!"

"When it comes to free kicks, people only know Beckham, but little do they know that Juninho is the real Rambo Bay!"

"Even a junior like Lu Kai pales in comparison to him."

The few Lyon fans present celebrated wildly.

Lyon's morale was greatly boosted.

Dartford launched a counter-attack in the final attack of the first half.

Barton and Pepe successfully contested for the ball in the middle of the field.

Li Weifeng dribbled up the right flank and then passed the ball to Lu Kai.

Lu Kai advanced down the middle road.

The three arrows are fired simultaneously from the left, center, and right sides, respectively, by Vardy, Giroud, and Ribery.

Lu Kai passed the ball to Vardy, who was furthest from the defender.

Vardy controlled the ball and dribbled all the way to the left side of the penalty area before unleashing a long-range shot.

when!
The football hit the post and bounced out.

The door was almost broken down.

The first half ended immediately.

Lyon, playing away, have taken the lead 1-2.

……

Green Gun Locker Room.

Guardiola is explaining the key points for the second half to everyone.

Lu Kai seemed lost in thought.

He currently only has one time card left.

If we use it, we can definitely turn the tide.

But... there are still five tough battles to fight on the road to the Champions League.

It's just a drop in the ocean.

The reason he was willing to use a Moment card in the EFL Cup semi-final was because he still had one in reserve for the final.

Even if the situation is dire, they can still turn the tide.

This is called being targeted and purposeful.

As it turned out, they were lucky enough to face the weak Wigan Athletic in the EFL Cup final, saving them a card.

But in the Champions League... instead of wasting precious moments in this insignificant second leg of the Champions League round of 16, it's better to build up your strength and unleash your full potential later.

Of course, not having to constantly check the timeline doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose.

Dartford has also won fair and square victories against Lyon, a team that is almost a super team.

They just lose more often than they win.

Soon, the second half began.

After taking the lead, Lyon tightened their formation, conserving their energy and focusing on counter-attacks.

In the 49th minute, they had a counter-attack opportunity.

Wiltord made a run with the ball and passed it to Malouda, who was making a run down the left flank.

Malouda broke into the penalty area and crossed the ball.

Benzema pounces on the loose ball and shoots.

However, Kompany's close marking pressure caused Benzema to miss the shot in front of the goal.

"Oh! Benzema wasted several chances today."

"From a center's perspective, this player is still too soft."

“Give him a little pressure, and his shot will be distorted.”

Of course, Benzema always manages to get opportunities, which actually proves his positioning ability.

Modric on the bench kept shaking his head: "This player is nothing special, and I don't know why Captain Lu asked me to record his performance."

"If Lu's goals are as numerous as gold bombers, then..."

"So this Benzema is a typical spineless coward, a French white-cut chicken, a reconnaissance plane that runs around in vain!"

Benzema is unaware that the future title of the Chinese men's national football team will be chosen from among his nicknames.

In the 54th minute, Lyon launched another counter-attack.

Govou made a run on the right and received the ball before sweeping it across into the penalty area.

Vidic's sliding tackle at the near post failed to connect with the ball.

Wiltord's footwork was off, preventing him from getting a shot off, so he simply jumped to avoid the ball.

They wanted to leave it for Benzema to flank at the far post.

However, Kompany made a crucial save by kicking the ball out of bounds first.

"Lyon's attack is too sharp. Their players are very good at counter-attacking and are extremely fast."

"If Dartford can't break through after a prolonged attack, they will eventually be overwhelmed by Lyon's counter-attacks."

Efficiency became the sword of Damocles hanging over Dartford's head.

In the 61st minute, Dartford had a corner kick attack.

Giroud's header went wide.

In the 64th minute, Ribery won a free kick while breaking through on the right.

Green Gun takes a tactical free kick.

Vidic headed the ball across at the far post, setting up a teammate.

Diarra instinctively stretched out his foot and cleared the ball a short distance away.

Lu Kai scores on a rebound.

Unfortunately, Lyon had a triple wall of defenders in front of their goal.

The ball was blocked before it could reach the goalkeeper.

Corner kick continues.

In the 66th minute, Giroud retreated out of the penalty area.

Chris followed him out.

Barton passed the ball directly to Giroud.

Giroud held off Chris, provoking him to exert force, then feigned stopping the ball with his foot, but suddenly stomped his foot on the ground.

This caused Giroud to lose his balance and fall forward.

After he fell to the ground, Chris could have easily taken the ball and launched a counterattack.

but……

Giroud did this because he wanted to draw a foul.

He stopped in time, shifting his weight, with the intention of using his own foot to block Chris's foot that reached out from behind to steal it.

If Giroud tries to touch the ball, then the opponent is very likely to touch it as well.

There is no such thing as a foul as long as the ball is touched.

This was a battle between a dominant center forward and a central defender.

beep!

The referee blew the whistle.

"Free kick!"

"Giroud has created a free kick for Green Gunners from the edge of the box!"

"This position is extremely dangerous! It's in Lu Kai's attack zone!"

"Chris complained that he believed Giroud had faked a fall, but the referee kept shaking his head."

"Lyon's players were very unhappy. Their defense was very effective at times, and Dartford couldn't find any opportunities to shoot from open play."

"The best way to break through a dense defense is through long-range shots and set pieces."

"Datford's long-range shooting wasn't great today, but their set pieces..."

The camera focused on Lu Kai and Juninho.

The latter's brace of free kicks proved that he lived up to his reputation.

former……

"The time has come to test the quality of Lu Kai's free kicks."

"The ball is quite close to the penalty area, so Lu Kai doesn't have many options."

"It's either a clever, low-sweeping slash, or a head-on, full-on crescent-shaped blade."

"Other types of shots, such as knuckleballs, dipping shots, or even powerful free kicks, cannot be used because the distance limits the shot; the ball goes beyond the goal before it even has a chance to curve."

that's the truth.

Juninho immediately stood near the ball, using an attacker's perspective to help adjust the team's defensive wall.

With his help, Coupet and he formed a perfect wall of men.

"You can't score!"

Juninho took the initiative to speak to Lu Kai.

This move serves two purposes.

One of them was to mess with Lu Kai's mindset and interfere with him.

Secondly, it was also a sincere suggestion.

The distance is too close.

Even if Lu Kai mastered Beckham's signature free kick, it would be difficult to balance both ball speed and arc.

For the ball to clear the wall, the arc needs to be large enough, so Lu Kai must reduce the power of his shot.

However, this slows down the ball speed, greatly increasing Coupet's chances of making a save.

To make it too late for the goalkeeper to save the shot, you need to increase the ball speed.

But the ball is too fast; over such a short distance, the ball can't draw a complete arc, and a perfect crescent moon shape can't be achieved.

Under the same spin, the faster the ball speed, the smaller the arc; this is determined by physics.

Barton came over, ready to drive Juninho away.

But Lu Kai said it was fine, and instead said to Juninho, "No. It's just that you can't score!"

Juninho Jr. did not refute.

He really can't handle this distance.

But if he can't do it, then who can?
beep!

The referee blew the whistle.

Lu Kai slowly charged toward the football.

Her figure swayed gracefully, like a green wildflower in a raging storm.

His body formed a 45-degree angle with the ground, far exceeding previous angles.

The supporting foot was twisted so badly that it was hard to imagine how much pressure the ankle was under.

Most importantly, this kick was delivered with tremendous force, without any attempt to control the power in order to achieve a greater arc.

Is this a case of "what's the use of trying"?
Juninho's lips curled into a smile; there was no way this ball could hit the woodwork...

"Ok?"

Juninho Jr.'s smile was still on his face.

But the football drew a perfect arc, flying straight into the top right corner of the goal.

Coupet was prepared and made a diving save.

No matter what they did, they couldn't reach the blind spot, and couldn't cross the line even half a step!
Swish!
White waves surged.

boom!
The Green Penguin Stadium exploded instantly!

The fans surged like a green wave. The golden crown atop the green penguin's head lit up instantly, illuminating the entire arena with a dazzling, synchronized glow.

“GOAL!!!”

"Two to two!"

"Goal! Goal! Lu Kai scores directly from a free kick, helping the team equalize!"

"This free kick was no less difficult than Juninho's previous two!"

"Lu's arc, a crescent moon scimitar. Juninho, slightly less stylish!"

"Luuuuu!"

The entire stadium erupted in cheers.

Juninho stood frozen in place, his mind filled with that arc he had just seen: "No, that shouldn't be the case. Even if I used that much force, I couldn't create such a round arc."

"unless……"

Lu Kai, who was celebrating, looked at Juninho.

With the same spin, the greater the force, the smaller the arc, unless the spin of the football is increased.

But controlling the spin of a football is actually more difficult than controlling the force, especially making the football spin faster.

Because the upper limit of force can be continuously improved through running up, accumulating power, training, etc.

However, the spin occurs at the moment of contact with the ball, making it almost impossible to adjust upwards.

Moreover, the greater the force and the shorter the contact time, the more difficult it is to adjust.

Being able to hit a perfect arc over short distances with 100% power means that Lu Kai's leg swing and ball contact speed has reached an incredible level.

This type of shot probably puts more strain on the knees and thighs than any other free kick.

This is truly a golden right leg and an iron knee!
When it comes to the body, people always think of Drogba first.

But Lu Kai's right leg is probably even more valuable than the Beast!
In the 67th minute, Dartford substituted Chen Tao for Vardy.

Guardiola replaced Barton.

Strengthen midfield control and improve defense.

In the 72nd minute, Lyon also made a like-for-like substitution.

Ben Alfa replaced Govou.

Fred replaced Benzema.

Intensify the attack.

In the 78th minute, Alfa broke into the penalty area from the right and delivered a cutback pass.

Wiltord missed a golden opportunity by shooting wide.

The football bounces slightly when it hits a clod of dirt, due to the influence of the field.

However, this also reflects Wiltord's lack of physical fitness.

Lyon's coach boldly substituted him, with Brazilian youngster Nilma coming on as a substitute.

This player, nicknamed "Neil Maradona," is also incredibly talented.

In the 80th minute, Dartford also used their last substitution.

Mertens replaced Giroud, who had been performing well.

According to Modric's records, Giroud provided an assist today and also created a free-kick opportunity for Lu Kai.

There were also a few shots on goal and key passes.

They were very aggressive in their competition and received a high overall score.

His rival Benzema is one of the lowest-rated players on the field. He not only wasted many opportunities, but compared to Giroud's versatility, Benzema is somewhat incompetent.

This is something that even many professionals didn't expect.

Because in terms of individual ability and talent, Benzema completely outclasses Giroud.

Benzema was a standout among his peers nationwide from a young age.

Giroud, on the other hand, almost didn't even get a professional contract, making him a mediocre product.

How did he make such a leap forward after only two years at Green Gunners?

If top clubs were to choose between the two players now, they would still choose Benzema without hesitation.

But if Giroud maintains the pace of progress he's made in the last two years, then in two or three years, Benzema might not even see Giroud's taillights.

Southgate: "The Four Little Swans of France? That's probably an exaggeration!"

Guardiola: "In comparison, Dartford's French strikers are of higher quality. If Drogba was not destined for mediocrity, he transformed into a dragon once he encountered Green Gunners."

"Valbuena and Ribery were both hand-polished by the Green Gunners. Even if you tied the Four Little Swans together, they wouldn't be as good as the two of them."

"It's hard to say about Aubameyang, but Giroud is starting to show a similar trend. He has come from behind and has surpassed the four little swans in terms of immediate combat power."

Just then, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

In the 83rd minute, Lyon launched a series of attacks.

Alfa's dribbling inside the penalty area was disrupted.

Nilmar swept a cross from the outside into the penalty area.

The football struck Ashley Young's shin and bounced into the goal.

"Own goals!"

"My God! This..."

"Ashley Young Iron is a piece of trash!"

"He's been playing on the right wing for too long, and today he suddenly came to the left wing, so he seems a bit out of sorts."

"To be fair, given the shortage of players, Ashley Young actually performed well today; at least he didn't make any mistakes."

"But he's really unlucky... At the crucial moment, this own goal could be the death of Green Gun!"

The Green Penguin Stadium was eerily silent.

Huang Jianxiang has already begun to salvage Green Gunners' Champions League journey this season: "Actually, it's already quite an achievement that Green Gunners' second phase has been able to reach this point; it has exceeded our previous expectations."

"Being able to advance from the Champions League group stage is a success."

"We really shouldn't ask for more."

"Hopefully, Green Gunners can achieve good results in European competitions next season!"

However, this is just talk, because based on Greensport's Premier League performance, they might not even be able to play in the UEFA Cup next season.

If it weren't for the EFL Cup winners having a UEFA Cup play-off spot, they would have had to say goodbye to European competition.

"The situation is complicated now."

"The reason for bringing on Mertens is to utilize his speed and agility for counter-attacks."

"But now they are down two to three and need to catch up. They need to take the initiative and fight a positional battle."

"This is exactly the kind of center Giroud we need."

"Players like Mertens are finding it harder to perform."

After all, almost every coach would choose a long pass and cross in this situation.

Mertens is 1.68 meters tall, what's the point of him?!

Mertens: CNM!

In the 87th minute, Pepe's long-range shot went into the stands.

I was barely able to contain my emotions.

In the 89th minute, Lu Kai's through ball was cleared out of bounds.

After the corner kick was taken, Fred headed the ball away.

The camera repeatedly focused on Lu Kai.

But even "the one in the world" seemed powerless to reverse the situation.

In the 90th minute, the Green Guns launched an attack.

Ashley Young came up from the left and received a pass from Chen Tao.

Chen Tao's original intention was to let Ashley Young serve as a transitional figure.

However, Ashley Young received the ball and immediately went one-on-one against Alfa... He didn't pass!

"This... Ashley Young is acting a bit irrationally."

"There's no need to go one-on-one with the opponent. We should pass the ball more, move the ball around more, and look for opportunities."

"That own goal drove Ashley Young mad."

that's the truth.

Ashley Young worked diligently for a whole season, cultivating the persona of a "cornerstone of a weak team".

Lu Kai's charge into battle was certainly a highlight.

But he can stabilize the defense, participate in the attack, and organize the defense piecemeal. He also has outstanding individual offensive and defensive abilities.

As long as those transfer managers aren't blind, why worry about not getting offers from top clubs?

However, the worst thing for this kind of persona is a blunder.

Even a future world-class defender like Virgil van Dijk almost became a laughingstock, on par with Maguire, after several own goals.

Carragher's inability to become a superstar also stems from his tendency to make blunders.

You could say that football players can get involved with anything, but there are two things they should absolutely avoid.

Forwards don't get any joy.

The defender avoided an own goal.

But rather...

Ashley Young had reached his limit.

Since Lyon made it impossible for him to be the negative GOAT, he decided to stop pretending.

After playing as a defender for several years, have people forgotten his legendary reputation for dominating the attacking third and cutting through all obstacles?

In terms of breakthroughs, Lu Kai was just a junior compared to Yang back then!
Remember, the most impressive dribbler on the Pond Stadium has never been Lu Kai or Madeira.

Rather, it's because he "can't surpass Yang"!
boom!
Ashley Young rides a bicycle in a chain reaction.

Ben Arfa is an offensive player, not good at defense, and can be easily faked out.

Ashley Young dribbled the ball half a step down the byline with his left foot and then cut inside.

He used his body to pin Alpha down behind him, thus eliminating any future threat.

Right-back Revere immediately covered, and his defending was nothing like Alfa's...

Ashley Young faked a shot with his shoulder and then went for a powerful dribble, completely outplaying Rewie.

It took even less time than Alpha!
He quickly caught up with the football, took small, quick steps, and twisted his body.

At first glance, I thought it was Ronaldinho playing football!
He moved from the left side of the penalty area line to the right side, making several feints along the way.

There were players all around.

It certainly stirred up a storm.

After Diarra finally managed to knock Ashley Young down from the side, he was surprised to find...

"Where's the ball?"

"Holy crap! Ashley Young doesn't have the ball at his feet?"

"No wonder his movements were so fluid. I thought his ball control had caught up with Ronaldinho's! But he didn't even dribble the ball!"

"I thought he had mastered Latin kicking, but it turns out he actually danced a Latin dance."

boom!
Lu Kai scored with a low shot.

But no one knows how the ball got to his feet.

Almost all major television stations didn't have time to check whether Green Gun was celebrating or not, and immediately replayed the footage.

Ashley Young had dribbled across the field for a third of the way before cleverly sending a through pass, then continued to lead the defenders northward.

Lu Kai almost scored into an empty net.

The opposing goalkeeper, Coupet, didn't even have time to react.

The camera was also deceived.

Ashley Young's dribbling skills, though incapable of getting past opponents, were so masterful and deceptive that they were almost superhuman.

"It's incredible!"

"Ten years of honing a deception, its sharp edge yet untested. Today, I've fooled you; who has lost their mind?"

"If Modric is good at creating something out of nothing, then he is a ball thief."

"So Ashley Young is good at having something but not actually having it, that's how he deceives the ball!"

"Three to three! Ashley Young assists Lu Kai's equalizer against Lyon, redeeming himself!"

There was thunderous applause.

Ashley Young was surrounded by people.

The younger players on the team were impressed by him.

I thought this vice-captain was only good at playing childish games, but I never expected him to actually go to the front lines and fight the enemy.

No wonder Captain Lu always calls him the King of Poisonous Dung – his "diligence" has made him the working "emperor" of football!

Bird: No, no, no!

As a result, the overall score is now tied at 7-7, with both matches ending in a draw.

But Green Gunners' four away goals outnumber Lyon's three away goals, putting them on the verge of victory.

In stoppage time, the Green Gunners retreated to defend.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Nilma was brought down by Pepe at the edge of the penalty area.

Peipei is a straight red.

Lyon got one last chance to attack.

This is a free kick position inside the arc, almost exactly the same as the one Lu Kai scored.

Lu Kai also helped direct the formation of the human wall, and then stood on the outermost side of the human wall to personally participate in the blockade.

The outcome of this series has surprisingly come down to free kicks once again.

The camera once again focused on Lu Kai and Juninho.

Juninho took a deep breath and charged toward the ball.

At such close range, with Van der Sar in excellent form and Dartford's wall of players tall and strong, the only way to break through was to kick a perfect arc without slowing down, just like Lu Kai did.

boom!
Juninho Jr. kicked it out.

Full power.

Ball speed meets the standard!
The ball cleared the wall, and Van der Sar was destined to be a step too slow, as long as...

Swish!
The football flew into the stands.

Beep beep!

After three whistles, the referee blew the final whistle to end the match.

Congratulations to Dartford for advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals!

"They won the game on goal difference."

"Juninho Jr. missed a free kick, not only missing the chance to complete a hat-trick of free kicks, but also the chance to beat Lu Kai and Green Gun."

“I believe this series will be impressive for many people, even though it’s only the round of 16.”

On the pitch, Juninho Jr. remained deeply troubled.

He lost.

Not only did he lose the game, he also lost his highest honor—the King of Free Kicks!

Lu Kai's free kicks are actually better than his!

(End of this chapter)