Team Spirit

Chapter 252 The Gods Have Fallen, Only Lu Dexin Remains

During the England team's celebrations, Joe Hart gave Lu Kai a special hug.

"Oh! Judging from Hart's words, it seems that Lu Kai was giving him some pointers on his potting?"

On the sidelines, Guardiola was amazed by Lu Kai's prediction: "Before the match started, Lu told Hart that if France were awarded a penalty, and if Zidane were to take it, then the possibility of a Panenka penalty must be considered."

"Nothing represents the word 'master' better than a Panenka penalty kick."

"When facing young players, Zidane is extremely likely to take a Panenka penalty."

"Lu Kai was right after all!"

Southgate nodded repeatedly: "Hart is also a promising talent; if you tell him not to move, he really won't!"

Rooney muttered to himself on the bench: "Nonsense, how could the Green Gun goalkeeper not listen to Green Gun Zhu Xi... I think England has completely turned into England Green."

Due to poor form during training, Rooney only made one or two appearances in this tournament, neither of which were significant.

Later on, he became a water dispenser manager, on par with young Lennon, which was infuriating.

He can already imagine how Ronaldo will mock him when he returns to Manchester United after the new season starts.

Although Portugal was eliminated in the quarterfinals, Cristiano Ronaldo played exceptionally well.

In the eighth minute, France's right-back Sagnol delivered a cross from outside the attacking third.

Ferdinand's header clearance turned into a shot on goal, startling Joe Hart into making a quick save.

Thankfully, the ball went wide, otherwise it would have been a miraculous own goal.

In the 18th minute, Ferdinand sent a long pass to Ashley Young, who crossed from the byline to create a corner kick.

Lu Kai took the corner kick and headed it directly at Crouch.

But Vieira contained the attackers, and Crouch's header went over the bar.

In the 21st minute, Ribery passed the ball to Vieira and then made a run down the wing.

Vieira made a through pass to Zidane in the middle.

Zidane played a through ball.

Terry and Carragher once again locked the door in two deadly traps.

This time, Terry squeezed in front of Henry.

Inside the penalty area, Henry pushed Terry down.

The referee blew his whistle, Henry committed an offensive foul.

In the 27th minute, Barton delivered a through ball, and Cole made a run down the wing, creating a corner kick.

Lu Kai returned to the corner flag area.

This time, he and Crouch exchanged a glance.

boom!
Lu Kai took another corner kick.

The crescent moon blade head-locking effect!

Crouch suddenly made a forward run, shaking off Vieira's marking, and headed the ball on.

"This is……"

Crouch's header flicks on the ball!

"This is Lu Kai and Crouch's signature 68-degree header!"

"Lu Kai and Crouch's teamwork remains as strong as ever!"

"The green gun fire has been reignited in Crouch's heart while he's with Liverpool!"

“GOAL!!!”

"Two to zero!"

"Barthez had no answer to those high lobs."

"The football went into the goal in the far corner."

"The French team is in trouble!"

"The aging French team seemed somewhat helpless against Lu's England!"

"The French seem to have run into bad luck after missing their chance to take the lead!"

Lu Kai and Crouch celebrated enthusiastically.

Crouch was so moved he almost cried.

I didn't expect that even after leaving Green Gun, the boss would still take such good care of me.

Whenever he has a chance to play, he creates scoring opportunities for himself.

In order to get himself playing, Lu Kai even moved from the middle lane to the left lane.

It's important to understand that center position is always the best position on the field, and no striker would want to be there.

Even Messi, who is 1.7 meters tall, has to compete with Ibrahimovic, who is 1.9 meters tall, for this position.

Lu Kai is undoubtedly the world's most prolific striker this season, yet he's willing to give up his position, even for the World Cup final!
Crouch really... he would be willing to transfer back immediately even if Lu Kai asked him to.

Lu Kai: There's absolutely no need for that!

In the 35th minute, the England team, riding high on their morale, executed a superb combination play.

Ashley Young dribbled past two players from the right flank, then wall-kick Carrick before delivering a short through ball.

Lu Kai received the ball in the penalty area and continued to advance and adjust, but his right-footed shot was blocked by Thuram who fell to the ground.

They almost opened champagne at halftime.

England are awarded their third corner kick.

The French fans in the stadium had already fallen silent.

Because England's corner kicks were too threatening today.

As expected, Lu Kai once again took a wide-angle corner kick.

This time, however, they found Carrick.

Green Gun connection once again.

when!
The football hit the crossbar and bounced away.

"Oh! Almost there!"

"That's England's set-piece ability."

"The two teams with the best set-piece ability in this tournament are England and Italy."

"England's serve is Beckham, and they have many headers. But now it seems that Lu Kai's serve is no worse than Beckham's, even though he has never competed with Beckham before."

"Lu Kai is truly magnanimous."

"For the Italian team, the kick-off player is Pirlo, and the headers are mainly Toni and Materazzi."

"Everyone previously thought the Italian team was weak, but I believe that if the Italian team were playing this match, they could also score a goal over the French team!"

The current French team lineup is certainly not perfect.

However, they also have an advantage, which is... having a superstar who can single-handedly change the game!

In the 38th minute, Henry began to exert his strength.

Malouda received the pass on the left and scored.

Malouda was brought down by Gerrard, but the referee ruled that the attack was in the favor.

Henry dribbled down the left flank, seized the opportunity, and suddenly flicked the ball past Terry into the penalty area.

But Gerrard continued to disrupt.

Ferdinand arrived just in time to block the space for a shot to the far corner.

Henry's classic right-footed curler failed to find the net, and he could only manage a low shot towards the near corner.

Joe Hart easily caught the football.

He was about to send it quickly again, but this time Henry stopped him in time.

In the 39th minute, England kicked the ball out and passed it around in the backfield.

When Ferdinand made a through pass to Barton, Zidane suddenly intercepted the pass.

Barton charged toward Zidane.

Zidane held off Barton and passed the ball across to Henry, who had dropped back.

He even took the opportunity to elbow Patton.

Of course, Barton wasn't exactly innocent either. His move was intended to challenge Zidane, but he was outmaneuvered by the old silver coin.

They suffered a loss in secret.

Henry dribbled the ball to the right, reaching the right side of the penalty area.

Carrick kept a close watch on him the entire time.

Ribery moved to the middle, slightly behind, to add depth to the attack.

Malouda repeatedly cut inside the offside line on the left.

England's defense was solid, and it seemed like they had no chance.

But Henry suddenly pulled the ball away to avoid Carrick's challenge from the side.

The final Marseille turn propelled him into the penalty area.

Halfway through its turn, it collided with Cole who was coming from the opposite direction.

Because he was inside the penalty area, Cole dared not exert himself and could only endure the pressure.

Henry used the momentum to complete a spin and then sprinted past Ferdinand before unleashing a sharp cross from the right side of the six-yard box!
The ball slid across the goal, and Malouda outmaneuvered Carragher at the far post, stretching out his foot to poke the ball into the net.

This was almost a certain goal.

boom!
Joe Hart made a diving save, punching the ball away with one hand.

Young people are quick-witted, can eat, sleep, and play pounce.

"Joe Hart has done a great job!" Huang Jianxiang said before he could finish.

boom!
Ribery scores on the rebound from the penalty spot.

Joe Hart was powerless to reverse the situation.

"Oh! This... Ribery scores on the rebound!"

"The diligent Scarface with Green Guns backstabs the Green Guns boss and breaches the gate guarded by the Green Guns goalkeeper."

"1-2! France has pulled one back."

"Ribéry has really grown a lot in this tournament."

"This goal is both joyful and heartbreaking."

Henry exploded, and Malouda and Ribery seized their opportunities in succession, so the goal was not unexpected.

Even if the French team's midfield and defense are old, their forward line is still world-class.

In the 43rd minute, the increasingly confident French team entered a state of flow.

Thuram makes a long pass from the backfield to find Henry on the right flank.

Henry, standing at 1.88 meters tall, backed down against Cole and passed the ball back without stopping.

Ribery came up, dribbled past his opponent, and created an excellent opportunity on the right wing.

Even Ashley Cole, who was a beat too slow to turn around, couldn't catch up with him.

Ribery passed the ball across to Zidane as he approached the penalty area, then ran straight into the box himself.

After adjusting his position, Zidane passed the ball to the left wing with the outside of his right foot.

Malouda dribbled into the penalty area.

Carragher made physical contact with him.

Malouda fell to the ground again.

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

But this time the referee did not blow the whistle.

He signaled for the game to continue.

Carragher touched the football first this time.

That was a good defensive play.

In the 45th minute, Malouda launched another attack.

After receiving a pass from Abidal on the left, he used a series of feints to get past Carragher.

Carragher turned and shoveled to block, launching a counterattack.

Unfortunately, Malouda didn't rush to cut inside or pass the ball, thus avoiding a disaster.

Malouda then easily dribbled the ball sideways and broke into the penalty area along the byline.

But for the French team, only Henry was in the penalty area.

There are five players inside the England penalty area.

Malouda swept the ball across the field.

Henry and Cole both rushed over.

Henry wanted to turn around, but Cole stopped him, preventing him from doing so.

The ball slid out of the penalty area and was controlled by Barton, who was about to pass it when Vieira in midfield sat on the ground.

Since it was not a crucial moment in the attack, the referee stopped the game.

Vieira strained his thigh after passing the ball earlier and couldn't hold on for long.

This situation often means...

"Oh, Vieira can't hold on."

"France made a forced substitution, with Diarra replacing Vieira."

“In recent years, several Diarra players from France or Ligue 1 have become famous. Lu Kai has played against Mohamed Diarra this season. The current player, Alou Diarra, is also a defensive midfielder who is 1.90 meters tall.”

"However, Alou's explosiveness is somewhat lacking, making it difficult for him to reach Vieira's level. He is a practical defensive player."

The first half ended quickly.

France lost Vieira in the final moments, but they had fifteen minutes to readjust, which was a stroke of good luck.

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and started the game again.

In the 46th minute, Lu Kai was brought down by Diarra while dropping back to receive a pass on the left flank.

The other party immediately gave Lu Kai a hard time.

It means "Don't even think about getting past me."

"England has won a long-range free kick; it looks like they're going to take a tactical free kick." Lu Kai and Barton stood behind the ball.

Patton feinted.

Lu Kai lobbed the ball into the penalty area.

Crouch headed the ball in mid-sprint, without even needing to jump.

This method best utilizes his height advantage.

The football fell into the net.

Unfortunately, the linesman raised his flag immediately.

Crouch didn't even have a chance to celebrate.

In the 49th minute, Makelele suddenly advanced through the middle, beating Barton before sending a through ball.

The football bounced a bit.

Henry jumped up, attempting a backheel flick to get past the ball.

But the ball hit Ferdinand's shin, who was sticking close to him, and bounced back.

Henry then took the ball one-on-one with Ferdinand, flicked it to the right, entered the penalty area, gained an angle, and fired a low shot.

However, this kind of shot was no challenge for a focused Joe Hart.

The latter caught the football.

"Henry's shots today lacked power; his shooting form was very poor."

"I don't know if it's a problem with the shoes or the football."

In fact, Zidane also noticed this.

To put it bluntly, Henry probably wasted two clear-cut chances.

Based on his form at Arsenal, those are all goals he should score.

Is it because playing in the Premier League is too tiring?
Why is Lu Kai, the Premier League's top scorer, still in such explosive form?
In the 54th minute, Malouda received the ball on the left and sped past Carragher before shooting from a tight angle outside the penalty area.

Shoot it straight away.

The French team's attack became a bit hasty.

On the one hand, they have been unable to break through the defenses for a long time.

Secondly, it is, after all, lagging behind.

Thirdly, everyone understands that with their aging squad, they will become increasingly passive as the game progresses.

In the 62nd minute, England won a free kick in their own half.

Joe Hart kicked the ball out directly.

Crouch flicks the ball on with his head.

Lu Kai controlled the ball with his chest while facing away from the goal inside the penalty area, then turned and unleashed a powerful shot before the ball even hit the ground.

The football went straight into the net.

"GOAL!??"

"This...the referee has ruled the goal invalid?"

"Handball?"

"The referee believes that when Lu Kai controlled the ball, the ball touched his arm... Through slow motion, we can see that Lu Kai controlled the ball with his right chest, and his arm and torso were close together, so it is hard to say whether the ball touched his arm or not."

"This ruling is likely to be controversial."

"In short, Barthez was lucky; the referee helped him escape punishment twice."

"Otherwise, the game would have been killed by England."

In the 67th minute, Crouch was brought down while challenging Diarra for a header.

England won a free kick in a good position.

Lu Kai takes the free kick with a free kick.

Unfortunately, they couldn't control it, and the football flew into the stands.

This scene was extremely unfriendly to Italian fans.

You kick the French like a knuckleball straight to the top, but when you kick us Italians, it goes straight to the basement.

What do you mean?
So we're talking about football on the ground, while they're talking about football all over the world, right?

The French team is more noble, while our Italian team is just social media?

On the field, England also received bad news.

Crouch was injured during the aerial challenge and could not continue.

On the England bench, forwards Vardy, Rooney, and Lennon began warming up.

But unsurprisingly, Stanley was replaced by Vardy.

Rooney was once again a runner-up for nothing.

This infuriated Manchester United fans outside of England.

The reason why British fans are not angry is that Lu's England has already won over everyone, and everyone supports Stanley's decision 100%.

If even the two virtuous men can be shelved, what chance do Lu Xiaopang have?

In the 71st minute, Zidane was injured while challenging Terry for a header and received treatment on the sidelines.

He even got into an argument with Terry when he got up.

In the 74th minute, Ribery moved to the left and swapped positions with Malouda, Zidane, and others.

He cut inside and then passed the ball directly to Malouda.

After Malouda slammed his head against the wall, he and Carrick both rolled to the ground, and it was unclear who had hit whom.

Ribery, however, took the opportunity to feint repeatedly.

England's defense was solid, but it was fine until they faced Ribery. Once they did, it became clear that Ribery was no ordinary player.

Especially Terry, who assured that defending Ribery in the Premier League this season was far less difficult.

Ribery seized the opportunity to spike the ball and accelerate, his movements as fluid as a treadmill.

The four people in front of him suddenly disappeared, giving him an excellent shooting opportunity.

boom!
Ribery unleashed a powerful shot from just inside the penalty area.

boom!
Joe Hart continued his incredible diving, showing no mercy to anyone.

At that moment, Ribery's expression was exactly the same as Terry's, who had just been beaten.

Ribery: Hart, you feel like a stranger to me!

Joe Hart: Frank, you're incredibly skilled at dribbling?
"Wow! What a beautiful breakthrough, what a beautiful save!"

"No wonder Ashley Young, who performed well up front in this tournament, can only be pushed back to right-back by Ribery when he returns to his club."

"Ribery is really sharp."

Ashley Young: ???
One minute later, French coach Domenech substituted Ribery with Trezeguet.

Replace Malouda with Wiltord.

In retrospect, this substitution doesn't seem to have any problems.

After all, you can't substitute Henry, can you?
But Zidane gave Domenech a death stare on the sidelines.

He was angry.

No one understands better than Zidane why Domenech made that substitution.

Domenech is known as the "astrology coach" because he likes to recruit players and arrange formations based on their zodiac signs.

If it weren't for Zidane in charge of this tournament, the French team would have been in a terrible state.

The French team's tactics also changed significantly throughout the tournament, thanks in part to the players sidelining Domenech and playing according to Zidane's tactics.

Just like the Italian team.

But Domenech is, after all, the head coach, and he can afford to cause trouble.

For example, right now, he substituted the two best-performing players on the field, especially Ribery.

Trezeguet and Wiltord, who were substituted in, were not in good form and were no longer key players for the club.

If Henry weren't so famous, Domenech would probably have substituted Henry first, rather than Malouda.

Because Henry is a Leo, which clashes with Domenech's Aquarius.

"Damn Henry, he's like a coward! I told you Leos and I don't get along!" Domenech muttered to himself, avoiding Zidane's gaze.

Barton keenly sensed Zidane's dissatisfaction with Domenech.

He came up to Zidane and said in a sly tone, "It must be painful to be coached by such a mediocre person, right?"

Zidane turned and left.

Barton caught up with him: "Hey, do you think the game is hopeless? You had figured out how to combine with Ribery and Malouda, how to send them through balls, but now everything is ruined."

“Wiltold is not as fast as them.”

"Trezeguet can only receive high balls. Are you going to play long balls and crosses like the English? It is said that this is the most insulting way to play for a midfield maestro."

Zidane glared at Barton and raised his elbow, saying, "Your chest is really hard; it hurt my elbow when you bumped it earlier."

Barton's eyelids twitched wildly, but with a score advantage, he still had the psychological edge and continued to fuel the fire: "I heard you're retiring. You'll probably coach in the future, right?"

"How about you become a coach like Domenech who wins by luck?"

Zidane could no longer hold back.

As the two retreated, Zidane suddenly accelerated past Barton, then turned and headed the ball.

Patton fell to the ground with a thud.

It felt like my chest had been shattered!
Lu Kai was dumbfounded.

This... will work?
beep!

The referee blew his whistle and rushed over immediately.

The players from both sides immediately gathered together.

The referee quickly made the correct decision.

"Red card! The referee has shown Zidane a red card!"

"This almost killed the French team."

"Zidane lost his temper. He walked straight to the sidelines. Domenech tried to give him a high-five, but Zidane ignored him and walked away."

"Bad boy Barton did the job. Nobody knows how he did it, but it will definitely be the focus after the game."

"Huh? Barton is in bad shape... The England team doctor came onto the field, examined him, and carried Barton off the field."

"Judging from his lip movements, is this... a fracture? Zidane's header broke Barton's bone?"

Hargreaves came on as a substitute.

Suddenly, the French team's lineup encountered a huge problem, switching to a 4-2-3 formation.

The original plan was to have Trezeguet and Henry as a pair of center forwards, but now Henry can only play as a winger on the left wing.

There are no passers in midfield, so they can only rely on the two flanks to advance the ball.

It's obvious they won't be able to launch an attack.

Sure enough, after the kickoff, England easily took control of the ball and pushed it past midfield.

It's worth noting that the England team has already switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

At least two of the three midfielders must remain in the back; they are not allowed to come up.

In the 87th minute, the French team finally gained possession and launched a through ball.

Terry easily intercepted him.

Terry made a direct pass to Lu Kai, who had retreated.

Lu Kai dribbled forward, dodging Diarra's flying tackle with a Marseille turn.

Then it was passed to Vardy.

He made a forward run down the left flank without the ball.

The French have gone mad; Thuram charged out and launched a flying tackle on Vardy.

This was an action that almost warranted a red card.

The ball was tackled to Carrick's feet as he followed up.

boom!
Carrick delivered a half-high through ball.

Lu Kai jumped from the left side of the penalty area and headed the ball across.

Vardy met the ball with a double kick and sprinted towards the goal.

Barthez was smart; he didn't save goals that were offside or involved in fouls, but he did manage to save these valid goals.

Vardy knew something was wrong as soon as he landed, and continued rushing towards the goal.

He tapped the oncoming football with his heel.

Make it again!

This left Garlas, who was closely following Vardy, empty-handed.

boom!
On the left side of the penalty area, Lu Kai unleashed a powerful shot.

Bati GOAL!

The football went straight into the net.

"GOAL!"

"3 to 1! Lu Kai scores twice to seal the victory!"

"It's over, it's all over!"

"The French were very tenacious, but the game was over once Zidane was sent off."

"They can't possibly score two goals in the last two minutes to force extra time."

"Even if it goes into extra time, they can't win with one less player."

"Correspondingly, Lu Kai provided unwavering support to the England team from beginning to end."

"This scene evokes a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion/reflection)..."

"The gods have fallen, but Lu Kai remains a youth!"

"The day the gods fell, football will forever move forward!"

(End of this chapter)