Fox in the Penalty Area

"I'm going, Lingnan Nanhai actually lost to an amateur team!"

"Yeah, Nanhai's performance is really weak... When they were drawn to the amateur team, I thought they were going to be recommended to the fifth round..."

"Tsk tsk, the majestic leader of the middle class was eliminated by an amateur team. It's embarrassing to say it!"

...

In the locker room of the Flash Star training base the next day, the players of the first team were all discussing the big news that shocked the entire football world yesterday.

The super upset in the FA Cup.

There were not many people in the locker room, because the players who played the FA Cup match yesterday had not yet come to the training base for training. According to the request of the head coach Zhao Kangming, they would not come to the training base for recovery training until the afternoon.

So the only players in the dressing room now are the first-team players who are not traveling with the team.

They chatted as they changed and got ready for training.

Today's topic is that Lingnan Nanhai, the leader of the Chinese League One, was eliminated by an amateur team Dongtai Juxing City in the FA Cup yesterday.

After years of development and reform, the Chinese Football Association Cup aims to become a football event that can be participated by all people like the England FA Cup, so it pays special attention to the opportunities for amateur teams to participate.

The current competition rules are to ensure that at least twelve amateur teams can participate in the main competition every year, which is the first round of the FA Cup.

At the same time, in order to make the FA Cup more unexpected and unpopular, and increase the attractiveness and gimmick of this game, it is stipulated that except for the final of the FA Cup, which adopts a home and away two-round system, all other games will be determined by one game. And there is no overtime, and there is no option to choose a rematch. If the two sides draw, they will directly play a penalty shootout.

These rules have greatly increased the odds of a weaker team beating a stronger team in an upset.

But even so, it is still very difficult for an amateur team to beat a team at the level of the Chinese Premier League and the Chinese Super League...

That's why the result of yesterday's game surprised everyone and quickly spread throughout the Chinese football world.

Many amateur teams will be eliminated in the first round, and those who survive will be further eliminated in the second round.

After the third round, after the entry of the Chinese A team, the difficulty of promotion has increased greatly.

Unless you are lucky, the only remaining amateur team is drawn in the lottery, or the second team.

And after the fourth round, after the Chinese Super League team also joined, it is almost difficult for amateur teams to survive.

If there is still one, it will be a super upset, just like yesterday's game.

Of course, amateur teams that can reach the fourth round cannot simply use "good luck" to sum it up in one word.

For example, Dongtai Juxing City, which just eliminated the Lingnan Nanhai team, is an amateur team, but in terms of hardware facilities and team building ideas, it is obviously rushing to become a professional team-they have four natural turf football fields. The training base has a complete coaching team and even an echelon, and all of this is because behind them is a big local taxpayer.

Although such a team is an amateur team in name, it is no different from a professional team. At least in the eyes of local fans in Dongtai City, it is a professional team. Their goal is to hit the Second Division. If they can successfully advance to the Second Division, with their hardware standards and registered capital, they can immediately register as a professional football club.

In the past, rich people played football by acquiring professional football clubs like the Chinese Super League.

Then die after getting addicted, burn all the money and leave.

Now rich people are much more rational in playing football. They know how to take root in the local area, set up amateur football clubs, and aim at professionalization. Even if they fail in the end, they won't be able to pay much. After all, training bases and office buildings are fixed assets that won't depreciate.

If it succeeds, it can be regarded as contributing to the development of Chinese football.

Therefore, if the Chinese A team encounters this kind of giant among amateur teams, if they are too proud and underestimate the enemy, if they are careless, they may really capsize in the gutter.

Don't talk about middle armor,

There have also been precedents in which a Chinese Super League team was eliminated by an amateur team in the FA Cup before.

Dongtai Juxing City also tied the best result of an amateur team in the FA Cup - reaching the top 16.

That is to say, before them, amateur teams have already achieved such achievements.

In fact, this is the most attractive part of football. Even if you are a Chinese Super League team with a large number of international players, strong foreign aid, and strong financial resources, there is no guarantee that you can beat an amateur team.

Football is round, how boring is a world where the immutable, weak grassroots can only look up to the Big Mac forever...

"Okay, everyone, stop gloating." Qin Lin stood up and said. "This is actually bad news for us. Without the FA Cup, the Nanhai team can devote more energy to the league competition. They were originally number one in the league, and now they have nothing else to do."

After Qin Lin said this, the laughter in the locker room became much quieter, and a group of people who ate melons realized that the melons were about to eat themselves.

This season, the league has played six rounds. Lingnan and Nanhai have five wins and one tie, with 16 points and ranking first.

Although last season's victory in the final failed, they are indeed a strong team. After adding some new players this season, they are even stronger. The current league ranking also matches their strength.

In fact, if they hadn't played Dongtai Juxing City in an away game, they would have underestimated the enemy. They replaced almost all the main players and sent many players from the reserve team and youth team to the field. The players also relaxed their minds. With their strength, even if Dongtai Juxing City is a giant among the amateur teams, they will only be crushed by Lingnan Nanhai, the leader of the Chinese Premier League.

Seeing the tense atmosphere in the locker room, Qin Lin also knew that what he said was a bit serious, so he smiled again: "Of course, there are two promotion places. They are not our direct competitors, at least not yet."

"Brother Lin is right, the premise is to do our own things well. Don't care what happens to the opponent..." Captain Li Tielin also stood up and said.

This was someone's suggestion: "Then why don't we just give up the FA Cup? Anyway, we will definitely not win the championship..."

When Hu Lai heard this, he stood up quickly: "Don't, what if we draw this amateur team in the next round!"

"You have a good idea, Hu Lai!" There was a burst of laughter in the locker room.

"Dreams are always necessary, what if they come true?" Of course Hu Lai also knew that his thoughts were too beautiful, but of course he couldn't admit cowardice at a time like this.

"Then my dream is to buy a lottery ticket and win 5 million yuan! I buy it all the time, but I never win!" Han Xiangfei said.

"That means Brother Han, your dream is not big enough." Hu Lai said solemnly, "You should increase the winning target to 100 million, so that it will be worth realizing. Five million, you will have it after playing for a few years. Do you still need to get rich from the lottery?"

Han Xiangfei turned his head and asked his teammates: "Who peed hot, wake up Hu Lai!"

Everyone laughed: "Han Xiangfei, you can do it yourself!"

Zhang Qinghuan raised his hand: "Why don't you play a game? If you guess Hu Lai correctly and score a goal in the game, the celebration is that all of us on the team line up to shine your shoes. If you don't guess correctly, then you After scoring a goal, the celebration is that you shine the shoes of our whole team alone, how about that?"

Hearing what Zhang Qinghuan said, the people in the locker room were stunned. They imagined the scene in their minds—they lined up to find Hu Lai to shine his shoes, and Hu Lai knelt down on one knee in front of them, and then put They put their feet on their laps, making a shoe shine... Everyone nodded: "Okay, okay! It's such a happy decision!"

Only Hu Lai, he hurriedly waved his hands: "No!"

"Men can't say no, Hu Lai!" Han Xiangfei led his teammates to boo.

Zhang Qing laughed happily: "Why not, don't you have confidence in the realization of your dreams?"

Hu Lai did not expect to be generalized by Zhang Qinghuan on this issue. I, Hu Lai, have never lost to anyone in my life. How can I admit that I am cowardly in front of a scumbag?

So he gritted his teeth and nodded: "Okay! Just bet!"

There was a cheering commotion in the locker room.

Li Tielin and Qin Lin looked at this scene and just shook their heads, but no one stopped everyone's playfulness.

Because the two of them also imagined the scene, and thought that the scene of everyone queuing up to find Hu Lai's shoeshine was so beautiful, and they were also a little moved...

※※※

When the players who participated in the FA Cup came to the training base for recovery training, they all heard from other teammates about the bet between everyone and Hu Lai in the morning.

This has attracted everyone's interest, and they have offered to participate. It seems that everyone usually resents Hu Lai's pretentiousness so much that they are very active when they have the opportunity to act aggressive in front of Hu Lai.

Because everyone's enthusiasm for participation was so high, in the end I had to discuss with Hu Lai that it would only be valid after one goal, and it was limited to the other ten players on the field, and those teammates sitting on the bench could not participate.

And Hu Lai has an impeccable reason: "If you all come, whether you shine my shoes or I shine your shoes, the celebration time is over. Can the referee watch us play like this? By the opponent What should we do if we complain about our intentional delay? One yellow card per person?"

So, it was decided.

Now only the outcome of the bet is revealed.

The FA Cup draw ceremony is not broadcast live on TV, but you can see the webcast of the whole process of the draw on the FA website.

The time is the night after all the FA Cup matches in the current round have ended.

That night, many Shining Star players were watching the results of the fifth round of the FA Cup draw in front of their computers and mobile phones.

The team's WeChat group was very lively, and some people gave red envelopes to warm up, and everyone had a great time grabbing them. Usually in the locker room, "this brother" and "that brother", at this time, it is not easy to use. The boss Qin Lin could send out a "thank you boss" emoji after snatching Hu Lai's penny red envelope.

Then, after discovering that it turned out to be a one-cent red envelope for one hundred cents per capita, the thank-you picture was withdrawn...

After the atmosphere was stirred up by the rain of red envelopes, everyone was waiting for the final result to be announced.

This lottery is really just a "lottery" in the literal sense, without any red tape ritual procedures, and there are no cultural performances or guest speeches.

A camera was pointed at a lottery box. There were notary staff from the notary office on site to supervise the notarization, and two staff members were in charge of lottery.

After the notarial deed is read out by the staff of the notary office, the lottery will begin.

The team drawn first plays the home game, and the team drawn later plays against it.

"Dongtai Gathering Star City!"

The WeChat group suddenly fell silent.

Dongtai Juxing City was drawn first, which means they will play at home.

And which lucky one will become their opponent?

At this moment, the result of the lottery was announced.

Anton Flash.

...

The WeChat group of the Shining Star first team named "Single Fire" was blown up.

"Damn——!! I don't believe it! Black screen! Black box operation!!"

"How could this be? Am I really going to increase the winning target of each lottery to 100 million?"

"What the hell? What the hell is this?"

"There must be something wrong with this world..."

"Hu Lai, your shit luck is too good, right? Why don't you buy a lottery ticket, what are you doing to harm us?!"

"Zhang Qinghuan, come out! Tell me honestly, are you colluding with Hu Lai to set up this game?"

"I'm wronged, Captain Li! I want to shine Hu Lai's shoes too! Is there a game where I also lose myself?!"

"Ahahahahahaha! Let me know! My shoes... are waiting for you!"

Wang Guangwei, who was in his bedroom, heard Hu Lai's unrestrained laughter from the next room, and then wondered whether he should apply to Director Zhao for a rest in the next game?