Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

Grenoble's head coach Mohamed Bazdarevic's words at the pre-match press conference were like a fire thrown into a pile of dry wood.

From France to China, from Japan to South Korea, the entire East Asian football community was abuzz with discussion within just a few hours.

"Japanese national team players say the Chinese are their defeated opponents?"

"This is football, not a history lesson!"

"Who is Daisuke Matsui? How many goals has he scored in Ligue 1? Does he dare to challenge such arrogance?"

"Hilarious! What right does a Japanese player playing for a relegation-threatened team have to criticize arrogance?"

"Three games, nine goals, how many has Daisuke Matsui scored this season? Let me check—oh, he hasn't scored any."

"He hasn't even warmed his seat as Asia's number one yet, and someone's already challenging him?"

"It's not a challenge, it's contempt. People say 'defeated opponent,' meaning that Chinese football has never beaten Japan."

"That's the national team, not an individual. Zhang Kuang alone could outshine the entire Japanese national team in terms of market value."

"What's the use of a high transfer fee? Football is a team sport."

"Then let Daisuke Matsui carry Grenoble to victory by himself and see what happens? Can he do it?"

"Stop arguing, the game hasn't even started yet. You can argue after it's over."

—These are just the initial reactions from Chinese netizens.

On Japanese websites, the style is completely different.

On the 2CH forum, the discussion thread about this match has been pushed to the top of the homepage, with the number of replies increasing by dozens per minute.

"Matsui-kun is right! The Chinese team has always been our defeated opponent."

"This arrogant Chinese guy is really popular lately, scoring hat-tricks in a row? Is the defense in Ligue 1 really that weak?"

"I watched his goal video, he was really impressive. But which league, Ligue 1 or the J-League, is of a higher level? It's hard to say."

"Matsui has been playing in Ligue 1 for several years, and he has much more experience than that Chinese guy. I'm rooting for Matsui in this match."

"That Chinese guy is too arrogant, arrogant on the field and arrogant off the field. Bringing four women home by himself? In Japan, we would keep that a secret."

"This is the quality of the Chinese people."

"Don't bring this up to the national level; football is just football. Zhang Kuang's skills are indeed good, that much must be acknowledged."

"Admit what? He hasn't even played against a Japanese player yet. Let's talk about it after this match."

"That's right, let Matsui-kun teach him a lesson."

"Don't forget, Auxerre is ranked fourth, while Grenoble is at the bottom. The difference in strength is obvious."

"The ball is round, isn't it common for the bottom team to upset the top four? Besides, Grenoble brought in several new players during the winter transfer window, which has improved the team's strength."

"I believe in Matsui-kun!"

"..."

Japanese fans' confidence largely stems from the national team's historical record.

In head-to-head records between the Chinese and Japanese men's football teams, Japan holds the advantage.

This fact weighs heavily on the hearts of everyone who cares about Chinese football.

But Chinese fans don't accept this explanation.

"The national team is the national team, and the individual is the individual. You expect Matsui Daisuke to compete with Zhang Kuang in scoring goals?"

"Yes, the next stop for the arrogant is definitely a wealthy family. Where will Matsui Daisuke go next?"

"Don't be so harsh. Matsui Daisuke is a Japanese national team player, after all."

"What's wrong with the Japanese national team players? They can't score in Ligue 1, yet they've scored nine goals in three games. That's the difference."

"Let's talk after the game is over. We'll celebrate if we win and criticize if we lose. Let's not start celebrating prematurely."

"This isn't about popping champagne, it's about stating the facts. Auxerre could beat Grenoble, who are at the bottom of the table, even with their eyes closed."

"Heh, if football is only about rankings, what's the point of playing? We might as well just award trophies based on points."

"Anyway, I bet Zhang Kuang will score at least two goals in this match."

I bet three.

I bet on a big four-game winning streak.

"..."

Chinese fans' optimism is not without reason.

Auxerre are in red-hot form, with three consecutive league wins and no goals conceded. Zhang Kuang has scored nine of those goals, his form is simply outrageous.

And what about Grenoble?

After 22 rounds of the league, with three wins, seven draws, and twelve losses, they have accumulated sixteen points and are ranked last. They are five points away from the relegation zone, and their relegation situation is extremely precarious.

The odds offered by bookmakers before the match between these two teams confirmed the outside world's judgment: the odds of Auxerre winning were as low as 1.44, the odds of Grenoble winning were as high as 7.50, and the odds of a draw were 4.20.

"Auxerre is giving a 1/1.5 goal handicap, with low odds," analyzed A-Jie, an outside agent, in his client group. "This handicap is quite deep, indicating that the bookmakers are very optimistic about Auxerre. Moreover, the odds are still going down, which means that funds are flowing into Auxerre."

"Is there any possibility of an upset?" a client asked.

"An upset?" Ajay thought for a moment. "Grenoble has only won two home games this season, and both were against direct relegation rivals. They've lost all their matches against teams in the top six. If you're going to bet on an upset, you might as well bet on Zhang Kuang not scoring—the odds are higher there."

What are the odds that Zhang Kuang will fail to score?

"1.83 means he has a high probability of scoring."

"I'll bet on Auxerre to win then, it'll be safer."

"Stable?" A-Jie chuckled. "There's no such thing as a sure thing in football. But let me tell you, the safest option in this match is to score wildly."

The customer group was silent for a few seconds.

Then someone sent a message: "I bet on a Mad Hat Trick, odds 15.0. If I win, I'll treat you guys to dinner."

Ah Jie looked at the message and shook his head.

It's not that I think it's impossible, but rather that it's too crazy—an 18-year-old player, after just three games, has already been regarded by the market as a "guaranteed goal scorer".

He had never seen anything like it in his seven or eight years as an outside agent.

……

February 6, Grenoble, the cold wind is biting at the foot of the Alps.

The Stola Stadium, which can hold 20,000 people, was packed to capacity today.

Grenoble fans knew their team was at the bottom, but they still filled the stadium – not because they believed their team could win, but because their opponent was Auxerre, the Auxerre with its flamboyant style.

They wanted to see for themselves just how amazing this young Chinese man who had recently turned Ligue 1 upside down really was.

The competition started promptly at 3 PM.

Auxerre fielded their usual 4-4-2 formation, with Zhang Kuang and Yellen partnering up front.

格勒诺布尔则是4-5-1的防守阵型，4后卫加5中场，前场只留一个前锋打反击。

In the fifth minute, Zhang Kuang's first touch of the ball created a threat.

Pedretti received the ball in midfield, observed Zhang Kuang dropping back to the edge of the penalty area to receive the pass, and delivered a precise ground pass.

Zhang Kuang received the ball with his back to goal, and two defenders from Grenoble immediately double-teamed him from behind and the side, leaving him no room to turn.

Zhang Kuang didn't resort to force.

He flicked the ball sideways with his left foot, creating an angle, and then—

"Bang!"

He took a long-range shot from nearly 28 meters away from the goal. The ball was extremely fast, curving sharply outwards towards the top left corner of the goal.

Grenoble's goalkeeper didn't even make a save attempt—not because he didn't want to, but because the ball was too fast for him to react in time.

"when--!"

The ball hit the top edge of the crossbar and bounced out of bounds.

"Wow—" In the CCTV-5 studio, Liu Jianhong's voice carried obvious regret, "So close! Zhang Kuang's long-range shot hit the crossbar! If that ball had gone in, it would have been a world-class goal!"

"The goalkeeper had absolutely no chance," Xu Yang added. "The shot was incredibly powerful; it's a nightmare for a goalkeeper. Unfortunately, Yokogaki denied it."

Zhang Kuang stood with his hands on his hips, looked at the still slightly trembling crossbeam, shook his head, and turned to run back to his position.

He was in no hurry.

The game has only been going on for five minutes; there are plenty of opportunities.

But the course of the game afterwards made him gradually lose his relaxed attitude.

Eighth minute.

Grenoble's number 6 – Togolese midfielder Jacques Romão – receives the ball in midfield.

Auxerre's defensive formation did not show any obvious weaknesses, and the positioning of Pedretti and Ndinga as the double defensive midfielders appeared to be fine.

But Romagnoli's through ball tore apart the entire defense.

The ball slipped through the gap between Ndinga and Pedretti, landing precisely behind the Auxerre defense.

Daniil Ljuboja, a Serbian striker who recently transferred from Grenoble, successfully broke the offside trap and faced Auxerre goalkeeper Olivier Sorin one-on-one.

Ljuboa received the ball on the left side of the penalty arc, but his position wasn't ideal. His left foot wasn't his dominant foot, and his angle was blocked by Sorin at the near post, while a defender was tracking back to cover at the far post.

Instead of trying to break through, he took a shot with his left foot.

The ball wasn't particularly fast, nor was the angle particularly tricky; it headed straight for the near corner of the goal.

For a goalkeeper at the level of Ligue 1, this kind of ball should be routine – cover the near post, block the ball, or catch it in their arms.

But Thorin was a beat too slow to react.

His center of gravity wasn't fully lowered, and his save attempt froze halfway through. The ball slipped past his glove and rolled into the goal.

1: 0.

The Stola Stadium erupted in cheers.