Awakening the Messi template, Florentino Pérez begs me to join Real Madrid

Before overtime began, both teams made their final adjustments on the sidelines.

Wu Shi sat on the grass, and the team doctor was massaging his calves.

"Signs of impending cramps," the team doctor said. "Can you still keep going?"

Takeshi nodded.

Sun Xiang walked over and squatted down next to him.

"Thirty minutes of overtime, take it easy. If you really can't keep up, come off the bench; we still have substitutions available."

Wu Shi shook his head.

"If I'm up there, they'll have to send at least two people to watch me."

Sun Xiang looked at him for a few seconds and then smiled.

"OK."

The referee blew the whistle, and overtime began.

Beijing Guoan kicks off.

Although their physical condition had also declined significantly, the advantage of having an extra player began to show. The ball was passed around at their feet, and the Evergrande players were busy defending.

In the 93rd minute, Beijing Guoan crossed from the right wing, and Tan Tiancheng headed the ball in the penalty area, but it went over the crossbar.

In the 97th minute, Wu Shi launched a counter-attack with the ball, and was fouled just past the halfway line. The referee awarded a free kick, but did not show a card.

In the 102nd minute, Beijing Guoan had a golden opportunity. Zhang Xizhe played a through ball, and Tan Tiancheng broke the offside trap to create a one-on-one chance—Li Shuai rushed out in time and made a save!

Tan Tiancheng knelt on the ground, his hands covering his head.

Bullet comments:

"Li Shuai!"

"It's Li Shuai again!"

"Tan Tiancheng forgot his shooting boots today."

"Hengda is really tough."

In the 112th minute, Wu Shi suddenly fell to the ground while chasing back to defend.

He clutched his calves with both hands, his expression pained.

The team doctor rushed onto the field.

Sun Xiang ran over and looked down at him.

"A muscle cramp?"

Wu Shi gritted his teeth and nodded.

The team doctor provided emergency treatment, including stretching and massage. Wu Shi was in so much pain that sweat beaded on his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.

Bullet comments:

"Wu Shi has a cramp."

Hang in there!

"Don't go down."

"Let's replace them, don't push yourself too hard."

Three minutes later, Wu Shi stood up, stretched his right leg, and gave a thumbs-up to the sidelines.

The audience erupted in applause.

In the 118th minute, Wu Shi got the ball again.

He was exhausted, but he still used his body to shield the ball, waiting for his teammates to receive it. The opposing defender shoved him, and he stumbled a couple of steps, but still managed to pass the ball out.

Then he fell to the ground again.

This time it's the left leg.

The team doctor came back onto the field.

Sun Xiang walked to the sidelines and looked towards the substitutes' bench. Lippi stood in the coaching area, his hands in his trouser pockets, his face expressionless.

But he did not make a substitution gesture.

Sun Xiang understood.

He walked back into the arena and squatted down next to Wu Shi.

"Can you still play?"

Wu Shi was panting heavily, sweat dripping from his cheeks onto the grass.

"able."

He gritted his teeth and stood up.

The audience erupted in applause once again.

In the 119th minute, Beijing Guoan's attack finally paid off. Wang Xiaolong crossed from the left, and Joel outjumped Feng Xiaoting in the penalty area to head the ball into the top corner!

Li Shuai made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball! The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back into play! Kim Young-gwon cleared the ball with a long kick!

A gasp of surprise rippled through the sky!

Bullet comments:

"The crossbeam!"

"Hengda's life shouldn't have ended like this!"

"That's a penalty kick!"

Wu Shi could no longer run, and he walked with a limp.

He lowered his head and pursed his lips tightly.

Silver's voice softly echoed in my mind:

That's enough. You've done all you could.

Wu Shi did not answer.

In the final two minutes of overtime, neither side managed to score again.

The 120 minutes ended with the score still 2-1.

With the score tied at 3-3, the two sides went to penalties.

In the PPTV studio,

Tang Qiu'er's voice was a little hoarse:

"Penalty shootout! The FA Cup semi-final will be decided by penalties! Evergrande fought for 120 minutes with ten men, and Wu Shi scored one penalty, dragging his cramped leg until the 120th minute. Now, their fate is in the hands of the penalty line."

Li Yi nodded: "The cruelest thing about penalty shootouts is that you fight for 120 minutes, only to have it all go down the drain because of a momentary mistake. For Evergrande, Wu Shi will definitely be the first to take the penalty. He was the best player on the field today, even though he's already at his physical limit."

The screen was flooded with comments:

"The penalty shootout is here!"

"My heart can't take it."

"Wu Shi is under immense pressure to be the first to be punished."

"Li Shuai, dive for it!"

"Beijing Guoan has always been good at penalty kicks."

"Wu Shigang just had a cramp, can he still be punished?"

The scene cuts back to the stadium.

The players from both sides were gathered in the center circle, and the referee was organizing the penalty shootout. Sun Xiang, as captain, was communicating with the referee about the order of the penalties.

Wu Shi was still sitting on the sidelines, the team doctor giving him a final massage. He lifted the towel and looked onto the field.

Sun Xiang walked over.

"Are you coming first?"

Wu Shi looked up at him.

"Come."

He stood up and walked onto the field.

In front of the penalty spot.

Wu Shi held the ball and stood on the 12-yard line.

The entire venue fell silent; 50,000 people held their breath.

He placed the ball on the penalty spot, stepped back, and stood still.

Silver's voice echoed in my mind:

"Your heart rate is 112, and your breathing rate is a bit high. You're not in a good condition to take a penalty kick right now. But you're the designated first penalty taker, so you have to take it."

[Penalty Shootout Statistics – Yang Zhi's penalty save rate this season is 28%, but his penalty shootout save rate is 31%. He prefers to shoot to the right, but will adjust based on the first penalty taker's habits. If you shoot to the bottom right corner in regulation time and he saves it (even if you score on the rebound), he will likely assume you will change direction.]

Option Analysis —

A. Shoot towards the bottom left corner, success rate 67%. Yang Zhi may have anticipated your change of direction.

B. Shoot at the bottom right corner, success rate 43%, he might bet on you on the same side.

C. Hitting the middle has a 52% success rate, but the risk is that if the ball is saved, it's a dead ball.

D. A powerful shot to the top corner has a 38% success rate, but your stamina is low, making it easy to lose control of your power.

Yang Zhi jumped on the goal line, arms outstretched, eyes fixed on Wu Shi to judge where Wu Shi would kick.

Takeshi runs.

Wu Shi wanted to shoot at an angle to completely avoid Yang Zhi's save range.

[Yang Zhi's penalty save during regulation time did have some impact on Wu Shi. Hopefully, this shot won't affect Wu Shi's chances.] Yin thought silently.

Push the ball towards the top left corner of the goal with the inside of your right foot.

The moment the ball left his foot, Wu Shi knew something was wrong.

He exerted too much force and lost control of his ankle. His decreased physical fitness distorted his movements.

The ball flew high over the crossbeam and into the stands.

The Milky Way was deathly silent.

Wu Shi stood there, stunned for a second.

He maintained the position after the shot, his right foot still hanging in mid-air, and then slowly lowered it.

He stared at the empty sky above the goal, as if still hoping the ball would miraculously curve and fly in.

but no.

He lowered his head.

At that moment, my mind went blank. Then, self-blame washed over me like a tidal wave.

Why? Why now of all times? They endured 120 minutes, only to fall at this last kick?

His shoulders began to tremble slightly.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

When Gao Lin was sent off, he said, "It's up to you now," and that's what you did?

He felt his legs shaking, unsure if it was a lingering effect of a cramp or something else.

You're trying to prove yourself, aren't you? Prove yourself to whom?

Wu Shi turned around and walked back with heavy steps. He didn't look up, not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

The live chat exploded instantly:

"Masturbate!"

"Wu Shi's shot..."

"The pressure is too much."

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

"The first one flies away, how are we supposed to kick it?"

"Wu Shi just had a cramp, he shouldn't have been punished like that."

On the sidelines, Lippi still had his hands in his trouser pockets, his expression unchanged.

But no one noticed that his brow had furrowed tightly a few times, but he quickly recovered.

Lippi sighed inwardly.

It's not because the ball didn't go in.

Missing a penalty kick is part of football.

It wasn't even because they might be eliminated from the FA Cup, because the AFC Champions League was in three days later, and the FA Cup didn't have much strategic weight to begin with.

Lippi didn't take this match that seriously.

In their first season playing in the Chinese Super League and their first season playing in the AFC Champions League, the team had already secured the league title. If they could reach the AFC Champions League final, it would be even more perfect, and if they could win the AFC Champions League title...

If that's the case, even a world-renowned coach like Lippi, with countless honors, would feel that this season has already been perfect.

Even if they are eliminated from the FA Cup now, let alone the FA Cup, even if they fail to win the AFC Champions League, it won't be a big deal for Lippi. He has been coaching for so many years, he has seen all kinds of situations.

He knew something was wrong, because the penalty kick that missed was by Wu Shi.

But it was that kid who valued the outcome of this match more than anything else.

It was that kid who had cramped up twice in overtime but gritted his teeth and got up to keep running.

It was precisely that seventeen-year-old boy who was on the rise, building confidence with every touch of the ball.

Lippi has seen too many geniuses. Some people become stronger after such moments; others have a seed of doubt planted in their hearts that they can never uproot.

He couldn't bring himself to go over and say anything. At that moment, any words would have been inadequate.

He could only hope that the child could pull through on his own.

Yin silently watched all of this in Wu Shi's mind.

She could monitor his heart rate—from 112 before the free throw to 135 now, and it was still rising.

Negative emotion indices are soaring, with self-blame, anger, frustration, shame, and pain all intertwined.

She wanted to offer words of comfort, or even scold him, hoping to use her usual sharp tongue to bring him back to his senses.

But she held back.

Because she knew that saying anything at this point would be useless. Some hurdles must be overcome on one's own.

She could only float there quietly, like the moonlight in the darkness in Wu Shi's heart, waiting for him to look up and see the light.

The penalty shootout continues.

Wu Shi returned to the center circle and stood beside his teammates. He lowered his head, his face was pale, and he stood with his hands on his hips, not daring to look at what was happening on the court.

Beijing Guoan's first player to take the penalty kick, Joel, calmly converted it. 0-1.

Evergrande's second player to take the field was Zhao Xuri, who shot towards the bottom left corner. Yang Zhi dove the wrong way, and the ball went in. 1-1.

Beijing Guoan's second shot: Zhang Xizhe aimed for the top left corner, but Li Shuai dived in the wrong direction. 1-2.

Hengda's third shot: Feng Xiaoting unleashed a powerful shot down the middle, Yang Zhi was caught off guard and scored. 2-2.

Guoan's third shot, Tan Tiancheng aimed for the top right corner—Li Shuai guessed the right direction! But the ball was too powerful, flying past his fingertips, hitting the underside of the crossbar, and bouncing into the net! 2-3.

With each goal, Wu Shi would glance up, then quickly look down again. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

For Evergrande's fourth penalty, captain Sun Xiang stepped up to take the spot. He remained calm, took his run-up, deceived Yang Zhi, and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. 3-3.

Beijing Guoan's fourth penalty kick came when Xu Yunlong, amidst boos from the crowd, walked to the penalty spot. He took a run-up and shot towards the bottom left corner. Li Shuai made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball, but it still rolled into the net. 3-4.

Hengda is fifth. They must score, or they'll lose. Guoan doesn't even need to kick another ball.

Huang Bowen held the ball and stood at the penalty spot for a long time. Wu Shi looked up, staring at his back. He saw Huang Bowen take a deep breath, run up, and shoot into the bottom left corner.

Yang Zhi lunged to his right – Goal!

4 is better than 4!

Wu Shi felt his heart skip a beat.

Beijing Guoan's fifth penalty. Wang Xiaolong takes the shot. He's very nervous, constantly taking deep breaths. He runs up and shoots into the bottom right corner.

Li Shuai made a diving save! His fingertips touched the ball! The ball grazed the post and rolled out of bounds!

They pounced!

Tianhe Stadium exploded instantly!

Wu Shi froze for a second, then suddenly looked up. He saw Li Shuai getting up from the ground, waving his fists and roaring angrily.

He stood still, without moving.

Silver's voice finally rang out:

"Wu Shi, don't give up. You missed the first free throw. But your teammates haven't given up. Li Shuai just saved this shot, you still have a chance."

In the sixth round, Evergrande took the first penalty. Zhang Linpeng took the penalty, unleashing a powerful shot into the top right corner, but Yang Zhi dived in the wrong direction.

5:4.

The sixth penalty for Beijing Guoan was taken by Lang Zheng.

As a center-back, he rarely takes penalty kicks, but at this point he had no other choice.

He took a run-up and hit a half-high ball down the middle.

Li Shuai didn't move; he was betting on the middle lane!

The ball was saved by Li Shuai and bounced back into the field!

The match is over!

5-4! Evergrande wins the penalty shootout and advances to the FA Cup final!

Li Shuai was tackled to the ground by his teammates, and the whole team celebrated wildly.

Wu Shi stood at the edge of the crowd and did not rush in.

"Remember how you feel right now. You'll take more penalties and miss more in the future. But tonight, you're the one who was saved."

Wu Shi's pale face finally regained some color.

Tears welled up in my eyes without me even realizing it.

I clearly held back my tears when I missed the serve.

Tears had filled my eyes without me even realizing it.

When Li Shuai saw him, he paused for a moment, then reached out his hand.

Wu Shi grabbed his hand and pulled hard.

I didn't say thank you.

But Li Shuai smiled.

Post-match mixed zone.

Reporters surrounded Li Shuai.

"Li Shuai, what did it feel like to save those two penalties at the end?"

Li Shuai wiped the sweat from his face and smiled, "Nothing special, it's just betting on the direction. If you bet right, you go for it."

"Wu Shi missed his first free throw today, but you still won. What do you think of his performance?"

Li Shuai's expression turned serious.

"Little Stone fought for 120 minutes today, scoring one penalty and still persevering even with cramps. He's our hero today. Anyone can miss a penalty. He's only seventeen; he has a long road ahead of him."

The reporter pressed further, "Is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

Li Shuai looked at the camera and gave a thumbs up:

"Wu Shi, lift your head. We won. You're the best."

In the distance, Wu Shi was walking through the players' tunnel. He heard a sound behind him and paused.

He didn't turn around.

But my shoulders relaxed a bit.

Three days later, there will be another life-or-death battle.