Fox in the Penalty Area

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Many years later, when Xia Wu recalled this afternoon again, he could still clearly recount the scene at that time.

Facing a reporter who came to interview him for a documentary about Hu Lai, he said in a slightly excited tone: "In my memory, the home court of Jiaxiang High School has never been silent for such a long time during a game! About It must have been about a minute... Anyway, it must have been more than 30 seconds, and there was no sound from the stadium stands. I looked around at the time, and everyone was staring blankly at our goal, forgetting to make a sound!"

His excitement was beyond words, which made the reporter a little puzzled: "But what he scored was your school's goal. It was his hat-trick that helped Dongchuan Middle School eliminate Jiaxiang High School. Why do you...uh, look so happy?"

Xia Wu quickly put on a serious face: "That's because I have a feeling that I have witnessed history!"

Back on this winter afternoon in 2020, Xia Wuke in the stands didn't have such awareness at all.

He put his head in his hands, looked around in pain and confusion, and all he saw were classmates who were just like him, suffering and confused—this scene was exactly the same as what he told reporters a few years later.

They looked at the goal of Jiaxiang High School, at the captain Wu Yue who fell in front of the goal line, at the goalkeeper Zhou Yang who was sitting on the ground and turned his head to look back, and at the football in the goal.

Of course, there are still some people who set their sights on Hu Lai.

The man who made them gnash their teeth in hatred had already opened his arms and ran towards the corner flag area. He lowered his body and ran out of the serpentine route, turning left and right again, his arms outstretched like a pair of wings. And he was transformed into a bird on the field, flying freely.

Behind him were all the players from Dongchuan Middle School, they came galloping from two different directions, one direction was the court, and the other direction was Dongchuan Middle School's bench.

With eight minutes left in the game, Dongchuan Middle School led Jiaxiang High School by two goals, and they all knew what it meant.

Even the players of Jiaxiang High School know better than them - after Hu Lai scored a goal, no player from Jiaxiang High School can stand on the court properly. They either sit on the ground, lie down, or kneel Down, as if all the strength was drained at this moment.

Hu Lai's ball was a devastating blow to their morale and fighting spirit.

The stands, which have been quiet until now, are the best proof—the students of Jiaxiang High School also seem to have lost their fighting spirit.

Otherwise, they should have let out a huge boo to express their anger and dissatisfaction.

Hu Lai, who ran to the corner flag area, pulled up the corner flagpole with his hands. At this moment, he was overwhelmed by the swarming teammates.

He was still raising his hand, and the flagpole he was holding tightly was pointing to the sky. With his movements, the red flag was fluttering slightly, as if being blown by the wind.

This is a red flag planted on the football field of Jiaxiang High School, declaring sovereignty to the teachers and students of Jiaxiang High School, telling them:

Our Dongchuan Middle School won your home game!

※※※

Wang Guangwei, who saw this scene in the stands, sighed.

Then Dai Zetao heard him whisper: "The era is over."

He didn't know how to comfort Wang Guangwei.

It's not because Jiaxiang High School is two goals behind now, but because they lose the ball so easily.

This really makes everyone who is familiar with the Jiaxiang High School football team have doubts in their hearts, and the despair brought about by unanswered doubts.

Where did the arrogance and dominance that allowed them to sweep Anton High School football before?

This is the home field of Jiaxiang High School!

A team that has been famous for its defense in the national competition, but here the same person scored three goals in the same game!

There must be something wrong?

There must be a mistake somewhere?

In the past six years, no one has ever been able to score a hat-trick against Jiaxiang High School in the Anton Cup.

That skinny Fourteen did it.

Because of Wang Guangwei, he knew Hu Lai somewhat, and knew that this kid only started to practice football in October last year.

Two months later, he beat Jiaxiang High School in the final of the Anton Cup, and he did so while being marked by Wang Guangwei.

Five months later, he scored three goals in the national competition and became the second scorer in the Dongchuan Middle School team.

One year and two months after he received football training, he completed a hat-trick at the home court of Jiaxiang High School.

If this is the K-line of the stock, then Hu Lai is simply a super blue-chip stock with a daily limit.

"Brother Tao, I suggest you pay attention to Hu Lai, he should also enter professional football soon." Just when Dai Zetao was feeling in his heart that this young man was so terrifying, he suddenly heard Wang Guangwei say.

"Huh? Pay attention to him?"

"Well. Flashing Star should pay attention to him. Don't you claim to have been paying attention to the outstanding local seedlings? If you don't even pay attention to him, I'm afraid it will be difficult to say this in the future."

Dai Zetao thought for a while, then nodded: "You are right, you should pay close attention to him. To be honest, what he showed today surprised me. I didn't expect him to improve so much in just one year. Big. But, Guangwei, didn’t you graduate from Jiaxiang High School?”

The implication is that shouldn't you be worried about the fate of Jiaxiang High School? Why did you suddenly recommend an enemy to me?

"These two things don't conflict, right?" Wang Guangwei asked.

"Uh... it's not a conflict. Do you think Jiaxiang High School can win back?"

Wang Guangwei was silent for a while, then shook his head and said, "I hope so. But I don't know."

Dai Zetao was also silent.

Although it is said that before the end of the game, you cannot give up early. But the reality is often much harder than shouting beautiful slogans.

Looking at Jiaxiang High School whose morale had completely collapsed, Dai Zetao sentenced the team to death in his heart.

※※※

Dai Zetao's judgment was correct.

After the game resumed, Jiaxiang High School played like a group of headless chickens.

They clearly wanted to score goals, but they ended their offenses hastily time and time again, squandering offensive opportunities at will.

Even if he shoots ten shots, he can't threaten Dongchuan Middle School's goal even once.

The momentum in the stands is also much smaller.

The teachers and students of Jiaxiang High School also knew very well that their team was at the end of the road. Facing the inevitable result, they had no interest in booing the players of Dongchuan Middle School or cheering for their own team.

Some people have even left early. Although there were not many people, it was like a symbolic event that sounded the death knell of Jiaxiang High School.

When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, the eager Dongchuan Middle School players who had gathered on the sidelines rushed into the field cheering, screaming, and roaring.

And Li Ziqiang still remembers that as the head coach, he had to shake hands with the opponent's head coach before he could celebrate.

So he turned around and walked towards Feng Yuanchang, and stretched out his hand in advance halfway, fully expressing his respect for this old coach who had worked as a coach in Jiaxiang High School for eleven years.

No matter what scheming the two sides played in the pre-match, when the winner was decided, they all let it go. After all, it's all about winning.

Now that the outcome has been decided, why should we be obsessed with it?

This is high school football after all, not professional football.

Winning and losing is important, but so is the educational nature of football.

As students, what they experience in this team may accompany them throughout their lives and affect them for a long time.

Therefore, coaches must set an example in front of students.

Looking at Li Ziqiang who offered to reach out to him, Feng Yuanchang smiled wryly: "We have been studying Hu Lai since the first match of this year's Anton Cup, but we didn't expect... I didn't expect that his performance was still far beyond that." To my surprise. How did you train him?"

Li Ziqiang was silent for a second, and then said: "After returning from the national competition, I asked him to conduct special training every morning and noon as long as he was in school. I expected that you would definitely start with his poor physical resistance. He, so from three weeks ago I specially practiced the confrontation for him."

Hearing what he said, Feng Yuanchang smiled and shook his head: "Sure enough... Hearing what you said, I was relieved. This is better than last year when you told me that the person who could kill us under Wang Guangwei's constant guard is a person." A rookie who has only been in contact with football for two months... It is much easier for me to accept. At least, he put a lot of sweat and hard work behind these three goals today, instead of jumping out of the rock all at once, and then he can It made us grope all over the place. Then I would wonder if there was something wrong with my football experience of the past forty years..."

Just as he was talking, there was a louder shout suddenly on the court, and both coaches cast their gazes over.

Found that Hu Lai was picked up by his teammates, they threw him into the sky, caught him again, threw him into the sky again, caught him again...

"...But Jiaxiang High School will not give up. We will make a comeback at this time next year. And by then, you may not have him in your lineup anymore."

Hearing what Feng Yuanchang said, Li Ziqiang looked back at the old man.

"Would you stop him from playing professional football?"

Li Ziqiang narrowed his eyes and did not answer the question.

※※※

Back home, Xia Xiaoyu was sharing with his parents the joy of the team reaching the final of the Anton Cup, when he received a WeChat message from his cousin Xia Wu:

"Xiaoyu, tell me honestly, why did you choose Dongchuan Middle School instead of Jiaxiang?"

This statement was accompanied by an angry emoji.

Xia Xiaoyu recalled his cousin's angry appearance, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he replied:

"It's because of Dongchuan Middle School that there are people who understand my football, cousin."

※※※

When Hu Lai stepped into the house, he saw his mother sitting on the sofa in the living room at a glance, and he carefully asked her with his eyes.

"Your father hasn't come back yet."

His mother's words made his heart sink back into his stomach.

A smile appeared on his face: "Well, Mom... next Saturday is Song Jiajia's birthday again, so..."

"Are you in the final again?" Mother Xie Lan understood in seconds.

"Hey..." Hu Lai scratched his head and laughed.

Seeing his son's happy face, Xie Lan sighed: "Okay, I'll help you hide it from your father when the time comes."

"Long live mother!" Hu Lai opened his arms and wanted to rush forward, but Xie Lan pushed him away.

"Go take a shower, sweat all over your body! Your hair is rotten!"

"Obey, mom!" Hu Lai saluted to his mother, then hummed a song and jumped to his room with his buttocks twisting.

Seeing his cheerful back from behind, a smile appeared on Xie Lan's face.