This is the core concept behind Wang Fa’s personnel adjustments.
After the entire team’s formation shifted, the lineup from right to left was as follows:
Defenders: Lin Lu, Fu Xinshu, Zheng Feiyang, Qi Liang, Yu Ming
Midfielders: Zhi Hui, Zheng Ren, Wen Chengye
Forwards: Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe
Aside from swapping Wen Chengye and Fu Xinshu, Wang Fa also assigned Zheng Feiyang more of a sweeper role, helping the two attacking defenders cover gaps and provide support.
Previously, the other students would never have accepted being directed and having the team’s offensive and defensive rhythm controlled by "Wen dog."
But they had fought, vented their frustrations, and endured the toughest defensive battles. Wen Chengye had been the first to back down, and reuniting hadn’t been easy. So they reached a consensus: after switching positions, they would give their all in the final match.
On the training field, this meant Wen Chengye was everywhere, putting out fires all over the pitch. He was involved in organizing attacks, covering defensively, and even contesting headers on corner kicks.
Students who had initially been slightly dissatisfied with Wen Chengye’s "core" role saw how exhausted Young Master Wen was—how his jersey could be wrung out after just a simple training session—and all their objections vanished.
It wasn’t just the coach’s expectations adding pressure on Wen Chengye.
There were also the match results between Yuzhou Silver Elephant and Shencheng Haibo.
Unexpectedly, the two teams had drawn 1-1 once again!
The results of the fifth round of the group stage were as follows:
Shencheng Haibo 1 : 1 Yuzhou Silver Elephant
Yongchuan Evergrande 2 : 0 Hongjing No. 8 Middle School
In terms of points:
Yongchuan Evergrande – 15
Shencheng Haibo – 5
Yuzhou Silver Elephant – 5
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School – 3
This meant that if Hongjing No. 8 Middle School could defeat Shencheng Haibo in the next round and secure all three points, they would reach a total of 6 points.
Since the unbeatable Yongchuan Evergrande was too strong, it was unlikely Yuzhou Silver Elephant would win. In that case, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School could advance with 6 points, surpassing the two teams stuck at 5 points.
As for Yongchuan Evergrande winning their match…
It wasn’t so much a matter of high hopes as it was—
“If that little brat Qin Qiechu can’t win, I’ll go to Yongchuan and beat him up myself!” Qin Ao declared.
What they had thought would be their final match, fought with all their might for the team, now held the possibility of going even further. Everyone was fired up!
As the schedule progressed, the match day between Hongjing No. 8 Middle School and Shencheng Haibo arrived quickly. They would travel to Shencheng for an away game against their final group stage opponent.
“I bought high-speed rail tickets.”
Lin Wanxing announced this the day before their departure when going over the assembly and travel arrangements.
The boys were quite surprised. After all, Shencheng was only a 20-minute high-speed ride from Hongjing—taking a bus point-to-point seemed much more convenient.
“Haven’t any of you noticed that Wen Chengye gets carsick?” Lin Wanxing asked.
Wen Chengye, sitting in the corner, suddenly looked up. Then, as the other boys turned to stare at him, he sheepishly lowered his head again.
Only then did the students realize that Wen Chengye’s foul mood before every match might not have been solely about giving them attitude.
Even though the match against Shencheng Haibo would determine whether they advanced, and they had imagined countless scenarios beforehand, when the day finally arrived, it felt like just another natural step.
Shencheng Haibo’s home stadium was massive, located just a 10-minute walk from Shencheng North Railway Station.
The day was clear, with blue skies and white clouds.
When they arrived at the venue—yes, Shencheng Haibo had arranged a standard sports stadium as their home ground—the students were surprised to find there were even spectators in the stands.They had played many of their previous matches in caged pitches. Although those were also standard-sized fields, the venues felt compact. They couldn’t compare at all to public standard stadiums.
The stadium stands were densely packed, with scattered spectators resembling a few sesame seeds sprinkled across the seats.
Standing by the sidelines of Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s home ground, Lin Wanxing felt a sense of insignificance for the very first time.
"What a huge stadium," Lin Wanxing exclaimed.
Wang Fa turned to look at her.
"Was your previous home ground bigger than this?"
"Smaller than this. Our St. Mary’s Stadium only had about 32,000 seats."
"And what about Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s home ground?"
"This is a 50,000-seat stadium," Wang Fa said.
Perhaps because the venue was too formal, the students seemed somewhat nervous during their warm-up.
For one, they had lost to Shen Cheng Hai Bo before, which created psychological pressure. Secondly, their opponents appeared highly professional—there was a specialized team on the sidelines, and the substitute bench was filled with players in yellow vests. The entire squad looked determined to win.
In fact, Shen Cheng Hai Bo never expected that their professional youth team would have to face a high school squad in a Group Stage do-or-die battle for qualification.
Although it was a life-and-death battle, the qualification scenario remained relatively favorable for them. The unfortunate Yu Zhou Silver Elephant had to play Yongchuan Evergrande in their final match, while Shen Cheng Hai Bo was up against Hongjing No. 8 Middle School. After all, in their last encounter with Hongjing No. 8 Middle School, they had won with a resounding 5-0 scoreline.
No matter how you looked at it, a high school team was easier to handle.
Thus, they had immense confidence in securing a victory!
Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s confidence was also evident on the field.
The weather was excessively clear, and under the sunlight, every muscle of the Shen Cheng Hai Bo players gleamed brilliantly.
Before the match began, the players from both teams shook hands.
The opponent’s muscles were bulging, and Qin Ao’s hand ached from the firm handshake. Unwilling to back down, he glared fiercely at Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s number 11.
After the handshake, the players dispersed across the field, waiting for the referee’s whistle to start the match.
Lv Liwei was the head coach of Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s youth team. At this moment, he was intently watching the game.
Having been in this circle, he had naturally heard of the opposing coach’s reputation. He didn’t look down on Wang Fa, though. In his view, no matter how skilled a coach was, it was useless if the players’ quality wasn’t up to par.
And now, Lv Liwei was well aware that the opposing team had changed their lineup. An unfamiliar face was placed in the midfield, while the original midfielder and captain had been shifted to the defensive line.
He didn’t think highly of Wang Fa’s tactical adjustment.
It was like…
trying to run before learning how to walk.
The referee blew the whistle to start the match.
Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, drumbeats echoed from the stands.
Lin Wanxing was startled.
Although there were almost no spectators in the stands, those who had come were clearly wearing Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s home jerseys. With drummers and team flags in full display, the dedication of Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s fans was evident.
Encouraged by their home supporters, the Shen Cheng Hai Bo players grew even more serious and focused.
At the start of the match, their performance didn’t seem much different from their previous game.
They followed their coach's deployment, playing steadily and patiently, constantly passing the ball to seize opportunities for shots. They aimed to score through relentless attacks.
Meanwhile, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School defended deep within their own Penalty area, effectively "parking the bus." No matter how organized Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s attacks were, they were repeatedly thwarted, like floodwaters crashing against a dam.Having endured the grueling experience of defending against Yongchuan Evergrande with only 10 players, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School appeared much more composed in their defense against Shen Cheng Hai Bo. The team coordinated seamlessly—pressing forward decisively when needed, with teammates swiftly covering any gaps left behind.
For a defensive side, achieving this level of coordination was no small feat.
Soon enough, Shen Cheng Hai Bo felt the tenacity of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s defense.
How to describe it? It was as if the Hongjing players were playing with reckless abandon.
They ran relentlessly, covered for each other, and pressed aggressively—ferociously, like a team that hadn’t scored in a century or as though conceding a single goal would mean execution for all.
This fearless, all-out style of play immediately unsettled the Shen Cheng Hai Bo players, who were accustomed to a steady, methodical approach. Anxious to seize scoring chances, they grew visibly impatient.
Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s head coach, Lv Liwei, naturally noticed this. Despite Hongjing’s fierce defense, they had yet to mount any effective attacks.
It wasn’t until the 23rd minute of the match that Hongjing No. 8 Middle School had their first counterattack opportunity.
A cross from Shen Cheng Hai Bo was headed away by Zheng Feiyang, who had dropped back to cover. Fu Xinshu, retreating further, collected the ball near the edge of the penalty area and spotted Wen Chengye making a run nearby, calling for the pass.
He immediately lifted his foot and sent the ball over.
Wen Chengye received the ball, turned, and before Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s defense could close in, launched a swift pass!
The ball shot forward like an unsheathed sword, flying into the opponent’s half.
Yet, there was no one from their own team there.
Qin Ao and Chen Jianghe only began their sprint after Wen Chengye had played the long pass. As a result, the attacking third was empty, and the advancing Shen Cheng Hai Bo goalkeeper easily collected the ball before passing it to a teammate tracking back.
Just like that, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s attack came to an end.
Lv Liwei sat back down on the bench, furrowed his brow, and signaled for his players to stay focused.
But as he had anticipated, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School lacked the means for an effective counterattack.
Shen Cheng Hai Bo regrouped and launched a new offensive.
Lin Wanxing, who had leapt up excitedly moments before, now stood by the sideline, cooling off in the breeze. The two fans in the stands, also startled by the sudden attack, resumed beating their drums.
Boom, boom, boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
The thunderous drumbeats made the entire stadium feel even more vast and distant.
Lin Wanxing knew all too well that the failed attack stemmed from issues in the defensive line:
Fu Xinshu’s pass had come a split second too late, forcing Wen Chengye to release the ball immediately. Meanwhile, Qin Ao, distracted by watching Wen Chengye’s move, had failed to start his run in time.
In short, one delay led to another.
Although the team had trained together for some time, Wen Chengye was still new to the midfield role, and their coordination wasn’t yet fluid.
Five minutes later, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School had another opportunity.
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